In the Line of Duty
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Ami Weaver
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HarlequinChapter One
THE FIRST THING Matt Bowden had unpacked was the coffee machine, from the same box as his toothbrush, phone charger, a change of clothes and his dogâs bowls. A guy had his priorities. And this morning, after heâd let Aldo, a German shepherdâGod-only-knew-what mix, out in the backyard, he was glad he had planned ahead.
He inhaled deeply as he came back into the kitchen of the ranch house heâd rented and reached for a mug. Mmm. Coffee. Heâd never thought heâd move back to his childhood city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. But when his former army buddy Brice and his wife, Marley, had called him with the offer of a partnership in an adventure tour company, and heâd just been discharged from the army, it seemed like a great fit. As a guy who loved very physical sportsâkayaking, mountain biking, white-water raftingâit was perfect. So here he was. For now. Heâd never been big on putting down roots, which was why army life suited him so well.
There wasnât much left for him here, and maybe that was a good thing. His mother had moved to Texas after Matt had joined up, straight out of high school, so with the exception of the very occasional wedding, he hadnât been back to Michigan in nearly twenty years.
Heâd come back now because he owned part of a business. Matt shook his head. Heâd never thought heâd end up here. Heâd figured he had another ten years in the army in him, but after this brutal last tour in Kabul that plan had abruptly changed.
Barking caught Mattâs attention as he poured his first cup of coffee. He frowned and set the mug on the counter. Odd. It sounded like his dogâexcept it was coming from the front of the house. Aldo was in the backyard. Matt wove his way through the unpacked boxes to the front door just in time to see his overfriendly dog leap at a red-haired woman across the street, planting his undoubtedly filthy paws on her chest.
With a curse, Matt wrenched open the door and raced outside in his socks. In March. Ignoring the cold and the slush, he ran down the driveway and across the street, yelling for Aldo. Crazy mutt was nothing but trouble, and way too friendly. Zeroing in on his dog, he didnât notice much about the woman, but he could almost feel the anger pouring off her. Not that he blamed her.
âMaâam, Iâm so sorry,â he panted as he wrenched Aldo by the collar and got him to sit. âSomehow he got the back gate open. I must have not latched it properly.â Matt lifted his gaze, then, to look at her. Past the muddy footprints on her shirtâover a nice pair of breasts, he couldnât help but notice; he was a guy, after allâto her face.
He stared at the red-haired woman in front of him. Her angry but beautiful features coalesced into a face he knew. Callie Marshall. Wow. His pulse gave a sharp kick and awareness stabbed him low in the gut.
And that was a completely inappropriate response to his childhood best friendâs widow.
He recovered quickly. âSorry, maâam. Callie. He doesnât usually get away from me like that.â
Aldo panted and sat on his foot, tongue lolling, eyes fixed on Callie.
She frowned at Matt and cocked her head. Her expression went from angry to puzzled to shocked, and she gave a little gasp as she stepped back. âMatt? Wait. YouâI didnât knowâyouâre the new neighbor?â
An unfamiliar awkwardness swamped him. âYeah. I am. We are. I was planning on looking you up. How have you been?â The question seemed insufficient, given all sheâd been through in the past year and half.
His friendâs widow. God. Living across the street from him.
She gave him a tight smile. âIâve been better. But thanks for asking.â She brushed futilely at the mud on her shirt and his eyes zeroed right back in on her breasts.
Hell. He swallowed and forced his gaze away. âIâm sorry about your shirt. Iâm not sure what came over Aldo. Heâs not usually so uncontrollable.â
Her frown returned as her gaze shifted to Aldo. âI donât know if you know this, Matt, but I have two little kids. Lots of people around here do. We canât have an uncontrollable dog running around, knocking people down. Itâs not safe, for them or for your dog.â
âI understand.â He did. But did she really think heâd let his dog run around and hurt people? âHe was excited. New neighborhood.â To put it mildly; Aldo had come all the way from Afghanistan. And after the hell-and-back deployment theyâd been through, Matt hadnât brought his buddy all the way here to have something happen to him.
