by Kate Douglas
“When’s your due date?”
Toni stood in the doorway, Buddy waited silently beside her.
“A couple of weeks...too damned long, as far as I’m concerned.”
“I hear ya. When I had my last one, I went two weeks over. Thought I’d never make it. Never thought I’d look forward to labor, but I couldn’t wait to get it over with.”
Kat blinked in surprise. “You’ve got kids?” The woman looked more like an exotic fashion model than a sheriff’s deputy; nothing at all like a wife and mother.
“Yeah, three. Two boys and a girl.” She dug into her back pocket and pulled out her wallet. Further digging brought out a crisp new photo, the kind department store photographers do. Two dark-haired little boys held a baby girl and smiled at the camera. “That’s Juan. He’s six years old and a bundle of energy. Carlos is almost four. He’s my quiet one. The baby’s barely six months old in this picture. Her name’s Christina but the boys call her Teetee.” She laughed and shook her head. “Her dad and I sure hope that doesn’t stick! High school’s hard enough without a nickname like that.”
“I can’t believe you’ve got three kids.” Kat took another close look at the lean, athletic deputy standing there, then studied the photo a moment longer, imagining her child in such a picture. “At least you give me hope. I was beginning to wonder if it was possible to ever get my shape back again.” She handed the photo back to Toni.
“It’s not easy, but it’s cheaper than buying new clothes.” Toni stuck the picture back in her wallet. “This your first? You probably feel like a beached whale about now, but you’ll be so busy once the baby comes, you’ll be surprised how fast the weight comes off. At least it did for me.”
Kat began to relax for the first time all afternoon. “Have a seat,” she said. “Would you like a cup of hot tea?” She flicked on the gas burner on the stove.
“You’re kidding, right? You have to ask?” Toni hung her damp jacket over the back of the kitchen chair, checked to make certain her firearm was in place and shifted her nightstick out of the way to sit in the straight-backed chair. Buddy curled up on the floor beside her.
Kat watched the woman’s automatic adjustments to her equipment as she sat down, recalling a time not so long ago when she would have done many of the same things .
Another lifetime ago . She thought of it with a sense of nostalgia, but surprisingly without a sense of loss.
When the water was hot Kat flipped the burner off, carried the tea to the table and sat across from the deputy. Within moments she felt as if she’d known Toni Juárez all of her life.
They talked comfortably about pregnancy and childbirth and Toni’s husband, Raul. Kat briefly explained her relationship to Seamus without dwelling on Riley and was relieved when Toni didn’t ask for more details. Kat realized, as she had with the obstetrician, the conversation filled a void she hadn’t known existed—a need to communicate with another woman what she felt, what she feared.
She could almost forget the reason Toni was here, sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of tea, chatting about diaper rash and teething problems.
Almost, but not quite.
There was a tap at the back door. Toni grabbed her teacup and quickly slipped out of the room with Buddy close behind her. The latch turned and Seamus and the big deputy stepped into the kitchen. They stood in the open doorway, talking about the chance their visitor had been Kat’s stalker and, if so, whether or not he was still around.
“I think he’s long gone,” the deputy said. “I can’t imagine him hanging around in this storm. You’ve got my number if you hear or see anything unusual. G’night, ma’am.” He turned and doffed his cap in Kat’s direction, then shook hands with Seamus. He totally ignored his hidden partner. “Nice meeting you. Take care now.”
Seamus closed the door behind him, set the alarm, double checked the dead-bolt and walked across the kitchen. He sat down at the table next to Kat.
A tall Hispanic woman in uniform entered the kitchen, trailed by a huge German Shepherd. Seamus immediately rose to his feet.
“Hello,” he said. “I’m Seamus O’Rourke.” He shook hands with the attractive deputy. Her grip was as strong as any man’s and her attitude matched Kathleen’s. Seamus immediately felt at ease with her, as if he’d known her for years. It was a pleasant experience, unusual for him. Meeting new women generally left him feeling awkward and self-conscious. He smiled broadly. “Kat and I really appreciate you staying here.”
