by Aiken, Ginny
And protecting Cate.
He turned back and slipped into the elevator again. He punched the button on the illuminated panel, waited until the doors slid shut and then leaned against the back wall, his mind spinning without pause.
He would catch Cate’s attacker. He had no doubt.
Fear. The real thing.
Cate had never experienced anything like it before. In the span of a couple of short weeks, however, she’d learned what it truly meant. And she didn’t like it. Not one bit.
First, she’d feared for her father’s life as she’d faced the raging inferno at the theater. And now, just minutes ago, she’d thought she was drawing her last breath. Her first thought had been of her niece and nephews. The kids needed her, especially with Dad still in the hospital, only now starting down the path of recovery from his injuries.
Her only other thought had been of Rand. She’d never have the chance to tell him how she truly felt about him…
Now, as grateful as she was to still draw breath, a number of questions grew more insistent by the minute. Cate wanted to know whose greediness would curse misguided kids to a life of addiction in order to line his pockets. And who had so much against her that he’d try to smother her?
She didn’t want to die, even though she was ready to meet her Heavenly Father on His terms and at His time. But Cate didn’t think this was the right time. She still felt needed here. So she’d fought off her attacker with her every ounce of strength. To her relief, Rand had burst in like an avenging angel, screaming and threatening her would-be killer just as she thought her lungs would explode. The man had fled the room with Rand in pursuit.
Moments later, the nurse had rushed in. By then, Cate had regained her breath. She’d surprised the woman with her anger, yelling for security and for the PD to be notified.
“Lord?” she’d said when the nurse had left. “I’m not strong enough to fight off that guy all on my own. I’m glad you sent Rand to help. But he won’t always be waiting in the shadows. I’m going to need your strength, so please hold me up…”
Peace settled upon her, even though her temper still roared. So this was righteous anger.
The door to her room opened and a tall shadow fell across the foot of her bed. It had to mean something that she knew right away who it belonged to.
And that knowledge brought her unexpected comfort.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said. “Did you catch him?”
He placed gentle fingers against her cheek, smoothed them down to her jaw line, dropped his hand to her shoulder and finally took her hand in his. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
She squeezed that solid and sturdy hand gaining strength from his confidence and grit. “I’ll be fine. Did you catch the guy?”
By the moonlight coming in through the window, Cate could see Rand’s frustration etch tiny lines at the corners of his eyes. “By the time I got down to the main floor, he’d either mixed in with the people in the waiting room or left the building altogether.”
With her free hand, Cate turned on the fixture over her head. The sickly fluorescent light gave Rand a haggard look. She couldn’t miss the strain on his every feature.
“So what’s the plan? What are you going to do to find him?” Her own frustration grew and she withdrew her hand from his clasp. “Are you going to follow the same plan you’ve used to investigate the fire? Are you going to tell me you’re waiting for lab results and then accuse me of dealing drugs?”
He glared, but she didn’t want to hear more vague nothings right then. “Don’t try, Rand. I didn’t hold that pillow over my own face. I didn’t lay here and run out of this room at the same time.”
“I never said you did—”
“You wasted time suspecting me when you should have been trying to find the real culprit.”
“I have been—”
“Someone’s selling drugs to kids. My niece and nephews have been in danger of losing both my dad and me—and I don’t even know why this creep’s after me!”
The strain of all that had happened suddenly caught up with her, drained her and left her unable to continue.
Rand took advantage of her silence. “Cate. Please believe me. I’m on your side. Maybe later than you would have wanted me to get on board, but I know what’s been happening. This guy has proven he’s capable of anything. We’ll catch him and take care of it.”
She didn’t try to stop the snort. “You aren’t going to stop me from doing everything I can to protect my family—or myself. And learning who tried to kill me is part of that. It’s time I got more involved with this investigation.”
“I can’t stop you from putting yourself in danger, but please think of the officers whose lives you’d risk.”
He did have a point. Still…“Why haven’t you caught the drug dealer yet?”
He ran a hand through his dark hair, rumpling it even more. This Rand, tired, frustrated, thwarted by the man who’d tried to kill her, struck her as more accessible, somehow more human than before. Maybe she could persuade him to see things her way.
He leaned over the bedside rail. “You don’t think it’s weighing on me? You don’t think I want him locked away, so he can’t do any more harm? So that he can’t hurt you again?”
She didn’t answer.
Rand’s blues eyes blazed with determination. “I can’t let you go out and get yourself killed. Next time he comes after you, I might not be behind door number one to chase him away. If you insist on playing TV sleuth, I’ll have to alert both Ethan and Hal to your plans.”
She stuck out her chin. “And you figure they’re going to spend their days glued to me? I don’t think so.”
He crossed his arms. “Maybe I’m the one who’s going to do that.”
Cate studied Rand’s posture. The man meant business. But she had no intention of backing down.
“I have a suggestion.” That caught his attention. “What if we join forces? I know everyone in town. You’ve just come back. It’s going to take you some time to get up to speed with Loganton and its residents.”
