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  She sighed with relief, nodding her head ever so slightly. “I’m sorry this happened, Dr. Petoro, but if I’m to be entirely honest, it was probably the only way Mom was going to get away from him.”

  “I hope you two realize you don’t have to go it alone.”

  “That’s what Angela says, too.”

  “Angela knows her job. Listen to her.”

  “He showed up at Angela’s apartment today.” Her mood had grown quiet, almost melancholy. “He tried to break in.”

  He watched her for a moment, wondering if she was thinking of a father lost, or if she was counting her blessings that she still had her mother.

  After a moment she said, “I’m going back to school tomorrow.”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  She shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I’m scared.” She looked up at him, hope in her eyes. “Do you think I’m well enough?”

  “Your kidneys are in good working order.”

  She frowned. “What about Mom? Shouldn’t I be here when she wakes up?”

  “She’s not going anywhere, Lacy. And neither is your education if you don’t get back to school.”

  “I could get a tutor. Or I could homeschool. Lots of kids are doing homeschool now. I’m bright. I get good grades. I could make it on my own.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, casting a lopsided grin. “You’ll be fine, Lacy.”

  But she wasn’t fine at all. The next day she rose before the birds twittered. Unfortunately, for her, every cell phone in the entire student body was already twittering away.

  “My God, Lacy,” Millie Watson said, ambushing her the minute she walked through the doors. “Where the hell have you been? The whole student body is talking about how your dad killed your mom.”

  She had been propelling Lacy toward the bathroom, but now she stopped, grabbed both her shoulders and pulled her close, their eyes six inches apart as Millie looked into them. “I can’t believe you didn’t call me right away.” She pulled back, leaned on one leg and crossed her arms under her breast in a pouting stance. “I feel like we’re drifting apart.”

  All Lacy could do was shake her head. “My dad didn’t kill my mom. Who started that rumor?”

  Millie took out her cell phone, shoving it under Lacy’s nose. “See right there, plain as can be.”

  Lacy took the phone from Millie and read the Twitter tweet. Sheriff Waldrip killed his wife, and now Lacy is living in an orphanage.

  She sighed as she handed back the phone. She hoisted her book bag higher on her shoulder and resumed walking to her math class. “My mom’s in the hospital—she’s not dead, and I’m not living in an orphanage. I’m staying with Ms. Martin.”

  “And you didn’t tell me, your best friend, all of this? I’m hurt.”

  “You would have known ‘all of this,' she said, making finger quotes in the air, “if you had bothered to visit me in the hospital.”

  “You know I hate hospitals.”

  She scowled at her. “So do I, but I was stuck there, all alone, nobody but nurses and doctors poking me all day. Jake’s the only one who came to visit me.”

  Millie gave her a strange look. “Who’s Jake?”

  “He’s my new friend, and apparently the only one who cares.”

  “How come I haven’t met him?”

  They arrived at Lacy’s classroom. She stopped, shrugging as she said, “You’re not around when Jake is—that’s all.”

  “Wanna hang after school?” Millie asked.

  Lacy shook her head. “Can’t, I have to check on Mom, and then I have to go to work. I haven’t gone in almost a week.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Sure.” She pointed her thumb at the classroom. “I have to go. I’ll see you at lunch.”

  She walked into the classroom just as the bell rang. All eyes turned to her, but she ignored them, sliding into her seat. A few of the kids smiled at her, trying to offer support—no doubt trying to get on her good side so they could get the scoop.

  “Good morning, Lacy,” Mr. Braten said. “It’s nice to see you back on your feet again.”

  “Thanks,” she mumbled.

  She took out her math book, looked at the board to see what page they were working on. She found the page quickly enough and was surprised to discover she hadn’t missed all that much. In fact, by her estimate she should be able to catch up by the end of the week.

  She caught a couple kids snickering a few times, but she tried her hardest to concentrate on her work. Halfway through the class, though, she had no clue where the teacher was attempting to lead them. She raised her hand.

