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As she filled the second mug, she had to swallow the growing lump in her throat and then fight back the tears she felt coming as she plated the two slices of pie. There was no way she would let her emotions betray her desperate need to appear calm.

Taking a deep breath, then exhaling slowly, she turned to face them. “A la mode?” she asked, her tone slightly higher than normal as she forced the words out, hoping neither of them heard the uneasiness in her voice.

“I better not,” Justin laughed, patting his stomach. “The missus would never forgive me. How about you, Matt? The wife ever on your case?”

Looking at Matthew, Katherine recognized the same change in his expression from their first encounter. Even if she’d never heard Julia’s incessant complaining, it was still plain to see that something wasn’t right between the two of them.

“You can just stop right there, Macomb,” Katherine said in a lame attempt to shield Matthew from answering. “You look better today than you did twenty years ago, and you know it.” Glancing at Matthew, she hoped to see that the interruption had helped. “You’ve got the same metabolism Beth Ann does.”

“Who?” Matthew’s head tilted in curiosity.

“One of my waitresses,” Katherine explained as she set the plates of pie and mugs of coffee on the table. “The girl’s part eating machine, part human toothpick.”

“Well, you’ve certainly got the eating machine part right,” Matthew grinned. “In the past few weeks, I’ve watched this guy put away more calories than a runner carb-loading for a marathon.”

“That sounds about right,” Katherine laughed, shaking her head as Justin shrugged, his cheeks full of blackberry pie. “Let me know if you two change your mind about that a la mode. Cream and sugar are there on the table.”

Katherine just about got away when Justin stopped her.

“Ma’am… you got a minute?”

Katherine turned back around, her brows raised in feigned innocence. “Sure, what’s up?”

“It seems like you two haven’t met,” Justin said, gesturing across the table before wiping his mouth on a napkin. “This is my new partner, Matt Brandon.”

Without thinking, Katherine stepped forward to shake Matthew’s hand. Of course, after she’d moved in for the handshake, she realized the mistake she was about to make.

Why hadn’t she just stood back and smiled? Even a quick nod of acknowledgment would’ve worked. But now she was about to touch him, and a sudden rush of adrenaline made her handshake.

“Matthew,” he clarified, reaching out to take her hand.

As an undeniable current of excitement coursed through her, she reveled in the warmth of his touch. Somehow, his grip was firm and gentle at the same time. And even though she didn’t know what to expect before their hands came together, she could feel her temperature rise from the simple, innocent exchange.

“And this is Katherine,” Justin said with a smile. “Diner proprietor extraordinaireandyour new neighbor.”

As Matthew’s charming grin returned, Katherine couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from lifting. Was it really so wrong for her to have a little crush on him if she never acted on it and no one ever knew about it? That wasn’t cheating. Right?

“I can’t believe you two haven’t met,” Justin added, puzzled by the likelihood that this was a first-time encounter for the two of them. Still, he seemed pleased to be the one to introduce them.

“Nice to meet you, Officer. Welcome to Windsong,” Katherine said, surprised at how she’d come up with the right words to say. “Hope our little town isn’t proving to be too big of an adjustment.”

“Not at all,” Matthew said, seeming reluctant to let go of her hand. “I’m from Kinsey, so I’m somewhat familiar with small-town life.”

“Kinsey?” Katherine asked, her curious thoughts escaping her mouth. “Isn’t that close to Seattle?”

“Mmm, this sure is good pie,” Justin interrupted. “How do you get berries so sweet this time of the year?”

Katherine sighed.

“You need to stop asking because you know darn well that I’m never gonna tell you my secret,” she said, then turned back to Matthew. “Watch out for this one. He’s a master with the non-stop interrogations.”

“One day, young lady,” Justin warned, wagging his finger at her. “One day, I’ll knowallyour secrets.”

Katherine glanced at Matthew, afraid ofhimknowing her secrets.

“You keep thinking that,” she said, shaking her head as she turned to leave the table and head back to the counter, wondering what ludicrous thing Justin would say next.

But as she walked away, she could hear him tell Matthew, “She’s a good little lady and a damn fine cook.”