Christmas Haven (3 page)

She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and splashed away. Two, three, four times. Studying her reflection in the mirror she whispered, “What am I doing here?”

The nightmare made her realize she could have brought trouble to her hometown, perhaps putting innocent people in danger. Her mom. Her sister.

“Morgan,” she whispered.

She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to him be
cause of Julie’s job. She’d left him years ago to give him the freedom to live his life and follow his own dreams. She knew if she’d committed to a life with him that he’d follow her to Seattle and attend college or find a job. But that wasn’t his path.

His path had been to follow in his dad’s footsteps and become a cop.

“Enough,” she scolded herself. She had to stop thinking about the past and figure out a way to stay safe. To keep her family safe.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come home,” she whispered.

But she desperately needed some time with Mom and Lana before she disappeared off the grid for good. She’d been careful to cover her tracks to prevent anyone from following her, so she’d spend a day or two here, crack her brightest smile and enjoy time spent with Mom, Lana…and Morgan.

No, being with Morgan wasn’t enjoyable. It was torture.

She closed her eyes, remembering the first part of her nightmare, the feel of his hand warming hers, the kiss…

“Stop,” she hushed, trying to wipe the image, the feel of their kiss out of her mind.

It did no good to remember the feeling when it wasn’t real. Well, it had been real ten years ago, but she was pretty sure Morgan felt anything but love toward her right now.

Of course not. She’d broken his heart to follow her own dream. Fine, that’s what she’d use as her shield. She’d talk about her fulfilling work as a counselor, but not mention how dangerous it could be. That would only worry her mom and bring out Morgan’s protective instincts.

She didn’t want Morgan getting involved in her life, caring too much. The nightmare drove home the consequences of that possibility.

She brushed out her long, blond hair, applied lipgloss, only because her lips were dry, and headed downstairs.

Voices drifted into the hallway as she headed for the kitchen.

“No, she hasn’t mentioned anything unusually stressful at work. Why?” Mom said.

“Her nightmare made her cry out in her sleep. I’m wondering if something’s troubling her.”

Julie stepped into the kitchen. “Which tea did you pick?” she asked, changing the subject.

“I brewed us a white-pomegranate blend I’ve been wanting to try,” Mom said.

“Sounds great.” Julie didn’t look at Morgan. Couldn’t look at him for fear the image of a dead Morgan would send a shudder down her spine.

“I was asking your mother about your job,” Morgan said.

“I work at Teen Life. It’s great. Helping kids who really need it is so fulfilling,” she said, driving home that kids around Port Whisper had no worries compared to the homeless kids she counseled in the city.

“I’ll bet,” he said.

She didn’t expect that response. She figured he’d argue that kids in Port Whisper needed help, too. A memory of him confessing his home situation filled her with guilt. He’d opened up to her, told her that after his mom left, the revered police chief of Port Whisper had occasionally hit Morgan out of grief or frustration, and somehow Morgan felt as if it was his fault.

Julie pulled out the teacups and set them on the counter.

“What are some of your recent cases?” Morgan pressed.

Julie hesitated as she poured tea. He was fishing, trying to figure out what made her cry out in her sleep.

“Here, I’ll do that,” Mom said. “You sit with Morgan and catch up.”

Mom kissed Julie’s forehead and smiled. Mom had never given up on Morgan and Julie, especially since Morgan had never married. Julie heard he was engaged once, but it didn’t work out. She wondered why.

Julie sat down across from Morgan and forced a smile. He quirked a brow. Ugh. He knew her too well.

“Well,” she started, “we just had a kid placed in a really good foster home. That’s always exciting.”

“What about her parents?”

“His. They’re drug addicts. Gave up their rights to their two sons.”

“How sad,” Mom said.

Julie didn’t talk much about her work with her mom. She didn’t want to upset her. Or scare her. Julie had found herself in threatening situations from time to time, but she was prepared.

Except for what she saw earlier this week.

Mom served the tea and slid a plate of cookies between Julie and Morgan. She joined them at the table.

“Drug addicts,” Morgan said. “You deal with some pretty dangerous people.”

