With exaggerated difficulty, Rick stood up. “It’s time. Get dressed and meet me in the dining room. Steve’s been champing at the bit since dawn. And Lori and Martin have been not-so-patiently waiting for you and me to join them for breakfast.”
“Maybe we should make them wait a little longer,” she teased, pulling Rick’s belt.
Though her intent was playful Rick’s reaction was anything but. Instantly he pushed Cassie back down onto the bed and began kissing his way down her body. Nibbling her most delicate skin, Rick looked up only once when Cassie groaned. Then as quickly as he started tantalizing her passion, he ended it.
“Think of that as a down payment.” He smiled evilly then laughed.
Cassie returned his smile then pulled him against her briefly. “You know those words we’re not saying? Well, consider them said again and again, because Rick, I…”
“I do too, Cassandra,” he breathed.
Maybe their words could wait, but their feelings wouldn’t, and as Rick brought his mouth to Cassie’s, those feelings at least were allowed to be free.
By the time they joined the others downstairs, Rick and Cassie had missed breakfast and were just barely in time for lunch. Finding the group had moved outdoors, they also discovered Kevin had returned.
As soon as she saw her friend and confidant, Cassie ran to greet him. Though she was unaware of Kevin and Rick’s earlier altercation, she wanted to let him know that she and Rick had finally come to an understanding and she was happy. She needn’t have bothered. From the smile Kevin gave her and the sly look he gave Rick, it was clear someone had been bringing him up to speed on what he’d missed during the past couple of days.
“I’m glad for you, honey,” Kevin whispered before Rick had crossed the patio to them. When he did, Kevin extended his hand. “Truce?”
Rick took Kevin’s hand, but until Cassie put her hands over both of theirs, neither man smiled. Then they both grinned, bringing relief not only to each other, but also to rest of the group. The tension Rick brought to most cases paled in comparison to what he brought to this one. And while everyone knew the reason it didn’t lighten their worries.
As if he knew her thoughts, Rick bent close to her ear. “I think I’ve got good news coming our way.” Grateful for her smile, he looked at the others. “We may be in for some action pretty quick, so sit down and I’ll tell you what I’ve been up to.”
“Does this mean I’ll be able to sleep tonight?” Cassie asked hesitantly.
“Don’t count on it,” Steve leered. His smile was met by a scowl from Rick. It brought Steve back to the seriousness of their meeting. “Okay, renegade man, what’s up?”
Rick pulled up a chair for Cassie then stood directly behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders. “I wasn’t playing a renegade man, Mr. Travis, but I was playing.” Feeling Cassie tense he squeezed her shoulders and looked down at her. “It was actually Miss Dahlgren here who gave me the idea. When she told me Luther thought of her as a runaway I came up with an idea that we could use it against him.”
“How can we use anything against him when, according to reports, he’s still out of the country?” Lori asked.
“Ah, but that’s the whole point,” Rick nearly laughed. “If all goes according to my plan, he won’t be out of the country much longer.”
“Back to the story,” Martin chimed in.
With a glance to Cassie, Rick continued. “Yesterday I took a little trip north where I proceeded to spend several hours at The Wager—”
“The restaurant at the racetrack?” Cassie broke in.
“Actually,” Rick corrected, “I was in the cocktail lounge trying my damnedest not to get drunk sipping whiskey all night.”
“I don’t understand,” Cassie tried again, “Why—”
“Wait for it,” Steve and Martin said at the same time.
In response to their pointed remark, Rick took full control of the situation. “If you two will shut up, I’ll explain.” He then looked down at Cassie and raised his brow. “And will you please, very kindly, if you wouldn’t mind, hold your questions until I’m through, pretty one?” His humor worked and they all laughed briefly. Then the seriousness of the matter returned.
