by Barb Han
“If I have anything to say about it we will.” The way he set his jaw said he meant every word, too.
Even a superhero had a weakness. What was the chink in Caleb’s veneer?
Women in trouble.
She needed him, just as Cissy had.
Maybe that was the connection.
Katherine shut the thoughts out of her mind. She didn’t want to compare what she and Caleb had with his relationship to the other woman. She didn’t even want to think about him with another woman.
“What’s the plan?” she asked, trying to redirect her internal conversation.
“Our best bet is to make contact with the marshal.”
“Why do you think we can trust him?”
He shrugged. “A hunch.”
“Why not contact the sheriff?”
“He’ll probably put me in jail.”
She gasped. “Surely he doesn’t believe you had anything to do with the murder.”
“Knowing Coleman, he’d detain me to keep me safe until this whole thing blows over.”
“You think there’s a chance this’ll just go away?” Unrealistic hope flickered inside her and then vanished.
“No. I think they’ll keep coming until we’re both dead.”
“Then we should leave. Hide. I’ll go with you.”
His dark brow arched. “Would you?”
“If it meant you’d be safe.”
“And then as soon as I turned my back you’d disappear and try to protect Noah. You’re always looking out for those around you, but who looks out for you?”
A tear welled in her eye. “I don’t need anyone.”
He grunted. “Like hell you don’t. I never met anyone who needed people more.”
Like Cissy?
Why did the admission hurt so much?
His reasons for helping her were becoming transparent. “Does your cowboy code force you to save all damsels in distress?”
His jaw muscles pulsed and his gaze narrowed. Anger radiated from him. “Being with you has nothing to do with obligation.”
“Then what?” She hated feeling so insecure and so vulnerable. Maybe that’s why she’d spent so much time blocking out the world? Considering Caleb was about the only true friend she had and they’d just met. She’d been doing a great job of keeping people away to date. Didn’t everyone let her down eventually?
He didn’t immediately answer.
“I was doing fine by myself before you came along,” she lied. She told herself if she could close her eyes, she might even be able to rest.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I know you were. But I wasn’t. And I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”
The thin layer of ice protecting her heart from being broken melted. “We might never know why he’s after us.” She fell silent. The rock of dread positioned on her chest grew heavier. Her chest walls felt as though they were caving in...as if she was drowning and couldn’t get air into her lungs. Leann’s secret was a boulder tied around Katherine’s neck as she catapulted to the ocean floor.
“Maybe Matt will see something on the CD we overlooked. We didn’t exactly have time to dig around on it before they caught up to us,” Caleb offered.
“You’re sure we can trust him?”
“I’d put my life in his hands.”
He just did. And hers, too. Matt didn’t hide the fact he didn’t have the same dedication to Katherine that he did to Caleb. At least she knew exactly where she stood with him. “He doesn’t think you should be around me.”
“Just proves he doesn’t know what’s best for me.”
“I can’t see a way out of this. Even if you talk to the marshal, you’re taking a risk. He might be on Kane’s payroll. How can we know he’ll be of assistance to us?”
Caleb shrugged his shoulders. The light from the lantern made his face look even more handsome. “Don’t see another choice.”
“Me, either. You’re right. We need help from someone.”
“I can leave before the sun comes up to get Matt. I’ll be back before the first light with a few answers. For now, I’d like to try to sleep. Unless you can think of something better to do.” He quirked a devastating grin.
One look was all it took for him to stir her sexually. “As a matter of fact, I can. And I think we make love quite well.”
“All the more reason for us to keep doing it,” he said with one of his trademark looks.
“Unless you’re too tired.” She repositioned herself better to kiss him, enjoying the feel of the perfect fit of their naked bodies. His was like pure silk over finely tuned muscle.
“Are you doubting me?”
She kissed his collarbone. “That wouldn’t be a wise move on my part. I’ve seen your stamina. But even you have to sleep sometime.”
“After a while,” he said, pressing his erection to her thigh. “Right now, I have something else demanding attention.”
This time, their lovemaking was slow and tender. Did they both realize each moment together was a precious gift to be savored and enjoyed?
* * *
CALEB ROSE BEFORE the sun and heated water for coffee while Katherine slept. He’d had to force himself away from her to get out of bed. Every bone in his body wanted to curl up with her, hold her. He hadn’t wanted to leave a second before he had to. He’d managed a few hours of shut-eye, thanks to her being by his side.
He’d expected coming back to the homestead would evoke a hailstorm of bad memories. It didn’t.
Katherine had chased away those demons for him, he thought while he let Max outside to take care of his business.
