What She Saw

by Barb Han

“You already know I’ll support her in any way that I can.” Zach was more than a good cousin. He was truly a good man.

  “Thank you.” Jordan meant it.

  “We have to look out for our own. It’s nothing any of you wouldn’t do for me.” Zach was right about that. Being in Idaho away from the family, Jordan was beginning to see how lonely his life had been there. He was beginning to see that it was nice to be around people who had his back and looked out for each other. All those things had felt suffocating before. What had changed in him to make him feel differently? Fatherhood?

  He couldn’t deny that he felt a pull toward being around family for his unborn nugget. The thought of him or her growing up surrounded by love wasn’t the worst thing he could think of. And, besides, he was most likely going to need a ton of parenting advice. From what he could tell so far with his nieces and nephews, those kids didn’t come with any sort of training manual. Once a kid came into the world, it was go time.

  “Your relationships are none of my business,” Zach started.

  “I care what you think, even if I don’t always listen to your advice, Zach.”

  “I appreciate that, Jordan.” Zach paused a few beats. “It was bad for her growing up here with her father.”

  “Yes, it was. I hate that she went through all the abuse.” He was already gone by that time, and his family had never been ones for gossip. So much about what Courtney had said about only being able to count on herself made even more sense as he was reminded of her traumatic upbringing. Jordan understood just how fully she meant those words, and his heart squeezed at thinking about the abuse she’d suffered.

  Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she’d gone on to work in law enforcement in order to bring justice to bastards who took advantage of or hurt others. So many things snapped in place in his mind. He wanted to do everything he could to protect her from the story making its rounds.

  “Did Hughey’s story check out?” Jordan asked. Maybe there was another angle to consider.

  “For the most part. Yes. I asked a judge to issue a search warrant for his home, because Rhonda had ketamine in her system as well as alcohol and a prescription opioid,” Zach informed.

  “Same as Breanna?” Jordan asked.

  “It looks like that might be how he gets them to be compliant. He gets them comfortable with him somehow and then slips some powder into their drink when they aren’t watching.” A picture was beginning to take shape. It wasn’t one he liked, but the puzzle pieces fit together and no one could deny it. It was a theory worth considering.

  “That could be how he got his victim to the site.” Zach sounded like he hadn’t slept since yesterday. A pang of guilt struck Jordan, because sleeping with Courtney given him his best night’s rest in recent memory. Hell, he hadn’t slept that well since the last time they were together.

  “I’ll keep Courtney at the ranch for a few days if she’ll stay. It might help keep her under the radar until talk simmers down,” Jordan said.

  “She’ll want to call in and ask about the case. Tell her I called to check on her and to order her to rest,” Zach said.

  “She has an independent streak as long as Route 66 and a stubborn streak even longer. I’ll see what I can do,” Jordan said on a chuckle.

  “Do you care about her enough to go the long haul?” Zach asked.

  “I haven’t figured anything out yet, and especially not my next move,” Jordan admitted. “But, yeah, I think so.”

  “She’d make a fine partner for the right person.” Zach wasn’t exactly being subtle.

  “We’re still figuring that part out,” Jordan replied.

  “She’s worth fighting for.” Zach left it at that. “One more thing, she cares about you. I saw it before last night, but it’s obvious every time she looks at you.”

  “Thanks, Zach. You know I always appreciate your opinion,” Jordan said. “And take care of yourself.”

  Jordan wanted to do more to pitch in and ease the burden for his cousin. But maybe the best thing he could do right now was take care of Courtney.

  If she’d let him, and that was a big if.

  She’d always been headstrong. She was also smart, so she wouldn’t do anything to put herself or their child in harm’s way. She seemed to be coming to terms with the fact that she’d been dealing with her stress in the wrong way.

  And she seemed genuinely committed to turning that around for the sake of their child. He had no idea, though, if she was capable of letting him in.

  Chapter Sixteen

  A day of rest after yesterday seemed like a smart option to Courtney, not for her sake but for the baby’s. She’d slept in fits last night. The case was eating at her. It was difficult to walk away completely when the clock was ticking, and especially after an innocent woman had died in Courtney’s arms.

  For all anyone knew the Jacobstown Hacker may have already made a move on his next victim. Questions swirled about Hughey and what his role truly was. Could he be the person they’d been searching for all along? Could he be the Jacobstown Hacker?

  She didn’t know him well enough to decide one way or another.

  The case wasn’t the only thing on her mind as she brushed her teeth. Last night, when she and Jordan made love, something was different between them. Granted, the sex was hotter than ever, but that wasn’t what she was talking about. A tide had shifted between them. Their lovemaking had felt more intimate.

  Courtney tried to chalk it up to outside factors, like the fact that she’d been through hell and back. That Jordan hadn’t gone anywhere. He’d stayed right by her side when she’d needed him the most.

  But he lived in Idaho and had willingly left Jacobstown years ago. He had his own demons to deal with, considering he’d walked away from the only place he’d ever known and hadn’t looked back. She saw in him what she saw in herself—someone ready to walk away.

