HEARTS ON THE LINE

After making a new life for herself and her infant daughter in Rose Mountain, widow Maggie Bennett thought they were safe. Getting caught in the middle of a bank robbery changes everything—and introduces her to policeman Reese Kirkpatrick. He seems to be everything her abusive late husband wasn’t...just the man she needs to help her through the growing list of sinister occurrences. But Reese has his own baggage—and when a shocking betrayal puts Maggie at risk, Reese must decide if protecting his heart is worth losing a chance at love.

Questions bombarded him.

Questions about the bank robbery and questions about his attraction to a woman with a baby.

He’d sworn off putting his heart on the line. He’d had his shot at a family and happily-ever-after and it had been snatched from him when his wife had died in childbirth.

So why couldn’t he get the pretty mother out of his mind?

Tossing aside the covers, he padded to the window that overlooked the lake. Peering across, he could see Maggie’s house lit up like a Christmas tree.

Realization hit him.

She was all alone and scared. And with the threat the robber had left ringing in the air, she would be jumping at every creak and moan of the house.

Without a second’s hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed her cell phone. She might be afraid of the phone ringing at this time of night, but his number and name were programmed in her phone. Once she saw it was him, she would be all right.

LYNETTE EASON

makes her home in South Carolina with her husband and two children. Lynette has taught in many areas of education over the past ten years and is very happy to make the transition from teaching school to teaching at writers’ conferences. She is a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America), FHL (Faith, Hope, & Love) and ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). She is often found online, and loves to talk writing with anyone who will listen. You can find her at www.facebook.com/lynetteeasonauthor or www.lynetteeason.com.

Danger on the Mountain

Lynette Eason

www.millsandboon.co.uk

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

—Psalms 32:7

To my Lord and Savior who lets me do what I do.

I love you, Jesus!

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 THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

ONE

Deputy Reese Kirkpatrick stiffened when he felt something hard jam into his lower back. He started to turn when a voice whispered in his ear, “Get on the floor or the

baby’s mama gets a bullet.”

Stiffening, his adrenaline in sudden overdrive, Reese looked around and saw a young woman with a baby in a carrier standing in front of the teller’s window. As his adrenaline spiked, details came into focus. The teller’s nameplate said Lori Anglero. The woman with the baby had soft blond hair that fell to her shoulders in pretty waves. The man behind him had bad breath and needed a shower.

Reese’s time as a cop on the streets of Washington, D.C., now served him well. He didn’t even blink. “You think this is going to work for you?”

“Yep. You’re the only man in here. I don’t need you having a hero complex because I’m trying to do this without killing anyone. But I will if I have to. On the floor. Now.”

The door chimed one more time, and Reese caught sight of two more masked men entering the First National Bank of Rose Mountain.

“Everybody down! Now!” The man behind Reese gave him a hard shove.

Reese dropped, grateful he wasn’t wearing his uniform and that the gun hidden under his coat in the small of his back had gone undiscovered.

Screams echoed and Reese saw the woman in front of Lori’s window drop down to become a human shield for the baby.

“Down! Down!” The man who’d taken Reese by surprise aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

* * *

The bullet slammed into the wall above Maggie Bennett’s head. With a scream, she tightened her protective stance over her eight-month-old daughter’s carrier.

Terror spiraling through her, Maggie whipped her head to the left to see three gunmen in black masks. One stood by the door, his broad shoulders and tight grip on the pistol in his left hand saying he’d be a force to reckon with. Another, tall and lanky, hovered in a threatening stance over the man on the floor. The third held his weapon in a way that said he knew how to use it—and would. The tall, skinny one with his weapon trained on the man on the floor grunted, “Charlie, get the cash.”

Charlie leaped over the counter. As he did, his foot caught the nearest silver pole holding the red velvet ropes used to separate customers into lines. The pole crashed to the tile floor with a loud clang, and Maggie cringed. Charlie cursed, regained his footing and pointed the gun in bank teller’s terrified face. “You deaf? I said get down!”

The teller dropped.

So did Ashley O’Neal, the other teller who’d been so friendly to Maggie last Sunday at church.

At three o’clock on a Monday afternoon, Maggie and the man now on the floor were the only customers in the bank. She watched his hand angling under his heavy suede jacket.

What was he doing?

Her eyes darted from robber to robber, to the door then back to the man on the floor.

There was no security guard and no help in sight.

The broad-shouldered one who stood by the door appeared to be in charge. He jutted his chin toward the man on the floor. “Cover him, Slim. He looks like he might be thinking he wants to put up a fight.”

Still hunched over Belle’s carrier, Maggie felt strangled by her fear and she wasn’t sure what to do. She was frozen in place, watching the incidents playing out before her as though they were on a big screen and she was in the audience.

But she wasn’t. This was real. And it was happening to her.

Her first reaction was to look for a way to protect Isabella. Her second to silently screech out a desperate prayer as she slumped to the floor next to the fallen pole, keeping herself between the men and her baby. Her foot became entangled in the rope now snaking the floor, but she ignored it. Her only thought was to keep her cool and survive. Old instincts surfaced, and a chill that matched the November air outside the bank swept through her.

As her eyes jumped from one robber to the next, she let her gaze land on the other bank customer. He lay still, left hand away from his side, right still hidden by his jacket. His sharp green eyes took in the unfolding scene. Maggie could see the tension in his shoulders and face and prayed he didn’t do something stupid, like try to be a hero.

He’d get them all killed.

“You!” Charlie yelled at the teller who’d been helping Maggie. “Stand up!”

The woman obeyed, tears tracking her cheeks, hands raised as she backed up away from her station. “D-don’t shoot me. Take what you want.”

Slim continued to hold his gun on the man on the floor while Charlie threw a large bag at Maggie’s teller. “Load it up. Now.”

The woman caught it, fumbled it, shot a terrified glance at the man, then went to work. Even from her spot at the last teller station next to the wall, Maggie could see the woman’s hands shaking.

“Hurry up!” The lookout man next to the door shifted, the chink in his calm demeanor grabbing Maggie’s attention. So he wasn’t as cool about this as he’d first appeared.

Charlie shot him an aggravated look, his eyes piercing and hard behind his mask. “Just watch the street.”

Then he turned back to jab the teller with his weapon. “Move! Move! This ain’t a tea party!”

Lori’s hands shook so hard Maggie was afraid she’d drop the cash and the man would shoot her. She almost offered to help but bit her tongue. As long as Lori was getting the money in the bag, Maggie would stay quiet and keep her body covering Belle’s. She darted a glance in the direction of the offices. One door was closed. The bank manager in hiding?

She prayed that no one else would walk in and this would all be over in a few seconds. Dark spots danced before her eyes, and she realized that she was holding her breath. She gasped in air. The dancing spots disappeared, but Belle started to cry. Maggie froze.

The lookout lifted his gun and pointed it at her. “Shut the kid up.”

Immediately, Maggie knelt and unbuckled Belle from her car seat. Picking her up, she settled the baby against her and turned her back to everything going on. Belle sniffed and lay her head on Maggie’s shoulder, thankfully content to be out of the carrier and to suck on the pacifier Maggie shoved in her mouth.

Maggie glanced over her shoulder as Charlie hauled himself back on the other side of the counter and held up the bag. “Got it!” His gaze landed on Maggie and she stilled, not liking the look in his eyes.

Slim spoke. “Get the other drawer.”

“We don’t have time for that, Slim,” the lookout protested. So maybe Slim was the one in charge?

Charlie ignored his partner and slung the bag back at the teller who moved to the next drawer.

Sirens sounded and the three masked men exchanged a glance. Slim growled, “Who tripped the alarm? Who?”

The robber nearest the door immediately turned and disappeared through it.

Maggie saw the well-built customer on the floor clench his jaw even as he slowly moved his hand back under his jacket.

The door burst back open. “The cops are almost here! I got the car! Let’s get this done!”

Slim looked up and his gaze slammed into Maggie’s. “Get over here.”

She froze once again, arms gripping Isabella too tight. The baby hollered her displeasure, and Maggie shushed her even as her eyes met the narrowed brown ones of the man who’d ordered her to move.

“My name’s Reese Kirkpatrick. I’m a cop. You’ve got what you want, you’d better leave while you can.”

Maggie jerked her gaze to the man on the floor. He’d been silent throughout the whole ordeal. Silent and watchful. Slim raised his gun and brought it crashing down toward Reese’s head. Reese rolled. Slim missed and stumbled, his finger jerking the trigger. The weapon bucked in his hand, the bullet shattered the tile floor beside Reese’s left leg.

