Christmas Up in Flames

by Lisa Harris

  Reid squeezed Claire’s hand, then lowered his voice. “When I tell you to run, I want you to run for the tree line.”

  “Reid—”

  “No arguments, Claire—”

  “What are you saying to her?” Shawn stepped forward.

  “I’m just making sure she’s okay. You say you care about her, but you don’t act like it.”

  “I do care—or at least I did. But I know now she’ll never love me. That is why things have to end this way.”

  “So you want her dead? That doesn’t make sense. We’re supposed to protect those we love.”

  “I tried to protect her, tried to show her that I cared, but every time you got in the way.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, Shawn, and I’m so sorry I hurt you,” Claire said. “But you need to put down the gun. Please.”

  Shawn’s gaze shifted “Stop trying to distract me.”

  Part of the roof caved in behind them, sounding like a clap of thunder.

  Reid shoved Claire away from him. “Now.”

  “Claire!”

  Shawn shouted her name, then raised his weapon to fire a shot. Reid heard a click from the firing pin. The gun was jammed. Shawn threw down the weapon and ran toward Reid, before tackling him. Reid’s body screamed out in pain as his head hit the ground, but he forced himself to roll over and get up. Shawn came at him again, this time throwing a punch, but Reid managed to dodge the impact. He took a step forward, then slammed his fist into Shawn’s jaw. Shawn staggered backward, but he wasn’t done fighting. Lights flashed as Shawn’s second punch hit its mark on the side of Reid’s face. Stars erupted, then everything went dark, and he fell to the ground.

  * * *

  Claire let the piece of firewood she was holding drop to the ground as Shawn slumped in front of her. Chest heaving, she kicked his gun out of the way. She wasn’t even trying anymore to ward off the panic. Reid had told her to run, but when she’d turn around and seen the blow Shawn had delivered to Reid, she’d instinctively raced back to help. Now Reid wasn’t moving. If he was dead... No, she couldn’t think that way. He had to be okay.

  Smoke filled her lungs as she fumbled to pull out the rope she’d shoved in her pocket as they’d run from the house—the same rope that Shawn had used to tie her up. She thrust her heel against Shawn’s back, then pulled his arms behind him before he could move, grateful for her training in the academy. She’d just never imagined the need to restrain a fellow firefighter.

  Sirens wailed in the distance as she finished tying the knot securely, then hurried toward Reid. He was lying on his side, groaning, but at least he was conscious.

  She crouched down next to him. “Reid... Reid, please tell me you’re okay.”

  He rolled onto his back, then looked up at her. “I think he just knocked the wind out of me, though my head is killing me. Where is he?”

  “I saw you go down and had to come back. It might not have been the most conventional method, but I hit him over the head with a log, then tied him up.”

  “Looks like I owe you my life, then.”

  The sound of sirens intensified as a firetruck pulled up to the house followed by two county sheriff’s vehicles. A second later, Captain Ryder jumped out of the passenger seat of one of the cars, followed by Griffin.

  “Captain Ryder?” Claire hollered at the man, while the firefighters moved into position to put out the fire. She was sure it was too late to save the house this time around.

  “Reid... Claire...are you both okay?” Griffin asked.

  “I think so,” Claire said, then turned to the captain. “What about you, sir?”

  “Besides just having been knocked out I’ll live, but I want to know what’s going on.”

  “Long story short,” she said, “we just caught a copycat arsonist.”

  “A copycat arsonist?”

  “Shawn.” Reid pulled the man up onto his feet. “He set the fires here and at the Reynolds farm. And tonight, he tried to kill both of us by tying us up in the house and setting it on fire.”

  “I don’t understand,” Griffin said.

  “We’ll explain everything, but for the meantime, he needs to be taken in,” Reid said.

  Claire walked up to Shawn as one of the deputies properly cuffed him. “I might not have looked at you the way you wanted me to, but I still thought you were a friend.”

  Shawn just turned his head and ignored her. Claire frowned. At least he couldn’t hurt them anymore.

  “Get him out of here,” Griffin said. “We’re going to need statements, but I want you both checked out by a doctor first.”

  “Can we at least stop by Shawn’s apartment on the way?” she asked. “Shawn told us he figured out who the real arsonist was, and that he planned to use this fire to get rid of us and to frame him.”

  “That was his plan?” the captain asked.

  Claire nodded. “Exactly.”

  “We’ll take care of searching his place—”

  “But—”

  “No buts,” the captain said. “The two of you are going to the hospital.”

  Claire started to argue, then stopped, knowing that between the three of them she’d never win. An hour later, she stepped into the lobby of the ER where Reid and Griffin were waiting for her. Hopefully Griffin had some news, but she realized all she really wanted now was to get back to her boy and get a good night’s sleep.

  “It looks like the doctor gave you both a clean bill of health,” Griffin said as she walked up to them.

  “What about your head?”

  “I’ve got a bad goose egg, but no concussion.”

  “Good. What about Shawn’s apartment?” she asked.

