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darlin’, but you call if you need anything, you hear?”

“Yes, sir.”

Hannah walked out of the diner, not nearly as calm as she’d pretended. The truth was, her heart was pumping so hard it actually felt like it may burst. Just as she reached her car, a news van pulled up behind her and a woman jumped out.

“Miss, miss. We received a tip that a gunman was disarmed and restrained by an active military man before the police arrived. Is this true?”

Hannah’s mouth opened and closed for a moment as a young man in a loose beanie and a scraggly beard shoved a camera in her face.

Well, if Blake didn’t want to stick around to hear how grateful she was in person, then at least she could tell him now.

“Yes . . . Yes, his name is Sergeant Blake Kline, and he saved my life.”

BLAKE CUT OUT of there as soon as the cuffs were off, hauling ass back to his place to change into his uniform. He couldn’t wait for Hannah to come out of the diner; he was already late for work, and besides, he didn’t think he could look her in the eye, not with the thoughts that had been racing through his mind about her.

If he was being honest with himself, he’d been tempted to break the gunman’s arm after seeing the guy manhandle and threaten Hannah. It was a knee-jerk, violent reaction and one he hadn’t been prepared for.

It had scared the hell out of him.

He’d thought all he’d felt for Hannah was friendship, a mild affection even. Now, he knew it was more than that.

He was attracted to her. Even cared about her as more than just a friend.

And the guilt twisting up his insides was more than he could stand.

It had only been two years since Jenny’s death. How could he want to be with anyone else? Jenny was his soul mate, his high school sweetheart, his best friend.

Two years of mourning was pitiful, and he hated himself for it. Looking for someone to just pass the time with, a little physical comfort, that was one thing. But getting emotionally involved with Hannah when he was still so fucked up would make him feel worse, not better. And it wouldn’t be fair to her.

He pulled into the parking lot of Alpha Dog and saw Best getting out of his SUV. He tapped his horn once as he parked and caught up with his friend.

“How you doing?” Best asked, sounding almost exactly like Joey from the show Friends.

“Fine, except Dale’s Diner, that place I always eat at after my run, got robbed this morning. Made me late.”

Best’s eyes widened as he looked Blake over. “Geez, that is crazy! Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, everyone is fine.” Blake didn’t really want to tell Best all the details.

“Well, that’s good.” Best grabbed the door and held it for Blake to go through first. “By the way, did you hear about the fundraiser Eve has planned for us?”

Blake grimaced, just imagining what the Alpha Dog publicist might have cooked up this time. “No, I make it a habit to avoid all of Eve’s bright ideas.”

As their publicity expert, Evelyn Reynolds was in charge of making sure people learned about the good Alpha Dog did, so they could expand to other cities across the country. She also happened to be the daughter of their commanding officer, General Reynolds, and the girlfriend of their friend Martinez. Which made it a little hard to tell her to stuff it when she asked you to dress up like a clown to visit the children’s wing at Sutter Memorial.

“Well, you’re just going to loooove this one.” Best drew out the word, indicating that Blake was going to hate whatever it was Eve had in mind.

His mood still amped up from the diner, Blake snapped, “Either tell me what it is or get the fuck out of here.”

Best grinned, and Blake wondered if he was deliberately torturing him.

“She wants us to have a Valentine’s Day singles’ event. A ball. Fifty bucks a ticket, and guess who’s the entertainment?”

Blake grimaced. “Us?”

“Bingo. We are to dance with the ladies, fetch them drinks, and all around make them happy.”

“Pass.”