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A young woman stood there, hand raised to knock, and beside her was a girl of about Krys’s age. The woman wore a summery halter dress, and the little girl was dressed in shorts and a sleeveless top with a pink bear on it. They looked almost like peas from the same pod with their shoulder-length auburn hair and hazel eyes.
“Hi,” said Vicki. “Can I help you?”
The other woman smiled. “Well, we’d heard a new little girl had just moved in down the block. I’m Janine Dalrymple, and this is my daughter, Peggy. She’s been badgering me to come meet you, but I figured you might need a day or two to settle in a bit.”
Vicki immediately offered her hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Vicki Templeton and this is my daughter, Krys.” She glanced down at her, wondering how she would react. Vicki didn’t have long to wait.
“Hi,” Krys said to Peggy. “Mommy’s taking me to the park. Do you know where it is?”
“The park is great,” Peggy answered. “Slides ‘n’ swings and everything.”
Before either woman could say another word, the girls were off together.
Janine regarded Vicki wryly. “I think we’d better keep up. How are you at the fifty-yard dash?”
Vicki laughed, quickly locked the door behind her and hurried along. She noticed the teddy bear had been left behind on the floor.
God, she hoped that was a good sign.
* * *
The next couple hours slid quickly by as the girls played and Janine filled Vicki in on enough local gossip that she wondered if she needed to keep a crib sheet.
“Oh, you’ll hear it all again,” Janine assured her. “And again. Eventually, you’ll even remember the names. Little enough else to talk about around here except each other. Although... I wouldn’t want you to worry...most talk is kind and general. We have to live together, and hard feelings could last a long time.”
She looked toward the swings. “I see a couple of girls who are getting tired. Or at least Peggy is. Let’s do this again.”
“Absolutely.”
Krystal practically skipped the whole way home, and after they left Janine and Peggy at their house, en route, she turned into a chatterbox, words tumbling over one another. It was the most animated Vicki had seen her daughter in ages.
Maybe, she thought, drawing in a deep breath of summer air as they walked beneath leafy trees, she hadn’t been wrong to move. Maybe the shadows that had been haunting her had haunted Krys, as well.
Lena, who kept so-called banker’s hours at her job, was already there, humming as she emptied some grocery bags. She looked up as Krys and Vicki joined her. “Don’t you two look a sight for sore eyes. Good day?”
Krys didn’t give her mother a chance to answer. She started babbling on about the park and Peggy, telling her great-aunt every delightful little moment, before running to the bathroom.
“Don’t have to worry about conversation around that one.” Lena grinned as she and Vicki finished putting groceries away.
“Not today, anyway.”
“What did you think of Janine? At least I suppose it was Janine, seeing as how I just heard all about a little girl named Peggy.”
Vicki laughed. “It was Janine. She spent the whole time trying to clue me in on the town, and I’m not sure I remember a quarter of it.”
“Most of it was probably old and outdated, anyway. We’ll have new stuff to talk about next week.”
Vicki laughed again. “So what can I do to help with dinner?”
“Not a dang thing. After all these years of cooking for one, and collaring Dan or the gals to come be extra mouths, I’m actually looking forward to making a meal big enough for four.”
“Four?”
“I invited Dan over.”
For some reason, this time Vicki didn’t feel at all uncomfortable with the prospect. “Good. He’s been scarce.”
“All but invisible, if you ask me.”
Vicki leaned back against the table, trying to stay out of Lena’s way as she buzzed around. “You see him a lot?”
Lena glanced at her. “We’re friends.”
“I would have thought he’d have a more active social life.”
“Than me? Thank you very much.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.” Vicki felt her cheeks heat. The last thing she wanted to do was offend her aunt.
Lena turned from the groceries and eyed her. “I know you didn’t. Like I said, we’re friends. Just like I am with a bunch of gals. But if you’re curious about him, ask him. The man’s an open book.”
Was she curious about him? Was that what had caused Vicki to speak in a way that had implied there might be something wrong with the man? Why should she care, anyway?
She couldn’t answer those questions, but their existence scared her.
She didn’t want to get involved. She didn’t want another man in her life, most certainly not a cop. She shouldn’t be curious about Dan at all...except that she was.
* * *
Oh, boy.
Dan had been trying to give Vicki the space she seemed to want, and life had cooperated. Last night there’d been a baseball game that he’d wound up umpiring, because their regular man had broken his foot. Tonight some of the deputies had suggested meeting at Mahoney’s to watch a ball game on the big screen TV, and he’d considered it, but didn’t really feel like it.
Lena’s invitation had come as a relief, in a way. He could bow out of going to Mahoney’s, and have a good excuse to see how Vicki was doing. Vicki and Krystal. He told himself he was more concerned about the little girl whose life had been upended, but he knew he was equally concerned about her mother. Been there, done that. He knew grief intimately, and he was worried about the woman.
