A Place to Call Home

by Sharon Sala

Her nipples peaked in the chill night air, taunting him from a distance. He groaned and dropped the hose. Water began pooling at his feet, then running toward the bottom of the driveway.

  Charlie hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her pajama bottoms and started toward him, letting the natural sway of her hips entice him even further.

  When she was close enough to feel his breath on her cheek, she lifted her face, offering him whatever he wanted. She saw him shudder, and when he blinked, she made her move. Seconds later, the water hose was in her hand. Before Judd could move, she had him dead to rights.

  Water went up his nose, in his eyes and down the middle of his belly. He coughed, then laughed, and then choked again when the water went down his throat.

  “You will be sorry,” he croaked, and darted off to the side.

  But her aim was as good as his had been. Before long, Judd was soaked to the skin. Finally, he held up his hands in defeat.

  “You win, darlin’, in every way known possible to man. I secede. I give. I’m crying uncle and wolf…even Tom, Dick and Harry.”

  Charlie grinned. “Those last three don’t match the others.”

  “What do I have to do?” he begged.

  She turned off the water, then turned. “Talk to me,” she said softly. “Tell me why you don’t ever play.”

  He stilled. Didn’t she ever give up? Then he knew by the look on her face that she would stand there all night until he answered.

  “Because the noise would have made Joe Hanna mad. And when he got mad, he took it all out on me.”

  Charlie didn’t have to ask who Joe Hanna was. The look he wore now was the same expression he’d had that day in the kitchen when he’d admitted his father had beaten him every day of his life.

  “Oh, Judd, I am so sorry.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “That’s right, it wasn’t,” she said softly. “So the next time I offer you friendship, don’t be afraid to accept. I’m not going to hit you or curse you. In fact, I’ve been trying to love you for several days now, but you’re making it very difficult. I’ll admit, I’m scared half to death of being hurt again myself, but there’s something I know that you don’t.”

  “What’s that?”

  “People can and will hurt you. It’s happened to me. That’s the ugly part of life. But there are also those who will love you—so much so that you can’t even imagine the joy. However, if you’re afraid to trust again, if you quit on yourself, then whoever hurt you ultimately wins, even if they’re no longer in your life.”

  Judd stood, stunned by what she’d just said. And in that moment, he felt purged of a horrible weight.

  “How did you get to be so smart?” he growled.

  “I’m not smart. Just a woman who knows how to love.”

  His heart skipped a beat. He could hear the words coming up his throat before they ever came out of his mouth, yet once uttered, he knew he’d never be the same.

  “Charlotte.”

  She took a step toward him. “Yes?”

  “If I ask you a question, will you tell me the truth?”

  She blinked, a little startled by the way he’d turned the tables on her. Then she nodded.

  “Yes, I will do that.”

  “If I asked, would you make love with me?”

  She took a deep breath and then lifted her chin.

  “If you asked, I might.”

  He started to smile.

  “Charlotte?”

  “What?”

  “Will you make love with me?”

  She held out her hand.

  Somewhere between the back door and his bedroom, they came out of what was left of their clothes. The soft, even sounds of the baby’s breathing were evident as Judd picked Charlie up and carried her across the threshold into his room. He laid her on the bed and then turned and locked the door. The message was clear.

  “Now it’s just you and me, babe,” Judd whispered.

  Charlie reached for him, pulling him down until they were lying side by side, looking intently into each other’s face. Strands of her wet hair still clung to her cheek and he brushed them away, then ran his hand along the curve of her cheek, then the length of her neck, and finally, the thrust of her breast.

  She arched toward him, offering herself in every way.

