A Heart's Endeavor Page 5

  “I don’t think so,” Stacy replied and filled another empty row of cigarettes.

  “Check under each pack of tickets. Sometimes the last one on the roll sticks. I closed a pack the other night and was twenty dollars short. I nearly had a stroke.” She studied the tablet filled with numbers. “I thought for sure I’d be handing in my resignation.”

  Stacy squatted and rummaged through the multitude of tickets. Soon she was waving a loose ten dollar ticket in the air. “I found it.”

  Mel expelled a sigh of relief. “That’s one problem solved.” She yanked open the drawer underneath her register and held up a roll of duct tape. “And this solves the second problem. If I fool around with that display any longer I’ll snap.”

  The door opened and a customer made a beeline for the lottery machine. Mel watched Stacy punch in the numbers with alarming speed.

  “I must say I don’t know if I’ll ever master that lottery machine. Remembering all these games played on different days is enough to give me heart failure.”

  She was getting better at it though. The majority of customers were very patient. All but one guy, who seemed to be a confirmed grouch. Mel had messed up his numbers twice, and now he insisted that Stacy do his lottery. Mel was determined not to take it to heart, although it did piss her off that she still made mistakes. Bob advised her not to take it so seriously. Some people were like that. The other ninety-nine percent made up for that one percent who were hell bent on being a pain in the ass.

  Mel finished taping the display together and was looking for a place to set it when three state troopers entered the store. Jack strolled by and tossed her a wink. Immediately her cheeks grew hot. Just last night this handsome man had his face between her legs. Good Lord, she had to get a grip and stop thinking about how his firm jaw had glistened with her cream. Needless to say she hadn’t slept all night.

  A much younger officer followed Jack to the cooler while the black officer trailing nonchalantly behind stopped at her register and flashed a shit-eating grin. Mel gave up her search of finding a home for the display and set it in the corner out of the way.

  “Can I get you anything…” She looked at his name tag. “Trooper Davis?”

  He propped an elbow on the counter and cupped his chin. “No, thanks. This time Dog’s breaking open his moth-eaten wallet. He lost a bet.”

  “All right, all right, so you were right this one time.” Jack set three bottles of water in front of Mel. After she rang up the water the younger trooper took his, smiled politely, and went outside.

  Mel frowned. “He looks awfully young.”

  Jack twisted the cap off his bottle and took a drink. “Yep, fresh out of the academy. He’s been riding sidesaddle all day, and it hasn’t been a picnic.” He took another long pull of water then replaced the cap. “A man was holed up in his house with a shitload of guns and ammunition. There were six of us all together so we formed a plan. Two of us would break in while the other four surrounded the house. I was at the front door and Trooper Connors was positioned at the back window. It was all supposed to be done by the count of three. The guy was already subdued and handcuffed when we heard glass shattering. Our cadet was a little too late. Of course, we’re razing him about it.”

  “Of course,” Mel mimicked. “Is that all you guys do is agitate each other?”

  Jack shrugged. “Most of the time, otherwise how would we get through the day?”

  Jim shouldered Jack aside. “Speaking of agitating… After we dealt with the guy holed up in his house, then we had to deal with a guy high on bath salts. He was hallucinating, claiming that aliens were after him, so he went running through the woods about a mile from here. There’s a clearing adjacent to the woods, but instead of listening to me, Dog chased after him on foot. I drove the cruiser to the other side and got the drop on the guy first.”

  Mel’s lips twitched. “I take it the water’s your prize. I would have held out for something more.” Instead of shaking in her Skechers, Mel’s pussy throbbed at the stern glare Jack gave her. She had a few more hours to work and soaked panties wouldn’t be all that comfortable, especially in the cooler.

  “Yep, I wasn’t planning on killing myself running.” Jim expelled an exaggerated breath. “But Dog here likes the thrill of the chase.” He leaned closer toward Mel and smiled in a flirty sort of way, but she knew he was just trying to push Jack’s buttons, and the scowl on Jack’s face showed that it was working.

  Jack purposely stepped in front of his partner. “Shadow here prefers not to exert himself any more than he has to.” He turned and gestured toward Jim’s slight paunch. “As you can see.”

