About the Boy (2 page)

Furious, she glared up at him. “Now, are you going to arrest me or what?” she demanded. The moment the words were out, her mouth snapped shut in horror.

Good grief! She’d just given this guy permission to
arrest
her! Katie wanted to groan. She didn’t do rash or reckless—that was her mother’s arena. She was always calm. She was always rational. She was
always
utterly reasonable.

Until she’d come face-to-face with this man.

He was standing so close to her, she could all but feel his body heat trying to draw her in. If it wouldn’t have seemed downright rude, she would have taken a couple of steps back and away from him just to put some distance between them.

There was
something
about this guy—a slow, intense maleness that made her feel as if her skin was just a tad too tight. And it was throwing her off balance.

She glanced up at him and felt her heart skip a beat. He was tall, towering over her five-foot-three frame, and unbelievably put together, with chiseled muscles, lean hips and long, lanky legs.

His hair was an inky black that spilled over his forehead. His eyes were big and blue, and held a hint of sadness, she realized as she studied him.

His face was a slash of masculine planes and angles that looked like it had been sculptured together by a wildly sensuous artist. And then there was his mouth, Katie thought with a soft sigh. It was soft, full and made her silently wonder if his mouth was as wonderful as it looked.

The combination was enough to give him the kind of looks that would make a woman—any woman—take a long, second look as soon as she stopped drooling. Or babbling, as in Katie’s case.

So he was gorgeous. She’d seen gorgeous men before and had never reacted like this.

Men didn’t put her on edge, or make her feel this way, at least not anymore, simply because since her husband’s death, she’d treated all men like affectionate big brothers. It made life, at least her life as a woman, so much simpler.

Until now.

“Are you going to arrest me?” Katie asked meekly, all but holding her breath.

“Why don’t we just go with the ‘or what’ scenario?” Lucas answered. “It’s late, we’re both tired, and a little testy,” he added. He lifted a hand to stop whatever barrage of words she was about to launch at him. “Why don’t you let me take you home?”

“But—”

He pressed a finger to his lips and the action instantly snapped her mouth closed again. “I’ll drive you home,” he continued quietly, “and then I’ll come back and retrieve Rusty’s time capsule and have it back to you in the morning before he even wakes up.”

He didn’t want her to think he was totally heartless, but he wanted her away from him so he could retreat behind the solitary wall of grief he’d built for himself, a wall he’d allowed no one to penetrate.

At least not until tonight.

Until he’d run into her.

Shaking the thoughts away, Lucas glanced around, realizing it would be best if he just got rid of her.

He managed a small smile. “It’s late and from what I’ve learned about Cooper’s Cove, I figure within about four minutes tops, one of my neighbors is going to come wandering over to see what the commotion is about, and I don’t think either of us wants to explain why the new managing editor of the town newspaper was caught digging up the police chief’s backyard in the middle of the night.” His smile widened when she groaned. “And then of course, we’ll have to face the fact that news of our midnight escapade will be all over town—an exaggerated version, of course—before either of us has our coffee in the morning.”

“You’re right,” Katie admitted with another groan. The last thing she wanted was to become the subject of town gossip before she’d even unpacked. “If you wouldn’t mind returning Rusty’s time capsule in the morning, I’d sincerely appreciate it,” she said.

“I don’t mind. Just let me go in and get my shoes and my car keys and then I’ll take you home.”

Katie nodded. “Fine. I’ll wait here.”

She watched him disappear into the house, wondering what it was about this man that had her responding to him like a schoolgirl with a runaway mouth?

Leveling her chin in the darkness, Katie took a slow, deep breath to try to get back some control. It didn’t matter what this man stirred in her, or what he thought of her, she reasoned. She had far too many responsibilities to even consider allowing a man—any man—into her life. Or her son’s. And they were a package deal.

She’d never risk having Rusty’s heart shattered again. Once in a lifetime was more than enough—and Rusty’s heart
had
been shattered by his father’s sudden death, as had hers, and that was more than enough grief and pain for one lifetime for both of them.

She had her responsibilities to her son, her aging mother and her new demanding job. There was no time or room for anything else in her busy life, especially a man.

She’d been doing fine on her own for the past six years, and fine and alone was exactly how she intended to proceed into the future.

“All set?” she asked, as Lucas came out the back door and quietly shut it behind him.

He held up his keys in answer as he started toward her, his gaze on hers.

Nervous and needing to say something as he got closer, she decided to apologize, since he was, after all, the new police chief and she had dug up his backyard.

