The First Time I Saw You

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  She didn’t say anything, just stared at the cop, who had his hands on his hips. Then she slowly shook her head. “No, because when I went to a free consultation with a notary, he said that unless I felt my life was in danger, a restraining order would be costly and not worth the nuisance he’s being,” she added dryly and with a hint of sarcasm, he thought.

  “Well, then all we can do is charge him with disorderly conduct, which means he’ll likely be slapped with only a hundred-dollar fine. There’s nothing else I can do.” The dark-haired cop was still wearing his shades, and Gabriel noted the badge pinned to his shirt and the gun holstered to his belt as he turned to face him. “Is there anything else?”

  Gabriel pushed away from the truck and looked around the cop to Elizabeth, who looked like a kicked puppy, though he knew she was doing her best to hide her disappointment. “I guess not. You’re taking him to jail, though, right?”

  The cop actually stepped around him and rested his hand on his shoulder. “We are. He’ll go before a judge and be out in the morning. My advice, hire a lawyer, get something with some teeth in it, and then, if there’s a next time, maybe then we can do something.”

  Gabriel watched as the cop walked to the car, climbed in, and drove away, Elizabeth’s crazy ex in tow. Then he took in Elizabeth wincing as she helped Shaunty down.

  “What are you doing?” he said.

  She flicked up those amber eyes, which weren’t shining quite as bright now. “Helping my daughter down so we can go.”

  For a second, he wasn’t sure what she meant. “Well, yeah, we should go, so you kind of both need to get back in the truck.”

  She didn’t move. She just stared at him and blinked. “You mean you still want us to come with you…?” She let her words fall away, and he understood what she was saying.

  “You rented a room, I drove you to the store for food, and now you think I’m going to kick you out?” Did she really think he was some kind of scumbag? What did she think he would say? Geez, your crazy ex is a handful and totally insane, so now I’m going to kick you to the curb. He didn’t say that, though, because he saw it in the way she worked her mouth, trying to figure out what to say.

  “Well, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did. You didn’t sign on for this craziness. So you’re telling me it’s fine, that we’re…” She gestured and then glanced down to her little girl, who was watching Gabriel as if she expected…what? He didn’t have a clue. She was the most intriguing, smart little kid he’d ever met.

  “You know what? I’m starving,” he said. “You two have to be as well. Let’s go home, make dinner.”

  Shaunty climbed back in the truck, and when Elizabeth started around him, he couldn’t help but rest his hand on her arm, feeling how tight she was.

  “I never asked if you were okay,” he said.

  She didn’t look at him for a second, but when she did, she just shrugged and then stared at his hand until he let it fall away. “I’m fine,” she said. “Been through worse. I’m tough, and it would take a lot more than that to hurt me.”

  He didn’t miss the smile that touched her lips as she walked around him to the passenger side of the truck and climbed in, but he was damn sure she was hurting a lot more than she was saying.

  She was putting on a brave front in a situation where anyone else would have shed a few tears and been not quite as together, but here she was now, sitting beside her daughter in the cab of his truck, facing forward with what seemed like a ten-inch-thick wall of armor keeping everyone from getting too close.

  As he stared out in the distance to the cop car that was long gone, he realized that if the roles were reversed, he’d likely be a little prickly too.

  Chapter 7

  Gabriel was chopping greens and washing lettuce while a piece of wild salmon was grilling in the oven, and Elizabeth was standing by the gas stove, waiting for the water to boil so she could pour in the macaroni. She’d already tucked away the few dry goods she’d bought—or, rather, the ones Gabriel had paid for—in a cupboard and put the milk, cheese, ground beef, and carrots in the fridge. At least now they could have tuna sandwiches with mayo, although lettuce was out. Tomorrow she’d figure out something to make with the ground beef, and then hopefully a way to stretch it for the week.

  “You sure you don’t want some salad, too? I have extra,” Gabriel said as she watched him mixing olive oil and apple cider vinegar in a jar with some fresh herbs he’d just finished chopping.

