Allison Russell could hardly believe her eyes

Del Rickman. Here, in Crystal Creek. And all she could do was stutter and stare. Great, she thought. She’d spent all these years thinking about him, hoping they would meet again, and he’d simply walked back into her life like magic. She should have introduced herself, said something. But what did you say to a walking, talking memory that suddenly appeared in front of you like a ghost from the past?

She’d had a crush on him all those years ago. After all, he’d been the strong FBI agent who had found her and delivered her into the safety of her daddy’s arms. A hero. Her hero. Del had risked his life to keep her from harm, and Allison never forgot that day or him. At first she’d idolized him, but as she matured, he became a symbol of a turning point in her life. The experience of being kidnapped changed Allie forever. She discovered a determination she never knew she possessed and a new attitude about what was important in her future.

None of that would have happened if Del hadn’t come into her life. She’d once promised herself that if she ever got the chance to express her gratitude in person, she would. And while she was delighted that she now had this opportunity, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing in Crystal Creek.

Dear Reader,

Years ago I was privileged to be part of the talented group of authors who brought Crystal Creek and all its wonderful characters to life. Creating two stories for the series was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career and I am delighted to revisit our little fictional part of Texas. This trip down memory lane also gave me the opportunity to discover what had happened to two of my characters from Somewhere Other Than the Night, Allison Russell and Del Rickman.

Allison was a teenager the last time she saw Del, and he was the FBI agent in charge when she was kidnapped. They’ve both changed a lot since then and both have new lives, new dreams. Allison has become a confident, determined woman very mature for her age, and Del has left the dark world of law enforcement behind for the greener pastures of a new business. When they meet again it's no longer as victim and rescuer, but as man and woman.

I hope you enjoy this return to Crystal Creek as much as I have.

Happy reading,

Sandy Steen

Meet Me in Texas
Sandy Steen

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To the memory of Sandra Canfield, a great talent

and a good friend lost much too soon,

and

To Bethany Campbell, fellow conspirator, life saver

and keeper of all things Crystal Creek

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER ONE

DEL RICKMAN LEANED against the hood of his pickup truck, filled his lungs with cool, Hill Country air, then released it in a slow sigh of satisfaction. Dusk was settling in, promising a cold, starry night, and he felt good right down to his favorite pair of cowboy boots. Better than he’d felt in a long, long time. On the seat of his truck, tucked into a nice, neat legal portfolio, were three deeds. One for the house he’d bought at the edge of town. One for the lumberyard situated not twenty yards from where he stood. The third was for an acre of undeveloped land he hoped to build on one day. In the growing twilight, truthfully even in the daylight, the property wasn’t much to covet, but when Del looked at the abandoned business, he saw his future. A yard stocked with timber from environmentally managed forests, not hacked down with no thought to replanting. He saw bales of construction straw just waiting to be covered with adobe in some sprawling Southwestern-style home or new office complex. At one end of the property he envisioned a small nursery featuring native Texas plants and organic seedlings. Another section of the yard would be given over to a variety of salvaged items such as wood flooring, banisters, mantels, columns and architectural embellishments rescued from the wrath of the wrecking ball. There would also be the latest in “green” construction materials. Whatever was good for the environment would be for sale at Evergreen, Inc. This was the beginning of a whole new life for Del, and one he was anxious to start. So anxious, in fact, that even though his furniture wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow, tonight he would sleep in his new home. He was back in Crystal Creek to stay.

Almost thirteen years had sped by since the first time he’d driven into this small Hill Country town. He’d been a young agent then, barely twenty-six, confident—some said too confident—full of ambition and eager to impress the bureau his first time out as Special Agent In Charge. Twelve-year-old Allie Russell had been taken by a man out for revenge against her stepmother, Lynn McKinney Russell. Del had no trouble recalling the perpetrator, a boozy cowboy with a mean streak a mile wide. In fact, everything about that time was still clear in his mind, and not just because it had been his first case, his first kidnap victim, first time in the Texas Hill Country, but because he’d never forgotten the way the townspeople and half the countryside had turned out to help search, especially the McKinney family. Sam Russell and his wife’s father and brothers had led groups of men on horseback to look for Allie, while the rest of the family provided the moral support needed to make it through such a harrowing situation. That sense of community and commitment had left a lasting impression on Del and flavored his passion to make this part of Texas his home some day.

And so, he had returned. Only this time, he was a man with a dream. But he wasn’t so starry-eyed that he was blind to reality. At the heart of the Hill Country was a good-old-boy, if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it mentality. Throw in lone-wolf attitudes and the result was hard heads and an even harder acceptance of anything new. If there was one glitch in his plans, that was it. Would the citizens of Crystal Creek welcome his ideas? Or would they treat him as an outsider with newfangled, unproven methods? Would the good old boys circle the wagons, so to speak, making sure he was on the outside? He’d received handshakes and pats on the back when he rescued the Russell girl, but as far as the locals were concerned, he was a “big-city boy.” These were good people, but they did tend to resist anything that challenged the tried-and-true. And that was exactly what Del hoped to do: change attitudes. Not radically, of course. He wasn’t that much of a dreamer. But if he could make inroads into traditional methods of construction and carve out a niche for himself with his “green” products, he would consider himself successful.

Del watched the last glimmer of twilight give way to night and thought about how much his life had changed in the last three years. He’d once thought the definition of success was working his way to the top of the FBI, possibly as a deputy director, living in Washington, D.C. Now he was excited about living in the heart of Texas, starting a new venture totally out of his comfort zone. But that decision hadn’t come without negative feedback from friends and coworkers. After all, they said, he’d been in law enforcement all his adult life, what did he know about running a lumberyard? And wasn’t it a big risk to sink all of his hard-earned money into the venture?

Surprisingly, the comments served to validate his decision because they proved there were only a handful of people that knew him well enough to know he had a background in woodworking and home repair, along with a deep-seated concern for the environment. Or that he had been saving and investing wisely over the last twenty years for just such a risk. Handful? What was he thinking? He could count his real friends on the fingers of one hand and have a couple of fingers left over. And that small group all agreed on one thing: Del Rickman was an intensely private person. So while his friends supported his decision, they must have seriously wondered if that trait might work against him in his new life.

And maybe their concerns were valid but that hadn’t stopped him from pursuing his dream, because he knew what they didn’t: it was either get out of the FBI or risk losing what was left of his sanity.

His last three years with the bureau had been a slow descent into utter frustration, absolute disgust and deepening loneliness. Frustration with the ever-increasing amount of legal maneuvering and paperwork required to bring a case to court, and disgust that all that work was often tossed aside in the blink of an eye because some drug dealer or rapist yelled that his civil rights had been violated or his lawyer found a legal loophole. It was bad enough to slowly lose faith in the law and a career he had loved, to look in the mirror each day and watch himself gradually burn out, but the loneliness that weighed like an anchor around his neck was even worse. While he had the satisfaction of knowing he’d done a good job for the bureau from day one, it became harder and harder to go home each night to an empty house and an empty bed. An empty life.

And then came the case that tested all his resolve and skill. The one that should have ended with a murderer behind bars for good and a little girl alive, but instead ended with heartache and pain for everyone concerned. Memories as dark and threatening as a winter storm washed over Del and he shuddered.

He knew he’d done everything by the book, but something had happened to him that day. Something snapped deep inside him and he knew he couldn’t do his job anymore. No vacation, no transfer could make it right. A child had died while he was in charge, and the suspects had gone free on a technicality. The system had failed before; it was one of the downsides to the job. But this time was different. He was different. He no longer trusted the system.

He asked for early retirement that same week, and the minute the papers were processed he was gone. No retirement party. No goodbye night out with the boys. It didn’t even matter that the suspects had sworn revenge because he’d killed two of their number, their “family.” The use of the word made Del sick to his stomach. The assortment of killers, rapists, wife beaters and thieves, all with the last name of Borden, had destroyed a real family when they murdered an eight-year-old girl whose only crime was to be born to rich parents. When it was over, Del simply wanted to put that part of his life behind him. It was easy enough to accomplish during the daylight hours. All it took was fierce determination. The night, however, was another matter. Haunted by the image of the little girl he couldn’t save, he suffered nightmares. Even when Derek, the leader of the Bordens, was caught two months later, tried, convicted of burglary and assault and sentenced to twenty-five years, it didn’t take the sting out of the fact that he’d murdered a child and gotten away with it.

Suddenly, Del shoved himself away from the hood of his truck, straightened his shoulders and drew his lightweight jacket closer. He didn’t want to think about a past he couldn’t change. He’d survived, and now he intended to live for the future, applying the same drive that had propelled him to top agent to this new venture. And dark or not, there was no time like the present to begin. Besides, it was the last week of October, and he wanted Evergreen to be ready for the spring.

