Page 52 of Critical Strike

Sheila glanced over at her. “And you? Do you appreciate Luke the way he is?”

“Luke was my hero when we were kids. He looked after me when we were in the group home together. I guess he’s still my hero.”

Sheila smiled a mother’s knowing smile. “He’s always been very protective. It’s his nature. It’s easy to see he’s protective toward you, even more than normal. He cares about you.”

“I care about him, too,” Claire whispered.

“He doesn’t talk much about his life before us. We know about Skyline Park, of course, and what a terrible place it was before it got shut down. I’m sorry you were there. I hope it wasn’t too bad.”

“It would’ve been much worse if it hadn’t been for Luke.” She forced herself to look Sheila in the eye in spite of her nervousness and the sense of being judged by a protective mother. “I don’t want to complicate his life. I want him to be safe and happy. I don’t know how much you know about how we ended up in each other’s lives again, but the last thing I want is to complicate things for him.”

“I believe you.” Sheila pointed to the turnover Claire was working on. “Make sure that seal is tight or the juice will run out.”

And that was that. Sheila seemed satisfied, and Claire had the sense of having passed a test—maybe the most critical test she’d ever taken.

BYEVENING,it was just the two of them. Clinton and Sheila had gone home, but not before Sheila made sure they had plenty of food for a few days and a clean cabin to stay in. “Take care of each other,” she’d whispered in Claire’s ear as they hugged goodbye.

Luke certainly looked and sounded like he was well taken care of as he finished his third turnover. “She taught you well,” he groaned, patting his belly. “Too well. I might end up popping the button off my pants after this dessert.”

“Your parents are amazing. It’s easy to see how you boys turned out so well. You got so lucky.”

“We did.” He took her hand and slid his thumb over the knuckles. “I wish you had, too. I want you to know that. I’ve been wondering ever since we got here and found my parents if you were thinking about how our lives diverged.”

“If you’re asking whether I’m jealous or not, the answer is no.” She meant it with all her heart. She would have never held Luke’s good luck against him. “I want the best for you. That’s what it’s all about, right? And you got the best, no doubt.”

He pulled her in for a kiss. “I sure did.”

If her first full day at the cabin had been something out of a sitcom, the next two days were a happy dream—an idyllic, perfect little dream full of nature’s beauty and peace. The joy of being together, of making love all through the night and sleeping in each other’s arms.

There was fun, too. Like when Luke took her fishing, knowing she didn’t have the first clue about it. “Wait. You mean I have to stick the hook through the worm?”

“How did you think this went? I’m genuinely curious.”

“I thought I went to the store and whoops, there was fish in the case. Can we not, I don’t know...drag a net through the water and see what we pick up?”

“I mean, we could,” he offered as he hooked a worm, “but that would take a lot of time. And, you know, a boat. We can fish from the banks. But hey, at least we’ll have the fun of cleaning the fish we catch. Aren’t you looking forward to that?”

Only the fact that she caught twice as many trout as he did made the day salvageable. That, and the company—the stories he told and the way his entire demeanor changed as he relaxed. She had no doubt he was still on guard, that his skilled gaze took in everything around them and processed it for signs of trouble, but he did his best to be in the moment with her.

She couldn’t have loved him more if she tried.

This might be their life one day. She reflected on that while they sat together on the porch, side by side in rocking chairs. There was peace and quiet, the sort of quiet that settled on a person’s heart and spread all through them, making everything a little sweeter. A little better.

And he might be hers. For always. If he wanted to be.

She had the feeling he did, and it made her heart swell with pride and hope. If they could only think about that right now...if only there wasn’t so much in the way.

“What are you thinking about?” He turned to her with a smile, amber light all around his head cast from the setting sun. He looked like the angel he’d always been to her.

“How sweet this is. How I needed this.” She let out a long sigh, gazing out over the lake. “How I would love to come back here someday...when I’m not afraid anymore.”

His hand closed over hers, giving her strength. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

“Luke...”

“I know it’s easy for me to say, but I’m in this for the long haul. Whatever it takes. You have me, and you have my brothers. You have Sheila and Clinton Patterson at your back. In case you couldn’t tell, they’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“You don’t need to tell me that.” She laughed. “Anybody who could keep you boys in order has my full confidence.”