12 Stocking Stuffers

by Beverly Barton

  “But not the attack?”

  “I remember everything that day, up to when I locked the door to Toddle Town and walked toward the parking area. Then it’s all a blank until I woke up in the hospital.”

  “What about everything before then—from your childhood up to that day?”

  “I still have a few holes in my memory, but not many. It’s odd, but I still can’t recall everything about the night I waited for you in the square. I remember going to the square. I can hear the church bells and even see the snow, but I don’t remember leaving the square and going home. I’ve lost several days there, maybe even a week or so. I remember being in the hospital after Christmas. I think I had pneumonia. Is that right?”

  “Didn’t Jody tell you about—”

  “Jody told me she thought it was best if I waited for my memories to return instead of her filling in the blanks.”

  Worth pulled Faith to him and kissed her. “Jody’s right. Give it a little more time. You’ll remember.”

  He hoped she never remembered all the details of the night she had waited for him for four hours. He couldn’t bear the thought of her experiencing that kind of emotional pain again. If her memories of that night remained vague, he knew that sooner or later, he’d have to tell her. But selfishly, he wanted it to be later. A part of him feared that when she recalled all the details, she would hate him and not be able to forgive him for disappointing her.

  Three days to Christmas. Faith spent Monday morning wrapping presents and trying her best to pretend her life was normal. She’d put on a CD of All Time Favorites and the mellow voice of Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas” filled her apartment. The aroma of gingerbread cookies baking in the oven wafted out of the kitchen and a spicy scent permeated the air. Worth sat on the pallet on the living room floor with Hope, watching her waver back and forth as she shook the rattle in her hand. Faith loved seeing Worth with his daughter; she could tell by his every action that he adored their child. But her big, strong, macho guy couldn’t put his feelings into words. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that Worth loved them. Even if he didn’t know it yet; even if it took him a while longer to come to terms with emotions alien to him.

  Worth lifted Hope into his arms and stood, then walked over to the sofa where Faith sat with a gift box half-wrapped in bright-red paper. “If this afternoon’s stint at Toddle Town is a bust, I want you to put an end to it. We’ve all given it our best shot. This guy has eluded the law for months now, which means he’s not stupid. He’s probably suspicious about why I’m letting you go to Toddle Town every day without me.”

  “We can’t give up.” Faith clipped off a piece of tape and used it to secure the folded edges of her package. “Today could be the day he shows up. Or tomorrow.”

  “Or next week or next month? Honey, you can’t keep doing this day after day. It’s going to wear you down.”

  “What’s our alternative?”

  “I get Dom Shea back here and we keep you and Hope under guard 24/7 until the police nab this guy.”

  Faith placed the wrapped gift atop the stack she’d made in the floor in front of the sofa. “For how long? We can’t live that way indefinitely. Besides, I’m not doing this just for myself, you know. I’m putting myself out there as bait so we can stop this lunatic before he kills another woman.”

  Suddenly a loud singsong siren went off. Faith stilled instantly. A smoke detector. The kitchen? Were the cookies burning? Then she realized it wasn’t her smoke detector. The sound wasn’t loud enough.

  “That must be Jody’s smoke detector,” Faith said. “You’d better go check it out. I’m pretty sure she spent the night with Tommy last night and probably isn’t home yet.”

  “You stay here.” Worth handed Hope to Faith. “I’ll check it out. Where’s your key to Jody’s apartment?”

  “I don’t have a key,” Faith said. “Jody keeps an extra taped to the back of the wreath on the front door.”

  “I’ll have to talk to her about leaving a key where just anybody could find it.” Worth went to the closet, got his jacket, then checked the pocket for his Glock. After slipping into the jacket, he headed for the door. “Lock the door behind me and don’t open it to anyone except me. Not even Officer Deloney out there.” Worth nodded to the unmarked vehicle across the street.

  “Do you think—”

  “I don’t think anything in particular,” he told her. “Just lock the door.”

  As soon as Worth went outside, she closed the door behind him and locked it.

  “Well, Miss Sweetie Pie, let’s go check on those cookies while your daddy’s gone.”

