Brandy stood, surprise wiping the grin from her face. Suddenly she crumbled to the ground. Behind her, Connor, with his gun drawn, rushed toward Cara.
Confusion, quickly followed by relief, flooded her. Her gaze riveted on the most beautiful sight—Connor.
He grabbed Brandy’s gun, briefly checked her pulse, then continued to Cara. “She’s alive.” He stared at the red blotch on her shirt. “You’re hurt.”
She did, too. Her shoulder ached and was bleeding. “I reopened my wound. I’ll be fine. It’s Dad I’m worried about. He hit his head when he went out the window.”
As the fire chief approached, Connor took out his cell and put a call in to Sean. Then the fire chief went to get help. People crowded the backyard as the blaze continued to destroy Mike’s house.
Two days later, with her arm in a sling again, Cara stared at the calm waters of the lake, watching the sunrise peeping over the tops of the trees on the other side of the cove. The coolness in the early September morning air, streaked with yellows and oranges, lent a beauty to the dawn. It felt good to be alive. Thank You, Lord.
He was the reason she was standing on the shore, appreciating the start of a new day—a new life.
She needed to stay in Clear Branch for a while until her father was better. She’d realized that when she was protecting him. She could use the time to decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. Being a bodyguard had met a need for her once. Not anymore.
She caught a movement to the left of her and shifted around. Across the lawn of the lodge, Connor strode toward her, tired, several days’ growth of beard on his face as if he had been up all night. Probably had. Before she’d gone to sleep in her room at the lodge, she’d talked with Mike, who was staying there, too. He mentioned Connor working around the clock to wrap up her father’s case.
She remembered the scene in Mike’s backyard thirty-six hours ago. Intense. Chaotic. She, Mike and her father were whisked to the hospital in Silver Springs. Thankfully, the fire chief had called an ambulance earlier. She and Mike had been released yesterday morning. Dad was still there to make sure he was stabilized, but he should be allowed to come home later today.
“Gramps told me you were out here.” Connor gave her a smile, his eyes full of exhaustion.
“Have you gotten any sleep lately?”
“Not more than a catnap for the past forty-eight hours.”
The weariness in his voice and face drew her closer to him. Before the fire he’d made it clear he needed to move on with his life. “Go get some sleep. You deserve it.”
“I will, but I have one more thing I have to do.”
“What?” She wanted to touch him, pull him close and wrap her arms about him, but the words they’d exchanged a few days ago stood in her way. “This.”
Connor stepped very close and hauled her into his embrace. His mouth descended on hers in a kiss that declared she was his. A kiss that healed her heart and soul. A kiss that gave her hope.
“I love you, Cara. Is there any way we can make this work between us? This past week I nearly lost you several times. When I saw Brandy pointing the gun at you, intending to kill you and your dad, I knew I couldn’t lose you again for any reason. Life’s too short not to grab love when it comes. What will it take to convince you we were meant to be together?”
“Mmm. Let me see. I could use another kiss.”
He laughed and tightened his arms around her before accommodating her request.
Minutes later, he pressed her close to his side and strolled to a bench near the water. “I’m exhausted but I don’t think I can sleep.”
“Why not?” She snuggled against him.
“Too happy.”
“We still have a lot to talk about.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said with a sigh.
“Is Dad safe from the gang?”
“When a deal was put on the table, good only for the first one to talk, Lucy got smart and told us what we needed to know. The other two will be charged to the full extent.”
Brandy, who had set the fire and tried to kill her and her dad two days ago, was still in the hospital recovering from her gunshot wound. But she would live and would soon be transferred to a jail cell. “What kind of deal?”
“She’s testifying against the other two and has cut a deal to give information concerning the two leaders in jail awaiting trial in exchange for going into the Witness Protection Program.”
“What loyalty to her boyfriend.”
“Which one, Beau or the lieutenant?”
“True,” Cara said with a laugh. “Lucy is a woman who grabs the best opportunity for her, no matter who gets hurt in the process.” She paused. “Why did they come after Dad in the first place? The story had already appeared in the news.”
“Revenge, pure and simple. Brandy was the one who started the plot to kill your dad by making it look like John Smith had done it. She got Lucy to go along. Lucy told us she’d been afraid that if she didn’t help they would think she wasn’t one of them. My contacts told me Lucy had turned in Beau and started dating the lieutenant right before he was arrested. I think she was trying to prove herself to the gang since Beau had ratted on them.”
“What about the gang member working with them? The one who came after you at the station?”
“Skull was the one who usually carried out the hits ordered by the leader. Lucy can give us names and dates of some of those hits.”
Cara rested her head against Connor’s shoulder, his minty scent drifting to her. “What about the other gang members? Couldn’t they come after Dad?”
“Apparently when all this was going down this past month, there was a power struggle within the gang. It’s under new leadership. The new head of the gang wants to distance himself from the former leaders. They are lying low. I understand they have made it clear no one is to harm you or your dad.”
“Why did Skull come after you at the station?”
“I think he’d been following me and didn’t want me to go to Gramps’s before Brandy took care of you all.” Connor hugged her and kissed the top of her head.
“I’m glad he didn’t succeed stopping you. I wouldn’t be here if he had.”
“Me neither.” A shudder passed down Connor’s body. “I prefer not thinking about that consequence.”
Cara pulled back and looked into Connor’s eyes. “I called Kyra yesterday evening when I got back from visiting Dad at the hospital. I told her I was quitting. I’m staying here to take care of Dad until he gets back on his feet.”
“What are you going to do after that?”
