Clear Intent

by Diane Benefiel

  “No, I don’t think you will.”

  Adrian let out a deep sigh. “Good, ’cause I was worried.”

  A cat came around the corner of the house and approached Adrian to rub its face on the boy’s knee. He dropped the stick and rose to scoop up the orange and white tabby. “This is Tigger,” he told Jack. He held the cat cradled in his arms like a baby. “Mom’s inside.”

  “Thanks.”

  Adrian carried the cat around the house, and Jack dropped his head in his hands. God, he hoped he hadn’t screwed things up. The screen door behind him opened and he rose to his feet, his heart jolting when he spotted Dory standing in the open doorway brushing tears from her cheeks. Like they always had, the sight of Dory’s tears made him feel like his heart was being ripped right out of his chest.

  He climbed the steps, but when he stood before her and the tears kept coming, he raised his hand, then let it fall uselessly. “Jesus, Dory. Don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

  She wiped at the tears with the back of her hand. “For what?”

  “For fucking it up with Adrian, or whatever you want me to be sorry for. It doesn’t matter. Just don’t cry.”

  An apology wasn’t going to make it better, because her eyes continued fill. “I thought Rodrigo had only hit Adrian that one time, the time that made me decide to leave him.” She pulled a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. “Adrian was only six, and Rodrigo was hurting him. He was hurting my baby and I didn’t know.”

  “He probably knew you’d leave him, which you did when you found out.”

  Jack wished he had the right to pull her into his embrace and soothe her pain. But she held herself stiffly, like the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. “Don’t blame yourself, Dory. You didn’t ask for Rod to abuse you.”

  “Do you remember that time you came out when the neighbors called? I was eight months pregnant with Adrian.”

  “Yeah, I remember. You were living in that duplex west of Main Street.”

  “You hadn’t come to the wedding, so I don’t think I’d seen you for over a year. And then all of a sudden, there you were in your police uniform. I knew you’d joined the department, but somehow it was worse that it was you who got out of that police car.”

  He didn’t let the hit show. “Not much I could do about that. Dispatch sent me, so I went. Didn’t know it was you and Rod until I got there.”

  “I was so embarrassed.”

  “Jesus Christ, Dory. You had a knot on your forehead where the fucker had hit you, and you were embarrassed?”

  She nodded slowly. “I didn’t want you to know how it was with us. At first I thought you’d take Rodrigo’s side because you’d been his friend, but you didn’t. You were so kind, telling me you would take me to the hospital to get checked out, and then to my parents’ house. And all I wanted to do was crawl under a rock somewhere and hide.”

  “You said you’d walked into a door.” And there hadn’t been a single fucking thing he could do about it when she’d sworn there was no problem. He’d had to let her go back into that house with the monster.

  Dory bent her head. “It’s incredible the narrative you tell yourself. He didn’t mean to hit me, or if I don’t make him angry, he won’t hit me. Or the biggest joke of them all, he won’t hit me once the baby is born. That we’ll be that happy family I fantasized about.”

  “But he did.”

  “I think I had a week after Adrian and I came home from the hospital.” She let out a shuddering breath. But when she raised her gaze again, her eyes were dry. “I’m done with that now. I’ll never be hurt like that again.”

  “Good.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You don’t need to thank me for anything.”

  “I do. You talked to Adrian about something I didn’t even know had happened. I don’t think he’s even told his therapist that Rodrigo beat him.” She narrowed her gaze. “I’m beginning to wonder if I missed a lot of what you’ve done.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She gave him a searching look, then stepped back. “Do you want to come in?”

  He followed her into the house. The smell of something savory cooking made his stomach growl. The little house was a basic shotgun design, with the living room to the right of the door and a hallway straight ahead opening to a kitchen area and the back door. He glanced into the bedrooms that opened off the hallway as he passed. One had a twin bed with a brightly colored quilt and toys scattered on the floor, the other a neatly made four-poster bed.

  “I’m guessing you didn’t come by to pay Adrian a visit.” She glanced out the back window. Jack followed her gaze to see Adrian sitting on a swing hanging from a tree branch, pushing against the ground with a sneakered foot to get himself moving.

