by Iris Morland
As she shined her light out into the clearing, her breath caught in her throat when she saw Emma next to a man. As she focused on his figure, she realized it was Silas. He had his arm around Emma. Relief spread through her, but when she saw the fear on Emma’s face, she realized that he wasn’t there to help the girl.
Everything that had happened with Silas—his warnings, his anger at her interest in Gavin—it all collided together. She couldn’t breathe. It’d been him all along, hadn’t it?
“Silas, let her go,” Kat said, her voice barely a whisper. She spoke louder. “Let her go. Don’t do this. I don’t know what you want, but it’s not worth it.”
Silas didn’t say anything, but instead pulled Emma closer to his side. She whimpered. When Kat approached, Silas smiled, and it sent a shiver down her spine.
“Hi, Kat. I was hoping you’d show up here.” His once kind eyes flicked over her, and she couldn’t help but feel dirty from his gaze. “And look, I was right. I knew you’d do anything for that son of a bitch and his kid.”
She kept her flashlight trained on Silas’s face. “Why are you doing this?”
“You can’t really think why?” When Emma started to struggle against him, he swore something at her and clamped his arm tighter around her shoulders. Kat was about to run toward them, but he snarled, “Stay where you are.”
But as Emma started struggling again, like a cat trying to free itself, Silas raised a hand to strike her. Kat ran toward them, and she grabbed onto his arm and wrenched him backward. “Run, Emma!” Kat screamed.
Within a breath, she felt cold metal against her temple, and it took all her strength not to scream herself hoarse.
“Don’t move,” Silas said. “Or I’ll blow your brains out from here to Sunday.”
15
Gavin heard the yells and ran as fast as his feet could carry him. But Kat had sprinted so quickly that he’d lost her, and it felt like an eternity before he arrived in the clearing where she’d stopped. But the sight in front of him instantly arrested him: Silas Fraser holding Emma captive. Gavin was still far enough away that Silas hadn’t heard him approach.
Before Gavin could react to the tableau in front of him, Kat launched herself at Silas, screaming at Emma to run for it. Gavin caught his daughter in his arms as she ran into the woods, and she thrashed against him, not recognizing him.
“Emma, it’s me!” He tried to get her to look at him, but she was fighting him tooth and nail. He grabbed her face and forced her to look him in the eye. “It’s me! Emma, look at me!”
Her blue eyes widened. “Dad?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Gavin looked up to see Silas with his gun to Kat’s temple, and his heart almost burst out of his chest. “I need you to get out of here and get help. Can you do that?” He handed her his flashlight. “Keep the river on your left and it’ll take you straight to people looking for you.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll be okay.” He hugged her close and wrapped her fingers around the flashlight. “Now run.”
Emma hesitated, but only for a second. She took off, running like the wind. He only hoped she found help in time.
“Let her go,” Gavin called, announcing his presence.
Silas’s head shot up, and he flashed his own light in Gavin’s direction. “Oh good. Everyone’s here.”
“Don’t do this.” His voice was a croak, raspy with fear.
Silas scoffed. “I’m tired of everyone doing what you want. I tried my best to get Kat to come to me for help, but she went to you, didn’t she? Stupid bitch.” He yanked Kat closer, and Gavin saw her eyes widen. But she didn’t cry out. She stood still as a statue, barely trembling, and he only loved her more for it. When had he ever deserved a woman as brave and caring as Kat?
“Take me instead,” Gavin insisted. “If you want to hurt someone, hurt me.”
“No!” Kat lurched toward him, but Silas only pressed the gun harder to her temple. “Don’t do this, Gavin.”
Silas rolled his eyes. “As touching as this is, I’m not here for you. I’m here for her. I always have been.”
Kat looked at Silas with horror, and Gavin realized with a jolt that Silas was the one who’d been terrorizing her for these past weeks.
“Ah, I see you know what I’m talking about. Yes, I was the one sending all of those emails and comments. When I realized Kat was obsessed with you, I thought I could get her to come to me in her terror. I could be a source of comfort. But I didn’t reckon she’d be stupid enough to go to you.” Silas turned off the safety on the gun, his finger on the trigger. “So you see, if you take one more step toward us, I’ll shoot her. You don’t want that, do you?”