“No problem. I’m glad we can help. I’m Toni Juárez. This is Buddy.”
As she sat down, the huge German Shepherd walked around the table and sniffed Seamus’s hand. He stared at Seamus a moment, then back at his master before returning to his spot at the deputy’s feet.
“You’re lucky. Buddy likes you.” Toni laughed. Seamus noticed that, while Kat smiled, she was definitely studying the dynamics between him and the attractive deputy. He thought of his own reaction when Toni’s male counterpart had commented on Kat’s appearance. Sandy Wilson must have informed him Kat and Seamus weren’t married.
“She certainly carries her pregnancy with style,” he’d said. “Bet she’s really something when she’s not expecting.”
Seamus figured Kat Malone was something any way you looked at her. The hot flash of jealousy he’d felt when the big deputy made his casual observation though, now that had surprised him. Surprised him so much he’d actually called her honey! The lonely man’s version of staking a claim?
The look she had on her face right now reminded Seamus of the way he’d reacted. He glanced quickly at Toni and the big dog, then back at Kat.
She couldn’t be jealous, could she?
This time when he looked at Toni, he smiled engagingly.
“I hate to imagine the consequences of Buddy not liking me.” He winked, consciously risking Kat’s ire.
Hoping for it.
“Oh, you don’t want to think about it.” Toni glanced from Seamus to Kat and back to Seamus. Suddenly her face lit up with a broad smile. She winked back.
Kat abruptly stood up. “Well, if you two are on guard , I think I’ll go lie down and take a nap. I’m tired and my back hurts.” She glared at Seamus, ignored Toni and waddled into her room.
“Mind telling me what all that was about?” Toni grinned and nodded in Kat’s direction.
“It was a test actually. Just checking to see how she’d react.” He couldn’t help the smug grin that split his face.
“Let me give you a word of advice. It’s not smart to test a pregnant woman.” She laughed, a pleasant throaty sound that brought an answering chuckle from Seamus.
“I guess I’ll have to remember that.”
“Another thing,” Toni added. “She told me you’re not her man.” She reached down and patted Buddy on the head. The dog grunted. “I find that hard to believe, watching you two interact. I couldn’t help but notice she had her eye on you the whole time you were talking to my partner. My opinion, unsolicited, of course, is that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Seamus gazed at the earnest young woman and wished he could explain a situation that seemed to grow more confusing as each day passed. “Whether she knows what she’s talking about is beside the point, at least until we get this other problem settled. Let’s just say, Ms. Juárez, that as usual my timing sucks.”
He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. “I’m going to fix something for dinner. Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Can’t hunt bad guys on an empty stomach.”
Seamus reached for the door to the refrigerator. He might not know diddly-squat about women, but at least he knew his way around the kitchen.
NO WAY ON GOD’S green earth was she going to actually fall asleep, not with that...that hussy out there flirting so outrageously with Seamus. Kat clenched her teeth until her jaw ached. Damn, she was actually beginning to like the woman. Typical...she wasn’t any better at judging a wom
an’s character than she was a man’s. If Toni Juárez was so happily married why was she trading winks and barbs with Seamus O’Rourke?
Why was Seamus encouraging her?
Hell and Damnation!
Kat punched the pillow and tried to roll over, but like the cumbersome sea lions she and Seamus had watched at the beach one afternoon, she merely flopped in place. Here she lay, big as a house while Seamus sat out in the kitchen with that trim, slim little brunette— flirting , for crying out loud!
She wanted to scream in frustration, she wanted to kick something, she wanted... She wanted her old body back, her old life without all the complications of Seamus O’Rourke and his hang-ups, without some nut wanting to kill her, without this pain in her heart that didn’t have anything at all to do with Riley.
When had she fallen in love with that jerk Seamus? At what point had the little bit of common sense she still retained disappeared altogether?
At first, when she’d looked at Seamus, she’d seen Riley. When Seamus spoke, she’d compared his words to what she imagined Riley might have said. She hadn’t done that for so long now.
