Page 7 of Shelter for Sharla

“Yep.”

The sheriff shook his head. That young deputy wasn’t going to make it if he didn’t get his shit together. “I’ll have a talk with him. Anything else?”

There was a glint of mischief in Gray’s eyes. “Yeah. Penny came by here again today looking for you.”

“Well, fuck me,” Carter mumbled under his breath.

That set Gray laughing. “She wants to!”

“Well, she can want in one hand and shit in the other and see which one fills up fastest. She’s barking up the wrong tree here,” Carter announced to no one in particular.

“Oh, come on, Carter! She’s a good-looking woman.”

“Yeah, and I’m up for reelection next year. Want to fuckthatup?”

Gray shook his head. “Nope. I like working for you.”

“Good. Then discourage her every chance you get.” God, it had been a long day and he was tired. He sure didn’t need the local Methodist minister’s ex-wife sniffing around. Before he could say another word, his phone rang. “Yeah, Mom?”

“Carter! Are you busy?”

Am I busy? I’malwaysbusy, he wanted to say, but instead he simply said, “No. What’s up?”

“My car won’t start. Could you come over and take a look at it?”

“Sure. Be there in a few minutes.”

“Thank you, son.”

“You’re welcome, Mom. See you in a few.” As soon as he punched END on the screen, he turned to Gray. “I’ve got to go. Tell the guys I’ll check on them before I go to bed.”

“Will do, sheriff. Have a pleasant evening,” Gray answered.

“Yeah, yeah. Right. Pleasant evening,” Carter was muttering as he stepped out the door. Would it never end?

Two hours. It took two hours for him to figure out what was wrong with his mother’s car. “I can’t fix this, Mom. You’ll have to call a tow truck and let the mechanic fix it,” he informed her as he stepped into the house.

“Rocky’s?”

“Yeah. I trust him.”

“Okay. Want something to eat?” Her tone was almost apologetic, and he hoped he hadn’t made her feel bad for calling him. That wasn’t his intention at all.

“No, thanks. I’m gonna go. Got some paperwork to do.”Liar. You’re gonna go have a drink, he told himself.

“Okay. Well, thanks again, son. I love you,” WildaFern told him and patted his cheek.

He leaned down and kissed hers. “I love you too, Mom. Talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay. Night.” When he slipped behind the CrownVictoria’s steering wheel, he could still see her standing there in the doorway, watching him leave. He knew she was lonely. He was lonely too.

Just as he pulled out of her driveway, something occurred to him. There was a bar he’d been wanting to explore in Hopkinsville, TheFat Rabbit. He’d heard they had a great jalapeno and Monterey Jack burger, and what better place to ask about a tattoo than a bar? Rolling toward I-24, he pulled onto the interstate and let the big car cruise along. He was pretty sure a burger and a beer wouldn’t erase the horrible day he’d had.

But it certainly couldn’t hurt.

Chapter 2

It only tookabout twenty-five minutes to get there, and he smiled when he took in the bar’s façade. The ancient brick building had huge plate glass windows, and through them he could see old-fashioned tavern-style lighting, its amber bulbs casting a golden glow even on the sidewalk. The evening was warm, and the front door stood open, allowing voices to spill out into the air on the street.

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