Chloe hugged herself tighter, trying to disappear into the wall.
The man yelled her name into the house, pieces of the doorframe cracking under his boots. “Chloe!”
She raised her head, unable to believe he was here. “Colt,” she croaked, her throat raw, her mouth dry as cotton.
His head whipped left and right, and then he saw her. Relief filled his voice as he repeated her name, softer this time. “Chloe.” His long legs carried him quickly across the room, and he knelt beside her and reached to pull her to him.
Instinct had her shrinking back, flinching away from his outstretched hands.
He stilled and turned his palms over as if beckoning a skittish animal. “It’s okay, darlin’,” he whispered gently. “I’ve got you.”
She let out a shuddering breath, forcing her fear behind her as she leaned toward him. Willing her clenched fists to open, she wrenched her arms from around her middle and threw herself into his arms, a sob escaping her throat.
He lowered himself to the floor and pulled her into his lap, rocking her gently as he smoothed her hair and cooed into her ear. “It’s okay now. I’m here. Nobody’s gonna hurt you.”
She melted into him, shaking as she let the tears out and sobs racked her body. He held her close, and she buried her face in his neck, clutching his jacket as she cried herself out. Taking another shaky breath, she drew strength from his solid chest and his strong arms wrapped around her. “I tried to protect them, but he was so strong. He broke down the door.”
He pulled back the slightest, tenderly touching her cheek as he studied her face. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
“I don’t know. I was trying to shield the kids and keep them behind me. He grabbed my arm. But he didn’t hit me. I’ll be okay.” Her body still felt numb. She’d probably have a bruise or two, but dealing with a few bruises was getting off easy. “Tina’s eye was swollen, so he must have hit her.”
“Bastard,” Colt hissed between gritted teeth. His fists clenched against Chloe’s back. “I should go next door and let him know how it feels to get hit in the face with a fist.”
“He’s not over there. He ran off before the police got here.”
“Damn. They never should have let him out.”
Chloe laid her head on his shoulder. How could he be here, holding her in his lap? “I can’t believe you’re here. How did you know?” How did he know how much she needed him?
“Logan and I were sitting at the bar at The Creed waiting for our drinks, and a cop was sitting next to us having a burger. We heard the call on his radio, and I recognized the address.”
“And you came to check on me?” she asked, her voice holding a measure of awe.
“Of course. I didn’t even hesitate. Neither of us did. Logan and I jumped in our trucks and raced over here so fast, I thought we might beat the police car.”
She glanced around the room. “Logan is here?”
“Not here. When we pulled up, I yelled I was coming to find you, and he went to check on Tina and the kids.”
“That’s good. The kids were really scared.”
“I’m sure they were. Rank Johnson is a mean son of a bitch. When we heard his name, we figured he’d be coming after Tina. My mom told us he just got out of prison, but we’d hoped he’d steer clear of her for a while.”
“I think he came looking for Jesse.”
Colt’s brow knit together. “That makes sense. I heard he blames Jesse for ratting him out and getting him sent to jail.”
“Did he? Rat him out?”
“No. But if he had, it would’ve served the guy right, and whoever did probably saved Tina’s life. I think Rank has been serving time for dealing drugs and assault, so him getting sent to jail was the best thing to happen to that family.”
Chloe let out a breath, her heartbeat finally slowing to a normal rate. Colt’s arms felt so good around her that she wanted to stay wrapped in them forever, but she couldn’t. “I should probably go talk to the police. I need to give them my statement.”
Instead of loosening, Colt’s arms tightened around her, drawing her closer to his chest. “They can wait a few more minutes. I’m not ready to let you go yet.”
Oh.
He bent his head forward, resting his chin on top of her head. “My chest feels like I just ran a marathon. When I heard your address on the radio, I thought my heart was gonna stop. It was pounding so hard on the way here, I’m not sure it’s slowed down yet. I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to you.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she held on tighter, burying her face in his neck, inhaling the scent of him. His words worked like a salve to her heart, soothing the pain caused by something deeper than just Rank’s wrenching grip on her arm.
A knock sounded on her damaged front door. “Hello, Miss Bishop?” a male voice asked. “I’m Officer Russo. I’d like to ask you some questions, if that’s okay.” He nodded at Colt, but didn’t seem that surprised to see him. “Hey, Colt. Saw your rig outside, and Logan told me you were over here.” He stood back and took a couple of photos of the door.
He was of average height but broad-shouldered, and his thick forearms indicated a regular weight-lifting routine. His dark hair was cut close to his head, and the crisply ironed fabric of his uniform showed he took his position seriously.
“Hey, Mike,” Colt said, then looked down at Chloe. “I’ve known Mike a long time. He’s a good guy. You ready to talk to him?”
She nodded and let Colt go. He helped her stand but kept his arm wrapped around her waist as he guided her to the sofa. She waved the officer in as she sank onto the couch. “Are Tina and the kids okay?”
“Yeah, they’re packing up some stuff to go stay at a friend’s house tonight. An EMT is checking Tina out now, then Logan’s going to take her and the kids over there.”
“He’s a good guy too.” It seemed she was surrounded by good guys right now. So why did she still feel terrified from her encounter with one bad one? She knew why, but was stuffing that down inside herself to deal with later.
Mike entered the room and tried to push the door closed as best he could. Cold air seeped through, and Chloe pulled the edges of her coat tighter around her. Mike sat on the chair across from her and pulled a notepad from his pocket. “Can you tell me what happened?”
She told him everything she could remember, starting from the time Rank first pounded on Tina’s door. Colt’s grip tightened on her waist as she relayed how Rank had kicked in her door. And he sucked a breath in through his teeth when she got to the part about Rank grabbing and threatening her before he tried to wrestle Maddie from her arms.
