Holiday Hideout

Cal’s lips tightened at the worry on his sister’s face. “Everything’s fine now, but I think someone just tried to kidnap Abby.”

“What?” Her worry turned to outrage. “Here? On our ranch? But how did anyone know she was here?”

Cal thought about the man he’d chased outside of Dylan’s medical building. Was it possible he’d followed them home?

More than possible, he realized. It was the only reasonable explanation.

He turned to Abby. “Who is he? Who tried to kidnap you?”

She frowned. “I … I’m not sure. He grabbed me from behind. I never got a look at his face.” Her eyes shut and he watched her force them back open. Fear stared out at him and his gut clenched.

Cal wondered if she was telling the truth. “I didn’t, either. Even though I noticed he had dark hair, it was hard to tell his build through the heavy coat. I don’t even think I’d recognize him if I passed him on the street. Abby, if someone’s after you, I need to know who it is.”

She turned her head. “It’s no one. I can’t believe …” She sighed. “As soon as I can, I’ll be gone. I don’t want to bring any more trouble to you or your family.”

Cal took her fingers and squeezed. She didn’t flinch or pull away, but she didn’t look at him, either. “Abby, you’re not the first person who’s needed help around here. After today, your enemy just made the biggest mistake of his life.”

“You don’t mess with the McIvers or their friends,” Fiona stated, eyes narrowed as though imagining what she’d do to the creep who’d dared step foot on her property to cause harm to one there. She looked at Cal. “Sounds like we might need to keep the rifles a little closer.”

He nodded. “I’d say that for now.”

Abby’s gaze bounced back and forth between them and he smiled reassurance. “Don’t worry. Now that we know trouble’s here, we can keep an eye out for it.”

Cal’s phone rang and he pulled it off the clip on his side. He looked at Fiona. “It’s Zane.” Into the phone, he said, “Did you catch him?”

“Sorry, boss, by the time I got to where you said he was, he’d disappeared. I followed his trail for a while, then he started walking his horse in the river. Don’t know if he went east or west. It looks like west, but I never caught up to him.”

The river ran east to west dividing the property in half. About seventy-feet wide, it was one of the reasons Cal’s great-grandfather had chosen this piece of land. An endless supply of water. And either way, as long as the man stayed in the shallow edge, he would be able to get off the property by following the river far enough.

Cal blew out a sigh. “All right, thanks for trying. Tell the boys to keep their guns handy. I don’t want this snake anywhere near the houses. He attacked Abby and there’s no guarantee he won’t be back.”

Cal heard Zane’s swift indrawn breath. “We’ll keep an eye out. Might even need a night lookout.”

“Call a meeting. We need to discuss this and develop a plan.”

“You got it. I’ll be in touch.”

Cal hung up and looked at the women who’d listened to the conversation. “Well, guess you heard. He got away.”

Abby swallowed hard and her eyes closed again. “I’m sorry.”

Cal looked at Fiona. “Let her sleep. I’m going to gather the men and we’re going to cover the property. I want to make sure that guy is gone and gone for good.” Fiona nodded and Cal left, his fury at Abby’s attacker eating him from the inside out.

As soon as they finished the search, if they didn’t find the man, he’d return to the ranch and start digging a little deeper into Abby’s past. He refused to feel guilt at the thought.

If he didn’t know who he was fighting, it would be a lost cause from the very beginning.

And for Abby’s sake, this was one fight he was determined to win. Even if he had to enlist the help of every deputy on the force, he would keep Abby safe.

Abby heard the door open, then close. Cal had left. To track down the man who’d attacked her. She opened her eyes and squinted into the darkness.

Sitting up, she decided that other than a slight headache and the desire to take a long nap, she felt all right.

It was time to go to work. Before leaving home, she’d spent long hours at the office, on the computer, updating files and entering information. Some of it she’d done simply to escape her grief, keep her mind from her sister’s death.

As a result, she’d come across information that she wanted to look at again. Saving it to a flash drive had seemed the best way to do that at the time. Now she just had to find a computer.

