A Knight Before Christmas

by Alicia Dean

  safe.

  "You're right. I overreacted. I promise, from now on I'll

  stay out of your way and let you do your job." She smiled.

  "Unless, that is, I catch you roughing up old ladies and

  infants. That's where I'll have to draw the line."

  He gave her the grin again. "Hey, at least I know my

  boundaries."

  She laughed. "Want something to drink?"

  "Maybe some water."

  She went into the kitchen and returned with a bottled

  water for each of them.

  Heath gulped down a few swallows, then said, "Seriously,

  though. You do realize, just because Jerome is your

  maintenance man, and just because his reason for climbing to

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  your window was legit, we can't rule him out as your

  blackmailer, right?"

  She shrugged. "Yeah. But then we can't really rule anyone

  out, can we?

  He nodded approvingly. "Now you're starting to think like a

  cop."

  "Yeah? Then maybe I don't need you after all."

  Heath stopped in the act of bringing the bottle back to his

  lips. "I certainly hope you do."

  He'd meant to sound flip, but even to him, it sounded like

  a declaration.

  She held his gaze for a brief moment, then said, "Did you

  eat?"

  "I grabbed some lunch earlier."

  "Before I go to the apartment, I have to go by Louisa's and

  make dinner for her. Want to come? We can eat with her."

  "Sure."

  "I'll drive. We'll take my Jeep. It gets around a lot better

  than the Buick in this kind of weather."

  They walked outside and from down the street came the

  sounds of "Silent Night." When Heath glanced toward the

  source, he found a group of carolers standing on the sidewalk

  in front of a house three doors down.

  "I didn't know people still did that," Heath said.

  Nicolette unlocked her Jeep, and they climbed in. "Around

  here they do. Beautiful isn't it? I love Christmas." She pursed

  her lips, and an expression of longing came over her face. "I

  haven't been able to enjoy it this year like I normally do."

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  "It's no wonder. With Rudy gone, and then the crap with

  the blackmailer. Kind of casts a pall over the holidays."

  She nodded, then reached out and squeezed his hand.

  "You being here makes it better."

  The warmth of her hand in his made everything better. He

  squeezed back. "I'm glad."

  She looked at him, her expression chagrined. "I just

  realized how selfish I've been. I'm sorry. This is your first

  Christmas without Rudy and your father. How's your mother

  doing?"

  "She's doing pretty well. You know Mom."

  "Yes. Tough lady. Wish I could be more like her."

  "Hey. You're pretty damned tough yourself. You lost your

  husband. You're being harassed by a blackmailer, suspected

  of a murder, and you're running the duplexes and the charity.

  Doing everything you can to protect Rudy's memory, to keep

  his dream alive. I'd say that's pretty tough."

  She smiled. "Not bad, I guess."

  "Not bad at all," he agreed.

  After she'd backed the Jeep out of the driveway and they

  were on their way, Heath said, "How about your father? Have

  you ever heard from him?"

  In the dim lights shining in from outside, he saw sadness

  cross her face, and he wanted to kick himself in the ass for

  putting it there. He knew she'd gone years without talking to

  her father, but he hoped by now, they were back in touch.

  "No. I haven't spoken to him since college."

  "You haven't tried to get in touch with him?"

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  She shrugged. "I wanted to a few times. I mentioned it to

  Rudy, but he said it would be best to leave things as they

  were. He reminded me that if my father wanted to hear from

  me, he could get in touch with me. He pointed out that I was

  a reminder of a past he most likely wanted to forget."

  Heath thought that was a little harsh. Even if it were true,

  it's not something Nicolette should hear. He knew a little

  about Nic's past. Her father had been accused of killing a

  neighborhood girl. Although no charges were ever filed, and

  the killer was caught and convicted, the suspicion that

  followed him ruined her family's life.

  Her mother killed herself a few years later. Nic had gone

  off to college and she and her father drifted apart. Did her

  dad want it that way, or was he just respecting his daughter's

  wishes? Heath remembered while they were at MU, her dad

  tried to contact her. Maybe after years of being rebuffed, he'd

  given up. Rudy certainly hadn't helped matters by

  discouraging Nicolette from finding her father. Perfect or not,

  he was her father. And, perfect or not, Heath would give

  anything to see his own father one more time. He didn't want

  Nicolette to regret something once it was too late.

  "I doubt that he wants to forget you. You know, he tried to

  reach you several times while we were in college."

  "Yeah, but that was years ago. He hasn't found me since."

  "Maybe he finally took the hint that you didn't want

  anything to do with him."

  She glanced at him, then turned her attention back to the

  road. "So, you don't agree with Rudy that it was best to leave

  it in the past? To never see my father again?"

