“Where was this?”
Ryder’s lips formed a thin line, and Julia’s heart skittered in her chest. He didn’t really think Zack had a hand in this, did he?
“I don’t know. Somewhere back toward Gracie’s.” Zack waved an ineffectual arm behind him.
“Will you show me?” Without waiting for an answer, Ryder climbed into Zack’s squad car.
Zack and his father exchanged glances, and Sheriff Ballard nodded almost imperceptibly.
As the car crawled onto the road, Julia turned back to her violated house. “Are you going to get your evidence so I can clean up?”
“I’ll get my kit out of the car.” The sheriff grabbed his door handle and hesitated. “You don’t think Zack had anything to do with this, do you, Julia?”
She shrugged. “You said you couldn’t raise him on the radio before. Where was he?”
“I don’t know.” Sheriff Ballard clenched his jaw. “But don’t worry. I’ll find out.”
Zack Ballard didn’t seem like the stalking sort, but what did she know? She’d obviously married a man who turned traitor, a man who hit her, a man willing to threaten his so-called friend and colleague.
She opened her garage door and grabbed a bucket, a scrub brush, some detergent and a bottle of bleach. Once Ballard finished with her porch and door, she’d have to go inside, but the thought made her stomach twist in knots. Had the madman continued his sick pranks in her house?
When she rounded the corner, Ballard was standing back from the porch, clutching two evidence baggies and frowning.
“What is it?” She dropped her cleaning supplies on the ground.
“Someone left you a message in the blood.”
“What’s the message? Leave or die? That’s what he left on Ryder’s truck.”
“No, I think he wrote that message for Ryder.” Ballard scratched his jaw. “This message is for you—You’re mine.”
A chill snaked up her spine, but she shook it off and tossed back her hair. “Yeah, right. That’s the way to a woman’s heart. Don’t say it with diamonds, say it with blood.”
Sheriff Ballard cocked his head. “Are you all right? I’m thinking the next step here is to install a camera outside your house. Next time this Romeo comes calling, we’ll catch him in living color.”
Julia opened her mouth to respond when Zack’s squad car pulled up to the curb, and Ryder hopped out holding a soiled rag. Did he find that in Zack’s car?
“We found the spot where Zack hit the animal on the road, but the animal is gone. I mopped up some of the blood with this cloth, so you can test it against the blood on Julia’s porch.”
Zack walked to the front of his car and leaned against the hood. “Looks like someone came along, scooped up the animal I hit and smeared its blood on Julia’s door. Wouldn’t you say, Ryder?”
Julia told Ryder about the message on the door and Sheriff Ballard’s suggestion to install a camera.
Ryder’s lips tightened and a dark flame flared in his eyes when she told him what the stalker had written.
“You are not going to stay here tonight.”
“Nonsense.” She scooped up the bucket and swung it from her hand. “I’m not allowing some nut who plays with roadkill to scare me out of my house.”
“What about Shelby?”
Julia stopped and the bucket banged against her shin. “I don’t want her here.”
“Exactly. She can stay with my family. You can, too.”
“I think if she’s going to stay with anyone, it should be the Stokers. She knows them better than your parents, Ryder, and I can’t quite imagine your dad being happy with a little girl in the house.”
“Let’s discuss this later.” He tilted his chin toward the Ballards, taking pictures of the mess on the porch. Then he helped her measure detergent in the bucket and fill it with water.
“Okay, we have what we need.” Sheriff Ballard patted the bag hanging over his shoulder. “There’s not much evidence here, but once you get that camera up we’ll nail him.”
“Just look for someone toting a dead animal carcass around. Shouldn’t be too hard to spot.” Ryder pointed at Zack’s bumper. “You might want to clean off your car, Ballard.”
When the two squad cars drove out of sight, Julia turned to Ryder. “Do you think it’s Zack?”
“I didn’t see any blood in his car or on his uniform. If he hit the animal and then picked it up to use its blood to decorate your house, there should’ve been some sign of it.”
