To Claim Her

by Renee Burke

  The wind blew again and a line snapped from the power pole, slapping onto the street with a shower of sparks. The thunder crackled and rolled as the lights around her blacked out.

  She was in the dark for the second time in one evening. This was getting to be a habit.

  She cursed herself for not lighting a single candle or grabbing the flashlight from under her sink. She would even settle for the frog flashlight with the plastic eyelids from her car.

  She blew out a breath and dropped the curtain back into place. She carefully felt her way to the nightstand and found the phone. She kept an old rotary contraption for just this situation. No battery or power necessary. Louisiana had some amazing storms and she never wanted to miss a call from her sister, so she put up with the coiled cord constantly tangling. At least it never went off unless the phone lines were down.

  She lifted the phone from the cradle and held it to her ear.

  Nothing. It was dead.

  She laid the receiver back in its cradle and moved into the hallway and onto the stairs. She slid her hand down the handrail, carefully moving down until she stood on the landing. The thunder rolled and the lightning struck, illuminating her path for a brief moment. The storm was moving into Caddo Parish. She quickly made her way into the living room, running her hand along the back of the couch and to the door frame separating the two rooms.

  She stooped down to find the flashlight in the cabinet under the sink. Her fingers lit on an empty vase and several containers of cleaner before finally landing on the cylinder she hunted for. She flipped the switch, and a small beam of light shined onto the floor.

  She blew out a breath and a relieved laugh. Better.

  She searched for her purse. Her cell phone was there, and she needed to report the downed power line. She also wanted the cell phone handy in case she needed the police.

  She rummaged through her purse and found her phone. The number was there in her contact list, and she went through a series of prompts and clicks to tell the company that the power was out on her street. The storm had hit hard and three thousand other households were also without power, she was told before hanging up. At least that meant they would be working on the problem.

  The matches were in the first drawer of the desk and assorted candles were scattered throughout the house. She moved carefully, lighting several and placing them on the table in the living room before dragging an afghan toward the corner and tucking herself into a comfortable chair.

  The storm raged outside, rain joining the high winds and lightning.

  “One Mississippi. Two Mississippi.”

  The bolts of lightning struck right on top of her it seemed. She had used the same technique to soothe her sister through storms when their mom had still been alive. Drunk, depressed, desolate, and usually locked in her bedroom having as little to do with her daughters as possible. After she’d died, there household had become a little more predictable. She would never be the simpering mother she had been unlucky enough to have.

  She knew Mark thought her less brave than full of bravado and maybe he was right over the last few days. But whatever it took to get back to her usual independent self, she would do it. Even if it meant suffering through this unease feeling from being in her own skin these days. As long as she had the independence of her home, she could tough it out. Eddie was counting on her.

  Light flooded the room through the front window of her home. She eased to the edge of the drapes and peeled them back. She could make out the brilliance of headlights and narrowed her eyes at the dark vehicle sitting outside.

  A bolt of lightning stretched across the sky before she heard a sharp crack, different from the rolling thunder moments before. Much closer and louder.

  Time seemed to slow as she watched through the window. A tree dropped closer. The room grew dark as the roof thundered and cracked, crashing through the roof. She spun so it landed just inches to her right. Smaller branches slammed her to the floor so hard her teeth rattled.

  She lay stunned, the breath knocked out of her, in a pile of rubble and glass. If the kidnapper had returned, she was screwed. She thought of him as a stranger but she couldn’t be sure. How could she protect herself now?

  She was stunned and dizzy from the force of her fall. She tested her arms and legs, not finding any particular area of pain. The movement stung her skin as she slid across shattered glass on the floor. The rain pelted her face, and she closed her eyes against the drops.

  Someone was at the door. Her lagging brain considered the irony that someone would take the time to break through the door to kill her when there was a gaping hole in the front of her living room.

  She heard a loud retort, and the door crashed against the wall. She tried to turn her head to see who was coming, but sharp branches jabbed her neck. The pile of wood and drywall piled around her made it impossible to escape.

  “Lie still. I’ll get you out.” Mark’s voice.

  She wanted to cry in relief or respond with gratitude but didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t even sure what she should say. She couldn’t respond with her usual bold attitude because she was so obviously in need. And he had come to rescue her even though he was incredibly angry.

  The space beside her opened up as Mark dragged beams and furniture away from her body. She whined when the branch lodged on her wrist was moved.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re almost there.” He cleared enough that he could lift her, painfully, free to sit in the area in front of the door. The debris on the floor was scratchy on her bare arms and legs but her tank and sleep shorts at least offered some protection for her torso.

  “Are you injured anywhere?”

  She held her arm protectively to her belly but shook her head. Bits of glass and dust fell to the floor. Sirens echoed in the distance.

  He gently brushed the rest of the particles from her face with his fingers. “Let me help you up. Can you get up?”

  “I’m okay. Just stunned. How’d you get here so fast?”

  “I called Landry to get an update and learned they weren’t sending a car.” He closed his eyes for a moment and his lips thinned. “You should have told me.”

  He had come back to protect her, even though he was angry with her. Perhaps he had matured too.