When had she stopped seeing and hearing Riley?
When had Seamus become the only man in her life?
“When did I start losing my mind?” Kat pushed herself to a sitting position and leaned against the headboard. Even when she and Riley had been together, she’d still managed to keep her own life intact. Now it felt as if everything lay in shattered pieces around her and she had no idea how to put it back together.
A quiet knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
“Go away, Seamus.” He was the last person she wanted to see.
Toni Juárez opened the door and stepped into the dark room. “Dinner’s on, Kat. I think it’s gonna be wonderful. You didn’t tell me he could cook.”
The scent of something delicious wafted into the room. Kat’s stomach growled. “I’m not hungry.” The last thing she needed was to sit and watch Seamus and Toni make eyes at each other.
Silence stretched between the two women, eventually broken by Toni’s deep sigh. “I love my husband to pieces, Kat, but I’ll always be a flirt. It doesn’t mean a thing. It’s just the way I manage in a male-oriented profession. Seamus was merely teasing you.”
“Whatever are you talking about? Seamus can flirt with whomever he pleases. He means nothing to me.”
Toni quietly closed the door, plunging the room back into total darkness. “I don’t believe that for a minute. If I did, I guess I’d have to feel really sorry for Seamus because I think the guy is way in love with you.”
“Yeah, right. You’ve been here what, all of two hours? And in just that amount of time you’ve figured everything out? I don’t think so.”
“Honey, I figured it out in the first two seconds. All I had to do was look at the way he watches you...and the way you watch him. Subtlety isn’t your strong point or his. Now, c’mon. He’s got a wonderful dinner fixed, and like he said, you can’t hunt the bad guys on an empty stomach.”
Toni laughed and flicked on the light. Kat blinked at the sudden brightness in the room, then focused on the woman standing next to the bed. “You really think he might be in love with me?”
“No think about it. I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid. Just don’t let on I gave away his secret. You see, I’m not quite sure he’s completely convinced he feels what he thinks he feels, and he sure as hell doesn’t think you care a whit about him.” She chuckled, a throaty laugh that had Kat laughing along with her.
“It’s a guy thing, I guess. They have an answer for everything except what’s goin’ on in their hearts. Now wash your face and come eat dinner.”
Kat slid her legs around and stood up. “You’re talking to me like I’m one of your kids.”
“You’re acting like one of my kids. Now move it, lady, or no dessert.”
Chapter Nine
“GOOD LORD, SEAMUS. THIS is wonderful. If I ate like this every night, I’d look like the Goodyear blimp.” Toni sopped up the last of the rich gravy on her plate with a slice of warm sourdough bread.
Kat tapped her fork on the side of her plate. “Uh, Deputy Juárez? Haven’t you noticed? I’ve been eating like this every night and I do look like the Goodyear blimp.”
“Yeah, but you can’t blame it all on my cooking.” Seamus held the salad bowl out to Kat. After a moment’s hesitation, she grimaced and took the bowl out of his hand. “I don’t need this.” She proceeded to refill her empty salad plate.
“It’s not fattening.” Tony passed the container of creamy Ranch dressing. Kat rolled her eyes and laughed.
“Yeah, but this stuff is.” She dumped a large spoonful of the dressing on top of her salad. “I think he’s doing it to me on purpose.”
“I’m innocent. All I did was cook.” Seamus held up his white napkin like a flag of truce.
Both women stopped eating and glared at him until they were all laughing.
Dinner had been surprisingly entertaining. Seamus wasn’t certain what Toni had said to Kathleen earlier, but the two women had quickly slipped back into their easy banter with Seamus their willing target. Buddy remained on guard, quietly prowling about the ground floor of the cabin and the three of them had relaxed and enjoyed their meal as if this were a mere gathering of friends, not a stakeout for a killer.
In fact, Seamus couldn’t recall ever enjoying a meal or an evening as much, in spite of the circumstances or the storm howling with growing anger outside.
He figured that must say something awfully pathetic about him...that he could find pleasure in a situation such as this. A meal shared with a deputy sheriff and her attack dog and the woman he loved...who just happened to be pregnant with his brother’s child.
