“Are you still in law enforcement?”
“No, at least not the way I was.” A vacant look hollowed out his eyes as he stared past her shoulder and rubbed his right thigh. “Took a bullet to the leg that ended my career as a beat cop.”
“I’m sorry.” And she meant it. Becoming a police officer had meant everything to him. She understood the pain of lost dreams.
He shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“What brings you to Shelby Lake? Last I heard, you were living near Pittsburgh.”
“I decided we needed a fresh start. Patrick Laughton was an old marine buddy of my dad’s, so I called to see if he had any use for a washed-up cop with a bum leg. Turns out the police department had an opening for a school liaison officer. I’ll be going to the schools in the district doing programs on the dangers of drugs and alcohol. What about you? Did you end up going to vet school?”
“No. Change of plans.” Her gaze shifted to his daughters showering Riley with attention. “Your daughters are darling.”
“Thanks. We’ve had a rough year—first my injury, then their mom took off.” A flicker of pain shadowed Caleb’s eyes. “I heard about Kyle. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Words clogged her throat as her heart thundered against her rib cage. “I’m sorry about your wife. What did you hear...about Kyle?”
“He was killed by a drunk driver. I should apologize for not coming back for his funeral.” He nodded toward the daughter in the tutu. “Ella had just been born, and my wife, Val, had a hard time with postpartum depression. Between work and some...family issues, I had my hands full.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “I’m sorry. That sounded a bit insensitive.”
“No...don’t be.” The knots in her stomach cinched tighter. She rubbed her empty ring finger.
A man and a woman holding hands walked past them. The woman also held a toddler’s hand while the man controlled a golden retriever on a leash.
The epitome of family.
She wanted that...almost had it once.
Now she had nothing but the pain of regret, broken promises, and fines as a reminder of what her choices had cost her.
Even though she sat in the park surrounded by open spaces, the hills to the right of her seemed to be shifting and closing in. Her breathing quickened as beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.
Sully reached for her arm. “You all right?”
She blinked several times and ran a hand over her mouth. “Yeah, I...uh...I’m fine. Probably too much sun.”
Liar.
She wasn’t fine. She hadn’t been fine in a long time. Not since she’d woken up in the hospital that night with a concussion and learned Kyle was dead.
The events of the past four years had destroyed everyone and everything she loved.
She reached up, grabbed her water bottle off the booth’s table with shaky hands and uncapped it. As she downed the lukewarm liquid, she closed her eyes and struggled to regain her composure.
Leona wouldn’t be thrilled if she freaked out in front of a potential client. And she didn’t need to give this town anything more to gossip about.
No, she wouldn’t be fine for a very long time...if ever again.
But life had offered her a second chance, and she wasn’t about to waste it on pity parties.
Now that she’d moved into her family’s cabin by the lake, she was determined to get her life back on track. Watching Sully with his daughters created an intense longing in her heart and resurrected her purpose: to regain custody of her own child and prove to her family—and the town that rejected her—that she could change and be the kind of mother her son deserved.
* * *
Caleb was going to get kicked out of the neighborhood if that fur ball didn’t stop barking.
He threw back the covers, pulled on yesterday’s jeans and T-shirt and padded barefoot to the living room. Flicking on the lamp on the table next to the coffee-colored leather couch, he winced at the sudden brightness and shot a one-eyed glance at the clock hanging above the doorway that led into the dining room.
4:15.
He groaned and stretched out on the Berber carpet in front of the dog crate, which had become his new middle-of-the-night normal since bringing the little guy home a few days ago.
Riley looked at him with large, soulful eyes and whimpered.
“Hey, little man, some of us need to sleep.” He pushed his fingers through the metal and scratched the dog’s muzzle. Riley licked at Caleb’s hand.
What had he been thinking? He didn’t have time for a dog. They needed exercise and companionship.
He could handle a walk around the block, but his hiking and running days were over. Besides, he had his hands full caring for the girls. Now he had something else to take care of.
Rubbing the heel of his hand into one eye, he released the latch on the crate. Riley bounded out, searching for freedom.
Caleb scrambled to his feet, biting down on his bottom lip as pain shot to his right hip, and scooped up the pup.
Carrying him to the back door, he switched on the outside light and let Riley down. He scurried across the patio and sniffed the grass for the best spot to do his business.
Caleb dropped onto a white plastic yard chair and waited.
Stars sparkled against the early morning sky with soft light smudging the horizon. A hint of a breeze ruffled his hair and cooled his face. The Turners’ house next to his corner lot sat in darkness.
At least Riley’s barking hadn’t disturbed them.
Having moved to Shelby Lake less than a month ago, he’d bought the one-story ranch with a large fenced backyard on a quiet residential street.
Once things settled down, he’d get to know his neighbors Shawn and Pam Turner. Maybe invite them over for a barbecue. They had a daughter a little older than Ella. Shawn was a fellow cop with the Shelby Lake Police Department, and Pam taught third grade at Ella’s new school.
But first he needed to finish unpacking and get the girls’ swing set assembled. Maybe they’d even like a swing hanging from the sturdy oak shading the patio. The yard called out for summertime picnics, roasting marshmallows over an open fire and running freely without having to worry about city traffic.
Down the road, once his heart healed from his ex-wife’s betrayal and desertion, he’d consider finding someone who wanted those same things, someone who realized he was enough.
Maybe.
Right now, he was just too exhausted to think about sharing his heart again.
But that didn’t stop Zoe James’s face from flashing through his mind.
If he hadn’t been so focused on the girls, he would have recognized her much sooner, especially with that butterfly necklace she never took off.
Once she realized who he was, though, she retreated inside a polite shell. For a few minutes, she laughed easily with his daughters. The sound of her laughter and the joy in her smile were exactly as he remembered.
No one else had those green eyes with glints of gold that wandered into his dreams every now and then. Eyes that touched his soul. Eyes belonging to his college roommate’s girlfriend and Caleb’s former secret crush.
Seeing her again unleashed a memory of another time, another place...a memory he didn’t allow his mind to visit because the pain of that time nearly undid him.
She had gotten under his skin from