Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts Page B

picture. “She’s beautiful, Matt.”
    His eyes cleared at that, and the smile spread. “Bald as a melon. Jim and I were, too, and my sister. I’ve got to call my ma,” he said as Libby passed the photo to Rowan. “I can’t figure out how to tell her.”
    Rowan studied the chubby-cheeked, sparkle-eyed infant before handing the photo back. “Go take a walk, work it out in your head. Then call your mother. She’ll be happy. Maybe a little mad she didn’t know sooner, but overall she’ll be happy. Go on. I’ll take care of your chute.”
    “I can’t get it off my mind, so I guess you’re right. I can finish the chute later.”
    “I’ll take care of it.”
    “Thanks. Thanks,” he repeated, and wandered out like a man in a dream.
    “It’s a lot to deal with,” Libby commented.
    “Yeah, it’s a whole lot.”
    She let it simmer in the back of her mind while she worked. Others came in, and since word of Dolly Brakeman’s return spread, it reigned as the hot topic of the day.
    “Have you seen her yet?”
    Rowan shook her head at Trigger. Since she’d finished clearing her own chute, she focused on Matt’s.
    “Word is she came in yesterday afternoon, with her mother and her preacher.”
    “Her what ?”
    “Yeah.” Trigger rolled his eyes. “Some Reverend Latterly. The word is it’s her mother’s preacher guy, and Dolly’s going to church regular now. And so they closeted up with L.B. for an hour. This morning, she’s in the kitchen with Lynn and Marg, frying up the bacon.”
    “She can cook.”
    “Yeah, that was never her problem.”
    She met Trigger’s eyes, gave another quick shake of her head. “She’s got a kid now.” Rowan kept her voice low. “There’s no point shaking all that out.”
    “You think the kid’s Jim’s, like she says?”
    “They were banging like bunnies, so why not?” Because, neither of them said, she had a habit of hopping to lots of male bunnies. “Anyway, it’s not our business.”
    “He was one of ours, so you know that makes it our business.”
    She couldn’t deny it, but she tuned out the gossip and speculation until she had stowed the chutes. Then she hunted out Little Bear.
    He straightened from his hunch over his desk, gestured for her to close the door. “I figured you’d be stopping by.”
    “I just want to know if I need to watch my back. I’d as soon not end up with a bread knife between my shoulder blades.”
    He rubbed a spot between his eyebrows. “Do you think I’d let her on base if I thought she’d give you any trouble?”
    “No. But I wouldn’t mind hearing that right out loud.”
    “She worked here three years before Jim. The only problem we ever had was the wind from how fast she’d throw up her skirts. And nobody much had a problem with that, either.”
    “I don’t care if she gave every rookie, snookie, jumper and mechanic blow jobs in the ready room.” Rowan jammed her hands in her pockets, did a little turn around the room. “She’s a good cook.”
    “She is. And from what I heard a lot of men missed those bj’s once she hooked up with Jim. And she’s got a kid now. From the timing of it, and from what she says, it’s his.” L.B. puffed out his cheeks. “She brought her preacher with her. Her mother got her going to church. She needs the work, wants to make amends.”
    He waved a hand in the air. “I’m not going to deny I felt sorry for her, but I’d’ve turned her off if I hadn’t believed she wanted a fresh start for her and the baby. She knows if she gives you or anybody else any trouble, she’s out.”
    “I don’t want that on my head, L.B.”
    He gave Rowan a long look out of solemn brown eyes. “Then think of it on mine. If you’re not all right with this, I’ll take care of it.”
    “Hell.”
    “She’s singing in the choir on Sundays.”
    “Give me a break.” She shoved her hands in her pockets again as L.B. grinned at her. “Fine, fine.” But she dropped down in a chair.
    “Not