“I think you’ll be able to take her with you.”
She looked up at him, brows raised, and he continued.
“My aunt and uncle had a small horse farm this side of Ocala. It’s for sale, but I discussed it with them as a possible place for you to hide out if the need arose. I’ve run it by everyone involved in the case, too, and they agreed it would make a great safe house.”
Liv nodded, her eyes bright. “It sounds perfect.”
Amber released a frustrated sigh. That was easy for Liv to say. She didn’t have responsibilities.
“I can’t leave. I have a full-time job.”
Even as she made her objections, her pulse fluttered. Maybe the kiss was nothing more than an expression of overwhelming relief. But the fact that Caleb would go to this much trouble to see to her safety had to mean something.
She cast a sideways glance at the house she’d called home for the past year, half of which was now a burned-out shell. That was what could happen to people who associated with her.
“I can’t put your family at risk.”
Caleb again gripped her shoulders. “I told them about you. They want to help. Over the years, at least a dozen troubled kids have come through their doors. That’s the kind of people they are.”
He slid his hands down her arms to take her hands. “This will be much safer. Instead of being surrounded by trees, their place sits in the middle of acres of pastureland. There are woods nearby, but nothing within a hundred feet. No one will get anywhere near you or Liv without us seeing him.”
“What about my job?” She offered one last protest, but her objections were losing their strength.
“I’m sure Chief Sandlin will hold your position until this is over. If there’s any doubt, I can go ask him right now.” He tilted his head toward the other end of the house, where her chief stood talking to one of the deputies.
She nodded slowly, letting Caleb’s words sink in. What he said made sense. The killer had a way of slipping in and out undetected, right under the noses of law enforcement. She’d never seen anything like it. But this would make it much harder for him.
“All right. We’ll do it.”
The last thing she wanted was to put someone else’s possessions at risk.
But maybe it was the only way.
* * *
Caleb turned onto 225 and stepped on the gas. This was horse country. Mile after mile of fence stretched along each side of the road, bordering pastures, green, almost flat and seemingly unending. A sign marked the drive to each farm. His uncle’s place would be a couple miles up on the left. At one time, a sign had read Lyons Quarter Horses. It was now gone.
A mix of nostalgia and sadness rolled though him. He’d always loved the farm and had made a lot of good memories there.
When he’d learned two years ago that his aunt and uncle had begun to sell off the horses, he’d known the day was coming when they’d no longer be able to keep things up. Actually he’d known it before that. They’d been slowing down for the past five years.
Six months ago they’d left the farmhouse to move into a double-wide mobile home on a postage-stamp-size lot in one of those senior communities. The old house had sat empty ever since. Until now.
He moved his foot to the brake and checked his rearview mirror. When he’d made the trip yesterday, Amber had followed him in her RAV4, Liv and a couple of deputies behind her. They’d had a regular convoy going. Today, no one followed him. Unfortunately.
With law enforcement personnel along the road and in the woods and one stationed inside at all times, the killer would find himself walking into a trap. It was exactly what Caleb wanted.
He made a sharp left and his turn signal clicked off. The long, dirt drive stretched ahead of him, the old farmhouse at its end. It needed a coat of paint and the rocking chairs that had lent a sort of coziness had long been removed, but the charm of the place was still there.
Three dormer windows jutted out from the second story, the one on the left marking the room he’d slept in during spring and summer breaks. A porch wrapped all four sides, inviting visitors to relax and enjoy the tranquility of the surroundings.
He drew to a stop at the end of the drive. It wouldn’t be dark for another hour, but the lights inside the house were on. A soft glow leaked out from the edges of the drawn curtains.
He stepped from the truck and glanced around him. Except for the occasional scrub oak, the pastures were devoid of trees, leaving almost nowhere for someone to hide. The woods at the perimeter of the property were too far away to hold any real threats.
Before heading to the house, he circled the truck to retrieve a laptop case and two plastic bags from the passenger seat. Yesterday they’d stopped in Williston to pick up some necessities. This morning Amber had requested some more items. No, requested was a little tame. Begged was more like it.
He stepped onto the porch and moved toward the double front doors. They were set back several feet, forming a protected alcove between the living room on one side and the family room on the other. Since he’d left yesterday, someone had brought the wicker love seat out and positioned it diagonally, still leaving a clear entry path on the right-hand side.
Instead of shifting the items he held, Caleb tapped on the door with one sneakered foot, his lips curving into a smile. Poor Amber. She’d likely not been this idle since...ever. Although his aunt and uncle had at one time had both internet and cable, now there was neither. Cell service was even sketchy. And Amber was climbing the walls from boredom. Though that was probably just part of her problem. Being locked up with Liv 24/7 would be enough to drive anyone to the brink of insanity.
The library books he’d picked up should help pass the time. He also had a surprise for her—his spare laptop and several DVDs from his own collection. Hopefully she liked action adventure. Chick flick options were a little sparse at his place.