“Look, I really am sorry about all of this. I never would have intruded on your privacy had I known you were already living here. My mother told me the new owner wasn’t moving in until next week, so I figured I’d be safe.” She shrugged. Her mother’s astrology charts had been off—again. She’d assured Katie that the new owner wasn’t moving in until the next full moon, which wasn’t supposed to be until next week. Katie glanced up at the sky and had to smile at the bright, blazing full moon beaming down at her.

“This was truly an honest mistake, and…and…I…don’t know what else to say except I’m sorry.”

He chuckled, surprising her. “Now why do I have a feeling that’s a first?”

She looked up at him, confused. “What’s a first?”

“That you don’t know what else to say?” He laughed at her expression, then took her elbow as he guided her toward the back gate.

Katie froze, as did Lucas. The brush of his skin on hers—warm, alive and very, very male—sent an unwelcoming rush of desire racing through her, nearly knocking her off balance.

Her panicked gaze flew to his and she saw a momentary flash of desire, just as strong, powerful and urgent as her own, but those feelings were quickly replaced by such raw, unbearable pain it almost made her knees weak.

She had no idea what had caused Lucas’s pain. She only knew she recognized it because she’d felt it—saw it in herself for a very long time after her husband’s death. And it touched something deep inside her wounded heart, something she’d thought protected and hidden from the world.

Seemingly realizing they’d both felt something strong and powerful, Lucas released her arm, then avoided her gaze. “My…uh…car’s parked in the garage.”

Nodding silently, Katie wrapped her chilled arms around herself and followed Lucas toward the back gate.

She had no idea what had just happened between them, but she knew she couldn’t let it happen again, couldn’t afford to allow herself to respond to this man in any way.

So she decided to tackle this problem in the same calm, reasonable way she tackled any other problem she confronted.

She’d simply avoid the man.

If she couldn’t avoid the feelings he raised in her, then the only solution was to avoid
him.

And since she didn’t plan on digging up his backyard again, Katie was pretty confident she wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Lucas Porter anytime soon.

Chapter Two

S
hortly before dawn the next morning, Lucas let himself out of his house, and headed toward his garage with Katie’s gardening spade and Rusty’s time capsule box in tow. He’d promised Katie he’d have the box back to her before Rusty woke up this morning, and he honored his promises, especially when they concerned a little boy.

As he drove through the quiet little town, the sun was just spilling light over the horizon. Most residents were still sleeping, but for him, sleep had become an elusive companion ever since his wife’s and son’s deaths. He spent more time each night tossing and turning than sleeping.

Every time he closed his eyes an image of his burning car filled his mind’s eye, tormenting him, making sleep impossible. Even after all this time, he could still see the images clearly, as if they’d just happened yesterday.

It had been a typical frigid winter morning in Chicago. They’d all overslept and his son Todd had missed the school bus. His wife Brenda’s car wouldn’t start, so she’d taken his car, intending to drive their son to school and be back in time for Lucas to leave for work.

He’d been working undercover on a gang-related drug case for almost a year—a year that his wife spent worrying, begging him to transfer out of gang crimes, fearing it was just too dangerous. But he’d refused, determined to do something to stop the drug suppliers who were filling the streets and the schools with their poisons, putting even young kids like his eight-year-old son at risk.

He’d still been in bed that fateful morning, snuggled beneath the warmth of the covers when he’d heard the explosion. It rocked him and the entire house. By the time he’d raced outside, it was too late. The car was in flames. His family dead from a car bomb meant for him.

He didn’t remember much of those first, grief-filled months, except that the department had confirmed the bomb had been meant for him, planted no doubt by the drug dealer he’d been trying to bring down. Somehow, his cover had been blown, and his family had paid the ultimate price.

The press went on a feeding frenzy, and he desperately tried to elude them. It had both sickened and disgusted him that the press tried to exploit and capitalize on his personal tragedy, simply for headlines.

Fed up and furious at the constant intrusion into his life, he’d finally transferred to another police district, hoping to end the nightmare, but one night, he and his new partner had driven to meet a snitch, not knowing an eager reporter had tailed them. When the reporter had gotten out of her car to follow them, calling out Lucas’s name, she’d blown his cover. The perpetrator they were meeting panicked and started shooting, grazing his partner in the leg.

That was the final straw. At the end of his emotional rope, Lucas realized if he ever wanted to get any peace, if he ever wanted to try to put the pieces of his life back together, he had no choice but to resign from the police force and move since it was the only way to shake the press.

Those had been very dark days for him, he recalled, and he knew without his job, without his family, there was no reason to stay in Chicago, so he decided to move to his family’s cabin along Cooper’s Cove Lake.

As a kid, his family had spent every summer at their cabin in Wisconsin. Now that his parents were gone, the cabin had passed to him and his three brothers, and it seemed the perfect place to try to recover from his grief and put what was left of his life back together.

