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taking over almost all the cooking and cleaning for Bay. She managed a weak smile for her friend. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Come watch the parade with me.” Melody gently demanded.

  Bay couldn’t stop her smile from growing. The girl was truly lovely. At her spa day in Fayetteville she’d had her hair cut into a cute pixie that floated around her head. It made her eyes look huge and seemed to lighten up her entire being. She’d come completely out of her shell and was a vibrant, happy young woman.

  “Where’s Todd Douglas?” Bay asked with a smirk. The young man had been chasing Melody for the last month.

  A warm, pink glow eased over Melody’s face. “He’s riding on the church float.” Because of Melody’s past, she had a hard time believing that any man would be interested in her romantically, and it was especially difficult being that Todd attended church and was a “good kid” his whole life.

  Bay sighed, “You really going to make me get out of this chair?”

  “Yes. You need to walk.”

  Attempting to glare at Melody and failing, Bay replied, “I do walk. Every day I walk. It’s hot out there. I’m not going out there.” She had to admit that, even to her ears, she sounded like a petulant child.

  Melody totally ignored her and walked around to help her from the chair. When Bay stood, she automatically rubbed at the pain in her back. Melody caught the action and asked, “Back hurt?”

  “Mmm. All damn day.” Bay groused. A huge smile lit Melody’s face. “What?” A confused Bay asked.

  “It could be a sign. You should stay close to town. Don’t go to the fireworks tonight.”

  “Didn’t plan on it. Too damn hot.” The two moved to the front window, the sound of the school marching band rolling down the street. As the many floats slowly drifted by, even grumpy Bay had to admit that the parade was a really good one for such a small, rural area. Hill County might not be rich in money, but it was very rich in community and Country pride.

  That evening, Bay was a little surprised to find she was disappointed at not going to the big County wide picnic and fireworks. But she was so uncomfortable that walking around a huge field of people and being nice and sociable was simply not an option. She did stay in the office as they’d had several stop by to chat, report missing and lost items, and one a missing child that has escaped his mother.

  Deputy Cory slipped around the picnic early and put together a huge plate of food for Bay. He delivered it, and while she thanked him profusely, Bay found that no matter how tempting some of it looked, she was unable to eat anything. The nagging ache in her back hadn’t gotten any worse, but was wearing her out faster than usual.

  She was alone in the office with only Owen manning the desk when the fireworks started. She could hear the distant “pops” interspersed with louder “booms”. “Owen you’re missing it,” she called out.

  The younger man laughed and stood up from his chair. “Mind if I step outside to see?”

  “No, go, I got the phone.” She saw him slip around the counter and out the front door. He didn’t go far, just to the edge of the street.

  Bay was considering going to the break room for a bottle of water when Owen came rushing back in. “Sheriff, there’s a light flashing in Dob’s TV store. Like a flashlight.”

  Instantly alert, she studied Owen. He wasn’t one to panic and with nearly the entire County at the fireworks, including all the deputies, it was the perfect time to hit up the little TV repair place which was packed with electronics, working and not. “He used to have a police scanner in there. Start with Tuck’s cell phone, you probably won’t get him. Call them all, each one until someone answers and only then, try radio. With the noise, it’s going to be hard to reach anyone.”

  She stood and grabbed her gun belt. She had to fasten it ridiculously low under her belly, so she hardly wore it these days. Reaching for the huge oversized bullet proof vest, the only thing that would fit, she grimaced at putting it on and dealing with the heat. Heading for the door she asked, “You get anyone yet?”

  Owen only shook his head, and dialed the next number on the list.

  “Try the State too. See if they have a car near. If they don’t, don’t ask them to send one.” Pushing through the front door, Bay attempted to not waddle as much as usual. Slowly working down the street, she could easily see the light bobbing in the store a few buildings away. “Bold.” she murmured to herself.

