Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
H er plate held only her used napkin after having a few minutes to feel completely free of the stress of the last few days. The good, strong coffee perked up her sluggish mind. Soon Lacy would feel normal again, probably after seeing Melinda and making sure her friend was okay.
Randy’s back straightened in the seat across from her as he watched a car pull into the parking lot. A huge man sat behind the wheel and slowly pulled into the handicapped parking, though she didn’t see any hang tag or sticker on his plate to say he could park there.
The man slowly got out of the old, red car. It swayed as he released his weight from it. Randy audibly swallowed. “That’s him.”
She’d figured that much out, but what could he do to them in the diner? Granted, there wasn’t anyone else inside. Everyone who worked there was in the kitchen, so the usual safety of a public place was severely lacking.
Cal tugged the door open and headed inside. He did a full surprised jump and gasp as if he was surprised to see them there, but his eyes were cold. There was no way he was legitimately surprised to see them. With a slow gait, he made his way to their table.
“Randy, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you.”
Randy frowned and held up his phone. “You have my phone number. You could’ve called me.”
“This is a discussion that needed to happen in person, not over the phone. I called your father, since we’ve known each other since childhood. He told me you were staying at some house the next town over.” He thumbed the direction they’d come. “When I went there to confront you, you were gone. I understand why you would run from me. No one wants bad news, but I think you know why I’m looking for you.” His gaze never wavered from Randy.
“I don’t think it’s fair to be having this conversation right here,” Lacy pointed out, hoping Cal was talking about actual work and not Melinda.
Cal turned to her. “You were at my hotel that day, the day he pulled the fire alarm.” He pointed at Randy. “Are you in on it? He’s facing a fine, but if you were part of this, you should pay too.”
Connor stood, making her immediately feel better. Trapped by the table, she couldn’t have stood to defend herself. She was stuck in a position of being looked down on.
“I think you need to lower your tone and curb your accusations without proof. Before anyone can be fined, there has to be verification. Are there cameras on the premises that prove your accusations or are you just looking for someone to blame?”
He stepped closer to Connor, but was at least five inches shorter. “I do have cameras. Oddly, they all went black a few seconds before the fire alarm was pulled.”
“I had nothing to do with it. There was a man pounding on my door, threatening me when it happened. I was glad the alarm went off and assumed it was a gift from God so the man would go away.”
Cal snorted. “Well, if God pulled the alarm, maybe He should pay for the repairs? I think it was a very human person who set off the sprinklers and only one man could turn off the cameras and force the fire alarm and that’s Randy. He was working that morning.”
“What about the man who was threatening me? He could’ve pulled it, thinking it would force me from my room.” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, hopefully letting him know she was quite aware that he would have to admit he knew the man banging on her door if he wanted to ruin her theory.”
“That’s right,” Randy agreed. “If he knew that all the doors would unlock when the fire alarm went off, he could simply walk inside her room.”
Cal rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. “Only people who work for our hotel know that. It’s not common practice because it’s a safety hazard. If there wasn’t actually a fire, you put everyone else at risk. No one else would think that would happen.”
Randy smiled slowly. “Except your brother. He knew. If he was trying to get into a room, pulling the smoke alarm was a sure way to get what he wanted.”
Lacy held her breath. There was a clear gap in Randy’s logic. Why pound on her door if he knew how to get in? Though sounding an alarm would also send people out into the hallway and he’d be sure to be seen, it was still a risk.
“Are you accusing my brother of something?” He moved away from pressuring Connor with his size to leaning over the table toward Randy. “He wouldn’t do something to jeopardize my business.”
If she pointed out that it was his brother who’d been threatening her, then she would give away that she knew the connection, whereas that fact was unspoken so far. A known connection might make him do something rash whereas now, he probably assumed they were too stupid to have figured it out. She kept her mouth shut.
“Randy, you’ll be getting the bill for the damage and if you can’t pay it, you’re going to jail. You’re also fired. You put multiple lives in danger and cost me days of work. I can’t let that slide.”
“Are you firing me in a diner?” Randy’s face contorted into an incredulous grimace.
“Well, I had to since you kept running from me. You can pick up anything you left in the break room in the next two days. We’ll throw it away after that. You can return your uniforms at that time.” He turned and headed for the order counter and rang the bell.
Connor sat back down and bent forward, lowering his voice, “Any of you get the impression he knew we’d be here?”
Lacy nodded and Randy joined in. Randy bent forward and muttered, “He could’ve called me. I think he was sent out to find us and use that as an excuse.”
Connor glanced behind him to the counter and Lacy followed his train of thought, watching Cal. The waitress came out and quickly took his order, called it up, then went back through the door. Cal dug in his coat pocket and pulled out his phone. Lacy quickly averted her eyes so he wouldn’t see them watching him.
