He went back to his iPad and worked until after twelve. By then, he had an idea of what to do. He removed his clothes, flipped off the light and stretched out on the sheet, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts bounced like Ping-Pong balls across his mind. For a man who was never indecisive, he felt more vulnerable than he ever had in his life. He would’ve sworn when Myra left his barn this morning he’d never take this case.

      He’d made it all the way to Willow Creek before he’d known he had to go back. He’d talked to Pop, which was like an exercise in practicing patience. As usual, Pop didn’t see a problem. Stu’s grandson had been taken and Levi needed to rescue him. It was so simple in his mind, but Pop tended to believe that Levi was ten feet tall and bulletproof.

      Usually Valerie was very understanding about his work. But today, her understanding didn’t stretch to him spending time with an old love. He flipped onto his side, knowing he could control the situation, but that was hard to explain to Valerie. This was just a case and he would treat it like all the rest. There was no need for his emotions to get involved.

      He closed his eyes and let the world drift away. He needed rest to cope with tomorrow. As sleep tugged at him, he saw Valerie’s beautiful face and his body relaxed. The image was quickly replaced by Myra’s darker features, and blood pounded through his veins in remembered passion. He hated that he couldn’t control his reaction. He hated that he couldn’t completely erase her from his mind.