  “Yes, Lacy?” Mr. Braten asked.

  She stood. “Would it be all right if I address the class?”

  To her surprise, most of the kids stopped whispering and turned to look at her.

  Mr. Braten hesitated. “Go ahead.”

  “I just wanted to let everyone know that, no—my mother is not dead, and I do not live in an orphanage. I am, however staying with a friend while my mom recuperates. As soon as she is back on her feet, I will be living with her again. That’s all I have to say, except—can we please focus on calculus now, because I’m really not getting this.”

  She sat down in her chair. Several students laughed, some flushed in embarrassment.

  Mr. Braten tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a smile. “Okay. Well said, Lacy.” He addressed the class. “Everyone satisfied?”

  When no one answered, he resumed his lecture.

  Lacy thought she would have to repeat herself throughout the day. Thanks to Twitter, though, that wasn’t necessary. By lunchtime, the entire school knew about Lacy’s situation.

  When she tried to find Millie, she noticed a new group of kids milling around her friend. She supposed they were trying to glean as much information as possible from her, seeing as how she was the “best friend” and all. What a joke. Lacy guessed it took a real tragedy to see who one’s true friends were. She sighed. To be fair to Millie, she would have to admit she had been pushing her away since Jake started coming around.

  She bypassed the entire group and took off for her hiding place, hoping Jake would be there.

  She sensed him long before she entered her haven. She approached cautiously. He was waiting for her just inside the entrance. “Don’t go in there,” he said, putting a hand up to brace her.

  She pushed past him, stopping a few feet away. She turned tear-filled eyes toward him. “It’s all gone.”

  He nodded, held out his arms, and wrapped his arms around her as she stepped in for an embrace.

  “Everything’s changed,” she cried, soaking his shoulder as the tears slipped down.

  His hand went up to cup the back of her head. She smelled like jasmine, reminding him of how delicate she was. “Some changes are good,” he said. He tilted her chin up so he could look in her eyes. “You’re changing, Lacy, and that’s a good thing. You’re so young, beautiful, bright, cheery, and full of hope. Good things wait for you outside your pain. You don’t need to hide in here.”

  She hugged him tighter. “Don’t ever leave me, Jake. I couldn’t bear it.”

  “I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

  The bell rang, startling Lacy. She jumped, and both she and Jake laughed. She stepped back, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. “I’d better go. I don’t want to be late for class on my first day back.”

  He nodded. “I’ll see you later.”

  She walked away with her head hung low. When she turned back to wave, he was gone.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brenda sat up in her hospital bed—or at least she tried to. Even the smallest movement brought pain.

  She caught movement from the corner of her eye and looked up to see Dr. Petoro standing in the doorway. She waved him in.

  From behind his back, he pulled a wilted bouquet of flowers. He frowned apologetically. “Sorry, it appears the hospital is a little short on volunteers as of late.”<
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  She smirked. “I’ll try and get back on my feet as soon as possible.” She took the flowers from him and grimaced. “Maybe I should switch my post to the gift shop.”

  He laughed as he pulled out her chart from the rack at the foot of her bed. He skimmed the nurses’ notes. “Things are looking pretty good.”

  “I’m a fast healer.”

  “I’ll say. At the rate you’re going we’ll have you home in a couple days.”

  Her smile fell at the mention of home. “Has Peter been by?”

  “I, um…I need to talk to you about that.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to prepare herself for the coming storm. “I’m listening.”

  “I took out a restraining order against your husband.”

  Her eyes grew wide with shock. “You didn’t!”

  “I had no choice.” The look of fright on her face made his heart ache. “It was the only way I could keep him away from you. I couldn’t risk him taking you from the hospital again, or jeopardize the safety of any of the other patients.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t understand. He gets so much more violent when he’s angry.” She started to rise from the bed, pushing the covers back and swinging her legs to the floor. A wave of pain hit her, and she cried out.