The door swung inward. Instead of Amber or Liv, one of the deputies stood there. Caleb breathed a sigh of relief. He’d installed a peephole yesterday, but until this was over, Amber and Liv didn’t need to be answering doors.
The deputy invited him in, then closed and locked the door behind him. A smooth voice spilled into the foyer from the room on the left, a female meteorologist giving the weather report.
Caleb held up the two bags. “Emergency supplies for the ladies.”
When Amber stepped into the foyer, the smile she gave him lit her eyes. His thoughts drifted to the same place he’d been trying to avoid since early yesterday morning.
He’d kissed her. It had been on impulse. He wasn’t even an impulsive kind of guy. What had he been thinking?
Actually he hadn’t been. He’d been so relieved to see her standing there unharmed, his brain had apparently shut down.
And he’d hardly thought of anything else since.
Her gaze dipped to what he held and her smile widened. “Is that what I think it is?”
“If you’re thinking an attempted cure to your boredom, the answer is yes.”
“You’re awesome.” She took the bag of books from him and eyed the other bags. “Can you hang out awhile?”
“Till a little after ten.”
“Good. Let’s have a seat. I want to check out my goodies. It feels like Christmas in July.”
He followed her to the living room, where Liv was watching the evening news.
Or maybe Amber had been the one watching it. Liv was lying curled up on the couch, face toward the back. Her tank top had hiked up, leaving a couple of inches of skin exposed over the waistband of her shorts.
Greenish-blue ink marked the space, the hearts now top and bottom. Viewed sideways, the swirl circling her initials looked more like a treble clef than a random design.
Caleb laid the laptop bag on the coffee table, took a seat and ti
lted his head toward the sleeping figure on the opposite couch. “Is she musical?” All his years in band, he’d never seen her.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“Her tattoo. The design wrapping her initials is a sideways treble clef.”
“She doesn’t play an instrument or sing. She says she can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” After plopping the bag of books on the coffee table, Amber sat next to him and reached for the second plastic bag. “More goodies?”
Liv stirred. “Can y’all keep it down?”
Amber rolled her eyes and rose. Still holding the last bag he’d given her, she grabbed up the other one from the table and walked from the room. He followed with the laptop bag.
In the foyer, she leaned toward him, her voice a whisper. “That woman has the strangest sleep schedule of anyone I know. She wants to stay up talking half the night, then takes naps at weird times throughout the day.”
She blew out a breath that ruffled her bangs. But even her exasperation seemed good-natured. It took a lot for Amber to lose patience.
When she transferred both bags to the same hand and moved toward the front door, he frowned. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“The front porch. Who do you think dragged the love seat out there after you left yesterday?”
After standing on tiptoe to look through the peephole, she turned to face him. “If I stay cooped up inside with the curtains drawn, I really will go crazy.” She cast a glance at the deputy. “Looks like it’s all clear.”
The deputy opened the door a crack, his body blocking the opening, then swung it wider and stepped away.
Caleb pursed his lips. Apparently this was something they’d worked out in his absence. And he didn’t like it one bit.
“You’re supposed to stay inside.” His tone was stern.
Amber stepped outside and sat on the love seat. “Look.” She set both bags at her feet to indicate the view with a wave of her hand. “What do you see?”
He followed her gaze. The dirt driveway seemed to go on forever, clumps of grass separating two parallel tracks. From his vantage point, an angled portion of each side of the front yard was visible, the angle narrowing as it reached the house. Across the street, horses grazed in another pasture. Beyond that, the sun rested on the tops of distant trees, staining the sky shades of orange, pink and lavender.
Amber continued her defense. “We’re protected. Someone would have to be in the driveway to even know we’re here. And by the time they made it to the house, we could be in the next county. And don’t forget about the law enforcement personnel everywhere.”
He heaved a reluctant sigh. He had to cut her some slack. He couldn’t handle being cooped up with Liv without some means of escape, either.
“Now, to check out these goodies.” She leaned forward to pull the books from the bag then placed them in her lap. “Seven. One a day for the next week.” She thumbed through them. “A romance. Another romance. And...another romance.”
When she smiled over at him, his chest tightened. Oh, no. Hopefully she wouldn’t read anything into what he’d picked.
“I figured all women like to read romance novels. But I got help. The librarian chose these.”
Amber checked out the last four. “Young adult. Another young adult. Fantasy. And this one looks like women’s fiction.”
“One missing genre is suspense. I didn’t think you’d appreciate a woman-in-jeopardy story.”
When she looked at him again, appreciation shone from her eyes. “You’re awesome.”
She’d called him that twice in the span of five minutes. Coming from Amber, it had a pleasant ring. “You’re easy to please.”
“I am, but that’s beside the point.” She returned the books to the bag and set the other one in her lap. “DVDs.” Her excitement dimmed. “There’s nothing to play them on. I already looked.”
