Ruth Herne - The Lawman's Second Chance

Love In Bloom

After losing his wife to cancer, Lt. Alexander Steele vowed he’d protect himself and his children from that kind of loss again. But that was before he laid eyes on Lisa Fitzgerald. She welcomes him to town and immediately connects with his shy daughter, Emma. Yet Lisa is a cancer survivor herself, and so a reminder of everything Alex and his family suffered. Will a relationship with her be too much for him to bear? With their love growing even faster than Lisa’s beautiful gardens, Alex has to decide whether he can risk his heart once more.

Knowing everything she had been through, Alex wanted her to relax over a garden. Grin at his kids. Make his daughter’s perpetual frown disappear.

He hiked a brow. “Dinner at six?”

She started to say something, then caught herself and shook her head. “Not a good idea.”

Alex stayed low-key and stretched out his single-word question. “Because?”

“You have issues with my issues. I have issues with my issues. End of story.”

She almost shouted the last comment, and that made him smile. “Good cops learn to deal with issues. And you need to eat.”

“I’m thirty-three years old, I’ve been feeding myself for a while, but thanks anyway. However, I would love to do Emma’s project. That’s it.”

Alex feigned acceptance. The best investigators knew to plant seeds of doubt, guilt or need...then walk away, hoping evidence would come to them.

With Lisa, he was willing to wait.

RUTH LOGAN HERNE

Born into poverty, Ruth puts great stock in one of her favorite Ben Franklinisms: “Having been poor is no shame. Being ashamed of it is.” With God-given appreciation for the amazing opportunities abounding in our land, Ruth finds simple gifts in the everyday blessings of smudge-faced small children, bright flowers, freshly baked goods, good friends, family, puppies and higher education. She believes a good woman should never fear dirt, snakes or spiders, all of which like to infest her aged farmhouse, necessitating a good pair of tongs for extracting the snakes, a flat-bottomed shoe for the spiders, and for the dirt…

Simply put, she’s learned that some things aren’t worth fretting about! If you laugh in the face of dust and love to talk about God, men, romance, great shoes and wonderful food, feel free to contact Ruth through her website at www.ruthloganherne.com

The Lawman’s Second Chance

Ruth Logan Herne

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

—Isaiah 41:10

For Lisa Wehrfritz Tydings and Beth Endlich, one here, one in heaven. Your battles inspired both sides of this tender story.

May God bless you and keep you in his loving embrace, always.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost I have to thank my beautiful friend Lisa Wehrfritz Tydings. Girlfriend, you went to extremes to get me firsthand info…. Next time we’ll limit our research to books, okay? To Jeff Tydings for his candor and humor and amazing belief in God. You set the bar high for any man dealing with a life-threatening illness while surrounded by four kids under eleven. You rock. To Taylor, McKenna, Nolan and Brody Tydings, the four children I’ve cared for since their births. I love each and every one of you, which is why I like to torture you… It’s what I do. Huge thanks to Lisa and Jeff’s families for allowing us to be part of their help brigade. Devoted thanks to Love Inspired Senior Editor Melissa Endlich, who encouraged my work on this book. Her warmth and wisdom helped strengthen these pages from beginning to end. The dedication tribute to her mother, Beth Endlich, is heartfelt and sincere. Regardless of circumstances, we are never ready to kiss our mothers goodbye.

Heartfelt thanks to Van Putte Gardens in Greece, whose Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Flower Campaign inspired the fictional “Lisa’s” campaign. I walked into their garden center just days after the real Lisa’s diagnosis and knew God put me there, surrounding me with pink, filling me with hope.

To the Hilton community, the Hilton Central School district, St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, Lisa’s coworkers, fellow parishioners, neighbors and friends who stocked refrigerators, drove kids and prayed unceasingly. You are wonderful people. Your help will never be forgotten. And last but never least to our amazing day-care moms surrounding Lisa, who fearlessly took up the cause to help when one of their own was threatened. The Pink Garden, the Fight-Like-A-Girl party, the T-shirts, the videos…the constant love and support (and yes, even the tears…). Lisa couldn’t be embraced by a more loving, caring, devoted group of women and I bless our time together, every single day.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

Chapter One

Lieutenant Alexander Steele turned into the parking lot of Gardens & Greens Nursery and pulled up short. Shades of pink surrounded him while huge banners proclaimed the garden center’s tribute to breast cancer awareness.

The Southern Tier investigator had three choices. Fight the bile rising in his throat, drive the car away and disappoint his ten-year-old daughter yet again, or man up and choose a parking spot.

He chose the latter and pretended to like it, but he’d been pretending for too long and the garden center’s Pink Ribbon Campaign slam-dunked his already damaged heart. Why here? Why now? He’d made the move to Allegany County not only to get away from the city, but also to escape the grief breast cancer had left behind.

Realization hit home. Spring had arrived, finally. May loomed just around the corner. That meant Mother’s Day.

Of course. He hadn’t thought of that. Was it a deliberate mistake, like so many others of late? Or was he simply bogged down with work and the task of raising three motherless kids?

“Oh, Daddy.” Emma’s gray eyes rounded as she grasped his hand. “Have you ever seen anything so beautiful in your life?”

The crush of pinks wasn’t beautiful. Not to him. Not when every ribbon, every banner, every rose-toned bloom and 5K run reminded him of what he’d lost two years before. His wife. His helpmate, appointed by God.

He’d believed that then.

He believed it now. So pardon him while he internally recoiled at memories of the killer disease that robbed Jenny of her life and him of the wife he’d had for too short a time.

“I...um...”

She looked up at him. Met his gaze. Her little hand clasped his in solidarity beyond childlike understanding. “I miss her every time I see pink flowers.”

The bile rose further. Or maybe it was just a lump in his throat, inspired by Emma’s unshed tears. But she recovered faster than he did, and tugged him forward. “We need to see what they have, find Miss Fitzgerald, then do a sketch.”

“A sketch?” The look she angled his way said he hadn’t been listening. Guilty as charged. “What sketch?”

“Of the yard, Dad.” She pressed her lips together, and pulled him to the right. “Let’s start over here.”

More pink. Great.

A teenager paused in front of them and offered a tray of sugar cookies. Cookies done in the shape of a breast cancer ribbon. Pale pink frosting outlined the loop and a dusting of rose and white sprinkles sparkled in the late morning sun. Emma accepted one with a bright smile.