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The woman beamed.
“Of course,” she said as she went on about the dog’s age and pedigree.
Kimberly dropped down to one knee before unhooking the leash in the bustling complex.
“I’m sorry,” she said to the confused woman before popping to her feet. She shooed the dog. “Run!”
The black Lab darted toward the fountain as the woman gasped and then called after him.
Okay, Kimberly felt awful for doing that and wished there’d been another way to create a diversion. In the heat of the moment, that was all she could think of.
With another quick apology, Kimberly wheeled left and sprinted away from the pediatrician’s building. A pair of heavy footsteps sounded from behind and she could tell by their rhythm that they were faster than her, racing closer and gaining ground.
At least Mitch would be stopped because of the stroller. Seeing those angelic round faces threatened to cripple her, but she couldn’t afford to give in. She had to protect what was hers. Stuffing her feelings down deep helped her focus.
Kimberly’s best chance to lose the pair of creeps catching up to her was to get lost inside the hospital behind the pediatrician’s office. She knew the area and that would give her an advantage. There would be armed security and the men following her wouldn’t risk making themselves the center of attention by pulling something stupid. She hoped.
At least she could draw them away from Mitch and the babies. Kimberly sprinted around another building, trying to lose the men in the maze of buildings. Her thighs burned and her lungs were starting to wheeze.
The footsteps behind her stopped. Her worst fear seized her. Were the men circling back for Mitch?
Her breath caught and her heart screamed no.
How stupid and selfish had she been to come here? The past eleven months had been about taking calculated risks and watching her back at every turn. She’d just led those men practically to Mitch’s doorstep. Kimberly bit back a few choice words, refusing to let negativity drag her under.
With the stroller, it would be impossible for Mitch to catch up to her. She’d cleared a few buildings and had crossed over to the front of the hospital, slowing her pace to a brisk walk as she entered through the automatic glass doors.
Activity buzzed all around her, and the modern lobby looked like a coffeehouse, with tables sprinkled around and folks on their laptops. The main difference was the fact that doctors and nurses cut across the open space, making their way to restricted-access areas.
Taking a chance, Kimberly checked behind her for the men. Nothing. Her heart took a dive.
Where were they?
MITCH FLEXED AND released his hands on the grip bar of the stroller. He’d scared a woman half to death by thinking she was his dead wife. Wasn’t this turning into a banner day?
He wished he’d gotten a good look at Bleached-Blonde’s face before she’d put her arm up to shield it and then disappeared in the commotion after a dog got loose from its owner.
Great. Now he could add scaring strangers to the already stressful morning he was having.
Thankfully the twins were clueless. Rea happily cooed and chatted, and Aaron took everything in while sucking on a pair of his fingers.
The men who’d been eyeing the Bleached-Blonde seemed to have given up on her. They’d returned to the plaza before heading toward the parking lot. It was probably Mitch’s imagination that had him thinking those two were after her. He could add paranoia to his growing list of deficiencies.
The news from Lone Star Lonnie had thrown Mitch for a loop, on top of everything else he was dealing with, and maybe he was starting to crack. That was the only explanation for why he believed that he’d just seen his dead wife. She was on his mind even more than usual today. It was time to get back to reality, including getting his babies to their appointment.
Mitch pushed the stroller through the opened double doors and then took the elevator up to the third floor. He checked in and then waited.
A few minutes later he was ushered into the blue room to wait for the doctor and find out how much his life was about to change. Again.
Good news came from the pediatrician. Rea looked to be growing out of her heart defect. She’d have to continue to be monitored, which he’d expected, but the hole in her lower valve seemed to be closing on its own. Gratitude washed over Mitch, bringing a few stray tears to his eyes.
The drive from Fort Worth to Jacobstown gave him the chance to fill in his siblings and cousins, thanks to Bluetooth technology and his cell phone. Joyce, the twins’ caregiver, met him on the driveway. She’d decorated the dining room with balloons and went to work serving lunch and cake to celebrate before taking the kiddos up for their naps.
