Deadly Pursuit (38 page)

She grimaced. “I've given her enough worry over the past couple of years. Now this.”

Jake tugged gently on a strand of her hair. “Don't start that routine again. When people care, they worry. Live with it.”

“Yeah, I'm not covering for you anymore. If you . . .” Cole stopped and pulled the phone off his belt, checking caller ID. “I need to take this.”

As he turned away, Alison lowered her voice. “Take him home, Jake. He's about to fold.”

“What happened to him, anyway?”

While she brought him up to speed, Cole finished his call. He swapped looks with Mitch, and she narrowed her eyes. “What's going on?”

“Nothing you need to be concerned about.”

“Cole Taylor, don't you dare treat me like a kid sister! If that call was related to what happened tonight, I want to hear about it.”

After squinting at her for a moment, he lifted one shoulder. “Fine. They found Barnes's body fifty yards downstream. He got tangled up in some limbs from a dead tree.”

Jake and Mitch didn't respond in words. But she could read their reaction to the news on their faces.

Good riddance.

She couldn't disagree. Someday, with God's help, maybe she'd be able to forgive the man who'd blamed her for all his problems. Who'd tortured her and tried to take her life.

But it wasn't going to be a swift or easy journey.

Swallowing, she motioned Jake and Cole toward the door. “Go home. Get some rest. And after you pick up Mom in the morning, swing by my house and grab some clean clothes for me, okay?”

“She must be feeling better. Did you notice she's getting bossy again?” Cole directed the comment to Jake and Mitch but sent a smirk her direction.

“I noticed.” Mitch winked at her, then turned to Jake. “You took a cab from the airport, right?”

“Yeah.”

He dug through his pocket, withdrew his keys, and tossed them to her older brother. “I'm staying. Take my car. I'll get a ride from you in the morning.”

“You don't have to stay, Mitch.” Alison's eyelids were growing heavy again, and she struggled to prop them open. “I'm just going to fall asleep anyway.”

Her fingers were swallowed in a firm, warm grip. “And I'll be here when you wake up.”

She thought about protesting. Thought about insisting Mitch go home too. That would be the considerate thing to do.

But as she drifted to sleep, her hand tucked in his, she didn't say a word. Because selfish or not, she knew she'd sleep better if he was by her side.

As sunlight began to peek through the slats in the blinds in Alison's hospital room, Mitch took a sip of the coffee the nurse had offered him. It wasn't much better than the stuff Alison brewed—lucky thing she had no aspirations to be a barista—but he needed the caffeine. Although he'd drifted to sleep a few times during the waning hours of the night, he'd always jolted awake after a few minutes, muscles taut, adrenaline pumping, pulse pounding.

Fortunately, Alison had had a far more peaceful slumber.

He rose and moved beside the bed to assess her, his stomach knotting as he took in her discolored cheek and eye, her swollen lip, the bruises on her arms where Barnes had squeezed her, the abrasions on her wrists. And those were just the visible signs of trauma. There were many other physical—and psychological—wounds he couldn't see.

She might have slept well in the past few hours, thanks to all the pain meds. But there would be difficult nights ahead. Nights when she'd awake in a cold sweat, trembling with fear. Nights when she'd be alone, with no one to comfort her.

That's why he intended to extract a promise from her to call him when that happened. No matter the hour.

She stirred, and he sat on the bed beside her as her eyelashes flickered open. Weaving his fingers through hers, he summoned up a smile. “Good morning.”

For a moment, she seemed disoriented. Then her beautiful blue eyes cleared. “You stayed.”

“You asked me to. At the river.”

“That was selfish. I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. Spending the night with a beautiful woman is no hardship.”

She blushed, as he'd expected. “Is anyone else here?”

“Not yet.” He checked his watch. “Jake's picking up your mom about now. Then they're going to swing by and get Cole, stop at your place for some clothes, and come out here. So we have plenty of time for this.” Without releasing her hand, without giving her a chance to realize his intent, he bent and claimed her lips in a tender, lingering kiss.

When he drew back at last, she let out a shaky breath. “Wow. I hope I'm not still hooked up to a heart monitor.”

He chuckled. “You're safe.”

Squeezing his hand, she locked gazes with him, her expression suddenly serious. “I know. That's how I always feel with you. Safe and protected. You're the real deal. True hero material.”

His lips tightened. “No, I'm not. I failed you last night. I didn't show up at your office when I was supposed to. If I had, none of this would have happened.”

“I suspect there was a very valid reason for that.”

“Yeah. I guess.” He explained what had happened with his father, then stared down into his coffee. “But I should have remembered to call.”

