Last Seen.... Carla Cassidy

don’t know him that well. It was Mother who invited him.”

      Savannah smiled. “Big surprise. She’s always inviting strays home.”

      Breanna looked back over to Adam. He didn’t seem like a stray. In her brief acquaintance with him, he appeared to be a man who knew exactly who he was and where he was going. There was a quiet confidence about him she found intriguing, despite the fact that she had no intention of developing any kind of a relationship other than that of good neighbors.

      “Come and get a plate,” Breanna said and pulled her sister to her feet. Breanna fixed herself a plate and joined her daughter at one of the picnic tables that were scattered across the backyard.

      “Aunt Savannah said maybe she’ll take me to a movie next week,” Maggie said.

      “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Breanna replied.

      “I like the movies.” Maggie grabbed the little horse on her necklace. “I think Thunder would like them, too.”

      “Mind if I join you?” Adam stood next to the picnic table, his plate in hand.

      Breanna wanted to tell him to go sit someplace else, but of course she didn’t. “Not at all.” She wondered exactly what it was about him that set her so on edge.

      He scooted onto the bench next to her, their shoulders bumping as his scent filled her head.

      She knew then why he set her on edge, made her uncomfortable and wary. Something about the way he affected her reminded her of those first few weeks with Kurt. Adam Spencer made her feel that same rush of heat, a lick of lust that she’d never felt before Kurt…or since…until now.

      Kurt had been a disastrous mistake and so it was only natural that a man who stirred the same kind of feelings would evoke a defensive wariness in her.

      “You have a wonderful family,” he said.

      “They are very special,” Breanna replied. “I’m not sure what I would have done without them in the past five years. Being a single parent isn’t easy.”

      “I imagine not.” He frowned and focused on his food.

      “What about you? Do you eventually want a wife and children?” She assumed he was in his late twenties or early thirties. Didn’t most men of that age start to think about creating families?

      “Not me,” he said firmly. “I much prefer to be footloose and fancy-free.”

      “Your foot is loose?” Maggie eyed him with a touch of childish horror. “Does it hurt?”

      “No, honey, my foot isn’t really loose. That’s just an expression.” Adam smiled at Maggie. “My feet work just fine.”

      “Rabbits’ feet are good,” Maggie said after a moment of thought. “And frogs’ feet. They help jump…jump…jump.”

      As Adam and Maggie engaged in a conversation about various animals and their feet, Breanna couldn’t help but think it was a shame Adam had no intentions of becoming a father.

      He showed a natural ease with Maggie, not talking down to her or at her, but rather with her. Maybe he’s just on his best behavior and being kind and patient to the granddaughter of his host and hostess, she thought. That was the socially correct thing to do.

      She was relieved when Savannah and Jacob Kincaid joined them at the table.

      It was dusk when Breanna drove them back home. Maggie, overwhelmed by the food, fresh air and play, immediately fell asleep in the back seat.

      “Thank you for letting me ride with you today,” Adam said as they pulled out of the James’s driveway.

      “No problem,” she replied.

      “I noticed an old grill in the shed behind the cottage. If I get it out and clean it up, maybe you and Maggie could join me for hamburgers one evening next week.”

      Now was the time to draw boundaries, Breanna thought. For the time that he was renting the cottage they would share a backyard, but she had no intention of being anything more than nodding-acquaintance-type neighbors.

      “Thanks, but we usually keep pretty busy between my schedule and Rachel’s.”

      “Rachel?” In the glow of twilight his eyes appeared more silver than blue.

      “Rachel is my live-in nanny,” Breanna explained. “She has been my helping hand ever since I hired her two years ago.”

      “Must have been hard to find somebody to trust to live in your home and caretake for your child,” he observed.

      “Rachel was special from the first moment I met her. She came into the police department to file a complaint against an old boyfriend who was stalking her. I took the complaint and could immediately tell she was bright, good-hearted but had made the mistake of hooking up with the wrong kind of man.” Breanna turned into her driveway, shut off the car engine then turned to Adam. “Having made that mistake myself, I instantly empathized with her.”

      “What happened with her and her boyfriend?” Adam asked.

      “He caught up with her one night and beat the hell out of her, used a knife to cut up her face. He’s now serving time and Rachel and I have become best of friends.”

      Adam reached out and placed his hand on her forearm, his gaze so intense it momentarily seemed to stop her heart. “You said you’d made the same mistake…your ex-husband…he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

      His hand was warm, filled with energy and far too pleasant against her cool skin. She moved and he drew back his hand as if surprised to have found himself touching her.

      “You want to know if my ex-husband beat me?” she asked. “Absolutely not. He knew better than to ever lay a hand on me.” She was vaguely surprised by the bitterness that rose in her voice with each word. “You asked if he ever hurt me? He promised undying love and fidelity. He played at building dreams, then he broke the promises and shattered the dreams. Did he hurt me? Unbearably…irreparably.” She threw open her car door. “And now I’ll just say good night.” She got out of the car and slammed her door, surprised by the depth of emotions the conversation had stirred.

      “Breanna,” he said as he got out of the car. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”

      As quickly as it had swept over her, the anger died. She drew a deep, calming breath. “No, I’m sorry. I’m afraid talking about my ex puts me in a bad mood. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

      She opened the back car door, unbuckled her sleeping daughter and pulled her up and into her arms, then closed the door.

      “Would you like me to carry her inside for you?”

      “No, thanks. I’ve managed on my own for the past five years. I can manage to get her inside under my own steam. Good night, Adam.”

      “Good night Breanna,” he replied. He turned and walked across the grass toward the cottage.

      It took Breanna a moment at the door as she shifted her daughter’s weight from one hip to the other so she could free up a hand to dig her keys out of her purse.

      Once inside she carried Maggie directly to bed. She took off the little girl’s socks and shoes, then drew the sheet up around her and kissed her on the cheek.

      She went back downstairs where she found a note from Rachel. The picnic with David had been a success and they had gone to the movies. She would be home later.

      Breanna smiled as she read the note. She was glad things had gone well at the picnic. Rachel deserved happiness and love in her life.

      She set the note aside and put a kettle of water on the stove for tea. She loved Sunday nights. Sundays and Mondays were her favorite days and nights because she was off duty. She didn’t have to be back at work until Tuesday afternoon.

      The phone rang and she picked