He retrieved a portable high-intensity spotlight from the truck and walked off to inspect his property. But he’d better make it a fast look-see, he decided. A shadowy figure and strange light might attract unwanted attention, and he had no wish to start off his new life with an encounter with the local police.

While he’d waited for the former owner’s bankruptcy procedure to clear the courts, Del had seen dozens of photos, plot plans and diagrams of the property, but he’d only actually visited the site during a preliminary inspection almost three months earlier. The final details had been handled through an agent out of Austin. Not that Del wanted to appear devious and secretive, but it was important to keep everything low key, at least until he had officially sealed the deal. He’d simply wanted to avoid any gossip that might lead to confrontations right off the bat. Now the property was his, and Monday his crew would arrive to start renovations. Evergreen wouldn’t be a secret then. A surprise, maybe, but soon everyone would understand his commitment to the project and to becoming a citizen of Crystal Creek.

Del had spent months finding the right architect to work for him, and the building plans were just waiting for his final approval. But there was a lot of preliminary work to be done before construction began.

“A lot of work,” he said. “Beginning with…” He walked over to the real estate agency’s For Sale sign, yanked it out of the ground and tossed it into the bed of the pickup. Then he aimed his light on a pile of weathered and rotting timbers, junk metal and God knew what else, at least ten feet high and twenty feet across.

He approached the pile carefully, knowing it had been there long before his original walk-through and probably was home to any number of critters, not to mention the fact it might be unstable. Del stopped at the edge, listened for a second, then stomped hard on the ground and quickly stepped back to see what might scurry out. Sure enough, at least two field mice, a host of lizards and one good-size scorpion ran for their lives. He pulled a couple of boards from the middle of the stack to see if it would collapse. It didn’t, but something whimpered beneath it.

The sound was faint, but definitely a whimper of pain.

This time Del stepped gently on the wood pile itself. The whimper was accompanied by a whine.

There was some kind of hurt animal under there, and without concern for himself, Dell began flinging lumber aside, pausing every few seconds to shine the spotlight down among the debris and listen. The whimper came again, and now he was almost positive the animal sounded like a dog, or possibly a coyote. As he worked, the pile shifted precariously, sending pieces of wood and metal sliding to the ground. It was easy to understand how an animal, probably seeking shelter, could have gotten trapped.

“Hang on,” Del said. “I’m almost there.”

A moment later, he yanked two timbers away and saw something move at the bottom of the pile. Gripping the strap of the spotlight between his teeth, he began working feverishly with both hands. Finally he removed enough wood that he could see the head, neck and muzzle of a dog.

“Well, hey there, fella,” Del said softly. “You’re lucky I came along because it looks like you’ve got yourself in a mess.”

The unmistakable sound of a tail thumping was the response.

“Atta boy. Just hang on, Lucky.” The name sounded appropriate under the circumstances.

The next few minutes passed like hours as Del carefully shifted and pried away broken wood and rusted metal in order to reach the dog without causing a collapse. Finally, he succeeded in clearing a break in the pile wide enough to pull the animal to freedom, but the dog’s hindquarters and back legs were trapped beneath what looked to be part of a telephone pole. Now able to see at least two thirds of the body, he didn’t have to be a vet to realize the dog was in bad shape. There was a nasty gash on his right shoulder, caked with blood, and he was obviously near starvation.

“Oh, man. You’re not in a mess, you are one. Easy, Lucky.” Tentatively, Del reached out his hand, fully expecting a snarl or a nip, but the dog stared up at him without any sign of anxiety or malice. Satisfied he wasn’t about to lose a couple of fingers, Del lightly stroked the dog’s head between the ears. “That’s it, easy now. You just lie still and I’ll have you out in a jiffy.”

The dog’s soft brown eyes blinked once, then he sighed, as if to say, “Thanks. I trust you.”

“Okay, boy, I’m gonna help you, but you’ve gotta stay calm. Don’t try to get out. I need to find something—” Del probed the surrounding darkness with the spotlight “—to use for leverage. Something…” The circle of light fell on a stack of metal bars lying near the back fence. “Bingo.”

The square metal fence posts were tightly wired into bundles of ten. They were so heavily rusted, it took some effort to remove two of them. Del hurried back to the dog, hoping the posts weren’t rusted through. Squatting beside the pile, he set the light on the ground so he could use both hands.

“See,” he told the dog, whose tail had started thumping the instant he saw Del again. “Don’t worry, fella.” He gave the animal another reassuring stroke. “This is gonna work. Now, I have to touch your hip—” The dog winced, tried to lift his head. “Easy. I wouldn’t hurt you for the world, but I gotta get this pile stabilized so I can get you out, okay?”

The dog stared at him for a moment, then laid his head back down.

“Good boy. Okay now, hold real still, Lucky.”

As Del carefully worked the two bars under the telephone pole, an unexpected thought popped into his head. “You know what my friends at the bureau would say if they could see me now?” he said out loud. “Me, the guy that never owned a dog, a cat or even a plant, and here I am, my hands full of splinters and worried over the fate of a mutt that will probably bite me when I finally get him free, or run like hell without so much as a backward glance.”

Satisfied he had the metal bars wedged under the pole as securely as possible, Del rocked back on his heels. Despite the fact that the air was now cold enough to frost his breath, the exertion had him sweating. “They’d say I’m an idiot for talking to a dog. They’d say I was asking for trouble and a big vet bill for an animal I don’t even own. And they’d be right.”

The dog lifted his head again and Del had the strangest feeling the animal understood every word he was saying. “Now—” he rested his hand on Lucky’s head “—be very still.” Carefully, he eased the animal out from beneath the levered pole and lowered him onto the ground, away from the junk pile. The dog lifted his head, but didn’t try to stand. He was thin for his size, and probably dehydrated, Del suspected. “Well, Lucky, you’re out. Now we gotta get you to a doctor.”

And just where would he find a vet at—he checked his watch—eight o’clock on a Saturday night. Austin was bound to have an emergency animal clinic, but it was forty miles away. He pulled out his cell phone to call the police, but thought better of it. The last thing he needed was to announce his arrival and new business by way of a police report. The gossips would burn up the wires spreading that news. The only person in Crystal Creek he knew well enough to call was Sam Russell. Sam was a dentist, but he’d know where to go for help. Del called information for the phone number then dialed.

“It’s your quarter, start talking,” answered a youthful male voice.

“Excuse me?” Del heard a muffled command in the background.

“Russell residence,” the boy stated.

“Could I speak with Dr. Russell, please?”

“Yeah—” More muffled sounds. “Yes, sir, just a moment.”

The boy must be young Hank Russell, born the day his sister Allie had been safely returned to the family. Del grinned remembering his own teenage years when slang was the bane of his parents’ existence.

“This is Dr. Russell,” a more mature male voice announced. “Can I help you?”

The response was so automatic for Del that the words were out before he realized it. “This is Agent Rickman of the FBI—”

“Del Rickman! What a surprise. How are you?”

“Fine, thanks.”

“This is such a coincidence. Lynn and I were just talking about you one day last week, wondering how you were and where you were.”

“Actually, I’m in Crystal Creek, and—”

“You’re kidding! Well, great, we’d love to see you.”

“Yeah, I’d like that, too, but the main reason I’m calling is that I need your help. I found a dog under a pile of lumber and I need the name of a local vet right away.”

“I see,” Sam replied, all business now. “He’s hurt bad, then?”

“I think so. There’s a lot of blood.” Del stroked Lucky’s head while he talked.

“Okay. Hill Country Veterinary Clinic. Have you got a pencil for directions?”

“Just tell me. I’ll remember.”

Seconds later Sam ended his directions. “It’s a two-story redbrick building. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks, Sam. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Oh, by the way—”

Del didn’t hear the rest. He’d cut Sam off, but it couldn’t be helped. He had no idea how serious the dog’s injuries were. It might already be too late to save him, but Del had to try.

In less than fifteen minutes he’d wrapped the dog in an old moving blanket he kept in the metal tool-box mounted in the bed of his truck, carefully placed him on the front seat, and headed out of town following Sam’s directions.

It would have been hard to miss the spanking new, two-story redbrick building in most landscapes, but in an unusually scrubby patch of Texas Hill Country it stood out like a ruby among pebbles, even at night. Del wheeled into the almost empty parking lot and came to a halt. After picking up the now-listless dog, he headed for the clinic. The front door was locked, but he could see a woman in a white medical smock, possibly a receptionist or technician, behind the front desk some twenty or so feet from the entrance. He banged on the glass door and she motioned for him to press the “After Hours” button.

“Can I help you?” came a voice through the speaker.

“I’ve got an injured dog here, and I think he’s hurt pretty bad.”

“Just a moment, please.” The intercom went dead while he watched her punch another button and speak into that unit. A second later the lock clicked open.

