His Small-Town Family

There was no explanation she could think of for his odd behavior. Maybe he didn’t like children. Or maybe he’d lost a child and seeing Sadie had reminded him of his loss. Had she made another foolish mistake in hiring him? Maybe her mother was right after all. He’d provided only the barest of information on his job application. Social Security number and a birthdate that made him thirty-three as of a few months ago.

He’d listed his college, but not his degree. Why wouldn’t you want people to know what you’d done before? Maybe he had a criminal past. She should have done a background check on him first. She thought back to all the times her husband had kept secrets from her. She’d ignored her instincts and paid a huge price for it.

Brad had always made her feel off balance and uncertain. She didn’t get the same sense from Ethan. She snuggled Sadie a little closer against her. “I don’t think there’s anything sinister about Ethan, do you, sweetheart?” Mysterious maybe, and private, but she always felt safe around him. Something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She told herself to forget the incident. But she couldn’t dismiss the darkness she’d seen in his eyes.

With her daughter fed and happy, she put her down for tummy time, adjusted the volume on the baby monitor, then went out into the store. The bell hadn’t jingled once in the past forty-five minutes. But business was always slow on Mondays. Today that would work to her advantage. She wanted to have this sale set up and the sign posted. Maybe she could lure some bargain hunters in before the store closed.

As always, Ethan had completed his work. The lower shelves had been removed, and the tables were in place. All she had to do was put out the merchandise and pray it would sell quickly.

Taking the roll of tape and a pair of scissors from the drawer at the sales counter, she carried the long, colorful sale sign she’d dug out earlier and moved to the old-fashioned raised display window, using a small stool to step onto the platform. The sign was bulky and awkward. She was struggling with the tape when the bell chimed and Debi walked in.

“You having a sale?”

Nicki lowered the sign and nodded. “Yes. A clearance sale. I’ve got to get rid of all this old stuff so I can bring in new merchandise. Things people go to Sawyer’s Bend or Jackson for. I want to keep them here in Dover.”

Debi’s smiled brightened. “Sounds like a good idea.”

Nicki stepped down from the window and sighed. “But first I have to put up this sign and I can’t reach it.” She laid the sign and tape on the shelf. “I’ll have to have Ethan do it when he gets back from lunch.”

“Ethan?” Debi’s eyebrows arched.

“The guy I hired Saturday.”

Debi went still, her gaze directed toward the back of the store. “You mean him?”

Nicki looked around and saw Ethan approaching. As he came closer, she noticed his stiff shoulders and unreadable expression. He was suppressing his emotions. Something she was familiar with. Had seeing Sadie caused that, or had something else happened? She forced a smile, then introduced Debi. Ethan nodded, keeping his hands at his sides.

“Do you need help with that?” He glanced at the sign lying on the window shelf.

“Yes, thank you.” She picked up the tape and scissors and held them out to him. He took the tape first, his fingers brushing against hers and causing her breath to catch. She looked into his eyes to see if he’d felt something too, but his gaze was unreadable and his jaw was set in a hard line. When he lifted the scissors from her grasp, he touched only the handles. “Uh, I’d like it draped through the middle of the window.”

Inside the window area, he secured one side, then the other. Nicki watched his progress closely, telling herself she wanted to make sure he did it properly, but keenly aware that she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Ethan moved with a fluid male grace that was pleasing to watch.

With the sale sign perfectly placed, Ethan stepped down from the display window and handed her the tape and scissors. “Anything else?”

“Thank you.” She tried to hold his gaze a moment to show her appreciation, but he looked away. “There are three boxes on the top shelf in the back corner of the stockroom. They probably have the word Keep written on the side. If you’ll bring those out, I’ll add them to the sales table.”

He nodded. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Gordon.” He walked off.

Debi sighed. “Yummy.”

“Hush. He might hear you.”

“Like he doesn’t know he’s dreamy?”

Nicki doubted it. He struck her as the type who would be embarrassed if someone called him “dreamy.”

Debi nudged her arm. “I want to know all about him.”

