Not anymore.
At another time in her life, perhaps. Before she knew…well, she wasn’t that lively woman any more. And if she missed that person, missed the hopes and dreams that she once had, well, that was life. And sometimes, life sucked.
A dog barked and Sandy glanced through the window towards her own house. Herbert and Roxy stood at the fence line, looking on as more people arrived for the engagement party. Smiling, her heart swelled with love for the canines that had been more than just companions. They were her babies.
“Cute dogs,” a deep, male voice commented.
Sandy turned, schooling her features as she did. “Thanks,” she said as she faced the man. “They have great personalities.”
“I’m Joe,” he said, extending his hand. “And you’re Detective Sandy McLean, correct?”
“That’s right. How did you…?”
“I’ve heard the story about how you took down Carrie’s ex.” His lips curled upward and his hazel eyes sparkled with admiration. “I wish I could have been there.”
She grinned, feeling triumph and victory, both powerful sensations. “It was pretty nice.”
Joe’s deep laughter sent unappreciated tingles throughout her body. But she ignored them. They were pointless, anyway. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Joe.”
She moved away, heading back towards the kitchen for the next tray of canapés. Derick’s kitchen was different from her own next door, but similar enough that she could figure out where most things were. And since Carrie and Derick were currently swamped with guests eager to offer their congratulations, Sandy had stepped up as hostess.
That plan worked for the next couple of hours, but by nine o’clock, the party was still going strong and there was no more food to put out. As members of the elite Delta Force team stationed here in Alabama, the guys were all buff and arrogantly confident. Both traits held a potent allure for the local ladies as well as the female soldiers on base, so none of the men present were without a woman on his arm. Except for one, she thought, her eyes straying to the man across the room. He was leaning on the fireplace mantle, looking hot in a white cotton button down shirt and a pair of jeans that had been well-worn and were now soft and looked comfortable, fitting snuggly around his powerful legs.
Unfortunately, as soon as she looked in his direction, he sensed her gaze. A pulse beat of awareness pounded between them before she regained control and looked away. Why did she keep looking at him? It seemed pointless and silly.
Sandy wasn’t the girly kind. She was tough and responsible. She was a police detective! She didn’t have feminine wiles and wouldn’t know what to do with them even if she did!
Joe watched the beautiful blonde woman, smiling to himself as she seemed to be mentally admonishing herself for staring at him. She was slim, but not in a soft way. Underneath that soft, pink sweater were tempting breasts that weren’t too big or too small. She had Goldilocks breasts, Joe thought with a mental chuckle. She might not like the branding, but her breasts were just right. A handful, but not overflowing.
She must have sensed his gaze because her nipples peaked underneath the soft material, showing him that she was just as aware of him as he was of her, even if she was trying to pretend otherwise. Lifting his eyes, he couldn’t hide his triumph at her body’s reaction to him. Especially since he’d been fighting an almost painful need for her as well. Fair was fair, he thought.
“You know that’s my neighbor, right?” Derick teased.
Joe pulled his eyes back to his friend, his dark eyebrows lifting. “I’m sorry?”
“Sandy? The woman you’ve glanced at maybe twenty times in the last ten minutes? She’s my neighbor. Stop mentally undressing my neighbor. She’s a nice, decent person.”
“She’s beautiful,” Joe countered, looking at her again.