thought to sharing that vision with someone else, but in such a short amount of time, she’d made him consider an alternate ending to the solitary one he’d imagined. It wasn’t that he was dead set on being a lifelong bachelor; he just hadn’t seen the need to ponder an alternative lifestyle—until now. He was very much a “cross that bridge when you come to it” kind of man. Dealing in the here and now, or situational control, as the Army referred to it. I sound like a brochure for the freaking military.
A loud yawn escaped him as his eyes began to blur. Ready or not, his body was shutting down for a while. The last thing on his mind as he drifted off into an exhausted slumber was the beautiful woman from the picture. Only in his dreams, she was laughing by his side instead of with the little girl.
* * *
• • •
“Why in God’s earth did I send him my picture? Temporary insanity, that’s all I can come up with. We had a good thing going, but now it’s just the sounds of silence. I scared him away,” Sara muttered before taking a sip from her glass of wine. When Chloe had called and invited herself over, Sara had been more than happy to welcome her. With Nicole sleeping at the station and Chris still out of town, she was desperate for a distraction. Normally she would have taken Kaylee somewhere, but the icy roads made traveling too risky. Chloe’s neighbor had offered to drop her off on his way to work, and obviously she was bored enough to take him up on it. So now they sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace in lounge pants and T-shirts, having their version of an adult pajama party. When Kaylee had gone to bed, Chloe had brought out the bottle of wine she’d brought along with her.
“Let me see it,” Chloe mumbled around a chip she’d just pushed into her mouth. When Sara didn’t respond, Chloe made a grabbing motion with her hand. “If you want my honest opinion, then show me the damn thing.”
Reluctantly, she scrolled through her camera roll until she located the image she’d sent Gabe. She studied it for a moment before handing it to her cousin. Granted, it was no glamour shot, but she didn’t think it was that bad. If Gabe was so picky and critical of a woman’s appearance, then screw him. The last thing she needed in her life was someone else making her feel bad about herself. I’ve got a family to do that, Randall.
“Are you kidding me?” Chloe asked, sounding baffled. Well, damn, even she thinks it sucks. Why didn’t I ask her opinion before I sent it? “Sara, this is an amazing photo. Probably the best one of you I’ve ever seen. You should use it as your profile picture on Facebook.” Wait—was that sarcasm? But even as that thought occurred to her she discounted it, because there was nothing but sincerity in Chloe’s tone. “I have no clue why you haven’t heard back from him, but I can promise you that there is nothing at all wrong with that picture. Remember when I read the e-mail you sent to him and I said it sparkled?” Sara nodded slowly, feeling herself beginning to relax. “Well, this image was made to go with that letter. It picks up on everything that I pointed out to you and more. This says without words that you’re vibrant, funny, loving, and a flipping knockout.”
Sara could feel the heat rushing into her face at Chloe’s comments. She almost seems to envy . . . me. That can’t be possible. She has it all. “Please—look at that piece of hair sticking up on the side of my head. And I’m so pale, I nearly blend in with the snow.” Sara cringed in embarrassment.
Instead of laughing along with her, Chloe shook her head. “Why do you always do that? Whenever someone pays you a compliment, you immediately draw their attention to what you consider a negative. And it’s not just with me either. I’ve heard you do the same thing at family gatherings.” Chloe held up her hand, as if knowing what she was going to say. “I’m not talking about the reunion. I think Aunt Lydia took center stage with the spinster thing. Even you couldn’t top her there.” She leaned over and placed a hand on Sara’s arm, giving