Dalton’s heart beat so fast it hurt. The snow had stopped falling and a sliver of moonlight sliced through the clouds, faintly illuminating the wintry landscape.
He flew past his dad’s place, his brain screaming a litany of pleas. Let her be okay. Please let her be safe. Over and over the words played in his mind. It was as if, if he thought it often enough, that would make it so.
His hands ached from his fierce grip on the steering wheel, but that pain was nothing compared to the one that pierced his heart as he thought of Janette and little Sammy being in danger.
He raced by Tanner’s house, skidded around Clay’s half-built place and toward the grove of evergreen trees that surrounded the little cabin. He turned through the small lane and pulled up in front. Horror swept through him as he saw that the old wooden front door had been crashed in. He was out of the truck, gun drawn, in a frantic heartbeat.
Trent was right behind him and together the two men approached the silent cabin. Dalton stepped through the doorway and crouched with his gun held in both hands in front of him.
There was nobody in the living room. “Clear,” he called out, and Trent stepped inside. As Dalton moved toward the kitchen his biggest fear was that he’d find only Janette’s body somewhere in the cabin. The smashed front door seemed to cry that he and Trent were too late.
Emotion pressed thick in Dalton’s chest and he drew a steadying breath as he entered the kitchen. Nothing. No body, no signs of any struggle, nothing. “Clear,” he called to Trent, who followed at his heels.
Trent checked the bathroom, then stepped back into the kitchen and both men looked at the bedroom door. It was closed, and a fear like he’d never known clawed at his insides.
Dalton moved to the door. His hand trembled, dread welling inside him as he reached for the knob. He flung open the door and the first thing he saw was the open window.
Relief shot through him as he easily realized the scenario. Sinclair had somehow found the cabin. He’d come in through the front door and Janette had escaped through the window. But the relief was short-lived as he realized it was possible he’d find her body in the snow.
“She’s outside.”
Together the two men hurried back to the front door. When they stepped outside the wind nearly stole Dalton’s breath away. It cut sharp and deep, and frantic need welled up inside him. Even if Sinclair hadn’t found her, the elements would be as deadly as the determined lawman.
They hurried around to the back of the cabin. Dalton stopped at his truck only long enough to retrieve a flashlight. Trent looked at Dalton. “Which way would she have run?”
Dalton stared out at the wide expanse of pasture that surrounded them. Janette was smart. She wouldn’t have just taken off running without a plan of some kind.
She would have headed toward Tanner’s house. Confirmation of his thoughts lay on the ground in faint footprints. However, it wasn’t dainty small feet that had left the prints. It was big boot prints that filled his heart with a new sense of terror.
If he’d had any doubt of what had happened here tonight, those large footprints froze them away and also froze a part of his heart.
“Janette,” he yelled, but the howl of the wind competed with his voice.
He and Trent trudged through the snow, following the barely discernible footprints as Dalton swept the flashlight in front of them. Dalton felt as if they were moving in slow motion as they systematically searched the area looking for Janette…or her body.
As they walked, the mistakes Dalton had made roared through his head. He should have gotten his family involved, but he’d been so busy isolating himself, so worried about giving any part of himself away, that he’d made what he hoped wouldn’t prove to be a fatal mistake.
“Dalton!”
Dalton turned at the sound of his name and saw Zack running toward them. “What’s going on?” he asked when he caught up to Dalton and Trent.
“Brandon Sinclair is trying to kill Janette,” Dalton said. “He raped her, and now he’s trying to kill her. We have proof.” He could see that Zack was confused, but he couldn’t take the time to go through everything. “I’ll explain later. Right now we need to find Janette.”
Find Janette.
Find Janette.
The words pounded in Dalton’s head as it began to snow once again. He was relatively certain she was out here without a coat and possibly without shoes. She wouldn’t have taken time to bundle up before escaping out the window.
If they didn’t find her soon the icy cold and snow would do the job for Sinclair. Unless the sheriff had already found her. Unless it was already too late.