“He went missing. Maybe he had time to go home and shower.”
“If he took that much time, you’d think he would’ve wiped the blood off his bumper.” Ryder grabbed the scrub brush from her hand and charged toward the porch.
She laughed. “This is Zack Ballard we’re talking about.”
“I’m glad you can laugh about it.” He grinned at her. “How’d we miss that message on the door?”
“It’s small.” She pointed to the words smudged out in the blood, and felt a thrill of victory when her finger didn’t tremble.
Ryder sloshed the soap in the bucket of water and doused the porch with it. He crouched forward and began scrubbing the stains from the wood.
“Did you ever go inside the house?”
“Not yet.” She aimed the nozzle of the hose at the bottom of the step and shot a spray of water that carried the red-tinged soap in a tide down the walkway and into the grass.
“Don’t you think you should take a look?” He dipped the brush in the bucket again and sat back on his heels. “I’m surprised Sheriff Ballard didn’t have you check inside.”
“I think Sheriff Ballard was a little worried that I might find more evidence linking his son to these…tricks.”
“Maybe that’s why he suggested the camera. He meant it as a warning to Zack. Let’s finish up here, and I’ll go inside with you.”
Ryder scrubbed and she rinsed, and they vanquished most of the red streaks and drops. She stepped back, hands on her hips. “I’m going to have to paint that door. Maybe I’ll paint it red this time to save myself the trouble next time.”
Ryder dropped the brush and peeled off the rubber gloves. “There’s not going to be a next time, even if I have to stake out your place myself.”
She liked the sound of that, but her mouth quirked at the irony. Just when she found a man ready and willing to protect her, she’d rediscovered her backbone. Knowing more about her past and what she’d survived gave her courage. After escaping from her traitorous ex-husband and his killers, she didn’t fear a garden-variety stalker. Did she?
“Are you ready?” Ryder gestured toward the newly scrubbed front door.
Julia tried the handle first and blew out a breath when she discovered the lock engaged. She inserted her key and pushed the door open, but Ryder stepped in front of her, shielding her with his solid form.
She trailed after him through the house as he checked every room and every closet. Looked like the new, heavy-duty locks kept the weirdo out this time.
“Now that we’ve resolved one issue, can I have a look at this on your computer?” Ryder waved the CD that he’d shoved in his jacket pocket at her.
Julia swallowed. Cleaning up the mess hardly resolved the problem of her stalker, and now they had to move onto the next issue. This one would be easier to handle. At least the disc never made it into the hands of the bad guys and now it looked like it never would.
She led Ryder to her computer where he sat down and inserted the CD. The computer allowed him to access the CD and even open the file, but that’s where it stopped. Lines of symbols ran across the document, which was locked for editing.
Ryder peered at the screen and grunted. “That’s ours. Jeremy must’ve stolen this CD from Black Cobra and hidden it in your apartment in Paris. When he was ready to sell it to our enemies, he called you to bring it to him in Arizona.”
“He hid it under a loose floorboard.” Wedging her hip against the chair, Julia caught her lower
lip between her teeth. The Paris apartment flooded her senses—the gleaming hardwood floors, the way the sun spilled across the dining room table, the scent of roses that filled vases scattered across a brightly furnished room, the sea-green comforter that almost floated above the antique bed.
The bed. Love and warmth emanated from that bed, so strong Julia longed to sink into it, wrap herself in its pleasure. She must have loved Jeremy at one point. They shared that bed together as husband and wife.
No, not Jeremy.
“Do you remember?” Ryder looked up from the computer, his gaze searching her face.
His warm, blue eyes deepened the languid pleasure, throbbing in her veins at the memory of the bed in her Paris apartment. A surge of desire claimed her body, weakening her knees. Gripping the back of the chair, she sank against its arm, the side of her hip brushing Ryder’s shoulder.
Ryder curled his arm around her waist and pulled her into his lap. With her legs dangling over the arm of the chair, Ryder kissed her mouth. His lips sought hers in a sweet caress, tentative, almost gentle.
