To Wed and Protect

by Carla Cassidy

  Chapter 13

  Abby sat in the darkened living room staring out the front window, watching for Luke’s truck. The house was quiet around her except for an occasional tiny whine from Peaches in her cage.

  It had been almost thirty minutes since Luke had called, and she expected to see the headlights of his truck at any moment.

  Luke hadn’t gone into any real detail about seeing Justin, and curiosity burned inside her as she wondered what had happened, what had been said between the two men.

  Peaches whined again, and Abby made her way through the darkness to the cage. “What’s the matter, baby?” she asked softly. The dog nudged her cold, wet nose against her hand.

  She knew if the light were on she would be able to see Peaches’ beautiful liquid brown eyes gazing at her adoringly. She opened the cage, lifted the puppy into her arms and was instantly rewarded with a wet lick along her neck.

  She returned to her chair and put Peaches on her lap. The dog wiggled and squirmed for a moment, then settled down, snuggling against her with a sigh of contentment.

  As Abby returned her gaze to the window, she stroked the silky fur. The dog had already wrought a miracle of sorts earlier that evening. As the two kids were playing with her in the living room, Abby had heard Jessica tell the dog she loved her.

  “I love you, Peaches,” Jessica had said loud and clear. The first words Abby had heard her speak since her mother’s murder. Abby hadn’t said anything, hadn’t even indicated she’d heard, but her heart had expanded with joy as she realized there was a healing taking place in both the children.

  First thing in the morning the social worker was to arrive to look around. Abby had spent most of the evening making sure everything was neat and clean, looking at each room with an objective eye.

  Although there was work that needed to be done in several areas of the house, she didn’t think the social worker would count any of that against them. The house was clean, but had a lived-in feeling. It was obviously a home filled with warmth and love.

  Making love to Luke again had deepened her feelings for him, and she knew eventually she’d be left with a heartache. She suspected that Luke’s confession of being a recovering alcoholic had been an effort to warn her away. Just as he’d distanced her the first time they’d made love, she had a feeling he’d attempted to do the same the second time they’d made love.

  But she knew in her heart, in her soul, that Luke was a good man, and she prayed that he would continue to stay strong and sober. Whether he was with her or not, she wanted that for him.

  She sat straighter in the chair as she saw twin headlights pierce the night, heading in the direction of her house. Luke. Finally. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t realize how tense she’d been until some of that tension seeped out of her.

  As the vehicle drew closer, her anxiety returned, exploding through her veins. It wasn’t Luke’s familiar pickup making its way toward the house, but an unfamiliar compact car.

  Who was it? It was certainly too dark for her to be able to see the occupant of the car. Who would be driving to her house in the middle of the night?

  Justin.

  His name rang in her ears as fear turned her icy cold. Peaches, who’d fallen asleep on her lap, lifted her head and growled deep in her throat.

  Abby put the dog on the floor and raced to the front door, assuring herself that it was locked tight. She grabbed the cordless phone and ran to the door, peering through the small diamond-shaped window in the wooden door.

  The car pulled up directly in front of her porch and sat there idling for several long, torturous minutes. Knowing that Luke should be pulling in any minute, Abby was hesitant to call the sheriff, especially since at the moment she wasn’t even positive it was Justin.

  As she watched, the driver got out of the vehicle and stretched his arms overhead, as if he’d been driving a long distance and was stiff. As the moonlight fell full on his features, Abby recognized that it was, indeed, Justin.

  Abby remained at the door and quickly punched in the numbers she had memorized that would ring the phone in the sheriff’s office.

  Sheriff Broder answered on the first ring.

  “This is Abby Graham. Please come to my place quickly. I need help.”

  “On my way,” Sheriff Broder responded.

  As Abby punched the phone off, Justin sauntered to the front door. Heart pounding frantically, Abby put her weight against the door even though she knew in the back of her mind that no lock and certainly not her inconsequential body weight would keep Justin out if he wanted in.

