“Any news about Heath?”
He shook his head. “He’s in the best place he can be right now. I’ll go see him after Charlie meets Katelyn. We’ll see this through, Willow. Together.”
The sound of that warmed her heart. She couldn’t help it and leaned in his direction. He took her hand and squeezed. Longing coursed through her. She had so much to say to this man. But she feared that once this was over they would go their separate ways again.
“I found it, Austin. I found the connection to Katelyn. John Houser, Katelyn’s brother-in-law. He was married to her husband’s sister. Jay Haus is John Houser.”
Austin blinked, his surprise evident.
She continued. “Jay Haus moved to Texas with his mother. At some point decades ago, he started using the name John Houser. It became his legal name, though he never changed it on his birth certificate. But he was born Jay Edgar Haus in Wyoming. I found the name change in a public record search. I needed his original name, along with Wyoming and Texas to make that connection. He’s the connection to Katelyn and Wyoming we’ve been looking for. The man behind Charlie’s abduction twenty-one years ago is Jay Haus and Katelyn’s brother-in-law.”
Chapter sixty-seven
SATURDAY, 6:05 P.M.
EMERALD M RANCH
Austin spent the next hour talking to the deputies. He’d informed them of what Willow had discovered about Jay Haus, and they relayed the news. He feared, too, that Katelyn Mason could also be in real danger. Good thing she was already on her way.
One deputy walked the perimeter of the property. Once they had their man, Charlie and Willow would both be safe. He thought that moment would never come.
A vehicle made its way up the driveway. A big blue Suburban. “Showtime, ladies.”
Austin moved to the kitchen. He wanted to stand back and observe, protect. But mostly he wanted to be out of the way of the emotional tidal wave that was about to hit.
Charlie stood. Swiped her hands down her jeans. Footsteps clomped on the porch. Willow put on a smile and opened the door. Katelyn appeared pale but nonetheless healthy.
“May we come in?” she asked.
We? Austin pushed from the wall.
“Of course, please.” Willow stepped aside and allowed Katelyn and a man into the house.
Austin’s muscles tensed.
“Willow, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, John Houser.”
Avoiding using his broken arm, he smiled and pulled Katelyn close. He was big enough that he could easily break her. “We’ve known each other for years. I’ve loved her for years, then finally she said yes.”
“We want to make a family for Jamie,” Katelyn added, making her reasons for the union clear. “John is a pilot with his own Cessna, and he got us here as fast as he could.”
John’s expression darkened. Willow took a few steps back and almost stumbled, but Austin caught her. “Watch it there,” he said gently.
Act normal. Everything is normal. Don’t let him know you’re on to him. Not here.
But he was absolutely certain he wouldn’t let Charlie leave with them.
Katelyn’s blue eyes teared up as she took a shaky step toward Charlie. “Jamie?”
Charlie blinked and looked to Willow and Austin for reassurance. “I’m . . . I don’t guess they told you. My name is Charlie.”
Katelyn shuddered as though slapped and appeared to reconsider her approach. Regained her composure. “Charlie, then. I’m Katelyn Mason, your . . .” Her mouth quivered.
She raised her arms, wanting to hug the child she’d spent a lifetime searching for, then dropped them. Austin kept his eyes on John Houser, hoping the deputy outside was calling for backup. Surely Everett had already issued an alert for law enforcement to be on the lookout for Houser. The deputy should have stopped him at the door, though. Still, Houser wouldn’t do anything here while people he cared deeply about were around. Better to get Houser alone.
“Um, why don’t we talk over there?” Charlie offered a weak grin and another glance at Willow, then Evelyn. “Just so we can have some privacy.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” John made a move to join them, but Katelyn flashed her eyes at him. “No, John, just Charlie. I want a few minutes alone with the daughter I haven’t seen for two decades.”
“John, you can join us over here at the table,” Willow said. “Would you like coffee? Something else to drink?”
Anger and something much more disturbing shone on his face. Possessiveness. “I’ll take coffee. Black.”
