Page 3 of Always My Love

“You didn’t hear it from me, but on Christmas day, I took Hannah and Wyatt down to the station. Harper wanted to make sure that Lisa, Wyatt’s crazy ex, got a proper Christmas meal. She took her a massive plate of leftovers, including pie.” He shook his head. “It’s nice to be back home. One thing is certain, everyone in Pride is nice right down to the core.” He leaned back. “How about you? Tired of small-town living yet?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s nice. Though it does take some getting used to. Everyone wanting to know everything about you,” she admitted.

Nick’s eyebrows rose for a second, then he nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been back in town for a few years. It’s hard when they ask me about my time away. Not something I want to open up about, you know, being in the military.” He shrugged then turned his head slightly. “Tom over there moved here about two years back. When he first got here, he was a hard nut to crack. Then he started seeing my sister, Kate,” he added with a smile.

They both looked over to where the happy couple were snuggling in the booth while they waited for their dinner. Nick turned back towards her.

“Now they both seem happier. Tom especially, since his past is out in the open.” He shook his head. “Watching your father murder your brother and mother must have been so hard as a kid. But it made him the man he is today. The man that’s making my sister happier too.” Nick chatted on happily, unaware of how uncomfortable the conversation was making Harper, who had turned away to pour a few drinks. “He’s a damn good cop because of his past. I’m thankful to have him as a brother-in-law.”

“What about you?” she asked, needing to keep the conversation away from herself at any cost. “What made you become a cop?”

His eyes darkened and he turned around to scan the room, as if he was looking for some unseen threat. When he turned back to her, the darkness in his eyes was gone and he shrugged, as if trying to pass off the emotions she’d just witnessed.

“This and that.” His eyes ran over her. “How is the remodeling project up at your place going?”

She turned away again, a knee-jerk reaction to him knowing about the work she and Hailey were doing.

“It’s a small town. Buck at the hardware store mentioned that you and your sister had been in there a lot since moving into town,” Nick explained as he leaned on the counter.

She relaxed or at least tried to appear to relax. “It’s going.” She wiped the countertop since she didn’t have any other orders or customers.

He watched her for a moment. “I wasn’t going to eat dinner here but…” He sighed. “I guess go ahead and order me up a burger.”

“Your usual?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

He nodded and then turned as a group of teenagers rushed through the front door of the restaurant. They were being really loud and, after they knocked a chair over, Nick walked over to have a talk with them. He was so quiet, Harper couldn’t make out what he said to them, but when he returned to sit at the bar, the group had quieted down.

“You have a way with them,” she pointed out.

It wasn’t the first time she’d seen him work nor the first time he’d gotten unruly patrons to quiet down. He’d even hauled out a couple of the regular drunks that frequented the bar a few times. He was a good cop. Even if she hated cops.

Nick looked slightly embarrassed at her praise.

“I was a kid once,” he said, and took a drink of his soda. “Hell, most people in Pride remember how unruly I was as a teenager.” He shrugged.

She wanted to ask him again why he’d become a cop, but she knew all too well that questions flowed both ways. And it didn’t seem like he wanted to talk about himself either.

Instead, she kept the conversation light and gossiped about other people in town. They weren’t telling each other anything real about themselves, and that was just fine by Harper.

When Nick finished eating and the evening crowd of bar-goers arrived, she felt thankful she’d made it through one more visit from the sexy cop.

He turned to leave but then stopped.

“Hey, I was wondering…” He shifted slightly, and she instantly knew what he was going to ask. You didn’t work behind a bar without knowing when a man was getting ready to ask you out.

Her standard list of reasons to reject him started playing in her mind. But then he threw her for a loop and asked, “Do you have a dog?”

“A… dog?” Harper shook her head, trying to make sure she’d heard him correctly.

“Yeah.” He leaned on the bar. “You know, a furry four-legged best friend.”

She smiled and leaned on the bar, really warming up to him for the first time. “No, do you?”

“I’m thinking of getting one,” he answered.

“What kind of dog?”

He shrugged. “The kind with fur. I’m not picky. I don’t think I’d want one of those frilly ones that ride in a purse.”