The Cowboy Lawman. Brenda Minton

      “That’s going to be great.” Mia looked up from the little boy to his dad.

      “Let Mia go, Caleb. We’ll talk to her later.”

      Caleb released her hand. Mia knelt next to him and wrapped her left arm around him in a quick hug. “I think I know how to make cupcakes.”

      He smiled at that but Slade cleared his throat. “We’ve got it covered.”

      Mia got it. Slade didn’t want her that involved in his life. She stood and followed her grandmother down the aisle to the second pew from the front.

      * * *

      Slade watched Mia walk down the aisle toward the front of the church. He didn’t know why it hurt him so much to watch her with Caleb. He guessed because it had hurt five years ago when she sat behind him at Vicki’s funeral, holding their baby boy. But today was different. Today something else had happened when he saw her hug his son. This was a different kind of ache.

      It took him by surprise and he stood there for a full minute trying to make sense of it. A hand reached for his and pulled hard.

      He looked down at Caleb and smiled.

      “You going to hand me that rope?” Caleb stood steady in his new boots and his best shirt.

      “I sure am.” Slade unhooked the rope from the hook on the wall and handed it to his son. “Ring the bell, Caleb.”

      Caleb pulled hard, swinging a little on the rope and then pulled again. The sound of the ringing bell filled the Sunday-morning silence. It was a constant, that bell. It ranked with Sunday lunch, good friends, Vera’s fried chicken and weekends at the rodeo.

      After Caleb finished ringing the bell, Slade followed his son down the aisle to the empty spaces they’d left behind the Coopers. Slade’s mom hadn’t shown up yet. He glanced at his watch. She was never late. Caleb slid into the pew and Slade sat next to him. He glanced at his watch and then at his silenced phone.

      In front of him Mia reached to smooth her dark hair. He watched as she settled nervously, waiting for the service to start. He remembered the day he returned to church. It took him a month, maybe six weeks after Vicki’s accident. Looking back, he shouldn’t have waited. He’d avoided the place and people he had needed most.

      His mom had tried to tell him that. He hadn’t wanted to listen. Now, with Caleb next to him, he realized they had survived. It still hurt, but they were making it. They were good, the two of them.

      Lately his mom had been telling him that no one could take Vicki’s place, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find room in his heart for love. Caleb squirmed next to him, digging in his pocket for something, distracting Slade from uncomfortable thoughts. He looked down at his son, frowning as the kid pulled something from his pocket.

      No way. He shook his head at the half-eaten piece of taffy. It had lint stuck to it and probably bacteria that would light up a microscope. Caleb gave the candy a wistful look and handed it over. Now what in the world was he supposed to do with it? Slade sighed and fisted the candy. A tissue got tossed over his shoulder. He smiled back at Ryder Johnson and his wife, Andie. She grinned and blew a kiss at Caleb. Their twin girls were in the church nursery.

      Life in Dawson was changing. Slade had come to terms with the reality that he and his friends were now the adults in town and there were new kids sitting on the tailgates of trucks parked at the local convenience store.

      His phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it the first time. It rang again. A slow, bad feeling slid into his chest. He put a finger to his lips to silence Caleb and pointed for him to stay. He reached up, tapping Miss Myrna Cooper on the shoulder. When she turned he showed her his phone and pointed to Caleb. She nodded.

      The congregation started to sing and Slade hurried down the aisle to the doors. His phone was ringing a fourth time as he stepped outside.

      “Slade McKennon.”

      “Slade, it’s Janie, on the ambulance. Hon, we’ve got your mom here. She’s having chest pains. We’re going to head for Grove Hospital if you want to meet us there.”

      The tightness that had grabbed hold of him when the phone rang twisted a little tighter. “I’ll be right there.”

      “Now, Slade, your mom says for you not to drive like a maniac. She’s fine. I agree with her. Don’t rush. She’s going to be in the E.R. and getting good care, so you take it easy.”

      He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll take it easy. Tell her I’m going to find someone to watch Caleb and I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

      Janie laughed a little. “Your mom said it better take you longer than twenty minutes.”

      He slid the phone back into his pocket and stepped back into the church, where he nearly bumped into Mia Cooper. She wasn’t smiling.

      “What’s up?”

      He slid a hand across her back and followed her back outside. “They’re taking my mom to the E.R. She’s having chest pains. I need to make arrangements for Caleb and go.”

      “Do you want me to take care of Caleb or go with you?”

      “Mia, you don’t have to...”

      She cut him off with a glare. “I’m either taking care of that little boy or I’m going with you. It’s your choice which one I do.”

      “Can you watch Caleb?” He looked away, just for a minute, needing to ground himself.

      “I think I can manage one five-year-old boy, Slade.”

      “I know you can.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll call you later.”

      “That’s good. And Slade, I’ll pray for her.”

      It took him by surprise, the softness in her voice, in her expression. It drew him in and he leaned to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.”

      She blinked a few times, then let it go. “Call me when you know something.”

      “I will. Tell Caleb his grandma is good. She even told me not to drive fast. He doesn’t need to worry.”

      “I’ll tell him.”

      She slipped back inside the church, closing the door softly behind her. Slade stood there, staring at the double doors for a few seconds before he turned and hurried down the steps and across the parking lot toward his truck. His better self took control, not letting him think too much about Mia and the decision to leave his son in her care.

      As he pulled out of the parking lot, his mind was fully planted on his mom and her health. Anything could happen. In the blink of an eye, the world could change. He’d experienced it. His mom had, too. Ten years ago when they lost his dad to cancer.

      The roads were quiet. A typical Sunday morning in Dawson. Most people were in church. There were only a couple of cars at Vera’s. He drove out of town, speeding up as he left the city limits behind. He hit his emergency flashers and punched the gas, forgetting the twenty-minute rule his mom had set.

      He had kissed Mia on the cheek. He shook his head and called himself a few names because kissing Mia had always been off-limits. He’d always been okay with that rule. What had changed?

      Chapter Four

      After church, and after making a few excuses to avoid lunch at Cooper Creek Ranch, Mia led Caleb across the parking lot to her grandmother’s car. The child held tight to her left hand. His feet dragged.

      “You know, it’s easier to walk if you lift your feet.”

      “Is my grandma okay?” He looked up from the blacktop he’d been studying. His blue eyes narrowed on her as he waited for an answer.

      “She’s going to be just fine. She’s at the hospital and they’ll give her medicine to help her heart.”