She thought of her attacker and shivered. Was it Reese? And when she thought about that, she couldn’t stop her mind from going to one of the nights she’d worked late.

Her business partner, Dr. Randall Cromwell, had stopped by her office and compassionately told her to go home. She’d agreed. Only as she grabbed her stuff to walk out, she’d looked out the window.

And seen Reese leaning against his car, watching the building.

Waiting for her?

Obviously.

“Are you coming?” Randall had asked as she continued to stand and stare.

“I can’t go out there. Reese is there by his car, waiting. He scares me.” Her insides twisted in knots. “Look.”

Randall had walked to the window. “He’s just standing there.” A pause. “He has something in his hand. Looks like a folder or a file folder of some sort. Why don’t you just go out there and ask him what he wants? I’ll come with you.”

She’d sighed and shared, “He threatened me, Randall, so I took a restraining order out on the man. There’s no way I’m going to approach him.”

Randall had pulled out his cell phone. “Then call the cops and tell them he’s violated the restraining order.”

“No,” she’d all but shouted.

Her partner had slowly put the phone away. “Okay,” he drew out the word and she knew he thought she was crazy.

“But will you walk me to my car?” she’d asked.

Randall and Abby had walked out of the office, her partner acting as her bodyguard until she was safely in her car. Reese had watched them, frustration stamped clearly on his face.

Abby wouldn’t approach him, but he’d violated the restraining order by coming to her place of business.

He’d been ordered to stay off her property and he could come no closer than fifty yards if they happened to be in the same public place.

The encounter had scared her. Frightened her that he was becoming more bold. Then again, why wouldn’t he be?

As Randall had opened the door for her and she slid into the car, she supposed she should call the police and report Reese.

Then she’d snorted in disgust. Like that would do any good. Reese was a cop. Cops stuck together.

She’d left the next day and within days found herself on the McIvers’ ranch.

Slipping from the bed, she turned the light on and blinked at the sudden brightness. Her jeans lay draped over the chair in the small kitchen area. Her white turtleneck and blue sweater were neatly folded in the seat.

Grabbing her jeans, Abby felt for the pocket she’d sewn on the inside. Relief filled her when she felt the small lumps indicating the flash drive, cell phone battery, traveler’s checks and her ID were still there.

Using a fingernail, she loosened the threads and soon had the items in the palm of her hand. Thank goodness Fiona hadn’t washed her clothes or her battery would be toast. But then she wondered why she even bothered to keep it. As soon as she put it in the phone, Reese would somehow find out and track her.

If he hadn’t already followed her.

The recent attack said not only was it a possibility, but it was also a probability.

She really should leave.

But how? And where would she go? She’d done her best to outrun and outsmart Reese Kirkpatrick, but all she’d done was wear herself out without shaking the man from her trail.

She’d have to decide what to do about that soon. Leave and take a chance on Reese catching up to her? Or stay and possibly put this sweet family in danger?

Not really a choice.

Clutching the flash drive, she went in search of Fiona. Hopefully, the woman had a computer she wouldn’t mind Abby borrowing.

Abby knocked on the door at the top of the stairs. Almost immediately, she heard footsteps coming in her direction. Seconds later, the door opened. Fiona smiled. “I thought you were sleeping. Come on in. You haven’t been up on this level yet. If you feel up to it, you can start coming up here for meals.”

A flash of guilt hit her. “I’m so sorry. You’ve been bringing my meals down those steps. I’m sure that’s not what you need to be doing in your condition.”

Fiona gave a laugh. “It’s not a big deal, I promise. The exercise is good for me. I don’t go outside very much because we’ve got a bit of ice and I don’t want to chance slipping.” She nodded toward the window. “And it’s snowing again.”

Alarmed, Abby walked to the window and looked out. Big flakes fell in silent wonder. She looked back to the pregnant woman. “Aren’t you worried you won’t be able to get out? What are you going to do if that baby comes early?”

