Chapter 3
Before Katherine stepped foot on the wide front porch that wrapped around her two-story brick colonial, her dad was out the door. Former county sheriff Mike Wells marched over the sidewalk, blocking her path and meeting her with open arms.
She drew in a deep breath, inhaling the scents of cedar and cigars that would forever remind her of her father. “Is Ollie asleep?”
“Yeah, he’s been out like a light for over an hour.”
Knowing her son was safe and sound, asleep in his bed, allowed her to melt against her father and release the torrent of emotions clawing at her throat.
Tears burst from her eyes as worst-case scenarios of tonight’s events assaulted her like shrapnel.
Tremors overtook her body. “I could have died. It would have taken seconds for him to jam that knife in me, leaving Ollie all alone.”
“Shh, don’t think like that. You’re fine now. You’re home and here to look after that little boy. Besides, with as much family as we have running around this town, Ollie will never be alone.”
She cracked a smile and sucked in a shuddering breath. Growing up in such a small town meant not only having blood relatives around to keep her in line, but a whole community behind her—and now her son.
“You’re right,” she said, pulling away and wiping her eyes. She’d given herself a moment to fall apart and now it was time to pull herself back together. She couldn’t afford to let herself feel every emotion boiling inside her or putting one foot in front of the other would be impossible.
Mike wrapped an arm around her shoulder again. “Let’s get you in the house. It’s been a long day, and you need some sleep.”
A snort of derision shot from her nose. “I have a feeling I won’t be getting any of that tonight.”
“I’ll stay,” Mike said. “Set up in the living room and keep an eye on things so you don’t have to worry.”
More tears stung the backs of her eyes. She stepped inside her home and tossed her keys in the little dish on the table nestled against the wall in the entryway. “You’ve been here for hours. No need to stay any longer. I’m a grown woman. I can handle things.”
“No one says you can’t, but that doesn’t mean you should have to do it alone. How about some tea?”
She started to argue but her father dipped down the hall to the kitchen before she could say a word.
Sighing, she shrugged out of her jacket and hung it in the entryway closet. As grateful as she was, she didn’t need all the men in her life swooping in to help. She could take care of herself, even if it was nice to know she had support behind her.
Support from her brother when he escorted her home, support from her father who refused to leave her on her own, support from Cody Hogan who’d showed up and saved her.
The memory of the way his arms fit around her hit her square in the chest. Heat climbed the back of her neck.
He’d held her so gently yet with so much strength.
His blue eyes showcasing his emotions in a way she’d never experienced—like they could have an entire conversation without a single word.
The well-trimmed dark beard added to the hint of danger that clung to him since he’d been a teenager, his short-cropped hair just messy enough to make her want to run her fingers through it.
A wave of guilt crashed against her so hard, she braced her hand on the wall to keep upright. Maybe she should skip the tea and head straight to bed because she clearly needed the rest. Fear that she’d lay in bed to only find herself dreaming of Cody guided her feet to the kitchen.
Her dad filled the kettle and set it on the gas stove. Her favorite cream-colored mug that read “Nurses Call the Shots,” scrawled in large red letters, waited for her at her normal place at the farmhouse table.
A cup of coffee across from it.
She fought her instinct to roll her eyes. Her dad had no intentions of sleeping tonight, even though the state-of-the-art security system would alert her if anyone came around.
The whistle sounded, and Mike lifted the navy blue kettle and carried it to her cup, pouring hot water over the tea bags. She sat and circled her hands around the warm mug.
Normally, this time of the night she loved sitting in her quiet kitchen.
The lights were dimmed, creating a glow that softened the white marble countertops.
The island was free of clutter and the dinner dishes all put away.
She’d spent hours toiling over the perfect subway tile to splash along the backboard and the right shade of gray for the cabinets.
This was the heart of her home, the place her family gathered for meals and to discuss their day. Where the scents of countless meals mingled with the lemony smell of the diffuser plugged in next to the sink.
But that wasn’t true. Not anymore. Now she realized the heart of her home had rested in the people who lived there. And part of that heart had been ripped away and buried in the ground outside of town.
