Dad In Blue. Shelley Cooper

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СКАЧАТЬ walls closed in on him tighter, making it hard for him to breathe.

      Samantha Underwood’s eyes pleaded with him. “I know I’m asking a lot. Too much, probably. But if you could see your way clear to helping Jeffrey, I’d be forever in your debt.”

      That was it, then, he realized dully. He had no choice. Because the question had changed from could he do this to did he have the right to refuse Samantha Underwood’s request. And the answer was that he didn’t. He had to at least give being Jeffrey’s buddy his best shot. Because he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t try.

      Carlo couldn’t help thinking—wishing?—that, if he was able to help the child, it would quiet some of his own demons. Leaving his job certainly hadn’t accomplished that task. Cleaning his house hadn’t. Neither had carving endless quantities of wooden figures. Maybe, if he could somehow reach Jeffrey Underwood, draw the boy out, he’d be able to come to terms with the past, which would in turn help him to come to some sort of decision about his future.

      On the heels of that hopeful thought came doubt. What if he blew it? Because of him, Jeffrey Underwood didn’t have a father. Because of him, Jeffrey’s mother had been reduced to the point of begging so that the boy could have a male influence in his life. What if Carlo tried to help and only succeeded in making matters worse? Samantha Underwood had already lost her husband because of his incompetence. Could he bear it if she lost her son, too?

      “Will you help me, Chief Garibaldi?” she asked again. “Will you help me help my son?”

      Swallowing hard, he looked away from her hopeful face and tried to regain control of his emotions. Would it really be so hard? All he had to do was entertain the boy for a few hours each week. Having practically raised his four younger brothers, the youngest of whom had been more than a handful, Carlo felt fairly confident he could at least accomplish that task.

      Returning his attention to the woman sitting across from him, he said, “Yes, Mrs. Underwood, I’ll help you. Until the program is up and running, and I can find someone else, I’ll be Jeffrey’s buddy.”

      The smile she aimed at him as she surged to her feet transformed what had been a lovely face into one that was heart-stoppingly beautiful. Endless seconds passed as he stared at her, unable to summon the power to do anything else. For a moment he even thought she was going to reach out to him, to wrap her arms around him, and his heart thundered in anticipation.

      When he came to his senses, self-reproach left a bitter taste in his mouth. What had he been thinking? That she was going to embrace him? And, if she had, would he have ruined what surely would have been a gesture of gratitude by covering her mouth with his own?

      Lord, he had to be the biggest fool in town. If ever there was a woman who was off-limits, it was Samantha Underwood. Because if he ever told her the truth, she would never smile at him again.

      “I can’t thank you enough, Chief Garibaldi,” she said. “You’ve taken such a weight off my mind.”

      Carlo didn’t want her thanks. What he did want was for her to go, so he could think clearly again.

      When he helped her into her coat, his hand accidentally grazed her cheek. He heard her indrawn breath of surprise in the second before he pulled away from the contact.

      “Where do we go from here?” he asked, feeling decidedly shaky.

      “You meet Jeffrey. Are you available Saturday morning?”

      “Is ten o’clock okay?”

      “Ten o’clock would be perfect.” She handed him a piece of paper with her address and phone number.

      At the front door, he forced himself to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry about James,” he said. She’d never know how sorry. “He was a good man. It was a privilege to serve with him.”

      The sorrow that filled her beautiful brown eyes let him know that, despite the spark of interest he thought he glimpsed earlier, her heart still belonged firmly to her late husband.

      “Thank you.”

      Carlo didn’t know what was worse. Receiving Samantha Underwood’s thanks, or realizing that, for the next several months, he would be spending a lot of time in her company.

      “I really wanted to pay my respects, after James died,” he felt compelled to say. Unfortunately, his injuries had made that impossible.

      She nodded her understanding. “And I meant to visit you in the hospital. Thank you again, Chief Garibaldi.”

      He followed her out onto the front porch and watched while she climbed into her car and drove away. He was still standing there five minutes later, eyes shielded against the sun, when his brothers arrived.

      “Did you speak to him?” her mother asked the minute Samantha walked through the front door.

      Samantha shrugged out of her coat and hung it in the closet. “Yes.”

      “And?”

      She turned to face the older woman. “He’ll do it.”

      Maxine Miller’s hands went to her heart. “Oh, thank goodness.”

      “Yes,” Samantha echoed hollowly. “Thank goodness.”

      Her mother frowned. “You don’t sound happy about it.”

      The euphoria she’d felt after Carlo Garibaldi had agreed to be Jeffrey’s buddy had worn off during the drive home. While she was still thrilled that he’d agreed to help her, she was less than happy about the method she’d used to earn that agreement.

      “That’s because I guilted him into it.”

      “How did you do that?”

      “By basically telling him that he was the only man who could do the job. He would have been heartless to refuse.”

      “A less than honorable man would have had no problem refusing,” Maxine pointed out.

      “Yes,” Samantha agreed. “And, as we all know, Carlo Garibaldi is an honorable man. Which just proves my original argument.”

      A look of sympathy crossed her mother’s face. “You did the right thing, honey. In this case, the ends definitely justify the means.”

      “Knowing that doesn’t make me feel any better.” Samantha sighed. “Where’s Jeffrey?”

      “Upstairs in his room.”

      Her already heavy heart grew heavier. “I suppose it was too much to hope he’d be outside, playing with one of his friends.”

      “Oh, Sam.” Maxine’s eyes filled with tears.

      Samantha felt her throat thicken, and she quickly looked away. Though she longed to, she couldn’t allow herself the luxury of a good cry. She was afraid that, once she started, she would never stop.

      “I hate to see you worry like this,” her mother said. “You have to understand that what happened to Jeffrey is a tragedy few children his age experience. It’s only natural he would СКАЧАТЬ