The shoplifting? Yeah, but we got the figurines back.
I wasnt talking about that. I heard a rumor that you caught a certain state troopers attention.
Its ridiculous. Who did you hear that from?
Nobody. Well, Aubrey and me, we felt compelled to review the security tape. Then Aubrey bumped into Dean getting coffee this morning, you know, one of the responding officers last night?
Yeah, yeah. It was a small city. Sometimes hardly more than a small town. You and that sister of yours
Shes your sister, too
have the wrong idea.
Which is?
Trust me. That man cant stand me. That had come across pretty clearly last night. I dont believe you got that from the tape. He was horrible. He
Yeah, so you didnt really notice him at all, huh?
Not at all. Katherine grabbed a half dozen books from the cart and moved down the aisle. I know what youre doing. Youre trying to distract me from the fact that you left the crystals case unlocked.
My bad. Ava didnt look a bit remorseful, and she wasnt doing a whole lot of shelving either. So, back to the state trooper. Was his name Jack? Do I have that right?
Yeah, she had the name right. But she was hard-pressed to explain why it felt like the lining of her rib cage contracted painfully whenever she thought of him. It isnt like that. Hes married, Im sure. And why arent you shelving?
Ill get to it. Ava sidled close. I happened to notice he wasnt wearing a wedding ring.
And this is important because?
I dont want you to give up hope.
Why did that make her ache inside, all the way down to her soul?
Because she had lost hope. Hope of ever finding the right man.
Hes out there, I know it. Ava slid a book into place. I pray for you finding him every night.
Her soul ached a little more. Im afraid youre wasting your prayers. A lot of men just wouldnt understand.
There was the past left unsaid between them.
Avas hand found Katherines and gently squeezed. You only need the right man to understand. To see what a great woman you are. Her gaze shot over Katherines shoulder for a brief moment. I bet hes on his way to you right now. Maybe, so you wont miss him, the Good Lord will send a sign. You know, like a handsome man bringing white roses.
What are you talking about?
Just telling you I think my prayers are going to be answered. Im lucky that way, you know. Ava snatched another book from the cart. I pray, it happens. Right?
Almost always. You have a serious gift with prayer. But you have to accept that some things arent meant to be. I have. And talking about it was painful. She slipped a historical romance into place on the middle shelf and straightened the books around it. She liked tidy shelves. Keeping the shelves tidy was something she made a difference at.
Repairing the damage done to her life almost fifteen years ago was something that could never be done. Not even God could change what was past.
The bell over the door chimed. A customer, she wondered, or Spence back from the meeting that was probably cancelled?
Youd better go see who that is, Ava commented as she laboriously struggled to slip a paperback book onto the shelf, obviously too busy to check on the possible customer.
What was up with her? Katherine glanced around the aisle and the book she held slid from her fingers. As the book hit the floor, the thud sounded just like her heart stuttering in shock. There was Jack Munroe, broad-shouldered and substantial, with a vase of white rosebuds cradled in his big, capable-looking hands.
That Ava. She must have spotted him getting out of his car. Really. Hello, there. How are things working out with your daughter?
Better. Shell be grounded for about the next decade or so. Nothing major. He handed over the roses along with a striking half grin. These are for you, to say thank you. I owe you an apology. Im sorry I was such awell, I cant say it in polite company.
Please, dont worry. It was understandable given the circumstances.
Youre generous to say that. Needless to say, I dont take criticism of my daughter very well.
I wasnt criticizing her. Just trying to set things right.
I know that.
She had to move closer to accept the bouquet, close enough to notice that Ava was right. No wedding ring. She also noticed how the green and gold threads in his dark-brown irises softened the gaze that had seemed so imposing last night. Laugh lines added character to his face.
Not that she should be noticing. Not that she wanted to.
Katherine breathed in the sweet old-fashioned roses scent. It was hard to dislike a man bearing flowersfrom both him and Hayden, obviously. Thank you. This was thoughtful of you.