Reese now had a weapon pulled and aimed at Slim. Without a word, he pulled the trigger.

Slim screamed and jerked as his gun tumbled to the floor.

Charlie whirled and dropped the bag of money as he moved toward his wounded partner. He lifted his weapon, aiming toward Reese who was now moving across the floor toward Slim. Charlie’s left leg stepped in the midst of the red velvet ropes.

Without thinking of the possible consequences, Maggie jerked on the rope.

Charlie went down hard, the back of his head cracking against the floor. Reese lunged for Slim and snagged the mask. It came off and Slim howled his outrage even as he landed a lucky blow with his good hand to Reese’s solar plexis.

Reese grunted and stumbled back, gagging. Slim looked like he might go after Reese again, but the screaming sirens outside seemed to change his mind and with a final glance at the unconscious Charlie, and a hard glare at Reese, he backed toward the door, hand held tight against the wound in his shoulder. “I’ll kill you for this!” His gaze landed on Maggie and she flinched when he said, “Her and the kid, too!”

* * *

Reese finally got his feet under him, snatched the weapon from the unconscious man on the floor, then stumbled after the wounded robber. But by the time he hit the door, the man was in the car. The door slammed shut halfway down the block.

Reese whirled back into the bank and checked to make sure Charlie was still out cold.

He was.

Next he checked on the woman with the baby. She sat on the floor, eyes dry, jiggling her infant in her lap. He noticed the ringless left hand. And wondered why he would notice such a thing at a time like this.

“Are you all right?”

She lifted soul-deep dark brown eyes to his and the fear in them felt like a sucker punch to his midsection. Her low “Yes” vibrated through him. Then she drew in a deep breath and a tinge of color returned to her pale cheeks. “Yes, we’re all right. Thank you.” Then the baby turned her attention to him, spit out the pacifier, stuck a finger in her mouth and grinned around it.

This time it was a blow to his kidneys.

He nodded and turned, hoping his desperate need to get away from them didn’t show on his face. He forced his mind to the matter at hand. Thank goodness she’d kept her cool over the last few minutes. If she’d been the hysterical type, they might all be dead. His ringing ears testified to just how close the gun had been to his head when it went off. He just hoped the ringing wasn’t permanent.

“Is it over?” One of the bank tellers—the one named Lori—peered over the edge of the counter, mascara streaking her cheeks.

Grateful for the interruption—and the fact that he heard her, Reese nodded. “All except for the cleanup.”

More tears leaked from her eyes and he saw her lips move in a grateful, whispered prayer.

Rose Mountain Police cruisers pulled in. Eli Brody, sheriff of Rose Mountain, bolted from the first one like he’d been shot from a cannon. The man strode toward him and Reese quickly filled him in. Eli snapped orders into his radio and two cruisers immediately headed out after the escaping getaway car. He then marched toward the other two officers, leaving Reese to question the tellers.

“Thank you.”

The quiet words captured his attention and he turned to see the woman with the baby gazing up at him. Clearing his throat, Reese said, “You’re welcome.”

“I’m Maggie Bennett.” She shifted and before Reese could gracefully slip away, she blurted out, “Was he serious? Do you think he’ll come back and—” She bit off the last part of the sentence, but the fear lingered and he knew exactly what she was asking.

Reese shook his head. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. All those guys care about is getting away.”

Doubt narrowed her eyes. “But we made him really mad. And you have one of his partners in custody because I interfered. We saw his face. You honestly don’t think they’ll be a tad upset about that?”

So she had spunk and she wasn’t comforted because he told her what she wanted to hear. She wanted the truth, no matter what. He liked that.

He said, “All good points. The fact is, I don’t know. We’ll take precautions, get his picture from the bank camera and distribute it around the town. But as for whether he would really come back here...” He shrugged. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you.”

“No, you can’t.” A sigh slipped out and she placed a kiss on the baby’s forehead.

A baby girl with big brown eyes like her mama.

A knife through his heart wouldn’t be any more painful. He had to get away. He’d come to Rose Mountain to escape memories of a wife and baby who were no more. Grief was sharp. Growing up in foster families, all he’d ever dreamed of was having a family of his own. And he’d had that for a while. Until they’d died.

“What’s your baby’s name?” He couldn’t help asking.

“Isabella. But I call her Belle.”

She said the name with such love that his heart spasmed once again. “That’s a pretty name.”

Her face softened as she looked at the baby in her arms. “Thanks. It was my mother’s.”

Was. Past tense. Her mother was dead. He recognized the pain in her eyes. The same pain he saw when he thought about his own mother who’d died when he was nine. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Do you need to call someone? A husband or...?”

“No, no one.” A different sort of pain flashed in her eyes for a brief moment and Reese wondered what that story was. Then he blinked and told himself it wasn’t his business.

A bank robbery was.

She was saying, “You said you were a cop. I don’t remember seeing you around here before.”

“It’s my first week.” He shook his head. “I just moved here from Washington, D.C. One of Eli’s deputies quit, he needed another one and asked me if I’d take the job.” He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “Eli caught me at the right time. I was ready for a change.” Eli said he’d seen something in Reese that had been familiar, something Eli had experienced only a few years before. Burnout.

A weariness of the soul. And grief.

And why was he sharing this with her? There was something about the way she looked at him. As though she really cared about what he had to say.

* * *

“Maggie, are you all right?”

Reese snapped his head around, and Maggie’s gaze followed his to see Eli bearing down on them. The man’s thunderous expression said the bank robbers had escaped.

Maggie nodded. She’d met Eli her first day in town. His wife, Holly, owned the Candy Caper shop on Main Street and when Maggie had stopped in for a bite to eat, Eli had been having lunch with Holly. They’d asked her what she was doing in town, and she’d told them she was looking for her grandfather’s old cabin. They’d helped her move in, and they’d been friends ever since.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Shaken, but fine.”

“I see you’ve met Reese.”

“Yes.” She tried to smile. “He saved the day, I do believe.”

Eli lifted a brow. “Oh?”

Reese shifted, the flush on his face revealing that he wasn’t comfortable with the praise. “Just doing my job.”

“Not even on the clock yet and already a hero, huh?”

“All right, that’s enough,” Reese said, his mild tone not hiding his embarrassment. “Maggie’s the one who kept me from getting shot.”

At Eli’s raised brow, Maggie shook her head and refused to let Reese turn the attention back on her. However, she let him off the hook as she shifted Belle to her other hip. She couldn’t help shivering as she remembered the look in the one robber’s eyes. “He was going to make me go with him,” she whispered.

“What?” Eli demanded.

She nodded. “If Reese hadn’t intervened, the robber would have taken me and Belle with him.”

Eli snapped a look at Reese. “That true?”

“It sure looked that way.”

Eli’s frown deepened. “Robbing a bank is serious business, but they were willing to add kidnapping, hostage taking, to it?”

“They were.” Reese’s nose flared. “And not only that, but one of them threatened Maggie and her baby—and me—as he escaped.”

Now Eli’s brow lifted and he reached up a hand to stroke his jaw. “Do you feel threatened?”

Reese looked at Maggie. “I’m not worried for myself, but I think you should make sure you have extra patrols around Maggie’s place.”

So he was worried about her.

Eli nodded. “I can do that, but she’s pretty isolated out there on the lake.”

“The lake?” Reese asked. “Which one?”

“Rose Petal Lake. Not too far from your place, I don’t think.”

Maggie spoke up. “I’m staying in my grandfather’s old house. I’m trying to decide if I want to stay there permanently or get something here in town.”

“Maggie teaches school,” Eli said.

“Which one?” Reese asked.

“It’s an online academy,” Maggie said as Belle leaned over, trying to wriggle free of the arms that held her. Maggie expertly kept the baby from tumbling backward and said, “I teach fifth grade. It allows me to earn a living and keep Belle with me.” And allowed her to try to figure out if she’d ever return home. She stiffened her spine. No, that house had never been home.

For the past six months, Rose Mountain had been home.

And she didn’t see that changing in the near future.

Eli scratched the back of his head, and Maggie felt

Reese’s gaze on her and Belle. And it unnerved her that every time his eyes landed on Belle, he looked away. In fact, other than asking her name, he hadn’t acknowledged her presence. Did he not like babies? Children? Disappointment shot through her.

Squelching the unexpected feeling, she hugged Belle closer and said, “I’ve got to get her home for a nap. She’s going to start getting cranky if I don’t.”

Eli nodded, placed the strap attached to his camera around his neck and said, “I just finished a weeklong crime scene processing training class last month.” His lips quirked. “Thought I should update my skills just in case, but the whole time I kept wondering why I was there.” He looked around and shook his head. “Guess now I know.”

