A Place To Call Home. Sharon Sala

matter. These will keep,” Wade said. “I’ve got to fish Rachel out of the sandbox, anyway.” He set the plate down on the table near Charlie’s elbow and headed back out the door.

      The evening meal came and went, but long after Judd had gone to bed that night, Charlotte Franklin’s words still rang in his ears. It isn’t the job, it’s the man inside the uniform that controls his own life.

      If that was true, then no wonder he thought he was going crazy. That night he dreamed of his partner, Dan Myers—laughing one minute, then the next, drowning in his own blood from the bullet that had exploded inside his chest.

      Judd was in the country, so awakening to the crow of a rooster didn’t surprise him. But he wasn’t expecting to feel soft baby breath on the side of his face. One heartbeat he was drifting toward consciousness and the next second he was wide-awake and staring into a pair of round brown eyes. Before he could move, Rachel Franklin stuck her finger up his nose.

      “Nose,” she said.

      He laughed. It wasn’t the soft, easy chuckle that his buddies in the department would have recognized. In fact, if he’d heard a replay of it, he wouldn’t have recognized himself. It was a deep, from-the-belly laugh that echoed within the silence of the house. The little girl giggled and ducked her head behind the blanket wadded up in one arm, then peeked out at him again.

      He reached down and picked her up, sitting her on the side of the bed. Soft baby curls straggled down in her eyes, and she was missing a sock. But she smelled sweet and the smile she gave him was even sweeter.

      “So, you’re an early bird, are you, punkin?”

      “Bird,” Rachel said, and pointed out the window.

      Judd’s grin widened. She wasn’t just pretty. She was smart, too. It shouldn’t have mattered, but the knowledge pleased him.

      “Yeah, that’s right. Birds live in trees.”

      She wiggled her bottom a little closer to the warmth of his leg beneath his covers, and pulled her blanket up under her chin just as Charlie came hobbling into the room.

      Her hair wasn’t in much better shape than her daughter’s, but that was where the similarities ended. Devoid of all makeup and with eyes still heavy with sleep, she had the look of a woman who’d spent the night in a loving man’s arms. He had a moment of insanity wondering what it would be like to make love to her, and then tossed it aside.

      “I am so sorry,” Charlie said as she made a grab for Rachel. “She’s just started getting out of her baby bed by herself.”

      Judd grinned. “If you could bottle her action, she’d make alarm clocks passé.”

      “I’m afraid to ask, but what did she do?” Charlie asked.

      Judd grinned. “Let’s just say that, if it wasn’t before, I’m pretty sure my left nostril is clean.”

      Charlie rolled her eyes. “Oh, Lord.”

      Judd started to laugh again. “It wasn’t so bad. It’s better than the barrel of a .45, any day.”

      Charlie grimaced. “You cops have a weird sense of humor. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll leave you to your sleep.”

      Judd stretched and yawned. “Never was much good at sleeping in,” he said. “If you don’t mind, I’ll make some coffee.”

      Charlie’s pulse gave a leap as the sheet slipped down toward his belly. It was all she could do to answer.

      “Uh…yes…I mean, no, I don’t mind. Make yourself at home. Wade is in the shower but he’ll be out in a few minutes.”

      Judd glanced down at her ankle as she moved toward the door. It was still swollen and starting to bruise. Without thinking, he started to get up and help her, then remembered he had nothing on. He waited until they were gone, then got up and dressed, keeping it casual. He put on his last pair of clean jeans and a slightly wrinkled T-shirt bearing the logo of the Tulsa P.D.

      As he headed for the kitchen, he could hear Charlotte’s voice, soft and coaxing as she helped her daughter dress, as well as the occasional rumble of Wade Franklin’s voice. From what he could hear, the police chief was already on the phone, dealing with the business of the day. Just for a moment, he regretted the fact that he wasn’t getting ready for the job, then reminded himself that it was because of the damned job that he was here. Somehow, he was going to have to find a way to forgive himself for not dying along with Dan Myers.

      A couple of minutes later, he was digging through the cabinets for the coffee when Wade walked into the kitchen. He turned.

      “I asked Charlie if it would be okay to make coffee,” he said.

      Wade shrugged, obviously preoccupied. “Have at it,” he muttered.

      Judd filled the carafe with water then measured out the coffee, all the while keeping an eye on Wade. Once the coffee was on and brewing, he turned.

      “Got trouble?” he asked.

      Wade nodded. “Probably.”

      “Want to talk about it?”

      Wade reached for a bottle of painkillers. “Bad knee,” he said, and downed a couple without water.

      Judd waited. If the man wanted to talk, he would do so when he was ready. Then Wade looked up, and Judd felt himself under sudden scrutiny.

      “I talked to your captain,” Wade said.

      Judd grinned wryly. “What did he say?”

      “That he was glad to know the son of a bitch was still alive and to tell him to get his ass back to Tulsa.”

      Judd shrugged. “He loves me. What can I say?”

      Wade almost grinned, but there was more on his mind than Judd’s defection.

      “He also said you’re a hell of a detective, which brings me to my question.”

      Suddenly, Judd sensed he wasn’t going to like what was coming.

      “Looks like I’ve got myself a problem in Call City,” Wade said, then poured them each a cup of coffee before continuing. “A man named Raymond Shuler, who is president of the local bank, is missing. His wife said he went to a meeting last night and never came home. My deputy found his car, still parked at the town hall where the meeting was held, but Shuler is nowhere to be found.”

      Judd frowned. “This ever happened before?”

      Wade shook his head. “That’s just it. Shuler isn’t the type to pull any stunts. It’s obvious something has happened.”

      “Like robbery, or maybe another woman?”

      Wade shrugged. “Could be any number of things. I’ll find out more when I get to the office.”

      “What’s that have to do with me?” Judd asked.

      Wade paused. Judd could see the hesitation on his face.

      “It’s just that my deputy, Hershel Brown, is getting married tomorrow and leaving on his honeymoon. He won’t be back for at least two weeks, maybe more. I can hardly ask the kid to postpone his wedding because of this, and I’m damned sure not going to tell him he can’t go on his honeymoon, but I’m going to be real shorthanded until he gets back.”

      Judd stiffened. “How many other deputies do you have?”

      Wade grinned. “None, and since you’re going to be stuck here until your Jeep is fixed, I thought you might consider helping me out with this case. I could probably work a small consultation fee into the budget, although it wouldn’t be much.”

      Judd sighed. This wasn’t what he’d planned to do, but like the man said, what other options did he have?

      Then Wade added the kicker. “And, since you’ll be staying on here until your vehicle is up and running…”