He yanked a chair out and eased into it. The man was far from relaxed. Austin remained against the wall, his hand slowly inching down toward his weapon. Lord, please don’t let it come to that. He would check with the deputy in a few minutes if he got the chance, but he couldn’t leave the women alone with this man.
Evelyn and Willow brought mugs out filled with coffee. Austin caught Evelyn on her way back into the kitchen and whispered, “Stay in there.”
She smiled and laughed as though he’d said something funny. Smart woman.
Willow sat across from John at the table. Not so close, Willow. Not so close.
She eyed John over the brim of her cup. Then she set the mug slowly on the table. “I want to give you my condolences. I was sorry to hear about your father.”
Oh, Willow, you didn’t!
John frowned and nodded. “Thank you.”
Suddenly, he lifted his chin, suspicion erupting in his expression.
Willow smiled. “That’s right. I knew Mr. Haus.”
John Houser said nothing, but Austin could see he was calculating what he would do next. Austin remained completely still, wishing his hand was already on his weapon.
“It hit me hard, but he lived a good, long life.” So he would play it casual then.
In the living area, Charlie and Katelyn hugged. Austin could hardly believe they had made that much progress. Together they approached the table, wearing tearful but joyful expressions.
“Did John tell you he grew up in Wyoming, Katelyn?” Willow asked.
“What?” Katelyn took a step closer, her arm around Charlie—a cherished loved one. “You never told me that.”
“It wasn’t important.”
Katelyn glanced to Willow. “And I told Dana I didn’t have any connections to . . .” Her expression changed as she worked through the implications. “John?”
He rose from the chair, jamming his hand in his pocket. Austin pushed from the wall, reaching for his gun at his back. “Charlie, why don’t you take Katelyn and Willow to see the horses? I’ll show John the property.”
Katelyn led Charlie to the door, opened it, then gently shoved her out. “Go, sweetheart. Go out there. Talk to that deputy and be safe.”
“But—”
Katelyn shut the door. Uh-oh. She was as determined as Willow to face off with the man who had hurt her. “Why did you do it, John? Why did you take Jamie?”
He stepped back, his face reddening. “How could you think I would do such a thing?”
Her eyes boiled with fury as tears threatened to spill from them. “Don’t lie to me. All this time, and I never saw it. I never saw you for what you really are. And now we’re engaged!” She spewed the words. “At least I didn’t marry you.”
“I love you. I’ve always loved you. You should have been mine. You should have married me to begin with instead of him.”
“Oh, I see how it is—and has always been. You are a sad, sad man, John Houser. I remember vividly how you comforted me when Jamie was taken. Tried to get me to marry you even then when you should have still been mourning Jennifer. It wasn’t me you wanted. It was my money.”
“It was never about the money, Katelyn. Now, please calm down. You’re sick. You’re not thinking straight. So what if I grew up here? So what if my dad was in a nursing home here? It has nothing to do with us. I’ve been in love with you for as long as I’ve known you. This, our engagement, our future marriage, it was always meant to be.”
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Fury blazed in Katelyn’s eyes, mingling with betrayal. “You took my baby. I’ve been searching for a lifetime. Her lifetime.”
“I’ve hired numerous investigators over the years to find her,” he said. “Why would I do that if I took her?”
“You did all that but didn’t want them to find her. You knew they couldn’t. Not until I hired Anderson Consulting. Like me, you knew JT Anderson, or his granddaughter, had a real chance of finding her.” Katelyn pressed her hands over her face. She looked like she might pass out. “It’s all so clear now.”
“No, no, no. I’m going to be the father Charlie never had. We’re going to be a family now, just like you wanted.”
“Get out of my sight!” Katelyn collapsed as though she’d fainted.
Was she unconscious? Austin’s gut tensed. This had all been too much for the ailing woman. Willow, acting instinctively, rushed to assist Katelyn. John snatched Willow’s hair, yanking her toward him. He pulled her up against him and pointed a gun at her head, using his broken arm as best he could.