Maggie had lived in Rose Mountain long enough to realize that small town law enforcement officials often had to take care of the forensics side of things. If the nature of the crime warranted a higher level of expertise than the local sheriff, he had to call someone from a bigger city. Eli said, “You’ll need to see the psychologist about the shooting and file a report.”

Reese grimaced. “I know.”

Eli nodded. “Why don’t you see the ladies home, and I’ll finish up here.”

“Uh...yeah, sure.”

He looked caught, trapped with no way out. She frowned. What was his problem?

Then he smiled and she wondered if she’d imagined the whole expression. She settled Belle back into her car seat carrier and he led her to the door. Stepping outside, she breathed in the fresh fall air, grateful to be alive.

“Which one is your car?” he asked.

“The blue Ford pickup.” He looked surprised, and she laughed. “Didn’t expect me drive a truck, did you?”

“No, I was looking for a minivan or something.”

Maggie clucked her tongue. “Shame on you. Stereotyping?”

He grinned, and she felt that tug of attraction she’d been hoping she wouldn’t feel again. The last thing she or Belle needed—or wanted—was a man in their lives. His eyes held hers a bit longer than necessary. She looked away as he said, “Yes, I guess so. Sorry.”

Maggie settled Belle into the back of the king cab and opened the driver’s-side door. Climbing in, she noticed Reese watching. He gave her a nod and let her lead the way. Pulling out of the bank, she turned right onto Main Street. As she drove, she listened to Belle chattering in the backseat. At least she hadn’t suffered as a result of their scary adventure this morning.

Soon, she’d have to feed the baby her afternoon bottle or her sweet chatter would turn to demanding howls.

Maggie headed up the mountain, the short mile to her home seemed to take forever. Pulling into the gravel drive, she cut the engine and waited for Reese to drive up beside her.

He climbed out and looked around. He pointed. “See that house just across the lake?”

“The one with the white wraparound porch?”

“Yeah. That one’s mine.”

“It’s beautiful. I noticed it the day I moved in.” Maggie pulled the carrier with the sleeping Belle from the backseat with a grunt. She slid the handle onto her arm up to the crook of her elbow. “She gets heavier every day, it seems like.”

He shut the door for her and asked, “Where’s Belle’s father?”

“Dead.” She heard the matter-of-fact tone in her voice.

When she turned, surprise glistened in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“I am, too. Sorry he’s dead, not sorry he’s out of my life.”

TWO

The woman just kept surprising him. The gentle, mommy demeanor hid a spine of steel. Also evidenced by her cool-under-fire reaction at the bank earlier.

Opening the door, she led the way inside, holding the carrier in front of her. “I’m surprised she’s still sleeping.” She set the baby carrier on the kitchen table and opened the refrigerator to pull out a bottle filled with milk.

“Why aren’t you sorry he’s out of your life?”

While Maggie placed the bottle in a pot of water she began heating on the stove, she kept her back to him. He wanted to turn her around so he could see her face. When she didn’t answer, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms, wondering why he was asking questions that were none of his business.

At first he thought she was going to pretend she hadn’t heard him, but when she turned, she said, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Reese lifted a brow at her.

She shrugged and grimaced. “He wasn’t a very nice person.”

He’d abused her. She didn’t say so, but she didn’t have to.

His gut tightened as visions of women he’d pulled out of domestic violence situations crowded his mind. Their bruises, their damaged faces, bodies...souls. The ones who had died. He blinked the images away and focused on Maggie.

“When did he die?”

“About a month after Belle was born.”

“Car accident?”

Maggie sighed. “Not exactly.”

She didn’t want to tell him?

Belle woke suddenly and let out a howl. Reese flinched and watched Maggie calmly unbuckle her daughter from the car seat and pick her up. She then pulled the bottle from the heated water, tested the temperature of the milk on her wrist and stuck it in the squalling mouth.

The silence was sudden.

“You’re good at that.”

Maggie laughed. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”

As the baby ate, Reese took in his surroundings. “Nice place.”

She looked up from Belle’s face to smile at him. “I like it. It’s simple, functional and pretty much everything Belle and I need.”

He nodded. “You said you were an online teacher.”

“I am. I teach learning disabled students online. It’s perfect for us. I get to make a living and Belle gets to stay home with me. So far so good.”

“What about when you have to teach and Belle doesn’t want to cooperate with your schedule?”

Maggie grinned. “I have a neighbor who comes over. Mrs. Adler. She’s a retired nurse and lives twelve hours away from her grandchildren. She loves Belle and acts as if every moment she gets to spend with her is the highlight of her day.”

A shadow moved across the window right in his line of sight. He straightened and narrowed his eyes. She caught his expression and frowned. “What is it?”

“Probably nothing,” he said. “Just thought I saw something move outside of your window.” He walked over to it and, out of habit, stood to the side, keeping himself from being a target should someone other than a friend be out there. The blinds were open, the sun high in the sky.

What had he seen?

Anything at all?

Or was he still jumpy from this morning? He saw Maggie settle into the rocking recliner next to the couch, Belle’s small hands clasped firmly on the bottle she eagerly devoured. In his mind’s eye, he replaced the scene with one containing Keira and his own baby girl. But that wasn’t to be. Sorrow clamped hard on his heart, and he had to make a supreme effort to shut the feeling down.

He was in Rose Mountain, making a new start. There was no place for sorrow or sad memories. Two things he’d been desperate to get away from back in Washington. “I’m going to check outside around your property.”

Her frown deepened. “You think someone is really out there?”

“I don’t know, but it won’t hurt to check.”

Worry creased her forehead as her eyes followed him out the door.

Once outside, he stood still, taking in the sights and sounds he’d become familiar with in such a short time. Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing set off his internal alarm bells.

He made his way over to the window in the den. The open floor plan had allowed him to be standing in the kitchen, looking into the den. If he’d kept his eyes on Maggie and her daughter, he’d never have seen the shadow.

If that’s what he’d seen.

Circling the perimeter of Maggie’s house, he kept an eye on the area around him and on the ground in front of him.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, the air had a bite to it. He shivered, wishing he’d grabbed his coat on the way out. The hard, cold ground held no trace of any footprints. No evidence at all that anyone had been in front of the window.

Then what had caught his attention? Anything? Or was he so on edge that he was now seeing things?

He frowned, shook his head and walked back into the house to find Maggie still holding Belle. The baby swiveled her gaze to him and he swallowed hard when she grinned. Two little white front teeth sparkled at him.

Maggie asked, “Did you find anything?”

“No. It was probably just nerves left over from this morning.”

She shot him a doubting look. Fear flickered in her eyes before she turned back to Belle, who’d finished her bottle. Maggie settled the baby into a sitting position and started a rhythmic patting on the small back. Her actions were automatic, but her eyes said her thoughts were on their conversation. She asked, “You think it could be the man who said he’d kill us?”

Did he? “I think that guy’s long gone.”

Maggie bit her lip and he wondered if she believed him. And he couldn’t blame her. He wasn’t sure he believed it himself. She sighed. “So what’s next?”

“We’ll question the robber in custody, see if he’ll talk for a deal.”

Maggie shuddered. “Did you see his face? His eyes? They were hard. Empty. I don’t think he’ll be talking any time soon.”

“Don’t be so sure.” He glanced again at Belle who stood on Maggie’s thighs, holding on to her mama’s hands. Reese averted his gaze. “I’m going to head back to the station and see if he’s said anything.”

“All right.” Maggie stood and shifted Belle to her hip. “She’s got a nap to take, and I’ve got an afternoon class to teach.” She paused. “Will you keep me updated on what happens? I’m still a little nervous about that threat.”

He smiled, hoping to reassure her. “Sure thing.”

* * *

Maggie walked him to the door and locked it behind him. Then she walked into Belle’s room and placed the sleepy baby in the crib. Even though Belle had fallen asleep for a short time on the ride home from the bank, she needed a real nap or by the evening, she’d be so cranky Maggie wouldn’t know what to do with her.

Belle protested for a while, but she finally fell quiet, her cries fading as she slipped into sleep.

Maggie smiled. It had been so hard to learn to let the baby cry, but once she’d tamped down her instinct to hold Belle every time it was naptime, they were both a lot happier. Belle slept better, and Maggie was able to get a few things done.

Like teach her online class. She still had about ten minutes before she had to sign in. Mrs. Adler should be arriving soon. The woman lived just a few houses up from Maggie and often walked over to be there in case Belle woke up while Maggie was in the middle of a class. Maggie paid her a weekly wage, and Mrs. Adler was thrilled to be making money and honing her grandmother skills.