So did she. For a moment, she considered telling her friend about Ethan’s odd reaction to Sadie, but decided against it for now.

“You know, Nicki...” Debi nodded thoughtfully. “If you wanted to really increase business, all you’d have to do is have him stand in the front window. I’ll bet your sales would go through the roof.”

Nicki shook her head. “Oh, come on.” She noticed Ethan returning with two of the boxes and quickly changed the subject. “If you stopped by to see Sadie, she’s napping.”

“No, I came by to see if you’d heard about the break-in last night?”

“Another one?” She stepped aside to let Ethan place the cartons on the sale table, catching a whiff of his enticing aftershave. She forced her attention on Debi. “Where?”

“Durrant’s Hardware. They took the computer, some petty cash and several expensive power tools. That’s the fourth store to be broken into in the last two weeks.”

A twinge of alarm chased down Nicki’s spine. She’d worked late several nights since taking over the store. Now the thought of being here alone with the baby didn’t sound like a good idea. Her gaze shifted to Ethan as he walked away. Of course, with him here she’d feel perfectly safe. His muscular build and stern demeanor would no doubt deter any burglar who tried to break in. “Do the police have any leads?”

“Nothing solid yet.” Debi rested one hand below her throat. “I’m glad it’s still light out when I leave work. Otherwise I’d have Jerry take me home in his patrol car every night.”

Nicki studied her friend, noting the worry in her usually bright blue eyes. “How are you dealing with Jerry’s new job as a police officer?”

“Okay, I guess. I try not to think about it. There’s not much crime in Dover. At least not until these robberies started.” She shrugged. “But I do worry. I’ve met a few of the other officers’ wives. Captain Durrant’s wife, Ginger, is new to life as a law-enforcement spouse. We’ve talked a couple of times. It helps.”

“I’m glad. You know I’ll be praying for his safety.”

“Thanks.” Debi pulled her into a warm hug. “I miss you, Nicki. Before Sadie was born and your dad had his transplant, we used to have lunch and go shopping. Now we can only manage to steal a few minutes during the day.”

“I know. I miss that, too. But by the end of the day, I’m too tired to do anything but fall into bed. And you’re not exactly a stay-at-home mom.”

“I know. Carter and Zoe have both started soccer. I feel like I’m on the road nonstop. Promise me we’ll do lunch or dinner soon.”

“Promise.”

Nicki watched her friend leave and realized how much her life had changed since coming home. At times she felt trapped and alone, unable to break free to live her own life. While she loved her parents and was grateful for their help, she was completely dependent on them for everything. Even her job. The only thing that kept her going was knowing that eventually she and Sadie could leave Dover and start over.

The afternoon passed more quickly than she’d anticipated, allowing her to forget for brief moments about her meeting with her friend the accountant. A glance at the clock showed it was almost closing time. Gary would be here soon. As she walked back to her office, her gaze drifted to the stockroom. Ethan had kept to himself most of the afternoon. His reaction to Sadie still nagged at her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask him about it.

She glanced up at the bright light illuminating her desk. She owed Ethan an apology. He’d tried to help her with the bulb. But his “Let me do that” statement had triggered something in her, and she’d lashed out. She wasn’t about to let anyone tell her what to do. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But that didn’t justify rudeness.

Nicki went in search of her new employee and found him out front, replenishing stock. He turned, bracing his shoulders, his eyes guarded. Did he think she was going to press him about his reaction earlier?

She chewed her lip a moment, preparing her speech. “I’m sorry about the lightbulb thing. I know you were just trying to help.”

He picked up the carton he’d emptied and folded the flaps inward. His gaze met hers. “No problem. I like to do things for myself, too.”

How had he interpreted her behavior so correctly? The look in his eyes led her to believe he truly did understand. All of her life, people had been telling her to stop being so bullheaded and independent. No one understood the satisfaction she found in achieving things on her own.

“Well, I appreciate your help. Thanks.”

He nodded. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Nicki went back to her office. Ethan was right. She’d hired him to help. Tomorrow she would train him on the register. But today, she had to deal with Gary’s findings.