by Rita Herron
Her mother had been emotionally terrorized, but he hadn’t touched her. Again, he wanted Lenora to watch.
Thankfully, Micah had arrived in time.
How, she had no idea. The man had been shot, but he’d ignored his own injuries to save her and the people she loved.
The doctor approached her about Nan. “She’s physically going to be okay. She’ll need counseling and time, but she should recover fully.”
Lenora thanked him then slipped into Nan’s room. She’d been treated for minor abrasions and lay propped on a bed of pillows. When she saw Lenora, sorrow filled her face. “Lenora.”
“I’m here,” she said, quickly rushing to her friend’s side. But she hesitated before touching her. “I’m so sorry, Nan. So sorry. This is my fault.”
Nan shook her head. “No, I…shouldn’t have turned away from you. It was…he was…horrible.”
“I know.” Lenora wiped a tear away. “I didn’t think he’d come after you.”
Nan stiffened her spine. “I’ll be all right.”
“But—”
“I know I'll need help to get over it,” she said, her voice cracking, “but I won’t let that sick creep destroy me. You survived much worse.”
But had she? She still slept on the terrace because of the nightmares. Had she really moved on?
“Can you ever forgive me, Lenora?”
Lenora held out her arms, and the two of them hugged. Nan burst into tears, and Lenora soothed her friend as Micah had her, knowing more than anything that Nan needed loving support, not judgment or demands.
“Take all the time you need to recover,” Lenora whispered. “I’m still working on that myself.”
Nan nodded against her, and they stayed in each other’s arms for a long time. Finally the nurse stepped in to give Nan a sedative to help her sleep.
“I’ll be back,” Lenora said. “I’m here for you, Nan. Whatever you need. All you have to do is call.”
“I know, thanks.” Nan hugged the covers to her and gave her a small smile of courage as Lenora left the room.
Lenora walked across the hall and peeked in on her mother. “Are you all right, Mom?”
“I will be,” her mother said with a tilt to her chin. “I…I’m so sorry, honey.”
“Sorry for what?” Lenora said softly.
“For not understanding before.”
Tears pricked at Lenora’s eyes as she rushed to her mother and cradled her hands in hers. “Mom, you were there for me. I know that, but it was just difficult for me to talk about what happened. I was ashamed. I felt like I’d done something to deserve what happened.”
“Oh, no, sweetheart, never think that.” A tear trickled down her mother’s cheek. “I should have encouraged you to talk, but it hurt so badly to know what he did to you. I felt…helpless. I’m your mother. Mothers are supposed to protect their children.” Sorrow laced her shaky voice. “I wanted to take away your pain, and I couldn’t.”
Lenora sniffled and leaned over to hug her mother. “We both did the best we could.” She choked back a sob, then stroked her mother’s hair from her cheek. “I just want you to be okay.”
“I will be,” her mother said. “Now that horrid man is dead.”
Lenora squeezed her mother’s hand. “I have to admit I’m glad he is.”
They hugged again, then Lenora sat by her mother’s bed until she fell asleep.
When she walked out of the room, Micah was waiting, his expression concerned. “Are you all right?”
“I should ask you that. You were shot.”
He shrugged, indicating his sling. “Doc removed the bullet, gave me some pain meds. I’m good. Oh, by the way, forensics identified the body in Simpleton’s old house. It was his father. Theory is that the mother killed him.”
He winced, and Lenora’s nerves fluttered.
She wanted to hug him, to hold him, to beg him to come home with her. But he’d almost died because of her just as Nan and her mother had.
How could any of them ever forgive her?
MICAH SAW THE WHEELS TURNING IN LENORA’S PRETTY HEAD. Guilt. Regret. Concern about everyone but herself.
So like Lenora.
“Come on. I’ll take you home.”
Lenora arched a brow. “I thought you were on pain meds.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “I said the doc gave them to me. Didn’t say I took any of them.”
Lenora smiled. “Then let’s go so you can get some rest.”
He placed his hand at her back, and they walked outside together.
“How’s Nan and your mother?” he asked as he pulled away from the hospital.
“They’re going to be okay, I think.”
Micah’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “You know right now they’re high on adrenaline, relieved we found them. But they’ll have moments.”
“I know,” Lenora said softly. “There will be bad days. Nights. Nightmares. It will be a process. But I’ll be there for them.”
“You are amazing,” he said.
“I…I’m just grateful that you saved us.”
She shivered again, and he ached to pull her up against him, but she leaned against the door, hugging the blanket they’d given her at the hospital around her and closed her eyes.
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at her condo, and he walked her to the door.
Lenora turned to him, her eyes glittering with emotions. “Thank you for everything, Micah.”
He swallowed, tempted to say he’d only been doing his job. But that was a lie. It had been personal with Lenora ever since the start.
He tucked a strand of her damp hair behind her ear, the memory of seeing Simpleton shoving her head under water reminding him of the terror he’d felt at the thought of losing her.
“I’m just sorry that—”
“No regrets.” She stroked his cheek with her fingers. “You kept your promise, Micah. I’ll never forget that.”
It sounded as if she was saying goodbye. He knew she’d been through hell tonight. He should leave her and let her rest.