When Callie had died, he’d stayed put for a few years, relying on his friends for distraction, and keeping as busy as he could. Occasionally, he had even allowed himself to wallow, not that his buddies would leave him alone for long.
Sometimes he’d resented their intrusions, but in retrospect he knew they’d helped him every single time they’d badgered him to come do something with them. Vicki had chosen to kick that all to the curb. He knew everybody was different, but he still worried. Other than Lena, she didn’t know a soul here.
He guessed that left him, for now, anyway. Except she had sort of made it clear that she didn’t want him getting too involved. Maybe she was right. All that stuff about her being a cop’s widow, deserving of support and whatever else she might need, was true. It was even good. Cops took care of each other and maybe she hadn’t had time to discover it. But if someone else had been walking in her shoes, she and her late husband would have been among the people trying to help as they could.
But over the past couple days, Dan had become wary, and not just because she’d intimated she didn’t want him to become too close to her and her daughter. He’d become wary of himself.
His first reaction on seeing her had been quickly swamped in the awareness of who she was, and concern for her, her daughter and Lena. But the mental image of when he’d first seen her come out the door had become engraved on his brain, and he couldn’t dislodge it.
Vicki was sexy. Her tiny waist had been accentuated by the way she had knotted that shirt at her waist. Her hips flared perfectly, and when she bent over to lift something, he couldn’t help noticing her rounded bottom. Eye candy.
The woman turned him on.
Not good. He didn’t want another woman. Some part of him felt as if he’d be betraying Callie, even though it had been years, and that wasn’t a feeling he could reason with. Then there was Vicki’s clearly wounded state. And a little girl who might well resent any man who hung around her mother too much.
So while his response to her was all natural male, Dan couldn’t afford to let it grow, not even a bit. All it could do was make a hash of everything, maybe even damage his friendship with Lena. He suspected that woman would react like a she-bear with cubs if she thought anyone might hurt her niece.
“Ah, hell,” he said aloud as he showered after a long day of riding dusty roads and answering calls, most of which had turned out to be minor. He’d even had to pull a truck out of a ditch with his winch, all the while wondering if the driver, a ranch hand, had been drunk when it happened, but had had time to sober up and get rid of the evidence before Dan arrived. The guy had claimed to be waiting for a tow truck that hadn’t yet shown.
It was possible, but not likely, so Dan had questioned him closely, hoping he put the fear of the law into him sufficiently that he wouldn’t pop the top on a few beers again and then get behind the wheel. Or possibly enjoy the brewskis while he was driving.
It was easy out there on lonely county roads to sometimes get the idea you were all alone in the world. It was one of the reasons Dan liked patrolling, but it sometimes led people to do stupid things.
He glanced at the clock and realized it was time to get over to Lena’s. The burst of activity rearranging the house had died down, or at least any part that might involve him. Lena had been all in a rush to get rid of furniture, enough of a rush that she’d labeled it all, but nothing on that front had happened since.
Of course, the other night he’d overheard Vicki saying she couldn’t make any more decisions. He kind of understood that feeling, too. The way he had dithered about buying his own house...hell, it was a wonder the real estate agent hadn’t thrown him out on his butt.
Now to go pretend he didn’t feel attracted to Vicki, when in fact she was the first woman he’d felt attracted to since Callie... Didn’t that beat all?
It also made him uneasy. Was he responding to Vicki especially, or was he just waking after a long period of quiescence? He didn’t know. Dangerous ground, either way.
* * *
Krystal wanted to answer the door. Lena immediately said, “Let her. The worst thing that ever showed up on my doorstep was a guy selling life insurance.”
So Vicki stayed in the kitchen with the delicious aromas of Lena’s homemade mac and cheese—made with white cheddar and sausage instead of hot dogs—and tossed the salad.
She heard Krystal practically shriek, “Dan!” Then her daughter was off and running, relating everything she could about Peggy and the park. A short time later, Vicki heard footsteps approach and Dan’s voice saying, “Howdy.”
She turned and nearly gasped when she realized he’d picked Krystal up and was carrying her on his hip. “I want a horsey ride,” Krys said. One of Hal’s friends had taught her that, crawling around the floor on hands and knees while Krys straddled his back. Vicki’s chest tightened a bit.
“Maybe we can get you a real horsey ride soon.” Gently, Dan put the child down. “How are you ladies tonight?”
Their answers were drowned out by Krystal. “A real horsey? A big one?”
Dan squatted. “Maybe not so big for the first time, Krys. A deputy friend of mine, name of Sarah? Her husband has a horse ranch. He’s got some ponies that might be great for your first ride. But only if it’s okay with your mom.”
That diverted Krystal straight over to Vicki, who, despite feeling a twinge of fear about what might happen to the girl if she fell from a horse, couldn’t help laughing at her daughter’s excitement. “We’ll see,” she said repeatedly. “We’ll see. But don’t bug me about it, kiddo.”
