To Love, Honor and Defend

by Beth Cornelison

  Cal caught his breath. When had he decided he wanted a real marriage? He’d promised her a divorce once the court secured his rights to Ally.

  Maybe he’d been fooling himself all along. He knew for a fact he’d never gotten Libby out of his system.

  The way she’d responded to his kiss at their wedding told him she still had some feelings left for him. The heat in her eyes said she wanted him, even if she denied the truth to herself. The brief glimpse she’d shared of her sense of humor Thursday night showed him that the warm, vibrant woman he’d known lurked just beneath the cool reserve she presented. Maybe he’d lied to himself by thinking he just wanted the old Libby back for Ally. He wanted to recapture what he’d shared with Libby for himself.

  Giving Libby up had left an emptiness inside him. An ache. A need.

  Sighing, he squirted a small daub of shampoo in his hair. He worked his frustration out scrubbing grit from his scalp with a vengeance. Too late, he smelled the dainty, floral scent and realized he’d used Libby’s shampoo.

  Hell. Now, on top of the erotic images of her body silhouetted by the kitchen lights, he’d have the sexy aroma of her hair teasing his senses all day. Already the scent of—he read the label—mountain heather had his body taut and humming, his groin aching.

  Why had he ever agreed to her hands-off mandate? Every minute that he was around Libby he grew more certain he wanted more from this marriage than just a safe and happy home for Ally. He wanted Libby back. For good.

  He had his work cut out for him. He had to find a way past Libby’s defenses. The passion, the camaraderie—the love— they’d had five years ago deserved a second chance.

  As he rinsed the heather-scented soap from his hair, Cal formed a plan, a no-holds-barred course of action designed to seduce his wife.

  Seduction proved a tricky feat while Cal had a four-year-old chaperone. In addition, Libby seemed distant, and the shadows he’d seen that morning continued to lurk in her eyes. He hadn’t forgotten her request to discuss something of importance, but with Ally around, there never seemed a good time.

  Late in the afternoon, he finally suggested a trip to Ally’s favorite park, hoping that while Ally played they’d finally have a minute or two alone. Time for him to work on his seduction plans and time for Libby to share what was bothering her.

  Once at the city park, Cal watched Libby help Ally on a swing, marveling at the rapport the two had developed. He sensed a new level of trust and understanding between his wife and daughter that warmed him.

  Libby gave Ally a push to start the swing then joined him on the bench where he sat with his body leaning forward, his arms on his knees.

  “This morning, I promised you a chance to talk.”

  She glanced over, her eyes reflecting a certain surprise that he’d remembered his promise.

  He turned his palms up. “Now seems like the best chance we’ll get. So, what was it that was bothering you this morning?”

  Libby turned her attention back to Ally. She pulled her coat more tightly around her, but Cal suspected her shudder had more to do with his choice of conversation than with the cool air.

  “Remember the notepad I showed you?” she asked, her gaze fixed on something in the distance.

  “You wanted to know where it came from. Why?”

  “It’s the same one my stalker used to send his letters.”

  Cal frowned and let her words sink in. “You mean, the same kind of paper?”

  She shook her head. “It was that pad. I rubbed a pencil on the top sheet and found impressions that matched the latest letter.”

  “But you said you found it in my things. One of my boxes.”

  She turned her face to him, and the haunted look in her eyes chilled him. “I did.”

  “How—” He paused, his heart beating double time. “Wait a minute. You thought that I—”

  “No. Not really. I just—” She raised a hand to her mouth, and her eyes teared up. “I had to be sure. Cal, he got in my house. He had to have broken in at some point to put that pad in with your things.”

  Cal sat up straight, the hairs on his neck bristling. “What?”

  Libby released a ragged sigh and looked away. “I told the police about it yesterday while Ally took a nap. They couldn’t find any sign of forced entry. Since I couldn’t prove the notepad wasn’t yours, they had no real evidence that a break-in had occurred. They promised to do drive-bys and watch the house.”

  He stared at her, slack-jawed for a moment, absorbing the shock. “You told me this guy wasn’t dangerous. That he was just an annoyance.”

