overheard her doctor’s receptionist say somewhat sadly.
It was true, the silver spoon part.
Clark, her older brother, had moved to Los Angeles, gotten a degree from a small college and now was a private accountant. He’d not returned ever, even at Christmas. His silver spoon was tarnished.
Leann, instead of becoming a doctor, lawyer or at least marrying well and staying married, had become a cop. Her silver spoon had been pawned to help pay the bills when her oldest boy was a baby.
Still, she’d done better than her sister Gail who was on husband number three and lived in their parents’ guesthouse. Gail lived under the misguided belief that she deserved more than one silver spoon.
“Move,” Leann told herself, trying to shake away the invisible restraints keeping her from exiting her vehicle. Unless she missed her guess, she was due a front-row seat as Gail’s husband number three was promoted—or would that be demoted?—to ex-husband number three.
As the crisp New Mexico air permeated, battling the smell of oil, sweat and metal, she took yet another precious moment to organize her thoughts, assess the situation.
The moon was full in the sky, casting gray shadows on the skateboarders who sailed across the concrete area designated for their use. Only the older kids remained, those who were out of school or who didn’t care about school. Leann rolled down her window and listened to their muted laughter. A small late-night birthday party was winding down as parents packed up gifts and food. A limp piñata hung from a tree about to lose its tentative connection to a low-hanging branch, and a young child’s tired whine provided background music.
A young couple sat very close together on a bench. They paid no attention to the family, skateboarders or argument happening in the distance. Leann envied them. They were so into each other that their love drowned out reality.
Leann wasn’t so lucky; she could hear her sister’s voice, could even make out the words.
“You absolute jerk! You quit your job without reason and now want me to lend you money so you can make a car payment?”
Leann knew exactly where her sister was: to the left of the birthday party, straight behind the lovebird couple and on the playground. It had been a favorite getaway for her and Gail during their youth.
Leann’s ex-husband, Ryan, had proposed to her there—she’d been sitting on the swing; he’d been kneeling before her in the sand—on a moonlit night just like this one, a week before high school graduation.
She’d been newly turned eighteen, pregnant and willing to dream. He’d been six months into eighteen, pressured by his parents to do the right thing and about to get to boot camp.
Gail’s voice grew even louder. “Loser!”
This shrill exclamation interrupted the young couple, who stood, gave Leann a what are you waiting for? stare and walked slowly away.
“I can’t believe I married you!”
The birthday party parents started moving faster, perhaps inspired by the rising tone of Gail’s voice, and gathered their kids, ice chest and limp piñata before hurrying down the sidewalk toward the small man-made lake. Ever a cop, Leann scanned the parking lot to see if a minivan was waiting for them. No, so they must live nearby. Besides her squad car, there was a dark blue Ford truck, New Mexico plates, with a good-sized dent in the left side. Hmm, not a vehicle she recognized. Could be one of the skateboarders had finally gotten a job and some transportation. She hoped so, because otherwise it might be a recent acquire of her brother-in-law’s and the vehicle payment he needed to make.
Leann checked the computer for anything new and then radioed in her time of arrival: nine fifteen. She’d get a few smirks when she got back to the station. Gail and Ray’s feuding was legendary in Sarasota Falls.
No sense delaying. She opened the door and almost got one leg out when she saw a dark mass heading in her direction, moving fast across the grass, not making a sound. Her mind reached for possibilities even as she returned her leg to the vehicle and reached out to close the door.
She didn’t have a chance.
The dog nudged the door the rest of the way open, his head butting its way in, and then stopped—butt outside but head inside. “Woof!”
“What the—?”
“Wilma, come!” A man’s voice, louder than her sister’s even, came sharp and clear, commanding.
Wilma? This dog’s name was Wilma? Based on its size, it should be Brute or Thor, Cujo or Genghis Khan. Not Wilma. Wilma was the nice Flintstone.
“Off,” she ordered.
The dog didn’t budge, just grinned at her, openmouthed, tongue out, drool dripping, weighing at least sixty pounds she guessed. It was big, brown and reminded Leann of a dog she’d had years ago. Without thinking, she said, “Varaus,” meaning “Off” in German. At the same time, she pushed and the dog retreated maybe two steps where it remained, head tilted to the side as if expecting more.
“Wilma, come!” The voice, louder this time, was deep and rich, without temper. If her dog, Peaches, acted so wild and wooly, she’d be adding a little sass and showing her who was boss.
“Gey,” she said, and surprisingly, the dog fully backed away from the vehicle, so she could extract herself just in time for the owner to finally jog into view. He was almost six foot, dark, possibly Hispanic, and had straight black hair. “The harness broke,” he explained.
“What you should be saying,” Leann suggested, the foul mood caused by her sister making her use a tone she normally wouldn’t have used, “is, thank you, Officer. I needed the help.”
He looked at her, eyes penetrating. A wave of emotion—long suppressed—reached the part of her that still believed in Prince Charming. Wow. Her hormones hadn’t taken notice like this since she’d turned fifteen and realized kissing wouldn’t be so weird.
He attached the leash to the harness circling the dog’s upper body before saying, “Thank you, Officer.”
She was about to cajole him into adding “I needed the help,” but she heard Ray finally hit his breaking point with Gail by shouting, “You weak-kneed princess. I know—”
Leann quickly jogged up a small embankment, hurried down the grassy knoll and, not even out of breath, announced, “You know nothing.” Hmm, she’d left the door to the squad car open. If the dog hopped in, good. When she got back, she’d assist Mr. I-Don’t-Need-Help with manouevering the dog out again. That would be way more fun than stepping into the middle of this dispute.
She skidded to a stop next to her brother-in-law. “Ray, calm down. Gail, don’t you think there’s a better place for you to have this fight, er...discussion?”
“I didn’t want Mama to hear,” Gail said softly. Tears rolled down her face.
Leann wasn’t moved. Gail should have been a movie star. She cried at will, no effort or emotion necessary. Also, she was a master at being the center of attention.
“I didn’t quit my job, Le—, er, Officer Bailey,” Ray grumped. “I got laid off. There’s a difference. I’ll start looking
