Page 27 of Shelter for Sharla

Should he tell her? He didn’t want to tell her everything. After all, they might discover there wasn’t much to it. But he also didn’t want to keep anything from her. Even so, with the funeral coming up, she didn’t need anything else to worry about. He decided to go straight up the middle of that road. “Actually, there may be more. We don’t know yet.”

Her brow furrowed immediately. “What do you mean?”

“Not sure yet. We’re following some leads. Nothing to worry about, though.”

She gave him a suspicious side-eye with one brow raised. “Between the time I got home and you got there, I saw two cop cars pass my house, a city and a county. Do you know anything about that?”

Not gonna lie to her, he told himself. “I might.”

Turning loose of his hand abruptly, she gaped and her eyes popped open wide. “Am I some kind of suspect?”

“God, no!” he almost shrieked. “Of course not! If you were suspected of something, I most certainly wouldn’t be here! Good lord, woman, what in hell would you be suspected of? Why? Have you done something you shouldn’t have?”

“Yeah. I slept with the sheriff of Trigg County,” she said and gave a nervous little laugh.

“Oh, very funny. No. Last time I checked that didn’t break a KentuckyRevised Statute. But I did ask my friend Glen if he could?”

“Glen? The sheriff, Glen?”

“Yes. We alldotalk to each other, you know.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I didn’t. And, to his credit, he didn’t ask. I think he felt like that was on a need-to-know basis and if it was me asking, that was good enough and he didn’t need to know.” She had no idea how thankful he was for that little extension of professional courtesy.

“Oh. Okay then. You really think that’s necessary?”

“I do, especially since you think somebody’s been watching you.” No way would he tell her about the rustling in the bushes. Nope. That was just another thing she didn’t need to hear about.

“So you believe me?”

“OfcourseI believe you. Why wouldn’t I?” He wanted to add,Because I heard them, but he didn’t. “If you think you’re being watched, then you’re being watched, and I’m going to do whatever I can to keep you safe.”

“Thank you.” She stood in silence for a minute as though she wanted to say something and didn’t know how. Carter was about to speak when she said, “You told me you hadn’t been with anybody in a couple of years. Were you in a relationship?”

He’d known it was going to come up some time. “Actually, I was. Her name is Mandy, and we were together for about five years.”

“But you weren’t married?”

“Nope. Wasn’t me. I wanted to get married, but she didn’t, not unless I found a different job. And that wasn’t going to happen.”Might as well broach the subject, he thought. “Most women don’t want to be involved with law enforcement officers. They worry, they’re afraid, they’re alone a lot of the time because our jobs aren’t nine to five. We have a lot to deal with?murders, assaults, rapes, child abuse, high-speed chases, people shooting at us, trying to stab us, drug addicts OD-ing in our cars, you name it?and it can seep into our relationships. In the end, she just couldn’t take it. There came a tipping point, and she was gone.”

Her eyes were sad when she asked, “What was the tipping point?”

“We had a big drug bust and in the process, I was grazed. Nothing serious, just a flesh wound, but it totally freaked her out. She said she couldn’t take wondering if the next phone call she got would be from the coroner. I told her that could happen with anything?car accident, heart attack, stroke?but she said the chances were so much greater for me that she wasn’t willing to live like that anymore. She moved out and I haven’t spoken to her since.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Five years down the drain.” He sat for a minute, wondering if he should ask the twenty-million-dollar question, and decided the time was right. After all, she’d brought it up. “So I have to ask… Could you live that way? Knowing every time someone you loved left the house, they could be stabbed or shot?”

Her voice was soft and a tear rolled down her cheek. “After what’s happened with Tam, I think I could live through just about anything.”

“Doesn’t matter. This is different. It’s the constant threat. Long nights. Long days. Weekends. Holidays. Not everyone would want to deal with all that. You need to think about that. You need to be sure before this goes any farther.”

A sound came from her throat, a tiny choking sound, as she reached for his hand and clutched it. Another tear rolled down her cheek, but her eyes were clear. “I’m sure. Carter, I’m falling for you, and if you don’t feel the same way, you need to tell me. Please. I’ve had so much heartache and disappointment in my life. I don’t need more.”

It wasn’t how he’d pictured it, but with the air moving across the surface of the water and the light fading, Carter had one simple, shining moment, and he had to make it count. “Honestly, I think I fell in love with you the first second I saw you.”

There wasn’t a chance to say another word. Sharla stepped up to him and kissed him, her arms locking around his neck almost as though he were saving her from drowning. Clutching her to him, Carter could feel it all around them, the magic of love newly found, of broken hearts mending and tired ones starting over. When she broke the kiss, she gave him a smile that he’d remember on his deathbed. “I love you, Carter. No man has ever done to me what you do or given me as much of himself as you have. I know it’s fast, but I don’t care. If you disappeared from my life tomorrow, nothing would ever be the same.”

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