Saving Cade: A Romantic Suspense

by Victorine E. Lieske

Cade lifted one eyebrow. “When I talk to my brother, I’ll see if he can get the water and electricity turned back on here.”

  Meg really didn’t want to ask this, but it came out anyway. “How long are you planning on being here?”

  Cade lit another match. “I don’t know. I need to dig into some things. Find out who had a motive to put me behind bars.”

  Meg eyed him. “You think this is about you, and not your girlfriend?”

  “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it over the past two years. I was investigating some missing money when she was killed. Obviously, getting put behind bars stopped that. And then in prison, I was attacked. Twice. It was too much to be a coincidence. I think someone was trying to get me killed.”

  “Were you hurt?”

  Cade lifted his shirt on his left side and showed her a scar. “The first time, he got me.” He put his shirt down. “The second time, I got him.” He flexed his hand, his muscles bulging, the tattoo of the dagger standing out against his skin.

  Meg’s chest constricted. Had he killed the other prisoner? She swallowed back that question. “I’m glad you didn’t get seriously hurt.”

  “Me too.”

  She stared at the tattoo. It didn’t fit his businessman personality at all. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Did you get the tattoo in prison?”

  Cade stared at her a second before he shook his head. “No.” His gaze fell to his wrist. “That was a drunk college kid decision.”

  Meg didn’t know what to say to that. She changed the subject. “So, your brother knows we’re here?”

  “Not yet.”

  She rubbed a thumb against her palm. She didn’t know Cade or his brother. Would he get mad at her if she insinuated he should be careful? She watched as the fire grew, licking the wooden logs. Then the words just came out. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell him.”

  Cade snapped his gaze at her. “Why not?”

  “Just...to be safe.”

  Cade stared at her a long time before he stood, grabbed a log and sat it next to her. “He’s my brother. He wouldn’t...” His voice broke off.

  “I know. But if his phone is tapped or something...” The words sounded stupid to her ears, but she couldn’t help it. He was an escaped convict. Surely the police would monitor calls to his brother.

  Cade shrugged. “I suppose you’re right. But if I don’t call my brother, I can’t get any money wired to me.”

  “I could apply for a job in town.”

  “You’d stay here, without power?”

  She couldn’t help but crack a smile. “If you can figure out how to get me a hot bath, I’d be much more employable. I’m starting to smell ripe.”

  Cade laughed and leaned over to her. “Not to me.” He said it jokingly, but then he sobered, and her breath caught.

  He was too handsome. Too close to her. And her heart was pounding a million times a second. She playfully shoved him. “You creep.”

  His laughter rang out through the trees. “Okay. All kidding aside, I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thanks.”

  Cade picked up an iron tool and lifted the Dutch oven into the fire.

  “I’ve only seen those things suspended. Is it okay like that, in the fire?”

  Cade sat back down. “Sure. Usually, you just heat up some coals and put those on the lid, and around the oven, but we don’t have any. This will have to do. It will cook it enough for us to eat.”

  She looked at him sideways. “How do you know so much about this stuff? I thought you were a city boy from Omaha.”

  “My uncle used to take me and Nicholas and our friend, Zane, camping when we were kids.”

  “Nicholas...your brother?”

  “Yep.” Cade scratched his jaw. “I remember one time Zane and I were around nine and Nicholas was maybe seven. Uncle Hal had taken us up to the Niobrara River. Our campsite was near the top of a hill. It was beautiful...until it started raining. We grabbed our things and got into the tent. Uncle Hal told us stories until we fell asleep. When we woke up the next morning, we were confused. The tent was at the bottom of the hill. Apparently, Hal had forgotten to stake the tent, so the rain had washed us down the hill.”

  “What?” Meg laughed. “I had no idea that could happen.”

  Cade grinned. “As kids, we thought it was the funniest thing in the world. Nicholas wouldn’t stop talking about it. I think he told about fifty strangers that summer about our tent sliding down the hill as we slept. Zane got the biggest kick out of that.”

