“You survived; I survived. We’re together again. I once begged the gods to let me see you — if only for a moment. To see you and know you’d made it. Just once; that was all I ever hoped for.” Sarah J. Maas
Jeff Murphy was determined never to marry again. Four times was enough for anybody. Four women had thought they could handle being an undercover cop's wife, with his uncertain moods and being out of touch for weeks at a time. Not one of them had been able to. He'd be gone, deep undercover to bring nefarious elements to justice without a word of whether he lived or had died, and when he was home, he hadn't been allowed enough time to decompress from the last case before he had to take up another. In the end, it had been too much. Along the way he'd helped create two babies, both of whom were grown now with young families of their own, and both of whom were virtual strangers. Of all the sacrifices he's made in the name of justice, it was the one he regretted most and which he was carefully and deliberately trying to make up for. He would never be able to replace all of the important moments of their growing up that he'd missed, but he hoped to be a part of their future, however small it might be. At least they'd had loving and devoted stepfathers to raise them. For that he remained grateful.
The sun was just breaking over the tops of the mountains to the east and early morning fog hung close to the ground as he took a seat on the porch and looked out over the expanse of the small Tennessee farm he'd bought upon his retirement. Taking a sip of coffee from the heavy mug he'd had since joining the drug task force, he reminded himself to keep his mind firmly in the present and not dwell on either the past or the future. Nearly thirty years as a cop had almost robbed him of being able to enjoy life's simple pleasures without looking for threat or potential disaster. The department's shrink had recommended therapy to help him acclimate to civilian life and he'd resisted for a time. But in the end he'd acquiesced, if only to better his chances of mending things between himself and his kids. The going there was proving slow but progress was being made.
So he'd left his home state of Florida and his entire life there and moved to Tennessee to be closer to them. Here he'd bought a rundown 1915 Craftsman-style house on ten acres and proceeded to put down new roots, investing blood, sweat, tears, and money over the next few years into restoring the house, and gaining a sense of peace in watching his acreage transformed into a sanctuary for horses rescued from neglect and mistreatment by animal rescue groups. He'd had no great desire to learn to ride but he enjoyed tending to them and knowing that he'd helped to give them a good place to live out their lives. They were healing him even as he was helping to heal them.
He brooded a bit over the message he'd received the night before on Facebook. Social media really wasn't anything he was all that interested in but it was a way he could keep up with his family and the friends he'd left behind. Last night he'd received a message from someone from his distant past. Someone he hadn't thought of in...he had no idea how long.
Kelly McDonald had been his sister's best friend when their fathers, both career military men, had been stationed in Puerto Rico. Though his father had been a “coastie” and hers had been a sailor, they'd lived on the same street in Navy housing and the three of them had been almost inseparable. As the eldest at six, Jeff had taken his mother's instructions to watch over the girls to heart. He smiled faintly and took another sip of coffee. He guessed he'd never outgrown the need to protect those smaller and weaker than himself.
He'd last seen Kelly when her family had come to visit them in New Orleans, his father's final duty station. She'd been ten and he'd been eleven, and he'd considered himself too mature to have anything to do with a kid like her. But he hadn't been able to resist letting her know that he hadn't forgotten those days when they'd played veterinarian, when she'd been the vet and he had been a gorilla. One afternoon as she played with his sister, he'd paused in the doorway of his sister's bedroom and made gorilla noises before going outside to play ball with his friends. He could still see the surprise on her face, then the blooming of amused pleasure. No, she hadn't forgotten, either.
Now from out of the blue, he'd received a message request from Kelly McDonald, introducing herself and asking if he was someone she had known as a child. Looking at her picture, there had been no doubt it was the little girl he and his sister had once played with. Her piquant little child's face now showed the passage of time, much as his did, with lines born of laughter and care. Her eyes were still a bright sparkling blue, her smile easy and warm, with just a touch of latent impishness to it. He doubted time had been so kind to him.
He was surprised to learn that she lived just an hour away, outside of Knoxville. He'd forgotten that her family was originally from that area, if he'd ever actually known. He did recall thinking that she had had a funny way of talking though. For a long time, she had been the only person he'd ever heard say “y'all.”
Now she was reaching out and asking if he was the boy she remembered from childhood.
He wasn't certain why he was feeling reluctant to respond. If he didn't know better he would think he was actually feeling shy. But that would be ridiculous for a sixty-year-old retired cop to be shy about being reunited with a childhood friend. But suddenly he realized that he'd never been this reluctant about facing off with a violent felon so why did the prospect of seeing Kelly make him so uncomfortable?
With a self-disgusted grimace, he abruptly stood and stalked back into the house. He had to get on Facebook.
One week later he parked his late model pickup outside a Knoxville restaurant and sat for a few moments, unconsciously bracing himself for what might lie ahead. The early afternoon temperature was in the nineties and the humidity was about the same. That's why his palms were sweating. Probably had something to do with his heart racing, too. After all, he wasn't a spring rooster anymore and things like weather could cause all kinds of physical discomfort, right?
With yet another self-disgusted grimace, he climbed from the truck and made his way inside.
And found her waiting for him on a bench near the hostess stand.
