Which made no sense, if he cared about her safety.
Unless...
Could he be ... jealous?
That unexpected notion smacked him in the face.
Jealousy wasn’t an emotion that had raised its ugly head in his life for more years than he could remember, yet the unpleasant sensation was as fresh as if he’d experienced it yesterday.
Yeah, he was jealous. The man who’d never expected to get involved with another woman was face-to-face with the green-eyed monster.
And it didn’t feel good.
“Brad!” Cara caught sight of him and waved.
He hoisted up the corners of his mouth and lifted a hand in response.
The smile she’d been sharing with Steven warmed significantly as she beamed it toward him, and the tightness in his shoulders eased.
Maybe he didn’t have anything to be jealous about after all.
“Were you looking for me?” She continued toward him, Steven half a step behind her.
“Yes. I got your voicemail. I was tied up with the state patrol when you called.”
Her expression sobered. “Did you find the missing children?”
“Yes. Their father took them to get back at his ex-wife for having a restraining order issued against him. The kids are safe. He’s locked up.”
“I’m glad the outcome was positive.”
“Me too. It could have gone downhill fast. I’ve seen that happen.” He transferred his attention to her companion. “Hello, Steven. If you’ll be available in a few minutes, I’d like to talk with you.”
“Sure. Just knock on the back door. I’ll be working in the kitchen.” He turned to Cara. “Have a safe drive back to Cape, and enjoy your weekend.”
“Thanks.”
He circled around them and strolled down the path toward the house.
Brad shifted his attention to Cara. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’m glad I caught you before you left. It sounded as if you had something important to tell me, and since I had other business in this area anyway, I swung by.”
“I do have news. But first, in case you were wondering, there was nothing to interrupt. I’ve been heeding your advice about sticking close to the house instead of taking my daily walks around the lake. When Steven offered to go with me today, I jumped at the chance to stretch my legs. It was all about safety in numbers, nothing more.”
Her people-reading skills were remarkable.
“Can I admit that relieves my mind, without sounding too possessive?”
“You can. And you can also put any worries to rest. There’s only one man on this property who interests me in anything beyond friendship.”
“Nice to know.”
“Now that we’ve cleared up your concern, what’s in the bag?” She motioned to the white sack in his hand.
“A peace offering for the canceled date.” He lifted it. “There’s a Mennonite bakery not far from here that has the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet, baked fresh every day. I picked some up en route. I thought we could share them while you tell me why you called.”
“Mm. Much tastier than my usual fruit-and-yogurt lunch. Let me get a couple of waters.” She pivoted and jogged toward the door.
As she disappeared inside, he took the same chair he’d claimed for their previous chat in front of the cottage.
