Target in Jeopardy

by Carla Cassidy

  She grasped his hand and got to her feet. Together they went to the front door, where he turned to look at her. He reached out and gently pushed a strand of her hair away from her face. “You’ll be okay?”

  “I’ll be just fine. I doubt if anything else comes out of this. Whoever did it, they wanted to scare me and they succeeded. I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever was responsible was lurking nearby, and I’m sure they enjoyed the sound of my horrified scream.”

  His jaw tensed. “Set your alarm, and call me if you just need to talk or you get frightened. Now, get some rest.”

  “I will,” she replied. She closed and locked the door behind him and then set the alarm.

  It was well past dinnertime, but she wasn’t a bit hungry, even though it felt as if it had been days...months ago that they’d eaten ice cream together and everything had seemed so absolutely wonderful.

  “Ready for bed, Lulu?”

  The poodle got out of the bed at the end of the sofa. She yawned and then gazed at Avery with soulful brown eyes. Avery bent down and picked the dog up in her arms.

  “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again, and tomorrow, hopefully, Regina can straighten out your fur for you.” She carried the dog back to her bedroom and then set her on the floor.

  She was tempted to let Lulu sleep in her bed, but that had been something she’d never allowed. Thankfully, Lulu ran to the doggie bed, curled up and yawned once again. Avery was glad the little dog didn’t seem to suffer any lingering effects from what had happened to her.

  Avery changed from her street clothes into a short maternity nightshirt. She then went into the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. Finally, she closed her bedroom door so Lulu couldn’t leave the room in the middle of the night to use the doggie door.

  She found an old newspaper in her closet and unfolded it and placed it on the floor in front of the bedroom door, just in case Lulu couldn’t wait to do her business until morning, and then Avery got into bed.

  As tired as she was, that didn’t stop the events of the day from whirling around in her head. She’d been so terrified when she’d seen Lulu. All that blood... A shiver shook through her and she pulled the blankets more closely around her.

  Evil. It had been such an evil, terrible thing for somebody to do. Who even thought about doing something so heinous? Whoever was responsible for this was definitely sick and evil.

  Was she frightened about the threat that had been made toward her? Maybe a little, but not overly so. She’d told Dallas the truth when she’d said she’d had other threats directed at her before, and nothing had ever come of them. Hopefully, whoever did this was done.

  Still, she definitely intended to watch her back whenever she left the house.

  She released a long, deep sigh, and just that quickly her mind went from unknown threats to Dallas. Before Lulu had disappeared it had been a magical day.

  Watching his facial features expressing awe and joy while he saw the sonogram had warmed her heart in a way it had never been before. Then when he’d felt the babies kicking and moving around in her belly she’d experienced the tremendous joy of more intimately sharing the miracle of life.

  But before he’d stepped away from her there had been a moment when she’d thought he was going to kiss her. That moment was emblazoned in her mind, because she’d wanted him to. She’d desperately wanted him to kiss her.

  And that was definitely dangerous. She had to remember that he was with her now only because she was carrying his children. She had to remind herself that if he worried about her safety, if he felt a certain closeness with her, it was all because in a month and a half she would give birth to his babies.

  Even knowing that, she really wished he would have kissed her.

  * * *

  Dallas sank down in his recliner, his brain spinning with concerns for Avery. What had happened to her dog, along with the note around Lulu’s neck, had shaken him up far more than he had shown her.

  He wanted to put her in a protective plastic bubble to make sure no harm came to her and the babies. What kind of a person threatened a pregnant woman? The lowest of the low, he thought darkly. And who did something like that to a poor, helpless little dog? Who was this person or people?

  Hopefully, this was the end of it and nothing more would happen. Hopefully, Avery was right when she said the threats never escalated into anything else and remained just empty intimidations.

  A knock sounded on his door and he jumped up to answer. “Hey, brother,” he said to Forrest, stepping back so he could enter. “Want something to drink?”

  “No, thanks, I’m good,” Forrest replied, as he eased down on the sofa. “I just haven’t seen or heard from you in the last few days so I figured I’d stop by and make sure you were still alive and kicking.”

  Dallas laughed and sank back down in his recliner. “I’m still alive, but I have been busy.”

  “So, what’s going on? I know you haven’t been working with the other men on the storm damage.” Forrest eyed him curiously.

  Until this moment Dallas hadn’t told any of his family about Avery. Everything with her had happened so fast and he just hadn’t had time to tell anyone. “You know Avery Logan, right?”

  “Of course. She’s one of us good guys. I’m hoping once we catch the creep responsible for the murders, she’ll be the prosecutor to put him behind bars for good,” Forrest replied.

  Forrest had been a respected detective in Austin before a bullet in his leg had ended his career. He had received special dispensation to get his badge back and work on the mummy murders here in Whisperwood.

  “Did you know she was carrying twins?” Dallas asked.

  “I think I might have heard that.” Forrest frowned at him curiously. “Why? What’s all the interest in Avery?”