She eyed Aldo. âIâm sure he was. But Iâve got to change now so I wonât be late for work.â She frowned as she looked at Mattâs feet. âSeems like you might need some new socks.â
He glanced down at his half-frozen feet. âYeah. I was in a hurry. Again, Iâm sorry, Callie.â
âJust keep him under control. Nice to see you again, Matt.â She turned and walked away, and he dragged his unrepentant pet back across the street and into the yard. While Matt wasnât sure if the dog had opened the gate or if it had come open on its own, he would replace the latch anyway. He shook the gate and noted how it wiggled. As soon as the hardware store opened, heâd pick something up. Callie was right. He couldnât have Aldo slipping out and jumping on people. Or getting hit by a car.
But Callie... He whistled and Aldo came loping back over, to follow him into the house. Matt had meant it when heâd said he planned on looking her up. Checking on her. He hadnât been able to be at the funeral. Heâd been in the sandbox at the time. Jasonâs being gone still gave him a bad jolt whenever he thought of it, which was often.
But Matt hadnât planned on seeing her quite this soon. Or having her in his line of sight every day. She hadnât seemed any more thrilled to see him. Maybe the last thing she wanted was a reminder of her husband in her line of sight every day. If Matt had known she lived there, would he have rented a different house?
That didnât matter now.
He saw a dark blue minivan back out of the garage across the street. Aldo whined and shoved at Mattâs hand with his nose. âWhat got into you? You should have left her alone, boy,â he said as he rubbed Aldoâs ears and watched her drive away. Theyâd done some training since heâd picked Aldo up from the rescue group that had gotten him home from Afghanistan, but the mutt had a long way to go. He tended to forget his mannersâsuch as they were. But itâd been a long time since heâd jumped on someone like that. It was one of the first things Matt had worked on with him when they were still overseas.
As if they were on a loop, his thoughts returned to Callie. How was she doing? It was hard to tell from their unfortunate encounter, but from what he could see, the house was well cared for, so hopefully that meant she wasnât struggling. Heâd thought of her occasionally over the past few months, and often of his old friend. Heâd caught a glimpse of the kids yesterday morning when theyâd been walked to a neighborâs. Heâd thought nothing of it because he hadnât known whose kids they were.
Now he did, and things had shifted somehow.
* * *
Callie was still fuming when she left the house for the salon. It wasnât a Monday but it sure felt like one. The boys dragging their feet. The change of clothes when the bowl of cereal ended up in Liamâs lap. The forgotten blankieâthat was her fault, since in the cereal melee sheâd forgotten to grab it from Liamâs bed. Which was why sheâd run back home to get it after taking the kids to Colleenâs, only to have her shirt nearly ruined when she was jumped on by a huge dog with filthy paws.
Not to mention the shock of her life when Jasonâs old friend Matt Bowden had come racing out of the house across the street, yelling for the mutt. That had been what nearly knocked her over, not the dog. Which was apparently his.
She took a deep, shaky breath. Jasonâs friend. Matt was a link, however tenuous, to her husband. To her past. She wasnât quite sure how she felt about that. Oh, she ran into people all the time whoâd known Jason, whoâd been in her life before and after his death. But with one exception, none of them were people Jason had considered his best friend. Whoâd known him his entire life.
Still. Callie hadnât really known Mattâheâd been sort of remote, but to be fair, theyâd never really had a chance to get to know each other. Sheâd accepted him on faith, because heâd been Jasonâs friend. Since Matt had been in the military, it wasnât like there were backyard barbecues and time to get to know him. Heâd been deployed when Jason, a firefighter, had died in the line of duty, and Matt hadnât been able to attend the funeral. Heâd sent condolences, but that whole time was such a blur. Details kind of got lost in the haze of grief and disbelief that had shrouded everything for months.
Sheâd eventually emerged from that haze for the sake of her kids, but the shock of seeing Matt now threw her off balance. It would have been nice to be prepared, to know that he was moving in so close to her. But heâd seemed just as surprised to see her. To her knowledge, while heâd been in the States on leave, he hadnât been back to Grand Rapids at all. As far as not knowing whoâd moved in, she and the kids had spent the weekend with Jasonâs parents, celebrating her father-in-lawâs birthday.