  Jim continued as if Jack hadn’t spoken. “You know, Mel, this young pup doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Jim couldn’t have been much older than Jack, yet he had made it sound as if he possessed the wisdom of a lifetime. “Why should I exert myself when I have a forty-five in my holster plus a car at my disposal? If a shot in the kneecap doesn’t slow the perp to a decent walk I can always run him down with the car.”

  The thought of someone being shot just for running away had Mel stuttering. “A-are you serious?” she asked, looking from one to the other.

  Both men looked at her with such wide-eyed innocence she knew they were bluffing.

  Jack took another swig of water and Mel frowned at the deep scratches on his arm. “You need to get cleaned up and put some antiseptic on those cuts before they get infected.”

  Jack waggled his brows. “Are you offering to play nurse? If you’re good I’ll let you play with my expandable baton.”

  Mel was certain her cheeks resembled two very ripe tomatoes. Jim rolled his eyes in mock disgust, and Stacy weaseled her way into the conversation by blinking her big brown eyes. Her lashes were covered with a layer of mascara so thick Mel wondered how her bottom lashes didn’t stick fast to the upper set. “We have a sink behind the deli if you’d like to clean up, Jack.”

  “No, thanks. We have to gas up and head to the barracks and fill out paperwork.” He kept his gaze on Mel as if no one else existed. She went weak in the knees and clutched the edge of the counter, otherwise she would have landed on the floor in a heap.

  “For heaven’s sake, get a room.” Jim punched Jack in the arm. “I’ll meet you outside.” He shook a finger under Stacy’s nose. “You stay out of trouble, missy. Your father’s hair looks grayer every time I see him.”

  As soon as Jim went outside, Mel turned to face the man who turned her insides into a pile of mush. How he could stand there all relaxed as if chasing someone through brambles and bushes was an everyday occurrence? Well, she supposed for him it was. It took a very special breed of man or woman to wear a uniform and risk their lives every day. She’d never be able to do it. “I don’t know how you guys can keep smiling after all the human depravity you see day in and day out.”

  “It comes with the job.” His expression grew serious. “Don’t think for one minute that we’re not affected. We do see the worst man has to offer, but there are some good people floating around out there too.” He used the water bottle to point to the gas pumps. “As for Jim, all he thinks about is going home to his wife and baby daughter at the end of the day. They’re the two most important people in his life. He jokes around a lot, but I know he has my back.” He finished his water and threw the bottle in the trash can at the end of the counter. “Glen’s Grove is having their annual block party this weekend. I work seven to three tomorrow. The block party starts around five o’clock. Can you switch with one of the girls and go with me?”

  Talk about a change of subject. “Er...”

  “Sure she can,” Stacy spouted from the other side of the deli. She pinned Mel with a pointed glare. “Remember? Sara agreed to switch shifts with you tomorrow so we could have a girls night out.” Not waiting for an answer, she scooted behind the counter and squeezed past Mel.

  Mel groaned. That’s right. After a shift of non-stop badgering, it was either agree to go along or pu
ll out her hair. She had set an ultimatum though—she’d go only if she could be the designated driver. That gave her the excuse not to drink alcohol. She wasn’t in the mood to invent some other excuse. On the flipside, a block party sounded like fun. She hadn’t been to one in ages. But their first date ended with his head between her legs—how would the second date end?

  “Good ethnic food followed by cotton candy and funnel cake should be enough to tempt you into going with me. Maybe I can play a game of darts or something and win you a stuffed animal.”

  He didn’t need to offer food or dangle a prize in front of her face. She’d go in a heartbeat. She’d probably look ridiculous lugging a stuffed animal around, but time spent with Jack would be worth looking like an idiot.

  A sharp kick to her shin startled her. Darn Stacy. Mel clenched her teeth and swung her foot back with equal force. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stacy limping to the cooler. She turned her thoughts back to Jack’s invitation. If she had known Jack planned on asking her out again she never would have agreed to go with the girls.

  “I have to go into work later in the day so that frees you up for your night out,” Jack said.

