At that moment, another bolt of lightning split the air, so bright that the night outside lit up. Only seconds later, a thunderous boom shook the house and Mackenzie’s grip on her mother’s legs tightened. Lori had been so caught up in Mackenzie’s distress that she hadn’t even noticed it was raining. Apparently, they were in the middle of one of Texas’s infamous thunderstorms, with rain pouring down in sheets and lightning cracking all around them.
Lori didn’t for a minute believe Mackenzie had seen a ghost. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t seen something…or someone. The possibility of an intruder being in their house terrified Lori more than a haunting.
“Grab Whinny, and you can sleep in my bed tonight.” While Mackenzie ran to her bed and grabbed her favorite stuffed animal, which, of course, was a horse, Lori checked the window and found it locked. No one had entered or exited that way. With Mackenzie’s hand nestled in hers, Lori returned to her bedroom and checked her own windows to make certain they were locked.
“Hop in. I’m going to check the house to see if I can find your ghost,” Lori started to say, but Mackenzie interrupted with a whimper.
“Don’t leave me, Mommy. I don’t want it to get me.”
“Nothing’s going to get you unless it gets me first.”
“Nooooo,” Mackenzie cried.
Lori realized she had not chosen exactly the right words to comfort her baby girl. She snapped the lock on her bedroom door and climbed into bed with Mackenzie. “Okay, we’re safe in here. I’ll even leave the light on.”
Mackenzie snuggled close, and with the resilience of youth, she relaxed and quickly fell asleep.
Lori, however, was wide awake. She was hyperaware of every bump and creak in the old house, even though she was sure Mackenzie had just had a nightmare and hadn’t seen anything or anyone. She had definitely locked the front door and the bedroom windows were secure. The storm continued to rage outside, adding to the ominous atmosphere. Finally, when she was certain that Mackenzie was sound asleep, Lori slid out of bed and pulled her robe on. She knew she’d never get to sleep not knowing that the house was secure. But as soon as she stepped into the hallway outside her bedroom and looked down the stairs into the darkness of the first floor, she hesitated.
What if someone was waiting and attacked her? That would leave Mackenzie alone and unprotected. What if he knocked Lori out and kidnapped her daughter? What if the intruder killed them both?
Lori went back into the refuge of her bedroom and locked the door. She picked up her cellphone off the nightstand and ran down her options. She could call the sheriff. If he wasn’t across the county on another call, he could probably be here in about an hour. She didn’t live within the city limits, so local police wouldn’t respond. Her fingers hovered over the keypad, then clicked on the “Recent Calls” list. After a brief hesitation, she pressed the number at the top of the list.
When the phone rang on the other end, she almost hung up. But she reminded herself she wasn’t calling just because she wanted to talk to him. She needed to make sure her daughter was safe.
The phone rang again. Maybe he was with someone and…busy. That thought made her sick to her stomach. She knew she had absolutely no reason to feel any sort of ownership. They had never discussed his personal situation. He hadn’t mentioned being involved with anyone, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone at home waiting for him. She could be a supermodel or a—
He picked it up on the third ring. His voice was rough from sleep. “Justin Archer,” he said. He must have gathered his wits enough to look at the caller ID, because he asked in a clipped, worried tone, “Lori? What’s wrong?”
Lori glanced at the clock for the first time since Mackenzie screamed. It was almost two a.m. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“I’m awake.” And he did sound fully alert. “Did something happen?”
“Mackenzie said she saw a ghost in her room.” Once she repeated it out loud, it sounded ridiculous. “I mean, she thinks she saw something at the end of her bed. I wanted to check the house out, but I didn’t want to leave her alone. It’s probably nothing….”
She heard the rustle of covers and the sound of bare feet hitting the floor.
“I’ll be right there,” he said, his voice distorted like he was holding the phone on his shoulder with his cheek while pulling on his jeans. “Stay in your bedroom with the door locked. Do you want me to stay on the line?”
“I’ll be okay,” she said, trying to be brave, but her voice betrayed her by shaking. “Please hurry.”
“I will. Call me if you hear anything.”
“Justin…”
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” The phone disconnected.
He made the hour-and-a-half drive in just under an hour. Having almost no traffic at that time of morning helped. But the portable Kojak light stuck on the roof of his SUV allowed him to drive as quickly as he dared in the pouring rain, while watching out for deer and other wildlife.
He took the gravel road that spurred off from the winery’s circular drive and screeched to a stop in front of Lori’s house. He hit the redial button and she answered immediately.
“I’m outside,” he said as he ran through the rain and onto the porch. “The front door is wide open. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
He heard the click of a door unlocking and saw the light from her bedroom flood the hallway. Justin flipped every switch on the panel by the door, and the front rooms were immediately brightly lit. He shut the door behind him and took the stairs two at a time to get to her. Without stopping to think about anything except his overwhelming sense of relief, he wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly against him. She didn’t protest but melted against him, sobbing. Neither of them moved for several minutes as he cradled her protectively, his face buried in her hair.
“Is Mackenzie okay?” he asked.