  Courtney finished brushing her teeth and washed her face. Her mind raced with other thoughts, too.

  There was a person she’d been avoiding since returning to town. Amy. Courtney had been dodging Amy’s attempts to reach out to her and connect. Courtney felt bad about not returning Amy’s calls.

  The thought of facing Amy—one of the few people who’d actually known Courtney in Jacobstown—after having a weeklong fling with Jordan didn’t sit well.

  In the beginning, she didn’t think she could trust herself not to slip up. And she’d made a habit of avoiding people she cared about from the past. Wasn’t that just an excuse? An excuse to stay miserable in some ways? Because people she cared about who had died didn’t get to reconnect with old friends. Why should she?

  The people she’d been closest to were gone, all in one fell swoop. A surprising well of tears leaked from her eyes, and this time she didn’t rush to wipe them away. Hadn’t she been doing that to herself all along? Covering her crying? Wiping away her tears the second they fell while hoping she could erase all that came with them just as easily?

  Oh damn. Was that what she’d been doing?

  Courtney finished freshening up in the bathroom before making her way into the kitchen. The smell of coffee hit her square in the face as she entered the room, and she had to hold back the nauseous feeling threatening to overpower her.

  She located her cell inside her purse, but the battery was low. Not being connected to her work made her chest feel tight. The air in the room thinned, and it suddenly felt hard to breathe.

  Thinking about her work made her tense, too. She’d grown used to depending on cell phones and her police radio to stay constantly in touch. Was it any wonder that she usually wanted nothing to do with those things on her days off? And yet not having full access to them was making her a little stir-crazy.

  It was most likely because of the gravity of the case and not because of something else, like she feared her job wouldn’t be waiting for her
after her forced leave.

  Jordan wasn’t in the kitchen. She figured he wouldn’t mind if she helped herself to some yogurt in the fridge. As she walked across the room, she heard faint sounds coming from the office down the hall. It sounded like keystrokes.

  It made sense that Jordan would be working. She checked the time. How could it be nine fifteen already? She normally woke up with the sun. It was a habit that came with growing up in ranch country and had stuck well into adulthood.

  After talking to Jordan last night, some of the weight she felt like she’d been carrying around for far too long seemed like it had lifted. She plugged her phone into the charger on the wall with every intention of getting enough charge going to check her e-mails and call the counselor.

  It was time to learn how to live with what had happened and not run away from it. It was time to deal with her feelings instead of shoving them down deep. It was time to make the fresh start she’d so badly wanted in coming home to Jacobstown.

  Maybe it took a surprise pregnancy for Courtney to realize she couldn’t live like this anymore. She needed to come to terms with her past. She knew that she had to let it go in order to pave the way for a bright future for her and her child.

  She’d had no idea that becoming a mother would make her want to change in almost every way for the better. To take what was good about her and find a way to do more of it. To take what was broken and find a way to fix it.

  That was the power of love.

  Courtney finished her yogurt and checked the pantry for some table crackers. Salty crackers sounded like they’d calm her stomach, which was doing well so far. The little nugget growing inside her must be hungry. Courtney touched her belly. “I don’t know how you got stuck with me, kiddo. I promise to do my best. We’ll figure this out together.”

  She already knew that Jordan Kent was going to be an amazing father. That much was a given. Being a Kent would give their baby everything Courtney never had and everything a child really wanted—a loving family.

  Jordan walked into the kitchen, and she dropped her hand.

  “Good morning. I didn’t realize you were awake,” he said.

  A moment of hesitation struck. What they’d done last night had changed the course of their relationship. They’d muddied the waters of friendship and co-parenting, and she’d probably made a mess of everything before her child was even in the world.

  Jordan walked straight over to her, took her hand and then kissed her with such tenderness it robbed her of breath. She marveled at his ability to walk into a room and make everything better.

  “I don’t usually sleep so late.” They’d kept all kinds of odd hours at the cabin for that blissful week. He wasn’t familiar with her normal life routine.

  “You needed it.” He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a container of food. “Kimberly made a whole mess of food when she heard you were staying at the main house. Does a southwest skillet breakfast sound good to you?”

  “Normally, I’d be all over it. Right now, I can make do with yogurt and crackers. I made myself at home.” She pointed toward the empty container of yogurt, thinking she probably should’ve found him and asked first. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “It would be weird if you didn’t make yourself comfortable.” He smiled that sexy little smile that had been so good at seducing her. Of course, his tortured look had been pretty damn good at accomplishing the same feat.

  “Good. I thought you might be out on the property, and I woke up starving.” She picked up her cell phone, which finally had a decent charge.

  “Zach says you should leave that thing alone,” Jordan stated. “That came straight from your boss.”

  “I promise that I’m not looking at this thing for work purposes.” She held her hand to her heart like she was taking an oath. “I owe Amy a text at the very least. If she still wants to talk to me.”

  “She’ll like hearing from you.” Jordan sounded distracted as he pulled out his phone. “Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen her around lately. I probably have a message from her since we’ve been in contact every day since I’ve been home. Hold on while I check.”