“What do you want?”
“I want this woman to apologize for everything she’s done. She led me on. She acted like she wanted me but she only wanted you. Some asshole with a crazy ex-wife and an equally crazy kid. What could you give her that I couldn’t? I want her on her knees, begging for her life.” He took Kat by the arm and wrenched her down onto the ground, the gun now pointed at her forehead. “Beg, you stupid bitch. Beg for your life, and maybe I’ll grant you some measure of mercy.”
Kat panted, staring down the barrel of Silas’s gun. Gavin watched and tried to find an opening, but Silas wasn’t going to let Kat go without a fight. All three knew it.
“Is this about the game?” Gavin took one small step forward as he spoke. “You’re mad about a computer game?”
Silas rolled his eyes. “The game was stupid, but it was just an opportunity. One Kat very conveniently gave me.” He pressed the gun harder into forehead. “You should’ve let me help you, Kat,” he said in a deceptively calm voice.
Gavin watched in horror as Silas was about to press the trigger. “If you love her at all, don’t do this. Kill me. I’m the one who ruined everything.”
Kat trembled even harder, but she didn’t say anything.
Silas seemed to consider, then he shrugged. “True, you are just as much to blame,” he reasoned. “So now I’m going to kill her first, and then I’m going to kill you.”
“No!” Gavin screamed.
Right then, they all heard people about to run into the clearing, shouts filling the woods. Silas turned to look over his shoulder, and that was enough of an opening for Gavin. He launched himself toward Silas, taking him straight to the ground with a grunt. Kat yelled, but Gavin could only focus on disarming Silas. They tussled and rolled, and Gavin got in two punches to the man’s face before Silas retaliated, elbowing Gavin in the stomach with his elbow.
Gavin grunted and rolled over onto his back, gasping for breath. Silas’s gun had skittered off into the clearing, but the snow that had fallen provided an obvious path to where it had landed. Silas, though, wasn’t done yet, and he rose and kicked Gavin in the ribs. Gavin curled in on himself just as he heard a man shout, “Drop your weapons!”
But the only thing on Gavin’s mind was survival. He rolled away from Silas’s kicks and got to his feet, panting. Silas’s face was bloodied, and just as Gavin was about to take him down again, the man ran toward the gun that he’d dropped. Gavin sprinted after him. He crashed into Silas from the side right as Silas lifted up the gun, and everything seemed to slow down when the sound of the gun firing went off through the clearing.
A woman screamed. Time seemed to stop. Gavin found himself lying on the ground, warmth spreading next to him. He looked to his side, and Silas lay there, gasping for breath.
“Gavin, Gavin!” Kat was kneeling beside him. “Can you hear me? Gavin!”
He had the strangest urge to close his eyes, but he couldn’t look away from Kat. He reached up to touch her face; he felt wetness on her cheeks. “I love you, Kat,” he breathed.
“I love you, too.”
Her hands were searching his body, and he didn’t understand why she was doing this now and here of all places. Then he hissed in a breath when she pressed hard against his side. His eyelids fluttered closed.
&nbs
p; “If you die on me, Gavin Danvers, I will find your ghost and haunt you for eternity. Do you hear me?” Kat’s voice was ragged, and he wanted to tell her there was no way he was leaving her, but his voice didn’t seem to work anymore.
After that, more people arrived, and lights flashed, and there were shouts, and his eyelids became so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open anymore. Darkness embraced him.
WHEN GAVIN AWOKE, the first thing he noticed was the astringent scent of his surroundings. He didn’t understand why the woods would smell like that, but when he opened his eyes, he slowly realized he was no longer in the woods. He was in the hospital. The hospital? Why was he in the hospital?
“You’re awake.” Kat touched his arm, her eyes shining as she looked down at him. “Jesus Christ, Gavin.”
He saw that she was crying, and he reached up to wipe the tears away. “What happened?” His voice was croaky.
“You were shot, but the bullet just grazed you. You bled quite a bit, though.” She sniffled. “Scared me half to death, too.”