  Allen rushed to her side. He picked her up, laid her gently back in bed. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “I need to get home,” she managed to say, straining to get the words out. “I need to fix this before it’s too late.”

  “You need to get well.”

  “But Lacy.”

  “Lacy’s just fine. She’s back in school and staying with Angela Martin.”

  “I know. That’s what set off Peter.”

  “Peter can’t hurt you in here.”

  She let out a short laugh. “Peter has many ways he can hurt me, starting with his goon platoon.”

  He laughed at her description of the insignificant police force.

  “And,” she added, “don’t forget the mayor. He’s used him to build a bulwark around himself.”

  “You’ll be surprised to hear he’s starting to lose a few followers. Not even the mayor can ignore the charges against him.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “The mayor took his badge and his gun.”

  Brenda paled, shook her head. “Oh, no! He can’t do that. Peter will never survive without that badge.”

  A memory flashed through her head. Peter was twenty-five. She was eighteen. Peter’s best friend, Anson Parker, had put in a good word for him with the then sheriff, and he had charmed his way into the department. There was an induction ceremony, and she had sat rigidly beside her father, holding Lacy. When the ceremony was over, he played the family man and put a protective arm around her and Lacy, smiling at all the right times. On the way to the car he said, “I will shoot anyone who tries to take this gun or badge from me.” She knew he wasn’t joking by his smile.

  She tried to get up again. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

  He pushed her back down. “No, Brenda. You’re safer here.”

  She collapsed on the bed in defeat, fear driving her tears. “How am I going to go home after this?”

  “We’ll find a safe place for you. I promise.”

  She shook her head again. “Not without endangering others.”

  He was growing angry and tried hard not to direct it at her. “Your husband is not indestructible.”

  She looked him in the eye. “I’ve known Peter for nearly two decades. Nobody ever stands up to him.”

  He stared into her eyes and saw tenderness push aside the anger that had been there. “That changes now,” he said.

  Just then the door burst open, and Lacy flew through the doorway. “You’re awake,” she cried gleefully.

  Brenda looked one last time at Allen and whispered, “Be careful.” Then she held her arms open, and Lacy ran to her. “Hey, baby. How was school?”

  Lacy shook her head as she did an eye roll. “Well, you’re dead, and I live in an orphanage.” Lacy laughed at the stricken look on her mother’s face. “The latest on Twitter,” she explained.

  “Twitter?” her mother questioned.

  “Electronic gossip,” Allen supplied.

  Lacy grinned. “Yeah. Something like that.”

  “Did you set them straight?” Brenda asked.

  “Of course not.” She kissed her mother’s cheek. “Gossip is way more fun.” Brenda paled. “Just kidding; I did. Sorry, Mom…but I have to run. I have a shift in a half-hour. I just wanted to check up on you.”

  “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? What if your father comes?” Lacy and Allen exchanged a quick glance. Brenda shifted her gaze between them. “What aren’t you two telling me?”

  Lacy blushed and looked down at the floor. “He tried to break into Angela’s apartment last night. Dr. Petoro hired one of the off-duty security guards to follow me around.”

  Brenda’s eyes misted over as she looked at Allen. He was unsure how to read her expression. One thing he had come to know about Brenda Waldrip was that she was a proud woman. Were the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes tears of gratitude, or tears of shame?

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice so low he barely heard her.

  Lacy flashed a brilliant smile—one that Brenda hadn’t seen on her daughter’s face in a while. “Isn’t he the best?”

  She walked to the door. When her hand hit the knob, she turned. On impulse, she ran back to Allen and threw her arms around him. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  Taken off-guard, he didn’t know what to do at first. Then his arms encircled the young girl. He marveled at how good it felt to hold her. He looked over her head at her mother’s grateful smile. “You’re welcome, Lacy. Now scoot off to work before you get fired.”

  She laughed and dashed from the room.

  When she had gone, Brenda turned her eyes toward him. “I can’t let you do this. That guard must be costing you a fortune.”

