He’d died three months later.
If only Dad were here now. He’d know what to do about their financial woes and this trouble brewing with the Forest Service. Somehow he would make everything right.
But Dad was gone, and Jill had never felt more alone.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. As she peered into the dark shadows, she dug her toes into the soft carpet. It felt like her stomach was in her throat.
Taking a step, she flipped on the light and looked around. Everything appeared normal, just as it had been when Dad was still alive. Nothing out of place. She imagined she caught his familiar smell. Peppermint and sandalwood, and another scent uniquely his own.
A picture of her parents on their wedding day sat on the desk. Mom was smiling at the camera, but Dad was gazing at Mom. With so much adoration that it almost made Jill’s teeth hurt. Her parents had been so much in love. And Jill had imagined sharing that same adulation with her own husband. In all her childhood dreams, she’d never once thought she might get married and her husband would cheat on her.
Fighting off the burn of tears, she looked away. Feeling swindled and disappointed. For some reason, Brent came to mind. He was so much like Dad. Kind and attentive. Worried about his little daughter. Trying to earn a living the best way he knew how, while seeing to the needs of his family. His deep, soothing voice always brought Jill a modicum of comfort. She’d come to anticipate her teaching sessions with Evie with relish. In fact, she couldn’t wait to see Brent again. And when he’d held her in his arms and kissed her that day out in Mom’s flower beds, she’d felt cherished and safe. The first time she’d felt that way since Dad’s passing.
“Enough of that!” She shook her head, realizing her thoughts had led her into dangerous territory. It’d be more productive to focus on the chore at hand.
Gripping the silver handle, she opened the filing cabinet and shuffled through a raft of manila folders. She slid the door closed and it gave a metallic slam as she turned toward the rolltop desk. Pens and dusty papers lay scattered across the top, as though they hadn’t been disturbed since Dad left them there. She rummaged through a stack of files, then opened a drawer. Empty. As she slid it closed, a shiny glimmer caught her eye. She jerked it back open and reached in to clasp a single key resting inside.
Turning the key on her open palm, she read the tag attached. Two simple words, scrawled in Dad’s shaky handwriting: Rainy day.
Hmm. How odd. She cocked her head to one side, wondering at the puzzling message. What did it mean? And more importantly, what did the key open?
She closed her hand as a light clicked on inside her mind. Maybe the key opened the safe in Dad’s office at the mill. It’d be so like Dad to keep them separate. In this sleepy town, robberies were quite rare. Also, the key could be obsolete. Something that used to fit a lock they no longer had.
There was only one way to find out.
Padding down the hallway, she picked up her purse, slid her shoes on and reached for the back door. She flipped on the porch light so she could see her way down the rock path leading to the driveway. The night air smelled of honeysuckle and dinner cooking next door at the neighbor’s house. Jill felt a strange, comforting sensation as she got inside her car and started up the engine. As though she belonged here in Bartlett. Something she hadn’t felt in many years, in spite of growing up in this house.
She switched on the headlights. Putting the car into gear, she headed outside of town. She made a left turn, the black asphalt giving way to dirt road. Within minutes, she’d driven the short distance to the sawmill. She was about to turn the car and unlock the front gate when a flash of light across the vacant road caught her eye.
Whipping her head around, she stopped her car, letting the engine idle. She squinted into the dark expanse near the river, thinking she’d imagined it.
There! She saw it again. As though a flashlight were moving among the tall cattails and willows. Maybe it was kids out late, playing along the river. Hide-and-seek was a favorite pastime. With only one restaurant in town and no movie theaters, kids had to figure out other ways to entertain themselves. Night games were a favorite.
But what were they doing down by the river at this late hour of the night? It wasn’t safe. Someone could fall in and drown. It’d happened before. And she didn’t like them being so close to the mill. A lighted match and the whole place could go up like a torch.
She had better check it out.
Pursing her lips together, she pulled over and parked her car along the side of the road and got out. Picking her way through the bushes, she stepped lightly, keeping the moon in her line of sight so she wouldn’t lose her way. The roar of the river filled her ears just to her right. And another sound she barely recognized. A man speaking.
Deep voices reached her ears. Not the younger sounds of kids, but of fully matured adults. A few more steps and she’d be able to see them. What on earth were they doing out here at this time of night...?
She bumped into a tall man’s solid torso. A strong hand closed over her wrist and she screamed. Jerking back, she prepared to fight and run.
A flash of light blinded her eyes. “Jill?”
She ducked her head and froze, blinking to clear her dazed vision. She knew that voice.
“Brent! What are you doing here?”
He lowered the beam of light. In the eerie shadows, she saw his deep frown and narrowed eyes. He wasn’t happy to see her here.
“I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing out here so late?” he growled.
Before she could respond, John McLaughlin stepped out from behind a tall cottonwood. His right hand cupped the butt of his revolver hanging from his hip. Even in the dark, she caught the angry glint in his eyes. Both men wore their uniforms, the badges pinned to their shirtfronts gleamed in the scattered moonlight. John’s face looked harsh and unapproachable.
