Lawful Heart

by Amity Lassiter

  “So?” Layla asked from the door.

  “I like it.”

  “Can I see?”

  Norah pulled the door open. Layla lit right up when she saw her.

  “Oh you’re gonna knock him dead.”

  Norah smiled, her confidence bolstered by Layla’s enthusiasm.

  “Well if he has half the reaction you just did, that’ll be enough.”

  “Are you kidding? If he only has half the reaction I just had, call me. I’ll smack some sense into him.”

  Norah laughed, letting herself go into the ease of their friendship. Layla wasn’t just her rescuer, her friendship was salve on a wound she hadn’t even realized she had.

  It didn’t take long for Layla to complete the outfit with accessories, and discuss some options for Norah’s hair. It helped, because Norah hadn’t thought about putting effort into her appearance for a while, and Layla always looked casually but effortlessly put together. Just a step above jeans and t-shirts without looking too formal. Norah typically felt uncomfortable when she wore anything besides jeans and t-shirt casual because everybody mentioned it and the attention made her itchy. It was almost counter-intuitive to intentionally dress to get someone’s attention, but that was what a date was, after all, wasn’t it?

  “Do you have somebody now?” Norah finally asked.

  “What, Nate you mean?”

  “Somebody to tell your secrets to. Because if I can burden you with mine, you can definitely return the favor. The bonus here is that I don’t know anybody to tell your secrets to, so it’s a win-win.”

  Layla laughed, nodded.

  “I don’t have too many secrets anymore, but Nate hears most of them. At that time, he was the subject of the secret, so I couldn’t tell him. Didn’t even tell Nan. Kept that one all to myself for a good long time.”

  Norah raised a brow. There was obviously something interesting there, but she wouldn’t pry.

  “It was that Nate was Mason’s father. Even he didn’t know until Mase was nearly a year old.”

  Well that was a shocker. It was hard to imagine Nate and Layla ever not being two peas in a pod, the way they canoodled anytime they thought someone wasn’t looking. The two were so ridiculously in love it made Norah’s teeth ache.

  —EIGHTEEN—

  Banks paced across the entry of his house one more time. He’d been ready for twenty minutes, but he didn’t want to show up early. But not too late, that was disrespectful. He spun his key ring around his finger once more and then looked at his watch. Goddamnit.

  It was time. He’d never been this nervous—still couldn’t figure out why he was. He’d taken women on dates before. Granted, not a whole lot of them, but this was not his first rodeo. Norah was different, and this wasn’t exactly his typical date, either. Would she like it? Would she like him? Why hadn’t he just settled on a standard dinner and drive kind of date? Or even splurged to go into Johnston to catch a movie?

  Because Norah wasn’t the kind of woman he wanted to settle on anything for. He wanted her to feel as special and valuable as she actually was. But for lack of any fancy restaurants, would fishing do that for him?

  Too late now, he thought, finally letting himself out of the house to practically sprint to his truck.

  The drive was normally precisely seven minutes, and he went exactly the speed limit, but it felt like he was there in 30 seconds. Why didn’t he want to appear too eager? Maybe she needed to know how eager he really was. He put it in park and climbed out of the truck, wiping damp palms on his jeans. Like a 17 year old boy. He might have been the older brother, but Nate had always had considerable more prowess and experience with women. He’d watched his brother in action more than once and marveled at how easily he navigated through this dating dance. Banks had never had that, and maybe it was half the reason he was still a bachelor. The other half being he’d always figured he didn’t have enough time…but he’d surprised himself with how seriously he wanted to make the time for Norah.

  He knocked on the door of the basement apartment, and heard her call from within.

  “Just a minute!”

  When she opened the door, he drew a sharp breath.

  Her hair hung in loose waves over her bare shoulders, brushed back from her face to one side with a little jeweled flower comb. Banks was sure he’d seen that sundress she was wearing on his sister in law at some point, but it made an entirely different shape on Norah. He’d never known it to have those spaghetti straps, because Layla usually wore it under a short sleeved cardigan. The neckline dipped just enough to give him a teasing view of her cleavage, and then the dress flowed freely from the fitted top, skimming over her hips, and, when she shifted, and because now he knew to look for it, over the little curve of her belly.

  He hadn’t doubted her when she’d told him she was pregnant, but this was the first time he’d seen her wear something that made it obvious. A surge of overwhelming protectiveness and admiration surprised him, rising up as emotion in his throat. She was a scrappy, industrious woman. She’d only been here in Three Rivers for a short time and already she was working hard to make a life for herself, and her baby. She’d taken a real shit sandwich, being dumped here with no money and no family to call, and she was making something real pretty of it. He was so proud it felt absurd. He barely knew this adult version of her—had he even really known her as a kid?—but she hit him right in the middle of the chest with her courage.

  Her voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “So…you just gonna stand there and gawk?”

  He cleared his throat, shifted, and drew a big breath. He could have taken another ten minutes, at least. He was in over his head and they hadn’t even gone on their date yet.

  “Ah, no. Sorry.” Flustered, like a teenager. “I’m sorry, you just look so good it’s distracting.”