The gunshot exploded the night and the sound ripped through Dalton’s heart. Too late, his brain screamed. You’re too late to save her.
“It came from over there.” Zack pointed to the right and they all took off running.
The cold air sliced at his lungs as he raced toward the direction where they thought the shot had come from. The flashlight beam bobbed as he ran and fear made him feel as if he were dealing with an out-of-body experience.
As the flashlight beam fell on the old storage shed, Dalton’s blood ran cold. Brandon Sinclair stood in front of the shed, and when he saw the beam of light he whirled around to face them. He had his gun drawn and wore a fierce look of determination.
“Sheriff West, I’m glad you’re here,” Sinclair said, ignoring both Dalton and Trent. “I have my suspect holed up in this shed. I need her out of there and placed in my custody.”
Dalton started forward, but Zack grabbed his arm to hold him in check. “We heard a gunshot,” Zack said.
“I fired a warning shot to let her know I meant business.”
“Looks to me like you fired that warning shot right through the door,” Zack observed.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble here. I just want to get my prisoner into custody and get her back to Sandstone,” Brandon said.
“You lying son of a bitch,” Dalton exploded. This time it was Trent who grabbed hold of him as he tried to lunge forward. “If you’ve hurt them I’ll kill you.” He tried to escape Trent’s firm grasp. He needed to get inside that shed.
Why didn’t Janette come out? Was it possible that the single shot Brandon had fired through the door had found her and she was now lying bleeding—or worse—on the other side of the door?
“I suggest you get your brother under control, Sheriff,” Sinclair said.
Zack narrowed his eyes. “I suggest you put your gun away and let me figure out just what the hell is going on here.”
“I told you what’s going on,” Sinclair exclaimed, impatience obvious in his voice. “I just want to get my prisoner and go home.” He must have seen something in Zack’s eyes that made him holster his gun.
“I’m afraid that isn’t going to be possible,” Trent spoke for the first time. He looked at Zack. “I’m Trent Cummings, special prosecutor, and I want you to place Sheriff Brandon Sinclair under arrest.”
“For what?” Brandon’s hand moved down toward his gun.
“Don’t do it,” Zack warned as both he and Trent advanced on Sinclair.
“Rape. You’re under arrest for the rape and attempted murder of Janette Black,” Trent said as Zack plucked the gun from Sinclair’s holster then cuffed him.
Dalton could stand it no longer. He raced for the shed door and tried to push it open, but it refused to budge. “Janette, it’s me. Open the door.”
The silence that greeted him was deafening. A sob ripped from him as he shoved and pushed against the door, hoping…praying that it wasn’t her dead body blocking the way.
Trent helped, putting his shoulder against the door next to Dalton and together they managed to get the door open. “Janette!” Dalton cried, his flashlight frantically scanning the area.
He found her crouched behind an old love seat, her knife held tightly in one hand. “Is he gone?” she asked, her blue lips trembling uncontrollably.
The relief that
crashed through Dalton nearly brought him to his knees. “It’s over, honey. He can’t ever hurt you again.” Dalton helped her to her feet, noting that her eyes were huge in her deathly pale face. He hurriedly took off his coat and wrapped it around her slender shoulders as she cuddled Sammy tightly against her chest.
As they stepped out of the shed he gripped her closer to him as she saw Sinclair. “Whatever she’s told you, it’s a lie,” he yelled and twisted his shoulders as if trying to escape from his handcuffs. “I’ll admit we had sex, but she wanted it. She begged me for it.”
Dalton tightened his arm around Janette’s shoulders. “That’s funny. The night you pulled Janette over for a speeding ticket, she had a tape recorder running. We’ve got that entire night’s events on tape. You’re going to prison.”
Sinclair looked stunned.
Janette raised her trembling chin and smiled. “Gotcha,” she said.
*
The night seemed to last forever. Dalton wanted Janette and Sammy to be taken to the hospital, but she refused, insisting that all she needed to recover from her ordeal was warmth.