  “No, macaroni is fine,” she said, even though his dinner seemed far more appealing. They’d have sliced carrots, too, at least. The aroma of the salmon from the oven was heavenly. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had fish, or the last time she’d been able to afford it. “Oh, and let me pay you for the groceries. I’ll give you what I have, but I won’t be able to give you the rest until my next paycheck. I’m sorry, with the rent and everything…” She felt like an idiot, as he’d said not to worry.

  “You know what? Just pay me when you get paid. No point leaving yourself short.” He glanced up to her, and his expression should have put her at ease. He had kind eyes, along with the heat that seemed to rock between them in this kitchen. She had to tell herself the only reason she felt this way was because he was so nice and together and too good looking for his own good, so she turned her back to him, facing the gas range, which she was totally in love with. In fact, she loved this entire spacious, roomy kitchen.

  “You mind if I ask you a personal question?” he said.

  For a second, she feared what he’d ask, as she could see Shaunty in the living room, on the floor, with a coloring book open and crayons splayed around her, focusing on what she was doing and hopefully not listening in. She knew her daughter picked up on more than she should, which was why she’d left Shaunty’s idiot father to try to give her a normal life. After nearly two years, she was still trying to figure out what that could be.

  “Depends, I guess.” She shrugged, wishing the water would hurry up so she could pour the macaroni in and make dinner. Then she and Shaunty could eat, and then what, go hide out in the bedroom? Gabriel’s bedroom, actually, because he’d insisted on playing the gentleman after her dad broke the window. She stood there stiffly. She was damn sure he was going to ask her all about MM and how she could have hooked up with the likes of him. She was still wondering how she’d overlooked all his crazy shit just because he was tall, dark, and handsome and had an incredibly hot body. She reminded herself that in the beginning, he’d had a charm she didn’t think she could live without. A sane person would have asked her if she’d had a head injury.

  Gabriel tossed her another one of his killer smiles, the kind that lit up his face. “Well, I was wondering how you really are. You hit that car pretty hard, and even though you tried to hide it, I could see you were favoring that arm and your side.” He gestured across the island with the knife he was holding. “If you’re thinking it’s best to ignore it, you could in fact be injured, and it wouldn’t hurt to take a run to the emergency room and get an x-ray just to make sure. You know it’s better to be safe.”

  That was exactly what she hadn’t expected, exactly what she couldn’t do, considering Medicaid wouldn’t cover everything. “You know what?” she said. “I’m good, and that’s not necessary. It only hurts a bit if I move too fast.” She knew there would likely be a bruise on her arm, and maybe her hip too, and it might be a little uncomfortable for a few days, but she’d be fine. It was her pride that had been hurt more than anything.

  Gabriel was taking her in, his eyes so bright. The color reminded her of a warm ocean, and confidence oozed from him, but she could also tell he didn’t believe her, though he didn’t say one word.

  “Really, it’s nothing,” she said. “I’ll be fine. I’m just embarrassed, is all. I’m sorry about what happened.” She’d never experienced this kind of gentleness and caring from a man before.

  He didn’t smile and continued slicing up a cucumber. “So he found out w
here you lived and forced you to move because…” he started. Maybe he did have a right to know, considering MM would likely find her here and show up and become a royal pain in the ass. She wondered now whether Gabriel was having second thoughts.

  “Because he doesn’t take no for an answer. Because he doesn’t understand that it’s over, that he’s now crossing boundaries. All of that. He seems to think he can push and push and make me come back as if that will be all he has to do. He’s not a man you can reason with, I’m sure you noticed,” she added, waiting for him to question everything she’d done.

  “So he’s under the impression that you’re with me, like together, in a relationship kind of way.” Gabriel rested the knife on the wooden chopping block and swept the chopped cucumber up with his hand, then dumped it in the bowl with the rest of the greens.

  She shrugged and wondered whether she should tell Gabriel that MM had broken a pizza delivery guy’s nose two places ago when he’d shown up and assumed he was somehow involved with her. “He’s under the impression that I’ve hooked up with some other man, because it’s somehow impossible for me to stand on my own two feet, let alone want to. He thinks I’ve jumped into a relationship with another man when that’s exactly the last thing I’m looking for. So, to answer your question, it probably did seem like we were together, and as you saw, he’s not exactly the reasonable type. His first reaction is always jealousy and to see the worst, to overreact.”