She felt him stare at her and her skin tingled in unwanted gooseflesh. Taking a chance at getting caught, she looked up at him. He had his phone to his ear and kept looking back at them. From her vantage point, she didn’t need to turn around to see him like Connor did.
“We should get out of here. He’s on the phone, probably calling Tod. If he knows the police are after him, he’ll take chances to find us,” Lacy said as she shoved her wallet back into her purse. Thankfully, the waitress had already taken care of her card, and they had been ready to leave.
“Good idea. Don’t rush, just grab your coats and act like we were going to leave anyway.”
Connor stood and slowly shrugged on his coat, then helped her put on hers. He paused with his hands on her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze. He stepped forward, his mouth just inches from the back of her ear. “Hold my hand and walk slowly out. I don’t want that guy to think for a second that you’re vulnerable.”
She gave a nod and held out her hand. He took it, his fingers tightening around her ring finger. She remembered she’d left her wedding ring at home and felt his fingers searching for it. Even when there was no hope, and she’d told him she was not available to return to his side as his wife, she’d kept it on until now.
Outside, he held the door for her and waited for her to climb in before going around to the driver’s side. The moment Randy got in, he closed the door and locked it.
He turned to face them. “Look, I know being here is making this harder on you. I don’t think I’m actually in danger other than losing my job. I want you to drop me off back at Dad’s rental house where my car is. I’ll deal with this situation on my own from here. I’m too close anyway. I know all these people and that means they can pick me out from a mile away. They don’t know you.”
Connor nodded. “I think that makes good sense. I know you’d talked about going with us. We may have to leave on a moment’s notice, but you’re welcome at Wayside.” He dug his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out a business card. “You helped Lacy when she needed it and that means I owe you. It’s rare that I give these out, so don’t let that into the wrong hands.” He handed it over.
“Thanks. I won’t.” He kept silent the rest of the way back to the rental.
“This is me. Thanks for taking me along for the ride.” Randy laughed but it held no humor.
“Thank you again for all your help,” Lacy said. She wasn’t quite sure she agreed with him that he wasn’t in danger, but he was an adult, and they couldn’t make him stay.
“No problem. If you don’t leave in a rush, be sure to call me. I’d love to get out of here.” He waved and got out of the truck.
Lacy moved over in the seat to give Connor more room then buckled in. “So, where do we go now?”
“Honestly, I’m not really sure. We can’t report what happened at the café because he tried to make it seem like nothing. We could tell them that we suspect Tod will be there, but that might not happen and then they’ll have wasted resources, making us look bad. I should call Wayside and find out what’s happening there.”
She gave a single nod of agreement but said nothing. At least her friend had survived and by all appearances, they’d be able to leave soon. If Wayside wasn’t in danger, they could go even sooner. “There’s a little overlook on the edge of town. Melinda showed me when we were driving to her aunt’s house. The reception is really good there and you can see people coming from a mile away.”
He snorted. “Sounds like the perfect place.”
A few minutes later, Connor turned onto a gravel road that led up a small incline. After about a quarter mile, everything seemed to open up and the whole town came into view below them.
Lacy got out and closed her door. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket and looked out over the guard rail. “It’s too bad that I haven’t had a chance to enjoy this place. It really is pretty.”
The sun was halfway up and sending golden rays over the orange hue of the town. Connor wanted to get the call over with, but talking to Lacy, alone, was an even bigger draw.
“And even sadder that you’ll probably never want to visit again.” He brushed hair away from her cheek that had come loose in the wind.
“No, but maybe I’d like to go to Santa Fe. It’s pretty here and not as cold or windy as Wyoming.”
“I thought you missed being home?” Though he’d known she said that because of the situation. Still, she’d chosen to leave and had said she needed time away. He doubted she’d gotten what she hoped for.
“I do. Home is just that. I love Wyoming and Wayside ranch. I’m not above saying there are perks to other areas though.” She smiled at him over her shoulder.
He leaned against the front of the pickup and gave himself permission to be still . Lord, what would You have me do with this amazing woman? She told me no not so long ago, but I feel like something has changed between us. I don’t want to ignore her wishes, but I also don’t want to ignore encouragement if that’s what this is.
She moved closer to the railing and peered over the edge. “It’s not as far down as I thought it would be, the slope is less harsh than it looks.”
He laughed. “You’ve never been one to appreciate heights. What was it you said when I wanted to take you skiing when we were first married?” He hadn’t remembered that in a long time. She’d refused to admit it scared her. Since she was never afraid of anything, he’d teased her good-naturedly for a while about it.
“I told you that skis belong at the end of last names, not on my feet. I still stand by that.”
He couldn’t help himself. He headed over to her and wrapped his arms around her. Sticking his hands in her front coat pockets, he held her hands warming both of them. “I miss you, Lacy.”
