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“You’ve trained your team well. Especially Keith. It’s a compliment to your leadership that they can do the job without you.”
“It won’t stop someone from trying to murder me.” Claire leaned against the doorjamb. Her lips flattened. “I took this job thinking it would be a quieter change of pace. Instead, I’m being hunted by a killer.”
Gavin kept his voice to a whisper to avoid waking Jacob. “I can arrange a safe house for you and your family. No one will think any less of you for sitting this case out.”
“I can’t. I took an oath when I became sheriff, Gavin.”
“Your life is being threatened.”
“Exactly. What do you think will happen if I leave now? It’ll send a message to every other criminal in this county that if you want to terrify or intimidate me, then you threaten my family. I can’t do my job like that.” Her jaw hardened. “No. I’m going to see this through.”
“Then we’ll make a plan to keep you safe.” Gavin’s gaze went to the little boy in the bed. “Both of you.”
Claire woke with a jerk. Her heart raced and her pajamas were damp with sweat. Instinctively, she reached for Jacob, touching his sleeping form lying next to her. He was breathing deeply. One arm hugged his stuffed dog, Mr. Woof, and a pajama-clad foot peeked out from underneath the covers.
A tear dropped onto Claire’s cheek. The nightmare—the images of Jacob hurt and bleeding—had felt so real.
Thank you, God, for protecting Jacob yesterday. Please continue to watch over him, over both of us. Guide me to make the right decisions. I need your wisdom now more than ever.
The prayer eased the raw edges of her emotions. Early-morning sunlight drifted through the pale curtains covering the window. Claire carefully slipped from the bed. She checked her phone. There was a loving message from her sister that brought a smile to her lips. Bea was still in Denver, completing a wilderness training. She’d offered to come home, but Claire insisted she stay several states away. It was safer.
They’d spent a long time talking on the phone after everyone else had gone to bed. There was no one who could comfort Claire better than her younger sister. Just seeing the sweet text message of support was enough to put some steel back into her spine.
There was a criminal to find.
Fifteen minutes later, she was showered and dressed. Her parents' bedroom was empty. The bed, covered in a handmade quilt, was neatly made. Belatedly, Claire remembered they were helping an injured friend with his ranch animals. Her mom and dad had likely been up since before daybreak.
The scent of fresh coffee drew her to the kitchen. Gavin was seated at the kitchen table, reading on his tablet, a mug resting at his elbow. The deep cleft in his chin accented the curve of his freshly shaven jaw. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, feet clad in white socks with red stitching. He’d spent the night on the couch as an added layer of security for her family.
Claire paused in the doorway. A mix of emotions clashed inside her. She’d avoided getting close to any man since her divorce, afraid to let someone past the protective barrier surrounding her emotions. But last night…Gavin handled the crisis and her tears with gentleness and respect. There was no denying the handsome Texas Ranger made her feel safe. It blurred the lines between them, and she didn’t know what to do with that. “Morning.”
He greeted her with a smile that warmed his chestnut-colored eyes and sent a flurry of butterflies flying through Claire’s stomach. She barely heard his good morning back. Nerves made her movements jerky as she grabbed the carafe of coffee from the counter.
Claire took a breath, reminding herself to cool it. There was no need to be flustered. She and Gavin were friends. That’s all they would ever be. She wasn’t in the market for romance. The marks left from her ex-husband’s abandonment and the subsequent divorce were carved on her heart.
All of her focus needed to be on catching the man trying to kill her. There wasn’t room for anything else.
Forcing a normalcy she didn’t quite feel, Claire poured herself a cup of coffee before topping off the one at Gavin’s elbow. “Are you hungry? I could make an omelet?”
“Your mom made enough pancakes for an army. They’re keeping warm in the oven. I haven’t eaten yet. I was waiting for you.”
Good. Breakfast was the perfect time to discuss the next steps. Claire had some ideas about how they should move forward in the case.
She grabbed two plates, along with silverware. A quick look in the fridge confirmed her mom had cut fresh fruit to go along with the pancakes. Sausage and eggs were also on a platter in the oven. Gavin hadn’t been kidding. Her mom had made enough for an army. Claire arranged it all on the table. “We should call Ryker and tell him to come over for breakfast too.”
“Let him sleep a while. We took turns keeping watch over the house last night. Ryker’s a grump first thing in the morning when he hasn’t had enough rest.” Gavin winked. “His bad attitude will give us both indigestion.”
She laughed. “How long have you and Ryker been friends?”
“Years. I’m relieved Lieutenant Rodriquez assigned him to help with this case. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the rangers in Company A. They’re like brothers to me. But Ryker and I have worked closely together before. We understand each other.”
“I miss that. The sense of camaraderie.” Claire swirled a slice of pancake through a puddle of maple syrup. “I lost it when I became sheriff. There’s a kinship with my deputies, but there’s also a distance between us. I’m their boss. It changes the dynamic.”
“That sounds…lonely.”
She shrugged. “I can be. But I also enjoy being sheriff. I like having the control to make sure cases are worked thoroughly. If Stephanie’s disappearance had been properly investigated, then Faye might be alive today. I wouldn’t be in this trouble.” She picked up her mug of coffee and took a long sip. “Have you heard anything about the private detective Faye hired?”
“I spoke to my colleague Weston this morning. Michael hasn’t been seen or heard from since the night of Faye’s murder. They’ve issued a search warrant for his cell phone, hoping to track his location that way. In the meantime, every law enforcement officer in the state is searching for him and his car.”