  Meg liked the way Cade’s green eyes sparkled in the setting sunlight. It made her stomach flutter. “You must miss your brother.”

  His smile faded. “I do.” He looked like he was going to say something else, but he swallowed the remark, and Meg let it go. If there was tension between them, she figured it was only natural. Cade was convicted of murdering his girlfriend. That’s bound to drive any family apart.

  “What about you? What’s your family like?” he asked.

  “My parents are both gone, and I have no siblings. I’ve never been close with any extended family. I’m pretty much alone.” She didn’t mean for it to sound so pathetic, but after she saw the pity in Cade’s gaze, she wished she’d said it differently.

  Cade placed his hand on Meg’s shoulder, and tingles erupted over her skin. She hadn’t expected her body to react in such a way, and she leaned back to break contact. Unfortunately, she leaned too far, and her log stool tipped, causing her to fall backward. She let out a shriek just before she hit the ground, knocking the wind out of her.

  Cade jumped to her side. “Are you okay?” He asked it with a straight face, but the corners of his mouth were twitching.

  “I think I bruised something.” She sat up.

  He looked her over. “Your back? Or...don't tell me. You bruised your butt, didn’t you?”

  She whacked his arm. “My pride. I was going to say my pride.” She rolled her eyes at him.

  “Oh.” He chuckled as he helped her. He sat her log upright and she took her seat.

  “Thanks.”

  The sun hung low enough in the sky now that long shadows were cast over them. Cade wiped his hands on his jeans. “I bet our dinner is done.”

  Meg stood. “I’ll go get the plates.” She walked into the house and was surprised at how hard it was to see already, even without the sun completely down. At least she’d bought some candles. She grabbed two plates from the cupboard and opened the silverware drawer. After her eyes adjusted, she pulled two forks out.

  Cade had fished the oven out of the fire and was opening the lid with his metal rod when she came outside. “I don’t have anything to dish it up with.”

  “I’ll go grab something.” Meg went back inside and rummaged around in the drawers until she came up with a spatula and a serving spoon. She walked back outside and dished food for them both.

  They sat on the logs. Meg cut into her potato with her fork. It was soft and fell apart easily. “Sorry, there’s no sour cream or butter. This is kind of a lame meal.”

  Cade stabbed a piece of his ham and lifted it to his mouth. After chewing, he smiled at her. “Tastes great to me.”

  Something about the way he was looking at her warmed her, and she blushed at the compliment. “I’m glad.”

  Meg had to agree, after not eating anything but snacks for lunch, this was a decent supper. The ham practically melted in her mouth and the potato curbed the gnawing hunger in her belly. She went inside and grabbed two water bottles then handed one to Cade. “Maybe when we’re out of water, we can fill these up from the stream.”

  Cade made a face. “Only if you want to get sick.”

  “Seriously? Stream water can make you sick?”

  He shrugged. “It’s a gamble. We’re in nature. Animals use the water too. Better not to do it if you can help it.”

  Meg was stunned. “All right. I’m glad you said something.”

  He unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. His
Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

  Why did that make those butterflies come back? Strange. She was acting like a silly school girl. Meg cleaned up their plates while Cade tended to the fire. She went into the dark house. She’d just have to be careful around Cade. It made absolutely no sense to be attracted to him. She should tattoo a big off-limits sign on his forehead.

  Chapter 7

  Cade stepped into the kitchen. The fading light outside made the house quite dark. Meg struck a match and lit one of the jar candles she’d bought. She handed it to him then lit another one. Her skin glowed in the soft light of the candle.

  She turned to him. “I’m tired, so I’ll be going to bed. I’m guessing that’s where you’re headed too.”

  “I’m actually heating up some water so you can wash up. I cleaned out the Dutch oven and filled it with stream water. It’s in the fire right now.”

  Meg grinned. “That sounds wonderful.”

  “I know it won’t be much, but you can dip a rag in it and at least scrub off the dirt and sweat.”

  “I could kiss you right now.”

