“Poodles are smart dogs,” she reproved him. “But Doofus is actually a…” There was a loud crashing in the undergrowth, the sound of something large getting closer. “A boxer.” Her dog burst onto the scene, ran up to where Tessa stood with Caleb, ran past them, and jumped into the river.
Caleb moved fast. He put himself between her and the river, and the resultant gigantic splash drenched him but only lightly caught her.
She winced. “Sorry.” She said that a lot around Doofus.
“Not your fault.” Caleb stared in her dog’s direction. Clearly, blame had been assigned to her canine protection unit.
They both watched Doofus paddle back to the riverbank and scramble up. He didn’t pause to shake, but bounded towards them.
“Stop,” Caleb said.
Tessa would have sworn Doofus didn’t know the meaning of the word.
Doofus stopped. He tipped his head to one side, contemplating Caleb. Then he shook himself, but not all over them. A miracle.
“Good dog,” Tessa said in stunned disbelief.
Doofus ignored her and walked up to Caleb, who scratched his ears.
Tessa looked at Caleb’s long, strong fingers, deftly reducing her dog to idiotic pleasure, and had a moment’s stunning envy. Not that she wanted her ears scratched…
“I didn’t recognize you at first.”
Tessa glanced up and saw him studying her.
“With your hair down and looking…young.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“Not that you looked old before.” His slow drawl sped up a tad as he clearly recognized his mistake. “But you looked responsible, sensible.”
“You probably saw me when I was teaching, or on the way to and from school.”
“Miss Fraser.”
Her heartbeat picked up a fraction. So he did know her name. “Tessa.”
“Tessa.”
Her heartbeat thundered. She bent and patted her knee, calling Doofus to her, and hopefully hiding her response to the sound of her name in Caleb’s low voice.
“I’m Caleb.”
“I know.”
“Not ‘sheriff’.” A touch of laughter in his voice.
She glanced at him. What did he mean? Was he…flirting?
“So, you’re here alone.” He put his fishing rod down.
No, not flirting. She sighed and tried to forestall the lecture. “I realize it was a little bit risky coming to the river by myself so late at night.”
“The problem is, it’s almost always safe, here, but the one time it isn’t, it’s truly dangerous for a woman alone. An assault can ruin your whole life; that’s if you survive.”
She shivered.
He nodded as if he realized that he’d made his point. “Promise me you won’t come here alone at night."
“This was my first time.” She looked around at the beautiful scene, at the river shadowed in this deep pool with its overhanging trees. Beyond, the sky was clear and bright. She sighed. “I promise.”
He turned his attention to his fishing gear and she wondered forlornly if, duty done, he’d dismissed her from his thoughts.
Then he straightened. “I’ll walk you back to your car.”
She blinked. “Pardon?” and then, hurriedly, not wanting more of his duty-bound attention. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. The river is peaceful at night. I don’t need to fish to enjoy it.” He stood near, but not scary close. “It’s not safe for you to come here alone, but you don’t have to be alone.”
And while she was still dealing with the possible, positive implications of that sentence, he gently turned her around and nudged her back along the path she’d arrived by.
If walking by the river had been lovely before, now it was magical. Her blood tingled and her senses were alive to the night. She could smell the cool water and the night scents of the country. She could hear the frogs’ chorus and nearer, the slight occasional scuff of Caleb walking behind her. Further afield, Doofus ranged again on his own adventures.
The path widened and Caleb walked beside her. “You said that this is your first time alone at the river at night. Why?”
“Why is it my first time, or why, now?”
“Both.”
She thought about it. “The answer’s probably the same for both.” She paused. They stood in a clearing by the river. The moonlight was strong, glimmering on the water and nearly bright enough to show the green of the grass. It showed Caleb’s intent expression. “My parents died when I was sixteen. My brother, Evan, was only seven. We came here to Gascoyne Junction to live with Nana. She was retired and not in the best of health. Asthma. She loves us and she’s been amazing, but I took on the raising of Evan.”
“And yourself. You were only sixteen.” He’d shifted, and the angle he stood at meant that his face was in shadow.
She couldn’t read his expression. “Old enough to understand the situation. I knew I couldn’t get into trouble. It wouldn’t be good for Nana, and it would set a bad example for Evan. I studied hard, went to the local college and became an elementary school teacher. I like kids.”
A bat swooped from a tree on the far side of the river.
“And the work let you stay and raise Evan.”
“Yes.” That had been part of her decision. There’d been money from her dad’s insurance policy to cover college tuition for her, and now, Evan; and she’d understood Nana’s insistence that she use it for that. “Evan’s eighteen now, headed for college in the fall. He’s working on a dude ranch this summer and Nana’s gone on a cruise, her first ever.”
“You’re finally free.”
She let the quiet words soak into her: he understood. “Not that I begrudge raising Evan or looking after Nana.” She loved them.
“But now you can wander along the river at night without worrying anyone.”
She nodded. “You said I look younger. I feel it. I feel lighter, as if anything might be possible.” She smiled at him. Having him here made her first night of freedom a real celebration. Maybe other people would think wandering alone by the river was a minor thing, but it wasn’t. It was an appreciation of life and all the possibilities open to her.
