Not Lonely Now by Misty Malone

She was alone.

Normally it wasn’t a big deal. Netty was a grown woman, after all. She had her career, a home, and friends. But her parents were gone now, and she missed them – especially on Thanksgiving.

Oh, she could celebrate with friends, but they had their own families and traditions. She always felt like an intruder, and even more alone. Instead, she made plans this year, but everything went wrong. So here she sat, at a cold picnic table in an empty park, feeling sorry for herself and very alone, again. The tears would not stop.

Ryan Nichols was on patrol, having volunteered to work the holiday. He had enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast the night before with his brother, Ross, and his sister-in-law, Sandy. The community park was closed after Labor Day, but someone obviously hadn’t seen the sign. A quick stop should remedy that.

As he drew closer, though, he realized something was amiss. She was just sitting there but her shoulders shook. Listening carefully, he heard her sniffling, which confirmed it – yep, she was crying. Ah, heck. Now what?

From that rocky start, the two quickly form a relationship, but while Ryan is a perfect gentleman, he has some old-fashioned ideas. He demands respect and courtesy, and isn’t afraid to put Netty over his knees if she needs to be reminded of that.