Authors: Lorraine Nelson
“Do you think the news has leaked out…about my
visions?”
“Oh, honey, no.” Lacey hugged her tight to her
bosom, cuddling her as if she were a little girl again. “Michael was keeping
that part of the investigation very hush-hush. He wouldn’t do anything to
endanger you.”
“We’ll ask when he arrives just to make sure,”
said
watch for him and let him in.”
“Sure, go. We’ll head back to the living room
and wait.” Lacey steered her daughters away from the kitchen, but not before
checking the lock on the patio door. Thank goodness it was locked or that
killer might have had her baby. She shuddered at the thought, vowing not to let
her out of her sight. “From now on, we’ll do everything in twos. No one moves
from room to room alone until this killer is caught.”
The girls nodded their acquiescence as they
trooped into the living room to join
Lights from several vehicles pierced the darkness beyond as Michael arrived
with backup. High-powered flashlights bobbed through the darkness as police
surrounded the house. Flashes of metal verified that the officers were armed
and ready.
Lacey had seen enough. She moved to close the
drapes, effectively shutting out the search efforts and putting a stop to
anyone being able to see inside. The thought of someone out there in the dark,
spying on them, had her nerves on edge. She looked over at
went to him, glad that she didn’t have to face this terror alone, yet afraid
for him and the unknown.
“Do you think he was here to plant more fake
evidence?” Lynne asked from her perch on the sofa.
“I didn’t get that feeling,” said Rena. “It’s
more like he’s angry, as if this is a personal vendetta of sorts.”
“But why? Good God! Other than firing one or two
ranch hands, for which I had good reason, I’ve never hurt anyone that I’m aware
of.”
Michael knocked and walked in, stomping the snow
off his boots. “It’s wild out there. The wind has picked up again and it’s
downright nasty trying to see with snow blowing in your eyes.”
“Hi, Michael. Welcome back,” said Rena, her
attempt at sarcasm came out in a husky voice, making it sound a little flirty.
He chuckled as he glanced her way. “You call and
I come running. I get it.”
“Well, technically, Daddy called, but I would
have.”
Michael’s devilish grin lightened the tension in
the room by a huge degree.
“The perp got away, but tell me what you saw.”
“It wasn’t a vision, Michael. He was here, standing
on the back deck and trying to open the door.”
His interest perked up. “Did you see his face?”
Rena’s shoulders slumped, all signs of
flirtation gone as she answered, “No, he wore a ski mask, one of those
full-face ones.”
“What else?”
“I don’t know. I screamed and ducked out of
sight. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. That was your best move.”
“How did he get away?” asked
“On skis. We tracked him as far as we could, but
it’s tough going with all the snow. We’ll come back at first light and try
again on snowshoes.”
“There’s probably no point. If the snow is
blowing as hard as you say, his tracks will be covered by morning.”
“Chin up,
There’s always a chance. I have a good team of trackers. Let them do their job.”
“I wonder what he was doing here?” said Lynne. “More
phony evidence?”
“None that we saw. My concern is that he tried
to get in while you were all home. What made you go to the kitchen, Rena?”
“Popcorn for the movie we intended to watch.”
“Okay.
think it’s time you had round-the-clock protection. Any objection?”
“Well, I can’t be everywhere, so that’s probably
a good idea. You volunteering?”
Michael shook his head. “I can’t. I have to stay
on top of the investigation, but you know Scott Baker? Will he do?”
“Sure, Scotty will do fine.”
“He’ll be living here twenty-four, seven until
we catch this guy. Do you have a spare bed or sofa?”
nodded. “Yeah, he can sleep in the den. There’s a pull-out couch in there.”
Michael got to his feet. “Good. I’ll send him
home to pack a bag. Then I’ll come in to keep you company until he gets back.”
“Thanks, Michael.”
“Hey, I look out for my friends. Back in a sec.”
“Girls, let’s help your father move his things
up to my room. We’re a family now and we may as well sleep in comfort,” Lacey
said.
The girls rolled their eyes and gave knowing looks
but readily got to their feet.
“And besides, it’s best to have the law on the
ground floor,”
den.
Michael came back, saw what they were doing and
immediately pitched in to help.
belongings were moved, and they were sitting in the living room when Scott
arrived.
****
“Maybe I should sleep in the living room so we
have both entrances guarded.”
“Nonsense. Scott will hear if anything goes bump
in the night,” Lacey said as she closed and locked the bedroom door. “Besides,
you made an offer our first day here, and I’m holding you to it.”
“Yeah? What offer was that?”
“You promised to help me get the bed bouncing.”
Lacey unsnapped his shirt and pushed it down over his shoulders.
“Happy to oblige, my dear.” He pulled her
sweater over her head, surprised to find she wasn’t wearing anything
underneath. He scowled. “I told you to dress warm for the outing.”
“I did…too warm. When we got back, I removed the
extra layers to cool off.”
you hot again.”
“Yes, but it’s a good heat. Don’t stop now.”
