The next morning, Riggs rubbed his bleary eyes as he poured his second cup of coffee. He’d barely slept all night for worrying about Kate.
He took a long, slow sniff, grateful for the burst of caffeine in the rich scent of the dark roast blend, then carried it to his back deck and studied the sharp angles and slopes of the mountain ridges.
Kate was right. Briar Ridge had once been a hopping, happy town. He’d grown up enjoying hiking, whitewater rafting, and skiing. Before his mother had had enough of his daddy, she’d sewn handmade quilts to sell at the festivals, and canned jams and jellies for the local mercantile. His father had made fun of her, but tourists had loved the homemade goodies. Kids had flocked to the souvenir section that was complete with stuffed bears, T-shirts with images of Bear Mountain, and crystals from the old mines.
Kate wanted to restore that happy atmosphere.
He swallowed hard. God, Kate.
The frightened look on her face as she’d stood watching her SUV erupt into flames had haunted him in his sleep. Then the pain and guilt when she’d confessed about her conversation with Billy Hodgkins at her mother’s funeral.
If Billy hurt Kate, he’d... Do what? Kill him?
He’d never thought of himself as a violent man. He saved lives.
But...something about Kate had gotten under his skin last night and triggered his protective instincts.
Hell, not a one of his classmates would probably believe that. In high school, Kate hadn’t been his type. On the surface, he’d liked to flirt and date around, anything to feed his ego after his old man had beaten him down.
But he’d never thought about being serious. Hadn’t really thought he deserved a good girl like Kate.
Kate was...real. Beautiful, but not a made-up doll who focused on her looks or spending three hundred dollars on a pair of designer shoes.
Oh, yeah, he’d dated a woman, more than one, who’d fit that description.
His sexual prowess and the dangerous side of his job drew them like flies to honey. They thought he was exciting, brave, some kind of superhero for running into burning buildings when everyone else was running the other way.
He was no damn hero. He just did what he could to save others because...because he’d watched friends and classmates die and had been helpless to save them.
Sex was one thing.
Commitment was another.
So far, he hadn’t found any woman who made him consider the Big C.
But the bookworm girl who’d hidden behind big square glasses fifteen years ago was smart, cared about people, and had stood up to half the town the night before for something she believed in. She wanted to make a difference in the world and fought for it.
She’s not interested in you, buddy.
His phone buzzed with a text from Stone.
Should have the report from the mechanic on Kate’s car by nine.
He sent a return text.
Will meet you at ten. Need to talk.
Copy that. My office. Ten o’clock.
Speaking of the devilish woman who’d kept him up all night, his phone buzzed. Kate.
He punched Connect. “Morning,” he said through gritted teeth. Damn. His voice was gravelly from loss of sleep. Had his greeting sounded like a come-on?
“It’s Kate,” she said a little stiffly. “I need to set up a time for the security installation. What time will you be here?”
Ah, yeah. Back to Kate’s safety and the reason—excuse—he’d used to see her today. “I told Stone we’d meet him at his office at ten.”
“Okay, I’ll be ready.” Her breath rattled over the line. “Or if you have other things to do, I can Uber.”
She almost sounded hopeful that he’d retract his offer. But if Kate was in danger, she didn’t need to get in a car with a stranger. “No. Like I said, it’s my day off. Why don’t we grab breakfast first?” So he was a glutton for punishment.
Silence for a second. “Thanks, but I’ve already eaten. I just need time to shower and get dressed.”
He closed his eyes and fought a groan as she disconnected. Images of Kate naked and stepping beneath the shower water made his body harden. For a brief second, he imagined her luscious curves and full breasts dotted with water, her pink lips parted for his tongue to dive inside for a taste.
But the sound of the wind beating at the windowpane jarred him back to reality and he cursed himself. Kate McKendrick did not want him. She never had.
He would simply offer his assistance in keeping her safe because firefighters vowed to protect the public. Nothing more.
Kate was a settle-down type of woman. After all she’d suffered, she deserved some happiness.
And a man who’d fulfill her dreams.
He was not that man.
THE EARLY MORNING sunlight forced Kate to look at herself realistically in the mirror. Dark circles marred the skin beneath her eyes, and her face looked...tired. After she’d seen that movement behind her house the night before, she’d studied the woods and darkness for an hour. But no one had surfaced.
She’d finally reconciled that the shadow belonged to a deer, and she’d crawled into bed.
But she’d lain awake listening for sounds of an intruder half the night.
When she’d finally fallen asleep, she’d been running for her life. Billy Hodgkins was chasing her through the woods with a butcher knife. “You’ll pay for killing my brother!” he shouted. “It was all your fault.”
She’d woken and realized she was alone. Safe from Billy. In her own bed, not in the woods. She’d tossed and turned for another hour, then finally drifted back to sleep only to dream of Riggs in her bed.
Riggs with his sultry eyes raking over her bare skin. His hands and lips following, stirring desires every place he touched...