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  "No. No, I don't."

  She seemed to consider his words for a moment, then she

  shrugged. "I think Rudy was right. If my father wanted to find

  me, he'd find me. He probably didn't want any part of his

  past. Doesn't matter anyway. We can't undo what's been

  done. It's better to leave things as they are. We're strangers

  now, after all."

  Her words rang hollow to Heath. Underneath the bravado,

  he was sure he detected the pain of a lonely little girl.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

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  Chapter Eleven

  Louisa lived in an older section of Kansas City where

  neighbors still looked out for one another and kept their lawns

  in pristinely landscaped condition. Her house was a two-story

  that was too large now that her family was gone. Its coating

  of bright white paint gleamed in the winter sun.

  Nicolette watched Heath as they pulled into Louisa's

  driveway. A multitude of emotions passed over his face. The

  corners of his mouth tilted upward in a melancholy smile, and

  a hint of pain touched his eyes.

  "It looks the same," he said. "Except it's white now. Used

  to be yellow." A hint of moisture showed in his eyes, and he

  wiped it away with his thumb and forefinger. "Rudy's bike was

  always in the yard. His dad stayed pissed at him."

  Nic offered a small smile, and they climbed out of th
e car.

  As she unlocked the front door and pushed it open,

  Louisa's voice called, "Nicolette, dear. Hope that's you."

  The sound of her wheels came, then she was in the

  hallway. Her face lit with joy when she saw Heath. "Oh my

  word, it can't be! Heath King, come here and give me a hug."

  Heath laughed and bent down to obey her command.

  Nicolette could tell he purposely held her loosely, as if afraid

  he'd crush her brittle bones.

  "Louisa," he said as he straightened. "As pretty as ever."

  "Oh, Heath. You're such a charmer. Come in, please."

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  They followed her chair into the living room. Her house

  smelled of pine from the cleaning her provider must have

  given it that morning.

  Louisa motioned Nicolette and Heath to sit on the sofa. As

  they eased into the cushions, she asked, "Are you in town for

  the holidays, Heath? I'm sorry about your father. He was a

  good man."

  "Yes. Thank you. We all miss him terribly." Heath's face

  became inscrutable and he seemed in deep thought for a

  moment before his expression cleared. "I'm sorry I haven't

  been over to see you during my last few visits."

  "Oh, don't worry about that." Louisa waved away his

  apology. "I know you're busy. I also know how difficult it

  must be for you. Being here. With Rudy gone. You two were

  like Mike and Ike growing up."

  Heath laughed. "I'm sure you went a little nuts with us

  underfoot all the time."

  Louisa's smile was wistful. "I did. And it was wonderful."

  Nicolette cleared her throat, pushing back the poignancy

  that rose. "How are you feeling today?" She peered closely at

  Louisa's face, looking for signs of pain. Her eyes were clear,

  her smile relaxed. She must have had a good day.

  "I feel fine, dear. Don't worry about me." She turned to

  Heath. "Nicolette is an angel, I swear. My Rudy was blessed

  to have her, as am I. Did you know she takes time out of her

  busy schedule to come and see me almost every day? Cooks

  for me, visits, runs errands. I don't know what I would do

  without this girl, I tell you. Nancy, my provider, comes in

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  seven days a week to clean and do things for me I can no

  longer do, but still, my Nicolette here pitches in."

  "That's very nice of her." Heath flashed Nicolette a smile,

  and her heart sped up. "You don't have to tell me how terrific

  she is."

  "I'm sure I don't. Everyone who knows her loves her."

  Right. Other than the blackmailer, my husband's

  killer...and Heath.

  "You don't need to make dinner for me, if that's why

  you're here," Louisa said. "Nancy left chicken salad in the

  fridge. I'll just have that, and the two of you can go have a

  nice evening, relax."

  Nicolette shook her head. "No way. I made a meatloaf and

  left it in your freezer. Thought I'd heat that up and throw

  together a few side dishes for our dinner. Does that sound

  okay?"

  "You two are staying to eat with me?"

  "Absolutely." Nicolette stood and smiled down at her. "I'll

  get started."

  Louisa clapped her hands together. "How lovely!" The TV

  was playing a game show and Louisa picked up the remote

  and shut it off. "Heath, let's catch up while we're waiting for

  dinner." She looked up at Nicolette. "Unless you need help?"

  "I have it under control. You two chat. Dinner will be ready

  in half an hour."

  In the kitchen, Nicolette took the meatloaf from the

  freezer, then slid it into the oven. While it heated, she opened

  canned green beans and wrapped baked potatoes in wet

  paper towels and plastic wrap to cook them in the microwave.

