Falling Like Snowflakes (26 page)

Eden turned to Beau after Miss Trudy left the room. “Poor Sheriff Colton. He doesn't stand a chance.”

“You never know. She might be stubborn, but he's way more patient than I ever gave him credit for.”

She watched the woman on the reality show attempt to make a fire with two pieces of driftwood. “That's never going to work. Where do they find these people?”

The TV light flickered in the darkness. Her mind wandered from the banal TV show to Beau, sitting at the other end of the couch. She couldn't help but remember last night's conversation. She couldn't believe she'd opened up like that. Couldn't believe she'd wept in his lap.

But then she remembered their errand today, and her soul relaxed. She enjoyed his company. He was so unlike Antonio. If things were different—very different—he might ask her on a date. She might say yes, and they'd tease and banter all night and end up at her front door where he might kiss her good night.

But her chances for that had ended before they'd even begun. And as much as she might like the idea of a romantic relationship, she'd taken off her rosy glasses a long time ago.

The TV program broke for a commercial.

“Kate . . . I need to talk to you about something.”

Beau was leaning back against the sofa, his ankle over his knee, hands resting on his thighs. His gaze flickered off her.

A worm of apprehension wiggled through her. “It's too close to Christmas to fire me. That would just be mean.”

He didn't even smile at her attempt at levity. “It's about your husband, your past.”

She pulled the pillow into her lap. “About what I said last night?”

“Not exactly.” He looked at her and continued, his voice a low hum in the dim room. “Awhile back I checked the history on the computer and saw you'd done a search for a man named Lucca Fattore.”

Her heart sped and her fingers clutched at the pillow.

“I couldn't find much on him, so I asked Sheriff Colton to look into it for me.”

Her whole body tensed. “What?”

“You wouldn't answer my questions, Kate, and I needed—”

“You had no right!”

“You're living in my house, with my—”

She jumped to her feet. “Then I'll leave!”

He sprang to his feet and moved to block her way. “Kate . . . settle down.”

She was shaking, her pulse skittering haphazardly, her breath catching in her throat. If the law knew where she was, so did Fattore's men. Maybe they were already on their way.

Her throat tightened, her eyes burned. She shoved the heel of her hand into Beau's chest. “I trusted you.”

He grasped her arms. “I was worried, Kate, and rightly so. If what Colton told me is true, you're in way over your head.”

“Now they'll find us.” She tried to shake him off, but his grip was secure. “Let me go. We have to leave.”

“Don't be crazy. You're safer here than you are on your own.”

“Don't you see? If Sheriff Colton's been poking around, they'll find out. They'll trace him right here to Summer Harbor. They'll hunt us down and kill us in our beds.
All
of us!”

“No. He was discreet. He only checked with a buddy of his. Someone he trusts. He didn't bring you into it.”

“You don't know what you're talking about. You have no idea who these people are and how far their reach extends.”

“Then tell me.”

She looked away, catching her breath. Her eyes burned and her throat ached. She needed to calm down. Think. The TV light flickered blue across the room. The Christmas lights twinkled on the mantel. What was she going to do now?

“Tell me what you know,” she said when she could think past the panic.

“Fattore is wanted for dealings in the prescription drug market. Your husband worked for him. It's speculated that he double-crossed Fattore in some way. Fattore killed him, and Jack was the only witness. Both of you were taken into protective custody, and sometime later the marshals overseeing your case turned up dead. You and Jack went missing, and the feds are searching for you. That's all I know.”

A heavy breath escaped Eden. He loosened his grip on her as she forked her fingers through her short hair.

“There are dirty cops involved. That's why I needed you to stay out of this. Why I can't have Sheriff Colton bumbling around in—”

“He was discreet. I trust him.”

Her eyes cut to him. “Like I trusted you?”

“You
can
trust me, Kate. I only want to help.”

“There is no help for this, Beau. I just need to get to—away. Someplace safe. Fattore will be found guilty, and then it'll all be over.” She and Jack would finally be free.

“He won't be found guilty. Not without Jack's testimony.”

“Yes, he will. They have DNA evidence.”