  “Abby.” He knocked lightly on the door. Peaches growled, then barked low and deep in her puppy throat.

  “Get out of here, Justin,” she said, trying to keep her voice low enough so she wouldn’t awaken Jason and Jessica. She didn’t want them to experience the pulse-pounding fear that rocked through her.

  “What’s the matter, Abby? Do I make you nervous?” He chuckled, the sound once again turning Abby’s blood to ice. He banged a fist against the door. Abby jumped and swallowed the scream that nearly escaped her.

  “You bitch. You stole my kids. Did you think I wouldn’t find you? Did you really think you could get away from me?” He banged the door again, then laughed. “Loretta always said I made her nervous.”

  White-hot rage swept through Abby as he spoke her sister’s name. He was the monster who had stolen Loretta from the people who loved her. “I’ve called the sheriff, Justin. He’ll be here any moment.”

  Again he laughed, a wicked, evil sound that sent icy fingers up Abby’s spine. “Don’t worry, Abby. When I decide to get you, you won’t have time to call the sheriff. You won’t have time to do anything.” He didn’t wait for her to reply, but walked off the porch and back to his car.

  She watched as he drove off into the night, the darkness eventually swallowing the taillights of his car. She sagged against the door, hot tears scalding her cheeks.

  They were tears of fear, tears of relief, and most of all, they were tears for the sister who was no longer with her. She was almost sorry Justin hadn’t done something violent, something totally out of control that would see him permanently behind bars.

  He’d only come for one thing, to mentally terrorize her. It had been a cat-and-mouse game. Damn him. Damn him to hell. And where…where was Luke?

  She returned to her seat, Peaches once again in her lap, and stared out the window. At that moment she saw the whirling red lights that indicated Sheriff Broder was coming toward the house.

  She met him on the porch and quickly explained to him what had happened. He seemed already to know that Luke was playing at the bar and assured Abby he would keep an eye on the place until Luke got home.

  Abby went inside, assured by the presence of the sheriff but disturbed by Luke’s absence. Where was he? Why wasn’t he home yet? If he’d left as soon as he called, he should have been home by now.

  As the seconds and minutes ticked by, her mind whirled with possibilities. Maybe he’d gotten held up at the party. One of the things she’d made clear to him was that she didn’t expect him to change his lifestyle because of their marriage. But he said he’d be right home, a small voice niggled inside her head.

  When an hour had passed, she fought the edges of panic that attempted to creep into her mind. She thought of calling one of Luke’s relatives, but knew if nothing was wrong Luke would be angry at her decision.

  And so she did nothing. She sat in the chair, staring into the darkness, a sentry guarding her children and waiting for the man she loved to return home.

  She awakened with a start, torn from a horrible nightmare. She gasped and opened her eyes to brilliant morning sunshine pouring through the window and a wet tongue licking her cheek.

  A new sense of panic ripped through her as she gazed at her watch and saw that it was seven-thirty and Luke still hadn’t come home. The sheriff’s car, which had been outside her home when she’d fallen asleep, was gone.

&nbs
p; With a groan, she unfolded her stiff body and stood. The social worker would be here in an hour and a half, and somehow Abby had to act like everything was normal.

  The first order of the day was to let Peaches outside. When Peaches was finished with her business, Abby and the dog returned to the house. Abby checked on the children, who were still sleeping soundly, fed Peaches, then headed for a shower.

  As she stood beneath the hot spray of water, her mind raced frantically. She thought of everything she had heard about Luke when he’d first come to work for her.

  He drank too much, lived too fast, didn’t take care of himself and took nothing seriously. He loved women and had a reputation as a charming rake. But she had come to see him as nothing like the man the rumors had portrayed.

  She’d seen his innate warmth both with the children and with herself. She knew there was far more to the man than his reputation or the face he showed to the people in this town. Otherwise she wouldn’t love him.

