by Cyndi Raye
She saved him that day and had earned a place in his heart, too.
Zach did not believe in love at first sight before that day.
Then his eyes landed on her. With her kind but wounded eyes, she blew past barriers he did not know he had around his heart and claimed it.
He did not think he could describe the feelings that gathered in his chest that day if someone asked but it was like his soul recognized his other half in that instant.
Zach was a man who listened to his gut. He did not question the instinct to make Caroline his. His only concern was making it happen.
She had reservations about a relationship between them and always blew off his advances. She was always quick to tell him all the reasons why they could not be together.
He was her patient.
She was older than he was by four years.
She had a three year old daughter.
He had already learned that the deadbeat dad was not in the picture and viewed none of the other factors as roadblocks to them being together.
He just had to find the secret to winning her heart.
He turned back toward the condo, pulling out his cell phone on the way.
His friend and co-worker, Cole Brown, answered on the fourth ring, “What’s up, dude?”
“I need relationship advice.”
There was silence for a few seconds then, “This about Caroline?”
Zach’s crush was no secret and he cheerfully replied, “Yup.”
“Meet me at Lennys. Six tonight good for you?"
"I'm free."
"I'll bring Ben."
A man of few words, Cole hung up with that pronouncement.
Zach grinned, visions of Caroline dressed in white and walking down an aisle toward him in his mind.
Chapter 2
"What you need is a game plan."
This piece of advice came from Cole. He delivered this in his usual stoic manner and brought a mug of lager to his mouth.
Cole gave off a mess-with-me-and-you'll-get-your-teeth-knocked-in vibe with his military short haircut, bulging muscles and naturally mean looking face. No one would look at him and think him a happily married man. Far less, a man whose wife had him wrapped around her little finger.
The evidence came when he looked at her. He did so then as a burst of female laughter came from a table a few feet away. A group of women sat oohing and ahhing over bridal magazines while sipping on girlie-colored, umbrella accessorized drinks, AKA, wedding planning.
Callie Tucker was a niece to the owner of the bar and Cole's wife. The two had eloped to Las Vegas two weeks ago and were now planning a big wedding at Boot Key Harbor.
Callie was currently huddled close to Ben's fiancé, Angela. As if she felt the force of Cole's adoration, she looked up and graced him with an equally adoring smile.
Zach wanted Caroline to smile at him like that so he was all ears for Cole's advice.
The men were gathered at their usual hangout, Lenny’s Bar and Grill. The spot was a local favorite, loved equally for its great food and beverages, location right on the harbor and it’s rough-looking but gentle-hearted owner, Lenny.
Gray-haired and tattooed, the recreational biker added his two cents to Zach’s romantic woes. He leaned over to replace Cole’s empty mug and said, “Oh, definitely. You got to know what you’re doing and where you’re headed with these ladies or they’re goin’ to drive you up the wall. I’ve got the crazy ex-wife to prove it.”
There was a hum of agreement from a man seated near them.
“Hear, hear,” he said and raised his glass before downing it in one go.
Zach briefly gave a thought to the unknown guy’s story before Ben contributed, "Yup, nothing worse that fumbling your way through this game called love.”
Ben and Angela had been best friends for more than ten years before the two decided to stop dancing around each other and admit they were in love.
Zach had no intention of waiting that long before he snatched Caroline and her little girl up.
He met little Jasmine last Sunday afternoon at a nearby park. He had been out for a run when he stumbled across them. Jasmine was a mini version of her mother – long dark red hair with freckles dotting her nose and cheeks like grains of brown sugar. In other words, absolutely gorgeous.
Caroline had been skittish and tried to cart off the curious tyke but Zach had several nieces and nephews he frequently spent time with and knew the way to any little rug rat’s heart.
"How about we get some ice-cream." He had made it a statement, not a question.
"Yay!" came Jasmine's response and it was decided.
The trio ended up spending three hours together. Eventually, Caroline relaxed and revealed a softness she usually kept hidden during their therapy sessions. She spoke without the usual guard in her eyes as they took turns cleaning up the mess the toddler made while enjoying the sweet treat.
She lived only a few minutes away from the park and he had walked them home after. The connection they developed that afternoon lingered as they said goodbye on the front porch.
They almost kissed but Jasmine demanded attention a second before their lips connected.
He left the two after promising Jasmine they would hang out again and kissing Caroline’s cheeks.
The hunger in her gaze as they followed his departure had him hopeful that he had gained some headway with her.
Unfortunately the next day, not only did Caroline have her walls back up, they were higher and stronger.
Their patient-therapist relationship was coming to an end. He was in great physical shape and would be returning to work within two weeks in a part-time position while he got strong enough to start making underwater dives again.
"You need to keep her on her toes. Don't give her time to think of reasons why you guys can't be together. Flowers, candy, call her, show up unannounced. Learn what she likes and do that."
