[Lonestar 01] - Lonestar Sanctuary

by Colleen Coble

  Glancing behind him, he saw the lights go out in the drugstore. The door was probably locked. The rest of the businesses had closed down when the streets were rolled up at five. "We've got to make a run for the truck," he whispered in her ear.

  She nodded. He rolled off her, bounded to his feet, then yanked her up and ran toward the vehicle. No rifle crack sounded, no more bullets zinged past his ears. He flung open the door and shoved her inside before running around to the driver's side.

  "Lock your door!" He slammed the door and locked it, then started the truck. He tossed her the cell phone. "Call the sheriff." He rattled off the number to her.

  She nodded and punched in the number. Listening to her tell the sheriff's office what happened, he began to shake at the close call.

  The sheriff was waiting at the curb when Rick pulled the truck up and stopped.

  By the time he and Allie recounted what had happened, it was nearly eleven. A deputy followed them home. He waved his thanks to the deputy and ran with Allie to the house.

  Locking the door behind them, he left Allie in the living room to explain what happened while he made a beeline for the office. He went to the gun cabinet and stared at the weapons. He'd sworn never to take one in his hand again. The dark, frightened eyes of the boy he'd shot accidentally in Baghdad swam in his memory. Guilt made him slam the door again.

  The boys congregated in the doorway. "Cool, dude, can I have some heat?" Leon asked.

  "Not on your life." Rick peered out the window into the darkness.

  Who was in his neighborhood? And what was his game?

  22

  AFTER CHANGING INTO HER PAJAMAS, ALLIE SAT IN HER BEDROOM ROCKER and watched her daughter sleep.

  The thought of going to sleep after someone shot at them made Allie shudder. He'd been in the house once, at least long enough to slip a note under her door. What if he got in again?

  She should have brought a gun up here with her. The madman wasn't going to hurt her daughter. Allie pondered this. Maybe the stalker wouldn't stoop so low as to hurt a child. He'd had several opportunities to harm Betsy but didn't. The realization only vaguely comforted her.

  The man's attacks seemed relentless. If she only knew why he hated her. All Rick's efforts to identify him led only to dead ends. Maybe that's the way it was supposed to be though. Maybe God had put her in this position so she had to face this danger herself and deal with it. Nothing could happen to her that didn't first pass through God's hands. She had to remember that.

  He'd protected them so far.

  Her gaze lingered on Betsy. Rick wanted to be her daddy. Did she dare allow it? Her eyes burned, and she rubbed the moisture from her lashes. Rick was right Jon was gone. It wasn't fair to Betsy to deprive her of love. But it was so hard to give up on Jon's memory.

  A peck came at the door, and she got up from the chair. It had to be Rick, and the way her blood pressure rose made her shake her head at her silly self. She was thirty-two, not seventeen.

  When she flung open the door and looked into his eyes, she felt seventeen and giddy though. How did he manage to do that to her? She felt anything but a sedate widow when she was around him.

  "Everything's buttoned down," he whispered, stepping into the room. "But I don't want the two of you to stay here alone. I've moved a cot into my room, and we'll all stay there."Without waiting for her to agree, he stepped past her and lifted Betsy from the bed. She stirred but didn't awaken.

  Allie's pulse hammered in her throat. There was only one bed in his room, and he'd brought in one cot. Did he mean to sleep on it?

  She trailed down the hall behind him to his bedroom. Her gaze fastened on the big bed that dwarfed the room. She'd made up the bed that morning when she changed all the sheets in the house and washed them, but she'd never expected to sleep there tonight.

  Rick laid Betsy on the cot and pulled the covers around her. After pressing a kiss to her forehead, he backed away and turned to face Allie. "I'll sleep on the floor. There was only room for one cot."

  It was his bed. It didn't seem fair he should sleep on the hard floor. "I'll sleep there," she said. "Where are the blankets?"

  His chin came out. "No way I'm letting my wife sleep on the floor."

  His wife. The words started a warm feeling in the pit of her being. She glanced at the bed. "The bed is big. If you stay on your side, I'll promise to stay on mine."

