“I’m going to board up the window, then I’ll sleep on the sofa.” He left the room.
Demi’s heart slammed. He’d backed off. Maybe he’d recognized the mama bear in her. Maybe he had decided to table his desire to see and hold the child of his dead brother. Demi could not trust her intuition. With Lucas, she’d been wrong too many times to give in to the primal attraction that had plagued her from the first time she met him. Okay, so she was attracted to him. That didn’t mean he was good for her.
* * *
Lucas lay on Demi’s living room sofa, his head on his folded arms, fireplace flickering, staring up at the shadows flickering on the ceiling. He had so much on his mind he couldn’t sleep. Demi’s determination to get away, her protectiveness of Wolf and, most of all, her reticence in talking about Bo. Why did she feel that way? Did she feel threatened? He could see why she’d taken such precautions in fleeing and hiding, and even securing Wolf in his nearly impenetrable room. She must fear his being taken from her and, of course, harmed in some way. Did she also fear that Lucas would take the baby after he turned her in? As a relative, Lucas could get custody of the baby if she were in jail.
What could he do to convince her he had no intention of turning her in? Maybe all she needed was time—to trust him or for him to prove that Devlin had become the prime suspect in the Groom Killer case. He felt obligated to make amends for believing her guilty for so long. He also knew how stubborn she could be.
Hearing her moving in her bedroom, he saw a light turn on. He listened to her open the secret door. How many times did she do that during the night? Maybe she hadn’t until now, when her location had been revealed and someone started shooting at her.
He heard her close and lock the door and then come into the hallway. She walked quietly, as though trying not to wake him.
“I’m not asleep.” He pushed the blanket off and stood to see her frozen in the kitchen.
He had kept his jeans on but was bare other than that. He watched her take in his chest and arms and then lift her eyes. Blinking, she turned and took out a glass from the cabinet. Lucas liked how she stretched her body to reach the upper shelf. She wore a sleeveless nightgown that fell to her knees and inched up her thighs. She was barefoot, like him. The gas fireplace kept it warm in here. The cabin had forced air heating, as well, but on such a cold night with blowing snow, the cabin would feel draftier without the extra heat.
“Nights like tonight I wish I had a television,” Demi said as she put the glass on the counter, the nightgown returning to her knees and her bare heels touching back down on the wood floor.
“I can’t sleep, either.”
Without acknowledging that, she opened the refrigerator and took out a milk container. He leaned against the island, the tree lights and fire the only sources of illumination after the refrigerator closed. He found it amazing that she’d managed to make such a welcoming home while on the run. Then again, as a bounty hunter, she knew how not to be found. Using a false name, plus her disguise, explained why it had taken so long for him to do so. She’d been on the run for a year. He should have known. He should not have underestimated her.
She glanced over at him as she finished pouring a glass of milk, her eyes going down the front of him before turning to put the milk carton away.
“Where’s Queenie?” she asked, in what must be a safe subject for her.
“She’s with Elle.” His dog was a beautiful Belgian Malinois, with a dark head faintly intermixed with chestnut brown that took over the rest of her body. She was one of the best ground and air trackers the Red Ridge Police Department’s K-9 Unit had. His sister, Elle Gage, had a dog, too, and was a rookie cop at the RRPD.
“You didn’t bring her?”
“I’ll pick her up when we’re back in Red Ridge.”
“We?” She sipped her milk and sent him a barely contained scowl as she walked into the living room.
He decided not to argue just now. Wind gusted and pelted snow against the side of the cabin. He welcomed the time he’d be stuck here with her. Trailing her, he sat at the opposite end of the sofa, listening to the storm. Demi had left the gas fireplace burning on low before going to bed. Flames flickered and added light in the small space.
“You must have been working hard to find me,” she said, putting her glass down on the side table. “You didn’t always think I was innocent.”
She said the last in a tone much more representative of her fiery spirit. She obviously did not believe he thought she was innocent, at least, not completely.
He put his feet up on the square ottoman and leaned back. “Oh, yeah. I tried very hard to find you when I thought you killed my brother.”
“But now you’ve changed your mind.”
She sounded like a smart-mouth. “With good reason.”
“With no proof,” she countered.
He again decided not to argue.
“Did everyone think I did it?” she asked.
“No, not everyone. Quite a few didn’t think you would kill anyone. Shane and Brayden drove me nuts.”
At the mention of her half brothers—Shane Colton, the ex-con turned private investigator and RRPD informant, and Brayden Colton, another RRPD K-9 officer—Demi’s face lit up. They had defended her but she likely hadn’t known that until now. He felt a little redemption inch its way into his regret.
“My brothers tried to exonerate me?” she asked.
“At first the evidence was difficult for them to ignore. After Tucker Frane was killed, Shane thought you were being framed.”
“Tucker said he saw me shoot a man in the alley between Bea’s Bridal and a French restaurant.”
“That’s why Shane began to suspect something was off.”
