Finding Her Way Home by Linda Goodnight

she wasn’t God’s favorite child. She hadn’t lived a perfect life, but no one deserved to be punished like that. Where was God the night Dwight Hector broke into her garage?
    The room grew quiet except for a single gurgle of the coffeepot. “Well, if you change your mind, the door is always open.”
    â€œNice to know.”
    But she wouldn’t change her mind.

Chapter Six
    T race was feeling pretty good as he polished off the remnants of a super-deluxe Angus burger with a basket of curly fries and listened to Cheyenne and Zoey jokingly bicker over the merits of mustard versus ketchup.
    This was the third time in two weeks he’d been called out while Cheyenne was on duty and he’d brought her along. This was also the third time he’d insisted on buying burgers afterward.
    Cheyenne was becoming an able assistant and he needed her on these calls. At least that’s what he told himself. And she didn’t seem to mind tagging along. Behind the tough-girl facade, Cheyenne’s emotions were not easy to read.
    She and Zoey got on well, too. In fact, Cheyenne was more relaxed with Zoey than she was with him.
    Why that mattered to him, he wasn’t sure just yet. The Lord was up to something where Cheyenne was concerned, but he hadn’t figured out what he was supposed to do about it. When Michelle Parker had mentioned church, Cheyenne had thrown up a roadblock faster than he could give a rabies injection.
    But then, sometimes ministry was more than church. In fact, most of the time Trace was more comfortable sharing his faith in nonreligious situations. In his opinion, the day-to-day living,with God in the lead, drew people to Christ, not church attendance. Religion had caused him plenty of trouble in the past. God, on the other hand, was faithful. But he’d struggled a long time to figure that out and had blamed God for every problem.
    Maybe Cheyenne was in the same boat.
    He pointed a limp curl of potato at her. “Have you had a chance to see much of the town since you’ve been here?”
    She lifted one eyebrow and said dryly, “I keep hours with you, remember?”
    He grinned. “Guilty as charged.”
    â€œWhich means I’m on a first-name basis with a lot of animals and a handful of owners who think you are the world’s greatest vet.”
    â€œThe owners are easier to persuade than their pets.”
    Cheyenne chuckled and Trace’s stomach lifted in happy response. Why did something as simple as a throaty laugh give him such pleasure?
    â€œSo, no, to answer your question. My explorations of Redemption have been limited by my workaholic boss.”
    â€œThen I know just what the doctor will order. A genuine, five-star, escorted and narrated tour of the city’s hot spots.”
    â€œRedemption has hot spots?” she asked doubtfully, one eyebrow arched in wry humor.
    â€œProbably somewhere,” he said, feeling good to know he’d put the sparkle into those dark brown eyes. He was starting to understand her sense of humor. Behind the aloof attitude that kept her walled off from other people, Cheyenne wielded a dry wit and a razor-sharp mind. “But Zoey keeps a tight rein on her old dad. No hot spots for Dr. Daddy.”
    â€œOh, Daddy, you’re funny,” Zoey said, swirling a fry round and round in ketchup. “Daddy’s good with the tour, Cheyenne. You’ll like it.”
    â€œThe tour? Are you moonlighting, Doc? Vet by day, official Redemption tour guide by night?”
    He liked when she teased him. “Official tour guides would be G. I. Jack and Popbottle Jones. They know every alley, every creek, every house and the people in them.”
    She pointed a straw at him. “And what’s in their trash cans, too?”
    â€œEspecially the trash cans.” He returned the point, slashing across the end of her straw with a fencing motion. She battled him for a few thrusts until his straw