“Why not?” Barker rubbed his jaw.
“Jake no longer has anything to do with me or my life.” She began to walk to the patrol car. “Do you have any other questions?” Riley glanced at Barker, then shook his head.
“Good. I’m taking my car and going home.” She stomped back to the car and got in.
Barker came up to the window, put both hands on the sill, and leaned over in his best cop attitude. “I’ll follow you.” She began to speak. “Not a word. I’ll follow you and I won’t tell Jake.”
“Deal.” She gave him a curt nod and turned the key. The car started and she steered around the patrol car and back onto the highway.
* * * *
Rebecca pulled into her driveway and parked. Barker pulled his truck up next to the curb and got out. She had the car seat out by the time he got to her side and together they climbed the steps to her porch.
Unlocking the door, a wave of relief washed over her. They’d made it home. Safe. She felt like a kid playing tag who’d made it to home base calling “Ollie, ollie, oxen free!”
Rebecca put the carrier on the table and unbuckled Ben. Barker closed the door and watched her.
She held Ben to her, cradling him, rocking, and cooing. He smiled at her. No harm done. Not unless she counted her heart.
Now that the rush of adrenaline receded, it left Rebecca with a sick stomach.
“Barker. Take Ben. I’m going to be sick.” She pressed the baby at him.
*
“But, I don’t…I never…” Barker accepted the child in his two large hands. Ben dangled, pudgy legs kicking in air, looking at this new person holding him at arms’ length.
Rebecca dashed from the room, leaving him and the baby alone. Barker stared at the tiny bundle. Blue eyes looked back at him and the baby cooed.
“Hey, Ben. How’s it hanging?”
Ben blew bubbles. Kicked the air. Barker held the child out in front of him, unsure what to do next.
He tried to remember how Jake had held him, but he was afraid to change his grip on the kid. What if he dropped the baby? Jake would kill him. Rebecca would kill him. He didn’t even want to think what Jake’s mom would do to him.
“What’s keeping your mom, boss?” Barker craned his neck to see down the hall. He was afraid even to move.
There was a hard knock at the door.
He looked from the door to the baby to the hall and then back to the baby.
More knocking.
He’d have to shift the baby. With the utmost care, he pulled the baby to his chest, and moved his arm around to cradle the child. Now, he had an arm free. Stepping to the door, he turned the knob and opened it.
“Who are you?” A furious-looking, tall blonde woman stared at him. “Are you Jake?”
“No, I’m Barker.” He blinked. “Who are you?”
“What are you doing with the baby?” She crossed the threshold, fists clenched.
“Nothing.” For a minute, he thought she was going to attack him.
Brown eyes blazing, she reached out her hands and extracted the baby from him. “You don’t even know how to hold him, do you?”
“Well, no. I’ve never held a baby before.” He shrugged. She’d taken him by surprise and he was babbling. He thought he was doing okay with the kid, but her words made him doubt himself. “Who did you say you are?”
“I didn’t. I’m Vicki, if you must know.” She sighed as if he was too stupid to live. “Rebecca’s best friend.” Her eyes told him he should have known that important piece of information.
“Right. She’s in the bathroom.” He jerked his head towards the back of the house.
“And she left you in charge?” A slender light brown eyebrow arched at him. Her pursed lips disapproved of him. She only came up to his shoulder, but somehow, she seemed formidable.
“Well, I am a cop.” He tried to regain some dignity. “I’m trained to handle emergencies.”
One side of her lips canted up in a grimace of disbelief. “Rebecca!” she called.
“In the bathroom. I’ll be out in a sec.” The muffled voice came from down the hall and behind a door.
Barker and Vicki glared at each other. Time stretched. Vicki ignored him and bounced the baby in her arms. Barker checked Vicki out. Wondered what she looked like with her hair out of that severe ponytail. Blond hair spread across a pillow. Black lace panties and one of those bras that pushed a woman’s breasts up into full, ripe mounds.