  Faith entered the kitchen, placed Hope in her bouncy seat in the middle of the table, then picked up her oven mitts and put them on. Just as she bent over to open the oven door, she heard a loud crash. Her first thought was that Worth had broken something next door. Gasping, she jerked around to check on Hope. In her peripheral vision, she caught a glimpse of the back door to her apartment. Something had shattered the glass pane.

  Oh, God! Oh, God! Faith dashed toward Hope, grabbing her, just as a hand reached through the empty space where the glass had been. The gloved hand twisted the doorknob. They kept the door dead-bolt locked and the key was on the kitchen counter. With her heartbeat thundering in her ears, Faith started to run toward the living room. A gunshot rang out. A bullet whizzed over her head and entered the wall. Faith dropped to her knees, cradling Hope in front of her. Another shot ripped into the floor not a foot from Faith. She began crawling on her knees, trying to place herself out of the shooter’s line of vision.

  Worth stood in Jody’s kitchen gazing at the open back door when he heard the crash. He was halfway out the door when he heard the gunshots. Damn! Racing outside onto the back porch, his thoughts jumbled with fear, recriminations and pure rage, Worth saw the man shooting through the broken pane in Faith’s back door. Then he heard the scream! His blood ran cold. Faith screaming in agony.

  Worth pulled out his Glock, prepared himself for battle and charged. The guy spun around, his eyes wild as he scowled at Worth.

  “You’re too late. She’s dead,” the gunman said. “And you’re next.”

  An evil, crazed grin spread across the guy’s face as he pointed his pistol at Worth. Thank you, Worth thought. Thank you for making it so easy for me to kill you, you son of a bitch!

  Before the killer got off another shot, Worth aimed and fired. The bullet hit the guy right between the eyes. He reeled backward and fell onto the porch in a dead heap. Worth barely glanced at him as he rushed past and into the house. When he saw Faith sprawled out on the floor, facedown, his heart stopped.

  No, please, God, no!

  He ran across the room, dropped down on his haunches and grasped Faith’s shoulder. She grunted, then rolled over, Hope still secure in her arms. Hope yelled at the top of her lungs.

  “Where are you hit?” Worth asked. “Just lie still. I’ll call 911.”

  “I’m all right. I don’t know how he kept missing me, but he did. He didn’t shoot me.” Faith held Hope out to Worth. “Take her while I stand up.”

  A sense of unparalleled relief washed over Worth, a tidal wave of thankfulness. With one hand he lifted Hope up and braced her on his hip, then reached down, grabbed Faith’s arm and pulled her to her feet. He wrapped mother and daughter in his arms.

  Officer Deloney came running around the side of the house, his pistol drawn. The minute he saw the dead man sprawled out on the porch, he skidded to a halt.

  “Is everybody okay?” Deloney asked.

  “We’re safe,” Faith said as she clung to Worth. “Finally, we’re safe.”

  Chapter 8

  The police, an ambulance and a fire truck showed up after Officer Deloney put in a 911 call. Before the first emergency vehicle pulled into the driveway, every neighbor within two city blocks showed up in the yard. Although Faith insisted she was perfectly fine, Worth demanded she allow the paramedics to check her.

  �
�Really, Worth, I’m all right,” Faith insisted, but her voice quivered slightly. If Worth didn’t have his arm around her waist, she wasn’t sure she could stand.

  “Either you let them check you out or I’m taking you straight to the hospital right now.” She gazed up at Worth and realized how deadly serious he was. His tense, strained expression told her he was fighting to control his emotions.

  Worth kept gently jostling Hope in an effort to soothe her. Her yelping cries had softened to sobbing whimpers.

  “All right,” Faith agreed. “But first, let me sit down before I fall down.”

  George and Lindsey Dawson came rushing in the back door, allowed entrance by their nephew, one of Whitewood’s policemen.

  “Merciful heavens,” Lindsey said. “Are y’all okay?” She glanced from Faith to Hope to Worth. “Give me that baby and you see to Faith. She looks like she’s about to keel over.”

  Without hesitation Worth handed his daughter to her honorary grandmother, then caught Faith in his arms just as she swooned in a faint.

  “Damn,” Worth cursed under his breath.

