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A romantic spread for two was the last thing Amelia expected to find at Dillon’s house. Will she run out, or is she willing to play along? Find out in Chapter Nine!

Amelia bit back a squeak as Dillon's hand grabbed her arm and prevented her from leaving.

She cast him a scathing look, not sure which was worse—being held captive in a situation she was confident she didn't want any part of, or the fact that her husband's touch was already warming in a far too welcoming way. For Tyler's sake, she came to her senses and stopped struggling. Nevertheless, she disengaged herself from Dillon's grasp.

"Oh, you're home," an elderly woman said as she bustled in from the kitchen to great them. "I was hoping to have everything ready to surprise you."

Amelia had absolutely no idea what to say to the grandmotherly figure.

"Mrs. Potter," Dillon said, his shock equally apparent. "What—" he stepped to the table to pull Tyler's hand away from a flickering candle "—is all this?"

"I'm Gretchen Potter," the woman said to Amelia. She completed the introduction with a genteel handshake. "Dillon's neighbor. I play bridge with the mother of a young deputy of his every Thursday night. And when Edna told me you and your son would be staying here tonight, I just knew you young people would appreciate a home-cooked meal waiting for you."

"Edna Lewis? " Dillon queried through clenched teeth.

"Why yes. Rowdy stopped by his mother's for lunch today, and filled her in on the whole story. It's such a relief to hear that the two of you are trying to patch things up." The woman winked at Amelia, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was the only adult in the room feeling relief at the moment. "Since the sheriff's parents don't live in town anymore, I've taken it upon myself to look after him a bit since he moved in next door."

Amelia got the impression that their sheriff was plotting the demise of one of his best deputies.

"Well." Mrs. Potter began tidying the table where Tyler's inquisitive hands had moved things aside. "As soon as I heard you and this adorable little boy there would be staying over, I figured you adults could use a few hours to yourself. So I have a lovely dinner in the oven, and I'm offering myself up as babysitter. That is, if Tyler would like to have some pizza over at my place?"

"I couldn't ask you to do that," Amelia blurted out a little too forcefully to be polite. A cozy dinner for two was the last thing she and Dillon needed after what had happened at the school.

"Cool!" Tyler chirped, a grin spreading across his face. "Mom, you and daddy get to go on a date." He wiggled his little-boy eyebrows, his not-quite-there-yet attempt at winking. He'd always gotten excited when a sitter came over, and Amelia and Dillon left for one of their date nights.

"Tyler—“ she began.

"Son, your mom and I—“ Dillon joined in.

"Oh, please, Daddy," Tyler wheedled, taking first his dad's hand, and then grabbing Amelia's. "Can't you guys go on a date again, just this once. I didn't want spaghetti, anyway," he assured them. "I want to have pizza."

"Ame?" her husband queried, his warm brown eyes reeling her in. "It would mean a lot to him."

As much as Amelia didn't want to give Tyler false hope for a reconciliation that might never happen, it had been such a scary morning for them all, and he was so excited. "I don't know….she id, and she really didn't.

"Please, Mom?" Tyler begged.

"What could it hurt?" Dillon asked with a shrug.

Amelia glanced between the romantic table, her son's hopeful expression and her husband's outrageously handsome face.

Oh, it could hurt a lot.

To be continued…

chapter: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20