  Her shoulders slumped, and she hugged herself. “I didn’t want to believe he was more than that. I’d hoped he was just trying to scare me.”

  Cal muttered an oath under his breath. Grabbing her elbow, he turned her to face him. He met her startled eyes with a no-nonsense look. “When we get home, I’m calling a locksmith to change all the locks.”

  She scowled and lifted her chin. “I’ve already set it up for Monday morning. And I’ve called about putting in a security system.” Her frown deepened, and she balled her hands into fists. “I hate rearranging my life because of that creep. I’m in a safe neighborhood. I shouldn’t have to have my house wired against break-ins.”

  He pulled her into his arms, though she held her body stiff and unyielding. “Taking precautions doesn’t mean you’re selling out, Lib. It’s just good sense.”

  “I’m sorry about Ally,” she whispered.

  Tensing, he pushed her to arm’s length and met the dark look in her eyes. “What about Ally?”

  “I didn’t want her in any more danger. I thought I was doing what was best for her when I married you. But I was wrong. Marrying you was wrong.”

  “No!”

  “Cal, I’ve put both of you at risk.”

  His hands tightened on her arms. “I still believe we made the right choice. Ally is safest when she is with me, where I can protect her. From Renee’s bad habits and from your stalker. I won’t let anything happen to her. Or to you. That guy will have to come through new locks, a security system and me to hurt either of you. Understand?”

  Libby wrenched free of his grasp, her eyes flashing with stubborn self-assurance. “You just take care of Ally. I can protect myself.”

  She drew a deep breath and glanced out at the swing where Ally played. “We should probably leave soon. It’s getting dark,” she said in the cool, professional voice he could imagine her using in court. Even her tone said Keep away.

  Frustration plucked at him as he scooped Ally’s scarf off the bench and strolled to his daughter’s swing. Wrapping the scarf around Ally’s neck, he tied a loose knot under her chin. “Time to head home for dinner.”

  Libby waited by the bench, turning her back as she pulled her hat lower over her ears. Cal tried to focus on his daughter rather than Libby’s remoteness. Why did she insist on dealing with this creep following her alone? Well, she’d have his help, his protection, whether she wanted it or not. He’d listened to his mother’s reassurances and excuses and had regretted it ever since.

  “Libby says I can have macaroni for dinner,” Ally chirped.

  He gave his daughter an enthusiastic grin. “Mmm, that sounds like what I want, too. With lots of cheese?”

  Ally nodded and hopped out of the swing. He took her hand and started for the car, glancing back over his shoulder. “Coming, Lib?”

  With a wave of her hand, she signaled that he should lead the way. “Right behind you.”

  Behind. Not beside. He shot her a disgruntled scowl, took Ally’s hand and headed toward the parking lot. What would it take to bridge this gap between them? Their mutual concern for Ally was a start, but he needed to recapture the magnetic connection they’d had when they first dated.

  Hoping Libby would catch up, Cal kept his pace slow. So slow that Ally peered up at him with a puzzled frown and tugged on his arm to urge him to go faster. But Libby kept her distance.

  Cal woul
dn’t be so easily denied. He was determined, despite the new concerns he had regarding Libby’s stalker, that he wouldn’t let anything interfere with creating the warm home environment he wanted for Ally. The last thing his daughter needed was another reason to be scared. His home would be filled with hugs and laughter, warmth and security. He was confident he could be Ally’s fun and loving father without compromising his role as vigilant defender.

  He turned and walked backward, calling to Libby, “Ally tells me you’re a pretty fair Twister player. I challenge you two to a match tonight after dinner.”

  Ally bounced on her toes. “Yeah!”

  “I…I don’t know,” Libby said. “I have some work I need to look over before Monday.”

  Ally’s crestfallen face was priceless. He couldn’t have bought a better accomplice for his cause.

  “Please, Libby,” his daughter begged, her blue eyes puppy-dog sweet and beseeching. He made a mental note to give Ally an extra scoop of ice cream for dessert.

  “Come on, work will keep until Ally’s gone to bed.”

