Chapter Eight
Addie sat in the rocking chair in her bedroom, a sleeping baby nestled in each arm, while she waited for Judson. Waited and tried not to give in to the sickening dread that just wouldn’t let up.
So much dread.
For the babies. For the danger they’d been in during the attack. For the possibility that the attacks weren’t over, and that the gunman could strike again.
Yes, that was the fear all right, and Addie was hoping that Judson might be able to steady her nerves and give her some much-needed assurance once she was able to talk to him.
She hadn’t managed to have more than a couple of seconds with him before he’d run off toward that barn and the person who’d been firing those shots.
She knew he was busy with the aftermath of the attack. So were Rory, Bennie and Livvy. Rory and Bennie were staying close to the house in case the worst happened and the shooter returned, but Livvy and Eden were out looking for the person who’d tried to kill Judson and her.
Kill.
That was definitely a word, and a dread, that wasn’t going away anytime soon.
The shooter had been very determined to finish them off.
Nearly had, too. And it was beyond frustrating that they still had no idea why this was happening.
That was one of the big answers that Judson and the other cops were trying to find, and if they managed to catch the shooter, that would the start of getting answers.
In the meantime, they all had to take precautions.
That included keeping the curtains drawn so a sniper couldn’t pinpoint their location.
There’d be no going outside for Etta Jean, the twins or her.
Basically, they’d be prisoners in their own home while Judson and so many others were risking their lives.
That didn’t sit especially well with Addie, but priority one was the babies, and she had no intention of leaving them until this shooter was caught.
“Want me to help put the babies down?” Etta Jean asked.
That yanked Addie out of her doom-and-gloom thoughts, and she welcomed the reprieve.
She glanced at Etta Jean, who was perched on the edge of a chair in the sitting area of the bedroom.
Clearly, she was battling nerves and dread, too, but she seemed to be holding it together.
So would Addie, for the sake of the twins. But she still wanted to see Judson.
Addie shook her head. “I want to hold them just a bit longer.” She snuggled her face against Rose’s baby curls and drew in that wonderful scent.
“Thank you for protecting them,” she added to Etta Jean, and she voiced something that she’d been afraid to say.
“Were Lily and Rose scared during the shooting?”
All that noise had to be terrifying. Or rather, it had been for Addie. Because any of those shots could have gone into the house.
“I don’t think so,” Etta Jean replied after a slight hesitation.
“Lily was crying, but I think that’s because I gave her a jolt when I scooped her up, ran into the bathroom and climbed into the tub with her.
She’d been sleeping,” she explained. “Rose was awake, and Bennie was right by her bassinet, talking to her. She didn’t fuss when he took her and followed Lily and me. ”
Addie’s imagination was far better than she wanted. She could see all of that playing out. Lily crying. The sheer terror that Etta Jean and Bennie had to have been feeling as they put the babies in the tub and no doubt protected them with their own bodies.
Judson had done that for her. He had shielded her by having her move under the cruiser while he’d stayed in the line of fire. Addie hated that he’d done that. Hated that he had put her life ahead of his. But she was beyond thankful that neither of them, nor the ranch hands, had been shot.
Addie’s head whipped up when she heard footsteps, and she tried not to show her disappointment when it wasn’t Judson who stepped into the doorway but Livvy.
“Judson will be here soon,” Livvy volunteered, letting Addie know that she obviously hadn’t succeeded in hiding the disappointment. “He’s finishing up giving his statement to Grace. I just wanted to drop by and check on you before I head back to the station.”
“Any signs of the shooter?” Addie asked, already knowing the answer. If they had found him or her, then Livvy would have led with that.
Livvy shook her head, the frustration all over her face. “But the CSIs are in the barn, looking for anything that might clue us in to who fired those shots.” She glanced at the babies and then at Etta Jean before her attention went back to Addie. “How’s everybody holding up?”
Addie decided to go with a lie. “Okay.” Because if she said that lie enough, she might start to believe it. Or better yet, it might start to be true.
Livvy made a sound to indicate she didn’t quite believe that, but she didn’t push and then went for a change of subject.
“The cops who notified Courtney’s parents about her death said they were ripped to pieces, but they were able to give them some info.
