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After that bu his afternoon would run smoothly Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be

Faith’s call cauise his pleasure in hearing froize," she said and hardly sounded like herself, "but I’ to have to cancel our dinner date"

Troy’s spirits did an automatic nosedive "Oh?" He did his best to seeh this was a minor disappointht"

"What?" Troy gritted his teeth as anger surged through hiood will that do?" she cried "I’ve reported the vandalisitated to discuss this over the phone "I’m on my way over to your place"

"Troy--"

"Ten rabbed his hat and coat and was out the door Although this wasn’t technically an ehts but not the siren He wished he could detereted--and how to stop it But whatever it took, he was determined to put an end to this

When Faith opened the door, she looked pale and draith dark shadows beneath her eyes He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her but reminded himself that he was there as a professional, not as her friend--or would-be lover

"Tell me what happened," he said in hisrooo to work this , but when I went out to the car, I saw that…that my tires were slashed"

"All four?"

She nodded

This was no small expense

"I called the clinic and told them I couldn’t come in today Then I contacted the auto service They had to tow my car to the tire place… I won’t have it back until tomorrow"

"I’m sorry, Faith" As the town’s sheriff, Troy felt responsible "Did the neighbors see anything?"

Faith shook her head "I already asked It ht, which is when the McCor"

Troy closed his eyes in frustration

"I was so upset, I phoned hter, and Jay Lynn insisted I spend the weekend with her Frankly, Troy, I need to get away I’m at the end of my rope So, all I can say is I don’t want to be here, either"

"You don’t e htened on his hat bri the felt "It was exactly the opposite for me It was one of the best days of my life"

"Apparently you have a short memory," she chided, then smiled weakly in his direction "I was shocked when the Seattle house sold so quickly--but even more shocked when you said we shouldn’t see each other anymore"

If Troy could take back those words, if he could unsay the off the relationship with Faith had been one of the biggest blunders of his adult life, and he’d paid for it every day since

"Listen," Faith said, "I don’t uood"

Troy agreed, although he would’ve liked it a whole lot better if she’d decided to visit her son instead of Jay Lynn Scott, at least, lived in town

"Is there anything I can do?" Troy asked

She gazed up at hi anyone can do The best thing for me is to leave town"

"No!" he objected loudly

"For the weekend," she aood time for either of us to ether"

Troy disagreed with her He wanted Faith with him He wanted to marry her But first he had to convince her that they did have a future together A future in Cedar Cove

Twenty-Three

Linc Wyse was not in favor of this idea of Mary Jo’s If his sister wanted to move out of the house, fine; she was free to do so whenever she wished That said, in his opinion the ti mother, Mary Jo needed to be ho that she resented his attitude--but then that was par for the course He knew that by today’s standards it was perfectly nor birth Their own s on the subject Okay, maybe that wasn’t a popular stance and it certainly wasn’t one his sister shared When he becaht Marriage wasn’t likely to happen for someone like him, not with his old-fashioned views That saddened hiht as well accept reality