Sean's Reckoning - By Sherryl Woods Page 0,40

her to tell her folks what had happened and that they had a grandson, Deanna had been determined to make it entirely on her own. Though the court had awarded her child support, she’d never expected to see a dime of it, not from a man who’d expected to be supported by her family. So far she’d done a pretty lousy job of triumphing over the past, but at least she hadn’t had to listen to an endless tirade of “I told you so.” One day, when she was really and truly back on her feet, she would contact her parents, but not now.

In the meantime, there were all those scars, the ones that made her question her judgment, the ones that made her distrust all men. Not that anyone could possibly be after her for her money now, she thought, barely stifling a laugh.

She felt Sean’s warm, steady gaze on her and finally lifted her eyes to meet his.

“Where’d you go just then?” he asked.

“Back in time,” she said wearily.

“Obviously not a happy time.”

“No,” she said succinctly.

“Will you tell me sometime?”

“Probably not,” she said.

“Because you can’t talk about it?”

“That’s one reason.” There were others, though. She didn’t want his pity, and she certainly didn’t want him realizing what an idiot she was for being taken in so easily.

“Did you love him that much?” Sean asked quietly.

She had. That was the worst joke of all. She had really loved Frankie, at least the man she’d thought he was. She’d had some sort of Romeo and Juliet fantasy about the two of them defying all the obstacles in their path to live happily ever after.

“Truthfully?” she said wearily. “I didn’t even know him.”

Sean couldn’t forget what little Deanna had revealed about her relationship with her ex-husband. Nor could he keep himself from speculating about all that she’d left unsaid. It was just one more mystery to be unraveled, one more facet to add to this fascination he couldn’t seem to shake.

And despite all his promises to stop hovering over her, he couldn’t seem to stop himself from worrying about the almost driven way she continued to live her life. It went beyond survival instinct. It had something to do with the past. He was sure of it.

Despite her boss’s promise to help her win a settlement from her landlord, as far as Sean could see, Deanna was still working herself to death. He was damned proud of the fact that he managed to keep from butting in, hauling her home and barring the door until she got at least twenty-four straight hours of sleep. But every time he saw her, the circles under her eyes were darker, the weariness in her shoulders more evident.

Even though he’d resolved to keep silent, he couldn’t stop himself from doing what he could to keep an eye on her. Something told him she was nearing the end of her rope, and he intended to be nearby whenever possible in case she needed him. What had begun as a resolution to make sure Kevin was well looked after became an obsession to do the same for Deanna.

“You know, Sean, I like Joey’s food as well as the next guy, but do we have to eat there every night?” Hank inquired as they left the firehouse.

“Yes,” Sean said tersely. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair as he regarded the whole group of firefighters apologetically. “Look, I really appreciate the fact that you guys are willing to go there.”

“Not a problem,” the others chorused. “Especially if you keep paying.”

Sean winced at the reminder. He figured if Deanna found out about that, she’d be furious that he was wasting his money just to keep her under surveillance.

As the other men drifted away, Sean faced Hank. “The truth is, I’m worried about Deanna.”

“Why? What’s up?” Hank asked, his expression instantly filled with genuine concern. “Her ex isn’t stalking her or something, is he?”

“No. But she’s tired and on edge. She can’t keep up this pace forever.”

“And this is your problem because?” Hank asked, though his eyes were dancing with undisguised amusement.

“Because I’ve made it my problem,” Sean returned. “Besides, I don’t know what you’re complaining about. Tonight is spaghetti night. You’re bound to run into Ruby.”

Hank looked decidedly uncomfortable at the reminder. Sean studied him intently. “Is that a problem?”

“No,” Hank said tersely.

Even though his expression warned against further questions, that didn’t stop Sean from asking, “You sure about that?”

“Leave it alone, okay? My relationship with Ruby