Rachel rolled her police cruiser down the road toward the Clay ranch, thinking about Clark. It was a dangerous activity for her, and she knew it, but the man would not leave her thoughts. It was as if she’d ceded a part of her mind to him over the last few days and he’d taken up residence without her realizing that he’d stepped through the door.
It hadn’t helped that he’d rescued her when she’d almost fainted in his driveway. If any other man had tried to carry her inside, she’d have fought like a sleepy tigress. But Clark’s touch had relaxed her and made her pliant enough to let him take care of her.
Memories of their senior prom teased her frontal lobe. It had been a night to remember. They had danced and laughed and she’d let him into her heart without quite meaning to. She’d known she was letting herself in for a big dose of heartache, but Clark was too good a guy for her to shut him out of her life completely.
And the way they had initially connected back in high school was actually funny. No other guy had asked her to the prom, probably because they were intimidated by her father, the county sheriff. In fact, she hadn’t expected to attend until she was put in the unusual and quite unexpected position of rescuing Clark Kent.
~~~~~
Just before the end of lunch period on the Monday before the prom on Friday, someone stage-whispered “Fight!” ahead of her in the hallway. She followed the crowd until she heard Bobby Clanton talking, but she didn’t understand what he was saying because of his thick drawl until she turned the corner. It looked as if Clark was trying to walk away from the bigger braggart, but Bobby kept pushing or pulling his shoulder to turn him back. Bobby was trying to provoke Clark into a fight, one Rachel believed Bobby would lose badly.
“Couldn’t keep your girl happy, could ya, Kent?” Bobby taunted. “She’s happy with me cause I’m a real man and not some brainy nerd. I don’t walk away from fights. And I can satisfy the head cheerleader!”
Several in the growing crowd – the ones who look for school fights just for the entertainment value – laughed or whooped. Clark just shook his head. “I’m not fighting you for any reason, Bobby,” he answered, “not now, not tomorrow, not ever, and certainly not over a girl. Lana is free to date whoever she wants to date. If she wants to go to the prom with you, that’s between you and her.” He turned his gaze to Lana, who might as well have been glued to Bobby’s left arm. “I think she’s made that clear to everyone. Me included.”
“Ha!” Bobby shouted. “I knew you were chicken!”
Before Clark could respond, Rachel stepped between the two boys and faced Clark. “Hi, Clark. Hey, I know I told you I wasn’t sure I was going to the prom, but I’ve talked with my mom and I’ve decided to go. Are you still open to bein’ my escort?”
Clark’s eyes flicked between Rachel and Bobby, then back to Rachel. They both knew he hadn’t asked her to the prom. And in that moment, his eyes changed slightly, and she knew that he understood what she was really offering him – a way to save face and avoid a fight.
A long two seconds later, he pursed his lips and nodded. “Sure, Rach. I’d like to take you. Can I call you tonight to settle all the details?”
She grinned. “Sure.” After a glance at the wall clock, she added, “Oh, I have to get to class. Call me tonight about seven, okay?”
Then, with deliberate intent and with malice aforethought, she lit Lana’s fuse.
Rachel put her hand on Clark’s shoulder, stood on tiptoes, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. When she turned around, Lana’s face was convulsed in fury – for about one second. Then Lana regained control and smiled at Rachel with deadly intent.
“Bye, Lana,” Rachel said. “Have a good time at the prom.”
She walked through the small crowd without looking back. Several of the cheerleaders were in the crowd, too. Two of them bared their teeth at her in mute threat, but others who weren’t cheerleaders smiled or nodded. One junior girl clapped her hands silently and winked.
My good deed for the day, thought Rachel. Sow discord and division among the cheerleaders and the student body. It would certainly fall on fertile ground, especially given the way those girls fought among themselves.
Rachel wondered how many of them would end up alone on prom night.
~~~~~
It was a good memory that led to—
Not now, she chided herself. You got a job to do, girl! Get to it!
She’d think about the phone call later. After she talked to Bob Clay.
