Buch lesen: «The Baby Protectors»

ONE

Something wasn’t right. Holly knew it the moment she opened her eyes. She lay still and squinted into the darkness that covered the bedroom. A puzzled frown pulled at her forehead. What had woken her?

Outside, the wind stirred and a branch on the oak tree next to her bedroom window tapped on the glass pane. In the distance, she could hear a dog barking, but there were no other sounds in the night to alarm her.

Then it hit her, and she bolted up in bed. It wasn’t the presence of sounds that had awakened her. It was the absence of them. She reached over and switched on the bedside light and peered at the baby monitor on the table.

Silence greeted her.

How could that be? She’d left the quiet music playing in the nursery when she’d put her one-year-old niece and nephew to bed, as it seemed to lull them to sleep. Now there was nothing coming over the monitor. Not even the quiet snuffling sound that Emma often made in her sleep.

She flicked the covers back and bounded out of bed. Without waiting to put on her robe or shoes, she ran down the hallway to the bedroom where Emma and Ethan slept. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when she caught sight of the closed door that she had left open before she’d retired to her own room.

Fighting back the rising fear that threatened to overcome her, she threw the door open and switched on the overhead light. She didn’t know what she expected to find, but it wasn’t the sight of a figure dressed in black with a ski mask over his face, holding Ethan, and he was about to slip Ethan into the canvas baby carrier that lay against his chest. For a moment, all she could do was stare in shock. Then she went into full panic mode.

“What are you doing?” she screamed.

The man whirled around and dropped Ethan back in his bed. The room that moments ago had been sheathed in silence erupted with the startled cries of the awakened twins and a muttered exclamation of surprise from the intruder. He glared at her through the slits in his mask, and she cast a terrified glance from him to the two babies, who by now were standing in their cribs with their hands locked on the railings. Their alarmed cries echoed through the room.

Before she could move, the man lunged toward her, and she reacted on instinct. She darted to the rocking chair that sat to her left and positioned herself behind it. A soft chuckle drifted to her ears. “That ain’t gonna protect you, lady.”

He took another step in her direction, and she backed away toward the wall. As her foot touched the baseboard, she felt something nudge her back and remembered the broom she’d left there earlier.

She wrapped both hands around the broom’s handle and held it in front of her like a sword, poised to strike her attacker. He shook his head, and his lips visible through the mask’s mouth opening curled into a sarcastic smile. “A broom?” he taunted. “That the best you can do?”

Holly willed herself not to move until he’d taken another step closer, and then she reacted. With a fierce growl, she thrust the head of the broom forward and jabbed at the mask’s eye slits. The man howled in pain as the sharp bristles connected with his eyes, and he staggered backward and clutched at his face. Before he could retreat farther, she readjusted her hands on the broom and swung with all her might. The blow hit him on the side of the head.

He stumbled but caught himself and snarled, “You’re going to pay for that.”

“I don’t think so!” she yelled.

Before he could take another step, she drew back, and with the full weight of her body, she slammed the end of the handle into his abdomen. She didn’t give him time to collect his wits before she took a deep breath and delivered a hard thrust to his Adam’s apple.

A gurgling sound erupted from his throat, and he grabbed at his neck in obvious pain as he backed away. His chest heaved as he tried to breathe, but she didn’t give up. She advanced on him, continuously jabbing and thrusting the broom, as he turned to run from the room. “Get out of my house!” she screamed with each step she took.

He tried to flee from the blows, but it was no use. She was a mama bear protecting her young, and she wasn’t about to let this man who’d sneaked into her house in the middle of the night hurt her or her family.

As he stumbled into the hallway, she followed him, still wielding her makeshift weapon, delivering blow after blow. With another cry of pain, he turned toward the stairs, but she was ready for that. She drew back and landed a direct hit on his kidney. A strangled cry of pain let her know she’d delivered a punishing stroke.

His back arched, and his foot slipped from the top step. Panting for breath, she stood at the top of the stairwell and watched as he tumbled down the stairs. He landed at the bottom with a loud thud and lay there for a split second before he pushed to his feet. Slowly, he turned his head, gazed at her on the landing and shook his fist.

“This ain’t over!”

She glared back at him and raised the broom again. With a muttered expletive, he hobbled to the door and rushed out into the night. Unsure what to do, she stood still, afraid to move. What if he came back? She might not be able to fight him off the next time. Her mind raced with thoughts of what she could do to protect herself and the babies. She knew she needed to call the police, but her frantic, chaotic thoughts kept her frozen in place. She was only able to move when she heard the cries of Emma and Ethan coming from their bedroom.