Zach liked that strategy and thought there was no better time than the present to start. He wanted to hear her voice and did not fight the impulse like he would have done before. He pulled out his smart phone and dialed her number. He smiled, listening to the ringing line and ignoring the gaffs from the other males.
When the call connected, he started, "Hi, sweetheart! What-"
"Zach."
His playful demeanor disappeared. The solider beneath his jovial veneer took over. There was panic and fear in her voice.
“What’s the matter, Caroline?”
“Help me, please,” she whispered. “Someone has broken into my house. I’m scared, Zach.”
Caroline’s words broke off and a sob came across the line.
He was already up and headed for the door. He had to eliminate the threat to her and the child he already considered his.
Bar tools scraped the floor and the other two BKH Bad Boys followed him.
He pulled the keys for his vehicle out of his pocket as he stepped outside the bar. The night welcomed the predator he was then as he stalked across the asphalt.
“Where are you now?”
“I’m in my bedroom. I locked the door.”
The lights of his truck blinked as he unlocked it and got in. Ben sat in the passenger seat and Cole got in the back. “Good girl. Do you have a walk-in closet?”
He heard Jasmine’s voice. Caroline whispered something to the child then answered, “Yes.”
“Okay, here’s what I want you to do.”
He instructed her to obstruct the door quietly and hide in the closet. He gunned the engine and reassured her, “I’m on my way, babe. Just hold the line.”
The tires squealed as Zach’s SUV tore out of the parking lot. He update the other men on the situation on the way. Ben called Angela to update the women on why they had left so abruptly while Cole called the cops and gave them Caroline’s address.
Zach’s blood chilled when he heard a male voice call Caroline’s name.
He stepped on the gas of the already speeding vehicle
.
Chapter 3
Thirty Minutes Earlier
Caroline stroked Jasmine’s ringlets away from her chubby cheeks as she thought about the question the child posed to her before she fell asleep.
“When can I see Mr. Zach again?”
Caroline felt a smile tug at her lips at the thought of the infuriating man.
He was constantly on her mind. He had implanted himself there from the first day she saw him on that beach.
He made no bones about wanting to be more than her patient and now he had an unlikely advocate in the form of her daughter.
Jasmine was enamored by his charm and asked about him every chance she got.
Caroline’s smile fell.
Was Jasmine starved for male attention?
She had never known her biological father and Caroline did her best to make up for his absence. After becoming pregnant by the abusive jerk and nearly losing her life in the process of purging him from her life, she was bound and determined to never fall for another man’s false charm. Therefore finding a father figure for Jasmine had never been high on Caroline’s list of to-dos.
She had not been out on a date in over four years.
Now, she wondered if she was doing Jasmine a disservice by not trying harder to get over her past. Would giving a relationship a try really be as disastrous as her mind made it out to be?
Her thoughts returned to Zach.
He was the first guy to tempt her away from her self-imposed relationship hiatus.
And oh what a temptation Zach was! With his sun bleached dark hair that was just a little too long and always fell into his hair and the dimple on his right cheek.
He had gained several pounds during the last few months, all of it muscle. His shoulders were broad and he filled out his clothes like nobody’s business.
Zach was not the traditional definition of handsome. His features were too rough for that but that was largely part of his appeal. He was entirely comfortable in his own skin and drew everyone in with his bright aura.
She sighed, wishing she did not have so much emotional baggage. Wishing that the decision to date someone as spectacular as Zach appeared to be was easy.
But she knew how deceptive appearances could be and that was exactly the problem.
A low scraping sound reminiscent of metal rubbing against wood interrupted her mental musing.
The sound came from downstairs the two story house. At first, she thought it was just another night noise – a branch from one of the nearby trees brushing the house or a stray dog rummaging through a trashcan again. Then the noise came again and then again.
Then…
Thump.
Someone was in her house!
She froze with the realization. The shock was replaced by a surge of adrenaline when Jasmine turned over in her princess castle twin bed, cooing a sound that Caroline would have thought absolutely adorable if she could have taken the time to appreciate it.
Now all she could think about was making sure her baby was safe and protected against the intruder.
Mentally running through her options, she picked up Jasmine. Dressed in pink polka dot pajamas, the little girl turned into her mother’s embrace and groggily questioned, “Momma?”
“Shh, baby. Mummy just wants a hug.”
“Okay, Momma.” Jasmine twinned her hands around Caroline’s neck and buried her face under her mother’s chin.
Caroline rushed out of Jasmine’s bedroom. The room was the first after the stairs that led to the second floor.
She had no idea where the intruder was and could not risk going downstairs to escape through the front door. She hurried her steps, heading in the opposite direction.
Passing the bathroom, Caroline went into her bedroom as silently as possible. She grimaced every time the floorboard creaked but kept on going, closing the door and turning the lock.
Her cell phone was on the night stand and she grabbed it, intending to dial 911. It vibrated in her hand.
Spooked, she almost dropped it. The mobile was on silent mode, thankfully.
She looked at the screen.