  Pulling out her weapon and looking down at the overripe belly, she decided that it wasn’t a good idea for her to try to enter the store. Noting the strange car parked on the street nearly in front of Dob’s, she used her cell to call back the license information to Owen. There were no other cars nearby, no alcove to hide in, nothing between her and the bobbing flashlight in the store. There were brief flashes of light and lots of loud booms from the fireworks, though. Another cramping ache spread across her back and she thought, this is SO not a good idea.

  Phoning Owen on her cell again, she asked if he’d managed to get in touch with anyone. His negative response brought on a bout of curses from Bay. She was getting anxious enough to send the man on foot down to the field at the edge of town just to find some help.

  When the flashlight stopped moving suddenly, Bay tensed. Her mind scrambled over her options and she didn’t like any of them. She could let whoever was in there go and hope to trace them later through the car registration, or attempt to stop them now. With another quiet round of cursing, nearly drowned out by the sound of the fireworks, she decided to try.

  Crossing the street, she stood in front of the car and watched as the flashlight winked out. Old Dob was a stingy fool and never left lights on inside his shop so the building was nearly pitch black. The meager light from the street lamps didn’t reach into the building at all. Bay wondered what sort of a stand-off she might now be involved in as whoever was in there obviously saw her standing in plain sight.

  Sweat trickled down her back as she tried Owen again. He’d left messages on every deputy’s phone and thankfully, the fireworks were winding down. She could only hope someone checked their phone soon. Staring intently into the storefront, she tried to locate a person in among all the other shadows.

  A final, fantastic crescendo of lights and noise sounded the end of the show. Both Bay and the person in the store knew it was now or never. She braced and took a firm grip on her weapon just as the front door burst open. In the deathly quiet of the next few seconds, it seemed like time slowed down.

  A fierce cramp shot around Bay’s back to her lower belly that took her breath away. Sudden knowledge of what was going on inside her slammed into her conscious. She was in labor, the baby was coming. Shock filled her as she met the scared and frightened eyes of the scrawny teen boy racing around to the driver’s side of his car.

  “Stop!” she managed to yell. A sudden distant sound of siren filled her with relief but she knew the kid heard it too. “Come on buddy, let’s do this the easy way.” Bay struggled to keep her voice low smooth and strong. She couldn’t let the kid know just how bad off she was as another spasm of pain nearly took her to her knees.

  She saw him pause. She saw him actually think for a moment. But then the moment was over and the kid jumped into the car. Cursing, Bay raised her weapon in unsteady hands and pointed it low at the front of the vehicle. Please God, don’t make me shoot this kid.

  Keeping her eyes on the scared teen, she shook her head “no” and silently mouthed the word, hoping against hope as he started the engine. The siren was closer, but not close enough. Another contraction hit and Bay dropped her stance, grabbing her stomach and fighting to stay on her feet. The kid took his chance and floored the car, swerving to avoid hitting her.

  Bay was too close and unable to move fast due to her condition. She threw herself to the side, but the car still clipped her leg and hip. Attempting to cushion her belly in the fall, she hit the sidewalk hard on her other side in a haze of the most incredible pain she’d ever felt. Unable to m
ove, she lay helpless on the street and felt the sudden rush of fluid leaving her body.

  Tires screeched to a halt near her. Sudden shouting filled the air and more sounds of vehicles. Just trying to breathe through the pain, Bay knew she had to get up, get off the street, the baby was coming. Her legs wouldn’t work though, wouldn’t obey her commands to them to move.

  Hands gripped her shoulders, voices loud and demanding, she was unable to answer. In minutes she was surrounded by people, some she knew, some she didn’t. But the pain was sucking her down and causing a blackness to creep over her and she was helpless to stop it.

  -7-

  When she woke up, Bay instantly knew she was in a hospital. The sterile smells, the beeps, the uncomfortable bed, all a dead giveaway. Starting slow, she attempted to move. Arms seemed okay, hands reaching for her belly where they found only a soft mound instead of the firm bulge of a pregnant belly. Fear slowly crept up her back. Trying her legs, she found the right encased in some sort of plastic, the left incredibly sore, but movable.

  Where was her baby?

  A soft