okay.” She withdrew from his grasp and gathered up her skirt, rebuilding the wall between them. “I’ll walk out with you. I want to bring my grandmother a piece of cake before I leave.”
The two of them managed to sneak away and head down the hallway to Trudy’s room unnoticed. She was already asleep and Belle told him to go on ahead. She wanted to stay a little while longer. He sat beside her and took her hand in his as they watched Trudy in silence. Pretend marriage or not, Harlan had meant his vows. In sickness and in health was the reason they were together again, for however long. He wouldn’t leave Belle. Not with a garden full of wedding guests and not when she needed him most.
* * *
IT WAS CLOSE to five o’clock by the time he picked up Ivy. He’d called his neighbor and filled her in on some of the details. Between her chiding tsks, he persuaded her to keep Ivy inside and away from any of her friends until he arrived home. He’d run into some of her playmates’ parents at the wedding and by now they were aware Ivy’s father had remarried.
“Hey, pumpkin.” Harlan scooped his daughter into his arms and swung her around in a big hug. “How was school today?”
“It was good. Why are you all dressed up? Did somebody die?”
Mental note: he needed to take his daughter to more events where people wore something other than jeans and cowboy boots. “Daddy went to a wedding.” He set Ivy down and grabbed her backpack. “Let’s head home and I’ll tell you all about it.”
After he changed out of his tuxedo and made dinner, he asked his daughter to join him in the living room. “You might hear things from your friends and I want you to know the truth in case someone tells you a bunch of made-up stories.” Ivy’s eyes grew wide in fear.
“Relax, honey. It’s nothing bad. The wedding I went to today was my own.”
“You got married? Without me?” She pouted. “Daddy, why?”
“It’s not a happy-ever-after wedding like in your fairy tales.” Even though that’s what Belle had deserved. “My friend’s grandmother is sick and she doesn’t remember that Belle and I had dated and broke up years ago. We got married today so her grandmother would feel better. But it isn’t a real marriage.”
“Is it legal?” Ivy asked. “You always tell me I have to obey the law.”
“Oh, it’s legal, all right.” Now that the wedding was over and he was home with his daughter, the day’s events seemed like a distant dream. If it hadn’t been for the rented tuxedo hanging by the door, he might’ve doubted his own sense of reality. He’d been all for it this morning when he woke up, but he hadn’t realized how much he wanted to marry Belle. Or how deeply invested he’d become in their marriage. Outside of raising his daughter and becoming a deputy sheriff, nothing else had felt more right to him.
“Is her grandma dying?”
“Yes, she is.”
“Then you did the right thing.” Ivy climbed onto his lap and threw her arms around him.
“Thank you, sweetheart. In a month or so, Belle and I will get what’s called an annulment and the marriage will be like it never happened.”
“Is Belle moving in?”
It certainly hadn’t been part of their original plan, then again, neither was a very public wedding. Harlan wasn’t sure he was open to Belle moving in with them, regardless of how much he owed her for the past.
“We haven’t discussed it.” Ivy sighed and flopped against the back of the couch. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I thought you getting married would mean I’d get a mommy.”
Harlan covered his mouth. As much as he hated what he did to Belle, and as much as he despised Molly for walking out on their daughter without a second thought, he’d never resent or regret their relationship. If the series of events hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have his daughter. She was the best thing that ever happened to him. He wished he could give Ivy what she wanted. His relationship with Belle was only temporary and he hadn’t dated since Molly left. Not that he didn’t want to, he just hadn’t found a woman he wanted to spend time with or introduce into his daughter’s life.
“Why do you look so sad, Daddy?”
Before he could answer, his phone rang. He looked at the display. It was one of the other deputy sheriffs. “Hey, Bryan, what’s up?”
“Harlan, you need to come down to the station right away.”
He stood and motioned for Ivy to grab her shoes. “Why, what’s going on?”
“Well, we arrested your wife. And she’s not alone.”
“Where is she?” Harlan stormed through the front door of the station after dropping Ivy off at his brother’s house. “And what did you mean she isn’t alone? Who’s with her?”
“It’s not a who. It’s a what,” Bryan said.
“Again?” Harlan’s shoulders slumped in relief. Marriage of convenience aside, the thought of Belle with another man tore his gut in two. “What are the charges?”
“Trespassing, breaking and entering, and theft.” Bryan laughed. “You sure know how to pick ’em. Did my wedding invite get lost in the mail?”
“I’ll explain that later.” Harlan headed to the back of the station, swiped his access card and walked through two sets of double doors to the prisoner holding area. There she was. Wet, muddy and clutching something tucked inside her shirt.
“Hey, sweetheart. I forgot to tell you...our marriage comes with one stipulation. You can’t get arrested while we’re together. You’ve racked up three charges within two hours. That must be a record, even for you. It’s time to aim for some new goals.”
“Get me out of here, Harlan.” Belle hurried to the bars and angled her chest toward him. “This piglet needs milk replacer and fast.”
“Oh, it’s a pig this time. That explains the mud. Tell me the story first.”
“There’s no time,” Belle pleaded.
“Tough.” Harlan gritted his teeth. He gripped the bars and lowered his face to hers. “You need to tell me what happened so I can attempt some damage control.”
“Fine.” Belle huffed. “I received a call shortly after I got home. There was an eighteen-wheeler delivering pigs to the Johnson farm way out on Back Hollow Road. This person who shall remain anonymous said they saw the pigs herded off the trailer into holding pens and the piglet tossed in after them. They said it was a life-threatening condition. I couldn’t ignore the situation. I had to do something.”
“So instead of calling me or another deputy sheriff, you put yourself in danger and stole it.”
“It’s a she and I rescued her. I couldn’t wait for you or anyone else,” Belle hissed. “It
