that face of hers, Lucas mused, trying to listen to Katie’s words and not get lost in her beauty.
This morning that hair of hers, that gorgeous silky hair that made him itch to slide his hands through, was in a bit of disarray and looked as if it were about to tumble off its perch atop her head. Why she didn’t just pull out the pins and let it free was a mystery. Her hair was one of her most attractive features. Along with her eyes, her lips, her face. Lucas sighed. And of course that gorgeous, ultra-sexy body that today was clothed in her usual crisp, pressed jeans and white blouse.
“One morning shortly after I got married, I opened the front door to get the morning newspaper and found Aunt Gracie standing on the front porch in her nightgown, barefoot,” Kate said.
“Was she hurt?” Lucas asked with a frown, grateful he’d managed to follow the conversation, even though just being near Katie distracted all rational thought.
Katie shook her head. “No. She wasn’t hurt, but I was running in a marathon that day. Aunt Gracie refused to come in the house, refused to go home, refused to do anything until I promised her I wouldn’t run that day. She just kept saying it would jostle the boy and make him mad.”
“The boy?” Lucas repeated with a confused frown.
“Yep. The boy.”
“And you thought…what? That she’d gone round the bend?” Lucas asked with a warm smile, and Katie nodded.
“Right. It just didn’t make any sense to me and I didn’t know what boy she was talking about, but I couldn’t run, not when she was so upset about it.” Katie shrugged. “I kind of dismissed it until the following week—when I fainted dead away in the butcher shop while shopping for dinner. I scared poor Mr. Hensen half to death. Thankfully, Dr. Robsen was having lunch in the diner and someone ran to get him. By the time I came to, I was looking up at half the town, who were grinning like loons because Dr. Robsen had told everyone his diagnosis before I’d even woken up.” She laughed at the memory. “Aunt Gracie really got a kick out of that and told Dr. Robsen he was a little late, that she’d already told me I was expecting a baby boy the week before, which was news to me. But I guess in her own roundabout way Aunt Gracie did tell me I was expecting a boy. I just didn’t connect the dots.”
“Ahh,” Lucas said in acknowledgment. “That’s the boy she was talking about?”
“Yeah, turned out it was Rusty,” Katie admitted with a chuckle. “But let’s just say Aunt Gracie’s version was subject to interpretation, or maybe translation is a better word. Anyway, she couldn’t understand why I was so surprised at the news since she thought she’d already told me, but since I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about at the time…” Katie’s voice trailed off and she shrugged. “I don’t do…gibberish very well I’m afraid. So since then, like I said, I don’t necessarily believe, but I don’t disbelieve in it, either.”
“I’ll make sure to remember that.”
Aware that he was pressed for time, Katie pulled another folder loose from the pile on her lap. “These are copies of the weekly ‘Police Beat’ column the newspaper runs. Every week I meet with the police chief and we discuss any crimes or problems from the prior week.”
“I can’t imagine there’s enough crime in town to warrant one column, let alone a year’s worth.” The worst crime he’d encountered since he’d taken over was old Mrs. Hennighan forgetting which house was hers and wandering into others.
Or the local teens making a pathetic attempt to drag race down the measly two-block area that comprised Main Street.
But he hardly thought that was worthy of being written up in the newspaper.
“It’s not just to report crimes, Lucas. The column is also a tool for you to speak directly to all the residents on a somewhat personal level. I think it will help bridge the gap as you get to know people.
This morning that hair of hers, that gorgeous silky hair that made him itch to slide his hands through, was in a bit of disarray and looked as if it were about to tumble off its perch atop her head. Why she didn’t just pull out the pins and let it free was a mystery. Her hair was one of her most attractive features. Along with her eyes, her lips, her face. Lucas sighed. And of course that gorgeous, ultra-sexy body that today was clothed in her usual crisp, pressed jeans and white blouse.
“One morning shortly after I got married, I opened the front door to get the morning newspaper and found Aunt Gracie standing on the front porch in her nightgown, barefoot,” Kate said.
“Was she hurt?” Lucas asked with a frown, grateful he’d managed to follow the conversation, even though just being near Katie distracted all rational thought.
Katie shook her head. “No. She wasn’t hurt, but I was running in a marathon that day. Aunt Gracie refused to come in the house, refused to go home, refused to do anything until I promised her I wouldn’t run that day. She just kept saying it would jostle the boy and make him mad.”
“The boy?” Lucas repeated with a confused frown.
“Yep. The boy.”
“And you thought…what? That she’d gone round the bend?” Lucas asked with a warm smile, and Katie nodded.
“Right. It just didn’t make any sense to me and I didn’t know what boy she was talking about, but I couldn’t run, not when she was so upset about it.” Katie shrugged. “I kind of dismissed it until the following week—when I fainted dead away in the butcher shop while shopping for dinner. I scared poor Mr. Hensen half to death. Thankfully, Dr. Robsen was having lunch in the diner and someone ran to get him. By the time I came to, I was looking up at half the town, who were grinning like loons because Dr. Robsen had told everyone his diagnosis before I’d even woken up.” She laughed at the memory. “Aunt Gracie really got a kick out of that and told Dr. Robsen he was a little late, that she’d already told me I was expecting a baby boy the week before, which was news to me. But I guess in her own roundabout way Aunt Gracie did tell me I was expecting a boy. I just didn’t connect the dots.”
“Ahh,” Lucas said in acknowledgment. “That’s the boy she was talking about?”
“Yeah, turned out it was Rusty,” Katie admitted with a chuckle. “But let’s just say Aunt Gracie’s version was subject to interpretation, or maybe translation is a better word. Anyway, she couldn’t understand why I was so surprised at the news since she thought she’d already told me, but since I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about at the time…” Katie’s voice trailed off and she shrugged. “I don’t do…gibberish very well I’m afraid. So since then, like I said, I don’t necessarily believe, but I don’t disbelieve in it, either.”
“I’ll make sure to remember that.”
Aware that he was pressed for time, Katie pulled another folder loose from the pile on her lap. “These are copies of the weekly ‘Police Beat’ column the newspaper runs. Every week I meet with the police chief and we discuss any crimes or problems from the prior week.”
“I can’t imagine there’s enough crime in town to warrant one column, let alone a year’s worth.” The worst crime he’d encountered since he’d taken over was old Mrs. Hennighan forgetting which house was hers and wandering into others.
Or the local teens making a pathetic attempt to drag race down the measly two-block area that comprised Main Street.
But he hardly thought that was worthy of being written up in the newspaper.
“It’s not just to report crimes, Lucas. The column is also a tool for you to speak directly to all the residents on a somewhat personal level. I think it will help bridge the gap as you get to know people.
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