*****
Bob waved her down as she pulled into his main drive. One button push later, the driver’s window was down. Gotta love modern technology, she thought.
Bob Clay smiled and leaned on the open car window frame. “I got ‘em back, Sheriff, all but the two those characters sold to that Oklahoma butcher. They’re over in the east pasture. And the Oklahoma state trooper I talked to said I’d eventually get some money back on the ones that butcher got.”
“Good to hear, Mr. Clay. Anything I need to do for you today?”
“Nope. Your deputies did good work. And so did you.”
“I got good people working with me.”
“That’s true, but they’d likely not be so eager work so hard if they didn’t like and respect you. You’re doin’ a great job and I’m gonna vote for you next election!”
“Thanks. Can I print your endorsement on my campaign posters?”
Bob stepped back, put his hands on his hips, and smiled wide. “You sure can. Just let me know when you want it. In fact, I’ll put that endorsement in writing.”
She smiled. “Sounds great. Hey, I’d stay and chew the fat with you, but my daddy’s comin’ home this afternoon and I gotta get some stuff from the pharmacy.”
He touched the brim of his Stetson. “No problem. You tell Mark that I’ll be by to see him in a few days. Gotta give him some time to get situated.”
“I’ll tell him. Bye, now.”
As Bob backed away, Rachel turned the car around on the grassy loam and slowly slipped back onto the paved road. She picked up the radio microphone and triggered it.
“Mobile three to base, mobile three to base. Y’all got your ears on back there?”
A moment later, Denise Howard answered. “Base responding. I’m here, Sheriff, but I’m alone at the moment. Tommy’s responding to a one-vehicle traffic accident in front of Maisie’s diner. Seems some pretty young thing was flirting with a guy in a sports car, and he tried to lay down some rubber to impress her. He forgot to look where he was going and he wiped out the east downtown mailbox. Over.”
Rachel took a moment to laugh, then pressed the talk button again. “Copy that. What about Billy? Over.”
“Billy’s patrolling around the junior high school. We got a report of a sketchy-looking guy in a windowless gray van cruising around during lunchtime. He’s sure he’s about to arrest a serial sex offender just before he commits a really heinous act. Over.”
“He might at that. Remember that bulletin we got last week about that attempted kidnapping over in Kingman? The van he’s lookin’ for sounds like the one they warned us about. Over.”
Denise violated radio protocol and sighed into the microphone. “Yeah, you’re right. Will you have your portable unit with you? Just in case Billy gets lucky on that van. Over.”
“I will. Soon’s I sign off, though, I’m headin’ to the pharmacy for some prescriptions and then on to home. My daddy’s leavin’ the hospital today and I need to be there to help make sure he gets settled in good. Anything else? Over.”
“Not on this end. Tell Mark that we’re all pulling for him. Over.”
“He knows, but I’ll tell him. Thanks, Denise. Mobile three, over and out.”
She hung the mic on its holder under the dash and checked her mirrors. The road was still clear and the sky was hazy but calm. She saw Wayne Irig’s mailbox flash past, and it reminded her that the Kent farm was the next driveway on that road. She also remembered that Clark was back in town.
The two of them hadn’t had any really private one-on-one conversations since that phone call the Monday before the prom.
~~~~~
Right after dinner that Monday, Rachel helped her mother clear the table, as usual. Then she fetched her geometry textbook, a spiral notebook, and three pencils from her room and set up an impromptu study area at the end of the table.
Right by the telephone extension on the kitchen wall.
Her father mock-frowned at her. “You waiting for a call, Rach?”
She nodded. “Clark said he’d call me about seven. I think I’m going to the senior prom with him.”
The sheriff’s eyebrows rose. “Really? That’s – surprising.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but obviously changed his mind. After a moment, he nodded. “Have fun with whoever takes you, okay?”
She smiled. “I will, Daddy.” She made shooing motions with her hands. “Now y’all just go watch TV or somethin’. I got some extra credit to do for my geometry grade.”