  His lips twitched. "What if I don't want you to stay on your side?"

  Her laugh felt a little hollow. "We could put a board between us."

  The glint of laughter in his eyes dimmed. "Not necessary. I'll be good "

  "Okay," she said, not yet ready to explore what he meant by his comments.

  Avoiding his gaze, she went around to the left side and pulled back the quilt and top sheet. A picture of a young boy sat on the stand beside the bed. "Who's this? He looks a little like you."

  "My brother, Chad." His clipped tone told her he didn't want to talk about it.

  Allie let it drop. "I hope I'm not taking your favorite side."

  "Nope. I always sleep on the other edge." He went to the dresser and took out pajama bottoms, then disappeared through the door. A moment later, the bathroom door down the hall closed.

  Allie slipped between the sheets. She rolled onto her side with her back to the center of the mattress. It was going to be impossible to make herself breathe like she was asleep when all she wanted to do was gulp in air through her tight throat.

  Her eyes slammed shut when she heard him come back into the room. The bed springs groaned when his bulk settled onto the mattress. The covers tugged, and he settled into the bed. The musky scent of his presence filled her senses, and soon the warmth of his body drifted toward her as well.

  Her tension began to ease when he made no attempt to roll toward her and embrace her. The day's events had worn on her. Every muscle in her body ached.

  "Allie?" Rick's whisper came near her ear.

  Her eyes flew open, and she rolled to the center to find herself nose to nose with Rick, though in the darkness, she could barely make out his features. "What's wrong?"

  "I wondered if you'd like me to rub your back. Are you sore?"

  "Yes, but you're tired too. Rest is the best thing" She didn't dare let him touch her. Her responses to him were too unpredictable.

  Or maybe totally predictable.

  "I like having you here," he whispered. His lips brushed hers.

  Before she could respond, he rolled over, presenting his back to her. She touched her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes.

  Though she'd been determined not to trust her heart again, he was battering down her defenses.

  It was after three the last time she looked at the clock, then the sun was streaming in her eyes. Allie blinked against the brightness. She tried to move and found something heavy lying across her waist.

  It was Rick's arm.

  She stared in fascination at the thick black hair growing on his skin. Her gaze traveled up his arm to his strong shoulders, bare above his pajama bottoms. The dark stubble on his face made him all the more appealing.

  His eyes were closed, and she let herself look to her heart's content. Always before she'd been afraid he'd notice her studying him. His hair curled a little where it touched his neck. He needed a trim, but the extra length combined with the morning beard made him look a bit like an outlaw. And only inches away. He'd rolled onto his side with his arm flung over her. If she leaned forward a few inches, she could kiss him.

  She'd always been attracted to the bad boys.

  Even Jon had had a wild streak, one that caused him to leave her and Betsy and go off to save the world. Allie wondered how many of those impulses Rick had. He seemed so upright, so steady. Someone to depend on. Jon certainly had trusted him.

  His eyes opened, and she found herself staring into the depths of those blue pools of light. He stared at her with a steady gaze she couldn't look away from.

  "Good morning," he s
aid. He made no move to pull his arm away.

  She wet her lips. "Good morning." She barely breathed, let alone moved. One part of her wanted to bolt from the bed, and the other wanted to move closer.

  His arm shifted, and she felt a stab of disappointment until she realized he was moving his hand up to cup her face.

  "You're beautiful even in the morning," he said. His thumb rubbed her bottom lip.

  Warning bells screamed in her head, but she ignored them and shifted closer ever so slightly. His eyes darkened at her response, and he pulled her closer, his lips seeking hers. She fit so perfectly in his arms.

  "Mommy?" Betsy's voice was still rusty and hoarse.

  Allie jerked from Rick's arms and rolled over to stare at her daughter, whose face was by the pillow. "Hi, baby. Did you sleep well?" Her cheeks burned, and she was sure her face had to be red.

  Betsy nodded. She tugged on Allie's hand. "Can I have pancakes?"

  "Okay, I'm coming."With a rueful glance at Rick, she threw back the covers and climbed out of bed.