Just beyond the two men, another dark form took shape. In a quick glance, Jill took in the shadowed tripod and camera partially concealed by heavy bushes. The extended lens was pointed directly at the entrance to the sawmill.
Her mouth dropped open in outrage. “You’re filming activity at the mill.”
It wasn’t a question. Even in the gloom, she could see the guilt written across Brent’s face. She’d caught him fair and square. And a lance of anger pierced her chest.
“So this is how you show your friendship to me? By spying on my family’s sawmill,” she cried.
“Jill, this isn’t about my relationship with you. It’s about a theft investigation. It’s got nothing to do with us.”
“It has everything to do with us. That mill belongs to my family. It belongs to me.”
“But you haven’t been here. This problem occurred while you were living in Boise.” His voice lowered, and she got the impression he was trying to soften the blow.
“We’ve cooperated every step of the way,” she said. “So why are you out here late at night in this cloak and dagger stuff? I have a right to know what’s going on.”
He took a deep breath, then let it go. “You’re right. I think it’s time you knew the truth.”
“You...you do?” Her shoulders tensed. Right now, she didn’t know what to think.
“Yes, I do.” He threw a questioning glance at John.
The LEO hesitated, then nodded reluctantly, as if he had no choice. “Okay, but keep her close until this thing is over with.”
Brent tugged on her arm. “Come with me.”
She folded her arms and planted her feet. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
He held out a placating hand. “If you’ll come with me, I’d rather show you. My truck’s parked right over there behind the bridge. I’d like to take you for a short ride. Everything will soon become clear. Please.�
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She peered through the shadows, unable to deny the fierce suspicion broiling inside her gut. Warning chimes rang loudly inside her head. She wanted to know the truth, but she feared what he might show her. Alan was out of town with Mom, but she refused to believe he was culpable in the theft. “It’s late and I should go home. Can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”
He brushed a jagged thatch of hair back from his high forehead. Even in the darkness, he couldn’t hide his appeal. She felt the attraction between them like an old friend. Right now, she wanted to throw herself into his arms. But that wouldn’t do her or her family any good. She hated the suspicion that had settled between them.
“Later, I’ll take you home. Come on. You’ll be safe with me,” he said.
His words washed over her like a warm blanket. She longed to trust him. To confide her deepest fears. But what if he let her down? She’d tried to put aside her ex-husband’s betrayal, but it had left a bad taste in her mouth that just wouldn’t go away. Besides, Brent was a man on a mission and she doubted he’d let Evie’s teacher get in the way of catching the timber thief.
Worried and a little frightened, Jill took his hand. His long, warm fingers folded over her own as he pulled her up the embankment. A man that had kissed her and made her believe happy endings were possible after all. A man she’d fallen for in spite of her vow to never love again.
“I’m parked right over here.” He pointed toward the river.
His cajoling voice surrounded her. Soothing her nerves. Drawing her in. She couldn’t fight him to save her life. But she didn’t know what to make of this. She’d trusted David, and look what that had gotten her. Nothing but heartache. And as she trudged behind Brent, she prayed he didn’t do the same.
* * *
“Where are we going?” Jill’s voice sounded thin and trembly as she sat stiff and unyielding in the passenger seat.
“Be patient. It’s just a short drive,” Brent reassured her. He longed to tell her more, but figured it’d be best to let her see with her own eyes and judge for herself.
“What’s this for?” She picked up a camera with a nightscope and high-powered zoom lens. An expensive piece of equipment.
Reaching out, he took it from her and placed it back on the padded seat between them. “You know very well what it’s for.”
He didn’t mean to sound abrasive, but tonight would make or break his case. More than anything, he wanted to put an end to this friction between them. He wanted to prove Alan’s innocence. But he hadn’t expected an uninvited guest to tag along and watch everything play out before them.
She folded her arms and locked her jaw. Turning her head, she watched the dark scenery flash past her window. “I don’t like this. Not one bit.”
Her fear was almost palpable. It rushed at him like a living thing. And he hated it. Especially since he’d put it there. All he wanted to do was keep her safe. To protect and love her.
Yes, he loved her. He finally admitted it to himself. Ever since she’d given Evie the little dry-erase board. Such a simple, considerate gesture. But it had locked Jill into his heart and he hadn’t been able to dislodge her in spite of his best efforts.
A relationship with this woman was futile. Loving her would bring both of them nothing but pain. Jill would never trust him. Especially after tonight.
A low squawk in his earpiece made him jerk. He reached up to his waist and turned the volume down. Jill’s eyes followed his movements, taking in the special equipment he was wearing for the night.
“What’s that for?” she asked with wide-eyed uncertainty.
“Just to keep in contact with John.”
“Will he tell you what’s going on?”
“Only if he needs to. I just want to help, Jill. To do what’s right,” he said.
She snorted, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder. “I think you’re more interested in getting a conviction than helping my family.”