“Are you telling me now you hobnob with drug dealers?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course, not. And I’m pretty sure you’re smart enough to have figured out that the guy who tried to kill me isn’t exactly my buddy.”
“True, but I don’t see where your familiarity with the area is going to help. Whoever’s behind all this isn’t going to start wearing a sign that says, ‘Catch me if you can.’”
“Of course he’s not. But I know the kids and can ask questions. Before you bring it up, yes, I can be discreet.”
“I’m not sure about this…”
“But I am. And I get a say in my life.”
“While the best I can do is chase you around and try to keep you in one piece.”
“Something like that.”
“What about Lindsay and the boys?”
“This is one time when being in the hospital is a plus. I can let the neighbors know I’m recovering and the kids can stay with Zoe until it’s safe to come home. I’ll have to sacrifice some time with them to make sure they have a future. I’ll sneak in a visit here and there, but it’s more important to keep them safe.”
Cate yawned and a flash of guilt crossed Rand’s face. He ran his hand through his hair again.
“I’m sorry. I’ve overstayed. You need to get your rest.”
She shrugged. “I don’t think I would be here to argue if you hadn’t hung around long enough to scare off that guy.”
He arched a brow. “So you do have some use for me, after all.”
She blushed. “Brawn meets brain.”
“And so the brain tells you not to try anything crazy without me, right?”
“Depends on what you call crazy. To me, crazy is sitting around waiting for this guy to come at me again.”
“Just promise you won’t do anything alone.”
Cate suspected this was the best bargain she was going to strike.
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, so we can plan our next step.”
“You’re big on planning.”
She laughed. “Are you on board for tomorrow’s planning session or not?”
“Don’t suppose I can talk you out of it, so, yes. We’re on for tomorrow’s planning session.” At her relieved smile, he went on. “Now go to sleep. You’re going to need your rest.”
She nodded, not wanting to push her luck.
Before she knew what was coming, he’d pressed his lips to hers for a short, sweet startling kiss that left her wanting more.
She watched him leave, her heart pounding.
Chalk one up for Loganton’s fire department captain. He’d left her speechless—again.
But she could also chalk one up for her. She’d survived long enough to win Rand over to her side. Maybe now she’d get a few answers.
And catch a determined killer. Before he struck again.
ELEVEN
Rand made his way to the lounge on Cate’s floor. The coffee machine would be his most stalwart companion through the dark hours. It was going to be a long night.
Ethan picked up on the first ring. “You’re where?”
“The waiting lounge outside Cate’s hospital room. Someone tried to smother her and I chased him away. Unfortunately, he was too fast for me. You’ll want to come and check the surveillance video, even though I doubt you’ll get anything.”
“Isn’t that the truth? We don’t have much of anything to go on in this case.”
“I know. But how about the ID Cate found? Anything new on that?”
“Now that you mention it, we do have something. The first three numbers on the bar code show it belongs to someone from the high school.”
“The high school? You’re telling me a kid might have torched the theater?”
“Not necessarily. The bar code’s first three numbers are the same for teachers, students, staff, even maintenance workers. We were lucky to find that much. The plastic was very badly damaged.”
“And our witness was a student, one who died of an overdose.”
“Yes, she was.”
“Hmm…”
“Don’t get carried away with that thought, Rand. I don’t think Marly was involved with the lab.”
“The question is whether the ID has anything to do with the fire. Just like the person Marly saw outside the theater could have been there innocently, the card could have been dropped innocently.”
“That’s my point.”
“But my gut tells me otherwise.”
“If your gut leads you somewhere, then we can talk. In the meantime, I’ll come over there to check things out. Hang tight, call Hal and I’ll see you both in a while.”
Rand dragged two armchairs together and stretched out to wait out the hours. He was here to stay and he had no choice but to forgo sleep. No way was he about to leave Cate unprotected.
If he’d left before, the killer would have succeeded.
Cate would have died.
Had it happened, he never could have lived with himself. He could no longer envision living without her.
Two days after she wound up in the hospital, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, Cate found herself wandering the empty house. It echoed with silence because she’d refused to have the kids home with her. She certainly wasn’t about to put her niece and nephews in the killer’s way.
With the approaching holidays, she’d decided to decorate on her own and surprise the kids when they came back from Zoe’s.
But now that the time had come to sort the decorations, Cate felt lonely. She hadn’t expected how much she would miss Lindsay and the twins and all the lively fun that came with them.
She brought down the plastic tubs full of Christmas decorations, then spread out the contents over the living room sofa, the coffee table and the rug in the center of the room.
On top of missing Lindsay and the twins, as soon as Cate brought out the ornaments, she began to revisit the tough memories the holidays always brought back. While the pain had settled to a dull ache over the years, the loss of her sister came back as a sharp stab at Thanksgiving. Growing up, Cate had loved the holiday. The scents, the flavors, the abundance, the family gathering…it had all been wonderful as a child.
Then she’d spun off track. For a while, she’d avoided family times as though they’d rivaled root canals. Truth was, she’d known in her heart her actions were wrong. But she’d still done everything to avoid her parents. She’d known she was hurting them, but something burned inside her, propelled her to do what she’d been warned against.
