Christ! There wasn’t much going on at all! At least not according to the itinerary of a rather horny man thwarted at every possible turn . . .
Nor was there much action due to the fact old ladies were pious and supposedly knew better than everyone else.
When a glare came his way, he backed off from this particular thought, stating another. “Sara Ruby, do not tell me you are afraid of an old woman.”
She shook her head firmly. “No. I’m not afraid of Harriet Thorn, Reverend. I am rather terrified of what Harriet Thorn will put into the heads of others.”
“She can’t hurt you,” he ruled.
“No,” she agreed. “But she can hurt you. And that was the very last thing I had wanted to happen tonight.”
His arms pulled her closer. The words, “I’m a big boy, Sara. I can take care of myself,” were slid off the tongue without regret.
“I know you are.” She had meant this literally, not physically; although he physically larger than she. “But can you defend yourself against the wrath sure to come your way once they find out you had me inside your home so late into the evening?”
He gave Sara a quick peck to her forehead, then pulled back. Good thing he hadn’t dared state aloud the lack of having her in any real sense of the word. She looked as though she would have punched him in the face had he dared said it.
“Sara . . . what is it you are really trying to say to me?”
She took a deep breath and looked him square in the eyes.
“I guess what I am trying to say . . .” was all she let tumble out.
“Yes?” he prodded.
Christian’s hand had a mind of its own and slid down her back. The gentle touch nearly his undoing.
Sara tried valiantly to gain the upper hand to an otherwise losing battle of wills. While he tried valiantly to prove a battle of wills was only the beginning of their night.
“I guess . . . what I am saying is that you and I . . . ,” she tried again.
He wouldn’t let her finish. Her painted lips had been too tempting to ignore, her wide blue eyes too incredible not to willfully drown within. He set his mouth to hers, kissed her firmly, drove his tongue deep into her warmth when her lips parted, and not once did they see another car in his driveway until too late to back away from the wrath of insatiable desire.
Christ! They were kissing in front of the bay window. Christian’s hand had lowered from the small of her back to her barely covered ass, and he had her body very, very close to his, while literally joined at the lips. If not fully clothed, they could have been making love while standing up.
Without thought put to any dire consequences of being caught in the act, he’d only wanted to find out for certain if Sara was truly panty-less, or if she lied to him to make their night much more interesting.
His sensitive fingertips encountered not one damn thing under her dress.
Chapter Ten
Never in his wildest thoughts would Christian have wanted another’s disappearance to happen without warranted reason. Nevertheless, he had a damn good reason all of a sudden. Sara was in his arms. His lips set hers to fire. His hand was planted firmly on her bare ass. Her fingers were slicing through his hair. And if done right, this should not have ended.
Alas, yet again, another faithful member of Grace Lutheran Church was disturbing his night. And this individual, in particular, was worth his weight in gold. Whatever Reverend Mohr asked of the man, he would do. Not anything ever asked of Christian was ever questioned. Therefore, of course he would be the very person to catch them in the act of making out as if a couple of randy teenagers on a Friday night, the parents gone, and done in sight of prying eyes because it heightened the adrenaline level all the more.
As the doorbell rang for the second interruption of the night, Christian physically moaned into her mouth.
Sara snapped out of his arms. A slug from gun barrel would have been slower.
The heavy fist pounding on the wooden panel then made things so much worse.
“Reverend Mohr? Are you home?”
The gruff question sounded out, although its answer already known. His car was in the drive. All the lights were on inside the premises. Unless he’d taken a long walk in the dark, of course he was home!
Christian gave Sara an uneasy, lop-sided smile. He let her slip from his grasp, then made to answer the demanding summons. If he ignored answering the door, there would be far too many questions later on, and far too many excuses he would have to make up for all those questions.
If one thing was for certain, he wouldn’t purposely lie.
He slipped the lock free, pulled open the door, and clipped out, “Chief?”
Chief Berken crossed over the threshold without invitation same as Harriet Thorn had.
Chief Berken’s gaze hit upon Sara, and he looked nearly as shocked as Harriet had been to catch Sara within a Reverend’s living room, dressed as she was.
“Reverend Mohr?” The chief’s head nodded. “I was going to ask you if you’ve seen Sara Ruby around town. Guess I won’t need to be asking you this, will I?”
The more folks who thought his door always open, the less time Christian would get to spend with Sara.
“What reason would you have wanted to know, Chief?”
Christian had to check his growing mutiny, because Chief Berken’s brow had risen. He became all business within a matter of seconds.
“Well, I do hate to ruin a man’s evening, or have to even say this . . .” His gazed moved to Sara. “But it seems you have made more than a few enemies in this town, Ms. Ruby, and those enemies took it upon themselves to ransack your apartment tonight. I got the call at the station not more than a half hour ago.”
“They what?” Sara yelped, moving forward, eyes wide.
“Yes, Ma`am. One of your neighbors, Cara I believe, called in the break-in to your apartment and informed the dispatcher that two large men in black hoodies and dark jeans went in with crowbars in hand, and a couple of cans of gasoline.