  He grunted briefly, as if he’d gotten a sucker punch to the gut, and then gave himself up to the dance. He stole the first kiss, she gave up the second. After that, there was no keeping track. Time ceased, becoming nothing but a bridge to the next caress. Whispers passed between them in the dark, taking pleasure to a new and dangerous level. Judd was moving into a place where thought ceased, and there was nothing on which to focus except the drumbeat of his blood, hammering against his ears. Her hands were on him now, stroking, urging, pulling him toward a sweet wall of pain. There was something he needed—needed to do. Protection. He needed protection—for her. With his last bit of sense, he sheathed himself, then parted her legs and plunged inside.

  After that, there was nothing but the ride and the destination.

  * * *

  Sometime before morning, Judd woke to find himself alone. After what they’d shared, the pain of abandonment was almost physical. He got out of bed and walked into the hall. The wet clothes they’d shed last night were nowhere in sight. The faint but steady hum of the washing machine told him what she’d been doing. Cleaning up so they wouldn’t be caught. He wasn’t sure whether he felt indignant that she wanted to hide what they’d done, or grateful that he wouldn’t have to face the inevitable confrontation with Wade.

  He looked in her room. It was empty. A faint light up the hallway led him into the living room. As he neared, he realized it was the lamp in the window. Left on, he supposed, for Wade, who had yet to come home. He shoved a hand through his hair in frustration. Where the hell could she be?

  And then it hit him. Rachel. She must be in Rachel’s room.

  He backtracked his steps and peeked in the half-open door. Sure enough, she was there, dressed in a T-shirt with her long legs bare, rocking her sleeping baby by the beams of moonlight coming through windows. At his entrance, Charlie looked up.

  “Is she all right?” he whispered.

  She nodded, mouthing the words bad dream.

  He smiled. He’d had a few of those in his time, himself. He pointed to the clock, mouthing the word coffee back at her.

  She smiled to herself as he left. He was stark naked. She wondered if he realized it yet.

  A few minutes later, she laid Rachel back in her crib, then tucked the favorite blanket under her chin. Rachel snuggled into it, rooting like a baby pig until she was satisfied with the feel, and promptly went back to sleep.

  Charlie sighed with relief and tiptoed from the room. This didn’t happen often, but when it did, nothing helped but a cuddle. She could hear Judd in the kitchen. Like a typical man, he was making more noise by trying to be quiet than he would have done if he’d behaved in a normal manner. She hugged the familiar sounds to herself, storing them in her memory for the time when he would be gone. As she started up the hall, she remembered the gift that she’d bought for him at the pharmacy and did a backtrack to her room.

  * * *

  Judd was pouring his first cup of coffee when Charlie entered. He set it down and immediately held out his arms. She went willingly, hiding the small box in her hand.

  “I didn’t hear you get up,” he said, then added, “I missed you.”

  She closed her eyes, savoring the tenderness in his voice.

  “I hated to get up, too,” she said. “I’ve never had the pleasure of sleeping next to such a warm body.”

  He frowned. “Didn’t you and—”

  She didn’t let him finish. “No. Pete wasn’t into sleeping with his women. Just screwing them.”

  Judd frowned. Her bitterness—when it came—always surprised him. She did a good job of hiding her pain.

  “Sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t mean
to bring up bad memories.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “After last night, I don’t have room for any bad memories. From a woman’s point of view, you are perfect, Judd Hanna, in every way that counts.”

  He took a deep breath. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  “Oh, no. Believe me, the pleasure was all mine.”

  He grinned.

  She poked at his bare belly in a teasing manner, then tucked her finger in the waistband of his jeans and gave them a tug.

  “I have something for you,” she said.

  His smile widened. “Again?”

  “Not that,” she muttered. “Open your hand.”

  “What?”

  “Just open your hand,” she said, and then grabbed his wrist.

  He obliged as she ordered, frowning slightly as she set a small box in the palm of his hand.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  “Open it and you’ll see.”

  Oddly excited about the unexpected gift, he tore off the paper and tossed it aside, then opened the box. At once, his eyes widened and the grin on his face slipped and fell.

  “Do you like it?” she asked, and without waiting for him to answer, took the watch out of the box and slipped it on his wrist. “If the band doesn’t fit, you can take it to the pharmacy and Judith will fix it for you.”

