Authors: Lynette Eason
“No, we haven’t seen him. Why?”
“I found Reese’s jeep. Keep an eye on the windows. Make sure all the doors are locked and call me if there’s even a hint of a problem.” A pause. “And here’s Zane’s number.” He rattled off the digits. “I know Fiona has it somewhere, but I’m guessing she’s probably not in the mood to find it.”
“What are you doing?”
Cal hated to be the one to put the fear in her voice. “I’m going to find Reese before he gets to the house.”
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered.
Her scared, soft voice made his gut clench. “Listen, your brother-in-law called Eli.”
“He did what?” Fear tightened her words. “What did he say? Why would he call?”
“He said he’d been investigating you and found the insurance fraud stuff. He’s on his way out here.”
“Okay,” she whispered and Cal wanted to reach through the line and hug her. “We’ll be careful. Please stay in touch and let me know you’re all right.”
His heart filled at her worry. For him. “I will. And as soon as I find him, I’ll call. If you see someone on the ranch who shouldn’t be there, you call me immediately. Now you call Zane and fill him in, okay?”
“Sure.”
He hung up the phone and called Eli back. After reporting his find to the sheriff who promised to send backup as soon as he could, Cal started following the footsteps that were quickly disappearing in the falling snow. He’d have to bring his A game. There was no guarantee backup would—or even could—arrive in time.
Abby held Fiona’s hand as another contraction ripped through the woman. As the pain eased, Fiona breathed through pursed lips and relaxed. She looked at Abby, fear and excitement mingled in her gaze. “I’m having this baby soon, aren’t I?”
“Looks like it.” Abby smiled to cover her terror. She did her best to shove aside memories of another birth. Checking her cell phone, she noticed the battery going low. Great.
“What’s wrong with Aunt Fiona?” Tiffany asked.
Abby turned to see the little girl standing in the doorway rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Abby stood and went to her. “She’s getting ready to have a baby.”
“Oh. Can I play with it?”
Abby heard Fiona smother a laugh.
“Soon, darling. But for now, we need you to help Aunt Fiona. Do you think you can do that?”
Tiffany cocked her head and yawned. “Maybe. What do I got to do?”
“Well…” Abby frantically thought. What could she do to occupy the little girl? “The baby’s room is all ready, but I bet the bottles need washing. Would you want to do that?”
Tiffany’s eyes went wide. “Sure. I help my mama all the time. I stand on a chair and make lots of bubbles and wash my baby doll’s dishes.”
“Perfect. Let’s fill the sink up and you can get right to it. I know Fiona will appreciate it.”
Abby looked at Fiona over Tiffany’s head and Fiona nodded with a small smile on her lips. Then her lips flattened as another contraction hit her.
Abby took Tiffany by the hand and led her from the bedroom into the kitchen. She pulled a chair over and the little girl climbed up. Abby found the bottles in the cabinet already sterilized and ready for use.
She grabbed every last one of them and dumped them in the sink. Once the sink was filled with warm water and “more and more bubbles,” Tiffany got to work.
Abby left her and went down the hall to check on Fiona.
“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” Fiona said, tears standing in her eyes. “I wasn’t worried about being pregnant and so far away from a hospital when I had Mom and Joseph out here with me. But my support system is gone and the weather isn’t cooperating one bit.”
“You’ll be just fine,” Abby soothed. And prayed it was true. Determination filled her even as worry consumed her. She had no way to monitor Fiona’s blood pressure, her vitals, the baby’s heartbeat.
A thought struck her. “Does your mother have a stethoscope?”
Fiona nodded. “Sure, she has her whole nursing bag up at her house.”
Should she try to get it?
“How far is it to her house from here? About half a mile?” She just realized she’d never been in the main house.
“Yes, but—” Fiona’s eyes went wide. “You’re not going to leave me here alone, are you?” Panic bloomed on her face and Fiona shook her head. “What if the baby comes?”
“No, no, I’m not going anywhere.” Not now anyway. “I’m thinking Zane could go for it.” If he would answer his phone.