“Sounds like you did the best you could, and frankly, things could have gotten much worse. I’ve dealt with Rank before, and he can get pretty violent.” Mike glanced at the door as he closed his notebook. “We’ll have a squad car do a couple of drive-bys of the neighborhood tonight, just in case he comes back.”
Chloe’s breath caught in her throat, and she shrank against Colt’s shoulder. She hadn’t thought about the fact that Rank could return.
“Do you have someplace safe you can stay tonight?” Mike asked. “Maybe with a relative or a friend?”
“She’s staying with me,” Colt said before she had a chance to answer. “And I’ll take care of the door before we leave.”
Mike nodded and passed her his card. “Feel free to call me if you think of anything else or if you hear from Rank. We’re going to run by a couple of his usual haunts, see if we can pick him up tonight.”
Colt stood. “Thanks, Mike. Let me know if you find him, would you? Just for the peace of mind.”
“Sure thing. You take care, Chloe. Nice to meet you.”
Colt studied the doorframe, then turned back to her. “I’ve got some tools in my truck. Why don’t you get some things together, and I’ll patch this up until I can come back and put in a new door and frame.”
She mechanically did as he said, moving through the motions of grabbing a bag and tossing in a change of clothes and her sneakers. She didn’t travel much, but she had a small case she kept stocked with a few basic toiletries, and she threw that in the bag along with her cell-phone charger. The plastic sack of new hair products still sat on the bathroom counter, and she stuffed it in as well. Hefting the bag over her shoulder, she jumped at the sound of hammering coming from the living room.
Colt had brought in some tools and was nailing a board across the doorframe. “I had some old lumber in the back of my pickup. It isn’t pretty, but nobody is getting through this door tonight.” He glanced at her bag. “You ready?”
“I think so.”
“What about Agatha?”
“She’s got food and water. She’ll be fine overnight.”
His brows furrowed. “I’d feel better if we brought her with us. Do you have a little carrier we can bring her in?”
Chloe swallowed at his thoughtfulness for her cat. Most of the men she even considered dating shied away from any talk of the cat, preferring to act like she didn’t have a pet rather than seeing her as a thirty-year-old single cat-owner, as if the furry beast was equivalent to a spinster’s loom.
Not that she was considering dating Colt. Ha. She’d done more than consider dating him. She’d full-on fantasized about marrying him and having his babies. And most of those fantasies included numerous variations on the act of making those babies.
Chloe sighed, then set her bag on the edge of the sofa and went back to pack up the cat. Agatha wasn’t any more excited about this impromptu field trip than she was. The idea of going to Colt’s house and spending the night there had Chloe’s already frayed nerves unraveling at a rapid pace. Crawling under the covers of her bed and curling into a ball sounded like a much better idea.
“Let me get that for you,” Colt said, reaching for the cat carrier as she stepped back into the living room. He hoisted her duffel on his shoulder. “You need anything else?”
She gave the room a cursory glance. Colt had swept up the fragments of wood from the splintered doorframe, and the broken door was secured back in place. Other than the two boards nailed across it like a caution symbol over an abandoned mine shaft, it looked back to normal. She hadn’t ever taken her jacket off, so she checked the pockets for her cell phone, wallet, and keys. She hesitated at the kitchen door, worried that Rank would be waiting outside, hidden in the darkness, watching for his chance to attack her. If only she had a way to pack an ounce of courage or a measure of bravery in her bags! She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
Colt had to have been thinking along the same lines because he narrowed his eyes as he stepped outside and surveyed the driveway and neighboring yards. Nothing must have seemed amiss because he held the door open and led her toward his truck.
The drive to the ranch was quiet, with only the whoosh of the heater and the occasional unhappy yowl from Agatha to fill the void. But it was a comfortable silence, and Chloe leaned against the back of the seat, her body suddenly heavy with exhaustion. Her eyelids fluttered and closed as she gave in to sleep.
“We’re here,” Colt said, gently shaking her arm.
She struggled to sit up, the weight of sleep still pressing her down. “Sorry. I must have dozed off.” Wiping her chin with the back of her hand, she prayed she hadn’t drooled.
“It’s okay. You’ve had a pretty rough night.” He slid out of the truck and hurried around to open her door and lift the cat carrier from the floor in front of her feet. He took her hand to help her out, and she wanted to hold on to it and not let go.
It had begun to snow while she’d slept. She climbed from the truck and gazed in awe at the cabin set against the side of the mountain as light snowflakes floated down around her. Towering pine trees framed the cabin, and their evergreen scent filled the air. A long front porch ran the length of the cabin, complete with a porch swing and two rockers framing a large bay window. A light dusting of snow was already settling on the railings leading up the porch steps, and two neat stacks of firewood sat next to the front door.
Even in the dark, Chloe could feel the magic surrounding the place. If she believed in that sort of thing. Which she did not. She’d given up on believing a long time ago, after wishing as hard as she could and having no fairy godmother—or any mother at all—appear.
It was so quiet. The only sound was the soft whoosh of the wind in the trees. No traffic noises, no hum of streetlights—not that Creedence had a lot of traffic to begin with, but out here in the country, the absence of sound only intensified the feeling of isolation. Which was usually a good thing, unless someone was concerned that a huge, pissed-off biker was on the hunt for them.
A shiver ran through Chloe as she looked back toward the cabin. A movement, something subtle, had caught her eye.
The curtains in the front window of the cabin swayed, and she grabbed Colt’s arm, the hair on her neck standing on end. “Someone’s in there.”