by Gina Wilkins
She knew he was still smarting from his very public breakup with Melanie. She certainly didn’t want to remind him of that unhappy time.
Because of his near obsession with their privacy, they saw each other rarely during the three weeks that followed that first night. Both were busy with work, of course—a perfectly legitimate excuse—but Dan was also concerned about being seen too often at Lindsey’s house or vice versa. He knew too well how closely the neighbors monitored their activities, and how quickly gossip spread from the beauty parlor throughout the rest of the town.
When he did deem it safe for them to be together, he usually came to her house. Sometimes they would talk for a while, usually about work or local events, but it wouldn’t be long before they would fall into each other’s arms. The passion between them had not diminished since that first night. It seemed, instead, to grow stronger each time they were together.
Every time they made love, Lindsey grew more optimistic about their future. Despite Dan’s reticence about expressing his emotions, she couldn’t believe he could make love with her with such intensity unless he felt the same way she did. Could he?
If only she could be patient until he was ready for the next step. She certainly wouldn’t want to scare him off at this point. And yet…she’d had to make the first move last time. She supposed it was possible that she would have to do so again.
If only she could wait until the time was right.
Late in April Dan had to attend a four-day conference in Dallas. Lindsey missed him terribly while he was gone. She’d hoped he would call, but he didn’t. She chided herself for spending those evenings waiting hopefully by the telephone—but she did so, anyway.
Late Saturday afternoon of that week, she attended a wedding. Officer Joe Elrod was finally marrying his longtime girlfriend, Lindsey’s hairdresser, Paula Campbell. Both Dan and Lindsey were invited, of course. She would have liked for them to have gone together—but that was expecting too much of Dan, she supposed. He hadn’t even guaranteed that he would be home from his conference in time to attend. It depended, he said, on whether his flight into Little Rock was on time.
Resigned to going stag, she put on a colorful spring dress and a bright smile, and went to the wedding.
To her disappointment Dan didn’t show for the ceremony. She sat with friends and made a pretense of being enthralled by the festivities. She was quite sure that no one watching her could tell that part of her simply wasn’t there—the part she had given to Dan.
A reception at the Edstown country club followed the ceremony. Lindsey had been there only a few minutes when she was approached by Dan’s sister, Tina.
“That brother of mine.” Tina shook her head in disapproval. “Can you imagine him missing the wedding of one of his own officers? Honestly, I don’t know what to do with that man.”
“He said he would try to make it if he could. I suppose his flight was delayed.”
Tina sighed. “Work always comes first with him.”
“Now, you know that’s not true. If you or Polly was in trouble, he would drop everything to be there for you.”
“Oh, I know,” Tina relented. “I’m just being a bossy older sister, I guess. I wish he had something besides work in his life.” She suddenly brightened. “Maybe he’s met someone in Dallas. Maybe that’s what’s keeping him there.”
Lindsey felt her smile go stiff. It was all she could do to hold on to it.
Polly joined them then, all dimples and excitement. “Hi, Lindsey.”
“Hi, Polly. How are you?”
“Fine, thank you. Wasn’t that a beautiful wedding?”
“It was lovely.” The reception was quite nice, as well. Very low-key and budget conscious, the emphasis was on friends and family gathered to share the newlyweds’ joy. And judging from the beaming expressions on the faces of the bride and groom, it seemed there was quite a bit to celebrate.
“Oh, look. There’s Uncle Dan.”
Polly’s cheery announcement made Lindsey’s heart trip and then beat faster. It seemed like weeks, rather than days, since she’d last seen him. She turned eagerly, smiling when she saw him moving toward them. He looked so handsome in his dark suit.
He gave Lindsey a polite nod, then threw an arm around Polly’s shoulders for an affectionate hug. “How’s my favorite niece?”
She giggled. “You always say that. I’m your only niece.”
“Mmm. But still my favorite.” He turned then to his sister, dropping a light kiss on her cheek. “Hi, sis. You look very nice.”
“Thank you.” And then she was unable to resist adding reproachfully, “I missed seeing you at the wedding.”
“My flight was delayed. I got here as soon as I could.”
Lindsey was beginning to wonder if he’d completely forgotten her presence when he finally turned to her. “Hi, princess. How was the wedding?”
He spoke to her in the very same tone he’d used with Polly. As if, Lindsey thought, she was his second-favorite niece.
Even though she understood why he was being so circumspect, it still hurt a bit. “The wedding was very nice. How was your conference?”
“Not bad. Excuse me, I’d better go speak to the bride and groom and offer my apologies for missing the ceremony.”
With that, he walked away. Without a backward glance.
“Well.” Tina gazed after her brother with apparent bemusement. “He’s in an odd mood.”
“I didn’t think so,” Polly said, seeming surprised by the comment.
“I did. Did you notice, Lindsey?”
“Maybe he’s just tired from his conference,” Lindsey offered weakly.
“I suppose you’re right. Oh, there’s Donna—I’ve been wanting to talk to her about something. See you later, Lindsey.”
