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Clint’s mom had seemed more irritated at the deputy than she had at her son, and Gina’s mom had looked almost bored during the lecture Rafe gave them. Those kids were lucky.
Dad wouldn’t be bored. He wouldn’t be irritated at the deputy. He’d be enraged at her apparent dishonesty and probably never, ever forgive her.
And he’d never, ever let her hang out with the kids she’d just been with after school.
Her life in ruins, Annie leaned her head against the wall and wished she’d never heard of Montana.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“SHE WASWHERE?”
Jolie calmly faced Matt from across her desk, as if this issue was of no more concern than a misplaced set of keys. “At the sheriff’s office.”
“Why?”
“After I picked her up, we went to get Charlie at baseball practice. Then we all came back here. Annie had an appointment scheduled with me, so we went ahead with that. I hope you don’t mind. She had a lot of ice cream at the drugstore so her blood sugar was high, but we talked at length about that. If you have any questions—”
Matt waved a hand impatiently. “I want to hear more about the sheriff’s office. She wasarrested?”
Annie and Matt were seated in the chairs facing Jolie’s desk. Annie slid another few inches lower in hers, her gaze glued to the floor.
“No charges have been filed yet. She joined some school friends, and they all went to the drugstore. The owner, Agnes Benson, claims three of them shoplifted merchandise. She says she’s had problems with some local teenagers for some time, but hadn’t been able to catch anyone until today.”
“Annie,” he said gently, “tell me your side of this.”
“I didn’tdoanything.” She spoke almost too softly to hear.“Honest.”
“But you had some of the shoplifted items in your backpack?”
“No—yes. I didn’t steal anything!” Annie gave him a stricken look. “Last week I bought lipstick there. The same kind the other girl took, and it was in my pack.” She lowered her eyes once again. “I know you said I couldn’t wear makeup yet, but it’s a really light shade, and I don’t put much on, and—”
“Okay, okay.” Rage flared deep in his gut at the old bat who’d accused his daughter. And at the fact that once again he hadn’t been around to help her when she’d needed him most.
Looking back at Jolie, he didn’t even try to temper the anger in his voice. “The deputy sheriff didn’t believe her? Didyou?”
“I wasn’t present when the situation occurred,” Jolie returned, her voice calm. “Though just for the record, I do believe her side of the story. But she doesn’t have the receipt, and none of the clerks remember her buying that lipstick. That’s no surprise—I’ve seen some of the high-school kids who work there, and some wouldn’t remember what they did this morning, much less a small item they sold last week.”
Matt turned to face Annie. “Do you have that receipt at home, honey?”
“No. I...I threw it away.” She shifted uncomfortably. “I didn’t want you to know what I bought.”
Had he seemed like that much of an ogre to her?
Guilt lanced through him as he faced yet another way in which he’d failed his daughter.
“Honey, it’s no big deal if you have that lipstick. Maybe I haven’t understood just how fast you’re growing up. If your mom had been here, she would have...” His train of thought faded away as Annie faced him, her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry, Dad. Honest.”
Unable to force words past the sudden lump in his throat, he rose and opened his arms to her.
She moved to him in a rush of tears, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. “The...the deputy sheriff says the drugstore lady might press charges.” She sniffled against his chest.
“I’ll talk to him. And I’ll talk to that woman.” He glanced at his watch, then at Jolie. “The deputy will still be in his office, right?”
She shook her head. “Ed’s wife said you guys might be working late, and you weren’t answering your cell phone. One reason I offered to get Annie was that Rafe had to leave for Bozeman, and none of us knew for sure when you’d get back into town.”
“We drove Ed’s truck and had his phone, but I didn’t think to grab mine. I never expected to be back so late and miss her appointment with you.” Matt released Annie, feeling frustrated, anxious, and more than a little irritated at himself. “You could have called Ed’s number, though.”
