by V. A. Dold
He straightened and lifted a brow. “How’s that?”
“After this morning’s pampering, I’m spoiled rotten. You just may have to bring me coffee in bed every morning.”
“I don’t consider that a terrible situation. I’d rather enjoy waking to you in my bed every morning.” He stirred her coffee and walked to the bed. “And I’ll gladly pay the price of a few cups of coffee for it the rest of my life.”
She held out her hand. “Wow, you’re good. Deal. Coffee in bed every morning in exchange for the right side of the bed every night.”
Joe took it and shook on the deal. “Deal.”
Chapter 9
Joe returned to his chair next to Carol’s bed. He raised his cup to hers in a toast. “To the right side of the bed and morning coffee.”
Her head tilted back as she held her bruised ribs and tried not to laugh. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
He clanked his cup against hers and took a sip. “Sorry, babe. I’ll endeavor to be boring for the rest of the day.”
She sipped hers and smiled at him. “But only for the day. I want adorable, funny Joe back tomorrow.”
“You got it, sugar. We need to drink up and get ready to go. The sheriff is expecting us in an hour.”
She blew on her coffee and drained it in three gulps. Joe saw her grimace as she worked her way out of the bed.
“Let me help you, darlin’” He took her hands and eased her to her feet.
“Thank you. I’ve never been so beat up. It’s astonishing that I can be in so much pain with nothing broken.”
“I’m thankful that you’re whole and alive. Bruises and sore muscles will heal in a few days. Broken bones would take weeks.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m just surprised. I forget about the aches and pains until I try to get out of bed. I’m afraid to look in the mirror, I must look a fright.”
“You are colorful,” he agreed with a slight grin.
He watched her suck in a breath and gape at her reflection. “I’m not sure I have enough cover-up to hide all of this.”
Joe leaned against the bathroom doorframe and gazed at her reflection. “I don’t know, I think you look damn good. Besides, the sheriff will understand.”
She sighed and dabbed a little more concealer around her left eye. “That’s all well and good, but I still need to walk to and from the truck. I don’t want the people in town talking about me.”
“Put on a big hat and dark sunglasses like the celebrities wear. The townies won’t recognize you and will all be gossiping about who the famous person could be instead of what caused your injury.”
She stopped dabbing and turned. “I didn’t think of that. You’re one smart man, Mr. Christian.”
Thirty-three minutes later, he helped a disguised Carol from his truck. He had to hand it to her. With a large straw hat, a scarf, and dark glasses, he wouldn’t have recognized her if he hadn’t known who she was.
Joe led her to the reception desk and cleared his throat.
“Good morning, Joe. Sheriff Dansby said you would be in.” The deputy turned slightly and yelled over his shoulder. “Sheriff! Joe’s here.”
“Jesus, Seamus.” The sheriff growled as he came down the hallway where his office must be. “How many times do I have to tell you to use the intercom?”
Deputy Seamus blushed and busied himself with paperwork. “Sorry, Uncle Doug. I mean, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Dansby held out a hand. “Good morning, Joe.” he smiled and held out his hand to her as well. “I assume this young lady is Miss Duffy.”
“Good morning, sir,” Carol said quietly as she shook his hand.
The sheriff scowled at Seamus and grunted. “Let’s talk in my office.”
Joe placed his hand at the small of her back as they followed the sheriff down the hall.
When they were seated across the desk from the sheriff, Joe grinned. “Having a bad morning, Doug?”
The sheriff shook his head. “You have no idea. If Seamus weren’t my nephew, I’d can his ass. Pardon my French. So, you said you wanted to file a report?”
Joe sat forward and leaned his forearms on the desk. “Yes. Someone has been leaving threatening notes for both Carol and myself.” He handed the Post-it to Doug. “He left this one on her front door last night.” Then he pulled a knife from his pocket. “He used this to attach it.”
