Common Enemy by Sandra Dailey Page A

someone the other day that can help you out. But please don’t cut it all off. I think you’re beautiful. I have since the minute I first saw you. I just can’t believe you’d ever have anything to do with somebody like me.”
    “Connor, there’s something I think we need to talk about.” Jordan looked down to avoid his gaze. “Now that Lizzy is home, well, I don’t want her to get confused or get the wrong idea about things. She seems to be more observant than I expected. Or, maybe we’re just too obvious.”
    “You don’t have to say it. I understand. I don’t know if it’s such a good idea either. I’ll be leaving in a few weeks and it’s not going to be easy for me as it is. I’ve gotten pretty attached to both of you. But you came here to start a new life. I know I’m not part of those plans. There’s no need for me to make your life any more complicated than it is already.”
    Jordan couldn’t look at him. She was overcome by sadness. “You’re a truly wonderful person.” The statement didn’t seem like enough. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and tell him he was the most amazing man she’d ever met. She wanted to tell him that last night had been the most fantastic night of her life. But she couldn’t. He was right. It would only complicate things.
    “You know it’s Sunday and I don’t have a single thing to do,” Connor declared. “We haven’t really taken advantage of this beautiful weather, or this new landscaping. Why don’t you put together something simple for dinner and we can have a picnic right out here on the lawn.”
    “That’s not a bad idea. Lizzy would love it.” She sprang from her chair, and then paused. “You know, I’ve been meaning to get my old bike out of the barn. It’s just Lizzy’s size and it’s in pretty good shape. A little oil and air in the tires and I bet she could learn to ride it.”
    “I’ll get right on it, boss.”
    They spent the rest of the evening playing with Lizzy. They ate fried chicken and potato salad on a blanket in the back yard. Music played from Connor’s van, parked a few yards away. Lizzy wobbled up and down the driveway on the old bicycle with Connor holding on to the back of the seat. They’d found an old basketball that he taught Lizzy to toss into an empty box while her kitten, Tom, chased grasshoppers.
    “If Lizzy grows up to be like her mother, she may have a future with the NBA,” he teased.
    She and Connor didn’t speak on a personal level, but they stole glances at each other all evening.
    “I’d better get these dishes and leftovers inside while there’s still enough light to find them.” Inside Jordan put away the food and ran dishwater. She was washing dishes at the sink when a pretty song drifted through the window. It was a lullaby that played on and on. She had never heard it before, and it was lovely. Jordan wiped her hands and went back out.
    There was enough twilight to see Connor sitting in the middle of the blanket with Lizzy in his lap, a guitar lying across their legs. The song abruptly stopped.
    “You have a beautiful voice.”
    “I do okay.” He laid the guitar aside and picked up Lizzy. She had almost fallen asleep.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that song before.”
    “It’s a song my mother always sang to us.” His smile seemed sad. “I think she always wished she’d had a little girl. She used to sing it to my brother and me sometimes, though, and I guess it just stuck.”
    “Do you ever see your family?”
    “No.” His smile faded.
    “I can tell you miss them.”
    “Every day.” He carried Lizzy inside without another word.
    After Lizzy had been bathed and put to bed, Jordan went back to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Connor’s song was still playing in her head. Looking out the window, she saw the bicycle lying by the driveway. She thought about how nice the evening had been. She decided to take the bike back to the barn in case it rained during the night. A