Again, several seconds passed as she contemplated what he’d said. “That almost sounds like a compliment.”
He hadn’t said she was a good bounty hunter but he supposed he’d implied it. She was good. He had never admitted that, though. He had always been too driven to outmaneuver her.
“Please, Demi. Come with me to my cabin. It isn’t safe here.” She had to see that.
Her gaze went to the Christmas tree. “I don’t like the idea of spending Christmas in hiding.”
“I have a Christmas tree in my cabin.”
Her eyes moved back to him.
“And exterior lights. You don’t have those here.” She only had the tree.
Still, she hesitated, but he felt her begin to sway.
“Aren’t you tired of running?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “Of course I am. I miss my home and my friends.”
“Then go pack. Let’s get out of here while we still can.”
At last she nodded. “All right.” She stood and walked to the back of the cabin.
Lucas was immensely relieved and a little amazed that he’d actually gotten through to her. She’d agreed to go with him. She never would have done that before she’d been accused of murder. Their rivalry had been too strong. Add to that the fact that she was a Colton and he was a Gage and their feud only grew more intense.
Now, in the short amount of time he’d been alone with her, he began to sense a thaw between them. Certainly that kiss had melted a sizable chunk of animosity. He wasn’t sure it was right to call it animosity, though. Maybe on the surface. Underneath, he had always thought their competition held more playfulness than that. He had teased her, after all. Now he had to face the fact that his attraction to her presented more of an issue than anything else.
What if you end up falling in love despite your best effort not to?
Her question haunted him. He suspected it would continue to haunt him after that kiss.
An explosion rumbled the walls of the cabin.
Lucas drew his pistol and rushed to the front door. He cracked the door open and cautiously peered outside. His truck was on fire. Someone had blown it up. Further, all the tires on the Jeep were slashed.
They had no way out of here. Except on foot.
Chapter 4
Throwing on a jacket, Lucas ran from the cabin. He heard a snowmobile. In the woods, he slowed to listen. The snowmobile noise grew fainter. He’d never catch the man.
Running back to the cabin, he saw Demi, armed with a rifle, standing outside the cabin.
“We’re trapped here,” she said, lowering the gun.
Inside, he closed and locked the door. “We’ll hike to the inn a few miles down the highway.”
“Hike?”
He knew she was thinking about Wolf. “We’ll be all right. Dress warm.”
She gaped at him a moment and then went to the rear of the cabin.
Lucas kept watch through the windows. Moments later, he heard the snowmobile return. Devlin emerged from the trees with an automatic weapon. He started shooting at the cabin. Lucas ducked out of sight with his back to the wall. Glass broke. Bullets hit ornaments on the Christmas tree.
He ran to the back of the cabin, grabbing his backpack on the way. Closing Demi’s closet door behind him, he adjusted the hanging clothes to hide the back of the closet and then joined Demi in Wolf’s secret room. He locked the door.
All the while, a hail of bullets struck the cabin and broke more glass and other items in the living room and kitchen.
Demi had finished dressing Wolf and had him in a baby packpack. He began to fret over the noise.
“Shh,” Demi said softly, bouncing him. She had the rifle propped next to the door and he saw a pistol in a waist holster. She’d brought a backpack and winter clothes into Wolf’s room. He commended her for her forethought.
The gunfire ceased.
Lucas exchanged a look with Demi. Where was Devlin?
Shortly thereafter, the sound of the door breaking down preceded more gunfire.
“I know you’re in here!” Devlin shouted.
His booted feet thudded on the floor as he moved into the cabin. Lucas heard him come down the hall and stop at the door to the room next to this hidden area. Then his steps reached Demi’s room. He shot his automatic weapon, tearing the room up for a few seconds before stopping. “Where are you?” he yelled.
Devlin began throwing things. A lamp. He tipped over the dresser with a roar.
“Where did you go?” He continued to rant. “How did I miss you running?”
His boots thudded into the hall. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! How could I be so stupid?”
More thrashing came from the living room. “I should have never drove away on the snowmobile. I should have attacked right away!” He roared again and then his footsteps faded as he left the cabin.
Lucas waited, listening to the snowmobile circle the cabin, then do a wider swath, and then the noise faded altogether.
“All right. Let’s go.”
Demi put Wolf’s hood over his head and covered his head with a blanket. She herself had on a heavy winter jacket, a hat and gloves, and winter boots.
Lucas opened the window bars and the window. Demi had put a stepladder before the window. Lucas picked up the two backpacks and used the ladder to climb up and out. Dropping the packs, he took Wolf from Demi and she climbed out. He hung one backpack on his back and hooked the other over one shoulder while Demi put the baby pack back on. She followed him through the deep snow toward the front of the cabin. Flames devoured his truck. He’d loved that truck, his 2500 Laramie Crew Cab.
Once they reached the long, winding driveway, he slowed to allow Demi to catch up and walk beside him. He kept an extra-careful watch on their surroundings, listening for the snowmobile and searching for signs of anyone lurking in the trees. The snow wasn’t as deep under the tree canopy.