“There is now.” He unzipped the black bag and removed the laptop. “This one’s a spare. You can use it as long as you’d like.”
She twisted in the seat to throw both arms around his neck. “You’re the best.”
He returned her hug, ending with two casual pats on her back. He’d been worried about her reading something into his choice of novels, when it was his own thoughts he needed to corral.
She released him to pick up the first movie and read the blurb. “This looks exciting.”
He crossed an ankle over one knee, his right arm resting on the wicker arm of the chair and his left draped across the back, behind Amber. After looking at each of the DVDs, she held up a CD. It had a homemade label with a June 18 date, the words “Peter’s Restoration” and the name and address of his church.
“What is this one? Actually, it doesn’t matter. I’m about bored enough to listen to people count sheep. In Arabic.”
He laughed. “It’s a sermon tape from about three weeks ago. I thought you might enjoy it. My pastor’s good.”
“A sermon tape?” She gave him a crooked smile. “You think God is the answer for everything that ails us.”
“I do.”
She returned the CD to the bag with the other items. “Sometimes life’s a little more complicated than that.”
“It’s a lot less complicated when you’re not trying to do everything on your own.”
For a good half minute she kept her eyes downcast as she fiddled with the handle of the plastic bag. Finally her gaze traveled down the drive then lifted to settle on the sky far in the distance. During the short time they’d sat, the colors had deepened, a testament to the power and creativity of God.
She sighed. “I don’t even know how to get there.”
“The road back can seem long and winding, but He’s never more than a prayer away.”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Easy for you to say. You’ve never had to find your way back. You’ve always lived a perfect life.”
“I’m not perfect. Not by a long shot.”
It wasn’t the first time she’d made that accusation. Maybe it was time to dispel the false notion once and for all.
He moved his arm from behind her to clasp his hands in his lap. “I told you about my wife being killed. What I didn’t tell you was how I handled it.”
Several seconds of silence passed before Amber spoke. “Before now, I would have guessed you had some powerful testimony about how you leaned on God and He carried you through the darkest time of your life. But that’s not the story you’re about to tell me, is it?”
“Not at all.” He drew in a deep breath. “We were living in Orlando at the time. I left my church there, sold our house, quit the Orlando Police Department and returned to Chiefland. That’s when I went to work for Levy County. It took me a whole year, though, to find my way back into church. I was angry with God. I felt I’d been doing everything right and He took away the only thing in my life that mattered.”
He shook his head. “A friend of mine went through something similar a couple of years later. He was a rock. He was completely broken, but he clung to his faith like a drowning man holding on to a life raft. And God saw him through.”
He took in a slow, deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh. “You know what I did? I cursed God. Then I didn’t speak to Him for almost a year. I thought I had a strong faith, but it had never been tested. When it finally was, I failed miserably.”
He closed his eyes. God had forgiven him. But it still bothered him. And he’d never found the confidence that, if it happened again, he’d handle it any better than he had the first time.
A soft hand slid between his clasped ones and fingers entwined with his. He opened his eyes to see Amber looking up at him, her gaze filled with sympathy and understanding.
“Thank you for sharing with me. For being real. That’s what those of us on the outside need to see.” She t
urned her head and focused on a point in the distance. Her face took on an expression of contemplation. “It gives us hope.” Her last words were barely audible.
Was the shell around her heart starting to crack? One thing he knew for sure, sitting here next to her, his fingers entwined with hers, somehow felt right. Over the past few weeks she’d woven right past every defense he possessed and found her way into his heart.
At first she’d just intrigued him. Soon that interest had turned to respect and admiration. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She had a giving spirit. She was kind and compassionate. There wasn’t a selfish bone in her body. She exuded sweetness and even had a good sense of humor.
She had all the qualities he wanted in a woman.
There was only one problem. He’d already laid it all out with God. He was willing to consider another romantic relationship.
But no cops.
Unfortunately, God didn’t seem to be listening.
ELEVEN
Credits rolled on the screen and music blared, tense and driving. Actually the whole movie had been tense, almost nonstop excitement. It had been well worth ninety minutes of her time, even watching it on a laptop screen. The only things missing were her cats. She had Tippy, but ever since they’d arrived, the cat had holed up in the bedroom and refused to come out. Amber had finally given up and relocated both the litter box and the food and water dishes.
After swinging her feet from the coffee table to the floor, she leaned forward to turn off the DVD. The sudden silence was a sharp contrast to the drums, trumpets and electric guitar that had poured from the computer’s internal speakers.
She pressed a button on the side of the laptop and a drawer popped open.
“What did you think of the movie?” It was the second of Caleb’s they’d watched.
Liv lifted a shoulder in a one-sided shrug. “It was good.”
After removing the DVD, Amber popped it into its plastic case and snapped it closed. When she looked at Liv again, she was sitting with her head tilted to the side, her gaze fixed on an invisible spot on the coffee table.
Reunited by Danger Page 15