Free Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) by Elizabeth Hunter Page A

brother—”
    “Chris.”
    “If Chris can come down or send someone else that can do the on site supervision, I don’t see how there could be a problem.”
    “Chris…” She looked worried. “He doesn’t know. About you guys. About the kids.”
    Alex nodded, hoping to sooth the fear in her eyes. “I’ll let everyone know to be careful. If he doesn’t need to know, he won’t. It’s for the best.”
    “He can be… well, he’s kind of judgmental. I don’t know—I mean, he’s a good guy—but I’m not sure how he’d react to…” She glanced at the kids. “Scales.”
    He felt the corner of his mouth tick up. “You know, tortoises are a possibility, too.”
    “Shit, Alex.” Josie snorted through tears and slapped his shoulder. “Don’t joke about stuff like that. Snakes were bad enough. I don’t want my babies carting shells around.”
    “It’s not that bad. Very tough shifters, desert tortoises.”
    “I hate you a little right now.”
    But she was smiling and looked more like herself again. “I can handle it. You’re not the only woman who hates me.”
    “Still no luck with your ex, huh?”
    He cocked his head. “How—”
    “Marcus tells me everything.” She caught herself. “Or he did.”
    He spoke, trying to distract her. “I knew he was a gossip. Never should have had him pass that note for me during study hall.”
    Josie laughed through her tears. “You guys… He thought the world of you, Alex. I’m sure your girl will come around, too.”
    Alex thought about Ted giving him a hug the day before. Knowing when he was hurting, even if he covered it with anger.
    “I haven’t given up yet.”
    “Good.” Her eyes glassed over again, and she glanced at her kids. “When you find the right one, it’s worth the work.”
    A loud cry erupted from the kitchen, and she glanced at Marcus’s mom over her shoulder. “You know, he sent her money. Every month. Not once did I hear her say thank you. Even though she never stood up for him, he still took care of her.”
    Alex swallowed the lump in his throat. “He was a good man.”
    “The best.”
    The cool wind from the air conditioner picked up and Alex felt a blessed breeze waft over him. He was still in his work shirt and jeans, having come straight from the job when he got Josie’s call that she and the kids had arrived at Marcus’s mom’s. 
    “You know, the Chief of Police is going to come by, right?”
    “I figured. He a decent guy?”
    “Yeah.” Alex nodded, even though he’d had his problems with Jena’s new husband. “He knows everything about us. Married to one of my friends now, but he’s from New Mexico originally. Good detective. Tried to come out here and retire, even though he’s young.”
    “That didn’t work out so well, did it?”
    “No, but he knows his stuff.” He shifted toward her. “You know he’s gonna ask a bunch of questions about Marcus, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “There anything I should know about? Anything that’s gonna upset you if he asks?”
    She sniffed and shook her head. “Not really? I mean, you know Marcus, he’s… Everyone liked him, Alex. He was fair to the guys that worked with him. He was a good dad. A great husband—”
    “You know Caleb’s going to ask if there were other women.”
    Josie just started laughing. “As if he’d ever have the nerve to talk to them. As good-looking as Marcus was, he was a total wuss around girls. I had to throw myself at him to get him to make a move.” She kept laughing, and Alex had to admit he was relieved. Glad there were no skeletons that Marcus’s widow would have to deal with.
    “He looked tough, but he was a big softie,” she said. “If there was anything that led to this, it might have been that. Him trusting the wrong person or thinking the best of someone he shouldn’t. He always wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt, even when they screwed him.”
    That pricked a memory of something he’d mentioned to Ted. “Do you