Читать книгу Single Dads Collection - Lynne Marshall - Страница 39

“You don’t actually believe we’re going to let you off the hook, right?”

Lucy was hoping for exactly that. She set the mugs of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream down on the coffee table and Tara and Kate each reached for theirs. This was Lucy’s first night off in days and she wanted nothing more than to wear her fat sweatpants and no bra, and have some sugary drink with her friends.

The hot chocolate wasn’t even spiked. Kate’s parents had been killed by a drunk driver, so she didn’t drink, and Tara and Lucy respected her enough to not drink in her presence.

“We’ll hang around long enough and she’ll be chatty. She won’t be able to keep it inside.”

Lucy rolled her eyes at Tara. “I’m not going to get chatty. There’s nothing to tell, really.”

“I heard you were at Officer Spencer’s house yesterday afternoon,” Kate stated as she held her moose mug with both hands.

They’d gathered at Lucy’s house, in agreement they were going to stay in, binge watch romantic comedies, and have some downtime. They were all so busy with their own work lives lately that it wasn’t often they could meet outside of the support group.

But here they were and Lucy was being quizzed, all because Noah lived on a street with busybody neighbors. And it wasn’t like anything had happened. She’d drunk tea; she’d played for a while with Emma. End of story.

Right?

“What’s that look on her face?” Kate whispered to Tara.

“I think she’s trying to find a way not to answer our questions.”

Lucy laughed. “Would you two knock it off? I was at Noah’s house, but just to take him some scones.”

“The cranberry orange ones?” Tara asked. “Those are the best things you make. You must really be interested in him.”

Lucy didn’t take the bait. She should’ve known girls’ night in would turn into her best friends teaming up against her. Though, if the tables were reversed, she’d be doing the same. Still, she didn’t want to talk about Noah. There wasn’t really much to say. She’d seen a spark of interest, but at the same time, he’d also kept that guard up.

Even at work that evening, he’d entered with another officer coming on duty. They’d all made small talk and then the guys had been dispatched. After that, their only conversations had been emergency calls on the radio.

And now she was off for the next two nights. She wasn’t sure if he was or not, but she didn’t ask. She’d gotten done what she set out to do and that was apologize for making things seem unprofessional.

“So what’s his story?” Kate asked. “Because the town is starting to make up their own about him. I heard he has a cute little girl.”

Lucy nodded. “Emma. She’s four.”

Tara curled her legs to her side on the couch as she reached for her drink. “And he’s a widower?”

“Yeah. His wife passed away during a storm when they lived in Texas. I heard he was a rancher and an officer, but he hasn’t said any of that to me. He’s pretty private.”

“Yet you were in his home, with his child, for what? An hour?”

Lucy met Kate’s raised brow and knowing grin. “Exactly. His child was home. We work together, for pity’s sake. Nothing is happening.”

“Not yet,” Kate muttered around her mug.

Okay, it was time to steer the conversation away from herself because as much as she’d like for something to happen with the new officer, she wasn’t holding her breath.

“Are we still on for dancing tomorrow night at Gallagher’s?” Lucy asked as she licked the point off her whip cream.

Tara nodded. “Marley is with her dad, so I’m game.”

Tara and her husband, Sam, hadn’t been married long when they realized they didn’t want the same things out of life. They’d married after a whirlwind affair and amazing chemistry, but marriages were based on so much more.

Being a single mom was difficult for Tara, but she and her ex managed to get along and put the needs of their daughter, Marley, first.

Lucy and her best friends all faced different obstacles and trials in their lives. They’d been friends since grade school when Lucy had cut off Kate’s pigtails with her new sharp scissors. Kate had wanted her hair cut and her mother had kept saying no, so Kate had actually been grateful to Lucy. That same year, Tara had moved to town and the three just clicked. They’d been through it all together and always had each other’s backs.

“I love going to Gray’s place.” Tara swiped her finger through her whip cream and licked it off. “We may be the only ones who go there just to dance. But Gray Gallagher has taken that bar and made it even more popular than ever.”