  She wasn't sure if the reprieve was good or not.

  THE TEENAGERS TALKED EXCITEDLY OYER BREAKFAST, AND RICK DIDN'T get a word in edgewise -a good thing since he wasn't sure what to say to Allie.

  He'd totally fallen for her. Five foot two and maybe a hundred pounds soaking wet, she had a heart as big as Texas. She'd take down a tiger in defense of her daughter too. He liked that kind of courage in a woman. Okay, loved that kind of courage.

  He grabbed the keys to Elijah's Jeep. "Charlie, I'm going to town today. I'll be gone most of the day, so you're in charge," he told the young man. Eyeing the boy's plate, he grinned. "That has to be your tenth pancake. You can sure put them away."

  Charlie grinned and shrugged. "The kids want to practice barrel racing. That okay with you?"

  "Fine. Just be careful."

  "Always."The kid gave him a cheeky grin.

  "You ready?" Rick asked Allie. She nodded but still hadn't looked him fully in the face since she'd scrambled from the bed.

  He couldn't blame her. Everything was so weird and off kilter right now. She'd slept in his bed, and they hadn't really acknowledged the depth of their relationship yet. Between the guy terrorizing her and Rick himself trying to win her heart, she must be confused.

  But he wasn't going to let this continue. He would find that man and get him out of Allie's life. Then they could plan for the future.

  Future. The very word set his teeth on edge. All his plans had been set spinning by her arrival. He hadn't had a single peaceful moment since she arrived. Maybe that was a good thing. He'd been getting complacent, settled on a course that might have taken him right into a life of more isolation.

  He hadn't felt this alive since he'd been a kid.

  Neither of them talked on the way to town. Instead of just dropping her off to spend the day with Dolly, he went inside with her to say hello to Grady. Betsy and Courtney ran off together, and Dolly and Allie went to the kitchen for tea.

  He found Grady in his office. "Got a minute?"

  Grady looked up from his Bible with a smile. "Sure, I was ready for a break." His grin faded. "Did God die or something, bucko?"

  Rick managed a weak grin. "Do I look that bad?" He should have known Grady would call him to task.

  "Worse." Grady pointed at the chair. "Sit."

  Rick shut the door and dropped onto the armchair. "Someone shot at Allie last night."

  Grady studied Rick's face. "What else?"

  "Isn't that enough?" Rick was in no mood to be analyzed.

  "You're all still alive, so no, me bucko.You look like someone died."

  Rick gave a short laugh. "I can't seem to keep my wife safe."

  "She's dead?"

  "No, she's in the kitchen with Dolly." In spite of himself, a grin started to lift the corners of his mouth. Grady always did that to him.

  "Then you've managed to keep her safe." Grady grinned. "You've fallen for her, haven't you? That's the real problem. The mighty Rick Bailey has finally fallen hard."

  "Don't joke about it."

  "Why not? You've gone through your life keeping everyone at arm's length because you think you might fail them. That's being only half-alive, bucko, and you're finally finding it out."

  Rick pressed his lips together. "I'm scared," he admitted. "Why would she want to stay with someone like me? I've got no family, no real assets other than a strong back. I told her I wanted to work on making the marriage a real one, and she hasn't really given me a clear answer."

  "Maybe she's scared too. Have you thought about that?"

  He hadn't. "Why would she be scared? She's been married before. She knows more about it than I do."

  "Exactly. She knows how bad it can hurt when things go wrong. Maybe she's afraid of being hurt again, of loving again."

  "She's probably smart to be afraid I couldn't do it," Rick muttered.

  "Have you told her about your problem?"

  "Nope, and I'm not going to." Rick set his jaw. "It's behind me."

  Grady pointed a pencil at him. "But it's shaped you. She needs to know the demons you deal with, just like you need to know hers. You need to tell her before the next counseling session. It will come out sooner or later."

  "Then make it later. I'm just not ready to show her what a loser she married," Rick muttered, standing. "I'm going down to talk to the border patrol today. Maybe they've heard of something going on through here."

  "I thought her troubles started before she came here."

