Page 55 of The Nanny's Homecoming

Holding the cap in place with one hand, Brooke shot a quick look toward the children. She’d been adamant about not telling Macy about last night’s incident. “Vincent had an ironclad alibi. He was working out at the Circle C with a half dozen other guys.”

“They vouched for him?”

“Yes.” Blue eyes gone serious, she leaned closer and dropped her voice. “I knew he wasn’t the one, but I still think he’s responsible.”

“What about your old boyfriend?”

“I don’t know. The sheriff hadn’t followed up on Marty, but he said he would.”

Gabe’s jaw tightened. “If he doesn’t, I will.”

“You sound like my brother.” When she’d told Zach about her late-night visitor, he’d gone quiet for a second before promising to have a word with Sheriff Diggers. Knowing Zach, he’d have a quiet, firm word with Marty and Vincent, too. “Let’s not talk about that anymore, okay?”

“Right. We’re out for fun. No fretting allowed.” However, Gabe knew he’d go right on fretting until the guilty man was caught.

He pulled into a parking lot, paid the attendant and put the top up as the crew piled out of the Mustang. He watched Brooke with the children, marveling that a woman barely out of college could be so motherly with children not her own. When she fell in step beside him, he hoisted A.J. onto one hip and took her hand. She reached for Macy on the other side and like a normal, American family, the foursome made their way through security and into the park.

The crowd inside the stadium was already thick, but they found their seats near the field and halfway between home plate and first base.

“Gabe, these seats are amazing. How did you manage to get this close?”

“This is so cool,” Macy breathed, blue eyes taking in the huge space, the green field, the giant scoreboard in center field. She lifted a disposable camera Gabe had given her and snapped away.

Their reaction pleased him. “Anything for my best girls.”

He didn’t know what possessed him to say such a thing and was relieved when Brooke laughed. “That’s not what you said when we hammered you in basketball.”

“A fluke. Nothing more. And for the record, a three-point win does not qualify as ‘hammering.’”

Ball cap shading her face, Brooke exchanged looks with Macy before they both burst into giggles.

The truth was he’d worked his tail off to stay up with Brooke’s speed and quickness.

“You held your own,” she said. “I was pretty impressed.”

Ever the kind one, Macy soothed. “The boys all thought you were cool.”

“Cool, huh? I’ll take cool.” He patted A.J.’s swinging leg. “How about that, buddy? Your old man is cool.”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Brooke teased, nudging him with an elbow. With the pair of them seated shoulder to shoulder, the incidental touches were unavoidable. Whoever installed these seats was a genius.

As soon as the National Anthem ended, Brooke had them all cheering like fanatics for the home team. At the crack of the bat, she was on her feet, fist pumping the air. When the Rockies scored the first run, she started a round of high fives that spread to the fans in adjoining seats.

A baseball game had never been this much fun.

Gabe caught the enthusiasm, and when he’d whistled through his teeth, Brooke insisted he teach her and Macy the dubious skill.

“You never know when you’ll need to whistle loud enough to rupture eardrums and send dogs into spasms,” she’d said gleefully.

“Lofty goals,” he’d answered, and then he’d demonstrated. The girls did a fair amount of air-blowing. Mostly, they giggled. The resulting carefree hilarity produced an atmosphere of pure, energetic joy.

Mom was right. He hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

He slipped an arm over the back of Brooke’s seat, letting his fingers graze the soft skin at her nape. She tilted her head, smiled and shifted closer. Contentment settled into Gabe’s chest. Brooke Clayton made no demands. She simply gave exactly what he needed.

Halfway through the fourth inning, A.J., bored with sitting, slid from his chair to play with the toys they’d wisely brought along. A collection of plastic animals formed a zoo on the fold-down seat. Macy moved over to play, too. A.J. began to fuss.

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