Fiona relaxed. “Don’t scare me like that, please.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m going to try Zane again. I don’t understand why he’s not answering.” But her stomach churned and she couldn’t help wondering if Cal wasn’t already too late. If Reese was somewhere close by, waiting to strike.
She could hear little Tiffany in the kitchen humming and water splashing. To Fiona she said, “I know we’ll have to wash and sterilize those bottles again, but it was the only thing I could think of to keep her busy.”
“You’re a genius. Don’t worry about it.”
Dialing Zane’s number again, Abby walked to the window and stood to the side, glancing out. Last time she’d talked to him, he’d been in the barn, checking the horses.
Again, she didn’t get an answer. Turning back to Fiona, she said, “I’m worried. When Cal called, he said he’d found Reese’s car and was going after him.”
Fiona frowned at her. “So everything should be fine. Right?”
“Should be.”
“Then what’s to worry about?”
“I can’t get his words out of my head. You didn’t see the expression on his face, you don’t understand—” She stopped her whispered words. Abby could see the curiosity on Fiona’s face and knew the woman was wondering exactly what Abby had done to earn such animosity from Keira’s husband. But that was one thing Abby wasn’t going to share with Fiona. At least not until after her baby was here safe and sound.
“Abby—”
Cutting her off, Abby said, “I’m going down to the barn to see if Zane’s okay. I’m really worried that he hasn’t called me back or come up to the house. I’ll be right back.”
Fiona’s brows rose and fear stood out in her eyes. “No. You can’t leave.”
She heard Fiona begin another contraction. Spinning, she went to the woman who insisted on sitting in the recliner. “Do you want to lie down?”
“No way. Can’t breathe when I do.”
Abby flinched. Keira had complained of that same thing.
And then Fiona couldn’t say anything for the next several minutes.
The contraction passed and Abby looked at her. “Do you feel the urge to push yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Will you let me examine you?”
Fiona flushed. “Sure. You’re a doctor, right?”
“Not only am I a doctor, but I deliver babies for a living.”
“What?” the woman nearly screeched. Then let out a breathless laugh. “God is so funny. I can’t believe He sent you at the perfect time. Then again, I suppose I can.”
Abby helped Fiona to the bed in her room and propped her up with pillows behind her.
Then she got to the examination.
“Oh, boy,” Abby breathed, “you won’t be long. You’re almost a ten.”
Fiona groaned. “I thought I’d be at least a twelve by now.”
Abby couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her. “At least you’re keeping your sense of humor.”
“Might as well.”
After Abby washed her hands, she walked back to the window in the direction of the barn, contemplating whether she should take a chance on leaving the house. Leaving Fiona and Tiffany.
As Abby looked toward the barn, she noticed a hint of…smoke?
She stood straighter. Looked harder. Was that a flame coming from the top of the roof?
She waited, just watching.
The smoke blew thicker and she definitely saw flames.
Whirling, she grabbed Fiona’s big coat. “I hate to tell you this, but I think the barn’s on fire. I’m going to have to go look. Zane’s not answering his phone and if there’s a fire…with the horses… I promise, I’ll come right back.”
Alarmed, Fiona sat up. “On fire!”
Abby shushed her. “It may be nothing, but I’m going to check. You stay here.” Thinking, she grabbed the portable handset, dialed a number and handed it to the woman. Within a second, Abby’s cell phone vibrated in her pocket. “I have you on the line. If you think you need to push, you holler at me and I’ll get back here as fast as I can, all right? Can you handle me leaving you with Tiffany for a few minutes?”
Looking like she wasn’t sure about that at all, Fiona, nevertheless, nodded and Abby didn’t waste any more time. She raced from the room, checked on Tiffany who was now drying the bottles, then out the back door and hit the snow hard. She slipped and fell. Gathered herself up and pushed her way through the snow toward the barn desperately wishing Cal was here.
Finally, she made it to the door of the barn. Heart thudding, blood humming, she could hear the horses’ frantic cries.
She placed her hand on the door. Cool. But the smoke was thick, swirling around her, seeping out through the cracks. “Zane!”
“Abby! Are you okay? What’s happening?” Fiona’s frightened cry came through the speaker on the phone.