  “Dory.”

  Something must have given him away because her head jerked. “What?”

  “Rod’s part of a crew working the Lodgepole Fire.”

  “Lodgepole? Where’s that?” Even as she uttered the words, understanding crossed her face and she drew in a quick breath. “Is that what they’re calling this fire?” She waved a hand to the north. He nodded, and the blood left her face. “It’s only a few miles away.”

  When he nodded again, she turned away from him, her shoulders hunched much like Adrian’s had been when Jack first arrived. “He’s super—”

  He opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it.

  “Don’t.” She whipped around to face him. “Don’t tell me he’s supervised, that he’s no danger to me or to Adrian. I don’t trust him, and you shouldn’t either. He’s calculating, and I think he must have developed patience for the first time in his life. Because he’s going to bide his time, and when he has the opportunity, he’ll go for it.”

  Jack shook his head. “Why don’t you come in and talk to me and Brad so we can put together a plan to keep you safe?”

  She moved to the cooktop and flicked off the burner under a pot that had been bubbling. “Fine, I’ll do that.” Her words sounded as sharp as slicing knives.

  “Look, I’m not sure why you’re pissed with me. I told you I’d keep you safe from that bastard and I will.”

  She picked up a dishtowel, seemingly unaware when she began twisting it in her hands. “How are you going to do that, Jack? Rodrigo never cared much about Adrian other than as a possession, but he’ll use him to get to me, to hurt me again.”

  Jack rubbed a thumb against the spike of pain at his temple. He had to push back on the instinct to hunt down Rodrigo and make sure the asshole never caused Dory another moment of worry. As much as he was proud of the badge he wore, sometimes it limited his options. “Come stay with me. You and Adrian can stay at my house until you feel safe.”

  “Do you have beds for two house guests, Jack?”

  “No. Shit. Okay, then I’ll stay with you. I can sleep on the couch.”

  She uttered a short laugh. “Right, all six foot six of you. You’d be miserable.”

  “Maybe, but you’ll feel safer. Or I can order beds and mattresses for you and Adrian and have them delivered to my house.”

  She filled a glass with water, then opened a cupboard and took out a small bottle. Shaking out three pills, she held out her hand to him.

  He looked at her questioningly.

  “You have a headache.” He stretched out his palm for the pills and took the glass she offered. He swallowed down the pain meds. He’d never thought he needed someone to take care of him, but he had to admit, it felt good.

  He glanced out the window again. The swing under the tree sat empty. “I’ve got to get back to work. I’ll talk to Brad and contact you with a time to come in and work out a plan to keep you safe.”

  Dory walked with him to the door. He heard her quickly indrawn breath when they stepped out, and when he looked up, he understood why. In the short time he’d been in the house, the wind had shifted and smoke from the fire now covered the entire northern sky, dark and ominous. A re
d and white DC-10 flew from the east toward the towering cloud, joining a smaller propeller-driven plane going the same direction. With the wind blowing, he had a bad feeling about the direction of the fire.

  Chapter Eight

  Dory stepped into the Hangman’s Best Café and Bakery, breathing deep the wonderful aromas of cinnamon and coffee. Main Street was lined with fire trucks from towns and cities across the western United States.

  Declan Murphy stood inside the door, phone to his ear. He gave her a distracted nod, pointing to a table across the room. Dory waved to Declan’s wife, Meg, who sat with Emma in a booth, before going to the counter to order.

  “Hello, friends,” she greeted them as she set down her iced tea and cranberry orange muffin at the table. “Where’s Maddy?”

  “Minor twin crisis. She said she’ll be a few minutes late,” Emma said as she offered her son a bite from the quiche in front of her.

  Getting together with her girlfriends was one of the highlights of Dory’s week. Adrian was spending the morning with his grandfather working on their current birdfeeder project.

  For most townspeople it was still business as usual, despite smoke filling their little valley with a brown haze. The news about the Lodgepole Fire was that it had been burning west into the backcountry, but was beginning to turn south, gobbling up tall pines and grassy meadows with terrifying ferocity. A few cabins and a campground had been burned, and if the fire kept moving in the direction it was going, the town of Hangman’s Loss would be directly in its path.