  Meg meant it as a joke, he was sure, but nonetheless, his gaze dipped to her full lips. He couldn’t help it. He’d been looking at them all day. Instead of saying something flirty back, he clamped his jaw shut. He didn’t need to be thinking about kissing Meg.

  She turned from him. “I’ll go get a change of clothes.”

  Cade went outside to check on the water. When it was warm enough, he brought it in and took it into the bathroom. He set it down on a trivet he’d placed on the tile floor.

  Meg entered the room and Cade took the lid off with the tool he’d used to carry in the oven. “I’ll use whatever you have left when you’re done.”

  Meg touched his arm. “Thanks, Cade.”

  He shut the door after he left. The sun was completely down now, and the darkness was kind of creepy. His little jar candle didn’t produce much light. The house was also quite cold now. He went into the great room and put three more logs in the fireplace and lit them.

  He sat down to enjoy the warmth and listen to the crackling of the wood. Meg joined him a few minutes later. “Oh, good. You got the fire going again. It’s freezing in here.”

  “Hopefully, it wasn’t too uncomfortable while you were washing up.”

  “It was fine.” She sat next to him. “But you might want to hurry. I’m not sure how warm that water is anymore. I left the soap I bought in there.”

  “Okay.” Cade got up from the couch, his muscles complaining to him about having to move again. His body wanted to drift off to sleep. But it would be good to be clean. He took his jar candle and walked through the house to the bathroom.

  The tile floor was original, as was the beautiful clawfoot bathtub. He set the candle down on the floor. After sponge bathing, he had to put his clothes back on. He’d have to wash them in the stream tomorrow.

  His eyelids were heavy by the time he’d finished and dumped the water down the drain. He picked up his candle and walked back through the house to the great room. He chuckled at the sight of Meg sitting on the floor in front of the fire amongst a massive pile of blankets and pillows. “Warm enough now?”

  She gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry. They were in the closet and I was cold.” She patted the blanket pile beside her. “There’s room if you want to join me.”

  Cade plopped down, surprised at how soft the blankets were. “This is quite comfortable.”

  “I think these are new. One was still in the package. And I can put another log on the fire if you think we’ll stay in here for a while.”

  He shrugged. “Might as well.”

  He leaned back and shoved a pillow under his head while Meg opened the metal fireplace door. “So, you’re not really a camper. What did you like to do growing up?” he asked.

  “It was just me and Dad after Mom died. When I was lonely, I made up songs. When I got to be a little older, I wrote them down.”

  “You’re not just a singer then, you’re a songwriter? That’s cool. What kinds of songs do you write?”

  Meg’s cheeks flushed pink. “Just stupid stuff. I don’t know. I’ve never really shared them with anyone.”

  Cade turned to stare at her. “No one?” He wanted to add, “Not even your husband?” But the words wouldn’t come out. They sounded rude.

  She shook her head. “It’s a part of me that’s hard to share.”

  “Oh. Then you write songs for just you, not like something you’d ever sing to an audience?”

  Meg picked at a thread on one of the blankets. “I don’t know. I guess deep down I don’t really think I’ll ever have a singing career, so I don’t worry about it.”

  Cade could see the longing in Meg’s eyes, and it kind of broke his heart to see her not believing in herself. He patted her shoulder. “Don’t give up on your dreams.”

  She nodded and gave him a little smile, although it didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re right. I’ve let Travis get in my head too much. I have to get rid of his voice telling me I’m no good.”

  Cade withdrew his hand, mostly because he wanted to clench his fists. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you that again.” He didn’t mean for it to come out so passionately.

  Meg blinked and leaned back on the pile of blankets and pillows. She didn’t say anything for a while, but finally, she spoke. “Thanks, Cade. I needed that.”

  “You deserve someone who will treat you right.”

  Meg sighed and closed her eyes. “I know,” she said softly.

  The crackling of the fire and the warmth of the blankets were making his eyes feel heavy. He pulled one of the blankets over him and closed his eyes. “What happened to your mom?”

