No Direction Home (Sweet Home Colorado)

by Jude Willhoff

  "Just a precaution, they'll check you out."

  Jack took in the mangled front-end of the jeep and his car. "Looks like neither of us is going to drive too far tonight." The other officer glared at her. "Lady, you about ran over him at a red stoplight. What were you thinking? Tell me what happened."

  "I...I guess, I wasn't thinking. I was just reaching across the seat for my cell phone." The police officer was right, she had been a fool. Unshed tears burned the back of her gritty eyelids at the thought. "I'm sorry."

  The policeman nodded and penciled something on a notepad. "I need your license, registration and insurance information."

  Cindy crossed to the Jeep and reached in to grab papers from the side pocket on the door and handed them to him as Jack stood silently by.

  He returned the car registration and continued to write. "Ms. Dawson, do I detect the presence of alcohol. Have you had anything to drink this evening?"

  Her heart tumbled in overtime when she glanced at Jack. As if to smell her breath, he moved closer to her side. His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed while his friend continued the questioning.

  Heat rose to her cheeks as she stood between the two policemen and glanced from one to the other. "Just a couple of drinks with my friends, but I'm not intoxicated." Folding arms across her chest, the rapid rhythm of her heartbeat matched the nervous ache swirling in her tummy. "It's my birthday," she muttered under her breath.

  If looks could kill, she'd be on the ground twitching. Jack hesitated for a second. "Ma'am, there are two kinds of drunks...those who are sorry and those who soon will be."

  She cringed at his scathing words, but just then the yellow lights of the tow truck flashed down the street, hauling the damaged jeep off to the impound lot. She sighed deeply. How could I have been so careless? She tossed a long braid over her shoulder in a gesture of defiance to keep from crying and waited for their next move.

  ***

  Finally, she arrived by taxi at her downtown condo. All she wanted to do was take a shower, crawl into her pajamas and settle in with a hot cup of herbal tea to watch the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy she'd recorded a few nights back and put this behind her.

  She'd never been arrested for anything in her life—until now. She always believed she could turn adversity into opportunity, but this time... Her car was trashed and she had a ticket for careless and reckless driving. She stared at the front of the towering downtown high rise and pulled out her security card. With the card clutched in her hand, she realized what a horrendous mistake she had made. She could have hurt someone. She shuddered at the thought.

  The elevator door opened on the thirtieth floor. Several people stood around the hallway holding drink cups and talking. Loud music poured out of her condo. What now? Puzzled, she stepped through the open doorway.

  Samantha, Cindy's co-worker and new friend from down the block rushed toward her and shouted, "Surprise! Happy Birthday."

  This explained why Sam had taken the day off, supposedly sick. "You didn't have to." Cindy groaned, not in the mood for a party. A few hours ago with the two policemen at precisely nine-thirty-eight p.m., she had turned thirty. She sighed. Tonight she wanted to put herself on hold and forget birthdays...especially this one.

  "Yes, I did. I read the Tarot cards and they said you would meet your soul mate today."

  "My soul mate?" Cindy snorted. Normally fascinated by Sam's belief in the cards, crystals and strange exotic things, she wondered grumpily why Sam hadn't foreseen the accident and warned her. "Sorry. It didn't happen." She'd only met the surly police officers. They certainly didn't count.

  "That's why I threw this party," Sam explained. "Look at the single men I found for you." Sam's long blond hair bounced on her shoulders as she waved her hand around the room.

  "I don't know what to say." The number of men and women crammed into her condo astounded her. People sat on her overstuffed floral sofa and loveseat. Some stood around the fireplace, deep in conversation, others in her open kitchen mixing drinks. Music blared from her stereo. One couple danced on her balcony. Cindy glanced around her home and wished they'd all disappear. This is the last time I ever give anyone an extra key to my place. "Where did these people come from?" She didn't know any of them, but it looked like everyone was having a great time—at her expense. Her home was a party zone.

  Sam pulled her farther into the room. "Where have you been? It's gotten so late. We expected you hours ago."

  "It's a long story." She craved peace and quiet. How could she get everyone to go home, without offending them? She wanted to be alone with her misery.

  Sam frowned and handed her a glass of champagne. "Sure, tell me later. Here's to the birthday girl." She toasted Cindy and sipped from her glass while scanning the room.

  "Thanks." Cindy grimaced. After the accident, the last thing on earth she wanted was a drink. She cringed at the memory of being tested to see if she was over the drinking limit. She held the obnoxious glass at arm's length and watched Sam checking out the guys. Sam became a real trip when she went on the prowl for a new man. A sweetheart of a friend, but she would go after anything with tight pants and a big wallet. Cindy watched her drift from one guy to another to end up on the open balcony with an older man.

