Fugitive Hunt, page 18
Morganne looked at him quizzically. “For what?”
“I don’t want to leave you.” He hadn’t said those words to a woman since Abby, and he felt incredibly vulnerable saying them now. “When I finish in Idaho Falls, I’d like to come back and see you again. Take you out for dinner. You know, like a date.”
She looked away, then shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He froze and tried not to show his insecurity. “Because you’re not interested?”
“Because I don’t want to start something with a man who loves someone else.” Morganne smiled gently. “I care about you, Colt. More than I should. But you’re still in love with your high school sweetheart.”
“No, Morganne, I’m not.” He knew she shouldn’t be talking this much, but it was obvious they had things to discuss. “Abby was my past, and I’ll always be grateful for the time we had together. But you’re my future. I love you.”
Her brow puckered. “How—why?”
The confusion on her beautiful features made him smile. “You are an incredible woman. Strong, smart, tough and more than capable of holding your own in any situation.”
“But you loved Abby. I can tell by the way you spoke about her, that she was perfect for you.”
“I did love her, but she wasn’t perfect. Any more than I am, or you are. We all have strengths and weaknesses.” He hesitated, trying to put his feelings into something he didn’t entirely understand. “I’m a different man now than I was back then. Being with you over these past few days has taught me that a true partnership is very powerful. Something I hadn’t realized. Not just a partner in work, but in facing life as a whole.” He pinned her with an intense gaze. “I want you to be my partner, Morganne. But if you need time, I understand. A lot has happened in the past few days.”
“Yes, it has.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “But I don’t need time, Colt. I’ve fallen in love with you. And if you’re willing to give a long-distance relationship a try, then I’ll do my part.”
If he were honest, he didn’t like the idea of a long-distance relationship. But at this point, knowing he had to head out to Idaho Falls in two days, he was in no position to argue. He’d gratefully take whatever she offered. He rose and tugged her up and into his arms. He kissed her the way he’d wanted to do since she’d been injured. When they were forced to come up for air, he whispered, “I love you, Morganne. Very much.”
“I love you, too.” She smiled up at him. “Is this the part where you tell me God brought us together for a reason?”
“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. “And not just to get Winston into custody. But to show us both how important it is to love one another.”
“I never imagined I could feel this way,” she admitted. Her voice was beginning to fade, as if all this talking was taking a toll on her.
“I’m blessed to have found you, Morganne.” He kissed her to prevent her from saying anything more. “Now please, rest your voice. We have two full days together, but I don’t want you to relapse.” Her health and well-being were vitally important to him.
“One more thing,” she croaked.
He looked into her clear gray eyes. “What’s that?”
“Are there any female US marshals?”
“Not as many as there should be,” he said slowly, hoping he wasn’t imagining the intent in her gaze. “Why do you ask?”
“We make a good team, remember?” She placed her hand over his heart. “I’d like to apply for a position as a US marshal if there’s a spot available. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be very good at having a long-distance relationship.”
He chuckled and hugged her close. “I’d love nothing more than to partner with you as a fellow US deputy marshal. We’ll talk to my boss. I’m sure he’ll give you a great reference.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was so hoarse now, he could barely hear her.
“I think we’re going to need to watch movies for a while. Anything to keep you from talking.”
She smiled, then rested her head on his chest. Colt held her close, realizing just how much he was looking forward to the future.
Not the next case, the way he’d been operating over the past several years, but on a personal level.
A future in which he’d no longer be alone but would have Morganne by his side, each supporting the other no matter what adversary they faced.
Together.
EPILOGUE
Four weeks later
Morganne couldn’t believe it when James Crane called with the news. “Congrats, Kimball. You have been officially accepted into the US deputy marshal program.”
She cut her gaze to Colt, who stood beside her listening to the call on speaker, grinning widely. He’d finished his case in Idaho Falls and had been helping her get the house ready to be put up for sale. She’d decided that even if she didn’t get into the marshal program on the first try, she’d keep applying until they’d gotten so sick of her, they’d give in and take her.
In the meantime, she’d travel with Colt as much as possible.
Blaine had ultimately confessed to killing his father and Kay Fisher, but he refused to admit to killing women in Mexico, despite what he’d whispered to her while he was choking her. After the DA had requested a psych eval, they learned that Blaine’s obsession with his mother had caused him to lash out against women. Initially, he only physically abused them, then had begun to kill them. After Morganne had escaped his attack, helping to get him sentenced to life without parole, he became obsessed with killing her. To the point he couldn’t think or do anything else. Still, they believed there may be other victims, during those initial weeks he’d been in Mexico. The marshals were working with the Mexican authorities, tracking Blaine’s movements while he was there.