“Gasoline?” Christian yelped, moving to stand nearer Sara. He had a real bad feeling that what was about to be said next wouldn’t be good.
Chief Berken nodded his head at both. “They didn’t steal anything as far as anyone can tell. They . . .” The chief cleared his throat, looking away. “—Well, they torched the place, Ms. Ruby. The fire department went through your apartment, as best they can until the heat settles some more. I’m afraid there wasn’t much savable. A few personal belongings in the living area took on a lot of smoke and water damage, but most else is a total goner. Looks as though the bedroom was the first place they doused. The fire spread quickly from there. Thank God it hadn’t left your apartment to spread to any of the others. Damn lucky, if you ask me.”
As Christian’s gaze moved hurriedly toward Sara, he saw the tears in her eyes. However, she was being braver than she should be, under the circumstances.
She calmly asked Chief Berken, “Did you catch these men?” Her voice tightened, likely due to the furious emotion of holding back her tears.
He shook his head and looked Christian right in the eyes. “No. But there was a bit more to this than just arson, Ms. Ruby.”
“Such as?” Christian asked.
“There was a message left on her car, as well.”
Sara’s hand had been covering her mouth to hold her tears at bay. That hand fell as she muttered, “What message?”
Chief Berken produced it from his official portfolio. A lone sheet of paper stuck inside a plastic guard to protect it from unwanted fingerprints not those of an arsonist. He handed the plastic to Sara.
“Can I open it?” she questioned.
With a shake of his head, he denied her the permission.
Sara’s trembling hands held the sealed paper, and as she read the scribbled words she let the heavy tears fall.
This is not the only thing that will be hurt.
Expect more . . .
To physically hold onto the paper
would have been a feat in itself. Sara dropped the covered note to the floor, followed closely by her entire body. She’d fainted onto his carpeting.
“Damn!” Chief Berken said first while both men equally thought it; the chief the first to move as fast as he could in order to catch her.
Only Christian had beaten the man to the task. He gathered Sara in his arms and carried her to his couch. He then set her down as gently as possible upon the cushions. Temporarily dead to the world, both he and the chief stood over the fragile woman, looking down, then a hasty glance at each other to confirm their worst suspicions.
Chief Berken gave Reverend Mohr another piece to the puzzle ten seconds later.
“It seems the woman’s neighbor, Ms. Cara Little, was none to partial about calling the fire department before the blaze got well under way. She said she’d just gotten home then smelled the smoke. Unfortunately, that excuse would have been plausible, but her car engine was ice cold. She’d not been anywhere. I have the woman in for questioning, as well as a few choice others of Ms. Ruby’s less than informative neighbors. All of whom seem fine with Ms. Ruby’s personal possessions torched; almost as if each were gunning for her.”
“I know she closed down the club, but this . . .” Mohr started with, shaking his head. He knelt beside Sara, taking her hand in his. “This goes beyond anything I would have ever thought folks in Preacher’s Bend could do to one another.”
As Christian’s fingers searched for her pulse, he found it to be quite rapid. It would be a few moments before Sara would awake.
“A lot of people are pissed at her, and not just the men I’m afraid. The Club employed quite a few. Most seem to think she did a great injustice to their way of life. I know its sick thinking this, but I only enforce the peace. I can’t create peace to remain in a place filled with sin.”
“But closing a strip club because of health violations? I would call using violence and arson as getting a little out of hand, wouldn’t you Chief?”
“I’d say this has gotten well out of anyone’s control,” Chief Berken finished. “I didn’t want to tell the poor girl she just lost everything she owned by fire. Hell, just handing her a note caused the faint. I sure as hell didn’t want to add more to it—until we have concrete answers to give the poor lass.”
“What is she to do now?” Christian asked. “You said she lost everything?” He waited for the chief’s nod before adding more. “No one is ever willing to forgive and forget in this miserable town, are they?”
Chief Berken cleared his throat, causing Christian to look his way. “That’s kind of why . . . well, I’m real glad to have found her here, Reverend. I know this might sound strange, coming from me, but . . . well, I would never ask if having any other options . . .”
“Yes Chief?” Christian interrupted the man.
Chief Berken looked away. “In the forgive and forget department, and perhaps the foreseeable future . . . she ain’t got anywhere else to go. Miriam is booked full.”
Miriam was the woman who ran the local motel—seedy place, at that. And for the moment, all rooms were occupied.
“All of Ms. Ruby’s neighbors are under suspicion of arson. I asked around town and every answer was a resounding ‘No’. The next nearest place is Harriet Thorns’. But you know how Thorn can get over situations like this. She’ll give the poor girl so much grief it’ll make her head spin.”
Christian shook his head quickly. “No, Chief. She can’t go to Harriet’s. We’re all more than aware of Harriet’s sometimes pious ways.”
Chief Berken tried to hide his chuckle.
Calling Harriet ‘pious’ was Christian being nice. Adding ‘sometimes’ was just flat out amusing.
Within seconds, Christian made a hasty decision that would save the day. But would it save him from eternal damnation? That was the real stickler, the tar to the blackening kettle.
