Chapter 2
2
Mark stared at Karen as she backed out of Brad's driveway, but he didn’t take his eyes off her until she disappeared down the road. Only then did he climb behind the wheel and do the same.
Something about the pretty nurse captured his attention. Her beauty was understated—her golden-blond hair had a slight wave as it brushed against her shoulders. Her light brown eyes radiated warmth, which he imagined put her patients at ease.
His reaction was surprising. He was certainly acquainted with beautiful, intelligent, and kind women, but most were coworkers or involved with his friends.
She didn’t sport a traditional wedding ring on her left hand but wore a small ring with two stones—one green and one red. Not a jewelry connoisseur, he had no idea if it was a genuine emerald and ruby or a piece of costume jewelry. Even so, it could’ve been significant as an unusual wedding or commitment ring.
His eyes had followed her as she walked down the hall to check on Bess, and when he’d turned around, he found Brad’s shit-eating grin staring back at him.
“What?” he’d asked.
“Saw that you noticed her.”
He played it off by simply saying, “Pretty lady.” He quickly completed what he needed to go over with Brad, knowing his partner would take a few days off to be with Bess until her parents arrived.
When he went outside, he discovered that Karen had parked behind him. Not being in a hurry, he wasn’t bothered, especially knowing he’d have another chance to speak to her. He’d leaned against his vehicle, and in about fifteen minutes, she walked back out, giving him another opportunity to talk to her.
His pulse quickened slightly as she walked toward him. She exuded the air of quiet confidence he’d noticed earlier. Her steps became hurried when her gaze lifted, and she spied her vehicle blocking his.
Their time together had been less than a minute, yet he could have sworn there was something more in her tone… something playful, maybe even flirtatious. Snorting, he shook his head. I’ve been out of the game so long I wouldn’t recognize flirting if it bit me in the ass. Even with that thought and the recognition he had no game , he drove back to the station, remembering how nice it had been having those warm brown eyes gazing at him.
Pulling into the parking lot and coming to a stop, he sucked in a deep breath, then let it out slowly as his fingers drummed on the steering wheel. “Okay, okay,” he muttered aloud. “Stop thinking about what isn’t happening. Got enough on my plate.” With those words, he climbed out of his vehicle. But as he walked toward the door, the image of Karen with her quiet laugh remained. The undeniable spark between them lingered in the back of his mind, refusing to be dismissed as easily as he’d hoped.
He walked down the hall, greeting those he met, then entered the detectives’ bullpen. The large room held desks in sets of two facing each other. When full, the hum of conversations and tapping on computer keyboards might seem overwhelming to some, but Mark loved the energy. Without Brad sitting across from him, he mosied over to Aaron’s and Sam’s desks. Aaron Bergstrom had only been a detective for a few months longer than Mark after both had careers as deputies. Aaron was engaged to Belinda, Bess’s sister. Sam Shackley was a longtime detective.
Sam looked up and smiled. “Brad doing okay?”
“You aren’t going to ask about Bess?”
Sam laughed and shook his head. “I know Bess will have tons of people helping her. But Brad? He’s going into caregiving, protection mode.”
“Know that all too damn well,” Aaron quipped, turning around in his seat to grin at Mark.
“Brad’s doing okay, and Bess’s parents are due soon. Plus, the home health nurse showed up as I left.”
“Karen?” Aaron asked. “She’s wonderful. She was Belinda’s home nurse and seems to really care about her patients.”
“Yeah… she’s… yeah… seems nice…” As soon as the staggering words left his mouth, Mark battled the urge to cringe visibly. He sounded like a bumbling teenager and prayed the others hadn’t noticed. Looking around, he realized his prayers had obviously gone unanswered.
“Nice? Are you sure that’s all you noticed?” Aaron laughed.
“Damn,” Sam chided. “If you’ve got any hope of going for that, you need better adjectives than nice .”
