Her Christmas Protector

by Terri Reed

  He approached the fence and several llamas came to him wanting attention. He nuzzled each for a moment, aware that Faith had also turned toward him.

  “Good morning.”

  Her tentative greeting charmed him. “Morning.”

  A smile curved her lush lips and reached her eyes, making the kaleidoscope of colors sparkle. The sharp winter sunlight glinted off a thin silver chain around her neck. Luke noticed the tiny box lying against her skin.

  He pulled his attention back to the animals. “That’s Blondie.”

  “Excuse me?” Faith’s expression filled with confusion.

  He nodded his head toward the animal which had its nose nestled in her hair. “The llama.”

  “Oh.” She leaned her head onto Blondie’s neck. “She sure is friendly.”

  “Uh-huh.” Luke turned away. He frowned, aware that this wasn’t the first time he’d felt deprived because she was giving her affection to one of his animals. He didn’t like the feeling. He told himself he didn’t want her affection.

  She turned back toward the mountains. “Luke, about last night.”

  His stomach clenched. Last night, he’d made an idiot of himself. He’d shied away from her and their mutual attraction like a skittish colt.

  But he wouldn’t think about that right now. There were more pressing matters to discuss. “Faith, I need to ask you something.”

  “I know.” She sighed heavily. “You want to know about why I panicked in the barn. But, really—I—there’s nothing to tell. I don’t—I don’t know why it happened. I suppose I’ve been traveling alone for too long.”

  “Faith, look at me.”

  Slowly she turned and their gazes locked. He saw her unspoken plea to let it go. And he supposed if the situation hadn’t taken on a new edge, he might have tried to accept her explanation. But, at any moment, a man would be driving up and they needed to be ready.

  “Why would a private investigator be looking for you?”

  Even though he expected a reaction, the change was dramatic. Her eyes widened, the color drained from her complexion and for a moment he thought she’d faint again.

  In a sudden movement that sent the llamas stumbling back, she darted past him and ran toward the house. He was so startled by her action, it took a full thirty seconds before he was able to make his feet move.

  FIVE

  “No, oh no. Please, God, no. Oh, no.”

  Faith put a hand to her throat, her breath coming in short, shallow bursts. Her mind raced. If a private investigator had tracked her down this quickly, it was only a matter of time before Vince showed up. She couldn’t be here when that happened.

  What a fool she’d been to believe God cared. He would never provide her with sanctuary. She wasn’t safe, not even on a ranch in the middle of nowhere. Vinnie’s tentacles reached far and wide, and now she’d put good, decent people in jeopardy because she’d selfishly wanted to pretend to have a normal life.

  Shame and dread vied for a place in her heart. She could hear the harshness of her breathing while she struggled to pull out her suitcases. After dumping them on the bed, she began stuffing the contents of the dresser drawers into the open bags. Haste made her sloppy, but she didn’t care. She rushed to the closet and took the clothes, hangers and all, and stuffed them into the bags. The cases wouldn’t close.

  “Close. Come on, close,” she muttered. Her hands shook so hard she couldn’t hold on to the fasteners.

  Luke appeared in the doorway. He stood with his arms held rigidly at his sides, his body tense. She could feel his gaze on her and guilt clawed at her insides, the pain only adding to her urgency. She’d put his family in danger. He’d never forgive her when he learned the truth.

  The crunch of tires on the ice-crusted drive below her window filled the air, and panic seized her, its grip tight and strong. She turned her back on Luke and looked wildly around the room. She had to get out of there, but how?

  She made choppy, shaky slashes in the air with her hands. “Okay, okay. Think. Think.”

  She couldn’t think. Her brain was having a malfunction. Somewhere, deep inside, the thought that it was over came crashing through. “God, please not like this.”

  Luke’s hands settled on her shoulders and turned her around. She tried to shrug away. “No, no. I have to get out of here.” She struggled against the strength of his grip, but his hold only grew tighter.

