Dani Sinclair - The Sheriff Gets His Lady

“All set, ma’am. Come back and see us.”

Not if she could help it. In her opinion, the Grand’s reputation was highly overrated.

Only after she was inside the car with the engine running did she shrug off the morning’s frustration and allow anticipation to hum through her body. There was nothing she could do about the computer right now. The loss couldn’t override her main reason for being here in Texas.

Somewhere down the road her daughter was waiting, even if the girl wasn’t aware of that fact. In her mind, Sky had held countless conversations with the faceless young woman. She’d rehearsed all sorts of opening gambits. Yet she still didn’t know what she was going to say when the time finally came. More and more she wondered if she was doing the right thing at all. She had no rights here. But even if she didn’t tell her daughter who she was, Sky needed to see her, maybe watch her and hear her speak. It was that simple and that complicated.

She opened her map, took a quick look at the printed directions she’d made for herself, and set out into the early-morning traffic.

Finally, after all these years, maybe—just maybe—she could convince herself that she’d done the right thing after all.

* * *

DINNER WAS nearly ready. His daughter would be home from work soon, Noah thought in satisfaction. Having Lauren around always brought the tiny ranch to life. The place was going to feel so empty once she moved away for good. Lauren had a way of comfortably filling even the silences with her good-natured presence. It had been bad enough this past year and a half with her away at school most of the time, but at least there had been vacations and semester breaks to look forward to. Soon it would be periodic visits instead.

Letting go might be part of the parenting process, but he didn’t have to like it.

The telephone rang, pulling Noah from his introspection. He rinsed his hands and reached for the instrument.

“Hello?”

“Noah? Zach Logan.”

The name from his past raised his eyebrows. Zach Logan had been his boss when he worked for the Dallas Police Department fifteen years ago. He hadn’t seen the man since last April when one of Zach’s cases had reached into this part of Texas and Noah lost a deputy.

“Hey, Zach, what’s new?” Noah cupped the phone under his chin and finished drying his hands on the dish towel as he checked the water boiling on the stove.

“I called to give you a heads-up.”

Noah turned down the heat as he slid the pasta into the boiling water. “On Francis Hartman?”

“You heard they released him?”

“I dropped a prisoner off last week. The warden told me.”

“Then do you know Hartman disappeared from view yesterday?”

Noah’s muscles tensed then relaxed. “Francis Hartman is a brainless thug.”

“Who apparently carries a mean grudge.”

Noah swore.

“Yeah. While I agree he doesn’t have the brains God gave rodent dung, it’s a good idea to watch your back all the same. The brainless ones are often more dangerous than we expect.”

“Point taken. Thanks for the warning, Zach. I’ll alert my people. Any wants or warrants?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, I’m not overly worried. Hartman will stand out if he makes the mistake of showing up here in Darwin Crossing. I think he’s just barely smart enough to recognize that.”

“Good point. You aren’t exactly a bustling metropolis out there, are you?”

“We like it that way.”

“Uh-huh. Guess that means coming back to work for me again is out of the question, huh?”

For one tiny second, Noah hesitated before rejecting the offer. Once Lauren was happily married, his initial reason for leaving Dallas was gone. He’d loved the undercover work he’d done for the Dallas P.D. On the other hand, he was older now. Old enough to know it was a young man’s game.

“Thanks anyhow, Zach.”

“Just remember, the offer stands anytime you want. How’s your daughter doing? I hear she’s engaged.”

Noah smiled. “She picked herself a nice guy. He’s about to graduate from veterinary school.”

“Isn’t that what Lauren is studying?”

“Yeah. She intends to go into partnership with him. They’ve already talked to the vet over in Trueblood about buying into his practice in a couple of years. He’s getting ready to retire.”

“That’s terrific. So Lauren’s away at school right now?”

“No, actually, she’s doing this semester via some new computer courses. She’s determined to save money before the wedding and this lets her work part-time as a veterinary assistant for our vet here in Bitterwater.”

“Independent as ever, huh?”

Noah’s grin widened. “That’s Lauren.”

“Still bringing home strays?”

“Afraid so.” He eyed the three dogs and one battered old cat sprawled on the kitchen floor. Each one had been a rescue that had ended up costing him a fortune in vet bills. Lauren was always bringing home strays of one sort or another. Long ago, he’d accepted the defeat of that particular battle.

Zach chuckled. “Glad to hear she’s doing so well. Just to be on the safe side, you should probably warn her to be careful. Listen, Noah, there was another reason I called.”

“Figured as much.”

“Could I use your office to set up a meeting? We’ve got an undercover operation that I don’t want to see compromised. I figure you’re far enough from anywhere that we can make sure no one sees the meet.”

Noah ran a knuckle across his jaw, remembering what had happened the last time he’d gotten involved in one of Zach’s operations. His deputy had been a year from retirement when a pair of thugs from a baby ring ran him down. It hadn’t been Zach’s fault, but Noah still felt the loss.

“I guess I can arrange that.”

“Good. I’ll let you know the particulars as soon as I do.”

“All right.” The dogs suddenly scrambled to their feet and dashed down the hall. Lauren was home. “I’ve gotta run before I burn dinner, but thanks for the call. It was good to talk with you again.”

Joyous barks greeted the arrival of his daughter. Noah smiled in satisfaction as he hung up. He grabbed the salad from the refrigerator and set it on the table, then he pulled out the colander. The clicking of paws preceded his daughter into the kitchen.

“Hi, Dad! Dinner smells great. I’m starving.”

The animals collapsed in a boneless pile inside the door, watching Lauren with canine adoration as she gave him a quick hug and headed for the stove to check on the garlic bread he had warming.

“Yum.”

“Go wash up. Dinner in five.”

When Lauren returned from the bathroom, they fell into their usual dinnertime routine. The dogs waited hopefully for something to fall in their direction, but were quickly distracted by their own food bowls so he and Lauren could eat in peace. The cat disappeared with a haughty flick of her tail. As he ate, Noah listened to Lauren describe her day with her usual cheerful enthusiasm.

“Oh, and Doug’s coming to spend this weekend if that’s okay, Dad.”

“Anytime.” He swallowed a mouthful of pasta and regarded his daughter. “He’s not going to drive, is he?”

“No. He’s flying into San Antonio and renting a car.”

Noah raised his eyebrows. “Pretty expensive for a weekend.”

“I know, but he can afford it. And he says I’m worth it.”

He shared her grin. “He’s right. Listen, there’s something we need to discuss. You know that snub-nosed .38 I gave you?”

Her eyes went from blue to gray as she studied him seriously. “Uh-huh.”

“Start carrying it for a while.”

“Uh-oh. What’s happened?”

His daughter never failed to amaze him. He thanked God every day for the miracle of Lauren. If only Beth had lived to see what a strong, beautiful, levelheaded woman they had raised. He took a bite of salad, chewed, swallowed past the lump in his throat and proceeded to explain about Francis Hartman.