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Chapter One

Seth Colter walked into the soup kitchen and was greeted by a chorus of hellos from several police officers from his precinct

“HeySumner called

Seth cracked a suys he’d worked with for the past few years “I said I would be here ”

“How are you feeling?” Rob Morgan asked as he slapped Seth on the back

“Better,” Seth acknowledged, and for the first time in weeks, he realized it was the truth He did feel better He’d been sleeping easier lately, and his dreaunh his shoulder

“Hey, that’s great You’ll be back before you know it,” Craig said

Seth nodded Yeah, he’d be back He hated being away fro away from the camaraderie of his fellow cops For the first while, he’d sequestered hi visitors He hadn’t wanted their pity He’d resented the hell out of the fact that they were still on the job and he was stuck in his house popping pain pills and hoping he regained the use of his arm

“What do you want me to do?” Seth asked

Craig threw hi line We open for lunch in fifteen ht ship ”

“I heard that ”

Seth turned to see a sreen eyes bathed in warmth

“Hello, Seth ” She stepped forward and pulled hi care of yourself?”

She patted hiood measure, and he smiled as he returned her embrace

“I’ie How about yourself?”

“Oh, I’et to your station before I open the doors Looks like we have a lot of folks lined up to eat today ”

“Yes, rin

“See?” Craig said “She’s a complete slave driver ”

Feeling lighter than he had in a while, Seth tied on the white chef’s apron and walked behind the buffet to stand in front of the baked chicken

“S for you this time?” Seth asked

She grinned “I called in a favor Or two ”

He laughed Margie Walker was siate old exterior lay a hard-driving wo on people to help her causes Her pet project was Margie’s Place Simply named, but it was appropriate Every day, rain or shine, she opened her doors to the hoh food to feed as h her doors No one was entirely sure how she ed it, but she always did

His precinct routinely volunteered and they worked in shifts Seth and five others cah for him it had been three months since he’d last been in

“Okay guys, I’ie called as she walked over to the doors

For the next two hours, a steady streah the line Workers froht out uys dished it up

The flow had dwindled when Seth looked up to see thepair of blue eyes he’d ever seen in his life In the process of extending the pair of tongs with a piece of chicken, he stared in shock at the wohtly around the lunch tray

There was so His gut tightened, and for a ot to breathe Or maybe he was unable to

Dressed in a shabby, worn sweater and a pair of jeans so faded they were nearly white, the wo the knit cap she wore

She was beautiful And haunting Her gaze looked wounded and faint se of protectiveness welled up inside hi him

Her fingers tightened around the tray, and she started to move forithout the chicken he still held in the air like an idiot He thrust it forward onto her plate

Then she smiled, and it took what little breath he had left and squeezed it painfully fros

“Thank you,” she said sweetly

She moved down the line as a man moved into the spot where she’d stood and looked expectantly at Seth Still staring after the woman, Seth slapped the next piece of chicken on the man’s tray and wondered what the hell had just happened here

He watched as she sat away fro a corner where there were only two chairs at a tiny table that looked out a

“Hey, snap out of it ”

Seth turned to see Craig standing beside him, his apron in hand

“Margie’s ordering us to stand down and eat Grab a plate and join us She has one of the kitchen workers taking over the line in case we have any stragglers ”

Feeling anything but hungry, Seth fixed a plate and followed his friends to a table on the far side of the roo on Most of the people ate in silence, though there were a few conversations froether on the streets

He positioned himself so he could see the wos-on so he could watch her and take in every detail he could

She ate daintily and never looked up or made eye contact with any of the others When she wasn’t looking down at her food she fixed her gaze out the atching the people pass on the busy street There was soain, that protective surge ca to the surface

“Who is she?” he blurted out

“Who is who?” Craig asked

Rob looked up and followed Seth’s gaze “You mean her?”

“Yeah, I haven’t seen her before but it’s been a fewin?”

Craig shrugged “I haven’t seen her before She wasn’t here last ie would know She keeps up with everyone ”