Maybe that was the clue hed overlooked. He was just dog-tired. He still couldnt understand why shed run at his car. She wasnt in danger and she wasnt in trouble. Look, lady, sorry if I missed something. You need help with some shoplifter?
Have you heard a word Ive said?
I just finished a double shift, lady. Im dead on my feet.
Im sure its difficult for a father to hear
Dont listen to her, Daddy. Hayden popped out of the car and gave him a wide-eyed Bambi look.
Apparently, shed forgotten about the shocking things shed done to her face and her hair. And where did she get those clothes? She looked like a thrift shop had exploded on her. He gaped at his daughter, his little girl, and could not see her beneath the layers of thick makeup. A clown wore less makeup.
We didnt do anything wrong, honest, Daddy.
It was that uh-oh feeling in his gut that kept him from believing her flat-out. One question drilled through his tiredness. What had he missed? There was clearly some misunderstanding on the part of this store clerk.
The sound of an approaching car and the wan glow of headlamps had him turning to look over the snow berm in the center of the parking lot. Thank heaven above. There are the local uniforms to your rescue.
And mine, he thought.
Fine. Are you coming or not?
Now why would I do that? Hayden, get back in the car. He meant to take a step back, but it was as if some unseen force held him in place. You go get the help you obviously need. Good night, maam.
Katherine felt her blood pressure soar into the red zone so fast the top of her skull throbbed. Sure, go ahead and run off. I have the information I need and Im sure those nice officers will be in contact with you, Trooper? Whats your last name?
Munroe. I hope you get this straightened out.
I will, but I am sorry for your daughters sake. Sadly, this happens even in a Christian bookstore, and while Im very faithful and forgiving, a crime is a crime.
Katherine watched the lawmans granite hands fist tight. She felt his gaze sharpen on her like a blade aimed and ready.
A Christian bookstore? The troopers dark brow arched upward. Hayden, tell me you didnt do this. You didnt shoplift. And not from a Christian bookstore.
There it is, Katherine thought, the possibility cracking through the denial. Good, shed rather take care of this now, the right way. Mr. Munroe, Ill see you inside.
She left father and daughter to settle their problems and hurried through the storm to greet the officers climbing out of their cruiser. With every step she took her emotions cooled and she felt the bite of the frigid wind.
And regret.
Chapter Two
This was the last thing he needed right now. Jack swept the white stuff off his hat brim as he watched that bookstore lady disappear into the thick curtain of snow. It had been a long time since hed disliked a woman so much so fast. He couldnt say why he had such a strong reaction to herother than the fact that shed accused his only child of a crime. Not that she was right about it.
No way, he thought, shaking his head, knocking more snow from his brim. Not his Hayden. Her friend, maybe. Now Jan, hed believe hands down, was a shoplifter. She was the problem, a problem he was going to take care of right now.
Daddy, how can you even think that? I didnt steal whatever she was talking about. She just wanted to blame us. I dont know why.
Why was it that whenever he looked at his daughter, he looked past the teenager he hardly recognized to the little sweet thing shed used to be, five years old with her arm around her favorite doll, running to greet him at the door when he came home from work?
You have to face the facts, man. Shes not five anymore. The more Jack looked, the more he recognized Heidi in that look. In fact, it troubled him deeply that with every passing day, his daughter was acting out the grief of her mothers death. While time had dulled his sharp grief, it hadnt seemed to do the same for Hayden.
He had to get control of this situation, put his foot down about the kind of friends Hayden had, and maybe get her involved in church activities. Hed been meaning to join a church, but ever since theyd moved to Bozeman six weeks ago, hed had his hands full juggling crisis after crisis.
Maybe it was time to let a few things fall and take his daughter to church because he had every intention of keeping her on the straight and narrow. She obviously needed it if this was the type of trouble her new friend was into.
That store lady is just mean, Daddy.
Get back in the car.
But Daddy, you dont believe her, do you? Big innocent eyes stared up at him.
His heart melted. Again, he still saw his sweet little girl. The trouble was, he also saw a strange teenager staring up at him with his Haydens eyes, while wearing clown makeup and rock-video-star clothes.
