12 Stocking Stuffers

by Beverly Barton

  She could feel everything; all her senses were heightened. His mouth was warm and moist, his kiss powerful and demanding. Her body longed to know his complete possession. Whimpering, she opened her mouth, allowing him admission. His tongue thrust inside like a velvet-tipped hot poker, exploring as it raked softly against the smoothness of the interior. Tingles spiraled upward from her feminine core. Her nipples peaked. Her body pulsated with need.

  It had been this way before, this overwhelming desire to be with him. With Worth. Only with Worth. He was the other half of her, a part of her soul.

  But he doesn’t love you, a taunting inner voice said.

  Yes, he does. Yes, he does! Her heart defended him. He loves me. He just doesn’t know it yet.

  Suddenly Worth ended the kiss and gently pushed Faith away from him. After taking several deep breaths, he said, “I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have let things get out of hand.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. I wanted it to happen just as much as you did.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out.” He shoved open the kitchen door and held it for her. “How about something to drink? Some tea or cocoa or—”

  Faith laid her hand on his chest; he went rigid as a stone statue. “You want to make love to me, don’t you?”

  “Faith…”

  “Don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want us to make love,” she told him. “I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. All I know is that…I love you. With or without my memory, my feelings are the same. During the time we’ve spent together, I’ve fallen in love with you all over again. Don’t you see, that must mean we’re meant to be together.”

  “Faith, honey, you’re not fully recovered, physically, mentally or emotionally. If I took you to bed now, I’d be taking advantage of you.”

  She rubbed the palm of her hand over his chest, caressing the cotton material of his sweater, when what she longed to touch was his naked chest. “What are you so afraid of?”

  “I don’t know what you mean.” He lifted her hand from his chest and gently released her.

  She smiled to herself. This was the way he’d acted once before…in the cave, when she’d asked him to make love to her. He’d been afraid then, too. Afraid of her.

  “I remember,” she told him. “The first time we made love, I asked you and you said no, at least you did in the beginning.”

  “You remember?”

  She nodded. “Not everything, just how reluctant you were. You were afraid to make love to me then just as you are now. You’re afraid of the way I make you feel, afraid that you might love me.”

  “Don’t do this. Don’t build up some imaginary fairy-tale romance around you and me. I’m no Prince Charming, believe me. I’m the last guy a sweet, gentle, loving woman like you needs.”

  “Why do you say that?” She wanted to put her arms around him and hold him close, but she sensed his need to keep some physical distance between them.

  “Faith, you don’t know me. The real me. You never did. You have no idea what I’m capable of doing. I was a soldier, a special forces soldier. Do you know what that means? I’ve killed people. Men and women…” He swallowed and glanced away, focusing his gaze on the floor. “And children. Do you hear me—on my last assignment for the Rangers, I was part of an ugly battle between our guys and the native rebels. They came at us from all sides—men, women and children, some of them no more than ten or eleven.”

  “Oh, Worth, how terrible for you. You’re such a kind man. That type of brutal killing must have been very difficult for you.”

  When she reached out to him, he grabbed her wrist and hauled her up against him. “Damn it, Blue Eyes, don’t you understand—I’ve been a hard-ass son of a bitch all my life. I’m a white-trash redneck from Arkansas who knew how to hot-wire a car by the time I was twelve. I’m not good or kind or caring. I’m none of those things.” He cupped her face between his big hands. “But God help me, I want to be. For you. And for Hope.”

  “I wish you could see yourself through my eyes,” Faith said. “To me you are all those things—good, kind, caring, gentle and loving. Ever since I woke up in the hospital and I saw your face, I somehow knew that as long as you stayed with me, I’d be all right.”

  “You see something in me that no one else ever has.” He kissed her forehead, her cheeks and then her lips. Sweet, tender kisses, his passion held in check. “Maybe love is blind.”

  “I see you perfectly, Worth Cordell. I accept that you have flaws. Everyone does. Just look at me.”

