A Better Solution (Crowley County Series Book 2) Read online

  A Better Solution

  T. E. Killian

  Christ Centered Ministries

  Cottonwood, Arizona

  Copyright © 2013 by Trennis E. Killian

  Cover Design: Kailee J. Jodarski

  Novels by T. E. Killian

  The Sycamore P.D. Series

  Lost Memories

  Accepted Memories

  Resolved Memories

  The Crowley County Series

  No Easy Solution

  A Better Solution

  The Only Solution

  Another Solution

  The Clear Creek Series

  Ryan’s Ruin

  Chase’s Return

  Hunter’s Revenge

  Walking Together Series

  Walking Straight

  Walking Away

  Walking the Line

  www.tekillian.com.

  Another uplifting Christian novel series from the author of the Sycamore P.D. Series.

  Crowley County Series

  Join the people of Crowleyville as they face the challenges of small town life while struggling to welcome an influx of newcomers.

  A Better Solution – Second in the Series

  Sheriff Floyd McCracken doesn’t like headstrong bossy women like Sue Ann Vickers. But deep down he is a very lonely man who is searching for something he doesn’t even know he’s looking for. His little cousin Jo keeps telling him that he loves Sue Ann. Why doesn’t he know that if it’s true?

  Sue Ann Vickers doesn’t like grouchy, pushy bullies who are always telling her what to do like Floyd McCracken. But deep down, has she always loved him? That’s what Jo keeps telling her too.

  Now when danger engulfs them and threatens to take away someone close to both of them, will they be able to come together to survive?

  Chapter One

  Sue Ann Vickers was tired. Tired of standing. Tired of listening to one little old lady after another as she fixed their hair almost the same way every time. She was just plain tired. But most of all, she was bored!

  It was the same ole same ole every day. She even had to work Saturdays too. It did help a little that she was able to close the shop on Mondays though, but not enough. She was still bored with her job, bored with her home, bored with this little town, and just plain bored with her life in general.

  The door opened as she finished with what she had hoped was her last customer of the day. Not another one! If it was, she was afraid she might just run screaming out the back door.

  But when she turned toward the door to see who it was, she was pleasantly surprised. She didn’t see another blue-haired old lady. She saw her best friend since forever, Mary Jo Early . . . no, Turner now. Sue Ann was still having trouble getting used to the fact that Jo Jo had married the new preacher in town.

  Sue Ann finished at the register with her customer and turned toward her friend who was beaming at her from one of the chairs that were against the wall for customers as they waited their turn in the styling chairs.

  Jo motioned toward the other styling chair and said, “Still haven’t found anybody to replace Cindy Lou?”

  Sue Ann almost fell into the chair next to Jo and said, “No, I thought I had one the other day, but she didn’t think she’d make enough money here in Crowleyville to make it worth the move.” She paused and frowned. “So she decided to stay where she was in Springfield.”

  Jo leaned back and rested her head against the wall. “I don’t know if this town could stand very many more people moving here from the city.”

  Sue Ann laughed loudly at her little friend. “Jo Jo . . . where would you be if Gil hadn’t come here from St. Louis to be the preacher at our church?”

  Jo giggled. “I guess you’re right, Sue Ann, but there have been so many people moving in around here.” A twinkle came into her eyes, “And besides, Gil is different. He didn’t come here to try to change Crowleyville like the others all seem to be wanting to do. He was the one who changed. You have to admit that he’s just like one of us who grew up here now. He even drives a Jeep.”

  Sue Ann laughed with Jo but didn’t feel like teasing her any more so she said, “I guess you’re right. I have to admit that even though I didn’t think so for a long time, Gil did turn out to be a half-way decent kind of guy.”

  They laughed at that as they both remembered Sue Ann’s first encounter with Jo’s husband to be. She had come oh so close to shaving his head when he came in for a haircut.

  Sue Ann pushed her body out of the chair and made her way to the door to turn the sign around to “Closed” and lock the door.

  When she came back and sat next to Jo again, she took a good look at her friend. People had always called them the odd couple or worse, Mutt and Jeff, because of the drastic differences in them physically and even in personality too. Jo was mostly a quiet person while Sue Ann was not. If she were honest, she had to admit that she was often loud and lively. Sue Ann was five ten and Jo wasn’t much over five foot. Jo had dark red hair, brown eyes, and freckles while Sue Ann had blond hair with blue eyes. At least they both had shoulder length hair. There had to be one similarity.

  She continued to look at Jo. There was something different about her today. That was when she noticed the almost goofy grin that was spread all over Jo’s face.

  “All right Jo Jo give. What’s making you grin like a baboon? I know it’s gotta be something big. Now, give.”

  Jo continued to grin as she grabbed both of Sue Ann’s hands in hers and shouted, “I’m pregnant!”

  It took a moment for what Jo said to sink in, then Sue Ann let out a whoop and pulled Jo into a hug. “That’s great Jo Jo. I’m so happy for you.”

  She pulled back a little and looked into Jo’s eyes. “Did you tell Gil yet?”

  Jo giggled. “I certainly did and he went wild! He’s so excited, he’s down at the sheriff’s office right now telling Floyd and anybody else who gets in his way.”