  "They did." Rick shrugged. "I've got nowhere else to look." And keeping busy was the only way to avoid running scared. On the outside, he was this strong, take-charge guy, and on the inside, he knew his shortcomings. The trick was to make sure no one else did.

  23

  THE TEA WAS AS STRONG AS HER HUSBAND. ALLIE CHUCKLED TO HERSELF and sipped from her mug before setting it on the coffee table. The girls were in Courtney's room, and she and Dolly sat in the living room. Allie was hungry for some girl talk, and maybe she'd even find out more about her fascinating husband.

  "How long have you known Rick?" she asked, curling her legs under herself on the comfortable sofa.

  "Seems like forever." Dolly stopped knitting and wrinkled her nose. "I guess it was about two years ago that he came to help Elijah." She shook her head. "Man, he was such a case when he walked into the church the first time."

  "What do you mean?"

  "He had this tortured expression, like he'd just come through the desert and survived. I think it was a month before he even spoke to me or anyone else. He'd slip into the back pew at the last minute, then rush out at the final amen."

  "Was it the war?"

  "I think it was more than that." Dolly's glance held curiosity. "You don't really know him very well, do you?"

  "I'd never met him before we came here."

  Dolly put her hand to her mouth. "I didn't know. Grady never tells me anything told to him in confidence." Her tone was injured. "I don't get it, Allie. How did you marry so fast?"

  "Rick was my husband's best friend. Jon, my husband, told me if I was ever in trouble to go to Rick. My in-laws were trying to take Bets from me, so I ran to Rick."

  "And that guy was after you."

  Allie nodded. "Still is. I was most afraid for Betsy. When I told Rick about the custody issue, he told me he'd promised Jon he'd take care of us. The marriage was all Rick's idea."

  Dolly sighed. "So romantic."

  Allie's lips twitched with the need to laugh. If Dolly only knew how the marriage really was.

  "He's quite a hunk." Dolly waggled her eyebrows.

  Allie burst out laughing. "You're terrible."

  "I tease Rick like that all the time. He knows I love my Grady." Dolly's smile was impish. "I just like to embarrass Rick. He is so clueless around women and doesn't know what to say. It's quite endearing"

  Endearing was an understatement. Appealing, infuriating, compelling.

  Allie couldn't stop
thinking about Rick and what life was like for him while growing up. The little snippets Dolly had told her indicated his childhood wasn't pleasant. What about the scars on his back? How did he get them?

  There was so much about her husband she didn't know. "I -I noticed scars on his back. Has he ever said anything about them?"

  Dolly winced. "I've seen them. He always passes them off as nothing. If he's told Grady, I wouldn't know. I know he was removed from the care of his parents. He'd been in trouble some breaking and entering, taking a car on a joyride. Elijah turned him around."

  "I saw a picture of his brother on his nightstand. Where is he?"

  "They were separated in the foster-care system. Rick used to look for him, but all the records were lost in a fire a few years back, and he ran up against a dead end. Chad was five when he was removed from the home, I think. Rick never forgave himself for it. He always felt if he'd taken better care of Chad, welfare wouldn't have moved him to foster care. Rick never saw him again."

  "And he's searched for him all these years?"Allie's heart swelled at the thought of such devotion and dedication. There was so much more to him than brawn.

  "He gave up about a year ago. Grady told him the kid could have changed his name. Maybe he was even adopted."

  "I wish I could find him for Rick," Allie said. "What a gift that would be. A way to say thank you for all he's done to protect Betsy and me."

  "You never know," Dolly said slowly. "Even though Rick has given up, Grady and I try now and again to find out something. Grady tracked down Chad's sixth-grade teacher."

  A surge of excitement rolled through Allie. "Where is she?"

  "She's retired now and is in an assisted-living facility in Alpine."

  An hour and a half away. Still Allie had to try. "Maybe I could call."

  Dolly shook her head. "Grady tried that. The woman has Alzheimer's, and she didn't make much sense on the phone."

  So much for that idea. "It probably would be a worthless trip to try to go talk to her then."