Page 24 of Rancher to the Rescue

If only Angel could speak. How easy would that make this? Because this whole feeling helpless bit was for the birds.

The binky. Where was the pacifier? Then again, maybe it was healthier to let the girl cry. Her life had been turned upside-down in an instant. Prudence wished she could join Angel. She hadn’t cried in longer than she could remember. There were times when she wished she could, like now. Just to let it all out. Her emotions had been bottled up.

Survival mechanism, her first therapist had explained. Apparently, Prudence had become an expert at it.

The next thing she knew the deputy went back to his vehicle and Adam opened the passenger door.

“Deputy Smithfield is going to start at the back of the house, since that’s where most home invaders work,” he explained.

“The key’s back there. I made it easy for him,” she said. Now, she needed to think about having an alarm system installed. She would definitely put the key back on her ring. There were a few other security measures running through her thoughts. Again, she thought about getting a dog of her own.

As much as she loved the idea, she had to put her clients first. Having a dog meant responsibilities beyond taking care of herself, a task she was most definitely not ready for. Plus, what would she do with said dog while she had overnight jobs, which many of hers were?

This wasn’t the first time she’d had to be reasonable rather than go with her heart. Even though caring for other people’s pets made her want her own that much more.

“Don’t beat yourself up. Everyone in town leaves a key somewhere outside their house. We don’t even lock doors at the ranch, and half the time I go to the feed store I leave my keys in the floorboard of the truck,” he said.

“Well, that makes me feel better.” Plus, the baby had settled down without a binky, thanks to Prudence’s gentle bouncing. There was something very satisfying about the accomplishment.

“We should be able to go inside in a few minutes. Survey the damage,” Adam said.

“Good. I’m not supposed to get behind on my medication.” A part of her dreaded walking into her home. The other side needed to see what she would be dealing with.

Deputy Smithfield peered around the side of the house and waved Adam over. He exited the truck first and scanned the street before indicating it was safe for Prudence and Angel to follow.

Around back of the house, he immediately noted the glass break. She had one of those glass paneled doors that let in a lot of light, but he imagined it would be a burglar’s dream.

“Careful where you walk,” Deputy Smithfield said after introducing himself to Prudence.

“I will,” she said with resolve. “He didn’t bother checking for a key.”

“My guess is that he was in a hurry,” Smithfield said.

“A smash and grab job?” This couldn’t be a coincidence.

“It looks that way,” Smithfield said with a shrug. “We’ll know more once Ms. Owens goes inside and takes inventory of her belongings.”

“There was nothing obvious in his hands when he took off that way.” Adam pointed east.

“Do you have any medications?” Smithfield asked Prudence.

“Oh, right. Yes. Nothing that would have street value but you just reminded me I need to take my new prescription.” She motioned toward the door before catching Adam’s gaze. “Will you come with me so I can manage the baby?”

He nodded and then followed her inside. Her new prescription? The words stuck in the back of his mind. She’d mentioned needing to take meds before. Had she mentioned the prescription was new?

“Do you remember going to the doctor recently?” Adam noticed there didn’t seem to be anything out of place in the kitchen. It was cozy and tidy. Everything had a place. Her laptop sat on the eat-in table.

“I went a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “Why?”

“The medication. I thought you said it was a new prescription.” He followed her up a stairwell to the second story. There was a small landing and four doors. Two of those led to bedrooms. He could easily see because the doors were open. The third went to a shared bathroom. These old houses didn’t have en suites.

“It is.” She stopped at the sink of the small bathroom and opened the cabinet. There was a sink, a commode, and a clawfoot tub that had been modernized with a shower option. She grabbed a bottle and shook. It rattled.

“I’m confused,” he admitted. “How long have you been taking the new pills?”

She started to open her mouth and then stopped. Realization dawned.

“Three days,” she said. “My doctor didn’t say anything about memory loss being a side effect. I read the paper that comes with it and I can promise there was no mention of it there.”