Noah dropped his hands, but her palms were flat against his chest. The second she tipped her head back and her eyes focused on his face, she raised her brows in surprise.
Lucy took a step back. “You’re the new officer?” she gasped, then shook her head. “Clearly you are. I mean, you’re in uniform. I just...”
She trailed off as pink tinged her cheeks, and something about having her flustered when she’d been in such control last night had him fighting back a grin. Other than Emma, nobody had made him grin in a long, long time.
He took in her buttoned-up white sweater and dark jeans. She had some sparkly earrings that his daughter would covet on sight and deem princess material.
“I didn’t see you when I came in before.” Damn it, why had he said that?
“I’m a part-time night dispatcher,” she explained, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’m finishing up my online master’s classes and it eats up most of my time.”
And she also ran a free outreach program for the community. Clearly she stayed busy, which was exactly what he needed to do. Ogling his new coworker was not the hobby he needed to look into.
Noah gestured behind her toward the open door. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check in.”
Lucy blinked, then stepped aside. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you up. I’m just surprised to see you again. I mean...”
“Yeah,” he agreed, not wanting to discuss last night.
He’d had a moment of weakness, but his head was on straight now and he was moving forward, starting with this new position. No way in hell would he be seen as vulnerable. What type of cop would that make him? His duties included being strong, fierce, in control—none of which he felt one hundred percent about. But he had to start somewhere and rehashing last night wasn’t the place.
“I’m sure I’ll see you later. I better go fix that coffee.”
With a smile, Lucy headed down the hallway and Noah cursed himself for watching her go. This beautiful woman who’d caught him at a fragile moment could not interfere with his goal of building a new life for his daughter.
Chapter Two
Lucy cursed her shaky hands. She knew the rookie officer was coming on board tonight, but she’d had no idea the mysterious man she’d met last night would be one and the same.
She wasn’t sure if he looked better in a Stetson and jeans or the navy blue uniform, but she wouldn’t turn away a chance at looking at both. Looking was harmless, right? Mercy, but he did get her heart rate up and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that once the single ladies of Stonerock realized there was a new officer, they’d be all over him. Parking tickets could quite possibly multiply in the foreseeable future.
The glorious aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the tiny break room, masking the burned odor that had pervaded previously. She didn’t know how this crew got along without her on her nights off. Soon she’d have her degree in psychology and she could find a job counseling military wives and families.
“Lucy.”
She jerked around, startled at the gruff tone of Officer McCoy. He was a giant teddy bear, older and a little pudgy in the midsection, but an amazing cop.
“Hey.” She greeted him with a smile. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I need you to spend a few hours with Officer Spencer. Carla was going to, but she had to leave suddenly to get to the nursing home for her mom and there’s a last-minute meeting so he’s getting paired with you for just a bit.”
Perfect. Spending some up close and personal time with the town’s newest officer would be fine...if she weren’t a bundle of nerves just looking at the man.
All she knew was that he was a widower; she’d learned that last night after the meeting. Word around the station was that he was from a small town outside of Houston, Texas. That was pretty much the extent of what she knew of Noah Spencer.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. She knew he had a swagger that could make a woman’s knees go weak and he had that Southern drawl that had her belly curling with arousal.
Still, she shouldn’t be eyeing the new guy with such affection, or any coworker for that matter. The town was small and everyone in this department was like one big, happy family.
“No problem,” she stated, lying through her teeth. “I’m happy to help out.” That part was true; she’d pinch hit for her fellow dispatchers whenever she was needed. “I just had to get this coffee going since Officer James burned the last pot.”
“James tries hard, but she’s never made a decent pot in her life,” McCoy grumbled. “Thanks for saving us. James just went out on a domestic dispute, by the way. She’s better on the streets than in this break room.”
Lucy laughed as she turned to reach for a mug from the counter. “At least she tries. Let me get a cup and I’ll be right out to talk to Officer Spencer.”
First she needed some caffeine because this was going to be a long night. A dose of coffee to add to her jitters. Perfect.
But she was a professional and so was Noah. Besides, he hadn’t shown the slightest interest, so this little infatuation was quite possibly one-sided. The man was still mourning his wife for pity’s sake. She could appreciate his looks and perhaps this learning period would get him to open up. He didn’t have to come to meetings to heal.
She poured her cup of coffee and just as she turned, she ran into a solid chest. The hot liquid spilled onto her hand, burning her skin and causing her to drop the mug, which then hit the floor and shattered.
Firm hands gripped her shoulders. “You all right?”
Noah’s worried look had her nodding, though her hand burned. “Did I spill coffee all over you?”
Great first impression, Lucy. Way to get him to notice you.
“How’s your hand?” he asked, ignoring her question as he took her wet hand in his. “Did you burn yourself?”
“It’s fine.” Could she be more of a fool? “Let me get something to clean off your shoes. Are you sure it’s not on your uniform?”
