Chapter 6
Katherine sat in the back of the ambulance and stared into the penlight the medic shone in her eye. She clasped her hands in her lap as anxiety danced up her spine. Not because of the madman out to get her, but because Cody was steps away speaking with her family.
“No concussion,” Catie, the young medic, said and clicked off the light. “I recommend over-the-counter pain medicine. Maybe some ice to help with soreness. Try and take it easy if you can.”
She almost laughed. What single working mother ever had the opportunity to take it easy?
“Thanks, Catie. Am I free to go?”
When Catie gave a little nod, Katherine hopped out of the ambulance and walked over to where the men huddled by Cody’s cruiser.
Cody glanced up and his gaze latched on hers. He raised his eyebrows as if asking a silent question.
She offered a small smile, relaxing the wrinkles in his forehead. There it was again. That silent communication. How was that possible? She barely even knew Cody, but there was something about this man that was so easy for her to read—to understand.
Something about him that made her want to know more.
A quiver vibrated deep inside of her. She wanted to explore that reaction, wanted to pull it out and dissect and understand, but now wasn’t the time.
Her dad glanced over his shoulder, spying her approach, then quickly strode her way. He gave her a quick hug then took a step back, bracing her biceps in his large hands. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just a little stiff. Nothing too bad.”
Owen joined them, his frown deeper than the Grand Canyon.
“Tommy’s out looking for this asshole’s vehicle with Heath and a few other deputies.
Pine Valley PD is pulling traffic camera footage to see if they can get a visual of the truck or license plate.
I’ll be in touch with them as soon as we’re done here.
Is there anything else you can tell us that can help find this guy? ”
She shook head then winced. Her injuries may be minimal but the pain in her head pounded against her temples. “I already told you everything I can. He followed me for a while, came up on me quickly, then ran me off the road.”
The last thing she wanted to do was replay the whole ordeal again. She’d already told Cody exactly what had happened. Going over it once more wouldn’t jar anything else from her memory. Every second of the accident would haunt her for the rest of her life.
“Where’s Ollie?” Mike asked.
“At the shelter with Elsie and Jimmy.”
Mike blew out a long breath and scrubbed a hand down his face. “Thank God. Your vehicle’s totaled. I’ll get a tow truck out here, but for now why don’t you jump in with me and Owen? We’ll drive over to Pine Valley and get Ollie.”
Her dad’s plan made sense, but something kept her from agreeing.
As if sensing her hesitation, Cody tilted his head to the side and studied her with narrowed eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“If I show up with you two in Owen’s cruiser, Ollie will know something’s wrong. I don’t want him learning about this. He’s had a hard enough time after Theo’s accident. He doesn’t need to be told I was in one, too.”
“I understand wanting to protect Ollie,” Owen said. “But I don’t see any other option.”
“She can ride with me,” Cody said.
“Excuse me?” Mike asked, his voice holding a note of disbelief.
Cody shrugged. “If you go pick up the boy, she can call ahead and tell him you wanted to take him to do something fun. Or if he wants to stay with his buddy, maybe no one needs to head to get him at all. That keeps him busy and protected, out of harm’s way while Katherine figures out how to get another vehicle and hopefully nail this son of a bitch before he tries to hurt her again. ”
The fact Cody had voiced the exact thoughts that circled her mind dropped her jaw.
“That makes sense,” Owen said. “What do you want to do, Katherine?”
She nibbled her bottom lip and ran through her options. She wanted Ollie safe, which he would be with her family, but also didn’t want to alarm him. He’d been so happy to be with Jimmy. She hated to cut their time together short.
“If he’s safe at the shelter, I think it’s best to let him stay there. I’ll call Elsie and give her a heads-up. She’ll make sure everything’s locked down. If Cody doesn’t mind, I’ll take him up on his offer to catch a ride so you two can contact the officers in Pine Valley.”
