Every time he saw her he found it hard to swallow or even breathe. His heart seemed to speed up as though adrenaline was surging through his body. He supposed it was; after all, that fight-or-flight response was a familiar one to him, given his military background. For twelve years, as part of a close-knit army unit, he’d been capable of making life-and-death decisions. His training had taught him to trust his instincts and to react quickly. Yet whenever he was in the vicinity of Jeannie French, those same instincts clamored that she was the woman he’d been waiting for. A woman to share his life.
His mother had been after him to settle down, not because she feared he couldn’t fend for himself, but because she was blatantly in pursuit of more grandchildren. Adam’s older sister had stopped at one child ten years ago, so the responsibility had fallen upon Adam’s shoulders. Thus far, he’d been a disappointment to Margaret Jordan.
Now that he was back in Promise, his mother’s hints had grown less than subtle. Years ago Adam had come up with a defense, telling Margaret he’d know the woman when he saw her. He wasn’t sure that was true, but it seemed to satisfy his mother, however temporarily.
Then it actually happened. He met Jeannie French, and it felt like a bullet between the eyes. Adam had never experienced anything close to this kind of feeling. His stomach started acting up, he couldn’t sleep and every ounce of finesse he’d ever possessed deserted him. Here he was: a man who could leap out of a plane, rope a calf and curse in five languages. But when it came to asking Jeannie out on a date, he reverted to the insecure teenage boy of twelve years ago.
What puzzled Adam was the realization that, objectively speaking, Jeannie couldn’t even be described as beautiful. Attractive, perhaps pretty, but she certainly didn’t have a face or figure that would stop traffic. She was average in height and weight. About five-five, maybe five-six with shoes. Mid-length brown hair, brown eyes. Round face with a small mole just above her lip on the left side. Kind of cute, he’d say. And sweet-natured. A perfect teacher for first-grade students. He’d dated women far more beautiful, far more sophisticated, but not one of them stood out in his mind the way Jeannie did.
She must have felt his scrutiny because she turned around and met his look, mild surprise showing in her eyes.
“Hello, again,” Adam said.
“Sheriff Jordan.” Glancing away, she straightened, then set the clean paintbrushes aside as if she wasn’t completely comfortable around him.
After everything that had happened, Adam didn’t blame her. He stepped into the room, prepared to begin his apology. “I thought I’d come by and make sure you didn’t have any problems with...” His voice faded when he realized he made no sense. She’d been driving back and forth to school in the same car all week, so clearly there’d been no trouble because of his stupid trick.
“Everything’s fine,” Jeannie told him. She pulled a paper towel from the dispenser and wiped the brushes dry before storing them upright in a glass jar.
“I, uh, wanted to let you know how sorry I was for causing you any inconvenience.” Adam could feel the heat gathering around his ears.
“You couldn’t possibly have known I’d tossed the car keys under the driver’s seat,” she was quick to assure him, which gave Adam hope. “It’s a dumb habit, I know.”
“We don’t have much crime to speak of here in Promise, but it’s a good idea not to tempt fate. You wouldn’t want to make it easy for someone to steal your vehicle.” Adam relaxed, grateful that her annoyance had faded since he’d last seen her.
“You’re right, of course,” she said politely. “I’ll be more cautious in the future.”
She seemed to be waiting for him to leave, even wanting him to go. Instead, Adam walked between a row of impossibly small desks. “Mrs. Schneider was my first-grade teacher,” he announced and instantly wanted to kick himself. He must have sounded like an idiot. He’d been looking for a way to make conversation, to gradually introduce the question he wanted to ask. He should have known better. Small talk wasn’t his forte.
Jeannie folded her arms and nodded.
“Since you’re new, I, uh, wasn’t sure anyone told you the sheriff’s office generally meets with the elementary students every year. Either Deputy Green or I’ll be making an appearance within the next month or so.”
“Oh. Well, that’s a good idea.”
“We want the students to know the sheriff is their friend.” He yearned to tell her he wanted to be her friend, too, but couldn’t figure out how to do that without sounding like he was making a pass. Which basically he was, only he’d rather not be so obvious about it.
“I’m sure the children will enjoy your visit very much.” She remained standing with her arms folded. She continued to look as if she was waiting for him to leave, but he ignored her signals. This was the longest conversation they’d had without a major embarrassment on his part, and he wanted to take advantage of it.
“I...hate to be rude,” she said after a moment, “but I have a dentist appointment at four this afternoon.” She glanced at the clock.
Adam’s spirits sank. Ask her, his mind shouted. A movie on Friday night, perhaps dinner afterward. Just how difficult could it be to get the words out?
“Before you go,” he said quickly, then remembered he was the one expected to leave. “Actually, I’ll be going, not you.... I was thinking—no, I mean hoping, that you’d let me make it up to you.”
She frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Locking your car keys inside your car.”
“Sheriff, really, it isn’t necessary.” She refused to meet his eyes, which flustered him even more.
“How about dinner on Friday night?”
“Sheriff...”
“If not dinner, maybe you’d be interested in seeing a movie. I hope you like butter on your popcorn.”
“I love buttered popcorn.” Her eyes softened with a smile, and Adam saw for the first time how truly beautiful her big brown eyes were. Jeannie French wasn’t the least bit ordinary; she was beautiful, stunningly so. Funny he hadn’t recognized that earlier.
“Great.” He felt like leaping up and slamming his hand against the door frame, the way he’d done in sixth grade. “How about dinner and a movie? I’ll pick you up around five on Friday and we’ll catch the early show at the theater and then go out—oh, maybe to the Chili Pepper. What do you think?” He wanted to groan at the thought of all these wasted months. They should’ve been dating since at least January. The only reason they weren’t was that he’d been a fool—and a repeat offender, at that.
“Oh, Adam—”
It was the first time she’d used his given name, and she made it sound like the most incredible name a man could have.
“—I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she continued awkwardly.
“No?” Surely there was some mistake. He waited for her to explain.
“There’re some people who just don’t...gel together,” she blurted. “Certain people who aren’t meant to be more than friends. I’m honored that you asked me out, but I just can’t see the two of us...dating.” She paused and glanced guiltily in his direction, as if to determine the amount of damage her words had inflicted. “Don’t misunderstand me—I like you.”
“Obviously not enough.”
“I’m sorry....”
“Listen, Jeannie, if you don’t want to go out with me, all you have to do is say so.” Which she had. Adam set his hat