Replacing the kettle, Mike settled into his chair and took a sip of coffee. “Wanna talk about it? Sometimes it helps.”
“Will it turn back time and make it so none of this happened?”
A sadness she’d witnessed far too often in her father turned down the corners of Mike’s mouth.
“I wish it did, honey. But we both know nothing can take away the pain or fear or whatever else that comes along with a shitty situation. We just got to find a way to get through the bad things, knowing better times wait ahead.”
She sipped her tea, debating what to say. She had no delusion that talking to her dad would actually help her, but he would get the information sooner or later. Better to get the details from her than making him wait to call Owen.
Pulling in a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and unpacked the trauma she’d just experienced.
Mike sat still and took in every word, his expression morphing from anger to fear to something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. When she finished, she took another sip of the chamomile to soothe her dry throat.
The wheels spinning in Mike’s mind were clear in his laser-focused stare. “And you have no idea who this guy was?”
She shook her head. “Nothing about him was familiar. His voice, his scent, the little I saw.”
“The crack he made to Cody about law enforcement is the key,” Mike said, scratching his jaw.
Frowning, she pulled back the words her attacker had spat at Cody. “He definitely had a problem with authority. Called Cody’s job a joke. Could this guy have ambushed me because of my connection to you, Tommy, and Owen?”
Growing up, she’d been painfully aware that people sometimes treated her differently because her father was the sheriff, but she’d never felt targeted because of it.
Could someone harbor enough resentment for her family that they’d attack her?
Wanting her to be the payback for something that she’d had no control over?
Mike worked his jaw back and forth. “It’s possible. I’ll call Owen. No way I’m sitting on the sidelines on this one. Cody proved himself tonight, and I won’t be a pain in his ass, but I want to be aware of everything that’s going on. Do whatever I can to lend a hand until this guy’s caught.”
She appreciated her dad’s insistence on helping, but deep down she understood Mike Wells would still be the county’s beloved sheriff if it wasn’t for her and the nasty curveball life had thrown her.
Law enforcement was in his blood, and now he had one more chance to use his skills to find whoever the hell had attacked her.
Cody steadied the medical kit on the sink of the sheriff department’s bathroom.
He opened the box and found what he needed.
Hissing out a breath, he dabbed disinfectant on the raw skin snaking up his side then covered it with a bandage.
He hadn’t had a chance to clean it out since he’d fallen on the asphalt after catching Katherine in his arms.
Gritting his teeth, he shoved the memory from his mind. His reaction to her had been quick and unavoidable. Something he had as much control over as he did the time the sun rose above the mountains.
At least the sunrise created an explosion of oranges and pinks in the morning sky, bringing with it a little hope for a better day ahead. He didn’t want to let his mind dwell on what his reaction to Katherine meant.
Nothing good, that’s for sure.
With his scratch taken care of, he lowered his shirt and stepped back out into the busy hive of the sheriff’s station.
Deputy Heath Sterling stood in front of the vending machine and fed loose change into the slot before making his selection. He glanced his way with raised brows. “Can I get you anything?”
He blew out a breath and shook his head. “Nah. I’m going to check in with Owen then head home to try and catch an hour or two of sleep.”
Frowning, Heath glanced at his watch. “Weren’t you off shift a while ago?”
He nodded and shoved a hand through his hair. “Too much adrenaline to call it quits.”
Heath’s expression twisted into a combination of fury and sympathy. “I heard what happened. I can’t believe there’s been no other sighting of the man who attacked Katherine. Sounds like he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.”
“Which means this wasn’t a random attack.”
“What do you mean?”
Deciding the chocolate bar in vending looked too good to pass up, he slipped a dollar out of his wallet and into the machine.
Heath stepped to the side to give him space to grab his snack.
He peeled back the wrapper and took a bite of the rich dessert before focusing back on Heath’s question.