In a rush, it all came back to him: the woods, Kat, Silas, Emma. Emma. He lurched upward, but groaned as his wound smarted. “Emma? Where is she? Is she all right?”
Kat grabbed his hands to still him. “She’s okay. She found help, just like you told her to. She was so brave. They arrested Silas. It’s over.”
“How did he get Emma? How did this even happen?”
Kat sighed. “Apparently Silas was planning to hurt me, but when he stumbled upon Emma hiding in the supply closet, he decided she’d be bait. He wanted to use her to get to me, and to you. He left me a note telling me to come alone to the woods, but I didn’t see it until after it was all over.” She gave a wry, sad smile. “It wasn’t a good plan, and for that, I’m grateful.”
“Where’s Emma?” He needed to see his daughter, to make sure she really was okay. His eyes stung, remembering how Silas had kept her captive. He remembered the gun Silas had pointed at Kat, and the fear flooded through him, making him tremble.
“She just went to get something to eat. Everyone’s here—your entire family. They’re looking after her. Teagan is trying to get here, too.”
Right then, the door to his room opened, and there was Emma. Her face lit up when she saw that Gavin was awake. “Dad!” She ran toward him and clambered up onto the bed.
He didn’t care that she jostled his wound. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight, breathing in her sweet scent, reveling in the feeling of her warmth and vitality. “Emma, sweetheart,” he said. “God, it’s good to see you.”
“You’re going to be okay?” Her lower lip trembled.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He hugged her again before she curled against his side. He stroked her hair as he looked at Kat. “How are you? I can’t believe you threw yourself at Silas.” His throat tightened at the memory, and he clutched her hand. “That was so stupid, Kat.”
She laughed a little. “Maybe, but it worked. I’m okay. Just a little bruised up, but better than you.” She arched an eyebrow. “I’m not the one who got shot.”
He sighed, and he took her hand to kiss the back of it. “I love you, Kat,” he said. “I’m sorry I was such a coward. I don’t deserve you, you know.”
“I know that.” At his expression, she grinned. “I love you, too, you stubborn man.” She leaned toward him and they kissed, but Emma made a disgruntled noise, which caused them to part and laugh.
“I am sitting right here,” Emma said pertly. But then she looked up at Kat and asked, “Are you going to be my stepmom?”
Kat raised an eyebrow. “Maybe. Your dad hasn’t asked me, though.”
“Ladies, ladies. Let a guy recover first before we start talking about weddings.” But the thought of Kat becoming his wife, walking down the aisle toward him, wearing a beautiful white gown? It didn’t make him want to turn tail and run. He only wanted to embrace it and see what the future would bring them.
The rest of the Danvers clan came in, with everyone surrounding Gavin and asking him how he was feeling, what he remembered, and every other question under the sun. Kat had filled them in as much as she could, but everyone wanted to talk to Gavin. He tried his best, but after about an hour of questions, he looked so exhausted that Kat shooed everyone out.
The nurse came in and gave him another dose of morphine. Gavin tried to fight the sleep that wanted to claim him, but his eyelids were so heavy that he wouldn’t last long.
“Emma, can you tell me what happened?”
Emma plucked at the sheets, avoiding his gaze. He jostled her a little. “Tell me,” he breathed.
“I got scared,” she mumbled.
When she didn’t seem like she’d continue, Kat rubbed her back. “You can talk to us, Emma.”
“I had a dream the night before, that Mom was going to die. I tried to stop thinking about it. I did. But it got so bad that I went to the closet, like before. That’s when Mr. Fraser found me.” She looked up at Gavin with wide eyes. “He took me into the woods, but I tried hard to stop him. I really did.”
Gavin sighed. Sleep was claiming him, but he said in a slurred voice, “I’m sorry, Emma. I’m sorry you were scared and that you felt like you had to run away. I’m sorry that man took you, and I promise you, I will never let that happen again. When you’re ready, though, we’re going to have you talk to some people to help you not be so scared anymore.”
Emma burrowed against him. “I don’t like talking to people.”
