The Cowboy Lawman. Brenda Minton
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Название: The Cowboy Lawman
Автор: Brenda Minton
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon Love Inspired
isbn: 9781472012869
isbn:
She stood there, not saying a word.
“Mia?”
“I heard you.” She faced him, anger flashing in her dark eyes. “What does that mean? He bonded out?”
“I guess so. And the charges have been reduced.”
“No. Butch and I covered all our bases. We spent six months living that filthy life, away from our families, pretending to be people we weren’t. But he had a way out the whole time. That’s how he made us, through an inside source.”
“They aren’t going to drop this. They won’t let you guys down that way.”
She leaned against the counter, nearly as tall as he was. She held her right arm and turned to stare out the window for a long minute. Finally, she looked at him.
“What about Butch’s wife? Does she know?”
“They’re going to tell her.” He considered letting it go, but he couldn’t. “Mia, it would be best if you went and stayed with your folks for a while. At least until they find a way to bring this guy down.”
“That could take a year. It could take two years. I’m not going to live in fear of him, Slade. I’m staying right here in my house. I’m not going to let him win.”
She turned and poured coffee into a thermal mug. She handed it to him.
“Thanks.” Coffee. It made it seem as if nothing had happened, they weren’t talking life and death. They were friends catching up on the news.
“You’re welcome.”
“And you know I’m going to be out here on patrol. Wherever that money is that went missing, someone is going to be looking for it.”
“You’re going to be watching my house? Please don’t. I’ll feel compelled to feed you and you know I can only cook enchiladas and boxed hamburger meals.” She looked down at her arm. “And I can’t even cook those right now.”
“Maybe I can cook for you.” The words slipped out and hung between them.
“Slade...”
He raised a hand to stop her objections. “Friends, Mia, that’s what we’ve always been.”
She gave him a curt nod. “Be safe out there, Slade.”
“I’m always safe.”
She walked with him to the front door. “Yes, I know you are. But I thought we were safe, too. I thought Butch and I would have each other’s backs. I thought we’d always be able to save each other.”
“You couldn’t have known that you’d been made.”
“I know.” She stood in the front door as he got ready to leave. “Slade, what if I should have known? I keep going over it again and again in my mind, wondering if I saw something that should have given it away.”
“Don’t. I know that it’s easy to second-guess, but it won’t change anything.”
Slade had done it, too. He’d thought about it over and over, if he should have known what would happen that night to Vicki. He couldn’t have known. He’d never seen it coming. But for a couple of years he’d beaten himself up, thinking he should have told her not to drive that night. He should have known there were storms coming.
He should have done something.
For a long minute he stood on Mia’s front porch, thinking back. Yes, he knew how Mia felt. He knew the questions she’d been asking herself since the shooting. It took him by surprise when Mia leaned over and kissed his cheek.
“It was an accident.”
He touched her arm and smiled down at her. “I know. And I’m asking you to be careful.”
“I will.”
“Will you be in church Sunday?”
She sighed and shook her head. “So I can yell at God in public? No, I think yelling at Him on the side of the road is enough for one week.”
He nodded, because he got it. “If you need anything, call me.”
“I’m sure you won’t be far away.”
“No, I won’t.”
He walked down the sidewalk to his car, pulling the keys out of his pocket as he went. He glanced back one last time before getting behind the wheel. Mia still stood in the doorway. She wouldn’t cry again. He knew Mia. She would walk it off. Or jog it off. And unless people who cared pushed, she wouldn’t talk about how much it hurt.
Her family would do that for her. They would push her to talk. And he’d patrol and make sure she stayed safe.
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