The Way To A Soldier's Heart. GINA WILKINS

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      It seemed ungracious to decline his offer, though it was becoming increasingly difficult to think of Shane as merely a nice customer just passing through town. In the few days she’d known him, he’d made an impact on her, her mother, even her daughter. And that was starting to make her nervous.

      Just why was he hanging around them so much? Was he really that attracted to her, that lonely in an unfamiliar town? He seemed harmless enough—other than to her long-denied hormones—but should she be more concerned? Or was the stress of Amber’s injury simply making her paranoid again?

      Maybe his notable attention had to do with his business? It occurred to her that perhaps he wanted her to put in a good word with some of the more prominent area business owners. She hoped that wasn’t his intention.

      “I have to get back out to the counter,” she said as her mother bustled Amber through the back exit. She quickly wiped Charlotte’s face then helped her down from the booster seat to take her out to the play corral in the shop.

      Shane looked around the kitchen. “Is there something I can be doing in here to help?”

      She motioned toward the counter where Amber had been working. “If you really want to help, you could clean that area.”

      “I’m on it,” he said cheerfully, turning on the hot water and reaching for a clean kitchen towel and the bottle of disinfectant by the sink.

      She turned toward the swinging door into the shop, then paused with the door half open, looking back at him. “You were starting to say something when we were interrupted?”

      He was already scrubbing at scattered spots of blood. “Later. You’d better tend to your customers now.”

      She carried Charlotte out of the kitchen, letting the door swing shut behind them.

      Fortunately for Elle’s composure, if not for her profits, business was slow for the next hour, easy enough for her to handle on her own, especially with Shane’s surprisingly efficient assistance. She didn’t bother calling Kristen, figuring her partner would prefer not to work on her day off.

      Two young couples entered together with a jingle of the door bells shortly before closing time. They dawdled awhile over their menu choices while Elle waited patiently with her hand hovering over the register. She heard Charlotte laughing and glanced toward the play corral. Shane was making silly faces at the child while he refilled clearly marked coffee station carafes with cream and skim milk from the kitchen. Charlotte followed his every move with obvious fascination. It was clear she’d fallen hard for her new friend Shane, which made Elle bite her lip for a moment before forcing a smile as her customers finally decided what they wanted.

      Maybe Charlotte was too young to have her heart broken by a charming stranger who’d disappear from her life as quickly and unexpectedly as he’d appeared, but Elle wasn’t quite as resilient. She rather envied her daughter’s open, trusting nature, and the two-year-old’s ability to savor the moment and Shane’s attention, unencumbered by worry about the future. It bothered Elle to think that she couldn’t at least enjoy an attractive man’s company, even if only temporary, without questioning his every action.

      The group of four didn’t linger over their drinks and snacks. Tidily bussing their own table, they left with smiles and waves. Elle wiped down the table, taking the opportunity to relax and just breathe for a few blessed minutes, then turned to move behind the counter again.

      Shane stood in the kitchen doorway, his shoulder braced against the jamb as he watched her stow away the cleaning cloth. “Eventful day, huh?”

      “A long one so far,” she agreed with a tired smile. “I hate that Amber cut herself. She downplayed it, but I know it must have hurt like crazy.”

      “I’m sure it did. But it should heal quickly now that she’s having it tended to.”

      Elle reached into the play corral to pick up Charlotte and give her a little snuggle, making the child giggle. Holding her daughter on one hip, she tilted her head toward Shane then. “You seemed very comfortable handling all that blood and panic. You calmed everyone down and assessed the wound very quickly. I was impressed. Did you ever consider going into a medical career after your military service?”

      He looked down to adjust the rolled-up sleeve of the pale blue shirt he wore with dark jeans. She wondered if he was avoiding her eyes when he replied lightly. “Yeah, that was one of the options I considered when I went in, but after Dad died, my uncle really needed my help to keep the family business going. I don’t regret my choice,” he concluded as he’d assured her once before.

      Didn’t he? As she had the last time, she couldn’t help wondering if this had been the career he’d wanted. She’d bet he’d have made a wonderful doctor. He was certainly still young enough to attend medical school. Had he put aside a lifelong dream because of his family obligations? “How many employees does your company have?”

      “Six, not counting my uncle and me. Two have been there since Dad and Uncle Raymond started the company almost twenty-five years ago.”

      She suspected from his tone that he felt almost as strong an obligation to those employees as to his family. She hoped they all appreciated Shane’s efforts on their behalf.

      “My cousin, Parker, works with us, too,” he added. “She handles social media and most of our correspondence. She’s really good at that. She also teaches dance—tap, ballet, jazz, that sort of thing—to kids, though she’s been on maternity leave for the past few months.”

      “She’s a dancer? Is she good?”

      He nodded. “She could have danced professionally, but she chose to teach, instead. She wants to open her own studio eventually.”

      “Quite an ambition. You said she’s been on maternity leave?”

      “Yeah, though she’s about ready to get back to it. Their little boy, Aubrey, is six months old. Everyone says he looks just like me at that age. Not to brag, but he’s cute as a floppy-eared puppy.”

      She laughed softly. “You sound more like a proud uncle than a cousin.”

      “I, uh—yeah.” Shane pushed a hand through his hair, his expression suddenly hard to read. “Parker and I were raised almost like siblings, so I feel that way about her. What do you need me to do now?”

      “You can keep an eye on the counter while I finish up in the kitchen, if you like. Just let me know if someone comes in and I’ll come back out.”

      “You got it, boss.”

      Grinning at his teasing, she pushed through the kitchen door.

      Her mother called shortly afterward to let her know that following a long wait to be seen by a doctor, Amber had been stitched up and cleared for duty. Elle told her mom there was no need for either of them to come back in today. She advised her mother to take Amber home, saying she could easily close up on her own.

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