He instinctively rejected that idea. “No. Not yet. They have enough to deal with right now without me throwing another complication at them.”
“I can’t agree. You must know how they’re struggling to reach him. They would probably welcome all the help they can find.”
Not his help. What would the boy gain from the unexpected appearance in his life of a father who showed up out of the blue, one who had never claimed to even like kids? “I doubt Christopher will be thrilled to find out the father who signed away all rights to him just happens to be the sheriff of Lake Haven County.”
“You don’t know that,” she argued. “I really think you should tell Louise and Herm.”
“I don’t want him to know yet. This is my decision. My problem. I’ll deal with it in my own way.”
“When? Christopher moved here in August and you haven’t done anything yet.”
The reminder of his own inaction gnawed at him. He could give a hundred excuses. The trouble in the ranks at work. His own guilt over signing away his rights, coupled with his natural caution. Christopher’s obvious unhappiness, living in Haven Point.
“I do not want him to know yet. I have to ask you not to say anything.”
She looked offended. “Of course I won’t.”
Despite her words, he could picture her thinking, in some misguided way, that she was doing the right thing by telling Louise or Christopher. Ali’s delicious sandwich seemed to congeal in his gut.
“I gave in and let you help me after the accident because I didn’t have a choice,” he said curtly. “I let you bring food and decorate my tree and fuss over me like I’m five years old.”
“I have not,” she said, looking offended.
“I never wanted you pushing your way into my life, but you did it anyway. I told you I would talk to his grandparents about shoveling and you went ahead and did that, too. Don’t get it into your head you can do the same thing where Christopher is concerned. I need you to stand down. This is my problem and I have to deal with it my own way.”
She stiffened, hurt flaring in her eyes before she looked away from him.
“Your call, Sheriff.” Her voice was stiff, cool, and he instantly wanted to apologize. “Are you finished?”
What else did she want him to say? “For now.”
“I meant with your lunch, so I can take you home.”
Now he felt like an ass and stupid, too. “Yeah. I’m done.”
She stuffed the remains of her sandwich—most of it uneaten—into one of the bags Ali had given them, then pulled back onto the road without another word.
The rest of the way, she drove in silence, her features remote. He didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t wrong, but perhaps he could have worded things a little more diplomatically.
Why did she always bring out the worst in him? he wondered as she drove around the lake. He could pinpoint at least part of the reason—he was fiercely attracted to her and the futility of it left him sour and out of sorts.
Most women liked him. He could even be charming when he set his mind to it.
With Andie he had been cranky and sour, like a dyspeptic old man with gout.
She hadn’t done anything to deserve it—rather, she had been nothing but kind to him, even though she had never wanted to help him in the first place. She had just spent two hours chauffeuring him to Shelter Springs and back, and instead of showing his appreciation, he repaid her by lashing out and basically accusing her of being a busybody.
He could have tried to conceal the truth when she guessed correctly that Christopher was his son, yet he had made the choice to confide in her.
It was completely unfair of him, then, to blast her in return.
“Do you need to go anywhere else while you’re out?” she asked, her voice still cool, as they reached the town limits of Haven Point. “I can spare another hour before Chloe gets home from school when we need to drive up to Evergreen Springs to pick up Will.”
Her determined politeness made him feel even worse. “I don’t think so. You’ve done enough.”
The moment he said the words, he knew they sounded wrong, hostile. He sighed. “That didn’t come out the way I planned. Nothing I say does around you.”
“I’m sorry.”
She said the last word as a half question and he had to shake his head. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who’s sorry. I just spent the last ten minutes trying to figure out why I’m such an ass around you.”
She didn’t argue with his assertion—but then, he hadn’t expected her to. She merely gave him a steady look. “What brilliant conclusion did you draw?”