  “Poor thing,” George said. “She’s been through so much. That child deserves nothing but happiness for the rest of her life. Nobody should have to experience so much tragedy in one lifetime.”

  Worth turned to the two paramedics standing in the kitchen. “I’ll put her in the ambulance and ride along with y’all. And I’d suggest we get going before she comes to.” He turned and looked at Hope nestled securely in Lindsey’s loving arms. “Take care of—”

  George slapped his hand down on Worth’s back. “No need to tell us to take good care of Hope. We’ll bring her on to the E.R. and wait with you until the doctor checks Faith out.”

  “Thanks. I don’t know what Faith and Hope would do without you two.”

  Worth carried Faith through the house and out onto the front porch. Suddenly the throng of neighbors congregated in the yard quieted and every eye focused on them. Inquiries buzzed from various lips. “Is she all right? Was she shot? What can we do to help? We’ll pray for her. We care so much about Faith.”

  Just as one of the paramedics opened the back doors to the ambulance, a sleek, silver sports car skidded to a halt on the street in front of the duplex. Jody jumped out of the Corvette and flew across the yard, parting the crowd like Moses parting the Red Sea.

  “Faith, Faith, Faith!” Jody screamed. “Oh, God, Worth, what happened? Is she—?”

  “She’s all right,” Worth said. “She fainted. I think she may be suffering from a mild case of shock. We’re taking her to the E.R. to get checked out. Lindsey and George are bringing Hope.”

  “What the hell happened?” Jody asked, her voice tinged with hysteria.

  One of the paramedics interrupted. “Sir, we’re ready to go.”

  Worth crawled into the back of the ambulance, laid Faith on the gurney, sat beside her, then looked back at Jody. “Get Tommy to bring you to Memorial and I’ll fill you in on the details. But don’t worry about the guy who tried to kill Faith. He’s dead.”

  Jody’s mouth gaped open. “Oh. You—you—?”

  “Yeah,” Worth replied just as a paramedic closed the ambulance door.

  When the ambulance was only minutes from her apartment, Faith roused and looked up at Worth. “Where’s Hope…what—?”

  When she tried to sit up, Worth grasped her shoulders, forcing her to stay put. “Lie still, Blue Eyes. Hope’s fine. She’s with Lindsey and George. You’ve had quite a scare. You need to relax and stay calm.”

  “Me?” Faith smiled. “Worth Cordell, you’re the one who needs to relax and stay calm.”

  “I am perfectly calm,” Worth said through clenched teeth.

  “No, you’re not, so don’t try to lie to me. I can see the expression on your face and in your eyes. I know you well enough to be able to read what those brown eyes of yours are saying.”

  “Damn it, Faith, what do you expect? I’m not going to fall apart on you just because I’m still shaking like a leaf inside. When I realized there was no fire in Jody’s apartment, that somebody had gotten into her place and set off the alarm as a distraction to get me away from you—” Worth clutched his knees tightly as he leaned over the stretcher on which Faith lay. “If anything had happened to you…” He swallowed hard and glanced away.

  Hope lifted her hand and laid it atop his on his knee. “You saved me…again. It seems to be your fate to be my hero. I guess I’m just one of those women who needs her own personal protector.”

  Worth gazed deeply into Faith’s blue, blue eyes. He’d never cared as much for another human being as he did Faith and the intensity of his emotions scared him. He’d never been in love, not really. Just a teenage infatuation that had gone bad. He wasn’t sure he knew what being in love was all about. What he felt for Faith was the most powerful emotion he’d ever known. Possessiveness, protectiveness and a huge dose of pure male lust. When he was near her, he wanted to look at her, touch her, taste her, absorb her. No matter how many times he made love to her, he wanted her again. He realized that he could never get enough of her. But was what he felt real love? Hell, if it wasn’t, it was the closest thing to love he’d ever felt.

  “You’ve gotten awfully quiet,” Faith said as she lay there looking up at him. “You’re not worrying about me, are you?”

  “Just thinking,” he replied.

  “About what?”

  “About us.”

  “Oh.”

  “Be quiet and rest until we get to the hospital. We’ll have plenty of time to talk later.” When she nodded, Worth took her hand in his. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  “As long as you’re with me.”