Her father’s scowl told her he wasn’t sold on her decision, but she lifted her chin a fraction to show him she wouldn’t change her mind. As much as she loved him and everything he’d done for her, the idea of being babysat for the day by him and Owen was suffocating.
“Pappy has that old truck out at his place you can probably borrow,” Owen said.
Mike grunted.
She bit back a grin. Her dad and her grandfather might have gotten along better in the past few years, but that didn’t mean the two men actually liked each other.
She and her brothers had grown accustomed to their bad blood.
Their occasional grunts and eye rolls were tame compared to the blowups that often erupted right after her mom had died when she was a teenager.
“I can drive you to your grandfather’s,” Cody said.
“Can we swing by my place first? I needed to pick up something for Ollie and he’ll be disappointed if I don’t come back with it.”
Cody dipped his chin. “Sure thing.”
“All right, looks like we all know what needs done. Dad, let’s head out,” Owen said. “You get ahold of Tommy and see if he has any information while I call Officer Sawyer. Cody, let me know when Katherine’s all settled so we can loop you in.”
Mike wrapped her in another hug then turned to Cody. “Keep her safe, Hogan.” He marched to Owen’s cruiser and climbed into the passenger seat.
Owen sighed. “He’s scared shitless.”
Katherine let out an indelicate snort. “I know the feeling.”
“We’ve got you, Sis. All of us are determined to catch this guy. I’ll be in touch.”
Once Owen was behind the steering wheel, she faced Cody and her stomach did a funny little dip. “Thank you.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Just doing my job.”
The side of her mouth lifted at the casualness in his voice. “I know what your job is, and you’re going above and beyond. I love my family more than anything, but right now I need a little space so I don’t have to temper my own reaction to all this just to make them feel better.”
“I get it,” Cody said. “Glad I can be here for whatever you need.”
No matter how innocent his words, they brought something to life inside her that had lain dormant for months.
She needed a ride from him, and that was all. Or at least that’s the lie she told herself as she followed him to his car.
The air in Cody’s car was thick, the energy practically vibrating.
He was painfully aware of every sound Katherine made, every movement.
She filled his space with her femininity in a way that made him want to forget about his job for the rest of the day.
Made him want to uncover everything he could about the woman he’d steered clear of for most of his life.
“I’m the third house on the left.” She flicked her wrist out the window, indicating the large brick colonial.
He couldn’t stop the low whistle from coming out of his mouth. “Nice place. Big yard.”
“Yeah, it’s not fun to mow but Ollie has plenty of room to run around.”
Parking in her driveway, he glanced her way with his eyebrows hiked high. “You mow?”
She laughed, the sound like a warm spring rain in his ears. “Is that so hard to believe?”
Shrugging, he opted to step out of his car instead of answering.
She met him at the hood of the cruiser and planted her fists on her hips. “I’m not letting you off the hook. Don’t I look like a woman who can handle a mower?”
He swallowed hard. Hell, she looked like the kind of woman who could handle anything he threw her way, but he couldn’t say that.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, searching for a way out of this mess.
“I’m sure you have your hands full with taking care of Ollie and working as well as everything else you have going on.
Yard work is the last thing you should have to worry about. ”
Her stance relaxed and a genuine smile touched her lips, deepening her dimples. “Smooth.”
Grinning, he followed her up the walkway.
“This won’t take long.” She pulled out her keys and unlocked the door. When she pushed it open, the screech of an alarm echoed into the afternoon sky. She keyed in numbers to the panel by the door and the screeching stopped.
He took a step inside and studied the panel. “Nice system.”
“With family in law enforcement, no way they’d allow anything less than the best. I have to run up to Ollie’s room. I’ll be back in a second.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded. “Mind if I have a look around the first floor? Just to make sure everything’s secure.”
She wrapped her arms around her midsection. “Do you think that guy knows where I live?”
He worked his jaw back and forth as he considered his words for a second time.
“It’s a possibility. He knew you’d be at the hospital last night.