Lori sniffed and leaned back a little. “She’s asleep in my room.” Lori took a deep breath and moved back a step.
“I’m going to check out the house, but I suspect whoever it was is gone.”
“You said the door was open?”
“Yes. Did you forget to lock it?”
Lori shook her head. “I double-checked it before I went to bed.”
“Who else has a key?”
“Only Mackenzie…and Raquel. She babysits for me occasionally.”
“Let me look around, and then we’ll figure it out. I want to start in Mackenzie’s room.”
Lori pointed to the room next to hers, then followed him as he walked down the hall and entered it. She stayed in the hallway so she could keep an eye on her bedroom while watching him.
He began a thorough investigation of the closet and under the bed. There weren’t any other places a person could hide, but he checked out the window and looked down to see if someone could access the room from outside. “Was this locked?”
“Yes,” Lori answered.
He paused at the end of the bed and squatted down. He ran his fingers over the wooden floor and lifted them for Lori to see they were wet. “Someone was here.”
Lori’s face went pale. She must have assumed Mackenzie had been dreaming until she saw the evidence. “She said she saw a ghost.”
“He was probably wearing a raincoat and maybe a mask, which could have made him appear ghostlike, but he was very human. And he stood here long enough to leave a puddle.” Justin stood. “Let me check out your room, then you should stay in and lock the door. I’ll come back when I’m finished searching the house.”
Lori nodded mutely, obviously very shaken by the confirmation of a real, live intruder.
He did a quick but thorough examination of her bedroom and bathroom, then waited until she had shut the door and engaged the lock before he began his systematic check of the rest of the house, starting with the second floor. Besides Lori’s and Mackenzie’s, there were two more rooms, one obviously a guest room and the other being used for storage.
His search of the first floor had the same results, discovering nothing unusual, ghostly or otherwise. All the windows and doors, with the exception of the front door, were securely locked and untampered with. He even walked around outside, checking for footprints, but the downpour had completely washed away any evidence. He’d look again in the morning, but he didn’t have any hope of finding anything.
He climbed the stairs and knocked on her door. “Lori. All clear.”
She stepped out, then shut the door behind her so Mackenzie wouldn’t be awakened. “Nothing?”
“Nothing. Everything else was locked up tight.”
Lori went to Mackenzie’s room and dug through her backpack until she pulled out a key on a chain. She held it up for Justin to see.
“That leaves Raquel. How well do you trust her?”
“With my life,” Lori answered. “Her brother, Raúl, has been with us since he was fourteen. He came across the border with his uncle, who died during the trip, and was practically dead himself when I found him out in the pasture. Mark’s family took him in and sponsored his green card and eventually his citizenship. Then we sponsored Raquel. She’s been with us for about nine years and got her citizenship five or six years ago.”
Justin made a note to check up on them later. “Is it possible that someone was in your house when you came home and you locked up with him inside?”
Lori frowned. “I don’t usually lock the doors during the day. And I did the rounds of the winery before going to bed. I guess he could have been in the house then.” She shivered.
“Maybe you should get an alarm system,” Justin suggested gently.
She glanced around nervously and hugged herself. “I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe here again.”
“It was probably random,” Justin suggested.
Her gaze searched his. “You don’t believe that, do you?”
He considered lying to her, but she was too intelligent to buy it, so he sighed. “No, not really. Your husband was murdered, and his killer is still at large. I doubt that these events are related, but we have to consider it as an option.”
Lori’s face went totally pale. It was clear that thought hadn’t occurred to her.
Justin didn’t want to frighten her, but she needed to be on the alert. “Until we get this case solved, you need to be vigilant. It’s unlikely after all this time, but you might be a target. Now that we’re stirring things up, they would want to keep you quiet, and they don’t know how much you know.”
She nodded stiffly, her lips pressed together. “But I don’t know anything.”
“You and I know that, but the killer doesn’t.” He tried to stifle a yawn.
“I’m so sorry to have called you out so late. I just didn’t know what to do.”
“I’m glad you did. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” He hadn’t meant for his voice to soften or to reflect genuine concern, but she must have noticed, because her expression was raw with emotion.
“Because of the case?” she asked.
Again he considered lying. It would be better for all involved if she didn’t know how deep his attraction was to her, and that it had nothing to do with the case. But he heard himself say, “What case?”
Later he wouldn’t be able to remember who moved first, but suddenly they were in each other’s arms. His lips pressed down on hers, tasting her sweetness and wanting more. He buried his fingers in her hair, cradling her head tenderly.
She returned his kiss with a fervor that set his blood on fire. His cock went from zero to sixty and threatened to burst through the denim of his jeans. With her arms around his neck and her body pressed against his, it was impossible for her not to know the effect she was having on him.
“I’m all wet,” he whispered.
“So am I…now.”
He pulled away slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”
She leaned in and nibbled his lips. “I don’t care. I won’t melt.”
