Falling for the Marshal - Sample

Chapter Two

He'd set the three places at one end of the table: one at the head and the other two flanking it. There was little chance of her getting away with sitting across from him. He'd be close. Too close. With his long legs, their knees might bump under the table. Maggie's pulse fluttered at the thought and she frowned. It wasn't like her to be so twitchy.

As she watched, he lit the thick candles at the centre of the table with the butane lighter.

Maggie paused at the intimacy of the setting and shook it off again, putting the soup tureen on the table. It shouldn't make her feel so threatened, but it did. Even with Jennifer here, a simple dinner had somehow transformed into something more. Maggie simply didn't do relationships of any kind. Not even casual ones. It always ended badly with her being left to try to pick up the pieces. After the last time, with Tom, there hadn't been many pieces left to pick up. She had to hold on to every single one. All that she had left was put into raising Jennifer and running her business. She didn't know why Nate would go to the bother of setting the atmosphere, and it unsettled her.

"Ms. Taylor?"

Maggie realized she'd been staring at the table. She laughed lightly. "I'm sorry. You were saying?"

"I asked if you ran the Haven alone. I'm afraid I didn't get many details when I booked."

"I do, yes." She brought the basket of bread to the table and invited him to sit with a hand. She was surprised when he waited until she was seated before seating himself. "Jennifer attends school in Edmonton, so she's not around much anymore."

"Which makes you sad."

Maggie smiled, pleasantly surprised by his small, but accurate insight. The house did seem unbearably lonely when Jen was gone. "Despite teenage angst and troubles, yes, it does. I miss having her close by. Speaking of, she should be here by now."

She pushed her chair back and stood, fluttering a hand when he made a similar move out of courtesy. "It's okay. Jen knows to be on time. I'll call her."

Maggie made her way to the bottom of the stairs. What she'd said was true. She did miss having Jen closer, even though at times she was glad Jen was away from here and making new friends. Not all her acquaintances at home were ones Maggie would have chosen. And the last thing Maggie needed was for the marshal to know about Jen's brush with the law.

"Jennifer. Dinner," she called up the stairs.

There was a muffled thump from Jen's room, then she came down, earbuds still stuck in her ears and her phone stuffed in her pocket.

They went to the kitchen together, but when Jen sat and reached for the bread, Maggie shook her head.

"Not at the table, please."

Jen seemed unconcerned as she plucked the buds from her ears. "Hey, Nate," she greeted, snagging the piece of bread as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Maggie saw Nate try to hide a smile. Honestly, she wondered sometimes if the manners she'd tried to instill had gone in one ear and out the other.

"Hey, Jennifer." Nate politely answered the greeting and broke the awkwardness by starting a conversation. "So...spring break is just about over. You looking forward to getting back to school?"

Maggie relaxed and ladled soup into bowls. Nate apparently had paid good attention to his upbringing. Manners and a natural sense of small talk. And for once, Jen didn't seem to mind answering.