The sheriff looked from Joe to Carol. He pulled a tissue from the box on his desk and reached for the note and knife. “I wish you would have handled these more carefully, Joe. I doubt I’ll be able to lift fingerprints now.”
Joe held Carol’s hand while they waited for the sheriff to examine the evidence.
“How many of these have you gotten?” he asked as he bagged the items.
“I’ve gotten two that I know of. There could have been more. Except for this last one, the guy doesn’t secure them very well. So it’s possible there were others I didn’t see,” Joe said and then looked at Carol.
“I’ve gotten three or four. I haven’t really kept track. When I got the first couple, they were so vague and harmless; I didn’t pay them much mind. The last couple have gotten more threatening.”
The sheriff tapped a pencil on the desktop and cocked his head. “Is it possible, that your slashed tires are related to this?”
Joe nodded. “Yeah. I had a note on the windshield of the truck when the tires were slashed. I didn’t realize it was important at the time and threw it away.”
The sheriff let out a heavy breath and looked at Carol. “Have you had any personal property damaged, Miss Duffy?”
She shook her head. “No, just the notes.”
Sheriff Dansby rested his arms on the desk. “All right. I hate to say this, but we don’t have a lot to go on. Even with the property damage tied to the notes, we don’t have a suspect. The next time you get a note or have anything happen to your property, call me immediately. And don’t touch the evidence unless you have to. If you get a note and it isn’t secured, use a tissue to touch it and put it in a plastic bag.”
“Okay,” Joe said, as he mentally took notes.
“From experience, I can tell you, this guy isn’t done. Keep your doors locked. If you have a gun, keep it loaded, and close at hand. Watch your backs. Don’t give him the chance to catch you alone.” He tapped the bagged evidence with a finger. “Based on this threat and the history you laid out, your stalker is getting desperate. It won’t be long before he gets bored with notes and takes things to the next level. I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”
“Don’t worry, Doug. I’ll keep Carol close and let Lucas know what’s going on. Most of this has been happening at the ranch. He’ll want to take steps to protect the people staying there.”
“Good. I’ll write up the report and dust this for prints. If I get anything from it, I’ll call you. That reminds me, we should fingerprint both of you so we can eliminate your prints from all evidence.”
Joe and Carol stood at Seamus’s desk as the deputy tried to collect their prints. With Sheriff Dansby watching, the poor guy was so nervous he kept smearing the ink. Doug finally took over and did the prints himself.
“Well, that was fun,” Carol said as she clipped her seatbelt.
Joe chuckled. “I feel sorry for Seamus. He’s really not a bad guy. Doug just jangles his nerves.”
*****
Carol was completely stressed out. Ever since meeting with the Sheriff two days ago, every little noise made her jump. She had to get her poop in a group. She was meeting Joe’s children in an hour, and she wasn’t close to ready. As quickly as possible, she did her hair and applied makeup to hide her fading bruises.
She was about to stroke her lashes with mascara when something scratched against the bathroom window. She squeaked and jumped, poking her eye with the mascara wand. “Damn it,” she cussed and wiped at the tears welling in her eye.
Then she stiffened. There weren’t any shrubs or trees on that side of the house. He was out
side her cabin!
Quietly, she tiptoed to the kitchenette, grabbed the butcher knife from the drawer, and called Joe.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he answered cheerfully.
“Joe. He’s here. Outside my cabin,” she whispered.
“Stay inside. I’m coming.”
She heard a click as the call ended abruptly, and waited, facing the door. She was armed and trained to defend herself. If anyone other than Joe came through that door, she was ready to draw blood. A lot of blood if necessary.
Heart thundering, she listened for movement on the porch. Gravel crunched as someone crossed the walkway to her front door. Then a twig snapped, and she spun around in time to see a shadow pass her kitchen window along the backside of the cabin. The silence stretched right along with her nerves. After several minutes, boots clomped up the front steps.
“Carol? It’s Joe. Let me in, sweetheart.”
She rushed to unlock the door and yank it open. “Did you catch him?”