  She shifted. “Cancer.” Her voice was getting quieter, harder to hear.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. He reached over to find her hand. When his fingers touched hers, electricity zapped up his arm. She was warm and her skin soft.

  “That’s okay,” she mumbled.

  Cade wondered if they should just sleep there since the upstairs was cold, but before he could voice the thought, Meg’s even breathing told him she was already ahead of him. He snuggled into the blankets and was asleep a few seconds later.

  MEG HEARD A QUIET SCRATCHING noise. What was that? It was interrupting her nice dream. She was dancing with Cade at a fancy ball, in a large mansion. A gorgeous chandelier hung down, the crystals sending tiny rainbows throughout the room. Cade’s solid chest was warm, and she snuggled into it. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. He smelled like the outdoors with a hint of soap. A rugged smell. Manly. It was making her heart pound.

  The scratching noise came again, and Meg slowly became aware of herself. Where was she? This wasn’t her bed. Then the events of the last couple of days came to her. Oh. She was with Cade in the mountains. She must have fallen asleep in the great room by the fire.

  She opened her eyes and realized the warmth she was feeling was Cade. She’d been sleeping on his chest. His arm was wrapped around her. Sunlight streamed in the windows. What time was it? She didn’t want to wake Cade, so she moved slowly. His arm dropped off her shoulders and she sat up.

  Something moved in her peripheral vision and she turned to look. A baby raccoon sitting in the corner of the room stared back at her.

  Meg screamed, and Cade flew up so fast he knocked her over. “What? What is it?” Meg scrambled to her feet while the raccoon dashed across the room. Cade saw it and picked up a blanket. He tossed it, but it missed, and the raccoon ran under the couch.

  “What kind of a house is this?” Meg hopped up on one of the chairs, her legs shaking so much she thought her knees were going to knock together.

  “It’s been abandoned for two years.”

  “Well, where did he come in from?”

  “Oops.”

  “Oops, what?” she shrieked.

  “I forgot to plug the hole under the kitchen sink.” Cade picked up the blanket and gave the couch
a shove. The raccoon dashed out and Cade ran after it. He followed it out of the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway. Then she heard a muffled thump. “I got him.”

  Meg’s heart raced. “You didn’t hurt him, did you?”

  His voice called through the house. “No.”

  Meg waited until she heard the screen door bang before hopping down from the chair. Why did this house have to have so many guests?

  The screen door sounded again, and the floorboards creaked with Cade’s steps. He entered the room, a guilty look on his face. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  Now that her heart had slowed a bit, and the raccoon had been taken care of, it almost seemed comical. “I’m fine. Just startled me is all.” She waved her hand in front of her face as if that would make her calm down. Then she felt stupid and shoved it behind her.

  “Startled you? I awoke to hysterical screaming.” Cade looked like he was trying not to smile.

  Meg gave him a flat look. “I wasn’t hysterical.”

  “I thought you were on fire until I saw the baby raccoon.”

  She playfully whacked him on the arm. “I was not that bad.”

  Cade put his hand on his chest. “I think my heart rate is almost back down to just racing. Tomorrow maybe you can wake me by throwing a cup of cold water in my face.”

  Meg picked up a pillow and swung it at him. Cade stepped back and she missed. “Oh, is that how this is going to go?” he asked, swiping his own pillow.

  “I was. Not. Hysterical,” she said, swinging the pillow each time, the last one connecting with his face. A puff of tiny white feathers flew out.

  “You’re going to get it now,” he said while laughing. He swung his pillow, and it hit her in the arm.

  She yelped and swung again. This time it bounced off the top of his head, making his hair stand up funny. She doubled over with laughter.

  “What?” he said, the puzzled look on his face making the image even funnier.

  “Your hair...” Meg could hardly breathe, she was laughing so hard.

  Cade dropped his pillow and shoved his hands through his hair until it wasn’t sticking up anymore. “Better?” A feather floated down and landed on his head.