Mitch had kissed both babies before picking up the fresh flowers he’d ordered and heading out the back door.
Joyce was a sweet woman in her late sixties who’d helped bring up Mitch, along with his siblings. She’d managed to wrangle six Kent children before retiring years ago but when she’d learned one of her “babies” was having babies, she’d insisted on returning to care for them.
Lucky for him, Kimberly had welcomed Joyce’s help. The fact that she’d taken to the idea had caught him off guard at first. Kimberly had always been a private person. And that was where his luck had run out.
Sitting on the bench he’d carved out of solid wood beside the tallest oak on the property, he looked down at the marker. Kimberly Kent—loving wife and devoted mother.
She wasn’t supposed to be buried there. His mind pointed out that she technically wasn’t. It didn’t matter. Kimberly Kent was gone.
He crossed his boots at the ankles.
When the twins were old enough, he’d bring them here to see their mother. He set the fresh flowers down—lilies. Her favorite. They reminded him of her, of her fresh-from-the-shower scent.
The wind started to pick up as a few more gray clouds rolled in, reflecting his somber mood. Rain was in the forecast, in the air, and it had been drier than a salt lick all week.
The feeling of being watched settled over him. Amber? One of his brothers? He scanned the meadow but saw nothing. Further proof that he was losing it.
The idea anyone could be in the meadow without his knowledge hit hard. Someone had been on the ranch undetected. The sheer amount of acreage owned by the Kent family made it impossible to monitor every inch. But still...
His gaze dropped to the plot of land in front of him.
“I saw you outside the pediatrician’s office today,” he said to the green grass over an empty grave. “Even though it couldn’t have been you, I wanted her to be.” He paused, choking back the emotion threatening to consume him—emotion that he’d successfully buried. “Rea’s doctor visit was good. She’s going to be just fine.” Another pause to get his emotions in check. “I miss you, Kimberly.”
Mitch cursed. Now he was talking to dirt.
He pushed up to stand as an empty feeling engulfed him, threatening to drag him under and toss him around before spitting him out again like a deadly riptide.
Pain made him feel alive after being hollow inside for months. The ache in his chest every time he took in air was the only reminder he was still breathing.
A prickly feeling ran up the back of his neck, like when someone said a cat walked over a grave.
Mitch didn’t do emotions, so why the hell were his like a race car at full speed, careening out of control and toward the wall today? His baby sister’s words from last year kept winding through his thoughts, drowning out logic and reason, the two things he was good at.
What if she’s alive? What if she’s still out there?
Mitch touched the grave marker, dragging his fingers across the smooth granite and into the grooves made by the letters of Kimberly’s name.
And then he tucked his feelings down deep before texting Lone Star Lonnie that he was on his way to check out the heifer before it rained.
Walking away from his wife’s grave was especially tough today. His thoughts were heavy as he made his way to the base of Rushing Creek, on the northeast side of the property.
Even though he’d prepared for the worst, the site still caught him off guard. Blood was everywhere. His heifer was on her right side in a pool of red on flat land. There was no sign of a trap that could’ve taken off her hoof and messed up her leg like that. She’d bled out and that would’ve been a slow death.
Anger roared through him as he thought about how much she’d suffered. It was inhumane to do this to an animal. Lone Star Lonnie had downplayed the situation with the heifer, Mitch thought as he stood over her.
Everything inside him felt as torn up and drained as the lifeless heifer next to him.
Whoever had done this would be brought to justice.
Chapter Three (#u8a2678ba-1ad0-5002-bd7a-d59d385ca9bb)
The pitch-black night sky was a dark canopy overhead. Thick clouds smothered the moon, blocking out any possibility of light. Rain came down in sheets. The conditions were a problem. There’d be tracks. Kimberly couldn’t afford to leave a trail or any sign she’d been there.
