“Maybe he thinks you’re getting close to finding him.”
“If that’s the case, he should act again soon.”
“I don’t think I like that idea.”
“You won’t have to worry about it. I want you on a plane and out of town tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a great plan, but where would I go?”
“Home.”
“Whatever job I’m at is home, Jude. This is my home. For the next month. Then I’ll start a new job and start all over again.”
“So, we’ll find somewhere for you to go until your contract with Grayson is up. You can’t stay around me. It’s too dangerous.”
“Like where? With a friend of yours? Your family? I wouldn’t be comfortable doing that.” Lacey pulled up in front of the duplex and turned to face him.
“Then where would you be comfortable?”
She glanced outside the window, a half smile curving her lips. “I don’t know, but of all the places I’ve been in the past ten years, this is the closest I’ve found to home.”
There were a lot of things Jude could have said about that. He kept them all to himself. He didn’t want to scare Lacey away; he just wanted to keep her safe. “I’ll ask around. There’s probably a rental somewhere close by that you can stay in until this is all sorted out.”
“I can’t take your brother’s money and not work, Jude. I’ll have to call Helping Hands tomorrow and tell them what’s going on. I’m sure they’ll refund Grayson’s money and find me another job.” She got out of the car and Jude followed.
“Where?”
“Wherever they decide I’d be a good fit.” She smiled as she unlocked her door. “Don’t look so gloomy. You’re getting what you want.”
“Not even close.”
“You fired me hours after we met, remember? You should be happy to get me out from under your feet.”
“There’s only one thing that could make me happy right now, Lacey.”
“Finding the guy who’s trying to kill you?”
“No. This.” He didn’t think, just acted, pressing his lips to Lacey’s, kissing her with passion and with need.
She gasped, then sank into the embrace, her hands wrapping around his waist and pulling him close.
Breathless, he broke away, looking down into Lacey’s eyes and seeing what he’d known he had all along—forever.
“That wasn’t a good idea, Jude.” Her fingers trembled against her lips, and she stepped back, bumping against the front door.
“Funny, I was thinking it was a great idea.” He stepped back, knowing that if he didn’t he would reach for her again. “Here, take my house key. I’ve got some stuff in my cupboards if you’re hungry.”
“Hungry?”
“You haven’t eaten since breakfast, and we haven’t gone to the store for groceries, so I’m pretty sure your cupboards are still empty.”
“They are, but—”
“I’ve got soup. Probably some crackers, too. It’s not as good as Mom’s cooking, but at least you won’t go hungry.”
“Thanks, Jude, but I have a car. I can get whatever I need.”
“You shouldn’t be driving around while your hand is in bandages.” He pressed the key into her palm, and she pushed it back to him.
“I can’t take this. You’ll need it to get back into your house.”
“Then I guess you’d better still be around when I come home.” He grinned, and Lacey laughed, shaking her head.
“Ah, your evil plot is revealed. You’re giving me your key to keep me from running away.”
“I wouldn’t say it was evil.”
“Devious, then.”
“Much better word choice.” He nudged Lacey toward the door. “Go on inside. If I’m not there soon, my family will send out a posse.”
“It must be nice to be loved like that.”
“It is.”
“You’re really blessed, Jude. I hope you realize that.” She smiled and stepped inside her house, closing the door and leaving Jude standing alone on the porch, her words echoing in his ears.
You’re really blessed.
Coming from anyone else, the comment could have been taken as sarcasm. After everything Jude had been through, there were a lot of people who’d think he was cursed. But Lacey was right: The good in his life far outweighed the bad.
He limped down the porch steps and got in his car, glancing up at the house as he backed down the driveway. Lacey was standing in the living room window, silently watching his retreat, her hand pressed against her lips as if she could still feel their kiss.
Jude sure could.
He waved and she responded, lifting her white bandaged hand. A victim again.
Jude frowned as he pulled around a curve in the driveway and lost sight of the house. Lacey had been hurt too many times in her life. He’d do everything in his power to make sure she wasn’t hurt again. Even if that meant saying goodbye to her. For a little while, at least. Just until it was safe for her to come back and start building that forever that he wanted with her.
He lifted his cell phone and dialed his parents’ number. It would be good to check in and let them know he was running later than expected. And while he was at it, he would put a bug in his mother’s ear, tell her that Lacey was going to need a place to stay until her company came through with a new assignment.
Where would they send her?
Back to Chicago? Or somewhere even farther?
The thought didn’t make Jude happy, but being happy wasn’t what it was about. Keeping Lacey safe was.
“Hello?” His mother’s voice filled the line.
“It’s me. I’m running late.”
“Grayson told us you would be.”
“I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“I’ll try to keep your brothers and father from eating all the food before you and Lacey get here.”
“Lacey won’t be coming.”
“Did you scare her away already, Jude?”
“I didn’t even try.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Jude could picture his mother’s smile and knew she was imagining another wedding and a few more grandkids.
