Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall

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СКАЧАТЬ know. He’d fallen in love, married, then had a baby. But he would never knock someone else’s life choices. Whatever worked for them.

      “Not to pry, but have you told her how you feel?”

      Sam laughed. “She’s aware. We got married too soon, weren’t really in love…at least that’s what she says. I was—I am—in love with her.”

      Noah’s heart clenched. He couldn’t deny that he was feeling something rather strong for Lucy, too. Love? Hell, he wasn’t sure, but what he felt was so much more than just friendship.

      What should he do about it?

      Did he wait on her? Did he wait around and see if she was truly ready? At what point did he move on himself?

      Who the hell was he kidding? He didn’t want to move on. He’d lost his wife and he’d never thought he’d crawl out from that dark hole. Then he’d met Lucy and there’d been light in his life again. The light was still there, still shining, but he was still alone.

      “Fight for her.”

      Noah thought he heard Sam wrong. His voice was barely audible over the bass-heavy music pervading the bar.

      “If you want Lucy, fight for her,” Sam stated. “She’s amazing. I don’t know your whole story, but… Hell, who am I to give advice on relationships?”

      Noah took another pull of his beer. “I lost my wife and our ranch about eight months ago. I have a four-year-old daughter. She’s pretty taken with Lucy. Those two are… They’re so alike and get along like they’re long-lost friends. Lucy is so good with her.”

      “Having kids makes things so much more complicated,” Sam stated. “They can also make things so clear, too.”

      “I can’t imagine how you deal with an ex and a child.” Noah finished off his beer and set the bottle on the bar. “If you want Tara back, why don’t you just make her see why?”

      Sam continued to toy with the label. “We’re pretty complicated. I was offered a job in Nashville. Thinking about taking it and leaving Stonerock.”

      Noah leaned his elbows on the bar. “Does Tara know?”

      “Not yet. Haven’t decided what I’m doing. Marley is the major factor. I don’t want to make things difficult for her, but staying here isn’t good for me, either.”

      “I had to leave Texas, so I get where you’re coming from.” Noah caught Gray’s attention and motioned him over for another beer. “You have to do what’s best to keep moving forward.”

      Sam let out a laugh. “I just hang here to talk with Gray. I’m not really some sappy drunk who’s lost all hope.”

      “Didn’t think you were.”

      “Others do,” he replied. “Not that I care. Gray is a good friend and I figure if I can hang here and give him my business, it’s a win-win.”

      Gray slid another beer across to Noah. “You ladies done sharing life stories?”

      “For now,” Noah told him.

      “You want to know how to get to Lucy?” Gray asked. “She’s a simple person, really. Nobody has actually tried to do things for her. She’s always putting herself out there for everyone else.”

      Noah nodded. That was the crux of the entire situation. She wanted to be the one person for everyone else, but couldn’t let one person be everything for her.

      “I’ve already figured that out,” Noah replied. “Trying to get that woman to see that is like beating my head against the wall.”

      Gray rested his palms on the bar top. “Don’t give up on her.”

      Noah didn’t say anything. What could he say? He wasn’t the one who had given up. He’d just gotten to the point where he truly wanted to try a relationship and expose his most vulnerable side and Lucy hadn’t removed that steel barrier she’d had in place for the past two years.

      At this point all he could do was move on with the life he’d started here with Emma. Seeing Lucy at work would hurt. Hearing her voice over the radio would be crushing. But he couldn’t make her see that they could heal each other. She had to find that resolution herself.

      “We have a report of an armed robbery in progress at Stonerock Bank.”

      He’d been right. Hearing Lucy’s voice over his radio was gut-wrenching. Noah had given her a brief hello when he’d come into work; that had been the extent of their conversation. For the past week they’d been cordial, just like coworkers should be. But now they weren’t even acting like coworkers. They had back-tracked to that awkward stage, almost like strangers.

      They weren’t strangers, though. They had been lovers. They knew each other’s secrets, their fears.

      Noah had to admit it. The woman had him tied up in knots. But right now, with her voice over his radio, he had a robbery to focus on.

      “One report from a teller says there’s only one man, but she says he’s armed,” Lucy went on. “She was in the bathroom when she heard him come in and demand money, so she hasn’t seen a weapon. She’s locked herself in and her phone is still on. I can hear the suspect, but I can’t make out what he’s saying.”

      Adrenaline pumping, Noah put on his lights and siren. If a perp was wielding a gun or any weapon, there were people in danger. Noah only hoped the perp wasn’t under the influence of something, because guns and drugs made for a dangerous combo. He’d only dealt with a handful of armed robberies in Texas, but thankfully they’d all ended peacefully.

      Noah pulled into the lot at the same time McCoy pulled in. This was the early bank that opened at seven to get businesses started for the day. Noah’s shift only had an hour left, but he already knew this situation would take longer than sixty minutes.

      “I’m on the scene,” McCoy checked in through the radio.

      “I’m here, too,” Noah added. “The blinds are still closed.”

      “The teller said she thinks he forced his way in with one of the workers,” Lucy informed them. “The lobby isn’t open yet.”

      That would make sense. Get in when all of the nightly bank bags were waiting for the morning deposits.

      Noah surveyed the parking lot, looking for an accomplice or a getaway car. The sun was barely on the horizon, but he didn’t see any unusual cars. Just a couple parked in the employee section. Still, he scanned the street. The rest of the nearby businesses were still closed, for which he was grateful. If this robber ran out with a gun, at least the streets were still bare.

      Movement in the window caught Noah’s eye. “The suspect just shifted the blinds,” he said in his radio. “He is holding a gun.”

      “I’ve got more units en route,” Lucy informed him. “Be careful.”

      She’d never said those words before and СКАЧАТЬ