by Linda Conrad
Never letting loose of his hand, she turned first to his father. “Hi, Mr. Pierce. Did you and Nathan come together? In the same truck?”
“Yes. We came to bring you back home where you belong. Didn’t know you were going to be caught up in an explosion, though. Wish we’d gotten to you first.”
She smiled and Nathan’s heart stuttered. “Thank you.” Then she turned to Ford. “Did you find Jonathan? He can’t get away.”
“He won’t.” Ford nodded his head and took out a pocket recorder. “He’s not in custody yet, but it won’t be long. Can you tell us about what you saw?”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“Are you feeling strong enough to tell it? And do you mind if I record what you have to say?”
Susannah’s cheeks blushed, and she squeezed Nathan’s hand. It was such a sweet gesture, and she looked so innocent and beautiful that he fell more in love than he’d ever been.
“Um…I guess not. But will any of the Devotees—or Samuel—have to hear it?”
“I have a strong suspicion Miller will be tried in either the state or federal courts. So, no, probably none of the Devotees will ever need to hear this recording.”
“Okay. Can I just tell it from the beginning?”
“Sure. Start when you’re ready.”
Dr. Black cut in. “Don’t overtax your strength, Susannah. If this is going to take more than a few minutes, maybe you should do it tomorrow.”
“I’m okay. Really. And there’s one part Ford needs to hear.”
Dr. Black nodded and backed to the other side of the room, standing by in case she needed his help.
“I guess maybe you already know that three Devotees, men I didn’t recognize but knew were part of the group, came to the ranch yesterday carrying big guns,” she began. “I saw them sneaking up to ambush Nathan and his father. But I knew they were really there for me.”
Nathan’s blood pressure soared. He had been so wrapped up in arguing with his father that he hadn’t noticed a thing.
“So I called out to them and told them a story,” she went on. “I said I’d been wanting to go back to town and asked if they would give me a ride.”
Nathan cleared his throat.
She glanced up at him. “Well, I couldn’t let them hurt you, could I?” Turning back to Ford, she said, “I also told them that I’d given Melody away.”
Saying her daughter’s name apparently broke some kind of dam within her. She turned back to Nathan with tears in her eyes. “Is the baby okay? Kathryn has her?”
“Kathryn is taking good care of her. Melody is just fine. But I bet she wants her mama to come home.”
For a moment, Susannah looked like she might explode in tears. Nathan braced for the worst. But after biting her lip for a second, she returned to telling her tale.
“They seemed to believe my lie about Melody. Looking back, I guess she wasn’t the real reason they wanted me, after all. Just a few hours later, Jonathan showed up at my place, claiming the two of us were to be married. He said it like it was a fact I should simply accept. According to him, Samuel wanted things to be that way between us.”
“Did he attack you? Lay his hands on you? Hurt you in any way?” His temper flared, hot and fast.
Ford held up his hand to keep Nathan quiet. “Let her finish, Pierce.”
Nathan had to grit his teeth and clamp his mouth shut. He was still holding her hand, or he might’ve punched a wall.
“He only kissed my forehead, Nathan. Thank goodness. I played along with the marriage idea like I was a good little Devotee. But something just didn’t feel right about Jonathan. He seemed—uh—odd, I guess. So when he left my place on foot at eleven o’clock at night, I followed him.”
“You what?” Nathan took her by the shoulder. “Don’t you know how dangerous that was? What if something happened to you?”
The look in her eyes almost took him to his knees. “It’s all right. I know, sweetheart.” The way she said it was like a secret communication between them, telling him she understood how much he cared. “But nothing happened.”
Turning back to Ford, she continued her story. “Jonathan went to a mechanic’s shop on the outskirts of town. He never spotted me, but he stayed there so long that I got tired and went back to my room to bed.”
“Thank God.”
Ford ignored his remark. “Could you find the place again?”
“Oh, sure. I went back there this morning.”
“What?” Nathan was stunned. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“I was hoping to catch Jonathan doing something embarrassing or illegal. Anything I could use to trade for my freedom. I thought if I found out something terrible about him, he might help me sneak out of town without Samuel ordering my execution.”
“Do you have some kind of death wish?” Nathan’s fury came up to bite him once again. He began storming around the room.
“It was all I could think of, Nathan. I didn’t know what else to do.”
This time Ford cleared his throat and forced Susannah’s attention back to her story. “So what happened this morning?”
“I watched as he came out of the shop right before dawn. I guess he might have been in there all night, because he was still in his same clothes. I followed him again. This time he was carrying a package and went to the community center.”
She stopped talking and looked around for the juice box. After taking another sip, she went on. “Quite a few other Devotees arrived after he went inside—including Samuel, the police chief and the mayor. But then, as I was wondering what was going on at that hour, Jonathan came back out with the same package and slid it under the mayor’s car.”
“Under the car?”
“Yes, just like a mechanic would. I thought maybe he was fixing something under there. But then I remembered that he’d said he was coming into a promotion soon.”
“A promotion? To what?”