At first, both had seemed impossible. How could he ever forgive himself for putting his family in danger? They’d died because of a bomb meant for him and there was no getting away from the guilt or the shock. He knew he’d never again be able to risk his heart, never again love anyone simply because doing so put anyone he loved in far too much danger. And if a loved one was in danger, then it left him vulnerable—vulnerable to the horrific pain and loss that had eaten away at his heart.

He’d barely survived the loss and heartbreak the first time, and he wasn’t certain he would survive a second time. So he’d buried his heart behind a steel fortress, intending to never risk loving someone else.

In time, he realized he needed to go back to work, not just for the income, but he needed something to fill his time and occupy his mind. Being a cop wasn’t just
what
he did, but
who
he was, and he needed to find some semblance of himself again.

During their family’s summers in Cooper’s Cove, Lucas’s dad had become friendly with just about everyone, so when Amos Mayfield, an old fishing buddy of his dad’s, asked to see Lucas one afternoon, he never anticipated that Amos was about to retire, and wanted Lucas to take over as the chief of the Cooper’s Cove police department.

After some serious soul-searching, he realized maybe this was just what he needed. He could go back to doing what he did best—being a cop, without worrying about big-city crime or the press dogging his steps. So he’d moved from the cabin, bought a house in town and now was trying to make a new life for himself.

And he thought he’d been doing a fairly good job until he’d run into Katie Murphy.

Just the thought of her brought an unwelcome smile. There was something about that woman, he realized, something he just couldn’t put his finger on, something that was infectiously alive.

And only someone who’d felt dead for a very long time could appreciate that quality, he decided, as he pulled up to her mother’s house.

After parking his car, Lucas headed toward the back porch, intending to simply drop her stuff off and leave. But, after setting Katie’s things on an old picnic table, he was just about to start back down the stairs again when someone called his name.

“Lucas? Is that you, dear?” Clad in a blue satin robe, Katie’s mother stood framed in the open back door, a smile on her face, a large mug of coffee in her hand.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a smile, turning around and heading back up the steps. He always got such a kick out of Lady Louella and her supposedly psychic, equally vivacious younger sister, Gracie. The first thing he’d asked the day they met was why she was called Lady Louella.

She merely stared at him and responded, “Well, why not?” She’d laughed at his surprise, patted his arm and assured him it was merely to give her astrology parlor some color and authenticity.

Now, Louella beamed at him. “I was just about to call you to report a prowler.”

“Nope, not a prowler,” he said with a sheepish grin. “Just me. I’m sorry if I startled you. I just came by to drop something off for Katie,” he said, motioning toward the time capsule.

“Oh, Lucas, thank you.” Louella’s eyes misted and she pressed a hand to her heart. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me and to Katie.” She beamed at him again as she scooped the box in her arms. “Well as long as you came all this way, the least I can do is offer you a cup of coffee.” Without giving him a chance to answer, she opened the back door. “Come along now, I might even be able to find a piece of my homemade pound cake for you.”

He was sitting at the kitchen table, just finishing a piece of Louella’s amazing pound cake, when Katie walked in.

“Mother?” Katie came to a stop, staring at Lucas in shock. He was the last person she expected to see this morning.

Her breath seemed to back up in her throat at the mere sight of him. In full light, she could see that the man was just as breathtakingly gorgeous as she’d thought.

“Cow cakes,” Katie muttered under her breath, stealing her son’s favorite expression. At the moment, her life would be much easier if Lucas was short, pudgy and ugly.

He’d haunted her mind all night, so she didn’t get much sleep, which had left her feeling tired, restless and just a bit cranky.

“Good morning, dear,” her mother said with a smile.

“Morning,” Katie returned grumpily.

What was the man doing here, sitting at her mother’s kitchen table at the crack of dawn as if it was the most natural thing in the world?

She looked at Lucas again and felt a slow warmth unfurl inside her belly, a warmth that both amazed and terrified her. Amazed her because she was certain she was immune to such feelings, and terrified because she knew she couldn’t
afford
such feelings.

Disgusted that she hadn’t merely imagined the impact he’d had on her, Katie’s grumpiness increased.

“Pour yourself some coffee, dear,” Louella instructed, as if having a gorgeous man at her breakfast table at the crack of dawn was an everyday occurrence. “Lucas and I are just reminiscing about last week’s seniors’ dance. The senior dances are always so much fun, but the women far outnumber the men, something we’re going to have to try to correct.” She brightened suddenly. “Lucas, as police chief, maybe you can enlist some more of the single men to attend. I mean surely being police chief has some perks,” she said delicately, cocking her head to look at him. “What do you think?”