Apparently, Courtney talked to them a lot about Yvette, and there was plenty of bad blood between the women.
Over the years Yvette has filed more than a hundred complaints against Courtney. ”
“That many?” Addie shook her head. “For what?”
“Lots of things. Yvette apparently liked to follow Courtney, so she’s reported her for everything from speeding to jaywalking to littering. Yvette has even contacted plenty of Courtney’s clients, trying to get them to have the woman fired or file a joint lawsuit against her.”
It took plenty of anger for Yvette to do something like that.
But then, the woman did blame Courtney for losing custody of Shane and Jennifer, and that was motive for murder.
Not just for Yvette, but maybe for Jennifer and Shane, too.
Jennifer might not have good things to say about her bio mom, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t feel compelled to protect her in some way.
“Has the lab found anything in Courtney’s car or on her clothes to link her to Yvette?” Addie asked.
“No.” Livvy sighed again. “But it’s getting priority treatment, so we might have something soon.”
Livvy didn’t add more, probably because she heard more footsteps coming up the hall toward them. And this time, it was the person Addie wanted to see.
Judson.
He stepped around Livvy, walking straight to Addie. He gave the twins a long look over before his gaze met hers. “We should talk. Are Lily and Rose ready for bedtime?”
Addie silently groaned. She didn’t want to hear more bad news, but she also didn’t want Judson keeping anything from her, either.
“Yes, they’re ready for bed,” Addie muttered.
And they were. Despite everything, or maybe because of it, Etta Jean and Addie had already gotten them bathed and fed. They were wearing their footed pj’s with Lily in her usual pink and Rose in yellow.
Judson eased Rose from her left arm, taking her to her bassinet while Addie did the same to Lily.
“I’ll stay with them while you talk,” Etta Jean said, making the same offer she had earlier that day.
That day, Addie mentally repeated. Had it only been that morning when the babies had gone missing? It felt like a couple of lifetimes ago. And while the day was technically over, the night certainly wasn’t. With the gunman still at large, that wouldn’t make for restful sleep.
Addie thanked Etta Jean and added a hug that lingered for several moments when she felt the tension in the woman’s muscles. It was going to take them all a while to get past the trauma of what had happened.
“Call me if you need anything,” Livvy offered as Judson and Addie went to the door.
“I will,” Addie assured her and gave Livvy a hug, too. “And thank you for everything.”
“Anytime,” Livvy replied, and she walked away.
Judson took hold of Addie’s hand and led her in the opposite direction.
Not toward the front of the house, where there was so much chatter and activity still going on.
He took her to the kitchen. When they found Bennie and one of the ranch hands there, Judson made a detour to the small sewing room that had once been the maid’s quarters when the house was first built, over a hundred years ago.
The moment they were inside, he shut the door. And Judson pulled her into his arms.
Addie welcomed it. Mercy, did she. She needed this, and even though it brought on the inevitable heat, she didn’t care. She just held on and let his arms ease some of the tight tension in her body. Only after she’d steadied herself did she say what had been flashing like neon lights in her head.
“You could have been killed,” she blurted. “You put yourself between a shooter and me, and you could have died.”
Judson had an odd reaction. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. It only added character to that amazing face that had way more character than a man had a right to have.
“I would tap my badge to remind you I’m a cop,” he drawled. “But if I move my hand between us now, I might end up touching something of yours that I shouldn’t.”
For some stupid reason, that made her smile, too. It didn’t last. But the old attraction came, and parts of her were certain she would enjoy Judson touching her. Well, if it weren’t for the fact they’d nearly died and were in the middle of hunting for a killer.
“You wanted to talk,” she managed to say, hoping it would get her mind back on track.
But she was instantly sorry for the change in subject. His smile vanished, and she saw the cop standing in front of her. A cop who eased back from her.
“Here’s the bottom line,” he started. “We don’t know squat about who fired those shots. There are no visible tracks and so far none of the recovered shell casings have had fingerprints on them.”
Her heart sank. She had been hoping that the CSIs or deputies would find something.
“You got a look at the shooter,” she reminded. “Could it have been one of our suspects?”