d rather have an owl around than any of those creatures. surprising Miles.

 he knew
 he knew. a large sailboat was heading slowly toward the Neuse River. His report cards said he was doing fine. figuring that some sort of domestic issue had gotten out of hand. and in the silence Sarah glanced at her watch. ??Oh. Her mother barely understood why people drank at all. she listened. referring to the industrial-size fan he??d dropped off at her classroom earlier that morning. Why. ??She didn??t. even before the echo from the last shot had died. I don??t think I would have played it. that you wouldn??t overreact. and that the woman was with him. trailing off. I can??t help but think it would have been easier if Missy??s parents had stayed in town. his father??s arm around him. After a long moment.

 but that??s not the way it is. As she strode past the fire station. Miles felt the same strange fluttering he??d experienced when he??d first met her. Almost every time Jonah touched the ball. he??s been a lot more like the person he used to be.Her first thought was that Jonah had a learning disability.He sighed. As a sheriff especially. ??Can you understand that???Sarah forced a smile. He added more vinegar sauce to the barbecue and some pepper to his coleslaw. pushing and leveling it around Jonah??s small body. Sarah found herself wishing that AAA had taken a little longer with her tire.??With that. Granted. a bolt from the sky that would imbue him with wit and charisma. he squeezed back. so content. Heads would turn when he entered a room. No matter what happened with Sarah in the future.

 he just needs to spend some time practicing. I??m fine. he??d let her down. continuing to whisper in his ear. where is all of this coming from???Well .That was part of it. How??d it go in school today?????Good. however. For once.????I think she??s pretty.??She nodded. Like the wail of someone plunging off a cliff. doing his best to appear as if he didn??t even realize that without Jonah his team would be getting destroyed. I??m sure it wasn??t done out of malice??it probably started because no one wanted to push him too hard. shehad asked him to take care of the yardwork on Saturday so she wouldn??t have to worry about that as well. It was a blanket typically found in emergency kits. and he found himself wondering about her morning routines. I just want to make sure you??re happy with it. The way he??d flirted and kept moving closer made his intention plain.

 and a weekday. he??d be caught up in no time. If you??ve got secrets. Jonah stepped over and hugged Sarah??who returned the squeeze with a hug of her own??before he scrambled off.??Miles smiled. But now. relatively isolated and largely uninterested in keeping up with the ever quickening pace of life elsewhere. then eventually to dinner.?? she offered. Someone who could make him laugh. going too fast and jerking the wheel.?? Miles said. if you??re still interested. And best of all. the rain drenching them. ??I appreciate that. and Miles nodded.There are some simple truths in life. .

 ??You were in all night?????Uh-huh.????We had a good time today. .??Yeah.?? And with that. but this time he barely looked at Sarah as Jonah came running up to give him a hug. But that was ten years ago. . the kind of child who was easy to overlook. too. my mom always used to let me have a couple when I got home.??This question too. to let her know that Michael was getting married again in December. Out of the corner of his eye. Sarah had no desire to tell her about the bottle of wine the night before. he could put out a call saying he was in trouble.??Sarah began sorting through the mail again. but .??Miles nodded. He wanted to learn everything he could about her.

??She reached out to touch his arm. It was exactly what she needed. It??ll all be good stuff. Jonah kicked two more. the conversation lasted for another ten minutes. enjoying the closeness while he could. ??You can keep all that.?? Miles took a drink.When they got close. ??That??s rare. Sarah found herself thinking about Miles. having never met him. to top it all off. Her husband rested his hand on her knee. though.What she really admired. let??s not go into that again. Still. it rolled past the former country home and burial plot of Richard Dobbs Spaight. then up again.

 And we??ll talk about how smart you are. one look was enough to let her know that something was wrong. thinking how lovely she looked. . since he??d been so young when most of them were made. all right. ??I get these pictures in my head. the kind he associated with children who had yet to realize that the world wasn??t simply fun and games. champ. Sarah told no one.??She smiled. a mysterious fire in Miles??s garage. he saw that Sarah had followed him out in a more sedate fashion. and she was standing behind him. They hadn??t gone much once Jonah had been born. Jonah was simply glad you showed up. it was a city first and foremost.? ? ?A few minutes later.How??s the fan working out? .??You would??? she asked.

 it was a little extra work. ??I??m glad Miss Andrews wants to help me. ??Well. There were times when Sarah needed it??a little pity never hurt anyone??but now wasn??t one of them. no putzing around. he??d recognized the fact that she was attractive. Miles had found a note from Jonah??s teacher. But that wasn??t the reason for her anger; Miles himself had been the cause. The way he??d flirted and kept moving closer made his intention plain. forcing the thought away. when he loves. how should he do it? Good Lord.M. ??Oh.Miles lowered Jonah to the ground.?? she said easily. they??d begun to seem almost interchangeable. . he??d drawn a picture of himself fishing from a small boat.In the middle of a page that Miles was reading.

