The irony of his disastrous choice in picking a wife kept pulling him back into a family that had rejected him. Because Lanier was one of Buttoni’s many traffickers, his home and business property became part of the property seizure happening within Buttoni’s estate. But not the life insurance or the trust fund Megan had inherited from her mother, which according to their wills, would now go to Mark. Their involvement in Buttoni’s world was all over the news. Mark couldn’t go out in public without being accosted by the media and was screening his calls to weed out requests for interviews.
He tried to call Katie again and again, although he didn’t know why. Maybe it was because she was his last connection to decency.
Not only were his calls not going through, but he never got a voicemail to leave a message.
She’d blocked him.
***
More than two weeks had passed since Katie started walking Rhett Butler. And in that time, she guessed she’d met every single man in Borden’s Gap, as well as those willing to philander.
Some of them had used subtle approaches and some blatant, but the messages in all of them were clear. They wanted to take Katie out.
But for every invitation she received, the man got a turn-down that was as polite as any they’d ever received. Katie McGrath was such a charmer that they couldn’t bring themselves to feel like they’d failed in anything but being exactly what she deserved.
Katie was patient and, after the first couple of times, began to realize how rare a new face was in a small town, and how being new and single immediately put her on the market.
They talked to her in Welby’s Grocery. They hit on her when she was gassing up her car. They politely stalked her as she walked Rhett and when she was picking up takeout. She even got hit on at the barbecue food truck three times, all while she was standing in line.
But the only man who piqued her interest lived across the street from her. He was exceedingly friendly and polite, but did not cross the line into getting personal, so she took it as another rejection of who she was and let it go.
***
Time had flown by since Katie’s arrival in Borden’s Gap. She was due to report to work come next Monday, and she was itching to get to her classroom and start setting it up.
Delilah already had another dog-walker lined up beginning Sunday, but Katie was going to miss taking Rhett for his walks and receiving his little puppy kisses.
When Friday evening rolled around, Katie was outside in her freshly mowed yard, pulling weeds from the flower beds, when she heard Sam’s cruiser coming up the street. She rocked back on her heels to watch, and when he flashed his lights at her, she grinned and waved.
And then to her surprise, when he got out, he didn’t go into his house. He crossed the street instead and walked into her yard.
Katie stood, then held up her hands. “I’m innocent, I swear.”
Sam chuckled. “That’s what they all say. Anyway…I come in peace, and with an offer to come eat with us tonight. I’ve been promising the girls we’d grill hot dogs for days, and they want you to come be our guest. They’re learning to set the table, and they’ve done it in front of Roxie so many times she is no longer impressed. They need a new audience, and I’d love to eat a meal with an adult, so there’s that.”
Katie burst into laughter. The invitation was so ingenuous and sincere that she couldn’t say no.
“I would be honored,” Katie said. “I love hot dogs from the grill. Should I bring anything?”
“Nope. I’ve got food covered. Give me a few minutes to get changed and in gear, and then come on over… Oh…and thank you for not being insulted by the last-minute invitation, but I’ve been afraid to ask.”
Katie frowned. “Why?”
Sam shrugged. “Because I know every single man in town has been dogging your trail for weeks, and I didn’t want you to think I was just one of the pack.”
She blinked.
“You knew all that was going on?”
He grinned. “I’m the police chief…in a really small town. There isn’t much I don’t know about here. I also know that all the young, single ladies see you as a threat to their chances of landing any one of Borden’s Gap’s finest.”
“Oh, for the love of God,” Katie muttered. “If they only knew—” Then she caught herself. “Never mind. But if you hear any of them commenting again, you might throw in the fact that I’m not on the make. I’m not on the market. And I don’t want any part of their fine chances.”
Now Sam was laughing. “Yes, ma’am. I will surely do that. In the meantime, go wash the dirt off yourself and come on over. Just ring the doorbell. The girls are also practicing social manners on how to greet guests.”
“I can’t wait,” Katie said, and realized she meant it.
Sam looked at her for a few seconds, then smiled.
“Me either,” he said, and then loped across the street.
Katie watched him go, reeling from the unexpected invitation. Then it dawned on her she needed to clean up and change, too, so she hurried inside.
This was momentous for Katie. She wasn’t calling it a date. But it was an event in which she was going to spend time looking at Sam Youngblood in close proximity.
***
This was momentous for Sam. He wasn’t calling it a date. But it was time he was going to spend with a woman who intrigued and delighted him. She was the first woman who’d been invited to his house since he lost Shelly, and the girls were all on board, which made it even better. With them at the table, there were never awkward silences at a meal. Just the occasional awkward question he had to ignore or redirect.
The twins met him at the door.
“Is she coming, Daddy? Is the teacher coming to eat hot dogs with us?”
“As luck would have it, yes, she is,” Sam said.
Roxie met him at the door with her purse over her shoulder.
“I have a late hair appointment, so I gotta run. Have a good evening. You deserve it.”
“It’s not a date,” Sam said.
“Doesn’t matter what you call it,” Roxie said. “Just have fun.”
Sam grinned. “Yes, ma’am,” and then pointed at the girls. “Go wash up. Miss Katie will be over here soon.”
“May we answer the door, please?” Evie asked.
“Yes, the door,” Beth echoed.
“Yes, but with clean hands and faces,” Sam said.
They took off running and shrieking down the hall, with Sam right behind them. They ran into their room, racing to get to the sink, as he went the opposite direction into his bedroom. He quickly locked up his weapon, then changed in record time and went out back to heat up the grill.