by Carol Costa
The spaghetti dinner was fabulous and everyone had a good time. Even Casey seemed to have fun, a sign that she was going to be her old self again.
Early Sunday morning, Bruno, Dana, and Angie drove to the Sloan farm. There in the country, the snow was kneedeep and perfect for snowball fights and building snowmen. Several frosty characters were constructed with Bruno and Dana's brothers supervising the little ones.
The women were all gathered in the kitchen. Linda and Angelina were getting along like soul mates. Dana decided to slip away to the den to visit with her dad.
Warren Sloan was sitting by the window watching the men and the kids making the most of the winter wonderland.
Dana came over and perched on the arm of the chair, kissing her dad on top of his bald head. "It's good to be home," she said.
"From what I read in the paper, you and Angie had a very close call. When are you going to stop being a lady gangbuster and settle down, daughter?" her dad asked.
"You've been talking to Bruno again," Dana said.
"Yes. You two scared him so bad, he's thinking about quitting the force"
"He always says that, but he doesn't mean it."
"I think he'd do it in a heartbeat if he thought it would keep you safe"
"I don't do what I do because Bruno is a cop," Dana said. "I was doing it before I met him."
"And you're going to keep on doing it?"
"Yes. My staff and I help a lot of people."
"Okay," he agreed. "As long as you're happy."
Dana gazed out the window at Bruno. The little ones were all chasing him with snowballs in their hands. Bruno ran in a circle for a few minutes and then let the kids catch him. They howled with laughter when he fell to the ground and they were able to cover him with snow.
"Remember the bambinos," Dana said softly.
"What was that?" her dad asked.
"A promise that's part of my master plan," she replied with a distant smile.