  So, why hadn’t he come home? And what should she do about it? She was nothing to him but a pleasant diversion. Theirs certainly wasn’t a real marriage, it was a marriage created for the good of Jessica and Jason. What right did she have to set in motion a search? And how would such a search by the sheriff affect the custody suit?

  But what if there had been an accident? What if Luke was hurt somewhere? What if he needed help? Oh, God, she was so confused.

  By the time she got out of the shower, she’d made a decision. She would do nothing about Luke’s absence until after the social worker left. She’d meet with Sonya Watkins and make a vague excuse about Luke having to work. She’d pretend that everything was fine and pray that it would be.

  But when Sonya Watkins left, Abby intended to tear up the phone lines, seeking Luke’s whereabouts, no matter what the repercussions.

  By the time she and the kids were dressed and had eaten breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen, Sonya Watkins had arrived.

  Sonya was a plump woman in her mid-fifties who radiated confidence and warmth. She greeted Abby and the two children with a smile that was obviously meant to put them all at ease.

  But Abby wasn’t put at ease. She was aware that this woman with her cheerful smile and twinkling blue eyes was here to do a job and held an enormous amount of power as to the future of the children.

  “What I would love to do first is see the children’s bedrooms,” she said. “Jason, would you like to show me your room?”

  “Sure,” Jason replied easily. He led the way down the hall to his room, Sonya following him and Jessica and Abby following Sonya.

  Abby and Jessica stood in the doorway as Jason showed Sonya all the treasures his room contained. When Sonya had seen his book collection, his favorite truck, his ant farm and the rest of his goodies, she moved on to Jessica’s room.

  It was obvious she’d been told that Jessica didn’t talk, for she asked no questions that would demand a reply from the little girl. She oohed and aahed over Jessica’s stuffed animal collection and pretended to drink a cup of tea from a tiny plastic cup.

  Abby returned to the kitchen and waited for Sonya to join her there. “Nice house,” she said.

  “Thank you. We still have some work to do, but my husband has already accomplished a lot.”

  “Yes, I expected to see your husband here this morning,” Sonya said.

  “Unfortunately, he got called away on business,” Abby said, hoping the woman wouldn’t pursue the subject. She didn’t. She spoke to Abby about the children’s routine, their school and their therapy.

  Abby tried to stay cool and calm and answer all the questions, address any concerns, but her heart cried out. Where was Luke? Why wasn’t he here? She prayed that wherever he was he was safe and unharmed.

  Luke opened his eyes and instantly closed them to shut out the glare of the mid-morning sun. Dreaming. He had to be dreaming that he was in the alley behind the Honky Tonk.

  He closed his eyes, for a moment drifted in a kind of foggy reality, then opened them once again.

  It was still the alley. What was he doing here? What had happened? His mouth was dry, achingly dry. He started to sit up, then moaned and grabbed his head.

  Hellfire, had he tied one on? He plucked at his shirt and wrinkled his nose. He certainly smelled like a brewery.

  He’d never had a hangover like this. His skull felt as if it had been stuffed with rocks, and he felt disoriented, drugged.

  Drugged.

  Suddenly the fog fell away and he remembered. He’d had a restrained confrontation with Justin Cahill. Then he’d done something incredibly stupid—he’d downed a drink that had been sitting on the edge of the stage unattended.

  Abby! Her name exploded in his head, and this time, ignoring the utter agony of his head, he jumped up from the ground and headed for his truck.

  Let her be all right. Let Abby be all right. The words were a litany that raced around and around in his head as he pressed his foot firmly on the gas pedal.

  Had Justin planned this? Had he drugged Luke to make certain he’d be out of the way, incapacitated? Had he left the Honky Tonk and driven to Abby’s? Stormed the house and taken the children by force? Had Abby been hurt…or worse?

  The fear that ripped through him was suddenly joined with a new emotion—rage. His rage was directed at the man who was at the bottom of all this.

  Justin Cahill. If Luke discovered that he’d harmed Luke’s wife or children, then Luke would personally hunt the man down and kill him with his bare hands.