“You need a study partner?”
“Not tonight, but thanks for the offer. I may check with you in a couple of days, though.”
“Okay, sweetie. Love you.”
“Love you too, Dad.” She pointed at the doorway to the living room. “Now git.”
He laughed and departed. The last thing she heard from him was something he said to Mom about their “bossy old daughter.” Then they laughed together.
Rachel smiled. She loved hearing her parents laugh, especially when they were all three together. She couldn’t remember one real fight between them, not ever. They’d had disagreements in her hearing, of course, and even a couple of shouting matches, but none of those incidents had ever gotten physical.
Her father had arrested a number of men who’d assaulted their wives or girlfriends, and he’d always come home disgusted that any man would hit a woman he claimed to love no matter what he claimed she’d said or done. He’d told Rachel repeatedly that if she ever dated a guy who hit her, she could either handle it herself or tell him. Either way, he expected that the guy would never touch her again as long as the bucket of slime lived.
Rachel always mentioned that to her dates before they left her house. Not one of them had ever pressed against her boundaries.
She pushed aside the thought that Clark wouldn’t need the reminder.
She was halfway through solving a formula to figure the volume of an unequal nine-sided three-dimensional theoretical construct when the phone rang. Her pencil, the formula she was trying to solve, and the variables of the problem all fled from her grasp as she leaped to answer.
“Hello!”
“Hi. Is that you, Rachel?”
“Yes. Clark?”
“Yes. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”
“You didn’t. We’re done with dinner and I’m doing my geometry homework.”
“In that case, I’ll make this short. Are you really willing to go to the prom with me?”
She took a breath and let it out slowly. “Yes. It won’t wreck my life if I don’t go, but if I do go I know I’ll have a good time.” She licked her lips and added, “And if I go with you it’ll be a really great time.”
She could almost hear him relax and smile. “Thank you. I would be honored, Miss Harris, if you would accompany me to the prom this Friday evening.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kent. I am most pleased to accept your kind invitation.”
He chuckled. “That’s good. Especially since you maneuvered me into making it.”
She wrinkled her nose and frowned a little. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I just didn’t want you and Bobby to start throwing punches. Someone might’ve gotten suspended or hurt.”
“Or both.”
“Exactly. A girl has to protect her prom date.”
He paused for a moment, then said, “There’s something wrong with either your logic or your timeline, but it’s not worth arguing the point. At what time shall I call for you on Friday evening?”
“My, my, aren’t we formal all of a sudden. Lemme see, the prom starts at seven, so, is six-fifteen too early? That gives us plenty of time for pictures and Mom oohing and aahing over the corsage you’ll bring for me and Dad staring at you with bullets in his eyes.”
He laughed softly. “You’re right, we have to budget time for the important stuff. Six-fifteen sounds like a good plan. I’ll see you then.”
“We still got classes this week, remember? You’ll see me tomorrow.”
“You’re right. Um – would you like to eat lunch with me tomorrow? I’m bringing some of my mom’s peach cobbler.”
It was her turn to laugh. “For a piece of Mrs. Kent’s famous cobbler, I’d have lunch with Bobby Clanton.”
“Really? Problem with that is that Bobby won’t have the cobbler. I will.”
“Then I will gleefully have lunch with you, Clark, and I will joyously feast on your mother’s famous dessert.”
“Ooh, a formal acceptance. I’m looking forward to it. And you can tell me what color corsage will go best with your dress. Until tomorrow, then.”
“Good night, Clark.”
“Good night, Rachel. And – thank you. For everything you’ve done for me today.”
She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and said, “You’re welcome.” Then she gently placed the handset on the hook.
I’d do so much more for you, she thought, if you only knew me better.
Then she shook her head and sat down. Mooning over Clark was a lonely kind of fun, but it wouldn’t lift her geometry grade. And she still had to talk to her mom about her dress.
~~~~~
She had to stop thinking about Clark so much. It wasn’t good for her mental health.