She angled herself on the sofa, bending her knees and looping her arms around them, settling in. For what, Lucas would wait cautiously to find out.
“And Brayden?” she asked.
“Brayden would rip my head off if he had the chance.”
She smiled big and sang a soft, “Yay.”
“Aw, come on. It wasn’t all that bad between you and me.” The Coltons and the Gages of Red Ridge traditionally didn’t get along well. Years of feuding had caused a rift, but Lucas had seen that change ever since Demi had been set up as the Groom Killer.
Her animation faded. “Yes it was. You always had to be the dominant top dog.”
“You’re freelance. I’m a bona fide Red Ridge PD K-9 cop.”
The vixen poked out her pretty head. Stormy dyed eyebrows arrowed down. He hated how he loved that. Part of the reason they’d remained enemies for so long was he could never stop teasing her. He didn’t think he’d be able to stop now.
“Bounty hunter,” she shot back.
“Deputized bounty hunter.” He winked.
“Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you have to do that?”
He chuckled. “Only with you.”
She eyed him. “You do it on purpose?”
He chuckled deeper. “I wouldn’t say on purpose. I can’t help it.”
Her head tilted sideways a little. “You like yanking my chain.”
“Let’s just say I’m one of the few people who think your quick temper is adorable.”
“Adorable.”
He held back another chuckle. “Yes.”
“Why do you think it’s adorable? Adorable is not how I would describe myself.”
He agreed. He would describe her as many things. Smart. Tenacious. tough. “It’s adorable because you never realize I’m teasing you. You’re innocent and then...not.”
She said nothing. Someday maybe she’d relax enough to let the little things fall off her shoulders. If she ever did, he would want to be the first man to date her that way.
“I also think you’re defensive because of who your father is, Demi.”
“What? You Gages hate all things Colton, no matter what side of the tracks we live on.”
The snowstorm wasn’t easing up anytime soon. They had plenty of time to debate.
“I know you’re close with your brothers and sister, but what happened with your dad?”
“He’s my dad.”
“Yeah, but...”
“He’s Rusty Colton, the low-down bar owner? Nothing compared to the other Coltons in town? Be careful.”
“Hey, I didn’t—”
“Didn’t mean to what?”
Dealing with her temper had always been a chess game. He’d always had to plan his next move. But now, suddenly, this wasn’t a game. Demi’s temper had more depth than he’d ever realized. She could be touched off rather easily, but she never got abusive. Granted, she could tone down her intensity a notch or two, but she stood on solid ground. He’d actually always sensed that about her, and enjoyed how easily he could set her off.
“Why do you want to know about my dad? All you’re here to do is take me in to be arrested. There might be a new prime suspect, but that doesn’t mean I’m off the hook.”
He gave up trying to convince her he wasn’t here to take her in. Instead, he decided to be blunt. “We’re going to be together in this storm for a while. Why not make the best of it? I’m curious, that’s all. I’ve wanted to ask you about your dad for a long time.”
Her controlled attack mode softened. She took a moment to answer. “My father doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.” She averted her eyes toward the Christmas tree. “The only good thing he ever did was produce me and my half brothers and my half sister, Quinn. He’s my father and we spend time together, but it doesn’t feel genuine to me.”
He felt her conflict about being raised by a man like Rusty or fathered by him. Her mother had left him, or so Lucas had heard.
“You’re not estranged?”
“No.” Her slow response conveyed her confusion.
She had some kind of relationship with her father, albeit strained. “What about your mother?” He knew something about her history but not personal details.
“You probably already know all of us have different mothers. Mine died just a few years ago.”
Lucas said nothing. Her line of Coltons wasn’t the high end compared to those others in town. He hadn’t paid much attention to that gossip, but Rusty’s was the rough branch of the clan, their spawn not accepted by the wealthier Coltons. Bad reputation due to hard living.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
He’d always thought Demi needed no approval from anyone. Her strength surpassed anything he’d heard about her father.
Standing, he strode to the window next to the tree, parting the drapes as though to survey for security, when in fact he needed the time to recover. Rusty tainted her reputation with those who didn’t look deeper. Her brothers had proven themselves. Her sister, too. Did Demi feel she hadn’t yet?
“I didn’t know about your mother.” He turned to look back at her.
She lowered her eyes, a telltale sign of the loss, the memory of her mother still painful.
“What was she like?”
Her eyes lifted. “Someone who should have never married Rusty.”
“I’m guessing the mothers of all your siblings realize that.”
She met his eyes and he turned from the window to keep up the contact.
“My father doesn’t do much to change our reputations, but he is my father. There’s nothing I can do to change that.”
“If you could, would you want to?”
“No. What would be the point?”
He didn’t respond.
She stretched her legs and rested her feet on the ottoman. “My mother was naïve, but not ignorant. She preferred to look at everyone in the best light. She saw good in everyone. Even Rusty.”
He gave her time to go on.