“He didn’t say. He’d been claiming to be the vice-mayor. I got to thinking that would have to mean he expected to become the mayor.”
Ford actually coughed before he got his composure back. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Susannah blushed again. “And say what? I didn’t know anything. Not for sure. Still, I was about to go look for a phone when the mayor came out of the center and started walking toward his car.”
“And you tried to warn him off?” Nathan exploded, so full of fear for her that he couldn’t contain himself. “You ran toward the danger to save a damned Devotee? They’d just as soon kill you as look at you.”
“He’s a human being. And supposed to be a pretty nice guy. Did you want me to stand there and watch him die?”
“That does it. We’re going back to the ranch.” He turned to Ford. “If you want more from her, come out tomorrow. I’m taking her home.”
“Careful, Nathan. The Devotees are busy with the explosion for now. But they won’t stay that way for long.”
“Let ’em come. This time we’ll be ready.”
Chapter 14
After sleeping most of twelve hours with the only interruptions to feed Melody and to eat a little something herself, Susannah woke up rather the worse for wear. But it didn’t matter.
The aches in her bones, the slight deafness, the itching wound under the bandage on her forehead…none of it mattered. She was back in a place where people cared about her.
Not only did they care but they’d actually worried about her when she’d left. They were worried enough to come after her. She tried hard but couldn’t come up with any other time in her life when she’d felt so welcome.
It was killing her to know her time here was growing shorter. Only a matter of a couple more days, not even a week, and then she would have to take Melody and disappear. Otherwise, the Devotees would get to her—somehow.
And people would be hurt in the process—people like Nathan. He’d been the biggest worrier. She’d seen it in his eyes when he’d listened to her story.
He cared. He really cared.
She still wasn’t entirely positive that he was in love with her, but the fact that he had worried and wanted to protect her made her feel all warm inside. Wishing she wasn’t so much in love with him, she could see that the only thing for her to do was to leave him. He would be safe.
Her life would never be the same after this—after him. That was for sure. But perhaps if she left soon, he would be able to move on to have a good life without her. Maybe he could forget and find someone to love who wasn’t so screwed up.
That thought made her queasy. The idea of Nathan with someone else was heart wrenching. But it was far better than having him hurt due to her hanging around too long.
She just needed to force herself to make plans for where to go and what she and Melody could do with the rest of their lives. It would not be easy, but it had to be done.
Crawling out of bed, she checked on the baby and was surprised to find Melody already awake and quietly lying in her crib, looking around. “Good morning, Miss Sunshine. You look happy. Are you glad to have Mama home?”
Melody made a gurgling noise that sounded like “ah-goo.”
“Very nice, sweetheart. Just wait until I tell Nathan that you’re already making real sounds. He’ll be so happy.”
Susannah checked Melody’s diaper and reached for a dry one. Her little girl was almost six weeks old now, and she watched her mother’s every move intently, following her with big curious eyes.
She smiled down at her precious baby while finishing her change and she was surprised when Melody smiled back. That should have pleased her even more. And as a proud mama, she was happy. But despite her joy, big sloppy tears began running down her cheeks.
Without Nathan, she would have no one to share all the small milestones her child reached, no one to share the anxiety when worrying about her little girl as she grew. The loneliness became overwhelming.
Dumb. She wiped her eyes and sniffed the tears back. She’d been alone virtually her entire life, even when she’d been surrounded by family or a supposed lover. It shouldn’t bother her in the least to continue on that way. In fact, now she had someone. She had Melody. The two of them would be the family she’d always wished she’d had.
And she had better get busy with finding a way for the two of them to survive.
She scooped up the baby and strolled to the kitchen, trying to memorize every wall photo and floorboard on the way. This place would have a special space in her heart, and she wanted to remember it and Nathan always.
“There you are.” Maria’s smile was so big it covered her whole face. “Are you hungry?”
After returning to the ranch yesterday, Maria had shoved food at her every hour or so until it was bedtime, claiming she looked hungry. “I think I’m still full from yesterday, thanks. I’ve never seen so much food at one time. It was all great. But right now I’d love a cup of tea or decaf if you’ve got it.”
“Coming right up.”
“After that, will you be able to take a quick trip into town?” The deep voice from behind her sent shivers down her spine—very pleasant shivers.
“Good morning, Nathan.” She turned and he was there.
He bent and kissed Melody on her forehead. “Good morning to two lovely ladies.” As he was straightening, his lips came within a millimeter of hers, and she held her breath, hoping for her own kiss.
Smiling, he gave her a peck on the cheek. Then a slight frown crossed his features.
“I know going back to Cold Plains today may be difficult,” he began, “but Ford would like you to point out that warehouse you told him about. We’ll stay on the outskirts of town and should have no trouble keeping away from most of the Devotees.”
“Have they caught Jonathan yet?”
“Not yet. But Ford wants all the evidence he can gather when they do.”
“Okay. But Melody has to stay here. Just in case.”
Nathan nodded. “Of course.”
“The baby smiled back at me when I smiled at her this morning.”
“Really?” Nathan held his arms outstretched. “Let’s see if she’ll do it for me.”
