Christmas Witness

by Aimée Thurlo

  “The doctor said the overdose could have been fatal. I nearly cost you your life,” she told him.

  Jake took Annie’s hand and brought it to his lips. “You got me the help I needed, and that saved my life. I’m glad you were there for me, Annie—before I took the drink as well as afterward,” he said, gently reminding her of the kiss they’d shared. He was rewarded when she blushed and looked away.

  Hearing a knock on the door, Elsie glanced up from the chart. “That’s probably Captain Mora. I refused to let him in before, but he’s pretty eager to question you about what happened. Are you up for it?”

  “Sure,” Jake said, still holding Annie’s hand. She tried to pull away, but he gave her a wink and refused to let go, betting that she’d give in rather than make a scene.

  She leaned down and whispered in his ear. “I’ll stay here with you, if that’s what you want, but you’ve got to let go of my hand. There’s enough gossip about me in this pueblo.”

  “Maybe someday you’ll let me give them something to really talk about,” he said, letting go of her at last and giving her a cocky grin.

  “Maybe, someday,” she answered softly, a twinkle in her eye.

  Captain Mora entered the room and, giving Annie a nod, pulled up a chair. “I’m glad you’re both here. You were together when this happened, so you might be able to help each other remember something vital. Everyone I spoke to claims to not have even noticed a cup of cider in the study.”

  “And I bet that’s precisely what the person who did this was counting on,” Annie said. “People were focused on Jake and his uncle, so the culprit had a clear field. Depending on when he actually tampered with my cup, he might have even had an empty room to work in. We stepped out when you were leading Jake’s uncle outside.”

  “I remember,” Mora answered.

  “That cup was meant for Annie,” Jake said. “Maybe we need to start with a possible motive.”

  Annie took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “I’ve been thinking about that. Maybe the killer was hoping to get rid of the one person most likely to identify him—me. I did see him, though admittedly he was in that Santa costume at the time. He probably hasn’t realized that I was more focused on the knife he was waving at me than on his bearded face.”

  “Getting rid of a witness makes sense, but an attack of this kind suggests a spur of the moment decision.”

  “Maybe the killer heard Thomas mention Paul’s special hiding place,” Annie suggested. “Once he learned that Paul hid evidence, he might have assumed that I would know where it was, or could get my hands on it. Like a lot of people, he may have assumed that Paul and I were a lot closer than we were. So, rather than risk having me become an even greater threat, he decided to act immediately. My guess is he must have seen the medicine cabinet through the open bathroom door and went in looking for something to use as a poison. Or he may have already known Paul was on heart medication, and this was probably where it was stored.”

  Mora nodded. “It fits. But, if we’re right, he’s going to try again, soon.”

  “We have to come up with some countermeasures,” Jake said.

  “I’ll order increased patrols in and around the ranch,” Mora said. “But, for now, that’s all I can do.”

  “My wranglers can keep an eye on the bunkhouse, too. I’ll be willing to bet that they won’t mind working overtime this time. of year.”

  Mora handed them each a sheet with a list of names. “These are the people I remember seeing at the house. Can either of you add to this?”

  Annie studied the list then, at last, handed it back. “I can’t think of anyone you haven’t included.”

  “Same here,” Jake said, returning the paper and sitting up slowly.

  Elsie came back into the room and looked at him matter-of-factly. “I see I was right. I just spoke to Martin and warned him that you’d be on your way back soon—whether or not we recommended that you spend the night here.”

  “There’s no need for me to stay,” Jake said firmly.

  Annie helped him slip on his shirt. He accepted her help not because he needed it, but because he wanted it. Admittedly, he would have much rather had her help him undress than dress, but he’d take whatever he could get.

  As her fingers brushed his shoulders, he had to suppress a groan. Her touch, however fleeting, had a devastating power over him.

  “At least I know you’ll be getting to bed early tonight,” Elsie said.

  He looked at her in surprise, wondering what she’d managed to read in his thoughts.

  “Martin will see to it, even if he has to hog-tie you,” she added, to his relief.

  “By the way, Captain Mora, I’d like to have you or your men check out the bunkhouse before we drop Annie off,” Jake said.

  “No problem.”

  “You don’t think he’d try again tonight, do you?” Annie asked Jake, then glanced at Mora.

  Jake answered first. “Not really, but it’s better to head off problems at the pass. If the police check out the bunkhouse, the word will get out that we’re watching your back.”

  Discharging a patient from the pueblo clinic was not a lengthy process. Before long Annie was driving Jake’s pickup back to the ranch, while Mora followed them several car lengths behind. “I think I should drop you off at the main house first,” she said. “You’ve been through a lot.”

  “No thanks. I’m fine.” He liked having her worry about him. The realization unsettled him. Normally he would have felt smothered. “I want to be there when Mora goes through the bunkhouse,” he explained for his own benefit more than for hers. “There’s very little chance of all of us missing something important.”

  Jake saw Annie shudder and the gesture knifed at his gut. “You won’t be left unprotected. You have my word on that. Between the ranch hands and the police patrols, you’ll be safe.”

