Welcome Home, Bobby Winslow. Christyne Butler

to the police academy.”

      “After you up and disappeared from your glamorous life in New York?”

      He knew about that? Not that her career in high fashion was a secret, nor was her sudden retirement.

      At one time she’d been one of the highest-paid models on the circuit with either her face or body gracing a different magazine every month. She’d split her time between New York, Paris and Milan, walking more than a million miles on the runway and posing for a hundred different shots in the quest for the perfect angle, the perfect composition, until that one day when she’d been too perfect and paid a horrible price.

      Bobby tilted his head to one side and Leeann realized he was waiting for an answer. “What was your question?”

      “Did you cut your hair after you left New York?”

      Technically, no, but thanks to her aunt she’d left the city the same night she’d hacked off the horrific reminder of what that maniac had done—

      “Yes.”

      “So …” He dragged out the word, and tilted his head in the other direction. “How long have you been deputy sheriff?”

      “Three years.”

      Bobby sighed. “You know, this would go a lot better if you gave me more than one- or two-word answers.”

      Crossing her arms over her chest was a purely defensive move, but she did it anyway. “What would?”

      “Catching up. Getting to know each other again. It has been a few years since we’ve talked.”

      Fourteen years to be exact, but between the memories and his cutting remark from yesterday, she was quickly turning into a swirling mass of hurt and confusion, and she hated that. “Funny, I was under the impression you’re not interested in anything I have to say.”

      That shut him up.

      “What? No quick comeback?” She dropped her arms, suddenly very tired. “You didn’t seem to have a problem putting me in my place yesterday. You must be losing your touch.”

      “I’m sorry, Lee.” Bobby ran his fingers through his hair, pushing the dark strands off his face. He swayed for a moment, but adjusted his stance and kept talking. “I was a jerk and I can’t even give you a good reason why. Zip and I had been on the road for over a week. I was in pain from sitting for twelve hours, pushing us to get here. Then of all the people to run into, barely over the county line … hell, maybe I am trying to give you a reason.”

      His quiet words surprised her, causing Leeann to look at him, really look at him, seeing for the first time the tension in the lines around his mouth, the stiffness in his upper body.

      It was evident he’d lost weight since his accident, but dressed in dark jeans and a black, short-sleeved collared shirt with his racing logo over his heart, he looked every inch the rich and famous stock car driver/celebrity/commercial spokesman he was.

      Only at this moment he wasn’t any of those things.

      He was Bobby Winslow.

      A boy who’d been her friend, her first love. And at one time, the most important person in her entire world.

      “I’m sorry, too.” The words fell from her lips, and the pain in her chest she’d blamed on her run eased. “I didn’t expect—even with the house and all the rumors—I think I was as surprised to see you yesterday as you were to see me.”

      His mouth rose into his familiar grin that always brought a devilish glint to his eyes. “So, is this a truce?”

      “How about we just start over?”

      “Sounds good to me.” He stuck out one hand. “Hi. I’m Bobby Winslow.”

      Leeann stared at his tanned skin and long fingers. She’d bet his palm would still hold the same familiar calloused feel that spoke of years of hard work and manual labor.

      It wasn’t as if she avoided all human contact since—well, it wasn’t, but over the years she’d cultivated a natural evasion to being touched.

      Her fingers tingled at the prospect, but she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. “Ah, I don’t think we need to go back that far.”

      “Okay.” Bobby dropped his hand and turned to look out over the pond. “You know, I thought about this place a lot over the years. Nice to know it’s still as beautiful as ever.”

      “That’s why I couldn’t part with it.”

      He glanced at her, but then focused again on the water. “I’m sorry about your folks.”

      “Thanks, but that was a long—” She paused, the carefully segregated memories of her parents’ death in a car accident and the horrific events of six months later tried to unite, but she mentally severed the connection and continued, “A long time ago.”

      “Your Aunt Ursula’s still in town, right? Got her fingers in everyone’s business as well as their hair?”

      Leeann smiled. “Yes, she still has her beauty shop.”

      “I always liked her. It must’ve been nice to have her around after the fire,” Bobby said. “You know, I was surprised when I found out you’d finally put the house and land up for sale. It stood empty for so long.”

      “I guess that makes us even,” she said. “I was surprised when I found out the company buying it, B.W.I., stood for Bobby Winslow Incorporated.”

      “And yet you went through with the sale.”

      She’d had to no matter who the new owner was, but it wasn’t her place to share the reason. “The final papers had been signed by the time I found out.”

      “Meaning you wouldn’t have gone through with it if you’d known I was the buyer?”

      Would she have backed out? Leeann honestly didn’t know the answer to that question.

      “Do you plan to build your own place here?” he asked, filling the silence.

      Making them neighbors? The words hung unspoken in the air.

      Leeann shook her head. “No, I never thought about that. As you know, there isn’t even an access road to this place. Besides, I like my house in town.”

      “Yeah, I never knew you and Mom lived on the same street.”

      Bobby moved beside her and even through her windbreaker, she could feel the natural warmth radiating off his body. Trapped between him and the water’s edge, Leeann inched closer to the water, her sneakers sinking into the mud as she put more space between them. “I guess we keep on surprising each other. Like the fact Val wasn’t with you yesterday.”

      “She was so supportive after my accident, never leaving my side, always encouraging me.” He paused, then smiled. “Or kicking my butt, whichever tactic I needed at any given moment. Once I knew I was being released from rehab, I sent her and Paula, the head nurse who’d been assigned to my care for the last few months, on a three-week European cruise.”

      “I’m surprised she agreed to go. Val was so worried about you. I found her in her driveway, close to tears and unable to even lift her suitcase into the truck of her car.” Leeann kicked at a rock, watching it plop into the water. “Once I calmed her down, I took her to the airport. I even promised I’d keep an eye on her garden while she was gone. Of course, neither of us knew she would be gone this long …”

      Leeann realized Bobby had stopped walking. She turned to look at him and saw an emotion on his face she couldn’t read.

      “Have you?” he asked.

      “Have I what?”

      “Taken care of her garden?”

      Leeann smiled. “Of course. I weeded and watered, cut the flowers and harvested the veggies. Pretty soon I’ll be