As soon as their eyes met he felt all his misgivings drain away. It might have been fifty years since they'd last seen one another but suddenly he was eleven again and she was just as pretty as she had been at ten. Their smiles were wide as she stood and returned his tight hug with one of her own, then drew far enough away to look up at him through suspiciously moist bright blue eyes.
She was still a petite little thing, he thought. As a boy he'd felt he towered over her and as the hostess led them to a booth against a window he found he still did. She'd grown a little plump over the years but not unattractively so, and he found he liked the softness of her. Particularly during that hug. He was surprised to feel real sexual interest mixed in with the same feelings that puppies and kittens drew from him. He grinned wryly to himself. So the old man still had some life left in him!
Once they were seated and the hostess had walked away, Kelly's lips once again curved in a happy megawatt smile as she impulsively reached across the table and squeezed his hands.
“It's so wonderful to see you again, Jeff,” she proclaimed softly, “How are you?”
He returned the squeeze but he was loathe to release them. Instead he smiled as well, feeling as if he was losing years from his age just being in her company.
“Pretty good,” he replied, “Can't complain.”
“Neither can I.” She gave his hands another squeeze then withdrew hers when the waitress arrived with their glasses of water. After a quick scan of the menu they both ordered the daily special, chicken and dumplings with a side salad and slices of caramel apple pie for dessert, then waited for the waitress to walk away before returning to their conversation.
“Your Facebook bio said you were retired?” she asked, “Mom told me once that you were a cop.” She grinned cheekily. “And pretty good with your baton, too.”
A bit nonplussed, Jeff took a sip of his water, wondering if she intended the double entendre.
“All cops are good with their batons,“ he responded drolly then answered her grin with one of his own.”And you were a grade school teacher. Bet you wish you'd had a baton of your own sometimes.”
“I would never have raised a hand or anything else to a child,” she said loftily, then grimaced, “though I can't say the same about some of their parents. Honestly, Jeff, you meet some of them and you can understand why the kids are the way they are.”
He nodded in understanding.
“I saw the same thing on the street. You wonder how someone so young can be so bad. Then you get a glimpse of their home life and it becomes crystal clear.”
She tilted her head slightly to one side and her expression grew troubled.
“I suppose you saw a lot of terrible stuff on the streets. Some of the kids would come to school hungry because they hadn't eaten over the weekend and were still wearing the clothes they'd worn last week.” She shook her head. “One little boy told me once that he came to school because he didn't like it at home and he was afraid to be alone.”
She suddenly smiled.
“But there were a few that broke the cycle and escaped to find a better life later on. Several of them joined the military and used it as a springboard to college. One or two loved it so much they made a career out of the military.”
The waitress arrived with their salads and crusty rolls, refilled their glasses, then departed.
Kelly smiled as she drizzled balsamic dressing over her salad.
“One of my first students joined the Navy right out of high school and is now a vice admiral. It was quite an accomplishment for anybody, but especially when you know her background.”
“That bad?”
She nodded sadly as she slowly lifted her fork, remembering the little girl the student had once been.
“Yes. That poor child had been abused in nearly every way a child could be abused. She was so quiet that most of the time you didn't know she was around. But then something would set her off and she act out.” She paused to take a bit before continuing. “Her name was Barbara and she was eight-years-old when I first met her. I felt so sorry for her. But from the beginning I thought I saw something very special in her. I mean, all kids are special but there was just something about Barbara that set her apart.”
“And what was that?”
“Courage. Fortitude. This was a child that was determined to fight back but not in an angry way like many kids in her predicament would have.” She thought about it for a minute. “Barbara was what you might call an old soul. Much wiser than most children her age, and many adults for that matter. I was thrilled to watch her succeed and learn what all she'd accomplished in college and throughout her career.”
“So you've kept up with her.”
Kelly nodded and took another bite of salad.
“Not a hard thing to do in a community of that size. She's become one of their small town heroes. What about you? Anyone stand out in your mind?”
Jeff nodded as he buttered a roll.
“My first partner.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he had a really rough background. Parents and most of his family into one kind of crime or another, including drug trafficking and prostitution. It was all he knew and he told me that he even dabbled in it when he was young. But somewhere along the way he realized that he wasn't like them and didn't want any part of the family biz, as he called it. So he finished high school, went to college and got a degree in criminal justice and joined the force.”
“Amazing.”
“I think so.
There was a comfortable silence while they each finished their salad, then the waitress arrived with their chicken and dumplings with sides of green beans, and pie. After she left, Kelly asked the question he was expecting, and dreading.
“So have you ever married?”
But he was prepared with an answer, an honest one insofar as it went.
“Yes, and divorced. You?”
“Yes,” she murmured, and sprinkled a generous amount of pepper on her dumplings, “ a long time ago. He died.”
Feeling contrite for his evasion, he responded just as softly.
“I'm sorry.”
She smiled sadly.
“Thank you. He died in Desert Storm. We'd only been married three months.”
“I am so sorry, “ he said again. “You were both so young.”
She nodded, “Yes we were. But he left me with a daughter.”
Jeff smiled.
“Really? What's her name?”