If the storm continued, there’d be no issue. Flash floods were common in this area of Texas and could wash away her hiking-boot prints. If the weather dried up, anyone could follow her based on the imprints she made.
She stepped lightly, careful to weave through the low-hanging branches rather than break them—again another way to track her movements. Being on the run had taught her to leave the smallest footprint possible. Leave a trace and someone would find her—the creeps following her had already proven that more than once. She’d racked her brain, thinking how they could’ve picked up her trail leading to the pediatrician’s office earlier.
Kimberly cursed under her breath as tears threatened. How could she have been so careless? So stupid?
Guilt nearly impaled her.
She couldn’t sit by and watch the only people she loved get hurt because of her. She had to make this right. She prayed that she could find the right words to convince Mitch to leave with the babies and disappear.
Seeing her alive would shock her husband. And he would hate her for what she’d done to him, to their family. Not that she could blame him. Sharp stabs of pain spiked through her, because she would feel the same way if the situation was reversed.
That wouldn’t stop—couldn’t stop—her from doing what she needed to do.
Being on the ranch brought back other memories. Memories that punched her in the stomach. Memories of being under this same sky on a starlit evening with Mitch’s arms around her, feeling like she could slay her fears and stay right there for the rest of her life. Then there were all of those Sunday-morning breakfasts in bed after passionate nights.
They’d when she’d rented a cabin on Lake Orion. On her weekly trip into town for supplies was when she’d first seen him. She’d been at the lake for a couple of days already and had worn her hair down around her face, a light cotton T-shirt and a simple pair of jeans with tennis shoes.
Mitch had come up behind her while she stood in line with her small cart filled with everything she’d need for two weeks for a single person. He didn’t speak to her right away, but she turned to look at him the minute she felt the strong male presence. It seemed like every single woman in the place came over to say hello while he stood in line behind Kimberly. Mitch was handsome—no question about that—but he also had a sexual appeal that made women blush when they spoke to him. The pitch in their voices raised and it was so easy to tell they were flirting.
Kimberly thought her eyes would roll into the back of her head when one of the women nearly knocked over the media stand while she complimented his boots. There’d been so much bemusement in his voice—a deep voice that trailed down the sensitive skin of her neck and wrapped around her—when he thanked the woman that Kimberly had almost laughed out loud. The ladies had been so sickeningly sweet that Kimberly wanted to throw up.
Her reaction must’ve been written all over her face when she turned to get another look at the all-male presence stirring up all of the commotion behind her. Yeah, she’d been rubbernecking but she couldn’t help herself. She had only a couple of weeks to be in town and she needed to see what all the fuss was about.
The second she turned and got a good look, she realized her mistake. Her cheeks flamed, her throat dried and a thousand birds fluttered inside her chest, leaving her to wonder, Who is this man?
Her hand fell slack and she dropped her wallet, spilling change all over his boots, which actually were nice. If embarrassment could kill a person, she would’ve dropped dead on the spot. Lucky for her, it couldn’t. And the tall, muscled cowboy had dropped down to help her collect her things.
He’d been gracious and generous and all of the things she figured a cowboy code would require. But when his fingers grazed her palm as he handed over her quarters and pennies, pure electricity shot through her. Her body hummed and based on the look in his steel-gray eyes when their gazes connected, he felt the current every bit as much.
After introducing himself, he’d asked if she would have dinner with him that night.
It took a few seconds for logic to kick in and for her to remember how dangerous that would be for both of them, but it did and she refused—albeit without conviction. She thanked him for helping her, turned and was grateful she was next in line. The cashier acknowledged her with a smile as she busied herself placing her items on the motorized belt. Inside, she concentrated on trying to breathe as the cashier ran her items across the scanner.
Kimberly’s pulse raced and all she could think about was getting out of there and back to the privacy of the cabin on the lake. She fumbled for the right dollar amount. Using cash was another way to stay off the grid.