“I was in the bar,” Rick said, testing the waters, “because I knew Luther’s people would be hanging around. You know he’s got eyes and ears working for him practically everywhere. I waited hour after hour until I finally saw a young woman matching Cassie’s general description walk in.” He smiled evilly. “That’s when all hell broke loose. It seems Cassandra’s boyfriend thought this young woman was her and—”
“Her boyfriend?” Lori snapped. She looked at Cassie who in turn looked at Rick.
“Yes, her boyfriend,” Rick answered with another evil smile. “And a devastatingly handsome boyfriend he is, too.”
“That’s why you had the lipstick on you!” Cassie’s eyes lit up. “You fawned all over her pretending she was me. And because you were pretending to be drunk, they thought you had the wrong girl.”
“Mmm hmm,” Rick acknowledged. “Although I didn’t really fawn all over her. I just pushed my face toward hers as if I was going to kiss her. She jerked away, but not before I got my face to her lips. Anyway, I knew you were worried about your father being found and I needed a way to get Luther back in town, so to speak. I figured since he thought of you as a runaway, I’d give him a place maybe you’d run back to.”
“Now I’m confused,” Steve commented. “How is groping some girl in a bar going to bring Luther back?”
“Because this boyfriend kept begging ‘Cassie’ to come back to Louisville,” Rick said as if talking to a child. “Don’t you get it? Luther skipped town the minute he discovered Cassie and the gun missing. Figuring she’d gone to the authorities, he left, but because Martin got sick and things got put on hold, it worked to our favor. I wanted Luther to think that maybe our sweet little Miss Dahlgren had bigger fish to fry, and maybe she never did go to the authorities. So, by producing a boyfriend from horse country, it gave old Luther a place to search.”
“But Louisville?” asked Martin from the sidelines. “Couldn’t you have been a little more original than that? I mean really, there are other places that have horses, you know.”
“Hey,” Rick laughed. “It was the only horsey place I could think of in my condition. And besides, it’s in the complete opposite direction of Washington state.” He again looked down at Cassie. “And that was my main focus.”
“Thank you,” Cassie whispered. Her arms around Rick’s neck, she pulled him down for a kiss.
Rick accepted the kiss and smiled. “So, do you forgive me for coming home drunk and covered with kisses?” At Cassie’s nod he looked at the others. “All we do now is wait for the call.”
As if mentioning a call caused the effect, the phone rang. Instantly Rick disappeared inside the house.
Silence dominated a moment or two before Martin cleared his throat and leaned toward Cassie. “Do you have a boyfriend somewhere else, Miss Dahlgren?”
“Of course she doesn’t!” Kevin huffed. “What kind of a question is that? She wouldn’t—”
“Kevin, please,” Cassie interrupted. “I’d like to answer my own questions if you don’t mind.” She smiled, but it was clear she didn’t appreciate either Martin’s question or Kevin’s answering for her. Moving close to Martin, she knelt in front of him. “No boyfriend out there,” she whispered.
His own voice a whisper, Martin leaned closer. “What about Luther?”
Instantly Cassie’s demeanor changed and she swallowed hard. “I told you already, Mr. Harris, I have a father who cares about me. And that’s all, just my dad.”
He wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden change in attitude, but Martin was sure of one thing. He liked Cassie and because he also knew Rick’s feelings for the girl he didn’t want her upset. Using the same technique Rick often did, he placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled. “I’m sorry, honey. I only as
k because of what you’ve done for that man in there and I…”
“Want to spare him a broken heart,” Cassie finished the sentence wearing a smile of her own.
Martin nodded. Any further conversation was silenced by a sudden shout coming from the house.
It was Rick’s voice they heard only a brief second before he burst outside. His expression was impossible to interpret. He looked slowly from person to person until finally resting his eyes on Martin. Then he said three words.
“We got him.”
For an instant Martin looked confused, then the meaning of Rick’s statement made sense to him and the man who had recently suffered a heart attack jumped to his feet. With two quick strides he had Rick in his arms and together they literally jumped up and down.
“Daddy!” Lori screamed.