She’d bolted awake again, her body humming with need.
But the face in the mirror gave her clarity. Hers was not the face of a woman Riggs would be lusting for. Besides, how could she be attracted to a man who flirted with every woman he met? With a man who’d abandoned his child?
Granted, Riggs had been seventeen when he’d gotten Cassidy pregnant, but his son lived in the same town and attended Briar Ridge High, and Riggs had nothing to do with him.
Focusing on that thought sobered her and she moved away from the mirror. She phoned her insurance agent and then the rental car company and arranged to pick up a red Ford Escape by noon.
A knock sounded, and through the front window she spotted Riggs’s black truck in her drive. She grabbed her purse and rushed to the door, deciding she didn’t need Riggs invading her space this morning. His scent and image in that club chair was torture enough.
When she opened the door, he stood towering in front of her, his big masculine body exuding sexuality. Morning sunlight fought through the dark clouds outside, highlighting the caramel streaking his thick dark hair and bronzed skin. His dimple appeared as he greeted her with one of his killer smiles.
“Morning, Kate.”
“Hi.” She dragged her gaze from his face, which was a mistake because her height put her at his shoulders, forcing her to look at muscles straining the confines of a black T-shirt emblazoned with the logo for the Briar Ridge fire department on the front. A silver-studded belt buckle circled his waist where a tight pair of jeans hugged his muscular hips and thighs.
Dear Lord, the man was built. His forearms looked like tree trunks. He must lift weights...
Could he lift her?
Heat crept up her neck at the unbidden thought and she inhaled sharply to calm her raging hormones.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
She didn’t trust her voice to speak, so she simply nodded, stepped onto the porch and locked the door.
“Did you arrange for the security system installation?” he asked as they settled in his truck.
“Yes, they’re coming this afternoon.”
There, small talk was good.
Except she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He cut his eyes toward her as he started the engine. “Did you sleep okay?”
No, I dreamed of Billy chasing me and then you in my bed. “Not great,” she admitted.
“Sorry.” Riggs backed from the drive and turned onto the road. An awkward silence fell between them as he drove toward town. Fanny’s Five & Dime store looked just like it had years ago, except now the merchandise consisted of dollar items and it had been renamed accordingly. The Cut and Dye was hustling with business as usual, and mothers and fathers were already strolling babies to the park. Other early morning joggers and walkers occupied the running trail, and the parking lot for the breakfast spot, The Bear Claw, was full.
Five minutes later, they reached the sheriff’s office, a two-story, rustic brick building with a wrought-iron railing. Riggs parked and rushed around the front of the truck to open her door. Polite.
Kate climbed out before he reached the passenger side.
He quirked a thick dark brow as if in challenge. “Next time I’ll get the door.”
Next time? “In case you haven’t noticed, Riggs, I’m not some delicate little flower.” Like the women you date.
A tiny smile tugged at his lips. “Just using my manners.”
Her heart fluttered. Of course he was. It didn’t mean anything personal. And, for heaven’s sake, why had she drawn attention to her size?
He raked his eyes over her, making her body tingle from his perusal. Unnerved, she rushed up the steps to escape further comment.
They reached the door to the building at the same time, and Riggs wrapped his long fingers around the door handle. “Now, Kate, I’m going to open the door for you, so say ‘thank you.’”
She expected to see laughter in his expression, but his smoky eyes were locked on her face. Serious. Waiting. Challenging her.
“Thank you.” She bit out the word then practically jogged inside when he opened it. Irritation at herself needled her. Good grief, she wasn’t usually rude to people. But Riggs elicited feelings and thoughts she didn’t know how to handle.
The receptionist, Bobbie Jean, a middle-aged woman with a short perm, smiled a greeting as they entered. Stone glanced up from a front desk when they entered, one hand gripping the phone. When he saw them, he ended the call, stood and circled the desk, and offered them a coffee.
Nerves bunched Kate’s stomach, so she declined. Riggs muttered a comment about needing all the caffeine he could get and accepted a cup.
Stone spoke to his receptionist. “We’ll be in my office if you need me.”
Bobbie Jean gave a nod, and Kate and Riggs followed Stone through a swinging door down a hallway. A sign to the left read Holding Cell. Two rooms labeled Interrogation Rooms 1 and 2 respectively were opposite it. Beyond those, they stepped into a small private office. A photograph of Stone’s father, the former sheriff, hung over the desk with a commendation he’d received from the mayor for his quick response to the school shooting.
Kate sank into a metal chair, noting more pictures of his father hanging on the wall behind the desk. The resemblance between Stone and his father was strong although Stone held a seriousness to his eyes that hadn’t been there before the shooting.
The sheriff had visited her after the massacre, but she’d been too traumatized and grief stricken to help. He’d questioned everyone in town, though, determined to find out if Ned had an accomplice.
Unfortunately everyone was either in shock or wasn’t talking. And no answer ever came.