And they’d discovered that Goldberg had been closely following the news, making a rash decision to go after Morganne while she was in the hospital. He later claimed to have suffered a mental breakdown, but no psychologist was willing to declare him legally insane.
She was relieved to know both men would be put away for a very, very long time.
“Kimball?” Crane repeated in her ear. “Did you hear me?”
“I—yes. I’m so honored to become a member of the US deputy marshal team. Thank you, sir.”
“Boss?” Colt spoke up. “I hear congratulations are in order for you, too.”
“Oh, uh, yes. Thank you.” Crane cleared his throat. “I’m very happy Lucille has agreed to marry me.”
She could easily imagine Crane’s face flushing with embarrassment. She smiled at Colt. “You deserve to be happy, sir.”
“Yes, well, I’ll call you later with more details related to your training.” Crane quickly disconnected the call.
She raised a brow at Colt. “Did you already know I made it in?”
“I didn’t, but I was incredibly hopeful.” He crossed over to take her into his arms. “They’d be stupid to pass up someone with your experience. And the people I work for are not stupid.”
She chuckled and went up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “On that, I can agree.” Then she sobered. “You know, it’s going to take some time for me to get through training. We’ll have to keep the long-distance dating going for a while yet.” It hadn’t been easy, but they’d made the most of their time together.
And called each other often, during the long stretches they were forced to be apart.
“Maybe not.” Colt pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and released her long enough to go down on one knee. She gasped when he opened the box, displaying a gorgeous diamond. “Morganne, will you please marry me?”
“Oh, Colt. Yes.” She laughed and pulled him upright so she could hug him tightly. “I would be honored to marry you.”
“The sooner the better,” he murmured before kissing her deeply. “I’ll try to be patient, but being away from you hasn’t been easy. I miss you more than I thought possible.”
“Me, too,” she agreed.
He kissed her again.
Yes, the sooner the better, she thought with a sigh. She couldn’t wait to start the next chapter of their lives. Because one thing was for certain—being with Colt was always an adventure.
* * *
If you enjoyed this book, don’t miss these other stories from Laura Scott:
Soldier’s Christmas Secrets
Guarded by the Soldier
Wyoming Mountain Escape
Hiding His Holiday Witness
Rocky Mountain Standoff
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Death Valley Hideout by Dana Mentink.
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Death Valley Hideout
by Dana Mentink
ONE
Willow Duke felt a shiver of uncertainty at her own daring, but she pushed it away as she took the last turn. The wide, smooth drive cut through the flat acres of the airstrip a couple hours east of her own Death Valley hometown. Her anxiety puzzled her. What could be wrong about surprising Tony for his birthday? They’d shifted from acquaintances to friends in the past four months so she figured she knew him well enough to stage a late afternoon birthday treat. Why the worry?
Probably because she’d decided to let someone into her life, and that hadn’t happened since the last outsider she’d trusted turned out to be a snake.
But this situation was completely different. She and Tony weren’t a couple. Easy friendship, that’s what they had. Tony was a widower with two kids to raise; he could use all the friends he could get.
He and Willow were polar opposite temperaments to be sure. Tony was reserved to the point of mysterious, and Willow knew her own ebullient personality could sometimes be too much for the faint of heart. Opposites made for great friends and plenty of fun adventures.
She wiggled her finger in the rearview mirror at Tony’s four-year-old son, Carter, strapped into the back in his “big boy seat” as he called it. Facing the opposite direction, his eighteen-month-old sister, Ruby Josephine, nicknamed Bee, kicked off one sock and gurgled. She was a happy baby, regardless of her rough start in life. Willow admired that personality trait. She and Bee were kindred passengers on the optimism train. Just keep chugging, that was Willow’s motto.
“Are you holding on to the balloon string real tight, Carter?” she asked, catching his eye in the mirror.
“Uh-huh,” he answered, giving the ribbon an experimental tug.
“And you remember what to say when it’s time?”
“Happy birthday, Uncle Tony!”
“Uncle Tony?” she said with a laugh. “Don’t you mean ‘Daddy’?”
Carter’s brow puckered and she wondered if she’d hurt his feelings by her laughter. Where had he come up with uncle? Tony didn’t have any siblings. Strange. Muscles deep in her stomach tensed.
