Free The Texas Lawman's Last Stand by Delores Fossen Page B

soon.”
    Great. Something else to deal with, and the results could be as potentially dangerous as an assassin after Mattie.
    Bo ended the call and hurried to the garage so he could open it for the officers. He tossed one of them the keys to the white SUV that Rosalie used. “You’ll need to move the infant seats into your patrol car,” he instructed. There was a set of seats in both his and Rosalie’s vehicles, but the ones in the white SUV were easier to remove.
    Bo hurried back to the nursery so he could help Rosalie and Mattie. But the women already had it under control. Mattie was dressing Jacob in denim overalls and a shirt. For once, his son was actually cooperating with the dressing process and was babbling away to Mattie.
    Mattie looked up, snagged Bo’s gaze. “Where will you take them?”
    “The officers will take Rosalie and them to the captain’s house.”
    Rosalie did the snaps on Holly’s pink overalls. “I’m guessing this is necessary?” the nanny asked.
    “It is.” Bo put his phone in his pocket so he could take Jacob from Mattie.
    “Because of me,” Mattie mumbled. “Bo, I’m so sorry—”
    “Don’t.” And because he sounded so gruff, he toned it down a little. “I believe both Marshal Tolivar and Kendall Collier have been watching me. Eventually, this would have happened.”
    “Maybe not. If I hadn’t shown up…”
    Then, Collier might have used Holly to get to Mattie. Of course, that left Bo with a big question—why hadn’t Collier tried to use Holly sooner?
    Maybe the man hadn’t known about Holly’s possible connection to Mattie after all? And maybe there was no connection. Maybe the DNA test would prove it. If so, Bo could put an end to the danger and the custody threat in one fell swoop. Mattie could then be on her way to locate her own child.
    So why didn’t that feel as perfect a scenario as it should have?
    Maybe because of that pained look on Mattie’s face. She was obviously hurting, and Bo was hurting for her. He wasn’t cold and heartless, and with Mattie around, he was getting a constant reminder of the camaraderie that was starting between them.
    And of the attraction.
    It was there, simmering, creating all sorts of problems for him.
    Rosalie grabbed the diaper bag and looped it over her shoulder. Since there was no reason to delay things, Bo took a deep breath and headed for the garage.
    “Let’s make this quick,” he instructed while they were still in the cover of the garage. “I don’t want the kids out in the open any longer than necessary.”
    The officers pulled up into the driveway, directly behind the SUVs, and they opened the doors.
    Bo gave Jacob a kiss on the cheek. “Be a good boy,” Bo told him. And he pulled Holly into his other arm so he could kiss her, as well.
    “Da Da,” Holly said, and then poked out her bottom lip as if she might burst into tears. His baby girl did not like to have her routine broken, and she probably sensed that something wasn’t quite right.
    Bo handed Jacob over to Rosalie, giving him a moment to console Holly.
    “It’s okay,” he whispered to Holly, and he kissed her again. Bo pulled her closer for a hug, and her little arms coiled around his neck. “Daddy will be back soon.”
    When Bo glanced at Mattie, he saw the tears in her eyes. He mentally groaned. This goodbye was just as hard for her as it was for him.
    “Why don’t you say bye-bye to Mattie?” Bo prompted the little girl.
    Holly’s big green eyes were suddenly curious, and she even managed a slight smile as she waved. “Bye-bye, Ma.”
    That Ma was obviously Holly’s attempt to say Mattie’s name, but it caused the moment to freeze. Mattie reached for her as if she might yank her right out of Bo’s arms. But she didn’t. Mattie’s hands fell back to her side, and the smile she gave Holly would have melted a heart of stone.
    “They should go,” Mattie said, though there was little sound to her words.
    She turned and went back into the