“She probably knows her grandmother’s going to run a lot tighter ship than Sandy did.”

“Maybe.” She slipped the hairbrush through the baby’s fluff. To her astonishment, she found herself the target of the megawatt smile Button normally reserved for Mat. Her heart ached. “No way,” she muttered. “You’re not going to start flirting with me right before I have to give you up.”

Button gave a shriek of delight and held out her arms for Nealy to pick her up. Her throat constricted, and she turned away.

Mat lifted her from the couch. “Too little, too late, Demon. Some people can’t be bought.” He bent down, opened one of the built-in drawers underneath, and pulled out the Wal-Mart pillow. “As much as I hate to say it, you’ll need to wear this.” His expression showed his distaste. “Other than me, it’s the best protection you have.”

He was right. They were going to be in town for a while, and the whole world was looking for her. She located one of the old maternity tops and slipped into the bathroom. As she came out, she heard Mat talking to Lucy.

“. . . the detectives Nell’s ex-husband hired might be showing up. She needs to throw them off, so she’s going to make herself look pregnant again. If anybody asks, I’m saying she’s my wife, so back me up, okay?”

“Okay.” Lucy sounded sad.

A few beats of silence ticked by. “I’m not going to just dump you and leave, you know. I’ll stay around for a while to make sure you get settled. This is going to be great. You’ll see.”

Lucy moved toward the door as if she weighed a thousand pounds. Squid lumbered after her.

“I think we’d better leave the dog here for now.” Mat pulled his shirt collar from Button’s mouth.

It was a silent group that made its way up the steps to the front door. As Mat pressed the bell, Nealy glanced at Lucy. She was leaning against the porch rail looking miserable.

Nealy moved over to her and slipped an arm around her waist. She wanted to tell the teenager that everything was going to be all right, but she couldn’t do that because it so obviously wasn’t.

Lucy looked up at her, and Nealy saw a whole world of anxiety in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, either,” she whispered. “Not until I know you’re all right.” She just hoped she could live up to her promise.

“Nobody’s answering,” Mat said. “I’ll look around back.” He passed Button over to her.

Lucy stared at the front door.

“Do you want to tell me about your grandmother now?” Nealy asked.

Lucy shook her head.