“I know, but I’m going to talk to some people, too. I promise. We’ll do it together.” He yawned, and he took Emma’s hand just as sleep finally took hold of him and wouldn’t let go.
16
T wo months after what was eventually termed The Incident, everything seemed to return to normal. Mostly normal, at any rate, Kat reflected with a wry smile. Gavin had told her in no uncertain terms that there was no way she was going to get away from him again, and she’d moved in with him the day he’d returned home from the hospital. And neither of them had looked back. Silas awaited his trial, sitting in jail for the foreseeable future. He’d tried contacting Kat to apologize, but she’d refused all contact. He’d told the judge that he’d done everything because he loved her. She didn’t understand it, but she was glad he couldn’t hurt anyone else.
Now, sitting with Joy at her wedding on Christmas Eve, Kat reflected that she’d never been happier than she had been these past two months. The Incident aside, she’d fallen in love with Gavin Danvers even more than she had before, if that was possible. He’d done everything in his power to make up for turning her away, and she’d let him. She smiled, thinking of how he’d made things up to her just this morning.
“What are you smiling about?” Joy looked at her in the mirror, where she was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Unsurprisingly, she wore a dress that wasn’t remotely traditional: instead of white, she wore a creamy pink gown with flowers trailing down the back, like a waterfall of petals. It brought out the peachy creaminess of her skin, and Kat rather thought she looked like a queen wearing it. She didn’t wear any jewelry except the engagement ring on her finger, which would soon have a wedding band added to it.
“I’m just so happy to finally see you and Adam get married and stop living in sin,” Kat quipped.
Joy rolled her eyes. “Takes one to know one. Besides, there was no way I was marrying Adam without planning the wedding I wanted. He would’ve run to the courthouse if I’d said yes.”
Kat smiled. “Gavin said the same thing to me.”
“Did he ask you?” Joy whirled to face her. “Kat Williamson, don’t play with me! Are you engaged?”
She could only nod, and Joy squealed with delight. But seeing that her left hand was bare, Joy made a face.
Kat couldn’t help but laugh. “He kind of asked me without planning the rest of it. But don’t worry, I’m getting the biggest ring out of him I can.”
“Good. You deserve it.” Joy stood up and hugged her, and
Kat suddenly fought tears. “I’m so glad you’re part of the family now, Kat.”
So was Kat. Gavin hadn’t been the only one to overcome his fears: Kat had as well. She’d realized she’d kept herself alone to avoid getting hurt, but Gavin had shown her that, for love, the risk was always worth it.
The door opened, and Grace entered. She wore the silvery bridesmaid dress that Kat also wore, and her blonde hair was piled on top of her head. She looked absolutely radiant, and Kat had to wonder if Grace Danvers had a secret of her own.
“Adam wanted me to ask if you were ready,” Grace asked.
Joy raised an eyebrow. “And you can ask him if he’s ready.” Then she smiled. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Grace practically bounced on her toes, and Kat eyed her. Was she touching her abdomen more often than usual, or was she imagining things? She bit her lip to keep from smiling too obviously as she asked, “Does Jaime know?”
Grace’s head whipped toward her, her fingers pressing against her stomach. When Joy noticed the gesture, she gasped. “Grace Danvers!” Joy breathed. “Tell me right now what’s going on!”
Grace blushed and sat down beside them, and they huddled together as a group. “I just found out this past week. I told Jaime last night.” If it was possible, she blushed harder. “I’m pregnant.”
The sound they all made together was enough to wake the dead. Joy hugged Grace so hard that she rumpled her gown, and Grace’s hair was in danger of falling from its pins. Kat hugged her as well.
“Congratulations. How did Jaime take it?” Kat asked.
“He’s still kind of in a daze. But then this morning he was so happy that he couldn’t stop kissing me.” Grace bit back a smile. “That’s why we were late.”
Joy smacked her on the arm. “For shame! But I’m so happy for you two. You’ll make the best parents.”
“What about you?” Grace poked Joy in the arm. “Are you guys working on any project? Not that I’m dying to know what either of you are doing with my brothers, but tit for tat and all that.”