more makeup. No more unsuitable clothing. He did not approve of this. Red hazed his vision again. Is this how she went to school? Had she been like this all day? How long would it take to change back into the nice-looking, decent girl he was used to seeing? She had to wash the blue out of her hair. Her appearance had to be a temporary thing so that she could wash the makeup off her face, climb back into the clothes she was supposed to be wearing and he’d never know the difference. If he hadn’t stopped by to check on her earlier, he might not have caught this version of his daughter.
Fury wasn’t the word. He set the rules and he expected them to be followed. No arguments. No exceptions. No excuses. “Get in the car.”
“Good, ’cuz Jan has to be home by four-thirty.” She dropped into the front passenger seat and shared a smug look with her friend in the back seat.
Okay, what was up? Whatever it was, his instincts told him he wasn’t going to like it. As he folded his lengthy frame behind the wheel, he already knew what he had to do. He had to get this straightened out fast.
“Did you see her shoes?” Jan asked Hayden. “I think those shoes went out of fashion in 1942.”
Hayden giggled. “And did you see her skirt? She could be a nun in that skirt.”
Okay, he was seeing red again. “Enough. Show some respect. Now I want you to apologize to the store lady and give back whatever it was that you stole from her.” He caught Jan’s gaze in the mirror as he negotiated through the parking lot. “Got it? Or you’ll be in more trouble than you know what to do with. I’ll make sure of it.”
“It’d be hard to do, since I didn’t steal.”
“It’s true, Daddy. She didn’t take anything.”
Lord, I’m gonna need a little help here. He parked next to the townie’s patrol car in front of a lit storefront. Welcome to the Corner Christian Bookstore was written in tasteful black script across the double glass doors. The troubled feeling in his gut went from a squall to a full-out hurricane.
“Daddy, you can’t stop here. You said we were going to take Jan home.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“You don’t want Jan to get into trouble with her mom.”
Where had his sweet little girl gone? He stared in shock at the stranger in his passenger seat, and saw the same look his wife gave when she was annoyed. Whatever was going on, he planned to nip it in the bud.
He killed the engine. “You girls are going to do the right thing.”
“What right thing?” Hayden acted as if she didn’t have the slightest clue what he was talking about.
He couldn’t believe she’d do something so wrong as to shoplift. It was out of the question. She knew better. He’d raised her better than that. Even though he could plainly see her unsuitable clothes and makeup, he had to cling to that truth. He couldn’t take it if he lost Hayden the way he’d lost his wife.
He studied Jan in the rearview mirror. Yep, there was a flash of anxiety stark on her face. So, it was just like he figured. She was the problem. Relief coursed through him. “You girls bring your book bags and come with me. We’ll get this straightened out with the bookstore lady.”
“But I’ll be late gettin’ home,” Jan piped up.
He wasn’t fooled; he could sense the fear amping up a notch. “Don’t you worry. I’ll talk to your mom if she has a problem. This won’t take more than a few minutes. Now march.”
He figured being late home was about to be the least of Jan’s problems.
The late-February storm hit him like the dead of winter. He hadn’t acclimated yet to this much colder climate. It hadn’t helped that he’d been out in this weather all night. As a new member to the state’s ranks, he’d pulled swing shift and would be doing that for the next year at least, before he could hope to move to a day shift. He was exhausted, but he didn’t mind working nights or in this bitter cold, not when he considered how good this move was for his daughter.
How good this move was going to be, he corrected, once she found a few better friends. Forget Phoenix’s heat and sun. What mattered was keeping his daughter growing up the right way.
“Hayden, what are you doing? Go back and get your book bag.”
“But Daddy—”
“Do it.”
She heaved a dramatic sigh and trudged back to the cruiser. He kept one eye on Jan, who was frowning into the store window. The girl was obviously watching the store lady in her sensible shoes. Jan could take some lessons in sensible attire.
“Hayden, what are you doing?”
“Nothing, Daddy.”
“Are you trying to take something out of your book bag?”
“Just looking for my lip gloss.”
“Forget it. Close the door. Come on.” First things first. He’d deal with this situation, then the makeup.
Hayden slung the strap over her shoulder and marched right past him. She and Jan fell into stride side by side, sharing a look he couldn’t name.
He followed them to the door. The trouble was that Hayden was choosing the same sort of friends she’d had back in Arizona. Well, he’d fix that right now. Sure of the outcome, he motioned for the girls to go in ahead of him, not at all surprised when the alarm clanged like an air-raid siren. Both girls jumped, and he watched Jan’s chin shoot up in sheer rebellion.
Guilty, he figured. He watched his daughter’s head hang and thought, good. Maybe she’d see the kind of girl Jan was.
To his direct left he spotted the pair of local law enforcement boys standing at the checkout counter along with that woman. All three had turned at the sound of the alarm, which fell silent again.
So, they’d been filling a report? It looked like Jan had just landed herself in some trouble. He was sorry for that, but maybe there was a silver thread in this. At least it would be a lesson for his little girl. “Hand the officers your bag, Jan.”
“That’s like so totally not fair. What are you, like a crooked cop?”
“Zip it.” And just where had Jan gotten that attitude? His gaze arrowed to his daughter, who was gazing innocently at the ceiling. Her sweetheart face was flushed bright red. He couldn’t imagine how any amount of embarrassment could show through so much makeup.
“Do, it Jan. Hey, ma’am—” He motioned to that woman stalking toward him. “Here’s your culprit. Satisfied?”
“Hardly.”
As she snapped closer on those shapely heels, he saw her for the first time in full light. Snow still melted in the liquid sunshine of her long, sleek hair, which framed her intelligent, oval face. He was helpless to look away from her.
She wasn’t pretty. No, that was too plain a word. She wasn’t beautiful, that was too ordinary. He didn’t want to like this woman, but he did appreciate the natural look