  “They’re not finished, but you were right,” Griffin said. “We have enough evidence to put Shawn away for a very long time.”

  “What did you find?” she asked.

  “There was the knitted beanie beard and the cap and glasses Owen told us about, along with packaging for the temporary flame tattoos he wore when he grabbed Owen.”

  “No wonder Owen didn’t recognize Shawn,” Claire said.

  Griffin hesitated, glancing at Reid. “It looks like he not only altered the security footage, but also doctored some of the photos from the B&B fire by photoshopping in the real arsonist as further ‘proof.’”

  “And?” she pressed.

  “There were also dozens of photos of you hanging on the wall,” Griffin said. “Apparently he really was obsessed with you. On the bright side, though, local PD in Littleton just picked up our real Rocky Mountain Arsonist. His name is Stephen Montgomery.”

  Claire glanced at Reid. “So all of this really is over?”

  “We’re going to have to sort through all the evidence we have and separate the real from the fake, but from what I’ve seen so far, I think we have enough to close the case.”

  “Plus you and Owen are safe,” Reid said. “That’s what really matters.”

  Claire bit the edge of her lip, wishing he’d tell her what he was really thinking. There was a part of all of this that was far from over. She knew he still hadn’t had time to process the situation completely, or to forgive her for keeping him in the dark all these years, but all she could do was accept responsibility for her actions. He might never want to see her and Owen again. Those were the consequences she was going to have to deal with.

  God, You know I’ve tried to rededicate my life to You, but waiting for Reid to forgive me...if he even does...isn’t going to be easy. I honestly just don’t know what else I can do.

  Griffin’s phone rang and he excused himself and stepped away.

  “I just spoke to my dad,” Reid said. “Your mother’s at the ranch, and Owen’s fine.”

  “I’d like to go back to the ranch tonight since it’s late, but I think we’ll plan to head home to Denver tomo
rrow.”

  “I figured that was what you were going to want to do. Griffin’s offered to drive you to the ranch now.”

  “Okay.” Clearly, Reid didn’t want to be around her if at all possible. “Look, I know it’s going to take time for you to process all of this, and I want you to know I’ll give you all the time you need. But if you’d like to see Owen at some point...”

  “I would. But I’m also going to need some time to figure all this out.”

  “That’s fine. He doesn’t know who you are, so maybe it’s good to keep it that way for now.”

  “Okay.”

  She started to say she was sorry again, but stopped. Nothing she could do would fix the past or repair things between them. The only thing she knew to do now was walk away, without looking back.

  SEVENTEEN

  Claire set a cup of coffee in front of her mom, then sat across from her at the kitchen table with her own mug. Owen was playing in the living room with Legos, close enough that she could see him, but far enough away that she and her mom could talk in private. Intense feelings of overprotectiveness were a consequence of everything that had happened. She hoped that would fade as time passed.

  “You’ve been quiet since you got back from Timber Falls,” her mother said, taking a sip. “I’m glad you were given some time off, but I’ve been worried about you.”

  “I’ve just been thinking about a lot of things.” Claire spooned some sugar from the glass bowl and added it to her coffee. Coming back to Denver hadn’t been easy, but she knew it was time she told her mom the truth. “I made the wrong decision when I found out I was pregnant. I should have told Reid the truth from the beginning. Trying to cover up what happened has only made things worse. He deserved to know he had a son.”

  “I agree.”

  Claire set the spoon down. Her mom’s response was not what she’d expected. “You do?”

  Her mom added some more cream to her own coffee and nodded. “I spent some time talking to Reid’s mom while I was at the ranch, and I realized that I’m the one who was wrong.”

  Claire sat back in her chair. “This isn’t what I was expecting you to say.”

  “I know. But I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past few days, and convincing you not to tell Reid...well...for that I’ll always be sorry.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your saying that. I just wish it wasn’t too late. Reid doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

  Fear had kept her from doing the right thing all those years ago. Fear of the future. Fear of rejection. And she couldn’t lay all the blame on her mother. She’d been the one who’d made the choice to not tell Reid.

  Her mom’s gaze dropped. “That might be true now, but Reid isn’t like your father. I was so convinced you’d end up in some horrible custody battle over Owen if you told him, that I let my fears supersede my common sense. I never should have pushed you into keeping Owen from Reid. But that said, I honestly believe that given time, he’ll come around.”

  “But what’s that going to look like?” Claire asked.

  “I don’t know, but what I do know is that you both care about Owen and putting his well-being first no matter what happens between the two of you. Reid just needs time to figure things out. You dumped a lot on him.”

  Claire tried to hold back the tears that had threatened to erupt ever since she’d returned home. “I know it’s going to take time. He wants to be a part of Owen’s life. I’m just not sure he wants to be a part of mine.”

  “Which is why I’m sorry. I really am. I never should have projected my situation onto yours.”

  “In the end, though, it was my decision, and I’ve decided no matter what happens, we’ll be okay. I wouldn’t have made it to where I am without your help, and we’ll get through this, as well. My faith is strong, and while Reid might not have forgiven me for my choices, I know God has. And that has to be enough for the moment.”