Oh, yeah.
The door opened and Rebecca returned. “I see you’ve met Barker. He’s Jake’s best friend and a cop.” She looked a little pale to him, but that was to be expected with the shocks she’d had tonight.
Vicki passed the baby to her. “When I got here I saw the strange truck and I got worried. Did you know the back of your car is wrecked?”
“Yes, I know. So, you just thought you’d come in and check it out?” Rebecca grinned. “Great. Just great. Another baby sitter.”
“We were supposed to have dinner, remember?” Vicki put her hands on her hips.
“Sorry, Vicki. I forgot. Too much going on.” Rebecca sat in the glider and rocked the baby.
Vicki sat on the couch, tucking her legs under her. Barker dropped into the seat next to her. She shot him a look that said, “You’re still here?” and turned back to Rebecca. “Spill it.”
“Someone tried to run me off the road tonight on the way back from Jake’s.”
“Shit.” She turned to Barker. Now he existed. “Tell me you caught the guy.”
“No. I never saw him.”
“What kind of cop are you?” She was glaring at him, as if it were all his fault.
“Vicki, Barker was off-duty at the time. He was at Jake’s too. He came across the accident and offered to follow me home.”
“Does Jake know?”
Rebecca rolled her eyes and sighed. “No. And he’s not going to, right, Barker?”
“That was the deal.”
Vicki’s head swiveled to Barker. “What deal?”
“She let me follow her home. I don’t tell Jake.”
“Why don’t you want to tell Jake?” Vicki looked at Rebecca.
“I have my reasons.”
“And you know about them?” Vicki turned to Barker. It was obvious she didn’t like that he knew something she didn’t. Ha. One point for him.
“Yeah. I don’t agree either, but I gave my word not to tell.”
“You’d do that?” Vicki seemed to be reassessing him. He hoped it was in his favor. She was dead sexy, with that hard look in her eyes and her lithe legs tucked up. He could imagine them wrapped around him, telling him just what she wanted him to do to her. And he was ready to do it.
“Yeah. I still think Jake should know about it, but a deal’s a deal.” He shrugged.
Vicki turned back to her friend. “Okay. Now will you admit it?”
“Admit what?” Rebecca tried to look innocent.
“That someone is trying to kill you, Rebecca. And the baby.”
Chapter 9
Rebecca stared at Vicki, then she turned to Barker. “Is that what you think, too?”
“Yeah.”
“And Jake?” Rebecca’s voice sounded dangerous and he knew he had better give the right answer.
“Yeah. I’ve been making drive-bys at night on my patrol. I asked some of the other guys to do the same on their shifts.” He tried not to look sheepish. This wasn’t some game. However, he did not intend to tell her Jake had been on patrol, too. And definitely not as a wolf sitting under her house.
“Did Jake order you to?” Her lips were set in a straight, grim line.
“No. I suggested it to him. He agreed.”
Vicki crossed her arms. “That settles it. I’m staying here tonight. No arguments. Give me about forty-five minutes to go home, grab some things, and I’ll be right back.”
Rebecca began to speak, but changed her mind and nodded.
“You’ll stay with her until I come bac
k?” Vicki pinned Barker with those luscious brown eyes of hers. He would have agreed to anything she asked at that moment, instead, he merely nodded.
Picking up her purse, she walked to the door. “Do you mind, Becca?”
“No. I think I’d like someone here right now.” She smiled at her best friend.
Without another word, Vicki was gone.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Rebecca pointed towards the kitchen.
“No, if I drink it, I’ll be up all night. I have the guys on patrol doing drive-bys tonight. I’m back on duty tomorrow.”
“Then let me feed Ben and put him to bed, and I’ll be back.” She disappeared down the hall.
Barker leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and ran his hands through his hair. How was he going to tell Jake about this? He was going to be furious about not knowing of another attack on Rebecca. And he couldn’t blame Jake one bit. If it was he and his woman was being threatened, Jake might have to answer to his fists.
