Love Inspired March 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Wife for Jacob\The Forest Ranger's Rescue\Alaskan Homecoming (33 page)

“Just to keep in contact with John.”

“Will he tell you what's going on?”

“Only if he needs to. I just want to help, Jill. To do what's right,” he said.

She snorted, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder. “I think you're more interested in getting a conviction than helping my family.”

He longed to deny her words, but thought it was too little too late. After tonight, he'd be lucky if Jill ever spoke to him again. And that upset him more than anything. Evie had flowered under Jill's tutelage. She'd responded and grown so much over the past weeks.

So had he.

He slowed the truck and took a right turn off the black asphalt, following an abandoned dirt road. Since Jill had grown up in this area, he figured she knew exactly where she was.

“No one ever comes up here,” she said.

“That's right. It's nice and lonely. A perfect route for timber thieves.”

She bit her bottom lip, her eyes wide.

They skirted the edge of Cove Mountain. A few minutes more and he pulled his vehicle off the road into a sheltering copse of thick piñon-juniper trees. He killed the engine, unclicked his seat belt and reached for the camera. Removing the lens cap, he took a few pictures, to ensure the mechanism was working properly. Everything must be perfect. He might never get another chance.

Jill swiveled around in her seat, watching his movements with wary eyes. She glanced at the road, which was visible from their vantage point, yet his truck should go unnoticed by someone passing by. He'd taken a lot of time to scope out this hiding place and it was perfect.

“You're expecting someone to come along?” she asked.

He nodded. “I'm afraid so.”

“It won't be Alan. He's in Boise with Mom.” She spoke with firm insistence, as though trying to convince herself.

“I hope it's not Alan,” he said.

She released a pensive whoosh of air. Her slender shoulders tensed, but she didn't speak. For long minutes, they sat in silence.

“Where's Evie tonight?” She whispered the words without looking at him. As though her voice might chase off anyone who happened to be driving by tonight.

“With Mrs. Crawford.”

“Oh.”

“I told Alan to go into Boise today. To get far away from Bartlett,” he said.

She jerked a surprised glance his way. “You did?”

He nodded. “Yes, and I hope he did as I asked him to do. You shouldn't expect him home until the wee hours of the morning. I told him to take someone with him. To make sure he had several witnesses in Boise who could testify that they saw him there late at night, before he started home. I told him to not come back until there was absolutely no chance he could be involved in what you're about to see.”

“Why would you do that?” She frowned in confusion.

“To ensure he has an alibi.”

She took a sharp inhale. “Oh, Brent. I'm not sure I even want to know what's going on. I'm too afraid to ask.”

“Then just sit back and wait. Everything will come to light soon enough.” Reaching across the seat, he opened a case on the floor and reached inside. He handed her another nightscope with a zoom lens.

She took the scope and held it with both hands, staring at it as if it was a snake that might bite her. “It's heavy. What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Look through it.” He nodded at the road, not daring to take his eyes off that spot. He caught her expression out of his peripheral vision. A mixture of relief and dread.

She lifted the lens up and peered through it, her fingers twisting the focus bar. He barely heard her low whisper. “This is amazing. Even though it's pitch-black outside, I can see everything with perfect clarity.”

He held the camera in his lap, ready to snap pictures at a moment's notice. Long minutes later, he heard a sound. The low drone of a big engine. It grew in intensity. Bright fog lights from a large truck flashed past them, then bathed the deserted road in eerie shadows.

Jill ducked down. “Someone's coming.”

“They won't see you,” he assured her. “Besides, my truck has tinted windows. They can't see us inside the cab.”

She sat back up as he lifted the camera and pointed it at the road, his finger on the trigger. A huge logging truck lumbered past, driving slow across the deserted road. In the moonlight, Brent could see its back hayracks filled to capacity with logs. He pressed and held his finger down. The shutter of the camera clicked in rapid succession.

Looking through the nightscope he'd given her, Jill gasped. He didn't look her way until the truck had passed by and he'd gotten the pictures he needed.

“That was Frank Casewell driving,” she said.

“That's right. And you're now a witness to what you saw.”

She pressed a hand to her mouth, her face shining pale in the dark shadows. “He has no business being out here so late at night. He must be stealing timber.”

Brent didn't say a word as he set the camera on the seat and pressed the call button on his earpiece. “John, this is Brent. Come in.”

A brief pause followed.

“You've got a truck headed your way. Be careful,” Brent said.

Another pause, then he looked over at Jill, conscious of her watching him with eagle-eyed precision. “You just warned John that Frank's on his way with a load of stolen timber.”

He started the engine, flipped on the headlights, then put the truck in gear. “That's right.”

“Is John going to try and make an arrest tonight?”

“Yes, John and a few other officers with him.”

Her mouth dropped open as she understood the situation. “There's more than one officer hiding out at the mill.”