  “It’s Mickey Mouse,” he said, swallowing past the lump in his throat, then tracing the path of the second hand with his finger as it swept around the face.

  He was being so quiet, Charlie suddenly feared that he was embarrassed by the gift and didn’t know how to tell her it was stupid.

  “I know it’s sort of silly, but I thought you could use a little fun in your life.”

  “When I was a kid, there was this fund-raiser contest at school. The student who sold the most candy bars would get a Mickey Mouse watch. I wanted that watch. More than I’d ever wanted anything in my life.”

  Charlie waited, knowing that the reason for his behavior would soon be clear.

  “So, I peddled those candy bars up one street and down another, working after school and on weekends until I’d sold twenty-seven boxes.”

  He shifted the watch so that it would catch the light, staring in fascination at the little black mouse with the bright red pants.

  “I knew I had it won. My closest competitor had only sold twelve. The day the contest came to an end, we were to turn in our money to the teacher. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. I could see myself walking to the front of the class and claiming my prize.”

  Charlie was starting to tense. She could see the end of this story coming and the pain on his face nearly broke her heart.

  “The next morning, as I was getting dressed for school, I went to the dresser to get the money, but it wasn’t there. I’d been so careful, putting it in the same place every day when I came home. And even though I tore that room apart, telling myself that I’d just put it somewhere else by mistake, I already knew it was gone…and I knew who had taken it.” He took a deep breath. “It was one of the few times I ever yelled at him. I cursed and I cried and I screamed until my head was pounding. But it was no use. He couldn’t have given it back to me if he’d wanted. He’d already spent it…on booze.”

  “Oh, Judd. What happened?”

  “I got in trouble at school. Everyone thought I’d either eaten all the candy myself, or sold it and kept the money. I was nine years old and I spent the rest of the semester cleaning toilets after school to pay back what he’d stolen.”

  Then he looked at her, standing in the kitchen with no makeup and an old T-shirt on. Here was where the bloom was supposed to fall off the rose. Unfortunately for him, he thought she’d never looked better. At that point, he knew he was in trouble.

  “There are no words to express what I’m feeling right now,” he said gruffly. “But I feel it only fair to tell you that you could tick me off for the next twenty years, and it still wouldn’t be enough to use up my joy.”

  She smiled. “See what you get when you give selflessly?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “The real dynamic duo…you and Mickey Mouse.” He pulled her into his arms, crushing her close against his chest. “Damn woman, this is getting scary.”

  She sighed. “I know, Judd. I know.”

  * * *

  It wasn’t until a couple of days later that the UFO scare died down. By then, Judd and Charlie were feeling the desperation of the relationship. She woke up each morning, scared to death that this was going to be the day he would tell them goodbye, while he fell deeper and deeper in love. Somewhere in the midst of it all, something was going to have to give. And it did, right in the middle of Main Street at five minutes after twelve.

  * * *

  Judd sauntered out of the police department and headed for the café. He’d just gotten off the phone from talking to his captain, Roger Shaw, back in Tulsa. After Shaw had finished cursing at him, they’d settled down and had a fairly decent conversation. Bottom line, Judd had just let himself off the hook by turning in a verbal resignation, with a promise of a written one to follow. Now all he had to do was see if Wade had been serious about the job offer he’d made. And while he had yet to run it by Charlie, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t mind if he stayed. Leaving Call City had become a thing of the past.

  His step was light as he jogged across the street. Just as he got to the other side, he heard someone calling his name. He turned and then grinned. It was Davie, obviously on his way to the pharmacy, where Judith would be waiting to feed him his lunch.

  “Hey, fella, how you been doing?” Judd asked.

  “Got cans. Lotsa cans,” Davie said, pointing into the wagon with pride.

  “That you do,” Judd said. “What are you going to buy with all that money?”

  Davie frowned. “Something.”