  He noticed that her hand was curled around the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles had turned pearly white. He reached out and covered her hand with his own. “You can move into the main house anytime you want, too. I’ll watch over you there myself.”

  She gently slipped her hand out from under his. “I’ve stood on my own for a long time. I can’t let anyone, even this killer, take my independence away from me. But I will accept your offer to have the wranglers keep an eye on the bunkhouse.”

  “Consider it done.”

  They arrived at the bunkhouse ten minutes later. The roads were icy and the temperature had dropped dramatically. Annie shivered as they walked to her front door. All she was wearing was the wool maternity dress, but without a coat, it wasn’t much protection against the bitter cold.

  Jake slipped off his leather jacket and draped it across her shoulders.

  “No, you need it more than I do,” she protested.

  He draped his arm over her shoulders, keeping his jacket securely around her. “I’ll feel better if you’re wearing it. Humor me.” He gave her a playful smile.

  “All right,” she said, giving in with a soft sigh.

  The sound ripped through him, triggering his imagination. He wondered if she’d ever sigh softly that way for him in sensual surrender. His body hardened painfully. He willed himself to shift his thoughts away from her.

  Annie hurried with the lock, opening the door as Captain Mora approached. Trying to duck the bitterly cold wind, she went inside quickly before Jake could stop her. Suddenly she stopped in midstride. A red felt Christmas stocking lay on the table by the door. A slow horror unfurled inside her as Annie stared at the Christmas stocking. Trying to save money, she hadn’t purchased any Christmas decorations this year, though she’d made some for Paul’s Christmas tree.

  “That’s not mine,” she stated, her voice taut.

  Jake followed her line of vision. Her name had been scrawled on the stocking with white chalk and a note peered out from within the folds.

  She’d started to reach for it, but Jake pulled her back. “No, don’t touch it.”
>
  Mora walked around her and, with a gloved hand, picked up the stocking and pulled out the note. Handling it only by the edges, he unfolded it.

  Mora read the message out loud. “‘Christmas can be deadly. Mind your own business.’”

  Annie swallowed. “Short and to the point,” she said.

  “I’ll see if I can lift some prints off this, or ID the source used for the letters on the paste-up note. I have a feeling they’re from our local paper. With luck, this note will give us a few leads.”

  When Annie didn’t comment, Jake glanced over. Her face was deathly pale. “Are you okay?”

  She shook her head. “My door was locked, remember? And there’s no sign of a break-in. If he just strolled in and left this for me, he’s either got a key or he’s an expert locksmith.”

  “Do you keep your door locked at all times?” Mora asked.

  She shook her head. “Not normally, no, but I did leave it locked this evening. After what happened to Paul, I thought it was foolish not to start using my key at night.”

  Mora checked the lock. “This isn’t a secure system. I could flip it open with a credit card. Get a dead bolt”

  Annie nodded. “But what about the note? Clearly it was a warning to not help the police.”

  “He miscalculated,” Mora said with a shrug. “You had little to do with the fact that I’m here and this is now in my possession.”

  “I would have given it to you, anyway, but the way things went down may just serve to annoy the killer even more.”

  Hearing footsteps, she turned as Martin entered. “I spotted the vehicles here and thought I’d better walk over and find out what’s going on,” he said. “I’ve left two wranglers at the house, so it won’t be unattended.”

  Jake filled him in, then added, “Under the circumstances, Annie will have to leave the bunkhouse and come to the main house.”

  “Not if you have people keeping watch tonight,” Annie said. “Besides, I can’t just leave my carvings, and it would take quite a while to pack everything up.” She looked at Captain Mora, then back at Jake. “With all the people around, there’s no way this guy is going to return tonight, and I’ve got to go to bed soon. I’m exhausted, my feet are swollen, and my back’s killing me. I need to get some rest.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll stay here and sleep on your sofa tonight,” Jake said.

  “What? You can’t be serious!” The thought of him sleeping so close to her made every fiber in her body dance with awareness. “I mean, the couch is terribly uncomfortable,” she said, hoping to hide what she’d been really thinking.

  He smiled at her, and there was something in his eyes that told her with assurance that he’d not only guessed her thoughts, he was quite pleased with them. Annoyed that she’d given herself away so easily, she looked away.

  “You’ll go back to the main house, Jake,” Martin said firmly. “You wouldn’t be able to throw off a three-yearold in your condition. I’ll stick around here with two of the men and watch the bunkhouse.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Annie said.

  Mora nodded in agreement. “I’ll also get my boys to patrol the area closely tonight. But tomorrow, I want you to get a decent lock installed.”

  Annie nodded. “Of course. I’ll do that right away.”

  Jake dropped down onto the sofa wearily. “The lock is my responsibility. I’ll get it done. But right now, I’m beat. It’s time for me to call it a night.”

  Annie rushed to his side immediately, one step ahead of Martin. She just couldn’t forget the part she’d played in his near-fatal poisoning.

  “Are you feeling okay?” she asked.

  He remained quiet for a moment, then finally nodded. “I’m low on energy, that’s all. Nothing a good night’s rest can’t cure.” He started to get up, but his knees buckled and he dropped down heavily onto the couch again.

  “Do you want me to call the doctor?” she asked quickly.

