seemed ready to beat a hasty retreat.
“Now don’t you two go squabbling the minute our backs are turned,” Ryan warned cheerfully as he closed the door.
Sam glared after them. As soon as their footsteps faded, Penny whirled on him.
“How could you humiliate me like that?” she demanded.
He regarded her incredulously, remembering with absolute clarity exactly how irritating she could be…and how turned on that tended to make him. Dammit, she could still do it.
“Excuse me?” he said. “If there was any humiliating done around here tonight, it was watching two men I work with come after me with their weapons drawn.”
“Served you right. You had no business standing in that hall and scaring me half to death.”
He shook his head, refusing to acknowledge the truth in the accusation. “You really are obnoxious.”
“Now that’s a mature response,” she countered. “How can you call me that? It’s been years since you even set eyes on me.”
“Not nearly long enough,” he shot back.
Their gazes clashed, hers every bit as fiery as he knew his must be. He’d stared down hardened criminals more easily. She never even flinched. A little frisson of admiration cut through his irritation. He sighed and let the last of his anger fade away.
“So, Penny Hayden, welcome to Boston.”
She didn’t seem to be quite so willing to let bygones be bygones. “If you’re the kind of welcoming committee this town sends out, I’m surprised anyone ever moves here.”
“They usually reserve me for the people they expect might be troublesome. I’d say we’re right on track this time.”
She rolled her eyes in obvious disgust. “Why are you here, really?”
“At the risk of stirring up a hornet’s nest, I’ll tell you the God’s honest truth.”
“A pleasant change,” she noted.
Sam shook his head. The woman was constantly spoiling for a fight. At least that was something they had in common. He held on to his patience by a thread. “Granddad Brandon called, said you were just settling in. He wanted me to stop by and see if there was anything I could do to help.”
“Was this your idea of help?” she asked. “Couldn’t you have called first, warned me you were on your way?”
He shrugged. “Hey, you attacked me in that hallway. If you hadn’t, I’d have introduced myself politely, just in case you’d forgotten what I looked like, then offered to do anything I could to show you around Boston.”
Eyes that were clear and guileless studied him intently. “But you wouldn’t have meant it, would you?” she said finally. “Just like last time.”
Sam tried to ignore the guilt that cut through him. “Why wouldn’t I be happy to show you around?”
“It’s a good thing you’re on the side of the law,” she informed him drily. “You’re a genuinely crummy liar. Remember, I was there the night you dutifully dragged me to a movie. And I know how Granddad can be. It’s easier to give in than it is to try to wriggle off his hook. Well, consider your duty done, Sam. I can look out for myself.”
To emphasize that she meant what she said, Penny opened the door and waited for him to walk through it. Sam saw no reason not to comply, until he was on the other side, his foot on the top step. Then he realized that he recognized the expression he’d read in her eyes. Not so many years ago, before the Hallorans had come into his life, he’d seen loneliness—and the stubborn determination not to let it show—just by looking in the mirror.
Knowing he was going to regret it, he turned back. “Look, as long as I’m here, why don’t we go grab something to eat?”
It wasn’t the most gracious invitation he’d ever uttered, but he was offended by the distrust written all over her face. Forcing the words through gritted teeth, he added, “Look, we’ve gotten off to a bad start here.”
“Again,” she pointed out, not giving an inch.
He bit off a retaliatory comment and said simply, “I’m sorry.”
Her gaze locked on his and his heart took an unexpected leap. He got the distinct feeling he was in over his head and sinking fast.
“I suppose it was partly my fault,” she admitted grudgingly. “But dinner’s really not necessary.”
“Maybe not for you, but I’m starved.”
“I meant, it’s not necessary that you take me out. We’re only distantly related by marriage. It’s not like there’s some family obligation at stake.”
Sam grinned ruefully. “Wanna bet? If I tell Granddad Brandon that I have terrified and deeply offended his precious granddaughter for a second time, he’ll call the chief and have me busted back to foot patrol.”
Penny regarded him with evident fascination. “Interesting,” she declared.
“What?”
“Apparently you spend your life chasing bad guys without fear, but Brandon Halloran terrifies you.”
“He doesn’t scare you?”
She shook her head. “He’s a pussycat.”
“Obviously he hasn’t gotten around to meddling in your life yet.”
“Sure he has,” she retorted. “Who do you think sent me to those self-defense classes so I could handle the likes of you?”
Sam chuckled. “Remind me to tell him he wasted his money.”
“I’d take a look at my shin and think about the timely arrival of the police before I made cracks like that, if I were you.”
“Touché. Now, how about dinner? There’s a cute little Italian place just down the street. Rosie makes a ziti with vodka sauce that will bring tears to your eyes.”
Penny seemed to be considering the invitation thoughtfully, before finally shrugging. “I suppose it would be worth it, just to see the big, tough policeman cry. Let me grab my purse.”
Sam was pleased to see that she did just that. She didn’t waste time running off to primp as if this were a date. She just hauled her two-ton purse off the sofa, draped it over her shoulder and followed him from the apartment. He was astounded she didn’t walk lopsided.
“What’s in that thing?” he asked, trying to peer inside its mysterious depths.
She tugged it away. “A wallet, a brush, makeup, a book, a bottle of mineral water.” She shrugged. “You know, the usual necessities.”
He shook his head. “Hell, short stuff, next time just take a swing with that thing. It could knock somebody out cold.”
“I’ll