“Ms. Ruby will stay here with me until you catch the sons of bitches who did this to her. I have a spare room. And per job description can certainly allow forgiveness in time of one’s dire need.”
Chief Berken huffed out a sigh. “I was hoping you’d say that, Reverend. I know it might be a little inconvenient, having an unwed woman inside your home . . . and perhaps a lot of tongues wagging over this fact. Unfortunately, under the circumstances, your place is likely the safest for her to be right now.”
He then gave Christian a knowing look that told Mohr the chief hadn’t seen through the window what they’d been doing in front of it; else, he wouldn’t have asked such a tremendous favor.
Christian nodded, agreeing with Chief Berken. “She will be safe here. I can assure you.”
As safe as any woman in need would be . . .
The feathers put to that sticky tar? Would he be safe with Sara in so easy of reach?
“I will see what I can do about finding Ms. Ruby clothes from the local thrift store. The Red Cross is too strapped in need right now. Last month’s tornado took a huge chunk out of their reserves. I’d hate to bother them if something else could be done,” Berken said.
Christian shook his head. “No, Chief. I will take care of everything. You need not bother anyone. Besides, you have other, more pressing duties to perform than becoming Ms. Ruby’s personal shopper.” He looked at Chief Berken’s face to confirm this fact.
Christian would make certain Sara had what she needed. It was the least he could do to make up for the wretched behavior of this small-minded town and all those living within it.
Sara started to moan. Before she awakened, Christian asked the chief, “Do you really think you’ll be able to catch whoever was responsible?”
Chief Berken gave him a hard look but didn’t answer this in words. That look firmly stated the answer was no. Whoever did this to Sara Ruby . . . did it well enough to get away with it.
Berken cleared his throat again. “Well, I had better get back to work. Wish my visit could’ve been on a little better note this evening, but such is life when the chief of Preacher’s Bend.”
“So do I wish it could’ve been better,” Christian said, grasping Sara’s hand into his palm. “So do I.”
As Chief Berken left, Sara groaned, her eyelids fluttered, then reopened and she seemed confused of where she was.
The most beautiful eyes a man could ever desire to look into stared at him as if she didn’t know him.
“I don’t . . . ,” she whispered, slow realization creeping in.
Christian set his fingertip to her lips. “No, Sara. Just listen to what I have to say first.” When those wide blue eyes locked tight with his soul, he added, “Chief Berken feels the safest place for you to be right now, is here. And I wholeheartedly agree with him—this time.”
She looked ready to bolt out of his reach. “I can’t . . .,” she muttered, righting her body on his couch.
“Can’t stay with me?” he added, smiling at her face.
Sara nodded.
“You can stay. And you will, even if I have to tie you to the bedpost.”
Sara quickly burst into tears. Therefore, Christian only did what came naturally to him. He gathered her in his arms and held onto her until those tears dissipated and she could finally speak.
“What am I going to do? They were inside my apartment. They touched everything. They were in my car! What else will they do to me?”
His palm rested at the back of her head, holding her close. “You are going to take one day at a time. That’s all anyone can do. And I’ll help you.”
Sara pulled back, looked at his face, and snapped, “You are a complication to an otherwise completely messed up life, Reverend Mohr. How can you possibly help me? Why would you even want too?” Her anger checked at the door when his brows rose.
Because of all they’d gone through tonight, and all each wanted of the night that hadn’t come to fruition, Christian’s answer was harsh. “I would rather be a complication than an enemy, Sara. And if you can’t accept that, then perhaps you shouldn’t. . .”
Sara leaned back far enough to reach up and touch his face. This gentle touch sent too much through him as a man to be able to prevent leaning down and molding his lips to hers.
This newest kiss was meant only to state things would be okay, and that life had an unseen benefit for both—though she might not feel this way. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as planned. The moment her palm contacted his cheek and her wide blue eyes stared into his, looking for all the answers he did not have—couldn’t even beg for them even if his life depended on it—Christian was dragged into her silken web. A web so strong, fire could not destroy and water could not replenish.
He felt tenfold the emotional pull as earlier in their night. He wanted to help. He, as well, wanted to make love to her. These two things should not be done—in the same timeframe or even the same breath—when labeled the Reverend of Preacher’s Bend.
Sara would resent him if he even dared ask for such a promise.
A catch formed in the back of his throat. “I’ll make up the guest bedroom for you. You can and will stay here for as long as you need.”
There was a catch in her throat, as well. “Do you truly understand the ramifications of my being here, Reverend?”
Boy did he ever! Those ramifications were screaming mountains in his head. To which he contradicted. “What ramifications?”
He needed her to say them, for Christian to believe they even existed.
“The ramifications that will come to your front door, point judgmental fingers at your face, make your life completely miserable, and perhaps mark you as a traitor to the entire town.”
“Let them point,” he informed quickly. “I’m a big boy. I can take the heat.”
Sara looked at him with so much pity that it tore at his heart. This woman just lost everything she ever owned or had deemed valuable in her life, and she was giving him pliancy for what would come his way once the town found out about this. This said a lot to him; as a man, as a person, and . . . as her potential lover, if things went as God planned.
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