  She seemed to blossom at his words, he could have sworn she grew an inch with the compliment, and her cheeks went rosy. Making her feel good made him feel good.

  “So where are we going?” she asked, stepping out the door and pulling it closed behind her.

  “You’ll have to wait to find out.”

  Banks stepped back and gestured to his truck, ushering her past him to the passenger side. Once there, he pulled the door open for her and offered his arm for support to help her climb up in.

  *

  Sitting next to Banks in his pickup truck, Norah felt like a million bucks. Between the reverent way he’d taken in her outfit, hair, and meager attempt at makeup—lip gloss and a little blush, really—and him opening the truck door for her and helping her inside, she was pretty sure she’d been spoiled more by his attention in ten minutes than she had in all her time with Rob.

  The sheriff turned his truck down the main street in Three Rivers and she thought maybe he’d take her to Hinkley’s again, but he drove past, out toward a pothole filled road she hadn’t been down since she’d last been in Three Rivers.

  “The school.”

  The elementary school loomed ahead of them, a long brick building with a big set of cement stairs on the bottom. Behind it, a sprawling playground, with swings and monkey bars and a merry-go-round she distinctly remembered selling chocolate bars in the third grade to fund.

  “Mrs. Ladley’s fourth grade class,” Banks answered.

  That was where they’d spent the bulk of their time together as children. She didn’t have a lot of solid memories because it felt like an entire lifetime ago, but she remembered him. Dark haired, husky. A little reserved, but well-liked by the entire class. And kind. She remembered working on a social studies project with him when her parents hadn’t been able to afford the materials for her part of the diorama they were supposed to make. He’d produced money, from his allowance probably, to walk to Baylor’s general store after school one day to get the poster board and modeling clay they needed to complete the project. She’d been embarrassed but he’d insisted she shouldn’t be, it was important they got the best grade they could, a
nd he didn’t mind.

  Not much different from these days, she supposed.

  He put on his blinker and pulled into the school yard. All of the students and staff had gone home for the day and the playground was vacant. The school year wasn’t far from over and you could feel it in the air. The faintest breeze moved swings on the swing set.

  Norah’s heart was just about bursting with the emotions her childhood memories produced.

  “You looked like you wanted to stop,” he said beside her. She felt his fingers on her elbow, and then a tingling that followed his touch. Something so little produced such a reaction. “You want to go out? I’ll give you a push on the swings.”

  A playful little smirk accompanied his question.

  She looked back out there, and could almost see herself as a little girl. This time of year, it had been fashionable to wear cutoff jeans with nylons on underneath. Most of the time, it was just warm enough for it, but they all thought they were fashionable, and her parents had let her play along for reasons she didn’t understand.

  Why the hell not?

  She nodded and opened her door, climbing carefully out of the cab of the truck. Banks met her in front of it, offering her his arm to travel over the uneven ground toward the swing set. She settled onto the swing closest to the parking lot—she remembered them feeling much farther off the ground, the toes of her high top sneakers scraping in the gravel underneath, how high it felt when they jumped off at the highest part of the arc. She sat a lot lower now, curling her fingers around the cold metal links of the chain, and Banks touched her again.

  “Ready?” His voice was in her ear and a shiver—the good kind— ran down her spine. His hands rested at her hips, his fingers loosely closed around the seat of the swing and her midsection. They lingered a lot longer, and her whole body warmed, thinking of the kisses they’d shared already, wondering if he’d kiss her like that again or if it would be different this time. She nodded, unable to find a single word.

  Her feet scuffed gravel as he drew her back, just a little ways, and then his hands left her hips and she fell forward. His fingers brushed the small of her back every time she got near, and she pumped her legs to give herself a little more height. When she thought she couldn’t possibly go any higher, and Banks’ hands found purchase lower and lower on her hips with each push, she closed her eyes, and let out a breath. The falling feeling was more like relief than panic. The wind on her bare arms and legs sent a thrill through her, and pulled her hair around her face. She was sure she’d be a proper mess when she was finished but she didn’t care. She leaned back and let herself go, enjoying the breathless, reckless feeling. And then she was laughing, like she hadn’t laughed in a long time, the noise bubbling out of her involuntarily, floating away from her as if they carried all her worries and her cares. For the first time in a long time, she felt solid, safe. She had a plan, and people who cared about her, and a network that would support her. And finally, the space to laugh.

  Finally, the swing slowed. Banks stopped pushing, and once her momentum had slowed enough, he caught the chains at her hips to slow her more.

  “That was ridiculous. Amazing.” She couldn’t stop the laughter, craning her neck to look up at Banks. There hadn’t been anything more perfect in her life in the last few years than this moment.

  “You are,” Banks said, his voice quiet. She blushed when she realized all that emotion in his gaze. She hadn’t meant to let herself go, let down her guard like that. Maybe it wasn’t smart to let herself trust him so easily, but she felt safe with Banks. Comfortable. At this point, she felt like she could tell him anything, do anything, and he’d still be the same steady, solid Banks. It was consistency she wasn’t accustomed to in her life.

  “So is this the date?” she asked, feeling the corners of her lips twitching with a little touch of sass.

