A Long Way from Home (The Caldwells of Rebel Creek Book 1)

by Morris, T M

  When Lucy returned downstairs several minutes later the crime scene investigator had arrived and was speaking with Officer Bradford. “This is the home owner, Lucy Caldwell. Miss Caldwell,” the young officer motioned to her, “This is Officer BeckyAnne Duvall. She is here to dust for finger prints and take pictures, you know, the forensic stuff.”

  Lucy shook the woman’s hand as she took in the older woman’s salt and pepper hair and, her warm brown eyes behind oversized glasses. She said, “Nice to meet you.”

  “Yes. I’m sure, however, you would have preferred we meet under different circumstances.” BeckyAnne smiled as if knowing no one wanted to meet her when she was working. “Now if you will excuse me, I’ll get to work. I will need a list of names of the people who have been in your home in the last month or so.”

  “It’s a very short list. Me and Devon James.” Lucy answered.

  “Devon James? Is he your boyfriend?” The woman asked writing down the names on a piece of paper.

  “No. He is not my boyfriend, he’s my boss.” Lucy knew she sounded altogether irritated and deflated an odd combination of emotions to be sure.

  “You have had your boss here? In which rooms will I find his prints?” Officer Duvall asked with a little too much interest for Lucy’s liking.

  “You will find his prints in the living room and in the kitchen.” Lucy felt indignation rise in her throat as she struggled to control her temper. How dare this strange woman insinuate she would find Devon’s fingerprints elsewhere in her home?

  “Just asking.” The other woman replied without emotion. “I’ll get started now.” Maybe it was her wild imagination running away causing her to hear curiosity in the other woman's voice.

  Lucy decided she was getting far too sensitive about it. Nodding to the woman, she turned to walk around the room. There was nowhere in the living room safe to sit because of the shards of glass covering the furniture. She wouldn’t have been able to sit anyway. She was too nervous. She glanced at the clock on the mantel.

  Where was Devon? Was he finished getting the plywood for the windows yet? Why was she so worried about his safety anyway? Her windows were broken, not his.

  As if to answer all her questions Devon burst through the door without even knocking. “Lucy?”

  "Devon! I’m so glad you are here.” She rushed to him but stopped short of embracing him.

  “Are you all right?” Devon looked her over inspecting her for signs of injury.

  “I’m fine. A little unnerved is all.” She turned to Officer Bradford. “Devon, this is Officer Nolan Bradford. He came to my rescue.”

  Nolan blushed crimson as he and Devon shook hands. Devon eyed the younger man. “How much rescuing did she require Officer Bradford?” He asked.

  A complete repetition of the events ensued from the young man’s notes. When he reached the part about the intruder in the house and jiggling the locked bathroom doorknob with Lucy hiding on the other side, Devon exploded. “You mean to tell me someone was in here and they knew your name, Luce?”

  “Yes.” She managed to nod.

  “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Devon paced around the room like a caged hungry lion. He ran his hands through his short dark hair. “Was it Lancaster?”

  “No it wasn’t and what good would it have done to tell you over the phone? There wasn’t anything you could do then anyway. He was gone.” Lucy said her own frustration rising. Officers Bradford and Duvall watched the exchange with mild amusement and curiosity. They exchanged conspiratorial glances.

  “All the same, Luce, you should have told me. You weren’t harmed in anyway were you?” Devon asked as he touched his forefinger to her chin and lifted her gaze to his.

  “No. I wasn’t hurt. He left as soon as he heard the sirens.” She backed away from his touch, unhappy to feel so safe with him in her home.

  Devon turned to the officer. “Officer, er, Officer Bradford, right? Is there anything else I should know?”

  “No, sir. That’s pretty much it.” Officer Bradford said. “Why would you think it could have been this…Lancaster person? Is he someone we should be interested in?”

  Lucy let out a heavy sigh. “He’s my old boss. I have a restraining order against him.”

  “But it wasn’t him because you said the voice was familiar but you couldn’t remember who it belonged to, right?” Officer Bradford asked.