  A sinking feeling hit Courtney in the pit of her stomach as he stared at his screen, scrolling through message after message.

  He looked up at her and shook his head.

  * * *

  JORDAN CHECKED HIS phone again. There was nothing from Amy. It was most likely the fact that everyone, including him, was on high alert, but he had a bad feeling.

  “I tried texting her a minute ago. She didn’t respond. She could be mad at me and I’d deserve it.” Courtney held out her cell.

  “That’s not like her.” If Amy wasn’t returning Courtney’s text, it could mean that she was busy. Or...

  His mind dived to darker places—places he couldn’t allow himself to stay for long or he’d drive himself crazy. “I’m sure Zach’s heard from her. We can clear this up with a phone call. There’s no reason to panic.”

  Jordan pulled up Zach’s name and made the call.

  “What’s up, Jordan?” Zach asked by way of answer. His voice gave away how tired he must be.

  “Is Amy around? She’s not answering her cell, and I have a quick question for her.” He didn’t want Zach to worry. Jordan told himself that he was being overly cautious.

  “No. In fact, I haven’t seen her. Let me ask Ellen. My sister has probably already shown up to volunteer today. Hold on.” Jordan could hear his cousin shout to his secretary even though his mouth was away from the receiver.

  Jordan looked at Courtney, who was fiddling with the spoon in her hand. She looked up at him with so much worry in her beautiful brown eyes.

  Zach returned to the call. “No one has seen her. I’m trying to think the last time I did. It’s been a full day, which has me concerned.”

  “I’ll reach out to Amber and Isaac. We can see if they’ve heard anything,” Jordan immediately offered.

  “Let me know what they say. In the meantime, I’ll give her a call and let her know we’re looking for her. I’m sure everything’s fine, but I’m glad you called to check.” There was no conviction in those first four words.

  “Okay then. Let’s all get busy.” Jordan figured that between Amber and Isaac, someone had seen or spoken to Amy. His first call was to his sister.

  She picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Jordan. How are you?”

  “I’m good. I’m calling about Amy. Do you know where she is?” He got right to the point.

  “Um, hmm. Good question. Let’s see. We were supposed to go to the VFW together to drop off a baked goods. And then news spread about what happened last night, so we canceled.” She paused a beat. “Hold on. There was so much confusion yesterday, now that I think about it, I’m not even sure that I talked to her. Everyone was calling and trying to find out what was going on, and I assumed she had, too.”

  “So, you didn’t talk to her?” Jordan looked at Courtney.

  “Now that I really think about it, no. Patsy Blair was coordinating the annual baked goods event, and I must’ve talked to her half a dozen times. But I actually don’t remember having a conversation with Amy now that you mention it. Why? What’s going on?” Concern caused her voice to raise a few octaves.

  “I hope nothing. She and Isaac are still dating, right?” he asked.

  “You know about that?” Amber sounded shocked.

  “Pretty much everyone does at this point. They’ve been on and off for how many years now?” he asked.

  “That’s fair,” Amber said quickly. And then added, “Let me know what you hear from him, okay?”

  “Will do, sis.” Zach and Amber spoke to Amy on a daily basis, so Jordan wasn’t one bit thrilled about what he was hearing. His next call was to Isaac, who answered immediately.

  “How can I help you, Jordan?” They’d long ag
o dispensed with formalities.

  “You haven’t seen Amy around, have you?” Jordan held his breath waiting for the answer.

  “As a matter of fact, no, I haven’t. I’ve been working double shifts like everybody else.” Isaac and the other security personnel had volunteered their time off in order to take extra shifts. Everyone had been on heightened alert since the delivery the other morning. “Why?”

  Jordan figured he might as well tell Isaac. “No one has seen or heard from her in the last twenty-four hours.”

  “Well, then, I request permission to abandon my post and look for her,” Isaac said without missing a beat. “Frederick’s here and can keep watch on the gate.”

  “Absolutely. Brief the others on the situation. I’ll call Lone Star Lonnie personally.” Lonnie was like family and he needed to know what was going on.

  Breanna’s murder was out there somewhere. Rhonda had been murdered in the field. A coldblooded killer was out there somewhere. And Amy was MIA.

  Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

  “I’ll report back the minute I hear from her,” Isaac said.

  “Thank you.” He ended the call and fired off a text to his siblings. A rush of adrenaline blasted Jordan, and all his senses heightened.

  One glance at Courtney, and he saw that she was already on the phone.

  “It doesn’t hurt to ask around,” she said.

  Within a few minutes, it was clear that Amy hadn’t been seen or heard from in at least the past twenty-four hours. A mix of anger and fear rushed Jordan. “We should check her house just to be certain she’s not asleep.”

  “I’m ready when you are.” Courtney wasted no time putting on her boots from work and then her coat.

  Jordan was ready, and the two of them were out the door in a matter of minutes. Zach called before they left Kent property.

  “I’m at Amy’s place and she’s not here. Her cat’s food bowl is empty, and so is the water,” Zach said.

  She always left food for her cat. She said Mr. Nibbles liked to snack all day. But the water was the most concerning.