  As Luke turned into the driveway of the house, he was met by a car leaving. The driver of the car was a plump, gray-haired woman. She waved as they passed one another.

  Relief made him gasp aloud as he saw Abby standing on the porch. He parked the truck, and before he got the door open, she was there.

  He stepped out of the truck, and she threw herself into his arms. “Oh Luke, I’ve been worried sick,” she said, her face buried in his chest. “I was so afraid something bad had happened to you.”

  “And I was so afraid that something had happened to you and the kids.” He held her tightly for a moment, thanking the forces that had kept her safe through the long night.

  She finally raised her head and gazed at him. “What happened, Luke? I was going to call the sheriff the minute the social worker left.”

  The social worker. In all the chaos, Luke had forgotten that Sonya Watkins was scheduled to do a home study that morning. He guessed she had been in the car that had passed him as he’d turned into the driveway.

  “I’m sorry. How did it go with Mrs. Watkins?”

  “I think it went okay, but what about you? Tell me what happened.”

  “Come on, let’s go inside and I’ll tell you what happened,” he said. With his arm still around her shoulders, the two of them headed for the front door.

  As they reached the door, she turned to him again, her nose wrinkled. “You stink,” she exclaimed.

  “Trust me, there’s definitely more booze on me than there is in me. In fact, before I do anything, I want to take a shower.”

  “And while you shower, I’ll make a pot of strong, hot coffee,” Abby replied.

  They parted in the living room, Luke heading for the bathroom and Abby for the kitchen. As Luke went into the bathroom he heard the sound of Jason and Jessica’s laughter and Peaches’ excited barking. No sound had ever sounded so good to his ears.

  In the bathroom he stripped off his stinking clothes and jumped beneath the hot spray of water. What was Justin up to? Initially, Luke had thought the man had drugged him in order to gain access to Abby and the children. But Abby and the children appeared to be fine. So, what had been the point of drugging Luke? What had been the point of pouring alcohol all over him?

  Almost as soon as the question zipped through his mind, the most logical answer followed. Luke knew the town of Inferno well enough to know that if one person had seen him in that alley, then most everyone in town would know he’d tied on a drunk
and slept it off through the night.

  He also knew that nobody in town would doubt the story. After all, a leopard didn’t change its spots, and Luke had been known to drink too much before. But never before had it bothered him…what the town thought of him.

  And now, Justin would be able to use where Luke had spent the night last night in the custody trial. All he’d have to do was call anyone in town who’d known that Luke had passed out.

  That would certainly make an impression on a judge. And how devious and smart Justin had been to even think of such a thing. And how stupid Luke had been to be caught so off guard.

  When he was dressed in clean clothes, he went into the kitchen where Abby had a mug of hot coffee waiting for him.

  How on earth was he going to convince Abby he hadn’t gotten stinking drunk and passed out? Given his reputation and the fact that he’d confessed to her that he was a recovering alcoholic, how was he going to convince anyone what really happened?

  “You want to know where I’ve been all night?” he asked as he sat down next to her at the table. “I passed out and spent the night in the alley behind the Honky Tonk.”

  Her forehead wrinkled as she stared at him. “What do you mean, you passed out? I don’t believe that for a minute,” she said flatly.

  He looked at her in surprise. “You don’t believe me? Why not?”

  “You aren’t telling me everything,” she said, her gaze holding his intently. “Something else happened. You didn’t just get drunk and pass out.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  She smiled and reached across the table to take his hand in hers. “Because I know you, Luke. Because you knew how important it was that you be here this morning for the home study…because you thought I might be in danger last night. And because I know you aren’t the kind of man to blow off those things and just get drunk.”

  If he didn’t believe her words, then he would have found it impossible to discount the light of belief that shone from her eyes. She believed him. She believed in him.

  He pulled his hand from hers as emotion clogged his throat, making it impossible for him to speak. The idea that this woman who hadn’t known him so very long, who’d heard all the rumors about his character yet believed in him filled him with a sense of awe he’d never before experienced.