Life Over Love by Cheryl Seagraves Page A

really had screwed up and totally offended the guy. She tried to read his expression, but he seemed pre occupied, “well uh, like I said I’m sorry about that back there, I hope you have a great night, and thanks for shopping with us.”
    He couldn’t help but admire the pretty sight as he watched her walk away. Officer Danner shook his mentally kicking himself, and wondered what was wrong with him?! He was a grown man for crying out loud, not some dumb jock in high school.
    He didn’t have a bad track record with the ladies either, from a guy’s point of view at any rate. He’d already been married twice to a couple of pretty smiles and lying eyes. Some would say he was jaded, he preferred educated.
    He hated it when he got in these moods, his mother called it woman hating, but he didn’t place all the blame on his exes.  Yeah sure, maybe he’d technically been faithful, but that’s not saying a whole lot. He was never attentive after he got married either, and for that he felt bad.
    Once upon a time he’d wanted to settle down, do the whole happy family thing, but it was like as soon as he’d gotten married, hell who was he fooling, soon as he got engaged he got bored. It was like the minute he’d gotten the girl, the shine wore off, and he’d simply loose interest.
    Then he went and done what he thought seemed like the right thing to do at the time, just marry the girl. He was if anything a self-aware man. He knew being married to a cop wasn’t easy, especially one working his face off, trying to make detective, but he was still ticked when he found out they’d cheated on him.  Really it was his ego that was hurt, he always prided himself on being honest to a fault where women were concerned, and dangit he deserved the same respect! He was just glad neither marriage had resulted in a child.
    Every time his thoughts steered in that direction he did feel a twinge of regret, but was glad for the sake of the unborn child.  He loved his nephews, his god daughters, and would love to be a dad, but honestly no woman seemed fit to have his kids.
    He winced at tha t thought because it made him feel like such a jerk.
    It wasn’t that he thought he was God’s gift or anything, he just chalked it up to having unrealistic expectations, and was just glad it had never happened was all. Ryker wasn’t a momma’s boy so to speak, but when his father had died, his mother had done an amazing job raising him, and every other woman had paled in comparison.  From what he could tell the same was true for his brother Aiden, who was still fighting a nasty divorce.
                Ryker leaned against the counter and laughed while he chewed through the rubbery Salisbury steak. He thought that pretty little cashier had been right about one thing, the TV dinners were no bueno.
     
     
     
    15
     
    B rianna was totally fine with walking home anytime day or night. She was the type of person that just did what needed to be done.  By her way of thinking strangers were often less ominous than lovers. She frequently turned down rides from co-workers, and she had no problem with walking home in the rain, in fact if it hadn’t been smack in the middle of winter she would have loved to play in the rain, but she was glad for the clear starlit sky tonight.
    She felt so good to be on her own, she walked along the rail road tracks, and passed by the colorful shops in the old town square. Brianna waved happily to passersby and people closing up shop.
    She’d seen a guy discarding a Christmas tree behind one of the buildings and realized she had forgotten to get one, that and she ha dn’t had the extra money.  She flagged the guy down. He was hoping to get her number or give her a ride home, but instead she asked him about taking the tree.
    He offered to give her and the tree a lift, but she refused saying she lived real close by. He said fine shaking his head at her stubbornness, he watched her pull and tug the tree along the side