“Will you be all right tonight?” he asked softly.
She offered him a brave smile. “He’s dead. You killed him. I should be.”
Their gazes locked for a moment, and his hands itched to pull her up against him and kiss her. But she’d been mauled by another man tonight.
He couldn’t pressure her.
“Lock the door and call me if you need me.”
She gave a small nod, her eyes flickering with emotions he couldn’t quite define. Deciding she needed time, he turned and walked to his SUV.
But just as he reached for the door, his cell phone rang. Figuring it was the lieutenant tying up the case, he hit connect.
“Sgt. Hardin.”
Lenora’s soft voice echoed over the line, “I need you.”
Perspiration exploded on his brow as he glanced back at the doorway. Lenora stood in the threshold holding the phone, looking vulnerable and scared and so damn beautiful that his knees felt weak.
Desire and hunger shot through him as he slowly walked up to her. “Lenora?”
“I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
His voice turned husky with relief and passion. “Me, neither.”
“I know you’re injured.”
His mouth twitched. He didn’t give a damn about his stitches. “I can still hold you.”
She gave him a sultry smile and held out her hand, and he followed her inside.
He paused at her bedroom, one hand on her cheek. “Are you sure, Lenora?” She nodded. “I’m sure I want you.”
His breath caught in his throat. “What if I said I love you?”
She licked her lips, and to his delight, pulled him toward her. “Then I’d say I love you back.”
He reached down to lift her in his arms but winced when his stitches pulled. She laughed and tugged his hand, and they hurried into the bedroom together.
EPILOGUE
Si
x months later
LENORA FLUFFED HER VEIL AS SHE EXAMINED HER REFLECTION IN
the mirror. She’d been planning weddings and happily-ever-afters for others for years, never expecting to find her own.
But now she had, she couldn’t wait to say her vows to Micah.
Her mother poked her head into the extra bedroom where she was getting ready. Micah had brought her to the ranch for a few days after Simpleton’s death, and she’d fallen in love with the land.
She and Jenny had planned the wedding on the front lawn at sunset. White draped chairs and tables were set up facing a gazebo situated on the small hill that overlooked the creek.
“You look beautiful, honey.” Her mother fastened a silver locket around her neck. “Here is your something borrowed.”
Lenora fingered the heart with appreciation. The necklace had been passed down through several generations. “Thank you, Mom. I’d glad you’re here.”
“And I’m happy you found such a wonderful man.”
Lenora blinked back emotions. She refused to cry today. She and her mother and Nan had already shed way too many tears. Both of them had agreed to counseling and were healing. Nan admitted she still had nightmares, but they were happening less frequently. Ironically, the ordeal had brought the two of them closer again.
Jenny and Nan slipped into the room, both looking gorgeous in the classic black dresses they’d chosen as bridesmaids.
“It’s time,” Nan squealed.
Jenny squeezed her hand. “Everything looks perfect. Including you.”
Lenora hugged them both.
“The music’s beginning.” Her mother clapped her hands. “Let’s go, girls.”
Jenny opened the door and ushered Nan and Lenora’s mother outside to be seated. Lenora followed, her bridal gown swishing as she made her way to the French doors overlooking the lawn.
Jenny’s fiancé Troy played the guitar, strumming softly as the bridesmaids walked through the center aisle between the rows of chairs lined up for the guests.
The bridal march began, and she spotted Micah, dressed in a long western duster and black Stetson, waiting for her in front of the gazebo.
He looked so sexy and handsome that her heart nearly burst with joy.
As she walked down the aisle toward him, images of their future together flashed in her mind, making her heart pound with anticipation. When she reached him, she handed Jenny her bouquet of roses, and took Micah’s hand.
The reverend, an older man she’d met through her job, had taken a special interest in her mother at the rehearsal. Maybe her mother would have a second chance at love now.
He greeted everyone and read a Bible verse, but she and Micah had chosen to write their own vows.
Micah began. “Lenora, I thought by working in law enforcement that I had to be alone. But you taught me that love means more than a job. That my job means nothing without you. I am so blessed to have you as my bride.”
Lenora stared into his eyes, touched by his heartfelt words. “Micah, I once lived in a world of darkness. But the day you took my hand and walked me back into the light, I fell in love with you. I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you forever.”
They exchanged rings, and the reverend pronounced them husband and wife.
The ceremony was short and sweet, but Lenora knew in her heart that their marriage and their love would last a lifetime.
MICAH HAD NEVER EXPECTED TO FIND A SOUL MATE, BUT HE’D found one in Lenora. He couldn’t help but blush as he shook hands with his fellow rangers and watched the crowd disperse.
As much as he’d enjoyed the party and dancing with his bride, he was ready to be alone with his new wife.
And he still had a surprise for her.
She’d loved his ranch immediately and hadn’t cared that it was rundown. But before he moved her here, he’d wanted to make some changes.
Lenora waved goodbye to her friends and mother, then sashayed over to him. “Hey, husband.”
“Wife,” he said with a grin. “I say we take this champagne inside.”
She glanced at the fading sun on the horizon. “But I hate to leave this view.”