It wasn't a question.

“Yes, Jill. We have a warrant. And I don't want you in harm's way when they make their move.”

She gripped the armrest as Brent pulled the vehicle onto the dirt road. When she spoke, her voice sounded shrill with alarm. “But what if Alan didn't go to Boise? What if Mom's covering for him, Brent? What if he's here in town? What if he's at the mill?”

In that moment, Brent realized how much she'd just confided to him. Her deepest fears were written across her ashen face.

“You really think your mom would do that?”

She covered her face with her hands, her words muffled. “I don't know what to believe anymore. I hope not.”

He admitted to himself that he was surprised she would confide such a thing. It was another indicator of how close they'd become. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let her accompany him tonight. But now, he doubted she'd want anything to do with him.

“Be calm. It should be over with soon now,” he assured her.

She snorted. “That's easy for you to say. Your brother isn't the one that might be involved in theft.”

“You think he's in on it?” He lifted a brow, hoping against hope that wasn't the case.

“No, I don't. But what if he got back into town early and went over to the mill? What if Mom's with him?” She left the sentence hanging in the air between them like a dark storm cloud.

Brent gripped the steering wheel like a lifeline. “I hope he didn't do that. I hope he followed my instructions completely.”

She looked at him, her face white as a fresh sheet hanging on Mrs. Crawford's clothesline. “What are you going to do now?”

“John and the other officers are waiting for me back at the mill. I'd like to drop you off at your house before I join them.”

“No, I want to stay with you.” A bit of panic and desperation edged her voice.

He bit his bottom lip, thinking this over. His work tonight could get ugly and he didn't want her there to see it happen. Like always, he wanted to protect her. To keep her safe. He wanted to shield her from any horrible memories that might haunt her later on when this nasty business was over with.

He glanced at her from across the seat. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears, her face tight with determination.

“I'd rather you stayed home tonight. I promise I'll call you the minute it's done. And no matter what happens, I'll be there for you,” he said.

“No, I'm not leaving and you can't make me.”

Yes, he could, but he wouldn't do that. Not in a million years. He couldn't stand to hurt her that way.

He waited for her to say something more about her brother. She sat quietly twining her fingers together in her lap. She startled him with her next words. Words that told him she felt a connection between them, too, but couldn't act on it any more than he could. Not as long as this theft trouble stood between them.

“No, I'm going with you. I won't get in the way, I promise. I can face whatever happens, but I want to make sure you stay safe.”

Chapter Twelve

J
ill gripped the armrest with tight fingers. She waited for Brent to insist she go home, but he didn't say a word. Just nodded his head once and pressed on the gas. And she couldn't help feeling that he trusted her. Enough to let her into his world. So, why couldn't she do the same?

Maybe she should call Mom and Alan, to see where they were. Hopefully, somewhere in the vicinity of Boise.

Slipping her hand into her pocket, she pulled out her cell phone and checked the connectivity here in the mountains. The bright light in the dark cab of the truck made her blink. Only one bar. She doubted she could reach anyone right now.

She jerked when Brent reached out and closed his hand over the phone. He didn't pull it from her grasp, but he pushed it down toward her lap.

“I'm sorry, Jill. I can't let you call anyone right now. Not until we arrive at the mill and see what we're dealing with there.”

Oh. She hadn't thought about that.

“I just wanted to know where Mom and Alan are and if they're okay. I wasn't trying to warn them.”

He nodded. “Your family's fine. I know you're worried. So am I. But we'll have to let this play out now. No cell phones.”

She sucked in a shallow breath, wondering if he'd try to take her phone away if she pressed the issue. Maybe he didn't trust her as much as she thought. She couldn't help wondering how far he was willing to go to catch this thief. But fighting over her cell phone would devastate her. Not only because she wasn't up to the animosity it might create between them, but also because she loved him. She understood how difficult this must be for him. And for her. She wanted to trust him. She really did. But so much had happened in the past to make her suspicious of men. Brent owed her nothing. He'd kissed her, but he'd never told her he loved her. They'd made no commitments. And right now, he had a job to do, and a thief to catch. Whether it involved her brother or not.

She tucked her phone into her pocket, speaking in a low voice. “I don't want to jeopardize your case, but I also don't want anyone to get hurt.”

“I'm afraid it's too late for that, Jill. After tonight, someone's going to jail. We'll have to let the system do its job and trust that everything will work out for the best.”

Trust. That word kept coming up between them.

Her heart gave a powerful thud. His cryptic words brought the reality of the situation into sharp, agonizing focus. Yes, someone would go to jail for this and she prayed Alan wouldn't be included.

As they drove through the night, she didn't know what to expect. She didn't like Frank, but she didn't want to see him go to prison either. No doubt he had at least one accomplice. Probably an employee from the sawmill. Which meant Jill knew them well. Maybe they were even good friends.

