A Heart's Endeavor

by Wehr, Mary

  Once outside, Mrs. Garret continued to drone on and on about the flaws plaguing the teenagers today. As if he didn’t know. Her high-pitched voice dug into his skin like a tic on a dog’s tail. He resisted the urge to pick up the big woman in the voluminous granny dress and toss her inside her vehicle. Finally, she plucked her keys from an oversized purse brandishing a huge purple flower. Jack rushed her along by taking the keys and unlocking the door for her. She smiled, patted him on the cheek, and settled herself behind the wheel. Jack made certain that she was safely buckled in before giving a salute. Then he straightened his tie, fiddled with his cuffs, and went back inside the store.

  * * * *

  Melanie poked her head under the table piled high with Kaiser rolls, paper plates, and plastic utensils. She swept the candy into a neat pile. There. That should be the last of them. She rested on her heels and arched her back. Geez, I’m getting too old for this.

  A low hiss sounded from above and she twisted at the waist. The first thing she saw was a pair of black shoes spit-polished to a shine. Dark, charcoal gray slacks covered a pair of long legs. Her gaze continued upward and a gun came into view. Great, a state trooper. It would be her luck to meet one in this undignified position. If the poor guy had been standing there the entire time the upper half of her body was underneath the table then he sure as hell didn’t get a view of her best side. Not that she had one.

  Melanie recognized a flashlight and radio tucked in the utility belt hugging his lean waist. Other unfamiliar items were strapped to it too. The belt looked heavy enough to weigh a pound or more. How in the world did his pants stay in place if he had to hit the ground at a run? Her cheeks warmed. Of all the things that could’ve popped into her head, why did she always think of the most inane?

  She purposely avoided looking at the impressive bulge peeking between his fingers. Oh, and what a bulge it was. Stop it, Mel. You’re here to work and get your mind off your problems.

  She tilted her head. Her heart skipped a beat. The man was gorgeous. Square jaw, firm lips, hawk-like nose, and forest green eyes framed by ridiculously long lashes mixed well with his short, black hair. A touch of gray at his temples sexed him up all the more. Powerful shoulders stretched the seams of a meticulously pressed light gray uniform shirt. The name tag pinned to the right of his broad chest read Horan. Her eyes rested on his face. Stone face. The noise she heard hadn’t come from this guy.

  Embarrassed to be caught in such an awkward position, and by a state trooper no less, Melanie scrambled to her feet. She hurried to the sink and washed her hands. She did her best to act the professional employee, but the pulse hammering at the base of her throat threatened to cut off her air supply. Her lips trembled and the palms of her hands grew moist with sweat.

  “W-what can I get you, officer?” Way to go, now you’re stuttering.

  A dark brow arched, but he remained silent. She bit her bottom lip in consternation. Okay, not a talker. But how was she supposed to know what he wanted?

  After a second or two had passed he said, “I’d like something hot.”

  Melanie blinked and her breath hitched. She wouldn’t have minded being on the menu. He means food, you dolt. No way can you be considered hot. She tossed a dish towel over her shoulder and gestured toward the two crockpots on the table behind her. “Um, we have homemade chili and pulled pork barbecue, plus hoagies made to order.” Her voice rose to a nervous pitch. Her first impulse was to run, but she stood there and waited for him to decide.

  She shuffled her feet. Men in uniform always made her pulse leap. A leaping pulse she could deal with, but the throbbing between her legs threw her for a loop. As far as she was concerned that pulse just didn’t…pulse anymore. And to top it off, her breasts felt like two water filled balloons. She leaned against the side of the refrigerated sandwich unit and squeezed her legs together. She could feel moisture slipping from her core and dampening her panties.

  She jerked to attention as he pointed to the crockpots and said, “I’ll try one of those barbeques. I take it Bob’s mother made them?”

  “Yes, she’s a good cook. Do you know her?” Her hands shook slightly as she slipped on a pair of poly gloves. She had to steer her thoughts away from his muscled arms and long thick fingers. She pulled a bun from a bag, set it on a small paper plate, then turned around and scooped up a spoonful of juicy meat. She felt as if her backside was on fire. He’s probably laughing at my fat butt. She really needed to start exercising again or take a walk around the lake. There were countless winding roads and hills to conquer that would help her get back into shape.