  “Yes. It wasn’t him.” Lucy was firm.

  “Excuse me.” Officer Duvall interrupted. “Could I get both of you to give me your finger prints so I can compare them with the ones I have collected?” Lucy and Devon both nodded. Within minutes the fingerprints were made and both officers were gone.

  Devon stood by the kitchen sink drying his hands on a dishtowel Lucy had offered him. “Lucy, what am I going to do with you?”

  Lucy eyed him with curious intensity as she dried her hands as well. “What do you mean by what are you going to do with me?”

  “I am worried about you. And because I am worried about you, I feel it’s my responsibility to protect you. How am I going to keep you safe?” Devon asked, his voice sounding careful and noncommittal.

  “You don’t need to feel responsible for me, Devon. I’m a grown woman.” Lucy countered. “Just help me get this plywood over these windows and I’ll be all right. I’ll call my insurance company in the morning and have an adjuster out here as soon as possible to get the windows replaced.”

  “Doesn’t it bother you that someone was in your home right after your windows were smashed? Someone who knew your name, I might add. How in the world did they get in? Weren’t your doors locked?” Devon asked as he threw the dishtowel onto the counter top and began to pace the length of the small kitchen.

  “They probably came in through one of the broken windows.” Lucy surmised trying to appear calm. She had not stopped to consider any of these questions. Apprehension welled up within her throat threatening to cut off her air supply.

  Devon scooped her into his arms and held her tight. One of his hands found its way into the massive waves of her hair. . She knew he could feel her body shivering. “Lucy, honey, it will be all right. I’ll get your windows boarded up. You clean up the glass. Do you have an extra bed?”

  Lucy jerked her head up from Devon’s expansive, hard chest. “What?”

  “Do you have an extra bed? I’m not going to leave you here alone until your windows are fixed.”

  Like a leaky faucet, understanding dripped into Lucy’s befuddled brain. “You aren’t leaving?”

  “Is there a problem with my staying?” Devon asked as he released her from his embrace.

  “Um. No. I have a spare bedroom.” Lucy said. So much for the idea of getting any sleep tonight. How was she supposed to sleep with Devon in the bedroom across the landing?

  “Do you have a problem with me inviting myself to stay?” Devon asked sensing her apprehension.

  Lucy looked into his eyes. She took her time to answer him in order to make herself clear, “You are welcome to stay as long as everything is on the up and up. We need to remember our relationship is only a working relationship.”

  Devon frowned. “I have no intention of taking advantage of the situation.”

  “I know. All I wanted was to make sure we both know where we stand.” Lucy moved toward the counter top and reached for her now cold coffee. “Can I make you a cup of coffee?”

  “Sounds like a great idea.” Devon sighed. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He looked tired.

  “I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble.” She apologized. “I should have left Nashville and then Jordan Lancaster would have never had cause to threaten you and your business.”

  “Don’t apologize. Do you think Jordan broke out your windows?” Devon asked as he leaned against the counter top too close to Lucy for her comfort. Every nerve ending in her body was alive and tingling with awareness.

  Lucy handed him a cup of black coffee, and walked out of the s
mall kitchen with her own fresh cup held between two trembling hands. “I have no idea. Of course I can’t imagine him getting his hands dirty by picking up rocks. I suppose we should get this mess cleaned up before it gets much later, don't you think?”

  Devon was heading for the door. “You’re right. We don’t want to keep the neighbors up.”

  By the time midnight rolled around Lucy and Devon had covered the windows with plywood and had cleaned up all of the glass downstairs. Devon had finished putting a piece of plywood over Lucy’s bedroom window and was now standing in the door of her bedroom watching her vacuum the rug. Even now she was so beautiful. Never before had he thought a woman looked desirable in sweat pants and a baggy T-shirt.

  Lucy saw him out of the corner of her eye shaking his head. She turned the vacuum off and turned to him. “Is there something wrong?”

  Devon shook his head again. “No. Should there be something wrong?”