Abby threw open the barn door and flinched as the smoke rolled out. “I’m fine,” she hollered into the phone. “I’m going into the barn to let the horses out and pray Zane’s not trapped in here somewhere.” Coughing, she waited until the worst of the smoke billowed out. “Zane! Where are you?”
No answer.
“Abby! I need you!” Fiona cried.
Abby froze.
Her sister’s pleading. “Abby, I need you to do this for me. You’re the one I trust. Don’t let me down.”
Blinking against a rush of tears she didn’t have time to shed, Abby said into the phone. “Call Cal. Tell him he’s just going to have to let Reese go for now. Tell him you need him here!”
Fiona didn’t answer.
Abby entered the barn and started opening stalls. “Hee-ya! Come on! Go!” She herded them toward the back entrance that opened into a pasture. Horse after horse rushed out. Smoke choked her. Then her foot caught on something and she fell hard. Gasping, working blind in the smoke, she used her hands to guide her.
And found—a body.
FIFTEEN
C
al tracked the blood and the steps in the snow. The physical exertion kept him warm. Worry and determination ran hot through his veins. If Reese Kirkpatrick was on this property, Cal would find him.
As he tracked, he prayed. For Fiona, for Zane—why wasn’t the man answering his phone?—for Joseph. And for Abby.
And he couldn’t think about Abby without remembering that incredible kiss in the kitchen. It seared his mind and made him long for more.
He ground his teeth. He needed to get back to the house. His sister was in labor, Abby had a killer after her and Zane wasn’t answering his phone.
Things were not looking good as the blood trail led toward the house.
Cal stumbled, went to his knees.
Found more blood. Two feet later, he found the man it had come from. “Aw, no. Don’t be dead,” Cal whispered. He wanted some answers.
“Dying would be too easy for you. I want you alive, you jerk. Do you know what you’ve put us through?” He kept up a muttered monologue as it helped him think.
Using his teeth, he pulled off a glove and placed his fingers against the man’s neck.
A steady pulse and Cal sighed in relief. And at least Reese was dressed appropriately for the weather. He wouldn’t freeze to death. Yet. Cal couldn’t see any sign of blood on his back.
With a grunt, Cal shoved his glove back on, then grasped the man under his arms and rolled him over.
A frown pulled Cal’s brows together as his brain processed the information his eyes took in.
Reese had been shot in the upper part of his shoulder.
As he made the diagnosis, a groan came from the wounded man’s lips. Cal reached for his cell phone.
Eli answered on the second ring. “Hello?”
“I found him.”
“You got everything under control?”
“Not really. He’s been shot and needs a hospital.”
“Shot!” Eli exclaimed. “You shoot him?”
“Nope.”
“Where’s the shooter?”
Cal looked around the property. White as far as the eye could see. “I don’t know, Eli, but this makes me really nervous.”
Eli grunted. “If Reese is the one after Abby, why is he the one getting shot?”
“As soon as he comes to, I plan to ask him.” Another groan from Reese. He was waking up. Good. Maybe now he’d get some answers.
Eli asked, “Did Joel make it out there?”
“Haven’t heard from him and Zane’s not answering his phone.”
Cal heard Eli bite off a word he’d quit saying a long time ago. Cal said, “Fiona’s in labor. I’ve got to get back to the house.”
“Abby,” the wounded man whispered.
“Hang on, Eli, he’s trying to say something.” He leaned over Reese. “What is it, man? Talk to me.”
Reese’s eyes fluttered. “Abby…danger.”
“Yeah, she was in danger, but not anymore.” Maybe, depending on whether Reese was telling the truth. “I got you.”
“No, she’s…gotta help her.”
“I am helping her. Why are you after her?”
“Not…”
The man’s eyes closed as he passed out once again.
Cal looked toward Fiona’s house. And frowned. Was that smoke reaching for the sky?
“Cal? You there?”
“Yeah. Something weird is going on. Reese just passed out, but sounded like he was trying to say he wanted to help Abby.” He narrowed his eyes. “And I’m seeing smoke in the direction of my sister’s house.”
Eli sighed. “I’ll see if I can get a hold of Joel and get a location on him.”