“I’m right here.” She chuckled.
“That’s not what I meant. I’m not here because I think of you as some second-chance mission. I’m here because I still care about you. I don’t think I ever stopped.”
She released his hands and doing so tugged them from her pockets then turned around and rested her hands against his chest. “I know you’re not here on a second-chance mission because I told you that I wouldn’t do that. The issue that I had, that I still have, is that you still don’t believe I won’t walk away. Even after all these years. I’m not her, Connor.”
He bent his head and backed away, hiding his face from her. How had she known how hurt he was by that? He’d never told her the reasons he was so sure he wasn’t worth loving if trouble came up. He just knew it was true.
“It’s not you that I don’t trust, Lacy. It’s me. I don’t know what I did to make the one woman who was supposed to care for me unconditionally . . . walk away. She just walked away. No goodbye. No explanation. No offer to take me with her. She stayed in contact with my brothers. Why not me?”
He shook his head and turned away. “Now I sound like a whiny child. I’m not.”
“Connor.” She held his arm and stopped him from turning away further. “I know you’re not a child. Adults have feelings too. What she did hurt you and it had a direct effect on our lives. I always felt like you didn’t fully trust me to love you, no matter what.”
“How could I?” He looked into her eyes. “How could I risk rejection again?”
“I never left, Connor. All this time, I wanted you to see that. I never left even when everyone else thought I should. I didn’t want to be your second chance mission because I am not willing to go through that again. I left because I wanted to show you once and for all that I will always come back. I will always keep in contact. I will always welcome your presence in my life. The trouble is you got so used to my presence that you never noticed. You didn’t put two and two together.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t leave because my dad stepped in and said you had to work at Wayside, or he’d kick me out.”
She slowly shook her head. “No. That’s not it at all. Do you think I would’ve stayed just because he wanted me to? Do you think I could stand to live in the room next to my husband for ten years if I didn’t want to be there, if I didn’t need to see you? Come on, Connor. You know me better than that.”
The only thing that would’ve kept her there was love. Was she telling him that she’d never stopped loving him? He cupped her cheeks and drew her face closer. He couldn’t say the words out loud yet. If he did, he risked being wrong. He’d already been wrong for ten years and that had cost both of them so much. If he was wrong now, so be it. At least he’d be happy.
Ever so slowly, he drew her into a kiss. The sun warmed the side of his face as he slowly took his time telling her with his mouth but without words how much he missed her and still cared for her. How much he wanted her back.
To his utter amazement, she still spoke his language.
After a few minutes, when he was sure he couldn’t take any more without risking saying or doing something he would regret, he ended the kiss and held her close. Her hair was soft where it blew against his cheek. This was what life was for; little moments alone where the truth could come out and clear all the cobwebs. Talking to her left him feeling like he could conquer the world, not to mention his troubles.
“You should call Wayside. There’s no telling how long we’ll be safe up here. Anyone with a good pair of binoculars could see us.”
“In that case, you’d better go sit in the truck or they’ll catch you in your P.Js.” He laughed but the idea of anyone watching her through glass was disturbing.
“I already had breakfast in them, so I guess I shouldn’t hide.” But she climbed into the truck anyway.
He opened his phone and checked the signal. Lacy had been right, this high area had great reception. He pressed Brendon’s number, and his friend answered on the second ring.
“Connor, good to hear from you.”
“Hey, how are things going? Have they caught Viceroy yet?” The court case was due to start in under two weeks. Hopefully when they caught him, they’d charge him with fleeing and contempt of court, but Connor didn’t know enough about the judicial system to guess.
“No, not yet. He’s still on the loose. Worse is the fact that sightings of him have dried up in the last two hours. No one knows where he went. He’s gone off-grid, which is scary. We can’t stay locked down forever.”
“It’s only been a day. I’d say we need to give the police time to locate him and arrest him.” And it meant he couldn’t bring Lacy back. If Viceroy was anywhere along the way and managed to catch them, he’d kill Lacy without hesitation since she’d already agreed to testify against him.
“Then I guess you’ll stay gone for longer. Everything working out? Is Lacy okay?”
Connor grinned because he couldn’t help it. “Yeah, things are starting to look up here. We just have to wait until they catch the guy who’s been after her, then we can think about what to do.”
“Take your time. No sense in going from the frying pan into the fire. We’re watching everything that dares to move around here. I’ll let you know if anything changes. Oh, your dad told me to tell you that your brothers confirmed they are coming on Christmas Day. He didn’t want that to make you hurry, but he hopes you’ll be home by then.”
Connor glanced off over the town and thought about what Lacy had said. The hurt wasn’t just because of his mother. He’d been close with his brothers before the separation, too. Some hurts were layers deep, not just a simple wound with a scar.