  “I don’t know.” Lucy began to wind the vacuum cord around the pegs on the handle. “You were the one shaking your head.”

  “I’m trying to figure this whole mess out. None of it seems to make sense and I’m exhausted. I imagine you are too.” Devon leaned against the doorjamb.

  Lucy pushed the vacuum into the corner. “Yes I am. Let me show you where you will sleep. I have extra new toothbrushes, razors, and the like for unexpected guests in the bathroom.”

  She brushed past him. Devon pulled his eyes away from the bed in front of him where he wanted to sleep and followed her. What was the matter with him? She just told him earlier about her virginity and now he was wishing he could share her bed. He had to get over this attraction to her. How many times had she said any other relationship between them other than a working one would be wrong? Behave yourself Dev, he thought, you’re thinking like ol’ Randy Jack. You don’t want to lose her.

  The light in Lucy’s bedroom went out moments after the guestroom light. An engine several houses down the street roared to life and moved past the darkened condo.

  Several minutes later the darkness moved at the edge of a wooded area across the street. A figure formed and separated from the shadows and walked on down the street. A car pulled up beside the figure. After a couple of moments the figure got into the car and it drove away.

  Chapter Six

  He stood in the shadows behind her bedroom door watching her sleep, the same as he had every night for the last several weeks. The light from the street lamp caressed her skin with a golden glow. His angel. He couldn’t believe she was so beautiful and his. It wouldn’t be much longer until he made her his wife. He’d waited so long. It was almost time. .

  He watched the steady rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed, cursing the t-shirt she wore. His desire to see her naked flesh made his groin ache. His pants became intolerably too tight. He needed to have patience. He would have her soon enough. Never again would he be denied his need to see her nakedness. Never again would he be unable to touch her whenever he wanted.

  She rolled onto her side away from him taking the blankets with her revealing her lace-covered bottom. He groaned inside his head. Her bottom was so beautiful, so round, he could cup each cheek in one of his hands. He wanted her. It was torture having to wait for the right time.

  His groin erupted causing him to stifle an audible groan of pleasure. The cat hissed at him. He glanced at the bedside clock. Four-thirty. He needed to leave before the nosy old biddy across the way got up to snoop around. She was a regular self-appointed neighborhood watch captain. If it weren’t for her he could come and go as he pleased and not sneak around. He adjusted his pants. . Even as his fingers itched to tear the t-shirt from her breasts he eased around the door and into the short hallway. He crept to the top of the stairs and started down, making sure to skip the squeaky second step from the top and the third from the bottom. He was glad to have discovered them a few weeks earlier when he had broken in during the day while she was at work. After all, he had to double check the repairs to make sure the replacement windows were installed right. No one was going to get to his Lucy whenever they wanted, except for him. If he ever figured out who broke the windows in the first place he would kill them.

  He sighed as he reached the bottom then froze mid-step when he heard the phone ring. Who would be calling his girl at this hour?

  The phone blared a second time, rousing Lucy from a deep dreamless sleep. It rang again as she rolled over to face the bedside table. She reached for the phone and checked the time, half past four. No wonder it was so dark in her room. Lucy slid her finger across the green bar and croaked, “Who died?”

  “Good morning to you, too, Lucy. It’s Devon.” He chuckled in her ear. “And thank goodness, no one I know of has died, sorry.”

  “Devon?” Lucy sat up, wide awake. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s okay, Lucy. I’m fine. I need you to meet me at the office as soon as you can get there.”

  “It’s four-thirty. What is happening that’s so all-fired important that you have to wake me up at four thirty?”

  “And you need to pack an overnight bag as well.” He continued as if he hadn’t even heard her. “Now, get going Lucy. I’ll fill you in at the office. Can you get there in an hour?”

  “I’ll do my best. But I don’t understand. What is so all-fired important? Why do we have to get up so stinking early?”

  “I said I will explain when you get to the office. I’ll see you then. Now hurry.” The line went dead.

  “Okay,” she said to no one in particular, “Shower. Then pack.”