Austin’s heart jumped to his throat.
Focus. Save her. Take him down if it’s the last thing you do.
“You couldn’t leave it alone, could you?” Houser asked.
Willow’s face contorted with pain. Houser’s arm must be hurting him, too, to hold her like that.
“You and Marilee,” she croaked out. “You grew up together. She must have had a crush on you and you took advantage of that, even in your early teens, then your mother moved you to Texas. You must have kept up that relationship when you came back to visit your father. You knew Marilee would do anything for you, including raise someone else’s baby. As long as you made a few trips back every year to keep her happy and sent her money every month. Years later, Marilee was your father’s nurse, so she could watch out for him too. Why didn’t you just come back and marry her?”
“I didn’t marry Marilee because I fell in love with Katelyn. Beautiful, sweet Katelyn. But she married my best friend, Cliff. We were all still friends then. I married Cliff’s sister, Jennifer. That way I could always be part of the family and near Katelyn. We were one big happy family.”
“Then she struck it rich. Are you sure that didn’t have anything to do with it?” Willow asked.
“It wasn’t fair. Mom moved us to Texas when I was only thirteen. I met Katelyn in eighth grade and fell in love with her. I waited for her this long. In the meantime, I worked hard in the oil field in Texas. Tried to make a better life for me and Mom, after what my dad did to us, cheating on her like that. His betrayal crushed her. Then Katelyn . . . she becomes an overnight millionaire? That should have been mine. I was the one to pour blood, sweat, and tears into the oil field. Not her.” Again he pulled Willow’s hair, forcing out a whimper. “I’ve come too far to let you ruin this for me. It’s taken me a lifetime to finally get what I deserve.”
Katelyn finally stirred. Had she heard any of this? She remained on the floor and scooted against the wall and out of the way. Good.
John dragged Willow toward the door. Austin tried to close the distance.
“Don’t even think about it. I’ll blow her head off if you take another step. I can see what that would do to you. It would destroy you. Just like me losing Katelyn will destroy me. So, we have an understanding. We’re both going to lose everything today.”
Austin nodded. “Please don’t hurt her.” I love her. It’s true, I love her.
He had to keep him talking. Buy them some time. “So, Katelyn should have been your wife. I get that.”
“Things took a turn for the better when her husband died. We were friends, sure, but Katelyn had always been mine. I think she knew that all along. Isn’t that right, honey? But when he died, that was my chance. Except Katelyn was pregnant with his baby, and then she got sick. I came so close to losing her.” Tears choked his voice. “But she was focused on that baby. I know she was glad I was there to support her, but everything was slipping from my fingers. Katelyn—I wanted her to love me, but then all she talked about was the baby. The baby this and the baby that.”
“And Marilee wanted a baby.” Willow locked eyes with Austin.
He read the message in her eyes. Do it. Just shoot him.
Not until he could do that without hurting her.
John’s hand shook as he fingered the trigger, pointing the weapon at Willow one second, then at Austin the next. Sweat beaded on his temple.
They were running out of time. This wasn’t going to end well. Austin couldn’t see any way to survive this. Per usual, he had no good options.
Save one. At least Willow and the others would survive. If he could draw the man’s gunfire away from Willow, then he could take him down. There was only one way to do that. If only he had a knife.
“Yes. When I went to visit Dad, I’d see Marilee too. She wanted to have my baby. I got an idea. Abduct Katelyn’s baby and give it to Marilee. Both problems solved. Then Katelyn would have no more distractions. She could focus on me. She would marry me before she died. I would lose her, but her money would be with me, so she would always be with me. Except she recovered and didn’t marry me. Still, I worked with her in the oil business. Managed the money. We were happy together. A deep, abiding friendship that would one day lead to marriage. If only Marilee hadn’t gotten greedy and demanded more money. She threatened to destroy it all. She got what she deserved.”
A man confessing all had no intention of leaving witnesses.
