The Hero's Redemption

Eventually, they boxed up what was left of the pizza and slid out of the booth. He stayed vigilant, as if his role was bodyguard, and was very conscious of her walking in front of him.

After they’d climbed into her SUV, she said, “Maybe next time we do this, you can drive home.”

Nice thought, although her dashboard looked like a control panel in a spaceship to him. Electronics seemed to have taken over cars, like everything else. And it wasn’t as if he’d been driving the latest model before getting arrested.

After graduating from high school, he’d worked six months or so in an auto body shop, then had done construction without staying with any one contractor. Save money? Why would he do that? Cole had taken a lot of pride in the ’98 Pontiac Firebird he’d bought on his own, though.

He’d scraped up what cash he could and sold his car in a useless attempt to pay for better legal representation than the public defender assigned to him. But it had been all too obvious that the woman he’d hired didn’t believe in Cole’s innocence. Hard to convince a jury when your own attorney only went through the motions.

As always, he made himself close a door on his anger. Bitterness would corrode him if he let it loose. Fortunately, shutting it down had become easier since the day Erin had run out of the hardware store to offer him a job.

* * *

COLE GAVE HER a quirky grin. “I could crash through the gym wall.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

In fact, he put her Cherokee in Drive and set out sedately to circle the middle school parking lot, do some figure eights and finally brake gently.

He looked so happy, so she said recklessly, “Let’s head out on the streets.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Although she really ought to check with her agent to find out whether her insurance would cover a driver using a learner’s permit. Maybe she needed to add his name. And, while she was at it, she’d transfer her insurance to a local agent.

They drove around for a while, Cole stopping a few times to practice parallel parking, even though she didn’t think he’d have to do it in the driver’s test.

“Most of downtown has only parallel parking,” he reminded her.

He certainly didn’t need an instructor, which was fortunate, given that she was completely distracted by her awareness of him. This was an ideal opportunity to study him without embarrassing herself.

Great cheekbones, a strong jaw and those light blue eyes made him male-model handsome. Erin was pretty sure he didn’t see himself that way, but it was true. His hair was noticeably growing out. It wasn’t as dark as she’d thought it might be. Kind of a nut-brown.

She kept sneaking peeks at his powerful thigh muscles, flexing as he moved his foot from the gas pedal to the brake and back. He wore khaki cargo pants, which suited him, the cotton fabric stretched taut over those muscles. He had a strong neck, too, the lick of a tattoo she’d decided was flames reaching above a T-shirt that also hugged impressive muscles.

Mostly, she loved his forearms and hands. Sinews and veins showed on his arms, and he had thick wrists and big hands to go with his size. They weren’t hairy, like some men’s. She’d seen him effortlessly rip boards loose with those hands, but also do delicate tasks.

Erin hoped he couldn’t tell that she was melting inside just from imagining his hands on her body.

She wasn’t the only woman who had that reaction. So far, he either didn’t notice other women staring, or pretended he didn’t, which she appreciated. Maybe he was so accustomed to women lusting after him, he could shrug it off. Except…had there been any women where he’d been held?

He also looked a lot healthier than he had when she first saw him in the hardware store. His color was better, his face no longer gaunt. Working outside, he’d picked up some sun, too.

“Why don’t we stop at the grocery store while we’re out?” she suddenly suggested. “I need some veggies.”

He flicked a glance at her. “Okay.”

She was counting on parting ways inside, as they always had. To her dismay, he picked up a basket and waited politely for her to maneuver a small cart into the store.