She turned over her little girl and watched as he began cooing at the baby. Her heart thumped and ached. Here she was, once again wishing for a lifetime with this man—wishes that were as worthless as a snow shovel in the desert.
Nathan tickled Melody under the chin and smiled at her. The baby smiled right back and made a “goo-da” sound.
“Look at that,” he said with amazement. “She’s trying to talk.”
“Oh, shoot.” Susannah couldn’t stand here and watch while the two people she loved more than anything grew closer, knowing they would soon have to separate. “Excuse me a moment.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’ll be right back.” She made a dash for the bedroom before the waterworks started again.
This was crazy. She was such a wimp. How was she ever going to leave this place and keep her head high when the time came?
Ford brought his cruiser out to the ranch to pick them up for the run into town. Nathan was grateful for the small attempt at disguise for Susannah’s sake. The trip was quick and relatively painless.
Susannah pointed out the pine tree she’d stood beside while she watched the warehouse. Ford took a line of sight measurement and then about two dozen photos. When he was done, he mumbled something about needing to find a reasonable judge to issue a search warrant for the place.
When they returned to the ranch, Maria had the table set for a four-course midday dinner and insisted they eat every bite. After all the food, Susannah asked if she could visit with Sara for the afternoon. And as much as he wanted to spend every waking moment with Susannah himself, how could he say no?
He needed to ride out and check on Mac and the men anyway. It had been a couple of days since he’d turned the reins over to Mac, and he was sure all would be running smoothly. Still, he would feel better if he saw for himself.
A few hours later, his cell rang. When he answered, it was his old buddy Hawk on the line with real FBI business.
“Thought you should know the Wyoming Highway Patrol stopped Miller just outside of Green River. They have him in custody in Cheyenne. There’re a couple of things I’d like to talk to you about if you have a moment.”
“Give me a half hour, and I’ll meet you at the ranch office. I’ll tell security you’re expected.”
They clicked off and Nathan headed back, wondering what Hawk would say.
“How long can you keep up this much security?” Standing outside near the office, Hawk asked the question as he gestured to the ranch hands who had escorted him in from the highway.
“As long as it takes.”
“Better make that sooner rather than later, bud. You need to move that gal and her baby off the premises. At least for the next few months.”
“What do you know?”
“I know Samuel Grayson is getting antsy. Somehow he seems to know the law is closing in on him. And having one Devotee try to kill another hasn’t helped. If anything, he’s tightening up his security and becoming more paranoid.”
“Have you found out anything about Miller’s background? Who the hell is that guy?”
“First off, it seems Miller is not his real name. His fingerprints say he’s a guy named Winchester with U.S. Navy SEAL training and a demolition specialty. But he was busted out of the service for a fragging incident. He tried to kill a senior officer. Unfortunately, he escaped the brig and went on the run. He thought becoming a Devotee would make a great place to hide out—until he got greedy for power.”
“So he never was a true believer?”
“Nope. But then I’m not so sure Grayson believes that crap he spouts, either. And that Miller-Winchester dude is not the only Devotee who’s handy with weapons and ready to use them under Grayson’s orders.”
“What is the FBI really doing about Samuel—secretly?”
Hawk sigh
ed and ran a hand through his hair. “We’re running a task force from nearby. Intend to nail that creep.”
“Nearby? Where?”
“A cabin in the woods.” Hawk grinned. “I’ve got three agents with cabin fever on my hands. But we’re making a little progress. I’ve decided our best bet is to find a Devotee who can get us inside information. Someone like Susannah Paul, for instance.”
Nathan opened his mouth to tell him what he thought of that idea, but Hawk cut him off. “Down, boy. She can’t go back there now, I know. But I’m still looking for one of them who’s becoming disgruntled.”
“I want to help. I have exit counseling training that might be useful.” Wow, where had that come from?
Hawk shook his head. “Your job is to take care of the residents, both human and animal, here on the ranch. All of your people need to stay away from Cold Plains and the Devotees. Send your men to Laramie for supplies. Besides, Nate, you have too many responsibilities right here. What we’re doing is far too risky.”
Despite his initial frustration, Nathan quickly had to admit Hawk was right. If he was free to do whatever he wanted, he would be whisking Susannah and the baby off to safety and certainly not running to a cabin in the woods to join the fight.
Life wasn’t always fair.
“One last thing, bud. I will say this again because it’s important. Get that woman and her baby off this land and send them far, far away. Now. Within the next forty-eight hours. Having them here may become a huge distraction that Grayson can’t ignore, and I can’t battle a deadly distraction right now. I want him quiet and unsuspecting while we run this sting.”
Nathan nodded but didn’t say a word. He knew they were out of time. But damn, how could he possibly stand to send them away when he’d only just discovered how much he loved them both?
Another day was gone too soon, Susannah thought with a heavy sigh. Everyone was already in bed. The house was dark and silent.
Not really hungry or in pain, she just couldn’t sleep. She stood, vacantly staring at the inside of the refrigerator, daydreaming about Nathan.