  “Isn’t it enough?” he volleyed back, chuckling.

  “Yes.” And it was. She’d been out to dinners, seen bands and movies, in the early days of dating Rob, but that was a long time ago, and all those dates had cost more than this one. This moment was worth more than all of them put together.

  “Well this isn’t it,” he said, reaching out to grasp her hand and give her a gentle tug toward the truck. “There’s more.”

  He’d clearly planned something, and that gave Norah a thrill she didn’t expect. There was something about the idea that he’d thought about her when they weren’t together—what she might like to do, what might make her happy—that made her feel really special. She wasn’t an afterthought; she wasn’t just a tempting morsel when they happened to be in the office together. It was proof that his words were true; she was on his mind even when they weren’t together. It was a thrill and a relief. She followed him happily and climbed into the truck without hesitation.

  After the school was where her memory of the geography of the town grew much hazier. She’d just have to trust he knew where he was going. But then he should, being sheriff and all. They didn’t drive long before he pulled onto a dirt path she wouldn’t have even recognized as a road. He only drove in a couple hundred yards before they came to a creek, and Banks turned his truck, backing it up toward the water.

  “What’s this?” Norah asked, climbing out of the truck before he could get to her door. She was too curious, too excited to wait. She went to the water’s edge, peering over the bank into the creek. Smooth stones lined the bottom and where they jutted out, changed the flow of the water, making it the characteristic babbling brook. When she turned around, Banks had stepped up beside her with a couple of fishing rods in hand.

  “We’re going to catch some dinner,” he said, handing her a rod.

  She glanced up at him with one brow arched.

  “I’ve never fished before, so I hate to break it to you, but if we’re depending on my skill for a meal, we’re probably going to go hungry.”

  Banks laughed, releasing the hook from where it had been tucked back into one of the keepers on the rod, and applying a worm he’d pulled from an old tobacco can in his pocket.

  “So this is a fishing rod…” he said, exaggeratedly. “This bit on the bottom is a hook. The worm is called bait. The fish takes the bait and gets caught on the hook. Then your job is to reel it in. I’ll look after the rest.”

  Norah shook her head ruefully, but he continued, his eyes twinkling with amusement and a little bit of sass.

  “First, you’ll have to cast.” He slid in behind her, running his arms parallel to hers to cover her hands on the handle of the rod. He moved her fingers to what she only assumed would be the correct position, her heart pounding in her ears at the closeness. He’d kissed her, sure, but this embrace felt all the more intimate. She could feel the heat of his body at her back, his breath tickling past her ear. A frisson ran up her spine and she indulged herself, leaning back into him for just a moment. This felt as good as the swing had—not just letting go, but letting someone else support her burden for just a minute. His whole body stilled, his hands included, and she felt a big breath rise in his chest and let out slowly as he supported her. Then his thumb moved, brushing over the back of her knuckles lightly. Fishing was the last thing on her mind now.

  He shifted, brushing his lips over her bare shoulder, his breath tickling over her skin. He held her that way for just a second, then drew a breath and straightened.

  And then he spoke, his voice rumbling like thunder behind her. “Don’t worry, I brought us food.”

  He reanimated then, guiding her hands to flick the rod back over their shoulders. “There’s a little trick to letting the reel out at the right time, but it’s just timing, you don’t gotta be an expert.” Then he flicked his wrist forward, his thumb covering hers to let the line out as it sang out over the water, landing with a plunk about halfway across the brook. He flipped the reel casing back. “And now you can start to reel it in. Just slow, enough to get the fish’s interest, but not so fast it’s running away.”

  “Seem
s simple enough,” she said, and then his heat at her back was gone and she found herself with warm, flushed cheeks. She blushed more around this man than she probably ever had in her lifetime. There was just something so masculine and male about him. He seemed to be the sort who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to make that known. Beside her, Banks picked up his rod and cast out into the brook like a practiced expert. She reeled her line in slowly, but watched him from the corner of her eye—the way he bent at the waist, the angle of his shoulders, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he went through the motions, as if he’d done it every day of his life. She was surprised at how she found his confident, methodical way of casting and reeling attractive, but there it was. Probably thanks to the pregnancy hormones.

  *

  An hour passed with only a few nibbles before Banks glanced over to find Norah watching him quietly. She’d paused mid-reel and blushed when he caught her looking. He chuckled.

  “What do you say we call this good and have something to eat?”

  The sky was starting to soften with pastels, and the sun was beginning to sink, meaning they were going to get a pretty spectacular treat of a sunset in about an hour.

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” she responded, quickly reeling in her line and snagging the hook back into a keeper the way the rod had been before. “I’m enjoying myself but Jellybean’s always hungry.”

  He raised a brow. “Jellybean?”

  She blushed again, pretty as a picture, and he smiled, taking her rod as they turned back toward the truck.

  “That’s what I call the baby. Jellybean.”

  “That’s pretty damn cute,” he conceded, loading the rods back into the bed of the truck and letting down the tailgate. He slid the cooler he’d brought down toward the end and grabbed a folded blanket from behind the seat of his truck to lay out for her to sit on.