*****
Lois stuck her head in Perry’s office just before she normally left for lunch. “Hey, Chief, you got anything you want me to take care of this afternoon?”
“Not right now. You heading out?”
“If you don’t have any assignments for me, yes. I need this half-day to take care of some banking and investment and legal stuff.”
“You can’t do it over the phone or the fax machine?”
“I’ve got to sign some papers, and I have to do that in person. Congress, in their infinite wisdom, has not yet made electronic signatures legally binding.”
Perry sighed. “I understand. That’s too much to get done during a lunch break. Sure, go ahead. Just don’t get carpet tunnel disease from writing your name so many times.”
Lois smiled. “I think you mean ‘carpal tunnel syndrome,’ where the tendons in your forearm get irritated from overuse.”
“Yeah, that’s it. You just keep your hands in good shape and bring in some headlines tomorrow.”
She saluted. “Will do, Perry. See you in the morning.”
*****
The drive home was uneventful, save for the empty feeling in Lois’ chest. It had been there ever since Clark’s departure.
No. Since she’d run him out of town. She might as well have tarred and feathered him and run him out on a rail. Everyone – including Perry – blamed her for Clark’s absence.
Jimmy hadn’t spoken to her except on business, and even then he could barely control his fury. Pam, from rewrite, had stalked past her in the ladies’ room the day before without a glance Lois’ way. Eduardo hadn’t said anything, but he had stopped in front of her desk that morning for a long moment and sighed deeply. No one had engaged her in casual conversation since those letters had gone out. The one time she’d tried to initiate a friendly conversation with Judy from Classified, the short redhead had cut her off and all but snarled at Lois to go away and stay away.
When Claude had trashed her reputation, she’d known she was the injured party. Some of the other people in the newsroom – enough, as it turned out – had known that Claude was the bad guy in the relationship, even if they weren’t sure he’d plagiarized Lois’ work. It had made the long and difficult journey back to respect worth it.
There might not be a path back to respect this time.
No. There was one. There had to be one. She’d find it eventually.
But she’d worry about that tomorrow.
Right now, she was headed home for a quick sandwich lunch, then off to her lawyer’s office. She had to disentangle all of her legal affairs from one Clark Kent. She’d never told him that he was in her will, but after today he wouldn’t be. And that reminded her that she also needed to remove Clark from the beneficiary list on her life insurance from the Planet.
Kent wouldn’t benefit from her death, not if she could help it.
As Lois walked in, she smelled hamburger meat cooking. It was a too-familiar scent, and it startled her.
Was he back? Was he here? Would he even dare to be here?
A glance to the kitchen told her that Lucy was the chef, not Clark. Relief flooded her mind. “Hey, Luce,” she called out.
Lucy turned her head and lifted her chin briefly, replied “Sup,” then turned back to the stove top.
Lois tried again. “Is that just for you or is there enough for me?”
Without looking, Lucy answered, “You can have these. I’ll cook up a couple more.”
“You sure it’s no trouble?”
Lucy’s jaw tightened so that Lois could see the muscle in her cheek jump. “It’s fine, Lois,” she ground out. “It’s only a few minutes to make more.”
Lois cautiously moved closer. “Okay. Do you want me to get the condiments and plates out?”
“Sure.”
Ah, thought Lois, she’s still mad too.
Lois turned, then pulled out and loaded two plates with burger buns. The fridge disgorged ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, pickle relish, an onion, a tomato, and a small head of lettuce, all of which landed safely on the table. Lois knew she wouldn’t burn any of that. Clark had taught her how to—
No!
Ignore that memory!
Delete his smiling, lying face from that mental image!
She suddenly became aware of Lucy standing beside her. “What!”
“Your burgers are ready,” Lucy said in a flat tone. “I need to get past you to get to the freezer for mine so I can cook them.”
“Oh. Uh – right. Thanks.”
Lois picked up her plate and moved to the table. She put her plate down and waited for Lucy to finish in the freezer, then she put ice in a glass and filled it with water.
