Katherine’s Last Hope (Safe Haven Women’s Shelter #7)

Chapter 1

Fatigue wove into the very fabric of Katherine Milton’s being.

She needed to get home to relieve her father of sitter duty, but her aching feet needed a few minutes of rest before heading to the parking lot.

She dipped into the employee’s lounge at the emergency room, taking a deep breath as she sank onto the soft cushions.

She tilted her head on the back of the couch and stared up at the ceiling. Exhaustion tempted her to close her eyes, but she feared she wouldn’t open them before the sunrise.

Not like she’d sleep great anyway. Since Theo’s accident the year before, she was lucky to get a solid two hours before being startled awake.

That was always the worst part. Those brief seconds between waking from a dream and realizing the nightmare of her life—reaching for the familiar strength of her husband only to find the bed empty and cold.

Theo forever gone from this world.

A familiar pain twisted her insides like a knife, and she dashed away tears that never stopped.

“Long day?”

Dr. Jenna Spradling’s concerned voice opened her eyes. If it were anyone else, she’d offer some kind of smile, but Jenna was more than a coworker. She was a friend who understood Katherine’s daily struggles.

“Always.” Sighing, she stood and stretched her hands above her head. “I need to get back to the house. Dad’s there with Ollie. They’re both probably fast asleep, but I still feel guilty keeping Dad there longer than necessary.”

Since Theo’s death, her father had been a Godsend. Hell, her entire community stood beside her daily, offering whatever support they could. But it was her father who’d given up his role as sheriff to step up and do whatever he could to help her navigate the shitty twist life had thrown her.

Jenna poured two cups of coffee then carried one to Katherine. “Did you put in overtime tonight? It’s pretty late for you to still be here.”

“Yeah.” Katherine accepted the cup and took a small sip of the hot, bitter liquid. “What about you? You don’t usually work the night shift.”

“Someone called off,” Jenna said with a small shrug.

The movement caused the dark hair she’d pulled back in a low ponytail to sway.

“I had most of the day at home, so I didn’t mind picking up a shift.

I spent a few hours at the shelter helping Mrs. Collins and Laura with a few new guests, then planted some flowers with Oliver.

He loves getting his little hands dirty. ”

Katherine couldn’t help but smile at the image of the messy little boy. Her own son was a few years older than Jenna’s, and not only were their personalities similar, so were their names. Luckily, she called her Oliver Ollie most the time, erasing confusion when the two were together.

Which happened frequently as Katherine volunteered more time at the local women’s shelter with Jenna.

Something she’d hoped would stop her from focusing on her own problems. It didn’t always work—nothing could keep her mind from wandering to Theo and the beautiful life they’d created—but it did strengthen the bond she had with so many amazing women in her community.

A village that came together for her time and time again.

“I promised my Ollie we could go to the nursery tomorrow. He always loves looking through the rows of plants and picking out something to grow.” She frowned. “How were the new guests?”

Jenna shrugged. “Most of their wounds are on the inside, but I fixed the ones I could on the outside. Laura might need a hand tomorrow. I’ll try and swing by, but I’m working a double shift.”

“I’ll call her,” Katherine said. “I have the next two days off. Ollie can pick out some nice flowers for Mrs. Collins while we’re out, then stop by the shelter. Do whatever needs doing.”

A buzz sounded, and Jenna slipped her phone from her pocket. “Gotta go. I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks for the coffee,” Katherine said, hoisting her cup in the air as Jenna retreated out the door.

She waited for her friend to leave before pouring the rest of her untouched drink down the drain.

Most of the staff at the county hospital lived on caffeine, a habit she’d adopted right after graduating nursing school.

But if she wanted even a prayer of getting any rest tonight, she couldn’t drink any more.

If she did, her nerves would be like live wires holding her hostage until the early morning light shone through her window.

With the cup disposed and sink rinsed, she snagged her jacket from where she’d hung it on the back of the hard chair.

The mild spring weather promised warmer temperatures ahead, but the evening air still held a bite.

She shrugged into the cream-colored fleece, secured her purse across her body, and made a beeline for the exit.