“I’ve got to call the house. Let me know what you find out.” Hanging up on Eli, Cal then dialed the house number.
No answer.
He dialed Zane.
No answer.
Not liking the feeling in his gut, he hauled the wounded man up with a grunt and slung him over his back. Slowly, he began the trek back to the vehicles. He hoped he wasn’t making things worse with the injury, but he sure couldn’t leave the guy in the snow. Calling an ambulance would be fruitless. If it couldn’t get to Fiona, it couldn’t get to Reese.
Another glance toward Fiona and Joseph’s house tightened his midsection. No one answering the phones and smoke? He had a feeling that was a really bad combination and that the man he’d just found wasn’t the enemy.
And that the enemy was already making his move.
Heart thudding, Abby felt for a pulse. “Zane? Oh please, don’t be dead.”
Her lungs felt like they were on fire and she knew she had to get out of the barn or she would pass out and die of smoke inhalation.
But she couldn’t leave Zane.
And she couldn’t pull him out of the barn.
She went face down on the floor and was able to gasp in a relatively smoke-free breath.
Darting to the watering trough, she pulled her scarf from around her neck and dunked it in the water. Wrapping it around her nose and mouth, she shuddered when the cold water touched her skin.
Nevertheless, she didn’t stop. The horses still trapped whinnied and pawed the ground. Their frantic cries wrenched her heart. The protective barrier of the wet scarf helped and she went from stall to stall letting them out. At the last stall, she, grabbed the halter from the wall and got it over the last horse’s head.
He bobbed and tried to dance past her to reach the door but Abby held on tight. Next, she threw a saddle on him and tightened the cinch.
Abby led the horse to Zane and working as fast as possible, she tied a rope around the man’s chest careful to leave it long enough so he wouldn’t get kicked by the horse.
Attaching the rope to the saddle horn, she grabbed the halter and tugged the horse toward the door. Anxious to escape the smoky barn, the animal didn’t need much tugging. Abby kept her hand on the halter so that the horse wouldn’t go too far with Zane attached to him.
Finally outside and several yards from the barn, she pulled in a lungful of fresh air and yanked the horse to an uneasy stop.
Shaking fingers fumbled with the rope and somehow she managed to free Zane from the horse. Dropping next to the man she checked Zane’s breathing. His chest rose and fell. Fortunately for him, he’d fallen almost facedown where he’d breathed the cleaner air at the floor and not the smoky air swirling up above him. Next she checked him for any other wounds and found a lump on his head.
Her fingers probed the area even as her mind clicked through various scenarios as to what could have happened.
A loud crash sounded behind her. She flinched and whirled. A portion of the barn must have caved in.
“Abby! Abby! Are you there?”
Abby snatched the phone she’d left on speaker phone and pressed it to her ear. “I’m here, Fiona. I found Zane. He’s alive but unconscious. Let me see if I can wake him up. There’s no way I can carry him. I’ll be there as soon as I can get Zane on his feet.”
Torn, Abby stared down at Zane, wondering how she was going to get the man back up to the house.
“Hello, Abby.”
Abby froze. Blinked.
Then spun. Surprise and shock rippled through her.
“So, it was you all the time.”
Cal lugged Reese back to the snowmobile and then realized there was no way he was going to be able to keep Reese on the machine and drive it safely back to his house.
Concerned, wondering exactly how much blood the man had lost, Cal turned his attention toward the SUV. Balancing Reese with one arm, he used the other to open the back door. As carefully as possible, he settled Reese into the backseat. Reese groaned and came to for the second time. “Where is she? Where’s Abby? Gotta talk to her. Got to tell her—” His words slurred and his eyes rolled back.
Cal ignored him and climbed into the driver’s seat. There was no way this man was getting anywhere near Abby until he was a hundred-percent sure he wasn’t a threat to the woman he loved.
Shock rippled through him at his self-admission, but he realized it was true. He did love her and was anxious to get back and make sure she was all right.
Again, as he looked in the direction of home, the rising column of smoke shot fear through him. Reaching for his cell, he noticed he’d missed about four calls.
Speed dialing Fiona, he cranked the car.