“Looking at the security footage, it was clear the man waited to ambush Katherine. If he got away as quickly as he did, he had a clear idea of where to go and how to cover his tracks. If this was a random attack of a woman alone in a dark lot, chances are higher we would’ve caught him by now. ”
Heath blew into the paper cup in his hand before taking a sip. “Makes sense. He made a plan, executed it, just didn’t claim the prize he wanted. The question is, why Katherine?”
That’s the thought that had plagued him every minute since he’d stumbled across her in a madman’s clutches, frightened for her life.
“Hogan. Got a minute?” Owen marched to his side, bags heavy under his eyes.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“My dad just showed up. He wants to talk to you. I know you’ve put in extra time already, and my dad isn’t anyone to you but your old boss, but it’d mean a lot to all of us if you sat down with him.”
He dipped his chin. “No problem.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell him to make it quick. He’s in my office.”
Taking another quick bite of the candy bar, Cody followed through the maze of halls to the sheriff’s office.
At one point, the idea of sitting and speaking with Mike Wells had scared the hell out of him.
He’d been young and so consumed with stepping away from the dark cloud of his family’s name, he couldn’t fathom a man like Sheriff Wells seeing him as anything more than a speck of dirt under his boot.
But Sheriff Wells was a fair and honest man. Quick to give him a chance to earn his spot and reputation as a deputy. He’d always be grateful that the Hogan name hadn’t dragged him down the river like it had the rest of his family.
Even if his brother and father had tried their hardest to convince Cody to follow the family way. Especially when they’d hoped having connections on the inside could grease more than a few wheels.
A ridiculous notion he was quick to squash.
Turning into the doorway, he spotted Mike sitting behind Owen’s desk—looking as though he’d never left his position to his son.
Sighing, Owen gave a little shake of his head and closed the door. “Really, Dad? You couldn’t take the visitor’s seat?”
Mike guffawed. “Where we all sit is the least of your worries right now, don’t you think?”
Owen didn’t respond, just dropped down into one of two bucket chairs across the desk.
Cody remained on his feet. He didn’t plan to stay long and wanted a quick exit in case the two men continued to bicker. The Wells men usually got along, but when patience was thin and emotions high, they had a tendency to take it out on one another.
“Hogan, I wanted to personally thank you for saving Katherine. I saw the tape. If you hadn’t shown up, things could have ended very differently.” He coughed, as though hiding the dip in his voice at the thought of an outcome none of them wanted to imagine.
“No need to thank me, sir. I was just doing my job.”
Mike held up a hand. “You have my gratitude whether you want it or not. I spoke with Katherine, actually just left her place after crashing there for the night, and she told me exactly what happened. I’m not here to make you rehash more details, or to throw my weight around when I have no claim to this investigation.
But I would like to be involved however possible.
I want to help find this bastard, and I want you to know I’m at your disposal. ”
He blinked at the turn the conversation had taken. He’d been warned Mike would want a hand in things, which made perfect sense. Having his old boss offer to do Cody’s bidding wasn’t exactly what he saw coming.
“Owen and I’ve spoken and I’m aware this is a high-priority case. Not only is Katherine the target, but a violent and dangerous man is at large. I don’t care who’s in charge or calling the shots as long as we find this guy and put him in a jailcell where he belongs.”
A spark of appreciation lit Mike’s blue eyes. “I like the way you think. I’ve also been told you’ve been on the clock for way too long. You heading home?”
“Was about to, sir.”
“Do that, and when you get back to the station, we’ll go over where things stand. Until then, I’ll work with Owen and Tommy. That okay with you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
He took a step toward the door then hesitated. “How’s Katherine?”
Owen glanced over his shoulder and furrowed his brow while Mike leaned forward and rested his elbows on the edge of the desk.
Shit.
He shouldn’t have asked. Shouldn’t have let his professionalism slip enough to let his personal feelings shine through.
“I just mean, she had a rough night. I hope she got some sleep and feels a little better this morning.” Sweat coated his palms, and he fought every instinct not to wipe them on the sides of his pants.
“She’s okay,” Mike said. “She’s strong and knows how to fight back when life knocks her down.”
The knot in his gut loosened at the news and he nodded his goodbye before disappearing out the door, leaving Katherine’s family staring after him.