She shrugged. “We have a four-wheel drive and chains on the tires. Joseph said he’d get me to the hospital one way or another when the time came.”

Relief filled Abby. The last thing she wanted to do was have another home delivery on her hands.

Then Fiona shattered her relief when she said, “Then again, if I wind up having the baby here, it’s not a big deal. Mom’s a nurse and has helped deliver a number of babies.” A smile softened her eyes. “It might be kind of nice to have a home birth.”

She wasn’t worried about having the baby at home.

Lovely.

Memories assailed Abby, nearly suffocating her. Her sister’s joyful cries as she called to tell Abby it was time. Abby’s rush to Keira’s home. Everything moved along like it was supposed to, then the baby just seemed to get stuck. She wouldn’t move down the birth canal.

And then her sister’s sudden, terrifying silence.

Abby shuddered. No way would she ever deliver another baby outside of a hospital.

“So, here we are in the kitchen.” Fiona’s bright voice sliced through her terrible memories.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, forcing a smile. “I love the Christmas tree in the corner and the mistletoe hanging above the door.”

Fiona nodded. “I told Joseph I wanted a tree in every room of the house. He thinks I’m crazy. Then he came up with the mistletoe. Said if I got a tree in every room, he got to have mistletoe hanging above every door.”

Her twinkling eyes told Abby the woman didn’t mind a bit. She imagined Joseph didn’t mind the trees, either. A shaft of longing swept through her. Would she ever have a relationship in her life that lasted longer than one interrupted dinner? Most of the men she’d dated—and there hadn’t been that many—didn’t like the fact that when she was on call, she didn’t waste any time getting to the hospital to deliver a new life into the world. If that meant leaving the dinner table, walking out of a movie or being unavailable on Saturday night, so be it.

But she wanted a man who could handle the crazy hours she sometimes worked.

Her mind flashed to Cal. Someone like Cal would understand. She was sure he put in some crazy hours himself as a cop. Then again, how much crime could there be in this little town?

Fiona ran a hand over the black-and-gold granite countertop. “This is my favorite place in the house. The kitchen. I love to cook and Joseph loves to eat, so it works out well.”

Abby took another glance out the window and said a small prayer that the snow would stop. Then she grimaced. She’d given up talking to God the day her sister died. No need to start now. He hadn’t listened then, He sure wouldn’t listen now.

But a small part of her wanted to get over her anger at God. The other part argued that He could have saved Keira and she had every right to be angry with Him.

Fiona touched her arm. “Are you all right?”

Abby jerked. “Oh, sorry, just thinking. Yes, I’m fine.”

Fiona didn’t look like she believed it but nodded. “The great room is off the kitchen through here. This is where we spend most of our time.”

The big-screen flat-panel television mounted over the fireplace played a news channel but was on mute. Noting yet another Christmas tree in the corner of the massive great room, Abby moved to the oil painting on the wall. “Is this the ranch?”

A soft sad smile curved Fiona’s lips. “Yes, a cousin of mine did it for me about a year ago. It’s almost a perfect rendering of what the ranch looks like from a bird’s-eye view.”

“It’s beautiful. Your cousin is very talented.” She leaned forward and studied the signature. Brianne Sawls.

“Yes, she was. Thank you.”

Was?

The sad smile and the use of the past tense made Abby wonder if the cousin was dead. Before she could ask, Fiona seemed to shove off her melancholy and said, “Two bedrooms are down the hall and two are upstairs. I thought we’d let you keep the apartment in the basement. It’s more private and we won’t bother you.”

“The apartment is lovely. Everything is. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you letting me stay here.”

A knock on the door sounded. Fiona excused herself and walked over to open it.

“Hi, Aunt Fiona.” Abby heard Tiffany’s high-pitched little girl voice.

“Hey, there, darling. Hi, Mom.”

Abby followed, watching as Fiona helped the little girl off with her coat. Mrs. McIvers said, “We decided to take a walk in the snow and stop in to check on you.”