She didn’t want gentle. She craved the scorching, searing passion imprinted on her soul by…Ryder? She couldn’t remember. She couldn’t remember Ryder in her bed. Couldn’t remember Ryder making love to her. She only knew she could feel it now. But what if the memories of that passion came from her ex-husband and not Ryder?
An iron vice fell from his heart. Julia remembered. She remembered their love, remembered how he’d helped her pick up the pieces of her life when she discovered Jeremy’s betrayal of their wedding vows. Now he knew she hadn’t thought of him as her rebound man, her second choice, forever the middle brother. She’d risked her life to save his by delivering the CD to Jeremy in Arizona.
She must realize their love created Shelby and she wasn’t afraid. She was going to trust him to be a father to their daughter.
He deepened his kiss, but Julia stiffened in his arms. Her body, soft and compliant only seconds earlier, shot up straight and tense. Her legs flailed in the air as she tried to gain a foothold on the floor.
Planting her hands on his thighs, she launched out of the chair and stumbled against the desk. Her eyes widened while a range of emotions played in their depths.
“I’m sorry. The events of the day are taking their toll.”
What just happened? He cocked his head to the side. Her actions convinced him she remembered their relationship and the heady days they spent in Paris after her divorce and before his reassignment to Somalia. Was she pushing him away because she knew he was Shelby’s father?
“You said you remembered.”
“I remembered about the disc.” She shoved her hands in her pockets and spun around to face the window.
He gripped the arms of the chair. She remembered finding the CD, not making love with him. How important could it have been to her? Her memories were flooding in from all directions now, but she still didn’t remember him.
“So you recall the phone call from Jeremy leading up to finding the CD under the floorboards?” He closed the coded file and ejected the CD.
“Not exactly. The conversation itself is gone, but I recall the urgency of getting that disc and bringing it to Jeremy.”
Did the urgency come from protecting him or from doing Jeremy’s bidding? Maybe Jeremy’s killer interrupted his reconciliation with Julia or maybe it was Julia’s pregnancy. Discovering her pregnancy must’ve enraged Jeremy.
Ryder shook his head. Could he start over with Julia if he’d only imagined the love they shared?
JULIA GLIDED into the living room with her finger to her lips. “I finally got Shelby to sleep. She couldn’t stop talking about Skipper and the riding lesson.”
“Glad she liked it.” Ryder dropped his father’s tools in the metal chest and rubbed his hands on the seat of his jeans. “She’s a natural on horseback.”
“Is the camera installed?” Julia gestured toward the toolbox.
“Cameras. I installed one on the front porch, hidden in a hanging flower pot and one on the back porch in another flower pot. Just don’t give those two plants much water.”
Julia’s shoulders slumped as she sat on the arm of an overstuffed chair. The situation upset her more than she let on, which typified the Julia he knew. She put on a brave front even as she crumbled inside. He wanted to let her know she could crumble right in front of him and he wouldn’t turn away, wouldn’t run, wouldn’t demand that she hold herself together like her mother would have. Like Jeremy would have.
“Are you going to be okay here tonight? I could stay.”
“No.” She sat up straight and a pink tide crept over her cheeks. “I’ll be fine, and Shelby’s with the Stokers now. I don’t want to impose on you anymore. You’ve been spending all your time with me and Shelby since you’ve been home. I’m sure your family wants to see you.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that. They have the heir apparent, Rod, and the other prodigal son, Rafe, is coming home in a few days to stay.” He picked up his hat and twirled it on his hand. “I meant the couch.”
“What?”
“If I stayed the night, I’d sleep on the couch.”
“Ryder, I…”
“You don’t need to explain.” He held up his hands. “It’s been a long, busy day. I’ll pick you up in the morning for your appointment with Dr. Brody.”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said. I’m not sure he’s the best therapist for me.”
“Maybe you should tell him that tomorrow. In the meantime, get some sleep.” All of his nerve endings tingled in a desire to take her into his arms and make love to her until she remembered every inch of his body, every inch she’d explored with a feverish passion.
