“I am,” Sara easily admitted. “It’s just occurred to me that I may have misinterpreted the motives behind some things that had upset me in the past.”
“Do I figure in this epiphany of yours?”
Her smile twisted wryly. “Maybe.”
“Care to share?”
“Nope. Not yet.” And perhaps never, Sara added to herself. First, she’d have to decide if she was correct. Then she’d need to see if Adam still considered her special. In the meantime, there was his penchant for acting as her guardian, which was not only advantageous but gave her a reason to stay close to him, to hopefully work through their problems. Events that had initially seemed senseless were beginning to strike her as having a dual purpose. That conclusion fit with her pastor’s teaching. Just because something was terrible on the one hand, didn’t mean the Lord couldn’t ultimately use it for the good of His followers. His children.
The arrival of their food was a welcome distraction. Adam passed it to her so he could pay the carhop. By the time their bill was settled, Sara was nearly ready to eat. Holding her burger she took a moment to pray silently over it. When Adam added his own “Amen,” she was both surprised and happy. They had so much in common it was scary. And thrilling. They were no longer kids, no longer seeking the path to becoming the balanced adults they were meant to be. They had arrived. Together.
Sara was smiling when she gazed over at Adam, expecting him to mirror her feeling of camaraderie. Instead, he was ignoring her and peering into the rearview mirror.
She sobered, tensing. “What is it? What do you see?”
“Nothing. Eat.”
“Don’t start that again, please. The best way for you to protect me is to explain what you’re doing and seeing, not keep me in the dark so I won’t be scared. Believe me, I’m a lot safer when I’m on edge.”
Adam nodded. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m not positive but I may have spotted the same guy I caught watching you in the store.”
“You didn’t tell me about that, either.”
“Yes, I did. But he left just as I pointed him out to you. He was big and tattooed, maybe like you saw on the drive-by shooter, although that’s no proof this guy was going to cause problems. What I noticed was the way he stood. The way he kept staring at you. And the fact that I didn’t see him pushing a shopping cart like everybody else.”
Sara swiveled as far as she could to check the area behind her car. “Where is he?”
“Gone again,” Adam said. “That’s another reason I didn’t make a big deal out of it. I thought I caught a glimpse of him as he drove by. I could have been mistaken.”
“Do you think you were?” She took a long pull on her straw so the ice tea would help clear her tightening throat.
When Adam said, “No,” that and the cold drink brought a shiver that shook her from head to toe.
* * *
Rewrapping and passing her the uneaten portion of his lunch, Adam started the car. “We’re leaving. Hang on.” Sara surprised him by complying without argument. Good. She was learning to trust his judgment enough to make his job easier. Now all he had to do was figure out who was after her and stop them.
“Where are we going?”
“Back to the ranch?”
“I’d rather not.”
Since he’d anticipated a more forceful refusal he took her comment in stride. “Okay, then where?”
“How about the fire station? It’s close and we can go inside to eat before the food gets cold.”
And set me up to be teased mercilessly, Adam thought. Was he ready to cope with his coworker’s taunts? Everybody knew that he and Sara were old friends but lately their relationship felt different to him. More personal. Even romantic. Yes, it was simply a quick lunch, yet there was a subtle element to their being together that convinced him others would also sense a change.
Did Sara feel it, too? Adam wondered. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t. He could ask her, of course. When the timing was right. For the present he figured he’d be doing well to stay on her good side and convince her to do things his way most of the time.
She was staring at him as he drove. “Well?”
“Yeah, sure. We can eat in the break room or the kitchen. The guys won’t care.”
“How about you? Will you care, Adam?”
“I don’t know what you’re getting at.”
A slight lift of her shoulders looked like a shrug. “Don’t you? Then why do I have the impression you don’t want to take me with you to the station? We’re there at the same time for calls and for weekly training. How is this any different?”
Ah, here was his opportunity. Should he take advantage of it? As a prelude, he chuckled and shook his head. “I feel like I’m tiptoeing through a minefield, Sara.”
“Why? What did I do?”
“Nothing. Everything. I’d been wondering if you were beginning to view our time together as a little more than the meeting of two old friends.”
“If I say I am, then what?”
“Then I’d have to admit that I am, too.” Adam smiled over at her briefly as he drove. “Of course, if you say no, then I’ll deny that I ever asked.”
“How about if I plead the Fifth?”
“I don’t think that counts unless you’re under oath in a court of law.”
“Oh.”
He noticed a reddening of her cheeks and suspected she might be having as much trouble dealing with a change in their status as he was. Unfortunately, they had arrived at the fire station and their time for private conversation was at an end.
Adam got out, circled to open her car door and helped her carry their food. Clay and a new hire named Nate were outdoors polishing one of the engines and joking with each other. They stopped as soon as they noticed the new arrivals.
“We’re going to go have lunch in the break room,” Adam announced as they passed, preempting any queries.