The emergency room waiting area was quiet, only the hum of vending machines and drone of a small television kept the nurse at the front desk company. Katherine waved her goodbye to the young woman then waited for the automatic doors to whoosh open before stepping outside.

She inhaled a deep breath of crisp mountain air before strolling toward her car at the back of the mostly empty parking lot. Stars twinkled overhead and the outline of the Smoky Mountains in the distance looked more like a shadow drawn above the horizon than the jagged peaks she loved to hike.

She could take Ollie hiking over the next couple days. He used to love finding waterfalls off the well-traveled paths. Especially ones that poured into shallow streams he could splash around in. If the sun was out, it might be warm enough for such an adventure.

If she could convince him to go.

At seven, her son should be a ball of energy zipping through life and finding mischief.

But the past year had taken a toll on the sad little boy.

She struggled to wade through her own grief while keeping her precious son afloat, reminding him that it was okay to still have fun and enjoy their time together.

Ollie placated her, but happiness and joy didn’t reach his eyes the way it used to.

Maybe if she allowed him to bring a friend it would help coax him from his shell.

With a plan in place, she hurried across the lot. She reached into her purse for her keys, when something shifted in the air, raising the hair at the back of her neck.

Picking up the pace, she closed in on her vehicle. Why had she parked so far away knowing she’d be walking alone in the dark? The glow of a lamppost beamed down on her black SUV, but it didn’t chase away the anxiety inching up her spine.

Five long strides. That’s all it’d take to reach the handle and get inside, locking away whatever imaginary monsters chased her.

Four more steps.

Three.

She beeped her key fob to unlock the door. Her headlights flashed and she extended her arm for the handle.

A hard yank on her coat pulled her backward. An arm hooked around her neck and anchored her against a warm body. Something sharp and pointy found its way under the hem of her jacket and touched the tender spot just above her hipbone.

Hot moist breath skimmed her cheek, igniting her gag reflex.

“Don’t do anything stupid, and I just might let you live.”

Cool air filtered into Cody Hogan’s cruiser as he drove down the country road toward the county hospital. Working as a sheriff’s deputy in Cooper County, Tennessee, was a lifelong goal, and one he’d never take for granted.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t have its faults.

Living in a small town with a low crime rate was the dream, but sometimes that made for a slow-ass night.

Tonight was one of those nights. Not one call from dispatch or even a reckless driver who needed pulled over.

So he drove a route that kept him outside of the city limits and patrolling areas where people found themselves once the sun set and businesses closed.

The county hospital was one of those places.

Fidgeting with the radio, he kept a low hum of country music on to keep his mind engaged and turned toward the emergency room.

This would be his second loop on the north side of Water’s Edge.

Once he headed back toward town, he’d stop somewhere to stretch his legs and maybe grab a cup of coffee to push him through the rest of his shift.

He turned into the parking lot and a set of flashing headlights at the back caught his attention.

Probably an employee walking to their vehicle.

Plenty of light shone down from the lamp posts strategically placed around the lot, but he might as well swing around to make sure whoever it was got home safely.

An ear-splitting scream made him push the gas pedal to the floor and shot adrenaline through his veins. He sped forward, screeching to a stop in front of a man with a black ski mask over his face struggling to keep a woman pressed against his chest.

Cody jumped out of the vehicle with his hand on the butt of his weapon. As much as he wanted to tackle the guy to the ground, he had no idea what he’d stumbled across. He had to keep a cool head and steady hand.

The woman thrashed against her captor. Her sandy blond hair whipped in front of her face.

The man stiffened, lifted his knife in the air, and waved it before putting it back against the woman’s side. “Stay away. Don’t make me do anything to hurt her.”

If the situation wasn’t so terrifying, Cody would laugh at the absurdity of the man’s statement. If he didn’t want to hurt anyone, he wouldn’t have a knife to some woman in the ER parking lot.

Keeping one hand on the weapon, Cody lifted his other palm. “Why don’t you just let her go? I mean, what are your options, buddy?”