Caleb kept the door cracked open as he opened a can of beef stew and heated it for the pint-size critter. The little guy had been too stressed to eat last night. He’d curled in the corner and slept until he heard Caleb stir. His little ears had perked up and he’d whined until Caleb went to get him.
Time seemed to drip by as Caleb glanced at his watch for the third time in five minutes. Matt was supposed to meet him in the tack room, providing it was safe. He’d been tasked with making contact with the marshal, and trying to figure out what Caleb had missed on the CD.
The unanswered questions in this case weren’t helping matters. If he knew what information Kane was looking for, he could provide a better bluff.
One wrong move and boom.
Caleb had not expected to let himself get involved with another woman so quickly. Hell, he was beginning to doubt if he’d ever find true love. What he’d had with Cissy couldn’t be classified as such. Real love meant putting others before yourself.
He’d told himself his entire life he hadn’t gotten involved with a woman because of his devotion to making a success out of his life.
Was it?
He’d almost made a full-time job of avoiding relationships, hadn’t he?
And how much of it had to do with your screwed-up childhood?
In trying to avoid being like his father, had he closed the door to finding anything real in his life?
He’d told himself he didn’t have time for women, that all he could afford to focus on was work in order to have a better life. Money didn’t buy happiness, but being poor didn’t, either. He’d had a ringside seat to that show throughout his childhood.
If his mother could have afforded insurance, she would have been able to take better care of herself.
If his old man had stuck around, she wouldn’t have had to be the sole provider.
If they’d had more money, she wouldn’t have had to work so hard.
If. If. If.
Was he the one to blame for his relationships not working out? For Cissy? He could tell himself she’d used him till the cows came home, but had he given her anything to hang on to?
He had his doubts.
All his heartache, all his loving memories, had little to do with her and everything to do with the thought of having a real family. His heart ached for the idea of a family, not his ex-girlfriend. And why didn’t he really miss her? Or any of the other dozen women he’d spent time with in the past?
Is it because they weren’t Katherine Harper? asked a quiet voice from the back of his mind.
Whether he wanted to acknowledge it or not, if anything happened to her, he would never be the same again.
Chapter Thirteen
Katherine couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so deeply. Dangerous under the circumstances. Caleb’s outdoorsy and masculine scent was all over her...the sheets...bringing out a sensual daydream.
She got out of bed, needing to leave this room, this place, as fast as she could. She felt stifled being on his property, in his homestead with reminders of him everywhere, knowing it wouldn’t last.
Her ankle tolerated some weight as she hobbled into the makeshift kitchen trying not to think about Caleb’s absence.
The possibility he might not come back crossed her mind. Then what?
They hadn’t discussed a contingency plan for that.
Katherine struck the thought from her mind. Caleb would return. They would figure out an arrangement. Somehow, some way, they would find a way out of this mess.
She thought about Leann, wondering if her sister had believed the same thing when she’d decided to take these men on by herself.
What file did Leann have that would make Kane turn on her family?
Did she have any idea what she was up against?
Did Katherine?
Kane’s twenty-four-hour deadline to produce the file had come and gone. His men were out there, searching for her, ready and waiting. Something told her they’d never give up until she was dead, file or not.
Caleb was out there somewhere, too, putting himself in harm’s way for her again. He’d promised to be back before she woke, before sunrise, and yet the sun was blazing in the east. A little piece of her heart died at the thought of anything happening to him.
She stopped at the door and her gaze went to the bed. They’d made love right there last night again and again until their bodies were zapped of strength and they gave in to sleep.
Being near him had made her feel more connected to him than anyone else on the planet. They’d made love intensely, sweetly, passionately, until their bodies became entwined and she could no longer tell where he stopped and she began.
They became one body, one being.
The idea of losing him, losing one more person she loved, was worse than a dagger through the chest.
She sat on the floor, stroking Max’s neck absently. The strong coffee revived her. She redressed the wounds on her leg. Some of the gashes were deeper than others but they all looked to be healing rather quickly given the circumstances. The swelling was going down on her ankle. A few more days of rest and she’d be all better.
The external wounds would heal. As for the internal damage, that would depend on how the events of the day progressed.
She sighed deeply. Where was Caleb?
* * *
CALEB DIDN’T LIKE the idea of leaving Katherine alone all morning. Matt had been late and that had pushed back the whole morning’s timeline.
During the meeting, all Caleb’s danger radar fired on high alert. He couldn’t figure out if it was because of the marshal or because he’d left Katherine alone in the homestead unguarded.
The meeting with the marshal ran over and Caleb’s pulse hammered every extra second he was there. This whole scenario could be a scam to get Katherine alone. That’s exactly what the marshal would do if he was on Kane’s payroll.