“There is a problem, though.”
“What’s that?”
He explained, leaving out as much as he could about the danger he was in. When he finished, his mother was silent.
“You still there, Mom?”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“How much I don’t want you to get hurt again. Sitting at your side while you were in the hospital was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“I pray you’re right. I just hope that’s enough.”
“It’ll be plenty. God has looked out for me this far. I don’t think He’s going to turn away now.”
“You’re right.” She sighed. “I was thinking something else, too.”
“What’s that?”
“How wonderful a December wedding would be. Your father and I were married in December.”
“Don’t put the cart before the horse, Mom. Lacey and I aren’t even dating.”
“Not yet.”
“Mom—”
“All right, I’ll drop the subject, and I’ll start making calls. I’m sure we’ll be able to find a place for Lacey to stay.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“And, Jude?”
“Yes.”
“Please, be careful.”
“I will.” He tossed the phone onto the passenger’s seat, squinting as the sun shot out from behind thick clouds. Bright and warm. A promise of the coming spring.
He planned to be around when the seasons changed. When the weather warmed and the lake turned blue-green, he’d ship his canoe from New York and explore the hushed coves and quiet sanctuaries of the lake.
He could picture it now—water lapping against the boat, the rising sun shimmering on the surface of the lake. Lacey across from him, her
blond hair braided and falling over her shoulder, her cheeks pink from warmth and pleasure.
A great dream.
Jude just prayed he could stay alive long enough to make it come true.
EIGHTEEN
Lacey lifted a tulip bulb and pressed it into loose, moist earth, her right arm aching from hours of one-handed hoeing. She didn’t mind. A little pain was worth it for what she’d accomplished, and she wasn’t talking about the tiny garden plot she’d managed to hack out of the overgrown earth in her backyard. Keeping busy had kept her from dwelling on the things that had chased her from room to room after Jude left.
The past.
Jude.
His kiss.
The one that had stolen her breath and her heart.
She frowned, stabbing a spade into the earth, scooping out dirt and placing a bulb inside. The kiss had not stolen her heart. And neither had Jude.
“And he won’t.”
Liar. He already has.
The truth whispered through her mind, but she ignored it, scooping up more earth, planting another bulb.
Come spring, the garden would bloom with color, but Lacey wouldn’t be there to see it. Over the years, she’d planted a garden at almost every house she’d worked in, and it had never bothered her to leave the gardens behind. Things were different this time. She wanted to be around when these tulips bloomed and the little apple tree she’d bought blossomed. She wanted to inhale spring while she nursed a cup of coffee on the brick patio outside the sliding glass door.
She wanted to take that canoe ride with Jude and come back home to talk about what they’d seen.
She wanted so much more than she should.
She sighed, brushing a stray wisp of hair from her cheek and surveyed her work. The little plot looked good. Maybe the next tenant would nurture it and help it grow.
The next tenant.
If Lacey could have, she would have been that person.
Home wasn’t something she’d ever believed in, but when she looked into Jude’s eyes, she saw it. Tempting her to hope for things she knew she shouldn’t want. A place where she belonged. Someone to come home to. Arms that offered comfort and support.
Jude.
She was back to him again.
“That’s not good, Lord. We both know it. You’ve given me a good life, a good job. I’ve got real opportunities to help people who don’t have anyone else. I can’t afford to get caught up in a relationship.”
Sure you can. You’re just afraid to let it happen.
The words whispered on the wind, swirling around Lacey and inside her.
She was afraid.
She’d learned what relationships cost—everything.
That was too much to pay.
A raindrop splashed against her cheek and slid down her jaw like an icy finger, pulling her attention back to the little yard and tiny garden. Rain again. She hadn’t even noticed the darkening sky. Heavy clouds pressed close to the earth, casting the world in an eerie gray light. Lacey shivered, grabbing the spade and turning back to the house.
A soft shuffling sound carried over the patter of rain, and she froze, a warning tripping along her spine, doing a tap dance in her brain.
Danger.
She backed toward the sliding glass door one slow step at a time, her gaze on the back gate. The six-foot privacy fence hid whatever was on the other side, but Lacey had no trouble imagining it. A man, of course. Tall, slightly hunched. Ski mask over his face.
She wanted to turn and run but was afraid to have her back to danger.
The sliding glass door slid open beneath her questing fingers, and she stepped inside, pulling the door shut and locking it as the gate at the rear of her backyard slowly swung open. She screamed, jumping backward and grabbing for the phone, her hands shaking, the phone slipping from her fingers and clattering onto the ground.
She lifted it, her gaze on the gate. A dark figure walked through it. Tall. Slim and muscular. Five o’clock shadow. Piercing gray eyes.
Jude.
She dropped the phone on the counter and pulled open the door, not sure whether she wanted to strangle or hug him. “What were you thinking, coming through the back gate? You scared me nearly to death.”