With Reese’s dominating presence gone, she now felt an absence she’d never noticed in the small house before. What shocked her was her lack of nervousness when he was around. She’d actually let him in the house. The fact that he was a cop helped. She felt safe with him in a way she didn’t feel with other men who were not in law enforcement. Officers had helped her when she needed it most. Like Felicia Moss, the officer who’d listened to Maggie’s story and then taught her how to hide once she escaped from Kent.

All that knowledge, and she hadn’t needed it. Kent had been killed before she could put into practice everything she’d learned.

Gulping, she pushed aside the memories and booted up the computer. Signing in, she greeted the students already in the room and got started.

Forty-five minutes later, she signed off, thanked God once again for the ability to work from home and got up to check on Belle. Sleeping soundly.

Mrs. Adler had slipped in and was sitting in the recliner reading a book. “Hello there.”

The woman set the book in her lap and looked up to smile at Maggie. “Hi. Belle’s sleeping away, and I’m enjoying a good book. How’d your class go?”

“Great. I only had three show up today, and we had a fascinating discussion about right angles.”

Mrs. Adler grimaced. “Please don’t talk about math. I still get hives if I have to think about numbers without a calculator in front of me.”

Maggie laughed. “I love math. I actually prefer it.” A noise outside the door made her jump and turn. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Shivers danced in her stomach, but she didn’t want to alarm Mrs. Adler unnecessarily. “Um...I thought I heard Belle. Do you mind checking on her?”

“Sure, hon.” Mrs. Adler walked down the hall and Maggie swiveled to stare at the front door.

She slowly walked over to it.

The knob jiggled and she stepped back, heart thumping. “Who is it?” She hated the tremble in her voice, but after this morning, the bank robber’s threat loomed close to the front of her mind.

The knob stilled. Faint footsteps reached her ears, and she felt her pulse kick it up a notch.

Maggie went to the side window and looked out just I time to see a slim jean-clad figure race around the side of the house.

Slim, tall, ragged, loose-fitting jeans.

Slim? The man from the bank?

Her breath snagged in her throat and fear thumped through her.

Fingers fumbled for the phone. Finally, she wrapped her hand around it then punched in 911.

* * *

Reese slapped the pen down onto the desk. He’d prefer to work with a computer, but his hadn’t been set up yet. Looking around, he smiled. Not that much different in this office than the one he’d come from. Washington, D.C., was just bigger and louder.

Eli shoved a ragged-looking man in front of him as he escorted him down the hall to the holding cell. The man let loose a string of curses that didn’t stop even when the door clanked shut.

Reese’s radio crackled on his shoulder.

Nope, not that much different. And maybe just as loud.

He looked at Eli and gestured toward the prisoner. “That Pete?”

“The one and only.”

Pete Scoggins. The town drunk. Reese had heard about him five minutes after being in town.

Pete wilted to the floor of the cell and Eli slid into the desk opposite Reese. “Anything on the bank robbery?”

“No. Anything on the identity of the man who cracked his head on the floor?”

Eli shook his head. “He’s awake and released from the hospital and into our custody, but he’s not talking.”

“She said he wouldn’t,” Reese murmured.

“What’s that?”

“Maggie. She said the man wouldn’t talk.”

Eli blew out a sigh. “Well, she’s got it right so far.”

“Anything on a gunshot wound coming in at any of the hospitals?”

“Nothing.” Eli pursed his lips and ran a hand over his chin. “I’ve gotten the word out to be on the lookout for the two other robbers, one with a gunshot wound in his shoulder. So far, we’re batting zero.”

“Hey, I can hear you back here real good,” Pete hollered from his cell. “You talking about those boys who robbed the bank, ain’t ya?”

Eli rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Pete. We are. We’ll try to keep it down so you can sleep it off.”

“I seen ’em, you know.”

Reese lifted a brow and got up to follow Eli. Eli stood in front of Pete’s cell. “Where? What do you know about them?”

Pete yawned and shrugged. “I’ll tell you after I get me a good hot meal.”

“Aw, you’re just yanking my chain,” Eli said and turned to go back down the hall. But Reese wasn’t so sure.

“Give me something on those guys, and I’ll see what I can do about the hot meal.”

Pete eyed him. “You’re new here.”

Reese met his gaze. “I am.”

“Don’t know if I can trust you.” He looked down the hall. “Hey, Eli! This new boy trustworthy?”

“Yep,” Eli hollered back.

“Saw ’em in Miz Holly’s café eating before the robbery. I was sitting at the counter drinking me a coffee and they were talking real low, but I could hear ’em. I inched over and heard one of ’em say he’d take care of the woman.”

The woman. Maggie? Reese’s gut clenched. How would they—

The dispatcher’s voice came over his radio. “911 call, an intruder at six, seven, zero, Firebird Lane.”

Eli frowned and stood, grabbing his keys. “That’s Maggie’s address.”

Reese’s heart thudded, his sudden adrenaline rush familiar, pushing his senses to the hyperalert range that had kept him alive more than once. “I know. I just dropped her off.”

The two men raced for the door, Eli barking into his radio. “Let her know we’re on the way.”

“Hey!” Pete hollered. “Don’t forget my food!”

The ten-minute drive up the mountain to the clearing that led to the lake seemed to take forever. Reese found himself imagining all sorts of awful things happening. “Do you think he came back?”

Eli didn’t ask who he meant. “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thought it, but weirder things have happened.”

Worry surged through him. Would the bank robber, known only as Slim, have any compunction about hurting a baby? A wave of nausea swept through him at the thought.

“Is she still on the phone?”

Eli relayed the question to the dispatcher then nodded. He shot a glance at Reese. “She said the guy ran off into the woods. He had on baggy jeans and a black T-shirt with short cropped hair.”

Reese’s jaw tightened. “That’s pretty close to how the robbers were dressed. They all had masks on, too.”

They finally pulled into the driveway he’d just left about an hour earlier. Deputy Jason White swung in behind them.

On the outside, everything looked fine, peaceful. Undisturbed. But when Maggie opened the door, he could see the strain on her face, the tension in her shoulders.

Climbing out of the car, he and Eli walked up to the porch. She pointed to the back of the house. “He ran that way.”

Eli nodded and glanced at Reese. “You stay with her. I’ll check it out.” He looked at Jason. “You go that way, make a search of the perimeter.”

Jason took off.

Reese took her soft hand in his and led her back inside. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me what happened.”

She dropped onto the couch, leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “I do believe this has been the longest day of my life.”

Reese could see her frustration, her fear.

“My husband called. I’m going to have to go.” Reese looked up to see a woman standing in the doorway to the den.

Maggie made the introductions. He reached for his radio and said, “Just a minute. I’ll get Deputy White to escort you home as soon as he’s finished clearing the perimeter of the house. Until we find out the intentions of the person snooping around, I don’t want you out there by yourself.”

Mrs. Adler nodded, her frown furrowing, the lines in her forehead deep with worry. Five minutes later, in response to Reese’s call, Deputy White appeared on the front porch and Reese waved him inside. “Anything?”

Deputy White shook his head. “Nothing that I can see. If someone was here, he’s gone now.”

“Thanks. Mrs. Adler’s ready to go. Do you mind taking her home?”

“Sure, be happy to.” The deputy escorted the woman out to his car.

He turned back to Maggie, opened his mouth to question her further—and heard Belle crying.

A low groan slipped from her throat and before he could stop himself, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll get her.”

Grateful surprise lit her eyes, and she melted back onto the cushion.

Reese followed the wails down the hall to the nursery. It was tastefully decorated in pink-and-brown polka dots, and he couldn’t help but smile.

The smile slipped when he saw the baby standing up, holding on to the railing, staring at him and blinking. A puzzled frown creased her forehead, and she looked as if she might start crying again. “Hey there, Belle. It’s all right. It’s just me.”

His throat tightened as he recognized what he was doing. He was using the same voice he used to—

Oh, God, help me.

What had he been thinking? Volunteering to get the child from her crib. All he could see when he looked at her was his own baby daughter’s lifeless face. The last baby he’d held, and she’d been gone. She’d never had a chance to pull in a breath this side of heaven. His hands shook, and he clenched them.

You can do this.

But he wasn’t sure he could.

“Reese? Everything okay?” Maggie called from the other room.

He found his voice and some small measure of strength. “Yeah. Just fine.”

When Belle’s face scrunched up again as if she was getting ready to crank out a cry, he hurried across the room and lifted her from the crib. Her frown stayed as he held her at arm’s length straight out in front of him.

And that’s the way they walked down the hall into the den.