“Why does Devlin want to kill me?” Demi asked as she hiked alongside him.
“Got me.”
“The evidence is against me. He framed me.”
He thought while he walked and kept vigil. “He must know police are after him. Even without solid evidence against him, he’s now a suspect.”
“Then why kill me? Why not just make a run for it?”
“He has. If you’re asking why he’d like to kill you, you should ask why he wanted to kill all those grooms.”
“His obsession with Hayley. He killed Bo so he wouldn’t have her, and he probably killed all the others because he couldn’t marry the woman he loved so therefore no one else could.”
Lucas thought some more as he walked, glad to have something to focus on other than kissing Demi. “You were supposed to go to jail after he framed you. Instead, you went on the run. You got away. Now he’s a suspect. His plan is failing and he likely blames you. You should be in jail, according to him.”
“I guess we’ll never know for sure. I can’t climb inside the mind of an unstable person. Whatever his reason is, it won’t make any sense to someone rational.”
“Probably not.”
They reached the highway. They’d be more out in the open now. If Devlin were to come after them again, he’d have to drive a car and not the snowmobile. Lucas made a mental note to check the local snowmobile rentals to prove Devlin rented one.
“How far is the inn?” Demi asked.
“I saw it on my way here. Maybe five miles.”
“That’s not bad.”
Five miles was a cinch for him. He loved the outdoors and always made plans on his weekends off to do something active. He was, however, concerned over the lowering gray clouds. It would start to snow again soon.
“Do you walk a lot?”
“Yes. I love hiking in the woods. It’s been great staying at the cabin. I took Wolf every day.
”
“I love being in the woods, too. Camping. Fishing. Mountain biking and hiking.”
“I haven’t camped in a long time. I’m not big on fishing. I have a nice mountain bike, though.”
He walked beside her, wondering how he’d missed the many interests they shared. After the potency of that kiss, the revelation didn’t bode well for his philosophy on love. Hell, just because he found her attractive on every level didn’t mean he’d automatically fall in love. Sex was always hot in the beginning. As time passed that wore off and companionship became the important factor. Like any other relationship, the physical passion would fade.
A car approached from behind them.
Lucas put his hand on her back and steered her off the highway into the trees. He wouldn’t take any chances in case the driver was Devlin. There weren’t many cars out after the big storm.
Demi stood behind a tree and he behind her. The car passed.
They resumed their trek on the highway for a few more minutes. Then another car approached.
Demi found another tree and they waited.
This time the car slowed and pulled over not far from where they stood. Lucas recognized Devlin in the driver’s seat.
“That man is relentless,” Demi said.
“You go deeper into the woods.” She took Wolf and did as he said.
Lucas waited for Devlin to get out of the car and aimed his pistol. He shot and the bullet hit the door frame. Devlin bent for cover. He held his automatic weapon. Lucas could see the barrel sticking up as Devlin held it. He took aim and hit the top, sending it falling from Devlin’s hand.
Getting back into the car, Devlin started driving. Lucas shot at him again as he passed, hitting his mark but not fatally. He thought he had struck Devlin’s arm, given that Devlin jerked his hand off the steering wheel and swerved a little. He kept driving. Lucas watched until he disappeared from view.
They walked up the highway and Lucas saw snowflakes begin to fall.
* * *
Tired, cold and hungry, Demi shook off more snow from Wolf’s blanket and checked on him. His cute face sprang into an open-mouthed smile. He’d done that each time she checked on him, as though having fun with a game of peekaboo. Seeing the lighted sign for the inn, a surge of gladness suffused her. It was dark now and the snow had begun to fall more heavily. Lucas repeatedly looked around and she could tell he watched out for them. She could focus on protecting Wolf, which she appreciated.
As they turned onto the paved road leading to a parking area in front of the inn, bright lights welcomed them. Demi hadn’t seen a sight that washed her with relief more than this. It was a large log structure with a gabled window perched over the double-door entry and white-trimmed windows along the first and second stories on each side. She could see a Christmas tree through one of the windows.
She couldn’t wait to get settled into a nice warm room and order room service. She hoped they had room service.
She walked faster, nearly trotting toward the entrance while holding Wolf’s head. Lucas chuckled and jogged to the front door to open it for her. She entered as Wolf began to cry. He had a soft cry, not a screech, but low toned. He also used his hands to get his mother’s attention. She talked to him every time he did that. He so melted her heart. Lucas was beginning to melt it even more whenever she caught him watching. She could tell he was comfortable with his affection. Yes, he wanted to know his brother’s son, but was the boy’s mother another matter?
Inside, they stood in a small, wood-floored foyer with a desk. Piano music played somewhere in the back. There were no doors other than a wide-open archway that led into a living room. Clanking dishes and running water told her the kitchen must be to the right of that room.
Demi went to the desk with Lucas, taking in a grand double staircase of dark-stained wood and banisters with white vertical spindles. The two beautiful curving stairways flanked the foyer, rising to a large landing area on the upper level where the Christmas tree twinkled.