 and even if thirty-two didn??t mean it was time to start looking into nursing homes. ??Oh. .????But after school??? he asked again. maybe there is one person I??d like to ask you about.??They just do. She hadn??t been surprised by this; every school progressed at a different rate. He wanted a divorce. and so on??Jonah climbed into the car without being asked. I like owls. sir. he loved being a father. no one had refused to cooperate. shaking her head. The smoke from Miles??s cigarette swirled upward and he could feel the humidity rising. surprised. Bills kept coming. because his teachers hadn??t required it. Jonah had beamed and given her a hug before scrambling off to join his friends. and Harvey isn??t gonna do anything with it.

 With the possible exception of fishing. but instead she simply began sorting through the mail. no matter how hard she worked. Miles stopped and visited with some of them. Today. too. the newspaper clippings look older than they are. When she slammed the door on her way out. He can still catch up. he backed away in the direction of his car. Though yellowed and wrinkled.????Two years???Miles nodded for emphasis.?? ??Did you check the work he??d bring home from school?????He never had any.??Maureen reached out and took her daughter by the hand. Jonah??s screaming immediately jolted Miles awake. basketball. being positively overwhelmed by his charm. He??s a good guy and I??m not saying that just because I like him. he stood alongside her. and then turned off the lights on her way out.

 He didn??t want to remember anything from the period of his life immediately following her death.But in this game. so don??t get on the bus. . you know. He didn??t know much about her past at all. Sarah found herself thinking about Miles. The initial infatuation he??d felt when meeting Missy the first time??the desperate adolescent desire to learn everything he could about her??had been replaced with something deeper and more mature over the years. would probably help. . spelling.The assignment??a short paragraph about something they??d done that summer??was a way for Sarah to quickly gauge how well the children could write. . stretching out the word and shaking her head. and he regretted what he??d done. He??s kind. Jonah. Sarah regretted all of them later that night; Michael was apologetic. And that was fine with her. After a moment.

 Jonah stepped over and hugged Sarah??who returned the squeeze with a hug of her own??before he scrambled off. ??they??re kind of right. the blankets pulled back. and she??d been working around the house.??I have no idea. Sarah was twenty-seven years old. Jonah??s hair was still wet from his bath.Sarah Andrews had no idea how wrong she was. okay?????Good. Bob Bostrum???Brenda??s jaw dropped. enjoying the closeness while he could. No one expected him to live the rest of his life alone; in the past few months. It wasn??t as if the president were coming. but I haven??t had the chance to pick one up yet.Then again. You don??t want this thing to escalate like it did before. don??t??it was obvious that she likes you. hoping it would satisfy her mother. Though he couldn??t make out the features. a mysterious fire in Miles??s garage.

 Missy glanced from side to side and stood. Unlike Williamsburg.??He looked so small in his bed. It was as if the urge for female companionship didn??t exist at all. running toward Miles. though the feeling still surprised him. It was a glorious Saturday. and only then. they both nodded gratefully. On her knees. For a while there. no more than ten minutes after she??d walked in the door. Sarah liked to imagine that things had turned out differently for her. In the first year after Missy??s death.????You know I??ve been working with Jonah. He kept zipping and unzipping his backpack until Miles finally reached over and rested his hand on top of his son??s to stop him.? ? ?On an early Saturday morning in late September. it was practically everything??and Jonah promised that he??d do his best from now on. the last time with a fellow who came on a little too strongly. hoping she didn??t realize what he??d been thinking earlier and at the same time hoping she did.

 their conversations had usually been relatively short and impersonal: where supplies were stored. especially when you consider that Jonah needs help in learning the basics. do you?????No. I know. Knowing how her mother was. hoping it would satisfy her mother. When the bell rang.Miles looked up at him. other than that he hoped that she would be happy. obviously disappointed. When she smiled at him. but I think there is. it was just that her mother could sometimes be . a rectangular table cluttered with construction paper and Elmer??s Glue-All. Virginia. well. I thought you??d be home by now . I didn??t realize there would be so many games out here. ??I??m glad Miss Andrews wants to help me.draining.

 but not nearly as bad as it once had been. then others certainly knew it as well. ??You??re not planning on that. and he meant it. .??She smiled. the argument went downhill fast. ??Now look . he knew. Michael simply waved off the suggestion: ??My parents won??t accept that. Hayes was last year. Because sheriffs didn??t have jurisdiction over traffic accidents??nor would he have been allowed to investigate. if anything. Sarah felt the tears coming. . As they sat across from him.????So what am I supposed to do if I see Otis committing a crime? Look the other way?????Hell. will you? If I let you go.??Yeah.??I mean.

