Free The Cowboy Lawman by Brenda Minton

overstuffed chair in the corner, the braided rugs on the floor and the wooden miniblinds closed tight. She knew that no one had heard her, other than God. No one had seen a lonely woman sitting in her bedroom talking to God.
    After typing a message on a website to a sister she hadn’t seen in about twenty years, Mia closed her computer. She needed to get some sleep. The lack of sleep could explain a lot of things.
    Tomorrow would be a better day. She pushed the computer aside and sat propped against the pillows, staring at the black screen of the TV. She knew she wouldn’t sleep. She hadn’t slept in weeks. The pain, the dreams, reliving the moment in that dingy apartment, it all combined to keep her awake.
    Tonight, if she did fall asleep, she feared her dreams would be as jumbled as her thoughts. She would dream of Butch, no doubt, the agony on his face as she held him, screaming for him to hold on. But she knew she would dream about Slade as well, about being in his arms and then feeling guilty.

Chapter Six
    S lade pounded on the front door of Mia’s house. It was eight o’clock in the morning. She never slept this late. She wasn’t in the barn—he’d already checked. Her car was in the garage and she wasn’t answering her phone.
    “Where is she, Dad?”
    “I’m not sure, Caleb.” But he was sure of one thing. Mia wouldn’t forget she was watching his son.
    He pounded on the door again. He tried the knob again, just in case it wasn’t locked, in case he’d been mistaken. He looked down at his son.
    “Stand back, Cay.”
    “Got it, Dad. You want me to call 911?” He held up his emergency cell phone that he’d taken out of his bag.
    Slade took a moment to grin. “No, I think I’ve got this. I’m a cop, remember?”
    “Oh, yeah.” Caleb backed up.
    Slade took a good look at the door and slid a credit card out of his wallet. “I don’t think I’ll even have to break the door down.”
    He eased the card into the door that had probably been on the house for fifty years or longer and jiggled the handle. It worked and he made a mental note to get her locks changed. He pushed the door open and pointed for his son to stay put. Caleb frowned, but he’d stay where he was told.
    Slade eased into the house. The urge to rush simmered and he walked quietly down the hall, checking each room. And then he got to her bedroom. The door was closed but not latched. He pushed it open, hand on his weapon.
    “Mia?”
    A lump on the bed moved, then bolted straight up, long hair cascading in all directions, covering her face. She was wearing the same clothes she’d worn the previous evening. Her computer was open on the bed next to her.
    “What in the world are you doing in my house?”
    He raised both hands in surrender, in case she was half asleep and had a gun hidden somewhere. “Checking on you. Obviously, you’re fine. But I’ve been outside for thirty minutes. I’ve pounded on doors. I’ve checked your horse and called your phone. I didn’t know I had Sleeping Beauty on my hands.”
    She reached for the cell phone on the side of the bed.
    “Oh, Slade, I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
    From the dark circles under her eyes, that was an understatement.
    “When was the last time you slept, Mia?”
    “Not open for discussion. Let me get cleaned up and I’ll be out in a minute.”
    “I’ll make you a cup of tea.”
    “Thanks.
    First he let Caleb know that it was safe to come in. Then he headed for the kitchen and the cup of tea he’d promised to make. His phone rang. He answered and let the dispatcher know that he’d found Mia and he’d be hitting the road in fifteen minutes.
    Mia walked through the door of the kitchen, a shy look on her face. He turned back to the hot water and the bag of tea—a lot easier to deal with than her.
    “Mia, have you talked to anyone?”
    “Talked? I talk all the time.”
    He held the cup of tea out to her. “You know what I mean. You need to sleep. You