“Justine. My husband's name was Justin. I named her after him.”
“Where is she now?”
“She and her husband live in Minneapolis. They're both pediatric nurses,” she smiled proudly. “and they have two beautiful kids, twins if you can believe that. Robert and Roberta.”
“So you never married again?”
She shook her head.
“No. Came close once but it just didn't feel right. There was something about the way he treated my daughter that made me cautious and in the end I decided it would be a mistake, so I ended it.”
“Probably a good thing. If there's one thing I learned as a cop it's that you should never second guess your gut.”
Nodding her head, she took a sip of water.
“That's true . So, do you have any kids?”
“Two of them. They're the reason I moved up here after I retired, so I could be closer to them.”
“That's sweet.” She took the last bite of her dumplings. He noticed that she hadn't touched her green beans.
“You don't like green beans?”
Kelly grimaced.
“Not particularly, but I've a passion for chicken and dumplings.”
Jeff chuckled.
“I'd never had them before I moved here, and now I've also developed a passion for them.”
She chuckled as well and reached for her pie.
“Another passion of mine. Apple pie! It's no wonder I'm so fat.”
“You're beautiful just the way you are.”
It was hard to say who was more surprised at the unexpected compliment, but he was charmed by her light blush.
“Why, thank you, Jeff,” she responded lightly with a pleased smile before adding, “You're pretty handsome yourself.”
“For an old man.”
“Pfft! Old my ass. What does that make me?”
“Eternally young.”
Again that light blush and he grinned.
“It's nice to see you blush.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. It means you still have a lot of young girl inside you.”
“Thankfully without the pimples.”
They both laughed and finished their pie and coffee before the waitress appeared with their checks. Jeff plucked Kelly's off the table before she could reach for it.
“My treat.”
She started to argue then graciously acquiesced.
“As long as I treat next time.” Pausing, she added, “If there is a next time?”
He smiled, pleased.
“I'd like that.”
They chatted a few minutes longer until the waitress reappeared, asking if they'd like refills of their coffee but they both refused before standing and making their way to the cashier where he paid with his credit card, adding a generous tip for their waitress. Afterward, they left the restaurant and he walked her to her car.
“I see you like Buick's.”
She nodded.
“My grandfather loved them. I guess it rubbed off on me.”
He waited while she unlocked and opened the door.
“I've enjoyed this.”
She nodded.
“So did I.”
“Let's not wait another fifty years to see each other again.”
She smiled.
“No, let's not.”
They stared at one another for a moment.
“Miss Kelly, may I kiss you?”
She shook her head slowly and her voice dropped to a whisper.
“I think I'd like that.”
So he stepped closer and very gently touched his lips to hers, once then again, a little deeper, before stepping back.
“Do you like to line dance?” he asked.
“Of course.”
He grinned.
“How about next Friday? We'll show those young whippersnappers how it's done!”
She chuckled as she slid into the car.
“Yes, we will.” She reached for the door but he was there before she could touch it.
“Be careful going home, Kelly.”
“You, too, Jeff. It really was so good to see you again.”
“You too. Bye, now.”
He gently closed the door and stood back as she carefully backed out. Then, with a final wave of her hand, she drove away, and he whistled a merry tune as he made his way to his truck.
Since you sent me a spoiler before I read this story of reconnection, I'm not sure how to proceed with my comments. But here goes…
Another of your romance stories that I've seen in newspapers about childhood friends who have found themselves in later life and the old attraction remains causing them to, often, get married after they had other husbands and wives and children. Enjoying their retired years.
But I can help think, that like in many of your stories that often include horses, you have written yourself in as Kelly, the heroine who "finally" finds the match of her dreams and it is so mutual that it fits the requirement of "romance" so well.
Most men, even in their 60s, have their eye out for newcomers, even if they are reincarnations of their long past. It is not unlikely that someone on Facebook making the first tentative contact, may find that it blooms into something greater.
Enjoy twists and surprising turns in this erotic collection of sexy love stories based on seven classic fairy tales. There are romantic interludes to touch your heart and plenty of scorching sex to warm your coldest nights.
Welcome to Hell on Earth, boys.
Andersonville POW camp...
Russell's battle-worn body looked defeated. He was a Union soldier; she was a Confederate nurse. But when Rosa looked into his eyes, she saw pure determination. He looked fo
Jeff Murphy was determined never to marry again. Four times was enough for anybody. Four women had thought they could handle being an undercover cop's wife, with his uncertain moods and being out of touch for weeks at a time. Not one of them had been able to. He'd be gone, deep undercover to bring nefarious elements to justice without a word of whether he lived or had died, and when he was home, he hadn't been allowed enough time to decompress from the last case before he had to take up another. In the end, it had been too much. Along the way he'd helped create two babies, both of whom were grown now with young families of their own, and both of whom were virtual strangers. Of all the sacrifices he's made in the name of justice, it was the one he regretted most and which he was carefully and deliberately trying to make up for. He would never be able to replace all of the important moments of their growing up that he'd missed, but he hoped to be a part of their future, however small it might be. At least they'd had loving and devoted stepfathers to raise them. For that he remained grateful.
