Page 10 of Shelter for Sharla

Ms.Barker let out a deep sigh. “It’s just so hard.” As soon as the phrase slipped from her tongue, Carter had an overwhelming urge to take her hand and just hold it. She needed consolation. Validation. Encouragement. Peace. And an idea struck him.

“Finish your food and let’s go take a walk, whaddya say? It’s a pretty night.” A smile split her face and Carter felt like some kind of genius. He’d made her smile! Considering what was going on with her, that was huge.

“You know, that sounds nice. You’re on!” she said and tucked into her food. There was a cheerfulness to her voice that hadn’t been there before, and his heart fluttered for a few seconds. Why did making her feel better makehimfeel better?

Fifteen minutes and one brief half-hearted argument later, Carter paid the entire tab and turned to smile at her. “Ready for that walk?”

“Sure!” He watched her stroll toward the door and noticed the beautiful slope of her ass, its perfect heart shape swaying gently, and something below his belt clenched. God, that was a fine ass!Stop it, Melton!he chided himself, but there was no denying it. She was a good-looking woman, not to mention intelligent and conscientious, all qualities he valued highly. Nothing she’d said seemed dishonest either, and that was at the top of his list. “Want to walk over toward the courthouse? The fountain is pretty in the evenings,” she asked, and there was a gentleness in her voice that he hadn’t heard earlier.

“Sounds great.” Carter shoved both hands into his pockets and wandered along beside her. From time to time she’d point at something and tell him about it, this building or that cornerstone, or a particular tree or sign. It was obvious she’d lived there all her life and she was proud of her hometown. They were almost to the courthouse when he said, “Last time I was here, I was delivering a prisoner to WesternState.”

To his surprise, he saw her shudder before she said, “Yeah. We have a family history with that hospital.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. My grandmother died there.”

“A patient?”

“No. A nurse. Killed by a patient. Schizophrenic. Have you ever been inside? I mean, really inside?” she asked, her pace slowing.

“Not really.”

“Well, then, you just can’t know. I had to do a two-week practicum there. Oh my god, it was terrifying. Chilling. I swore then that I’d never go back, and I haven’t. You couldn’t pay me enough to work there.”

“I’m so sorry about your grandmother,” Carter said, and he meant it. Being killed by someone you were trying to help sucked, and he should know. He’d lost too many brothers in blue because of that sort of thing, the most recent being TrooperPalmer.

“Thanks, but that was long before I was born. My mother was just a little girl when that happened.” They rounded the corner and the courthouse came into view. “Now isn’t that pretty?” she asked as she pointed to it, and they watched as the automatic lights snapped on in the growing dusk.

“It is.” A tiny voice whispered in his head,Take her hand, but he knew that wouldn’t fly. When they reached the fountain, he motioned and she sat down on the edge of the pool. As soon as he was seated, he turned to her, trying to find the words he wanted to say. “I have to tell you, I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have paid for your dinner, and I shouldn’t be sitting here with you now.”

Her eyes closed slowly and she nodded, an air of defeat seeming to drag her shoulders downward. “I know. But I’m glad you did?you’re doing?all those things. It’s nice to have company, especially company as nice as you.

“The pleasure’s been all mine,” he assured her, and when she flattened her palms on the top of the wall to brace herself, he let one of his fall on top of one of hers. “This has been the best evening I’ve spent in a long, long time.”

“Me too.” Her cheeks pinked, and all of a sudden, Carter felt very bold.

“So, if I asked you out, would you go?”

Her head snapped up and her lips pursed, but there was a curiosity in her eyes that took him by surprise. “I dunno. Are you interested in asking me out?”

Go for broke, Melton, he told himself. “Actually, yeah. I am.” Before she had a chance to say anything more, he added, “Are you the least bit attracted to me?”

“Wuhhhh, yeah. Absolutely. You’re a very good-looking guy. But I bet you hear that all the time.”

Carter laughed. “Nope! Can’t say I’ve ever heard that!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. No woman has ever said that to me before, and especially not a beautiful woman like you.” The instant the words were out, he wished he hadn’t said them, but he was thrilled to see her cheeks go from a pale pink to a rosy blush.

“Sheriff?”

“Carter. My name’s Carter.”

She stopped and for a second or two, Carter thought he’d totally fucked up. But when she started again, her voice was different, lilting and light. “Carter. That’s a nice name. Mine’s Sharla. But you already know that.”

“Yeah.” He ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair, hoping he didn’t have a cowlick sticking up in the back. God, he needed a haircut, but there never seemed to be time. It would’ve been nice if he’d had time before that particular moment. He’d always been careful about his appearance, but something about her made him want to clean up his act and buy a couple of pairs of new jeans and a new shirt or two. Being nervous around a woman was a new thing for him, but he was flustered in her presence. He hoped his voice wasn’t too shaky when he said, “I guess I should call you that, huh? I’ve never known anybody by that name.”

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