The Cowboy's Second-Chance Family

by Jules Bennett

  The paramedics were right beside her, also ready to take the boy. Noah reached Conner out to his mom and climbed up the embankment. McCoy grabbed Noah’s elbow to help him out.

  The paramedics and the boy’s mother were racing through the backyard, toward the driveway around front to the ambulance. The boy would be fine, but protocol required he get checked out. Noah would bet Conner wouldn’t venture out to explore by himself anytime soon, and probably not near that creek for a long, long time.

  “Good job, Spencer.” McCoy slapped him on the back. “Already playing hero on your first serious call. You’ll fit in just fine.”

  Noah smiled as they walked through the yard. He didn’t want praise for doing his job, but he was glad he could help.

  “At least the dip in the creek got the coffee off me,” he joked.

  McCoy laughed. “I thought you didn’t get any coffee on you.”

  Noah shook his head. “I just told Lucy that so I wouldn’t hurt her feelings. She’d already burned her hand and felt bad enough.”

  They reached the car and just as Noah pulled the handle, Conner’s mother came up and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Thank you,” she cried, pulling back. “I promise I don’t let him get near the creek. He’s never done that before.”

  Noah placed a hand on her arm. “And I’m sure he won’t do it again. You both had a scare, but you’ve got a brave boy. He wanted to see the storm and then tried to save a cat. You’re doing a good job, mama. Kids are curious creatures by default.”

  She swiped the tears from her eyes and offered a smile before turning to go back to the waiting ambulance. Conner sat up on the cot inside the open doors and waved at Noah. Waving back, Noah offered his own grin.

  Within minutes he and McCoy were headed back to the station where Noah could change and get dry. And see Lucy. On the short trip back, McCoy and Lucy exchanged some information about the boy being transported to the hospital.

  Once again, her tone stirred something inside Noah. Something he didn’t want to address because he shouldn’t be having these feelings. Should he?

  He was human, he was a man, and he had natural desires. There was something about Lucy that made him not want to brush aside these unwanted emotions. No one had been able to reawaken the dead inside him for months. But whether it was her sweet voice, the compassion he already saw in her, or the underlying vulnerability she tried to hide, something about her drew him and made him want to get to know her more.

  At this point, he figured they’d be seeing each other on a near daily basis. He might as well just roll with it and see what happened. But at the same time, he had to guard his heart. He was still healing, he was still in new territory...but he was also still fascinated by the gentle blonde with wide, expressive green eyes.

  As they pulled into the station, Noah couldn’t help but wonder what the next few days, weeks, and months would bring.

  He hadn’t known what to expect from this new town, but a reawakening in his desire certainly hadn’t been on his list.

  Chapter Three

  Her nerves were near shot. Noah had been on the force for nearly a week and she’d worked five days out of the seven. Her usual part-time schedule had shifted into full-time since Carla had to be out with her mother for the next couple of weeks.

  Which meant more face-to-face time with Officer Brooding and Sexy. Why, why, why did this man have to be the one she found so attractive? Why couldn’t she get stirrings for a schoolteacher or a garbage man? A man who put his life on the line every day was an absolute no-no.

  Her husband had done the same thing. Day after day he’d put himself out there...until one day he was gone.

  Noah had only been on the force a short time and already he’d proven he was a man of loyalty, integrity, and compassion. He’d taken the little boy from the creek incident a stuffed animal before his shift. And the only reason anyone knew of that was because the mother called to tell Captain Cameron St. John what an amazing officer he had.

  The back door opened and closed. Before she could turn to see which officer was coming on duty, a call came in. She pressed the key on the computer to answer and adjusted her headset.

  “Stonerock Police Department.”

  “I have someone walking through my backyard carrying a baseball bat.”

  “Do you know who this person is?” Lucy replied.

  “No, but they’ve been out there for a few minutes just staring at the house.”

  Lucy dispatched an officer and kept the caller on the line as she made sure the lady’s doors were locked and she was away from doors and windows. The woman didn’t sound frantic, but concerned.

  Stonerock wasn’t known for having many crimes, but there were crazy people everywhere. She couldn’t take any call for granted.

  Once the officer arrived and the caller confirmed it, Lucy disconnected the call. When she turned in her seat, she was alone in the room, but she knew who’d come in earlier. That aftershave still permeating the room had become so familiar, making her insides stir and get all schoolgirl giddy.

  She was a grown woman getting giddy. How sad was that?

  Keeping her feelings in check was the smart thing to do. She needed to keep her emotional distance from Noah, but each day she saw him, she realized she wanted to see more of him, to learn more about him. That need was a recipe for disaster and heartache. Neither of them was at a place in their lives to act on attraction. Of course, she was still assuming it was one-sided, which was all the more reason for her to rein in her school-girl crush.

  Only this didn’t feel like anything she’d had as a teenager. Her attraction for Noah Spencer was all grown up...as were the dreams she’d been having since that first meeting in the rain.

  Lucy came to her feet and stretched her neck from side to side. She was pulling a double shift today, which was fine. She could use the extra money to put back into the support group fund. Tonight was a meeting, but Kate and Tara were fine without her. It’s not like Lucy was ever missed.