The handsome cowboy had followed her to the parking lot as she loaded groceries into the plastic container she’d fixed onto the back of the dirt bike she’d bought from a seventeen-year-old boy who went by the name Smash. Based on the condition of the dirt bike, he’d earned that nickname, but she didn’t care. All she’d needed was reliable transportation to get her to and from the store and something she could use for a quick escape if the need arose.
Experience had taught her to be prepared for anything and especially the pair of creeps who always seemed to be one step behind.
“You sure about dinner?” he’d asked with the kind of smile that made women go weak at the knees as he held out a fistful of coins. She knew for sure because her legs almost gave.
It had most likely been that moment of hesitation—that too-quick smile—that had him showing up two days after she’d refused him in the lot.
The rain had been coming down in sheets on that day, too.
“What are you doing here?” she’d asked as she opened the door to find him standing on her porch, waterlogged and even more handsome than she remembered.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you for two days,” he’d said, and her heart pounded so hard against her ribs, she thought they might crack. There he stood, with rain trailing down the brim of his gray Stetson. He wore a black V-neck T-shirt that, soaked with rain, outlined every one of his mass of muscles. “Tell me to leave and I will. I’ll leave you alone. You have my word. Agree to have dinner with me and we can go anywhere you like.”
As he stood there, with rain dripping from his tall, muscled physique, all of her willpower—and good sense—took a hike.
“Only if we stay here,” she’d said. “We have to stay inside.”
His face had broken into a wide smile—the same one that had seduced her willingly by the third night. And then less than two months later he’d proposed.
Tears sprang to her eyes at the memories. Walking away from Mitch Kent had been one of the most difficult things she’d ever done.
And setting foot in the house they’d once shared was going to be right up there.
MITCH RUBBED BLURRY eyes as he heard a noise come from another room for the second time. He glanced at the clock as he muttered a curse. The twins shouldn’t be up for another few hours.
In a past life, he would’ve slept right through the small creak. Having babies had trained him to jump at the first noise. If he entered the room fast enough, sometimes he could solve the problem before the other woke up. Let it go even for a few seconds, and he’d be dealing with two fussy babies and not enough arms to hold them both. Joyce had volunteered to move into the guest room half a dozen times, but Mitch had refused every request. Her heart was in the right place; she wanted to make his life easier. But Kimberly wouldn’t have wanted it that way. She might’ve agreed to receiving Joyce’s help during the day, but she wouldn’t want another person taking care of their babies overnight.
Another creak sounded and he was awake enough to hear it clearly now.
He threw off the covers and slid into the jeans on the chair next to his bed. This noise in the next room had nothing to do with the twins.
Was someone inside his house?
His hardwood floors creaked in exactly three places in the hallway. The first two had already made noise.
And now came the third. His adrenaline surged, flooding his body with heat.
Someone was walking toward his bedroom.
The twins’ room was across the hall and a fleeting thought struck that someone was coming for them. But who could that be? And how in the hell did the person get past ranch security?
It took a minute for that to sink in.
Another thought struck that it could be one of his family members, but that couldn’t be right, either. His brothers and sister would’ve called if there’d been an emergency. There was no way his cousins, Zach and Amy, would show in the middle of the night without calling. Those would be the only people who could get past security.
Mitch double-checked his cell in case he’d silenced his phone instead of switching it to vibrate. He thought about the heifer, and for a split second he thought the butchering might’ve been a warning.
The doorknob turned, so he jumped into action. Whoever thought they were going to get the best of him had another thing coming.
In two seconds he stood next to the door. It opened toward him, so it would shield him as the intruder stepped inside.
This probably wasn’t the time to realize his shotgun was locked in a gun cabinet, a precaution he took for the sake of his children. Even if he could get to it, it wouldn’t do any good. The shells were locked in a drawer.
As the door eased open, Mitch held his breath. He had his physical size, athletic conditioning and the element of surprise on his side, and that was about it. He had no idea what could be pushing through on the other side of that door.