“We’re fine. I was just showing Abby around the house.”

Fiona’s mother held up a bulging bag. “Jesse went into town to stock up on some groceries and ran into Mrs. Paula. He dropped these off and said he gave him this for us to share.”

Fiona laughed. “Fruit or veggies this time?”

“A little of both, I think.”

Fiona took the bag while her mother hung her coat on the rack next to the door. “That’s so kind of her.” She looked at Abby. “Paula is in Mom’s Bible study at church. She owns the fresh market in town and is always providing us with fresh fruit and vegetables.”

“Nice.” Abby’s heart did something strange at that moment. And she realized what it was. A longing to belong to something like this. A community. A group of people who cared about one another, took care of each other—shared something as simple as a bag of fruit.

She loved her patients and the babies she delivered, but in the end, they were in and out of her life after about a year. She had a few “repeat customers,” and that was nice, but … bottom line, Abby wanted more.

She had few friends because of her work schedule and because she’d quit going to church after Keira died. In the face of this family’s love and caring for one another, her own loneliness was like a slap in the face.

Swallowing hard, Abby pushed aside the lump in her throat and decided she’d have to postpone the pity party. Fiona walked over to the sink and placed the food in it. She looked at her mother and little Tiffany. “You guys want to help me cut up and cook some fresh veggies?”

“I do!” Tiffany cried.

Fiona said, “Great. You’re in charge of putting them in the steamer after I cut them. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Abby asked Fiona, “Do you have a computer I could use? I don’t need the internet. I just need to look at something on a flash drive.”

Fiona nodded. “Sure. You can use my laptop. We have wireless internet throughout the house if you want to check your email.”

“No,” Abby said quickly. “That’s okay.”

Not only was she afraid to use her cell phone, but she was afraid her brother-in-law—or one of his friends—might be monitoring her email account. He would be able to tell when she logged on and then trace her back to Fiona’s. And that couldn’t happen. Unless he’d already followed her, knew she was there and her caution was useless. The attack on her said that might just be the case.

Then again, maybe the person who attacked her was just some random trespasser and she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. On a ranch, in the mountains, several miles from the nearest town.

Right.

Possible? Maybe. Did she believe it? Not really.

Abby flashed back to the train station. Had she been hallucinating when she thought she’d seen Reese’s face? Or had he truly been there?

There was no way to know at this point and she sure wasn’t going to ask Deputy Sheriff Cal McIvers to find out for her.

Fiona emerged from a bedroom down the hall and gave Abby the laptop. She said, “You’re welcome to stay up here. While I have some good help—” she looked at Tiffany and grinned “—I’m going to start working on supper.”

Abby placed the laptop on the kitchen table.

Laughing, Fiona and Tiffany got to work while Abby stared out the window. Had she seen something? A glint from the sun off something metal? She waited to see if it would happen again. For several minutes, she listened to the others in the background and kept her eyes on the area where she’d seen the flash.

When nothing else happened, she shivered.

If it was Reese out there, she felt sure he would make another move soon.

She would just have to sleep with both eyes open and pray she could get away before he could fulfill his terrifying threat.

In the bunkhouse living area, Cal looked at the men in his employ and gave a silent thanks for their expertise and loyalty to his family. It was one of the leading reasons he’d hired them.

“I don’t know who that guy was, but we need to make sure he doesn’t come back. Who’s willing to lose a little sleep at night? Maybe split the night shift? I’ll pay you overtime, of course.”

Donny nodded. “I’m in.” Donny’s family lived on the edge of Cal’s property. “If he’s causing trouble on your land, he might bring it over onto mine.”

Mike shifted. “If he’s out there, I’ll spot him.” Mike had been a homeless man his father had caught sleeping in the barn sixteen years ago. He’d offered him a job and a bed in the bunkhouse. Mike had been there ever since. And he’d adopted the McIvers family as his own.