“You just might.” He pulled her back against him and kissed her with all the pent-up desire that had been building inside him since the moment they met. He felt her hands slide under his T-shirt, her palms spread flat over his abs. Impatiently he jerked it off over his head and dropped it to the floor.
The tie on her robe had come loose, and the soft silk fell open, revealing the stimulating sight of her luscious curves barely covered by a thin nightgown. He lifted his hand and cupped one of her breasts. It was firm and round…and oh so tempting.
He bent over and took the nipple in his mouth, licking it through the slick fabric, wetting it until it clung, outlining the pouty pink tip.
Lori moaned and leaned against the wall, thrusting her breasts upward, silently begging for him to continue. Her fingers found the buckle of his belt and fumbled unfastening it. The scrape of the zipper sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet between claps of thunder. His penis sprang out, and her fingers wrapped around it.
“Oh, God.” The words came out of her mouth in a sigh. “You’re commando.”
His hands slipped lower, between her legs. “So are you,” he murmured, his voice husky.
His jeans dropped to the floor with a clunk, and he lifted her. With her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms back around his neck, he braced her against the wall and lowered her until his dick was inside her. His mouth returned to hers, hungry and eager. He moved, thrusting inside her over and over, faster and faster, deeper and deeper until he felt her shudder. The muscles of her vagina grabbed him, stroking his penis in waves as she orgasmed. She cried out, but his mouth muffled the sound. As he felt himself plunging over the edge, he too was careful to swallow his moans. The pleasure seemed to last forever as he pumped into her, belatedly thinking about the wisdom of protection.
Slowly they relaxed, but their bodies were still attached as they weakly leaned against the wall for support.
“I know I should apologize,” he whispered, his lips next to her ear. “I shouldn’t have let that happen, but I’m not sorry.”
“Neither am I,” she answered, her voice soft and lazy. Reluctantly she straightened her legs until she was standing. His penis slid out, still half erect. It seemed he always had a hard-on when she was around. “But we shouldn’t have risked making love here with Kenzie on the other side of the wall. What if she had come out?” Justin raked his fingers through his hair. This was the height of irresponsibility. Regardless of his attraction for her, she was officially still a suspect, and he was supposed to be investigating the case subjectively. He rarely acted spontaneously, and never when he was an officer of the law. Even worse, he had, in the heat of the moment, completely forgotten about the child. He pulled his jeans up and fastened them. “Now I am sorry.”
She pulled her robe back around her and tied the belt. She lifted her hand and pressed her fingers against his lips. “Please don’t be. I could have stopped you. But I wanted it as badly as you did.”
“It won’t happen again.” He leaned down and picked up his shirt.
Lori turned her face away, and by the flush staining her cheeks, he realized he had clumsily embarrassed her. He gripped her chin and turned her face toward him. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. There’s nothing I would rather do than to make love to you over and over until dawn. Let me rephrase it—I can’t let it happen again. You’re a suspect, a victim, and my client, all mixed together for now. I’m supposed to be objective and focused on finding Mark’s killer. I can’t get involved with you because that wouldn’t help me do my job or solve your case.”
Her lips were so close he almost couldn’t resist kissing her again. He sucked in a deep, steadying breath, then continued, “I don’t believe you had anything to do with Mark’s death. Which means I must find the killer so you’ll be free. I want you, Lori Roberts, more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. But I can’t have you if you’re behind bars.”
Justin rubbed his eyes.
“You should try to get some sleep,” Lori said. “I’ve already ruined your night.”
He gave her a wolfish smile. “Actually, it was one of the best nights I’ve ever had.” He glanced down the hallway at the guest room. “I think it would be a good idea if I stay here for the next few days, just in case any more unwelcome visitors feel like dropping by. And as much as I’d prefer it to be in your bedroom, I’ll be comfortable in the guest room. Close enough in case you need me.”
Lori blinked. “Um…do you think that’s necessary?”
His tone was serious as he said, “I don’t think you’re safe here alone. I’m convinced you didn’t kill Mark, but someone did, and even after all this time, they are likely desperate not to have it pinned on them. That means you could be in danger.” He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I can’t let anything happen to you or your daughter.”
She nodded stiffly. “What should I tell Kenzie?”
“Tell her I’m going to help out at the winery or whatever you think she’ll understand.”
“Okay, I’ll think of something.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll set up the alarm service tomorrow.”
Again she nodded. “There’s an extra pillow and blanket on the shelf in the closet. There’s a new toothbrush in the drawer and a basket with soap and toothpaste. Help yourself.”
“I’ll pack a bag tomorrow. I have to go into the office for a meeting, but I’ll be back here before dark.” He wanted to lean over and kiss her good night, but he settled for a smile. “Good night, Lori.”
“Good night, Justin.”
He waited until she was back in her room before he walked down the hall to the spare room. He was bone tired, but still damp from his walk outdoors. Besides, he could smell Lori’s fragrant scent on his skin, and he knew he’d never get to sleep unless he washed it off. Just knowing she was only about twenty steps away was going to be difficult enough. But he couldn’t chance leaving her alone. Someone who had killed once would have no qualms about doing it again.