Thankfully the uniform was navy blue, but still, she didn’t want to have him soaking wet and smelling like he was a barista on patrol.
Still holding on to her hand, Noah led her to the sink and turned on the cold water. “This is looking a little red.”
Was it? Because the way he was holding on to her and the way his body aligned with hers, she really had no clue anything else existed except him.
“You okay?”
Lucy glanced over her shoulder at Officer McCoy, who stood in the doorway. “Just dropped my coffee,” she replied.
“I’ll clean it up.”
He disappeared for a moment and came back with the mop. As he started cleaning, Lucy realized Noah was still holding her hand under the water. She focused her attention on him and smiled.
“I’m fine. Really.”
Noah’s dark eyes seemed so dull, so...sad. She wanted to reach out to him, somehow. Nobody should live in misery. Wasn’t that the whole reason she and her friends had started the group? They were each recovering and wanted to get others to live again.
Noah turned the water off and reached for a paper towel. When he started to wrap her hand, she took the towel from him and did it herself. Too much touching was dangerous...at least to her mental state. She was to work with him, and hopefully get him to open up and recover from his loss, so anything beyond that wasn’t an option.
Besides, she’d vowed never to fall for a man who risked his life on a daily basis ever again. Living through hell once was more than enough for her.
“I can get that,” she said as she turned her attention to McCoy.
“You made the coffee, that’s enough.” He picked up the large jagged mug pieces and tossed them in the trash before soaking up the liquid. “Get to work and make sure you don’t pull any pranks on Spencer h
ere.”
She glanced to Noah, who was still standing far closer and smelling far better than should be legal.
“I’ll have you know that last stunt with the sugar and salt with the coffee was not me. It was Carla.”
When he grunted, Lucy merely glanced to Noah and shrugged. She headed from the break room, well aware the new officer was directly behind her. If only Carla were here tonight to help take some of this pressure from Lucy. She’d never had this instant attraction before so she seriously needed to get ahold of herself.
Why did the first interest since her husband’s death have to be a man dealing with such grief? He was in no place to even look her way, let alone flirt.
Flirt? Mercy sakes, what was she saying? They had a job to do and she’d do well to remember they were technically coworkers.
“Are you sure your hand is okay?” he asked as they came to the dispatch desks with all of the monitors and phones.
“It’s fine.” How many times could she say fine? “Did you get cleaned up?”
He glanced to his shiny, patent leather shoes. “They just got splashed. I think your hand and the floor took everything.”
When he looked back up, his eyes went straight to her chest. Well, maybe this attraction wasn’t one-sided.
“You have coffee on your sweater.”
And perhaps it was, because he wasn’t looking at her boobs at all, but the coffee she’d spilled. She knew her sweater was damp, but she didn’t exactly have another shirt to put on. And of course it was a white sweater. Classy. So classy.
“It will dry,” she stated, waving a hand through the air as if she wasn’t bothered, though she was cringing each time his eyes dropped to the stain.
She took a seat at her desk and gestured to the empty chair beside her. “How long have you been in Stonerock?”
“Almost a week.”
Lucy pointed to one of the monitors with the layout of the town. “I assume you’ve been out driving around and familiarizing yourself with the area.”
He nodded. “The streets are a grid. Pretty easy to get around.”
“This won’t be much different from where you were before,” she explained. “Stonerock is small, low crime. I’m sure you know all of that, but you will get to know the people in no time.”
As she explained how things would work from her end, he nodded and listened without interruption. When the line lit up, Lucy held up her hand and took the call.
The frantic voice of a child came over the headset and Lucy went into that calm mode she had to settle into when trying to offer comfort to the stranger on the other end. And when that stranger happened to be a child, Lucy tried to compartmentalize her feelings and remain in control.
“My mommy is having a baby,” the little boy screamed. “Right now!” The child’s voice was drowned out by a woman’s cries.
Lucy went to the flip cards on the desk and found the one she needed to issue the proper orders. This wasn’t her first baby call and it wouldn’t be her last. She managed to get a neighbor’s name and called her while keeping the child on the line. While paramedics were on their way, Lucy wanted another adult there for the child.
All in all, the call took about four minutes before the medical squad arrived on the scene and the neighbor came to take the little boy. Lucy disconnected the call once everyone was safe and taken care of.
As she eased back in her seat, she caught a side glance of Noah. The adrenaline during the call had her completely forgetting about him—and that was saying something.
“You did good,” he commented.
Lucy laughed. “Well, that’s my job, so...”
“It takes a special person to be able to do that, though.” He eased forward and met her eyes. “Not everyone could remain calm in a time of distress. You’re literally the lifeline to those people in need.”
Lucy shrugged. She’d never thought of it that way, but he was correct. Still, she didn’t take to praise very well. She was doing her job, helping others who couldn’t help themselves, and she only hoped in some small way that she made a difference.