Then groaned when the engine sputtered and died.
Abby stared at the man in front of her. He was the one who’d set her up.
Not Reese.
“Abby! I need you!” Fiona’s voice came through the phone. Spinning, she ignored the danger behind her and raced for the house as fast as she could go through the thick snow. Then she faltered, stumbled.
He caught her by the arm and jerked her so hard that she nearly fell back to the ground. Pain shot up her arm as he demanded, “Where is it?”
“Where is what?” She wiped the snow from her face and shivered with cold and fear.
“The flash drive. Lisa saw you copying stuff on it. And when you disappeared she was worried what you might have taken with you. I did a little investigating. Looks like she was right to be worried.”
Randall Cromwell’s fingers dug into her arm and she winced. Staring up into her partner’s face, she tried to jerk out of his grip. “Let me go.”
He held tight. “After I get the flash drive.”
Abby gritted her teeth as terror shot through her. He had no intention of letting her go. He couldn’t. She swallowed hard. “That’s what you were looking for? That’s why you’ve been after me? I can’t believe I didn’t see through you. Well, that flash drive is in a safe place. You’ll never get it,” she taunted him.
His hand came around and clipped her in the side of the head. Stunned, she gave a hoarse cry and dropped to her knees.
He jerked her back up.
Fiona’s desperate cry through the phone reached her once again.
“Who is that?” Randall demanded. “That pregnant woman?”
Fury lent her strength and determination. “Yes,” she spat. “And she needs me to deliver her baby.”
In desperation, Abby brought her fist around in a lightning fast move and slammed it into Randall’s nose.
His harsh scream of pain sent bolts of satisfaction through her as she spun out of his loosened grasp. Shock almost held her immobile. She couldn’t believe she’d actually managed to punch someone. Then she shoved the shock away and scuttled backward ignoring her throbbing hand, hoping she hadn’t broken anything.
She needed to focus on escaping and getting to the house. Ignoring Randall’s cries of pain and fury, ignoring the pain in her head from his blow, Abby channeled her energy into getting back to the house.
“Abby, please! I need you!”
She followed her previous tracks back to the house as fast as she could go. She could hear Randall cursing her and coming after her.
Breathless, lungs straining, she finally reached the front door and slammed her fist on it. “Fiona! Tiffany! Open the door!” Could the woman even walk at this point? Would the child be able to work the dead bolt?
A glance over her shoulder showed Randall gaining on her. Blood from his nose splattered the ground with each step he took. Pure fury radiated from him and she shivered. “Fiona!”
The door swung inward and Abby almost fell inside as she twisted to slam the door behind her. She clicked the dead bolts home and turned to find Fiona bent double making her way back to the bedroom. Tiffany stood in the door to the kitchen staring with wide eyes. “I finished the bottles,” she said.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Abby managed to gasp. “You did a good job, I’m sure.”
“What can I do now?” the little girl wanted to know.
Doing her best to stay calm, Abby said, “You can go in the bedroom and watch a video for a little while, okay?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Please, darling.”
Where was help?
Terror seized her by the throat and wouldn’t let go. She grabbed the phone to call Cal.
And listened to dead silence.
Then the lights went out.
Cal grunted as he slammed the hood on the car and climbed back into the driver’s seat.
“Abby,” the man in the back whispered again.
A file sat in the passenger side.
“He’s going to kill her.”
Cal barely caught the sentence. He turned and stared into Reese’s bleary eyes. “Who?”
Reese licked his lips and Cal grabbed the open bottle of water from the cup holder and twisted to offer it to the man. Reese drank greedily, then pushed it away.
“What happened to you?” Cal demanded.
“I got ambushed,” he grunted. “I’ve been trying to get to Abby for two weeks now. But she’s got a restraining order out on me, so I’ve had to be careful. Then I lost her when she took off. I’ve been tracking her down ever since.” He took another swig of water. “I’ve been in contact with my partner in Washington who’s been looking into Abby’s medical practice.” Shame washed over Reese’s face and Cal wondered at it. “I’ve been looking for a way to discredit her and thought I’d found it. False insurance reports.”