Belle’s head swiveled and when she saw her mother sitting on the couch, her face brightened and she leaned toward her. Reese let her slide from his outstretched grasp into Maggie’s embrace.

He backed up and perched on the edge of the recliner, his heart aching, memories fogging his thinking.

“Are you all right?” Maggie asked. She cocked her head, looking at him as though trying to figure out what was going on inside him.

She probably thought he was an idiot, based on how he carried Belle. He clamped down on his emotions and cleared his throat. “Yeah. Sure. I’m fine. I just...” He motioned toward a now-content Belle.

“Don’t have much experience with babies?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Ah, no. I don’t.” Desperate for a change of subject, Reese touched the radio on his shoulder and got Eli. “Anything?”

“Nothing really. I’ll be up there in a minute.”

True to his word, Eli knocked about a minute later and let himself into the house. Wiping his shoes on the mat, he said, “I found some disturbed ground, but can’t tell if it’s recent or not.”

“Like someone watching the house?” Reese asked.

A pause. “Yeah. Could be. But probably not. I don’t think it was the robber.”

Reese wasn’t sure. “Maybe not. Maybe it was just a teenager or someone looking for an empty place to crash for the night. The more I think about it, the more I don’t see how someone could have been waiting for her. How would they know who she was in the first place, much less where she lives?”

Maggie said, “So this was just a random thing? Someone tests the doorknob to see if I’m home and then runs off when I ask who’s there?”

Eli sighed. “It could be some high school kids. We have our fair share of troublemakers. Nothing too serious, but...”

Maggie frowned and bounced Belle on her knee.

Reese said, “There hasn’t been time for the guy who threatened you to find you. It was just a few hours ago.”

“What if he followed us home?” she asked.

Eli and Reese exchanged a glance. “You mean these guys pretended to leave the bank and doubled back to watch the action?”

She shrugged. “Why not?”

Another exchanged glance with Eli and Reese rubbed his chin. “I can’t say it’s not possible. Highly unlikely, but not impossible.” He paused. “Then again, you were really the one who made it possible for us to capture one of them.”

She grimaced. “And he did threaten me—us.”

Reese looked at Eli. “What do you think?”

Eli pursed his lips. “I think it’s too soon to say, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Reese nodded. Eli then said, “Why don’t you keep an eye on things around here just until we know for sure.”

“You mean while he’s on duty, right?” Maggie asked. She swiveled her head back and forth between the two men. “I mean, I wouldn’t expect him to volunteer his time or anything.”

Surprisingly enough, the thought of volunteering to spend time with Maggie wasn’t a hardship. If only looking at her with the baby didn’t send shards of pain shooting through his heart.

“I don’t mind. I live just across the lake. If you need me, just call.” It was the least he could do, wasn’t it? After all, she’d probably saved him from taking a bullet when she’d pulled the ropes and downed the bank robber who had his gun pointed at Reese.

He pulled out his cell phone. “What’s your phone number?”

Maggie rattled it off. He punched it in his phone and soon heard hers ringing. He hung up and said, “Okay, now it’s on your phone. Put it on speed dial and use it if you need it.”

She bit her lip then said, “I don’t want to put you out.”

“You’re not putting me out, I promise.” But the faster he got away from here, the faster he could start figuring out how he was going to handle being around a baby on a regular basis. Because he already knew he wanted to get to know Maggie better.

Belle started squirming and Maggie stood with the infant on her hip. “Then if you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on the offer.” She shot a look at the door. “Because whether you believe it or not, I have a feeling this is only the beginning.”

Reese thought about what jailbird Pete had said and had a feeling she was absolutely right.

THREE

Maggie’s words echoed in her own ears long after the men left. She shivered, feeling scared and unsafe in the house for the first time since she’d moved in.

Knowing Reese was across the lake helped, but...

She fed Belle supper, played with her until her bedtime, then put her down.

In the quiet darkness, she now had time to think. To process everything that had happened over the course of the day.

As she thought, she checked the locks, tested the doors and peered through the blinds. She left every light outside burning.

Through a small copse of trees, she could see her nearest neighbor’s den light burning. Mrs. Adler. Fondness filled her. The woman reminded her very much of her own grandmother, who’d passed away about five years ago. Maggie missed her. Almost as much as she missed her mother.

She’d never known her father.

A fact that weighed heavy on her heart.

While Maggie had had her grandfather the early years of her life, she didn’t want Belle growing up with the emptiness of not having a father figure in her life.

With that thought, she slid into the recliner, noticing the lingering scent of Reese’s musky cologne. Drawing in a deep breath, Maggie felt a longing fill her.

And a loneliness.

She wanted someone in her life. Someone to share good times and bad. Someone to share Belle with.

But memories of her husband intruded, filling her with that familiar fear. What if she picked the wrong man again? What if there was something wrong with her judgment meter? She couldn’t live through another abusive marriage. And she had more than herself to think of now. She wouldn’t make decisions without first considering every consequence.

And why was she even thinking about this anyway?

Lord, we need to talk...

Her phone rang and she rose with a groan to answer it on the third ring. She frowned at the unfamiliar number displayed on her caller ID. “Hello?”

“Maggie, is that you?”

“Shannon?” Her sister-in-law. Her husband, Kent’s, only sibling. “How are you? How did you get this number?”

“I’m fine and tracking you down wasn’t easy, believe me. What are you doing? Hiding out?”

Guilt stabbed Maggie. She should at least have called Shannon and let her know that she and Belle were okay. “No, not hiding out, just living pretty simple. I’m sorry I haven’t called.”

“I’m sorry, too. How’s my Belle?”

Maggie smiled. One thing for sure, Shannon doted on her niece. “She’s fine. Sleeping right now, thank goodness.”

“I want to see her. To see you.”

Did Maggie want that? As much as Shannon loved Belle, she was also the sister of the man who’d liked to use Maggie as a punching bag. And Shannon had adored her brother, refusing to believe anything bad about him. “I...um...”

“Please, Maggie.”

The quiet plea did her in. “Well, I suppose. When would you come?”

“I’m not sure. Let me...check on some things and I’ll call you back.”

“Okay.”

Maggie said goodbye and hung up, her mind spinning, her heart pounding. Shannon had always intimidated Maggie. And Maggie wasn’t even sure that she could explain why if someone asked. The woman just seemed to have it all together. At least the world’s view of “having it all together.” A good job, a nice house and friends who held the same social status.

Social status that Maggie had never had, nor really wanted. And Maggie couldn’t help the feeling that Shannon had looked down on her for being a stay-at-home mother.

Even though that’s what Kent had insisted she do.

He hadn’t wanted her to work, to have any way of being able to support herself. He’d wanted her totally dependent on him. And she’d bought into it for a while. He’d convinced her that he was all she needed. He would take care of her. Something she’d missed since losing each and every family member. But once the abuse started, she knew she had to do something.

She’d had to sneak online classes to keep her teaching certificate current. Though now, thanks to her grandfather, Maggie didn’t have to work unless she wanted to.

Which she did. She loved her job.

Loved helping her students and earning a living that allowed her to provide for herself and Belle. The money her grandfather had left her was there if she needed it. Otherwise, it would go to Belle. Satisfaction filled her. Maggie was so grateful she could leave that money to Belle, so the girl wouldn’t have to scrape and scrounge and work three jobs while trying to go to school. And she’d never have to be dependent on a man to take care of her. Never.

A scratching at her window made her jerk.

Then a surge of anger flowed hot and heavy through her veins.

Enough was enough.

* * *

Reese tossed and turned. At 2:00 a.m., he felt frustrated and tired.

And worried.

Which was why he couldn’t sleep.

After taking care of the situation at Maggie’s, he’d gone back to Holly’s café, ordered the daily special and taken it back to the jail for Pete.

The man looked surprised—and grateful.

Reese felt a twinge of sympathy for the fellow and had a feeling Eli often fed him his only hot meal of the day. He’d interrogated Pete while he wolfed the food down, but Pete had nothing else to add to his previous story.

So now, in the darkness, questions bombarded Reese. Questions about the bank robbery, the man Maggie had seen in her yard and questions about his attraction to a woman with a baby.

He’d promised himself he’d never put his heart on the line again. He’d had his shot at a family and happily-ever-after, and it had been snatched from him when his wife and child had died in childbirth.

So why couldn’t he get the pretty mother out of his mind?

Tossing aside the covers, he padded to the window that overlooked the lake. Peering across, he could see Maggie’s house lit up like a Christmas tree.

Realization hit him.

