Page 2 of Luke

As he approaches my window, he takes off his hat and sunglasses. In my rearview mirror, I finally get a glimpse of his face. My heart slams against my ribs.

It’s Luke O’Donnell. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him instantly.

His strong jaw looks even more chiseled than I remember. His wavy brown hair catches the gold light of the late afternoon sun. His eyes are like disks of jade.

He’s the most beautiful man to ever walk the earth. Heat floods my body when I look at him directly.

He knocks on the window, his smile stretching from ear to ear. He knows it’s me. I wonder if my mother told him I was coming back to town.

He starts talking the moment I roll down the window.

“Marie Richardson, as I live and breathe!” He slaps his hand over his chest. “I never thought I’d see you back here.”

“Hey, Luke,” I nod. I can’t make my voice sound natural.

I spent a good ten years head over heels in love with Luke O’Donnell. Now that he’s in front of me again, I realize I’m not as over him as I thought. I can’t look at him without imagining what it would be like to run my hands over his bare chest.

“Hey, Luke?” He repeats. “That’s all you have to say to your best friend?”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch much,” I offer lamely. Truth be told, I’m surprised to hear him refer to me as his best friend. I thought I lost that title when I left.

It wasn’t bad enough to be in love with someone like Luke knowing I didn’t stand a chance in the world. It was even worse when he was my friend. My best friend.

In elementary school, he stood up for me when a few kids made fun of my weight. I’ve always carried a few extra pounds. I spent years of my life hating my body. That’s another thing that changed when I moved to New Orleans.

Despite a healthy relationship with my curves, I slowly felt the old self-consciousness trickle back in.

“Much?” Luke chuckles. “I haven’t heard from you since graduation. I ought to write you a ticket just for that.”

“How long have you been a police officer?” I ask.

“Ranger,” he corrects. “In case you forgot how we do things here, we’re called Rangers.”

I had forgotten. I’ve actively tried to think of home as little as possible since I left, but I can’t say that to Luke. He’s always been the Golden Boy. He wouldn’t understand.

“I heard about Alice.” My chest flutters when he says my mother’s name. “Doc says she’s driving to Denver for treatment.”

“Yeah, I’m going to take over driving so she doesn’t wear herself out. It’s a miracle she can still drive herself.”

“It is. We’re all rooting for her.”

“Thanks.” I blink away unexpected tears. “I should get going. I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

“Of course. Try not to speed, though. Gary Wiseman can see the whole highway from his porch. If he sees someone speeding, he’ll be at the station all day trying to wrangle up a posse.”

“Still?” I chuckle. “You’d think he’d have found something else to do by now.”

“Nope.” He pats the roof of my car. “Say hi to your mom for me. Don’t be a stranger while you’re here, either!”

I wave as I roll up my window, eager to get away before I can no longer hide the deep desire I still feel for him.

Chapter Two

Luke

I can’t believe it. I must have been imagining it. Maybe I got a little too much sun today.

Never did I think I’d see Marie back in town. I figure she would’ve called me first, but why would she? She didn’t bother to tell me she was leaving town.

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