Betrayal of Trust by Tracey V. Bateman Page A

age, anyway,” she said matter-of-factly before turning back to her worthy opponent. “Thirty-five. How old are you?”
    “Eight.”
    “Well, then. I guess Michigan stands and I get a point.”
    “Nope.” A smug grin tilted Jamie’s baby-pink lips. “Dad’s thirty-seven. So he gets first pick.”
    Matthew laughed outright. “Hey, don’t drag me into this. You two can battle it out on your own.”
    “Come on, Dad.”
    “Nope. I’m driving. I need to concentrate.”
    “But you always play.”
    “Not this time.”
    “Well, then,” Raven said, unable to withhold a smug grin of her own. “I guess as the oldest, I go first. Write down Michigan under my name and give me a point.”
    Releasing a heavy sigh, Jamie poised her pencil. “Fine. How do you spell it?”
    Raven supplied the spelling and the game moved forward.
    “Florida,” Jamie said, writing as she spoke.
    “Missouri.”
    “Missouri doesn’t count.”
    “Why not?” Raven’s competitive nature reared its ugly head.
    “Because it’s our state.”
    “Well, I don’t see why that makes a difference.”
    A chuckle from Matt brought a flush of embarrassment to Raven’s cheek. She stuck out her tongue in his direction then turned her attention back to her little nemesis.
    “Okay, if my choice doesn’t count, then I get to go again.”
    Jamie gave a huff. “Fine.”
    They played for the next thirty minutes. Until finally they exhausted their choices. Jamie won by two states, although Raven was highly suspicious that she hadn’t actually spied a Hawaii license plate. But short of calling the little girl an out-and-out liar, she didn’t figure she could do much about it.
     
    Raven’s soft snoring brought a smile to Matt’s lips. Though Jamie was clearly impatient to arrive at Adventure Park, as far as he was concerned, they could stay like this forever. The rousing license-plate game had convinced him Jamie and Raven were two peas in a pod and as mother and daughter, there would be a conflict every day of their lives. Enough to provide Raven with all the “mental stimulation” she wanted until Jamie was at least twenty-one.
    The thought of Raven sliding into the role didn’t cause him any alarm. He had no intention of letting her walk out of his life again. He glanced at her, marveling at her sleep-softened features, longing to reach out and test the smoothness of her skin. But he stopped himself short of doing just that. Politics had taught him there was a time to move in and a time to step back and watch. Today was a step-back-and-watch kind of day. He wouldn’t make a pass, wouldn’t talk about the past—unless she brought it up—wouldn’t do anything that might cause her to run away from him.
    No matter her motives for reentering his life, Matthew knew she still cared for him. And though he had no intention of revealing the reasoning behind his withdrawal from the senate race, he didn’t mind baiting her a little bit to keep her around long enough to fall in love again.
    “There’s the Ferris wheel. No it’s not real—wait, yes it is!” Jamie’s excited announcement jolted Matt from his thoughts. Raven shot up straight.
    “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing. Jamie just saw the Ferris wheel.”
    “It’s eighteen stories high,” the little girl exclaimed proudly. “You can see the whole park from up at the top. Can we ride that one first, Dad?”
    Matthew’s stomach turned at the thought. How many minutes did that ride last, anyway? At least most of the roller coasters and other gut-hurling rides were only a couple of minutes in duration. Ferris wheels were a different story. Eighteen stories of slow torture. He gave a little involuntary shudder.
    Raven’s sleep-husky voice emitted a low chuckle. “Still scared of heights?”
    He sent her a self-deprecating grin and cut a glance her way. “Deathly.”
    She slipped her warm hand inside his and smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand.”
    “If anyone’s holding his