Del shouldered his way through the glass door and headed straight for the reception desk and the young woman behind it.

“What seems to be the—” Abruptly, the receptionist stood up, her eyes wide.

“I found him under a pile of old wood,” Del said, gazing down at the almost unconscious animal. “He’s got a bad gash and I think he must have lost a lot of blood.”

When the woman didn’t respond, he glanced up to find her staring at him. And the bizarre thing was that for a split second he thought there was something vaguely familiar about her. He quickly dismissed the notion. In his line of work at the bureau, he was always examining facial features of people he just met, mentally comparing them to mug shots—a habit he would need to break. “Miss? Miss, did you hear me?”

“What? Oh, I’m sorry. Yes.” She pointed to the intercom. “I just called the doctor. He’ll be here in a second.”

Del frowned, nodded. Strange, the way the woman was staring at him, he thought. The rescued stray whimpered and he focused on the animal in his arms. Del nodded toward the counter. “Okay if I put him—”

“Oh, oh.” She blinked. “Of course.” She shoved a stack of pamphlets to one side. “You said you found him in a woodpile.” She reached for a clipboard holding a printed form. “How long had he been missing?”

“Don’t know. He’s not mine.”

At that moment, one side of a set of metal doors swung open and a man Del estimated to be in his mid to late thirties stepped through. He was wearing jeans and cowboy boots and sported a handlebar mustache. Although a white doctor’s coat covered his western-cut shirt, as he struggled to put on a pair of surgical gloves, he looked more like an old-time cowboy than a veterinarian. He walked straight to Del and the dog.

“Dr. Mike Tanner.” He shook Del’s hand with his ungloved one, then pulled on the second glove. “What’ve we got here?” The vet looked at Lucky. “Whoa, seems like your pal tangled with a nasty customer. What happened?” Without waiting for an answer, he began to give the animal a cursory exam.

“I don’t know. I found him trapped under a stack of lumber but no clue how long he’d been there.”

“Her.”

“Excuse me?”

“Got yourself a female here,” Tanner said to Del.

So much for the name Lucky, Del thought as the vet looked at the gash on the dog’s shoulder. It didn’t seem to suit a female dog.

“Doesn’t appear to be too deep, but let’s get her into the examination room and have a better look,” the vet suggested.

“You need me?” the young woman asked.

“Naw, I think Connie and I can handle it. She’s just finishing up with the potbellied pig from this afternoon. I’ll give a yell if I do.” Dr. Tanner gathered the dog in his arms and turned to Del. “You can come along if you want.”

“Uh, sure,” Del replied, and followed him through the swinging doors.

ALLISON RUSSELL COULD hardly believe her eyes.

Del Rickman. Here, in Crystal Creek, standing not five feet away, and all she could do was stutter and stare. Great, she thought. She’d spent all these years thinking about him, hoping they would meet again, and he’d simply walked back into her life like magic. She should have introduced herself, said something, but she had been dumbfounded. And what did you say to a walking, talking memory that suddenly appeared in front of you like a ghost from the past? To say she was shocked was an understatement. And thrilled, of course. Her whole family would be.

They had tried to keep tabs on him over the years. Once his picture was in the newspaper, and about five years ago they’d seen him on a national news show giving a quote about a high-profile case. Her dad had taped the program while she was at school. Del’s appearance was hardly more than a ten-second sound bite, but she had watched it repeatedly until her sister, Sandy, recorded a Buffy episode over it. The result was one of the worst fights they’d had since they were kids. But the long-since-erased tape couldn’t hold a candle to the real thing.

She remembered him as handsome, but she’d viewed him through the eyes of a twelve-year-old girl when they first met. She was slightly more objective today. He’d matured, and there was the faintest touch of gray hair at his temples, which she had to say was very attractive. He was not model gorgeous, but then she’d never cared for that type, anyway. His face had strength and a kind of power that went past mere good looks. His hair, dark and thick, was longer than she remembered—not the neatly trimmed style the FBI favored. The truth was, Del Rickman was one extremely good-looking man.

Of course, she’d had a crush on him all those years ago. After all, he’d been the strong FBI agent who had found her and delivered her into the safety of her daddy’s arms. A hero. Her hero. Del had risked his life to keep her from harm, and Allison never forgot that day, or him. At first she’d idolized him, but as she matured, he became a symbol of a turning point in her life. No, more than a turning point, a revelation. It had shaped and directed her life in ways she’d never expected. Overnight she had gone from being a selfish preteen to a young adult with the whole world spread out before her. An evil man intent on killing her stepmother and unborn child had used her as bait, instilling in her the kind of terror that could damage an adult psyche, much less that of a twelve-year-old girl. Allison had no doubt that he would have killed her. Del Rickman had fired the bullet that put an end to her terror, and in doing so became part of that life-altering experience.

Before the kidnapping, Allison had been a moody adolescent with the usual parental resentment. That resentment had intensified the moment her new stepmother, Lynn McKinney Russell, had announced she was pregnant. As the months passed, the rift grew between the two of them. The harder Lynn tried to be a pal, the more distance Allison put between them. The harder her father, Sam, tried to be a mediator, the more Allison felt he had chosen his new wife over his oldest daughter. She had lost her mother to a drunk driver and felt as if she was now losing her father. Even her younger sister, Sandy, had been a victim of her resentment simply because she got along so well with Lynn. But the experience of being kidnapped and threatened with murder predictably changed all of that—changed Allie forever. She discovered a determination she never knew she possessed and a new attitude about what was important in her future.

Allison was adamant that she would direct her own life, and set about doing just that. Her determination propelled her through a grade promotion and advanced courses in high school. She graduated with honors and was valedictorian of her class, then took a full load through four years of college. Through it all she volunteered with the SPCA in Austin and worked part-time at the local vet’s office.

None of this might have happened if Del Rickman hadn’t come into her life. But he had, and she promised herself that if she ever got the chance to express her gratitude to him in person, she would do it eloquently. And while she was delighted that she now had this opportunity, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing in Crystal Creek. And with an injured dog, no less.

She smiled, unable to believe her good fortune. She rarely worked on Saturday nights, and it was only sheer luck that one of her coworkers had taken the weekend off and Allison had agreed to work in his place. If not for that quirk of fate she might have missed Del Rickman altogether. No way would she let him leave without telling him how important he had been in her life. She just wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.

Obviously, he didn’t recognize her. Not that he should. After all, almost thirteen years had passed. The last time they met he was the Special Agent in charge trying to find her, and she was two months shy of her thirteenth birthday, spindly, awkward and scared to death. Was it any wonder he didn’t recognize her?

Yet she’d known him practically the instant he came through the door. And he was still in the rescue business. This time it was a dog, but that made no difference to Allison. She was so thrilled to see him her heart did a funny little skip and she felt as if she actually had butterflies in her stomach.

She was being ridiculous, she knew. As soon as she told him who she was, her emotions, still mixed with hero worship, would settle down. She was so excited and she knew her family would be, too. With nervous fingers she dialed the number of the Russell home.

“Dad, it’s me. I’ve got the most wonderful news. Guess who just walked into the clinic with a—”

“Del Rickman with an injured dog,” Sam Russell finished at the other end of the line.

“How did you know?”

“He called me to get directions. How’s the dog?”

“I’m not sure. At first look Dr. Mike didn’t think it was too bad, but he’s been working on him for a little over a half hour, so—” The sound of voices cut her off and she glanced over her shoulder to see Del Rickman come through the double doors. “Oh, Dad, here he is now. I’ll call you back.”

Del walked into the lobby area, took a deep breath then smiled.

“From the expression of relief on your face, I take it the dog is going to be all right,” Allison said.

“Yeah. Looks that way.” Del’s smile broadened.

“Well, uh…” For a split second she struggled with whether to call him Mr. or Agent Rickman. “…Mr.—”

“Rickman. Del Rickman.”

“Yes.”

The sense of familiarity Del had felt earlier tugged at him again, prompting him to take a closer look at the woman. His years as an agent made a physical assessment easy. Height: Probably five foot eight, maybe nine. Weight: One hundred and twenty pounds was a safe estimate. Body type: Slender, with what appeared to be the right amount of curves in exactly the right places, but he couldn’t be certain because her white smock prevented an unobstructed view. Hair: Light brown, streaked with honey gold. As for the length, it was swept up and held with a wide clasp at the back of her head, so he couldn’t be sure. Eyes: Blue. He glanced at her left hand. No wedding ring. Age—Del had never mastered the skill of pinpointing a woman’s age. He guessed her to be in her late twenties. She was pretty—actually, beautiful was more accurate, and there was something compelling about her. Maybe that’s what he’d mistaken for the feeling of familiarity.

“Mr. Rickman?”

“You, uh…you probably need me to fill out some kind of form or something, even though he’s not my dog.”

