Love To The Rescue by Brenda Sinclair Page B

her possessions strewn around her home would haunt him forever.
    Last night, as happened every night, he’d relived the incident in a dream. But this time he’d encountered a faceless intruder who fired a shot at him, forcing him to return fire. And then he’d awakened drenched in sweat. His youthful looks got him assigned to work undercover in high schools for several years, and then he started working as a street cop. He loved the work so much that he’d passed up opportunities to train as a detective investigating murders. With almost twelve years on the job, he’d never fired his weapon except on the practice range.
    While his heartbeat returned to normal after waking from the nightmare, he’d recalled the strand of hair that fell across Amy’s face and the way her slim hand brushed away the tears she attempted to hide from them. He remembered the soft, lyrical cadence of her voice, and the smile that she bravely pasted on her face as she thanked him and Wilson for their thoughtfulness during the ordeal.
    He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
    For his own sanity, he needed to banish the beautiful young widow from his mind. After all, he would probably never cross paths with her again, wouldn’t have any reason to. Unfortunately, he’d met Amy MacArthur on the job. If he’d spotted her in a bar or caught a glimpse of her from across the room at a party, he could have initiated a conversation, asked her out for a cup of coffee, or lunch, or dinner. A romantic weekend alone in a deserted cabin in the woods with a roaring fire and…
    Get a grip, Robertson! What part of banish her from his mind had he missed?
    Kevin fought Friday afternoon rush hour traffic to stop at the grocery store for a few things after getting a haircut at a local mall. As he searched the aisles for peanut butter, he was distracted by the caller ID on his ringing cell phone. He turned the corner in the grocery store and rammed carts with another shopper. His head whipped up and he recognized Amy MacArthur.
    “Ms. MacArthur, I’m so sorry,” he hurriedly apologized.
    “Don’t you know it’s illegal to drive while using your cell phone?” she asked smiling.
    Kevin watched her face turn pink. No doubt her teasing question had just slipped out. “Are you going to write me up a ticket?” he countered.
    Sally Wilson’s call was totally forgotten and he stuffed his cell into his pocket. He suspected a stupid grin covered his face, and he feared the sudden rapid increase in his heartbeat might qualify as a medical emergency. Right now, he didn’t care. He would worry about cardiac arrest later.
    He attempted to remain cool under pressure, but he had an unexpected urge to wrap Amy in his arms and kiss her until her bones melted. He had genuinely missed her and no other woman had ever turned him on like she had.
    “I should force you to pay for my groceries.” Amy chuckled, her teasing manner returned, despite her brief embarrassment. “With the way food prices are climbing, a ticket would be less expensive.”
    Kevin laughed, hoping to put her at ease. “You drive a hard bargain.”
    “Thank you,” she countered.
    Amy smiled at him, and his heart skipped a beat. “Seriously, how are you doing?”
    “You’ll recall Leslie stayed with me the first night. I’m doing well.” She shifted from one foot to the other.
    Kevin couldn’t read the expression on her face. Was she nervous around him? He wasn’t in uniform, choosing jeans, sneakers, and a collared golf shirt for the trip to the mall. He hoped the fact he was a cop didn’t intimidate her. He’d heard that most women were turned on by guys in a uniform. His luck, Amy was the exception.
    A lock of hair fell across her forehead when she moved, and he leaned forward and brushed it out of her eyes before he could stop himself. She reached up at the same moment and their hands collided sending an electric current racing up his arm. He met her eyes and his heart plummeted to his