Love To The Rescue by Brenda Sinclair Page B

smiled.
    “I’m quite willing to wait. I love the idea of no cooking tonight.”
    “You hate cooking?”
    “Not at all. I love cooking, but having nobody to eat with sucks.” Amy blushed. Would he read lonely widow into her innocent admission? If he judged her by how enthusiastically she’d welcomed his kiss earlier, he might read all manner of things into it.
    “Well, I can’t do much more than boil water, so I admire your talent.” Kevin met her eyes. “I imagine you miss...”
    She noticed he’d dropped the subject like a hot potato.
    “What were you going to say? I imagine you miss your husband?” Amy met his eyes as she and Kevin walked the length of the parking lot. “Yes, I do. But my girlfriends are encouraging me to move on and my writing group keeps me busy. I travel to a couple of writers’ conferences every year, and Leslie and I vacation every fall at an affordable spa. I’m not an eccentric widow with thirty cats. At least, not yet.” She laughed and caught him smiling.
    “Good. I’m not a big fan of cats. Now dogs I love. Rover...well, time will tell. But living in my townhouse doesn’t really make dog ownership a sensible idea for me. Only a postage-sized backyard, no grass just cement, with no room for a dog to run around. And my hours are pretty crazy, but I suppose...”
    Again, he stopped in mid sentence. What was it with this guy? Was he keeping secrets from her? Probably, all in the name of confidentiality.
    Amy sighed. “I must admit, I’ve never dated a police officer before. And I really don’t understand much about law enforcement. Other than to obey the law and avoid any encounters with the police. I’ve never even had a parking ticket.”
    “Congratulations. I wish there were more citizens like you.” Kevin shook his head. “In my line of work, you see the worst mankind has to offer, most of the time.”
    “Well, I don’t know the difference between a sergeant or a lieutenant or all the other ranks. I require Law Enforcement Ranking 101 when you have the time to teach me.” Amy paled. Had that sounded like she assumed there would be more dates?
    What if he found her totally boring?
    What if he only asked her out on the spur-of-the-moment, and now he was regretting it?
    Maybe he was already praying for the night to end?
    “That I can do.” Kevin yanked the heavy wooden door open. He brushed her lower back with his hand while guiding her into the restaurant ahead of him. “Let’s get our names on the table list, order a drink in the lounge, and we’ll begin with Rankings Lesson One.”
    “Sounds perfect.” Amy glanced up, met his eyes again. “I’m going to enjoy dinner, even if there are thirty people ahead of us. There will be no dishes to wash afterward. Always a bonus.”
    At nine-thirty, Amy stood at the front door waiting for Kevin to pay for dinner, shocked at what a wonderful time she’d had. Their steaks were cooked perfectly, their waiter was a hoot, and Kevin remembered to request a doggie bag to stash away a few chunks of steak for Rover. They’d lingered over an Irish coffee for him and a blueberry tea for her. Finally, they were heading home.
    Amy felt certain that Rover was anxiously awaiting their return.
    *
     
    While the waitress processed his credit card payment, Kevin glanced over at Amy a few feet away leaning against the front door jamb. She’d struck up a conversation with an elderly couple, sitting on an upholstered bench seat, waiting for a cab.
    Amy laughed at something the old fellow said, and to his ears, her laughter sounded like angels singing. Her smile radiated warmth that penetrated his body clear through to his heart. God, he liked this woman more than anyone he’d dated since his divorce. And he’d dated a good number of women. Mostly blind dates arranged by co-workers. He’d even noticed she’d removed her rings. That had to be a good sign. He’d never believed in love at first sight, but he recalled Garrett had