Tool Belt Defender. Carla Cassidy

as deputy.

      “Have you given any thought to what you’d rather do if you don’t come back?” Tom asked.

      “Not really. I thought I’d take some online college classes and keep my options open.”

      “What about money? Are you okay?”

      Brittany smiled. “I’m fine. I had some savings and I’m using some of my inheritance for the deck.”

      “I figured you’d already spent all that money on shoes and purses,” Tom said teasingly and then checked his watch. “I’ve got to get out of here. If I don’t check in soon, Caleb will be sitting in my chair with his feet up on my desk.” He downed the last of his coffee and then got up from the table and carried his cup to the sink.

      Brittany walked him to her front door where he turned and touched her lightly on the tip of her nose. “You’ll be okay. Go shopping, buy yourself something completely frivolous. That’s always made you feel better in the past.”

      She watched him as he walked toward the path to his patrol car parked at the curb. She knew he meant well. All of her brothers did, but they all interacted with her as if she were the same person she’d been before the kidnapping, and she wasn’t.

      She closed the door and locked it, then returned to the kitchen and grabbed her coffee cup. She walked to the back window and stared out at the patio.

      A little over eight months ago, before she’d been taken captive, she’d been a spoiled, indulged princess. She’d loved hanging out with her friends at Harley’s Bar, a rough-and-tumble tavern that boasted live music on the weekends. She’d loved shopping and lunch out and dating men that weren’t necessarily husband material.

      She’d often been late to work, knowing that her brothers would cover for her, and living each moment without thought for the next had been her specialty.

      She wasn’t that woman anymore, but her brothers had failed to see that although her life had been spared, the immature, irresponsible girl she’d been had been killed, leaving her floundering to discover exactly who she was now.

      She rubbed her eyes, feeling the grit of exhaustion. The balloon had been gone when she’d gotten up that morning, but the sight of it had kept her awake far too long the night before. She hadn’t been able to shake a sense of foreboding that in the light of day seemed rather silly.

      She jumped as her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number, but picked it up and answered.

      “Brittany, it’s Alex.”

      His deep voice washed over her with a welcome heat and she reminded herself that he was a married man. “Hi, what’s up?”

      “I thought I’d let you know that the supplies should be delivered around noon today and if you don’t mind I’d like to be there when they drop them off.”

      “No problem. I just can’t wait for the project to be done.”

      “Then I’ll see you just before noon.”

      She hung up and smiled ruefully. It was just her luck that after everything she’d been through the first man who sparked any kind of interest in her was totally off-limits.

      Reminding herself that the last thing she needed at this moment in her life was a man, she set about making herself breakfast.

      It was about midday when she looked out her back window and saw Alex seated in one of the chairs on her patio. She opened the back door and stepped outside.

      “You should have told me you were here,” she said as he smiled at her and stood.

      “I didn’t want to bother you. They told me the delivery would be around noon, but that usually means anywhere between noon and four.”

      She waved him back down and sank into the chair opposite his and tried not to notice that he looked just as handsome today as he had the day before. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked.

      “No, thanks. I’m good.”

      He was better than good, she thought. “It’s a gorgeous day to start the project,” she said.

      He smiled. “Nothing better than a perfect spring day for a little work outside.”

      “Have you had a chance to explore Black Rock?” She just wanted to make conversation, to have a reason to remain sitting across from him and enjoy the view.

      “We’ve definitely discovered Izzy’s Ice Cream Parlor. I think it’s going to be our favorite hangout until winter comes.”

      “When winter does arrive then you’ll have to go out to Mathew’s pond on the north side of town. If the temperature is right he sets up fire barrels around the edge of the pond and half the town shows up there on the weekends to ice-skate.”

      “Sounds like fun.”

      “How’s your wife coping with small-town life?” she asked, needing to remind herself that that he was a married man and then maybe that thousand-watt smile of his wouldn’t have so much power over her.

      “Actually, I lost my wife almost two years ago. Being a single parent was part of my reason for changing careers and deciding to move here. My wife’s mother lives here and I thought my daughter could use the support of a loving grandmother.”

      “I’m so sorry,” Brittany said, knowing the simple words weren’t adequate for the depth of loss he’d suffered. Her heart went out to him. He had not only lost the woman he loved, but apparently had made the choice to leave his career behind and move because in his mind it was the best thing he could do for his daughter.

      Someplace in the back of her mind she realized this meant that Alex was a single man. Not that it mattered to her. No matter how hot he was, she just wasn’t ready for a man in her life.

      All she wanted from Alex was a deck where she could have her friends and family over for barbecues and good times. Beyond that she knew what she needed most was time to heal, and that was something she had to do all alone.

      “It’s all right,” he replied. “Time passes and life goes on. My main goal is just to make sure that Emily is okay. Emily is my six-year-old daughter.”

      Now she understood why he didn’t work weekends and worked relatively short days. “You mentioned that your wife’s mother lives here. Would I have known your wife?”

      He shook his head. “Linda never lived here in Black Rock. Her parents, Rose and Harry, moved here after Linda and I got married.”

      “Rose Tyler,” Brittany said.

      “That’s right.”

      Brittany smiled. “She’s a nice lady. She does a lot of charity work here in town.”

      “She’s the greatest,” he agreed. “And best of all she’s a babysitter who never complains about long hours.”

      “What about your parents?” she asked.

      “They live a wonderful life in Italy. They weren’t exactly what you’d call doting parents and so I knew not to turn to them when Linda died.”

      At that moment the conversation was cut short as the truck from the lumberyard arrived. Brittany stood to the side and watched as it was unloaded. The truth of the matter was she watched Alex as he helped Ed Burton from the lumberyard unload. She watched in fascination as his T-shirt stretched taut across his back with each load he lifted.

      She’d found the tidbit of information about his parents intriguing but told herself she didn’t want to know more intimate details of his life.

      Even if she were ready for a man in her life and even though she found Alex incredibly sexy, she still wouldn’t want to have any relationship with him.

      Brittany wasn’t sure she wanted children of her own. There was no way she’d want to take on somebody else’s. She still needed to