  “Well, they’re mine, that’s why. Avery is carrying my babies.”

  Forrest straightened up and stared at him as if he’d just sprouted a horn, announced he was marrying his horse and riding off into the sunset. “Is this some kind of a joke? You never mentioned before that you were dating Avery.”

  “I never mentioned dating her because I didn’t date her.” He looked at his brother sheepishly. “The twins are the result of a one-night stand.”

  Forrest continued to stare at him. “A one-night stand without any birth control? Whoa, brother.”

  “Definitely my bad,” Dallas agreed.

  “So, when did this one-night stand happen?”

  “About seven and a half months ago, when I was here on leave for a few days. You may remember I wasn’t in a very good place during that visit.” Dallas knew his brother would recall his deep grief over his wife’s death when he’d come home for that visit. “Avery and I bumped into each other in the bar.”

  “You obviously did more than just bump into her,” Forrest said drily.

  Dallas laughed. “Yeah, well, that night one thing led to another, and the main thing is I’m going to be a father, Forrest.” Dallas couldn’t help the swell of joy that filled his voice and the excitement he felt at sharing the news with his brother.

  “You sound happy about this.”

  “I am. I’ve never been so happy in my life.”

  Forrest grinned at him. “Then congratulations, brother. So, are you and Avery together now?”

  “No, although we’re spending a lot of time together to get to know each other better. There’s nothing romantic going on there, but it’s important we’re both on the same page for the sake of our babies.”

  Dallas was aware that his words were a bit of a little white lie. He did feel something, a faint whisper of a romantic pull toward Avery, but he was confused by his own feelings for her. In any case he had no intention of following through on any kind of romantic emotions where she was concerned. Anything like that was just asking for troubl
e.

  “Have you told Mom and Dad?” Forrest asked.

  “No, not yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “I only found out myself that day I went with you to the courthouse. It’s taken me the last several days to process the news myself. Tell me, what’s it like to be a father?” Forrest had become an instant father when he’d fallen in love with Rae Lemmon, who had a two-month-old son.

  Forrest smiled. “It’s awesome. I never dreamed I could love anyone like I love Rae and little Connor. When Connor smiles at me I feel like I’m on top of the world. I love being a father and I know you’re going to love it, too.”

  “I already love it and the twins aren’t even here yet.” He told Forrest about going to the doctor’s office and getting to hear and see his babies.

  “And I suppose you have their picture hanging on your refrigerator,” Forrest said.

  “I do,” Dallas replied with a laugh.

  “Yeah, well, you’d better tell Mom and Dad before they hear it from somebody else. Mom will be so excited about it. You know how she is about grandchildren.”

  “I know. I’ll tell them tomorrow. Now, on another note, is there any more news about the mummy killings or Patrice Eccleston’s murder?” Even though Dallas had asked Chief Thompson the same question, he knew the chief might not have been so forthcoming, since he had been at Avery’s house on another matter.

  Forrest frowned. “Right now the investigation seems to be stalled out. It would help if the army records from forty years ago were all in one place and uploaded to files that we could easily access.”

  “Speaking of that...” Dallas stood and pulled out the piece of paper with the two names Avery had written down. “Avery volunteered to help us and she found two men who had been stationed in the area. She intends to continue to search, but she has her own issue going on right now.” He handed the note to his brother.

  “Issue? You mean her pregnancy?”

  “That and the fact that somebody has threatened her life.” Dallas went on to explain to Forrest about what had happened that day with Lulu, and the note that had been tied around the little dog’s neck.

  “Wow, that’s tough. And she thinks it’s because she was successful in putting away Dwayne Conway?”

  “That’s the thought,” he replied. “A couple of her coworkers told her some of Conway’s friends were talking smack about wanting revenge.”

  “And what are you going to do about it?” Forrest asked.

  “Right now I’m hoping it was a one-time desire to terrorize her and whoever did it is done with her.”

  “And if they aren’t done?”

  “I’ll do whatever needs to be done to protect her and those babies,” Dallas replied fervently.

  Forrest grinned at him. “I wouldn’t expect anything different from you. We Colton boys always protect those we love.”

  Forrest had certainly protected Rae and little Connor when one of the mummified bodies had been found in Rae’s backyard and threats had been made against her.

  The two brothers visited for a little while longer and then Forrest left. Dallas settled back in his chair and released a weary sigh.

  Once again he thought of that moment when he’d wanted to kiss Avery. Maybe he was spending too much time with her. He should have just taken her to her doctor appointment and then taken her back home instead of prolonging their day together with the ice cream and then coffee at her house.

  But then he wouldn’t have been there when she found Lulu. She would have been all alone in her terror. And now with the threat made against her, he didn’t feel as if it was the time to pull back from her. At least she had a home security system, which somewhat put his mind at ease.

  Maybe a good night’s sleep would straighten out his emotions where Avery was concerned. And in the morning he’d join the other men for some work. There was nothing better to clear his head than being on the back on a horse with the sunshine on his shoulders.