  “Anyone hear the latest about the fire?” Dory asked.

  “Not sure.” Meg nodded in the direction of her husband. “Declan got a call when we came in and now he’s got his cop face on. Brad recruited him as a reserve officer so if there’s an emergency he’ll get called to duty. The call could be about the fire, so we’ll see what he says.”

  Emma’s toddler Owen banged a plastic spoon on the tray of his high chair that was strewn with Cheerios. Both Emma and Meg had mini quiches in front of them, Emma with a mug of herbal tea, and Meg with a cappuccino. Dory broke off a corner of her muffin and set it on Owen’s tray. He smiled his toothy smile, his green eyes glowing with mischief, then proceeded to mash the piece of muffin with his spoon.

  Dory leaned back against the seat and tried to ease the tension that kept her shoulder and neck muscles tight. “Did you all hear about Rodrigo?”

  Emma nodded. “Brad told me. It made me mad that he can be so close, so I can only imagine how you feel.”

  “I must be out of the loop.” Meg, her curly black hair pulled back in a stubby ponytail, rested her chin on her hand.

  “Rodrigo is on a fire crew assigned to the Lodgepole Fire,” Dory told her.

  “How can that be? Aren’t there rules keeping him away from the location where he committed his crimes?”

  “If there is, I don’t know about it.” Dory made an effort to shake off the sense of foreboding. “Let’s talk about something else.” She pointed an accusatory finger at Meg. “You’re responsible for these bags under my eyes.”

  “You never have bags under your eyes, dang you, but you can tell us why you think you have bags under your eyes.”

  “I read Book Two of The Darkening of Ardenstal series, and it kept me up until nearly one when I finally finished. That’s one in the morning, pal. I couldn’t put it down, and it took great forbearance not to open Book Three when it’s sitting there in my e-reader.”

  “I know exactly how you feel,” Emma said. “I’m still on Book One, and I try to read for a few minutes when Owen is napping, but it’s never enough.”

  “Aw, thanks, guys. It makes me happy that you’re enjoying my books.” Meg lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Guess what?”

  Dory laid a hand over her heart. “You’re pregnant?”

  “No.” Meg glanced across the dining room at Declan. “At least I don’t think so. That’s not what I was going to tell you. But, since you mentioned it, I am three days late for my period. I told Dex this morning that there’s an itty-bitty chance we might be pregnant, and let’s just say he was, um, enthusiastically demonstrative over the possibility.” Her cheeks turned rosy with her admission.

  “You two are so cute,” Dory sighed. “And I love that everyone is having babies.”

  “Nothing’s for sure, so don’t say anything. I’ve been late before.”

  “I’ve got an extra pregnancy test if you want to come by my house later and pick it up,” Emma said. “They came as a two-pack, but I only needed the one to let me know Gallagher bambino number two is on the way.”

  Meg bit her lip. “I was going to wait a week or so. Should I wait? Will the test be accurate so early?”

  Emma nodded. “Take it from me, you can take the test as soon as you’re late for your period.”

  “Okay.” Meg took a deep breath. “Talking about it makes it seem more real. I’ll come by later to get the test, so I’ll know for sure. But that wasn’t what I was going to tell you.”

  “Okay, then spill.” Dory took the Cheerio Owen offered her with pudgy fingers.

  “I got a call from my agent yesterday. She says an entertainment company wants to buy the rights to my series.”

  “Oh my gosh, that’s incredible.” Dory grabbed Meg in a hug. “Are we talking major motion picture, or what?”

  “More like a series on a streaming service. Talks are still preliminary, but the company is really interested.”

  The three women clinked their cups in celebration as the bell over the café door tinkled and Logan came in pushing a double stroller, followed by Maddy. Logan stopped to talk with Declan while Maddy took over the stroller and pushed it to the booth. She parked it next to the high chair, and Owen promptly began dropping Cheerios on his cousins, saying “uh-oh” every time he let one go.