Carter’s brow was crimped as he stared at the airstrip coming into view. “We’ll shout happy birthday, and he’ll be so surprised,” she said. Again a tendril of tension tightened inside her. Sure Tony hadn’t meant for her to overhear his phone call that afternoon revealing that he was heading to the airstrip, nor probably expected she’d made note of his birthday from the driver’s license he’d dropped in the store. He spent a good amount of time at the airstrip, where he’d gotten a job flying tourist helicopters after his navy retirement, so it was the perfect place to plan a birthday surprise. Yet his tone on the phone when he’d been setting up the meeting hadn’t exactly been friendly nor businesslike, she recalled as she scrolled through her memory. There was something in it she could not quite identify, something almost like anger, though the words themselves had been civil.
Was it a mistake to join him if he would be having a difficult meeting? But who wouldn’t love a surprise birthday greeting from their two adorable children? And Willow and the kids had been bored anyway, once the Play-Doh was done and the chunky crayon coloring was completed. Too hot to play outside that afternoon until the 110-degree temps cooled. The Mojave Desert was no gentle climate in June. Maybe if she was more practiced at watching the kids, she’d know how else to entertain them. She didn’t care for them often. Tony had a reliable neighborhood lady for that. But he’d needed a favor, and she’d agreed without a second thought.
Tony will love his birthday treat, she reassured herself. His serious face would break into that smile, the unguarded one she’d only witnessed sporadically in the four months she’d known him. He was always so busy...too scheduled even to meet her twin brother, Levi, in Furnace Falls. Levi had extended an invitation after Willow explained how Carter would love riding horses on her brother’s ranch. Well what single dad wouldn’t be busy with a career to manage and two small kiddos to tend to? There was something sweet and quiet about Tony that made her want to help him, or maybe it was the adorable children who accompanied them almost everywhere.
His wife had died in a car accident when Bee was a newborn, so it made sense he would want to have them around whenever possible. Aside from their “nanny,” a sweet older lady in town, he’d only left them with Willow. She was honored, and maybe flattered too. Carter liked her, and the feeling was mutual. Bee loved everyone, and it was a pleasure to hold and rock the little girl with the cutest button nose in the universe.
The sun was low in the sky, trapped behind the distant foothills, sending long shadows across the road as she drove. She rolled down the Jeep’s window to test for a breeze. No visitors to speak of, she thought, as she pulled into a parking space near the welcome center. The paint was dingy and the cement porch cracked, but the sign was cheerful... Welcome to Desert Air Excursions. Tony’s helicopter was a sleek black Bell Ranger with a red tail and rear rotor. Her brother Austin, a plane afficionado and pilot himself, asked to see it every single time she brought up Tony in conversation. At least Austin was too preoccupied with his new wife and their four dogs to badger her about it lately.
Tony was probably just shy, she thought, like Levi, her quiet twin.
The sinking sun blazed so brightly through her windshield that she had to shade her eyes. It took a moment before she realized that Tony was striding out of the visitor center through a side entrance, hands on hips. She was ready to put her plan into motion when she noticed there was another man following him, with a similar lanky build and sandy hair. They charged out into the heat, one after the other until Tony stopped and spun toward his companion. The conversation did not appear to be a friendly one. She put a hand on the ignition to activate the window button so they wouldn’t be eavesdropping, but the sentence stopped her.
“You can’t go on the run with them,” Tony yelled. “Man up, for once in your life.”
On the run? Tony’s voice was steeped in rage, so unlike anything she’d ever heard from him before. The other man turned on Tony, shoulders pitched forward as if he was expressing himself heatedly, but she could not hear what he said. Walk away from what?
The two men were closer together now, feet apart from each other, and she could not help but notice how similar they looked. Almost as if they were...brothers. The tingle of unease increased into a flash of foreboding. If they were brothers, then Tony had been lying to her about being an only child. And what else? His dead wife? Carter had called him Uncle Tony.
Suddenly it seemed her plan to surprise him was a very, very bad idea.
Carter wiggled in the backseat. She had more immediate problems. What was she going to do? Starting the car would draw attention, but she couldn’t exactly about-face and leave with Carter hanging on to his daddy’s birthday balloon. As much as she wanted to slink away to think, that was out of the question with the two kids accompanying her.
Wait, she thought. They’ll go back inside in a minute and she could figure out how to proceed then, but Carter was already undoing his car seat straps.
“We have to stay in the car until Daddy is finished.”
Carter did not appear to hear. Now he was peering out the window. “It’s Daddy,” he said, small hand pressed to the glass. “Bee, it’s Daddy.”
“Just one minute, Carter. We have to wait until the grown-ups are done talking, okay?”
But then she heard the door unlatch. “Stay put, Carter,” she said more sternly, but he was already out of the car. She thrust open her own door and hopped out in an effort to catch him. “Stop,” she said. Too late. The child slid out on the tarmac.
“Daddy,” he called, running now, the balloon trailing behind him.
