[Harlequin] - Paula Detmer Riggs - Once More a Family (txt), Ksiazki, txt
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contents:Prologue123456789101112131415----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Prologue^ｻHotdamn, he felt good!Finally, after thirty-six years, three months and two days of never quite measuring up, Grady Hardin, the sorriest, ugliest, dumbest of the five Hardin brothers had done something right.Damn near half the narcotics division of the Lafayette PD had battled for the promotion to captain of the newly created drug interdiction department. In spite of the two reprimands for insubordination in his service record and a tendency to smart-off to the wrong people when his resentment of authority got the best of him, he'd snagged the prize. Since his father's retirement from the force last year, only his straight-arrow big brother Kale outranked him.He owed it all to his sweet Ria, he decided as he rocketed his candy-apple '69 Charger along the narrow country road. Marrying Victoria Virginia Madison nine years ago had been the best thing he'd ever done in his lazy, self-indulgent life. His lady loved him, though God alone knew why he'd been so blessed. Maybe, a good deed in a former life. He sure as shooting didn't have much to offer a lady like her in this one.He wasn't all that bright, he was clumsy as an ox, and he tended to stumble over his tongue when he wasn't with other cops. Which is why he tended to shy away from talking to women. But somehow she made it easy. Maybe because she laughed at his jokes. Or asked him questions that made him feel she really cared about the answers.His brothers had darn near swallowed their tongues when they'd gotten their first look at her. She was flat-out beautiful, with sparkling moss-green eyes, a sweet smile, and a sassy rear end.She was also the sweetest, kindest, strongest woman he'd ever met in his life. Wanting to earn her respect had given him a reason to stop messing up his life and do something with all that potential everyone kept nagging him about.Three years ago, when she'd given him a son預nd then insisted the little boy carry his daddy's name, James Grady揺e'd nearly burst with pride. He'd vowed then to make her預nd Jimmy用roud.Since he was alone, he let out a Hoosier version of a rebel yell, and then because it felt so good, did it again. Feeling as giddy as a prisoner suddenly released for good behavior, he shoved his favorite Marvin Gaye cassette into the player, checked the minors and floored it. Thesouped -up V-8 beneath the big hood responded instantly, adding the deep-throated growl of unleashed power to the soul-stirring beat of rock and roll.A white-faced heifer grazing near a rusty fence looked up from a batch of sweet clover, and Grady waved at the pretty littleHereford. Damn, but it was a beautiful day inIndiana.The first day of summer.Grady loved summer. As a kid, he'd been wild to escape the miserable boredom and daily humiliations of the classroom, his clumsy hands itching to wrap around his favorite fishing pole. Lying on his back by the river with his line in the water and the breeze cooling his face, he was freed from the restrictions of a brain that didn't quite work right.On days when the letters on the page remained a hopeless jumble, no matter how hard he tried, he'd skip out during the lunchtime break and head for the woods.Grady still remembered the tanning he'd gotten one sunny day in May when Mason Hardin had tracked him down in his favorite spot on the bank of theWabash. His butt had been sore for days, driving his brothers into gales of laughter every time he tried to sit down. But it had been the disappointment in his father's eyes that had finally gotten to him. So he'd stopped playing hooky and worked to bring his usual collection of D's up to a respectable C average. He'd even given up his dream of becoming an Indy champion and followed family tradition by becoming a cop.No one thought he'd last a week in the police academy. Brother Kale figured forty-eight hours max. He'd heard rumors his father had declined to take the bet. Grady'd had a few doubts himself. Bending his will to someone else's idea of discipline had never been high on his to-do list. On the other hand, giving up on a commitment was even lower on his personal hierarchy of desirable character traits.Besides, he loved goading those mean-as-sin instructors into red-faced fury. Seeing the frustration in their eyes had been worth the pain of the brutal training. The more they figured he'd wash out, the harder he dug in. By the time he graduated he'd earned a reputation as a tough SOB with a sneaky left jab.No one was surprised when he ended up working undercover in the murky world of drug addicts and pushers. Hell, he had a sneaking