  A night out at a strip club was the last thing on her mind. “Okay.” At least she’d have some time with him.

  The store was empty except for Jack. He slid his hand around Mel’s neck and eyed her sternly. “You better behave yourself tomorrow night or I’ll paddle your ass.” Before she could reply, he whispered into her ear, “I want to lick you until you’re soaking wet.” He nipped her earlobe. “Then I’ll suck you dry and eat you up all over again.”

  Hot damn! “Trooper Horan, you are not a gentleman.”

  His grasp tightened. “That’s Corporal to you, young lady. I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six.” He kissed her hard on the mouth and left.

  Stacy tore out of the cooler at top speed. “Ooohhh, I saw that.”

  Mel tried her best to be angry, but the girl’s excited chatter had her shaking her head in despair. It was no use. Maybe being around these girls and their fantasies would keep her thinking young. “I thought you were filling the cooler,” she admonished mock-severely.

  “I was, but I can still see out of the glass doors, ya know.” She frowned. “Hey, you never told me if you got him out of his uniform the other night.”

  Mel grinned. “And I’m not going to.”

  Chapter 6

  The following afternoon, Mel penciled in her time on the schedule sheet and grabbed her purse. On her way out the door she thanked Sara for switching shifts.

  “No problem, Mel,” the tiny blonde in her early thirties replied. “Have a good time, and don’t let Stacy talk you into doing anything stupid.”

  Mel arched a brow. “Such as?”

  Sara explained that dancing on stage with a bunch of male strippers wasn’t the coolest thing in the world to do no matter what anyone said. Mel was tempted to ask if that advice came from experience, but quickly changed her mind. She didn’t know Sara all that well, but the two of them were closer in age than the rest of the girls. It’d be nice to have another woman to chat with. Sara had mentioned that she and her husband just moved to The Lake three weeks ago. Turned out they were only a couple of houses down from Mel. Maybe the two of them could go walking some time. She made a mental note to suggest it the next time she saw Sara, but right now she had to hurry home and take a bath.

  * * * *

  Mel rubbed her body down with her favorite berry perfumed cream and pulled on a pair of white shorts and a pink tank top. She surveyed herself in the floor-length mirror and sighed. It was pointless to hide her thighs now after Jack had his entire face buried between them. He had seen everything she had to offer but her ass. That part of her anatomy she intended to keep covered for as long as she could. He’d be seeing it a heck of a lot sooner if he carried out his threat to spank her.

  Mel was looking out her bedroom window when she saw Jack pull into the driveway. She hurried into the kitchen, grabbed her purse, and went outside to find him standing at the bottom of the porch steps wearing a smile.

  “You look beautiful,” he said and held out his hand.

  She locked the door and closed the distance between them. “Thank you,” she replied and placed her hand in his. His clasp was warm and she felt all gooey inside. She couldn’t remember the last time she had held hands with a man. Mike wasn’t the type who liked a clinging woman, but Jack seemed to enjoy the closeness.

  He steered her toward his Durango and made quick work of seeing her safely seated and buckled in. Mel watched as he crossed in front of the vehicle and settled himself behind the wheel. Boy, he looked good dressed in a pair of cut-off jeans and a short sleeve dark blue t-shirt. He flashed another smile and keyed the engine. He smelled delicious, all male and musk. Mel folded her hands in her lap and resisted the urge to lay her head in his lap and find out if he tasted just as good as he smelled. Yikes. She had to stop thinking about him or she’d go wild and attack him in the driveway.

  They hadn’t gotten far when Mel spotted a duck waddling across the road with her brood in tow. She cried out and squeezed her eyes shut, afraid the animal would get run over. The speed limit at The Lake was twenty-five, so Jack was able to brake without causing an accident although he did lift his arm in a protective gesture across her chest. He honked the horn, but the stubborn fowl refused to move. With a heavy sigh, he opened the door. Stepping onto the road, he waved his arms at the bird and managed to get her moving.