“I knocked on your door, but you didn’t answer. I figured I’d come around the back and knock on the sliding glass door.” He stepped into the house, brushing drops of rain from his face and hair. “Looks like you were doing some yard work.”
“Just a little.”
“And I didn’t even want you driving with that bandaged hand. Let me see.” He lifted her hand, frowning at the dirt that speckled the bandage. “This is going to have to be changed.”
“I’ll do it later.”
“How about we do it now? Do you have gauze?”
“In one of those bags.” She gestured to the plastic bags she still hadn’t unpacked. “But I’ll take care of it.”
He ignored her and opened the first bag, pulling out a package of mini candy bars and a bottle of diet Coke. “Diet soda and candy?”
“Why not?”
“Why?” He looked in the next bag, smirking as he pulled out a box of Twinkies. “For me?”
She wanted to say no, but that would have been a lie. “You asked me to buy some.”
“I also asked you to check out the big screen TVs. Do you have one of those in here, too?”
“I don’t like you that much.”
He laughed, setting the Twinkies on the counter and pulling out gauze and alcohol. “Ready?”
“Not really.”
“You’re not scared, are you?” He washed his hands, then sat down beside her, carefully unwrapping her hand.
“Of getting a bandage changed? No.”
Of having Jude so close? Yes!
It didn’t take long for Jude to clean the wound and change the bandage, and that was a good thing, because Lacey’s brain didn’t seem to function when he was so close. As soon as he finished, she jumped up and grabbed a paper cup from the cupboard. “Root beer?”
“No. Thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” She poured herself diet Coke and grabbed a couple of mini candy bars.
“If you eat that, it’ll ruin your dinner.”
“This is my dinner.”
“I guess that means you don’t want the leftovers my mom sent for you.”
“Leftovers?” She set the candy bars down. It had been a long time since she’d eaten a meal cooked by someone else. Unless she counted chefs at restaurants, which she didn’t.
“Pot roast. Homemade dinner rolls. Apple pie. I’ve got ice cream in my fridge to go with it.”
Just hearing the food described was enough to make Lacey’s mouth water. “So maybe I don’t need the candy after all.”
“The food is out in my car. I’ll get it in a minute.” He stretched his legs out and winced.
“It’s okay. Stay put. I’ll do it.”
“Let’s do it together after I rest my legs, okay? I don’t want you out front alone.”
“You’ve overdone it the past few days. Why don’t you go over to your place and sit in the recliner? We can ice your legs and see if that helps.”
“We aren’t going to ice anything.” He scowled, his eyes flashing with irritation.
“It was just a suggestion.”
“Maybe you can make another one?”
“You could tell me how things went at your parents’. Did you act appropriately surprised when Grayson and Honor announced their engagement?”
“I was pretty convincing if I do say so myself.”
“I’ll have to ask your mother later and see what she says.”
“She’s going to say exactly what I did, that I was more surprised than anyone. Including my father, who couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the fact that he’s got to put on a suit again.”
“He doesn’t like wearing suits?”
“He’s more a polo-and-khakis type of guy.” He shifted in the chair and winced.
“Jude, I really do think we need to ice your legs. If the muscles are knotted, I can—”
“There is no way you’re going to give me a leg massage.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a woman and I’m a man.”
“So? Haven’t you ever had a female doctor or nurse or physical therapist?”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because none of them were you.”
Exasperated, Lacey got up and grabbed one of the candy bars. “You know something, Jude? You’re as stubborn as the old mule Mother kept penned out behind our house. She bought him thinking she’d bring him to birthday parties and let kids ride him, but Old Joe wouldn’t have anything to do with it, no matter how many carrots she dangled in front of his nose.”
“So what happened to poor Old Joe?”
“Mom beat him with a stick after every birthday party, and I snuck him carrots to make him feel better.”
“Sounds like you had a soft spot for that stubborn donkey.”
“I did.” She pulled a chair over and eased Jude’s feet onto it. “But that doesn’t mean I have one for you.”
“Sure you do. You just don’t know it yet.” He grinned, and Lacey knew she was smiling like an empty-headed twit.
What was it about Jude that made her forget the rule? The one that clearly stated Lacey would not have men in her life. Ever.
“At least take some Tylenol, Jude.” She grabbed a bottle from her cupboard and poured three into his hand.
He swallowed them and let his feet drop off the chair. “There. Happy?”
“I’d be happier if you’d let me help you more.”
“You’ve helped me plenty. Come on. Let’s go get those leftovers.”
“There’s no rush.”
“Sure there is. My mother will be calling you any minute to see if the food has been delivered. If it hasn’t, she’ll cut me off of home-cooked meals for good.”
“No way.”
“It’s what she said. And my mother doesn’t make idle threats.” He limped out of the room, his discomfort so obvious, Lacey rushed forward and put an arm around his waist.
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