  Sue Ann really laughed at that. “Can you imagine that? Who would have ever thought those two could have become such good friends.” She snorted. “They’re total opposites. And especially after the way Floyd treated Gil when he first came to town.”

  Jo was wiping tears from her eyes. “Yes, I think it was starting before that, but I know something happened between the two of them when they hiked through the woods to rescue me from Jake Hollis last August.”

  They both sat back in their chairs for a moment then Jo said, “I know it takes a lot to earn Floyd’s respect and I really think that he respects Gil.”

  Sue Ann snorted again. “Yeah, but that hardheaded fool of a cousin of yours still won’t go to church with us.”

  Jo smiled and said, “No, but I’m sure it won’t take too much more to get him there.”

  Sue Ann groaned this time. “Yeah, that’ll be the day. In fact, the day he goes through the front door of that church is going to be the day that I go out the back door.”

  Jo frowned at that. “Sue Ann, why do you and Floyd fight so much? If you would both just stop and think about it, you’d realize that you really do care for each other.”

  That made Sue Ann shake her head in disgust. “You don’t know all the things that have happened between us, Jo. Every time I turn around he’s there telling me what I should be doing and what I shouldn’t be doing. I can’t stand that. So the best thing for both of us to do is to stay far away from each other.”

  Sue Ann wasn’t sure if Jo was going to give up on that topic of discussion or not so she changed the subject back to something happier.

  “Well, have you two come up with any names yet?”

  Jo smiled a wistful smile
. “No, we decided that we’d both think up a list separately then we’re going to go over them together later.”

  “Do I get to throw any names into the hat, Jo Jo?”

  Jo laughed and said, “Of course you can, but you have to remember that the final decision will be mine and Gil’s, okay?”

  Sue Ann didn’t respond, she just thought about the fact that her best friend was finally going to have a family. It was terrific.

  Jo looked at Sue Ann with another frown on her face. “Sue Ann, Gil asked me the other night when and why you started calling me Jo Jo, and you know, I couldn’t for the life of me remember. Do you?”

  Sue Ann giggled. “Of course I do, I don’t know why you don’t.”

  When Jo gave her a puzzled look she said, “Remember that time when we were riding our bikes? We must have been about six or seven. Well, we ran into each other and I bumped my head on a tree.”

  Jo thought for a moment. “Yes, I think I remember that.”

  “Well, when I looked up at you hovering over me asking me if I was okay, I was seeing double and I said there were two Jo’s looking at me. And that was when I started calling you Jo Jo.”

  Their laughter was interrupted by a knock on the door. Sue Ann looked up to see her son, Andy, on the other side frowning at her. She jumped up and let him in.

  The seven-year-old tornado blew in and started to jump into Jo’s lap but Sue Ann stopped him with an arm wrapped around his waist.

  “No, Andy, you have to be careful with Jo Jo now.”

  The sandy-haired boy looked up at her and said, “Why? Is she sick?”

  The women looked at each other and Jo smiled down at Andy and said, “No, I’m not sick Andy. I’m going to have a baby.”

  Andy frowned, looked up at his mother, and said, “Oh, like Billy’s mother did?”

  “Yes.”

  He looked back at Jo and said, “Will I get to hold it?”

  * * *

  Floyd McCracken was ready to call it a day and go home. Home? It was just a tiny two bedroom apartment. Home to what? He didn’t even have a pet there to keep him company.

  He thought about Gil busting into his office a little while ago shouting that Jo was pregnant. Of course, he was happy for his little cousin and Gil too, but there was just something that had been bothering him ever since Gil had made his happy announcement.

  Then it hit him like a ton on bricks. He envied his little cousin. Granted, she had been through an awful lot, especially eight years ago when she’d been attacked but now she was truly happy. She was out from under the bar and grill she’d inherited and hadn’t been able to sell until it burned down. She was married to a good man, at least Floyd thought so . . . now. And to top it all off, she was going to have a baby. Instant family.

  Family? What did Floyd have? Sure, his parents had a farm about twenty miles away and he had two brothers and a sister in the area too. But he didn’t really spend much time with any of them anymore. After all, they all had families of their own. He always felt like a fifth wheel around any of them. And now he was just starting to feel that way around Jo and Gil too. He shook his head. The baby would only make it worse.

  Before he went home for the day, he decided to go out and patrol for an hour or so. He stepped into the restroom to wash his face to wipe away the drowsiness that had settled over him while sitting at his desk.

  He looked into the mirror and didn’t like what he saw. There was a middle-aged man staring back at him. Sure, he was only thirty-six but that was too close. He thought he saw a few gray hairs in the midst of his short, dark red hair. He never did like all those freckles and now they just made him look even older.

  He just needed to get away and be by himself to think. Everything seemed to be closing in on here.

  After spending that hour just driving around the county, he was ready to go home.

  When he pulled off the road to turn around and head back to Crowleyville, a motorcycle came flying past him. He flipped his radar on and it read ninety-six. Well, he figured that was certainly good to go in a sixty-five mile an hour zone.