Tea might make her think of the betrayer again.
A couple of minutes later, Lucy joined her at the table. They each prepared their burgers silently. They ate silently. They each cleared their place setting silently. Lois returned everything not eaten to the refrigerator silently.
As Lucy put the broiler pan in the sink to soak, Lois blurted out, “Come on! You have to talk to me some time!”
Lucy didn’t look at her sister. “No I don’t.”
Lois huffed. “We can’t spend the next few months acting like the other’s invisible!”
Lucy turned off the water and turned to leave the kitchen. “I can.”
Lois crossed her arms and blocked Lucy’s path. “You’re still ticked off about Clark, aren’t you?”
Lucy stared at her sister’s hands. “Yes.”
“You still think I was wrong to make him leave.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you understand?” Lois dropped her hands and began pacing through the living room. “He lied to me! He’s no better than any other man in my life! They’ve all lied to me and betrayed me and broken my trust! And Clark is the worst one of them all! I don’t ever want to see him again!”
In the same flat tone, Lucy said, “You’ve made that perfectly clear. I’ve heard you out and I still think you’re an idiot and that you’ve seriously damaged your own chances for any future happiness. What man are you going to find who’s better than Clark?”
“None of them!” Lois screeched back. “I’m done with men, with romance, with love, all of it! I’m staying single for the rest of my life!”
Still calm, Lucy replied, “If that’s what you want, more power to you. Now may I go get my briefcase? I have a class at two.”
Lois seemed to lose steam. She sucked on her upper lip for a long moment, then dropped her head and exhaled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t yell at you. You haven’t done me any harm. I guess we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this one.”
“Fine. I agree that we disagree. Now may I please go get my briefcase?”
Lois moved back, then quietly said, “Do you want a lift? I’m off this afternoon.”
As she passed, Lucy said, “No thanks. I’ll use my subway pass.”
Lucy didn’t look at her sister as she left.
Why couldn’t everyone see how badly Clark had betrayed her, had hurt her, had shattered her trust in him? Why did no one else see Lois’ broken heart?
She brutally dashed the tear from her eye and grabbed her purse. There were legitimate errands she needed to run, and this was the day to do them.
*****
Rachel walked into the pharmacy and heard, “Howdy, Sheriff! How’s your daddy doing?”
“Just fine, Mr. Carson. He’s at home, gettin’ settled in. My momma asked me to pick up a couple of prescriptions for him. They ready?”
“They are. You paying now or should I add this to your family’s bill?”
Rachel pulled out her wallet and fished out a credit card. “Put it on this card, please. I’ll file the receipt with the insurance later.”
He did the credit card magic necessary to produce the store copy, which he placed on the counter beside her card. “Sign here, please.”
“You better keep this signature. Be worth some money someday.”
He laughed politely at the old joke. “It’s worth something now. Your bank will send my bank some money, then you’ll send your bank some money, then your bank will loan someone else that money, and that’s how the world goes around.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” She picked up the bag and headed out. “I’ll tell my daddy that you asked after him.”
“Didn’t have to. Already knew how he was.”
She stopped and looked at the bag, then nodded. “I guess some pharmacists know as much as a lot o’ doctors.”
“About some things, yes, but not about others. For instance, I can give out those medicines in your bag, but I wouldn’t and couldn’t prescribe any of those meds for your daddy or anybody else. I can’t diagnose illnesses or fix injuries. But his doctor can and should. That’s why they earn the big bucks and pay the high malpractice insurance premiums.”
Rachel chuckled. “Glad I’m in law enforcement, then. Have a good day, Mr. Carson.”
“You too, Sheriff. And tell your daddy I’ll be by to see him soon.”
She shook her head. “You might have to stand in line. Lots o’ folks wanna come see him.”
“Be worth it. He’s a good man to know.”
She waved to him and pushed out through the door. A lot of good people set store by her daddy, she mused. Made her feel proud of him.
At the same time, it put pressure on her to measure up to his example. She wanted him to be proud of her. That wasn’t an easy bar to reach, but she was determined to do it.