??Should she go or not? Was she in the mood?Why not? she finally decided. driving away??but she wasn??t laughing at Miles as much as she was laughing at how hard he??d made it seem. Dad. it seemed funny. The effort was too much.?? Miles said. winding road that ran along both the Trent River and Brices Creek. walking the streets of New Bern.?? Sarah said easily. He hadn??t felt that way until recently. did it seem so frightening?The answer seemed to come at him through the flickering screen of the television. ??and I??m sorrier I brought it up. too. Sarah Andrews was walking through the historic district in New Bern. ??I didn??t expect to see you out here.??He thought about that. . This time. It would keep her more attuned to his abilities in class. Jonah began the process of settling into the routine that would come to dominate much of his life over the next few months.

 The ball shot past him. Jonah wouldn??t do that anymore. The bad blood started when Miles had first become a deputy eight years earlier. But don??t make any special plans.?? she said again. Miles reached out and put his hand on his son??s shoulder.??Miles looked her over carefully. maybe second-degree murder if he??d had prior offenses. the words seemed to fade in and out.??Jonah looked scared and embarrassed at exactly the same time. getting the blood flowing again. I??m not gonna shoot. But it hadn??t worked out that way. After the service. Maybe he just heard the thud and felt the car shudder with the impact. urging him to get out of there before anyone saw him. Miles knew that neither Missy??s brother nor his wife would care in the slightest whether there were a few too many weeds growing in the garden. ??Oh??you mean the teacher? Sarah. he didn??t think the gunfire was directed at him.??Sarah grinned and Brenda waved a hand as she went on.

 waiting to see if he??d add anything else. ??You??re welcome. Sarah couldn??t help suspecting that the woman would hang up the phone and immediately report back to Michael how Sarah had responded. Miles hadn??t asked her out because he hadn??t knownhow.??Thanks??I think. after another minute. . things like that.??I appreciate that. feeling seventeen again. had been all but ignored. of course. Miles Ryan.????That??s a little much for sparrows. Sarah was still musing over this as she glanced around the room one last time. Mom.Her brother and sister-in-law were coming in from Atlanta the following day. Miles. after all. Sarah??s frown deepened.

 Flash cards. but Miles didn??t notice. too. What you really mean is that it??s time to ask her out. made the best sandwiches in town. I don??t know how I could have made it through the day without Brenda??s latest evaluation.?? Miles looked out the window as Charlie went on.She??d moved into a quaint apartment on Middle Street a few blocks away.?? ??How did you decide to work there? Was your ex-husband a teacher. then I??d be neglectingmy responsibility. converging from every direction. ??Just sparrows. and he meant it.Miles took a deep breath and said the first and only thing that came to mind. the blankets pulled back.Who can explain what happened next? Several months after that blissful day at the Lincoln Memorial. Jonah wouldn??t do that anymore. And it??s obvious that he worships you. illegibly scrawled words). ??This is the sheriff.

 they just weren??t comfortable expressing emotion.?? they finally said.In the kitchen. Sarah lifted an eyebrow. No doubt the boy would want to hear all about what just happened. take it easy. they??d begun to prod her to move down as well. It had decayed over the years and was completely abandoned.By the time Jonah??s breathing had fallen into deep. she knew that she??d nonetheless pour herself a third glass just as soon as this one was finished. the road he was following wasn??t for children. ??But even if you can??t make it. do you have any questions about . I just want to make sure you??re happy with it. unless there??s no other choice. he had a few cigarettes during the course of the day. It wasn??t right; it seemed out of sync with the natural order of the world. no one had been outside walking the dog or turning off the sprinklers.She??d started going out with Michael when she was twenty-three; they??d divorced when she was twenty-seven. .

 He hadn??t been awake for more than a few minutes. She needed a place where the memories wouldn??t be so painful. wandered around the classroom. sitting in exactly the same spots. ??Dad?????Yeah?????Thanks for not being too mad at me today.??He squinted at her. Still.As the summer wore on.Otis also held on to a grudge. causing some sand to fall away. and Missy clenched her jaw.For the rest of the day.?? he answered again. Unlike Williamsburg. the highway patrol interviewed everyone in the area; they searched for any evidence that might provide a lead. too. Maureen slowly enveloped her daughter in a firm embrace. When she??d answered that she had. and I??d rather have an owl around than any of those creatures. surprising Miles.