  He shook his head. “No. I’d only have to hear another litany about the dangers of ignoring medical advice.”

  “Which you’re too pigheaded to listen to, right?” she observed wryly.

  He gave her a heart-stopping smile. “Isn’t this a bit like the pot calling the kettle black? You don’t exactly listen to advice, either, you know.”

  “Okay, here’s what we’ll do. You shouldn’t move around any more than you absolutely have to, so you can sleep here tonight like you wanted. But you’ll take my bed. I’ll take the couch. Martin and the men can keep an eye on things for us both.”

  Jake gave her a cocky grin. “I thought you might come around to my way of thinking.”

  She stared hard at him, suddenly wondering if she’d been manipulated. Noting he was as white as the stuccoed walls, she recanted. “Just take it easy.”

  Mora spoke into his two-way radio and, as he made arrangements for extra patrols, they all grew quiet. Finally, finished with the transmission, he said good-night to all of them. Martin followed him to the door.

  “I’m going to round up the boys,” Martin said. “We’ll be close by, Annie. If you need anything, just draw back the curtains. We’ll be in here in a flash.”

  It seemed strange, but from the moment she and Jake were left alone, the very air around them seemed to become charged with electricity. As she walked back, she saw Jake looking around. His eyes came to rest on the photo of her and Bobby.

  “That was my husband,” she said. “It was taken last year, before he was killed in an accident.”

  The news took him by surprise. “I’m sorry, Annie,” he said softly. “Do you still love him?”

  “A part of me always will, but the baby has helped me focus on the future, not the past.” She brought out some blankets from the linen closet. “Letting go was hard, but Paul helped me shift away from my grief and focus on my work. He became like a father to me, at a time when I needed one.”

  She’d answered some of his questions. He knew now that his father’s relationship with Annie hadn’t been sexual, but it also pointed out how little he knew about her. “Tell me more about yourself and Bobby.”

  She shook her head. “My past is my own. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll sleep on the couch,” she said. “My bed’s got plenty of blankets, but let me know if you need extra.”

  “The only way I’m sleeping in your bed is if you’re there with me,” he murmured.

  His voice caressed her, soothing and tempting her all at once. She looked away and tried desperately to concentrate on something else.

  “Go sleep in your own bed, Annie,” he said at last, his expression gentle. “I’ll be fine out here. And I’d rather be closer to the door.”

  “Do you expect trouble?” she asked quickly.

  “No, not at all.” He grinned slowly. “It’s a man thing, that’s all. I’d rather be the protector than the protectee. Male ego and all that.”

  His smile, so purely masculine, tore past her defenses. Everything feminine in her awakened. Aware of the danger, she braced herself to resist the temptation he posed.

  Annie went to the bedroom and brought him her pillow. She’d make do with her coat tonight, though she wouldn’t tell him that. She handed him the pillow and, as he leaned back against it, spread the wool blanket over him.

  His gaze swept over her, lingering on her face, then dropping to her full breasts. When she finished straightening the blanket, he reached out for her hand.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  His touch made her melt inside. She felt desired and safe, feelings she’d never expected to experience again, particularly now that she was a widow and very pregnant.

  “Annie,” he whispered as she began to move away to turn off the lights. He wouldn’t let go of her hand.

  Moonlight filtered through a small part in the curtain, filling the room with a soft glow. She turned around and, even in the semi-darkness, her eyes found his.
/>   “Thank you,” he whispered.

  She smiled weakly and broke free of his grasp, turned off the lights, and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  ANNIE WOKE UP suddenly as the baby kicked and shifted. With a sigh, she stood up and began pacing, knowing that the rocking motion as she moved would quiet the baby. Minutes ticked by slowly as she battled exhaustion. It seemed she’d been up for an eternity when the door to her bedroom opened slightly. She froze, her heart hammering. Then, a moment later, Jake appeared in her doorway.

  He was shirtless, his jeans riding low on his waist, zipper down, as if he’d dressed in a hurry. Awareness shimmered between them.

  “I heard footsteps, and I thought something was wrong.”

  “You shouldn’t be up,” she said, going over to where he stood, intending to help him back to the couch. But her good intentions were a mistake.

  As she stood inches before him, his gaze seared over her, branding her flesh. “Do you know what you do to me?” he asked, his voice a tortured whisper.

  Annie was barefoot and vulnerable, wearing only a thin nightshirt that did nothing to hide her body. Yet the raw power of her femininity called to him like a siren song and everything male in him responded.

  He pressed his palm to her cheek, and she leaned into him instinctively. Before she could even take a breath, his mouth covered hers. The world began spinning, a million pleasures weaving through her. As she clung to his shoulders, he unbuttoned her nightshirt, tenderly caressing her breasts.

  He slowly smoothed his palm down her body, passing the swell of her stomach, then dipping lower until he reached the center of her femininity.

  “No,” she begged, her body trembling with desire and urging her to not step away. “We shouldn’t...”

  She held her breath as she felt him touch the soft petals of her body then, with a groan, he pulled his hand away without reaching for the sweetness he’d needed.

  “Don’t,” she managed, her voice unsteady. “We’re playing with fire.”