Snowfall on Haven Point(66)

Her tail wagging turned into a whine when Andie carried her back inside and set her down in the family room.

“We’ll be home before you know it. Take care of the house for us. Both of you, behave,” she said to the room in general.

Sadie gave a disgruntled sigh and sadly made her way to her favorite rug. A moment later, a silky black feline head with green eyes poked out from under the sofa. The cat they had also picked up at the shelter—the one Chloe had named Mrs. Finnegan, for reasons that escaped Andie—stalked over to stretch out beside the dog.

After more than a month, the cat was still shy with all of them except Chloe. Mrs. Finnegan adored the little dog, however, and the two of them seemed to be best friends, which set her mind at ease when she had to leave them alone.

Satisfied they could entertain each other, she returned to the vehicle, double-checked the children’s seat belts, then backed out of the driveway, butterflies chasing each other around in her stomach.

Though she had spoken briefly on the phone with Marshall earlier that day to make arrangements for picking him up, she hadn’t seen the man in two days, not since the memorable afternoon of that stunning kiss.

The kiss had replayed through her head dozens of times since then. She hadn’t slept well and her dreams had been wild, tangled affairs, all featuring the hard-eyed sheriff. She awoke each morning feeling restless, achy and out of sorts.

She had to stop this, especially as she understood completely that she could never fall for a man like him.

The fact that he was in law enforcement was a huge part of it but not the only obstacle, she had come to realize over the last few days.

If she ever allowed another man into her life, he would have to be spectacular father material. Her children deserved nothing less, especially since their own father had been somewhat lacking in that department.

The thought made her feel disloyal, though she had accepted it as hard truth. Jason had loved their children but hadn’t seemed particularly motivated to interact with them.

When Chloe was a baby and then a toddler, Andie had chalked up his disinterest in their child to age and perhaps also that Chloe was very much a girlie girl who wanted to play with dolls and have tea parties and dress up like a princess.

After Will came along, though, Jason’s detachment continued and she had been forced to accept that he might never be a super engaged, hands-on father, at least not to their young children.

He loved the idea of children and proudly showed off their pictures on his desk and around the department. He wasn’t as crazy about the hard, endless, usually thankless work required to nurture them well.

In his spare time, he preferred to watch sports or escape to the golf course or ride motorcycles with his buddies. He would begrudgingly consent to “watch” them for her when she needed a break or to get her hair done or finish a work project, but he didn’t actively seek out opportunities to engage with them.

She had come to the sobering and enlightening realization after he died that the actual logistics of parenting as a widowed mother hadn’t differed significantly from when Jason was ostensibly still there to help.

She was older and wiser this time. If she ever grew serious enough to let someone into their lives on a regular basis, she would choose a man who didn’t simply tolerate her children because he loved her but who loved them as well for the remarkable humans they were becoming.

A gruff, taciturn sheriff would not even make the first cut.

“Can we come inside with you?” Will asked when she pulled into Marshall’s driveway.

“No. Stay in your chairs. I’ll just be a moment.”

Before she could even open her door, though, Marshall was making his way down the few steps of his porch.

The late afternoon glowed in his dark hair. Even on crutches, he looked big and rough and masculine. The silly butterflies started dancing around inside her again, until she wanted to smack them.

“Who knew you would be so excited to watch the Lights on the Lake parade that you would literally be waiting for us on the doorstep?”

He made a face. “Funny. I just didn’t see the point in making you come all the way to the door when I was ready to go.”

He was the sort of man who would charge through life. She admired that, especially as she still had much room for improvement in that area.

“Watch for ice. It stays pretty shady on this side of the house.”

“Christopher cleared most of the snow last night and the warm temperatures this afternoon did the rest.”

The night was unusually warm for December. She wouldn’t call it balmy, but it was not at all unpleasant.

“Isn’t this weather strange?”

“Don’t get used to it. You know the saying about the calm before the storm? We often get a warm spell just before a big snow. I’ve heard we’re in for a serious storm tomorrow night and Monday.”