“Rusty’s bad qualities outweighed his good, but she only cared about the good. I suppose that’s why she married him. I can forgive her because she was so full of love and because she finally took me and left. We had a good life without Rusty. We were close. I lived with her up until she died. I had just finished college.” She rested her chin on her knee and drifted off in thought.
“I’m sorry. That must have been hard on you.”
She shrugged, as though opting for bravery instead of acknowledging painful memories. “I had Brayden.”
He knew she was closest to Brayden. “How did she die?”
“Car accident.” She slid her feet off the ottoman and leaned on her elbows.
“I’m sorry.”
She sat up and looked at him. “Stop saying that.”
That he was sorry? He did feel sorry for her.
“You Coltons never cared much for any Gages. You’re only putting up this fantastic front to lure me back to Red Ridge.”
“You’ve always been interested in the family feud that’s been raging for a century. I never paid it much attention. And I won’t try to keep telling you I’m not here to take you in.”
“The only reason I found the feud so interesting is there was plenty of feuding going on in my family. None of my father’s other wives liked my mother. I barely saw my half brothers or half sister. I never understood what the feud was about. My family is about as broken as any can get. We were disliked because we have a low reputation. I guess I thought that funny...or silly.”
She confirmed his notion that she needed no one’s approval.
“How did you end up so close to Brayden, then?” he asked.
“I would run into him on occasion. We started talking and discovered we had a lot in common. We both love the woods and mountains. We liked the same kind of literature and food. And...” She stared at the fireplace with a soft smile forming. “We just...talk a lot. It’s easy to be with him.”
“Love of woods and mountains.” No wonder Brayden had become a search-and-rescue specialist. He hadn’t known until now why Demi had become a bounty hunter. He supposed it had something to do with that, but more so a desire to catch criminals, and for Demi, that included satisfying her outlaw spirit.
“I never thought you were a roughneck just because your dad is.” Outlaw, yes, but she had soft spots he doubted even she realized she possessed.
“But you think I killed Bo.”
“Did,” he corrected her. “I know you’re innocent.”
She humphed.
Another gust pelted snow against the windows and outer walls. The storm showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. Lucas didn’t mind. What he did mind was his reason for not minding. Being stranded alone with Demi filled him with excitement. Maybe more than redemption had drawn him here. Maybe Demi herself had. Her innocence might have had a bigger effect on him than he realized.
Chapter 3
Demi heard Wolf on the baby monitor. He’d started to cry. She got up and went to the secret door. Leaving that open, she flipped on the light. There was no overhead light in this room, just two brushed-brass lamps with bear-embroidered shades. She went to his crib to see what had awakened him. Judging from the smell, she didn’t have to guess. Lifting him with a kiss to his pudgy cheek, she quieted him and then laid him on the changing table.
He didn’t protest. In fact, she was pretty sure he enjoyed having his diaper changed. She bent to brush her nose with his.
“Don’t you?” she cooed. “You like this.”
He wiggled his arms and legs along with a baby sound of glee.
She smiled with a heart full of love. And proceeded to change him.
“You’re going to be a clean freak when you get older, aren’t you?”
He made the gleeful squeal again.
She cleaned him up and put on a fresh diaper. When she’d finished, she picked him up and held him, unable to resist. She was tired an
d needed more sleep, but these moments were just too precious to relinquish too soon.
“He’s a good baby.”
A jolt shot through her and she turned. Lucas stood in the doorway. How long had he been there?
“Sorry.” He walked into the room. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“He likes eating and having his diapers changed. He doesn’t even mind a bath.” She looked down at his adorable face with his sweet green eyes looking up at her. He’d have her red hair, too. She was glad he’d gotten a lot of her features. She didn’t want to look at him and every time be reminded of Bo.
When Lucas stopped before them, Wolf turned his head and fell into a long, curious inspection of the new face.
“Can I hold him?”
Demi couldn’t explain why she was so overprotective of Wolf, other than having a madman frame her and police on her tail for murder. She saw no harm in letting him hold Wolf, not in the middle of a snowstorm. He wouldn’t try to take Wolf and go.
She handed him over.
Wolf seemed glad to go there, immersed in rapt fascination with Lucas’s face. She watched softness transform Lucas’s expression like an instant connection had formed right then and there. Lucas put his finger near Wolf’s hand and Wolf grasped it. Her baby had a strong grip.
“He’s something else,” Lucas said. “He has your eyes and hair.”
“Yes.”
“Is he Bo’s son?”
After a few seconds she finally said, “Yes.”
Lucas looked up at her and she felt the powerful meaning that brought to him. Bo might have veered off an honest path into murkiness and deceit, but they were still brothers.
“You were close to Bo?” she asked.
“When we were younger we were practically inseparable. Somewhere along the way he had drifted. I got busy with life and didn’t notice until he started doing questionable things. Lying. Treating female coworkers with disrespect. He’d almost been fired from some early jobs for sexual harassment. That wasn’t the brother I knew. I don’t know why he changed.”
Colton's Fugitive Family Page 3
