Harlequin Romantic Suspense March 2016 Box Set

by Carla Cassidy

  “I only want the very best for them,” he replied.

  Juanita’s dark gaze held his for a long moment and then she gave him a curt nod and hurried to her car. Dusty grabbed his cell phone and punched the number that would connect him to his boss.

  As he’d assumed, Cassie agreed immediately to him bringing Trisha and Cooper to the ranch house for however long they needed to be there. Cassie might not know yet where she wanted her future to be, but over the past couple of months she’d shown that she had a big heart just like her aunt Cass.

  He ended the call and remained in the truck, taking a few minutes to breathe, to think about everything he had learned over the last twenty minutes or so. There was a lot for him to take in.

  He was shocked by the story Trisha had told him. Although he had rejected the idea of anyone putting that snake in his room, he wasn’t sure what to believe about it now.

  Was it really possible that this Frank whoever from her past had found her and was now here in town? Had the man seen them together and put the rattler in his bed in hopes that Dusty would be killed? It sounded so preposterous.

  And yet Trisha believed the man had murdered not only her best friend but also her mother because he wanted to be the only person in her life. She thought there was a possibility that Frank had found her and she believed the man would now come after Dusty...or even more frightening, that he might want to harm Cooper.

  Hopefully Dillon would be able to find out something about where Frank was right now. And hopefully he would discover that Frank was in prison or dead or someplace far away from this small Oklahoma town.

  Dusty wasn’t willing to automatically jump to the conclusion that Frank was here in town. He thought it much more likely that the presents had come from somebody here in town who was harmlessly infatuated. But he couldn’t be sure.

  He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and stared at the motel room door. What he really hoped was that he hadn’t talked Trisha into staying when there was a clear and present danger to her and her son.

  * * *

  She told Cooper it was an adventure when she awakened him to start the packing process. “Are we going to live with Dusty?” Cooper asked as he shoved his toys into one of the suitcases.

  “Not with him, but on the ranch where he lives,” she replied. Her heart still raced with anxiety and she had no idea if this new plan was a good one or not. She only knew they needed to escape this motel room, which Frank might be watching at this very moment.

  Was it him? His very name in her thoughts caused her heartbeat to increase and the palms of her hands to sweat.

  After all this time, had he finally found her? If he was here, would he kill Dusty to get him out of her life? Or would he try to hurt Cooper in revenge for her ever leaving him? He’d always wanted her all to himself. Once she had gotten away from him, she’d realized that his need for her had been obsessive to the point of insanity.

  She had to keep it together. She couldn’t let Cooper see the abject terror that still burned so hot inside her. She didn’t want any of her fear, any of this madness to touch him in any way.

  The task of folding clothes and packing them did nothing to alleviate the sense of impending doom that whispered through her.

  She looked up as Dusty opened the door and came inside. His very presence calmed her down just a bit. “I don’t know how we managed to accumulate so much stuff,” she said, striving for a lightness in tone.

  “We got stuff,” Cooper said.

  “Whatever you can’t fit into a suitcase, we’ll just wrap it all up in a bedsheet or whatever,” he replied.

  “Mommy said it’s a venture,” Cooper said.

  “An adventure,” Trisha corrected.

  “That it is,” Dusty replied and started to help Cooper pack up the rest of his things.

  It took an hour to finally get everything packed and loaded up. During that time Cooper kept up a steady stream of excited chatter that helped to keep some of her panic at bay.

  Finally they were on their way to the Holiday ranch. Trisha had never been afraid of the dark before, but on this night the darkness felt positively ominous. She had only driven about five miles when Cooper fell asleep, leaving her with only her bleak thoughts as company.

  She’d never wanted to tell anyone about her past with Frank. She’d not only been embarrassed and ashamed by her own unwillingness to see the danger but had also carried a heavy weight of guilt that she’d been responsible for Courtney’s and her mother’s deaths.

  If only she’d listened to their concerns, if only she’d been strong enough to break away from Frank when she’d seen the first red flags. He’d been so possessive and so focused on her to the exclusion of anything else. It had been sick and unhealthy and she hadn’t seen that until it had been too late.

  For so long she’d been afraid to let anyone get close to her. The idea of losing anyone else to Frank had been too frightening to bear. She’d finally let her guard down with Dusty.

  Certainly he had been nothing but supportive, but why would any man willingly take on this kind of drama? She wouldn’t be surprised if in the light of day he pulled back from her, decided that she wasn’t the woman he wanted or needed in his life. This thought filled her with a new despair.

  She was vaguely aware of the irrationality of her thoughts. She wanted to run. She wanted to stay. She didn’t want to put Dusty in danger and yet she worried that he might pull back from her.

  By the time they reached the ranch, a different kind of grief pierced through her...if she had to leave or if Dusty decided he wanted nothing more to do with her, then she would never know what might have been with him. She parked her car at the end of the long driveway and Dusty pulled his truck up next to her.

  As she got out of the car, the back porch light turned on, and Cassie appeared at the door of the big house. “We’ll unload most of the things tomorrow,” Dusty said. “I’ll just grab the big blue suitcase and the smaller overnight bag and you can get Cooper.”