  The chance to slip into her bedroom had arrived. Sam had meant well, but the last few hours had taken their toll. Cindy worked her way around the room as her head pounded. The ticket stuffed in the bottom of her purse dominated her mind, absorbed her focus. The thought of what could have happened if someone had been sitting in the backseat of that car became unbearable. She could've killed someone. She shivered and set the untouched drink on the bookcase next to her bedroom door. Of course, her insurance would go up. And there went the new clothes she had been saving for. Damn. She shouldn't have reached for her cell phone.

  "Oh, no you don't." Returning from the balcony, Sam caught Cindy’s arm before she could make a clean get away. Her friend grinned with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I thought you were going to miss your own party."

  "This is nice, Sam, but it's been a long day."

  "Don't be a spoil sport. I have a surprise for you." Sam laughed. "And you know every woman should have one, especially on her birthday." She led Cindy into the kitchen.

  There on the white porcelain tile floor lay a puppy with a huge red ribbon tied around his neck. Part tan Shar-pei and part traveling salesman he was wrinkled like a raisin that had been left in the sun too long. "I present your very own Prince."

  Cindy laughed and released some of the pent-up frustration from the past few hours. It was love at first sight. "Oh, you did it. You found my soul mate." She scooped him up and scratched behind his ears. "Hello little guy, how are you?" The puppy licked her face with approval in his dark brown eyes. She hugged him to her chest. "Where did you get him?"

  "Animal Rescue. His owners were transferred overseas and they couldn't take him with them."

  At last something good had come out of this day. "Thank you. I've always wanted a dog."

  "If, for any reason, you change your mind, the agency will take him back. And I checked with the management office. They don't have a problem with you having a pet."

  Cindy rubbed his soft, furry head against her cheek, drawing some much needed comfort from the puppy. Her heart hammered with happiness for the unconditional love the sweet animal offered as he sniffed her fingers. "Oh, I adore him. How did you arrange all this without me knowing?" She swallowed hard and appreciated the warm friendship Sam had shown.

  Sam laughed. "I know how to be sneaky. Now, go mingle with these men. I had the girls bring a throw-away date."

  "Huh? A throw-away date, what's that?"

  "You know. A good guy you don't want for yourself." She sighed. "We meet mostly women so this is a way we help each other out." Sam grinned. "I thought about a theme party—come as your favorite condiment—but decided the throw-away party would be better for your birthday." She winked at Cindy and wriggled her wa
y back to the older man across the room.

  Now Cindy had heard everything. A condiment party, things were sure different in the city. She sighed. She held the puppy and walked out onto the empty balcony to avoid the party crowd and stared across the way at the tall skyscrapers lit up like shiny jewels against the jet black sky.

  She sighed and thought about home. If she were in Cedar Falls, she probably would've gone to a quiet dinner. Her best friend, Grace had gotten married and now had four children and Jenna was engaged. Cindy was happy for them, but that was part of the reason why she had to fly away from home and move to Denver. Tired of being the only single one in the group, she had needed a change—their happiness was killing her. She'd come to the city to find a man, someone who was father material. She craved a family of her own.

  When she'd been offered an opportunity to teach Cosmetology at the Vocational Community College in Denver, the position had been too tempting to pass up. After she accepted the job, she sold her salon in Cedar Falls and bought her condo and joined a singles group to start her new life. Maybe, just maybe, if she were lucky, she'd meet someone interesting. But, who was she kidding? There was nothing easy about dating. So far the prince had been hiding...the only men she'd met were frogs.

  Yes, she was single and ready to mingle, but tonight she didn't have the energy. The truth hurt. With a deep breath, she moved back into the living room and settled down in her favorite overstuffed chair with the puppy on her lap. She removed the red ribbon from his neck and kissed him on top of his head. He shivered and snuggled close. "Don't be scared, little guy. I'll kick them out soon as I can." All of a sudden her landline rang. "Now, what?" she muttered to the puppy and moved to picked up the receiver. "Hello."

  "Ms. Dawson, This is Dean at the front desk. We've received a noise complaint from your new neighbor."

  "Oh, I'm sorry I'll turn the music down."

  "Thank you, have a good night."

  Someone must’ve moved into the vacant apartment next door while she was at work. This wasn’t the best way to meet her new neighbor.

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  You may purchase Fly Away Home, Book Two and Home Sweet Home, Book Three of the Sweet Home Colorado series or Living Well With Chronic Pain at www.Amazon.com or at www.judewillhoff.com

  Thank you!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Note to My Readers

  About the Author

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