Kimberly Cates - The Perfect Match

“I was lucky as hell when I drew you as partner.”

“Got stuck with the burned-out alcoholic, you mean.”

“You were off the bottle by then.” Cash remembered Lisa’s reaction to the news when she heard it from one of the other deputies wives—that Cash had drawn the short straw, gotten the screw-up from the big city. They’d fought about it for hours. Truth was, Cash had volunteered to take Vinny on. Something in Vinny’s face had made Cash trust the older man, first with his own life and later with the lives of his daughters.

“Bookmakers wouldn’t have given me very good odds when it came to staying clean. Smart money would’ve been on the chance I’d get you killed.”

“I placed the winning bet. Maybe I used all my luck up on that. What if there’s none left for Mac?” The doubt slipped out. He met Vinny’s eyes.

“Luck will have nothing to do with whether that little girl of yours walks or not. MacKenzie is your daughter, Cash. Stubborn as hell. She’ll come through fine either way, no matter what happens. You’ll see.”

“Mac has to want to walk. But Janice says I can’t—can’t make her…”

Vinny’s smile braced him. “Then Janice doesn’t know you as well as I do, does she?”

Cash wished to hell he could be sure Vinny was right. There had been a time when Cash believed he could conquer anything. No battle was too tough, no challenge too great. He’d been a marine. His body tough and trained. His will invincible.

He’d taken on the Iraqi invaders with an almost suicidal belief in himself, defeat not a possibility in his world.

How odd to think Rowena Brown felt the same thing, especially now, when he’d learned the hard truth about limitations he’d once denied. He envied her that fierce ability to believe. In healing. In hope. In the future.

There were times Cash didn’t believe in anything anymore.

Not even himself.

NIGHT SHIFT STANK.

Cash slugged down the last of his tepid coffee from the Quick Mart and tried to keep his eyelids from caving on him. Not much going on in town—a few fender benders, a disturbing the peace call and a report that half a dozen kids were partying at Mose Dillon’s abandoned boathouse down by the Mississippi.

No booze this time—at least, not where Cash could find it. But they had stockpiled enough illegal fireworks to start a brushfire if a stray spark had fallen on the dry leaves starting to blanket the ground.

Another deputy might have hauled them all in, but Cash and his five brothers had gotten into more than their share of mischief when they’d been that age. So he’d done his best to scare the shit out of them and followed their car to the place they were supposed to be staying overnight. He’d been relieved to see Jimmy Parker’s mom in the window, probably demanding to know where the boys had been. Last party ol’ Jimmy would be hosting for awhile, Cash had figured.

But as the rest of his shift crawled by, Cash’s week’s worth of insomnia started catching up with him until he was bone tired and bored as hell. And one thing he knew from years on the force: anybody—even a deputy—asleep at the wheel was a very bad thing.

Cash turned down Main Street on his patrol, looking over the row of buildings across from the school. The pet shop was still closed. Not that he’d expected Rowena Brown to open the shop for a blue light special on catnip at five in the morning, but from what he’d seen when he’d started his shift, she’d closed up the shop early the night before.

Not that it mattered. It was just that a cop needed to know the natural rhythm of the neighborhoods he patrolled. Yeah. The whole street lay quiet, Rowena’s shop dark and shut up, Miss Marigold’s kitchen window glowing in the corner of the tea shop. From what Cash could tell, the older woman slept as rarely as he did.

His cell buzzed—the ring tone set to the theme from Dragnet by Mr. Google himself, the techno whiz, when Cash hadn’t been watching. Damned if Cash could figure out how to change the ring back.

Frowning, he scooped up the phone and hit the talk button.

“Lawless here.”

“Miss me, candy ass?”

Vinny. The Italian’s jovial voice told Cash it wasn’t an emergency.

“I miss you all right. Like a toothache.”

“You never write, you never call. Yada, yada, yada.”

“What the hell are you calling me for in the middle of the night? I’m working, you know.”

“More like you’re about to fall asleep, and I’m saving your butt again, junior. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to keep you on your toes.” Vinny chuckled. “Quiet night, huh? Been listening to the scanner.”

“Not much happening.”

“Good, because you’re going to have to be ready to party down when you drag your sorry ass in come morning.”

“Party?” Cash echoed. “I didn’t miss a holiday…or a birthday—no. Charlie’s isn’t for months. What’s up?”

“Can’t say for sure. Big secret. The girls are up to something for sure.”

“What girls?” Cash asked tiredly.

“Mac and Charlie. You know. Your pride and joys. The fruits of your loins. Your—”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. My girls. But both of them? Doing something together?”

“You got it, dude.” Cash could almost hear Vinny grimace. “Damn. I’ve got to quit watching those Mary Kate and Ashley reruns with Mac.”

“You made them, right? I mean, Mac and Charlie. Play together.”

“I know I’m brilliant, but I can’t take the credit. Charlie came up with this one all on her own—whatever this one is. I’m not quite clear about specifics. She had Mac in the corner whispering away the minute they came in from the bus, then out they go to Mac’s playhouse. Tight as two ticks on a dog all evening. Even begged me to let Mac sleep in her room with her. Figured it couldn’t hurt. Charlie’s got that extra twin bed in there. Hope it’s all right with you.”

“No. I mean, yes. That’s fine.”

“It’s a hell of a lot better than fine. It’s a goddamned miracle if you ask me. Checked on ’em an hour ago and they were sleeping like angels. Charlie even insisted on leaving the window wide open so Mac could see the stars.”

“Did she?” Cash felt a stirring of hope. One of the things Cash had hated most in the past two years was how his girls had grown apart. Charlie played with her sister out of duty now instead of love. Nothing could hide the wall that had grown between the girls or the fact that Charlie would far rather be alone.

“So they’re playing together,” Cash said. “That’s good, right? So what’s worrying you?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to give you the heads up. Had to swear in blood not to set foot in the playhouse or it would ruin the surprise.”

“So why didn’t you sneak out back before you hit the couch and see what they’re up to?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Vinny’s dead seriousness made Cash crack a smile. “That cross your heart, hope to die bit is serious stuff. You want to stick a needle in your eye? No sir, Deputy Lawless. I don’t think so.”

“I see what you mean. But I didn’t swear, so maybe as soon as I get home, I’ll phone in to the Sheriff’s office, have them stake out the playhouse.”

“Might be a good idea.”

He could hear Vinny yawn. The nights Mr. Google stayed over to watch the girls had to be hard on the older man. Stubborn cuss insisted on sacking out on the couch instead of using Cash’s bed. Vinny said the couch kept him from getting too soft.

“Go to sleep, old man.” Cash said with gruff affection. “I’m awake now.”

“Good. I’m heading in to check on them one last time right now. Their father is a real pain, you know.”