Krys turned to Dan. “Bugging is bad.”
“Yes, it is,” he agreed, straightening. He looked at Vicki. “Did I put my foot in it?”
She shook her head with a smile. The offer had been intended kindly, and she wanted Krys to have every possible good experience. Vicki could endure the inevitable pestering.
“Go wash up for dinner,” she told Krys. But her eyes seemed to have locked with Dan’s, and she felt a warm tingle inside, accompanied by a slight speeding of her heart.
She turned swiftly back to the salad, resisting her response to the man. She’d cataloged his attractiveness at the very beginning, but it had been only that: noticing it but not responding to it. Now that she’d caught up some on her rest, her body seemed to be taking a different attitude.
She didn’t want it. She absolutely did not want it. She wasn’t ready for another man, any man, and least of all one who risked his life on a regular basis. One trip through that hell had been quite enough.
“Do I smell your famous mac and cheese?” Dan asked, returning everything to normal, especially for Vicki.
“That you do,” Lena answered from the sink, where she was washing the cheese grater. “It’s almost ready. Why don’t you set the table?”
They gathered around the big round table in the kitchen instead of using the dining room. Krys was ravenous, and at first said very little. A couple times Vicki told her to slow down so she didn’t get a tummy ache. Krys slowed down, but not for long. Her only comment was “I like white mac and cheese better than orange.”
“A hit.” Dan smiled. He was doing a pretty good job of eating his portion. “So, are you planning to go to the county fair this year?”
Lena shook her head slowly. “Hadn’t thought about it. Krys should go, though. She’d probably like the rides. And, Vicki, I think you’d love the crafts. Some of the women around here make amazing quilts, and the knitting...well, if I could ever knit even stitches, I might go over to Cory’s place and join one of her classes.” Lena explained that there was a sewing and knitting shop just down the street from the diner. “You might like that, too.”
“I might,” Vicki agreed pleasantly, but her mind was back on the county fair. Had Lena just attempted some matchmaking, saying Krys and Vicki should go to the fair? The suggestion was hanging there as if she’d wanted Dan to say he’d take them.
But he didn’t, and Vicki relaxed again.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be working the fair or not,” Dan said, after a bit more discussion from Lena. “The schedule is still up in the air, but since most of the deputies with kids want to take them, the rest of us will probably plug the holes.”
Which, thought Vicki, was a good explanation for not offering to show them around, even if Lena had been trying to encourage it. Astonishment filled her as she realized she felt mildly disappointed. Steady, girl. No point in bargaining for trouble. “How long does it last?”
“It’s a whole lot of setup for three days,” Lena answered. “Friday afternoon through Sunday evening. The rodeo’s on Saturday. And of course, one of those traveling carnivals always shows up.”
“Why so short?”
“Most folks around here are awfully busy on their ranches,” her aunt replied. “But summer is the time for fairs. What can I tell you? Imagine holding one when the weather turns cold.”
“It’s just a small fair,” Dan explained. “We pretty much get overshadowed by the state fair, which offers a whole lot more for people who can get the time to go. Here it’s...a community social, basically.”
“Good description,” Lena said approvingly. “Anyway, in one afternoon you can see everything you want to see, and fit in the rodeo, too. Now, I like our rodeo. It’s mostly local cowboys who compete, not pros who are on the circuit, although we occasionally get one or two.”
“That would be interesting. I’ve been to the one in Austin, but the rodeo is professional, and so is the entertainment.”
Dan laughed. “You might hear a few local country musicians here.”
“Don’t forget the old guys with their fiddles,” said Lena. “Always gets my foot tapping.” She eyed Vicki. “A good place to meet people.”
“Speaking of meeting people,” Dan said, “I presume the Peggy that Krys was telling me about was Janine Dalrymple’s little girl?”
“Yes, it was,” Vicki replied. “They both came over this afternoon, and before I could even invite them in, the two girls were running down the street toward the park. We dashed to keep up. I like Janine.”
“I thought you might,” Dan said. “Salt of the earth.”
“Did you ask her to come?” Vicki didn’t know if she liked that. She preferred to think that Janine had come because she wanted to.
“Of course not,” Dan said. “I passed her on the street and she asked about the rental truck, so I told her you were here.”
So he wasn’t trying to micromanage her life even in small ways. Vicki had been through enough of that. Something that had been coiled inside her let go, and she was able to enjoy the rest of the meal.
After they made short work of dishes, Krystal wanted to play a game. She asked Dan and he agreed. Soon they were all playing a very childish board game with Krys, whose brow knit with concentration. One of these days the girl would realize the whole game depended on luck, but right now she gave it the attention of a major tactician.
Finally, Lena claimed an aunt’s prerogative. “Let me get Krys ready for bed and read her a story.”
Krys jumped up. “Can I pick the story?”