  She glanced at Owen, who was still playing on the other side of the living room, and wished it was as easy to truly believe the words as it was to say them.

  “I’m proud of you,” her mom said. “I hope you know that. And if Reid decides not to be a part of your life, he has no idea what he’s missing out on.”

  Claire laughed. “Spoken like a true mom.”

  “Listen, I promised to take Owen to the park before the temperatures drop again. Do you want to come along? I know you haven’t wanted to let him out of your sight these past few days.”

  Claire started to say yes, then hesitated. At some point, she was going to have to let go. “I think I’ll stay here. I have some things I need to do around the house. Just make sure he’s bundled up.”

  “He’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “I know.”

  Claire was regretting her decision thirty minutes later when the doorbell rang. She rushed to the front door, her heart automatically braced for bad news. Instead, Gwen and Tory stood on her front porch holding a decorated sack from a bakery down the street.

  “Gwen... Tory...hi.”

  “I hope you don’t mind us stopping by unannounced,” Tory said. “We drove up to the city for some last-minute wedding stuff and wanted to bring you something.”

  “Of course not. Come in,” Claire said, then shut the door behind them to keep out the cold. “Would you like some tea or coffee?”

  “Yes, but we really can’t stay. We need to get back to Timber Falls before dark.” Gwen handed Claire the small sack she was holding. “We wanted to check on you and bring you some macaroons. They’ll be at the wedding.”

  “Wow...thank you. Owen will love these. Well...” She laughed, still not sure what to make of the visit. “So will I.”

  “Gabby would have come, as well, but Mia came down with a cold and Gabby wants to make sure she’s better by the wedding.”

  “How many days now?” Claire asked.

  A blush crossed Tory’s face. “Three. I’m so ready.”

  “And everything is coming together?”

  “It is.” Tory glanced at Gwen before turning back to Claire. “There is another reason we wanted to stop by. I wanted to invite you and Owen to the wedding.”

  “Wow...that’s so sweet of you, but—”

  “I know you’re worried about things being awkward with Reid,” Tory rushed on, “but I’d really love to have you there.”

  “I don’t know—”

  “We’ll be honest with you,” Tory said. “We’re also doing this for Reid.”

  “Reid?” Claire’s stomach dipped. “Why? I don’t think he has any desire to see me again.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. That man has moped around ever since you left.”

  “I’m sure that has nothing to do with me.”

  “I don’t know exactly what happened between the two of you,” Gwen said, “but I know he’s never gotten over you.”

  “She’s right,” Tory said. “We saw the way the two of you looked at each other. You made mistakes, we get it. We all have. But don’t let that scare you away from what could happen.”

  Except the chance of anything happening between them had long since passed. And seeing him again was only going to make things worse. If they could get worse.

  “You care for him, don’t you?”

  “Of course, but...” Claire hesitated again, then decided to be totally honest. “The truth is, I can’t stop thinking about him. I dream about him at night, see him everywhere I go. But that...it doesn’t matter. I have to respect his wishes, and he made it pretty clear he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

  “He was hurt,” Tory said. “You know that. But I think he just needed some time to process the situation. And I think seeing you again would change everything.”

  “I appreciate the two of you stopping by to talk to me, I really do, but I need to go on with my life
. Without Reid.”

  “Just promise us you’ll at least consider coming.”

  Claire frowned, determined not to grasp onto something that would never happen. “Just because you’ve both found your happily ever after romance, doesn’t mean everyone will.”

  “Happily ever after doesn’t mean it’s not a hard road to get there,” Gwen said. “And the two of you have a difficult past to overcome. I get that. But I’d really hate for you not to work things out just because one—or both of you—are too stubborn to see that you really love each other.”

  “But I broke his trust. There’s no undoing the past.”

  “Trust me. He might have gotten hurt in all of this, but he never stopped loving you,” Gwen said. “We all make decisions in our life where sometimes the consequences are tough. You’ve had to raise Owen as a single mom and I can’t imagine how difficult that has been. And we’re not saying everything will be perfect from here on out.”

  “But what we are saying,” Tory said, “is that if you do have feelings for him, don’t run away from them again. Marci and Jacob love you, and we’d selfishly like to see you as a part of our family.”

  “You might be getting a little ahead of yourselves. Like I said, I’m not sure he likes me, let alone loves me at this point.”

  “Well, it’s up to you, but the invitation stands.”

  “Thank you.”

  A minute later, Claire shut the door behind the women, blocking out the gust of wind seeping into the house. She was glad Owen wasn’t here for the moment. Every time she saw his face, she saw Reid. The problem was that no matter how much she fought it, a part of her wanted to be in Reid’s life, wanted to be a part of his family. But was that even possible?

  The door to the garage banged open. “Mom!”

  “Hey, sweetie.” Claire shoved aside her emotions and smiled as Owen flew around the corner. “Did the two of you have fun?”