Page 25 of The Deputy and the Single Mom

“Good.”

She relaxed for a moment and then her stomach did a flip while her heart raced for no apparent reason other than the fact that Jack continued to gaze in her eyes.

She fixated on the blue irises. They probably only seemed intense because they contrasted against his brown hair. Neither one of them said a word.

“Hey, I’m home. What are you doing?”

Lexi dropped her backpack with a thud in the driveway of the open garage.

“We’re looking for the missing boxes.”

Maggie’s face flushed as though she’d been caught doing something wrong, though last time she checked, staring at a good-looking man was not a sin.

“I want to help,” Lexi said, moving toward an open box.

“Look what I found.” Maggie handed the drawing to Lexi. “Thought you might want this.”

Lexi’s gaze lingered, and Maggie’s heart ached at the darkness that passed over her daughter’s face. The past would only hurt her more, and Maggie wondered what they were doing in here, trying to unearth it.

Chapter 6

Another few seconds and Jack would have had to apologize to Lexi, and not the other way around.

For kissing her mother.

First, Maggie had dressed like a beekeeper, wearing gloves and a long sleeved shirt to sort through boxes. Seemed like overkill. But she’d really had his attention with the spider dance. The woman appeared to be deathly afraid of spiders, and she’d tossed that wavy mane of hair around like a white flag.

He’d tried to help but didn’t expect her hair to feel like spun silk in his hands. Or to enter a staring contest, but he’d been taken in by those eyes. His hand had touched that porcelain skin, and unable to break away, he’d stood and stared like a fool until Lexi’s voice broke the trance.

The hours continued to pass with only occasional breaks for the iced tea Maggie offered, and before either of them realized it, dusk had arrived. And according to every box that he offered to Maggie for perusal, they hadn’t found any of the missing items.

“I owe you dinner for all this work you’ve done,” Maggie said.

He remembered the lasagna, and hungry though he was, he couldn’t handle more of Maggie’s cooking.

“You don’t need to go to any trouble for me.”

Behind Maggie, Lexi eyed him, a smirk on her face. Did she really think he would criticize her mother’s cooking and hurt Maggie’s feelings?

“It’s no trouble.” Maggie smiled.

“I can grill,” Jack offered.

Today had been a warm spring day, and summer cookouts seemed just around the bend. And even though his mind told him he should get home and prepare to fight sleep again, his body kept him tethered there.

“You don’t have to do that.” Maggie shook her head.

“I really don’t mind,” he said.

“Well, I think I have some steaks,” Maggie said.

“I want hotdogs,” Lexi said.

He followed them inside through the house to the outside patio filled with green potted plants hanging from hooks. A placard read:

One is nearer to God’s heart in the garden than anywhere else on earth.

Maybe Maggie couldn’t cook a lick, but she did have a green thumb.

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