Tool Belt Defender

He heard a hint of loneliness in her voice and it called to his own loneliness. “We’re not going to traipse down Main Street in a parade. We’re just going to Izzy’s for some ice cream.”

“This time I’m going to do four cartwheels in a row,” Emily yelled.

“Tell you what,” Alex continued. “If you feel somebody staring at you and you get all uncomfortable, I’ll stick an ice cream cone on my nose and cover my head with sprinkles. Trust me, nobody will be staring at you after that.”

She looked at him in surprise and then laughed. By that time Emily had rejoined them. “Did you see me do four cartwheels?”

“I did,” Brittany replied. “That was so totally awesome.”

“So are you joining us?” Alex asked, vaguely surprised at how much he wanted her to come with them.

She hesitated a long moment and then nodded. “Okay, just let me grab my purse.”

“She’s pretty,” Emily said as Brittany disappeared through her front door.

“Yes, she is,” Alex agreed.

“Do you like her?” Emily slid him a sly glance.

“I’m building a deck on the back of her house so she’s kind of like my boss right now.” The last thing he wanted was for Emily to get any ideas about a budding relationship between him and Brittany.

Since they’d moved to Black Rock Emily had learned about stepmoms and had decided it would be nice to have one. Alex had explained to his daughter that finding a perfect stepmother was more difficult than it seemed and that she shouldn’t count on it ever happening.

Brittany stepped back out the front door with her purse slung over her shoulder. “All set.”

The two of them fell into step on the sidewalk while Emily danced just ahead of them. “What kind of ice cream do you like, Brittany?” she asked.

“I’m definitely a chocolate lover,” Brittany replied.

“Me, too!” Emily exclaimed. “Daddy says he’s going to get worm-flavored ice cream today.”

“That’s gross,” Brittany replied.

Once again Emily laughed in delight. “That’s what I told him.” She fell into step next to Brittany and gazed up at her. “Since you’re daddy’s boss, maybe you could tell him that he should let me get two scoops of ice cream instead of just one.”

Brittany laughed again and Alex thought he could listen to her laugh for a long time. He was also aware of the scent of her, a clean, fresh floral with a touch of jasmine that teased his senses.

“Let’s see when we get there how much arm-twisting we need to do to get your daddy to agree to two scoops,” she said.

Emily nodded and then once again danced ahead of them along the sidewalk. “She’s a doll,” Brittany said.

“She’s far too smart for her own good, as stubborn as the day is long, but best of all she’s my heart,” he replied.

“That’s nice. Every little girl needs a father in her life.”

“Are your parents here in town?” he asked.

She shook her head, her rich dark hair gleaming in the sunshine. “My parents died a long time ago, but I have four brothers who stepped into the role of father figure and sometimes that feels like four too many,” she said ruefully.

He grinned. “One of them is the sheriff, right?”

“Yes, that’s Tom. Then there’s Jacob, Benjamin and Caleb. Right now they all work as deputies, but Benjamin is quitting in a couple of weeks to ranch full-time.”

“And from what I’ve heard you were also a deputy at one time.”

“Before the incident.” Her voice held a slight edge of stress. The incident—such pitiful words to use to describe what she’d gone through.

“It’s been a beautiful day, hasn’t it?” He quickly changed the subject. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin this time with her by discussing something she didn’t want to talk about. “Emily and I spent the afternoon planting flowers along the walkway to our front door.”

“We got flowers with a name like what my daddy sometimes calls me,” Emily quipped. “Impatients.”

Brittany laughed again and Alex could tell she was relaxing with each minute that passed. There was something tragic about a woman who had lived through what she had and wound up being afraid to leave her own house because of the whispers and stares of the other people in town.

“Once you have my deck up I intend to plant flowers everywhere in the backyard,” she said. “I want that deck to be the prettiest place on the planet.”

“Then I’ll have to make sure that I’m on top of my game and give you a deck that will be the envy of everyone in town,” he replied.

By that time they’d reached Izzy’s. The ice-cream parlor was a small shop with half a dozen small round peppermint-pink tables inside and a long refrigerated counter displaying almost every flavor of ice cream imaginable. Much to Alex’s mock dismay and Emily’s giggles, they had no worm-flavored.

They were the only customers inside, and once they’d ordered and been served the three of them sat at a table near the window where the last of the day’s sun was visible, slowly sinking lower onto the horizon.

The conversation centered on the merits of ice cream and the variety of flavors available. Brittany was good with Emily, talking to her with an easiness and respect that Emily responded to in the same way.

There was no question that he was drawn to Brittany. Her thick, shiny hair begged him to tangle his hands in it, her plump lips seemed to ask for a kiss and that scent of her half dizzied him with a simmering desire to seek its source.

He didn’t know if his reaction to her was just a manifestation of his loneliness. Or maybe he was drawn to her because she seemed so different from his wife. A core of inner strength shone from Brittany’s eyes, a strength he found vastly appealing.

“This was nice,” Brittany said as they left Izzy’s and began the short walk home. Twilight had fallen and night shadows were beginning to creep in.

“I’m glad you came with us,” he replied.

“Me, too,” Emily added. “I think you should come with us every time we go to get ice cream.”

Brittany smiled at her. “That’s just because you got two scoops with me along.”

Emily giggled and then sobered a bit. “But I also like you because you’re really pretty and you make my dad smile really big.”

Alex felt his cheeks warm and tried to find something to say, but Emily wasn’t finished yet. “Did you know my mommy is in Heaven?” she asked Brittany.

“Yes, your daddy told me that,” Brittany replied.

“Do you think there’s ice cream in Heaven?”

Alex saw a whisper of compassion in Brittany’s eyes at Emily’s question. She stopped walking and crouched down to Emily’s level.

“I’d like to think there’s ice cream in Heaven. You know, my mommy died, too. Maybe your mommy and mine are having ice cream together right now.”

“That would be good,” Emily replied with a little smile. “Now, watch how I can jump the cracks in the sidewalk really fast.” She raced ahead of them, her pigtails dancing.