Matt hadn’t found any secret files, either, not that he was a computer guru. Caleb needed to talk to Katherine about handing it over to the marshal. The government would have the necessary resources available to uncover anything on the CD. Problem was, they’d have to be able to trust the Feds first. If there was a leak in the department, turning over evidence could be more than a huge mistake. It could be a fatal one.
The idea burned Caleb’s gut. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to put these guys behind bars or take them out himself. The idea they would threaten an innocent child to get to Katherine fired instant rage in his belly.
There were too many “ifs” to feel good about a decision one way or the other.
He wouldn’t make a call without filling her in first.
Climbing onto the porch step, the knot in his gut tightened. Maybe he should’ve taken her with him and stashed her somewhere close by during the meeting.
No. She was safest right where she was and a part of him knew it. Damn that he was second-guessing himself.
Maybe it was because of the news he had to deliver. Or that a little voice kept reminding him she would leave him. If not now, then later.
Relief hit him faster than a rain shower in a drought when he stepped inside and saw her on the floor playing with Max.
Her eyes were wide. “Thank God. You’re all right.”
He moved to her and pressed kisses to her temples. “Matt was late. He thought someone might be following him. I’m sorry you were worried.”
“How’d it go?”
“He didn’t find anything on the CD. The marshal might be able to if we give him access.”
She moved to the counter and then handed him a tin cup filled with coffee. “I can’t decide. What’s your first instinct?”
“The government can hack into just about anything.” He took the disk from his pocket and held it out between them. “If we can trust the bastards, they’ll find what we’re looking for.”
She palmed it. “What if there’s nothing on it?”
“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.” He paused a beat. “Even if there’s enough evidence on this to lock him away forever, there’s something else you should know.”
Her violet eyes were enormous. “You’re scaring me.”
“The marshal said Kane has most likely left the United States.”
She sat there, looking dumbfounded. “How can that be?”
“It’s believed he has a compound across the border in Mexico. The marshal is working on a few leads, gathering more intel.”
“What’s the use of turning over the CD when everyone, including me, will be dead before they capture him?”
Not if Caleb had anything to say about it. “I know how hopeless this feels.”
“Why does he even need the file when he can disappear out of the country with Noah?” She stared blankly at the door. “And I suppose we’re just supposed to let the government take its sweet time finding Kane? Meanwhile, he has an assault squad on us.”
“They’ve offered protection.”
She blew out a breath. “Like that would do any good. They’d find us eventually.”
“Maybe not.”
Silence sat between them for a long beat. “I would never see Noah again.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Did he say what Kane is after?”
“Said Leann has evidence linking him to a crime.”
“I know I haven’t painted a great picture of my sister. But she was a good person. I can’t imagine why she would get involved with a man like that.”
“The marshal said she didn’t know. She was young when they met. He swept her off her feet. Spent lots of money on her. He was a successful businessman. Everything looked legit. By the time she figured out his dark side, she was pregnant. She disappeared and had her baby. Never planned to tell him he was the father. Kept the evidence of his crime stashed away just in case he showed up again. And then, one day, he walked into the coffee s
hop. There she was. She pretended that she missed him and secretly got in touch with the Feds. She was planning to turn state’s evidence to keep him away from Noah.”
“Explains why she moved around so much before. With Noah getting close to school age, she wanted to put down roots. Do they know what evidence she had against him?”
“She offered to provide pictures to back up her testimony.” He issued a grunt. “I think you should take the deal. Let them tuck you away somewhere safe.”
“They’ll kill Noah.”
“Kane won’t hurt his son.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” Her response was rapid, shooting flames of accusation.
“It’ll keep you alive until they can find Kane and Noah.”
“And then what? Live out the rest of my life in fear? Alone? Waiting for him to finally figure out where I am? He won’t stop until he finds me. I don’t know where the picture is. I can’t put him away without it. If this guy is as ruthless as they say, Kane won’t let up until I’m dead.”
She had a good point and Caleb knew it. “It’s just an option.”
“And what about you, Caleb? Where will you go?”
“I already said it once. I won’t leave my ranch.”
An incredulous look crossed her features. “They’ll find you and kill you. They won’t even have to look far.”
“I’ll be fine. You’re not thinking straight.”
“Oh, so what am I now? A crazy lunatic? Can you look me in the eyes and tell me I’m wrong?”
He lowered his gaze. “No.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I’m going to stay and fight. No matter how many men they send, I’ll return them in body bags if I have to,” he said, determination welling in his chest.
“I shouldn’t have to run and hide. I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, pacing.
“They’ll use Noah as bait to get to you. And you to get to me. You know that, right?”
“Let them. It’s obvious they won’t let up until I’m dead or Kane’s locked away. I may not be able to change the cards I was dealt, but I can decide how to play them.”