'As easy as that?' It couldn't be that simple.
'It wasn't easy. I had a lot to learn. But Elizabeth has been patient with me and I'm getting better.'
Kyle lowered his feet to the floor and leaned forward. He rested his forearms on the desk. 'But how did you know she was the one?'
'I couldn't imagine life without her.'
Kyle had spent most of the previous night trying to imagine what his world would be like now that Sandy had taken herself from him. He hadn't wanted to picture the long days, the silence. Even consoling himself with the thought that there were any number of women he could call hadn't made him feel better.
'What if she can imagine life without me?' he asked glumly.
'You mean you haven't seduced her with the famous Haynes charm?'
He shook his head. 'I think she's immune. She accused me of skating by on my looks. Form over substance.' He looked up at his boss. 'Do I have any character?'
Travis laughed. 'Hell, Kyle, you're my little brother. I'm not supposed to make you feel better, I'm supposed to make you suffer.'
'That was when we were kids.'
Travis sobered. 'Yes, you've got a lot of character. You work hard here. Why do you think I offered you the job in the first place?'
'I never could figure that out.'
'You graduated at the top of your academy class, and you were ranked highest of all the rookies on the SFPD. Why wouldn't I want to hire you? I spent the first year waiting for you to tell me you were going back to the city. That being a deputy in this little town was too boring.'
'So how about a raise?'
'Talk to me after the county commissioners present the budget.'
Kyle leaned back in his chair. Once he'd returned to Glenwood, he hadn't wanted to live anywhere else. This was home to him. He liked the pace of life, and the roots he had here. Everything in his life worked. Except for Sandy.
'I should probably just forget about her,' he mumbled. She'd made her feelings pretty clear last night. He'd assumed she would realize her mistake and want to apologize, but what if he was wrong about that? What if she was still mad at him? Then, worrying about being a part of her life wasn't going to matter. She would chase him off with a shotgun if she saw him coming.
But the thought of not seeing her again, of not being near her and touching her, made his chest ache. He wanted to call her up and ask her to hear him out. He wanted to have her kids over, even Lindsay, and take them to a movie. He wanted to hear the laughter and feel as if he was a part of a family. Funny, growing up with both parents and three brothers, he'd never felt as if he'd belonged. With Sandy and her kids, he felt whole.
Normally, this was the point in a relationship where he thought about running away. This time, he didn't want to leave. At least not yet. He was willing to risk a little more. The thought scared him though. She could leave him trampled and bleeding. But he had to take a chance.
'I think you should wait for a sign,' Travis said.
'That's the stupidest thing I ever heard.'
'I'm serious. If something happens in the next five minutes that tells you it's meant to be, then go for it. If nothing happens, then forget about her.'
Kyle glanced at his older brother. 'You've been working out in the garden without a hat, haven't you?'
Travis shrugged. 'It's just a suggestion. I'm a great believer in signs.'
Before Kyle could respond to that, the station door opened and Sandy walked in. He felt his jaw drop. 'Holy-' Talk about a sign.
Travis slid off the corner of his desk and stood up. 'I told you.'
Kyle rose and glared at him. 'You're not so smart.'
Travis chuckled. 'I know. I saw her car pull up.' He glanced at the clock. 'Look, it's time for your break.' Still laughing, he went back into his office.
Kyle opened the wood-and-glass door that led to the waiting area. Except for Sandy, it was mercifully empty.
She was standing by one of the wooden benches that lined the wall. It was quiet in the middle of the afternoon. They were alone.
She glanced at him. Her green eyes were dark with emotions he couldn't read. Or maybe he didn't want to know what she was thinking. He stuck his hands into his pockets and waited.
Sandy wore a peach sundress. He was used to seeing her in shorts, but he liked how the thin fabric molded itself to her breasts, then flared out at the waist. Skinny straps held the bodice in place. Her slight tan made her hair look lighter.
She twisted the shoulder strap of her purse several times, stared at the floor, then looked back at him. 'Hi,' she said at last.
'Hi, yourself.'
'I went by your house but you weren't there, so I figured you might be working.'
'Here I am.' He motioned to the benches. 'You want to sit down?'
'Sure.' She lowered herself to one end of the seat.
He didn't know how close to get, so he took the bench next to hers. There was about two feet between them. 'What's going on? Are the kids okay?'
'What? Oh, they're, um, outside eating ice cream. We went to that place across the street. Blake's doing really well. Most of the swelling is gone, although the bruise is turning some pretty interesting colors.'
'I'll bet.'
He wondered if the conversation could have been more awkward. He wanted to ask why she'd come, but a part of him didn't care why. It was enough that she was here. He studied her face, the wide eyes, the slightly pointed chin, the trace of lipstick on her mouth. He wanted to kiss her. More than that, he wanted to hold her and have her tell him it was going to be okay between them.
She drew in a deep breath. 'I've come to eat crow. I can eat it cold, if you insist, although it might go down a little easier if I can heat it in the microwave.'
A fierce feeling of gladness swept over him. He forced himself to stay still. 'I don't mind if it's warm.'
She smiled slightly. 'Thanks.' Her smile faded. 'Look, Kyle, I was wrong. I came home after dropping Nichole off and Lindsay told me Blake had been in a fight and he was bleeding. I just lost it. When I came into your place and saw you teaching him how to fight more-well, I reacted without thinking.' She stared at the purse on her lap. 'I don't remember everything I said. I just sort of went into protective mother rage. I was scared and I lashed out at you. Blake told me what happened. I know he wasn't really fighting. Gary hit him when he wasn't looking.' She raised her gaze to him. 'I also know you tried to stop it. I'm sorry about all the things I said. I hope you can forgive me.'
At fourteen, he'd thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world. At thirty, he thought she was the most beautiful woman. There was something about her combination of features, or her eyes, or her smile that made him crazy when he was near her. She could turn him on with a glance. She could reduce him to a whimpering mass with just a word. He had it bad, and it scared him. But for once, he wasn't going to run away.
'Before I accept your apology, there's something I have to tell you,' he said. 'It might make you mad all over again, but this time hear me out before beating me up, okay?'
She flushed. 'I'm not an evil-tempered witch, but okay, I'll listen first.'
'Great.' He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. 'I went and spoke with Gary Warner's parents.'
There was a moment of silence. He didn't risk glancing at her. Instead, he waited.
'Why?' she asked at last.
'Two reasons. I went because I was concerned about what had happened with Blake. The kid hit him when Blake wasn't looking. That's not right. I've known his folks for a while and they're good people. I thought there might be trouble at home, and they should be aware of what was happening in their son's life. The second reason I went was because if Gary's already acting like this when he's ten, by the time he's thirteen, he could be stealing or causing other kinds of trouble. As a deputy in this town, I want to prevent that. So are you mad or what?'