“I was back where I started. Katelyn sick again. Close to dying. And all she could think about was her daughter. Finding her Jamie. And I tried to stop it. I tried to stop you.”
“You killed my grandfather!” Willow yelled. “How could you kill an old man like that? He was the best thing in my life!”
Hold it together, Willow. Don’t force him to shoot you.
“He was the only one who could find Jamie. And you, his granddaughter. But you just wouldn’t stop.” He smiled then. A sick smile. “It doesn’t matter. This time she agreed to marry me. Jamie needs a father. Or she would have, if she hadn’t died today along with the rest of you.”
“She’s your fiancé, John. She agreed to marry you. You don’t have to lose everything,” Austin said.
“There’s no way to fix this.” John’s wild eyes flashed. “I’m so sorry, Katelyn.”
Austin had hoped it wouldn’t come to this.
“So, you’re going to kill me first, right?” Austin said. “Then you can make it look like I killed them and then killed myself, but the only way that is going to happen is if you shoot me first.”
“Exactly. I can’t let you interfere.” He aimed the weapon at Austin and pulled the trigger.
Chapter sixty-eight
Willow screamed. John released her and dropped to the ground. Austin had shot him. She checked his pulse. He was dead. The deputy keeping watch outside burst through the door. Willow ran to Austin, who remained on the ground. He sucked in a ragged breath.
“Oh, Austin, I didn’t think we would make it through this.”
He glanced at her but didn’t say anything.
“Are you hit? You wore the vest, didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “No. No vest.”
Fear coiled around her heart. “You’re shot! Help, we need help!”
The deputy knelt next to Austin. He radioed for an ambulance and more deputies. “Here, put pressure on the wound.”
Evelyn rushed from the kitchen and pressed towels against his side. Willow palmed Austin’s cheeks and brought her face close to his. His lids fluttered. “Oh, no you don’t. You listen to me, Austin McKade. You are going to live. You are not going to die on me. Heath would never forgive you! Do you hear me?” She pressed her forehead against his and sobbed. “Please, please, God, please.”
“I don’t know if you want me,” she sobbed out the words. “I don’t know if you love me. I don’t know if it will help, but I have to say this. I love you, Austin. Please don’t die on
me.”
The next few minutes moved by in a slow daze for Willow. Paramedics arrived. They took Austin in a helicopter—the fastest way to get him to the hospital. And they removed John Houser’s body. Willow was numb all over. She couldn’t lose Austin too.
JT and then Austin. What would she do?
On the porch, watching the helicopter fly away, Katelyn and Charlie held on to each other. Their kinship and the kindred spirit between them helped them connect quickly.
Evelyn held Willow. “You hold on to your faith now. You keep praying. It’s a rough day when two McKade men are in the hospital. Both of them put their lives in danger to save others. Both are heroes, if you ask me. Let’s get in Heath’s truck. I’ll drive you down to the hospital.”
Willow didn’t remember the long, rough drive down from Emerald M or the miles of highway to Grayback and the county hospital. She didn’t remember being ushered into the hospital or sitting in the waiting room. Katelyn, Charlie, and Evelyn stayed with her to comfort and reassure her. Willow wasn’t the only one in pain. Katelyn still had to work through John’s betrayal, but she had Charlie with her now, and she wouldn’t throw that away to mourn for the man who had betrayed her.
Though Willow’s mind and heart were numb—the only way she could survive the pain—one thought kept swirling in her head. Why had she let Austin go? Why had she given him up before?
“Willow,” a soft voice said. “Willow, honey. You can go in and see Austin now.”
“What?” She peered up at Evelyn’s lined features.
“He’s awake and asking for you.”
Evelyn helped Willow to her feet and led her down the hallway, accompanied by a nurse. She took her into the postoperative room where Austin was recovering before he was moved into Heath’s room. Dark shadows circled his eyes. His handsome face was unusually pale. Willow drew near to him, unsure of what to do or say. He wasn’t even awake. How could he have asked for her?
Never Let Go Page 30