  “Shh…It’s okay.” He gathered her hands in his. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  His words rumbled through her offering solace.

  What was she to do now? He said it would be okay, but it wouldn’t. She was trapped.

  Outside, Brandy barked wildly and a car door slammed shut.

  Faith jumped.

  “Let me handle this.”

  Luke’s voice washed over her, the timbre throaty and deep. He stroked her hair, then her cheek, wiping away tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed.

  “What will you say?” she asked.

  “I’ll think of something,” he said, his voice stronger now, authoritative, in command.

  “But…” Would he be able to put off the P.I.? Either way, she had to leave. Once Luke learned the truth, he’d send her packing, anyway. He’d have to. To protect his family.

  “Trust me, Faith.”

  She hesitated. Trust was given in two ways—one, by someone earning that trust, and two, by a leap of faith. At this moment Luke held her life in his hands and he wanted her to trust him. It was a combination of both that made her nod slowly.

  “Later, you will tell me what’s going on.” His tone held a silent warning. He wouldn’t be put off any longer. “Stay put and out of sight.”

  He gave a short nod of his head and then disappeared, his footsteps receding down the stairs and out the front door. Faith ran to the window and peeked out the corner of the curtain. Below, a short, balding man, looking very much out of place in his off-the-rack suit and tie, held out his hand as Luke came into view.

  Sinking to the floor, she fingered the prayer box at her neck. “Oh, Lord, what do I do now?”

  Tears once again welled up in her eyes and one by one slipped down her cheeks. How was she going to find the words to tell Luke about Vinnie?

  “What can I do for you, Mr.—” Luke’s gaze raked over the man, noting the muscular build beneath the dark suit and red-striped tie. The hard lines etched into the guy’s face put him at about fifty.

  “Mr. Costello.” The man held out his beefy hand.

  Luke shook the offered limb. “What brings you to the Circle C, Mr. Costello?”

  “I’m looking for a woman you might have seen.”

  Luke kept his expression carefully blank. “Oh?”

  “Her name is Faith Palmero. Tall, blonde, catlike eyes.”

  A sinking feeling anchored itself in Luke’s gut. He frowned. “Palmero?”

  “She’s probably going by an alias.” Withdrawing a photo from his inside pocket, he held it out. “Here, I have a picture of her.”

  Aware of the man’s shrewd gaze, Luke took the snapshot and quietly sucked in his breath. There could be no mistaking the woman in the photo. Faith. The snapshot looked as if it was taken straight from the society pages.

  A confident smile sparkled on her lips and her hair was piled high upon her head. Diamond earrings sparkled from her earlobes and a diamond and pearl choker accentuated the slender column of her neck.

  Feeling sick, he handed the picture back. She didn’t belong on a ranch in the middle of Oregon, so what was she doing here? God, grant me wisdom now.

  “So, have you seen her?”

  Snapping his mind to attention, Luke countered, “Why are you looking for her?”

  “I’m sorry. Client confidentiality, you know.” The man looked past Luke to the house. Luke turned to follow his gaze and saw Reva standing just inside the screen door.

  Turning back around, Luke stifled the urge to grab the man by the collar. “Who’s your
client?”

  Mr. Costello smiled tightly. “Sorry.”

  Luke fisted his hands. He wasn’t going to let this man or anyone else harm Faith. “Is this woman in some kind of trouble?”

  “So, you have seen her.” Mr. Costello looked pleased with himself.

  So much for his poker face. Luke shrugged noncommittally and hoped Reva would stay silent.

  “People in town said they saw you with her.” Mr. Costello’s eyes narrowed.

  “I met her the other day,” Luke conceded. “Seemed like a real nice lady.”

  “Hmm. Did she happen to say where she was headed?” The man’s eyes scrutinized Luke before he darted a glance at Reva, who blessedly stayed put.

  “No, she didn’t.” Then inspiration hit. “Oh, wait. She did mention something about wanting to see the tundra.”