Nate gave a subdued nod. Clay, however, hooted the way a fan would if his favorite team scored a homerun. “Woo-hoo! You go, Captain.”
Adam knew his neck and face were too hot to have maintained his normal complexion so he hurried ahead to hold the interior door for Sara. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“What? That they’d notice we’re together? It’s not terribly unusual.” The expression she presented when she put down her drink cup and turned to look at him seemed to suggest a hint of unrest as well as a tinge of amusement.
“It’s also not funny, Sara.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Most of the men and women who work here have known us since we were in high school, or before. They probably figured out years ago that I had a crush on you.”
“No way.”
“Oh no? Why do you think I begged you to stay in Paradise instead of enlisting?”
“You were worried about me.”
“Yes. And much more. But I could tell you only had eyes for my cousin so I never told you how I felt.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Not to me.” She slid into a chair at the table and proceeded to redistribute their lunch. “Now, are you going to stand there looking stunned and drawing attention to yourself, or are you going to sit down and eat?”
Adam sat. She was right. He was somewhat stunned. He was also confused. What had given her the notion that he’d preferred Vicki? At the time he’d left town he hadn’t had romantic notions about any women; he’d simply wanted to escape from the small town he’d thought was stifling him. Boy, had he been wrong. There was nothing like facing death in a foreign country to convince a guy he belonged back on home turf.
And the letters the cousins had written to him hadn’t given him a clue. They’d both been chatty and friendly and promised prayer for his well-being. Granted, he hadn’t been good about writing back but that was because he didn’t want to share the ravages of com
bat, not because he devalued their friendship.
Well, at least he now had his answer. Sara did care for him, or at least she once had. There was no reason to assume she’d changed her mind. If she had, she wouldn’t have admitted a romantic crush, would she?
In retrospect, Adam could see as clearly as a reflection in the polished chrome of the engines. Her affection had been low-key while Vicki had thrown herself into his arms for a goodbye kiss. Yet it was Sara who had had tears in her eyes as they’d waved goodbye to him.
And it was Sara whose life was now in his hands. One thing was certain. His military training and experience were going to be of the most value in protecting her. The very same training she had begged him to avoid.
Talk about divine providence!
FOURTEEN
It was all Sara could do to swallow nibbles of her hamburger. Had it really taken threats to her life to wake up Adam? Apparently. She knew she should be thankful but wished he could have realized how she felt via less painful means.
She was able to catch snatches of muted conversations in the background as on-duty firefighters went about their daily assignments. As the main topic of their conversation, she wished the others had more chores to distract them but it was what it was. Chief Ellis had often observed that members of the department who had trained hard and signed up to save lives had to be kept busy all the time or they’d get into more trouble than a half-grown litter of pups.
In a way, she was the same. When she wasn’t at work or acting as a volunteer EMT she had way too much time to think. To fret. And to argue with herself about everything, as she was doing right now.
She peered over the edge of her large cup, sized up Adam and decided he was doing his best to ignore her. Say something. No, don’t. Yes. Speak up. Finish what you started in the car and get it all out in the open.
And then what? she asked herself. If she pushed him, pressed for answers and ended up being wrong about what he’d confess, her heart and her life would be in worse turmoil than they already were. There was only one sensible course of action. She had to let it go. At least for the present.
Reverting to the comfortable role of caregiver, she gathered up their sandwich wrappers, wiped the table with a spare napkin, deposited it all in the trash and dusted her palms together. “Okay. Let’s roll.”
Adam was finishing his ice tea. “Where are we going?”
“Hunting. I know there must be photos of the members of the gang Rigo was part of. If the sheriff or police don’t already have them I know they can get them by email. You did get a good look at the guy in the store, right?”
“Yes. I studied him for as long as possible.”
“Wonderful.”
Adam rose slowly, tossed away his empty cup and studied her. “You sure change moods fast.”
“It’s a coping skill,” Sara replied. “I may feel terrible about something, like losing a patient on my shift no matter how hard I’ve worked to save him, but I’m no good to all my other patients if I brood. The same thing is true of being hurt by Helen Babcock. It was traumatic, sure, but dwelling on how bad she made me feel gets me nowhere.”
“Astute. Also hard to do. Did you learn that in nursing school?”
“Not directly. I think it developed as I matured in my faith. First, I remind myself God loves me. Then I think about all the trials He’s brought me through. Then I pray and do my best to release whatever is bothering me to keep it from eating away at my peace. And then I try to find a way to act in a positive manner to further the healing process. That usually works pretty well—when I remember to do it.”
“You really think looking at mug shots is going to help the investigation?”
“Can’t hurt. Might help.”
“Okay. I’m game. Let’s go.”
He shooed her out the door, making her laugh softly. “Easy, cowboy. I’m not one of your calves. You don’t have to herd me.”
“Just trying to avoid extra teasing.”
Sara laughed more. “It’s way too late for that and you know it. I really am sorry. When I suggested eating at the station I never thought about starting new rumors.”