A momentary flash of rage turned his vision red, blurring everything. Her doe-eyed expression, the rapid blinking that told him she was lying. Man, was he mad. Yep, Hayden was covering for her friend. And he was going to come down on them both like a ton of bricks.
No more makeup. No more unsuitable clothing. He did not approve of this. Red hazed his vision again. Is this how she went to school? Had she been like this all day? How long would it take to change back into the nice-looking, decent girl he was used to seeing? She had to wash the blue out of her hair. Her appearance had to be a temporary thing so that she could wash the makeup off her face, climb back into the clothes she was supposed to be wearing and hed never know the difference. If he hadnt stopped by to check on her earlier, he might not have caught this version of his daughter.
Fury wasnt the word. He set the rules and he expected them to be followed. No arguments. No exceptions. No excuses. Get in the car.
Good, cuz Jan has to be home by four-thirty. She dropped into the front passenger seat and shared a smug look with her friend in the back seat.
Okay, what was up? Whatever it was, his instincts told him he wasnt going to like it. As he folded his lengthy frame behind the wheel, he already knew what he had to do. He had to get this straightened out fast.
Did you see her shoes? Jan asked Hayden. I think those shoes went out of fashion in 1942.
Hayden giggled. And did you see her skirt? She could be a nun in that skirt.
Okay, he was seeing red again. Enough. Show some respect. Now I want you to apologize to the store lady and give back whatever it was that you stole from her. He caught Jans gaze in the mirror as he negotiated through the parking lot. Got it? Or youll be in more trouble than you know what to do with. Ill make sure of it.
Itd be hard to do, since I didnt steal.
Its true, Daddy. She didnt take anything.
Lord, Im gonna need a little help here. He parked next to the townies patrol car in front of a lit storefront. Welcome to the Corner Christian Bookstore was written in tasteful black script across the double glass doors. The troubled feeling in his gut went from a squall to a full-out hurricane.
Daddy, you cant stop here. You said we were going to take Jan home.
Thats not what I said.
Thats not what I said.
You dont want Jan to get into trouble with her mom.
Where had his sweet little girl gone? He stared in shock at the stranger in his passenger seat, and saw the same look his wife gave when she was annoyed. Whatever was going on, he planned to nip it in the bud.
He killed the engine. You girls are going to do the right thing.
What right thing? Hayden acted as if she didnt have the slightest clue what he was talking about.
He couldnt believe shed do something so wrong as to shoplift. It was out of the question. She knew better. Hed raised her better than that. Even though he could plainly see her unsuitable clothes and makeup, he had to cling to that truth. He couldnt take it if he lost Hayden the way hed lost his wife.
He studied Jan in the rearview mirror. Yep, there was a flash of anxiety stark on her face. So, it was just like he figured. She was the problem. Relief coursed through him. You girls bring your book bags and come with me. Well get this straightened out with the bookstore lady.
But Ill be late gettin home, Jan piped up.
He wasnt fooled; he could sense the fear amping up a notch. Dont you worry. Ill talk to your mom if she has a problem. This wont take more than a few minutes. Now march.
He figured being late home was about to be the least of Jans problems.
The late-February storm hit him like the dead of winter. He hadnt acclimated yet to this much colder climate. It hadnt helped that hed been out in this weather all night. As a new member to the states ranks, hed pulled swing shift and would be doing that for the next year at least, before he could hope to move to a day shift. He was exhausted, but he didnt mind working nights or in this bitter cold, not when he considered how good this move was for his daughter.
How good this move was going to be, he corrected, once she found a few better friends. Forget Phoenixs heat and sun. What mattered was keeping his daughter growing up the right way.
Hayden, what are you doing? Go back and get your book bag.
But Daddy
Do it.
She heaved a dramatic sigh and trudged back to the cruiser. He kept one eye on Jan, who was frowning into the store window. The girl was obviously watching the store lady in her sensible shoes. Jan could take some lessons in sensible attire.
Hayden, what are you doing?
Nothing, Daddy.
Are you trying to take something out of your book bag?
Just looking for my lip gloss.
Forget it. Close the door. Come on. First things first. Hed deal with this situation, then the makeup.
Hayden slung the strap over her shoulder and marched right past him. She and Jan fell into stride side by side, sharing a look he couldnt name.