  She’d packed the blue suitcase with enough clothes for her and Cooper to last for several days. The overnight bag held all of her toiletries and nightwear.

  He grabbed the bags from the backseat and she gathered her sleeping son into her arms. She fought the impulse to squeeze him tight.

  Was this the right thing to do? Was she making a mistake in hanging around? She could jump back in her car and just drive away. She could go on the run once again and find another small town in the middle of nowhere to hide in.

  Just when she thought the panic would consume her, Cassie approached with a warm, welcoming smile. She placed a hand on Trisha’s shoulder. “It’s going to be all right, Trisha. You’re safe here. Now, come on inside where you can get that sleepy munchkin into a bed.”

  The panic slowly subsided as Trisha followed the pretty blonde into the two-story house. Dusty walked just behind them with her bags.

  They entered into a large country kitchen. Cassie led them through the cheerful room and into a great room, where she pointed to a set of stairs. “At the top of the stairs to the right is a perfect bedroom for Cooper. It has two twin beds. Across the hall is a room with a queen-size bed. Feel free to claim them both for as long as you’re here.”

  “Cassie, I don’t know how to thank you...”

  “Stop.” Cassie held up a hand. “No need to thank me, just go on and get that sweet little boy into bed.”

  Trisha nodded and headed for the stairs with Dusty just behind her. Cooper didn’t stir as she placed him on one of the twin beds. She covered him with a fresh-scented sheet and then went back into the hallway, where Dusty had remained.

  “You want me to put your bags in here?” He gestured to the room across the hall.

  “No, I’ll sleep in here with Cooper.” She took the overnight bag from him
and placed it on the floor in the room with the twin beds. Dusty did the same with the bigger suitcase.

  Together they walked back down the stairs to where Cassie sat on the leather sofa. “It’s late for any girl talk tonight,” she said and stood. “I just want you to know that you’re to make yourself at home and we can chat more in the morning.” She turned and smiled at Dusty. “You’ll be sure and lock up when you leave?”

  “Absolutely,” he replied.

  “Then I’ll just tell you both good-night.”

  They didn’t speak until Cassie had disappeared upstairs, and then Dusty opened his arms to Trisha. She eagerly walked into his embrace. She leaned her head into the crook of his neck and released a tremulous sigh.

  It was the first time in hours she felt safe. With his strong arms around her and the comforting scent of his cologne filling her head, she felt utterly protected.

  “It seems like it was a lifetime ago that we were eating enchiladas at the café and talking and laughing,” she said.

  He reached up and gently stroked her hair. “But the important thing is that you’re safe now. You don’t have to worry about you and Cooper being all alone in the motel room.”

  “Thank goodness. I didn’t want to be there another moment,” she replied.

  “Tomorrow I’ll contact Dillon and we’ll see what he can find out. I’ve got the box of candy and the note in my truck. Maybe he’ll be able to pull some fingerprints from them that will let us know who left them for you.”

  Reluctantly she stepped back from him. “Dusty, I would understand if you don’t want to deal with all of this...with me.”

  His features radiated surprise. “Trisha, I don’t want to run from this. I want to help to solve it. I want you free to move on with me.”

  She searched his face but saw only open honesty and tenderness shining from his eyes. “I want that, Dusty. It’s the only thing that’s keeping me here right now.”

  “We both need to get some sleep.” He threw an arm over her shoulder and walked her to the back door. A fragile hope built up inside her as he gave her a gentle kiss. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  With this promise, he turned the lock to engage it and then stepped out of the back door and pulled it closed behind him. A moment later the lights on his truck flashed on and she watched until he disappeared from her sight.

  The back door also had a dead bolt. She turned it to lock and then left the kitchen. When she reached the top of the stairs, she noticed a closed door at the far end of the hall and assumed it was the master suite where Cassie slept.

  Thank goodness for Cassie. It had been an incredibly generous gesture to open her home to Trisha and Cooper without any questions and not knowing Trisha very well.

  She went into the bedroom and turned on a small lamp on a stand between the two beds. She was grateful that the dim light didn’t wake Cooper, although he always slept deeply. Still, as quietly as possible she opened the overnight bag and retrieved her nightshirt and other items.

  Next to the bedroom was a bathroom, and she went there to change clothes and wash her face and brush her teeth. The wonderful highs and the plummeting lows of the night had left her completely exhausted.

  All she wanted now was a night of dreamless sleep. She didn’t want to think about Frank or her painful past anymore. She didn’t want to consider the mysterious notes and gifts that had been left for her.

  Hopefully, Dillon would come up with some answers that would put this whole potential disaster to rest. Hopefully, Frank was really in prison...or dead.

  She returned to the bedroom and turned off the lamp, but instead of getting into the twin bed next to her son’s, she walked over to the window, moved the navy curtains aside and peered out into the darkness.

  Once again her heart began to beat too fast and she laid a hand on her chest in an effort to slow it down. Was he here? Was Frank someplace out there right now in the dark...watching her? Waiting for the perfect opportunity to make a move?

