forced his eyes to stay locked onto the little girl, which wasn’t a hardship because she was so adorable. But he could feel Marly’s gaze on him, and he wanted to turn and see those dark eyes of hers.
“I promise, Chief,” the little girl assured.
“Call me Drake.” He held out a hand for her to shake. “And your first name is?”
Her tiny hand slid into his and she squeezed. “Willow.”
“Nice to meet you, Willow. Your bus is loading, so how about I take a picture of you and your mom in front of the station so you guys can always remember this day?”
“Oh, Drake, you don’t have to,” Marly protested.
He cut his gaze to hers; thankfully he’d removed his sunglasses so he could see her with no barrier. “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
Marly smiled as she handed over her phone. “In that case, we’d love a picture.”
Drake made sure he took a couple. He knew from experience that most women wanted options. Sweet Willow, with her golden pigtails, gave her mommy a big hug and scrambled down to race to the bus.
Marly waved goodbye and turned to Drake. “Thank you. You’re really good with children.”
Shrugging, Drake rested his hands on his hips. “Kids are great. You just have to know how to treat them.”
A shadow passed over Marly’s eyes. “Do you have kids?” she asked, raising her arm to shield the sun from her eyes.
He thought of Andrea, of the dreams they’d had. The family they’d planned.
“No,” he told her. “I’m an uncle to a beautiful baby girl, but none of my own yet.”
Sliding her phone back into her smock pocket, Marly started to pass him. “Well, I need to get back to work. Thanks again for being so great with all the kids, and especially Willow.”
“I meant what I said.” He turned to meet her stare as she started to walk away. “Anytime you see my black truck here, swing in, and if we’re not busy I’d love to give her a ride on the engine. I know she’d enjoy it.”
Marly studied him for a moment before a corner of her mouth kicked up. “You really do love kids, don’t you?”
Taken back by her odd question, Drake nodded. “What’s not to love?”
There it was again, that ghost of an emotion taking over, and Marly’s smile turned sad in an instant. “I agree. See you around, Chief.”
Drake watched until Marly was in her car and headed down the street. A hand slapped him hard on the shoulder, and Drake turned to see one of his men grinning.
“She’s a looker, Chief.”
Drake nodded. No sense in denying the truth.
“Gonna ask her out?”
Shaking his head, Drake laughed. “I have no clue what I’m going to do. No clue.”
And that was the honest truth. Because on one hand he wanted to see Marly on a personal level, but on the other hand she was scared of something—or maybe someone.
The pull Drake felt toward her, though, was only getting stronger. As much as he wanted to see more of the beautiful pediatric nurse, he also knew he needed to take things slow.
After all, he was still on shaky ground himself in regards to relationships.
Those piercing blue eyes had penetrated her once again. If Marly thought Drake a big man before, now that she’d seen him in full gear, he was even more impressive. She knew broad shoulders lay beneath that bulky coat, and his towering height was only emphasized by his helmet.
What drew her to powerful men? Although she had to admit, Kevin’s power was used to blackmail and lie to get what he wanted. From the little she’d seen of Drake, the man genuinely cared for his job, the people he encountered. Drake certainly didn’t seem the type to use others for a publicity stunt.
Marly steered her car back into the hospital lot and found an open spot. Now that Willow had been given the invitation to go to the fire station, no doubt the rambunctious little girl would ask every two minutes when they were going.
Which meant Marly would have to go back and witness Drake in all his gorgeous glory. A part of her so wanted to address the tension that settled between them each time they were within breathing space of each other, but at the same time, she wanted to deny any attraction existed. She wanted to ignore the desire that seemed to creep up on her when she didn’t have the mental strength to stop it.
Killing her engine, Marly sighed and rested her head against the steering wheel. No matter her sudden attraction to Drake, she had a war she was still fighting, and that had to come before anything else.
When her phone chimed to signal a text, Marly pulled the cell from her purse and cringed at the screen.
Call me. You can’t avoid me forever.
That didn’t mean she wouldn’t try like hell.
Tossing her phone back in her purse, Marly stepped out of her car, welcoming the warmth of the midday sun. When she’d left Nashville, she’d found enough courage to force Kevin into letting her go, taking Willow and not disclosing her whereabouts in exchange for the pictures she had promised would not go to the newspaper or other media outlets.
Kevin didn’t know she’d gone to the police... Of course, she figured he knew now. No doubt some corrupt cop who was friends of the family had called Kevin moments after Marly had left. Marly knew the power Kevin’s family held, so she also knew that was probably why the Nashville Police Department hadn’t returned her calls and she’d heard no more on her case...if there even was a case.
Marly figured the only reason Kevin hadn’t hired a PI and traced her phone was because of his powerful status and the fact that he tended to avoid public conflict. For once, his social standing was working in her favor.
Even with the sun beating down on her, she trembled. There was no way in hell she’d ever return to Kevin. If she had to stay on the run the rest of her life to protect her child, then so be it. She would never be another man’s punching bag or pawn again.
* * *
The day after the field trip, Marly was stepping out of Jeremy’s room when Drake came striding through the bright yellow walls of the pediatric unit. The cheery surroundings made him seem less intimidating, but the man’s impressive size still dominated the space.
When his gaze met hers, his lips spread wide in a smile that hit her hard. Then she spotted the small stuffed Dalmatian in his hand and she couldn’t help but return the grin. Why was she softening toward this man so fast? She’d learned her lesson, right? Just because a man was charming and good-looking didn’t mean he treated women right when no one was looking.
But there was still that nugget of doubt that