  “Dad called me on the way. A tornado warning came across his weather radio. I figured the lines were down but still wanted to check on you. Getting here as the neighbor’s tree crashed into your living room was just luck.”

  She nodded. “The power went out just a few minutes before you showed up.” Red and blue lights illuminated the doorway. “Police?”

  “I called 911 from my cell when the tree dropped. My heart nearly came out of my chest when I saw where it landed. Right on top of where you’d been standing.” He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her. He smelled of cologne and man and she tried not to lean in too close because the mingling feelings of relief and temptation were so strong.

  “Let’s get you out of here.” He lifted her upright before tucking his arm behind her knees and lifting her into his arms. She frowned at him, pressed on his chest, stopping his movement.

  She glanced around her living room. The tree top lay across a chair and the coffee table. Her candles had been knocked over, and the liquid wax had dampened the wicks putting them out. How lucky that a fire hadn’t started. “I can’t leave it like this.” Everything she owned was here.

  The police officer and Mrs. Harris, her neighbor, entered the living room.

  “Oh dear, are you okay? I have already called my insurance agent, Gretchen. He’s on his way now and will call a handy man to help secure the house. I am so sorry. And that tree was the one Mr. Harris planted when we first moved into our house. God rest his soul. Are you okay?”

  The elderly neighbor was fretting and Gretchen wanted to calm her upset. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be fine.”

  Two men entered the living room shortly after. One she recognized as the insurance agent, t
he other as a volunteer fireman she didn’t know by name. Her breath caught. The cavalry had arrived, and she was wearing skimpy pajamas.

  Mark’s arms seemed to tighten around her when she moved to get down. “You can’t walk in here without shoes on. The glass is everywhere.” He turned and walked toward the stairs. The light from the front lawn, his headlights and the police cruiser, illuminated the steps. He didn’t put her down then, just kept moving until he got to the top.

  He took her to the bathroom and carefully sat her on the edge of the tub. He lifted a soft towel from the shelf and grabbed her hand to help her stand. She winced when she felt the pressure on her wrist.

  “You are hurt.”

  “Just sore. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  He grunted and gently patted the offending arm close to her belly to keep from bumping it. He carefully brushed the towel through her hair freeing bits of plaster and glass stuck there. He stroked lightly down her arms to free any debris. His hands were big and warm in the dim room. “Better?”

  She nodded, and he lifted her again to avoid fresh cuts on her feet. Once inside her bedroom, he sat her gingerly on the bed. “Stay put.” He exited back into the hall.

  It was dark without the flashlight or candles but Gretchen knew the house. She walked to her closet, grabbed a pair of jeans and her tennis shoes. She pulled her dresser open. A beam of light, brighter than her own flashlight could ever have dreamt of being, lit up the room.

  “I told you to stay put.” Mark stood behind her so she could see more clearly into the dresser. Her underwear and matching bras lay in a jumbled mess, illuminated by the beam. She quickly pulled a pair of ankle socks free and moved to close the drawer. Mark stopped her.

  “Get some clothes together. You can’t sleep here.” His hand caressed a baby blue underwire before pulling it free.

  She felt her face flame at his familiarity. “Quit fingering my underwear!”

  He mortified her by continuing his search, finally settling on matching bikini underwear with eyelet flowers around the hip seams. His low chuckle irritated her further. “I’d rather be -”

  Her smack to his shoulder stopped him short.

  “Feeling violated, sweetheart?”

  She hated him in that instant. “Kind of. There are strangers gawking at a freshly dropped tree in my living room and you’re digging through my drawers.”

  He laughed again.

  “Not funny.” She slammed the dresser drawer shut and stalked to the bed. He followed her with the beam of light. She dropped her shoes, tugged her shorties down with her good hand and sat on the bed. “Do you mind?”

  “Not one bit.” He held the light on her feet and propped himself against the wall in a leisurely stance.

  She gritted her teeth and frowned at him. “Just because you have screwed your way through half the women in North America when you dropped me doesn’t mean every one of is comfortable with your ogling. I’m not going to be next on your list. Now, turn around so I can change.”

  He was very still for a moment before turning to the side so he was no longer looking at her. He kept the light aimed in her direction. She quickly stripped off her pajama shorts and pulled the jeans up and over her hips. She went back to the closet and pulled a sweatshirt over her head. No way was she stripping off her tank and putting on a bra while he half watched.

  “I haven’t slept with half the women in North America. Just so you know, I didn’t drop you so I could sleep with anyone else. I left because I had something to prove, mostly to myself, after my mother died. I haven’t slept with anyone here since I broke things off with you.”

  Here. She noticed the distinction, not that she had expected that. He had no reason not to sleep with every woman he crossed. No doubt they had been willing. Even now, in a disaster situation late at night, he was so masculine even her elderly neighbor was probably biting her lip anxiously waiting for another look at the wet t-shirt stretched across his broad back. He handed her a bag from the bottom of her closet, and she pushed clothes inside before returning to the dresser.

  “It makes no difference to me. I haven’t exactly been waiting for you.”