“Don’t sweat it. In a town like Paradise it was only a matter of time before somebody noticed how much we’ve been together lately.”
“Yes, but you always say it’s because you’re protecting me from the bad guys.”
“I am.” He gestured past the car and said, “Shall we walk again? It’s not far.”
“And a lovely spring day, besides.” She rubbed her upper arms. “I wish I’d thought to bring a jacket.”
“Want mine?”
“No, thanks. We won’t be outside long and it’s warmer in the sun.” Falling into step with Adam she managed to keep up by adding an extra step for every three of his. “I hope you’ll be able to recognize somebody in the gang pictures.”
He abruptly stopped walking. Grabbed her arm to halt her forward momentum. Pulled her closer to his side and leaned to whisper, “I know I will. I can see him right now.”
“Where?” Her head began to swivel. Adam’s hands cupped her cheeks, held her still. “Don’t look. Don’t react. We can’t turn back to the fire station or he’ll know we’ve spotted and recognized him.”
“But—”
“Trust me, honey,” Adam whispered. “I’ve got this.”
Sara’s lips parted. Her breath was ragged, her heart racing. She wanted desperately to look at the man Adam thought posed a danger but he was preventing it.
“Do you kiss with your eyes closed?” he asked.
That was the last question she’d expected. “Why?”
“If you do, keep them open this time and you’ll see.”
With that, he drew her into his arms, turned her slightly and gave her the most amazing kiss she’d ever experienced. It was so awesome she forgot his instructions. Her lids lowered slightly, fluttering.
Adam eased off only enough to say, “Look,” then continued to kiss her. Her brain argued against it, blaming Adam’s demonstration of his kissing on his need to show her the stranger he thought was a danger. At this point she didn’t really care. Not while he continued to kiss her.
It was a monumental struggle to focus on the figure in the distance rather than on Adam but she finally managed. The man was seated on one of the benches arranged on the lawn bordering the courthouse. He was glaring at her and Adam.
Sara had already been short of breath because of being kissed. Now, she felt suffocated.
She knew exactly who her nemesis was!
* * *
With a strangled gasp she pushed at Adam’s shoulders and spoke softly into his ear. “Hector. Hector Alvarez.”
“You know him.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes.”
Feeling her start to sway, Adam supported her as he whispered, “I’m going to turn you back the right way now and we’re going to keep walking. Understand?”
“Uh-huh.”
He knew better than to let go of her when she was wobbling like a newborn calf. “That’s it, honey. One foot after the other. We’re almost there.”
“Is he following us?”
“I don’t think so. I caught a glimpse of his reflection when we passed a window and he wasn’t moving.”
“Good.”
“Just keep going,” Adam said. “Don’t let on that he’s rattled you.”
“Excuse me?”
Adam clarified. “It’s better if he thinks you’re in control.”
“I am in control.”
He knew better than to laugh or challenge her. “Okay. Whatever you say. He probably didn’t notice how unsteady you were for a minute there.”
Sara kept moving ahead but he could feel her spine stiffening, her body language practically shouting indignation. He shooed her through the door to the police
station before he asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Me? Nothing.”
“Could have fooled me.” When he saw her roll her eyes and arch her eyebrows in a clear display of disgust he was flabbergasted. “Why are you acting so grumpy? We’ll get the cops to pick him up and your troubles will be over.”
“Over? Oh, sure. I suppose, in spite of the way you kissed me just now, you expect me to forget all about it.”
“Is that what’s got your feathers ruffled? I was trying to provide a rational way for you to get a glimpse of the guy without letting you turn around and stare at him. It was a brilliant idea. He never caught on.”
“Brilliant,” she grumbled as she made her way to the dispatcher to report their sighting.
Standing behind Sara for moral support and listening to her explanation regarding her stalker, Adam kept one eye on the door, just in case. For the present he was planning to feign cluelessness and let her assume she hadn’t knocked his socks off when she’d kissed him back. Talk about astounding! That experience was far more than a simple kiss. It was a tender joining of their spirits with undertones of unspoken promise.
He was no naïve kid. He’d been kissed before. But this time he’d been so deeply moved, he’d hardly been able to keep his own balance, let alone steady Sara. She’d made his head swim, his nerves tingle and his thoughts take flight. That reaction might have been fine under different circumstances but it could be deadly when he needed to be 100 percent on guard.
Meaning, he’d better not give in and kiss her again until he was certain her troubles were over. Hopefully, when this gang member was arrested and questioned, they’d learn enough to finish the case and put everyone’s fears to rest. Then he’d somehow have to make her believe that he’d had a good enough reason to kiss her when he did without admitting he’d nearly drowned in the ensuing flood of emotions.
Adam clenched his fists. One thing was certain. He had made a mistake when he’d used a kiss as the means to keep her out of danger. A big, big mistake. Probably one of the biggest of his adult life.
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