  “I am looking at you,” he told her. “All I see is how wonderful you are.”

  Just when Worth’s lips touched hers again, the doorbell rang. They halted before they actually kissed. Worth groaned, then slowly released her. Feeling slightly unsteady on her feet, she leaned back against the door frame.

  “I’ll go see who it is,” Worth said.

  She waited for him to get to the door before she walked across the living room and came up a few feet behind him. He turned on the porch light, glanced through the peephole and then opened the door. Detective Rollins stood on her front porch.

  “May I speak to you and Ms. Sheridan?” Rollins asked.

  “Come on in.” Worth nodded, indicating a welcome.

  “Thanks.” Rollins entered the living room; Worth closed the door. “I’ve got some bad news and I wanted to deliver it in person.”

  “What kind of bad news?” Faith asked as she inched her way closer to Worth.

  “You might want to sit down,” Rollins suggested.

  “Oh, God…” Tremors shivered through Faith’s body.

  Worth reached out, slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. “Out with it. Can’t you see you’re scaring Faith.”

  “Sorry, ma’am. It’s just I hate like the devil to have to tell you this.” Rollins inhaled and exhaled deeply. “The Greenville Slayer’s second victim, Gloria Clemmons, who survived the ordeal, just as you did, has been found murdered in her own home.”

  “How was she…” Faith’s voice trailed off as tears lodged in her throat.

  “Blunt trauma to the head,” Rollins replied.

  “Any suspects other than the obvious?” Worth asked.

  Rollins shook his head.

  “Why would he kill her?” Faith asked. “She couldn’t identify him.”

  Rollins stuck his hands in his coat pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. “We figure he came back to finish the job.”

  “That means…oh, Worth—” Faith buried her face against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “He’s going to come after the other woman who survived, isn’t he? And he’s going to come after me.”

  Chapter 6

  After Detective Rollins’s visit three days ago, Worth and Faith had discussed the precautions they would take to keep Faith safe, but she had been adamantly opposed to leaving town with Worth. He’d wanted to whisk Faith and Hope out of harm’s way and take them back to Atlanta with him. But in the rational part of his brain, he’d known what Faith had pointed out to him—that if the Greenville Slayer wanted to kill her, he’d find her no matter where she went. Rollins had hinted at using Faith as bait to catch the killer, but Worth had dismissed the idea before the detective had been able to fully explain it to Faith. She had told Rollins that she would seriously consider the idea, but no way was Worth going to let Faith put herself in more danger.

  This morning they’d driven into town to finish Christmas shopping and purchase a live Christmas tree. The big day was coming up in less than a week—Hope’s first Christmas. She wasn’t old enough to understand the concept of Santa Claus, but it really didn’t matter. Faith and Worth were knee-deep into the Jolly Old Saint Nick fantasy. They’d practically bought out the local toy store.

  This afternoon Worth had gotten up on a ladder and strung white lights across the edge of the front porch roof, as well as around several large shrubs in the front yard. Since Jody was on Christmas
holiday break from her job as an elementary schoolteacher, she’d volunteered as a baby-sitter while Worth and Faith put up the tree and decorated it.

  Faith stood across the room and surveyed their handiwork. “It’s beautiful. All it needs is the angel on top.” She lifted the tree topper from its cushioned bed in the box, then walked across the room and handed the golden-haired angel to Worth. “When I was a little girl I thought all angels had blond hair and blue eyes.”

  Worth leaned down from his perch on the ladder, took the angel in one hand and clutched Faith’s chin with the other. “Some angels have blue eyes and dark-brown hair.”

  Coming in from the kitchen, with Hope on her hip, Jody cleared her throat. Faith jumped away from Worth as if she’d been caught doing something naughty.

  “Oops. Sorry. Was I interrupting something?” Jody asked.

  “Not a thing,” Worth replied. “I was just getting ready to put the finishing touches on the tree.” He placed the blond angel in the flowing white gown atop the tree. “Is she straight?”

  “Perfect,” Faith said.