Polly dashed off, as well, joining a chattering group of teenagers in one corner of the ballroom. Lindsey was left alone.
She didn’t stay that way long, of course. It was only moments later when a friend joined her, followed by a couple of others. But it still stung badly that Dan had practically brushed her off so easily, when she’d been so very pleased to see him.
He called her that night, a couple of hours after she arrived home from the reception. She had half expected him to drop by, but once again she was disappointed.
“Sorry we didn’t get to talk more at the reception,” he said.
She had to work a bit to keep the lingering hurt out of her voice. “I was hoping we’d get to spend a little time together.”
“It was…awkward. With so many people there watching us and all.”
Lindsey didn’t remember anyone actually watching them. She believed that more attention had actually been turned toward the bride and groom. She kept that opinion to herself, though, when she murmured, “I thought you might come by here tonight.”
“I’m a little tired. And there might have been talk if my truck was seen in your driveway the very night I came home.”
She was getting decidedly impatient with his paranoia about other people finding out about them. Would it really be so bad if they went public? Sure, there would be some talk at first, but then the novelty of the relationship would wear off. Attention would then turn to fresh, new gossip, and Lindsey and Dan could concentrate on themselves.
“So when will I see you?”
“I’ll try to drop by tomorrow for a little while. Will you be home?”
“Yes,” she said with a faint sigh. She would wait for him—just as she’d spent the past four days waiting for a phone call that had never come.
They wouldn’t be able to go on this way much longer. At least, she wouldn’t.
The one place Lindsey felt comfortable visiting Dan without arousing curiosity was in his office. She’d always spent considerable time there. Carrying her reporter’s notebook, she charmed her way past Hazel on the following Wednesday afternoon with the excuse that she wanted to ask him about a home break-in that had happened the night before.
She did ask him about the break-in, of course, carefully recording his answers for a news article. She even argued with him a little when he wouldn’t give her a list of the items stolen. He told her that was neither her business nor her readers’.
“What else is going on here?” she asked when they’d settled that touchy point.
He shrugged. “The usual. We’re having some trouble with the McAllisters again. They got into another loud and violent altercation last night. I don’t know why those two don’t split up before one of them ends up killing the other. She’s as bad as he is—they get to drinking and they turn mean.”
“I suppose no one else would have either of them.”
“You got that right.”
She held her pencil poised above the pad. “Any other calls last night?”
“We’re cooperating with the state police on a drug case that might have some connection here in town. There’s nothing for you to print now, but I’ll let you know if anything newsworthy goes down.”
There’d been a time, she mused, when he wouldn’t have given her even that much about an ongoing investigation. Maybe they were making some progress. “I hate to think about drug dealers coming into our little town.”
His scowl was fierce. “They’re going to have to get past me first.”
Coming from someone else, the statement might have sounded like melodramatic bravado. But Dan had said the words simply and sincerely. He took his responsibilities very personally.
“That’s all I’ve got for you today,” he said, opening a folder on his desk. “Things have settled down a bit since Eddie’s been locked up.”
She closed her notebook. “Thanks for the update.”
“What other big stories are you pursuing today?” he asked lightly, half his attention seeming to be on his paperwork.
She smiled. “Nothing earth shaking. They’re opening the new wing of the hospital this afternoon. Six whole new rooms. I’ll be there to hear Dr. Frank make a speech.”
“I ran into Don Pettit this morning when I had breakfast at the Rainbow Café. Can’t remember how it came up, but he mentioned you’ve changed your mind about putting your house on the market.”
He’d spoken in an ultracasual tone, but Lindsey sensed that the comment wasn’t quite as offhanded as he pretended. “I changed my mind because I’ve decided to stay in Edstown.”
“It take it that means you’ve also changed your mind about pursuing a job in a bigger news venue? You talked about Dallas or Atlanta before.”
Frowning, she studied his face, trying to read his unrevealing expression. “I know I talked about it, but that’s all changed now.”
“Maybe you should give it a little more thought before you make a final decision. How long are you going to be content writing articles about the usually mundane things that go on around here? You could be covering real news.”
“Murders? Other serious crimes? Political scandals? Interviewing wheeler-dealers and tabloid celebrities, maybe? As interesting as that might be for a while, I’m quite content for now to write about small-town life.”
“You only moved back here a couple of years ago because your father needed you. I’d hate to think you were staying only because of a new sense of obligation.”
She didn’t care for this conversation at all. “I’m not obligated to stay here,” she said firmly. “I’m choosing to stay this time. There’s a difference, you know.”
He didn’t reply.
Turning the table on him, she said, “You could be chief of police in a bigger market, you know. You’d have state-of-the-art police equipment, a highly trained force of officers, much more interesting crimes to investigate than a few home break-ins and domestic squabbles. Why are you staying?”
“That’s different,” he muttered.
“How?”
“I’m settled here. Have been for years. I’m sitting comfortably in a rut that I have no real desire to climb out of, even if I was confident that I could go anywhere I wanted. You’re younger than I am, less rooted, more ambitious. I’d hate for you to have any regrets in years to come that you didn’t go as far as you could have.”