  “Thought you were off today.”

  She jerked around to see Noah standing in the doorway drinking a cup of coffee. His dark eyes held hers and she had to force herself to not fidget.

  “Taking on a few more shifts while Carla is out. I can always use extra money for my group.”

  His dark brows drew in. “Aren’t you missing a meeting tonight?”

  Lucy shrugged. “I am, but my girls understand. Sometimes we have to cover for each other.”

  He took a sip of coffee from one of the disposable cups. When he pushed off the doorway, Lucy thought he was about to turn and leave, but he crossed the room and headed for her desk. Lucy spun around, pretending to stare at the monitors. It was a slow night, but she still wished for a call to come in right then. She couldn’t handle all this tension. Well, the tension on her part at least. She never could get a grasp on what he was feeling.

  “What do you do in your spare time?” he asked as he took a seat beside her.

  The question threw her off as she glanced to the clock. He was early for his shift by about twenty minutes. Why was he choosing to sit in here with her?

  “Spare time?” she asked, fidgeting with her watch. “I’m usually looking for speakers for the group or community projects we can do. Giving back and lifting others up is a great way to—”

  “No.”

  Lucy jerked her attention back to him. “What do you mean, no?”

  Noah set his cup on the desk and leaned forward. That dark stare of his zeroed in on her and she could easily see him cornering a suspect with those eyes, or seducing a woman. Those eyes held every secret, letting no emotion slip through. That whole guarded, sultry thing he had going might be the sexiest thing she’d ever seen in her life.

  The uniform didn’t hurt, either.
But she’d rather have a man not so committed to danger and more committed to...well, her. As selfish as that sounded, part of her hated knowing that her husband had sacrificed his life defending their country, but that was the type of man he’d been. And she could tell that was the type of man Noah was.

  “I know you work and volunteer your time for the group,” he stated, still holding her in place with that mesmerizing gaze. “But I’m asking what else you do.”

  “Oh, I study. I’m almost done with my online classes.”

  Noah shook his head. “For fun. What do you do for fun?”

  Lucy opened her mouth, then shut it. She thought for a second, but nothing came to her. Surely she’d done something for fun lately...hadn’t she? Her friends were always texting her or calling for some reason or another. But she couldn’t recall the last time they went out and did anything.

  “I have horses,” she replied. “Two of them. They were my husband’s, so they’re mine now.”

  Before she could even think of something she actually did just for herself, a call came in. It took great effort on her part, but she blocked out the presence of the powerful man beside her. The call didn’t take long and didn’t require anyone to be dispatched. An elderly lady had locked herself out of her home, but ended up finding her key in the bottom of her purse while she was talking.

  When Lucy disconnected the call, Officer McCoy came in the back door. “Evening. Gettin’ chilly out there.”

  Noah spun in the chair. “It’s downright frigid to me. I guess I’ll have to invest in thicker coats.”

  “Drink more coffee,” McCoy suggested as he passed on through to the break room.

  “It’s not too bad here,” Lucy replied once Noah turned back to her. “But I guess coming from Texas, Stonerock does seem cold in the fall.”

  “Everything is different from Texas,” he muttered.

  There went that darkness settling over him again. If she could just break through...but that would require her getting closer and spending more time with him. That probably wasn’t smart. Maybe she should have Tara or Kate reach out to Noah. Definitely a better option.

  A sliver of jealousy speared through her at the idea of her friends getting one-on-one time with Noah.

  “Are you upset about missing the meeting?” he asked.

  Lucy tipped her head and eased back in her chair. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you’ve looked upset since I walked in.”

  Upset? That’s what he got out of her appearance and attitude? She was seriously out of practice. Granted, she’d never had to initiate conversation or flirting with a man. Evan had asked her out and he’d taken charge. He was her first love, so...yeah, right now she was seriously out of her element. Maybe she should give up and stop trying. Had she even started, though?

  “I’m not upset,” she assured him.

  Noah grabbed his cup, but never took his eyes off her. “You hide it well, but something is bothering you. None of my business, though.”

  He rose to his feet and turned to leave the room.

  “Wait a minute,” she called. “You’re the one who seems all brooding and quiet. Over the past week you’ve barely said a word to me other than hi and bye. You talk to everyone else but me.”

  Noah glanced over his shoulder. “I speak with you over the radio every day.”

  Yeah, and that grated on her nerves because his low, gravelly voice always made her tingle and she did not want to tingle. Damn it, she didn’t know what she wanted, but she at least wanted him to stop torturing her. Maybe acknowledge her as more than an annoyance or someone not to be bothered with. But the casual greeting as he came and went didn’t sit well with her.

  Well, maybe she wouldn’t mind so much if he did the same to everyone, but it was only her as far as she could tell. Had she done something to offend him? How was that even possible when she’d barely spoken to him other than to dispatch calls through the radio?

  “Face-to-face, you ignore me.” That sounded so childish. Lucy came to her feet and sighed. “We’re like a family here, so I don’t want any tension.”