“It’s not like that,” he defended, lying through his teeth. “I only met her for a moment. I assume she’s competent, or she wouldn’t have the job she has. And she seemed really…” He found himself stumbling again. “Pleasant.”
Now, several other detectives who were listening chuckled.
He battled another urge, one of thrusting his middle finger up at the others and stalking out. But Mark prided himself on always being in control, so he simply scowled and plopped into his chair. Flipping on his laptop, he hoped to ignore the others and be ignored. But a moment later, he heard the scrape of rolling desk chairs over the floor as Sam and Aaron scooted closer.
“You know, it wouldn’t hurt you to go out on a date,” Sam said.
“And when am I supposed to do that? I work full-time, and I’m a full-time dad. Benji deserves all my attention.”
“I hear what you’re saying,” Sam agreed, throwing his hands up defensively. “When I got involved with Haley, we had the advantage of knowing each other before she became a widow. But I also know how hard it was being a single parent.”
“You all are acting like Karen is single. For all I know, she’s married and has a bunch of kids.” He wasn’t sure if they knew her well enough to know her relationship status, but considering they were mentioning her as someone he could ask out, he was curious about what information they did have.
Aaron shook his head slowly. “I remember Belinda saying once that she’d like to set Karen up. I admit I didn’t listen much to that part of the conversation, but I assume by her saying that, Karen was single.”
John Sullivan, another detective, walked by. “I saw her one time at the American Legion meeting. I haven’t seen her back, but she was talking to Ginny McFarlane.”
The American Legion was active in Baytown and the surrounding areas. Mark tried to attend all the meetings and helped coach one of their newer activities—age-appropriate youth running groups. He had been a runner in high school and certainly in the military. While he enjoyed team sports, he seemed to excel at a sport that could provide individual personal bests and a team commitment. Finding out that Karen had been to at least one American Legion meeting had his ears perk up. Lifting his brows, he said, “She’s former military?”
John shrugged. “I can’t say for sure, but that’s the only way she could be a member. She would be in the Auxiliary if it were just a family member in the service.” His focus was diverted when Colt walked in, making a beeline toward Mark’s desk.
The other detectives moved back to their work, and he waited until Colt pulled up a chair and gave him his full attention.
“I know Brad is off for the next couple of days, but you can finish the report on the car theft investigation. The county attorney will be waiting, so if you can get the report to him today, that’d be good.”
Nodding, Mark appreciated the vote of confidence. “It’ll be complete before I leave today.”
“I have a call into Brad. He said that he’d be in to work the day after tomorrow since Bess’s parents will be back in town. You can bring him up to speed, then be ready for your next assignment.”
Mark offered a brief nod of acknowledgment before Colt stood and walked out of the bullpen. Colt was a man of few words, something Mark appreciated. They shared a similar nature—both men eschewed idle chatter. Mark had often found that people underestimated quiet men. It was easy to let others assume they weren’t paying attention when, in fact, they caught more than most would ever know.
His partner, Brad, was the opposite. More talkative and outgoing, Brad had a knack for putting people at ease during interviews and softening the edges of tense conversations. The dynamic worked well—Brad talked, and Mark listened. He didn’t just hear their words; he watched their every gesture, every flicker of emotion, reading between the lines in a way that came naturally to him.
Mark glanced around the bullpen, relieved to see that everyone had gone back to their tasks. The earlier curiosity about Karen had subsided, and he was thankful that no one pressed him further.
Sitting back at his desk, he pulled up the files on his computer and forced himself to focus. It wasn’t easy—Karen’s image still lingered in the back of his mind, those warm brown eyes, the easy smile she had given him. But now wasn’t the time. He pushed the thoughts aside and dove into the cases he and Brad had been working on, the familiar weight of responsibility settling back over him as he began the meticulous work of writing reports.
The hours passed, and the workday routine pulled Karen further from his thoughts. But as the day ended and the office began to empty, his mind wandered back to her. It had been such a brief encounter, but something about her lodged itself firmly in his thoughts.
