The Christmas Rescue. Laura Scott
guy had gone to visit Kayla. That he’d recently mounted a memorial in honor of her husband’s memory.
He raked a hand through his hair.
He didn’t like the idea of Bill Schroeder being anywhere near Kayla. Leaving her alone Thursday night had been difficult. At least he could rest a little easier, knowing she had guests staying with her this weekend.
But what about once her guests were gone? She and Brianna were all alone in the middle of the woods.
His cell phone rang, and his chest tightened when he Kayla’s name on the display. He couldn’t imagine she’d call unless it was important. “Kayla? Is everything all right?”
“We’re both fine,” she said quickly, as if knowing he might be imagining the worst. He tried to calm his racing pulse. “But Rafe, someone tried to break in last night.”
“Break in?” he echoed, jumping to his feet. “Why? What happened?”
“I don’t know,” she said, sounding truly bewildered. “I had guests, so I didn’t have the security system on. But now I’m worried. My guests left early and I changed my access code, but what if the burglar tries to break in again? I’m scared, Rafe.”
The underlying fear in her voice gripped him by the throat. “I’m on my way,” he said, heading out to his jeep. “Make sure the alarm is set, and I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
THREE
The fact that Kayla didn’t argue worried him even more. Rafe shut his phone and started the jeep, more shaken than he cared to admit. He headed for her house, pushing the speed limit as much as he dared.
Someone had tried to break into Kayla’s home. What had the intruder been looking for? Had he missed something the night they’d found the security system turned off? Somehow it didn’t make sense that simple burglars would target a home so far away from town.
He’d been a fool to leave her alone.
His cell phone rang again. “DeSilva,” he answered, when he saw Luke Sanders’ name light up the screen.
“The medical examiner has finished the autopsy on your dead body. The base of his skull was cracked, and the ME confirmed he was dead before he hit the water. Because of the location of his skull fracture, the medical examiner is leaning toward a homicide. The pathology results won’t be back for thirty days.”
“Did they confirm his ID with dental records?”
“Yes. With the tattoo they were pretty certain he was Bill Schroeder and finding his dentist wasn’t hard. He doesn’t have a lot of family, so the police are heading out to inform Jeannie, his ex-wife, now.”
Rafe grimaced. “I’m sure that will be difficult.”
“Did you talk to Charlie Turkow yet? He must know something about the criminals being smuggled out through Canada.”
“Not yet. He wasn’t around when I stopped in. I’ll talk to him as soon as I can.”
“All right. Call me if you get something significant.”
“Will do.” Rafe hung up the phone and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel thoughtfully. Should he let Kayla know about Bill Schroeder? The news was better coming from him than through the media. And he was fairly certain Schroeder’s death would make headlines, especially since the medical examiner would likely deem his death a murder.
Rafe pressed a little harder on the accelerator. He couldn’t explain this desperate need to get to Kayla. He hadn’t felt this protective toward a woman in a long time. Since Angela.
He tried to tell himself to relax, but his lead foot was ignoring the message. When he pulled into Kayla’s driveway, he was amazed to note he’d made the trip in a record thirty-three minutes.
The instant he stopped, the front door popped open and Kayla stepped out. His first instinct was to yell at her for not waiting with the alarm set.
But when she hurried down to meet him, he couldn’t speak. Instead, he leaped from his jeep and threw caution to the wind, pulling her close in a warm, reassuring hug. “Are you all right?” he murmured, filling his head with her light, strawberry scent.
She grasped him tightly around the waist, burying her face against his chest. “Yes,” she said in a muffled voice. “Thanks for coming.”
“You couldn’t have kept me away,” he assured her. Holding her close was sheer heaven. He would have been happy to stay like this all day, but of course, she pulled away when Brianna and Clyde bounded out of the house, followed more slowly by an elegant-looking older woman with silver hair. He recognized her as Kayla’s mother-in-law, Ellen Wilson, whom he’d met earlier that year when he and Alex had insisted on putting Kayla’s security system in place.
“Mr. Rafe!” Brianna heedlessly flung herself at him and he sucked in a quick breath and caught her before she could get hurt. He lifted her into his arms as the dog barked excitedly at his feet. “You forgot to say goodbye,” she accused, looking him directly in the eye.
“I did?” He frowned, distracted by her accusation. He cast his mind backward in time, wondering what she meant.
“The night we had pizza.” Brianna’s green eyes were full of reproach. “You didn’t say goodbye.”
“I’m sorry, mi nina,” he murmured. “You’re right, I guess I forgot.” He glanced at Kayla who watched their interaction with a worried frown.
“Brianna, I explained how Mr. Rafe needed to get back to work,” Kayla said, walking back to the house. Still carrying Brianna, he followed on her heels. “Remember? He works all different times of the day and night.”
He wasn’t used to anyone making excuses for him. In fact, he hadn’t even considered the idea that Brianna would notice he’d left without saying goodbye. He could see by Kayla’s guarded expression that he’d inadvertently hurt her daughter.
It was clear she was worried her daughter might be growing too attached to him. And could he blame her? Brianna was at a vulnerable age. He took a deep breath and tried to collect his thoughts. Brianna was a great kid, but he wasn’t ready to be a father again.
Not when he’d failed so miserably last time.
He hadn’t been able to save his infant son’s life. To have another child dependent on him was inconceivable. The very thought shook him to the core. No, having a family was not an option.
“Next time,” he promised, quickly setting Brianna back on her feet and closing the front door behind him.
“Rafe, you remember my mother-in-law, Ellen, don’t you?” Kayla said, belatedly reintroducing them.
He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you, too,” Ellen said, although her expression was guarded and he wondered if Kayla’s mother-in-law viewed him as some sort of threat. As if he was trying to replace Jeremy in Kayla’s heart. He was tempted to reassure her he’d only come to offer protection, not to start something he had no intention of finishing.
They all walked into the house and Kayla reengaged the security system once they were safely inside.
“Come on, Brianna, we need to finish making Christmas cookies,” Ellen said, as if sensing the two adults needed to talk alone.
“Cool!” Brianna raced toward the kitchen, but then paused to glance back at him. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye,” she reminded him.
“I won’t,” he promised. He turned toward Kayla. “Tell me about the break-in. What happened?”
Kayla walked over to the sofa in front of the great room fireplace. He froze. She’d put up Christmas decorations. The brightly lit tree in the corner of the room reminded him of his early years