She reminded herself that Dan had her welfare at heart. That his concern for her future and her happiness meant he really did care for her despite his awkwardness in expressing himself.
Which didn’t mean that she liked having him sit there and all but urge her to move away.
She stood, deciding that this was the wrong time and place to get into an in-depth discussion about their future. “We can talk about this another time. We both have to get on with our work—mundane though it may be.”
“Look, Lindsey, I didn’t mean to annoy you,” he said, rising.
“I’m not annoyed,” she lied. “Just busy. See you later, okay?”
“Do that.”
She walked to the door and put her hand on the knob. “And, Dan…?”
“Yeah?”
“Maybe you’d better decide if you really want me to stay,” she said quietly.
She figured he knew as well as she did that they couldn’t keep their relationship undefined and under wraps indefinitely.
Chapter Fourteen
It had been inevitable for the past twenty years that Dan would break Lindsey’s heart. He’d come close to doing so numerous times. He had hurt her desperately when he’d married Melanie after giving Lindsey that memorable birthday kiss. But she’d allowed herself to get complacent this time. Maybe she just wanted so badly to believe things would work out that she wouldn’t allow herself to consider any possibility.
She suspected her feelings for him were stronger than and deeper than his for her—but maybe she believed she had enough love and optimism for both of them.
It turned out she was wrong.
They lay in Dan’s bed, wrapped snugly together, hearts still racing, and breathing still uneven from a particularly energetic bout of lovemaking. Dan should have been loose and relaxed—as Lindsey was—but she felt a certain tenseness in the muscles beneath her cheek.
She knew what his problem was. She’d shown up at his door this evening without an invitation, not really caring if any of the local gossips saw her there. Still stewing over their conversation in his office earlier that week, she’d decided it was time for one of them—and it looked as though it had to be her—to move their relationship forward.
Dan had looked worried about her arrival, but he hadn’t turned her away, of course. The conversation she’d intended to initiate with him had been postponed when he kissed her. That kiss had led to another and then another—which had eventually led straight to his bedroom.
Now, she thought in exasperation, Dan was thinking about gossip again, wondering if anyone was speculating about why her car was parked in his driveway at this late hour, hoping no one would make anything of it. “Chill out, will you? No one really cares about me being here.”
He chuckled, but it was a rather weak effort. “You’re underestimating the curiosity level of the average tattlemonger.”
“Everyone knows you and I are friends. There’s nothing extraordinary about friends spending time together. For all anyone knows, we’re in here eating popcorn and playing Scrabble.”
To her regret he slid out from under her and sat up, reaching for his clothes. “Yeah, well, you’d still better head home soon. No one plays Scrabble and eats popcorn all night.”
She sighed as she began to dress. “Dan, don’t you think it’s about time for us to stop being so secretive? I mean, we’ve been together for several weeks now. Don’t you think it’s going to come out eventually?”
“I prefer not to have my private life discussed in the beauty parlor and the barber shop.”
She raised herself to one elbow and propped her head on her hand. “I know you hate being gossiped about because of what happened with Melanie and all, but—”
She could almost feel an invisible wall go up between them. “Melanie is another subject I prefer not to dis
cuss.”
The flat rebuff stung. Surely she and Dan were going to have to talk about his ex-wife at some point. They couldn’t spend the rest of their lives pretending the entire marriage had never happened. She needed to know how he felt about Melanie now. What she could do to help him get over the hurt and the betrayal. She desperately wanted to know how he felt about marrying again eventually—starting a family, maybe.
She’d spent a lot of time lately fantasizing about having a family with Dan.
“Couldn’t we at least see a movie together or something?” she asked wistfully. “In a nice, friendly way, I mean. It’s been weeks since I’ve been out.”
There was a faint note of apology in his voice when he replied. “I suppose we could do that. We’ve certainly been to movies together before.”
“Yes, we have.”
“How about this Saturday night?”
“Saturday?” She winced, feeling rather foolish now. “I can’t Saturday.”
“Why not?”
“I have plans.”
“Plans?” he repeated very casually. “What sort of plans?”
“It’s a charity bowling tournament—raising money for juvenile arthritis research. I’m covering the event for the newspaper.”
“You aren’t bowling in the tournament?”
She laughed as she tugged her shirt over her head. “Heavens, no. I’m really a terrible bowler.”
Fully dressed now, he stood half-turned away from her as he faced the mirror over his dresser and ran a hand through his hair. “Your private lessons didn’t help?”
“Private—? Oh, you mean my date with Bo.” Was he teasing or was that a hint of jealousy in his voice?
He nodded. “Is he going to be there Saturday night?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him lately.” She slid her feet into her shoes, then reached up to smooth her own tousled hair.
Dan shoved his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat. “You know, there’s no reason you shouldn’t go out and have a good time occasionally. I certainly don’t expect you to sit around at home waiting for a good time for us to be together.”