Turning, she ran to her bedroom, grabbed her cell phone and rushed back to the twins. By this time, they were both howling at the top of their lungs. She flipped the lock on the nursery’s door and rushed to give each of the babies a swift kiss before she dialed in a call to nine-one-one.

The operator answered right away. “Nine-one-one. What is your emergency?”

“This is Holly Lee,” she gasped. “I’m at Tumbling Creek Ranch on Ridge Road. A man just broke into my house.”

“Is the man still there?”

“No. I was able to fight him off, and he ran out the front door.”

“Where are you now?” the operator asked.

“I’m locked in one of the bedrooms upstairs with my niece and nephew.”

“Help is on the way,” she said. “Keep the door locked and stay there until you hear the officers arrive. I’ll remain on the phone with you until they get there.”

Holly reached out and gave each child a hug with her free arm as she continued to clutch the phone with her other hand to her ear. “How long is it going to be?”

“Don’t worry,” the operator said. “They’re only a few minutes out. Is your front door unlocked?”

“I—I think so. That’s the way the man left.”

“Then just hang on and talk to me until the officers get there.”

The soothing tone of the operator’s voice calmed her as she tried to quiet the babies. “It’s okay,” she crooned as she planted a kiss on the head of each one. “Aunt Holly isn’t going to let anything happen to you.”

Emma’s cries turned into a soft sob as she looked up at her. Tears filled her big blue eyes, and she stuck her thumb in her mouth. Ethan held up his arms in invitation to be picked up. Holly wanted to grab them both up and hug them to her chest, but she still had the phone to her ear. Try as she might, she hadn’t yet mastered the technique of picking both babies up at one time. How had her sister managed?

The thought of her sister brought tears to her eyes, and she looked down at the twins, who’d become so important to her in the last few weeks since her sister’s and brother-in-law’s deaths. Their children were the only family Holly had left. What if that man had hurt them tonight? The thought made her stomach roil.

“Ma’am, are you still there?” The operator’s voice jerked her from her thoughts.

“Yes, I’m still here.” She hesitated for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief. “I hear the police sirens now. I think they’re almost here.”

“They are. They should be inside your house in the next few minutes.”

The sound of a car screeching to a halt in front of the house split the air, and then she heard the front door slam open, followed by footsteps pounding up the stairs. “Holly! Where are you?”

When she heard the familiar voice, her grip on the phone loosened, and she barely caught it before it slipped from her hand. The locked door rattled as the person on the other side tried to get in. “Holly! Are you in there? Open up.”

Her arm dropped away from the protective hug around Ethan, and he erupted in cries. “Shh.” She smiled as she shushed the babies and pulled the phone closer. “Someone’s here now, and I’m going to hang up. Thank you for staying on the line with me.”

“I’m glad I was able to help. Now, go let the police in.”

Holly ended the call and took a deep breath before she walked to the door. When she reached to unlock it, she hesitated and bit down on her lip. She should have known he’d come, but she’d been so rattled that she hadn’t expected him. She took a deep breath and opened the door to face the man she hadn’t seen in ten years.

* * *

Cole raised his hand to pound again but stopped as he heard the lock click. Then the door eased open and Holly stood there. All he could do was stare at her. Of course, he’d seen her from a distance at her sister and brother-in-law’s memorial service, and he’d seen her picture splashed across newspapers’ front pages, television screens and social-media sites many times over the last several years. But this was the first time he’d had a chance to see her up close since she’d left for Nashville ten years ago to pursue her dream of becoming a country-music star. She hadn’t changed that much. Her hair was a shade lighter, not quite the honey-blond color he remembered from their first day of school when they were children. There were also stress lines around her blue eyes, but that was to be expected.

With the release of her latest album, Traces, that had already gone platinum, he couldn’t imagine the pressure of promotions and public appearances so soon after her sister’s and brother-in-law’s deaths. He’d seen her on a late-night talk show last week and had wondered how she was doing as he studied her body language.

Now, as they stared at each other, he had to remind himself that he was there in response to a nine-one-one call, not a personal one. After all, she’d never tried to contact him in all these years and apparently hadn’t looked back when she left him for her big chance in Nashville. It had taken him years to move on, and he believed he had put all of his feelings for Holly behind him. He had to be careful and not let old resentments flare up or hurtful memories surface. He’d worked too hard to forget her for that to happen.

“Cole,” she whispered. “Thank you for coming.”

He took a step forward. “Holly, are you and the kids all right?”

She gave the crying babies another hug and nodded. “We’re fine. Just had quite a scare. How did you get here so fast?”

“I woke up when the report came over my scanner, and I knew I was probably closer than any of our patrol cars. So I jumped out of bed and rushed over here. Which way did the intruder go?”