  “I’ve known the Delano family for about a year. They’re good people.”

  His deep voice sent tingles skittering down her spine. “Yes, they are,” she replied. Before she could stop herself she added, “This is my second day working here. Starting tomorrow I’ll be permanently on the three-to-eleven shift.” Now why did she feel the need to share that information with a complete stranger? Embarrassed, Melanie looked around for the aluminum foil and was surprised to see the crowd of people lined up at the registers. “I have to hurry. Jen needs me at the register.”

  “Don’t bother wrapping it.” He reached across the open case to grab the sandwich. A light sprinkling of hair covered his large tanned hands. Melanie wondered where else he was covered with that dark fur. Damn, she was doing it again. Thinking about things she shouldn’t be thinking about. Flustered, she peeled off the gloves and tossed them into the trash.

  Melanie left the small deli area and took her place behind the counter. She saw the officer she had waited on hovering in the background. He appeared to be content to wait his turn in front of her register instead of making a quick exit by going over to Jen. Crap, she was nervous. She tried to concentrate on what she was doing and looked up in surprise when an empty plate was set on the counter.

  “Stakeouts always make me hungry.” He paid cash for the food and handed her a credit card. “Gas on pump two.”

  Melanie swiped the card and handed it back along with a slip of paper and a pen.

  He scribbled his signature on the dotted line. “By the way, my name’s Jack.” They switched receipts. “I’ll see you later, Melanie.”

  How did he know her name?

  He merely grinned at her apparent puzzlement and pointed to the name tag pinned to the collar of her shirt. Her face grew warm. “Oh, ah, everybody calls me Mel.”

  “Okay, Mel.” On his way out he stopped and swung completely around. The ripple of muscles beneath his shirt made her think how good it might feel to be held against such a tall, strong body. “Keep blushing, Mel. It looks good on you.”

  Both Jen and Mel’s eyes were glued on Jack’s taut buttocks as he sauntered out the door. Jen stretched across the top of the counter for a better look. “Wowee, he’s hot. I think he likes you, Mel.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Mel saw the cruiser parked at the gas pumps and resisted the urge to run to the small square window to the left of her register and giggle like a fool. These young girls always had sex on the brain. Yet, somewhere along the way, she had forgotten how twin slabs of firm flesh flexing in a pair of tight trousers held a certain appeal. It was exhilarating to realize she could still be turned on at the sight of a man’s butt. Thank you, Jack Horan. As of today, she planned on admiring the male physique whether it was clad in dress slacks or jeans.

  “I just made him lunch, for Christ’s sake,” Mel replied with a casualness she was far from feeling.

  Jen hooted. “Hey, he may be as old as my dad, but I wouldn’t mind if he used those handcuffs on me.”

  Mel was thinking the exact same thing, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to admit it. She’d be setting herself up for another fall if she allowed herself to fantasize about Jack. Men only had eyes for stick skinny girls, not overweight women like her. Whenever the bikini clad babes had walked past the house after a day of swimming in the lake or at the community pool, Mike had whistled at them. Then he’d
look at her with disgust in his eyes and tell her that she really needed to go on a diet. Never again would she expose herself to a man’s verbal abuse. Her self-esteem was already at an all-time low. No matter how handsome Jack Horan was, she’d treat him with the same politeness she would any other customer.

  She blew out a sigh and locked her register. “I need to tell Bob about the candy I dropped on the floor. Be right back.”

  “Okay,” Jen replied with a cheery smile. “I’ll man the fort.” The younger girl gave Mel a mock salute and resumed her earlier position at the window facing the gas pumps.

  Mel sighed. Would she ever be that happy and carefree?

  * * * *

  Outside, Jack resisted the urge to pump his fist in the air. What luck! Mel Manning was a voluptuous, brown-haired, blue-eyed beauty with a nice personality to boot. He would ask her out on a date and take it from there. Maybe some old-fashioned wooing was in order. He hadn’t romanced a woman in a long time.