At the same time Steve, Kevin and Cassie sprang to their feet running to pull Martin and Rick apart. Their efforts were unnecessary, for just as quickly as the physical exertion began, it ended and Martin stepped away from Rick.
Still smiling broadly Martin held out his arms as Lori reached him. “I’m fine, angel,” he said accepting Lori’s guidance back to the chair he’d occupied earlier. “But they’re right, Rick, you should be hugging someone else right now.” His head arched toward Cassie.
Rick didn’t move. Martin had used the name he’d never used with Rick and it stopped the man in his tracks. Steve and Lori had noticed as well, yet only Cassie ventured forward and touched his arm. Her hand on him startled him and he turned. Seeing her brown eyes looking up at him with concern made him realize he hadn’t actually explained what the phone call meant.
As was now his way when he wanted to convey something to Cassie, Rick placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed.
“Luther was picked up in Kentucky,” he whispered, still breathless from dancing with Martin.
“You mean this nightmare is over?” Cassie asked cautiously. A sudden fear deeper than what she felt about Luther tried to take hold. Would things change now between her and Rick? No, he loved her, she knew that. Still, the uneasy feeling lingered.
“Not over,” he whispered, pulling her close. “But definitely headed in the right direction.”
Cassie relaxed against him. Then she looked up, urgency in her eyes. “Can I call my father?”
“Not yet. I’m sorry, Sass, but like I said, this isn’t over. We’re just in a better position with Luther in custody. You can’t have contact with anyone outside for a while, I’m afraid.” He looked at Steve. “But I think it’s safe enough for a little side trip away from here for a day or two.”
“Uh-oh,” Steve said, grinning at Cassie. “I hope you like camping and hiking.”
“I do!” Kevin said, rubbing his hands together and grinning.
“Then take a hike.” Rick smirked and looked back to Cassie’s delicate but confused features. He grinned. “How about it, you like camping?”
“I don’t understand,” she said trying to ignore everyone’s obvious amusement at her confusion. “How come it’s safe for me to leave here and yet I can’t contact Dad and let him know I’m okay?”
“For one thing,” Rick said, “you’ll be with me. And for another, it’s not a good idea for you to make contact with your father. Not until we get Luther a little more under control.”
“But Rick,” Cassie argued, “maybe Dad heard rumors, and has been trying to call me and he’s worried. I can’t take the chance he’ll come looking for me…”
“I’ll take care of things for you, honey,” Martin said quietly. “You just go enjoy the great outdoors with Jarrett here and don’t worry about a thing.” Taking Lori’s hand, he smiled at Cassie. “I know a thing or two about fathers and daughters, so yours will understand you’re safe.”
“If you call spending time in the woods with this beast safe,” Steve said, slapping Rick on the back. “Both Rick and Martin are right though, Cass, there’s no telling how far Luther’s tentacles stretch out until we do some more checking.”
“Will you call us if you hear something?” Cassie asked.
“They can’t,” Rick said. “There’s no cell phone service in that area yet.”
Kevin moved to Cassie and smiled gently. “I promise, if something happens that you should know about I’ll drive up and tell you.”
“You see?” Rick said, squeezing Cassie lightly. “All your protectors know what’s best and want you to go. I think it would be good for you to have a change of scenery and the thought of us spending some quiet time alone doesn’t sound too bad either. Does it?”
Puppy eyes greeted Cassie when she looked up at Rick and in spite of her worries, she couldn’t help laughing. “Can we share a sleeping bag?” she whispered. Her question was met with a grin.
* * * * *
After packing a few essentials, they were on their way to that promised change of scenery. Rick had found the particular site years earlier and had often gone there before. Yet now, with Cassie beside him, he felt as though he were going for the first time. The car parked inside an abandoned barn, Rick led them through the woods to the site. They stood at the top of a cliff overlooking a body of water almost too small to be called a river. Had it not been for the sound of soft ripples, the river could have been considered frozen in time.