She was all alone and scared. The nights would be the worst. He knew this from experience. She would play the scene from the bank over and over in her mind, building it up, picturing what could have happened instead of what actually had happened. And she would work herself into a ball of nerves and fear. And with the threat the robber left ringing in the air, she would be jumping at every creak and moan of the house, wondering if the man was back to follow through on his promise.

Without a second’s hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed Maggie’s number. She might be afraid of the phone ringing at this time of night, but his number and name were programmed in her phone. Once she saw it was him, she would be all right.

“Hello?” Her low, husky voice trembled over him.

“You can’t sleep either?” he asked.

She gave a self-conscious little laugh. “I’m assuming you can see my well-lit house?”

“Reminds me of Christmas.”

A sigh slipped through the line. “No, I fell asleep for a bit, but then started hearing things.”

He frowned. “Hearing things? Like what?”

“Something scraping against my window.” Another little laugh escaped her. One that didn’t hold much humor. “I was angry enough to chew someone up and spit him out. I went flying out the door and no one was there.”

“You did what?” He nearly had a coronary. “Maggie, may I just say that was incredibly stupid?”

“Oh, I know. What was even more stupid was the butcher knife in my hand. I used it cut the branch that was knocking against the window.”

Some of his adrenaline slowed. But he still warned her, “Don’t ever do anything like that again. Not after today.”

She went silent.

He hurried to say, “Not that I have the right to tell you what to do, but—”

“No, you’re right.” This time her voice was soft. “I know you’re right. It was stupid. I just let my fury get the better of me. It’s just that the thought of being a victim again—” She stopped. “I won’t do that again. I promise.”

He felt slightly better. Then frowned as he realized what she’d said. Victim again? Unsettled, he started to ask her about it then stopped. She’d cut off her sentence. He took that to mean she wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Instead, he said, “I tell you what. Since I’m going to be awake for the next few hours, I’ll keep an eye on your place. You can rest easy.”

For a moment she didn’t respond. Then her voice, choked with tears or relief, he couldn’t tell, reached his ear. “I really hate to say okay, but I...would truly appreciate it. That is, if you’re sure you’re not going to be sleeping anyway.”

He let a sad smile curve his lips. “I’m not.”

“Okay, then. I think I’ll try to go to bed.”

“Sweet dreams, Maggie.”

She hung up, and he watched a few of her lights go off. The small manmade lake was probably only half a mile in diameter, but it would only take him about a minute to reach her house by motorcycle or car should he have to do so.

The dark night called to him. Slipping on his heavy coat and a pair of jeans and boots, he walked outside and down to the dock. Sitting there he wondered again at the strange things that had happened to Maggie that day.

And figured he might be losing a lot of sleep in the near future.

* * *

Reese walked into the sheriff’s office a little later than usual Tuesday morning. He’d finally gone to sleep around 5:30 a.m. when he’d noticed Maggie up and moving around, her shadow dancing across the window blinds. The bundle in her arms told him Belle was an early riser.

So here he was at nine o’clock instead of his usual eight o’clock. Fortunately, Eli didn’t require his deputies to punch a clock. They all worked more than forty hours a week and if one of them needed a little flexibility, as long as someone was willing to stay a little longer on shift to cover, Eli was fine with that.

Reese decided he could learn to like that kind of schedule.

Eli looked up and turned from his computer at Reese’s entrance. “You ready to question our prisoner?”

“He lawyer up?”

“Oh, yeah, first chance he got.”

Reese shrugged. “Let’s have at him then.”

“After we take a crack at him, he’ll move up to the larger prison in Bryson City where he’ll wait to see the judge who’ll set bail and all that.”

“Where is he?”

“Talking to his lawyer in the holding cell.” Eli stood and grabbed a ring of keys, which made Reese grin. In Washington, one simply pressed a button and the door opened. They still used keys here. Eli noticed the look. “We don’t have a lot of crime here.” He frowned. “Although, I have to say, it seems to be picking up lately.” Then he shrugged. “But why spend the money to upgrade?” Eli passed him on the way to the back and said, “I’ll get our prisoner and his lawyer and meet you in the interrogation room.”

“Sure. Be there in a minute.”

Reese noticed the brand-new laptop sitting on his desk and smiled. Now that was more like it.

He booted it up and pulled the sheet of paper from his drawer that had his email address and other pertinent information he needed to do his job here in Rose Mountain.

Setting that aside to deal with later, he headed for the interrogation room.

A bald man in his late forties sat next to his client. Eli and the lawyer seemed to know each other and shook hands. Eli said, “This is Mr. Nathan Forsythe.” Reese shook his hand then sat down and crossed his arms. The one thing he really hated about interrogations was giving up his weapon. He felt incomplete without the comforting weight of the gun under his left arm.

Once everyone was settled, the bank robber slouched in his chair, his hard eyes on the table in front of him.

Reese gave him a hard stare. “Hello, Charlie.”

The man didn’t even look up.

Eli said, “We ran your prints through AFIS. Welcome to Rose Mountain, Mr. John C. Berkley. Looks like you have a pretty nice rap sheet here.”

Tension ran through Berkley as he finally lifted his gaze. He drilled Reese with a silent look filled with hate and a cold confidence that made Reese narrow his eyes.

Eli leaned forward. “Now, would you like to tell us who your partners are and where we can find them?”

Without expression, Berkley simply said, “No.”

“Of course not.” Eli nodded. “Well, then, I guess we’ll send you on up to Bryson City. Oh, and I’m going to let it be known that you weren’t just bank robbing, you were going after a baby.”

That got Berkley’s attention. His shoulders straightened and the surly attitude slid off his face. “Wait a minute, that’s not true. You can’t do that.”

Eli shrugged and Reese admired the man’s acting abilities. “I think it is true. What do you think, Reese?”

Reese rubbed his chin as though pondering Eli’s question. “He told her to come with him. She had a baby she wasn’t leaving behind. Yeah, at least attempted kidnapping.” Reese kept his voice casual, as though he didn’t have a care in the world. “Especially since we have someone who witnessed you saying something about ‘The woman is mine.’ Now, which woman were you talking about? There were only three in the bank.”

Berkley’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t believe you, but we can come back to that. I’m real interested in the fact that you didn’t mind putting a child at risk and attempting to kidnap her mother. That might not go over so well in some prisons.”

Berkley fidgeted, and Reese could tell he was working hard to keep himself under control.

Eli pressed the issue. “Lots of guys in prison, especially those with families of their own, don’t take kindly to those who put children in danger—you know what I’m saying?”

A bead of sweat dripped from Berkley’s forehead. He knew.

But he clamped his lips shut and looked at his lawyer, who said, “Don’t say anything. I’ll see what we can do with the judge.” Forsythe nailed Eli and Reese with a glare. “That’s pretty low, Eli.”

“So is trying to rob my town’s bank and kidnap a local resident.” Eli stood and walked to the door.

Reese leaned forward toward Berkley, knuckles resting on the table. “And so is trying to shoot me. That tends to make me a little angry.”

Barkley said nothing, just met Reese stare for stare. Then a slow smile slipped over the man’s face, and he leaned back in his chair.

Reese stood, hoping his contempt for the man was obvious. As he walked toward the door, Berkley gave a low chuckle. “You think you know everything don’t you, Kirkpatrick?”

Reese paused, exchanged a glance with Eli and the silent lawyer. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t mean anything.” He looked at his lawyer. “Get me out of here.”

Reese stepped in front of them. “What do you mean?”

For a moment the man simply stared at him, then sneered, “I mean, your little lady messed up when she decided to mess with our job. She’d better watch her back cuz this ain’t over.”

FOUR

Reese felt his blood boil as he watched Eli escort Berkley from the room. Was the man all talk? Or was there more to this than met the eye? Berkley’s attitude suggested that he knew something they didn’t, and it made Reese’s palms itch. He wanted to watch the bank video, see if anything struck him.

Eli had said it was being sent over. So he’d wait for it.

He dialed Maggie’s number and it went to voice mail. Then he dialed Mitchell’s, the other deputy on duty.

“Mitchell here.”

“This is Reese. What’s your location?”

“I’m just on the edge of town, at the base of the mountain.”

“Will you swing by Maggie Bennett’s place?” He gave him the address. “Just check and make sure everything’s all right?”

“Sure.”

Reese’s stomach rumbled, and he frowned. Although he felt better about sending Mitchell to check on Maggie, he couldn’t help remembering Berkley’s words. “It’s not over yet.” And why would one of the robbers talk about “the woman” being his before the robbery? Had Pete gotten his conversations mixed up? If not, which woman? One of the tellers?

Maggie?

But Maggie’s trip to the bank had been spur of the moment. Hadn’t it?