He followed you from Pine Valley today. There’s no telling how long he’s had his eye on you or what patterns of yours he’s picked up.
You have a great security system in place, so you’d know if he tried to get inside, but it’s always a good idea to double check the house.
It just takes things slipping through the cracks one time for something bad to happen. ”
She blew out a long breath. “Makes sense. Do whatever you have to.”
He waited for her to make her way up the stairs before turning into the living room at his side.
Light poured in from a wall of windows that looked out into the backyard.
An oversized gray sectional covered with decorative pillows faced a fireplace, a large television mounted above it.
Framed photos of Katherine, Ollie, and Theo littered the walls and decorated the wooden stands placed beside the furniture.
A picture of the three smiling with the ocean behind them hung on the wall and drew him across the room. Theo threw Ollie in the air while Katherine tilted her head toward the sky in obvious laughter. Pure joy oozed from the photo and tied his insides in a knot.
A happy, thriving family had lived here. A good father and husband ripped away. It wasn’t fair.
“What are you looking at?”
The sudden sound of Katherine’s voice spun him around. He winced, as though caught doing something he shouldn’t. “Sorry.”
A sad smile touched her lips and she joined him, her shoulder brushing against his. “That was our last vacation. We took Ollie to Mexico. He loved the beach.”
Emotion squeezed his throat. “I’m glad you have that memory. You all look so happy.”
She brushed a finger along the front of the frame and sighed. “We were.”
“He was a good man.”
She faced him, eyes wide. “You knew him?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Not well. I mean, we all went to school together, remember?”
She winced. “Yeah. I guess I forget that sometimes. It was a lifetime ago.”
“It was, but I remember it all too well. Theo,” he said, dipping his head toward the grinning man.
“Was always nice to me. Even when most people in this town treated me like a criminal, he never judged me based on the actions of my family. Never looked down his nose at me because I lived on the wrong side of town or sometimes wore the same shirt three times a week because I didn’t have anything else to put on.
Our paths didn’t cross much in recent years, but when they did, he always had a kind word. I liked him.”
Unshed tears glimmered in her eyes. “That sounds like Theo. Such a good man. Thank you for sharing that.”
Seeing the emotion twisting her beautiful face gutted him. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
She dashed away the tears. “No, they aren’t sad tears.
It’s just…it’s hard to explain. Talking about Theo always brings a rush of feelings, but it’s also nice.
Like he’s not forgotten. Ollie and I talk about him all the time, but that’s mostly me reliving memories so Ollie won’t forget his dad.
But other people, they walk around me on eggshells when his name comes up.
As though they’ll accidently remind me that I miss him.
That pain never goes away, but discussing him with others helps me to focus on the positive things he left behind. ”
A moment of silence passed between them before Katherine rested a hand on his arm. “Sorry I wasn’t more like him.”
His skin tingled from her touch. He frowned down at her. “What do you mean?”
“I kept my distance from you. I judged you because of your family when I shouldn’t have. You’re a good man, and I’m sure you were probably just as great of a teenager. I didn’t give you a chance. That was pretty shitty of me.”
Her words constricted his throat, but he kept his expression as passive as possible. He didn’t want her to know how much it meant that she recognized she’d placed a label on him he’d fought his entire life to rip off. “Teenage girls aren’t exactly known for their kindness.”
She snorted out a laugh. “True, but I could have been better. I will be better.”
Narrowing his eyes, he glanced down at her upturned nose and the tight set of her pretty pink lips. God, he’d do anything to taste her, to find out what her mouth felt like on his.
No, he had to erase that thought from his mind right now.
She might have acknowledged she hadn’t treated him the best in high school but that didn’t mean she wanted anything beyond friendship as adults.
Hell, even friendship might be more than she intended.
She was a victim who needed protecting, not a woman for him to pine after.
He’d finish double checking her security then drop her at her grandfather’s. Then he’d find the asshole after her so she could get on with her life and he could forget that a simple touch from Katherine Milton had set his entire body on fire.