  “Hey, I was wondering if y’all want me to order pizza for supper?” Jody asked. “It’s nearly five and I’m starving.”

  “Is it that late?” Faith checked her watch. “The day has gone by so fast.” When Faith held out her arms, Hope came to her immediately. “You order the pizza and I’ll fix Hope’s bottle.”

  “We like cheese pizza,” Jody said. “What do you like, Worth?”

  “Meat Lovers Supreme,” he said. “Order one of each. I can eat a medium all by myself.”

  Jody sized him up, from head to toe. “I don’t doubt that for a minute.”

  When Faith disappeared into the kitchen, Worth stepped down off the ladder, folded it and put it away in the closet. Jody lifted the receiver and dialed the phone on the end table by the sofa. While Worth gathered up empty boxes in which Faith stored Christmas ornaments, Jody ordered supper.

  Worth picked up the remote, turned on the television to check the local news and weather and laid the remote on the sofa arm. The forecasters had been predicting snow for today, but none had materialized. No snow, sleet or even rain.

  “She’s doing great, isn’t she?” Jody plopped down on the sofa by Worth. “She’s regaining more of her memory every day.”

  “Yeah, she’s recalling more and more about her past, her friends, Hope and even me. But she still can’t remember anything about the day she was attacked.”

  “Maybe it’s better if she never remembers,” Jody said. “It’s not something I’d want to remember.”

  “If she could ID her attacker, I’d want her to remember. That guy needs to be stopped before he kills someone else.”

  “I know you’re concerned about what happened to that other woman, another of his victims who survived. But Faith has you to protect her. Or is that the problem—are you getting tired of hanging around, playing knight in shining armor?”

  “I thought you and I had buried the hatchet,” Worth said. “You still don’t trust me, do you?”

  “I trust you to protect Faith, but I don’t quite trust you not to break her heart again.”

  Before Worth could reply, Faith emerged from the kitchen.

  “When she finishes her bottle, I need to give Hope a quick bath and change her clothes before we leave.” She handed Hope and her bottle to Worth. “I’ll go get things ready, so when she’s through, bring her into the bathroom.”

  “Where are y’all going?” Jody asked.

  “We’re taking Hope to the mall this evening to see Santa Claus and get her picture made with him,” Faith replied. “Why don’t you come with us?”

  “Sure, I’d love to.” Jody glanced at Worth. “That is unless I’d be a third wheel. After all, a trip to see Santa is sort of a family thing, isn’t it?”

  “You’re family. You’re Hope’s Aunt Jody,” Faith said as she headed toward the bedroom.

  “Faith’s right,” Worth added. “We want you to come along.”

  Suddenly Worth heard the television announcer mention something about the Greenville Slayer, but since he had the sound turned down low on the TV, he didn’t catch exactly what had been said. Readjusting Hope in his arms, he reached for the remote on the sofa arm, then upped the volume for the television. Before focusing his attention on the TV screen, he glanced over the sofa to Faith, who stood dead still by the open bedroom door.

  “The Greenville Slayer has struck again and this time it’s another repeat attack,” the announcer said. “Lois Helton, the Greenville cosmetologist, who survived a brutal attack two months ago, and her husband were both shot and killed in their home today. Police estimate the murders occurred around three this afternoon. The police officer guarding Mrs. Helton was critically wounded and is not expected to survive.”

  “Oh, God!” Jody gasped.

  “He’s killed both women who survived,” Faith said. “It’s only a matter of time before he comes after me.”

  Worth checked Hope’s bottle. She’d drunk three-fourths and was still guzzling away. With Hope in his arms, Worth stood and went over to Faith. He looked directly at her, his gaze demanding her eyes to meet his.

  “We’ll cancel the trip to see Santa,” Worth said. “Next year, Hope will be over a year old and she’ll enjoy getting her picture made with Santa more than she would have this year.”