“I’m glad for you.” But he didn’t sound glad. “When I was eighteen, I couldn’t wait to leave Gascoyne Junction. I joined the army and saw something of the world.”
“Yet you came home.”
“Yes.” He turned and looked across the river. The sleepy, mournful quack of a duck echoed across the water. “I was away thirteen years. It was a different life. I became used to living on high alert. I played as hard as I worked. Extreme sports, chasing an adrenaline rush.” He was silent a long time.
She studied his face, seeing a strong man who wore those experiences privately. Whatever memories and demons bedeviled him, he’d fight them alone. She reached out and touched his arm, feeling the warmth of his skin against her fingertips. “Fishing here is very different. Do you miss it, the element of risk?”
He glanced down at her hand, and when she went to withdraw it, caught her fingers with his. He clasped her hand, lightly. “I don’t miss a thing. There is peace, here, and a chance to build something. Ryan and Sue, my older brother and sister, both have children, and I realized one day that the kids barely knew me, and I didn’t know them. I was like Santa Claus, a mythical uncle who brought toys from strange places. I wanted something more. I wanted somewhere I belonged. Someone I belonged to.”
Chapter 2
“How do you plan to enjoy your freedom?” Caleb asked.
Tessa struggled with the question a minute, her brain still focused on his earlier confidences. Someone to belong to. He was a man looking for a relationship, ready to commit—and he was telling her. A giddy, hopeful, incredulous feeling spread through her until she thought she might float up like a balloon. “I haven’t decided anything,” she said. “Walking by the river was an impulse.” She smiled. “Maybe that’s my plan. To indulge my impulses.” Don
’t read too much into his words, she warned herself.
“I’d say that’s probably overdue.”
“It’s not that my life’s been horrible.” She suddenly worried that she’d given him the wrong impression. She wasn’t a Cinderella searching for a prince to rescue her from reality. “Far from it. I love teaching my kids and I have friends, hobbies, things that make it worth getting out of bed in the morning. I’m healthy and happy.” She paused as a crashing sound approached. “I have Doofus.”
Her dog collapsed, panting, at their feet.
“I’m sure he adds a lot to your life,” Caleb said with dubious politeness.
She laughed.
He tugged at her hand and they started walking again.
Doofus heaved himself up and trailed them.
“But it will be nice to try a few new things,” she confided. “I’ve saved some money and I thought about going on a holiday, but then I realized that I could do more with a few short breaks through the year.” That, and a large chunk of her savings had gone to pay for Nana’s cruise—and hadn’t there been a long wrangle before she’d gotten Nana to agree to that! But her dearly loved grandmother had sacrificed so much for them, and more than deserved her chance to visit the Aztec ruins she’d read so much about. “I want to go to the theatre and to the ballet. Sorry?”
“I coughed. Something in my throat.”
She let it go. Texas cowboys weren’t the biggest fans of ballet, but she’d seen it on TV and wanted to attend a full production. “And I’d like to go to some art galleries and restaurants and buy some crazy, sexy clothes.” She stopped, embarrassed. That last wish had just slipped out. “Being a teacher in a small town, I’m careful of my reputation, but to go to the ballet or theatre or to a club, I’d like to be young and free before I’m old.”
“You’re a long way from old.”
“Twenty seven.”
“Oh, ancient.”
She punched his arm for that mockery. He laughed, and she had to force herself not to cuddle against him, hugging his arm, because his laugh was low and smooth, and tingled through her. “I guess you’ve done all those city things.”
“Not the ballet.”
“Have you been to Paris?”
“Yeah.”
“Where else?”
“London, Prague, Berlin, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney. I liked Australia.”
“Did you see any kangaroos?”
“I rode one.”
She pulled him to a stop, staring.
He grinned, and gave her a one-armed hug. “I’m kidding. I saw kangaroos. I even held a koala.”
“Oh, they look really cute in pictures.” She was very conscious of his arm around her shoulders, and regretted when it dropped away.
“I’ve been all around the States. New York is something else. Busy. Lots of different kinds of people. Same with Los Angeles. Quirky.”
“And yet you came back to Gascoyne Junction?”
“I’d seen everything and knew what suited me best. Home.” The path narrowed and he gestured for her to go first. Doofus dashed around them and led the parade. “I don’t know how much money you’ve got saved up, but you can work your way around the world if you want to see things. With your teaching qualifications, you could be a nanny or you could do something completely different. Work on a cruise ship, be a travel guide.”
She turned to look at him. No one had ever suggested such things to her.
He was serious, his gaze steady. “Your interest in what’s out there shines in your eyes, beautiful. You want to experience life, to discover the world beyond Gascoyne Junction.”
Her brain ceased functioning at his casual, devastating endearment. Beautiful. Only, in his low drawl, it hadn’t sounded casual.
Perhaps she was moon mad, imagining things, reading deeper meanings into a light flirtation, but hadn’t she just promised herself not to over-think things? She would live in the moment and revel in it.
“I do,” she said enthusiastically. “I want to chase my dreams and live courageously, open to new experiences. I try to teach my kids that all things are possible.”