“You won’t miss it.” He swung her up in his arms, grabbed the champagne and two flutes for her to hold then carried her inside to the master suite.
He’d insisted she redecorate the kitchen, but he’d kept her from the master suite to give him time to renovate it.
When he opened the door with his foot, she gasped. “Micah…it’s beautiful.”
He grinned. He’d knocked out the back wall and extended the room, added skylights and French doors to offer a view of the sky and the sweeping land. The colors of the sunset shimmered on the horizon.
“You did this for me?” she whispered, awe in her voice.
“I know you don’t like closed in spaces.” He nuzzled her neck. “I wanted you to have your terrace and sunset here at our home.”
“Thank you, Micah.” Lenora clasped his face between her hands. “I love you. I always will.”
“And I love you. You’ve given me everything I ever wanted.”
She smiled and kissed him, and he laid her on the king sized sleigh bed he’d bought for them to share.
Smiling seductively, he stripped her wedding gown and his clothes, and they made love all night with the stars twinkling through the skylights and the moon glowing bright just as their love would glow the rest of their lives.
PROLOGUE
“KAYLIE, SOMEONE’S IN THE HOUSE.”
Kaylie Whittaker snapped her eyes open at her husband’s husky whisper, the darkness nearly blinding her.
Joe gripped her hand. “I’m going to check it out. Go in CeCe’s room and lock the door.”
Fear shot through Kaylie. Their five-year-old daughter was sound asleep across the hall. Joe was right. She had to get to CeCe. If someone had broken in, she had to protect her.
Joe slid from bed, unlocked the drawer of his nightstand, and removed his .38. Kaylie took a deep breath, pushed the covers aside and reached for her cell phone to call 911.
But she’d left the phone downstairs.
Joe’s gun flashed silver in the dark as he loaded it and tiptoed toward the door.
A noise downstairs made them both freeze. Footsteps. The wood floor squeaked.
Joe eased open their bedroom door, and Kaylie slid into the hallway past him, then darted across the hall to her daughter’s room. She inched inside and crossed the room, padding quietly on the carpet.
She heard Joe starting down the steps, and she lowered herself onto the bed beside CeCe, not wanting to startle her, but knowing she had to hurry.
“Honey, wake up,” she whispered as she gently shook CeCe. “We have to hide.”
CeCe mumbled something in her sleep, and Kaylie lifted her from bed and cradled her against her. They couldn’t crawl out the window; they were on the second floor.
It sounded as if the intruder had entered through the front door.
If she could reach the back staircase leading from the bonus room to the kitchen, she could sneak Kaylie outside through the back. Then she could run to the next-door neighbor’s house and call for help.
Her chest tight with fear, she opened the door a fraction of an inch, but suddenly a man shoved it open, and pushed her husband inside the room.
The man wore a dark mask and black clothes, and held a gun to Joe’s temple.
A scream caught in Kaylie’s throat.
“Get down on your knees,” the man ordered her husband.
Joe looked at her with panicked eyes. “Kaylie . . .”
“Do it.” The man pushed Joe to the floor. CeCe stirred, her eyes widening in terror.
“If you want money, there’s cash in the safe,” Joe said. “Take it. Take my car, whatever. Just don’t hurt my family.”
CeCe clutched at Kaylie’s neck, her tiny body vibrating with fear.
“I have jewelry,” Kaylie said. “You can have it all.”
&nb
sp; “Shut up.” His crooked teeth gleamed in the faint light spilling through the window as he aimed the gun at Joe. “I want you to watch your family die.”
Joe’s gaze flew to hers, shock and fear glittering in his brown eyes.
“On your knees, lady.”
“Please, she’s just a little girl,” Kaylie begged. “Don’t hurt her.”
The man’s hand dug into Kaylie’s shoulder with such force she winced and fell to her knees, clutching CeCe to her and trying to shield her.
With a menacing growl, the intruder turned his gun toward her.
Joe suddenly lunged up from the floor and rammed his body into the man. “Run, Kaylie, save CeCe.”
A shot fired. Blood splattered onto the carpet.
Adrenaline surged through Kaylie, and she jumped up, raced into the hall and flew down the steps. CeCe clung to her, tears soaking Kaylie’s pajama top as she ran toward the front door.
Behind her, another gunshot blasted the air. The sound of a man’s grunt, then falling.
A second later, footsteps pounded behind her.
Oh, God, Joe was shot, and the man was coming after her.
She had to escape.
She threw open the door and darted to the right toward the neighbor’s house. When she and Joe had chosen this area to settle, they’d thought it was a safe neighborhood.
Their dream come true—a cute little house with a white picket fence.
Now Joe might be dead.
Nothing else mattered except saving her daughter.
CHAPTER ONE
TEXAS RANGER SERGEANT MITCHELL MANNING HAMMERED THE For Sale sign by the mailbox of his ranch, anxious to get rid of the place.
At one time this ranch had been his life.
His dreams all wrapped up into horses and land and wide-open spaces. A place for his son to run and play, to climb trees and fences, and bond with the Texas land just as he had as a kid.
But now his son and wife were dead, there was nothing left here but memories.