  “It’s not as much as you might think. Just for a day or two, to make sure Peter knows we’re serious.” He grinned and added, “Besides, don’t you know, I’m a doctor. I’m loaded.”

  She chuckled, which caused her sides to hurt. She grabbed them. “Please stop,” she said.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. His eyes grew wary with concern. He sat down on the edge of her bed. She moved over slightly, making room for him. “I won’t let you go through this alone,” he said. “I’m here to the end.”

  He looked down at her. He wondered what the look was he saw there. He wanted to kiss her, but he wouldn’t. She was at a vulnerable time in her life. He would not take advantage of that.

  She looked up at him. She wondered if it was pity or disgust she saw in his expression. She wished he would kiss her, but she knew he wouldn’t. What would he want with a pathetic weakling like her?

  They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Allen’s pager went off. He jumped from the bed as if caught in an immoral act. They both laughed. He looked at the pager, then at her. “Duty calls.”

  She watched him slip silently out the door. She slid down beneath the covers, a slow smile coming to her face as she wrapped the blankets tightly around her. It had been a long while since she had slept peacefully, but she knew tonight was to be an exception. Her last conscious thought as she drifted into dreamland was of Allen Petoro, her savior.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brenda stood back from the cabinet and eyed her handiwork. A satisfied smile spread across her face when envisioning Angela’s delight over the cleanliness of her now well-organized cupboard. She was still quite sore from the broken ribs, but overall, she felt pretty good.

  She looked at the clock. “Only twelve,” she said. She still had another three hours to go before Lacy got home. She frowned, looked around the apartment and sighed. She had been released from the hospital only yesterday, bu
t she was already growing bored.

  Peter had gotten his badge back. She had known he would, but so far, he had not shown any interest in either hers or Lacy’s activities. He wasn’t fooling her, though. She knew Peter well, and she knew he was a ticking time bomb.

  She had so many things for which to be grateful to Charlie. She would never forget what he’d attempted to do for her. She was only sorry to see that the rest of the squad hadn’t reacted as kindly toward her. It seemed nobody would take her side against their sheriff. She’d heard Charlie had lodged a complaint with the mayor. She also heard they might transfer him to Las Vegas—the city council’s way of dealing with complaints. After all, it wasn’t easy to find qualified people to run for sheriff in their town. A transfer wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for his career.

  She was also grateful to Angela for letting her stay here, but she didn’t want to overstay her welcome. She needed to find a job, so she could get an apartment for Lacy and herself. She would talk to Allen about it when he stopped by on his way home from work.

  Lacy had her job at the diner and had offered money on several occasions, but Brenda always refused. That money was for college. She hadn’t mentioned it, though, when Lacy showed up one afternoon with new shoes. If she just didn’t acknowledge where the money to buy them came from she wouldn’t feel as guilty.

  She sank into a chair and allowed her head to drop back. Weary from the day’s activities, she began to drift off to sleep. Moments later she was limp with sleep, her mind cleared of all thoughts. She started to dream. Visions of Peter in various stages of their relationship filled her mind. Their courtship had been clumsy at best. His idea of courtship was a tweak to her breast and a quick slap on her rear. She hadn’t known any better. Her father had been the only example she had to go by, and beer and pizza were on the top of his list. As her mind wandered in its dreamy state, Allen’s face replaced Peter’s image, and that brought a smile to her sleeping face.

  In her dream, Allen brought her flowers. She was on the children’s ward dressed as the Easter Bunny. She carried a large basket filled with colored, candy-filled eggs. She was doing a little bunny dance, when suddenly the children began to laugh hysterically, pointing behind her back. She turned and saw Allen mimicking her. She put her hands on her hips, tapped her right foot, and cocked her head sideways. Allen bowed, produced a large bouquet of mixed flowers, and gave them to her. She pressed her hand against her chest, turned to the children, and shrugged her shoulders as she turned her palms up in a questioning gesture.