“Let me help you, darlin’,” Ryan said. He was still breathing hard and his legs felt kind of weak. She had robbed him of all his strength. Right at this moment all was right in their world. They were two beings with no worries, surrounded by love, even if it was unspoken.
Ryan carried her into the bedroom. Lacy fell asleep before he reached the bed, so he set her down gently. He went and showered quickly and got a warm washcloth to clean her up. She grumbled when he did, but he thought it was adorable and kissed her nose. He lay under the covers with her. She stayed asleep but he stayed awake for a while, just enjoying the soft whisper of her breath on his neck and her warm body cuddled next to his. He felt peace sweep across his soul. He was home. Damn, he had it bad. It happened so fast but he knew what he was feeling was real. He no longer had doubts he could settle down with one woman. He wanted Lacy and only Lacy. Logan and Gabe would never let him live it down if they saw the goofy grin on his face right now, and he didn’t even care.
* * * *
Chico stepped off the bus in his disguise. He had jeans, a plain white T-shirt, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. Hopefully he looked like a tourist. He took a look around and didn’t see much except a few small buildings. What a hick town, he thought to himself. There weren’t many people outside and where were the traffic, noises, and neon lights? This was going to be a piece of cake. He smiled. Was there even law enforcement here or just rent-a-cops? He walked down the street but kept his head down and saw no bars and no hotels. There were plenty of woods around, he noticed. He’d have to find a perfect place to hide. He couldn’t afford to be seen walking around this tiny town. He needed to make plans so he could find Lacy Martinez and kill her. Then he was going to start his life over somewhere new.
Chapter Ten
Lacy had had the most wonderful day with Ryan in St. Clair. She’d never had so much fun. They held hands and walked around the town, exploring like tourists. He bought her a huge pumpkin that they could barely carry and promised to carve it for her. She bought Stella a baby gift, and for the first time she could see herself settling down and having babies.
Ryan took her to a small Italian restaurant. It was so romantic with red-and-white checkered tablecloths and candles. He got them a quiet table in the back. They sat close together and laughed and joked and talked quietly. He fed her shrimp and she sucked on his finger, which turned him on, and he threatened to take her right there in the restaurant if she didn’t behave. She laughed and fell deeper in love. This was it for her. She wanted to spend her life making Ryan smile and laugh. If only her mom had lived to meet him, but Lacy felt peace in her heart that her mom knew Lacy had found love.
They watched the sun set then headed back home, feeling refreshed and relaxed. Ryan promised her that next time they would stay the night or drive on to St. Louis and see the arch. When he made plans like that with her it gave her hope that he, too, saw a future for them.
Once they were back in Appledale, reality intruded quickly. Lacy had just gotten out of the shower and was brushing her hair and Ryan had just gotten back from checking on his mom when Logan called. Ryan frowned. Lacy looked so shiny and clean and all he wanted to do was take her to bed and stay there all night but his duties as a sheriff had to come first. “Ryan here,” he answered gruffly and sighed. “Okay, be right there. I’m at Lacy’s place. I’ll just walk over.”
Lacy looked at him with fear, expecting something bad but he hugged her and kissed her forehead softly. “Nothing to worry about, darlin’, just a break-in at Clyde’s. Probably teenagers who got bored and decided to cause trouble; it’s happened before. Keep the door locked and don’t answer it unless it’s me. Got it?”
She nodded and locked the door after him. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep, so she sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket to wait for him and said a little prayer for his and his deputies’ safety.
Ryan walked around the block to Clyde’s General Store. It was getting dark earlier and the temperature was dropping in the evenings making it colder. He looked around but everything seemed quiet and normal. He couldn’t afford to let his guard drop as long as there was a possibility of Chico coming this way. He didn’t want Lacy to know how worried he really was about this situation. Of course Chico would try and eliminate his only witness. Even Detective Garcia warned him to be on the lookout. They all suspected Chico would make an attempt to get to Lacy. He had nothing to lose sin
ce he was already a wanted man.
He found Logan and Gabe in the back of the store looking around.
“Back door was kicked in,” Gabe reported once he got there. “Some water, food, and camping supplies are missing, according to Clyde’s son, but the cash register wasn’t even touched.”
“Think it’s Chico?” Logan asked with a frown, looking around the store. Not much was taken or messed with. What kind of thief didn’t take money?
“Yeah. Clyde hasn’t had a break-in since those teenagers broke the window to steal beer last summer,” Ryan answered, running his hands through his hair. Chico was here. He could feel it burning in his gut. Who else would just steal food and camping equipment?
“Yeah, and after Gabe had his talk with them they were scared shitless.” Logan laughed. They had put the three teens in a cell overnight to scare them.
“Damn straight,” Gabe said smugly. “They behaved after that, didn’t they?”
“See if Ethan will help us out. I think our guy is here. I’ll call Detective Garcia in the morning and let him know,” Ryan said with a heavy sigh. At least now they knew for sure Chico was here, and that was better than waiting around like a sitting duck and guessing what would come next. Since Chico was foolish enough to come in to his territory, he was going to pay the price.
Ethan White was Gabe’s friend. They served in the military together and he helped the police out as needed. Ryan trusted Ethan. Gabe nodded. “I’ll call him. He knows what’s going on. I told him just in case we needed his help. This guy has to be hiding in the woods if he took camping supplies. We know he didn’t check into the bed and breakfast.” Ethan’s Aunt Mary ran the bed and breakfast and already knew to be on the lookout for strangers. Plus Ethan lived in a cottage behind the big Victorian house. “We have a lot of wooded area to cover so we’ll start at daylight.”
Gabe left to contact Ethan. The sooner they got started, the quicker they could catch this guy.
Logan slapped Ryan on the shoulder. “We’ll get him, Ryan. His days of selling drugs and terrorizing women are gonna be over for good. We’ll help you protect Lacy.”
“Thanks. Lacy means everything to me,” he admitted to Logan. “She’s it for me, Logan. I want to marry that girl.”
“I knew it,” said Logan, laughing out loud. “I saw the way you looked at me that day we took her statement and I drove her to work. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t be here to help you right now. I knew if I took her out you’d get over your unnecessary guilt over Emma. Everyone saw Emma for what she was except you. Lacy is nothing like her.”
“You’ll fall in love one day Logan,” he told Logan with a grin, glad he had such good friends standing behind him. “Then it will be my turn to interfere.”
“Never,” Logan assured him, shaking his head. “There are too many lovely ladies out there for me to just pick one.”
“I’d better get back. Lacy is probably waiting up and worried,” Ryan told him. Logan was waiting for Clyde and his son to come and fix the door. “See you in the morning.”
He walked back to the apartment quickly, his head filled with worry but still on alert and looking around the dark streets. He needed to hold Lacy in his arms to reassure himself that she was safe, and he would do whatever it took to keep her that way. He needed to find a way to tell her he loved her and wanted to spend his life with her.
* * * *