Read Online Annie's Neighborhood (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Roz Denny Fox - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Roz Denny Fox
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steadily at her over the rim.
“They’re like the others, too scared to join in. It’s only one gang, for pity’s sake. In L.A. there’d be a dozen or more out roaming the streets.”
“In L.A., like in other big cities, gangs fight one another for turf. They display their colors proudly, and cops know the members. They just have to catch them in the act of committing a crime.”
“The gang here is sneakier, and that’s precisely why I think there’s still hope to wrest local kids from their clutches. In my work in low-income areas, I found parents willing to do whatever it took to give their children more opportunities for a better life. They’d risk a lot to keep them out of gangs.”
Annie’s fervor, coupled with her knowledge of people stuck in poverty, niggled Sky. “Something I may be able to do is arrange for a direct hotline during daylight hours, one that circumvents our dispatcher and goes instantly to the cell phones of whichever cops are on duty. It might shorten response time. Usually, when the dispatcher manages to get hold of one of us, the perpetrators have done the crime and gone to ground before we even reach the scene.”
“That would be a start.” Annie smiled at him, and jotted in her notebook. “It’s something I can offer folks. Instead of another collective meeting, I’ll go from house to house and discuss cleanup. If I get people to agree, I’ll provide some incentives—like house paint. We can do one street at a time, ending up at the park. With their homes in shape, I bet everyone will be excited about helping replant the park.”
Sky drained his cup, crushed it and tossed it in a wastebasket. “This is a darned good cookie. Did you bake them?” he asked.
“Yes, it was one of Gran Ida’s favorite recipes. Everything I’m trying to accomplish here, I’m doing in her memory. So, I won’t be distracted by compliments about my cookies.” She tossed her empty cup in the basket from farther away.
Sky chuckled at that and picked up her box of leftovers. “I get the message, Annie. You’re stubborn. Turn out the light, will you? I’ll walk you out and stow this in your car. For the record, once I lay out a course, I follow through. Just sayin’ so you can expect to see my cruiser glued to your bumper until you pull into your garage.”
She didn’t argue this time. She merely turned off the lights and directed him to the big pickup she’d bought and now drove in place of the compact rental she’d had. Admittedly, her mind sometimes strayed away from the business at hand and she thought about Police Chief Cordova in ways that were personal...and very unwise.
“Whoa, this is some serious set of wheels.” Sky set the box in the cab after she’d unlocked the door. He walked around, admiring her shiny black Dodge Ram.
Annie shrugged. “I considered buying a car, but decided I needed something capable of hauling ladders, tarps, paint cans and rosebushes.”
He whistled through his teeth. “This baby oughta do that and more. Just don’t assume you can ditch me at a stoplight with all your horsepower, though. My cruiser may look old, but it has a souped-up engine.”
Annie laughed at that.
He assisted her into the driver’s seat even though it wasn’t necessary. Annie took a moment to reflect on his courtly manners as she saw his lights bob in her rearview mirror. She could no longer say she wasn’t warming up to him. He had turned out to be nicer than she’d given him credit for. Cute, too, especially when his blue eyes grew serious. But he could use a haircut. On the other hand, she couldn’t really dredge up any real objection to sun-tipped brown hair that curled appealingly over his collar. And a dimple. The chief had a deep one in his left cheek, which she’d bet he would deny was a dimple. No matter, she liked the way it softened his harshly masculine face.
Still considering his other attributes, such as trim hips and broad shoulders on a solid frame,
“They’re like the others, too scared to join in. It’s only one gang, for pity’s sake. In L.A. there’d be a dozen or more out roaming the streets.”
“In L.A., like in other big cities, gangs fight one another for turf. They display their colors proudly, and cops know the members. They just have to catch them in the act of committing a crime.”
“The gang here is sneakier, and that’s precisely why I think there’s still hope to wrest local kids from their clutches. In my work in low-income areas, I found parents willing to do whatever it took to give their children more opportunities for a better life. They’d risk a lot to keep them out of gangs.”
Annie’s fervor, coupled with her knowledge of people stuck in poverty, niggled Sky. “Something I may be able to do is arrange for a direct hotline during daylight hours, one that circumvents our dispatcher and goes instantly to the cell phones of whichever cops are on duty. It might shorten response time. Usually, when the dispatcher manages to get hold of one of us, the perpetrators have done the crime and gone to ground before we even reach the scene.”
“That would be a start.” Annie smiled at him, and jotted in her notebook. “It’s something I can offer folks. Instead of another collective meeting, I’ll go from house to house and discuss cleanup. If I get people to agree, I’ll provide some incentives—like house paint. We can do one street at a time, ending up at the park. With their homes in shape, I bet everyone will be excited about helping replant the park.”
Sky drained his cup, crushed it and tossed it in a wastebasket. “This is a darned good cookie. Did you bake them?” he asked.
“Yes, it was one of Gran Ida’s favorite recipes. Everything I’m trying to accomplish here, I’m doing in her memory. So, I won’t be distracted by compliments about my cookies.” She tossed her empty cup in the basket from farther away.
Sky chuckled at that and picked up her box of leftovers. “I get the message, Annie. You’re stubborn. Turn out the light, will you? I’ll walk you out and stow this in your car. For the record, once I lay out a course, I follow through. Just sayin’ so you can expect to see my cruiser glued to your bumper until you pull into your garage.”
She didn’t argue this time. She merely turned off the lights and directed him to the big pickup she’d bought and now drove in place of the compact rental she’d had. Admittedly, her mind sometimes strayed away from the business at hand and she thought about Police Chief Cordova in ways that were personal...and very unwise.
“Whoa, this is some serious set of wheels.” Sky set the box in the cab after she’d unlocked the door. He walked around, admiring her shiny black Dodge Ram.
Annie shrugged. “I considered buying a car, but decided I needed something capable of hauling ladders, tarps, paint cans and rosebushes.”
He whistled through his teeth. “This baby oughta do that and more. Just don’t assume you can ditch me at a stoplight with all your horsepower, though. My cruiser may look old, but it has a souped-up engine.”
Annie laughed at that.
He assisted her into the driver’s seat even though it wasn’t necessary. Annie took a moment to reflect on his courtly manners as she saw his lights bob in her rearview mirror. She could no longer say she wasn’t warming up to him. He had turned out to be nicer than she’d given him credit for. Cute, too, especially when his blue eyes grew serious. But he could use a haircut. On the other hand, she couldn’t really dredge up any real objection to sun-tipped brown hair that curled appealingly over his collar. And a dimple. The chief had a deep one in his left cheek, which she’d bet he would deny was a dimple. No matter, she liked the way it softened his harshly masculine face.
Still considering his other attributes, such as trim hips and broad shoulders on a solid frame,
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