  “Come on, Shadow,” he barked good-naturedly and clapped his partner on the back as he rounded the cruiser. “What the hell are you doing standing there? I’m beat and ready to go home and grab a beer.”

  He laughed at the shit-eating grin on the tall, black man’s face. Jim had earned the nickname Shadow because of his silent step. Plus, he bragged about the fact that he was the only one at the barracks who could hide successfully in the dark. That was if he didn’t smile. Jim’s sparkling white teeth could be a poster for a whitening toothpaste ad.

  Jim twisted the gas cap until it clicked. “I was trying to get a tan. What are you bitchin’ about? I thought you got lost in there.”

  “I think I just met my future wife.” Jack raked a hand through his hair and shook his head. That statement sounded ridiculous even to him.

  Jim poked his head inside the cruiser. “You knock something loose in that hunk of cement you call a head?”

  “Nope.” Jack fixed his face into what he hoped was a fierce glower. He reached for the traditional campaign hat he had laid on the back seat and plopped it on his head. The strap dangled along his chin. He hated the hat, but if it wasn’t on his head when he went back to the barracks he’d forget it. One never knew when a VIP would be touring the place. When he noticed Jim heading toward the store, his brows furrowed. “Where the hell are you goin’? I have first shot at the newbie.”

  Jim stopped mid-stride, turned, and removed the sunglasses perched on his nose. “I’m just going to grab that bottle of water you forgot.”

  Yeah, right. Jack knew the unspoken rule. If time allowed the men always took a few minutes to admire an attractive female. Jack’s obvious interest in Mel no doubt had Jim itching to have a look. Jack eyed the pair of sunglasses dangling from his partner’s hand. Along with the uniform equipped with various weapons, wraparound sunglasses were also a necessity. They not only softened the sun’s rays while driving, but also concealed the direction of one’s focus on certain female body parts.

  Jack snorted. Bottle of water, my ass. There was a vending machine at the barracks. Jim could have gotten his precious drink there.

  Jack leaned out the window. “Like hell you are.” He whacked his head against the doorframe and his hat sailed to the floor. Bending over, his forehead bounced off the dashboard. Christ almighty. “You’re married.”

  “I ain’t dead.”

  “You will be when I tell your wife.”

  Jim stomped back to the cruiser. He slid behind the wheel and keyed the engine. “You’d rat me out?”

  “In a heartbeat.” Jack settled himself more comfortably in the seat and expelled a long, exaggerated sigh. “No doubt Katie would cut off your balls and feed them to the crows.”

  Jack folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes. His mouth twitched, but he remained silent on the ride back to the barracks. Jim’s wife was petite, but possessed a mammoth-sized temper. If Jim wanted to look his fill of the opposite sex he had to do it when Katie wasn’t around. Jack adored Katie. He wouldn’t intentionally hurt her. He’d just let Jim think that he would. He’d paste on his serious-as-shit face and Katie would interrogate Jim without a smidgen of mercy. Either way it turned out, his partner would be going without sex for a while.

  “You’re a cold-hearted bastard, Dog, you know that?”

  Jack laughed. “You got that right. Just make sure you spread the word.” He eyed his buddy with conviction. “On both counts.” Yep, he was a bastard and yep, he was going to get first shot at Mel.

  Chapter 3

  Mel held her photo ID card up to the small monitor outside of the guard shack. The red light switched to green and the bar blocking the entrance to The Lake lifted automatically. She waved to the security guard then stepped on the gas. Living in the small gated community had been her late husband’s idea. Although Mike had chosen the locale because it was closer to where he worked, Mel was fond of the secluded area because of the animals.

  Her older brother Paul had often told her that she was a complete sucker for anything with fur or feathers. When they were kids, she’d often coax a stray dog or cat to follow her home after school so she could feed them. She’d sneak a wounded animal into her room and nurse it no matter how many times her dad would belt her backside. Then she’d cry when he’d carelessly pick up the animal, no matter the extent of its injuries, and throw it outside so “nature can take its course”. Oh, how she hated it when he said those words. Paul would do his best to protect her from their dad’s temper and get strapped for his efforts. Mom just hovered in the background, unwilling to override her husband’s rule. Her dad had been a hard man. She’d question her mother about his lack of kindness, only to be scolded and sternly reminded to be thankful she had a roof over her head, clothes on her back, and food on the table.