He longed to deny her words, but thought it was too little too late. After tonight, he’d be lucky if Jill ever spoke to him again. And that upset him more than anything. Evie had flowered under Jill’s tutelage. She’d responded and grown so much over the past weeks.
So had he.
He slowed the truck and took a right turn off the black asphalt, following an abandoned dirt road. Since Jill had grown up in this area, he figured she knew exactly where she was.
“No one ever comes up here,” she said.
“That’s right. It’s nice and lonely. A perfect route for timber thieves.”
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes wide.
They skirted the edge of Cove Mountain. A few minutes more and he pulled his vehicle off the road into a sheltering copse of thick piñon-juniper trees. He killed the engine, unclicked his seat belt and reached for the camera. Removing the lens cap, he took a few pictures, to ensure the mechanism was working properly. Everything must be perfect. He might never get another chance.
Jill swiveled around in her seat, watching his movements with wary eyes. She glanced at the road, which was visible from their vantage point, yet his truck should go unnoticed by someone passing by. He’d taken a lot of time to scope out this hiding place and it was perfect.
“You’re expecting someone to come along?” she asked.
He nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
“It won’t be Alan. He’s in Boise with Mom.” She spoke with firm insistence, as though trying to convince herself.
“I hope it’s not Alan,” he said.
She released a pensive whoosh of air. Her slender shoulders tensed, but she didn’t speak. For long minutes, they sat in silence.
“Where’s Evie tonight?” She whispered the words without looking at him. As though her voice might chase off anyone who happened to be driving by tonight.
“With Mrs. Crawford.”
“Oh.”
“I told Alan to go into Boise today. To get far away from Bartlett,” he said.
She jerked a surprised glance his way. “You did?”
He nodded. “Yes, and I hope he did as I asked him to do. You shouldn’t expect him home until the wee hours of the morning. I told him to take someone with him. To make sure he had several witnesses in Boise who could testify that they saw him there late at night, before he started home. I told him to not come back until there was absolutely no chance he could be involved in what you’re about to see.”
“Why would you do that?” She frowned in confusion.
“To ensure he has an alibi.”
She took a sharp inhale. “Oh, Brent. I’m not sure I even want to know what’s going on. I’m too afraid to ask.”
“Then just sit back and wait. Everything will come to light soon enough.” Reaching across the seat, he opened a case on the floor and reached inside. He handed her another nightscope with a zoom lens.
She took the scope and held it with both hands, staring at it as if it was a snake that might bite her. “It’s heavy. What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Look through it.” He nodded at the road, not daring to take his eyes off that spot. He caught her expression out of his peripheral vision. A mixture of relief and dread.
She lifted the lens up and peered through it, her fingers twisting the focus bar. He barely heard her low whisper. “This is amazing. Even though it’s pitch-black outside, I can see everything with perfect clarity.”
He held the camera in his lap, ready to snap pictures at a moment’s notice. Long minutes later, he heard a sound. The low drone of a big engine. It grew in intensity. Bright fog lights from a large truck flashed past them, then bathed the deserted road in eerie shadows.
Jill ducked down. “Someone’s coming.”
“They won’t see you,” he assured her. “Besides, my truck has tinted windows. They
can’t see us inside the cab.”
She sat back up as he lifted the camera and pointed it at the road, his finger on the trigger. A huge logging truck lumbered past, driving slow across the deserted road. In the moonlight, Brent could see its back hayracks filled to capacity with logs. He pressed and held his finger down. The shutter of the camera clicked in rapid succession.
Looking through the nightscope he’d given her, Jill gasped. He didn’t look her way until the truck had passed by and he’d gotten the pictures he needed.
“That was Frank Casewell driving,” she said.
“That’s right. And you’re now a witness to what you saw.”
She pressed a hand to her mouth, her face shining pale in the dark shadows. “He has no business being out here so late at night. He must be stealing timber.”
Brent didn’t say a word as he set the camera on the seat and pressed the call button on his earpiece. “John, this is Brent. Come in.”
A brief pause followed.
“You’ve got a truck headed your way. Be careful,” Brent said.
Another pause, then he looked over at Jill, conscious of her watching him with eagle-eyed precision. “You just warned John that Frank’s on his way with a load of stolen timber.”
He started the engine, flipped on the headlights, then put the truck in gear. “That’s right.”
“Is John going to try and make an arrest tonight?”
“Yes, John and a few other officers with him.”
Her mouth dropped open as she understood the situation. “There’s more than one officer hiding out at the mill.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, Jill. We have a warrant. And I don’t want you in harm’s way when they make their move.”
She gripped the armrest as Brent pulled the vehicle onto the dirt road. When she spoke, her voice sounded shrill with alarm. “But what if Alan didn’t go to Boise? What if Mom’s covering for him, Brent? What if he’s here in town? What if he’s at the mill?”
In that moment, Brent realized how much she’d just confided to him. Her deepest fears were written across her ashen face.
Love Inspired March 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Wife for JacobThe Forest Ranger's RescueAlaskan Homecoming Page 35