“Says the police chief,” Julie quipped.

“Police chief of a small, sleepy town.”

A small, sleepy town. Her words spoken to him during one of their last fights.

“So, Morgan, how’s your dad?” Mom interrupted the awkward moment.

“As well as can be expected,” he said. “He’s probably got only a few months.”

“I’m so sorry.” Julie’s mom glanced into her tea.

“Yeah, well, he led a productive life,” Morgan said. “Family, career, he had it all.”

Insinuating Julie had given up one for another.

“Bill is a good man,” Mom said.

Morgan shifted in his chair. His father appeared to be a good man to the outside world, and most of the time he was good. But Morgan and Julie knew there was another side to the chief, a dark, tortured side.

“How long are you staying around?” Morgan asked.

“A few days,” Julie said. That had been the original plan, although now she wondered if everyone would be better off if she got out of town sooner rather than later.

She still didn’t know how dangerous this situation was or what her pursuers wanted from her.

Sure you do. You witnessed a crime. They want you dead.

She shuddered.

“Honey, let me get you a sweater.” Mom jumped up and went to the front hall closet.

Morgan leaned across the table, narrowing his intense, blue-green eyes at her. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?”

She couldn’t rip her gaze from his. He knew something was wrong and he wasn’t going to back off. But she didn’t want to involve her family or Morgan in whatever danger was stalking her, and she surely didn’t need a lecture about the dangers of her job.

“It’s not your problem.” She got up and went to get a spoon to stir sugar into her tea.

“It is my problem if you’re in trouble and you’ve brought it to my town.”

She closed her eyes. Right. It was about Morgan protecting his citizens, not about him being worried about her.

Julie was about to tell him to mind his own business when Mom breezed into the kitchen.

“Here you go,” her mom said, hesitating. She glanced from Morgan to Julie. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, Mom. Everything’s fine,” Julie said.

With a shake of his head, Morgan downed his tea and stood. “Thanks for the tea and cookies, Mrs. Burns.”

“You’re very welcome,” Mom said with a questioning frown.

“Good night.” With a nod Morgan left, shutting the front door with a resounding click.

Julie sighed and closed her eyes.

“Jules, sweetie, talk to me.” Mom placed her hand on Julie’s shoulder.

“I’m just burned out at work.”

“Julie?”

She glanced at her mom.

“I love you with all my heart,” Mom said. “I think a part of Morgan’s heart still loves you, too. We’re worried—”

“I’m fine,” Julie snapped, sitting at the kitchen table.

Mom walked up to her and rubbed her shoulders. “Whatever it is, we can work it out together.”

Julie wasn’t so sure. If the police couldn’t help Julie, Mom and Morgan surely couldn’t. Nor did she want to get them involved with whatever criminal element was stalking her.

She loved her mom too much.

Which would make it that much harder to leave again. But she had to. She couldn’t risk trouble following her here, to her mom’s house, to Morgan’s town.

“Honey, please,” her mother pleaded.

“Something happened at work.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Julie shook her head. “I can’t. Not yet.”

Mom frowned. “Well, you’ll tell me when you’re ready. But, sweetie, you can’t run from your problems. You should know that.”

Was she referring to Suzy’s death? Or to Morgan?

Sadness washed over her. So much loss.

Mom stroked Julie’s hair. “It’s okay. You’re home now. And Lana can’t wait to see you.”

“I can’t wait to see her, either.”

“She’s coming for breakfast.”

“Awesome.” And it was. Julie kept so busy at work that she had little time to miss them. But right now, sitting in Mom’s floral kitchen, she remembered the joy and laughter they’d shared. An ache crawled through her chest.

“You look exhausted. How about I tuck you in?” Mom offered.

“That would be great.”

Morgan pulled out of the Burnses’ driveway, but didn’t go far. Parking a few houses down from the old Victorian, he eyed the upstairs window. Julie’s room.

He guessed whatever made her scream out in her sleep was the same thing that drove her back home to the safety of family and friends. And now she was having second thoughts.

He could read it in her eyes.