  He was on her in an instant, his arms wrapped around her, gentle but urgent as he pulled her into his chest and tucked his face into her neck so his breath hit her skin. “We’re going to talk about that just as soon as we get to a safe place. You might have thought we were over. Now you should know different. I’m back and you owe me.”

  She winced at the grip he had over the fresh cuts. He loosened his arms but didn’t let go.

  “Whatever.” She pushed until he let go and finished her packing before leading him down the stairs.

  She was surprised to find Mrs. Harris gone. Several vehicles with headlights were aimed at her house, and men she’d never met worked on her front porch to cover the hole in the wall with tarps, hammers and loose boards from the debris. They had draped the covering over the tree as tightly as possible, and the outside was once again separate from her living room, save the top of the tree.

  The men stopped working and made their way to Mark, hugging and slapping his back or shaking his hand. She had assumed these men were with the insurance agent, but they seemed to be Mark’s friends. He really had come to the rescue.

  “Thanks for your help.” He nodded to the dark haired man closest to him. “Gretchen, this is Derek.” He looked stern and sexy. Like a school girls’ naughty dream. She shook off the thought.

  Another man approached, equally sexy, and stretched out his hand for her to take. “This is Jack.”

  “Hey there sweetheart.”

  She smiled quickly at the stranger.

  “And of course you know Brent.”

  She nodded at the local game warden. She’d seen him around Sebastian’s house several times. He’d been there to welcome Mark back to town just days ago. He had a clear allegiance to Mark after being saved after a gunshot by Mark and his team. He had been out of the military for over a year but still held the quiet reserved stance of a military man not quite at ease.

  “These men are all from my unit. We’ve been through hell and back together.”

  “Here, here. But let’s not depress the lady. Give me a hand, Saint.”

  She gave Mark a startled look. A saint he wasn’t. She knew better. He ignored her curiosity and went to give Jack a hand.

  “Looks like you all have it secured. I’ll get a carpenter out here in the morning to see how bad the damage is.”

  The insurance agent returned then. “You’ve got good friends to help out on a night like tonight.”

  “Yes, sir.” She didn’t bother telling him they were Mark’s friends or that she’d just met them all. It would raise too many questions.

  “I’ve spoken to the officer who was here. He’s going to keep a close eye on the place over night so you won’t need to stay here. I’ll get an adjuster out here tomorrow for pictures and an estimate. Let me have your number, and I’ll get in contact with you as soon as we know something.”

  Before she could speak, Mark rattled off his own phone number. “We’ll give you a call late tomorrow to follow up if we don’t hear from you first. We’ll try to get work started as soon as we can get someone out here so be quick with the pictures.”

  “First thing in the light of day.”

  Mark nodded. Before Gretchen could respond, the insurance agent was gone. She wondered if he knew she could speak for herself, even considered standing up for her own ability to speak but didn’t since being taken seriously as a woman was a challenge sometimes. Maybe Mark had just saved her some trouble.

  As she watched the men finish up the temporary barrier, she considered what else she needed to gather. She went to the kitchen and grabbed her purse, her phone charger, and a few toiletries from the bathroom. She didn’t have a lot of valuable items in the house, but she gathered a few things together just in case someone broke in – her laptop, a ring from her grandmother, a photo album and Eddie�
�s baby book, a picture someone had taken of her with her sister in cap and gown at high school graduation, and a few items that Eddie loved. It might be an unnecessary precaution but she couldn’t be too careful.

  When she returned, Mark was talking with his friends before they took off.

  She thanked them, and Jack gave her a friendly half hug. Brent had already returned to his truck. Derek eyed her seriously before nodding and turning to go.

  “Nice friends of yours to help.”

  “They’re good guys. More like brothers than friends.”

  She nodded. “I hope your Dad doesn’t mind you bringing home a stray.” She secured the front door best she could. Mark carried her bag to the truck, opening her door and ushering her in out of the drizzling rain with a lift to her bottom.

  He rounded the truck and got in. “You know better than that.”

  “Yes. I do. He’s offered more times than I can count to help me over the years.”

  It went unsaid that he’d offered because Mark hadn’t been here. But he didn’t acknowledge that thought and neither did she.

  He glanced at the house before starting the truck. “Who is he staying with?”

  “With Laura. She has a son the same age he’s gone to the zoo with. He’ll be back tomorrow night.” Mark had met her when they were in school together.

  She blew out a breath. Would Mark want to tell Eddie the news right away? She blew out a cleansing breath and took another look at her house as they pulled away. When would she be able to return to her home and her independence?

  Chapter Five

  Mark double checked the locks and looked in on his father. It was nice to be home for that. The older man was sound asleep, comfortable in bed, so he headed for the shower and the hot spray to wash away the damp and dirt from the storm.

  Gretchen was settled in the living area just up the stairs from the kitchen. A mother in law’s apartment, his parents used to call it. He’d never minded the distance of the extra room before, but the truth was he would rather put her in the bed with him. He hadn’t been collecting her for his father’s piece of mind but his own. He was still plenty angry but that didn’t mean he didn’t want her.