She handed him a clipboard. “If you wouldn’t mind just filling out the top sheet, but—”

“You know, I think I owe you an apology.”

“Why?”

“I must have looked like the devil on a rampage, storming in here, a bleeding dog in my arms. It was clear from the look on your face that I scared you.”

“Not scared. Startled, maybe.”

“I’m sorry.” He propped his forearm on the counter and leaned toward her.

“It’s just that you were the last person on earth I expected to see walk through the door.”

Del frowned. “Do I know you?”

“You don’t remember me at all, do you?”

He looked at her for several seconds. “I’m sorry, but no.”

“Actually, there’s no reason why you should. The last time we saw each other, I was a frightened teenager crying my eyes out and hanging on to my daddy for dear life.”

Del was dumbfounded, then the light dawned just as she said, “I’m Allison Russell.”

CHAPTER TWO

THUNDERSTRUCK, DEL STARED FOR a second. “I don’t believe it. Wow, no wonder I didn’t recognize you. You’ve grown into a lovely young woman.”

“Thanks.” Allison smiled. “But you haven’t changed a bit. And you’re still in the rescue business, only this time it’s a dog.”

He shrugged. “Just in the right place at the right time. What about you? I assume you work here.”

“Yes, I’m—” She patted her breast pocket, then glanced down. “Oops, forgot my name badge. I’m a full-time veterinary technician.”

“That’s great. What a stroke of luck to run into you like this.”

“You’re telling me. I don’t usually work on Saturday nights, but I’m filling in for a coworker. Listen,” she said, “I was just on the phone to Dad when you came back into the lobby and the whole family is so excited to know you’re in town. Long enough for a visit, I hope.”

“Truth is, I’m going to be here for quite a while.”

“Really? On a case?”

He shook his head. “I’ve retired and am in the process of relocating and starting a whole new business right here in Crystal Creek.”

Her eyes widened. “No kidding! That’s wonderful! Why haven’t I heard about this? When did it happen? Did my mom and dad know about it?”

Del laughed at her enthusiasm. “As a matter of fact, Sam gave me directions to this clinic. But it was a short conversation and I didn’t have time to tell him I was moving to Crystal Creek. No one knows.”

“Except me.”

“You’re the first.”

Smiling, she propped her elbow on the counter. “Ah-h-h, former agent turned man of mystery.”

“Hardly,” he said. “This town just sort of stuck in my mind all these years and I thought it would be a great place to start over.”

She smiled. “Well, I’m glad I’m the first to know and the first to welcome you to our fair city. Again.”

“Thanks.”

“Mom and Dad will be thrilled.”

“How are they? Everything going well?”

“Great.” For the first time since she saw Del Rickman walk through the clinic doors, Allison’s spirits sagged slightly. At least, everything had been going well. For as long as they’d been together, she’d never felt anything but harmony between her parents, but recently she’d noticed a definite tension and it worried her. She kept her smile in place.

“And the rest of the family? How are they?”

“Just fine. My sister Sandy is attending the University of Texas and Hank is a typical teenager. I know they’ll want to see you.”

“I’d like that. Sam and Lynn and citizens like them are part of the reason I decided to live and work in Crystal Creek.”

“Since you’re starting a new business, Dad will want to introduce you to the Businessman’s Association and the Lions Club.”

“Well, I’m not quite ready to open my doors just yet.”

“Even so, he’ll want you to get to know people. Say,” her smile brightened. “Would you like to have dinner with the family tomorrow night?”

“Thanks for the invite, but Sam and Lynn may have other plans,” he hedged, even though the idea of a home-cooked meal among friends was definitely appealing.

“Sunday dinner is always the whole family at the table. Mom says we eat on the run the rest of the week, so she insists we all be together for the Sunday meal. Let me give them a call, but I already know the answer.”

Del watched as she walked to the phone and punched out a number. After a minute-long conversation she turned, gave him a thumbs-up and one of the most genuinely beautiful smiles he’d ever seen. The impact of it rolled over him like an unexpected tropical breeze after a long, cold winter. She had brilliant blue eyes but they dimmed in comparison to her smile. He had the feeling that when he closed his eyes tonight to sleep, that smile would be etched into his memory so clearly he would be able to recall every detail. There was something…he searched for the right word and had to settle for compelling…about her. Something that made him want to take her hand, tuck it safely into his and walk with her, talk with her. Just the two of them. He blinked, realizing his thoughts had taken a decidedly sensual turn. What was he thinking? This was little Allie, the girl he’d rescued.

Of course, she wasn’t little anymore. Even a fool could see she was a grown woman, and a damned attractive one. That smile of hers was enough to make a man dream about home and hearth. Get a grip, he told himself. If a great smile could affect him this way, he’d been alone far too long.

“It’s all set,” Allison said after ending the conversation. “Very casual, lots of good food and conversation, and tons of laughter. You’re going to love it.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he answered, and it was true. A meal with a real family. He needed that kind of connection.

“Me, too. If I’m not being too curious, you said ‘relocating’, so I assume you’re looking for a place to—”

At that moment one of the double doors opened and Dr. Tanner motioned for Del. “Why don’t you come on back,” the vet suggested.

Del glanced at Allison. “I’ll go with you,” she offered, and they walked into the treatment room. Inside, a young woman who introduced herself as Connie, another vet tech, was cleaning up. Lying on a stainless steel table and hooked up to an IV tube was the hapless stray. At the sight of Del, the dog’s tail thumped loudly against the table.

“Hey, there, sweetie,” Allison cooed as she stroked the dog’s head. “You’re being such a good girl. Yes, you are.”

“Well,” Tanner said, “the good news is, no broken bones, no infections. She’s got a coupla lacerations, but only one needed stitches. Those’ll have to come out in about a week. She’s gonna favor her right leg for a while and she’s got a nasty bruise on that hip, but I figure she’ll probably walk it off in a day or so. You know, another twenty-four hours under that woodpile and it mighta been a whole different story.”

“Is she anemic?” Allison asked Tanner.

“Slightly.” He looked at Del. “Anemia is pretty common in strays. That, and malnutrition. This one’s hardly more than skin and bones, but it won’t take long to put some meat back on her. A week or two of three squares a day and you won’t even recognize her. She’ll be in the pink.”

“She’s been spayed,” Allison said, gently running her hand over the dog’s abdomen.

“Yep. Best guess is that she’s about three years old.” Tanner petted the dog. “The biggest concern now is dehydration. As you can see, we’ve got her on an IV and probably need to keep her on it for several hours, but she can go home with you tonight.”

“Thanks, Doc, I appreciate everything you’ve done. Is there any way you can board her until I can find her owner or a good home?”

Mike Tanner raised an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna keep her?”

“I hadn’t planned on it, but I will make sure she’s taken care of.”

“Well, that’s fine, but unfortunately she can’t stay here. We’re affiliated with A&M’s school of medicine through a grant from a rich alumnus. Not for profit, and all that. Mostly teaching and experimental. We’re not really open to the public except for emergencies. We just don’t have the space or staff to board animals unless it’s a serious medical circumstance. I’d point you in the direction of the local animal shelter, but they’re sufferin’ from cutbacks in state funding. Only open three days a week. There’s a shelter in Fredericksburg, and of course there’s the Austin ASPCA. Might give them a call. You allergic to dog dander or something?”

“No, I just don’t have a home—I mean, I do, but…I’ve just moved here. Today, in fact. I own a house, but it’s empty until my furniture arrives day after tomorrow. I’m staying there, but the accommodations consist of an air mattress, a sleeping bag and an ice chest.”

Mike Tanner grinned. “Look at this dog. Does she strike you as the highfalutin type? Besides, if you’re gonna run an ad in the Lost and Found section of the newspaper, there’ll have to be a number to call, and we can’t do that here.”

Del looked at the dog, clean now, or at least as clean as the doctor could accomplish without giving her a bath. With the top layer of filth gone, he could see she was a mixed breed: part Lab, part Retriever with maybe a splash of German shepherd thrown in for good measure. The colors in her coat were swirled, splotched and splattered rather than blended together, giving the dog’s fur the bizarre appearance of a Jackson Pollock work on fur. Then he looked at the very place he’d been avoiding—her eyes. They weren’t pleading or soulful, just trusting. Del told himself not to be a sap. He was too busy, had too many irons in the fire to babysit a stray. Still…the animal had been on his property. Technically, it was his responsibility to see the dog settled.

“Judgin’ from where she’s been,” Tanner said, “I’d say a bare floor inside a warm house is a step up for her. You got heat, right?”

“No, but I’ve got a working fireplace and plenty of firewood in the back of my truck. Weatherman said it would only drop to around forty degrees tonight, so I should be fine.”

“That’ll work.”

“But she’ll have to eat and I don’t have any dog food.”