  “Cal, I—”

  “Please…” Ally repeated.

  Libby’s brow creased, and her shoulders drooped in defeat. “Well…maybe for a little while.”

  Ally smiled triumphantly, and Cal gave Libby his own grin of appreciation, savoring the small victory. He faced forward once more and picked up his pace, anticipating the opportunity to twine his limbs with Libby’s, even if only in the name of family entertainment.

  Ally skipped beside him, showing as much childlike exuberance as he’d seen from her all weekend. He dreaded Monday morning, when he’d have to take Ally back to Renee’s. In the past couple visits, he and Libby had chipped away the flat, lifeless look in his daughter’s eyes. He hated to think that returning Ally to Renee’s could undo the progress they’d made, break the fragile trust they’d earned.

  Damn it, if it weren’t so important to stay within the letter of the law, to meet the terms of his parole, to have a shot at winning custody and eventually having his record wiped clean, he’d—

  Ally came to an abrupt halt, jerking his arm to stop him.

  Yanked from his thoughts, he glanced down at her with a curious frown. “What’s the matter, kitten?”

  She huddled close to his leg, ducking behind him with a whimper.

  “Ally?” He pried her off his leg then squatted down to eye level with her. “What’s wrong?”

  She sidled closer, her eyes round and dancing with fright. “I don’t like him.”

  “Who? Who don’t you like?”

  She cut her gaze quickly to the parking lot and shivered. “That man. He scares me.”

  Cal twisted to scan the parking lot. He saw nothing at first, but finally spotted a man in a dark trench coat, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against the hood of an old-model sedan. A line of Bradford pear trees partially obscured Cal’s view. In the fading daylight, he couldn’t make out many facial features, but the man seemed familiar.

  “He talks loud, and when he comes over, Mommy acts funny,” Ally whispered, pressing closer to his side.

  Cal swallowed the bile and the vicious curse that rose in his throat. How much illicitness had Ally been exposed to? He hated to think.

  Libby caught up and crouched beside Ally. “What happened?”

  He nodded toward the parking lot. “The guy that was at Renee’s last week. Roach?”

  Libby cut her eyes to the man in question, and her face set in hard lines. She dug in her purse and flipped open her cell phone. “You go on and take Ally home. I want to stay and monitor our friend. If I can catch him in the act—”

  “Not a chance. I’m not leaving you here alone. Especially not with that creep hanging around.” Cal stood, lifting Ally into his arms. He glanced back toward the sedan in time to see Roach push away and approach a couple of teens standing in the shadows of a large live oak.

  “This is Libby Hopkins from the D.A.’s office,” she said quietly, speaking into her cell phone. “I need you to send a patrol car to Loumeaux Park, ASAP. I think we’ve got a drug deal going down.”

  Cal shifted Ally to one hip and seized Libby by the arm. He tried to lead his wife toward the far end of the parking lot, where they’d left his truck, but she shook off his grip.

  “Tell the responding officers that the suspect is known on the streets as Roach. I don’t want this guy getting away. Be sure the arrest is clean.” She flipped the phone closed and faced him with her eyes snapping. “Take Ally home. I’ll be fine.”

  “Libby, this isn’t a courtroom. You don’t have an armed bailiff standing by for protection while you go head-to-head with this scum.” He nailed a no-nonsense look on her that she dismissed, rolling her eyes.

  Again he took her arm and nudged her toward safety. “You’ve called it in. Now come home with us.”

  “No. I have to stay, keep an eye on him until the cops come.” Even as she spoke, she followed Roach’s movement as he crossed the playground with the two teens. “If something goes down, I want to be here, I want to see it myself so we can throw the book at this guy once and for all.”

  He noted the spark of determination that lit Libby’s gaze, and his gut twisted. Didn’t she realize the danger she was putting herself in?

  It occurred to him that her job put her on the adversarial end of dangerous criminals every day.

  And now one of those jerks was stalking her. The knot inside him yanked a notch tighter.