It was Zach.
She swiped her finger across the display. It took three tries before she was able to connect the call. She placed the phone to her ear with a trembling hand.
She heard music and laughter in the background as he started, "Hi, sweetheart! What-"
“Zach,” she breathed, the sound betraying her feelings even to her ears.
Instantly Zach’s playfulness was gone. “What’s the matter, Caroline?”
“Help me, please,” she whispered, fighting the urge to sob. “Someone has broken into my house. I’m scared, Zach.”
Jasmine perked up at the mention of Zach’s name.
“Where are you now?” Zach asked.
“I’m in my bedroom. I locked the door.”
“Good girl. Do you have a walk-in closet?”
“I want to talk to Mr. Zach, too.” Jasmine made a grab for the device.
“In a minute, sweetheart.” Caroline whispered before answering Zach. “Yes.”
“Okay, here’s what I want you to do.”
She placed Jasmine in the center of her bed, telling the little girl they were going to play hide and seek and needed to be as quiet as possible. She followed Zach’s directions then. She turned off the light and placed a chair under the handle of the door.
She heard the roar of an engine and the squeal of tires as Zach said, “I’m on my way, babe. Just hold the line.”
With the light of the moon streaming through her curtains, she picked up Jasmine and huddled in the furthest corner of her closet. She positioned them so that her body shielded Jasmine in case the worst happened.
She kept the cell against her ear the entire time. She felt reassured by the murmur of male voices on the line, knowing help was on the way.
That feeling disappeared when a large bang sounded. “Caroline, open this door.”
Her head jerked toward the sound. Remembered terror seized her heart as she recognized that voice.
Dale Harrison.
Jasmine’s father.
The man who tried to kill her when she was two months pregnant.
Chapter 4
“I bet you’ve got that little girl locked up in there with you. Unless you want her to witness what I have in store for you, you’ll come out here.”
Dale’s voice was conversational but she heard and recognized the threat laced in his words. He was always calm before he laid his fists into her.
“Who is that, Momma?” Jasmine asked, jumping against Caroline when Dale pounded the door again.
“No one, baby,” Caroline reassured Jasmine. She forced a smile and kissed the child’s forehead.
“You have ten seconds to come out here before I break this door down. One, two-”
The decision was a no brainer. She could not risk Jasmine. Especially when she was up against someone who was capable of great violence like Dale was.
Zach’s voice came across the line as if he heard her thoughts. “No, Caroline, wait for m-”
“Three.”
“Please, make sure my baby is unharmed, Zach,” she said before giving the phone to the girl. “Here, baby, you can talk to Mr. Zach now.”
“Four.”
“Don’t forget we’re playing a game. Mommy or Mr. Zach will come get you. Don’t move from this spot. Do you understand, sweetheart?”
“Five, six-”
Jasmine nodded. “Yes, Momma.”
The fear that had crept into her voice disappeared as her tiny fingers held the phone up to her ear. “Hello, Mr. Zach. Are you coming to play with us?”
Caroline did not know what Zach said but Jasmine giggled then quickly covered the sound when she remembered her mother’s instructions.
“Seven.”
Caroline fought against crying when she closed the closet door and walked away from her child.
“Eight, nine-“
She c
rossed the threshold quickly and turned the lock.
“T-”
Dale stopped the countdown when she stepped out into the hallway.
He smirked at her. “Why Caro, you don’t look happy to see me. I think my feelings are hurt, dear.”
Dale came from money. Even after spending almost four years in jail, his looks and demeanor screamed it.
His dirty blond hair was cut and styled. He was dressed in khaki slacks and his light blue shirt looked freshly pressed. He smelled of a popular brand of expensive cologne and an underlying banana aroma that told her he had a facial recently. It was a scent she now associated with evil.
He had most people fooled though. At least before he was arrested. All they saw was a good ole boy who did not raise his voice and supported shelters for battered women.
If only they could see the manic light in his blue eyes and the gun in his hand now. Then they would know his true nature.
Just the sight of him had her mind dissolving into panic. She was trying to think of a way to get her daughter away from him without anyone getting hurt but she was paralyzed by past memories and remembered pain and humiliation.
Caroline had no family to call her own when she met Dale. After her parents were killed in a car accident on her seventh birthday, she was bounced around foster care until she was eighteen years old and gained her independence.
Caroline met Dale in her senior year of college, while she had been interning at a hospital. He had been attending a donation ceremony. His family had just contributed a large sum of money to the facility so he had been all dolled up while she had been dressed in standard scrubs.
She had felt star-struck when he dazzled her with his straight-teethed smile. When he asked her out in front a group of envious nurses and other interns, she had agreed without a thought.
He had been the perfect gentleman on their date, holding doors open and pulling out chairs for her. He complimented her and snuck small touches on the small of her back and cheek.
He had left her on her doorstep at the end of the night with a chaste kiss on the lips that left her blushing and anticipating what was to come next.