Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall

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       Chapter Fourteen

      Over the next two weeks, the fall air turned colder. Noah still wasn’t used to this climate, but he was getting more used to the town. The people of Stonerock still considered him an outsider and a transplant, but they were welcoming and only mentioned his accent a few times a day now.

      There was an opening on the day shift and he was hoping to slide into that if Captain St. John didn’t give someone with seniority the position. Going back on days would be so amazing with Emma, especially when she started school next fall. Hopefully in that year’s time, they’d fall into a more consistent pattern.

      Of course, Lucy was almost done with schooling and in a few months she wouldn’t even be at the station house anymore. As excited as he was for her, he also hated not having her on the other end of his radio.

      Each night since the heavy rains, he’d seen Lucy on a personal basis. They’d fallen into an easy pattern and he’d been at her house every evening. She and Emma worked on dinner and he tended to the horses. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit the horses weren’t the only reason he came by.

      Lucy had gotten to him. She’d shown him how easy it was to let go and open up. He hadn’t realized just how easy it was to let someone else in, all while getting over such a tragic loss. Perhaps because Lucy got him. She didn’t try to tell him she was sorry for his loss; she didn’t try to dance around the topic. She forced him to talk about it, to keep his late wife’s memory alive.

      The fact that she wasn’t jealous of his late wife, that she wasn’t trying to replace her, was quite possibly the greatest part of this whole process. Noah wanted to be happy again; he wanted to move on and not feel like he was making a mistake. And he truly didn’t believe Lucy was a mistake. He was falling for her. Each night when he left her house, he looked forward to coming back tomorrow.

      Tonight, though, Emma’s sitter was having a sleepover at her house. The lady was having all of her “kids” for a slumber party where they would have movies and popcorn and games. Apparently Emma’s sitter did this quite often and the kids absolutely loved it. So did the parents.

      Noah hadn’t told Lucy about this. He wanted to surprise her by coming alone. She’d said she was going to let Emma decide the cuisine for the night once they arrived. But Noah had already stopped at the diner on the edge of town and bought Lucy’s favorite dish. He only knew it was her favorite because he asked Kate. He figured that was crossing some line, but he didn’t care. He wanted to show Lucy how much she’d come to mean to him and he wanted her to know she didn’t always have to do everything for others. She needed to be pampered, too.

      Noah pulled around to the back of her house. He always kept his truck out of sight from anyone passing on the road. Not that he was ashamed or embarrassed, but they had agreed to keep things between them and he wanted to be respectful to her.

      He grabbed the sacks from the front seat and as he stepped from the truck, Lucy came out onto the back porch. This evening she wore a simple navy dress with long sleeves and a pair of cowgirl boots. The boots she’d often paired with her jeans when she’d been in the barn, but he hadn’t seen her in a dress before. And he liked it.

      As he headed up the stone path toward the steps, Lucy glanced back to the truck. “Where’s Emma?”

      “It’s just us tonight.” He held up the sacks. “With some beef and noodles, potatoes, and rolls. I decided you needed a break.”

      Her bright eyes widened. “Is that so? Then I guess now is a good time to tell you that I already made dessert.”

      Noah leaned in and slid his mouth over hers. He never tired of her touch, her taste, and he wondered if he ever would.

      “Maybe I already had plans for dessert,” he murmured against her lips.

      She trembled against him then eased back. “Did you come here to seduce me, Officer?”

      Noah’s body stirred at her sultry question. “Darlin’, you’ve been seducing me since I stepped foot into your meeting over a month ago.”

      She took the bags from his hands and headed into the kitchen. The sway of her hips beneath that dress СКАЧАТЬ