The Sergeant's Secret Son. Bonnie Gardner

was the last time anyone had done that for her? She tried to scratch up some distant memory, but came up with nothing.

      Smiling, Alex gathered up the discarded sandwich wrappings and stuffed them into the bag they’d come in. “The world won’t grind to a halt if you take a break,” he said gently, then he paused. “But you might, if you don’t.”

      Macy knew she should thank him, but she was out of practice. For too long, she’d been the one in charge, the one doing for others. This was a new role, but one she could get used to.

      Alex turned. “I’ll let you get back to your patients now.”

      “Wait!” Macy called. “What about your knee?” She had to put something on the chart.

      “It’s fine. See.” He put his hands, one still clutching the paper lunch bag, out in front of him and demonstrated with several shallow squats. “It’s fine,” he said as he straightened. Then he reached for the door handle. “Oh, Macy…”

      “Yes,” she answered hopefully. Hoping for what?

      He reached toward her and touched the underside of her chin and tipped her face up to his. Macy’s pulse did double-time as she moistened her lips, anticipating…. She thought, hoped, that he was going to kiss her, but he simply rubbed the side of her mouth with the pad of his thumb and sent streams of fire racing through her veins.

      “There was a little bit of ketchup on your mouth. I figure you don’t want to advertise to your patients just what you had for lunch.” Alex grinned, then opened the door. He saluted, then stepped outside. “Later.”

      Macy stood there, frozen for a moment and angry at how her feelings had taken possession of her where Alex was concerned. Then she checked her reflection in the tiny mirror above the sink to see if her passion showed in her eyes. Certain she was presentable, she hurried into the short hallway, just in time to see Alex pause at the reception desk and flash a thumbs-up sign to Bettina.

      “Mission accomplished,” he said. Then he hurried out the door.

      Macy leaned against the doorjamb and wondered what to make of Alex’s attentions of last night and today—and her own reactions. She had been sure that what had happened that one night in Fayetteville, when they’d cleared C.J.’s apartment, had been a fluke, an aberration, but now she couldn’t help wondering.

      He must feel the pull between them. But he’s only going to be in town for a few days, she reminded herself. She wouldn’t let herself fall for him again.

      She’d always thought of Alex as a larger-than-life figure, caring nothing about anything except himself and duty. Now she wondered. She’d always seen Alex as a hero, but she’d never thought of him as a genuine, three-dimensional man. Especially when she hadn’t heard from him for five long years.

      Now his actions told a different story. But, Macy reminded herself, she couldn’t consider getting to know him better until she figured out how to tell Alex about…him.

      She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Not as long as they had any secrets between them. And wow, did she have a doozy.

      THE SUN was sinking low in the sky, and the balmy, early autumn air had taken on a real crispness. Looping his hammer over a pocket opening, Block stopped a moment to appreciate the sight of the sun as it descended toward the horizon, streaking the clouds with orange and rose as it went. He dragged his gaze from the setting sun and set his mind to the job at hand. He had only a few more shingles to place, and he didn’t want to be caught by darkness before he was finished.

      The last of Macy’s patients had pulled out of the parking lot, and the staff were leaving, one by one. He thought about this old building as he hammered the last shingle into place. When he was growing up, only the most well-off could afford to come here. He’d never been inside until last night. Judging from the assortment of patients he’d seen waiting earlier, things had changed. Changed a lot. Used to be the folks that lived on the wrong side of the railroad spur wouldn’t dare come over here unless they had cold, hard cash.

      Yet last night and today he had seen people working together who would have never as much as offered the time of day to each other a few years ago. Had the town he’d tried so hard to forget changed while he was away?

      Or had only his perceptions changed?

      A door slammed, and he looked down to see Macy heading for her car. Block’s first thought was to tease her about her long day, but her shoulders drooped and her steps dragged, and he knew that her weariness wasn’t a joke. For that matter, neither was his.

      “Goodbye, Macy,” he called.

      She looked up suddenly as if he’d startled her out of her thoughts. “Oh, Alex. Don’t you think you should come down before it’s too dark to see?”

      Block grinned. “I just have to knock in a couple more nails and I’m done. I’m right behind you.”

      She sent him a weary smile. “You be careful,” she said. “I don’t need to be called back to tend to you tonight. All I can think about right now is supper and about ten hours in bed.”

      Macy might not have realized how tantalizing that notion was, but Block did. He could think of nothing better than a night in bed with a willing woman to help relax him. No, not any woman. Macy. Who had haunted his dreams for the past five years.

      But even he knew that tonight was not going to be the night. Macy had looked dead on her feet as she’d all but collapsed into her car.

      But tomorrow would be another day.

      He pulled a couple more roofing nails out of his pocket, set them into place, and finished the job.

      NOT ONLY did Macy have sleeping on her mind as she drove home to collect her son, but she had a lot of thinking to do. So far, Alex hadn’t realized that Cory was hers. Or if he had, he didn’t care.

      And somehow she knew the man who’d been so kind and helpful today would care. Of course, the fact that she had a son might not be an issue to him. It was that other fact, the one that only she knew, that would really matter—and matter a great deal.

      In the meantime she breathed a grateful sigh that her long day was over as she pulled up in front of her house. Any other day she might linger and chat with Willadean, but today all she could think of was getting Cory home before Alex returned.

      And he could be mere minutes behind her.

      She shut off the engine, climbed wearily out of the car and turned toward Willadean’s little house. She trudged up the porch steps and wondered how she’d mustered up the energy to do that much.

      Macy rapped gently on the door and stepped inside. The smell of something delicious greeted her nose, and her mouth watered. She followed the aroma into the kitchen. Willadean stood at the stove stirring a steaming pot, and Cory sat in his booster chair, a steaming bowl of something in front of him.

      They hadn’t noticed her, so Macy took a moment to gather her thoughts then pasted a saccharine smile on her face and breezed in. “How are my two favorite people?” she said with false cheer.

      Cory swiveled around in his chair and grinned. “Mama, the ’frigerator thawded out, and me ’n’ Gramma hadda make soup so everything wouldn’t spoil!” he said excitedly.

      Macy kissed Cory on the top of his head. “Eat up, son, so we can go.”

      Willadean turned. “What’s the hurry?” she asked. “Sit down, child, and have some soup before you go home. You look plumb wore out.”

      How Macy wished she could accept Willadean’s invitation, but she was too weary to deal with anything more complicated than one small boy tonight. Any confrontations with Alex would have to wait.

      And as far as Macy was concerned, the longer, the better.

      “Cory and I checked your refrigerator and cleaned it out, so you made a donation to this soup, too.”

      “Thank