She had a little twinge of conscience. Sheâd been borderline rude to Matt. Yes, the dog had jumped on her. Yes, she was apparently having a bad day and it wasnât even nine in the morning yet. But that wasnât any reason to snap at him, when heâd been so clearly apologetic about the whole thing.
She pulled her van into her usual spot behind Time For You Salon and hurried in. Lori was behind the desk. âIâm sorry, Lori,â she said, even though sheâd called to let her know she was running behind.
âNo problem,â her friend and boss said. âYou know that. What happened?â
Callie hung up her coatâsomehow it had missed getting dirtyâand filled her in on the morning. She downplayed Matt, but Lori must have picked up on some odd vibe.
âHmm, a new neighbor. Single?â
Callie actually froze while reaching for a towel. She forced herself to move. âI have no idea, actually. Heâs an old friend of Jasonâs. I hadnât seen him for years, until today.â That was the truth. Last she knew, Matt had been engaged. That had been several years ago, which most likely meant there was a wife by now. Matt had said âweâ moved in. But Jason had never mentioned anything about a wedding. Callie would have thought he would have been in it, or at least sent a gift to the happy couple. Funny how sheâd forgotten all about that until now.
âAn old friend of Jasonâs. Well, well. Weâll hope heâs single,â Lori said cheerfully, and Callie managed to recover enough to send her a mock glare. âIs he hot?â
Well, yeah, actually. She was astounded sheâd actually noticed that, in all the commotion and her anger. But she easily recalled his broad shoulders, big hands, sweatpants stretched over muscular thighs, and ice-blue eyes. His eyes had always been striking. His hands on the dog had been firm but gentle. His brown hair was military short.
âIâll take that as a yes,â Lori said, her voice smug, and Callie felt her face turn bright red. Damn her pale redheadâs skin.
âI donât really know,â she managed to reply. Sheâd gone for so long without really seeing another man that the whole idea of being attracted to oneâa man who knew her husband, a man who wasnât her husbandâcaught her completely off guard and unsettled her. âThe whole thing was kind of quick and I was really sort of focused on the dog and the mud.â
âUnderstandable,â Lori said. She sent Callie a sly look. âMaybe next time you see him you can check.â
Callie laughed. âOr you can come over and check him out yourself.â
Lori sent her an assessing look that made her uncomfortable. âMaybe I will.â
The first of the dayâs clients came through the door then and Callie didnât get a chance to warn her friend off matchmaking. Sheâd decided it was better all around to raise her kids on her own, and besides, she didnât think sheâd find anyone who could take Jasonâs place in her life. She couldnât imagine looking. It just seemed wrong. And if she ever was open to the possibility, itâd be with a guy who wasnât big on risk taking. Sheâd had enough of that for a lifetime. It for sure wouldnât be with a guy whoâd been a friend of her husbandâs.
Whoâd been a part of her wedding.
No, she wasnât taking any chances with her heart or her kidsâ.
* * *
Callie got through her day with no further mention of Matt, but he wasnât far from her thoughts. It made her irritable, but she tried to keep a lid on it. Her clients and now her kids didnât deserve to have her snappish. She pulled into her driveway and checked carefully for a big dog before she got out of the van. Sheâd been serious when sheâd said she couldnât risk a badly behaved dog around her kids. Heâd seemed friendly enough, just not well trained. Add it to the list of things she wasnât willing to chance.
Nothing jumped at her, so she hurried over to collect the boys from Colleen, her neighbor who ran an in-home day care.
âHi, Callie,â Colleen greeted her. âTheyâre all ready for you. I noticed you met our new neighbor this morning.â
âAh. Yeah. Or his dog, rather,â she said, plucking the kidsâ backpacks from their hooks.
Colleen made a little humming noise in her throat. âMmm. If I wasnât married...â
Callie laughed. âBut you are,â she teased. She paused a second. âHis nameâs Matt Bowden. He was a friend of Jasonâs.â
The teasing look fell from Colleenâs face. âOh, Callie. Iâm sorry.â
She shook her head. âItâs okay, really. I didnât know him that well. Heâs army. Or he was. I donât know if heâs in anymore.â She paused another second. Would he have moved into a house so far from an army base if he was still in? It didnât seem likely. âHe and Jason were childhood friends.â The words gave her a little pang. Did Jasonâs parents know heâd moved back? They hadnât said anything to her, and it seemed theyâd have mentioned something about it. Since he and Jason had been such good friends.
