One look at him on the porch with his niece, looking gruff and sexy, yet kind and gentle all at once, had her thinking crazy thoughts about exploring the obvious chemistry between them. Seeing where this need took them. And it was obvious now. There was no more wondering if he reciprocated. No more other woman between them.
She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. She lifted a crystal glass, taking a long sip of cool water.
She felt a poke and glanced down into inquisitive brown eyes.
“Do you like Uncle Rafe?” Toni, the young girl she’d met on the porch, asked her.
Sara bit the inside of her cheek. “I like him a lot,” she said honestly.
“Me, too. Uncle Rafe is smart. He even gave me advice about a boy.”
“He did, hmm?”
Toni nodded. “He said guys like to feel needed and that I should pretend I need help swinging the bat in softball to get him to notice me.”
“What are you two ladies talking about?” Rafe braced his arm behind Sara’s chair and leaned closer.
His body heat nearly swallowed her whole. “Toni was telling me you gave her advice about boys.”
He grinned. “I was a little out of my element. It’s been a while since I’ve played games with the opposite sex.”
She wondered if his statement was true literally or figuratively. Since his broken engagement, had he sought comfort with other women? Or had he been alone?
“But I did my best to help out my favorite thirteen-year-old niece.” Rafe laughed.
So did Toni.
Sara found herself tongue-tied.
“Well, I have camp on Monday. I’ll let you know how it goes. Can I be excused? I’m finished eating,” Toni said, switching subjects like a pro.
“Go!” Her mother waved from across the table.
“You heard that?” Rafe glanced at his sister in surprise.
The woman nodded. “Mothers hear every question their kids ask, whether they’re paying attention or not. Sara, do you have a big family?”
“Umm, no. It’s always been just me and my father.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your mother passed away.”
Sara forced a smile, not surprised by the assumption. “She didn’t. She walked out on us when I was fourteen.”
Beside her, Rafe stiffened. “Joanne, cool it with the personal questions.”
Sara appreciated him getting protective of her feelings, but she didn’t need it.
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get to know her!” Joanne shot Sara an apologetic glance.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” Sara said, surprised that she meant it.
Though she didn’t normally discuss her personal life in public, this anything-goes attitude was a refreshing change, and she found herself wanting to answer the question. “My mother didn’t like being a cop’s wife. The danger and the panic when the phone rang while he was at work.” Sara shrugged. “It just wasn’t her thing.”
In truth, her mother probably hadn’t been able to cope with being a mother, either, as she’d taken off for greener pastures. She’d gone west to L.A. and had never looked back. Or called, for that matter. But Sara had her father, and they’d been a tight unit. Still were.
Joanne shook her head sadly. “Her loss.”
Sara shrugged. “You’re probably right.”
“If you’re finished, do you want to get going?” Rafe asked. He’d obviously had his fill of family.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
It took over half an hour to say goodbye to everyone and answer questions about how long Sara was staying and where. When Angel’s Bed-and-Breakfast came up, Rafe’s brother, Nick, stormed out of the house, the screen door banging closed behind him.
“Ignore him,” Rafe whispered, his hand on her back. “He’s going through a lot.”
Sara nodded, feeling sorry for the estranged couple. Here were two people, not cops, who couldn’t hold their marriage together. More proof not to expect happy endings and forever after.
FINALLY, SHE AND RAFE escaped and drove in his open Jeep Wrangler to his house. Though less than a mile away, she was amazed at the remote location. He drove nearly out of town, turning on so many streets she couldn’t keep track until they came to a sign marked Private Road, No Trespassing. He made a sharp turn on an unpaved road she wouldn’t have noticed on her own. From there, they drove through what felt like a forest, the road unlit and surrounded by trees and foliage.
Rafe remained quiet and focused, while she enjoyed the wind blowing through her hair and the music blasting around her. The silence between them was comfortable as always.
He finally came to a stop in front of a dimly lit house and shut off the motor.
“Well.” She spoke into the sudden silence. “This is about as remote as you can get.”
He nodded. “Just the way I like it.” He leaned an arm on the steering wheel and turned toward her. “Is your leg bothering you, or are you up to a walk on the beach?”
“I’m up for it. Light walking is good for me.”
“Okay, then.”
Together they walked the shore of the lake behind his modest home. She found it difficult not to watch his graceful stride as they strode the sandy shore.
Harder still to tear her gaze from his handsome face. “This place is beautiful. I don’t know how you could ever leave it,” she said.
He smiled. “The lake? The house? Those are hard to leave. The family? Not so much.”
The chaos and noise level earlier might have been extreme, but there was no missing how much they all cared. “They’re warm and loving. They care about you. And they’re fun!”
Kids talking over adults. Adults yelling over each other. They were a vision of a life she’d never even glimpsed growing up.
“Fun?” He stopped in his tracks, turned and placed his hand over her forehead.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Checking for fever.”
His grin did crazy things to her insides, and his touch…oh, his touch was hot, stirring up emotions and desires she’d dreamed about so often it was hard to believe they were real.
“So, tell me. Why are you here?” His husky voice spiked her body temperature even higher.
“I had to get out of the city,” she said, then told him about how the Bachelor Blogger had targeted her after he’d left, the ensuing article tying her to the murder case and the subsequent threats.