  If he wasn’t going to get any information out of the P.I., he’d just as soon wish him on his way.

  “Tundra?” Mr. Costello screwed up his face in puzzlement.

  “Tundra, as in Alaska.” That should keep him busy for a while. Alaska was a big place and people there didn’t tend talk to strangers.

  “You think she went to Alaska?” The man wrinkled his large nose in distaste.

  Luke steered the man toward his rented car. “Yes, I definitely remember her mentioning Alaska.”

  Mr. Costello stopped. “Did she have a car?”

  Luke shook his head as he opened the car door. “Not that I know of.”

  “Uh, well…thanks. If you hear from her, would you please give my office a call?” He handed Luke a card before sliding behind the wheel of the sedan.

  Luke stepped back and closed the door. When the tundra melts.

  The sedan slowly moved down the drive and out to the road. Luke looked down at the card in his hand with the man’s name and a New York address. Crumpling the card, he turned toward the house.

  Reva came down the stairs, purse in hand. “Who was that man?”

  Maybe she hadn’t heard their conversation. Luke didn’t have time now to deal with her. “Nobody that concerns you.”

  Her mouth drew into a pout. “Oh.”

  Luke stood fast under her scrutiny and relaxed when she shrugged.

  “I’m off to town for groceries.”

  Unease slithered down his spine. “Why now?”

  “Well, I can’t very well cook a soufflé without butter or eggs,” she chirped and hurried to her sports car.

  “Wait!” he called, not liking the timing.

  She either didn’t hear him or ignored him as she climbed inside. She sped away faster than she should. She’d let the subject go too easily. He should have stopped her just in case she had some idea of going after the P.I. and asking questions.

  He could only pray she minded her own business.

  Because right now, he had to talk to Faith.

  “You can relax, he’s gone.” Luke’s voice brought Faith’s head up from where it rested on her knees.

  “He’s gone?” That seemed too easy.

  Luke stepped farther into the room. “I told him you’d mentioned seeing the tundra.”

  Faith’s heart melted to her toes. He’d protected her and without knowing why. “Thank you.”

  He saluted. “U.S. Army, ma’am. Specially trained to rescue damsels in distress or small countries from military aggression.”

  “It sounds like a well-rounded program.”

  “We aim to please.” He moved closer and held out his hand.

  Without hesitation, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. They stood toe to toe with her hand still encased within his grasp, the heat from the contact spreading over her like sunshine on frozen snow. She looked into his face and for one dizzying moment she thought he might kiss her. Standing so close to him made her ache with yearning. A yearning that overruled her head and tore at her heart.

  “Who are you?” he asked, his eyes holding questions.

  Alarm shot through her, effectively shattering the moment. She withdrew her hand. “No one you need to worry about.”

  He gave her a level look. “What is your last name?”

  Tension, like a hard solid knot, twisted in her soul. “What does it matter?”

  She knew it mattered a great deal.

  He set his jaw in a stubborn line. “It matters, Faith.”

  Unable to meet his eyes, she stared at the scar on his jaw. Luke lifted her chin with the rough pad of his index finger until their gazes locked. “Tell me.”

  Pulling away from him, she walked to the window and stared out at the blue sky. How much should she say? Everything?

  She closed her eyes tight. If she told him everything, he’d tell her to leave. Her fists clenched at her side. Leaving was the last thing she wanted to do.

  She liked living on the ranch, she cared for Dottie a great deal and…her mind skidded away from examining her feelings for Luke. Suffice it to say, leaving would be more painful than anything else she’d had to endure.

  But if the danger had moved on to Alaska, did she have to say anything?

  With Vinnie’s private investigator looking for her in the frozen north, she was safe on the Circle C. Why spoil it with tales of her sordid mistakes from the past?

  “You know—how sometimes—you imagine something and then when you’re faced with the reality of it, it doesn’t live up to the image in your mind?”

