Free New Leaf by Catherine Anderson

brainwashing Sarah to be terrified of me. I was granted monthly court-supervised visitations with my daughter, but with each visit she was so increasingly traumatized by seeing me that I finally decided I was doing more harm than good. It was the hardest choice I’ve ever made, but I had to think of what was best for my little girl. People in Erickson thought I was guilty. They hated me. I couldn’t even go to a grocery store without something unpleasant happening. When a man spat at my feet and an older woman on a sidewalk called me a monster, I petitioned the court for permission to relocate. Permission was granted, and I was appointed a probation officer and counselor in Crystal Falls. That’s when I came to Mystic Creek. I used a small divorce settlement from Phillip, which he gave me only to make himself look good, to lease my shop and start my business.”
    Barney forked up a bite of spaghetti. It tasted like cardboard with a drizzle of grease on top. Offhand, he couldn’t remember when he’d pegged somebody so wrong. “I’m sorry you’ve had such a rotten time of it,” Barney offered. “But I still don’t see how I can possibly help.”
    She leaned closer. “I hired a private investigatorto keep me updated on Sarah’s well-being. He called me this morning. I knew Phillip had divorced Melanie, but I had no idea that his father had finally gotten fed up and stopped giving him money. I also didn’t know that Phillip’s mom, Grace, is gravely ill and unable to care for Sarah. They’ve been taking care of Sarah for Phillip since his divorce. His dad is, of course, distraught over his wife’s health. Phillip had no choice but to step in and provide care for his daughter. But he’s doing a horrible job of it, leaving Sarah with one strange woman after another. My investigator says rumor has it that Phillip is maintaining his fancy lifestyle by dealing in drugs now that his dad won’t cough up any more cash. I suspected Phillip dabbled in recreational drugs during our marriage, but this is even lower than I would have thought he would stoop.
    “Sarah—she’s only five, Barney. The girlfriends who are taking care of her may be using drugs while she’s with them. Sarah is missing a lot of preschool because Phillip can’t be bothered with taking her to class every morning. Her teacher says she isn’t getting along well with other kids. She’s acting out and dressing inappropriately, whatever that means. In short, my little girl is in a very perilous situation, and no matter what it takes, I have to try to get her out of there.”
    Barney turned his glass, staring into the remaining water. “How do you think I can help?” he asked. He’d known from the start of this conversation that she wanted something. Now maybe she’d spit it out. “Shoot.”
    “You’re a deputy.”
    He sighed and gave his glass another turn. “Being a law officer doesn’t empower me to cure all the problems of the world. I can’t bust Phillip for using and selling drugs unless I catch him in the act, and Erickson is way out of my jurisdiction.”
    Her gaze clung to his. “You don’t understand, Barney. I don’t want you to bust Phillip. You’re a respected man in Mystic Creek. If you and I were together, it would make me look more squared away and respectable. I might have a chance of getting custody with you standing beside me. I’m not talking about a real marriage, at least not a permanent commitment. It would be only temporary, and of course I would grant you conjugal rights for the duration. Once I get Sarah, we can get a quiet divorce.”
    Somewhere in the middle of this announcement, Barney knew his jaw had dropped open. Of all the things he might have expected her to say, this wasn’t it. Now he was glad they had come in separate cars, because all he wanted was to get the hell away from her and her wild stories and even wilder ideas.
    A pretend marriage? Was she out of her mind? He believed in the sanctity of