That didn’t make sense. What would Carrie have to hide? Perhaps it had something to do with her childhood. Her comments and her attitude suggested she might have more in common with Jack than he realized.
He didn’t want her to be uncomfortable around him. On the contrary, he wanted to get to know her better. And Jack was the link. At the very least he wanted to reassure her she had nothing to fear from him. He’d give her some time to adjust to the idea of his job. He felt sure he could ease her concerns. After all, being a cop in Dover wasn’t anything like being a cop in Houston. Here, he could focus on serving and protecting the people in his community and not the endless stream of senseless violence that had dragged him down.
* * *
Monday morning dawned bright and sunny with temperatures promised in the midseventies. Carrie dressed in a new pair of linen pants and a long peach top, plus some dangling silver earrings. The outfit lifted her spirits, and she arrived at the church eager to tackle her hectic work schedule. It was exactly what she needed to put the weekend behind her. Learning that Seth was a police officer had left her battling old fears and memories.
She had called her friend and mentor, Mavis Tanner, for some advice. Mavis had been her first and biggest blessing from the Lord. She’d taken Carrie under her wing, introduced her to the Lord, and helped her get her GED and enroll in community college. Without Mavis, Carrie would be living a very different life.
Her friend had gently reminded her that her concerns about Seth were nothing more than her old insecurities bubbling to the surface. Then she pointed out that the Lord had forgiven her and the past couldn’t hurt her unless she allowed it. She’d felt better after their talk, but she hadn’t told Mavis about her attraction to Seth. She had to sort that out on her own.
She wondered what Seth had done with Jack today. It was his first official day on the job. He’d called her a couple times, but she’d ignored him. She needed more time to absorb the fact that he was a police officer. Her mind and her heart had battled all night. But now she needed to concentrate on her work. There was a mountain of arrangements to make for the upcoming picnic celebration. She had no time to waste on her neighbor.
Thankfully, the day passed quickly. The only thing left on her schedule was the meeting this evening with the committee heads for the anniversary picnic. She had one volunteer spot to fill and several adjustments to the activities to discuss, but nothing major. The plans were all coming together nicely.
After a quick bite to eat in her office, she made her way to the meeting room. Kathy met her coming from the opposite direction. “You look frazzled. Everything okay? I didn’t have a chance to talk to you at church yesterday.”
“I spent the time between services fielding questions about the picnic. I have to admit it’ll be a relief when it’s all over.”
“I keep telling you that you need an assistant.”
Carrie arched her eyebrows. “Like Ralph?”
Kathy rolled her eyes. “No. Like Ralph used to be.”
The committee members filed in and Carrie started the meeting by going over the positions still needing to be filled. Midway through, Seth Montgomery slipped in and took a seat at the back of the room. Her throat went dry. He was dressed in full uniform. The white shirt with its military-style tabs and pockets contrasted sharply with his olive-toned skin and made his shoulders appear even broader. He was a handsome man, a man who carried himself with confidence and authority. A man with the power to uncover her deepest secret.
Thankfully, the meeting came to a close quickly, and she hoped Seth would leave with the others. Unfortunately, no one had stepped up to be her gofer. It was just as well. The extra work would keep her too busy to think about Seth or Jack.
“Carrie, guess what I found for you?”
She glanced up to see Kathy approaching the table, followed by a smiling Seth Montgomery. She tried to hide her discomfort behind a stiff smile and avoid eye contact. The uniform stirred old anxieties, but she couldn’t deny it also added a layer of masculinity to his already compelling appeal. No doubt, he’d dismissed her as a basket case, given the way she’d bolted from his truck the other day. It didn’t matter since she’d be keeping her distance from now on.
Kathy spread her arms. “Meet your new anniversary-picnic assistant.”
Seth flashed his white teeth and rested his hands on his duty belt. “Kathy told me you needed help, so I decided to step up.”
He couldn’t be serious. “You have a full-time job. You won’t have time to do all the small errands I’ll need help with.” Not to mention she was trying to avoid Seth, not work side by side with him.
“Are you turning me down?”
She searched for a polite response. “No. But you said yourself you’re starting your new job, and then there’s Jack to take care of. I need someone flexible who can act as a gofer. The way Ralph used to.”
“And that’s the beauty of my job, Carrie. After this next week, I’ll be on the midday shift. Noon to eight. That leaves all morning to run errands.” He held up a finger. “Plus, who better to be your gofer than a police officer? I’m on the road all day, I have access everywhere in town and it’ll give me plenty of opportunity to interact with the community. Part of my job is being visible around town and building goodwill between the department and the citizens. I already ran it by Captain Durrant and he’s on board.”
Carrie’s hopes faded. She really needed help to get all the details of the picnic together, but not with Seth. “And Jack? Who’s going to take care of him while you’re running my errands?”
“I enrolled him in the preschool here this morning. I tried to let you know, but you weren’t answering your phone.”
Backed into a corner, she frantically tried to think of other reasons to refuse his offer. He leaned forward and she caught a hint of his spicy aftershave and a whiff of leather. His nearness stole the starch from her knees, forcing her to grasp the table for support. She could not develop any attraction for her neighbor—a man with the ability to destroy her life.
“Carrie, I owe you big-time for helping out with Jack. This is my way of paying you back. It’ll work out. It’s a win-win for both of us. I’ll help you with the picnic, and maybe you could help by watching Jack from time to time. He misses you. He keeps looking for you.”
Now he was being unfair, using Jack to get to her. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but this position has always been Ralph’s job.”
Seth grinned and tugged on his earlobe. “Ralph is getting older and can barely find his way to church.”
She bristled. “He’s a dear man who has devoted himself to this church. I wouldn’t dream of breaking his heart.”
“What’s this about you replacing me?”
They turned around to see Ralph shuffling toward them, his shoulders bent forward, his dark eyes snapping from under the brim of his Mississippi Braves ball cap.
Carrie exhaled a heavy sigh. This is what she’d dreaded. “No, Ralph, you haven’t been replaced.”
The old man muttered a soft curse and tugged at his cap. “Better not. No one’s putting me out to pasture.”
Seth stepped toward him and extended his hand. “Hello, Mr. Ralph. Remember me? Seth Montgomery.”
Ralph ignored the hand, pointing a finger at him, instead. “You’re the rapscallion who threw all my hay out of the barn loft onto the floor so you and your hoodlum friends could jump into it.”
“Yes, sir. That was me.” He gestured toward his uniform. “But I’ve rejected those ways and embraced the law.”
Ralph harrumphed.