  If not for Ally, he would stay with Libby, gladly help her catch the guy in incriminating circumstances. Hell, he’d take Roach on himself if it would mean ridding his daughter’s life of one more threat to her security.

  But he had Ally to think of. He had a responsibility to get her out of harm’s way before anything volatile could happen. Damn Libby’s stubborn hide!

  When she took several quick steps in Roach’s direction, he grabbed her coat before she got away. “For God’s sake, at least stay out of sight. Don’t go confronting him. He could have a weapon.”

  “Let go! I’ll lose track of him if I don’t follow him.” She shook free and took off across the grass, tailing her suspect.

  Cal clenched his teeth and debated going after her versus getting Ally to safety. The crunch of gravel in the parking lot called his attention to the arriving police car. Relief swam through him, and he hurried to meet the officers.

  “They went that way,” he told the police, pointing in the direction Roach and the teens had disappeared. “Libby Hopkins, from the district attorney’s office, is following them. Make sure nothing happens to her.”

  “We’ll do our best,” the older of the two men told him as they took off in pursuit.

  Cal hustled Ally back to his truck and buckled her safely in the back seat. He drummed the steering wheel, feeling useless and frustrated by his inability to go after his wife himself. If he didn’t need to stay with his daughter, he’d be across that playground in a flash, hauling Libby and her risk-taking hide back to his truck by force if needed.

  A cold sweat popped out on his brow as one interminable minute stretched into the next. He wouldn’t leave without her, without knowing she was all right.

  Where was she? Damn it, when the cops arrived, she should have turned it over to them. She should be back by now.

  He shoved a restless hand through his hair and sighed.

  Cal, he got in my house.

  A chill snaked through him. What did her stalker want? Just what sort of threat did the bastard pose? And how did Cal keep his wife safe when she was so determined to fight her own battles and charge headlong into the fray?

  “Where’s Libby?” Ally asked. “Isn’t she going home with us?”

  Schooling his expression, he turned and gave Ally a grin. “She’s coming. She’s just taking care of something first. She’ll—”

  Out the side window, he saw a flash of color, a movement in the distance. Darkness had stolen over the city, and he could see little on the unlit play
ground. Cal squinted, bringing the distant figures into sharper relief.

  Sure enough, the movement proved to be the two policemen escorting an uncooperative Roach back toward the patrol car.

  Libby marched alongside them, her head high and her steps clipped.

  “Kitten, you stay right here. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Locking Ally in the truck, Cal hurried to them, prepared to bodily drag Libby away if necessary.

  “I’ll get you for this, bitch! You saw nothin’! You got nothin’ to hold me on!” Roach spat at her, the venom in his tone sending chills down Cal’s spine.

  “I advise you not to say any more until you’ve spoken with an attorney,” she responded calmly.

  Roach lunged toward her, but the officers restrained him.

  Every fireman knew there was a point when a fire became too involved, when the risk to firefighters’ lives outweighed any gain in saving property and you got out of the burning building. Yet Libby still charged into the inferno.

  Cal wasted no time snagging Libby’s arm and dragging her toward the truck. “Finished saving the world, Counselor?”

  She glared at him. “I have a job to do. I’m sorry if you have a problem with that.”

  “Watch your back, bitch!” Roach taunted as the officers jammed him into the black-and-white.

  If he didn’t have his hand on her arm, guiding her away from the scene, he would have missed the shudder that shimmied through her. So, she wasn’t as immune to the creep’s threats as she’d like everyone to think.

  Libby pulled a notebook from her pocket and dashed a few words on the page. “Threatening an officer of the court. So noted.”

  He tightened his grip on her arm and pushed her to a faster pace. “Just another day at the office for you, huh?”

  “I had to do something. Don’t you want that guy off the street? I have no doubt he’s the one supplying Renee drugs.”

  “Of course I want him caught. But that was a stupid, dangerous thing you just did.”

  She whirled to face him, snatching her arm from his grasp. “Someone’s got to do it. It may be easier to turn a blind eye, but I swore to uphold the law. Even when it’s not the easy thing to do. Responsibility means looking a difficult situation in the eye, not hiding from it.”