He shook his head. “No. I thought I saw someone run into the trees out back, but I couldn’t find any footprints to follow.”
“Did you find a note or any other evidence?”
“If he had a note, he didn’t have time to leave it. But there’s a stick lying on the ground below the window. I called Doug, and he is on his way. He’ll collect the stick and check it for prints. He is also going to dust the window in case the guy touched it and left a print.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Crud. I was hoping he would finally be caught and this insanity would end. Hopefully, Sheriff Dansby will find something.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him. Let’s not let this ruin the day. Are you ready to meet the family? My mom should be here any minute with the kids.”
“I just need a couple of minutes. Do you want to wait?”
He gave her a quick kiss and smiled. “Sure. I’ll be on the porch.”
Carol was applying lip-gloss when she heard car doors and the excited squeal of a little girl. Taking a deep breath, she stepped outside and crossed the yard. They hadn’t seen her yet, so she had a moment to get a look at his family.
A short, plump, gray-haired woman was giving a boy with shocks of dark haired sticking out from under his cowboy hat a hug. An adorable blonde girl with pigtails high on her head was perched on Joes back ready for a piggyback ride.
The woman who must be Joe’s mother straightened and smiled at her.
Carol stopped a step behind Joe and smiled back. “Hello.”
Joe turned toward her and gave her a huge smile as she stepped to his side. “Mom, this is my girlfriend, Carol. Carol this is my mother, Marlys.”
The smile on Marlys’s face widened and she offered a hand to Carol. “Girlfriend? It’s about time. I’m very happy to meet you.”
She exhaled the breath she’d been holding and smiled back. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
Carol stood quietly as Marlys said good-bye to Joe and Tracy. Then they all waved at his mother as she drove away. Sheriff Dansby’s squad car passed Marlys’s sedan as he came to collect the evidence. He tipped his hat to them and walked to the side of the cabin.
Clearing his throat, Joe lowered Tracy to her feet. Smiling like a little boy getting a puppy for Christmas he went to one knee and put an arm around each child. “Kids, I want to introduce, Carol.”
Troy tipped his head back to look up at her. Then he stuck out his hand like and adult and gave her a sweet smile. “Hello, ma’am. I’m Troy. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Suppressing a chuckle, she shook his hand. “Hello, Troy. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”
Tracy tipped her head to the side and studied her. “Are you really my dad’s girlfriend?”
Carol glanced to Joe. When he gave her a smile and a nod, she looked back at Tracy. “Yes, I am. Is that okay with you?”
She tapped her chin and looked up at her dad, who was still grinning. Finally, she glanced back and stepped forward until she stood in front of Carol. She was taken aback when Tracy threw her arms around her waist and hugged her tight. Then she whispered, “Yeah, you make him happy. He doesn’t smile very much, and you made him smile.”
“Thank you, Tracy. He makes me smile, too.”
“Should we head inside?” Joe asked as Tracy loosened her hold on Carol.
Before anyone had the chance to answer, Kensie and Lucas drove up. Which was odd, they never drove beyond the main house. There wasn’t a reason to. That was when she heard a whine coming from the back seat of the SUV.
“I have someone who has missed you terribly,” Kensie said to Carol, as she opened the back door and Tug launched his furry body at her.
Taken by surprise, she was knocked off her feet. Laughing and avoiding slobbery dog kisses, she held her dog tightly and cried happy tears.
Tug calmed enough for her to sit up and look at Kensie’s beaming face. “I can’t believe you found him. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I also delivered a rather painful message to Terry for you. It took him quite a while to draw a breath, and he may need medical attention to dislodge his testicles from his small intestines. Although, I’m not sure I managed to kick them that far up his abdominal cavity. I would have given a message to your sister, but it seems she’s already moved on to greener pastures.”
“It serves him right for what he did. Did he give you any trouble when you took the dog?”
“He wanted to, but then he took a look at Lucas and decided the dog wasn’t that important to him.”