A slightly plump older woman with short gray hair and black-rimmed glasses appeared through the living room archway. “Oh, hello.”
A man matching her age trailed her.
“What are the two of you doing out in this weather?” The older woman spotted Wolf. “Oh, and you have a youngster.”
“We don’t have any arrivals tonight,” the older man said, sounding mildly cantankerous.
“Oh, stop, Edward. We have plenty of rooms.” The woman waved her hand as though swatting at him.
“We just put away all the food, Gladys.”
The woman named Gladys went behind the desk. “Shush, Edward. Let’s put you in room...” She looked up at Demi, the baby and then Lucas. “Let’s give them the west corner. You’ll have lots of room and there’s a fireplace and a nice tub.”
“Heaven,” Demi said.
Gladys began processing the transaction on the computer. “What brings you two here at this hour and in a storm like this?”
“The storm passed.” Lucas handed her a card.
“The snow hasn’t,” Edward said.
Was he as grumpy as he sounded? He seemed harmless and even friendly underneath his elderly annoyance.
“We had car trouble,” Demi said.
“We can get a tow for you.” Gladys gave Lucas his card back.
“Don’t bother, it’s totaled. It caught on fire.” Lucas glanced over at Demi with a secretive grin.
“Oh, my goodness. I am so happy you are all right.”
Gladys gave him the key—a real key. The charm of this place was already working its way into Demi.
“Do you have room service?” she asked.
“We have a kitchen and prepare food for all three meals a day, but it’s all put away now. There’s a restaurant not far from here that delivers to us, though.” Gladys produced a menu.
Demi took it, thrilled to no end. “Thank you.”
“Have a good night.”
“Breakfast starts at seven,” Edward said.
Lucas led the way up the grand staircase and down the hall to their end room. Only then did Demi realize they’d be sharing it. She hadn’t thought to ask for her own.
Lucas opened the door and let her go in first. A king-sized bed with a cream comforter that had a thick green stripe running across the foot end was to the left of the door. A white nightstand with a dark wood top was on each side. A counter with a microwave and coffee machine was to the left. There was a small refrigerator below. The bathroom was behind an old-fashioned sage-colored sofa that faced a fireplace and high-backed chair. The walls were sage green and trimmed in white. Tall windows flanked the fireplace, and a larger window was between a dresser with a television and the high-backed chair.
Demi removed the baby pack and a now-fussing Wolf. Lucas put the backpacks on the sofa and went to the large window, performing his sentinel role.
After removing her outer clothes, Demi prepared Wolf’s dinner, holding him in one arm. Then she went to the chair and sat, feeding him with a bottle.
Lucas left the window and checked the taller, narrower windows. When he finished, he turned on the fireplace and sat on the sofa with the restaurant menu.
“Pizza?”
Anything sounded good right now. “Sure.”
He took out his mobile and put it away. There must have been no service because he went to one of the nightstands and used the phone to order.
Demi looked down at Wolf, with his red hair and closed eyes, as he suckled the bottle. He’d been a real trouper on the long, cold walk here. He’d only started complaining when he got hungry. Maybe he’d grow up to be an outdoor person, like her.
Lucas finished ordering and sat down on the sofa and watched them. Wolf began making tiny grunting sounds, contented with a full tummy. He opened his eyes and met hers. Their bond was magical. She’d
heard other mothers talk of it but hadn’t come close to imagining what it would be like for real. Indescribable. Miraculous.
Wolf finished his dinner. She needed to get him ready for bed.
Standing, she walked to Lucas. “Will you hold him so I can get us ready for bed?”
Lucas looked up at her and then reached out to take the baby. He cradled Wolf in his arms, his size dwarfing the little one.
Demi dug into her backpack, which she had strategically packed to fit the most items. She found Wolf’s pj’s and a fresh diaper and set them on the counter. In the bathroom, she flattened a towel out on the vanity next to the sink. Before retrieving Wolf, she washed her face and got into her own pj’s—she’d opted for pants and a top.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Lucas was at the counter with Wolf, changing his diaper and talking to him in a baby voice. She couldn’t hear exactly what he said, something to do with fresh and clean for bed.
She stopped beside them and saw Wolf’s big smile. He giggled and waved his arms.
“It didn’t take long for him to latch on to you.”
Lucas smiled with a glance at her. He finished dressing Wolf and lifted him, raising him high and then bringing a pudgy cheek down for a blow-kiss. Wolf squealed in delight.
“I am never going to get him to sleep if you keep that up.”
“We can hang out for a little while.” Lucas cradled the baby in one arm as though he’d held infants all his life.
“How are you so adept at handling babies?”
“Friends and family gatherings.”
“You like them.”
“Kids? Yeah, of course. What’s not to like?” He offered his pinky and Wolf grabbed hold. “Yeah.”
His sing-song tone contrasted mightily with all his brawn. Adoration suffused her. After that kiss, the whole spectacle warmed her much more, having more sentimentality and heat.
“You said you don’t want to have kids.”
“Not my own. It’s easy to enjoy them when they aren’t yours.”
Colton's Fugitive Family Page 5
