“When?” I slap a hand over my mouth, but it’s too late. I blurted the word out like some kind of obsessed ex-girlfriend.
Ryan doesn’t miss a beat. "Tomorrow. The station's doing a community safety event at the park. Face painting, some of the trucks, the K-9 unit. It's a good thing. Kids love it. You should come.”
"Okay," I hear myself say.
CHAPTER 4
RYAN
The community safetyevent is on the lawn behind the station. It's the most people Iron Peak puts in one place all year, which is not many people, but they're ours. I've got Duke on a long lead and a stack of sticker badges in my shirt pocket.
The line of kids goes back six deep because Duke is a ninety-pound German shepherd who acts like a golden retriever when he's out of vest and every kid in Iron Peak knows it.
Right now Duke is on his back with a four-year-old rubbing his belly. He’s making a noise I'm pretty sure is meant to be a growl but is, in fact, a purr.
"He's a very serious police dog," I tell the little girl.
"He'snot." She eyes me with suspicion.
"He's extremely serious." I lower my voice to a whisper. "He's seriously a big baby. But don't tell him that. He'll be embarrassed."
The four-year-old finds this hilarious. I hand her a sticker badge and she runs back to her dad. I stand up and stretch my back because I've been crouching for two hours and I am no longer twenty-five.
Duke rolls onto his feet and shakes himself. He looks up at me with the patient expression of a dog who would like to knowwhen lunch is. "I know buddy, you’re doing a great job." I tell him with a pat on the head.
I announce our lunch break and a kiddo in line lets out a groan. But I can’t focus on reassuring him because I look up and there she is.
Cece makes her way towards me. Her long hair dances across her shoulders and she's got Birdie on her hip. Even better, she’slooking for me.I know because she stops scanning the second her eyes land on mine. She holds my stare for a full second before she remembers herself and looks away fast.
Pink climbs up the side of her neck and she flashes a shy smile that is just for me. It sends heat coursing through me and I file the look in a place I am going to pull up on repeat for the rest of my life.
"Duke," I lower my voice and whisper. "Keep your shit together. Here she comes.”
He ignores me completely and takes a detour at a bucket of ice water filled with boxed apple juice. I walk toward them and Cece watches me come. Then Birdie sees me from twenty feet out and her whole face does a thing. She points and claps when she sees Duke behind me.
She’s close enough that I can see the flecks of gold in Cece’s eyes in the daylight. She’s sexy as hell. She smells like something warm and a little sweet. I have to make a deliberate decision to look away for a second because I'm a grown man on duty and I have some dignity left.
"Man," Birdie announces to her mother.
"Yes," Cece says. "That's a man."
"Man!"
"She's got a full vocabulary," Cece tells me, apologetically. "She just likes that one right now."
"I'll take it. I’m glad you made it out. Hi, Birdie."
"Hi."
"You want to meet my partner?"
She considers this very seriously. Then she nods once, just the way she saw her mother nod. I can’t imagine what kind of a stupid son of a bitch would let these two walk out of his life.
I go down to one knee on the grass and whistle low. Duke trots over and sits exactly where I tap the grass next to me, because he knows this part.
"Birdie, this is Duke. Duke, this is Birdie. She and her mama are new. We’re going to take care of them and show them around. Aren’t we?"
Duke thumps his tail.