“Hey.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “It was an emergency—and people get distracted in emergencies. It's called being human. And it's okay. I'm just glad it turned out to be a false alarm. Now tell me how you found me. It couldn't have been easy.”

Mitch wasn't as ready as Alison to forgive his lapse, but he did his best to switch gears, relating the story of the skateboarder, Nicole's phone message, and the observant citizen's 911 call about odd activity at the railroad bridge. But most of all he focused on Erik's role, and how in the wee hours of the morning, he'd kept his promise and awakened the young man with the good news.

“Wow.” Alison's renewed color faded as she processed the implications. “If any of those pieces hadn't fallen into place, I wouldn't be here today. Especially Erik's piece. I think I owe him a package of supersized Hershey bars.”

“I'm sure he'd appreciate that. But now I want to talk about you and me.” Mitch set his cup of coffee on the nightstand, then brushed some wisps of hair away from her forehead, loving the satiny feel of her skin against his fingertips. “During the past twelve hours, I did a lot of thinking about us. A lot of worrying that I might lose you. A lot of praying that I wouldn't. And as I sat here beside you through the night, I broke out in a cold sweat every time I thought about how close I
did
come to losing you.” His voice hoarsened, and he cleared his throat.

“Anyway, here's the thing. I know we're just beginning to get acquainted, and we haven't had the most normal dating relationship. But once you're back on your feet, I'd like to remedy that. Starting with a lot more trips to Ted Drewes. Because I think we might find God has something special in store of us. What do you think?”

The tenderness in her eyes, and the sweet smile that tugged at her lips, tightened Mitch's throat and sent his spirits soaring.

“That sounds perfect. But there is one small problem.”

Her caveat tempered his sudden elation. “What?”

“If things develop as I suspect they might, for the rest of our lives we're going to have to listen to Cole gloat about how he set us up on that first date.”

The tension in Mitch's shoulders eased and he smiled. “It would be worth it, don't you think?”

She smiled back. “For a happily ever after? Yeah. I think.” Putting her free hand on his shoulder, she gave a little tug. “What do you say we consider everything up until now a prologue and dive into chapter one?”

Chuckling, he leaned close, his eyes inches from hers, her breath warm and blessedly alive on his cheek. “You're on. So . . . once upon a time . . .”

And with that, he claimed her lips.

Five Months Later

“I think this is our dance.”

At the husky comment and the touch on her shoulder, Alison tuned in to the background music gracing Jake and Liz's elegant, intimate wedding reception.

The three-piece combo was playing “Unforgettable.”

Their song.

With a murmured excuse to her aunt Catherine, Alison turned to Mitch, smiled, and held out her hand. “Lead the way.”

He twined his fingers with hers, his touch warm, strong . . . and magic—as always.

The magic was important.

But so were other things.

As he swept her into his arms and they began to move in perfect unison to the music, Alison was struck by the apt analogy. She and Mitch were in sync not just on the dance floor but in all the ways that counted. Especially when it came to values.

For both of them, family was a priority. They shared a passion for justice. And faith was the center of their lives. The latter had always been true for Alison, and Mitch had found his way back to the Lord, too, these past few months. She gave thanks for that every day.

“You know, I think the maid of honor is even prettier than the bride.” The words were spoken close to her ear, followed by a discreet nuzzle of her neck.

“No way.” Savoring the feel of his strong arms around her, Alison snuggled closer and checked out her new sister-in-law, who was enjoying a dance with her groom. Liz was elegant in a long, off-white sheath with scattered silver beads that caught the light as she swayed in time to the music. Her gaze was locked on Jake, her face luminous. “She looks breathtaking.”

“True. But you're more breathtaking. I couldn't take my eyes off of you during the ceremony. You were serenely radiant.”

A smile tugged at her lips. “You wouldn't have said that if you'd seen me yesterday while I was trying to deal with three emergencies at work and still get to the rehearsal dinner on time. I was frazzled.”

“I'm sure you handled it all with aplomb. Everything okay with Ellen Callahan?”

“Yes. Now that she's earned her GED and gotten a better job, her loan went through. She and the children will be moving into their own house next month. I'm glad things worked out for her.”

“How could they not, with you on her side?”

Warmed by his praise, she let out a small, contented sigh and closed her eyes as they swayed, relishing the perfect moment. Wishing it could go on forever.

Far too soon, however, the music wound down. But when the song ended, Mitch released her only long enough to once again take her hand. “There's a nice garden in back. Want to take advantage of the Indian summer weather?”

“Hmm. A moonlight stroll with a handsome man . . .” She pretended to consider it, then flashed him a grin. “Sold.”

Smiling back, he guided her toward the side door.

As they crossed the room, Alison caught sight of Cole standing by himself, off to one side, a glass of champagne in his hand, looking very handsome in his best-man tux. He raised the goblet in salute, a knowing twitch tugging at his lips.