  And what move would that be? Would he try to get to Cooper? Would he attempt to kill Dusty? Would he try to kidnap her and take her away with him? She couldn’t begin to guess what Frank might do after all this time. She only knew that whatever he wanted wouldn’t be good for anyone.

  She drew in several deep breaths in an effort to calm down. Was she wrong to put her trust in Dusty? Was she once again listening with her heart and not with her head? She didn’t want to make another mistake. Were her feelings for Dusty overruling prudent behavior?

  With these troubling thoughts, she turned away from the window and got into the small bed. She pulled up the sheet to her chin and waited for sleep to come.

  * * *

  He sat in his car in the alleyway behind the grocery store and drew in deep, gulping breaths in an effort to regain control of his emotions.

  He had always prided himself on his rigid control, but tonight he’d definitely lost it. She’d made him lose it. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and stared into the darkness outside his window.

  Why didn’t she understand that she belonged to him, that she would always be his? She would never have a life with another man, especially not a stupid cowboy named Dusty.

  His blood began to boil all over again as he thought of the blond-haired man who had ridden off in the night with his woman. Sweat began to trickle down the side of his face, a sweat that was anger induced. His chest filled with the force of his rage.

  Calm. He needed to calm down. He drew air in through his nose and slowly released it through his mouth. He needed to get his emotions under control in order to plan his next move.

  He didn’t give a damn about the kid. Cooper—it was a stupid name for the stupid little boy who held a part of her heart. She’d forget about him soon enough.

  All he wanted was Trisha. It felt as if he’d wanted her all his life. He rolled down his window, hoping the night air would cool some of the fever inside him. Instead it only filled the car with the nasty odor of garbage from a nearby Dumpster.

  He rolled up the window once again and started the car. At least he knew where she was right now. She was at the Holiday ranch. He’d missed the opportunity to take her tonight, but all he needed to do was be patient and bide his time and eventually he’d have her all to himself, the way it was supposed to be.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Mommy, I sleeped in my own bed.” Two warm little hands landed on Trisha’s cheeks. She opened her eyes to see Cooper’s beautiful face and the light of a new day drifting in through the window.

  “Yes, you did,” she replied and struggled to sit up. There had been no nightmares to disturb her sleep, and she felt rested and ready to face whatever the new day might bring. She had to be strong. She had to be tough not just for herself, but also for her son.

  “I’m hungry. Do we eat at this new house?” Cooper asked.

  Trisha smiled at him. “Yes, honey, we eat here, but only after we’ve cleaned up and get out of our pajamas and into clothes.”

  A half an hour later mother and son went down the stairs, where the scent of freshly brewed coffee eddied in the air. Cassie was in the kitchen seated at the wooden table. She jumped up as they entered the room.

  “There you are. I was wondering if I was going to have to eat these chocolate chip pancakes all by myself,” she said.

  “I like chocolate chip pancakes,” Cooper said. “I like them a lot.”

  “I thought you might. My name is Cassie and I know that your name is Cooper.”

  “Cooper Cahill,” he replied proudly. “And I’m three and a half years old.”

  “Well, take a seat at the table, three-and-a-half-year-old Cooper Cahill,” Cassie replied with a grin.

  “What can I do to help?” Trisha asked.

  “You can help yourself to the co
ffee and I’ll get the pancakes served right up.”

  Minutes later the three of them sat at the table with breakfast before them. The meal was accompanied by Cassie answering Cooper’s million questions about the ranch and Dusty.

  “I like Dusty a whole bunch,” he said with a dollop of syrup decorating his chin. Trisha leaned over and wiped the goo off with her napkin.

  “I like him, too,” Cassie replied. “I like all the cowboys who work here.”

  “Mac and Tony sang songs with me and Mommy. Do you know how to sing ‘Bingo’?”

  “Honey, we don’t sing at the table,” Trisha said before Cooper could show off his rowdy pipes.

  “Maybe later you and I can sing together,” Cassie said, earning her a smile of approval from Cooper.

  “Dusty brought in another suitcase earlier,” Cassie said when Cooper had cleaned his plate. “He mentioned that it was filled with Cooper’s toys. I think there’s also a gift that he said you could open if it was okay with your mom. It’s all in the great room waiting for you to unpack it.”

  “A gift? But it’s not even my birthday,” Cooper said. He looked at Trisha eagerly.

  “Go ahead and open it,” she said. “You can play with your toys and the gift, but don’t touch anything that doesn’t belong to you,” she added.

  “I won’t,” he said as he scooted out of his chair.

  “What a cute kid,” Cassie said once he’d left the room.

  “Thanks.” Trisha wrapped her fingers around her coffee cup.

  “Dusty also brought in the leftover enchiladas you made. He told me he put them in the bunkhouse refrigerator overnight so that they wouldn’t go bad.”

  Trisha nodded. “I’m not sure what all Dusty has told you...”

  “He told me enough for me to know that you and Cooper are exactly where you need to be for as long as you need to be here.”

  “Hopefully it’s just for a couple of days or so. I’ll be more than happy to pay you something for rent,” Trisha said.