“Sure they are.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her left ear.
The sweetness of the moment, of his gentle touch and his belief in her, was too much. She had to spin away and start walking again. It was that or she really would give in to her impulses…and kiss him!
Tonight had turned into a romantic adventure. Tessa could swear that when she looked up at the stars, one winked at her. She smiled.
They reached the old, forgotten back road where she’d left her car. An owl hooted from a tall cypress and grass rustled in the strengthening wind. She beeped the locks on the car and opened the rear door. Doofus leapt in, settling on his blanket.
She closed the door and took a deep breath. “Thanks for seeing me back to my car.”
“My pleasure.”
She very much hoped it was. Nor did she want this magical night to end. She looked at Caleb, waiting, hoping he’d suggest another meeting. A date. She thought of dancing with him at the town picnic on the weekend, and her knees went weak.
He reached around her and opened the driver’s door.
She slipped past him to get in the car. He smelled of the night-cool country, of bug spray and man. No cologne had ever smelled as right. Sitting in the car, she looked up at him. Smiled.
The sound of Doofus panting in the back seat was loud. Maybe not the soundtrack of romance, but real. Her heartbeat sounded even louder in her ears. This perfect night could be repeated, could be the start of something even more wonderful.
Caleb held the top of the car door. “Goodnight.”
Tessa’s expression changed from sweetly hopeful to disappointed, before she struggled to hide her reaction.
Caleb gripped the door hard because it sure wasn’t easy, doing the honorable thing.
What he wanted to do was bend and kiss her, to discover if her lips were as satin-soft as they looked and if she would respond to him. If he thought of her likely shy response, he might go out of his mind.
He closed the door firmly.
She wound down the window. “Goodnight, Caleb.” Her voice was soft and sad.
For him, it held the wistful echoes of might-have-beens. He steeled himself to resist, for her sake. Attraction had run strong between them tonight, and they’d shared confidences. He’d seen her spirit, and admired it. He respected her and she deserved her chance to follow her dreams.
Tessa was a loving woman. She would give up her own dreams in a heartbeat to nurture someone else’s. A woman like that, well, a man had to care for her heart, protect her, and not take advantage of all that she offered. She had a right to her dreams.
She finally had her chance to explore the world, and he couldn’t take that from her. But nor could he follow her. It wasn’t simply that he felt that his future was here in Gascoyne Junction. He’d also made a commitment to its people when he’d run for sheriff. They trusted him to honor his commitment to them, and he would.
“Happy adventures, Tessa Fraser.”
She smiled at him, too brightly. “They will be, Sheriff.” She put her car in gear and drove away.
He stood, watching the taillights disappear, and then, listening to the engine fade. The natural sounds of the river wrapped around him. An hour ago, those noises had been peaceful. Now, they were lonely. He strode back down the path to collect his fishing gear, moving a heck of a lot faster than his stroll with Tessa.
Next time he wanted catfish, he’d try his family’s lake.
Chapter 3
Tessa hadn’t ever had the house to herself before, but with Nana on her cruise and Evan at his summer job on the dude ranch, she was rattling around alone. She’d thought she’d enjoy it. She could wake up as late as she liked, eat what she wanted, play the music she preferred, and generally indulge herself in long baths, pedicures and girly stuff.
But that was before she’d run into Caleb.
Now, Wednesday morning, she was cleaning out the garage—a big, yucky job that she’d put off for years, but which perfectly suited her mood.
A large spider seemed to leap out of the cardboard box she was opening. She leapt even further, retreating all the way outside, into the spider-free sunshine.
Doofus dozed under the apple tree.
Tessa dropped down beside him. She felt dusty, hot and cranky. Next door, Mr. Ramirez’s old air conditioner rattled. Further down the street, someone was mowing their lawn. She lay back and looked up at the sky through the apple branches.
It was time for a reality check. Despite how disappointed she felt, she hadn’t actually lost anything. Before bumping into Caleb at the river last night, she’d never thought she had a chance with him. She’d had—in the language of the schoolyard—a crush on him. He was gorgeous, but not for her; special, where she was ordinary.
Then he had to go and be nice to her: listen to her dreams, confide his own. She’d read too much into their conversation. The romantic setting had fooled her.
He’d even tried to let her down gently, advising her to go out and experience the world. To travel.
How embarrassing that she’d completely misread the subtext, and instead, hoped he’d kiss her! She rolled over on her stomach and bumped her forehead against the grass. Fool. A man didn’t advise a woman to get out of town if he was interested in her.
Doofus licked her ear.
“Ew.” She sat up fast. She looped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them. This was her reality. She was the sort of woman that dogs licked and children ran up to with sticky, muddy fingers, shrieking her name and showing her the snail they’d found.
Actually, she quite liked the woman she was, but there could be no denying that she didn’t match Caleb.
He’d be used to sophisticated women who didn’t dream of going to the ballet, but went regularly—and dragged their boyfriends with them. Those women would know how to dress with glamour and style, could talk as casually as he did about the countries they’d been to, and were probably both ambitious and successful in their careers.
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