  Mel’s heart pounded in her chest until all the babies were safely on the other side of the road. She smiled at Jack as he walked toward her, but then her mouth dropped open in surprise. The female duck had doubled back. She flapped her wings wildly and snapped at Jack’s heels. Mel couldn’t believe a duck could move that fast, and by the shocked expression on Jack’s face, neither did he. He was surprisingly agile for a big guy. He landed in the driver’s seat with a thump and slammed the door. The duck blasted them with one loud quack and waddled back to her ducklings.

  Jack expelled a loud whoosh of air. “Just goes to show that women don’t appreciate the guidance of a man,” he stated emphatically and shifted gears as if nothing had happened.

  Mel wanted to argue that chauvinistic comment, but the sight of the six foot plus stern trooper running from a duck had her at a loss for words. Instead, she burst out laughing. She laughed so hard her sides hurt and tears ran down her face. She chanced a glance in Jack’s direction and saw the corner of his mouth twitch.

  As soon as he parked in the designated area for the block party she jumped out of the car and threw her arms around his neck. She hung on tight and buried her face in his chest. He’d never know how much his act of kindness toward an animal had meant to her. She rained kisses over every inch of his handsome face. His eyelids, his nose, his firm chin, and the tanned column of his throat.

  “Whoa. I’m not complaining, but what’s this about?” He grasped her chin with his thumb and forefinger. He frowned at the tears in her eyes. “Sweetheart, why are you crying?”

  Sweetheart? No one had ever called her sweetheart. “I’m so happy that you didn’t run over the animal.”

  He looked confused. “Why would I do something as heartless as that?”

  “Mike would have.”

  Jack cupped her face with both hands. “I’m not Mike. You’d do well to remember that. And if this is the kind of reaction I get whenever I help an animal in distress, I’d rather skip the block party and find some more critters to save.”

  Mel laughed and slipped her arm around his waist. “Thank you, Jack, for helping that poor animal. I would have been devastated if she or her babies would have been hit by a car.” She sniffed back a sob.

  “Stop this nonsense,” he admonished sternly then gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Come on,” he said, drawing her closer to his side. “We’re here to have a good time.”

  They entered the fairgrounds and he introduced her to some of the me
n crowding around a table filled with hot food. Most of them were Jack’s trooper buddies. Mel was shocked at how fast the food disappeared. Jack jokingly remarked that troopers would eat anything that didn’t move, mostly because their meals were often interrupted by an emergency.

  Jack filled a plate with pierogies, haluski, and halupkies and moved to the corner of the table. He grabbed two forks and they shared the meal. Potato pancakes were next on the list to sample. Mel had never eaten so much food at one sitting and was ready to explode, but Jack insisted she eat her half of the funnel cake sprinkled with powdered sugar.

  Mel didn’t have to move a muscle. Jack was very attentive to her needs. He made sure she had enough to eat and drink and hardly left her side. He downed one beer and nursed a bottle of water for the rest of the evening. Mel was relieved that he didn’t question her refusal of alcohol. She drank water with her half of the funnel cake.

  It took some cajoling on his part, but Mel finally agreed to ride the Ferris wheel. After that, he attacked the different games with a vengeance and soon she was hugging a giant panda bear. They bumped into Jim, and Mel could see why the man always wore a smile. His wife, Katie, was a beautiful petite woman with long black hair and dark, soulful eyes. Their daughter Kay was so adorable Mel had to hold her. She pushed the panda bear into Jack’s arms and laughed at his flustered expression. The guys snickered, but Jack was a good sport and kept a hold on the bear.

  When Mel took Kay into her arms, her heart ached. She pressed her nose to the baby’s little head and inhaled deeply. The fresh baby smell was intoxicating. Mel looked at Jack and saw the hope and longing shining in his eyes. She knew he wanted children. How could she tell him children might not be in his future if he continued to see her?

  Jack was standing next to Mel. She closed her eyes briefly and imagined the three of them were a family. No. She had to stop dreaming about things that were not going to happen.

  Kay twisted in the blanket, jerking Mel out of her dismal musings. The little girl’s eyes grew wide as saucers. Mel followed those big brown orbs to the panda bear Jack was holding. She caught his eye and nodded knowingly. Jack clapped Jim on the back and gave the startled man the bear.