His stomach sent up hunger signals once again and Reese sighed. He’d grab a quick bite then get back to work. He’d left in a hurry this morning, which meant he hadn’t taken the time to eat breakfast.

Reese headed for the door. “Hey, wait up.” Eli came from the back. “Where you headed?”

“Thought I’d grab a biscuit at the diner. I missed breakfast.”

“You mind if I come along? White’s got the jail covered, and Alice is on the phones.” Alice Colby, the department secretary, was a pleasant woman in her early fifties. She had salt-and-pepper-colored hair and blue eyes that sparkled all the time. Reese liked her. Jason White was the new hire who’d started the same day as Reese. Reese didn’t like him as much as he liked Alice. But the deputy was competent, and Reese knew Eli was glad to have a full staff once again.

“Sure, come on,” he said. “What’s wrong? Holly didn’t feed you this morning?”

Eli grinned. “Not this morning. Holly’s not feeling all that great.”

“Why does that put a smile on your face?”

“She’ll feel better in a few weeks. After the first trimester.”

“First tri— Oh.” Holly was pregnant. A pang shot through him, and grief hit him in the gut. Covering the split-second reaction, Reese cleared his throat. “Ah, well, congratulations.”

The smile slipped from Eli’s face. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Reese forced a lightness into his voice that he didn’t feel.

“It still hits hard, doesn’t it?”

Reese didn’t bother to try to avoid the question. “Yeah. It does. Not as hard as it used to, so time’s helping, but it still hurts.” This time his smile was real. “But I’m happy for you and Holly. That’s great. I hope it’s a girl for her sake, though. Even things out with you males in the family.”

Eli slapped him on the back and gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze. “Me, too. Come on, I’m starving. Let’s eat while we have a chance.”

On the way to the diner, Eli stopped residents of the town and introduced Reese to each one. Friendly faces welcomed him, and Reese felt a small sliver of peace slide into his heart.

Coming to Rose Mountain had been the best choice he’d made in a long time.

“By the way, don’t forget about the church potluck dinner Wednesday night. When I was a bachelor, I looked forward to those things like a kid does Christmas. Best home cooking you’ll find.”

Reese nodded and smiled. “I heard the announcement in church last Sunday.” One thing he’d done as soon as he’d moved to town was find a church. He’d settled into his house on Saturday a week ago and gotten up and gone to church with Eli and Holly and Cal and Abby the next morning.

He wondered if Maggie Bennett would be there.

When he walked into the diner, his eyes landed on the woman his thoughts couldn’t seem to stay away from. Belle sat in her lap, picking Cheerios out of Maggie’s hand and eating them one by one. Like a homing pigeon, he made his way to her, drawn by her deep brown eyes. He was vaguely aware of Eli following along behind. She smiled when she saw him. “Good morning, Reese.”

“Morning. How’d you sleep last night?”

“Pretty well, thanks to you. Knowing you were watching was—well, it made a big difference. Thanks.”

He returned her smile. “It was no problem.”

Eli cleared his throat, and Maggie looked past him to greet the man. “Hi, Eli.”

“Maggie. No classes this morning?”

“Not until 11:00 today. I started on paperwork about 6:00 this morning and decided I had definitely earned a break. So here we are.”

Reese thought about that question he’d wanted to ask her. “Hey, do you go to the bank every Monday?”

She lifted a brow at him. “Yes. Usually. I get paid by electronic deposit on a weekly basis. I go to get my cash for the week and then go to the different places to pay my bills.”

“You don’t use checks? Pay online?”

She shook her head. “No. I do it this way on purpose. It gets me out of the house. I spend many hours online with my job.” She shrugged. “I could do everything online, but I like getting out, visiting with people and...” She flushed. “I know it sounds silly. I just need that personal interaction.”

“It doesn’t sound silly,” he reassured her. He understood what she was saying, and his mind was already clicking through what it meant.

Belle jabbered at Reese and held her arms out to him. He backpedaled, almost knocking Eli over. Maggie jerked and lifted a brow at him. Feeling like a fool, he stammered, “Um, well, I guess we’d better get a table. See you.”

He turned and headed for the table in the far corner, feeling Maggie’s puzzled gaze follow him until he was able to slide into the seat and out of her line of sight.

Eli seated himself on the opposite side and shook his head. “What in the world was that?”

A cold sweat broke across Reese’s brow and he closed his eyes on a groan. “I don’t know. I’m an idiot.”

“Have you talked to anyone about this? Like a professional counselor?”

Eli’s soft question sent darts through Reese’s heart. “Yeah. I did.”

“And?”

“It helped, but...”

“The grief is still there. And it will be for the rest of your life, I know, but...”

Guilt shook him. He opened his eyes and looked straight into Eli’s compassionate gaze. “For Keira, the grief is less sharp. It’s more of a sadness for what could have been, the loss of what we had. I miss her. A lot. And I’m sorry she died. I wish I could change that, but I can’t.” He sighed. “It’s hard to admit it, but I’m ready to move on. To find someone to spend the rest of my life with. But...”

“But?”

“When it comes to babies, I just... It’s hard. I don’t know why it’s so hard.” Frustration at his inability to put his feelings into words washed over him. “It just is. And I need to find a way to move on, to accept the loss and deal with it, but...”

“You lost your wife and daughter, Reese. That’s huge.”

Reese swallowed against the lump in his throat. “I know.” He stirred in his seat, restless with the direction of the conversation. Fortunately, the waitress arrived before he had to contribute further to it.

Then Eli changed the subject. “What was that about? Maggie and her trips to the bank?”

“She has a routine. A routine someone has figured out in her short time here in Rose Mountain.”

Eli nodded, knowledge lighting his eyes. “And they hit the bank at the time she was going to be there. Just as she was every Monday.”

“Coincidence?”

“Maybe.”

“But you don’t think so?”

“I think time will tell. I also think we need to keep a really close eye on her.”

Reese stared at the woman who’d already made such an impression on his heart. “I don’t think I’m going to mind that.” He also wouldn’t mind finding out exactly why the pretty mother came to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In fact, finding that out might require spending a lot of time with her and getting to know her better.

He couldn’t help the small smile that slipped across his lips.

* * *

Maggie pushed the sippy cup from Belle’s grasping fingers, tired of the “throw it on the floor so Mommy can pick it up” game.

Belle protested with a loud squeal so Maggie stood, trying to juggle the baby, her purse and the diaper bag. Her wallet fell to the floor when it tipped out of her tilted purse.

With Belle on her hip, she squatted, attempting to keep her balance while she retrieved the wallet.

“Let me hold her a minute.”

Maggie looked up to see Mrs. Adler standing behind her. Belle grinned when she saw her.

Grateful for the woman’s intervention, Maggie handed Belle over. While Belle grabbed a handful of Mrs. Adler’s graying shoulder-length hair and tried to get it in her mouth, Maggie picked up her wallet.

When she stood again, she nearly mashed her nose into the uniform-covered broad chest. “Oh!”

Reese’s strong hands came up to grasp her upper arms, and she shivered at the contact. He gave her a crooked smile that didn’t match the look in his eyes. He handed her a dusty pacifier. “This fell out of your purse and bounced almost to my table. Would hate for you to need it and it not be there.”

Maggie took it from him and stepped back to catch her breath. Being so close to him did crazy things to her pulse. She swallowed hard. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” He smiled at Mrs. Adler. “Good to see you, ma’am.”

“And you, Deputy Kirkpatrick.”

He smiled. “You can call me Reese.”

Reese returned to his seat, and Maggie tucked the dirty pacifier in her purse to wash later. As Reese settled himself onto the plastic-covered seat, she saw Eli raise a brow at his new hire.

The flush on Reese’s cheeks made her wonder if perhaps she triggered the same crazy feelings in him that he did in her.

While thankful for the return of the pacifier, she still frowned as she watched the two men engage in conversation. Because while Deputy Reese Kirkpatrick seemed to have a soft spot for her, she couldn’t help but notice that when he offered her the pacifier and addressed Mrs. Adler, he never once looked at Belle.

* * *

In the small bedroom that served as her office, Maggie clicked out of her virtual classroom and took her headphones off. She was pleased with the five students who had shown up, and the class had gone well. In fact, all her classes this morning had had lively discussions and productive work. Satisfaction filled her.

Mrs. Adler entertained Belle in the den while Maggie worked. Now that Belle was getting older, Maggie needed someone to help out during her class times and for four hours a day, four days a week, Mrs. Adler was happy to do it. Not only that, the woman liked to cook. She seemed to feel as if it was her personal duty to keep Maggie in casseroles and pies. Maggie didn’t argue with her.