He smiled, a full-fledged one that made those threads in his eyes glint. Very nice. She snapped away, focusing her energy on setting the vase on the front counter instead of feeling the effects of that smile.
Where was Ava? Katherine had the feeling that her sister, with her matchmaking thoughts, was spying through the book stacks. Really.
Katherine did her best to appear unaffected, because of course, she was. How is Hayden doing?
Mad at me. Mad at you. But I think thats a teenage thing. Shes probably angriest at herself.
Probably.
I got a hold of your pastor friend this afternoon. She said youd already called and told her about Hayden wanting to join the youth groups project at the shelter. She didnt know anything about the shoplifting problem.
I didnt feel like it was my place to tell her. Everyone makes mistakes, especially teenagers.
Her words of compassion struck him like a sucker punch to the chest. His first impression of this woman had been way off base. Out in left field. He didnt know how to tell her that. Didnt know if he should.
Ive been friends with Marin forever. She has all kinds of youth-group activities and projects going on all the time, not just with the shelter. Hayden will love her, I promise.
I believe you. How had she gotten past his defenses so easily? Jack rubbed the back of his neck, puzzled and, he had to admit, intrigued. Youve done a good thing for my girl. I know youre thinking, That man and his kid are a mess. But Ive been trying to right this boat for a while. Haydens a good kid.
I saw that in her. That shes good, without a doubt.
There it was again, that compassion, lovely and kind. Katherine was a striking woman, but with her heart gentle in her eyes, he felt captivated. A strange emotion dazzled through him, and it felt like first light on a bleak winters morning, changing everything.
Remember, Jack, you dont like this woman. Correction: you dont want to like this woman. He scrubbed his hand over his eyes. What had they been talking about? Thats right, Hayden. Shes a real good kid. Used to be. Is. Things havent been smooth for a long time, but thisthis shoplifting thingis the first serious problem weve had. I dont want you to get the wrong idea.
Believe me, Im not casting stones.
Its a little hard for you not to. She stole from you.
True. But she wouldnt be the first shoplifting teenager in this store. She wont be the last.
Believe me, Im not casting stones.
Its a little hard for you not to. She stole from you.
True. But she wouldnt be the first shoplifting teenager in this store. She wont be the last.
How could he have gotten it so wrong? This woman wasnt high and mighty, she wasnt righteous and judgmental. She was amazing. And if he stood here one second longer and kept this conversation going, then he was going to make a huge mistake. Shed done it again, gotten beneath his defenses. He was just about to open up and talk about his life and the part of himself he kept under tight lock and key.
But opening up just made a man vulnerable. So he had one option, and one option only. Time to get out of Dodge while he could. Time to escape before he started thinking that if and when he tried dating again, hed look for a woman like this one.
Maybe this one.
Nope, he just couldnt see Katherine saying yes to a date with him. Shed turn him down flat. His life was a mess; he knew it. He was no prize, plenty of women hed dated had said it.
To save what dignity he had left, he headed out into the wind and storm. It was abrupt, probably came across as rude, but hed done the best he could.
Once inside his cruiser, as he let the engine warm and the fog clear from the windshield, he could see her inside the store, going about her work. There was something about the way she moved with unconscious grace. The way she stopped to tuck a strand of her light blond hair behind one ear, and it was an utterly feminine gesture.
He missed the gentleness of a woman in his life. Katherine McKaslin made him remember a time when he hadnt been so isolated. When hed been a man unjaded by life and believing in loves illusions.
Yep, buddy, its best to just keep on going.
So he put the car in Reverse, backed away from the curb and didnt stop until the bookstore disappeared from his rearview mirror. Until there was just blinding snow behind him and a long, lonely nights work ahead.
Katherine knew what her sister was going to make of it. The moment the back door swung open, she braced for the worst. She was about to get hit with double barrels.
Aubrey, Avas twin and mirror image, rushed down the devotionals aisle. Are those the flowers? You were so totally right, Av. White roses. Talk about classy.
Behind the cash register, Katherine tried to take the kidding with the love it was meant. Nothing says thank you like white roses, dont you think? Its a thank-you, girls, not a sign of romance.