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  Louisa and Heath's conversation filtered to her ears. At

  first, they reminisced about the boys' childhood, then Heath

  asked, "Did you see much of Rudy in the days leading up to

  his accident?"

  "Yes. Sure. I saw him every few days. He was just like

  Nicolette. Very attentive to me."

  "Did he seem...different in any way those last few times?

  Like anything was troubling him?"

  Great. Heath was interrogating Rudy's mother. Nicolette

  took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew Heath

  would never hurt Louisa. He'd be gentle and was only trying

  to gather information to stop a blackmailer. She had to let

  him do his job.

  "No. He seemed normal." There was a pause, then, "Are

  you trying to find out who killed him? Do you really believe it

  wasn't an accident?"

  Heath also paused before saying, "I don't know, Louisa.

  That's what I'm trying to figure out."

  Of course he wouldn't say he was also trying to stop a

  blackmailer. One very small plus to the suspicions

  surrounding Rudy's death was that it made a good cover for

  asking questions, without revealing the information about the

  blackmailer.

  Heath and Louisa spoke for a little while longer. Heath

  didn't probe much, and Louisa seemed to be enjoying their

  conversation.

  During dinner, they kept the conversation light. Louisa and

  Heath complimented Nicolette's cooking, but joked about the

  hours she must have toiled microwaving 'baked' potatoes.

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  "How would you two like to look at some old pictures?"

  Louisa asked while Heath helped her back into the wheelchair.

  "Sure," Nicolette said. "I'll get them down from the closet."

  "I'll help you," Heath offered.

  Louisa pushed into the living room while Heath followed

  Nicolette to the back of the house.

  "They're in here." She led him to the guestroom, glad they

  weren't kept in Rudy's old room. She still hadn't been able to

  go in there.

  Heath cut his eyes toward Rudy's closed door as they

  passed and once again, that drawn look of pain appeared

  briefly on his face.

  In the guestroom, Nicolette stood on her tiptoes in the

  closet, reaching for the albums on the top shelf. She

  managed to touch one with the tip of her fingers, but couldn't

  pull it all the way down.

  "Here, let me."

  Heath didn't give her a chance to move out of the way; he

  stretched up and over her from behind. His clothing brushed

  against hers. She felt the heat from his body along her

  backside. She held her breath, waiting for him to move as he

  fished the album down.

  He held it out to her, and she took it, meeting his eyes

  over her shoulder. "Thanks." Tremors ran through her, along

  her skin and into her voice.

  His eyes dropped to her mouth. He gave a short nod. "If

  you'll move, I can get the rest of them."

  No. I want to stay right here, near you.

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  "Right." She stepped around him, and he snatched the

  remaining photo albums from the shelf.

  They returned to the living room in silence. Louisa had

  maneuvered onto the couch, and they sat on either side of

  her as she thumbed through the albums.

  Many of the photos included Heath, and Nicolette once

  more became aware of how close he and Rudy were, of how

  wrong it seemed to want Heath now.

  Louisa pointed at a photo of the two boys in swimming

  trunks, holding Popsicles that melted and dripped over their

  thin chests. Nicolette laughed, but it died in her throat as she

  caught Heath's gaze over Louisa's head. His smile was maybe

  an eight on the Richter scale, but his laugh...the flash of

  white teeth, crinkles at the corners of those spectacular

  eyes...the rich sound that rumbled from his chest. That was

  totally off the scale and it made her job of resisting Heath

  King even tougher.

  She forced her gaze away from him and back to the

  albums. After several more minutes and several more photos,

  they'd finally reached the end.

  Louisa closed the last album and looked at Heath, then

  sighed. "I miss my son, but somehow knowing you're around,

  Heath, taking care of my Nicolette, makes me miss him not

  quite as much."

  They said goodbye to Louisa, after she extracted a promise

  from them to visit again soon.

  In addition to his disturbing attraction to Nicolette, a sense

  of sadness and nostalgia stayed with Heath as they drove

  away. He and Rudy had shared a lot of good times at that

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  house, in this neighborhood, and down at the corner lot

  where they'd endlessly played baseball or football, depending

  on the weather. Sometimes they gathered neighborhood kids

  and made a game out of it. Other times, it was just the two of

  them, passing a football back and forth, or Heath pitching a

  baseball while Rudy squatted in a catcher's pose. Heath would

  burn it in as hard as he could, and Rudy never complained,

  but he exacted revenge when it was time to toss the pigskin.

  Back then, to a younger and much smaller Heath, it seemed

  Rudy had an arm like Joe Montana.

  The times weren't all good ones. He and Rudy had their

  share of fights. Sometimes over whether one or the other had