“Want an apple?” she said, reaching into her pocket, then held one out to him.
Her voice was soft and she had an accent, the kind the kids had who came from the reservation. Like she’d just learned English or something. He rubbed the apple on his sleeve and took a bite. It was the best apple he’d ever tasted.
~~~
“IT’S OKAY, Abe. We can do more later,” Julianna said then shut off the recorder. Abe had told her about the two-room school, and meeting Stella for the first time, and then his mind seemed to go somewhere far away. She figured they’d done enough for the day.
“I’ll be outside,” he said, getting up to leave. “Stella will be back soon and we’re going shopping for luggage and all that, then we have to look at plans for the new house.”
Julianna smiled. “That will be fun.” Abe and Stella had decided to build a new house on the property between their two places. It would be a place of their own, not one that he’d shared with Elizabeth or she’d shared with her husband. Abe wanted Luke to take over the ranch, but Luke was still undecided. He loved his job. She knew that. They had both made some concessions when they got married again, Luke in not working so many hours and she embracing the time they shared even if it was less than she wanted.
Still, she couldn’t think of a better place to raise a child than here on the ranch. She felt a need to get away from the city altogether. A new beginning. She could do her job from almost anywhere, but she knew Luke would never leave the LAPD. So, they’d made another compromise. They’d keep the house in Venice and the ranch. How they’d divide up their time was the question.
Luke came inside. “Look what I found in the storeroom.” He held up a baby rocker. “It was mine when I was a kid.”
“It’s adorable.”
“There’s more. A crib and an old high chair.”
“Are they useable?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“I can’t believe your father saved all that stuff.”
Luke’s eyes softened. “I can’t either. I guess no matter how much we think we know about a person, we can never know it all.”
She smiled wide. “Like you saying your dad fired the shot that saved me. I heard that’s not the case.”
He grinned. “But he doesn’t know that. As far as I’m concerned, he saved us both.”
She reached up to kiss him.
“So what do you think about the baby furniture?”
“I think it’s a sign.”
He gave a skeptical glance. “Now you’re sounding like your mother again. A sign of what.”
“That this should be our home.”
Luke put the chair down. The doorbell rang. “That’s the sheriff.”
She saw a glint in Luke’s eyes. “He’s got a job for me.” He eyed her narrowly. “If I want it.”
“Really? Really, really?” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She wanted this to be their home so much, but only if Luke did, too.
The doorbell rang again. Luke started toward the door, but then he stopped and took an envelope from his pocket. “Here, hold this for me.”
“What is it?”
“A letter from my mother. We’ll read it together.”
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for being a reader and sharing your love of reading by purchasing my stories. I hope you enjoyed THE MISSING and that you’ll consider leaving a review or rating on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, or wherever you like to hangout and share information about books. Http://ww.amazon.com/-/e/B001HCV3PQ
If you’d like to keep updated on future releases, freebies, prizes and contests, I invite you to sign up for my newsletter. Just go to my website at http://ww.LindaStyle.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My sincere thanks and appreciation to all the people who
contributed to the research for this book, and all the books
in the series—the professionals with
the Los Angeles Police Department, the city of Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce and the Orange County RWA
members who so generously shared their expertise
about the City of Angels.
Since this is a work of fiction, I’ve taken some liberties with facts where needed.
Any errors are solely mine.
ALSO by LINDA STYLE
Fiction:
From LMS Press
STREET LAW series
STREET, prequel
DETROIT RULES, book 1
LAPD Special Investigations series
The Deceived, book 1
The Taken, book 2
The Silent, book 3
From Harlequin Enterprises Ltd
Copyright © Linda Fensand Style
Her Sister’s Secret
Daddy in the House
Slow Dance with a Cowboy
The Man in the Photograph
What Madeline Wants
The Witness
His Case, Her Child
And Justice for All
Husband and Wife Reunion
Going for Broke
The Man from Texas
The Mistake She Made
A Soldier’s Secret
Protecting the Witness
Non-Fiction:
BOOTCAMP FOR NOVELISTS BEYOND THE FIRST DRAFT: Writing Techniques of the Pros. By Linda Style Copyright © 2013, LMS Press, Gilbert, AZ 85234 (403 pages) In digital and in print.
Linda’s books are available on her website, on Amazon and other bookstore outlets. Http://ww.amazon.com/-/e/B001HCV3PQ, http://www.LindaStyle.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda Style is an Award-Winning, National Bestselling author with over a million copies sold in thirteen different countries. With an education in behavioral science and in journalism, Linda has worked in a number of jobs, from social services to Director of a state mental health program to magazine editor, but, she says nothing is more rewarding than writing her stories of romance, suspense and intrigue. Her books—often described as emotional, fast-paced stories that keep you riveted to the page—have won several awards, including the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, the Orange Rose award for Best Book of the Year, and the HOLT Award of Merit.
When not writing, Linda loves to travel, a passion that has taken her all over the world and allows her to indulge in her other passion…photography. A Minnesota native, she now lives with her family in Arizona where she likes to play tennis and hike in the mountains—the best place in the world to think up more stories. She invites you to stop by her website at LindaStyle.com.
THE MISSING
Copyright © 2016 Linda Fensand Style
Published by LMS Press, Gilbert, AZ 85234
LMSPress@cox.net
Cover art: coversbyrogenna.com
Editor: Editing with Style
All rights reserved. Except for review, no part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information and retrieval systems without written permission from the publisher.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention..
THE MISSING is an, updated, enhanced second edition that contains new copy not included in the first edition. First edition copyright © 2005 Linda Fensand Style
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