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time they’d duked it out over a girl. He only hoped if it came to blows they’d remain friends after it was over. And that Jake would pull his punches.
Standing, he walked to the window, stood to the side, and peered out through a crack in the curtain. The street was quiet. Where the hell was Trey hiding? It had to be him, who else could it be?
Rebecca came back, dressed in a robe, her feet in fuzzy slippers. “I’m going to bed as soon as Vicki gets back.” She sat in the glider.
“That’s a good idea. I doubt anything will happen again tonight.” He sat down on the couch. Time for cop mode. He leaned forward, his hands clasped together between his knees. “Rebecca. Is there anyone else, anyone in your past, who might want to hurt you?”
She thought for a minute. “No. No one. And most of my past is in Tennessee, not here in Louisiana. I left here when I was eighteen to get away from my parents.” She shrugged. “Alone, by the way. I caught a bus out of here and ended up in Knoxville. Started working in a diner as a short-order cook. I took some community college courses in culinary arts. Ten years later, here I am, back home. Six months after I arrived and opened shop as a caterer, I met Trey.”
He listened to what he wasn’t hearing. “Anyone in Tennessee who might want you back, or might want you dead?”
She swallowed. “I had a boyfriend. The son of the owner of the restaurant I worked at. But nothing ever came of it. We split up when I started going to school full time. Different directions, I guess. But it was mutual. There’s been no one else. I’ve tried to stay away from entanglements and concentrate on my career.”
She leaned back, obviously exhausted. “Can we do the interrogation later?”
“Sorry if it seemed like I was being hard on you, but I need to know everything.” He leaned forward and gave her a smile. Then he sat back. “Your friend Vicki seems nice.”
“She is. She’s a teacher at the elementary school.”
“She seems like a real good friend. Did you know her before you left?”
“She was my best friend back in high school. She was one of the reasons I came back here, besides my mom and dad. After she got her degree at LSU, she returned here to teach, to give back to the community. She encouraged me to come back to my roots and that what this town needed was a good caterer.” She flashed a quick smile, then frowned at him. “If you’re looking at Vicki as a possible suspect, you’re way off base. She has no reason to want me dead, so forget it.” Her eyes got hard and her brows furrowed.
“No, I don’t think it’s her at all.”
“Who, then? Trey?”
“Yeah. I hate to admit it, but he’s the most likely suspect.”
There was a knock at the door. Rebecca got up and answered it. Vicki had returned, a sports bag slung over her shoulder, and a skirt and blouse on hangers draped over her arm. “I got my stuff. Hope I didn’t take too long?”
“No, we were just talking.” Rebecca smiled at Barker.
“Well, I better go now that your watchdog has arrived.” He grinned at Vicki.
“Grrrufff!” She laughed. “You better believe it.”
He stepped to the door. “Vicki, can I have a word with you?”
She nodded, put down her things, and followed him outside. “What’s up?”
He looked out at the street. He couldn’t believe he was going to do this, and he couldn’t believe how nervous he was.
“I’m off duty on Thursday. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
Vicki stared at him, eyes wide, her mouth opened in a soft gasp. Then, her face changed. He saw a brief flash of a smile, then her lips thinned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Barker.”
“Why not?” He was surprised about her answer. Not many women told him no. He’d thought he’d ended up on her good side this evening.
She licked her lips and then looked up at him. “Look, Barker. I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but you’re a heartbreak on two legs. I’ve been there and done that. I even have the t-shirt and I’m not interested in getting the matching hat. Don’t look good in them.”
He’d never heard himself described that way before. To be honest, he had broken his share of hearts. He didn’t know what to say to her. He just knew he wanted her. Frowning, he shrugged. “Can I ask again, sometime?”
She stepped towards the door. “Sorry, Barker. I’m off the menu at the meat market.” Opening it, she stepped through and went inside.
Barker frowned, took a deep breath, let it out, and headed to his truck.
