A Small-Town Girl. Shelley Galloway

around here anytime soon.”

      Cary knew that to be true. Lane’s End had just two elementary schools, one junior high and one high school. It was small town all the way. The only time administrators left their positions was when they died or retired, and Evan Miller, the principal of Lane’s End, was years away from either. “When’s he supposed to hear something?”

      “Any day.”

      “Thanks for the update.”

      “So…food?”

      “Yeah, sure. I’ll meet you at the Cheyenne Shack in about an hour.”

      Dave grinned. “Good.” He looked as though he was about to say more when Melissa stuck her head in.

      “Uncle Cary, you still going to the game tonight?”

      “Yep. You cheering tonight?”

      Melissa laughed. “Of course. See you there.”

      Cary raised a hand in goodbye as she flashed him a smile before disappearing.

      “You’ve got to stay at LEHS,” Dave said when they were alone again. “The whole student body loves you. You’re the most popular teacher on campus.”

      “Pretty impressive for a math geek, huh?”

      Since he and Dave had known each other since their own high school days and had even roomed together in college, his friend rolled his eyes. “Too impressive for you,” he retorted. “See you at the Shack.”

      “GIVE ME AN L! GIVE me an A! Give me an N!” a peppy blonde with the loudest voice in the world screamed to the filled-to-capacity gymnasium. Obediently the crowd called out the letters in unison, most waving black-and-gold pom-poms.

      “This is giving me a headache,” Gen told Sam Clark as they passed the exuberant cheerleaders and made their way up the stands. “I can’t believe you conned me into coming.”

      “Conned you? This is the biggest thing going tonight. Lane’s End’s basketball team hasn’t done this well in years. If we win tonight and the next game, we’re in the play-offs.”

      “I know. I’m excited for the kids, too. And the whole town. It’s just a little overwhelming.”

      “For you?” Sam looked surprised. “And here I thought our newest member of the force was invincible.”

      Gen laughed at Sam’s exaggeration. Sam was one of the few members of the force who hadn’t closed ranks against the new female officer. Instead he’d done his best to be available for all of her questions. They’d hit it off so well, when he’d asked if she wanted a lift to the game, she’d said yes. Sam’s girlfriend, Meagan, lived in Dayton, so he was a perfect date for Gen—a friend who wasn’t interested in anything more.

      Sliding down the bleacher, Gen said, “I have to admit I would have been perfectly okay hearing all about it in the paper tomorrow.”

      “Not half as fun. Besides, think of this as your civic duty. Half the town is here,” Sam said as they claimed one of the last empty spots. “It’s a great time to meet new people and socialize. Before you know it, you’ll feel like you’re a part of the community.”

      Gen doubted it would be easy. She’d always felt a little apart from everyone, but the distance was almost comfortable. It was a lot easier to depend on herself than on other people.

      As a cheerleader dressed in a furry Lions costume appeared and everyone went nuts, Gen figured Sam had been right. It did seem as if half the populace was crammed into the high school gym. As she scanned the crowd, Gen recognized a few of the faces. There was the chief of police. The mayor. Her new vet. Cary Hudson.

      Her pulse sped up as she spied him smiling at a mom and two toddlers.

      Surprised at her reaction, Gen tamped it down with effort. Of course Cary was there. Hadn’t he admitted how excited he was about the play-offs? Besides, some of his students were probably on the team.

      Narrowing her eyes, she had to admit he looked just as handsome from across a gym floor as he had sitting across a table from her. A sharp feeling of regret stabbed deep as Gen realized she should’ve asked for his number or passed on her e-mail address.

      Though by the looks of things, it didn’t seem as if he needed another friend. No, the guy was swamped with attention, talking to five or six people at the same time. Two men about his age sat on one side of him; high school kids flanked his right side. Genevieve couldn’t resist grinning. Dressed in a black long-sleeved T-shirt, he looked relaxed and happy.

      She was just about to turn away when he glanced across the sea of people and caught her eye. When he raised a hand in greeting, she did the same.

      “Who are you waving at?” Sam asked.

      “The guy in the long-sleeved black shirt. Cary Hudson. He’s a math teacher here.”

      “I know Cary,” Sam said.

      “How do you know him?”

      Sam shrugged. “This is Lane’s End, remember? My sister used to date his brother. Cary’s a nice guy.”

      “He sure looks popular.”

      “He is, I guess. Cary’s one of those people who just seems content, you know? Never seen him flustered.” Sam nodded to a couple sitting two rows down before continuing. “His dad was a minister. Did you know that?”

      “No. I just met him the other day.”

      “Well, Paul Hudson was pastor at the Church of Christ for almost three decades before he passed away. Cary’s brother, Dean, is a financial advisor. He and his daughter, Melissa, live right next door to Cary in their parents’ old house.”

      “That’s pretty unusual, two brothers living side by side.”

      Sam nodded. “From what I’ve been told, it works out well. Dean’s wife took off when Melissa was just a baby, so Cary watched her during summer breaks.”

      Gen wished she had that kind of close relationship with Margaret. But more distanced them than miles. For most of her life, Gen had been career-oriented, doing her best to achieve recognition as a cop, while Meg was a wife and mother to three kids. It was what Meg had always wanted since getting her first doll. Those goals had seemed to divide them. Gen wondered if they could ever find common ground.

      Gen peeked over at Cary again, but he was gone. Curious, she scanned the crowd, but it was hard to find anything in the sea of black and gold.

      Then she spied him walking toward her up the narrow passage in between the rows of bleachers. As he approached, her stomach clenched. The feeling was awkwardly familiar—she’d felt the same way standing outside her captain’s office.

      Cary, on the other hand, looked as though he had no such qualms at all. He was working the crowd like a seasoned politician, greeting everyone by name, shaking hands, joking with a crowd of boys who’d sprayed their hair bright yellow for the game.

      “Well, speak of the devil,” Sam murmured.

      “Yeah. Speak of the devil.”

      “Hey, Sam. Hey, Gen.” Pointing to the Lane’s End Lions sweatshirt Sam had given her, he said, “Looks like you’ve finally caught the fever, too.”

      “I’ve caught something,” she murmured just as Sam trotted down the bleachers to “socialize,” leaving his spot to Cary.

      “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

      “Not at all.” Eyeing some kids eating candy bars two rows down, she said, “I was just sitting here, wondering if I needed to get myself a Snickers bar.”

      He laughed as he sat down next to her. “I’d offer you one, but all I’ve got is a pack of Big Red.”

      “You offering?”

      Pulling out a stick of gum,