Colin scrunched up his nose. What happened to your head?
Heather grimaced.
I had an accident, Tyler said, touching the bandage on his head. With a frying pan.
Heathers eyes widened, and a pink blush stained her cheeks. He grinned at her. She flushed a deeper shade of red.
The boy snuggled into the crook of his mothers neck. She kissed the top of his head. The sight of Heather and her son made a touching picture. Tylers chest grew tight.
Ill be right back, Heather said and carried Colin upstairs.
Something shifted and constricted inside Tyler as he watched them go. Heathers love for her son was obvious in the tender way she treated him. Tyler had never known that kind of love.
Certainly not from his mother. Shed been too busy scoring her next high or lost in a haze of drugs to bother with affection. Her only son had been a means to gain the weekly welfare check, nothing more.
After Heather and her son disappeared from Tylers sight, an unfamiliar ache of longing lingered. He wasnt even sure what he longed for, but he was determined to keep Heather and her son safe.
He could only pray he didnt fail them like he had Seth.
* * *
Heather tucked Colin back into bed. You need your sleep, big guy. Tomorrow were helping Rob change out the village lights.
Rob Zane lived in one of the houses on the property. Her parents had offered him the job of caretaker for the farms Christmas Village after hed recovered from a house fire that had taken his own family nearly fifteen years earlier. A fire that some whispered hed started. Her parents had stood by him through the arson investigation. And even though the fire had been deemed an accident, many in the area werent convinced. Hed been kind and generous to her family in return for her parents loyalty.
And the decorations, Colin said, the thrum of excitement in his tone. Rob said I could help him with Santas house.
That will be fun. This coming weekend they would open the farm up to the public to come enjoy the village and sleigh rides and to cut their own trees to take home. But first Heather had to get through Thanksgiving. The day wouldnt be anything like shed hoped, but shed do her best to make it special for Colin, despite her sorrow over her brothers death. Murder. She shuddered.
Careful to keep her expression from betraying the quiver of fear, she kissed Colins forehead. You need to get some sleep so youre bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow.
I dont have a tail, Mommy, Colin admonished her with a grin.
She laughed, thankful for his sweet innocence, and smoothed back a lock of hair, her chest crowding with a mothers love. No, you dont, sweetie.
Heather left Colins room and ducked into her own bedroom to change into comfortable sweatpants and a pullover hoodie. When she went back downstairs, she found Tyler had turned off all the lights except one lamp by the couch.
He stood looking at the family photos lining the mantel with his back to her. His feet were braced apart. He had wide shoulders and a slim waist. He clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides. With anger? Frustration? Perhaps both. The bandage shed put on his head glowed in bright contrast to his short-cropped dark hair.
Part of her was so angry with Tyler for putting Seth in danger. And yet she was angry with Seth for not telling her what was going on and getting himself involved in something so dangerous. She might have been able to help him. Or at the very least talk some sense into him.
Tyler turned around. She glimpsed the tortured expression on his handsome face before he quickly settled his features into a shuttered look that hardened the line of his jaw. She resisted the empathy flooding her veins. What did he have to be tortured about? It was her brother whod died because Tyler and his team couldnt protect him.
Could she trust him to protect her and Colin?
What choice did she have but to put her life and that of her child into his keeping? The only way youll get access to the farm is if youre here on my say-so.
He narrowed his eyes. Meaning?
That we do this my way.
Whats your way?
Ill hire you as the new foreman to take over for Seth. That way you could stay on the farm. I assume you have your team nearby. They could hire on as part of our seasonal labor. They hadnt hired enough people, and she hadnt been able to think about the shortage the past few days as she dealt first with Seths death, then his burial.
He cocked his head to the side and appeared to consider her offer. Only problem is I know nothing about tree farming. Anyone would see right through that.
She thought for a moment. An investor?
A business partner, he countered.
That would work. Then well scour the farm until we discover where my brother hid the book.
Sounds like a great plan. Tyler held out his hand. Partners.