They left the cabin and drove into town, where Sinclair was locked in the jail. The rest of them went to Dalton’s apartment, where Janette was questioned by both Zack and Trent.
As the night progressed, she felt Dalton distancing himself. He grew quiet, adding nothing to the conversation, and his green eyes seemed to stare at everything in the room except her.
Her worst fear had been realized. Brandon Sinclair had found her, but she’d survived. Sammy had survived. And now Janette’s future stood directly in front of her.
It was almost four when the talk was finally finished. She promised Trent that no matter where she and Nana settled, she’d give him their address so he could let her know when Sinclair would go to trial.
She would be the prosecutor’s star witness, and that fact held a certain poetic justice that sent a sense of peace through her.
After Trent and Zack left, she fell into Dalton’s bed, exhausted by the trauma of the night. Sammy slept peacefully next to her and she fought the impulse to pull him close against her, to assure herself that they both truly had survived.
As she’d hidden in the shed, she’d believed she wouldn’t leave it alive. She had thought she’d never see Sammy take his first step, say his first real word. She’d believed she would never hear Nana’s voice or see Dalton’s handsome face again.
Sleep, when it finally came, drifted over her like a soft, warm blanket and held no nightmares. She awakened to the sun shining through the window and a sense of peace she’d never known before.
The man who had forever changed her life would now face Lady Justice and have his freedom taken away for a very long time. She no longer had to be afraid. She would not live her life looking over her shoulder.
She frowned as she stared at the window. The cast of the sun shining through the window made her realize it was late morning. Why hadn’t Sammy awakened her?
She turned over and found the bed empty. Panic sliced through her for a split second, but it quickly ebbed. She wasn’t sure exactly where Sammy was, but she knew he was safe, because they were in Dalton’s apartment and Dalton wouldn’t let anything happen to them.
Getting out of bed she tried to shove away the aching sadness that found her heart, the sadness of knowing that today she would tell Dalton a final goodbye.
After a quick stop in the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, she belted her robe around her waist and went in search of the two men in her life.
She found them in the kitchen, and for a moment she stood just outside the door and peeked in. Dalton sat at the table with Sammy on his lap. He was trying to feed Sammy rice cereal, but it looked as if Dalton was wearing more than Sammy was eating.
A smile didn’t make it to her lips, but it squeezed her heart as she watched the man she loved interact with her precious baby.
“Come on, buddy. We can do this,” Dalton said. “Don’t you want to grow up to be big and strong?” He held a spoonful of the cereal and Sammy laughed and waved his hand, striking the spoon and sending the cereal to the front of Dalton’s shirt.
“Why don’t I just lay you against my chest and let you graze off my clothes?” Dalton muttered.
“Problems?” Janette asked as she stepped into the room.
“If he makes this big of a mess with cereal I can’t wait to see him with a bowl of spaghetti,” he said.
Again an internal fist squeezed Janette’s heart. They both knew he wouldn’t be around to watch Sammy eat spaghetti. He wouldn’t be around to see that Sammy grew big and strong.
“Coffee’s made,” he said, as if he sensed the awkward moment between them.
“Thanks.” She moved to the counter and poured herself a cup. “Usually when he gets to the point that he’s knocking it out of the spoon instead of eating it, I figure he’s finished.” She sat at the table.
“That works for me,” he agreed easily. He stood with Sammy in his arms and carried the little boy over to the sink. “I’m not sure who needs to be hosed down first, you or me,” he said to Sammy, who grinned and released a string of gibberish.
When he had Sammy clean she held out her hands and he placed the baby on her lap, then sat once again at the table across from her.
“You look well rested. I figured you could use a little extra sleep this morning, so when I heard Sammy start to fuss I got him.”
“I appreciate it.” She took a sip of her coffee as he stared at a point just over her head.
