A Heart's Endeavor Read Online Free PDF Page B

later they arrived at the restaurant and he escorted her inside.
    “Hi, Sally. Is that booth in the far corner open?”
    The young blonde smiled. “Anything you want is opened, Jack.”
    Mel tamped down the sting of jealousy and kept her eyes ahead as the sexy, thin-as-a-reed waitress led them to a table in the corner of the room. Mel schooled her features and placed her order. Her gaze lingered on the exaggerated swing of the waitress’s hips as she walked away. Mel knew if she attempted such a twist, she’d probably throw a hip out of joint.
    “Tell me about yourself,” Jack said offhandedly. He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.
    Mel tore her eyes away from those bulging biceps and scanned the crowded restaurant. What could she tell him? What should she tell him? Hey, I’m depressed, nice to meet you. What’s your sign? That wouldn’t work. She had no intention of getting close, but as she readied herself for bed last night, thoughts of Jack Horan were swirling around in her head. She had to stop thinking about him.
    “There really isn’t much to tell,” she replied. “I didn’t go to college. I lived with my parents until I got married, and they passed away shortly afterward. I have one brother. He’s married and lives in Florida. I knew my husband, Mike, all my life. We started dating during high school.”
    The conversation paused when Sally returned to their table, setting a hamburger the size of a Frisbee in front of her. Jack laughed at Mel’s open-mouthed expression and requested a doggie bag. Mel took a bite of the burger, chewed, and swallowed before she continued. “Mike was coming home from work one snowy night. He lost control of his car and drove into the path of a semi.” Her voice cracked. “I was at home waiting for him.” Actually, she was lying on the couch reading a romance novel. Hey, a girl had to get her romance fix somewhere.
    “I’m really sorry for your loss. I’d drive at a crawl just so I’d get home safely to my wife.” He leaned forward. “I’d keep her warm in bed on a cold, snowy night.”
    A flood of moisture seeped from Mel’s vagina and coated her panties. She squirmed in her seat. His possessive tone echoed in her ears and went straight to her clit. She wished it was snowing right now so he’d be stranded at her house for the night.
    Now that her thoughts were spinning out of control, she changed the subject to something less sexually stimulating. “Where are you from, Jack?”
    “Franklinville.”
    Mel arched a brow in surprise. “Gee, that’s a good fifty miles from here. Doesn’t Franklinville have its own state police station?”
    “Yes it does. I was stationed there for a few years, but I accepted a promotion so I had to transfer to another barracks where there was an opening for a corporal. The Reidsville barracks was the only one that had an empty slot for my rank.”
    Mel nodded. She asked Jack about his family, and Jack told her that his dad had been a coal miner, and he’d died of silicosis, or ‘black lung’, over ten years ago. His seventy-year-old mother lived by herself. He made sure to call her every day, but she was quite independent and not at all hesitant to tell him so. She still drove her blue Oldsmobile and got around on her own. He had no brothers or sisters and had never been married. He had wanted to be in law enforcement since he was a child, and he joined the Pennsylvania State Police Department as soon as he turned twenty-one.
    Jack fiddled with his fork. “Mom wasn’t too thrilled when I told her about my decision to join law enforcement, but both my parents respected my choice.” His expression turned sad. “My dad was a wonderful father. I really miss him at times. I’m thankful I still have my mom, even though she harasses me on a daily basis about the fact that I haven’t given her any grandchildren.”
    Mel’s chest tightened at the mention of children. She and Mike tried to have a