When Mark shut down his computer and grabbed his jacket, he was more than ready to head home. The drive home was short, but anticipation built in his chest as he neared his house.
As he pulled into the driveway, a smile tugged at his lips, warmth spreading through him at the familiar sight—his little boy’s face, pressed eagerly against the living room window, eyes wide with excitement. Mark couldn’t help but grin as he climbed out of the vehicle. No matter what had happened during the day, this was the moment he looked forward to most—the simple joy of being home, of seeing the light in his son’s eyes, and knowing that, for now, all was exactly as it should be.
He barely made it out of his SUV when Benji burst through the front door with a broad smile, his arms pumping in rhythm with his spindly legs as he raced across the yard toward him. At ten years old, he was all big teeth and long limbs. His hair was longer, having begged off the last couple of haircuts, which surprised Mark, but his son had claimed to want to look like some of the soccer players he watched on TV.
“Dad!”
Laughing, he hugged his son as he looked down at the heartwarming smile beaming up at him. As much as he loved his son’s excitement, he couldn’t help but wonder if part of it was based on relief that his dad had come home, considering Benji only had one parent.
As it always did, the thought cut through him like a dull ache he couldn’t quite shake. Being a widower and a single father was a reality he’d come to accept, but it didn’t make the weight of it any lighter.
Mark pulled Benji tighter against his chest for a moment, the warmth of his son’s growing body grounding him in the present. Every day, he was reminded of how precious this boy was and how he meant more than anything else. Benji was his heart, his whole world, the gift he never took for granted. But with that love came a responsibility that weighed heavily on his shoulders.
Looking over Benji’s head, he smiled at the man who stepped onto the porch. Okay, so I’m not raising Benji alone. It would be ridiculous for him to dismiss how much his dad meant to both of them.
“Hey, Dad,” he called out as he walked with his arm slung casually over Benji’s shoulders. “All good?”
Richard chuckled and nodded, his approving gaze on both of them. “All good.”
His mom had died several years ago after Benji’s mother died. Richard spent more time at his house helping with Benji, so he eventually sold the family home to move into a spare bedroom in Mark’s house. Now, he watched Benji when he got off the bus until Mark came home. Since Richard’s room was an en suite on the other side of the house, he had plenty of space to call his own.
“How was your day?” he asked.
Before he had a chance to answer, Benji immediately jumped in. “Did you catch any bad guys today, Dad?”
To a ten-year-old, Mark’s job was the greatest in the world. What little boy didn’t want to think that his dad was out fighting crime like a superhero every day?
As they walked into the house, he ruffled Benji’s hair. “I didn’t catch any bad guys today, Son.” Looking up at his dad, Mark replied, “It was a good day. I went by Brad’s and was able to check on Bess.”
“Thank goodness! I couldn’t believe it when you told me what had happened. Somehow, it seems that those Crowder girls always manage to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!”
“At least both of their stories ended well,” he said. God knows he’d seen plenty of dangerous situations as a police officer and deputy to know it was good when the victims came out okay.
As they walked into the kitchen, the smells from dinner reached him, and his mouth watered. “Dad, you spoil us. If you weren’t in our lives, I’d probably be boiling a hot dog or making a grilled cheese.”
Richard laughed as he patted his shoulder, moving past him into the kitchen. “You never have to thank me. Although it’s nice to be appreciated.”
Benji had run down the hall to wash his hands, and Mark reached into the cabinets to pull out the plates.
“You know,” Richard said, capturing his attention. “Your mother and I shared a lot of duties over the years. Some of them were very traditional. I usually took care of our vehicles and the yard, and she took care of the house and the cooking. Everything else, we divided up. When she died, I would’ve felt lost if I didn’t have you and Benji. Allowing me to be part of your lives means I get a chance to see my grandson grow and develop every day. So, believe me, sharing your home and your lives means the world to me.”
