Daniel's Gift by Barbara Freethy Read Free Book Online

car caught the edge of his body. He felt himself being lifted in the air. He heard someone scream, but he didn't know if it was him or Chris. Then there was nothing but blackness.

    * * *

    "Hell of a night, isn't it?" Police Officer Alan Brady looked at his partner, Sue Spencer, as they walked out of the Golden Moon Chinese Restaurant on Highway 1.
    Sue shivered and zipped up her coat. "No kidding. Maybe the weather will keep the kids off the beach."
    "Maybe," Alan said as they walked across the parking lot to their patrol car. They had just taken a late dinner break and had another three hours to go before they were off duty. Hopefully, it would be a peaceful night.
    The coast was quieter at this time of the year, not as many beachgoers as in the summer, but the restaurants and bars along the highway produced their share of troublemakers, especially on Friday nights.
    Alan liked his beat. Half Moon Bay and the neighboring coastal towns were small and cozy. He had spent ten years in L.A. and had burned out on gangs and drive-by shootings. At least here there was a semblance of normalcy.
    "You and Jenny have plans for the weekend?" Sue asked.
    Alan adjusted his cap, "She wants to spend time with Danny, so probably not."
    "Does the kid like you any better?"
    "No. In fact, lately all he talks about is finding his real father."
    Sue gave him a curious look. "Where is his real father?"
    "I don't know. Jenny said the guy took off when she told him she was pregnant. He didn't want to be a father. I'm the one who's around now, the one who wants to spend time with Danny. You'd think the kid would appreciate that."
    "He'll come around."
    Alan paused by the car. "Jenny and I aren't doing that great. I don't know what the hell she's thinking anymore. We've been seeing each other for six months. That's a long time at my age. I'd like to move things along, maybe get married. I'm turning forty next year; it's time to be settling down."
    Sue smiled. "Have you told Jenny how you feel?"
    Alan shook his head. He had a difficult time talking about personal things. "Ifs hard with Danny around," he complained. "The other night I got so mad at the kid I told him that like it or not, I wasn't leaving, and if he had a problem to get over it."
    "What did he do?"
    "He went to his room and refused to eat dinner. Jenny spent the rest of the night worrying about him. She blamed me, of course. Said I was too harsh. That I acted more like a cop than a friend. Maybe I do. But Danny needs rules in his life. He's spoiled. Sometimes I could wring his neck."
    Sue put a gentle hand on his shoulder as his tirade came to an end. "It's okay, Alan. You're entitled to feel frustrated. Dating a woman with a child is not easy."
    "Tell me about it." He rolled his neck to one side, then the other, trying to ease the tension that stiffened his body.
    "Kids can drive you crazy," Sue said. "I should know. My two are a handful. Luckily, I've got Jim at home, who's solid as a rock and patient as a saint. But kids know you love them. They just like to test you. Give Danny a chance. Show him you care. He'll realize you're one of the good guys."
    "That's the problem, I've always been a good guy. I know how to get respect from people, even kids. I just don't know how the hell to get them to like me."
    "Just be your natural sweet self."
    "Yeah, right," Alan growled. He opened his door and slid into the driver's seat while Sue got in on the other side. He had barely started the car when the call came in -- an accident on Tully Road just off the main highway.
    "That's down the road from Ida's Ice Cream," Sue commented. "I hope it's not a child."
    Alan pulled the car out of the parking lot and sped down the highway. It was incredibly difficult to see. He could only imagine what they would find when they got there.
    The paramedics beat them to the scene, and another patrol car pulled up alongside them. As soon as Alan opened his door, he heard crying, wild shrieking, like that of an