*****
Rachel walked through the back door and put the drugstore bag on the dining room table. “Hey, old people!” she called out. “Young impressionable daughter in the house! Y’all behave yourselves, y’hear?”
Mom’s silver laughter and Dad’s muted huffs told her they were both in the master bedroom. Rachel knocked on the door and said, “Hope everyone’s decent in there, cause I’m comin’ in.”
In a flat, slightly sarcastic tone, Mom said, “Eek. Oh my. Mark, I hope we don’t scandalize our only adult daughter.”
He wheezed what sounded like a laugh. “Sorry, Janey, but I’m not up to scandalizing her right now. Hey, Only Adult Daughter, can you wait about three weeks to be scandalized?”
Rachel pushed through the door to see her dad in the bed under the covers and her mom sitting beside him in a chair. “I think I could wait all my life for that experience. You two are a bad influence on a innocent young single girl like me.”
Mom smiled and patted Dad’s hand. “Rachel, honey, you need to be patient with us, okay? Your poor old father is going to be laid up for a few weeks.”
“I know,” Rachel answered. “That means y’all won’t be able to scandalize me for a while.”
Dad took Mom’s hand in his. “You never know. I might recover quicker than either of you think.”
Rachel mock-frowned at him and said, “In that case, make sure you put a sock over your bedroom doorknob so I’ll know to stay outta here.”
Her folks laughed, then Dad asked, “Hey, how’s that rustling case you got going? You catch those morons yet?”
“We got Bob Clay’s cattle back, all but two head. We know who the bad guys were, and we got cops in three states lookin’ for ‘em. Dumb as these characters are, it won’t be long.”
He nodded. “Good work. And you did it all with your pants on.”
Mom laughed as Rachel groaned. “You ain’t gonna let that go, are you?”
Dad chuckled. “You tease us about our love life, we get to tease you about your wardrobe. But I think that’s the last one for a while. You got a real live happy-ending law enforcement story to tell now. Speaking of such stories, did I ever tell you about my first arrest as sheriff?”
Rachel frowned slightly. “Don’t think so.”
He shifted a little higher on the pillows behind him and grunted, then relaxed. “This was back before you were born, about a week after I was first sworn in. Early on a Friday evening before sundown, I responded to a call about a hit-and-run traffic accident east of town. Somebody in an old green Ford F-100 pickup had hit Sarah Keller’s little Toyota from behind. Both Sarah and the two witnesses said she’d stopped at the stop sign before turning onto the state highway, and the pickup just sailed up behind her and smashed in her trunk. The guy didn’t get out to check on Sarah, either. He just backed up and whizzed around her.
“The ambulance was there and the guys were checking her out when I got there. I got the facts on the wreck and called it in to the station. I called Mitchell’s Wrecker service, too, because that little Toyota wasn’t drivable.”
Rachel sat on the end of the bed. “They were all sure it was an F-100?”
He smiled. “That’s my girl. That’s exactly the right question, Sheriff. All three of them insisted that they saw the symbol on the side of the engine compartment. The truck, the green color, and the driver’s behavior made me think of old Cade Yarborough. He was a retired oilfield roughneck. He also had a bad habit of drinking a beer or two – or five – before he left his house to drive around.”
“Lemme guess, he’d gone back home.”
“That would’ve been my second stop, but I knew he also liked to drop in at a bar called The Hungry Wolf on weekends, so I checked their parking lot first. Sure enough, his truck was there, and the front bumper and grill were all bent up like he’d run into something. I checked it with my flashlight and there were bits of what looked the same shade of blue as Sarah’s Toyota. So I walked in to talk to him.”
Rachel felt her brows lift. “Without backup? Wasn’t The Hungry Wolf a pretty tough place?”
He almost smiled. “I was young and pretty tough myself then. And not always too bright. Besides, I was sure nobody’d kill me over a DUI arrest, so I decided to wrap it up as quick as I could.”