  Judd sensed another secret looming, similar to the junkyard car that he’d favored.

  “I keep secrets pretty good,” Judd said. “Want to tell me?”

  Davie shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “That’s all right,” Judd said. “You’re getting to be a big boy now, aren’t you?”

  Davie’s face lit. “Yes. I’m a very big boy. Aunt Judy even let me use the lighter to burn the naked man’s clothes.”

  Judd heard the words, but for a second, couldn’t bring himself to respond. He took a deep breath, then squatted down, pretending to sift through the mound of crushed cans, giving himself time to think. But the longer he thought, the more certain he was that the mystery of Shuler’s abduction had just been solved.

  “So you burned them, did you?”

  Davie nodded, but he was starting to frown. He’d just remembered he wasn’t supposed to talk about this.

  “I have to go now,” he said.

  “Is that where you found Raymond’s watch? The one you had to give back? Was it with the clothes your aunt Judy let you burn?”

  “I’m not supposed to talk about this,” Davie said, and started to cry.

  Judd felt sick, both for what he’d just learned, and for the fact that two people he’d come to admire were at the bottom of a pretty serious crime.

  “I know, son. I know.”

  He hesitated. Making a big deal out of this in the middle of the street would serve no purpose.

  “You run along now. Your aunt probably has your lunch ready and waiting.”

  Davie looked relieved. “Yes. I will eat now.” And he darted across the street without looking.

  “Hey!” Judd yelled.

  Davie stopped. When he turned, the innocence on his face made Judd sick.

  “What?” he yelled.

  “You forgot to look both ways before crossing the street,” Judd warned.

  “Oh! Yeah! I forgot. I will be careful again.”

  “Okay, buddy. Now, go eat your lunch.”

  As soon as Davie made the other side of the street to safety, Judd pivoted sharply and headed for the café to get Wade. No need bein
g the only one who’d just had his lunch ruined.

  * * *

  Wade looked up from his BLT, grinning as he chewed. “I waited,” he said, talking around a bite.

  “I see you did,” Judd said, and slid into the seat opposite to the one where Wade was sitting. Then he leaned forward, lowering his voice so that he wouldn’t be overheard. “We’ve got trouble,” he said softly.

  Wade rolled his eyes and then swallowed his bite, quickly washing it down with a big drink of iced tea.

  “I almost hate to ask,” he said.

  “If you want Shuler’s kidnappers, they’re across the street at the pharmacy.’’

  Wade sat up straight, his eyes wide with shock.

  “The hell you say!” he yelled, then realized what he done. “Sorry,” he said, tipping his hat to a couple of women in the next booth to apologize for his language. “The hell you say,” he repeated in a much softer voice.

  Judd waved a waitress away. “I’m not ordering,” he said. “And he’ll be needing his check.”

  Wade’s mind was spinning. “We’re not talking hostage situation here, are we? Do I need to notify the state police? Hell’s bells, Judd. Tell me what’s going on?’’

  “Let’s get out of here,” Judd said. “This is going to be public knowledge soon enough, but better later than now.’’

  “My God,” Wade muttered, and tossed some money down on the table as he followed Judd out the door.

  As soon as they were alone on the street, he pulled Judd to one side.

  “Talk to me.”

  Judd sighed. “I was talking to Davie just a couple of minutes ago. He was talking about secrets and buying things with his can money and accidentally blurted out that his aunt Judy let him burn the naked man’s clothes.”

  Wade was speechless. He was hearing what Judd was saying, but his mind was not processing the facts.

  Judd continued. “I asked Davie if that’s where he found Raymond’s watch. You know…in the clothes he was going to burn.”

  “What did he say?” Wade muttered.

  “He got scared, realized he’d spoken out of turn and bolted for the pharmacy. I let him go. Figured the least I could do was let them have one last meal in peace before it hit the fan.”

  Wade wiped his hands across his face, then took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair in disbelief.