  Noah shifted to face her fully. “Are you feeling tension?”

  She was feeling sexually frustrated, but she figured announcing that wasn’t professional. Was this what it would be like getting back into the dating world? She wasn’t so sure she was up for this game.

  Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own. “Are you telling me you aren’t?”

  Shut up, Lucy. Just shut up.

  “Because I don’t try to cover my feelings,” she went on, ignoring that inner voice. “Attraction is a natural emotion.”

  When his eyes widened, she seriously wanted to die. He seemed shocked, whether at her blunt statement or the fact he wasn’t feeling the same, she had no clue. Regardless, it was out there now and she really, really wished she didn’t always take the advice of her therapist and tell people how she felt.

  McCoy came back through, whistling and holding his own cup of coffee. At the same time, another call rang through the room, effectively severing the awkward silence that had descended since she’d opened her mouth and opted to pour out her thoughts.

  Lucy took the interruption as a sign that it was indeed time to shut up and stop telling Noah...well, anything. She quickly answered the call and sat back down at her desk. By the time she was done, Noah and Sergeant McCoy were gone and Lucy’s heart was still beating like mad.

  She’d stepped over some professional boundary and she had no clue how to come back from that. Noah was now well aware of how she felt about him, and from the look on his face, he didn’t want to accept it.

  Fantastic. How on earth did she come back from this embarrassing moment?

  * * *

  Okay, cooking wasn’t necessarily her thing. Actually, she was terrible at it. But Lucy knew how to bake and actually loved doing it.

  Which was why she found herself standing on the porch of one adorable little gray-and-white cottage on the edge of town. Lucy secured the basket of cranberry scones under one arm and rang the doorbell with her free hand.

  Nerves gathered in her belly and she couldn’t believe she was actually standing here. Hadn’t she made a big enough fool of herself yesterday? At work, no less.

  Maybe she should just leave the basket on the swing and—

  The door opened, cutting off her thoughts. Once she recovered from the fact she was actually at Noah’s home, it took every single ounce of self-restraint she had not to burst out laughing.

  “Are you wearing—”

  “Yes. What are you doing here?”

  Lucy didn’t know whether to be extremely confused or thoroughly entertained at the sight of Noah Spencer sporting a plastic tiara, dangling clip-on jeweled earrings, and a purple beaded necklace.

  Before Lucy could make a comment of any sort, a little girl popped out from behind Noah’s legs. She too wore fancy accessories, but she had on a sparkly dress with a full skirt that went all the way to the floor.

  Lucy immediately glanced back to Noah. He offered a simple smile, flashing that dimple at the corner of his mouth.

  “This is my daughter, Emma. Emma, this is one of Daddy’s coworkers, Lucy.”

  His daughter. Lucy hadn’t heard a word about a little girl. Noah was one private man and now Lucy felt even sillier coming here unannounced.

  “You look beautiful,” Lucy stated as she bent down to the pre-schooler. “Do you always play dress-up with your dad?”

  “I played with my mommy, but she’s not here anymore.” Emma’s little chin wobbled for a second before she continued. “Daddy lets me put anything on him, but not a dress.”

  Lucy laughed. Apparently Noah had his limits even with his little girl.

  Emma smiled up at her dad and Noah
nodded to her. When the little girl turned her wide blue eyes back to Lucy, Lucy couldn’t help but smile in return.

  “We have tea parties,” Emma answered. “Daddy puts extra sugar in it.”

  As she spoke again, Lucy realized the little girl had the cutest dimple on the side of her mouth, just like her father. Could she be any more adorable?

  A flash of old dreams coursed through Lucy’s mind. At one time she and Evan had wanted children. They’d bought their home with all the acreage and added two horses, with the intention of filling their home with kids. Then he’d been deployed and that had been the end of her dreams for a family.

  She’d always assumed those wishes had died with him, but seeing little Emma brought them back again. A lump settled in her throat, blocking her words.

  “Come on in.” Noah stepped back, placing a hand on Emma’s shoulder to pull her with him. “Sorry. It’s cold out there.”

  Lucy stepped over the threshold and attempted a smile to mask the unexpected hurt. “You’ve just got to get that Southern blood used to this. It’s really not cold in the grand scheme of things.”

  He grunted as he shut the door. Emma ran through the house and disappeared, apparently getting back to her interrupted tea party. Lucy clutched her basket as more doubts crept in.

  “I’m sorry,” she began as she turned back to Noah. “I shouldn’t just show up unannounced. Especially after yesterday, but... You know, it’s really difficult to talk to you when you’re dressed like an overgrown princess.”

  Noah pulled the tiara from his head and snapped the earrings off his ears, but remained in the beads. “What brought you here, Lucy?”

  Was it completely pathetic that she liked how he said her name? Most likely, but she couldn’t help how she felt. She could, however, keep her mouth shut on that subject and try to get back on some level ground with him.

  “I made scones for you.” She held up the basket and smiled. “I didn’t know you had a little girl or I would’ve made some of my monster cookies.”