  With his plans made for the next morning, he decided to call it a night. Before he went into his own bedroom, he stood in the threshold of the nursery.

  The sight of the two cribs filled him with a tremendous joy. Ivy. Her name jumped into his mind and some of the joy diminished as a familiar edge of grief whispered through him.

  This was what they had planned together. Not necessarily twins, but they had definitely dreamed about the day they would become parents. They had talked about it often...about buying a house and having a child or two. They hadn’t been able to wait to start their life together. But her last tour of duty had ended all that.

  He’d had his one true love and he would never, ever love another woman like he had Ivy. She was in his heart forever and there just wasn’t room for another love like that. There would never be room for another woman in his heart.

  He would coparent with Avery and together they would share the joy of loving the twins. His desire to kiss her had been nothing more than a crazy reaction to feeling the life in her stomach.

  Turning away from the nursery, he already felt more centered. Through a wild twist of fate, Avery was the mother of his children. He would support her and be there for her through the last of her pregnancy. But once the twins were a little bit older he would only see Avery when he picked up and brought back the children on his parental visits.

  She was the mother of his children, and that’s all she would ever be in his life.

  Chapter 6

  Avery awoke early the next morning and immediately called her groomer, Regina McGraw, to see if she could fit Lulu into her schedule sometime that day.

  “Sorry, Avery, I can’t get her in today. I’m totally booked. It will have to be tomorrow about eleven,” Regina replied. “I apologize, but I’m really full up today.”

  “That’s okay. Tomorrow will be fine,” Avery said, hiding her disappointment. She’d hoped to get Lulu cut so that she wouldn’t have to see her poor baby with the swatch of missing fur and be reminded of that moment when she’d found her under the bush.

  Still, after all the drama of the day before, a day inside the house doing a whole lot of nothing sounded just fine to her. And that’s exactly what she did. The only time she poked her head outside was when Lulu went out to do her business. Each time that happened she made sure her senses were on high alert for anyone lurking around her backyard.

  She ate a leisurely breakfast and then worked on the computer until noon. She had just finished lunch when Dallas called.

  “Just thought I’d check in to see how you’re doing today,” he said.

  “I’m doing fine,” she replied. “Lulu and I are just having a nice, quiet day.” She tried not to focus on the warmth the mere sound of his voice shot through her.

  “That’s good,” he replied. “I’m sure you needed a quiet day after yesterday. I just wanted to check in to make sure you were doing all right.”

  “I just finished lunch. What are you doing today?”

  “I’ve been working with some of the other cowboys this morning on more storm cleanup. Right now I’m on my horse and headed back to my cabin for some lunch. Do you have any plans for the afternoon?”

  “Right now my plan is a nice, long nap,” she replied.

  “Then I’ll let you get to it and I’ll talk to you later,” he replied.

  After they hung up she curled up on the sofa. She’d thought about inviting Dallas to dinner that evening but had stopped herself. He needed to have his own life without them being together every single day. Even the very best of friends didn’t see each other all the time.

  The rest of the day passed quietly, and the next morning at ten forty she loaded Lulu into the car for her grooming appointment.

  Regina was a popular groomer and kept super busy, with tons of clients in town. Her business was in an addition that had been built onto her home on the outsk
irts of town.

  It was a beautiful day with the sun shining brightly. Despite everything that was happening in her life, Avery had slept like a baby last night. She’d feared she’d suffer nightmares, but thankfully, she hadn’t.

  She rolled down her window to enjoy the crisp, fresh air. As she passed the turnoff to the Colton ranch, she wondered what Dallas was doing this morning. Then she reminded herself that it was really none of her business. She had to stop wondering what he was doing when he wasn’t with her. She had to stop even thinking about him when they weren’t together.

  It was another ten miles to Regina’s place, and that stretch held nothing but fencing and pastureland on either side of the two-lane road.

  Regina lived on ten acres that were mostly devoted to her love of animals. There were several horses in a corral, goats in a pen and dog runs for canines of all shapes and sizes.

  Her home was a small ranch, but the addition that had been built on for her business was almost as big as the house itself. While the house itself was white, the addition was a bright pink, with dogs and cats of all colors and sizes painted on the walls.

  Avery parked in front and left the car with Lulu in her arms. A bell tinkled when she walked in the door to a small reception area. There was a desk behind a long counter, but Avery had never seen anyone seated there in all the times she’d been here.

  She waited only a minute or so before Regina appeared from the back room. Avery quickly explained what had happened to the dog.

  “Ah, let me get a look at that poor baby,” she said as she took Lulu from Avery’s arms. “Somebody should be shot for doing this.”

  “I completely agree,” Avery replied.

  Regina’s plump fingers raked through Lulu’s fur. When she looked back at Avery her bright blue eyes sparkled. “This isn’t going to be a problem. With my clipper and scissors I can turn her back into the diva she is.”

  Avery laughed. “I knew you could.”

  “I’ve got several dogs back there. Why don’t you give me until about four this afternoon? I should have her ready by then.”