“His girlfriend?”
“Oh, yes, well, all the Cortell brothers are taken. All except Andrew. He’s the lone wolf right now, waiting for the right woman to snatch him up.” She looked me up and down and grinned. “Are you married?”
“Widowed,” I said, holding up my hand that showed the faint line from my wedding ring.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
I smiled slightly, keeping up the facade of the grieving widow. “We were only married a year. Sometimes it feels so much longer, but when it’s your time, God takes you.”
She nodded sympathetically and handed over the box. “I’m Mary Anne, by the way.”
“Lorelei.”
With my box of baked goods in my hands, I headed out of the bakery toward my car with a smile on my face. I could check off one more place that I had made friends. Glancing around the street, I saw that there was an auto shop down at the end of Main Street. I could stop in there for a tune up and maybe make a few friends there. Then across the street from me was a law office. I grinned, thinking about how I could use this lawyer to my advantage in the future. Callum was great, but having a local lawyer on my payroll would be an advantage for me. I made a mental note to stop in there tomorrow.
“Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”
I spun around to see a handsome man in uniform. He was tall, with a devilish grin on his chiseled face. He had sandy brown hair that just peeked out from under his deputy’s hat. He had bright blue eyes and a playful smile that made me think he was always up for a good time.
I smiled back and held out my hand. “I’m Lorelei Henning.”
“Carter Roy,” he said, tipping his head as he took my hand. “Folks around here call me Corduroy.”
“Corduroy,” I laughed. “That’s cute.”
He shrugged slightly, looking down the street. “What can I say? There’s just something about me.”
I smiled back, feeling a little bit like a minx right now. “Oh, I can definitely see that.”
“So, did you just move to town?”
“I actually bought the old Granville house.”
“Ah, the house that nobody wants to live in. Well, good luck with that. Not many people are willing to stay there. Some say it’s haunted.”
“I’m sure you would come rescue me if I was in danger.”
“Oh, sweetheart, I would be there in an instant. It’s all part of the small town charm of being an officer.”
“So, if I called you up and told you I saw a ghost, you would come out to protect me?”
“And so much more.”
I wanted to fan myself, but I resisted. Two hot men in one day. It was like this town was meant for me. “I take it you’re not married then.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Oh, please don’t call me that. I’m not that old.”
He glanced down at my left hand and his eyes narrowed in slightly. “Old enough to be married.”
“Widowed.”
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged slightly. “Dying is part of life. I’ve learned to make peace with the things we can’t change.”
“And the things we can change?”
It felt like a trick question, like he was trying to trap me, so I went the safe route. “There’s no point in hiding from things that scare you. It’s very scary to suddenly be alone, but the best thing to do is put one foot in front of the other and take it a day at a time.”
He nodded. “Very wise words.” He pulled out a card and handed it over. “My cell is on the back. Call me if you ever need anything. Like I said, that house has a way of scaring people.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I don’t frighten easily.” I held up the card and smiled. “Thank you for this. It’s a great welcome to the community.”
He tipped his hat again and walked past me, turning just a few feet away. “Call me if you need me, or even if you don’t.”
I laughed to myself and headed for my car. It was like the men in this town had taken a course in charming the pants off women. They didn’t know they were already dealing with a professional.
After driving back home, I took in the sounds of power tools working around my house. I finally felt like I was living again. After years of having only one goal in mind, I was ready to put my past to rest and move on. I just needed that damn trust to finish what I had started.
I walked through the front door and headed for the kitchen. Dust clung to the air, making it almost difficult to breathe. I recognized Eric immediately, despite the mask over his face to keep the dust out. He was in the process of yanking out cabinets while the sander was working in another area of the kitchen. I hadn’t met all his crew yet, but now was as good a time as ever.
“Eric!” I shouted over the noise. He turned to me and nodded, setting down the cabinet and walking over to me, brushing his hands on his pants.
“Hey, good morning.”
“I brought you all some baked goods from town.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, call it buttering you up,” I smiled. “I thought it would keep your spirits up as you tore this place apart.”
He eyed the box, but I could see he was already salivating to get at what was inside. Apparently, Mary Anne wasn’t lying about how good her baked goods were. I opened the box slightly, and then cringed when Eric whistled loudly for all the work to stop. It went silent in the house.
“Take five. Lorelei brought us all something from Mary Anne’s.”
One minute I was