Rebellion. A simple word. An ugly truth.
The doorbell rang. Cate dropped the tangled tree lights on the recliner and hurried to answer. To her surprise, Rand, Alec, J.J. and Abby stood on her front porch.
“You said you wanted to decorate,” Rand said, giving Cate’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.
A zing of anticipation rushed through her and the warmth of joy filled her heart. Another day they’d spend together. “You shouldn’t have. I know how busy you are. I can handle it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you can. I just don’t think you should try to do it all on your own so soon after you broke out of the hospital. But I’m getting to know you better than you think.” He stepped aside to let the others into the house. “I brought the troops.”
Alec waggled a scolding finger at Cate. “You should have called me. You know I’m always there for you, Joe and the kids.”
“I can’t believe you guys are all here. I’m just sorting out the stuff. I haven’t started anything, really.”
J.J. looped an arm around Alec’s shoulders. “Sounds like we’re just in time. Give us the outside lights and we’ll have the place looking like a magazine spread before you know it.”
Abby pulled a notepad from her purse as the two men lugged a box out the front door. “I’m on my way to the store—I need more tinsel and a new tree skirt. Tell me what I can pick up for you.”
As soon as Abby and Cate had finished a short list, Rand grabbed the tangle of tree lights. “This is my forte. Where’s your tree?”
Cate shrugged, looked away. “Don’t have one yet. I usually take the kids to cut one down outside of town.”
His expression mellowed. “You miss them, don’t you?”
“You have no idea.” She drew a deep breath. “And it’s not just them. True, I talk to Dad a couple of times a day, but it’s not the same. The house is just not home like this. I…Thanksgiving—well, it’s almost here, too.”
A muscle tightened in Rand’s cheek. “Yeah. Well. It comes every year.”
She placed a hand on his forearm. “But it doesn’t get any easier, does it?”
To her surprise, the big man’s reaction was as heartfelt as her own. He covered her fingers, swallowed hard, then nodded. “It’s tough, no matter what. Talking to Joe each year has helped.”
“I didn’t know you guys did that.”
“He’s the only one who understands.”
“I understand.”
His eyes graced her with a gentle look as he slid his fingers between hers. “I suppose you do know it’s not all about turkeys and trees and garlands and carols and toys.”
She nodded, tears in her eyes. “It’s about family and love, but the traditions do help. That’s why I try to make it a Christmasy Christmas every year. It’s the least I can do for Mandy’s kids.”
When she mentioned her sister, Rand nodded, stepped back, cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. “Then what are we waiting for? I still have the chainsaw in the back of my SUV. Let’s go hunt us a tree.”
Disappointment struck as he put a little distance between them. And that surprised Cate. It had been a long time since she’d let anyone get close. And certainly, she’d never let any other man see that clearly into her pain.
Maybe busyness was for the best.
Forty-five minutes later, they hopped out of Rand’s silver SUV and walked down the fi
rst row of pines. The afternoon crackled with bright fall sunlight, the sky blazed blue above, and the spicy scent of the trees had Cate feeling holiday excitement for the first time that year.
She and Rand tromped up and down the leaf-covered paths, their feet crunching the dried leaves on the ground, laughing at trees with crooked trunks, shunning those specimens with bare bellies, each lobbying for his or her favorite, finally narrowing the possibilities down to three beautiful evergreens.
In all the years she’d known him, she’d never seen Rand so relaxed or felt so at ease in his company. She could get used to this—she really wanted to get used to it. And hoped he did as well.
“Have you noticed,” Rand said as he rubbed his chin, “that you have a Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear kind of choice?”
Cate stood back and studied the three trees. They stood in adjacent rows and she couldn’t decide which way to go. “Oh, you choose. God did all the hard work. He grew the beautiful trees, so you can’t make a mistake, whichever one you pick.”
Rand’s smile vanished and his features took on a strain. She’d noticed his discomfort with any mention of God before, but she’d just spoken spontaneously, without a thought to his reaction. She hadn’t considered what she’d said controversial. She wondered if he’d comment.
“The kids wouldn’t like the small one—too small.” His voice came out clipped from between tight lips. His eyes had grown cold. “And I think the biggest is too big. The middle one should work best.”
Cate’s enjoyment in the day disappeared with the change in Rand’s attitude. “That’s fine.”
But it wasn’t. His discomfort with her statement of faith stole her pleasure from the preparations for one of Christendom’s greatest celebrations. And she knew Rand hadn’t always felt that way about faith. She remembered him as the confident student council president and one of the leaders in the church’s youth group years ago.
Why had he turned his back on God?
A Christmas tree chopping excursion didn’t strike her as the right time to ask, but how would she know the right time when it came? If it ever did come. She wasn’t likely to forget Rand’s reaction; she couldn’t. Cate knew what a comfort her Savior offered and in Rand’s line of work, she knew he had and would experience much that would cause pain. The kind of comfort he would need could come only from a loving God.