* * * *
The wolf padded down the trail to the old fort. The moon shone down on it, casting shadows in the small clearing. He sat at the edge of the woods staring at it, unwilling to go into the open until he knew it was safe.
He and Trey had built it the year Jake was twelve, before his first change. He had worked hard to keep their sister Tori from finding out. But, he’d let Trey tag along, a kid brother of six, too big to leave behind and too small to do much. After much whining, Jake had let him help gather wood and carry it to the site.
There wasn’t much left of the fort now, just parts of the walls. The roof had caved in long ago and the tarpaper he’d filched from the supplies at the lumberyard was in tatters.
They’d been so proud of it and couldn’t wait to show it to Dad. Of course, their dad had walked around it, inspecting it, silently noting all the wood and supplies they’d stolen to build it. In the end, as the boys held their breath, their dad had pronounced it the best fort he’d ever seen, even rivaling the one he and his brother Joseph had built down by the stream when they were kids.
Together, they’d all crawled inside, sat like Indians, and made a sacred spit vow never to allow girls or outlaws or damn Yankees to discover their secret place. The memory made the wolf smile. Well, as close to a smile as a wolf could manage.
A million years ago. When we were young and still brothers. He lowered his head to his paws and scented the ground. No one had been here. All he could smell was the raccoon family living in it now, and somewhere, rabbits.
He turned around and headed back down the trail. The wolf had been to all the places he could think of on their property. Would Trey really hide here? Probably not. He had to have friends in town.
The thought of town led to the last time he’d caught scent of Trey. The pawn shop. As good a place as any to start. The Fells brothers, Tad and Bryan ran it. Tad was all right, but Bryan was a bad ass. Trey had run with him during high school.
The shop opened at ten a.m. He’d check it out then. Ask what Trey had been interested in; pretend he was looking for a birthday gift, maybe. Was that too lame? It would have to do for now.
The wolf shook out his fur, stopped by a tree, and marked it. It had been a long night and he was tired.
The sun would be up soon and he had to go to work, so he headed for home.
* * * *
Rebecca stared at the television. This was ridiculous. She wanted to go out, take a walk,
but she’d promised Vicki as she was leaving for work she’d stay put today. It was just a bad case of ‘ants in the pants’. Like when she had money and went shopping and nothing looked good, but when she didn’t have a dime, everything was something she just had to have.
Flipping the television remote, she landed on the food channel. Now she was seriously depressed. It had been four months since her last catering job. Her reserve funds were being nibbled at, draining away in a slow and steady stream. She’d be broke in another three months or so if she wasn’t careful. Losing the house and her business was something she couldn’t even begin to think about, not on top of her current set of worries.
She should get in the kitchen and cook something up. It would be good for her. But what? At times like this, there was only one thing, one constant that never failed to lift her spirits.
Chocolate.
Ben was taking his morning nap, so she had time. Rummaging around in her pantry, she pulled out the block of baker’s chocolate, and some cake flour. A cake, she decided.
Rebecca spent the morning working on the cake, falling into the familiar routine of measuring, pouring, sifting, beating, and blending. Some people relieved stress by kneading dough; she did it through the concentration of following the steps of a recipe. The more complicated the better.
Today, she’d picked a seven-layer Doberge cake, each thin layer separated by rich chocolate filling. The outside was iced smooth with chocolate royal icing. For good measure, and to satisfy her neglected artistic cravings, she decorated it with swags of soft yellow, punctuated with darker yellow roses and green leaves.
It sat on the table, a masterpiece, too pretty to eat. An idea popped into her head. She went to the kitchen drawer, opened it, and pulled out the phone book. After flipping through the half-inch yellow pages, she found what she was looking for.
Grabbing the phone, she punched in the numbers.
“The Garden Tea Room. Can I help you?”
“Yes. I’d like to speak to the manager.”
“Hold on, I’ll get her.”
Rebecca waited, rehearsing her sales pitch in her mind.
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