Ava abandoned all pretense of shelving and trotted up to add her two cents. Thats the story shes sticking to
but we know better, Aubrey finished.
You should have seen how he was looking at her.
Like on the tape?
More.
The twins nodded together, looking as if they were having a twin moment of shared thoughts.
Katherine grabbed the cash tray and closed the empty drawer. I hope you two are headed home. The state patrol just closed the highway outside of town.
The state patrol. Avas tone held huge significance.
Exactly. She didnt seem riveted to their bulletins before.
You two. Her face felt hot. Couldnt they see they were embarrassing her? It wasnt easy being the big sister. No respect. Go. Shoo. Call me when you get home.
She just doesnt want to talk about him, Aubrey said to Ava.
Nope. Weve seen this stage before.
The denial stage?
Uh-huh. The twins bobbed their heads together. Are you sure you dont want us to stay? they asked in perfect unison.
Im sure. She loved her sisters. It was impossible not to. They were dear, even at the ripe old ages of twenty-seven, dressed in similar colors and style, naturally identical in just about every way, from the long sweep of their platinum hair to the lopsided crook of their grins. From the day theyd come home from the hospital, shed always known they were special. A girl couldnt have more loving and loyal sisters anywhere. Go. Ill give you twenty minutes to make it home and if I dont hear from you, Im calling.
Okay, okay.
Bye.
The twins walked away together, their voices cheerful and growing faint, and then fainter. The back door closed, and she was alone.
And why did Jack Munroe stay on her mind the entire time she closed up and totaled the days deposit? Maybe it was the delicate perfume from the tightly closed rosebuds. Maybe it was the big deal the twins had made about the man who was showing simple courtesy by bringing flowers as a thank-you. Either way, she was not in denial about liking Jack.
Jack Munroe with his grizzly-bear temper and his rigid-spine stance was a black-and-white kind of man. No gray areas allowed. He was an officer of the law. He spent his work life judging others, finding them guilty of speeding or reckless driving or worse. Shed seen the mortification on his face when hed admitted what his daughter had done. He was a play-by-the rules kind of man.
She was looking for that kind of man, but she would guess that Jack Munroe had never made a major mistake in his life. He might have a blind spot when it came to his daughter, and rightly so, otherwise he didnt look like the kind of man who forgave mistakes easily.
So, that was that.
Chapter Four
This is lame, Dad. I wont do it.
Jack lifted his gaze from the mountainside road long enough to take in the confrontational jut of Haydens chin and the fury in her cool eyes.
Uh-oh. He knew that look. It was the same one hed been dealing with for most of the week, ever since hed hauled her home from Katherine McKaslins store.
I wont and you cant make me.
Keep your cool, Jack. Through the haze of falling snow, he negotiated the final curve and spotted the exit for the ski resort. Youll choose to do this or Im adding more volunteer time to your sentence.
No answer came, but the fury of her silence increased the temperature in the car by a full ten degrees.
It didnt matter. Nothing could change his mind. Hed decided Hayden was going to join Marins youth group and participate in every single youth-group activity until he got his good Hayden back. He knew she was hiding somewhere behind the sullen belligerence. If he had to devote his day off to that cause, then fine. No sacrifice was too great for his little girl.
I saw that in her. That shes good, without a doubt.
Why did Katherines words come back to him? He could hear her dulcet, precise tone. Could remember the play of the overhead lights on her straight blond locks, held neatly in place by a sensible barrette over each ear. Shed been understated elegance in her modest black sweater and slacks. Katherine didnt need makeup or high fashion to be lovely.
Eventually Hayden would come to the same conclusion about her own appearance. His ears still rang from the heated argument theyd had over her makeup and shocking fashion statement. Shed been wearing her approved school clothes when she left the house each morning, hed learned, and then had changed at Jans house, reversing the process after school.
And you didnt even guess it, man. Thats what ate at him the most.
Hayden stared out the window with enough hatred to melt half the snow pack on the mountain peaks. This is all that awful store ladys fault.