He followed them to the door. The trouble was that Hayden was choosing the same sort of friends shed had back in Arizona. Well, hed fix that right now. Sure of the outcome, he motioned for the girls to go in ahead of him, not at all surprised when the alarm clanged like an air-raid siren. Both girls jumped, and he watched Jans chin shoot up in sheer rebellion.
Guilty, he figured. He watched his daughters head hang and thought, good. Maybe shed see the kind of girl Jan was.
To his direct left he spotted the pair of local law enforcement boys standing at the checkout counter along with that woman. All three had turned at the sound of the alarm, which fell silent again.
So, theyd been filling a report? It looked like Jan had just landed herself in some trouble. He was sorry for that, but maybe there was a silver thread in this. At least it would be a lesson for his little girl. Hand the officers your bag, Jan.
Thats like so totally not fair. What are you, like a crooked cop?
Zip it. And just where had Jan gotten that attitude? His gaze arrowed to his daughter, who was gazing innocently at the ceiling. Her sweetheart face was flushed bright red. He couldnt imagine how any amount of embarrassment could show through so much makeup.
Do, it Jan. Hey, maam He motioned to that woman stalking toward him. Heres your culprit. Satisfied?
Hardly.
As she snapped closer on those shapely heels, he saw her for the first time in full light. Snow still melted in the liquid sunshine of her long, sleek hair, which framed her intelligent, oval face. He was helpless to look away from her.
She wasnt pretty. No, that was too plain a word. She wasnt beautiful, that was too ordinary. He didnt want to like this woman, but he did appreciate the natural look of lush lashes over her big, violet-blue eyes.
Her perfect nose had an elegant slope and her high delicate cheekbones were classic, not that he ought to be noticing. She had a soft mouth with tiny smile lines in the corners, as if she laughed often. Her chin, dainty and finely cut, complemented her face to perfection.
No, she wasnt beautiful, she was more than that. Striking, thats what she was. Classic. She was a real impressive lady, and she dressed the part in a tailored jacket, blouse and skirt. Lovely.
Not that he was noticing. Merely an observation.
He had a hard time being civil to a woman who had wrongly accused his little girl. Or to the teenager who had actually done the stealing.
Im going home. Later, Hayden, Jan said, then marched right back the way she came.
Not his problem, he thought as the door swung shut behind her. Hed delivered the true culprit. It was up to the local boys to deal with Jan. He shot a hard look at that woman, who was glaring up at him as if he were personally responsible.
Im taking my daughter home. He laid one hand on Haydens shoulder to steer her back through the detectors.
Excuse me, Mr. Munroe?
Youre testing my patience, lady. He turned on his heel. Behind her the two officers looked less than certain. What was their problem? Look, Ive been on shift since six oclock last night. Its now 3:56 p.m.
Im aware of the time, Mr. Munroe.
There was a semi jackknifed on the interstate just out of the city limits, and I spent most of the night and half the day seeing to the clean-up and the investigation. Im dead on my feet. He looked past the unhappy woman to the uniforms standing beside her. Id appreciate it if you boys would wait to give me a call if you need a statement.
Sheer exhaustion had him steering his Hayden back toward the door.
Uh, Mr. Munroe? That womanthat extraordinarily annoying womancalled after him. Wait
He kept going. Maybe by tomorrow he would have cooled down enough to offer that woman the apology he probably owed her for his snarky mood. Even if she had wrongly accused his daughter.
A deafening claxon squealed right in his ear. He saw the guilty look sneak across his little girls face and still his denial remained. Not his Hayden. Maybe Jan had put the stolen items in Haydens bag. Maybe they had accidentally fallen off the shelf and into her bag.
He was desperate and he knew it, but it simply couldnt be true. His daughter? His Hayden had said she didnt do it. Shed lied, too. Anger began to huff up with each strangled breath.
Daddy, I can explain. I didnt know. She looked at him desperately with a helpless gesture and those wide innocent eyes.
He wanted to believe her. Except his common sense had kicked in and, fueled with the rage, he was trembling with temper. Careful, controlled, he gritted his teeth to hold back the overwhelming urge to shout, a natural reaction to a teenagers misbehavior. Take what you stole out of your bag and give it back.