The local bar was in its third generation and currently owned by one of their good friends. Gray Gallagher was such a great guy and no doubt one of the reasons why so many women flocked to the place on ladies’ night. Gray had always been that fun guy with a sexy build. When he’d come home from the Army, he’d immediately taken over Gallagher’s from his father, but he’d yet to settle down.

Because isn’t that what people did in this small town? They came home after college or the military and immediately met the love of their life, married, settled down and had babies. Or so the myth went. But not every life was so picture-perfect and neat and tidy.

Sometimes tragedies happened, lives were ripped apart. And sometimes something positive could stem from such tragedies. Lucy, Kate and Tara were dedicating their lives to making a change in this community. They all had their own type of heartache and voids in their lives which made them perfect to work together and comfort others.

Too often when someone suffered loss, people around them didn’t know how to respond or what to say, so they just tiptoed around the delicate topic.

Lucy knew firsthand that didn’t help the person suffering; it only made things more uncomfortable. Which was why she and her friends were going to start opening their doors to everyone at the meetings of their support group. Even if someone hadn’t dealt with the death of a loved one, they still knew people who had, and Lucy wanted them to know how to handle those who grieved.

“I guess we should discuss the upcoming meeting since we’re going to be out dancing tomorrow,” Lucy stated.

“Are we done discussing your police officer?” Kate asked. “Because I don’t really feel like we got much information.”

“You got all the info you need.” Lucy set her mug back on the tray. “We should go ahead and plan on about fifty people. That’s aiming high, but I’d rather be over-prepared than under.”

The more they discussed, the more their plans fell into place, and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief that they’d moved on from the topic of her personal life. She wasn’t dumb enough to believe they’d dropped it for good, but at least for now she was safe.

All Lucy had to do was remember that Noah wasn’t looking for anyone. And hadn’t she told herself she wasn’t looking, either? Yet here she was constantly thinking about him.

So what did she do? Ignore her feelings or act on them? The risk of acting and being seen as a fool put a newfound fear in her. She’d never approached a man before, but since she’d already broached that territory with him, she figured she’d have to keep riding this out.

But the ball was in his court, so to speak. The question was, would he do anything with it?

The annual fall festival was in just a few days and Noah knew he’d be working security there. Not that Stonerock was known for major crime, but security at any event was imperative.

He’d heard chatter about how amazing this festival was and how the entire town came out for it. Captain St. John had already told Noah they’d be working the same shift. Thankfully the sitter was going to bring Emma over for a little while. There would be face painting, bake sales, games, a few small rides, music, and in the evenings a big bonfire. He’d heard there was an area set up with a guy who cooked beans all day in a pot over the fire and served them up during the bonfire.

Noah was really starting to feel at home here. Nothing was the same as his ranch in Texas, but the familiarity of working on a force helped ease him into this new chapter in his life. The small town was exactly what he and Emma needed to feel like they were part of something and it wasn’t just them trying to survive. She’d already made friends with some children from the sitter and he…well, he guessed he made some friends, too.

Was that what he was calling Lucy? His friend? Because he’d had female friends back in Texas and not one of them made him anxious and excited at just the mere thought of them.

Noah yawned as he grabbed his keys and started for the back door of the station. His shift was over and they’d been so slow during the night, the hours seemed to drag. And idle time was never good for someone grieving…or someone having guilt for fantasizing about another woman.

A huge part of him felt like he was cheating on his wife, but the other part of him knew he had to move on. He couldn’t control his feelings and he sure as hell hadn’t picked whom he was attracted to.

As he headed to his truck, he spotted Lucy in the front seat of her car. Her head was on the steering wheel. Alarm hit him first. Was she sick? Passed out?

He crossed the lot to the side of her car and gently tapped on the window. When she jerked in her seat and turned toward him, he instantly saw she was upset. Tears streamed down her face as she rolled her window down.

“What happened?” he asked, resting his hands on the door so he could lean down.

She swiped at her damp cheeks. “It’s nothing. I just needed a minute.”