“He went out the front door, but I didn’t hear a car.” A sudden thought struck her, and her eyes grew wide. “Do you think he could still be outside?”

A grimace pulled at Cole’s mouth as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and tapped a number in. When Dispatch answered, he responded with orders. “Detective Jackson here. I’m at Tumbling Creek Ranch with the victim, but the intruder has left. I need the search team to sweep the area and make sure he’s not hiding somewhere.” He listened for a moment before he spoke again. “Ten-four. Let me know when they’re on the way.”

When he disconnected the call, he looked back at Holly and noticed the way her lips trembled.

“Do you think he might still be around?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I just want to be sure. There’s a patrol car on the way here now, but the search team should be along shortly. If he’s here, they’ll find him.”

A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth, and a wobbly smile pulled at her lips. “Thank you, Cole.”

He started to reply, but Ethan’s cry distracted him. He stepped around her and walked over to the bed. “Hey, buddy, what’s the matter?” Ethan held out his arms, and Cole scooped him up and held him close. “How you doing, little man? You’ve grown since I last saw you.”

Holly watched as Cole jiggled the baby, calming his cries, and then she walked over and picked up Emma. They stood beside the cribs, each comforting one of the twins, and his eyes locked on her. “Now tell me what happened.”

She took a deep breath and began to describe what had taken place in the bedroom. He listened as she talked, and he nodded from time to time. When she got to the part about how she’d used a broom as a weapon, he tried to smother his grin. He could just imagine the intruder’s surprise when she’d gone on the offensive.

Just as she finished, he heard people calling out from downstairs. “Miss Lee? Where are you?”

“Up here,” Cole called out.

The words were barely out of his mouth before two uniformed officers, Zach Thomas and April Cantrell, appeared at the bedroom door. They stopped momentarily and stared at him holding one of the babies before they glanced at each other with confusion on their faces. Zach cleared his throat and nodded at him. “Detective Jackson, I didn’t expect you to already be here.”

“I live nearby,” Cole replied and glanced back at Holly. “I’ve called for a search team, and I was just getting information about the break-in from Miss Lee. Why don’t we go sit down, so we can get the official report?”

Holly cast an uncertain glance at the twins as if she didn’t know what to do with them. With a smile, April stepped forward. “Why don’t you let me take care of these precious babies while you talk to Detective Jackson and Officer Thomas?”

Holly hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure?”

April nodded. “I have two children of my own. I think I’m up to the job.”

Reluctantly, Holly surrendered Emma to her, and Cole set Ethan back in his bed. “Let’s talk downstairs,” Cole said as he turned back to Holly.

She nodded and turned to lead the way from the room. As she stepped away, soft whimpers came from the direction of the crib, and she turned to see Ethan standing up and holding on to the railing around the bed. His mouth was pulled into a frown, and his eyes were filled with tears.

She started to go to him, but April shook her head. “I’ve got this. Go on and get the report filled out.”

Holly bit down on her lip as if reluctant to leave the children, but after a moment, she turned and led the way downstairs to the den. When they were seated, Cole pulled a small notepad and pen from his pocket, then looked at Holly. “I know you’ve already told me once what happened, but I need you to tell me again, so I can make sure I have all the information. Concentrate and try to remember every detail.”

Holly nodded and began to speak. Cole wrote as she described herself waking and not hearing the music over the baby monitor—and then everything that followed after to the point where she locked herself in the bedroom with the twins and called nine-one-one.

When she’d finished, Cole glanced back over the notes he’d taken while she’d been talking. Then he looked around the room. There didn’t appear to be any evidence of a robbery. In fact, everything looked neat and in place. At first glance, it appeared that Holly had interrupted a kidnapping of her niece and nephew. A high ransom wouldn’t be a problem for a wealthy music star. The fact that the intruder had turned the monitor off convinced Cole even more that this had been intended as a kidnapping, but there was no need to worry Holly at this point.

He flipped the notepad closed and took a deep breath. “So how long are you here for, Holly?”

Her shoulders tensed, and she clasped her hands in her lap. “Just a few days. I came home to clear the house out and put the ranch up for sale.”

His eyes grew wide. “You’re selling your father’s ranch?”

She nodded. “Yes. With my schedule, I can’t take care of it. I’d rather it belong to someone who will.”

He didn’t reply but looked to Officer Thomas, who had a quizzical look on his face. “Zach, I guess you realize who Holly is.”

Zach nodded. “Who doesn’t know who Holly Lee is? Local girl who made it big in the country-music industry and one of the top-selling artists of the day. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lee.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Zach. I appreciate your help tonight.”

“I was really sorry to hear about your sister’s and brother-in-law’s deaths. Was this their house?”