She didn't speak as the forest buzzed past the window in a melee of tall, dark shapes. Her stomach swirled with urgency. A shiver of fear swept down her spine. She wanted off this mountain. Wanted out of this truck. Right now.

She said a quick prayer, asking God to keep her family safe and to protect the mill from harm. The first prayer she'd uttered in many long months. In her pain and anguish over the divorce, she'd abandoned God. But now, she needed Him more than ever. And maybe inviting Him back into her life was the first step to trusting Brent.

As the town lights came into view, an anxious energy pulsed through her veins. The truck bounced as the tires traded dirt road for smooth, black asphalt. The hulking shapes of the post office and grocery store rushed past, making the dark Main Street seem even more deserted.

Brent jerked his hand up to the earpiece and she could tell he was listening.

“It's time,” he said, calm and steady.

“Who's speaking to you?” Jill asked.

“John. He's moving the team into position,” Brent said as he glanced her way.

“Team?”

“Yes, we've got three LEOs and five US marshals with us tonight.”

A sick feeling settled over her. She never suspected a thing. Not like this. Not this big. “This is a sting operation, isn't it?”

He nodded. “I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about it earlier, but I was sworn to secrecy. We've been monitoring the night activities up on Cove Mountain and over at the sawmill for weeks now.”

She understood, but still felt betrayed. It was her family's mill, after all. She tried to tell herself that she had no right to feel offended. Brent hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't owe her anything. He was just doing his job.

But it still hurt. A lot.

“Jill, I'll let you stay with me on one condition,” he said.

Her face heated up like a flame thrower. She felt completely alone and at his mercy. If only she knew that Alan and Mom were safe. That they weren't involved. “And what's that?”

“That you don't leave this truck or my side until I tell you it's okay to do so. Agreed?” His penetrating eyes seemed to peer into her mind.

Jill heaved a sigh of exasperation. No doubt he'd take her home if she refused. And she'd go stir-crazy if she couldn't be here and know what was going on. But something hardened inside of her. Something she didn't dare contemplate. “Agreed. But if anyone gets hurt tonight, I'll be very upset.”

He blinked at that and locked his jaw. “I understand. But no one's going to get hurt. Not if I can help it.”

His promise didn't sway her. The situation was out of his control. He couldn't stop it. Like a giant boulder rolling down a mountain, anyone that stood in its path was bound to get squashed.

He made a left turn and headed toward the other side of town. They were moving faster than the heavy logging truck and they caught sight of Frank turning into the mill yard. Brent slowed his vehicle to a crawl, then pulled into the bushes along the river's edge and shut off the engine.

Jill looked over at the camera tripod, sitting right where they'd left it two hours earlier. John was nowhere to be seen, but a small green light blinked to indicate the camera was on and filming everything.

Brent nodded toward the mill and answered her unasked question. “I'm sure John's inside now.”

Yes, hiding out with the rest of the team. Waiting for Frank and his accomplice.

Reaching across the seat, Brent handed her the nightscope. While he peered through the camera lens, she lifted the scope to her eyes and gasped. As Frank drove the big logging truck inside, several armed officers swarmed the front gate. From her vantage point, she caught sight of someone standing on the roof of the mill office, pointing a rifle down at the yard below. She could see the luminous words
US Marshal
written clearly across the back of his jacket.

“Brent! They've got guns,” she cried.

He reached across the seat and squeezed her arm. “Steady, sweetheart. They're all law enforcement. Trust that they know what they're doing. It'll be over with soon.”

Trust? Someone could be killed tonight. Someone she knew and cared deeply about.

Her hands trembled as she lifted the nightscope again. Bright halogen lights flared inside the mill yard and she jerked the scope away, blinking at the sudden flash. A loud voice boomed through the air, as though coming from a megaphone.

“US Marshal Service. We've got you surrounded. Back away from the truck and put your hands in the air and no one will get hurt,” the voice demanded.

Jill couldn't see what was happening inside the mill yard, but her imagination ran wild.

“What's going on? Tell me,” she insisted.

“It's a raid,” Brent said.

Yes, that was obvious. But who was in there? She had to know, but didn't dare open the truck door and run inside. She'd given her word to Brent that she'd stay with him. It was the most difficult promise she'd ever made in her life, but she intended to keep it.

Long minutes passed while Jill sat there trembling. Finally, Brent reached up to his earpiece and nodded.

“All clear. They're bringing them out now,” Brent told her with a slight smile of satisfaction.

“Them?”

He nodded, his eyes narrowed with resolve. “Frank Casewell and two other men. He had two accomplices. We can go in now, but you must remain with me. Okay?”

She nodded, saying a silent prayer in her heart that Alan wasn't with them and no one had gotten hurt.

