“You’ll be safe at the sheriff’s office,” Weston agreed, “but you can’t stay there forever. Neither can your family. Eventually, you’ll have to leave, and the killer will come after you.”
“That can’t happen!” Addie groaned and looked up at the ceiling as if she expected some kind of divine help. “I can’t be in that kind of danger.”
Weston tried to keep his voice as calm as possible. Hard to do, though, with the emotions swirling like a tornado inside him. “I’m sorry. If there was another way to stop him, then I wouldn’t have come here. I know I don’t have a right to ask, but I need your help.”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t? Convince me why,” Weston snapped. “Because I’m not getting this. You must want this killer off the street. It’s the only way you’ll ever be truly safe.”
Addie opened her mouth. Closed it. And she stared at him. “I’d planned on telling you. Not like this. But if I ever saw you again, I intended to tell you.”
There was a new emotion in her voice and on her face. One that Weston couldn’t quite put his finger on. “Tell me what?” he asked.
She dragged in a long breath and straightened her shoulders. “I can’t be bait for the Moonlight Strangler because I can’t risk being hurt.” Addie took another deep breath. “I’m three months pregnant. And the baby is yours.”
Chapter Three
Addie figured this was the worst way possible a man could find out that he’d fathered a child.
But she hadn’t exactly had a choice about the timing of the news. Weston had come here to drop a bombshell that he wanted to use her to catch a killer, that the killer was actually after her, but she’d delivered her own bombshell.
And it had stunned him to silence.
Weston just stared at her for a very long time, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. This pregnancy changed everything.
At least it had for Addie.
Maybe it would for Weston, too.
Change him in a way that wouldn’t put her in danger. Three months ago, she would have been willing to do whatever it took to catch the Moonlight Strangler. Weston obviously felt the same way. Especially since the killer had murdered a woman he loved. But even though the killer had murdered her brother’s wife, Addie couldn’t allow herself to be used in this justice net.
Unless...
“Can you guarantee me that the baby wouldn’t be hurt?” However, she waved off the question as soon as she asked it. “You and I both know you can’t. The Moonlight Strangler’s smart. He’s been killing and evading the law for three decades, maybe more, and he might have already figured out a way to get around you so he could come after me.”
Heck, the killer might have figured out a way to use Weston. Too bad Addie couldn’t think of how he’d done that, and she didn’t want to find out the hard way, either. This had to end.
But how?
“You’re pregnant,” Weston said under his breath. He groaned, and this time he was the one to do the stepping away.
She couldn’t blame him for being stunned. The truth was, Addie had been pretty darn stunned herself when she’d first learned the news. She had always wanted children and figured that one day she would be a mom. She just hadn’t thought it would happen like this, with her being unmarried and with the baby’s father disappearing.
Weston shook his head. “But we used protection.”
Ironic that she had said the exact same thing to the doctor when he’d confirmed the pregnancy test results. That day, she’d said a lot of things, including some profanity in regards to Weston.
“Obviously, protection’s not a hundred percent. Don’t worry,” Addie quickly added. “I was going to tell you if I ever managed to locate you, but I don’t need anything from you, including child support. Or any other kind of support for that matter. As far as I’m concerned, you won’t be a part of this.”
The look he gave her could have blasted a giant hole through the moon. Weston’s eyes went to slits, and the muscles in his face turned to iron. “It’s my baby. I’ll be a part of this.”
“That’s not necessary—”
“I’ll be part of his or her life,” he insisted.
All right. She hadn’t exactly counted on that reaction. “After you ran out on me, I figured...”
Considering that his eyes narrowed even more, it was probably best not to finish spelling out that she didn’t believe him to be the sort who stuck around. Even for his own child.
And then it hit her.
Addie really didn’t know him. Didn’t know anything real about his life because of all the lies he’d told her.
“Are you married?” she asked.
That didn’t do much to help with those narrowed eyes. “No. I wouldn’t have slept with you if I’d been married.”
She let that hum between them, but hopefully he understood what she was thinking. A man who’d lie and then have sex with a troubled woman didn’t exactly have a stellar moral compass.
“And no, I’m not involved with anyone,” he went on. “Not now, and not when I was with you.”
“Why did you sleep with me?” she demanded.
Mercy, she wanted to kick herself for blurting that out. Not because she didn’t want to know the truth.
She did.
But Addie was a thousand percent certain that she wasn’t up to hearing it spelled out now. Not with all the other news that Weston had just delivered.
Now he looked at her, and that wasn’t a glare in his smoky brown eyes.
Nope.
It was a look he’d given her many times over the three days when they’d been together. It was something she felt right after she first met him.
Something she didn’t want to feel, but Addie felt it again anyway.
The heat came like a touch. Barely a brush against her skin. But it rippled through her. Gently. At first. Until the ripple became a tug and made her recall exactly why she’d landed in bed with Weston.
“Yeah,” he said. “Remember now?”
Since a lie would stick in her throat, Addie settled for a nod. “But I slept with you only because of the attraction. Can you say the same?”