The wind died down and the curtain of hair around the woman’s face dropped. Katherine Milton stared back at him with wide, terrified brown eyes.

His stomach muscles tightened.

He and Katherine weren’t exactly friends, but they’d both grown up in Water’s Edge.

Her father the sheriff, his family often behind bars.

He worked hard to earn a good reputation as a sheriff’s deputy, erasing any preconceptions heaped on his shoulders with a father and brother who didn’t know how to stay on the right side of the law.

But some people refused to see him for more than his last name. Katherine was one of them.

“Why don’t you mind your business?” the man spat out, yanking Cody back to the very dangerous moment.

Cody kept his gaze away from Katherine and his eyes locked on the ominous darkness of the holes around the man’s eyes.

“You and I both know I can’t do that. I’m here until this ends, and soon so will the backup I called the second I saw you out here.

That means it’s you and one knife against soon-to-be three sheriff’s deputies and our weapons.

I don’t really like your odds, so it’d be a safer bet to just finish this now without hurting anyone. ”

The man snorted. “Smooth talker. Think you can just show up and save the day.”

Cody shrugged. “Just trying to do my job.”

Katherine moved her hand slowly toward her jacket pocket.

Cody bit back the urge to tell her to stop moving. He didn’t want her captor to sense anything was happening but also cringed at the thought of her gaining more of the man’s wrath and getting stuck with a knife before Cody had a chance to stop him.

Katherine might not be his favorite person, but he knew she had a little boy at home who’d already lost one parent. He didn’t need to lose another.

“Your job? That’s a joke in this town. Guilty people walking around free as a bird while the innocent suffer. You should be ashamed to wear that badge.”

Cody opened his mouth to respond but the loud blast of a car alarm screeched through the night sky. The headlights of Katherine’s car blinked on and off, on and off.

Startled, the man’s arm loosened around Katherine’s neck.

She lunged forward.

Cody lifted his gun to get off a shot, but the man shoved Katherine hard in the middle of the back.

She stumbled toward the pavement.

Shifting gears, Cody maneuvered his body to land under Katherine’s. The hard pavement scraped against his side as her soft, lean body fell in his lap.

“You okay?” he asked, his arms wrapping around her on instinct. He peered around her and caught sight of the man disappearing into the patch of woods that surrounded the edge of the parking lot.

Her whole body shivered, and she rested her head on his shoulder for a beat. “I…I don’t know. I can’t believe that just happened.”

He held her tighter, the shock in her system clear to him. He had to call in the incident, but right now, he just wanted her to know she was safe. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head. “Just scared the crap out of me.”

He snorted out a humorless laugh. “Me, too.”

She pulled away and stared at him with those big brown eyes. “Really?”

“You think facing down a masked man holding a beautiful woman hostage in a dark parking lot is an everyday thing for me?”

She blinked up at him and the tremors left her body.

Shit. He’d called her beautiful and admitted to being scared while on the job. Probably something her ex-sheriff dad and two brothers never admitted.

Even if they were.

Owen and Tommy might have been sheriff’s deputies for years—Owen now serving as the county sheriff—but every man and woman behind a badge understood the fear that came along with doing their job.

“I guess I never really thought about that,” Kathrine said, answering the question that lingered between them. She cleared her throat and pushed to her feet. “Thank you.”

He stood and winced at the burning sensation of raw skin on his side. “I didn’t do much. You took a risk setting off that alarm. But you might want to turn it off now.”

“Oh geez.” She fumbled to retrieve her keys and shut off the alarm. “Where’s your backup?”

“I lied. I didn’t call anyone.” He cracked a small smile. “Looks like we both made some risky decisions, but for now let’s head into the hospital so I can get your statement.”

She blew out a long breath. “Yeah. Let’s get that done fast. I need to get home. My dad’s waiting up for me. He’s going to freak out.”

He kept his mouth shut as he walked her inside the emergency room. Her dad wasn’t the only one who’d be upset by tonight’s attack. The whole damn sheriff’s department would be in an uproar, and he’d found himself directly in the middle of the upcoming shitstorm.