“Lord have mercy,” he muttered, dived beneath the water, and scooped her up before she touched bottom. Surfacing in moments, they both laughed and sputtered as water streamed from their hair into their eyes.

“If you didn’t like the treatment, you should have just said so, not tried to drown me.” Debbie laughed, as she wiped hair and water from her eyes.

Cole held her tight against his chest as he walked them both into shallow waters. “That’s not the trouble, lady. I liked getting the damned condition nearly as much as the cure. I just don’t think you’re ready for the consequences.”

It was one of the few times in her life that she was speechless. It gave her hope. It gave her courage. It was the first time he’d ever openly admitted that there was something between them he wanted to explore.

“That’s where you’re wrong, mister,” she said. Her voice was steady, her confidence sure. “I’ll be ready and waiting for the consequences long before you see them coming.”

He sighed and closed his eyes, for the moment just relishing the feeling of holding her in his arms.

“Are you ready to come inside?” he asked, as he finally set her back on even footing.

“No, I want to stay out awhile longer. But don’t let me stop you. If you’re tired, go on to bed. I can take care of myself.”

He stared long and hard at the small woman with the large bruises and even bigger determination splashed across her face.

“I know you can,” he said.

He walked over to the edge of the pool and pulled himself up onto the side. Evening shadows shaded the water. His legs dangled as he watched her swimming back into deeper depths. “But maybe I want to help, Deborah Jean.”

She didn’t hear him. She was too far away.

Chapter 7

Morgan hung up the phone and tried to mask his apprehension before he turned back to take his seat at the dinner table.

“Well, now there’s more for me,” he said jovially as he reclaimed his seat.

Debbie didn’t miss a thing. She’d seen his hesitation. She’d heard the concern in his voice during the conversation. And she’d have to have been blind not to recognize that fake smile.

“What?” she asked.

“Something came up.” Morgan shrugged, trying not to dwell on the possibilities occurring to him. Cole had been vague. He always was. But Morgan had heard the tension in his voice. He knew that whatever was “about to go down” was not the last bite of dessert Buddy was eyeing.

“Morgan Brownfield!”

The sharp tone of her voice got his attention.

Even Buddy quit dawdling. His spoon clattered onto the table and bounced onto the floor. He looked down at the spoon. He looked back up at Debbie. When he saw that she wasn’t yelling at him, he retrieved his spoon from the floor, stuck it back in his ice cream, scooped, and ate, relieved that for once he was not the one in trouble.