“Got some in the back I’ll give you,” Tanner offered.

“And we’ve got a plastic bowl in the storeroom you can use for water,” Allison added.

Del was embarrassed that he sounded like a wimp, but the truth was, he hated to admit that he didn’t know the first thing about taking care of a dog.

“Once she’s hydrated, she’ll do fine,” Tanner insisted.

But would he, Del wondered? He just wasn’t used to sharing his space with anyone or anything. “What if she gets sick or her wound starts to bleed?”

The vet shrugged his shoulders. “That’s really not likely, but we’ll send along some antibacterial wipes and a bandage just in case. I’d like to see her again in a week to remove the stitches, and if you haven’t found the owner or a regular vet by then, we probably need to.”

Allison and the dog looked up at Del. “What could one night hurt? Essentially you’d be serving as a foster parent until she can be adopted,” she said, one hand slowly stroking the dog’s head. “And tomorrow I’ll see what we can do about finding who she belongs to, okay?”

“I couldn’t ask you to—”

“You didn’t. I offered.”

“Well,” Del sighed. “I guess if my place is good enough for me, it’ll have to be good enough for her.”

“There you go,” Tanner said. “All settled.” He gave the dog a gentle pat, shook Del’s hand then disappeared through a door marked “Lab” at the far end of the treatment room.

Del stared after him, wondering why he’d let himself be talked into leaving with the dog when that had not been his intention. He glanced at Allison and found her smiling. “Two against one, no fair.”

She nodded toward the dog. “Three.”

“Yeah. Looks like I’ve been outvoted.”

“You’ll do fine. Just call on all those survival skills you learned in the FBI.”

“I’m not sure they apply to dogs.”

Allison smiled. “My money’s on you.”

Del sighed again, knowing when he was well and truly beaten. “Okay, what time do I come back for her?”

“Ten o’clock. That’s when my shift ends.”

“Then I guess there’s nothing left to do but pay the bill.”

Allison crooked her finger and said, “Follow me.”

“What have I gotten myself into?” he mumbled.

The dog thumped her tail against the table, and Del glanced down at her. “Yeah, like you weren’t in on it from the start.” Then he followed Allison out to the front desk.

“All right.” She placed the statement on the counter then explained all the charges. “If you’ll just fill out the top of the form with your name, address, etc., we’ll be done.”

Del had no idea if the amount at the bottom of the statement was reasonable or not, but he simply did as she instructed, then returned the form and handed her his credit card.

She turned away, looked back at him. “2318 Roanoke? You bought the old Loftin place.”

“You know the house?”

“I used to know the family that lived there,” she said as she processed the transaction. “There you go, Mr. Rickman.” She handed his credit card and receipt back to him.

“I wish you’d call me Del.”

She looked straight into his eyes. “I would love to call you Del.”

“And in exchange I promise not to call you Allie.”

“Deal.” She stuck out her hand, and Del shook it.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you shortly after ten,” he said.

Del headed out, still wondering how he’d gotten himself a pet when that had been the last thing on his mind an hour ago. He was no closer to an answer three hours later when he found himself walking out of the clinic again. This time with a dog in hand.

WHAT AN ASTONISHING DAY, Allison thought as she drove home after her shift. No, more like fateful, she decided. She’d wanted to meet Del Rickman again ever since he’d rescued her, and to have him simply walk into the clinic as he had tonight was nothing short of fateful. While a part of her was eager to talk to her parents and share everything that had transpired, another part wanted to savor the events, keep them to herself. To be honest, she didn’t want to share him with anyone, even her family. A ridiculous notion, she realized, because in a small town like Crystal Creek, news spread like poison ivy at a summer camp. Before noon tomorrow, Del Rickman would be the talk of the town. Besides, he was a friend of the family, and he had already spoken to her father. Still, she didn’t say anything as she walked into the house. Her mother was at the kitchen sink and her father was seated at the table. She decided to wait for them to broach the subject, and she didn’t have to wait long.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Dad.”

“So.” Sam Russell grinned. “What did you think about seeing Del Rickman after all this time?”

“Your father has talked about nothing but Del all night.” Lynn McKinney Russell came over and gave Allison a hug. “That cold front must have moved in. Your ears are like icicles.”

“Are they?” Allison touched her ears. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when he called looking for a vet,” Sam said. “How’d it go? Did the dog make it all right?”

“Everything went fine, and—”

“Did he tell you what he’s doing in Crystal Creek?” Sam asked. “Is he on a case?”

“He’s retired from the FBI.”

Lynn looked surprised. “Really? Somehow I imagined he wouldn’t retire until age forced him to. He wasn’t wounded or anything, was he?”

“I don’t think so,” Allison said. “He told me he decided to do something else with his life.”

“And why not?” Sam announced, as if that was the best idea he’d heard in ages. “He’s still a young man. He could probably make a ton of money working in the private sector doing security. Is that what he’s planning?”

“I don’t know, Dad. All I can tell you is that whatever he’s going to do, he’ll be doing it right here in Crystal Creek.”

“You’re joking.”

Allison crossed three fingers over her heart then held them up. “Scout’s honor.”

“Well, that’s just about the most exciting thing to happen around this old town in months,” Sam said.

Sandy Russell had been leaning against the doorway to the kitchen for the last minute or so. “The FBI guy? The one that saved Allison?”

“The very same,” Sam replied.

“Cool,” she commented, then turned and left the room.

“And,” Allison went on, “he bought that two-story house over on Roanoke. You know, Mom, the one Rudy Loftin and her family used to own, but his furniture and belongings won’t arrive until Monday, so he’s camping out in the empty house.”

Lynn turned to her husband. “Maybe you should have invited him to stay here when you spoke to him earlier.”

“Honey, I would have if I’d known, but everything happened so fast. He had the injured dog and—” Sam looked at Allison. “What was wrong with the dog, anyway?”

“Mike Tanner had to suture a gash, but she was mostly suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.”

Lynn sighed. “I feel terrible thinking about him over there with no heat, all by himself.”

“He’s got a fireplace and company.” Allison grinned. “Although he wasn’t particularly thrilled about taking the dog.”

“Don’t tell me he doesn’t like dogs,” Sam said.

“Who doesn’t like dogs?” Hank, youngest of the Russell children, sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the kitchen table.

“You should be in bed, young man,” his mother pointed out.

“Chill, Mom. It’s Saturday. Scary Movie 3 is coming on cable and Dad said I could watch it.”

“Oh, sorry. I forgot. Tired, I guess.”

“Who’s the jerk that doesn’t like dogs? Must be some kinda freak.”

“Hank,” his mother cautioned, “if you’re going to walk into the middle of a conversation, at least listen for a minute before you start asking questions.”

“Okay, but who’s—”

“No one,” Allison said. “I was just talking about Del Rickman taking in a stray dog, that’s all.”

Hank shrugged and left the room.

“I’m afraid Dr. Mike and I double-teamed Del to take the dog, at least until we can find the owner or a good home,” Allison told her parents.

Lynn, who was filling the coffeemaker for the following morning, glanced over at her. “I’m sure you didn’t talk him into anything he didn’t really want to do. If I remember correctly, Del Rickman knew his own mind well enough not to be bulldozed by anyone.”

“He didn’t give you any indication what he plans to do here?” Sam asked. “I mean, the man may have retired, but surely he’s got plans to do…something?”

“No specifics, but you can ask him when he comes to dinner tomorrow night.”

Lynn finished filling the filter basket and set the timer. “Well, I for one would be the last person to question Del Rickman about anything. He saved our daughter’s life, and as far as I’m concerned, that makes him a friend for life. You don’t give friends the third degree.”

Sam walked over to his wife. “You’re absolutely right, darlin’. And to be honest, by the time church services let out tomorrow, the grapevine will be humming with speculation, anyway, regardless of the truth.”

Lynn gritted her teeth. “Those tacky women and their gossip. They just love setting their tongues to wagging over any stranger that comes into town.”

“He’s hardly a stranger,” Allison said, noting the snippy tone in her mother’s voice. Lynn might not like gossip, but she was usually a tolerant, good-natured woman inclined to live and let live. The sharp tone was another indication of the stress Allison had noticed in her over the last several days.

Sam turned to his daughter. “Not to us, but you know how people talk. If past history is any indication, the grapevine will have you secretly engaged to Del, with you arranging some kind of clandestine meeting using your family as a ruse. Well,” he said when his wife raised an eyebrow, “that’s just about how crazy some of those old busy-bodies can get.”

Allison smiled and kissed her father on the cheek. “You’re hopelessly straitlaced, Dad, but I love you just the way you are. There’s nothing wrong with me inviting Del to have dinner with the entire family. We owe him a lot. I owe him a lot. I’m thrilled he’s in town to stay and I don’t give a da—”

“Allison,” Lynn cautioned.