They climbed out of the truck. Brent took her arm, helping her pick her way across fallen tree trunks and bushes that covered the dark ground. Just as they emerged from the trees, two black sedans pulled out of the mill yard.

Jill recognized the men sitting in the backseats. She gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth. “Bill and Tommy Baker.”

“You know them?” Brent placed himself in front of her, so the two men wouldn't see her in the dark shadows. A protective gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Jill.

She nodded. “Yes, I went to school with both of them. They're brothers. Friends that have worked for the mill for years. Their mom has pancreatic cancer, but no medical insurance. They're both family men with kids to feed. They've had it tough lately, but I never thought they'd resort to stealing timber.”

Sitting in one car, the brothers had their shoulders hunched, as though their hands were cuffed behind their backs. They hung their heads, looking lost and so alone. Frank Casewell sat in the backseat of the second sedan, his eyes filled with belligerence as he glared his defiance at the officers.

Inside the mill yard, Jill stood back and watched with wide eyes as US marshals scurried around taking photographs and gathering evidence. Jill could only imagine what would happen to Bill and Tommy's families now that they'd been arrested. And she made a silent vow to help them through this difficulty any way she could.

John greeted Brent with a strong handshake. “The Baker brothers are singing like canaries. Cooperating all they can. They'll probably cop a deal and get a reduced sentence. But Frank Casewell isn't saying a word.”

“Is there just the three of them?” Jill asked.

John's potent gaze swung her way. “Yep, that's all the arrests we'll be making tonight.”

Jill released a mighty exhale, realizing she'd been holding her breath. Alan wasn't here. For now, he was safe. But she was still eager to talk with him and Mom.

“I'm glad it's over with,” Brent said.

Jill was, too. And yet, a horrible feeling settled deep inside her soul. She loved Brent deeply. Had even begun to hope there might be a way for them to be together. But she didn't see how. Not now. By tomorrow morning, the small town's paper would have this story plastered across the front page. Everyone would know what had happened and the part Brent had played in the arrests. In a town filled with loggers, most people wouldn't approve of Brent even if he was in the right. Most of them would side with Bill and Tommy Baker, even if the men were guilty of timber theft.

Tonight's escapades had capped Jill's relationship with Brent in a final deathblow.

Hunching her shoulders, she slid her hands into her pockets. Her fingers closed over the key she'd found in Dad's desk earlier that evening.

“Is it okay if I go inside the office?” she asked.

“Sure. I'll tag along,” Brent said.

Right now, she wanted to be alone. To check Dad's safe, then go home. But since law enforcement officers still swarmed around the place, she doubted Brent would leave her side for even one moment.

Feeling confused and discouraged, she headed toward the office with the forest ranger following close on her heels.

* * *

Now that the sting operation was over with, Brent wanted to let Jill go. To let her be by herself. He sensed she needed time alone. But he couldn't do that. Not until she was away from the mill and home safe.

He stood in the moonlight, waiting for her to pull out her key and open the office door. A repetitious beep sounded and she quickly flipped on the light, punched in a code and shut off the alarm system.

“I won't be a minute. I just need to check something out.” She walked to the back, unlocked the door to Alan's office, and slipped inside.

He followed, standing on the threshold, watching as she knelt on the floor before a heavy, black safe. Withdrawing a key from her pocket, she inserted it into the lock and turned. The safe gave an audible click.

Jill gave a sharp inhale, her hand resting on the knob for the count of three. Then, with a quick twist of her wrist, she pulled the door wide.

“Oh, no! You have got to be kidding me.” She spoke as if to herself, pressing her hands to her mouth.

Wondering what would cause such a strong reaction, Brent stepped near enough to look inside. Tidy stacks of money lined the back wall of the safe.

“Wow!” he said.

She reached out a trembling hand to ruffle the edges of one stack of bills. Her movements seemed hesitant and startled. Disbelieving.

“You didn't know the money was in there?” he asked.

She shook her head, her voice wobbly. “No. I found the key at home tonight. No one's been in the safe since Dad died. We all thought it was empty. But Dad must have put the money here just before his death.”

Her cell phone rang and she scrambled to pull it from her pocket. She hesitated, waiting for Brent's nod of approval before she flipped it open, then pressed it against her ear. “Hello? Oh, Alan! Where are you?”

She paused, listening.

“So you just got into town. And Mom's with you at home?”

Another pause.

“Oh, I'm so relieved.” She quickly told her brother about the late-night raid on the mill and that Bill and Tommy Baker were involved with Frank.

“You already knew that?” she asked with incredulity, her gaze lifting to Brent. “But why didn't you tell me?”

Brent leaned against the corner of the desk, listening as her brother filled her in on his part of the sting operation. Brent felt unbelievably happy that tonight's events had gone so smoothly and that Alan had taken his advice and gone to Boise.