  Maddy collapsed into the seat next to Emma. “I’m a cow,” she announced.

  Dory thought there might be something sticky in Maddy’s blonde hair but decided there wasn’t any point in mentioning it. “You don’t look like a cow.”

  Maddy pointed at her breasts. “These here are my udders. My only role in life is to produce milk for these two insatiable monsters.”

  Dory glanced at the monsters. Keely busily gnawed on a bright green teething ring, while her brother Mason giggled his adorable baby giggle as Owen dropped another Cheerio. “You’re doing a good job being a cow then, because these two look happy and healthy.”

  Maddy groaned but perked up when her cousin Eva came through the swinging door from the kitchen carrying a tall glass tinkling with ice.

  “Here, Maddy, I made a pitcher of decaf iced tea for you.” She set it on the table in front of Maddy.

  Maddy picked up the glass and drained a quarter of it in one gulp. “I’ve been nothing but thirsty since I started breastfeeding. Thanks, Eva. Any news about the fire?”

  Eva nodded, pulling her phone from her back pocket. “Here’s my last text from Diego. ‘Change in wind direction, fire moving southwest. CM and BA evacuations.’ I’m not sure what CM and BA are.”

  “Oh no.” Dory sat up in her seat. “That’s the Circle M and the Broken Arrow ranches. I wonder if they need horse trailers.” She pulled her phone out, swiped and tapped, and in seconds was listening to ringing on the other end. After four rings, Jack’s voice told her to leave a message and he’d get back to her. “Jack, it’s Dory. I heard about the evacuations. Dad has a horse trailer. I could borrow his truck and bring it if you and Garrett need help.” She disconnected, another layer of worry overlaying the one she already carried.

  Logan and Declan approached the table. Declan spoke in his gruff voice. “Just got off the phone with Eli at the Broken Arrow. They’re already loading trailers with his horses and taking them to the stables at the fairgrounds.”

  Logan reached down to take Mason’s chubby hand when the baby waved at him. “That takes care of his horses, but between the Broken Arrow and the Circle M, there are too many head of ca
ttle to move. Circle M’s in the path of the fire first. Garrett and Jack may have to cut fence line and give their cattle a chance to run.”

  Dory hurriedly finished her muffin. She wasn’t waiting for Jack to get back to her. “I’m going to get my dad’s truck and trailer. If Jack doesn’t need help, I can help Eli and Gwen.”

  “Hold on a minute,” Emma suggested. “Brad is on his way over here. Let’s hear what the official evacuation plan is before jumping in.”

  Dory sat back in her seat. Waiting was hard, but Emma was right. At least she didn’t have to wait for long, because the bell tinkled again as the door swung open. Jack walked through the door with Bradley Gallagher, and Dory’s heart gave a hard jolt, and she took it like a warning shot.

  No, no, no. She couldn’t be falling for Jack. Because falling for Jack meant loving Jack, and no way was she going there again. Ever. But that caution couldn’t seem to stop her heart from giving a second, even stronger jolt when Jack’s gaze did that tracking beam thing again, locking on her in a way that made her think they were the only two people in the room. Maybe it wasn’t only Jack, she thought frantically. There were four super-hot, super-sexy men standing within five feet of her. That was more than enough testosterone to give any woman’s heart a pick-me-up.

  When Dory finally unlocked her gaze from Jack’s, she found Maddy busily fanning herself with her hands. She leaned across the table and, pitching her voice below the conversations going on among the group, whispered, “Oh my god. I think I could get pregnant from watching you two looking at each other, and trust me, two kids are enough for the time being.”

  Dory let out a nervous laugh and was saved from responding when Brad spoke with his easy authority.

  “Here’s the deal, folks. We’re gearing up to handle the Lodgepole Fire. It appears to be heading our way, and all first responders are being called to duty. The stables and corrals at the fairgrounds are already accepting livestock from ranchers. Our city fire crew is coordinating with Cal Fire. Like with the last fire, the high school will be the base camp for fire personnel, and the Red Cross will be using the middle school as an evacuation center, should it be needed.” He paused, gazing around the group. “This fire is—”