Stone and Riggs were about the same height, only Stone’s hair was a little shaggy and unkempt, and his eyes hazel. He was handsome, but much more serious than Riggs had ever been. She was surprised Stone was still single, but his brother had been blinded in the shooting, and Stone seemed married to the job. When he’d become sheriff, he’d vowed to one day find out if Ned had acted alone. Once he did, that person would pay.
“I talked to the mechanic about your car,” Stone said.
Kate twisted her hands together. “And?”
“Someone cut your gas line, which caused a leak,” Stone said.
Kate’s pulse hammered. Her gas line had been cut... Intentionally. Not an accident.
Dear God. Someone had tried to kill her.
ANGER SHOT THROUGH RIGGS. He’d had a bad feeling about that fire.
Kate’s breath rushed out. “I know some people are upset about the new school, but I can’t imagine anyone in town trying to kill me because of it.”
Riggs squeezed her shoulder. “Tell him about Billy.”
Kate clenched her purse strap. “It was a long time ago. I don’t want to cast stones at an innocent person.”
“Tell him,” Riggs said through gritted teeth.
“Please,” Stone said quietly. “No matter how insignificant you might think something is, it could be helpful.”
Kate forced a neutral tone as she described her confrontation with Billy at her mother’s funeral. Sharing the hurtful words was difficult, but she refused to fall apart in front of these two strong men. Or to remain a prisoner of the past.
“Kate, he was wrong to blame you, and you know it,” Stone said. “My father investigated the Hodgkins family. The parents were...questionable. Billy was as hard on his brother as the rest of the kids at school or worse. His mother said Billy used to play mean tricks on Ned. More than once, he tied Ned to the doghouse out back and forced him to sleep in it when they were gone.”
Kate shivered. Riggs hadn’t heard that before, either, but it confirmed his opinion of Billy Hodgkins.
“I’m surprised Ned didn’t turn the gun on his brother,” Riggs muttered.
Stone shrugged. “I guess blood is thicker than water. Ned was troubled and unleashed it on all of us at school instead.”
“Some of our classmates did tease him,” Kate said. “And I did reject him.”
Riggs huffed, unsympathetic. “If I went off and shot up people every time I got rejected, I’d be in prison for life.”
Kate’s eyes widened, but she didn’t comment.
“Have you seen or spoken to Billy lately?” Stone asked.
Kate shook her head. “Not really. After that day, I avoided him.”
“We both know he was at the meeting,” Stone said.
“He cornered her outside behind the town hall,” Riggs interjected.
“Kate?” Stone arched a brow toward her. “Did he threaten you?”
“He mumbled something, but I didn’t understand him, then he ran off when he saw Riggs.”
Stone drummed his fingers on his desk. “When I asked Billy why he was at the meeting, he said he wanted to talk to you in private, Kate. I told him to calm down, that that wasn’t going to happen.”
Riggs angled his head toward Kate. “Did you bring the note?”
Stone leaned back in his chair, hands linked behind his head. “What note?”
Kate removed the invitation from her purse and offered it to Stone. “I received this yesterday in the school mail, but I have no idea who sent it.”
Stone rocked forward in his chair, took the envelope and examined it, as Riggs had done. “No return address?”
“No, it was in with my mail at school. Anyone could have dropped it in our outside mailbox without being noticed.”
“All the publicity about the new school may have triggered traumatic memories for Billy and his family, and he lashed out at you, Kate,” Riggs suggested.
“I’ll send this to the lab for analysis.” Stone put the invitation card back in the envelope and placed it in an evidence bag. “I also had a crime team go over your SUV, Kate. The fire will make it difficult, but hopefully we’ll get some forensics from the vehicle.”
“Are you going to question Billy?” Riggs asked.
Stone nodded. “As soon as we finish here, I’ll look for him. And I’ll find out where his parents are. It’s possible they may be upset about the publicity.” He gestured to the front-page article in the morning paper.
A photograph of Kate at the podium in front of the town appeared above the headline Principal Kate McKendrick Pushes for Demolition of Infamous Briar Ridge High Where a Tragic Mass Murder Occurred Fifteen Years Ago.
Kate stared at the cutline. Locals in An Uproar... Did One of Them Threaten Kate McKendrick?
The article also featured photographs of the bloody scene, the rescue workers, then Ned and his family.
Stone grunted. “That damn Gretta Wright likes to keep things stirred up. She was on the morning news with the story.”
“If Ned’s parents saw the publicity, I’m sure they’re upset,” Kate said. “They went through hell after the shooting. People practically ran them out of town.”
“True, but my dad suspected they were holding something back,” Stone said. “Only he never figured out what.” He patted his holster. “Meanwhile, Kate, I’ll assign a deputy to guard you twenty-four-seven.”
Kate shook her head. “That’s not necessary, Stone, I’ll be fine.”
Riggs gritted his teeth. He wasn’t surprised Kate declined protection. She was stubborn and independent.
But she was also in danger.
And he’d be damned if he’d sit by and let anyone hurt her.