Lakeside Reunion by Lisa Jordan Page B

think that’s even possible. You are the light of your mother’s life. Josie hasn’t had much of a woman’s touch since her mom left. My mamma helped care for Josie, but she passed away when Josie was a teenager. It was hard on her, on both of us. So, I understand the pain of losing a parent. Doesn’t get easier as you get older, either.” Max reached over and patted Lindsey’s knee. “I’m not trying to take your dad’s place, Lindsey. I understand your mother comes with a history. We all do. If you let me, I’d like to be your friend.”
    A lump formed in her throat. From the time she heard about her mother and Max, she wanted to hate him, resent him for trying to step into her dad’s size-twelve shoes. But now she could see why her mom fell for this guy. Beneath the silver hair, warm eyes and confidence, he seemed as caring and compassionate about family as her mother. They had a lot in common. Maybe he could make her mom happy.
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    Sweat stung Stephen’s eyes. He shut off the edge trimmer and pulled off his sunglasses. He dragged the back of his gloved hand across his forehead. The day had turned out to be warmer than he expected. His flannel shirt lay in a discarded plaid heap on the freshly mowed grass. His T-shirt was pasted to his skin.
    Good thing he ran into Graham Matthews at the hardware store. Lindsey’s granddad mentioned the roof damage on Grace’s house. Stephen made a couple of calls and managed to round up a few of the off-duty guys from the department to lend a hand with the roof. Once they patched the roof, they mowed the yard and pruned the shrubs. They took care of their own.
    Especially now that they had found Earle.
    When Ramirez’s cousin showed that picture and Stephen realized he was looking at his friend’s killer, he wanted to hunt the murderer down and rip him apart with his bare hands, slowly and painfully. As a sworn police officer, he had to follow the same laws as everyone else. Not to mention department procedures and respect other jurisdictions, no matter how much it killed him. Set the example. Uphold the honor he strived to maintain.
    But if he did find Earle, helped bring him in, maybe, just maybe that would help bridge the gap between him and Lindsey. Redeem himself in her eyes. His promises would mean something again. He wanted to tell her about the lead, give her something to cling to, but he couldn’t give her false hope. He’d wait until the time was right. When his promise to catch her father’s killer rang true.
    He hadn’t seen Lindsey since they arrived about two hours ago. Did she even know they were there? Would she think he was overstepping his bounds?
    As if she could read his thoughts, the patio door slid open. Lindsey stepped barefoot onto the cement carrying a tray with a pitcher and glasses. She tried to balance the tray to close the door. Was she crazy? She shouldn’t be walking around without shoes.
    He dropped the trimmer onto the shrubs he had been pruning and jogged over to her. He took the tray from her and set it on the wrought iron table. Grabbing one of the matching chairs, he motioned for her to sit. “You shouldn’t be walking on that cut foot. At least put on some shoes or something so it doesn’t get infected.”
    â€œThanks for your concern, but I’ll be fine. I figured youguys might be thirsty, so I made a pitcher of raspberry iced tea.” She grabbed one of the glasses, filled it with tea and then handed it to him. “How’s it going?”
    That was a loaded question. If he told her the truth, she’d run back inside and lock the door before he could finish his sentence. He drained half the glass in one long swallow and then rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth. “Same as always.”
    He was in tenth grade all over again and trying to work up the courage to ask the pretty girl to dance. Only reality was nothing like