“I’ve written it in ink for a week from tonight. That lakeside restaurant sounds fantastic. And the company won’t be too shabby, either.”

“I hope you feel the same after the evening’s over.”

“I have every confidence I will.” She squeezed his hand, and as a surge of testosterone rocketed through him, a warning began to beep in his mind.

Get out of here, Cox. You’re on duty, dealing with a crime report—and mixing business and pleasure is unprofessional.

That was true.

Yet with Grace’s fingers tucked in his, with the warmth of her hazel eyes seeping into his soul, with her face blessedly free of tension and her appealing mouth inches from his, walking away without doing more than holding her hand would tax the formidable self-control he’d developed as a Green Beret.

As if sensing his inclinations, Grace leaned a tad closer. Her lips parted slightly in invitation. A pulse began to throb in the delicate hollow of her throat.

Oh man.

He wasn’t made of steel. And if the lady was willing to send him off with a—

His phone began to vibrate on his belt.

Tempted as he was to ignore it, he wasn’t wired that way. Duty came first.

“I have a call coming in.” He cleared the huskiness from his voice. “Could be dispatch.”

Disappointment flickered for an instant in her eyes, but she eased back. “Go ahead and answer. You are the sheriff, and you are on duty tonight.”

“I wish I wasn’t. And I wish I could ignore this call.” Yet already he was reaching for the phone.

“But you’re a man who takes his responsibilities seriously.” She offered him a reassuring smile. “That’s a plus in my book. And we’ll have next Saturday night all to ourselves.”

“Count on it.” He pulled out the phone and put it to his ear.

As he jotted down the location of the three-car pileup ten miles away and asked the appropriate questions, he continued to focus on Grace.

She looked more relaxed now. More like her usual spunky self. Telling him her story may not have banished all her demons, but perhaps sharing the trauma she’d carried alone all these years had helped diminish their power.

As soon as the call ended, he stood. With three carloads of people waiting for him, he couldn’t linger.

“Walk me to the door?” He took her hand again.

She kept a tight grip on it as they crossed the room. “Be careful out there.”

“Likewise. Arm your system, stay inside, and call me if anything else spooks you. But I don’t think your visitor will return tonight. They accomplished their mission.”

“Only part of it. I got the present—but if the intent was to scare me off, the mission was a failure. I’m not a quitter.”

That sounded like the Grace he was coming to know.

“Remember you’re not in this alone.”

“I will—and I appreciate that.”

“Do me one other favor?”

“Name it.”

“Eat some of that pizza you ordered.”