Sweet Home Montana (The McKaslin Clan) by Jillian Hart Page B

now?”
    “You didn’t like living in a city?”
    “It wasn’t so bad. There was a lot to like about it. I served on the Seattle PD for four years. I was doing all right for myself. Lived in a good part of the city. Met and proposed to a real nice lady. Then Grandfather fell ill. It was terminal. I came home to help out.”
    “And your fiancée didn’t come with you?”
    “She said that my going home to help out was one thing. Moving there was another. After Grandfather passed, my grandmother had fallen ill and nothing was going to make me leave her alone. Jayna had been born and raised in the heart of the city and didn’t want to leave.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Me, too. At least I knew where she stood before we’d walked down the aisle. I’ll always wish that she had the same values.” He didn’t look up but reached for another corncob. His sadness seemed to fill the air. “What about you? Did you leave any broken hearts behind in California?”
    “Me? Not even close. I don’t date, because I don’t think I can marry anyone.” Lauren inspected the yellow cob, pronounced it silk-free and set it carefully onto the towering pyramid of corn. “I don’t think I can trust anyone that much.”
    “Trust? I guess I’ve never thought about it that way before.”
    “When you trust enough to marry, you are placing everything in your spouse’s hands.” Lauren went to work on a final corncob. “When you’re married, you’re affected by that other person’s decisions and actions in every single facet of your life. Your money, your happiness and welfare, how you live, where you live, how many kids and how will they be raised, and you can even be legally affected.”
    “You’re right, hands down.” He watched her intently, as if he were trying to figure her out. “That’s a pretty extreme view for a pretty young lady to take. You didn’t have a relationship go bad?”
    “No. I’ve never let anyone get that close to me. I’ve never been able to believe that there’s a man out there who could be good and kind and faithful and not hurt me in any way. My mom…living with her was lesson enough.”
    “That’s too bad.” Sadness—and understanding—marked his face, and he looked away, as if that were answer enough. “I have a healthy respect for marriage. Most of my friends are husbands and fathers. It’s a big job to commit to, provide for and cherish a wife. When I take that step, I want to make sure it’s right. I see it as a promise. I never much thought about the trust it would take.”
    “A lot. More than I have.”
    “But that’s what marriage is all about.”
    How could he imply that it was no big deal? Probably because he had much different experiences in life than she’d had. “You don’t seem terrified by that, but I am.” She gave the cob in her hands one last swipe to dust off the stubborn silks and slipped it into the full dishpan. “There. Done.”
    His hand caught hers before she could pull away. His thick, stronger fingers covered hers in a firm grasp, but not an imprisoning one. She could pull away if she wanted to, she just wasn’t sure if she wanted to. His touch felt as solid as the stalwart man.
    No, she’d never met a man like Caleb before. He’d given up his life and risked a relationship just to care for his ailing grandparents. That kind of care took sacrifice, and she respected him for it.
    “I take a more optimistic view of things.” Caleb let her go.
    She withdrew her hand although her skin tingled from nothing more than his touch. “Are you saying I’m pessimistic?”
    “Oh, no. It’s a free country. Everyone’s got the right to their opinions. The thing is, that sometimes people surprise you.”
    “You’re a cop and you say this?”
    “Hey, I see the worst side of humanity, hands down. Absolutely. But I’ve seen the best side, too.”
    “The best side?”
    “Sure. People stopping to help find a missing child or joining a search for an