No quick answer. Not verbally anyway, but she got another glare from him. She’d always thought Jericho was the king of glares and surly expressions, but right now Weston had her brother beat by a mile.
“Like I said, that wasn’t part of the plan,” Weston finally repeated. “It just...happened.”
She had the feeling he’d intended to say something else, but it was best if this part of the conversation ended. Addie didn’t need any other reminders of the heat that’d been between them then.
And now.
“Sleeping with me wasn’t part of this grand plan you keep mentioning,” she said, trying to get her thoughts back on track. “But leaving was.”
“I left because of the letters,” Weston clarified, though she didn’t know how he managed to speak through clenched teeth. “The killer warned me to stay away from you.”
Addie hadn’t thought there’d be any more surprises today, but she’d been wrong. Her heartbeat kicked up again, drumming in her ears. “Why did he give you a warning like that?”
“He didn’t want us teaming up to find him,” Weston readily answered. “He said he’d kill you if I stayed. That you’d live if I left.”
That sent another rush of emotions through her. For three months, Addie had dealt with the anger and hurt of having Weston walk out. In the past fifteen minutes, she’d had to deal with the news that her biological father was coming after her.
Now this.
If Weston had indeed left to try to save her, then that put him in a new light. One she wasn’t ready to deal with just yet. After all, he had known who she was when he’d slept with her, and she wasn’t ready to forgive him for that just yet.
Maybe not ever.
As raw as her emotions were and despite the fact Weston was still glaring at her, Addie had t
o push all that aside. Yes, she’d have to deal with it later, but for now they had a more immediate problem on their hands, and protecting the baby and her family had to come first. That meant making sure she was protected, as well.
Addie didn’t intend to rely on Weston for that.
“I need to tell Jericho about the threatening letters you got,” she said, thinking out loud.
However, she didn’t even get a chance to reach for her phone before she heard the footsteps behind her in the hall. Weston obviously heard them, too, because he moved fast. A lot faster than Addie. He latched on to her arm, dragging her behind him, and in the same motion, he drew his gun.
Just like that, Addie’s heart jumped to her throat, and the danger to her unborn child and family came at her like an avalanche. However, the threat that her body was preparing her for turned out not to be a threat after all.
“Put down that gun, and let go of my daughter,” her mother demanded. She had something to back up that demand, too. Her mother aimed a double-barreled shotgun at Weston.
The relief hit Addie almost as hard as the slam of fear had, so it took her a moment to speak. It wasn’t the killer, but her mother was limping her way toward them. “It’s okay, Mom.”
That wasn’t exactly the truth. Everything was far from being okay, but Addie didn’t want her mother pointing a gun at a Texas Ranger.
Even this Ranger.
Her mother obviously didn’t buy her it’s okay because she didn’t lower the gun, and she continued to volley glances between Weston and Addie. Even though she wasn’t a large woman, and her hair was completely silver-gray, she still managed to look tough as nails.
“Who is he?” her mother asked. But almost immediately her gaze dropped to Addie’s stomach.
“Yes, he’s the baby’s father,” Addie verified. “Mom, this is Weston Cade. Weston, this is my mom, Iris Crockett.”
It seemed silly to make polite introductions at a time like this, but it did get her mother to lower the shotgun. What her mom didn’t do was ease up on the glare she was giving Weston.
“You hurt my daughter,” her mother said.
“I know,” Weston readily admitted. “And I’m sorry.” He, too, put away his gun, sliding it back into his holster.
Her mother didn’t say the words, but her frosty blue eyes let Weston know that his apology alone wouldn’t be nearly good enough. Maybe nothing would be. After all, her mother had no doubt heard Addie’s crying jags and had seen the hurt and sadness.
“How did you get inside?” her mother asked Weston. “I didn’t hear you ring the doorbell, and if you had, I wouldn’t have let you in.”
“He came in with me from the barn,” Addie jumped to answer. Best if her mother didn’t know she’d just been in a partial wrestling match with the man who’d fathered her child. “Weston has bad news. Well, maybe it’s bad. If the letters he got are real, then it’s bad.”
“They’re real,” Weston insisted.
Again, her mother didn’t say anything, but she grasped it right away. “This is about the Moonlight Strangler.” Still limping, she moved protectively to Addie’s side, slipping her left arm around her. “Is he coming after Addie?”
That was something both she and her mother had no doubt asked themselves dozens of times, but they’d never spoken of it.
Too frightening to consider aloud.
Of course, Addie had taken precautions. Always looking over her shoulder. Always on guard for her biological father to make some kind of contact. Or try to murder her. But after three months of the precautions, Addie had thought she was safe.
“I need to talk to Jericho,” Addie said, taking out her phone. “I’ll have him come home right away. Jax, too.”
She almost explained to Weston that Jax was a deputy in Appaloosa Pass, but there was probably little about her and her family that he didn’t already know. Well, with the exception of the pregnancy, but then there were only six people who’d known about that: her mother, her four brothers and the doctor.
“I’ll alert the ranch hands so they can all get inside the bunkhouse,” her mother added.