Noah leaned down farther, resting his arm on the door. “It’s obviously something, since it made you cry.”

Her bright eyes seemed to sparkle even more with unshed tears. “One of the ladies who comes to the meetings lost her dog.”

A rancher at heart, Noah was an animal lover, but for Lucy to get this upset over someone else’s animal was rather surprising.

“Sorry,” she said with a sniff as she waved her hand as if to blow off her emotions. “It’s just that Tammy bought this dog after her husband passed away last year because she wanted the company. But he got out of the house and was hit by a school bus. I just hung up with her and she’s so upset.”

As much as he felt terrible for this stranger, there was a stirring deep within him for the amount of sympathy Lucy had for the people in her group. Lucy cared with her whole heart. He heard it each time she came over the radio to him, he saw it in the way she was with his daughter, and now how she grieved for a widowed lady’s dog.

“You going to be okay to drive home?” he asked.

Lucy nodded. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to swing by her place to check on her. I don’t want her to be alone right now.”

Of course she wasn’t going home. She’d only worked all night and had been pulling double shifts, not to mention whatever hours she logged into her schoolwork.

“It’s not safe for you to be on the roads when you’re this tired.”

Defying him, she started her car. “I’m fine, Noah. I’ll take ten minutes to check on Tammy and then I’ll go home.”

Noah didn’t bother backing away or even attempting to move. She glared in his direction and raised one brow as if to dare him to say another word. Whatever she did on her time off wasn’t his concern, but at the same time, they were friends. Right?

“As your friend, I’m going to give you some advice.”

Lucy gripped the steering wheel and stared at her hands. “A friend?” she asked, glancing back to him. “Fine. If that’s how you want to play this out.”

She was going to be difficult. She couldn’t just let this ride out, but he wasn’t taking her bait.

“Go home and rest,” he advised. “When you wake up, take her some of those amazing scones or something else you bake and then you’ll have time to visit and not feel rushed.”

Lucy pursed her lips and he was shocked she seemed to be thinking about his suggestion instead of instantly arguing.

“Fine.”

Noah stood straight up. “What?”

“Oh, don’t look so surprised that I agreed,” she scolded. “Your idea makes more sense. I just… I want to fix it now for her. I hate knowing people I care about are hurting. It hurts me. My heart literally aches for her.”

Noah swallowed, hating the lump that formed in his own throat. An image of Lucy going through her own grief didn’t sit well with him. Who did she have? Oh, she had her friends, but what family? Because he’d never heard her discuss any. Not that they’d talked a lot, but still. In general conversation most people brought up parents or siblings. She’d only talked about her friends who helped her with the support group.

He didn’t like that she gave everything to everyone and went home to a lonely house. But, again, that wasn’t his business. Damn it, though, he wanted to do something. What would he do? Ask her to come over again? That wasn’t smart. Having Lucy in his house was just adding another layer to this already complicated situation. His life didn’t need anything else that was new and out of his comfort zone.

But Lucy didn’t exactly make him uncomfortable. She made him achy, needy, wanting.

“Why don’t you come over?” he asked before he could stop himself. Shoving his hands in his jacket pocket, he shrugged. “Emma would like to see you again.”

Lame, Spencer. Totally lame.

“Would she?” Lucy asked, her mouth tipping up into a soft smile. “Well, I’d like to see her again.”

Nodding, Noah stepped back, realizing he’d already opted to dive headfirst into this. When she continued to smile at him, he felt a stirring somewhere deep in his chest. Someplace that had been dead so long, he’d almost forgotten it existed.

“Then I’ll see you later,” he told her as he crossed the lot to his truck. By the time he got in and started his engine, Lucy sat in her car smiling over at him.

Whatever he’d gotten himself into was nobody’s fault but his at this point. So, here he was about to have a woman to his house. A woman he’d invited under the pretense of seeing his daughter. But he was a fool and Lucy had seen right through him.

If he was going to continue on this unknown journey, he was going to have to become a stronger man, at least where Lucy was concerned, because she was quickly wearing him down.