She pictured the food-laden tables she knew would be spread out tomorrow night in the church gym and her stomach growled. The sandwich she’d downed in a hurry a couple of hours ago had worn off. She’d find a snack in a minute. Right now, she had something on her mind and needed to think a bit.

Maggie got up and walked toward the closet where she had a small portable file box. As she passed the window, movement caught her eye.

Stopping, she glanced out. The bedroom was in the back corner of the house. The view from the window was part lake to her right and part woods to her left. The sheer curtains allowed light to flood the room during the day. But now, Maggie wished she had something heavier and more concealing over the windows. She shivered and waited. Watching. Her mind flashed to the robber’s threat that he would kill her.

Would he really? She remembered the look in his eye as he spewed the threat and decided, yes, he really would.

Fear trembled through her and she pulled in a deep breath. For the next few minutes, she simply stood and watched the area outside the window, then she moved to Belle’s room and looked out. Again, she saw nothing that caused her concern. Before she left Belle’s room, she checked the window latch. It was fastened securely.

Feeling a bit better, thinking it was just an animal or something that had captured her attention, she let herself relax slightly. Returning to her office, she went straight to the closet. The file box she wanted sat on the top shelf.

Maggie pulled it down and brought it to the desk.

Before she went any further, she couldn’t resist one more glance out the window.

Nothing.

She turned back to the box, opened the latch and lifted the lid. Ever since the attempted bank robbery, she’d been troubled by the fact that she could have been killed. She wasn’t ready to die, of course, but it wasn’t so much the act of dying as it was dying and leaving Belle to face the world without her.

Maggie sorted through the files until she came to the one she wanted. The one marked WILL. When she’d lived with her husband, she’d learned fast to hide things she didn’t want him to know about. He was suspicious and mean and went through her things often, accusing her of hiding money from him.

Guilt pulled at her. Well, he’d been right about that. She’d been hiding things from him. She’d been planning her escape from the man for several months because she knew if she didn’t get away from him, she would eventually wind up dead. And now she had more than herself to think of. She had to take care of Belle.

Maggie pulled the one sheet of paper labeled LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT from the file, sat in the chair and simply looked at it. She really had to do something about guardianship for Belle in case something happened to her. The attempted bank robbery yesterday had hit home the fact that Maggie had no other living relatives. None.

Except for her deceased husband’s sister, Shannon Bennett. And she wasn’t even a blood relative. The woman was thirty-seven years old, had never married and seemed to prefer it that way. She was listed as the person who would get custody of Belle in the event of Maggie’s death. And while Maggie knew without a doubt that Shannon was crazy about Belle, that she would take care of her, provide for her and love her, Maggie hesitated. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to leave Belle with her. For a number of reasons.

The doorbell rang and she jumped.

Mrs. Adler called, “I’ll get it.”

Maggie relaxed and went back to trying to make a decision about what to do about Belle in the event of her death. Not something she planned on happening, but the bank robbery still had her shaken.

A high-pitched scream echoed through the house. Maggie jerked, bolted to her feet and raced down the short hall to find the woman standing in the doorway, hands clasped to her mouth.

“What is it?” Maggie’s heart thudded as she stepped around Mrs. Adler and stared down at the dead squirrel on her porch. He lay on his back, feet in the air.

The words painted in red next to him read, “You’re next.”

FIVE

Maggie’s shaky phone call still echoed in his mind as Reese stood on the porch looking down at the dead animal. The bright sun in the blue cloudless sky cast a cheery glow around him. A direct contrast to the chilling message next to the carcass.

Eli stepped forward and placed a hand on Mrs. Adler’s shoulder. The woman still trembled as she twisted a tissue between her fingers. “Let me call Jim to come get you,” Eli offered.

“No, I have my car. I’ll be fine.” She bit her lip. “I’d rather he not know about this. We’re going to Asheville day after tomorrow for some heart tests. This wouldn’t be good for him.”

“I’m so sorry,” Maggie whispered, her face pale and drawn.

Mrs. Adler reached over and took Maggie’s hand in hers. “It’s not your fault, honey. Someone is just getting his kicks in a twisted way.” She fluttered her hand as though to say she was going to try to ignore it.

Reese wished he could.

But the would-be bank robber’s threats still rang in his ears. He hadn’t thought the two who’d escaped would have hung around the area. But maybe one had revenge on his mind. Maybe the person Maggie saw running from her home yesterday had indeed been the robber who’d threatened them. But why go after Maggie? Reese was the one who’d shot him.

Then again, if Maggie hadn’t pulled the rope, everything would have ended differently. They would have gotten away with their money and Slim wouldn’t have a bullet hole in him.

Eli looked up from the squirrel. “He was already dead. Been dead a couple of days, I’d say. Our joker probably came across him and decided it’d be a good way to scare Maggie.”

She grunted. “It worked.”

“Where’s Belle?” Eli asked.

“In her playpen.” Maggie glanced through the door and into the den. “She’s content right now.”

Eli looked at Mitchell, one of his deputies. “Anything on that red substance?”

“It’s not blood.” He held up the cotton swab he’d used to test the writing. “Maybe paint or some kind of marker.”

“Let’s get all this stuff bagged.” He looked at Maggie. “We’ll have to send it off to the lab in Asheville. It may take a while to hear back.”

She nodded and ran a hand through her blond hair. She looked tired, the gray smudges under her eyes attesting to the fact that she hadn’t gotten much sleep since the robbery. She asked, “What do I do now? If this person is determined to get to me, how do Belle and I—” she shot a glance at Mrs. Adler “—and everyone else in my life, stay safe?”

Reese’s jaw firmed. “I live right across the lake, so I can help keep an eye on things.” He looked at Eli. “Would it be possible to have deputies on duty drive by every couple of hours for the next few days?”

Eli blew out a sigh and was quiet while he thought about it. Then he said, “Fortunately, we’re not short-staffed anymore. At least we won’t be when Cal and Abby get back from Washington. They’re due home any time now.” Reese nodded. Cal McIvers was also a deputy on the small Rose Mountain police force. Abby, Cal’s wife, was Reese’s former sister-in-law. Their unconditional love and support had been instrumental in influencing his move to the mountain.

“That’ll help.”

Eli pulled out his notebook again and wrote as he spoke. “I’ll set up a schedule for the drive-bys.” He looked at Maggie. “And we can set up a check-in schedule for you.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“You call either Reese or me throughout the day at designated times to let us know you’re all right. It doesn’t have to take long, just a simple, ‘I’m fine.’”

Reese nodded. “She can call me.” He looked into her eyes. “I’ll be available, day or night. If you even feel uneasy, call.”

He saw her throat work, the protest form on her lips. Before she could utter a word, he stated firmly, “It’s not an imposition. Let me do this. If something happened to you—or Belle—I’d...probably blame myself for letting you talk me out of it. So let’s just save me the guilt, okay?”

“Let him do it, honey,” Mrs. Adler chimed in. “With the crazy stuff happening in this town lately, it wouldn’t hurt.” She shook her head. “First Eli has to take over for a crooked sheriff, then drugs being funneled through the elementary school then someone chasing down that sweet Abby McIvers and trying to kill her...” The woman trailed off, her muttered words making Reese wince.

He’d been part of Abby O’Sullivan McIvers’s grief. His sister-in-law. He’d blamed her for his wife and daughter’s deaths and she’d run from him. Straight to Rose Mountain, where she’d met and married Cal McIvers, one of Rose Mountain’s deputies. Now she had a flourishing pediatric medical practice and the residents of Rose Mountain kept her busy enough that she’d started looking for a partner. Thankfully, Reese had been able to be friendly with her and Cal.

Maggie looked confused. “Dr. Abby?” So she hadn’t heard the story of how he’d come to Rose Mountain.

He nodded. “Yes.”

Before Mrs. Adler could add to her dialogue about all the bad things happening recently on the mountain, a cry sounded from inside the house.

Belle.

Maggie darted inside while Eli walked Mrs. Adler to her car. “Why don’t you call it a day?”

“I believe I will.” She climbed in and drove down the drive that would lead her to the two-lane mountain road.

Reese watched her go. The storm door squeaked open and Maggie stepped outside with Belle on her hip.

His heart flipped then settled.

Why was he reacting this way? He hadn’t felt anything like attraction for a woman since Keira’s death. And now this. He was developing feelings for the mother of a baby. He shook his head at himself and decided he’d better focus on her safety and not the fact that he wanted to push aside his insecurities and fears and lose himself in the possibility that God might have something planned for him and Maggie.

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