Jesse crossed his arms across his ample waist and gave a nod. “We’ll work out a schedule and have the ranch covered as much as possible. But with this many acres, you know we won’t be able to be everywhere all the time.”

Zane said nothing, but his eyes and ears didn’t miss a detail, Cal knew.

Cal looked at Jesse. “I know. Like you said, we’ll do what we can. I’ll ask Eli if he’ll let Joel and a couple of the other deputies patrol the roads bordering the ranch a little more heavily.” Sheriff Eli Brody, a good sheriff and a great friend. He’d be willing to help as much as he could. Cal slapped his thighs. “Anything else?”

“Nope.” Zane stood and jammed his hat onto his head. “I’m going to check out the area along the fence that was cut.” He looked at Jesse. “Y’all let me know what the schedule is. I’ll do whatever’s needed.”

Jesse nodded and Cal cleared his throat. Grateful didn’t begin to describe how he felt about these men.

“I’m going to check on the girls.”

By girls, he really meant Abby, he supposed, as he found himself outside her apartment door. He wiped his boots on the mat and knocked. When he didn’t get an answer, he turned the knob. Unlocked.

He frowned and made a mental note to be sure to advise her to keep the door locked. Usually they didn’t worry about that out here in the middle of almost nowhere, but after the incident with Abby being attacked, he’d feel better knowing she was locking the doors.

Cracking the door, he called, “Abby? You in here?”

No answer.

Pushing the door open a little farther, he scanned the inside are of the small apartment and confirmed Abby wasn’t there. His gaze landed on her cell phone on the end table. The battery lay on top of it. The pile of cash next to the phone made his brows lift and his brain start clicking with various reasons she’d have that kind of money.

He stopped and stood there for about three seconds before making a decision. Picking up the battery, he slid it into the phone and powered up the device.

Was she having trouble with the phone?

The welcome screen came up, then her home screen.

Seemed to be working fine.

Then again, what if that guy at the bus station was after her? The one she’d asked for protection from. Cal hesitated. Took a deep breath.

Then made sure the GPS tracking option was turned off. Not that the call couldn’t be traced, but it would be a little harder and take a little longer for someone to get a location without the GPS feature.

Quickly, he scrolled through her contacts feeling only slightly guilty for doing so. But they’d—he’d—brought a stranger home and she was now living in his sister’s house. No one would blame him for the precaution.

You could just ask her.

No, he’d already read her body language. She was hiding something. His mind went to Fiona and the baby she carried. She and Joseph trusted his judgment and were willing to open their home to Abby because Cal asked them to.

He continued to scroll.

Mom.

So she did have someone who might be worried about her.

Before he could consider the consequences of his actions, he dialed the number.

It rang twice.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Abby Harris’s mother?”

“Harris? No. I know an Abigail O’Sullivan, though, and this is her cell phone number. Who are you and why are you calling from her phone?” The starched tone pushed his wary button.

“I’m a friend of Abby’s.” O’Sullivan? So, she’d used a fake name. “She’s been very sick. I thought someone might have missed her by now.”

Silence. Then the woman said, “She’s on vacation. At least that’s what her note said. As for being sick, I’m sure she can take care of herself. Now, if that’s all, I have an appointment in twenty minutes.”

Incredulous at the coldhearted response, Cal asked, “Ma’am, don’t you want to know where your daughter is?”

A pause. “I no longer have any daughters thanks to Abigail. So no, I’m not interested in her whereabouts.”

Click.

Cal shivered and it wasn’t because the room was cold. Whew. That woman sounded like she could spit icicles. If that was Abby’s mother, Abby definitely had his sympathies.

He went back to the contacts. A few names and numbers that meant nothing to him.

Thinking about the revealing conversation with Abby’s mother made him frown. He removed the battery once again and replaced the phone just like he’d found it.

Abby O’Sullivan.

Estranged from her family, followed and attacked by an unknown assailant. His eyes landed on the end table again. And a large amount of cash.

Just who had he brought into his family’s home?

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

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