As more calls came through, she took them and talked to Noah in between. After about an hour, Officer McCoy came through to take Noah out on a call.
Part of Lucy hated to see him go, but the other part was relieved. She was having a difficult time sitting here ignoring his domineering presence.
As Noah stood up, he started to say something but a call came in and she tuned out everything else. This was going to be one of those nights where the phones were nonstop. Some days were like that and she was grateful she had something to occupy her time other than the mysterious new officer.
She wanted to know more about him, and living in this tiny town, she’d definitely find out. It wouldn’t take long for the busybodies to be all abuzz with the backstory of their newest resident.
* * *
After they’d finished the call, which amounted to a couple of guys getting too rowdy outside of Gallagher’s, the local bar, Noah climbed back into the patrol car. He wasn’t used to riding on the passenger side, but he also wasn’t used to this town, nor life without his ranch, not to mention life without his wife.
Each day was better than the last, but there was still that void he figured he’d always carry around.
Just as Officer McCoy started the car, Lucy’s calm voice came over the radio.
“We’ve got a missing child at 186 Walnut Street. The mother reported he was in his room and was supposed to be changing for bed, but now he’s missing.”
Just because he was a police officer didn’t mean he didn’t feel. Each case he encountered was different, and each one deserved his full attention and compassion. Noah’s heart clenched at the fear that mother must be facing. He knew that fear of loss and the unknown.
“There’s a creek that runs behind their house so the mother and some neighbors are there now,” Lucy added.
McCoy turned on the siren and raced through the streets. Lucy’s voice continued to keep them updated as she stayed on the line with a family friend. Lucy’s sweet voice was exactly what he’d told her earlier—a lifeline. She was the link between the caller and the officers and she truly didn’t see what an important job she had.
He should feel guilty thinking of her in any way except as a coworker, but there was something so innocent, yet so... He couldn’t find the right word. Recognizable? Yes, definitely. He recognized the pain in her eyes, too. She did well to mask it, but it was there all the same. Perhaps she used that support group more for herself than she realized. And that was all fine and good, but talking among a group of strangers wasn’t for him. He could get over his grief just fine on his own time.
Within minutes they were pulling up in front of a small white cottage. Already people had congregated on the lawn. Adrenaline pumping, Noah raced toward the back of the house where he was told the mother was. McCoy went to talk to neighbors to get a description of the boy.
With the rains lately, the creek was up and Noah prayed this would only be a search and not a recovery.
Flashlights shifted all over the backyard, Noah’s included. He tried to focus on the water, because if the boy was in there, he was in the most danger. Hopefully he was just in a neighbor’s tree house or something that innocent and safe.
“He’s there!” someone shouted. “He’s caught under that shrub on the other side of the creek.”
Noah followed the light stream from someone’s flashlight. Immediately he took off running in the direction, his light bouncing as he ran faster.
He heard a woman scream and take off down the edge of the creek just in front of him. “Hold on, baby!”
Noah didn’t think twice and he didn’t stop to say anything. He raced past the frantic mother and the other people who were trying to figure out how to get the
boy out.
As he ran into the cold water, Noah called out to the boy, “Hang on. I’m coming for you.” The poor little guy was crying and the hood of his jacket had gotten caught on a dead limb sticking out from a bush along the creek side. His jacket was dark, but the bright yellow shirt made it a little easier for Noah to focus in on him.
The water was nearly to Noah’s waist and colder than he’d initially thought. He didn’t know how long the boy had been out here, but with the sun down, things had cooled off quite a bit.
The frantic mother continued to encourage her son to hang on as Noah trudged through the water. Blocking out all the chaos behind him, Noah focused solely on this boy.
“I’ve got you,” Noah told him when he finally reached the child. “Wrap your legs around my waist and put your arms around my neck. I’m going to untangle your jacket.”
The boy continued to cry and didn’t move.
“My name is Officer Spencer, but you can call me Noah. What’s your name?”
“C-Conner.”
The boy’s teeth were chattering. “Okay, Conner. I need you to be a big boy. I need a partner since my partner is in your house helping. Can you be my partner out here?”
Conner nodded. “I just wanted to see the storm and then I saw a c-cat run to the water. I wanted to s-save it.”
“You’re a brave boy, but right now I need you to wrap yourself around me so I can get you out of here. I don’t know about you, but I think this water is cold.”
Finally, little arms and legs went around Noah. Realizing the boy was about Emma’s age, he felt a tug on his heart. Calls with kids always hit closer to home.
If he didn’t get this jacket untangled in the next few seconds, Noah was going to cut it off. This boy had been waist deep in the water long enough. He shivered, not just from the cold, but from fear.
Finally, the material came free with a rip. Noah wasted no time. He waded back through the chilly water as the boy clung to him. On the bank, the crowd had grown and the mother stood sobbing, reaching her arms out, anxious to take her son.
The Cowboy's Second-Chance Family Page 2