suspicion most of the watch commanders were relieved he hadn't ended up in their division.He grinned as he thumped the heel of one hand against the wheel in time to the music. The tender stalks of corn shooting up on both sides of the road flashed by in a blur of green, and wind flavored with sunshine slapped at his face.The quick flash of a strobe in his rearview brought him down to earth with a familiar thud. Just what he needed預nother speeding ticket on his record.Damn.A glance at the speedometer had him grinding out his favorite obscenity, the one that had had him spitting out soap when he'd been a kid.Hell and blast, the old Charger still wanted to run. So did he, damn it. His butt had been glued to a chair behind a desk for a solid week without a day off. Before that he'd been cooling his heels in a courthouse corridor, waiting to testify. He was so wired he was ready to blow.Resigned to his fate, he heaved a sigh and signaled that he was pulling off. Tight as a tick, the county-mountiehugged his bumper all the way to the shoulder."Fun's over for today, Trouble," he muttered, tossing a guilty grin at the scrawny black and white kitten peering at him over the edge of the box on the passenger seat. "We've been busted."Accustomed to the drill, he killed the engine and leaned across the gearshift to grab his registration from the glove compartment."Act innocent," he ordered the cat, who answered with a plaintive meow. Damn thing was just about the sorriest looking critter he'd ever seen. Far as he'd been able to see, it didn't have much of a personality, either. Probably had worms as well as an ugly face and a mangled leg.The bill at the emergency animal hospital had had him sucking in hard. He was still working on the argument he planned to lay on Ria預fter he'd softened her up with flowers and a promise to do all the cooking at the lake for the entire two weeks they would be at the cottage.He'd rather eat dirt than cook.Why the hell hadn't the damn cat crawled under someone else's vehicle after he'd been hit? he thought sourly. An entire parking lot full of wheels, and Trouble chose his.Still, Jimmy had always wanted a pet, he reminded himself as he watched the cop climb out of the cruiser and walk toward the Charger. Just his luck. The guy was a bruiser with a cocky walk and an impeccable uniform. Straight-arrow all the way. Grady had a sinking feeling he wasn't going to talk his way out of this one.Though he was tempted to deal with this one eye to eye, he stayed put. Cops got real nervous when drivers left the vehicle. Especially guys his size driving a muscle car on a deserted road. For all the trooper knew he had atrunkful of dope and a semiautomatic under the seat."Afternoon, officer," he said when the trooper stopped a few feet away. Standard traffic stop procedure, Grady noted with satisfaction. Too far to be knocked over by the car door, far enough to get to his weapon fast. He squinted at the silver name tag pinned to the starch-crisp shirt. He knew a lot of state cops, some by name, some by reputation. He opened a file for Officer Jansing to the list he kept in his head."The Indy 500 was last month, buddy."Nowthat was original, he thought as he tossed the guy a friendly grin. "You're telling me. I dropped two big ones when the rookie fromPortugaltook the checkered flag."Unmoved, Jansing narrowed his gaze behind the Rambo shades. His heavy Hoosier twang marked him as a longtime native. "License and registration, please."Resigned to paying for his fun, Grady handed over the registration, then flipped open the leather case containing both his driver's license and professional ID."James Grady Hardin," he read aloud from the registration now clipped to his board, then frowned and glanced up curiously."Captain Hardin, Lafayette PD? The guy who took down that scumbag drug lord, Rustakov? The one they call the Mad Russian?""'Fraid so."Jansing swallowed hard, reminding Grady of himself when he'd busted a deputy chief for being drunk and disorderly in a topless bar. Twenty-four hours later he found himself called on the carpet for being disrespectful to a superior, something that was wasn't going to happen to this eager youngster."Sorry for not recognizing you right away, sir. Me and the other guys were rooting for you when you were in intensive care.""I appreciate it.""Too bad the DA couldn't get the Mad Russian himself, instead of settling for that wimp son of his," the trooper declared in a disgusted tone. "But like thesarge says, it's an election year.""Your sergeant's right. A prosecutor who blows a high-profile case is dead meat."It wasn't the first time DA RayHarrangh had gone for the slam dunk instead of the hard slog. Grady had all but ...
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