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then grabbed her coat.
    Mike was hanging up the phone when she returned. Without a word, he led the way outside to his SUV. “One of my deputies will meet us there.”
    On the short drive, he asked, “This is the woman that made you ask a question about wife-beaters, isn’t it?”
    Caroline nodded, fighting to hold back tears.
    Outside the Long house the deputy was waiting in his car. He got out when he saw the sheriff do so, and Caroline joined them. Mike knocked on the door after telling her to hang back until they’d determined what was going on. “Sheriff! Open up!” he yelled.
    At first, there was no response. Then they heard movement. Finally the door swung open and Tracey’s husband, obviously drunk, glared at them. “What’s a’ matter?”
    “Jerry Long, you’re under arrest for assaulting your wife and causing the death of your unborn child.” Mike didn’t wait for his response. He whirled him around and had him cuffed before Jerry could rise out of his drunken stupor.
    As soon as the cuffs were on, Caroline pushed past the men and hurried into the house. She found both children asleep in their beds, unharmed and unaware of what had happened.
    She woke them up gently, telling them that their mommy was sick and in the hospital, and they were going to spend the night at Caroline’s house. She told them to put on their coats over their nightgowns, and gathered up clothes for the morning.
    Mike appeared at the bedroom door. “I’ve sent—the deputy is taking care of the other issue,” he said cryptically so as not to alert the children. “Where are you taking them?”
    “To my house. I have a guest room.”
    “Okay. I’ll drive you three there.” He knelt and tied Jenny’s tennis shoes for her. “Hi, I’m Mike. What’s your name?”
    “Jenny,” the child said, shying away from him.
    “Mike is the sheriff,” Caroline said. “He keeps us safe.”
    Mike introduced himself to Beth. Then he offered to carry them to his car. Much to Caroline’s surprise, both girls allowed him to lift them in his arms.
    “I can carry one of them,” she said.
    “Your job is to open doors for us, right, girls?” he said with a smile.
    Beth agreed, while Jenny giggled and clung to his neck. Caroline nodded and proceeded to do her duty.
    When they reached her house, Mike carried the girls again, following Caroline inside.
    “I’ll make some cocoa for all of us, so the girls can get back to sleep,” Caroline said.
    She got busy in the kitchen while Mike took the children into the living room. While they drank their cocoa, Mike told them stories about a dog named Chipper. Both girls suddenly wanted a dog.
    Then he carried them to the big bed in Caroline’s guest room, where Caroline tucked them in and kissed them good night.
    They stepped out of the room and Caroline gestured to the living area. After they sat down, she said, “You were very good with the children. Thank you.”
    “No problem.”
    “Can we make the charges stick?” she asked, cutting to her main concern.
    “Depends. I’ll call Nick Randall in the morning. Once Jerry sobers up and makes bail, I don’t know about keeping him behind bars.”
    “This isn’t the first time he’s hit her. But she said it’s usually only on Friday night. I guess she told him about the baby, and that might have set him off. But when did he have time to get drunk?”
    “I’ll investigate tomorrow,” Mike promised.
    “I wish I’d told you earlier today.”
    “I understand that you couldn’t betray a patient’s trust.”
    “But the baby—” She broke off, realizing she was losing control.
    Mike left his seat and stepped forward, bending down to wrap his arms around her. “I know, honey, but you did what you could.”
    “It wasn’t enough!” she complained as tears flowed from her eyes.
    “It never is,” he said sadly. “But we can’t control the world. We just have to do what we can to pick up the pieces.”
    He rocked her against him,