  A tinge of uncertainty alerted Worth to his deepest fears. Did Faith love him or was she mistaking her need for a protector with genuine love?

  In less than ten minutes the paramedics unloaded Faith and carried her into the emergency room at Memorial Hospital. Worth followed, staying as close to Faith as possible. By the time the doctor had given Faith a clean bill of health, Jody and Tommy, Lindsey and George, with Hope, as well as Margaret had arrived at the E.R. and were congregated in the waiting area.

  “I’m perfectly all right,” Faith announced as she held out her arms for Hope.

  “That’s just what we wanted to hear,” Margaret said.

  When Faith brought Hope close and kissed her rosy cheeks, Worth put his arm around Faith.

  “Y’all are coming home with us,” George said. “We’ve got plenty of room in our big old house and we can go get anything you need from the apartment.”

  “Oh,” Faith sighed. “I guess we can’t go home right now, can we? Do you suppose the police are still there?”

  “They might be,” Worth said. “But even if they aren’t, there’s no way we’ll be going back to that apartment.”

  Faith shivered. “You’re right. I don’t think I can ever go back into the kitchen without thinking about…”

  “Let’s get you to the house,” Lindsey said. “I have a nice pot roast cooking and I made a fresh sweet potato pie this morning.”

  George chuckled. “My wife thinks all of life’s problems can be solved with a good, hardy meal.”

  Lindsey glanced around at Margaret, Jody and Tommy. “Y’all are invited to come to supper, too. After a day like this, we should all be together.”

  An odd sensation seeped through Worth, a bittersweet realization that for the first time since he’d been a small child, he was part of a family. Faith’s family. And he didn’t want to lose that good feeling, didn’t want to lose Faith and Hope.

  Faith doesn’t need you now, an inner voice reminded him. She got along for the past year without you and if you left today, she’d get by just fine. But what about Hope? Every child needs a father. But he couldn’t use Hope as an excuse to remain in Faith’s life.

  “What are we waiting for?” Margaret asked. “I’ve got my car here. Faith, you and Worth and Hope can ride with m
e.” She turned to George. “Get Hope’s car seat for me.”

  In no time at all the entire group arrived at the Dawsons’ home. Cars lined their driveway. Faith was seated in a big recliner in the den and Hope stayed in her mother’s lap while the other ladies put supper on the table. Just as George brought Worth and Tommy a bottled beer apiece, Detective Rollins showed up at the front door and asked to speak to Worth.

  Worth stayed in the foyer, keeping his voice low during their brief conversation.

  “We’ll need you to come down to the station. Later tonight if possible,” Rollins said. “There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that you killed the guy in self-defense, but—”

  “I understand,” Worth replied. “I’ve been through this before. In my profession, being willing to kill to protect a client is part of the job.”

  “How’s Faith doing?”

  “Truth be told, I think she’s doing better than I.”

  Rollins nodded. “It’s rough on a man to see the woman he loves at risk. Thank God you were there with her.”

  Worth walked the detective out to his car, then joined the others in the dining room for a late supper.

  “We’ll all have Christmas here,” Lindsey said. “George and I will bring your gifts from your place over here and put them under our tree tomorrow.”

  “This is Hope’s first Christmas, so I want everything to be perfect,” Faith said.

  Margaret patted Faith’s hand. “We’ll make sure the day is perfect for Hope.”

  Worth noted that Faith hadn’t touched her meal. She had simply moved the food around on her plate. She was such a tiny thing, slender and delicate. Something in him—that caring, protective part of him—wanted to spoon-feed her, but he knew she’d veto the idea.

  Later that evening while Faith settled into bed in the Dawsons’ guest room, Worth helped Lindsey give Hope her evening bath.

  “Why don’t you settle down in that rocking chair with her?” Lindsey suggested. “I’ll warm her bottle and bring it to you.”

  An hour later, long after Hope had finished her milk, Worth sat in the semidark room, slowly rocking his daughter and humming softly to her. Faith had fallen asleep within minutes of going to bed, her sleep the results of a mild sedative given to her in the E.R. Worth rose from the rocker, placed Hope in the crib that Lindsey kept at her house, then walked down the hall to find his hosts.