  Faith nodded. “Does this mean I’m going to be a prisoner in my own house? I’ve been remembering what it felt like to be held captive in that horrible basement in Subria when I was abducted with Phila Constantine last year. It’s a terrible feeling. Not one I want to experience again.”

  “I wish I could say that it won’t be necessary to curtail all your normal activities even more than we have already, but we can’t take any chances,” Worth told her. “Not with your life on the line.”

  “It’ll be only temporary. Just until the police catch the killer,” Jody said, as she jumped up off the sofa and looked back and forth from Faith to Worth. “And you have a big plus the other women didn’t have—you’ve got your own professional bodyguard right at your side.”

  “You’re right on both counts.” Faith reached out and took Hope from Worth. “I am lucky to have my own bodyguard. And this insanity isn’t going to stop until the killer is caught and put behind bars.”

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Worth said. “Forget it. I won’t let you do it. Do you hear me, Faith?”

  Snapping her gaze back and forth from Worth to Faith, Jody asked, “What’s he talking about? What won’t he let you do?”

  “The police suggested setting a trap for the killer and using me as bait.” Faith pressed a tender kiss on top of Hope’s head.

  Jody gasped. “I’m with Worth on this one. No way, Jose!”

  “Can’t you both see that it’s the only way!”

  “No it’s not the only way,” Jody said. “You’re getting back more and more of your memory all the time. You’ll probably remember the attack and be able to ID the attacker—tomorrow or the next day or—”

  “Or never.” Faith turned away and walked into the bedroom.

  “Hell! Do something,” Jody told Worth. “I know Faithie, and when she’s determined, nothing can stop her.”

  Worth and Jody followed Faith into the bedroom. She sat down in the white rocker beside Hope’s crib, removed the empty bottle from the baby’s mouth and set it on the floor; then she rocked back and forth as she crooned a soft lullaby.

  “You can’t do it,” Jody said.

  “Sh—Be quiet,” Faith whispered. “I don’t want to discuss it. My mind’s made up.”

  “Then unmake it,” Worth told her. “Think about Hope. Think about your friends…your family.”

  “I am thinking about Hope and about my family. You can’t guarantee me that he won’t try to harm Hope. And with your standing between him and me, he could hurt you. This man won’t stop killing until someone stops him.”

  “Why does it have
to be you?” Jody asked.

  “Because I’m the only one left. If I don’t do all I can to stop him, he’ll kill again and again.”

  “We need to talk about this before—” Worth said, but was interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone. “I’ll get it.”

  He stormed across the room to the phone on the nightstand, then picked up the receiver. “Cordell here.”

  “Mr. Cordell, this is Detective Rollins. I have some more bad news.”

  “Yeah, we already know. Your bad news is being broadcast on all the local TV stations.”

  “We’re going to send a patrol car to stay outside Ms. Sheridan’s apartment, around the clock, starting tonight,” Rollins said.

  “Who is it?” Faith asked.

  Worth placed his hand over the mouthpiece. “Detective Rollins.”

  “Tell him that we’re coming to the police station first thing in the morning to discuss his plan.”

  “No, Faith.”

  “Yes, Worth.”

  After removing his hand from the mouthpiece, Worth said, “Rollins, Ms. Sheridan and I will see you in your office in the morning. She wants to discuss your plan to capture the killer.”

  Worth heard Rollins’s indrawn breath, then silence for a couple of minutes. “If she agrees to do this—to put herself directly in the line of fire—I swear to you, Cordell, I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

  “She’s not doing this unless you agree that I’m part of the team. I want to be there, close by, participating. Not in the background.”

  “I believe that can be arranged.”

  Worth hung up the receiver, then turned to Faith. “We’ll have to arrange for someone to take care of Hope until this is all over.”

  “I can—” Jody said.

  “No.” Faith shook her head. “I’ll pack some of her things in the morning and we’ll take her to Lindsey. She can stay with Lindsey and George until…” Faith looked at Jody. “You’re in the apartment next door. If this guy finds out where I live, I don’t want Hope anywhere around here.”