Free A Love for Safekeeping by Gail Gaymer Martin Page A

District and the name ‘Howard’ written inside. That’s it.” He tilted her chin. “And trust me, over the years, many students named Howard went to elementary school in Redmond.”
    “Did you check?” Her look pierced him.
    Kyle flexed his fingers, hoping to relieve his rising frustration. He spoke in a slow, calm voice. “The police department has real crimes to pursue, Jane. They can’t spend man-hours searching for crimes that haven’t been committed yet.”
    “That’s what I mean. I could be the next real crime,” she muttered.
    “I know how you must feel, but we need a legitimate threat of harm before we can really act. ‘See Jane run’ circled on a page isn’t it.”
    Jane flung her arms above her head. “Great. Let’s pray for a threat, then.”
    Though she was driving him up a wall, Kyle wanted to hold her against his chest and comfort her. “Don’t be silly. Let’s pray that whoever’s doing this gets bored with it.”
    Her head drooped, and she didn’t speak for a moment. “I’m sorry, Kyle.”
    He could see her struggling not to cry.
    “I don’t want to take my frustration out on you,” she continued. “Everything scares me. The other day I turned around and shrieked at my own reflection in the mirror.”
    She looked so pitiful, Kyle chuckled. “Better that than someone else shrieking when they look at you.”
    A small grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I know. I sound like an idiot.”
    “No, you sound like a frightened lady who’s tired of being afraid.” And so was he. He cared too much to see her scared senseless.
    Jane studied his face, a combination of tenderness and anxiety. He feared for her. Fear? How many times had Kyle faced fear? Part of the job, she supposed. She’d noticed how he seemed to be alert, standing in just the right way, even when he was off duty. “Are you ever frightened, Kyle?”
    Her question seemed to surprise him. “Sure. Why?”
    “I don’t know. Since this happened I’m jittery all the time. I hear strange noises at night.” She ran her fingers over her temples, feeling the beating of her pulse, a throbbing that was too familiar. “I try to push it from my mind, but…I don’t know, it seems to overwhelm me.”
    “Jane, I pray for you every day. But fear shouldn’t be part of your job. Fear is built into my job, I suppose. If not fear, anticipation or vigilance. I focus on myweapon and my back, and I guard them both. Redmond is a decent town, so I have it easy compared to some.”
    Kyle slid his arm around her, then caught her chin between his thumb and finger. “Don’t worry about me. You have enough to worry about.”
    She searched his concerned face, and a new emotion touched her. A different kind of flutter rose in her chest. Not the jackhammer she’d felt of late, this sensation rippled like hummingbird wings. Her breath suspended for a heartbeat.
    Kyle’s left hand rose, caressing her face. He pressed his palm against her cheek, and his gaze drifted to her eyes, suspended there for a moment, then moved to her lips. His eyes had asked a question, and hers had given the answer. As she tilted her head upward, he lowered his lips to hers.
    His fingers slid to the nape of her neck, and pleasure rippled down her spine.
    When their lips parted, Kyle’s gaze sought hers, his lids heavy and telling. A throaty murmur left him. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I met you.” A long, slow sigh lifted his shoulders.
    “So have I,” Jane admitted quietly. “Fantasies rarely equal reality, but this time it does.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Positive,” she said.
    He looked at her with question, then frowned.
    Tangled with concern, she faltered. “What’s wrong?”
    “I think we should test these feelings again, just to be certain.”
    The tense moment lifted, and a grin curved her lips. “You have a good point.”
    This time they moved in unison, and Jane met hislips in eager anticipation, exploring the new sensations