“That’s a good question, but I have time to decide that.” She cupped his face. “I do know one thing. I’m not leaving the state of Virginia anytime soon. I need to put down roots. I need something different than what I thought I wanted thirteen years ago. I’m not that same gal.”
“As you’re making plans for the future, I hope they include me because I want you in my life.”
She leaned forward and brushed her lips across his. “You will figure prominently in my future. You’re the man I love. Have always loved.”
EPILOGUE
“Class, that’s all for today. See you on Thursday.” Cara snatched a hand towel from the back of the chair and wiped her face as her self-defense students filed out of the large studio in Richmond.
She spied her father weaving his way through the group of women leaving, still using a cane to walk a year and a half later. Other than that, he’d recovered quickly after his near death in the fire. The incident had given him the jolt he needed to dig in and work to regain his former skills. And to work to improve their relationship.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be in Washington for a couple more days.” Cara kissed his cheek then stepped back.
“Finished up early. Connor asked me to visit you two for a few days. He told me he’d meet me here so he could take us to dinner.”
“So that’s why he wanted me to brin
g a change of clothes here,” Cara thought aloud.
“So, where is your husband?”
Cara scanned the studio. “He said he would be here right after my last self-defense class.”
Her father grinned. “What’s he up to?”
“He wanted to see you. It’s been a month since we visited Clear Branch.”
He shook his head. “We both know we aren’t best friends. So give.”
No, Connor and her dad weren’t bosom buddies, but they did get along—mostly for her sake, and she appreciated not refereeing between them when they got together. And although she and her dad were finally forming a father-daughter relationship, it still had a ways to go. But after the fire, he’d changed in more ways than one—as though he’d been given a second chance and he’d decided not to mess it up.
She still didn’t understand her parents’ marriage, but once she forgave her father, it didn’t matter. That was the past.
“Ah, here comes Connor.”
Her husband strolled across the studio and gave her a kiss before greeting her dad. “Sorry I’m late. Traffic.” Connor’s gaze latched on to Cara’s. “Why don’t you go get changed and then we can go to dinner?”
“Hold it, you two. I’m not going anywhere until I know why I was asked to come to Richmond.”
“Should I tell him or you?” Connor asked Cara.
“You orchestrated this. Be my guest.”
“You’re going to be a grandpa in about seven months.”
Her dad didn’t say anything for several long seconds, then the biggest grin spread across his face. “Now that is something to celebrate.”
Dear Reader,
PROTECTING HER OWN is the second book in my Guardians, Inc., series about female bodyguards. I love writing about strong women who can take care of themselves in dangerous situations. For this story I had to put myself into the shoes of a man who had lost his ability to communicate well with others—a man whose job was in communications. I wanted to show the frustration and anger that occurs when someone loses a sense of who he is.
I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 2074 Tulsa, OK 74101. You can also learn more about my books at: http://www.margaretdaley.com. I have a quarterly newsletter that you can sign up for on my website, or you can enter my monthly drawings by signing my guest book.
Best wishes,
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
The villain was motivated by revenge. How can we get past wanting to hurt someone we thought hurt us?
Cara began to doubt that the Lord cared about her. She’d prayed for help and didn’t think she was getting any from Him. Have you ever thought that? What did you do?
Cara wondered why evil exists in the world. Have you ever wondered that? Why do you think evil exists?
Who is your favorite character? Why?
Cara and Connor were both exposed to a lot of evil in their job. They saw things that most people didn’t. Connor believed what kept him going was his faith. Have you ever seen something horrific? How did you deal with the situation?
What is your favorite scene? Why?
Cara was burnt out and didn’t know what she wanted to do professionally when she came to Clear Branch. Have you had a job that has left you burnt out and floundering for a direction for your life? How did you get through it?
Connor was afraid to trust Cara with his heart again. Trust is important in a relationship. How do you establish trust with another?
Cara had a hard time accepting help from others. She’d learned in her job to work alone. Is it easy for you to accept help from people? If not, why do you have trouble with that? What are some ways people can get over thinking they have to do everything themselves?
Cara’s relationship with her father was shaky. She blamed him for her mother’s death. She had to learn to deal with her father in this story. What kind of relationship do you have with your father or mother? How can you make it better?
Cara’s father suffered a stroke. He couldn’t control much in his life. He even had a hard time expressing his thoughts to someone. This was difficult for a man who had always been so in control of his life. Have you been around someone who has had a stroke or a disease that has left that person depending on others? What are some things people can do to give the person dignity and a feeling of worth?
Cara felt guilty for causing a woman’s death while she was protecting a client. In the process of protecting her client, another was shot. Cara didn’t know how to work her way through her guilt. It was one of the reasons she had reached a crossroad in her life. How have you dealt with guilt?
Connor tried to help Cara with what was bothering her. Guilt can do a lot of harm to a person. How can guilt be displayed in someone? As a friend what can you do to help that person overcome his guilt?
Who do you think targeted Cara and her father? Why?
Cara needed to get her life on track. She needed to start over, doing something that would fulfill her. Have you ever done that? How did you start over? What helped you to do that?
Connor thought the best way he should deal with Cara at the start of the book was to keep his distance. She’d hurt him. He didn’t want to get pulled into her life. Sometimes we can’t avoid being around people who have hurt us. What are some things we can do to deal with people who have hurt us?
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0630-4
PROTECTING HER OWN
Copyright © 2011 by Margaret Daley
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Love Inspired Books,
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Protecting Her Own (Love Inspired Suspense) Page 19