He swallowed the hard lump in his throat. “Good night, Julia.”
He leaned his forehead against the doorjamb until he heard her turn the deadbolt into place with a click. Then he expelled a long breath and jogged down her newly scrubbed front porch.
He slid into his truck, punched on the radio, and maneuvered the seat into a reclining position. Adjusting his hat low over his face, he settled his shoulders into the seat and stretched his legs out as far as they would go against the floorboard.
Sipping the soda he had swiped from Julia’s fridge, he watched her house. Even if she didn’t want him inside on her couch…or in her bed…he had no intention of abandoning the two most important people in his life.
Chapter Eight
Julia twitched the curtain back into place and tousled her bed-head hair. Would Ryder go back to the ranch and shower and change before picking her up for Durango or did he plan to camp out in front of her house the rest of the morning?
The warmth that started in her belly when she realized Ryder had kept watch in his truck all night engulfed other areas of her anatomy as she felt the full weight of her feminine power settle around her shoulders like a fur stole. She liked the protection he offered, but she loved the other offer in his dark blue eyes as his hungry gaze devoured her before he left last night.
She’d been crazy to refuse that invitation. Of course they shared feelings in the past. They probably never acted on those feelings because of Jeremy and her pregnancy. Maybe that’s why Ryder wouldn’t give her the details of their relationship. She’d been in a bad marriage and in love with another man—Ryder.
He was just waiting for her to remember. She could understand that, but she couldn’t understand why she didn’t remember Ryder. She knew him on a visceral level, but couldn’t quite grasp the specific memories of their relationship.
She wedged a shoulder on the window sash and grinned as Ryder’s truck sputtered to life and pulled away from the curb. Maybe she’d get a handle on those memories today in her last session with Dr. Brody.
As soon as Ryder’s truck disappeared around the bend, Charlie Malone’s jeep careened around the corner and stopped in front of her house. He came around to the passenger side and opened the door. A leggy brunette, tugging at a thigh-high deni
m skirt tripped out of the car.
Julia swung open her door and stepped onto the porch. “Hey, Charlie.”
“Hi, Julia.” He lifted his hand before stuffing it into his pocket. “My mom sent me over to see if you needed any help.”
“Help?” Her gaze slid to the woman, combing fingers through her long, brown hair, tangled from the ride in the convertible jeep. If this woman had stepped forward after Julia’s accident, claiming to be her sister, Julia would have believed her.
Charlie waved an arm toward her house. “My mom saw Ryder doing some work on your house yesterday. She told me to drop by to lend a hand.”
Julia compressed her lips, trying to tame her smirk. Lend a hand and find out why Sheriff Ballard was here. “Thanks, but we got everything done. Who’s your friend?”
Charlie had always been awkward around women, dating only those his mother presented to him. This woman, with her black eyeliner and short skirt, didn’t look like the type Gracie usually foisted on Charlie.
Charlie’s face sported two red spots as he stepped to the side. “This is Rosie Fletcher. Rosie, this is Julia Sto…”
His words hung in the air. He didn’t know what to call her now.
“It’s Rousseau. Julia Rousseau.” She extended her arm to Rosie, and they shook hands.
“Rosie works at our B and B. On my way over here from town, I saw her walking back to the B and B.”
“That’s a long walk from town. Did you walk all the way in, too?” Julia looked down at Rosie’s dirty feet shoved into flimsy sandals with small jeweled heels.
“No, I hitched a ride from a local and couldn’t find a ride back. Good thing Charlie came along.” Rosie batted her long, dark eyelashes and rubbed Charlie’s shoulder.
Julia raised her eyebrows. Charlie didn’t stand a chance against this one, and Mama Malone would definitely not approve.
Rosie tilted her head. “Hey, it’s true.”
Warmth edged into Julia’s cheeks under Rosie’s bright stare. What did Rosie hear about her? “What’s true?”
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