  She was going to take a shower. He could see her naked…no. He needed to leave. As he heard the water begin to run he stood there for a few more seconds vacillating. . He must leave now. He bolstered his resolve and strode toward the sliding glass doors. But first he made a detour to the laundry room and grabbed a pair of her panties from the clothes hamper. He put them to his nose and inhaled deeply, rolling his eyes with pleasure. He stuffed them in his pocket as he made his way to the sliding glass door. He eased it open just enough to squeeze through and closed it again.

  As he slunk through the shadows toward his car parked around the corner of the next block, he hoped she never discovered he had fixed the door so it only looked locked. And somewhere in his crazed mind he hoped no one ever tried to break in when he wasn’t there to protect her. After all, she was his to protect. Not Devon’s. Devon wasn’t protecting her at all. He needed to get over to the office. He needed to follow them to wherever they were going. It was getting more and more difficult to watch over her when she was running all over God’s green earth with Devon. He was getting in the way of his plans.

  An hour later with wet hair and wearing no makeup Lucy walked into the office. Devon was already waiting for her with a cup of coffee. He greeted her with a broad smile and drawled, “You look like you’re all of sixteen. Jeans and T-shirts should look so good on everyone.”

  “As long as I don’t have to be sixteen again I’m okay with looking it. Thank you.” Lucy said accepting the hot cup from Devon. She leaned against Carmella’s desk and took a sip of her coffee before she continued, “So what was so important to drag me into work so early? Lancaster hasn’t done anything else, has he?”

  “I’ve always suspected you weren’t a morning person.” Devon grinned as he warmed up the contents of his cup. “No he hasn’t. He hasn’t done anything I am aware of since Dad served him with the renewal of the restraining order a couple of weeks ago. I called you in because we need to get to Sevierville by noon their time. I got the call late last night. By this evening we need to have a Phase One done and a Phase Two started. By five tomorrow evening we need to have the completed Phase One report in our client's hands and the Phase Two underway. It’s obvious they are in a rush, because they want to have a clean-up plan, if necessary, up and running by the end of next week. They seem to be in a hurry to build on the property as soon as possible.”

  Lucy’s eyes grew wide and her mouth
gaped as she listened. She took another sip of her coffee. “That’s a pretty tall order.”

  “We can do it, darlin’. As soon as we get there I’ll drop you off at the courthouse to do the paper search. Then I’ll find the site do the on location Phase One requirements and begin gathering samples for the Phase Two.” He said as he rinsed his cup and dried it. “We need to get moving. Bring your coffee along. I have left Carmella a note and I have the truck loaded.” Devon said as he moved Lucy toward the door.

  “What time did you get here?” She marveled.

  “I left my house as soon as I hung up the phone from talking with you. I have been here about thirty minutes. Come on now, we have to get out of town before rush hour.”

  “I need to get my bag from my car.” Lucy yawned as she brushed by him. “I’ll meet you at the truck.”

  “No, wait by your car. I will drive around and pick you up, okay?” he said as he hurried to the stairs leading to the parking garage below the building.

  “All right.” Lucy turned in the opposite direction to the elevator and went out the main doors and into the parking lot. She was pulling her overnight bag from the trunk of her old beater when Devon pulled up alongside her. He reached over and pushed open the door.

  Lucy handed him her still full mug of coffee and as she put her bag in the backseat of the truck with the rest of their gear, she asked, “Devon, are you sure we’re only going to be gone one night? I mean it sounds like it should take longer than a day and a half to do both assessments.”

  She felt him watching her as she climbed up into the cab of the huge crew cab truck before he asked, “Would it be a problem for you if it did take longer?”

  “Uh–uh. No. I guess it wouldn’t. I would have to get some more clothes or find a Laundromat.” Lucy began to feel the now familiar uncomfortable awareness with Devon so close. She was becoming more and more attracted to him and she couldn’t decide if it was the small space or the conversation giving her the overwhelming desire to squirm under his calm gaze. She wished she had never answered the telephone. What was she doing going out of town over night with her employer, alone?