Desperately Seeking Dad Read Online Free

husband’s death.
    Not that she was under any illusion her faith was mature. God’s not finished with you yet, Helen would say, wrapping Anne in the same warm embrace she extended to every lost soul and runaway kid who wandered into her shelter. The good Lord has plenty for you to learn, girl. But you have to listen.
    God could help in this situation with Donovan. She had to believe that, somehow.
    But maybe believing it would be easier if she had the kind of faith Helen did.
    I’m trying, Lord. You know I’m trying.
    A police car came slowly down the street and pulled to the curb in front of the bed-and-breakfast. She let the curtain fall behind her, her heart giving an awkward thump. Mitch Donovan was here.
    In a moment she heard footsteps in the hall beneath, heard Kate greeting him—fondly, it seemed. Well, of course. Bedford Creek was his home. Anne was the stranger here, and she had to remember that.
    By the time he knocked, Anne had donned her calm, professional manner. But after she opened the door, her coolness began to unravel. He still wore the uniform that seemed almost a part of him, and his dark gaze was intent and determined.
    â€œChief Donovan. Come in.”
    He nodded, moving through the doorway as assuredly as if he were walking into his office. The small room suddenly filled with his masculine presence.
    It’s the uniform, she told herself, fingers tightening on the brass knob as she closed the door. That official uniform would rattle anyone, especially combined with the sheer rock-solid nature of the man wearing it.
    â€œGetting settled?” His firm mouth actually curved in a smile. “I see Kate gave you her best room.”
    Apparently he hoped to get this meeting off to a more pleasant start than the last one. Well, that waswhat she wanted, too. You need his cooperation, she reminded herself. For Emilie’s sake.
    â€œAny friend of Mitch’s deserves the nicest one—I think that’s what she said.” Anne couldn’t help it if her tone sounded a bit dry.
    He walked to the window, glanced out at the street below, then turned back to her. “Kate said you took a walk around town.”
    The small talk was probably as much an effort for him as for her. She longed to burst into the crucial questions, but held them back.
    Cooperate, remember? That’s how to get what you want.
    â€œI stopped by the pharmacy to pick up some extra diapers for the baby. The pharmacist already knew I’d been to see you.” That had astonished her. “Your dispatcher must work fast.”
    The source of the information had to be the dispatcher. Mitch Donovan certainly wouldn’t advertise her presence.
    He grimaced. “Wanda loves to spread news. And it is a small town, except during tourist season.”
    â€œTourist season?”
    He gestured out the window, and she moved a little reluctantly to stand next to him.
    â€œTake a look at those mountains. Our only claim to fame.”
    The sun slipped behind a thickly forested ridge, painting the sky with red. The village seemed wedged into the narrow valley, as if forced to climbthe slope from the river because it couldn’t spread out. The river glinted at the valley floor, reflecting the last of the light.
    â€œIt is beautiful.”
    â€œPlenty of people are willing to pay for this view, and the Chamber of Commerce is happy to let them.”
    â€œI guess that explains the number of bed-and-breakfasts. And the shops.” She had noticed the assortment of small stores that lined the main street—candles, pottery, stained glass. “Bedford Creek must have an artistic population.”
    â€œDon’t let any of the old-timers hear you say that.” The tiny lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled as his face relaxed in the first genuine smile she’d seen. “They leave such things to outsiders.”
    â€œOutsiders.” That seemed to echo what she’d been