Definitely a soap opera in action.
Seamus was still thinking along those lines when Buddy suddenly paused by the kitchen door and growled. Conversation halted.
Toni immediately moved to the dog’s side. “Whatcha got, big guy?” She patted the dog with one hand and reached for her radio with the other. Buddy stared intently at the back door. The hackles along his back stood straight up. The growl never ceased. The steady rumble reverberated throughout the cabin, vying with the muted roar of the storm.
Toni flipped on her radio and contacted her partner. “I think we’ve got something, John. North side of the house, possibly the driveway. I’ll wait for your signal.”
She unholstered her service revolver, then turned and motioned Seamus and Kat to move into the front room, away from the door. Seamus quickly turned off the alarm, then helped Kathleen to her feet and the two of them stepped into the next room, out of the potential line of fire.
“Should I turn off the light?” Seamus reached for the switch but Kat touched his hand, halting the motion.
“Don’t do anything to let on we know someone’s out there.” She turned and sat down on the couch, then reached between the cushions. After a few seconds she pulled her firearm out of its hiding place. “We don’t want to compromise anyone’s safety.”
She set the Ruger on the couch, close to her thigh.
Seamus glanced at the pistol, suddenly aware he no longer found the weapon as distasteful. Whoever stalked Kat, and now him, was most likely heavily armed.
Toni’s quiet voice and the crackle of the radio alerted them. Her partner had to be close by. Buddy’s growl rose to a higher level and his toenails skittered on the tile floor. It couldn’t be easy for Tony to hold the big dog back when he obviously wanted to go after the intruder.
A blast of cold air whooshed through the room as the back door flew open. Buddy snarled and yelped. A single sharp crack of gunfire split the air. Toni shouted a command to Seamus and Kat. “Stay inside!” That was followed by her partner’s booming voice, Buddy’s frantic barking, and the panic-stricken scream and pleas for help from an unfamiliar voice.
Kat reached for Seamus’s hand. He grasped her cold fingers in his own. His muscles quivered with the
sudden rush of adrenaline. He had to go out there, had to find out what was happening.
He had to know. Was it their stalker? Was Kathleen finally safe?
The dog’s steady barking punctuated the blasts from the storm. Toni’s voice rang out, then John’s deeper command. More voices, more barking, a series of ferocious growls. Seamus tightened his grip on Kat’s hand. Her fingers squeezed his tightly.
Sudden silence, a lull in the wind and a series of sharp yips from the dog brought both Seamus and Kat to their feet. They reached the kitchen in time to see the two sheriff’s deputies dragging a third man, his hands tightly cuffed behind him, up the steps, across the deck and into the room.
Buddy heeled close to his master’s side, tongue lolling, tail wagging, but the captive’s torn pants and blood-stained thigh told a story all their own.
“Recognize this guy?” Deputy John Camden yanked the prisoner’s hair at the same time Toni reached out and closed the kitchen door. The man’s head jerked back, exposing his face.
Kat shivered. “He’s Tim Anderson. One of the hijackers I helped capture last year. The one Sandy Wilson thinks might be stalking me.”
“If that’s the case, he’s the one suspected in the murder of Hazel Andrews. We caught him in the process of rigging what looks like a pipe bomb under the Jag. I’ll call for back-up. We’ll get the bomb squad up here to dispose of the explosives. I think you two can wait until tomorrow to come in and make a statement.”
Anderson glared at Kat, his malevolence an almost physical entity in the crowded room.
Kat hardly recognized the man. His hair hung in wet, greasy tangles about his face, his clothes were filthy and he stank of unwashed flesh and stale cigarettes. Where Anderson had once looked the part of the well-dressed, well-educated but sadistic criminal, he now appeared as disheveled and spaced-out as any druggie on the street.
“I don’t want him in here any longer than necessary.” Seamus slipped his arm around her waist and Kat leaned into the comforting warmth. “Kathleen’s been through more than enough.”