He reached for her then, his hands gently
massaging her breasts as his lips found hers. Their tongues danced and dueled
as they clung to each other.
backwards until his legs hit the bed and he sat, pulling her forward into the V
of his thighs. He released her lips and burrowed his head between her breasts, holding
her close, enjoying the comfort of having her near. When he took one of her
rosy nipples into his mouth, she moaned and pressed her upper body closer. He
ran his hands along her sides, up and down her spine, and cupped her butt
cheeks to hold her still closer.
“I will never get enough of you, my love,” he
said as he glanced up in total rapture.
“Och, my man. Yer full o’ the blarney, ye are.”
“I love it when you talk Irish. And it’s not
blarney. It’s the simple truth.”
“Then make love to me,
We’ll forget the world and all its problems and rejoice in love renewed.”
She pushed him backwards onto the bed, undid his
jeans, and pulled them off. Then she kicked off her own before joining him. As
she straddled him, he hauled her forward, her breasts brushing against his
chest as he kissed her with the deepest passion he’d ever felt in his life. The
touch of skin against skin had his body reacting, his erection pulsing against
her belly as they kissed. He reached to cup her mound, testing her readiness, and
then rolled her over and positioned himself above her. He wanted to see her
face as he entered her, but they’d neglected to turn on a light. Only the
meager glow from the nightlight in the connecting bathroom broke the darkness.
“I…love…you…Lacey,” he said, punctuating each
word with a slight push as he entered her warmth a little at a time. She couldn’t
seem to stand his teasing, tormenting, and pushed up to engulf the rest of him
all at once.
He chuckled as he heard her satisfied “Ah.” Then
all humor swept away as her inner warmth embraced him. Hot and aching for more,
he pumped in and out, deeper, harder, faster, until the world spun, and it was
only the two of them, clinging to each other in the rapturous aftermath.
“I love the way you make this bed bounce, Mr. Manning.”
tight against his side. “I love the way you make my world spin. You and the
girls are the only light in a life turned suddenly cold and gray.”
“We’ll worry about that tomorrow, but if you’re
cold…” She let the sentence trail off as if a question.
“Woman, you’re going to kill me.” Her suggestive
remark already had his shaft rising to attention. “But at least I’ll die a
happy and satisfied man.”
“Don’t you dare die on me! We have several lost
years to make up for. This is only the beginning for us,
The start of a new and wonderful life filled with love.”
“But what if…”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “No buts. This
is here and now and I love you, cowboy.”
He gasped in surprise when her hand grasped his
cock, sliding up and down the length of it. He was so hard for her. “This time,
you ride,” he said as he shifted her on top of him. And what a wild ride it
was.
****
time, then showered and dressed. “I’ll have coffee ready for ya, love,” he said
as she headed for the shower.
“You better. I’m both energized and fatigued
this morn. I need my coffee.”
He smiled as he silently traversed the winding
staircase. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see the girls, but he needed more
alone time with Lacey. Darn! He’d forgotten about Scott. The man was already up
and making coffee.
“Good morning. Sleep well?”
Scott turned to him with a smile as he leaned
back against the cupboard. “I sure did. This is a cushy assignment compared to
some I’ve been on. Quiet night, too. Nothing to report.”
“Good. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
securing the area out back. “Do you think we can dispense with the yellow
ribbons today? We’re not likely to go back there anyway, except to keep a path
open in case of emergency. Even that is doubtful after what we found the last
time.”
Scott’s smile disappeared as he spoke. “
murder. Hell, I’ve known you since grade school. Even way back then you took up
for the underdog and kept the bullies in line without ever throwing a punch.”
He chuckled wryly. “Of course, I think the sheer size of you was enough to put
most of them off. You are one big mother…”
of the ladies coming.”
“Sorry, man. I’m probably not supposed to be
talking about the case, but I wanted to let you know just how hard everyone is
working to prove your innocence.”
“Thanks, Scott. I appreciate your faith in me.”
“No problem. Now, where are the mugs?” he asked
as Lacey came strolling in.
them. The sugar container and spoons came next. Lacey retrieved a container of
cream from the fridge on her way to the table.
“Once I get my fill of coffee, I’ll start
breakfast,” she said. “I think I heard the girls surfacing as I came
downstairs.”
“We should duck into town and pick up some
groceries later. I think the larder is bordering on empty.”
“There’s still plenty of meat in the freezer,
but we could do with some fresh fruit, veggies, and dairy. I’ll make a list
before we leave.” She took a sip of coffee and then frowned. “Should we take
the girls with us?”
“We can, but they’ll be safe enough here with
Scotty, and I’m certain he won’t mind their company.”
“Wouldn’t mind a bit. Pretty young ladies they
are. How do you tell them apart?”
“Rena’s flirty, Abby’s a serious one, and Lynne
is the most practical of the three. You’ll soon get used to them,” Lacey said.
“If only I was twenty years younger,” Scott said
with a heavy sigh.
“Twenty years ago you were still married to
Angela.”
“Ugh! Don’t remind me. That woman cured me of
commitment real fast. I couldn’t make money fast enough to suit her. That
broker from
“From
How did they meet?” Lacey asked.
“Angela worked at a bank in
She met him there. When he breezed into town, she gaffled onto him faster than
a rodeo rider ropes a steer.”