After a brief hesitationdid she really want to partner with this man?she slipped her hand into his larger one and repeated the word, answering her own question. Partners.
His fingers curled over hers, causing a riot of sparks to shoot up her arm. Disconcerted by the odd effect of his touch, she extracted her hand. Ill make the arrangements in the morning.
He held her gaze. Id appreciate it. Ill help you put the bookshelf back together.
She glanced at the stacks of books on the floor. Ill take you up on the offer. Only because she knew she wouldnt get any sleep now anyway, not because she felt safer with him here.
Needing the calming properties of some herbal tea, she asked, Would you like some tea?
Sure. Ill try some.
They moved into the kitchen. After taking two mugs from the cupboard, she dropped an herbal tea bag into each mug. Then she set the electric kettle to boil. How are they smuggling the cocaine? And how do we stop it?
I dont know. Tyler leaned against the counter. Im confident Seths notes will give us all the necessary details.
She poured hot water in the mugs, then slid one to him. Hopefully this nightmare will end soon so no one else will pay the price Seth did.
Unable to continue looking at him, she stared out the window over the sink. The back of the house faced the large horse barn to the left. And farther out to the right was the processing yard where the cut trees were fed into balers and stacked, ready to be loaded onto trucks for transport.
Within the next few days, hundreds of trees would leave the farm on trucks bound for destinations all over the country and up into Canada. Not to mention all the townsfolk who would come out to take a tree home and visit the Christmas Village, eat homemade donuts, drink hot cocoa and take a sleigh ride. The busyness would take her mind off her grief. But with so many people on the property, would the danger increase?
A shadow flickered near one of the balers and stole her breath. She leaned forward, straining to see. Was she imagining the movement? Shed dismissed what shed seen earlier as paranoia, but now...
Heather, what is it?
No. She hadnt imagined what shed seen. There was definitely someone skulking around the balers. The hairs on the back of her neck rose. Someone is out there.
THREE
Adrenaline saturated Tylers veins at the prospect of an intruder lurking outside Heathers farmhouse. He quickly set his mug down and gripped Heather by the elbow to draw her away from the window. Turn all the lights off and go upstairs. Dont come down until I tell you its clear.
She blinked up at him with wide, stunned eyes. What are you going to do?
Find out whats going on. Maybe this was his chance to capture those involved in the drug ring. If he could catch them in the act of hiding the drugs, then Heather and her son would be safe and he could move on to the next assignment. This one had grown exponentially more problematic. Hed rather be chasing down drug-pushing thugs than dealing with a protective mom.
He released Heathers elbow and sent her up the stairs. Once she reached the top landing, he slipped out the back door, leading with his gun in a two-handed grip. The moon provided enough light for him to navigate his way through the yard toward the three hulking pieces of machinery where Heather said shed seen someone. He paused with his back against the side of a baler and listened.
A breeze had kicked up, and it rustled through the trees. The howl of some creature sent a shiver down Tylers spine. Too close for his peace of mind. Had it been a wild animal Heather had seen?
Noise near the barn drew his attention. The barns door sliding open and then closing?
He ran in a low crouch toward the large structure. Pressing his back against the side of the barn, he peered around the edge. No one there. From inside the barn, one of the draft horses used to pull the sleigh nickered. Inching his way to the barn door, he kept an eye out for any signs of life.
He eased the barn door open as soundlessly as he could. The pungent scent of hay and horse made his nose twitch. He ducked inside and hid in a pocket of shadow, waiting, listening.
A horse whinnied. The sound of metal scraping against metal raised the fine hairs on Tylers arm. The scuff of a shoe on the dirt floor jolted through him. There was definitely someone in the barn.
Keeping low, he crept toward the rear part of the barn, where a pen had been constructed to house the smaller animals of the farms petting zoo. He bumped into a pail, momentarily losing his balance in the dark. The noise spooked the horse to his left. Tyler reached out for the edge of the stall to steady himself just as someone bolted past him for the barn door.
