Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall
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for a long, long time.
“Good job, Spencer.” McCoy slapped him on the back. “Already playing hero on your first serious call. You’ll fit in just fine.”
Noah smiled as they walked through the yard. He didn’t want praise for doing his job, but he was glad he could help.
“At least the dip in the creek got the coffee off me,” he joked.
McCoy laughed. “I thought you didn’t get any coffee on you.”
Noah shook his head. “I just told Lucy that so I wouldn’t hurt her feelings. She’d already burned her hand and felt bad enough.”
They reached the car and just as Noah pulled the handle, Conner’s mother came up and wrapped her arms around him.
“Thank you,” she cried, pulling back. “I promise I don’t let him get near the creek. He’s never done that before.”
Noah placed a hand on her arm. “And I’m sure he won’t do it again. You both had a scare, but you’ve got a brave boy. He wanted to see the storm and then tried to save a cat. You’re doing a good job, mama. Kids are curious creatures by default.”
She swiped the tears from her eyes and offered a smile before turning to go back to the waiting ambulance. Conner sat up on the cot inside the open doors and waved at Noah. Waving back, Noah offered his own grin.
Within minutes he and McCoy were headed back to the station where Noah could change and get dry. And see Lucy. On the short trip back, McCoy and Lucy exchanged some information about the boy being transported to the hospital.
Once again, her tone stirred something inside Noah. Something he didn’t want to address because he shouldn’t be having these feelings. Should he?
He was human, he was a man, and he had natural desires. There was something about Lucy that made him not want to brush aside these unwanted emotions. No one had been able to reawaken the dead inside him for months. But whether it was her sweet voice, the compassion he already saw in her, or the underlying vulnerability she tried to hide, something about her drew him and made him want to get to know her more.
At this point, he figured they’d be seeing each other on a near daily basis. He might as well just roll with it and see what happened. But at the same time, he had to guard his heart. He was still healing, he was still in new territory…but he was also still fascinated by the gentle blonde with wide, expressive green eyes.
As they pulled into the station, Noah couldn’t help but wonder what the next few days, weeks, and months would bring.
He hadn’t known what to expect from this new town, but a reawakening in his desire certainly hadn’t been on his list.
Her nerves were near shot. Noah had been on the force for nearly a week and she’d worked five days out of the seven. Her usual part-time schedule had shifted into full-time since Carla had to be out with her mother for the next couple of weeks.
Which meant more face-to-face time with Officer Brooding and Sexy. Why, why, why did this man have to be the one she found so attractive? Why couldn’t she get stirrings for a schoolteacher or a garbage man? A man who put his life on the line every day was an absolute no-no.
Her husband had done the same thing. Day after day he’d put himself out there…until one day he was gone.
Noah had only been on the force a short time and already he’d proven he was a man of loyalty, integrity, and compassion. He’d taken the little boy from the creek incident a stuffed animal before his shift. And the only reason anyone knew of that was because the mother called to tell Captain Cameron St. John what an amazing officer he had.
The back door opened and closed. Before she could turn to see which officer was coming on duty, a call came in. She pressed the key on the computer to answer and adjusted her headset.
“Stonerock Police Department.”
“I have someone walking through my backyard carrying a baseball bat.”
“Do you know who this person is?” Lucy replied.
“No, but they’ve been out there for a few minutes just staring at the house.”
Lucy dispatched an officer and kept the caller on the line as she made sure the lady’s doors were locked and she was away from doors and windows. The woman didn’t sound frantic, but concerned.
Stonerock wasn’t known for having many crimes, but there were crazy people everywhere. She couldn’t take any call for granted.
Once the officer arrived and the caller confirmed it, Lucy disconnected the call. When she turned in her seat, she was alone in the room, but she knew who’d come in earlier. That aftershave still permeating the room had become so familiar, making her insides stir and get all schoolgirl giddy.
She was a grown woman getting giddy. How sad was that?
Keeping her feelings in check was the smart thing to do. She needed to keep her emotional distance from Noah, but each day she saw him, she realized she wanted to see more of him, to learn more about him. That need was a recipe for disaster and heartache. Neither of them was at a place in their lives to act on attraction. Of course, she was still assuming it was one-sided, which was all the more reason for her to rein in her school-girl crush.
Only this didn’t feel like anything she’d had as a teenager. Her attraction for Noah Spencer was all grown up…as were the dreams she’d been having since that first meeting in the rain.
Lucy came to her feet and stretched her neck from side to side. She was pulling a double shift today, which was fine. She could use the extra money to put back into the support group fund. Tonight was a meeting, but Kate and Tara were fine without her. It’s not like Lucy was ever missed.
“Thought you were off today.”
She jerked around to see Noah standing in the doorway drinking a cup of coffee. His dark eyes held hers and she had to force herself to not fidget.
“Taking on a few more shifts while Carla is out. I can always use extra money for my group.”
His dark brows drew in. “Aren’t you missing a meeting tonight?”
Lucy shrugged. “I am, but my girls understand. Sometimes we have to cover for each other.”
He took a sip of coffee from one of the disposable cups. When he pushed off the doorway, Lucy thought he was about to turn and leave, but he crossed the room and headed for her desk. Lucy spun around, pretending to stare at the monitors. It was a slow night, but she still wished for a call to come in right then. She couldn’t handle all this tension. Well, the tension on her part at least. She never could get a grasp on what he was feeling.
“What do you do in your spare time?” he asked as he took a seat beside her.
The question threw her off as she glanced to the clock. He was early for his shift by about twenty minutes. Why was he choosing to sit in here with her?
“Spare time?” she asked, fidgeting with her watch. “I’m usually looking for speakers for the group or community projects we can do. Giving back and lifting others up is a great way to—”
“No.”
Lucy jerked her attention back to him. “What do you mean, no?”
Noah set his cup on the desk and leaned forward. That dark stare of his zeroed in on her and she could easily see him cornering a suspect with those eyes, or seducing a woman. Those eyes held every secret, letting no emotion slip through. That whole guarded, sultry thing he had going might be the sexiest thing she’d ever seen in her life.
The uniform didn’t hurt, either. But she’d rather have a man not so committed to danger and more committed to…well,