A new silence descended and she guessed it was the awkward silence of the end of a relationship when there was nothing more to say. She finished her coffee, then carried her cup to the sink. “I’m going to go take a shower and pack up my things.”
“I’ll hang out with Sammy so you can get showered,” he offered.
As he took her son from her, she wanted to say something to break the somber mood between them, but she didn’t. She simply went into the bedroom to take her shower and pack her belongings in preparation for going to the motel to meet Nana.
It was as she stood beneath the hot spray of the shower that she recognized that she couldn’t leave here without telling Dalton how she felt about him. If she kept her feelings inside, she’d always wonder what might have been different if she’d spoken them aloud.
As she thought of baring her heart, a touch of fear fluttered inside her stomach, and that seemed ridiculous given what she’d just gone through the night before.
She’d faced a man whose sole desire was to see her dead, yet her heart beat just as wildly as she thought of facing Dalton and telling him how she felt.
As she packed her suitcase she found herself revisiting each and every moment of the time she had spent with Dalton. Who knew that when she’d walked out of that bus station so alone, so afraid, that she’d walk into the arms of a man whom she’d want to hold her for the rest of her life?
And he didn’t want a wife. He had no desire for a family. She knew she could do nothing to change that, that her words of love would probably fall on deaf ears. But that didn’t mean she didn’t intend to speak them, because she refused to live the rest of her life with regrets.
When she pulled her suitcase into the living room, Sammy was propped up in the corner of the sofa and Dalton was playing peekaboo with him.
It amazed her that this big strong man had a soft center he displayed with Sammy. He was meant to be a father. He was meant to be Sammy’s father. But, no matter how much she wanted it, no matter how much she needed it, she couldn’t make him be something he didn’t want to be.
He caught sight of her and stood. “It’s still early,” he said. “I thought maybe you’d like to go to the café in town and have lunch.”
“Actually, I have something I’d like to say to you before you take me to the motel.” She felt the swell of emotion in her chest as she gazed into his beautiful green eyes.
“Is something wrong?” He
sank back to the sofa and patted the cushion next to him.
She remained standing, afraid that if she sat beside him, she’d fall to pieces. She searched her mind, struggling to find the right place to begin. “I don’t know how I would have survived without you, Dalton.”
He frowned and his eyes darkened. “You would have probably been just fine on your own. I spent most of the night kicking myself for all the mistakes I made.”
“Mistakes? What are you talking about?”
“I almost got you killed last night because I didn’t want to allow anyone else in my life. I should have had somebody at the cabin with you every minute that you were there.”
“I have to accept part of the responsibility for the decision you made,” she countered. “I made you swear that you wouldn’t tell anyone I was there.”
“But he could have killed you because I didn’t do my job.”
For the first time that day, she realized the deep torment he felt and hope blossomed in her heart. Surely a man who didn’t care wouldn’t be so tortured. Surely a man who didn’t love her wouldn’t care as deeply as what she saw shining from his eyes.
With a new courage she walked over to the sofa and sank down beside him. “You saved my life, Dalton. Without you I would have been out in the snowstorm alone and afraid. Without you I would have never had the courage to face Brandon Sinclair.”
He smiled then, a soft smile that pierced straight through to her heart. “I have a feeling you would have been just fine on your own. You’re an amazing woman, Janette Black.”
“You’re an amazing man. In fact, you’re so amazing I’ve fallen in love with you.” Her breath caught in her throat as the words hung in the air between them.
He stared at her, and she wasn’t sure if he was stunned or horrified by her words. He got up from the sofa as if goosed by an invisible hand and stepped back from where she sat.
“Janette, I appreciate the idea that you think you’re in love with me, but I’m sure once you get away from here, once you get away from me, you’ll realize it’s not really love.”
She would have been able to deal with him telling her he didn’t love her. She would have accepted him explaining that he didn’t feel the same way about her. But his attempt to negate her feelings altogether shot an edge of anger through her.
Glory, Glory: Snowbound with the Bodyguard Page 32