It still amazed him how connected they were after all these years. Why didn’t she trust him enough to ask for his help? Because he still wasn’t good enough? He was only a small-town cop and she needed…what?

He whipped out his cell phone and called Ethan Beck, an old friend who was a detective with the Seattle Police Department.

“Beck.”

“Hey, E, it’s Morgan Wright.”

“As in Chief Morgan Wright?”

“Knock it off.”

Morgan and Ethan had recently reconnected thanks to another old friend, Jake Walters.

“Good to hear from you, man,” Ethan said. “Jake told me you were chief pooh-bah out there in Port Whisper. How’s that goin’?”

“It has its good days and bad.” Like today. “Listen, I need a favor.”

“Name it.”

“An old friend’s returned to town and I think she’s in trouble.”

“Is she cute? Available?”

“Yes and no.”

“Really?” Ethan teased.

“Can you check your database for anything on Julie Burns, female, twenty-eight? Seattle social worker for Teen Life.”

“You mean
the
Julie Burns?”

“Yup.”

“What am I looking for?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You think she’s into something criminal?”

The terror in her golden eyes flashed across his mind. “No, but my gut tells me she’s in trouble.”

“I’ll see what I can find.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure. You hear about Jake and Robin? They’re engaged.”

Morgan took a deep breath. “No, I hadn’t heard. That’s great news.”

“How soon do you need this information about Julie?”

“As soon as you can get it.”

“Check. Take care, buddy.”

“You, too.”

Morgan ended the call and dropped the phone on the seat beside him. Staring up at Julie’s room, he leaned back and considered what could be going on with his fragile ex-girlfriend.

She was suffering from some kind of post-trauma issue, that’s for sure. Maybe her work had finally gotten to her, listening to the gut-wrenching stories of abused teenagers, counseling them, hoping they’d find a better life, only to have them return to an abusive living situation.

It had to get to her, haunt her dreams, trigger nightmares.

Yet she’d called out Morgan’s name when she’d awakened from the nightmare in his truck.

Maybe she’d been dreaming about one of their last fights, the harsh words he’d uttered out of sheer agony of losing the one person he’d trusted most.

He wondered what life would have looked like had he followed her to Seattle, left his father and chosen another line of work. But his life was here, making his father proud, earning his respect and protecting the citizens of Port Whisper.

It had been his destiny.

At one point he thought Julie had been a part of that destiny.

“Get over it already.” He thought he had. He’d fallen in love with Renee, at least he thought it was love, and he’d appreciated Anna’s company, her bright smile and sense of humor.

Seeing Jules again, rescuing her from whatever threat was stalking her, brought it all back to the surface.

Regret burned in his chest. No, he’d done the right thing by letting her go to follow her dream. The pit in his stomach said otherwise.

He clicked the radio on and tapped his fingers against the
steering wheel. Something told him to stay close. He had tomorrow off. He could go the night without sleep.

Even if he went home and climbed into bed, he knew he wouldn’t sleep, not with the image of Julie’s frightened eyes haunting him.

“You’re going to tell me what’s going on,” he whispered, eyeing her bedroom.

The light went off. He took a deep breath and considered his next move. He’d see what Ethan turned up and he’d go from there.

Tomorrow he’d confront Julie about her situation, but under no uncertain terms would he discuss their past. This was business. He was the police chief sworn to protect the people of Port Whisper.

As long as Jules was here, she was under his protection just like everyone else.

A vibrating sound awakened her from a deep sleep. She opened her eyes and spotted her cell phone dancing across the nightstand. The bedside clock read four-thirty. She flipped on the lamp and grabbed her phone, recognizing the caller ID as William’s work number. William and Julie had consulted with one another on unusually complicated cases. But why call at such an odd time?

“William?” she answered.

Silence.

“William?”

“You can run, Blondie,” a gravelly voice said. “But we’re always right behind you.”

She jackknifed in bed. “Who is this?”

The line went dead and a surge of panic ripped through her. Fearing for William’s safety, she called his cell. She paced her room as it rang. Two, three times.

“Hello?” he answered groggily.

She sighed and shifted onto the bed.