Carol scowled. “He always was a wimp and a coward. That’s why I took Tug to protection classes. He’s so friendly you’d never know he was trained to attack on command. Having him with me always made me feel safe.”
Joe held out a hand to pull her to her feet. “Here, let me help you.” Then he patted Tugs head. “He’s a good looking dog. I’ve always liked German Shepards. How old is he?”
“He’ll be two next month. Won’t you big guy?” she said to her excited dog who wasn’t paying attention to her anymore. He had spotted the kids. Tug raised a cloud of dust with his wagging tail and launched himself at the twins.
Tracy and Troy laughed and rolled around with Tug, getting covered in dirt and grass stains.
Joe chuckled. “It looks like I’ve been ditched for a dog.”
Carol hugged Kensie and Lucas. “I really can’t thank you enough. That dog means the world to me.”
Kensie squeezed back. “I know, hun. That’s why I hired a private detective. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do everything in my power to get him back.”
“Well, you let me know what you spent finding my dog, and I’ll pay you back with interest.”
Kensie grinned and shook her head. “Not happening, girlfriend. Consider this an engagement gift.”
Carol blushed and hid her face. “But I’m not engaged.”
Lucas grinned at Joe and slapped him on the back. “Not yet, but you will be.”
Carol gaped at Lucas, while Joe blushed bright red.
“And that would be our cue to leave.” Kensie giggled as she pulled Lucas toward the car.
Joe glanced at her sheepishly. “I do want to ask you to marry me, but when I propose, we won’t be standing in the middle of my front yard. That, and I want to give you and the kids time to get to know each other. Are you okay with that?”
She breathed easier and chuckled. “Absolutely. Those two nuts about gave me a heart attack.”
“Excellent. We better rescue Tug.” He tucked her under his arm and they walked to where the kids were playing tag with the dog. “Come on you guys. You both need showers before we start dinner.”
“While you do that, I should take Tug back to my place.”
“No! I don’t want Tug to go. Let him stay,” the kids chorused together.
“Yeah, babe. Let him stay.”
“I guess I’m outnumbered. But he’s pretty dirty from all the fun you were having.�
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“He can take a bath with me,” Tracy offered.
“No. He can get in the shower with me,” Troy argued.
“How about the both of you give him a bath before you get cleaned up?” Joe suggested.
The kids looked at each other and grinned. Laughing, they took off into the house and yelled. “Come on Tug, let’s take a bath.”
Joe grinned at Carol and led her to the kitchen. “I may need a mop and bucket to dry the floor in there once they’re done. While they’re busy, would you like to have a glass of wine with me?”
“I would love one.”
He nodded to the kitchen table as he grabbed two wine glasses. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“Your kids are adorable.”
“Thanks. They have their days,” he said grinning as he passed her a glass of rosé.
“Dinner smells amazing. Can I do anything to help?”
“No. Everything’s done. The salad is in the refrigerator, Lasagna is in the oven, and the bread is ready to go in at the very end. Your job is to sit back and enjoy yourself.”
“There you go spoiling me again,” she said, smiling and shaking her head. She raised her glass for a toast. “To Italian dinners at Joe’s.”
“To dinner and family.”
Joe was topping off their second glass of wine when the kids ran into the kitchen with Tug hot on their heels.
“Can we get a dog, Dad?” Troy asked as he slid to a stop.
“Yeah, Dad. Can we?” Tracy begged.
“I’ll tell you what. If it’s all right with Carol, you can practice having a pet by taking care of Tug. That means you will have to play with him, feed him, and clean up after him. Then we’ll talk about getting a dog.”
Two beaming faces turned to Carol. “Could we, Miss Carol?” they asked together.
“Sure. I could use the help, and Tug would love to have the two of you around.”
“Yay!” they yelled and hugged Tug.
An hour later, Carol helped Joe with the dishes while the kids played in the living room. “Thanks for letting the kids adopt your dog. I know you just got him back and probably don’t want to share him for a while.”