  She took in Shaunty, so quiet, and wanted to take it all back, but then, she’d seen the worst of her father, and Elizabeth was pretty sure she didn’t have a clue what normal was. She just hoped she hadn’t screwed her up too much.

  Shaunty glanced up and over to her. “Mom, he just wants you back—us back. He loves you, is all.”

  Damn! She sounded so reasonable. “I know, Shaunty. Hey, macaroni should be ready in about ten minutes. Why don’t you clean up there, put your things away, and then go wash your hands?”

  She noted that Gabriel said nothing else as her daughter cleaned up.

  “So, mind if I ask you something?” she said. What was she doing? This wasn’t supposed to be quid pro quo.

  He brushed his hands together and then put the cutting board and knife beside the double farm sink as he started filling it with water. “Nope, shoot. Ask me anything.”

  She ripped open the macaroni box and pulled out the cheese packet before dumping the macaroni shells in the water and giving it a stir with a wooden spoon she’d pulled from the neatly organized drawer. “I’ve never met a man who eats so healthy. I mean, I noticed you don’t have any packaged foods in the cupboards, except for a few containers of…” What was inside, she wasn’t sure, because the clear Tupperware containers weren’t labeled. The fridge didn’t have any prepackaged dressings, condiments, or anything that a typical household jammed in there. It was so fresh that she was positive he shopped every day, or at least every other.

  He wasn’t smiling as he poured in dish soap and washed the knife, rinsed it off, and set it in the other sink. Then he washed the cutting board down, and it wasn’t lost on her that he still hadn’t said anything. She wished she’d asked nothing at all.

  “I had leukemia as a kid,” he said. He didn’t turn around, and she froze with the wooden spoon, lost for words.

  He squeezed out the sponge and then wiped the counter down where he’d been chopping vegetables, making everything so neat and tidy, another quality she’d never seen before in a man.

  “I’m sorry, but you’re okay now…? I mean, you look great.” Boy, that was exactly what she hadn’t wanted to say.

  He turned around, and it wasn’t sadness she saw on his face but strength and a humor she hadn’t expected. “Well, thanks. I think that’s the first compliment you’ve given me.” He continued to wipe the counter and then rested the sponge against the sink back before drying his hands.

  Now she wondered, though, because he hadn’t confirmed how he was doing. That had her alarm bells going off as she felt herself filling with empathy for him.

  “But to answer your question, I’m fine,” he said. “Completely healthy. Had a bone marrow transplant as a kid, just a few years older than Shaunty. Was good for a long time. Had a scare a few years back, but luckily it was nothing, just a false positive. It was enough for me to go all in with my health, though. Diet, exercise. I eat a really clean diet, no sugar, no white flour, limited healthy grains, and nothing processed ever, nothing from a box.” He gestured to her box of macaroni, and for a second she wondered whether he was criticizing her in some way. She felt her jaw slacken.

  “You know what? This is economics,” she said. “I couldn’t afford to eat that way, as much as I’d like to.” The moment it left her lips, she wanted to take it back, even if it was true. It had sounded so defensive and made her sound like a shrew.

  He walked around the island to her, his hands lifted. “There’s no way I would ever criticize,” he said. “I apologize if you took it that way. What I’m saying is I have to keep my body clean, otherwise it’s a gamble I’m not willing to take, because I love life. You know, I spent some time getting serious after that last test, the one I thought would have me fighting another cancer. One of the things I learned is that the medical community has completely failed in some areas. The first thing a doctor should be asking when you walk into an exam room is ‘What are you eating?’ Except they can’t, because they only study food for a few weeks even though we’re consuming it every day and it affects our bodies. So I did my own homework, my own studying. I work out, and…” He stopped and let out a soft laugh as he looked down, and she realized the awkward moment. “I’m rambling, and your macaroni is probably done. You’re right, though. It does cost a lot.” He gestured and walked around to the wall oven, opened it, and pulled out his salmon.