But Weston took hold of both their arms before either of them could make those calls. “If the Moonlight Strangler suspects you’re on to him, he won’t come here.”
Her mother gave a crisp nod. “Good!”
“Not good.” Addie groaned. “Because he might try to go after Weston’s sister. Or he’ll just wait to attack again.”
Weston was right. They couldn’t live at the sheriff’s office or stay locked up in the house. They had a huge ranch to run. Plus, there was the baby. Addie didn’t want her child to be a prisoner because they had had the bad luck to wind up in the wrong gene pool.
“So, what do we do?” Addie asked, hating that she didn’t already have a plan. One that didn’t involve Weston and that could ensure her baby wouldn’t be hurt.
Weston opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say a word, Addie’s phone rang. It wasn’t Jericho’s name she saw on the screen, however. It was Teddy McQueen, one of the ranch hands.
“If this is about those mares,” Addie said the moment she answered, “we’ll have to discuss it another time.”
“Addie,” the man said. His voice was barely a whisper.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
For several snail-crawling moments, all she heard was Teddy’s ragged breath. That didn’t help steady her nerves. Weston’s either, because he took the phone from her and jabbed the speaker button.
“I was in the south pasture and spotted someone by the shed there,” Teddy finally continued. “A man. I was about to ask him what he was doing, and he shot me with one of those guns fitted with a silencer. I didn’t even see it until it was too late.”
“Oh, God. Call nine-one-one and get an ambulance,” Addie told her mother, and Iris immediately did that. “Teddy, how bad are you hurt?”
“Not sure. But the bullet’s in my leg so I can’t walk.”
“Just hold on. We’ll get someone out to you,” Addie assured him.
“Tell whoever’s coming to be careful. Real careful. You and Iris, too. I didn’t get a look at the man’s face, but I saw what direction he went.”
Teddy took another long breath. “Addie, you need to watch out. He’s headed straight for the house.”
Chapter Four
Weston’s first instinct was to curse. And to punch himself for not fixing this before the danger was right on Addie’s doorstep.
Why the heck hadn’t his friends warned him?
Later, he’d want an answer to that, but he had to focus on making sure this situation didn’t go from bad to worse. For now, Weston settled for firing off a quick text to one of those friends to warn him that all hell had broken loose.
“How long do we have before the man gets here?” Addie asked the wounded ranch hand.
“He’s on foot, but he’s moving pretty quick. You got fifteen minutes, maybe less.”
Weston figured with the way his luck had been running, it’d be less. That wasn’t enough time for Jericho to make it out to the ranch, but maybe it was enough for Weston’s friends to get onto the grounds and help.
The moment he finished the text, Weston slapped off the lights, pulled Addie’s mom into the office with them and then closed the blinds. “Get down on the floor behind the desk. I’ll go through the house and lock the doors.”
“It’ll go faster if I show you where all the doors are,” Addie insisted.
“Or I could go,” Iris volunteered.
Addie shook her head. “Not with your sore ankle. I can move a lot faster than you can. You wait here and keep watch while I go with Weston.”
Normally, he would have refused her help, but it was a big place even by Texas standards, and he didn’t want to miss an entrance.
“All right.” Iris shifted her shotgun so that it’d be easier for her to use. “I’ll call Jericho. Just hurry and get back here.”
Weston nodded
. “Tell the other ranch hands, too, so they’ll get inside and take cover. I also want you to stay away from the windows.”
He wasn’t sure the Moonlight Strangler was into shooting bystanders, but Weston didn’t want to take any chances. Not with Iris. Not with Addie. Especially since she was pregnant with his child.
Later, he’d need to settle that with Addie.
And himself.
Weston figured he’d be asking himself a lot of “what the hell have I done?” questions.
“This way,” Addie said, leading him not to the front of the house but rather the back.
She was focused on the task. Or rather trying to pretend she was. But Weston could still feel the fear coming from her. Could also feel her dodging his gaze. He couldn’t blame her. She probably didn’t want to trust him, but at the moment she had no choice.
“Your friends didn’t see the killer when he shot Teddy,” she said like the accusation that it was.
“Apparently not,” he settled for saying.
“And you still trust them?” Again, an accusation.
“Yeah. With my life.”
She glanced at him, a reminder that he’d trusted them with her life, too. And her mother’s. The glance was well deserved. He had done just that. But both of his friends were former cops and had plenty of equipment that should have detected anyone in those woods surrounding the ranch.
It was obviously a precaution that’d failed big-time.
Addie and he threaded their way through a massive family room, turning off lights and locking two doors there before doing the same to yet three more off the kitchen and adjoining dining room. Even though Christmas was still three weeks away, everything was decorated for the holiday. Trees, wreaths and other decorations were in almost every room.
“My mother goes a little overboard. She loves Christmas,” Addie said.
Maybe because Addie had been found nearly thirty years ago on Christmas Eve. From everything Weston had uncovered, Iris had always wanted a daughter, so this could be a dual celebration of sorts.
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