To Love a Cop by Janice Kay Johnson Page A

called just because he wanted to talk to her? “You sound tired,” she said tentatively.
    “Yeah, I’m beat. I’m about to hit the sack. I needed to let you know I can’t make it tomorrow. Would Sunday work instead?”
    Deflated, she realized that of course this was why he’d called.
    “Yes.” She made her tone bright, unconcerned. “Don’t worry. As soon as I saw the article in the paper, I guessed you would have to work tomorrow.”
    “Okay. I hope you hadn’t already gone to bed.”
    “No, I was just thinking about it.”
    “I shouldn’t have dumped all this on you. I wanted—” He went quiet.
    “You wanted?” Her voice was so hushed, it was nearly a whisper.
    “To talk to you. That’s all. Thanks for listening to me.”
    “You’re very welcome. I...kept thinking about you today.”
    “Did you?” he said huskily. “Any chance I get lunch Sunday once the backboard is up?”
    Fingers tight on the phone, she felt herself smiling. “Even if it isn’t up.”
    “Deal.” He sounded satisfied. “Ten o’clock okay?”
    “Perfect.”
    “Good night, Laura.”
    “’Night,” she murmured, and ended the call. She let her head fall back and thought again, Oh, I am in such trouble.
    But...Ethan Winter wasn’t like Matt. She did know that. They might do the same job, but they were very different men. So...it might be all right. Mightn’t it?
    He was amazing with Jake. Her forehead crinkled as she thought about that. He’d said he didn’t have kids and was divorced. Otherwise... Wow, it was a fine moment to realize how little she knew about his personal life. He lived in an apartment. His father was a US marshal whose upcoming retirement would be a relief to his mother. That was about the extent of it. What if he had a girlfriend? She might have kids.
    Not my business.
    Yes, it was. He knew so much about her. Everything. Anxiety trickled through her bloodstream at the very idea he could be the kind of man who would spend time with her and Jake and deliberately fail to mention the really significant people in his life.
    Along with something close to panic, Laura felt like a fool, because she had made some big assumptions. She could blame him for them, but she bore some responsibility, too. She hadn’t been treating him like her new best friend, whatever she’d said; she had been acting as if they were starting a relationship. One that wasn’t all about Jake, no matter what she’d told herself.
    Now she was mad, and ashamed, and— Wait. If he had a woman waiting at home for him, why would he have called tonight? And said that, about wanting to talk to her? As if...he didn’t have anyone else?
    The relief was profound. Flooded with it, she drew her knees up and bumped her forehead against them. Too many emotions, too quick. This was like being on a roller coaster, and she didn’t like it. She wanted off, but she’d probably stagger if she tried to stand up.
    She moaned before she could stop herself.
    I could fall in love with him , she thought in shock. With a man who carries a gun every day.
    A man who hadn’t carried it into her house since she’d told him how she felt.
    Matt had scoffed at her fears about his carelessness with his gun.
    Ethan, she knew without question, would listen to what she said, not belittle it. Moreover, he would never have been careless to start with.
    Still.
    He was good for Jake.
    And I can’t seem to help myself.
    As she turned out lights, got ready for bed and finally lay waiting for sleep to take her, it was Ethan she kept seeing. Ethan, with a long, utterly controlled stride, huge hands that felt so gentle when he touched her, tousled brown hair, warm eyes.
    Speculation on what kind of lover he’d make forestalled any hope of sleep. Instead, her body was rigid, tingling. Heat pooled between her thighs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this way, or so much as thought about what it would be like to go to bed with a man. Either anger and grief