Hey! Tyler shouted, barely making out the silhouette of a man as he yanked the door open wider and ran through.
Tyler chased after him. He caught a fleeting glimpse of the dark figure disappearing into the inky shadows of the tree crop. For a moment Tyler contemplated giving pursuit, but the prospect of getting lost among the hundreds of trees disabused him of that thought. Heather and her son needed Tyler to stand guard, in case the man decided to approach the house from another direction.
After shutting the barn door, Tyler retraced his steps to the back of the farmhouse and entered the back door. He threw the bolt into place.
What did you see? Heathers whispered question brought him up short. He spun around and could just barely make out her form. She stood in the archway of the kitchen, the frying pan clutched in her hands.
Achingly familiar with the damage the utensil could inflict, he kept his distance. Someone was in the barn. They ran away when they realized I was there.
I cant believe how paranoid Im being, she said, laying the frying pan on the counter. It was probably one of the farm employees checking on the barn animals. Hes probably calling the police on you as we speak.
Following Heather into the living room, Tyler said, Maybe. But he wasnt so sure. If it had been an employee who had every right to be there, why hadnt he confronted Tyler? But you did receive a threatening phone call, right? Your paranoia is appropriate.
She blew out a breath. Youre right. She turned on a table lamp before picking up several books and arranging them in the bookcase.
You can go on to bed and get some sleep, he told her. Ill take care of this while I stand watch.
She made a face. I wont get any sleep, so I might as well tackle this now.
He didnt blame her. Shed had a scary night, and there was a stranger in her house. He grabbed some books and handed them to her so she could place them on the shelf.
Do you have a wife? Kids?
The question punched him in the gut, stirring up an old dream that he knew would never happen for him. No. Im not husband material, let alone father material.
Why would you say that?
Aware of her curious glances, he kept his attention on the book in his hands. I dont lead the kind of life that lends itself to settling down in one place for very long.
Surely you must have a home somewhere.
He had an apartment where he stored his few belongings, but he wouldnt call the place homey. Not anything close to what she meant. Los Angeles.
Parents? Siblings?
He arched an eyebrow. Do you always grill your guests like this?
She matched his arched eyebrow with one of her own. You arent a guest. You came uninvited into my house, my life. I think I can ask you all the questions I want.
Liking her spunk, he said, Touché. He handed her a book. In answer to your question, no. Im alone in the world, and I like it that way.
He wouldnt mention that deep inside, in places hed rather ignore, the acute emptiness of his life pressed in on him like a boulder that wouldnt budge.
Placing the last book onto the shelf, he cleared his throat and wished he could clear away his thoughts as easily. He sat in the wingback chair by the front door and stretched his legs out in front of him. Now, if you dont mind, Id like to get some rest.
He closed his eyes, hopefully putting an end to her curiosity. Not that he was about to sleep, not when the danger plaguing the farm could strike at any moment. On any undercover assignment or stakeout, one learned how to rest while still staying alert.
For a moment she was silent. Then he thought he heard a little huff of exasperation as she moved to the couch. A moment later the light winked out. He smiled in the dark.
* * *
Rest, my eye! Heather shifted on the leather couch. She was certain the man sitting across the darkened room had no intention of sleeping. Hed just wanted to stop her questions, which only made her more curious about him. What made a man like Tyler go into law enforcement? Why the drug enforcement agency? Why was he alone in the world?
If not for Colin, shed be alone in the world, too.
The familiar ache of loneliness camped out in her chest. She missed her husband. Missed having someone she could count on to always have her back, to hold her when the world became too much.
In the years since his death, shed had to learn to be strong on her own. For Colin. For herself.
Had Tyler lost someone, too? Was that the hurt she sensed in him?
The trill of her cell phone startled her. She flinched and quickly dug it out of the pocket of her sweatpants.
Put it on speaker. Tylers voice came to her in the dark.
Remembering the last call, she really wanted to ignore it, but burying her head in the sand wasnt smart. She needed to face this head-on. She pressed the answer button and then the speaker icon. Hello.