Read Dare to Love (Young Adult Romance) for Free Online Page B

Earlier, he’d been so angry with me he would hardly speak
to me, but now ... he was proud of me?
    “Yeah, hon.  Lieutenant Hudson tells
me you had an idea about the D.A.R.E. program that he thought was excellent.  I
do, too.”
    “Uh, Dad, it really wasn’t...”
    “Hey, hon,” he interrupted me, “how
would you like to come on a ride-along tonight?  You can ride with me—get a
real feel for police work.”
    “Um, well, Dad...”
    “Give me fifteen minutes.  I’ll be by
with the patrol car to pick you up.”  Click.
    I groaned.  I’d been looking forward
to a quiet evening at home.  My favorite program was playing tonight, and now I
would miss it.  I glanced at the clock.  Five o’clock.  Sighing, I headed
upstairs to change my clothes.  The shorts I was wearing probably weren’t
appropriate attire for police work, I decided with a grimace. 
     In my room, I slipped into a pair of
tan pants and a light cotton sweater.  I stepped into my white Keds and then
hurried into my bathroom and ran a comb through my hair. 
    I went back downstairs and waited for
my dad.  Soon, I heard him drive up.  I stepped outside, locked the door behind
me, and then jogged to his car.  Dad leaned across and unlocked the door.  I
slid into the car and buckled myself in. 
    “Hi, Dad.”
    “Hey, hon,” he said, grinning.
    I glanced around the patrol car.  I hadn’t
been in a patrol car since I was a little kid—in the front of one, that is.  It
felt very strange, not at all what I remembered. 
    The dash was bright with lit-up
gadgets.  I immediately spied the radio, but the other buttons were unfamiliar
to me.  I turned toward my dad to ask what each was and my knee cracked against
the assault rifle mounted low on the center portion of the dash.
    “Ouch,” I muttered, and clutched my
knee.
    “Easy there, hon.  Don’t worry, it’ll
seem like home soon enough,” he assured me.
    I found that hard to believe, but I
subsided into the seat and tried to get comfortable.  After we’d driven awhile,
I asked, “Are you taking calls tonight, Dad?”
    “Yep.  We’re low on coverage. 
Madson’s out sick.  So, I thought I’d pick up the slack and take my daughter
with me.  I thought it only fitting that your first ride-along be with your old
dad.”
    I watched my father, who was bursting
with enthusiasm.  “This will be fun,” he said.  “It’s always nice to have a
partner.”
    “I thought deputies always have
partners,” I commented.
    “Nope.  Our guys ride alone.  Some
departments have two officers per car, but unfortunately, we just don’t have
the funding.  Most small towns don’t....”
    Dad’s words trailed as he steered the
patrol car into the station parking lot.  “Come on in for a minute,” he said. 
    I followed him into the station.  He
headed for his office.  “I’ll be just a minute,” he said.  “Why don’t you have
a look around?”
    I glanced around.  Apparently, all
the deputies were out on the road so I had the place to myself.  I strolled
around the main room.  Periodically, I stopped to listen to the police radio,
curious about the police ten-codes both the officers and dispatch used. 
    I made a mental note to ask Dad about
them when we got back into the patrol car.  I moved to study a ‘wanted’ poster
on the wall, and I was surprised to hear my name from behind me.
    “Laura, what are you doing here?”
     I spun around.  Dare grinned at me. 
    “What are you doing here?” I asked
him.
    “I asked you first,” he reminded me.
    I smiled.  “Oh, yeah.  I’m on a
ride-along with my dad.”
    “That’s great.  What do you think so
far?”
    “It’s kind of cool.  It’s been a long
time since I’ve ridden in a patrol car with my dad.”
    “It hasn’t been long since you rode
in the back of one with Dare and Lieutenant Hudson,” a voice said from behind
Dare.
    I glanced up and met Courtney’s cold,
emerald eyes.  I wondered what she and