In the Line of Duty by Ami Weaver Read Free Book Online Page B

wasn’t as if there weren’t people to play with them—what did that mean? Why this man? Why now?
    “We’ve got him, Mama!” Eli shrieked, and Liam laughed his big baby laugh. She opened her mouth to say something about indoor voices, but then closed it again.
    “I see that. Don’t hurt him, guys,” she said instead, and they laughed harder. She sat on the couch and tucked her feet under her and watched the show, amusement warring with worry. This was not what she’d expected to happen. This was...bonding. Aldo came over and sat in front of her, his big head cocked to the side. She gave in and rubbed him between the ears, but couldn’t quell the feeling that she needed to stop this. Now. Before it got any worse.
    She clapped her hands to get their attention. “Okay, guys, pick up. Time to get ready for bed.” She couldn’t have bonding. That was bad. It meant they were becoming emotionally attached to Matt, which meant they could get hurt. Matt must have heard the slight edge of panic in her voice, because he looked up and caught both boys in a hug.
    “You heard your mom. Let’s get this cleaned up.” Over the grumbles, they all picked up, then Callie directed them toward the bedrooms to collect their jammies and get ready for baths.
    “Thanks for coming,” she said, knowing she was being unspeakably rude to practically shove Matt out the door like this, but unable to stop herself. To his credit, he swiftly snagged his jacket, snapped on Aldo’s leash and moved toward the door.
    “Thanks so much for dinner, Callie,” he said, and she couldn’t meet his eyes.
    “You’re welcome,” she managed to reply, and shut the door behind them. Then she could breathe again, once he wasn’t taking up all the oxygen in the whole house. She rested her head on the door. Now she felt crappy for booting him out, but it had all been way too cozy for her peace of mind.
    She couldn’t risk it.
    * * *
    Matt walked home slowly. Callie’s neighbor, who did day care in her home, was getting out of her car as he and Aldo came down the front steps. He returned her wave and didn’t miss, even in the gathering darkness, the look of blatant speculation she sent toward Callie’s house.
    Callie wouldn’t like that.
    Not after what he’d seen in her eyes. Panic, pure and simple. Somehow he’d crossed a line and it had freaked her out. All evening she’d watched him carefully, clearly not comfortable with him in her house as he played with her kids. She’d been especially spooked when the currents between the two of them flowed hot. But she’d made the effort to be friendly for her children’s sake, and for the sake of her husband’s memory.
    Matt kicked a stone as he walked up his own driveway. He’d like to chalk this evening up to a favor for a buddy’s widow, but it was clearly more than that. He was attracted to her, and that was something he’d have to quash if he wanted to be around her and her boys. Clearly, the whole idea was unpalatable to her.
    Aldo whined as Matt unlocked the door, and he rubbed the dog’s head. “Want to go for a run?” he asked, and Aldo responded with the whole-body wiggle and a yelp. “All right. Let me change and we’ll go.”
    One thing he’d always loved was night runs. It wasn’t something he’d been able to do in Afghanistan. So he and Aldo headed out into the cool night. Chilly, but not raining or snowing. The sidewalks were mostly snow-free, because it had been warm enough to do some melting today. Pretty decent for late March in Michigan. The streets were quiet enough, some traffic, but he wanted to avoid too much foot traffic. It made Aldo nervous, and Matt had made too much progress with the dog to undo it now. Not unlike Callie, he supposed. She was fighting her own personal war and there wasn’t much he could do. He didn’t know what Jason would want him to do. Watch out for them, sure. Make certain she was okay and maybe even happy. But Matt didn’t think that was