Father In Training. Сьюзен Мэллери

back door, next to the small garage where he kept his Camaro. Ever since he’d found out Sandy had bought the Michaelson place, he’d been eager for her to arrive. He could have walked the twenty or so yards between their two houses, but he’d taken the bike, because, dammit, he’d wanted to impress her.

      Sandy had been so impressed she couldn’t wait to get rid of him. He’d come on too strong. He shouldn’t have teased her. Impatiently, Kyle grabbed his jacket and helmet and headed for the back door. When had he started second-guessing himself about his behavior with women?

      He unlocked the gatehouse door, then stepped into its compact kitchen. His entire place would fit into about a third of Sandy’s downstairs, but it suited him fine. The living room was large, as was the master bedroom. There was a small study alcove off the dining room, and the bathroom had an oversize shower. He lived alone, he didn’t need any more room. He liked his house, even if it was a little quiet sometimes.

      After dumping his jacket and helmet on the kitchen table, he crossed the floor to the refrigerator next to the window. He pulled out a soda and popped the top. Before he could turn away, a faint sound of laughter caught his attention. He looked out the window. Sandy and her three kids still stood by their station wagon. Blake was carrying a bucket full of cleaning supplies. Lindsay was loaded down with brooms and mops. Sandy wrestled with a ladder that was taller than she was but that would never reach the high ceilings. They were all looking at little Nichole, who held the feather duster behind her like a tail. She pranced around the yard, scratching like a chicken looking for worms. Sandy said something and they all laughed again. Then they started toward the house.

      Nichole climbed the stairs and went inside last. The yard was empty, the laughter gone. He was alone. He told himself he should be used to the silence. But he wasn’t. He glanced at the phone. There were any number of people he could call. Any number of women. They would spend his afternoon off with him, and the night, if he asked. He didn’t, as a rule, bring women to his place. He preferred visiting them at theirs. That way, he could leave when he wanted to. He preferred to be in control. A little like Sandy.

      Had it really been fifteen years since he’d last seen her? He remembered her leaving as though it had just happened. She’d been going off to college. In his heart, he’d known she wasn’t coming back. She’d never suspected how he felt about her. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared. She had been seventeen—almost eighteen and already graduated from high school. No one had known how he’d dreamed about her.

      Kyle turned away from the window and walked into the living room. He grabbed the book he’d been reading and carried it over to the leather recliner in front of the small, stone fireplace. But instead of reading, he closed his eyes and pictured Sandy as she’d been all those years ago. What was it about her that appealed to him? She wasn’t all that pretty, at least not in an obvious way.

      Someone had once figured out that between the four of them, the Haynes brothers had dated every cheerleader in town for ten years straight. When Kyle had been old enough, he’d carried on the family tradition. He’d dated the prettiest girls, the most popular ones. But not always. Once he’d dated the class brain, just because she always tried to look superior whenever they spoke. He’d sensed something else lurking behind her glasses and quick answers. It had taken him the better part of a semester to get her to go out with him, but it had been worth it. In fact, next to his crush on Sandy, dating Melinda had been the highlight of his high school years. She’d gone off to MIT and was now working for NASA. They still kept in touch at the holidays.

      But Sandy had eluded him. He’d just been a kid of fourteen. He hadn’t known what to do with his feelings, how to tell her or what would happen if he did. And then she’d left. But he’d never forgotten. Now she was back.

      He took a sip of his soda. All this time later, the two years difference in their ages didn’t seem to matter so much. But she still wasn’t for him. She’d chosen her life, had married and had three kids. She was a widow. No doubt the next man she picked would be just like her husband. Kyle had heard that Sandy’s husband had been a professor at a prestigious Los Angeles university. Kyle knew he couldn’t compete with that. He was just a deputy in some hick town. He loved his job and he didn’t want to change it. Not that anyone was asking him to. Sandy hadn’t given him a second look. He grinned. Maybe her eyes had widened a little when he’d taken off his jacket, but so what? He knew he was good-looking. All the Haynes boys were. That and fifty cents could buy a cup of coffee. A woman like Sandy wouldn’t care about that. She would be more concerned about what was inside a man. About his character. She would want guarantees and that was one thing he’d never been able to give anyone.

      * * *

      Three days later, he stood outside washing his car. The white finish gleamed in the bright morning sunlight. He moved slowly, his brain and body not working well together after pulling a sixteen-hour shift. His replacement had gotten food poisoning, so Kyle had volunteered to stay through the night. He fought back a yawn. It didn’t used to bother him, but since hitting thirty, he hadn’t been able to pull all-nighters with the same ease. The worst part about the double shift was relaxing enough to sleep when he got home. Usually his mind was cranking along at fifty miles an hour, while his body was so tired he could sleep standing up. He’d learned that performing an undemanding physical chore allowed him to unwind so that he could get to sleep.

      He tossed the soapy sponge back in the bucket, then reached for the hose. He turned the nozzle, adjusting the spray to a light mist, when he heard voices behind him. A quick glance told him Lindsay, Blake and Nichole were walking down the driveway. Kyle continued rinsing his car.

      He hadn’t seen his neighbors since they’d first arrived. He’d been working a lot and generally trying to stay away. Sandy had made her feelings clear. If she didn’t want his help, far be it from him to impose. But he’d thought about her a great deal. And when she’d left after that first day of cleaning, he’d gone by the house to make sure the doors and windows were locked.

      “Hi, Kyle,” Lindsay said when the kids reached the split in the driveway that led to his garage. “That’s a cool car.”

      He glanced at the Camaro. “Thanks. How’s the housecleaning coming?”

      Lindsay wrinkled her nose. “Mom’s driving us crazy.”

      “Mommy’s blowing her mission,” Nichole said and smiled at him. “She said a bad word, too.”

      “Her mission?”

      “Children,” Lindsay said, then patted Nichole on the head. “You’ll have to forgive her. She’s very young.”

      Kyle thought about pointing out that Lindsay wasn’t that old herself, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. “What does she mean?”

      “The moving company left a message that they would be late delivering the furniture. The truck blew its transmission.” She moved closer to him and lowered her voice. “Mom called them and said she was going to blow more than a transmission if they didn’t get our stuff up here.” She glanced at him and swept her lashes up and down several times. “So we’re stuck.”

      “When do they think the truck’s going to arrive?”

      “In another three or four days. I don’t think it matters that much. The house is still a mess. We’re not getting a lot done.”

      “I am,” Nichole said. “I’ve got three stars.” She held up the right number of fingers. “When I get five stars, I get to buy a new book.”

      “Stars?” he asked, confused.

      “One of Mom’s attempts to keep us as organized as she is,” Lindsay said. “She’s got a chart up on the wall. Everyone has chores listed. When you complete a certain number of chores, you get a star. After so many stars, you get a reward.”

      “What’s your reward?” he asked Blake.

      The boy looked up, obviously startled that he’d been noticed. Light brown eyes peered at him through thick glasses. Except for the freckles across his nose and the shape of his mouth, Blake didn’t