“…darn what the grapevine spreads.”

“I agree,” Lynn said, “but you know a lie can do a lot of damage, and basically, people believe what they want to believe.”

“Let them. Del Rickman is the first interesting person to hit this town in years, and I have no intention of walking on eggshells around him because some old biddy might think the worst. He’s intelligent, obviously ambitious and very good-looking.”

Lynn and Sam exchanged glances. “Is he?” Lynn asked.

“Oh, yeah. Most definitely. But more than looks, he’s…” Allison slowly smiled. “Intriguing. I like the way he makes eye contact when he talks to you, and the way he looked at that scruffy, hurt dog when he knew there was no way he was going to get out of the clinic without him. So if the gossips want to link us, you won’t hear me complain.” She looked at the curious expressions on her parents’ faces. “Relax, you two. I’m not going to run off to Mexico with the first intriguing man I’ve met in ages. It’s just nice to have someone new around to change the dynamic of things. I’m looking forward to getting to know our agent turned entrepreneur better, and I hope he’s wildly successful, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Sure.”

Allison leaned over and kissed each of them on the cheek. “Good night, Mom. ’Night, Dad.”

Sam and Lynn watch her disappear up the stairs.

“Well, that was unexpected,” Sam said when his daughter was out of sight. “What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Are you kidding? About our daughter showing some real interest in a man. And one old enough to be her—”

“Father? Hardly, Sam.”

“Well, old enough to be her uncle.”

“I think that she’s a healthy young woman and all that that implies. Why shouldn’t she be happy to have the opportunity to be around an intelligent man with more to talk about than hot cars and cattle prices like the boys around here? You heard her. It’s not like she plans to seduce him. Besides, you know how single-minded she is.”

“Single-minded. Is that a euphemism for stubborn as a Missouri mule?”

“One and the same,” Lynn said.

“I always thought her strong will was a good thing when she was pushing herself through school, then vet technician classes. Right up until—”

“She started applying it to us, right?”

Sam sighed. “She was never the same after the kidnapping.”

“Nobody would be after something like that. I certainly wasn’t.”

“Of course not. It affected all of us. And on top of everything else, you had to go through labor and delivery without me. No, I just meant Allison changed so drastically. Not that it wasn’t for the good, but I have to admit I never expected the level of determination we’ve seen. She knows what she wants and won’t settle for anything less. Obstacles are only minor problems to be overcome as far as Allison is concerned. She just doesn’t think there’s any barrier she can’t breach, and I worry that sooner or later she’ll come up against one that’s too strong even for her. I know I sound like a paranoid father, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up with a broken heart one day, and it’ll more than likely be over a man.”

“Let’s hope not.” But as Lynn spoke, a slight shiver ran through her.

“What was that?” Sam asked. “Did you just get one of your feelings?”

“Sam—”

“I saw you shiver. Was it about Allison?”

As a rule, Lynn wasn’t one to keep secrets, especially from her husband, but over the years she had discovered that sharing her gift for precognitive feelings wasn’t always a good idea. The darned things scared her enough. There was no reason to alarm the people she loved unnecessarily.

“No,” she told her husband.

“You sure?”

“You know; I do get a real honest-to-God, plain old ordinary shiver once in a while,” she shot back. “It’s not always necessary to start looking up to see if the sky is falling.”

“Okay, okay.” Sam raised both hands as if in surrender. “I admit I get a little paranoid when I see you shiver.”

Lynn sighed, knowing her sarcasm had been uncalled for. “I know, and I love you for it.”

He slipped an arm around her waist, and kissed her on the cheek. “You look tired, and I noticed you had another one of those headaches today. Are you feeling all right?”

“Oh, I’m no more tired than usual.”

“You had your yearly gynecological checkup not long ago, didn’t you?”

“Three weeks.”

“And everything was fine?”

“Why shouldn’t it be?”

“No reason, I just wanted to be sure you weren’t having any problems.” He winked and gave her a slight nudge in the ribs. “We’re not getting any younger, you know.”

Of all the times for him to tease her about growing older, Lynn thought. “Speak for yourself,” she said, trying to match his light mood even though it was miles away from how she felt.

“Well, before they come to take us to the senior home, what do you say we wobble upstairs to our bed and pretend we’re twenty again?”

Lynn reveled in the physical side of her marriage and it pained her now to deliberately avoid intimacy, but she knew she couldn’t make love to Sam without revealing everything that was on her mind, and she wasn’t ready to do that.

“Hank is still up,” she said, avoiding eye contact.

“He’s thirteen. He knows to go straight to bed after the movie.”

“I know, but I have to get some craft materials together. I’m taking over Maggie Langley’s Sunday school class tomorrow.”

“I see.” There was no mistaking the disappointment in his voice.

Lynn hated not being up front with him, but she had no choice.

“All right, then,” he said after a long pause. “Good night.”

“Good night, sweetheart.”

She actually heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Sam turn the corner at the top of the stairs and head toward their bedroom. He was right; she’d had one of her “feelings,” as he liked to call them, and it had concerned Allison. As she’d watched the stepdaughter she had come to love as her own disappear up the stairs, apprehension had grown in the pit of Lynn’s stomach until it was a knot. She’d experienced an almost overpowering urge to race up the stairs to Allison’s room and tell her to be careful, but she had no idea of what. Yet the warning hovered at the edge of her mind. Not for the first time, she wished she had never inherited some of her Grandpa Hank’s “shine,” which seemed to come to her as brief premonitions. Then again, a little of it might be very helpful at the moment.

Crossing the kitchen to a small table by the back door, Lynn opened a shoe box filled with the craft items she’d already collected. Another fib she’d told her husband. For a woman who prided herself on honesty, she’d been telling lies and half truths for days, but she had good reason. Or at least she thought she did. Now, however, the guilt over not sharing news of her pregnancy with Sam was threatening to overwhelm her.

Pregnant. At her age.

Not that she was over the hill, but she would be forty in three months. Forty and pregnant. That was something totally unexpected, and under normal circumstances might even be joyful. But there had been a problem with her blood test. The doctor had used words like questionable results and abnormalities.

That had caused her enough concern, but when she heard him say, “It’s possible we may be dealing with Down’s syndrome,” she had felt real fear.

She’d wanted to rush home to Sam, cry in his arms and have him comfort her. She’d wanted that desperately until she realized that she would simply be transferring her fears to him and the children. It was bad enough that she had to go through three weeks of anxiety until she could have the test to confirm or rule out Down’s syndrome. But it would have been unfair to burden the rest of her family with the nerve-jangling wait. Her husband, her children—the people she loved most and who loved her—would suffer needlessly. So she’d kept her own counsel, but it was beginning to take a toll on her, and she wasn’t sure she could hold out another week until the test. But she had to. Until she knew the results of that test, she had decided to keep the news of her pregnancy to herself. Meanwhile, she’d gone over the options in her mind. Over and over them. It had been a shock to learn she was pregnant, but the news that her baby might be born with a handicap that could range from mild to severe had shaken her—to the point she considered terminating the pregnancy.

She’d desperately wanted other children after Hank was born, but when two miscarriages followed, it didn’t seem to be in the cards. And now…

Be careful what you wish for, Lynn thought. And because more children had been her fondest wish, terminating the pregnancy, no matter how the tests turned out, didn’t feel right to her. If the time came to make a decision, Sam’s opinion would count for a lot, but she couldn’t see him choosing that option. Meanwhile, carrying this secret around was eating away at her like acid.

Lynn put her hand on her stomach. “Dear Lord,” she whispered, “please let my baby be healthy. And give me strength to make it one more week.”

TWO HOURS AFTER she’d heard Lynn come upstairs to bed, Allison lay in the dark, wide-awake, her mind so filled with thoughts of Del she couldn’t possibly sleep. She wasn’t given to dramatics, but if she had to describe what had happened the moment he came through the doors of the clinic, she would say that it was like having viewed the world ever so slightly tilted, only to have it righted in a heartbeat. It sounded hokey, but there it was. Suddenly she felt as if everything was in the right place; everything fit. And she was infused with a kind of energy she’d never experienced. Not a frenzied kind of energy, but a powerful, steady flow of warmth, vitality and a thrilling sense of well-being.

She sat up in bed.

And balance.

That was it. Balance. Ever since the kidnapping and the journey of self-discovery that followed, she had moved forward, eager to embrace life. And while she knew in her heart she was moving toward her goals, she had never felt steady, balanced. But the instant she looked up and saw Del, that feeling disappeared. She hadn’t realized it until this very moment, but for the first time in years she felt as if she was standing on bedrock. Call it Kismet, Fate, serendipity or whatever, but all her instincts told her Del Rickman’s return wasn’t a coincidence. Not for her, at least. They had a connection. He had altered the course of her life all those years ago, and his influence had been almost as strong as her parents’. Not that she thought of him as a parental figure. Certainly not after meeting him face to face again. She hadn’t exaggerated one bit when she’d told her folks he was the most interesting man she’d met in ages. As far as she was concerned, Del Rickman was a man in a town full of boys.