“So what happened?” Mom blurted.
Dad didn’t miss a beat. “I sauntered in, walked past three oilfield roughnecks groping a waitress who was laughing along with them and sat down across from old Cade. He had a longneck bottle in his hands and two more empties beside it.
“I looked at him and said, ‘Howdy, Cade.’ He looked up and said, ‘I didn’t hurt nobody, did I?’ ‘Not too bad,’ I said, ‘but you have to come with me to the office. You left the scene of an accident, and you know that’s against the law.’
“’I know,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry. Please don’t cuff me in here. I don’t want my buddies to see me like that.’
“I gave him the hardest look I had back then and said, ‘You give me your word you’ll let me cuff you before I put you in my car and we got a deal.’”
He paused. After a moment, Rachel demanded, “Come on! Did he go quietly or fight you?”
Dad smirked at her. “He said, ‘You have my word, Sheriff.’ We stood up together and walked to the door. When we passed the table with the roughnecks, one of them looked up and said, ‘You okay, Cade?’
“Cade nodded. ‘We’re just takin’ a little trip, fellas. No need to get upset.’
“When I got him outside next to my cruiser, he stopped and put his hands behind his back. ‘Go ahead, Mark. I know you have to.’
“I put them on as gently as I could and helped him into the car. He didn’t make a sound on the whole trip.”
Mom sighed. “What happened next?”
Dad shook his head. “Old Cade was charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, vehicular injury, and causing a traffic accident while under the influence. His lawyer dealt it down to DUI and leaving the scene. He spent eight months in county lockup and lost his driver’s license cause that wasn’t his first DUI conviction. Sarah spent one night in the hospital, then went home. Cade’s insurance paid for Sarah’s car and her medical expenses and gave her several thousand on top of that for pain and suffering. Then they cancelled Cade’s policy.”
Rachel shook her head. “I’m glad you didn’t have a problem with him.”
“Nope. Didn’t even have to touch my handcuff holster until I took ‘em out.”
Mom shifted on the bed and said, “Change of subject. Rach, were you able to stop by the pharmacy?”
“Yep. Bag’s on the kitchen table. Mr. Carson wanted me to say he’d come by sometime next week.”
“Lots of people want to come see you, Mark,” Mom said. “I may sell tickets.”
“They’ll have to wait until I get some of my strength back,” he returned. “Sheriff, you in for the night?”
Rachel shook her head. “Wish I was. I gotta go back to the station in case we need the manpower. There’s two weddings and a college party I know about goin’ on tonight, plus whatever action we might get at the bars and dives.” She stood. “Gonna be all hands on deck.”
Mom smiled. “Okay, sweetie. I’ll see you some time tomorrow. I still have to tell your father about that bikini dream.”
“Mom, don’t tell—”
“What bikini dream?”
Mom grinned and turned away from Rachel. “Your daughter had a dream the other night that you were in the hospital and I found you and danced with you while I was wearing a bikini made of leaves. She said that the more we danced, the more leaves fell off.”
Dad’s eyes widened. “Oh, really? How many leaves fell off?”
Mom chuckled. “I woke her up before they all dropped.”
Dad shifted toward her and took her hand in his again. “Come on, tell me more! Just how itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny was that leafy bikini? Oh, and maybe you could show me that dance!”
Rachel gagged. “That’s enough for me. Mom, you dance for Daddy all you want to wearin’ whatever you want. I’m lockin’ the front door when I leave and I probably won’t be back till early in the morning.” She stood and turned to the bedroom door. “Dad, you get well. Just not too quick. I don’t think my heart could take it if I walked in on – on somethin’ between y’all that I ain’t supposed to see.”
She made a show of hurrying out as their laughter chased her to the front door. She smiled and mentally gave thanks once again that her father was on the mend. And that they’d given her the model of a loving family unit that no one could erase from her mind and heart.
As she walked to her cruiser, she mused, Now all I have to do is find a guy like that for me.
Maybe that guy had just come home.