She made a face at him and nudged Mitch. “Cole has us in his sights.”

“Yeah?” Mitch seemed distracted as he scanned the room for his colleague. “He's just jealous. Why didn't he bring a date, anyway?”

“Beats me. He usually shows up with a gorgeous blonde at events like this. A different one each time, mind you. But he seems to be off his stride lately.”

“Maybe he's finally looking for a more serious relationship.”

“One can hope.”

He pushed the door open to let her precede him, and Alison surveyed the small garden as she exited. Lit by discreet lanterns, it was still perfumed by tea roses in mid-October.

She inhaled the fragrance. “Mmm. This is beautiful.”

“I agree.”

She turned to find him looking at her, not the setting.

Warmth flooded her cheeks at the intimate light in his eyes, and she smoothed the skirt of her knee-length sheath, the bronze silk shimmering in the moonlight. “You'll make me vain with all these compliments.”

“You, vain? Never.” Taking her hand, he tugged her toward a bench situated beside a small fountain. “Sit with me for a minute.”

At the subtle undercurrent of tension in his voice—and the sudden, anticipatory energy crackling in the air—Alison's pulse tripped into double time. She followed without a word, sitting on the bench as he settled beside her.

In the silence that followed, she tried to rein in her growing excitement. For the past few weeks, she'd known this day was coming. Had wanted it to come—sooner rather than later. There was no question in her mind that Mitch was meant for her. She'd prayed about it daily and felt confident this special man was part of God's plan for her life.

Yet when he reached into the jacket of his dark gray suit and withdrew a small square box, her breath caught in her throat.

Mitch took her hand, and the tiniest tremble in his lean fingers told her he was as nervous as she was. He tried to smile but managed only a tiny, tense lift of his lips.

“You know, this is a lot scarier than I expected. They make it look too easy in the movies.”

At his admission, her own lips curved upward. “You have a very receptive audience, if that helps.”

A dimple appeared in his cheek. “That's good to know.”

He released her hand long enough to flip open the box and withdrew a stunning marquise-shaped diamond on a gold band. The air whooshed out of her lungs as he took her hand.

Although the light in the garden was muted, Alison had no trouble seeing the love in his eyes. It shone bright as a beacon in the quiet night, bathing her soul with brilliance and illuminating all the places in her heart that had been dark for too long.

“I'm not the poetic type, Alison. I wish I were. You deserve beautiful words at a moment like this. All I can do is tell you how I feel, straight up. So here goes.” He took a deep breath. Let it out. “The truth is, I wasn't looking for romance when we met. My job always came first. But you changed that. Because you captivated me from the start.”

His voice roughened, and he cleared his throat. “Over the past few months, I've fallen in love with your kind heart. Your strength. Your steadfast values. Your faith. Your love of family. Even your independence—most of the time.” One side of his mouth lifted, and he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “So if you're willing to spend the rest of your life with a less-than-perfect man who adores you and who will promise before God and our families to love you all the days of his life, this ring is yours. Will you marry me, Alison Taylor?”

He held up the ring. His hand wasn't steady—but Alison knew his love was. And that it always would be. For this was a man of honor, who kept his promises. A man of strength, whose integrity was steadfast. A man of deep compassion, whose tender heart held a depth of love and caring that had already enriched and blessed her life beyond measure. No matter how long she lived, she would never forget the day he'd buried her beloved Bert, or all the times he'd calmed her when she'd called him in the wee hours of the morning after horrifying nightmares had wrenched her awake. Or all the other ways he'd demonstrated his deep, abiding love these past few months.

Alison extended her left hand—which was none too steady either—and managed to whisper a single word. “Yes.”

He slid the ring on her finger, then drew her to her feet and looped his arms around her waist. And as he pulled her close, the joy in his eyes was mirrored in her heart.

She smiled up at him and found her voice at last. “There will be much celebration in the Taylor family when we announce this news, you know.”

“You think?”

“I
know
. Before you claimed me for that last dance, Aunt Catherine was counseling me not to play hard to get. She said, and I quote, ‘That young man is one in a million, Alison. Handsome inside and out.' My mom agrees with her. And just for the record, so do I. My family is sold.” She put her arms around his neck and studied his face. “How do you think your dad will react to the news?”

Mitch smiled. “I already know.”

She arched an eyebrow. “How come?”

“Because I told him before I left for the wedding that I was planning to recruit a new Musketeer tonight.”

Grinning, she tipped her head. “And what did he say to that?”

Mitch chuckled, and as he bent down to seal their engagement in the most traditional of ways, he murmured his answer. “He said it was about time.”