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Chapter 22

Cam’s heart clenched as he glanced over his shoulder at Fiona. “Of course you’re not in trouble,” he said, then he frowned. “Unless you’ve been stealing other kids’ lunch money and Ms.Christopher doesn’t know about it.”

“You’re so silly, Daddy,” Fiona said, giggling happily. “Ms.Jo stayed at the playground with me, and I played with Mina. Then Julie and Isobel came over, and we all played together.” She leaned toward him. “It was so much fun! Can I stay after school again and play on the playground?”

“I’ll figure out something,” Cam said. He hoped his mom would be able to stay after school with Fiona a day or two a week. Once things were back to normal, he’d ask her about that.

He glanced at Jo. ‘Back to normal’ meant Jo wouldn’t be in Ogden. She’d be protecting someone else, likely far away from Ogden. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He didn’t want to think about that, about Jo far away from Ogden. Away fromhim.

He hadn’t been able to stop her from leaving when she left the first time -- he’d been unconscious. Beaten to a pulp at the park by the river. And if Don hadn’t found him? Hadn’t called the paramedics and stayed with him until they arrived? He’d be dead right now.

Which was why he’d taken Don on as a partner. The guy had saved his life. Making him a partner in PK construction when Don needed help was the least he could do.

Had he had second thoughts about that decision? Occasionally, on days like today when Don made a crude remark about Jo. But overall, Don did a good job.

As he drove, he heard Fiona chattering away to Jo -- about playing on the playground, about her friends Mina and Julie and Isobel. She went into a long, convoluted explanation of the game they’d been playing. Cam couldn’t follow it at all, but Jo was nodding as if she understood all the intricacies of the game.

Listening to Jo and Fiona talk, Cam realized he had a huge hole in his life -- he didn’t have a partner to share the work with him. To pay attention to some of the details of their lives. Someone to bounce ideas off of.

He hadn’t missed that until Jo moved in with him. Now he knew he’d miss her input when her job with him was over and she left Ogden. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and glanced at Jo out of the corner of his eye. He’d miss her -- not just the sexy fun they had together, but he’d miss her influence on Fiona. And that was something he’d never thought he’d embrace -- another woman in Fiona’s life.

When they reached the house, Fiona unbuckled the straps that held her in the car seat. She began to clamber over the console between the two front seats when Jo turned and gently urged her back onto the bench seat.

“You and your daddy need to stay in the car, Fiona,” she said, brushing a few wisps of hair away from her face. “I’m gonna check the house, then you can come in. Okay?”

Fiona frowned. “I wanna check the house with you,” she said, a distinct whine in her voice.

“Not this time,” Jo said gently. “Another time, okay?”

Cam saw Fiona’s lip quiver, and he knew his girl was veering dangerously close to a tantrum. So he said, “Why don’t you and I check the yard, Fee? Make sure everything’s in order there.”

Jo shot him a look that said, ‘keep your ass in the car’. But he ignored it as he swung out of the car and opened the back door for Fiona. “We’ll check the front yard first,” he said. “We’ll need to look behind all the bushes beneath the windows. Maybe someone’s cat or dog got away and they’re hiding next to the house.”

Fiona sucked in a breath. “Really, Daddy? Do you think so?”

“You never know,” Cam said. “All we can do is look.”

He met Jo’s eyes and mouthed ‘sorry’.

Jo smiled and said, “I think that’s a very good idea, Fiona. We wouldn’t want anyone’s cat or dog to be lost. You and your daddy check all those bushes really carefully, okay? That’ll save me a lot of time.”

“Yay!”Fiona said, jumping up and down. “We’ll checkeverywhere,” she promised Jo. “We’ll look very hard.”

“I know you will,” Jo said, and she swiped her hand over Fiona’s head.

Cam’s heart clenched at the casual familiarity. He was glad that Jo got along so well with Fiona. Seemed to know exactly what to say to her.

So while Jo opened the front door of the house, sliding her right hand beneath her jacket where he knew she kept her gun, he and Fiona got onto the ground and looked behind all the bushes. Beneath them, too. By the time Jo emerged from the house, they were both on their feet, brushing the dirt from their hands and knees.

“Any missing dogs or cats?”Jo asked Fiona as she emerged from the house.

“No,” Fiona said, with a disappointed frown. “But maybe there’ll be one tomorrow.”

“You never know,” Jo said. “Will you and your daddy look again tomorrow for me? That saves me a lot of time.”

“Yes!”Fiona said, bouncing up and down. “I’ll be the official searcher for lost dogs and cats.”

“That’s a big job,” Jo said, crouching in front of her. “But you’re a very big girl, so I’m sure you can handle it. I’m so glad you’re going to help me.”