  Well, those days were long gone.

  Mel pulled into her driveway and smiled. Squirrels hung upside down on tree trunks, shaking their bushy tails. Chipmunks skittered back and forth across the macadam, and the birds were singing. She parked the car and saw a pointy-eared squirrel with big dark eyes sitting on a tree stump. The look on his face clearly said feed me.

  “Hang on,” she mumbled and reached for the bag of peanuts on the front seat.

  Of course, when one critter was fed more came. Blue jays flitted from tree to tree. The loud, colorful birds always raised a ruckus when food wasn’t tossed their way first. She needed to get her ass in gear and throw out some birdseed.

  Mel grabbed her purse and went into the house. Her gaze roamed around the dimly lit kitchen, and a feeling of emptiness washed over her. It was so quiet…too quiet. Would this sense of loneliness ever go away?

  She went into the bedroom and changed into a loose-fitting tank top and denim shorts. She pushed her feet into a pair of ratty sneakers and trudged back into the mudroom to fill a small bucket with sunflower seeds and peanuts. Outside, two squirrels were on the porch waiting for her. They scarfed up the peanuts she threw on the ground and took off into the woods. At least she had these guys to keep her company. Sadly, it was only these guys to keep her company since Paul had moved to Florida with his wife some time ago. Her two closest high school friends had gone off to college shortly after graduation. Mel saw them when they came home for visits, but then they moved away and she had lost touch. The girls she worked with at the post office stopped calling after she refused to return their messages. Since she wasn’t willing to share the details of what had happened, there was no way to explain her sudden departure, so it was easier just to avoid the phone calls, which she knew would be filled with questions.

  Mel shook away her dismal musings and filled the bird feeders. She took a moment to watch the squirrels and chipmunks scamper away with the food. It wasn’t long before her thoughts drifted back to Jack Horan. Falling for a man wasn’t in her plans, so why did her heart pound at the idea of seeing him again?

  The animals were too busy collecting the fare to pay her any attention, so Mel went back inside the house and br
ewed a pot of coffee. She tried to concentrate on something else besides Jack Horan, but it didn’t work. A surge of heat warmed her body. Maybe it was the uniform. Could it be the handcuffs? Hell, she didn’t know. And not once, in all the years of their marriage, did Mike have such a blatant sexual effect on her. He had been her first and only lover. Yet, after twenty years of marriage, she hadn’t been comfortable enough to admit harboring baser desires concerning sex. Mike would often threaten to send her away to an institution if she couldn’t control her emotions. If he had found out about what she really wanted in bed he would have shipped her off sooner. Longing to be tied up during sex wasn’t normal, was it?

  The aroma of coffee reached her nose, reminding Mel why she had come into the house. She fixed a sandwich for supper and sat at the kitchen table. The minute she took a bite, the phone rang. She swallowed quickly and glanced at the caller ID. Good old Paul. It was his turn to call and, as usual, he was right on schedule.

  She smiled and picked up the phone. “Hey, Paul. How are you? How are Jane and the boys?” She loved her two nephews, Kegan and Leyden, and she adored Jane, a pretty little blonde with a sparkling personality.

  “Hey, Mel. We’re doing great. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  Mel gulped a mouthful of coffee. “Of course not. What’s new?”

  “You’re going to be an aunt again.”

  “Geez, Paul, after nineteen years you’re starting over?”

  He chuckled. “Let’s just say we got caught up in the moment and leave it at that. The boys are hoping for a little sister to spoil and protect.”

  Mel chortled. “And give daddy gray hair.”

  Paul groaned. “Oh God, I don’t know if I can handle a daughter. Any boy she brings home will be met with a shotgun. I’ll be a nervous wreck for the rest of my life.”

  “At least you know all the signs of a Romeo. I’m sure the poor kid wouldn’t be allowed out of the house until she’s at least thirty.” She paused. “I’m glad you called. I got a job.”