Page 29 of Risking it for the Cowboy

Bouncer cop, in tactical pants, polo, holstered firearm, and earpiece coiled behind his ear, yanked Jason back to his feet, this time, not so gently pushing him up against the wall. He wrenched Jason’s hands behind his back, applying zip ties as Charlie turned back to her SUV and yanked open the door.

“Jason Thompson. You’re under arrest—”

Charlie crammed Daisy in the back seat. “Fingers, toes, belt,” she breathed.

She slammed the door and ran around the SUV, hating that Daisy was witness to the flashing police lights, walkie-talkie static, and the image of her father drunk and under arrest. Hating that Daisy was forced to endure this. Hating that Judge Mitchell saw the value in protecting Jason’s rights as a dad over Daisy’s right to feel secure. Hating that her job, though salaried and benefited, still didn’t pay enough to comfortably afford a high-end lawyer who could fight a better legal battle.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say and do can be used against you in a court of law…”

But Charlie knew better than to think Jason meant to damage the cop’s property. That bottle he’d been fisting when she’d banged on the door at her daughter’s panicked call, pleading with Jason to open up, had been intended for her.

Court order or not, what was she supposed to do?

Her baby couldn’t go on like this. Jason hadn’t raised a violent hand to Daisy. But he’d been piss drunk around her more and more frequently when he’d promised Judge Mitchell he wouldn’t be.

“Try me, Charlize! You can’t keep me from my daughter! I got rights!” Jason bellowed as he was manhandled into submission, ignoring the Miranda. “You’re gonna regret this! I swear to God, you better watch your ba—”

She slammed her door, scrambled into the driver’s seat as her shaking hands thrust the shift into drive, while Artex assaulted Daisy’s face with his tongue, shaking with excitement to have her back.

Charlie gunned the engine out of the parking lot, hurrying to strap on her belt.

The AC blasted. Silence fell. The chaos receded in the rearview, into the distance, then into blackness.

She glanced back at Daisy, the girl’s arms wrapped around the dog’s neck, like he was a teddy bear. A tear wobbled on her eye.

“Sweet girl,” Charlie breathed, forcing a smile, even though her hands trembled.

You better watch your back…

What else could she say? Ask Daisy if she was okay? Of course she wasn’t okay.

She turned up the music. Glanced in the rearview at Daisy staring lifelessly out the window, passing silhouettes of pastures and crops. Passing occasional farmhouse lights blinking by. Passing beneath the flashing dots overhead as an airplane crossed the sky, people on their way to vacations, work trips, unaware that the speck driving below them was a little unicorn-loving girl’s crushed heart.

“Wanna talk about it, Daisy Maisy?”

She glanced back and forth between the road and her daughter in the rearview as her daughter said nothing.

“We never even went to the carnival,” Daisy finally said. “Said he didn’t want to see you there.”

Jason hadn’t taken her? That was his whole point for the weekend. “Why’d your dad think I’d be there?”

Daisy shrugged. “Said he didn’t want to see you on stage.”

On stage? She’d tried calling Thaddeus over and over, only to realize he’d given her a wrong number. Jason had harassed her with texts ever since, his new ammunition against her, about being caught on camera playing with McClintock and the Disclaimers. She’d dared to venture to YouTube, watching cell phone clips of the two of them onstage, the way he fell to his knees and thumped his heart, the way he bear-hugged her afterward, stumbling her off stage, crowd going wild.

People … seemed to like her music!

Whoa … where’d she come from?

Did they stage that? She’s too perfect.

Banjoing beauty.

Incredible! They oughtta ditch Hunter and hire her!

No fair! She’s so pretty you know she’s gonna clip his wings.

Like Cinderella from the ball, she’s just gone??? FIND HER!!