  She turned off the burner. There was nothing worse than overcooked macaroni. As she drained the pasta and went to add in some milk and the powdered cheese, she noticed Gabriel had dished up three bowls of salad. When she glanced over to him, he was watching her in a way that made her feel special, wanted, and she couldn’t have that. Just as Shaunty raced into the kitchen, Gabriel said, “Hey, Shaunty, have you ever tried salmon?”

  “No, is that fish?” her daughter asked.

  Elizabeth squeezed the wooden spoon as she stirred in the clumps of processed orange powder and took in Gabriel scooping a small piece of fish on a plate and resting it on the counter with a fork. He pulled out one of the stools, and Shaunty climbed up and then looked over to her before taking a bite. “Is it okay, Mom?”

  What the hell was she supposed to say? No, don’t eat it, because I don’t want to be beholden to Gabriel any more than I am. But she forced a smile to her face as she took in Gabriel dishing up his own plate before looking over to her. Then he did something she didn’t expect: He held it out to her.

  “Ah, Gabriel, thanks, but I made us dinner…” she started.

  He glanced to Shanty, who was digging in to the salmon.

  “It’s good, Mom,” she said. “Have some.”

  She was about to say no when he did it again, that smile. “Elizabeth, I made more than enough. Please consider this a welcome to my home and thanks for moving in and renting a room from me. Come on, seriously, it’s not a big deal.”

  Now why would he have to add that smile?

  “Please,” he added again, and she took in her daughter, who was watching her, the fork halfway to her mouth, and she didn’t like the uncertainty she saw. Then she looked to the processed mac and cheese that had been on sale for seventy-five cents, and she knew she shouldn’t.

  “Okay, just this once, Gabriel. I’m serious. It’s important that there are clear boundaries. I’m renting a room only. You’re not cooking for me and Shaunty,” she stated as she pulled out the stool beside Shaunty and sat at the island. Gabriel slid the plate of salmon and another fork in front of her along with a bowl of salad, and her mouth watered. She dug in and took a bite, and the t
aste was even better than she’d expected.

  He lifted his hands as if her words could bite. “It’s not a marriage proposal, Elizabeth. It’s just sharing dinner. That’s it. So just say thank you and…” He glanced over to her daughter, who was looking from him over to her. His expression was warm. “Don’t read anything into it.”

  Okay, now she felt like a fool, and she just stared back at him until he finally looked away. She watched this very capable, strong, sexy, handsome, and incredibly fit man who’d opened his house to her as he pulled out a stool, sat down beside her daughter, and dug into his salad—but instead of seeing everything about him that was perfect, too perfect, she couldn’t help worrying about what he was hiding.

  Chapter 8

  “I’m sorry, Gabriel. There’s nothing I can do,” said Sheriff Blake Gatlin, a friend of his parents. “The law is the law, and no matter how much I’d like to bend it, I can’t.”

  Blake had married Brandyne Parker, his parents’ neighbor, a single mom of five, a good many years back. He had a hard square jaw that reminded Gabriel a lot of his father, deep eyes that seemed a mix of blue and green, and wavy light hair that was creased from where he’d settled his cowboy hat, which was now resting at the edge of his desk.

  “So he’s out, then,” Gabriel said, feeling the vibration of his cell phone from the back pocket of his blue jeans. That would be the job site. His boss, Mic, a big man in his sixties, had white hair and a short fuse. He knew he would likely be wondering where he was. Even though he’d called and said he’d be a little late, he knew there was an expectation he’d be there first.

  “Afraid so,” Blake said. “Went before the judge, got slapped with a hundred-dollar fine, and…” He gestured in the air, his expression that of a man whose hands were tied. “If he shows up again, all we can do is haul him in, and hopefully if he goes in front of the same judge enough times, he’ll get something a little stiffer. But let me ask you something. This woman who rented a room from you, this guy would be her ex? I’m not sure that’s the kind of trouble you want on your doorstep. You may want to rethink the rental. If you need some help rectifying the situation and getting her to move on, you just have to ask.”