Page 11 of Shelter for Sharla

The twilight made the shadows of her face seem mysterious and brooding, and that wasn’t what he’d seen in the warm light of the bar. A sudden urge hit him, an urge to take her somewhere where the light was golden and the air was filled with the smell of burgers grilling and coffee brewing. Before he had a chance to speak, her soft voice said, “I suppose I should get back. Morning comes early.”

Just like that, the spell was broken. “Oh. Yeah, well, it does, doesn’t it? Want a cup of coffee before you leave?”

She cocked her head and grinned at him. “You don’t want this to end, do you?”

“Honestly?” She nodded in response. “No. No, I don’t.”

“Neither do I. Come on. I’m game for that coffee if you are.”

Holy shit, Carter! She’s really interested!For the first time since Mandy, Carter felt some sense of hope. SharlaBarker was beautiful, smart, and hardworking, all things he’d want in a woman. They rose and headed down the sidewalk in the direction of the bar, but he decided halfway down the block to take a chance and reached out, his right hand brushing her left one.

And just like that, her fingers wound into his and their palms met. Something coursed through Carter’s body, some kind of energy that was unfamiliar but welcome, and his skin tingled. When his eyes darted to the side to catch a glimpse of her, he caught her doing the same to him, then dropping her gaze and grinning.

At the bar’s door, he dropped her hand and held the door for her, then followed her to a table by the wall. He managed to catch the gaze of the bartender, mouthed the wordcoffee, and got a nod in reply. “So are you still coming to my house tomorrow evening?” she asked as he faced her again.

“Yeah. I need to talk to Chelsea and Lionel. Have you told them I’m coming?”

“No.”

“Then please, don’t. I wouldn’t say I want this to be a surprise attack, but I want to catch them fresh. I don’t want them all worked up from thinking about me being there. Does that make sense?”

“Sure. Mum’s the word,” she said in agreement as she smiled at the delivery of their coffee to the table. “Is it okay if I get all worked up from thinking about you being there?”

Carter gave a little chortle. “Sure! I’d be flattered.”

“Good.” Her hands were delicate with long, beautiful fingers, and he watched them caress the stem of the spoon, wishing it were a part of him that needed a woman’s attention. She stirred the coffee slowly. “This has been nice.”

“It has.” He knew he needed to say something else, but he wasn’t sure what. If Mac, his trainer back at the academy all those years before, could see him sitting there talking to a woman who was part of an investigation he was actively pursuing, the old man would have a fit. For some reason, Carter didn’t care. There was something about SharlaBarker that really drew him in, and he wanted to find out exactly what that was. And if it was warm, pink, and wet? Well, all the better.

“I suppose I should get home. I need to do some laundry before they roll in tomorrow. And there’s the matter of a funeral to plan too.” Her voice was suddenly sad, and that made Carter sad too. He wished he could rewind everything that had happened, but there was no way to do that.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” he offered, then waited as she rose and followed her outside.

She turned at the corner of the building and meandered across the parking lot next door, Carter right behind her. When they reached her car, she stopped and fished out her keys before she said, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow evening?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what time. It’ll depend on what’s going on. Can you help me out just a little and let me know when they get in?”

“Sure. The sooner we have all this unpleasantry behind us, the better for all of us. It’s hard to feel good about seeing you tomorrow night when I know why you’ll be there.” No sooner had the words left her lips than she leaned in and gave Carter a light kiss on the cheek. No way had he seen that coming. Before he could speak, she said, “But I’ll find a way to look forward to it. Goodnight, Carter.”

Heat spread from his cheeks down his chest, and the lawman’s heart beat wildly. “Goodnight, Sharla. See you tomorrow night.” He stood there until she was locked into her car and her seatbelt was buckled, then made his way back to the sidewalk. As she pulled out of the parking lot, she tapped the horn and he turned to wave back.

Suddenly, the next evening’s unpleasant task didn’t seem quite so unpleasant. And if there was anything CarterMelton appreciated, it was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. Unless he missed his guess, she wanted him, and he was pretty damn happy about that.

Chapter 3

Wasit wrong that he was looking forward to grilling a couple of young people about their sister and cousin’s death? Maybe. But he was.

The day dragged on and on, and Carter didn’t think it would ever be over. He contemplated staying in uniform?after all, it was an official interview?then said screw it and changed into jeans. Before he put on a tee, though, he reconsidered and pulled out a polo with the department’s crest on it. One quick look in the mirror told him he most definitely needed a haircut, but there wasn’t time for that, at least not before going to Sharla’s house.

When she hadn’t called by six, he decided he’d better get something to eat. It was nearing seven when his phone’s text tone went off, and he checked it. Short, sweet, and to the point:They just walked in. Anytime is fine.

Eleven minutes later, he was standing at the front door of a modest bungalow in one of the middle-class neighborhoods in Hopkinsville. Before he even had a chance to ring the doorbell, the door opened. There was a huge smile on her face when she breathed out, “Hey!”

“Hi. Thanks for texting me. Think they’re ready?”

She shrugged. “Who knows? Come on in and I guess we’ll find out.” He let her lead him through the house to a small den on the back. “Just have a seat. Want something to drink? I’ve got fresh coffee?”

“Yeah. That sounds great. Thanks.”

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