And she was definitely attracted to him.

She couldn’t honestly say the attraction wasn’t all tangled up with hero worship. After all, she’d thought of him as a hero all these years. But this didn’t feel like hero worship. It felt like real male-female attraction—the kind that made your heart beat faster. And it was totally unexpected.

It wasn’t as if she’d been impatiently waiting for one man to come along and sweep her off her feet. Far from it. She’d started dating like most normal teenagers and gone through the crushes and going-steady phases. She’d had a year-long relationship her last year of high school and a semi-serious one her second year of college. But neither relationship had made her think of marriage and a lifelong commitment, particularly since so much of her time and energy had been devoted to her studies. In the last few months she’d chosen to limit her social life to going out with groups of friends because it was simply more fun than going on dates. She’d never doubted that one day she would find a terrific guy and fall in love, but she’d never gone looking for him, either.

And then Del had walked through the clinic door. There had been a moment, before he knew who she was, when she sensed that his interest in her was most definitely not platonic. For a few seconds he’d looked at her the way a man looked at a woman he wanted to kiss. A woman he wanted to touch and take to bed.

Not that Allison was looking for sex, or not looking for that matter. She wasn’t a prude or a virgin, but she was selective. Until today the temptation for a sexual relationship had been weak at best, but that could change. She was hardly planning to seduce Del, although, she mused, the thought did have an undeniable appeal. What she did plan to do was just be herself, a confident, intelligent woman open to life’s possibilities, and get to know him a whole lot better.

CHAPTER THREE

DEL TOSSED AND TURNED inside the sleeping bag, his mind a jumble of memories.

Men in place. Sniper set and ready. Wait for my signal.

Careful. Careful.

Go!

No! No, he moved! Oh, God, no…no…

A banging sound brought Del out of his nightmare with a jolt, followed closely by…barking?

“What the—” Awake now, he realized someone was knocking on his door and his canine houseguest was barking not two feet away. “Oh, yeah.” He rubbed his eyes. “Okay, enough, boy. I mean, girl. Take it easy. I’m up.” The dog quieted, but paced between the sleeping bag and the door. Del grabbed his jeans, stepped into them and staggered over to see who was outside. “Who the hell could it be this time of morning?” he mumbled. The dog beat him there and gave two sharp barks.

“Who is it?” Del snapped.

“Allison. I come bearing hot coffee, fresh cinnamon rolls, and a Greenie.”

Shoeless, bare-chested and sleepy-eyed, he yanked open the door. “Allison.” He was wide awake now. “I, uh…wasn’t expecting, uh…” Unconsciously, he put a hand to his chest and only then realized he was half dressed. “Oh, uh, excuse—” Before he could finish the dog tried to jump up and greet Allison but couldn’t quite accomplish the feat because of her wound.

“Hey, sweetie.” Juggling the large shopping bag she held, Allison bent down to the dog, scratching her behind one ear. “I’ve got a treat for you, too.” She looked up at Del. “I’m sorry, I had no idea you would still be asleep at this hour. Normally, I would have called, but you don’t have a phone.”

“Yeah. I, uh, should have given you my cell phone number last night. What time is it, anyway?” He was so flustered by her appearance that for a moment he forgot they were standing in an open doorway with a nippy breeze whipping through.

“Nine o’clock.”

“I’m sorry. C’mon in, please, and excuse my manners.” As nonchalantly as he could, Del hurriedly pulled on a T-shirt, then yanked on socks. “Here,” he reached for the bag. “Let me take that and your coat, or maybe you want to keep it on?”

“No, the room feels fine.” She handed him the bag and then removed her coat. “How’s our patient today?” she asked, turning her attention to the dog.

“Fine. Guess Dr. Mike was right. A bare floor was a step up for her.”

“You didn’t mind at all, did you, baby?” The dog responded by licking Allison’s hand, and she laughed.

Del put the paper bag down on the only piece of furniture in the room, an empty apple crate standing on end to serve as a table. “What’s this?”

“Hot coffee, Lynn’s homemade cinnamon buns, a fresh bandage for our friend here, and a Greenie.”

“A what?”

She dipped into the bag and pulled out an odd-shaped, very green dog bone. “A Greenie. It’s a dental aid. No preservatives and environmentally safe. It’ll help keep her teeth clean and make her breath smell better.” Green or not, the dog recognized a treat when she saw it. Sitting on her haunches, she lifted one paw.

“You give it to her,” Allison suggested.

“Why me?”

“Your house, your dog.”

“Allison, I thought you understood that I can’t—”

“Seriously, until I can find her a good home, you’re the Alpha dog. The treat needs to come from you.”

“What?”

“Dogs are pack animals. They feel much more secure when they’re in the presence of a leader, the Alpha dog, usually a male. It’s simple. Feeling secure means better behavior, better behavior means good socialization, which makes the animal more accepting of humans. So you, my friend, have been elected the top dog.” She handed him the bone, then winked. “But don’t let it go to your head. This principle only applies to dogs. Go on,” she urged.

Del glanced down at the dog, still sitting, waiting patiently, and offered her the bone. She took it gently, but didn’t move.

“She’s waiting for you to tell her it’s okay,” Allison instructed.

Del had seen guard dogs and police dogs trained to wait for commands, but he didn’t expect it from a stray. “Okay, girl, it’s yours.” He pointed toward the far side of the fireplace and the dog immediately carried the bone there and was soon lost in the pleasure of her treat.

“Good girl,” Allison said. “She’s smart, and I suspect well trained.”

“Just because she waited for permission to eat the bone?”

“That and the fact that she responded to your hand signal.”

“But I didn’t—”

“When you inadvertently pointed, she interpreted it as a signal for her to go there, and did exactly that.”

“So that tells you that she was probably trained before she became a stray.”

“Probably. And when you run that ad in the Lost and Found section of the newspaper, her owner just might turn up.”

Del frowned. “You think so?”

“It’s possible.” The frown didn’t go unnoticed, and Allison suspected the idea of someone claiming the dog didn’t exactly thrill Del, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

She glanced around. “Well, I must say this is the best this house has looked in years, even if it is empty.”

Del laid her coat over his unopened duffel bag. “That’s right. You knew the previous owners.”

“Pre-previous. Rudy, my best friend all through high school and my first two years of college, lived here with her grandparents. I was devastated when she moved away.”

For the briefest of seconds, Del had thought this Rudy was a boy, and his reaction had been instantaneous and unwelcome. Allison was barely more than a kid, but he’d reacted like a man who was interested in a woman. The same as he had last night at the clinic when he’d first seen her. Not a good thing, he cautioned himself. Now that he knew who she was, he had to get those thoughts right out of his head. “It, uh, hasn’t sat empty for very long. Who lived here after your friend?”

“A young couple,” Allison told him. “They’re the ones that restored the place.” Again, she glanced around. “I love the arts-and-crafts style, don’t you? There’s such strength and beauty in its simplicity.”

“Yeah. I took one look at this house and knew it was for me.”

She walked over to a built-in hutch atop a buffet and ran her fingertips over the leaded glass inserts of the doors. “Exquisite. It’s like stroking a piece of sculpture. Or a perfectly toned human body.”

Del looked at her, surprised at her description. It so closely matched his own thoughts about the magnificent woodworking of the arts and crafts movement.

Her fingers continued moving over the piece. “The wood even warms to the touch like flesh. I can almost visualize the craftsman working on this piece. Cutting, sanding, painstakingly laboring to bring it to its full promise and glory, cherishing each stroke.” She looked at Del. “Almost like making love to a woman.”

Del prided himself on being able to handle almost any situation that came along, but he hadn’t expected to hear her speak so plainly. Poetically, but plainly. It reminded him again that he was dealing with a woman, not the young girl he remembered. “You must be cold,” he said. “Why don’t you go over to the fire?”

“Good idea.” She crossed the room and stood before the fireplace, extending her hands to warm them. A few seconds later she straightened, slipped her hands, palms out, into the back pocket of her jeans and turned to him. “Much better,” she said, arching her back in a brief stretch.

Del’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. If he’d needed a reminder about her status as a woman, this was it.

He’d found her attractive last night, with that stunning smile and nice legs, but her smock prevented him from checking out the rest of her. Well, he was getting a good look now. Allison Russell might have been all arms and legs and barely out of her tomboy stage the first time they met, but standing there before the fireplace, she was unquestionably all woman. Her thick brown hair flowed over her shoulders. Tight, well-worn jeans hugged her slender hips and long legs, but it was her sweater that got his attention. More specifically, the curves beneath it. Allison Russell was sexy, gorgeous and mature. Oh yeah, mature. That was it. And in all the right places.