Realizing the man was totally perplexed by her mother, Katie’s laugh was quick and easy. “What my mother basically just asked you, Lucas, was if you’d mind if she
conned
you into using your position as police chief to strong-arm single, suitable men to attend the next seniors’ dance.” Katie grinned as she poured herself some coffee and self-consciously tightened the sash on her robe before turning back to Lucas and her mother. “Isn’t that right, Mother?”

Louella flushed. “Well, dear, I don’t know that I would have used the word…
conned,
” she admitted sheepishly, then grinned at Lucas. “But, I suppose it will do.” Mischief danced in her eyes. “So what do you think, dear?”

Realizing he had indeed just been very politely conned, Lucas couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Tell you what, Louella, how about if I see what I can do? I’m sure I should be able to corral some single men to serve as escorts for that dance every month.”

“Thank you, Lucas. I knew we could count on you.” Louella drained her cup, then stood up. “I’m sorry, children, but it’s getting late and I’ve got to go get dressed and open the shop. Aunt Gracie’s already gone. She had a doctor’s appointment early this morning.” Frowning a bit, Louella turned to Katie. “Now, dear, you’re sure you don’t need any help with the movers today?”

“No, Mom. Honest. Everything’s under control. Rusty’s starting school this morning and I’m going into the paper. The movers won’t be here until later this afternoon, and then Rusty and I plan to spend the evening unpacking and getting settled.”

“Very well, dear, but if you change your mind, Aunt Gracie and I will be at the shop until three as usual. Just call if you need anything. And don’t worry, I’ll be home before Rusty gets home from school.” Smiling, Louella bent to kiss Lucas’s cheek. “Thank you for returning Rusty’s box. And next week we’ll talk about the Halloween carnival and the seniors’ booth.” Her eyes gleamed as she patted his shoulder. “I’m thinking of having a kissing booth this year. But we’ll chat about that later.”

“Kissing booth?” Lucas repeated with a lift of his brow after Louella had left, and Katie laughed again, warmed in spite of herself by the way he’d treated her mother.

“She’s got your number, Lucas, and apparently intends to call it whenever the mood strikes. So be forewarned,” she said, realizing a man who was so kind to her mother could quickly score a lot of points with her. “You just may find yourself the main attraction at the seniors’ kissing booth at the Halloween festival this year.”

Lucas swallowed hard. “Main attraction?” he said, barely able to conceal a shudder. “Kissing booth? I think I’ll have to think about that one for a while.”

“Sounds like a good idea. But let me warn you, small towns have a way of becoming smaller the longer you live in them.”

“I know,” he admitted with a smile. “The mayor’s already given me the lecture about how living in a small town is all about individual participation and community spirit. He even got me to sign up for the new Buddy program.”

“Buddy program?” Katie repeated, still leaning against the counter. She didn’t want to get any closer to him, as it was, having him in the kitchen made her feel incredibly nervous and self-conscious, to say nothing about what it was doing to her poor heart.

Lucas nodded. “It’s a new mentor program the town council came up with to provide a male mentor for fatherless boys. Apparently we’ve got quite a few boys without fathers and quite a few men who are childless or else retired whose children are long gone. Most of these guys are alone and lonely, with plenty of time and skills on their hands. So the mayor thought if we paired some of them up to mentor fatherless boys it would benefit both.” Lucas smiled. “The mayor just wants to make certain he’s taking care of everyone’s needs and he thought this Buddy for a Boy program was a good idea.”

“Sounds like it’s an election year,” Katie said with a chuckle. Her gaze met his and froze, and for a split second there was an electrified silence between them.

“Well, it’s getting late,” Lucas said, draining his coffee cup and getting to his feet. “I just wanted to make certain you got Rusty’s time capsule.”

Katie glanced at her son’s beloved box sitting on the counter and felt a small, sad ache at the memories that rushed over her. The memories were an instant reminder of why she couldn’t afford to risk her heart. Or respond to this man, no matter what he made her feel.

“Thank you, Lucas. I really and truly appreciate it. And I know Rusty will, too,” she added softly.

He took a step closer to her. “You’re welcome,” he said.

For a moment, they merely stood there, neither moving nor speaking. Katie lifted a hand to her throat, hoping it would ease the sudden pressure building that made it nearly impossible to breathe.

Lucas watched her, then slowly lifted a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek.

“Lucas, I—” Her eyes slid closed as she tried to gather herself. His touch, so brief, so gentle, sent a shiver through her and touched every single female nerve ending, reminding her just how long it had been since she’d been touched, held, or comforted by a man.

“Ma?” Rusty’s voice echoed through the house, startling her out of her reverie. “Are you up yet?”