  When Luke didn’t respond, she turned to face him. The expression on his face showed his confusion but she also knew she had his attention. “Being here on your ranch, caring for your mother and—” Unready to finish the thought aloud, she dropped her eyes to the buttons on his shirt.

  She took a deep breath and lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. “It has far surpassed anything my feeble mind could conjure up.”

  Luke’s brows creased. “Faith…”

  She held up a hand in a gesture of entreaty. “Please. I want the past to stay in the past. I just can’t drag it all out for your inspection. It’s not important.”

  “Faith, if you’re in some kind of trouble with the law, you need to tell me.”

  “No. It’s nothing like that. I haven’t done anything wrong. I mean, it’s just not important.”

  “You were scared out of your mind. You honestly expect me to believe it’s not important?” He stepped closer, filling the space between them.

  “It’s not,” she insisted and clasped her hands together to keep them from trembling. “You sent that man to Alaska. He won’t be back and no one knows I’m here. No one needs to know I’m here. Please try to understand.”

  “I don’t understand. Who do you not want to know you’re here?”

  He took her hands and held them tight. An anchor in the storm. The simple gesture weakened her already wobbly knees and tears welled in her eyes. “It’s a family matter, Luke. It has nothing to do with you.” He was such a good man, he could never understand someone like Vinnie. “It just doesn’t matter.”

  With the pad of his thumb he wiped away a stray tear coursing down her face. “It does matter. You matter, Faith.”

  The sincerity in his voice, in his eyes touched her deeply. If her heart weren’t already in a puddle at his feet, it would’ve melted. She had to tell him the truth. Or at least a watered down version. “When my grandfather died, I came into a great deal of money. Money that other people thought they had a right to. The pressure just became too much for me. Now, those people are trying to bring me back.”

  “Who are these people?”

  “Investors. Charitable organizations. People my grandfather promised money to but didn’t include in his will. They have no legal standing, but it doesn’t stop them from making my life miserable.”

  “You didn’t want to give them the money?”

  She hated the look of disapproval in his eyes. “It wasn’t that. The situation was very complicated and overwhelming. No one had proof that grandfather had made any promises. I didn’t know who to believ
e.”

  He took a deep breath and she held hers, waiting to see if he’d decide to let her stay or to send her on her way.

  “Who’s Palermo?”

  There was no way to avoid telling him. “My ex-husband.”

  His jaw tightened. “I see.”

  “Are you going to make me leave?”

  “Of course not,” he replied. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. You’ll be safe here.” He turned to go.

  She had to know or it would eat her alive. “Luke?”

  He turned back toward her, his gaze intense and focused. “Yes?”

  “Why—why did you protect me?”

  “I like you,” he stated simply.

  “Oh.” She hadn’t expected the admission but it filled her with joy. Tears gathered at the back of her eyes again.

  Luke tipped his hat and strode from the room.

  Softly, she whispered, “I like you, too.”

  What kind of idiot am I? Luke tightened the stirrup strap with a hard yank, drawing a snort from his horse, Winter.

  “Sorry, boy,” Luke muttered to the big, black beast.

  It’s a family matter.

  My ex-husband.

  The idea of Faith being married made something inside Luke cringe and grow hot. A curious burning sparked low in his abdomen and slowly worked its way up into his chest. He dropped his head to Winter’s neck.

  I’m struggling here, God. Really struggling. I need to stay focused on what I want. On what You want for me.

  An image of Faith, her tear-filled eyes looking at him so defenselessly slammed into his mind. His heart ached. Resolutely, he pushed her from his mind.

  My career, Lord. That’s what I should be focused on. I want to get back to my life, my ministry. The men need me.

  More images of Faith barged into his consciousness.

  The first time he’d laid eyes on her, standing in the doorway of the diner, her expression wary. Haunted.

  Faith nuzzling a llama. The soft smile curving her lips. The look of contentment in her eyes.