Mark set the plates on the counter, then walked over and clapped his dad on the shoulder. “I know you say that if Mom were still alive, you’d be caring for her. But that still doesn’t negate the fact that I’m grateful you’re here with Benji and me.”
Richard blinked, then shoulder-bumped him out of the way. “It’s time for dinner,” he playfully groused. They soon settled down to their meal with Benji, who entertained them with tales of fifth grade.
After dinner, Mark’s evening was much like most when he didn’t have to work. Instead of bath time, Benji now took showers since he considered that to be manly. Mark checked to ensure Benji’s homework was complete, his backpack was ready for the next day, and his teeth were brushed. After his son ran downstairs to hug his grandfather good night, he bounded back up with his childlike energy.
Benji climbed into bed, pulling out one of his favorite books to read before sleeping. Mark recognized the book from a series they had checked out from the library. He sat on the end of Benji’s bed, and they talked about the characters and Benji’s favorite parts of the story.
Then, standing, he bent over to wrap his arms around his son and hugged him while saying good night.
“I love you, Dad. You know that, right?” Benji asked, looking up at him.
“I love you, too. And yes, I know you love me.” Tilting his head to the side, he stared at Benji’s ten-year-old face filled with emotions Mark couldn’t put his finger on. “Is there something on your mind?”
Shaking his head, Benji shrugged. “No. It’s just that I was talking to Eddie Shackley today after school, and he mentioned how his real dad had gotten killed when he was a police officer. That was before he got his stepdad, Sam. It just got me thinking that I wanted you to know… just in case.”
It struck Mark that Benji was already moving into the preteen stage, even at ten, when emotions and thoughts were maturing. But for Mark, they sometimes came way too fast for him to be prepared.
Sitting back down beside Benji on his bed, he said, “I know you love me. And I love you too. And I won’t pretend that nothing bad will ever happen because you and I already know it can. But we can’t live each day being worried about what-ifs. We can make smart choices and smart decisions and hope each day goes better than the one before.”
He held his breath, uncertain if his words made sense, but then Benji's smile widened, and Mark's heart felt lighter. Hugging his son again, he stood and walked out the door, flipping the light off as he went.
He knew his son would read by the light on his nightstand until he got sleepy. He also knew that his son would sometimes read too late when he was engrossed in a story. Turning before he shut the door, he reminded, “Lights out in thirty minutes.”
Receiving affirmation, he closed the door and headed back downstairs.
Most of his evenings were very much like this one. Sometimes he and his dad would catch up on local gossip or the news. Other times, he’d sit in the living room reading or watching TV. Richard made sure to respect Mark’s privacy while also enjoying time by himself. And on those evenings, he turned in early.
Mark headed up the stairs. The house was now quiet except for the creaks of the old floors. He let the shower's warm water wash away the day’s tension, but thoughts of Karen moved to the forefront of his mind. Once in bed, he perched his reading glasses on his nose as he opened the book he’d left on his nightstand. But tonight, the words swirled together, and he finally gave up, placing the book back where he picked it up. He pulled off his glasses and put them on the nightstand, then sighed as he leaned back against the pillows. The truth was, he couldn’t get Karen off his mind.
Her features created a beautiful woman, and she seemed to radiate calm mixed with humor—and those warm brown eyes. When she looked at him, he felt like the only person in the room, as though her attention was a spotlight, and he was caught in its glow. The sensation had left him unsettled and wanting more, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in years.
Scrubbing his hand over his face, he sighed again. He had not been in a relationship since becoming a widower, and truthfully, the dates he’d gone on had left much to be desired. Sliding under the covers, he turned out the light, rolled over, and punched his pillow.
He chastised himself, letting out a low snort of disbelief. How ridiculous was it to be so consumed with thoughts of a woman he’d just met? It made no sense. Even though he told himself to let it go, he knew he didn’t really want to.