Single Dads Collection. Lynne Marshall
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think she’s trying to find a way not to answer our questions.”
Lucy laughed. “Would you two knock it off? I was at Noah’s house, but just to take him some scones.”
“The cranberry orange ones?” Tara asked. “Those are the best things you make. You must really be interested in him.”
Lucy didn’t take the bait. She should’ve known girls’ night in would turn into her best friends teaming up against her. Though, if the tables were reversed, she’d be doing the same. Still, she didn’t want to talk about Noah. There wasn’t really much to say. She’d seen a spark of interest, but at the same time, he’d also kept that guard up.
Even at work that evening, he’d entered with another officer coming on duty. They’d all made small talk and then the guys had been dispatched. After that, their only conversations had been emergency calls on the radio.
And now she was off for the next two nights. She wasn’t sure if he was or not, but she didn’t ask. She’d gotten done what she set out to do and that was apologize for making things seem unprofessional.
“So what’s his story?” Kate asked. “Because the town is starting to make up their own about him. I heard he has a cute little girl.”
Lucy nodded. “Emma. She’s four.”
Tara curled her legs to her side on the couch as she reached for her drink. “And he’s a widower?”
“Yeah. His wife passed away during a storm when they lived in Texas. I heard he was a rancher and an officer, but he hasn’t said any of that to me. He’s pretty private.”
“Yet you were in his home, with his child, for what? An hour?”
Lucy met Kate’s raised brow and knowing grin. “Exactly. His child was home. We work together, for pity’s sake. Nothing is happening.”
“Not yet,” Kate muttered around her mug.
Okay, it was time to steer the conversation away from herself because as much as she’d like for something to happen with the new officer, she wasn’t holding her breath.
“Are we still on for dancing tomorrow night at Gallagher’s?” Lucy asked as she licked the point off her whip cream.
Tara nodded. “Marley is with her dad, so I’m game.”
Tara and her husband, Sam, hadn’t been married long when they realized they didn’t want the same things out of life. They’d married after a whirlwind affair and amazing chemistry, but marriages were based on so much more.
Being a single mom was difficult for Tara, but she and her ex managed to get along and put the needs of their daughter, Marley, first.
Lucy and her best friends all faced different obstacles and trials in their lives. They’d been friends since grade school when Lucy had cut off Kate’s pigtails with her new sharp scissors. Kate had wanted her hair cut and her mother had kept saying no, so Kate had actually been grateful to Lucy. That same year, Tara had moved to town and the three just clicked. They’d been through it all together and always had each other’s backs.
“I love going to Gray’s place.” Tara swiped her finger through her whip cream and licked it off. “We may be the only ones who go there just to dance. But Gray Gallagher has taken that bar and made it even more popular than ever.”
The local bar was in its third generation and currently owned by one of their good friends. Gray Gallagher was such a great guy and no doubt one of the reasons why so many women flocked to the place on ladies’ night. Gray had always been that fun guy with a sexy build. When he’d come home from the Army, he’d immediately taken over Gallagher’s from his father, but he’d yet to settle down.
Because isn’t that what people did in this small town? They came home after college or the military and immediately met the love of their life, married, settled down and had babies. Or so the myth went. But not every life was so picture-perfect and neat and tidy.
Sometimes tragedies happened, lives were ripped apart. And sometimes something positive could stem from such tragedies. Lucy, Kate and Tara were dedicating their lives to making a change in this community. They all had their own type of heartache and voids in their lives which made them perfect to work together and comfort others.
Too often when someone suffered loss, people around them didn’t know how to respond or what to say, so they just tiptoed around the delicate topic.
Lucy knew firsthand that didn’t help the person suffering; it only made things more uncomfortable. Which was why she and her friends were going to start opening their doors to everyone at the meetings of their support group. Even if someone hadn’t dealt with the death of a loved one, they still knew people who had, and Lucy wanted them to know how to handle those who grieved.
“I guess we should discuss the upcoming meeting since we’re going to be out dancing tomorrow,” Lucy stated.
“Are we done discussing your police officer?” Kate asked. “Because I don’t really feel like we got much information.”
“You got all the info you need.” Lucy set her mug back on the tray. “We should go ahead and plan on about fifty people. That’s aiming high, but I’d rather be over-prepared than under.”
The more they discussed, the more their plans fell into place, and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief that they’d moved on from the topic of her personal life. She wasn’t dumb enough to believe they’d dropped it for good, but at least for now she was safe.
All Lucy had to do was remember that Noah wasn’t looking for anyone. And hadn’t she told herself she wasn’t looking, either? Yet here she was constantly thinking about him.
So what did she do? Ignore her feelings or act on them? The risk of acting and being seen as a fool put a newfound fear in her. She’d never approached a man before, but since she’d already broached that territory with him, she figured she’d have to keep riding this out.
But the ball was in his court, so to speak. The question was, would he do anything with it?
The annual fall festival was in just a few days and Noah knew he’d be working security there. Not that Stonerock was known for major crime, but security at any event was imperative.
He’d heard chatter about how amazing this festival was and how the entire town came out for it. Captain St. John had already told Noah they’d be working the same shift. Thankfully the sitter was going to bring Emma over for a little while. There would be face painting, bake sales, games, a few small rides, music, and in the evenings a big bonfire. He’d heard there was an area set up with a guy who cooked beans all day in a pot over the fire and served them up during the bonfire.
Noah was really starting to feel at home here. Nothing was the same as his ranch in Texas, but the familiarity of working on a force helped ease him into this new chapter in his life. The small town was exactly what he and Emma needed to feel like they were part of something and it wasn’t just them trying to survive. She’d already made friends with some children from the sitter and he…well, he guessed he made some friends, too.
Was that what he was calling Lucy? His friend? Because he’d had female friends back in Texas and not one of them made him anxious and excited at just the mere thought of them.
Noah yawned as he grabbed his keys and started for the back door of the station. His shift was over and they’d been so slow during the night, the hours seemed to drag. And idle time was never good for someone grieving…or someone having guilt for fantasizing about another woman.
A huge part of him felt like he was cheating on his wife, but the other part of him knew he had to move on. He couldn’t control his feelings and he sure as hell hadn’t picked whom he was attracted to.
As he headed to his truck, he spotted Lucy in the