“It’s running slow now,” Rick observed. “But when we get heavy enough rains, this trickling creek becomes a white water event. Someday I’m going to build a house right here that’ll overlook the world.”
It was beautiful, Cassie thought. In the distance birds called out to one another, and with the onset of dusk she saw a raccoon and two deer at the water’s edge. “Oh, aren’t they cute?” she asked pointing to the animals.
“Cute,” Rick answered, then pulled at her arm to leave.
“What’s the matter, don’t you like cute?” Cassie cocked her head.
“Yeah, I like cute from a distance. But unless we get a tent pitched and a fire lit, we’re going to be up to our ears in cute critters. Not to mention we’ll freeze our own fur off. Besides,” he leered, “I thought you were anxious to share that sleeping bag.”
“Mmmm,” Cassie purred, meeting his leer with one of her own. “Daddy always did tell me to be careful of wolves in the wilderness.” A shared laugh followed.
Soon the glow of the campfire combined with the aroma of their dinner cooking brought a feeling of calm, though they didn’t speak of it. The strain of the past weeks was apparent and the comfort of silence was needed and gratefully accepted. For the rest of the evening only the sounds of the forest were heard until both had fallen asleep within the safety and warmth of not only the one sleeping bag, but within their love for each other.
Waking to Cassie’s softness against him, Rick opened his eyes to find her awake. It was the second time he wondered how long she had watched while he slept. Meeting her gaze with a question, he touched her cheek. “You never did tell me the ‘Why’.”
“The ‘Why’ I love you?” Cassie asked point-blank.
Closing his eyes, Rick nodded.
For a moment Cassie only stared at Rick. Could he really be that unsure of himself as to ask why she cared? The task of explaining shouldn’t be a task, yet she knew he wouldn’t accept anything but the truth, and even then he would probably find a reason to doubt it. But then, she knew that from the beginning, it was being loved that Rick was unsure of.
To gain control of what she knew would be a tear-jerking speech, she sat up and placed two fingers on his mouth.
“I’ll tell you the ‘Why’, Mr. Jarrett, but you have to let me tell you in my own way and without interruption.” She pressed her fingers softly against his lips. “Agreed?”
Rick nodded, but took her hand as he did. Kissing her fingers he looked apprehensive. “I—”
Again taking control of the conversation, Cassie squeezed his hand. “What I saw in you then is the same thing I still see in you now, a hunger for sincerity, love and honor. For everything you
believed in and were too afraid to seek for yourself. I saw the kindness that was buried deep. It showed in your eyes. A person only had to get close enough to see and you let me get close enough. Maybe for that reason alone I wanted to look. But I still think I would have tried to see what you tried to hide even if you hadn't allowed me in.
“And your truth shined through to me. I felt strength and power when you first touched me, but I also felt giving, warmth, selflessness. I hope you’re taking this seriously because I’m not sugar-coating anything. You asked why, I’m telling you. There was a man in front of me who held the world in his hand, yet kept that hand open when he could have crushed the world. Instead he protected it from evil. And all my insight of this man came about within the first few minutes of meeting him. He was loved completely from that moment. And he always will be.”
Two tears rolled down Rick’s face, but he ignored them. Instead he brushed away the tears that also graced Cassie’s cheekbones. “Cassandra called Cassie,” here his voice cracked, “not only have you stolen my heart, you’ve stolen the very meaning of how I feel for you.”
In keeping to their commitment not to speak “I love you” until they felt truly safe, they relied on action to speak the unspoken.
Chapter Five
For some, influence must be wielded like a sword in order to command respect.
Martin Harris was different. He only needed to enter a room to gain the full attention of those present. And yet, the man of few words had never abused his position—until now. The case of Luther Carstairs would not fall victim to backlog.
Once Luther was in custody, Martin mounted the battle horse of justice. There was no way he’d wait months for a preliminary hearing if it meant Luther would be walking free. A gentle touch of his quiet power and Martin had a court date in four days.
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