Holly nodded. “Yes. My sister and I grew up here. After my father died, Ruth and her husband, Michael, took over the property.” She glanced back at the staircase. “The twins upstairs are their children.”

He started to say something else, but Cole interrupted him. “I think we have all the information we need. I heard the search team drive up. Why don’t you go help them?”

Zach nodded and pushed to his feet. “Will do. If that guy’s still around, Miss Lee, we’ll find him.”

Holly smiled her thanks as Zach walked from the room and then turned back to face Cole, who sat in a chair facing her. For a moment, she didn’t say anything. Then she cleared her throat. “How have you been?”

He gave a slight nod. “Fine. And you?”

She blinked back the tears that filled her eyes. “I just try to get through each day.” She sat silent for a moment. “It still seems so unreal. I’ll never forget the day I received that phone call from the Louisiana authorities telling me that Ruth and Michael’s plane had crashed into Lake Pontchartrain.”

Cole nodded. “I know. Michael had been so excited about taking Ruth on that weekend trip to New Orleans. I couldn’t believe it ended so tragically. What’s the latest with the investigation?”

She sighed and rubbed her hands over her eyes. “Nothing. They found the plane, but Ruth’s and Michael’s bodies weren’t inside. No one has been able to find any trace of them. I had thought...maybe once we found them and had a funeral, I could get some closure. But now—” Her last words ended on a sob, and he reached out and grasped her hand.

“Don’t think about that, Holly. Just be thankful the twins weren’t with them.”

She brushed the tears from her cheeks and straightened her shoulders. “You’re right. I thank God every day that the twins were with me in Nashville for that weekend. If they’d been on that plane, they would have died, too. But I’m also thankful that Ruth and Michael had me in their will to be guardian if anything happened to both of them.” Her eyes teared up again. “But who would have thought they’d die together?”

A sharp pang pierced his heart at the thought of Michael Whitson, his best friend ever since he could remember, and Michael’s pretty wife, Ruth. He’d often wondered what they’d experienced when they knew their plane was going down. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

“When they recovered the plane, could they tell the cause of the crash?”

Holly shook her head. “No. The plane didn’t have a black box to record anything, and they couldn’t detect anything wrong with it. They haven’t released the official findings, but I’ve been told they’re leaning toward pilot error.”

“What?” Cole exclaimed. “Michael was the most thorough pilot I’ve ever known.”

“I know. It just seems so unreal. In the meantime, I’m trying to take care of the twins and prepare for my tour that’s coming up this fall.”

“Getting this place ready to sell must be another load of responsibility on top of that. Why bother with it now?”

“Maintaining the ranch when I don’t live here would be a bigger responsibility. Something has to go, so it’s going to be the ranch. I live three hundred miles away, and I’m too busy to keep things running here.”

A flash of anger flared in him, and he pushed to his feet. “Yeah, I know. When you left Jackson Springs, you left for good. Now, with Ruth and Michael gone, there’s nothing here for you anymore.”

She rose and faced him. “I cut my ties with this place ten years ago.”

The look on her face defused his anger, and he let out a long breath. “Yeah, you did. I guess I know that more than anybody, Holly. I’m sorry if I let old memories intrude on an official police call. I promise I won’t do that again.” He slipped the notepad back in his pocket. “Our department will do whatever it takes to keep you safe while you’re here.” He stopped and frowned. “It just dawned on me. You’re here alone. Where is your security team? And your personal assistant?”

“I needed to get away from the press and just spend a few days by myself going through everything and deciding what needs to be kept for Emma and Ethan. I thought I could slip into town and fly under the radar without my security team. Mrs. Green, Ruth’s housekeeper, has been helping me out with the children. My assistant is in Knoxville visiting with her family.”

“We’ll try to keep your presence under wraps, but it’s clear now that someone knows you’re here. Also, our report will be public record, so I imagine paparazzi will show up here tomorrow. Better get your security people on the job as soon as possible.”

She nodded. “Thanks, Cole. I’ll do that.”

He wanted to say something else to her, but he couldn’t find the words. Finally, he turned and headed for the door. Before he walked out, he turned to her. “Lock up well before you go to bed, and keep your cell phone handy in case your visitor comes back. I’ll have patrol drive by here throughout the night to keep an eye out. You can call nine-one-one if you need anything.”

He started to head to the door, but she called out to him. “Cole, it was good to see you again.”

He wanted to turn back to her and tell her the same, but he couldn’t. The words she’d spoken ten years ago were burned in his mind. She’d broken his heart and walked away as if he meant nothing to her.

Now all he could do was nod. Then he opened the door and walked out into the night. He stood on the porch after he’d closed the door on her—just as she had done when she tossed aside the love they shared and walked away from him.

He didn’t think he could ever forgive her for that.