The Cop. Jan Hudson

      “Mmm,” Kelly said as if she were actually considering it. “No, I don’t think so. I’d rather have a date.”

      “A date? This is more like a kidnapping than a date. And I imagine that you could do better than me.”

      “Not really. The pickings are pretty slim around Naconiche.”

      “I can’t believe that men aren’t lined up outside your door.”

      She laughed. “They are. But they usually have sinus infections or prostate problems.”

      SOMEBODY HAD REALLY fixed up the place, Cole thought as he looked around the old hall. Blue tablecloths and Christmas arrangements decorated the vintage bingo tables, and potted trees and shrubs strung with lights lined the walls. A small band was setting up in the corner.

      “Looks nice,” Cole said as he pushed his walker beside Kelly.

      “Yes. Florence did a good job.”

      “Florence?”

      “Florence Russo, Dixie’s mother-in-law. She’s a retired decorator who moved here from Dallas. She helps out part-time at the Twilight Inn.”

      “I can’t believe that little Dixie Anderson is grown and married,” Cole said.

      “And has six kids.”

      “God, I’m getting old. Last time I remember her, she and Ellen and Mary Beth were high school cheerleaders.”

      “You haven’t spent much time in Naconiche, have you?”

      “Only a holiday here and there. And those were quick trips in and out to see the family. I joined the Houston Police Department the week after I graduated from college.”

      As they moved toward a table, Cole was waylaid by a mob of people, several of them buddies from school days. Most of them had beer bellies and a few were bald or getting that way fast. They looked like their daddies. Everybody seemed glad to see him, and nobody paid much attention to his moccasins. Except Bull Bickham. He and Bull had played football together when he was in high school.

      “Wish I could trade shoes with you,” Bull said. “These new ones I got on are hell on my bunion. I would’ve taken them back to the store ’cept my wife wouldn’t let me wear my brogans.”

      Gradually he and Kelly made their way to one of the reserved tables. Flagging, he was more than ready to sit down when he got there. He’d insisted on using his walker instead of the wheelchair, and bedamned if he’d admit that Kelly was right when she’d argued against it.

      “How about something cold to drink?” Kelly asked.

      “I wouldn’t mind some of that,” he said, nodding toward the champagne fountain.

      “Sorry. You’ll have to drink with the teetotalers. Be right back.”

      He watched her go, enjoying the swing of her hips as she walked away.

      “Leave it to you to grab the best-looking woman in town.”

      Cole glanced up and grinned at his youngest brother, Sam, the only one in the family taller than he was. “You got it. So hands off. How did you sneak away?”

      “I didn’t sneak. The rest of the family will be along in a minute. You okay?”

      “Fine. How’s rangering these days?”

      Sam Bass Outlaw was a member of the elite Texas Rangers. He’d wanted to be one since he was a kid, and after a determined rise through the highway patrol, he’d made the cut two years before and was chosen to fill the only opening the Rangers had vacant in a while.

      “Can’t complain,” Sam said.

      “I’ve never known you to do anything else,” a tall, leggy brunette said as she strode up to them.

      “Hey, Ding-a-ling,” Cole said, falling into his pet name for his sister.

      “Hey, Big Buzzer,” Belle said as she leaned down to peck him on the cheek. “You doing okay?”

      “Fine. Have I told you that you’re looking gorgeous today—for an FBI agent?”

      She grinned. “Thanks. I like your shoes.”

      Cole laughed. As the baby sister of four rambunctious brothers, she’d learned early on how to give as good as she got. Belle would tangle with a wildcat—and win.

      Kelly returned with her hands full and managing to juggle an extra plate on her arm.

      “Let me get that for you,” Sam said, relieving her of the refreshments she carried.

      “Thanks. You must be Sam.”

      “I am,” Sam said with a smooth smile. “And you’re…?”

      “With me,” Cole said. He introduced Kelly to his brother and sister, and then the rest of the family arrived, including the bride and groom, and the party went into full swing.

      Some time later, Cole watched as Sam led Kelly around the dance floor. He felt a twinge of envy. Hell, he felt more than a twinge when he saw his brother’s arm around her waist. Cole wanted to rip off that arm and beat him with it. Crazy feeling.

      “I like your doctor,” Belle said.

      “She’s not my doctor.”

      “Coulda fooled me. You’re looking at her like you could eat her with a spoon.”

      “I mean she’s not my doctor. She’s not treating me. Kelly’s just a…friend.”

      “Uh-huh,” Belle said, as if she didn’t believe a word of it.

      “We only met a few days ago.” Had it only been a few days? Seemed longer. But then the days stretched interminably since he’d been shot. “How do you like Colorado?”

      “I love it. I’m looking forward to some skiing soon. You’ll have to come visit.”

      “I don’t imagine that I’d be too swift on skis.”

      “You’re not going to be out of commission forever,” Belle said. “It will take a while, but you’ll heal. When are you planning to go back to work?”

      He shrugged. “I have no plans. How long are you going to be in town?”

      “Not long. I could only get away for a weekend. Wish I could stay longer, but I’m flying out of Dallas tomorrow evening.”

      “Now that you’re in a field office, are you enjoying your work?”

      Belle hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sure.”

      Cole cocked an eyebrow at her. He knew his little sister like a book. From the time she could toddle, she’d always come to him with her problems. And he’d been able to help her with most of them—everything from thumping Sam for burying her Barbie to wiping her tears over missing a word on a spelling test. “What’s wrong?”

      She sighed. “Cole, have you wondered if you became a cop because law enforcement was a family tradition or if it was really what you wanted?”

      “Nope. It’s always been what I wanted. I think that Kojac and Dirty Harry may have pushed me toward homicide, but I always wanted to be a cop. Are you having second thoughts, Ding?”

      “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe sometimes. But I’ve worked so long and so hard to get where I am, I’m not ready to chuck it all yet.” She smiled, leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m so happy to see you doing well, Big Buzzer. The last time I saw you, I was worried. You looked pretty awful.”

      “The last time you saw me, I was in ICU.”

      “With about a hundred tubes coming out of you or going in. Pale is not your best color. I donated blood for you.”

      “Is that why I’ve been growing