âAre you going to be okay with that? With him?â
She gave Colleen a little smile. âI doubt Iâll see him that much. But either way, it will be fine.â
As long as he kept that dog of his under control. Otherwise, she had no intention of interacting with him beyond basic pleasantries and neighborliness. She could handle that. The kids didnât need to know him as their dadâs friend.
Both boys burst into the foyer and greeted her with hugs, and the discussion of Matt was dropped.
In fact, she didnât think of himâmuchâduring the predinner chaos at her own house. The promise of spring was in the air, enough so that she left the front door open, even though the glass was still up over the screen door. So when she looked out into the living room and saw her two little brown-haired boys clustered in front of the door, she frowned and went to see what they were looking at.
That dog was on the porch.
âDoggie!â Liamâs squeal made her heart sink.
âNot our doggie,â she said firmly, and looked past the dog to the house across the street. A light was on, and a car was in the driveway. The gate hung open. âGuys, give me some room. Iâll take him back across the street.â
âCan we come?â Eli asked eagerly, and Callie shook her head.
âBut,â she added at their crestfallen expressions, âyou guys can stand on the porch. Howâs that?â That way they could see her and the dog, and she could keep an eye on them. Win-win. âLet me go first, so I can get hold of his collar.â She didnât relish getting jumped on again, and she definitely wasnât willing to let the big mutt knock down one of her boys.
She edged out the door, speaking softly. âHey buddy, stay right there.â The dog perked right up, his tail wagging so hard his whole body shook. He made little whining noises in his throat and she held out a hand cautiously. He dropped to his belly and rolled right over. âNo! I need you to get up. I need to take you home.â She managed to get hold of his collar, and got him back on his feet. She gestured to the boys. âYou can come out now,â she said, and they did.
âPat doggie?â Liam asked. His big blue eyes were fixed on the dog, and Eli was already edging closer.
âHeâs not very well trained,â she began. But then the dog sat on her foot, his eyes fixed on the kids, ears pricked. Itâd probably be all right but... âHeâs not ours, guys, and Iâm just going to take him home. Maybe another time.â
âWhereâs he live?â Eli asked, and Callie pointed across the street.
âJust over there.â With your dadâs friend, she didnât add. Why was she so fixated on that fact?
Sheâd got the dog down the steps when Matt strode out onto the front porch of his house. âWhat theâCallie, Iâm so sorry. Crazy mutt.â He strode across the front lawn, shaking his head. âAldo. How did you get out?â
The dog, Aldo, wagged his tail and barked.
âThe gateâs open,â she said, and tried to withdraw her hand from the collar before the transfer. Touching Matt seemed almost dangerous. Still, his big hand brushed hers when he grasped the collar. The heat from that brief touch nearly had her stumbling back. Sheâd touched plenty of guys casually in the year and a half or so since her husbandâs death. A handshake, a haircut, an accidental bump in the grocery store. Never had she felt it like this.
She tucked her hand in her sweatshirt pocket, not wanting him to see her trembling fingers.
His chuckle was a low rumble and it reverberated...everywhere inside her. âSo it is.â He rubbed the top of the dogâs head affectionately. Then he looked straight at Callie. Those ice-blue eyes seemed to pierce her soul. âIâm sorry, Callie. Iâm not sure what the problem is here. But he likes you.â
He almost sounded surprised. Callie stiffened. âYeah, itâs weird, isnât it? Hope you get that gate fixed. You donât want him to get hit by a car.â She gave him a small smile and turned to go back home. Back where sheâd be safe.
His hand on her arm stopped her.
âHow old are they now?â The question was low, and his gaze was on Liam and Eli. In spite of herself, her heart gave a little tug. Of course, heâd see them as the kids of his childhood friend. It had to be hard on himâhe hadnât been here for Jasonâs funeral, and for a while before that.
âLiamâs three and Eliâs five,â she said. âAnd I donât want them to decide to come over here. Have a good night.â
She walked away and left Matt standing on the sidewalk, his misbehaving dog sitting on his foot.