“Are you hungry?”

“What?” Del knew he’d been caught staring. This wouldn’t do. It wouldn’t do at all. She was too young and he was old enough to know better.

“I said, are you hungry? Lynn’s cinnamon rolls are not to be missed, and I make an above-average cup of coffee, if I do say so myself.”

“Uh, yeah. Sounds good.”

She walked over to the bag and pulled out the thermos and two mugs and set them on the hearth. Then she lifted out a rectangular canvas bag, set it beside the mugs and opened it to reveal a disposable foil pan containing a half-dozen fresh-baked sweet rolls. “Better get ’em while they’re warm,” she said, putting two on a paper plate and handing him a plastic fork.

He crossed the room and took the plate. “Thanks. Aren’t you going to join me?”

“I’ve had my breakfast already, so they’re all yours.”

She ran a hand through her hair again and the firelight flickered across the glossy curls, even in the morning light. Del wished she wouldn’t do that. His reaction was immediate and totally male. But could he help it if she looked like a wild gypsy about to dance before an open fire? The fact she was a woman now—and a damned gorgeous one—hit Dell once again. Seeing her like this, he felt the difference in their ages more than ever and decided it was a good thing. That and the fact that she was Sam and Lynn Russell’s daughter would help him remember she was off limits.

“I can’t get over how much you’ve changed,” he said without thinking.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. You don’t mind if I sit on your bed, do you?”

“Uh, no. Go right ahead. I’m sorry I can’t offer you a sofa or a chair.”

She tilted her head ever so slightly and gave him a melting smile. “Thanks. This is just fine.”

Damn, but she had a great smile. Sort of sweet and sexy at the same time. He wondered if all the young guys in the Hill Country had gone blind. What else could account for the fact that she was still running around unattached and so tempting. So very tempting… Del stopped himself. He was doing it again. Thinking like a guy on the make. He stabbed the plastic fork into the cinnamon roll and took a bite. “Delicious.”

“I’ll pass on your compliments to the chef. By the way,” she said, “last night you mentioned a new business. Do you mind if I ask what kind?”

He hesitated for a second, knowing he had to announce his plans sometime. “Building supplies.”

“You mean like a lumberyard?”

“Sort of. Actually, I bought the old lumberyard at the north end of town, but I’m going to turn it into a green business and market recycled and environmentally safe products. Whatever is good for the environment will be for sale at Evergreen.”

“So, you’re committed to saving the planet’s resources. I like that. And I like the name. Nice marketing touch.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“The Hill Country is the perfect place for your business. This part of the state is in a building frenzy.”

“Definitely.”

“When do you expect to open to the public? Or will you just sell to contractors?”

“Evergreen’s doors will be open to all comers,” he said, “and you’re the first person in Crystal Creek that I’ve told.”

“I’m honored, Del. Thank you.”

“It’s been a long time in the planning and it’s going to take months of hard work and long hours before I can open. That’s the main reason I can’t take on the responsibility of a dog right now.”

“Yeah, but admit it. After a day dealing with vendors, construction problems and deadlines, wouldn’t it be nice to come home to a friendly wag and someone glad to see you?”

“I just hope that’s all I have to deal with.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I don’t kid myself that everybody in the business community will welcome me with open arms. Sometimes new ideas are accepted right off the bat, but this is a fairly conservative town.”

“You mean if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?”

“Right. People get used to doing things a certain way and often fight change solely because it is change.”

“Are you expecting opposition?”

“You never know. Integrating environmentally safe building materials and practices into a traditional system means someone would lose money somewhere along the way. It might not sound like much, but if you think of supplying materials for a half-million-dollar-home or a multimillion-dollar housing development, it adds up to a chunk of money. Plus, I know I’ll be considered an outsider who doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.”

“But you do know, don’t you? You wouldn’t have made such a commitment if you hadn’t known what to expect and what you wanted to accomplish.”

A little surprised at her comment, he said, “Yes, I do. Actually, very few people know it, but I’m the son and grandson of skilled carpenters, and I put myself through college working part-time and weekends for a home-repair company and working construction full-time in the summers. I started out as a grunt and made it to crew chief by the age of twenty.”

“No wonder you liked this house. The woodwork is marvelous.”

“I know, and there are thousands of houses like this that are being neglected, or worse, torn down every day. I’d like to preserve what I can.”

“So this wasn’t just a decision to start a new business. Your interest goes way back.”

“I used to tag along with my father to jobs on weekends. I would listen to him explain the benefits of using recycled flooring or woodwork to clients and be amazed at how wonderful and sensible he made it all sound. And even while I was with the FBI, I kept my hand in over the years, building furniture for myself or helping friends with additions to their homes. I spent more than a couple of vacations working with Habitat For Humanity.” He glanced down at his hands. “Carpentry work became a major stress reliever for me. A kind of safety valve from the pressures of the job.”

“And there must have been a lot of pressures.”

“Not so much in the beginning, but it sure ended that way.”

Gently, she put her hand on his arm. “I can’t begin to imagine the kinds of horrors you’ve witnessed. It’s no wonder you needed something as simple and honest as working with your hands. It must have helped you stay grounded, and keep in touch with what was real. I imagine that at times you had to do it to preserve your sanity.”

Del looked down at her hand on his arm then into her eyes, so soft, so understanding. He’d never thought of the satisfaction and peace of mind he’d achieved by working with his hands in quite those terms, but hearing her put it into words made perfect sense. “Yes,” was all he could say.

Allison wanted to put her arms around him, comfort him, yet at the same time make him feel needed and wanted as only a woman could want a man. Her emotions were all mixed up. She wanted to comfort Del and kiss him at the same time, but not in a comforting way. She wanted to tell him she understood the pain and loneliness she saw in his eyes, and tell him he didn’t ever have to feel lonely again. She wanted all these things, yet knew she shouldn’t want them. In the end she settled for the simple truth.

“Have I told you how glad I am that you decided to come back to Crystal Creek?”

“Yes, but I like hearing you say it.”

“I am glad, very glad. And there’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll be successful. Before too long, Evergreen will be the talk of the Hill Country.”

Now Del smiled. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said, inordinately pleased at her unqualified support.

She smiled back, and for a split second Del thought that kissing Allison seemed the most natural thing in the world to do. Then reality grabbed him by the collar and he realized how close he’d come to doing exactly that. He was much too close to her, the moment much too intimate and too dangerous for a lonely man. He took a step back. “I, uh, hope your confidence is contagious.”

The instant he moved away from her the intimacy was gone, and Allison felt a twinge of sadness. “I think it might be once people understand who you are and what you’re trying to accomplish.”

“Maybe I should hire you as my PR rep to spread the good word.”

“I’ll do that, anyway, with your permission, of course. Since you’ve kept all of this under wraps until now, I wouldn’t want to blow your cover.”

“By tomorrow, everybody will know, anyway, so there’s no harm if you mention it. I just didn’t want to give the town weeks to chew on the information and make false speculations.”

“They’ll do that, anyway, so don’t worry. Besides, I’m proud to announce your presence because I know you’re going to be good for the community.” She paused, and then added, “Just like I know that this dog will be good for you even if it’s short term.”

Del laughed. “That’s about as slick a left turn back to complete a circle as I’ve ever seen. Has anybody told you that you have a one-track mind?”

“Frequently. I can be a bit manipulative, I admit. And I do have a reputation for tenacity, but since it’s always for such very good reasons, people seldom object.”

“And honest to a fault, I see.”

“That, too.” She shrugged. “With me, what you see is definitely what you get.”

Del saw a lot and liked what he saw. Namely, a beautiful woman with an open heart and loving spirit. Why couldn’t she be someone other than Sam and Lynn Russell’s daughter, and ten years older? As for the dog, he supposed that, at least, was something he could handle. “So, I’m to be a foster parent, huh?”

“It’ll be a piece of cake. And just think, you’ll have your own personal veterinary technician on call twenty-four-seven. Free of charge, I might add.”

Del shook his head, knowing he was beaten. “All right.” He held up his hands in surrender. “You win, but just on a temporary basis, okay.”

“And speaking of veterinary services, one of the main reasons I came this morning was to change— Hmm, I think you need a name for this dog.”

He sighed. “I called her Lucky when I first found her.”

“Boy’s name.”

“I know. What about Lady?”

“Bor-ring.” Allison gazed at the dog, then back at Del. “I know, Doodles.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Well, look at her. She looks like someone has taken a gold paint pen and doodled all over her brown fur.”

Now that he saw the dog from this distance, he had to admit Allison’s description was appropriate. But a guy with a girl dog named Doodles?

“Can’t we come up with something a little less cutesy?”

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