  He pulled out, turned on his lights, and put his foot to the floor to try to catch up with the guy. Just as he was calling it in, he remembered an ATL that dispatch had broadcast earlier. Springfield PD was attempting to locate a motorcycle that had been heading east.

  As he managed to get close enough to describe the vehicle, dispatch confirmed that he was indeed pursuing the ATL vehicle from Springfield.

  Through dispatch, he learned that Hal Lewis, his chief deputy was heading toward them and had stopped to set up a roadblock about a mile up the road. Floyd sure hoped this guy would stop. He didn’t want to have to pick up the pieces. He’d done that too many times over the years with these crotch rockets.

  By the time they reached the roadblock, another unit was there and one coming up behind Floyd about two miles back. Well, they should have enough people to get the job done, if only the guy would stop.

  Floyd watched the motorcycle stop about a hundred yards from the roadblock. As Floyd was approaching, the guy jumped off the bike and took off running through the woods. Not what Floyd wanted to see. Not what Floyd wanted to do at the end of the day. He was too tired for this.

  Cussing all the way, Floyd grabbed his AR and jumped out of the Tahoe, slinging the rifle over his shoulder as he began running through the woods after the guy.

  Just as he reached the edge of the woods, he saw the guy trip and fall about fifty yards ahead of him. He thought that if he ran as fast as he could, he might be able to catch the guy before he made it very much farther.

  The guy was up and running again, and Floyd could see that he was out of shape because he seemed to be slowing down.

  Just as Floyd caught up with him and was leaping at him to tackle him, the guy turned and he had a gun in his hand.

  Floyd hit the guy in his midsection with his head and shoulders just as the gun went off. Floyd’s superior size paid off for him this time. He was at least six inches taller and fifty pounds heavier than the suspect.

  They hit the ground with Floyd on top and he could see that the guy’s breath had been knocked out of him as the gun flew away from them. Floyd flipped him over onto his stomach, pulled his hands behind him, and hooked him up with handcuffs before the guy could even catch his breath.

  Floyd looked up to see his Chief Deputy and good friend, Hal Lewis standing there holding the guy’s gun.

  He smiled at Hal and said, “I missed part of that ATL. What did SPD want this guy for?”

  Hal pushed his hat up out of his eyes and a big grin appeared on his face as he said, “Suspicion of murdering his ex-wife.” Then he slapped Floyd on the back and added, “They also said he was armed and dangerous.”

  Floyd snorted. “I guess I’d better pay a little better attention to those ATLs from now on, huh?”

  They laughed together.

  By then, the other two deputies were came up next to Floyd as he stood and said, “Here boys take this guy in. We’ll be holding him for SPD.

  When the deputies began half-dragging the guy toward the road, Floyd turned to his friend. Hal was ten years older than Floyd but they’d become good friends over the years. Hal had trained Floyd when he was a new deputy more than ten years ago, then they’d been detectives together for a few years before Floyd’s uncle, the sheriff then, had died of a heart attack. The county supervisors had appointed Floyd as interim sheriff until the next election, which Floyd won.

  Hal had always said he never wanted to be sheriff, just too many headaches for him. He seemed to be quite content to be Floyd’s chief deputy and stay out of the limelight that seemed to follow Floyd around too much of the time lately.

  “Hal, did Betty tell you that Jo’s pregnant?”

  Hal laughed and said, “You know that woman knows everything that happens around that church, and sometimes before it even happens.”

  They both laughed and Floyd said, “If anybody ever deserve
d happiness, it would be that little woman.” He took his cowboy type hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ve watched out for her most of her life. Guess I didn’t do such a good job of it that one time eight years ago though.”

  He slammed his hat back on his head. “But now, she’s got that preacher boy to watch out for her.”

  Just when Hal opened his mouth to object, Floyd added, “And I think he’s doing a good job of it too.”

  When they reached the highway, Hal hopped into his vehicle and drove off leaving Floyd alone again.

  Alone again! That seemed to be his story lately. He headed home to an empty apartment.

  That was how his day ended, but his evening was just starting.

  * * *

  As soon as Sue Ann and Andy walked into their house, they headed to their separate bedrooms. She always took a quick shower to try to wash off all the chemicals that she was exposed to daily at the shop.

  When she stepped out of the shower, she looked into the mirror. She didn’t like what she saw. There was a tired face looking back at her that was much too pale, even for her blond hair. Her blue eyes looked kind of faded right now too.

  Where had all the zest for life gone that she used to have? That thought and others similar were still floating around in her mind when she joined her mother and Andy in the kitchen for supper.

  Her mother had just come to live with Sue Ann and Andy about three months ago. It had been about a month after Sue Ann’s dad had died from a long bout with cancer. Her mother had been totally lost for a while but then Sue Ann had been able to talk her into coming to live with them. So far, it seemed to be working out for all three of them.

  Sue Ann knew it was working out for her at least. She now had a built-in baby sitter and housekeeper. That hadn’t really been part of the original agreement when Wanda Curtis had moved in with her daughter and grandson. Wanda had planned to get a job but that hadn’t happened and they’d all just settled into the arrangement as it had turned out.