The Cowboy Lawman Read Online Free PDF Page B

sound of the ringing bell filled the Sunday-morning silence. It was a constant, that bell. It ranked with Sunday lunch, good friends, Vera’s fried chicken and weekends at the rodeo.
    After Caleb finished ringing the bell, Slade followed his son down the aisle to the empty spaces they’d left behind the Coopers. Slade’s mom hadn’t shown up yet. He glanced at his watch. She was never late. Caleb slid into the pew and Slade sat next to him. He glanced at his watch and then at his silenced phone.
    In front of him Mia reached to smooth her dark hair. He watched as she settled nervously, waiting for the service to start. He remembered the day he returned to church. It took him a month, maybe six weeks after Vicki’s accident. Looking back, he shouldn’t have waited. He’d avoided the place and people he had needed most.
    His mom had tried to tell him that. He hadn’t wanted to listen. Now, with Caleb next to him, he realized they had survived. It still hurt, but they were making it. They were good, the two of them.
    Lately his mom had been telling him that no one could take Vicki’s place, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find room in his heart for love. Caleb squirmed next to him, digging in his pocket for something, distracting Slade from uncomfortable thoughts. He looked down at his son, frowning as the kid pulled something from his pocket.
    No way. He shook his head at the half-eaten piece of taffy. It had lint stuck to it and probably bacteria that would light up a microscope. Caleb gave the candy a wistful look and handed it over. Now what in the world was he supposed to do with it? Slade sighed and fisted the candy. A tissue got tossed over his shoulder. He smiled back at Ryder Johnson and his wife, Andie. She grinned and blew a kiss at Caleb. Their twin girls were in the church nursery.
    Life in Dawson was changing. Slade had come to terms with the reality that he and his friends were now the adults in town and there were new kids sitting on the tailgates of trucks parked at the local convenience store.
    His phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it the first time. It rang again. A slow, bad feeling slid into his chest. He put a finger to his lips to silence Caleb and pointed for him to stay. He reached up, tapping Miss Myrna Cooper on the shoulder. When she turned he showed her his phone and pointed to Caleb. She nodded.
    The congregation started to sing and Slade hurried down the aisle to the doors. His phone was ringing a fourth time as he stepped outside.
    “Slade McKennon.”
    “Slade, it’s Janie, on the ambulance. Hon, we’ve got your mom here. She’s having chest pains. We’re going to head for Grove Hospital if you want to meet us there.”
    The tightness that had grabbed hold of him when the phone rang twisted a little tighter. “I’ll be right there.”
    “Now, Slade, your mom says for you not to drive like a maniac. She’s fine. I agree with her. Don’t rush. She’s going to be in the E.R. and getting good care, so you take it easy.”
    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ll take it easy. Tell her I’m going to find someone to watch Caleb and I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
    Janie laughed a little. “Your mom said it better take you longer than twenty minutes.”
    He slid the phone back into his pocket and stepped back into the church, where he nearly bumped into Mia Cooper. She wasn’t smiling.
    “What’s up?”
    He slid a hand across her back and followed her back outside. “They’re taking my mom to the E.R. She’s having chest pains. I need to make arrangements for Caleb and go.”
    “Do you want me to take care of Caleb or go with you?”
    “Mia, you don’t have to...”
    She cut him off with a glare. “I’m either taking care of that little boy or I’m going with you. It’s your choice which one I do.”
    “Can you watch Caleb?” He looked away, just for a minute, needing to ground himself.
    “I think I can manage one five-year-old boy,