Beau's eyes pierced hers for a long moment.

The look on his face made a knot tighten in her stomach. “What?”

He looked at the TV, then back to her, his eyes softening. “The evidence went missing.”

Her breath escaped. No. She shook her head. Now they had nothing. He'd never be found guilty.

“We can get you back safely. Jack can testify, Fattore will be put away, and all this will be over.”

“No. We tried that route. I watched a marshal—the one the
feds
sent to keep us safe—slit the throats of two good men. We were supposed to be next. I can't trust any of them. I'm not taking my son back there! I'm not.”

“Okay, okay. Tell me what happened. Tell me everything. We'll figure this out.”

Heaving a sigh, she told the story starting with Marshal Walter, whom they'd become so close with. She told him about Marshal Langley and the vicious murders and her terrifying escape. “I heard him tell Walter that their boss was in on it too. I can't trust any of them.”

“Tell me how you ended up here. How you covered your trail.”

“There was money in the emergency bag Walter packed for us.
Disguises too.” She explained how they changed hats and shirts and cabs and bought a car with cash in Jacksonville before making their way farther north. “I switched plates with another car in Jacksonville, a tourist from Georgia. And I cut and dyed my hair there too.”

He nodded slowly. “You did a good job, Kate.”

His approval felt good. She wished she didn't care, but she couldn't deny that she did. Even if he had broken her trust.

“I'll do anything to keep my son safe. And right now, I think that means leaving.”

“Where are you going that they can't find you? You're safer here with me. With us. We'll take extra precautions.”

In her mind she saw the line of blood on Walter's neck. Marshal Brown's blank-eyed stare. They'd do the same thing to her son without a second thought.

She closed her eyes against the image. “These people are ruthless, Beau.”

He palmed her face, and she opened her eyes. The steadiness in his dark eyes calmed her. Her scattered thoughts began settling into place, and her racing pulse slowed.

“I won't let anything happen to you, Kate.”

“You can't be here 24/7.”

“The heck I can't. I'll get Zac to cover my hours. We're only open four more days, then it's Christmas Eve. I'll have the sheriff keep an eye out. Nobody knows you're here, right? You haven't contacted anyone? Family? Friends?”

“No.” The calls she'd made to her dad didn't count. “There's only my dad, and I haven't talked to him since before we were taken into protection.” She squirmed at the half-truth.

“Good. I think everything's going to be okay.”

His thumb moved along her jaw, making every cell leap to life. It was only because she was scared. So scared.

“What will you tell Zac and Miss Trudy?”

“I'll fill them in on the basics. They need to know there's a possibility of danger.”

She thought of Miss Trudy, helpless on a pair of crutches, and big, lovable Zac. These people had come to mean a lot to her. She didn't want to put them in harm's way.

“I'll keep you safe, Kate. Both of you. I promise.”

She balked at the words. She knew he meant to reassure her. And she needed to do whatever was in Micah's best interest. But they were so familiar, like the ones her dad used to say to keep her home.
“You can't go. That's not safe, honey
.
I don't care if all the other kids are going.”

Safe. Safe. Safe. Was there really such a thing? It didn't come in the arms of any man. That she knew.

But running off on her own with little money and no plan wasn't the smart thing to do. She already kept a bag packed just in case. She was ready to leave at a moment's notice. She'd do whatever was necessary to keep her son safe. And right now, that meant trusting Beau.

“Kate . . .” His thumb moved across her jaw, drawing her eyes to his. They were coal black in the shadows, glittering with something she was afraid to define.

“Tell me your name,” he said, his voice low and smoky. “Your real one.”

He already knew too much. More than she'd ever wanted him to. And now he was asking for more.

“Why don't you just look it up?”

“I want
you
to tell me.”

The magnetic pull of his eyes, his voice, was a warning flare. Her name was such a small thing. Just a little piece of her. But she wasn't giving it up. She'd already given up too many pieces of herself.

She stepped away, letting his hands fall to his sides. “Good night, Beau,” she said. And she turned toward the stairs.

Chapter 28

I
need your help,” Beau said into his phone. He pulled the final window shade down and began pacing the living room.

“What's wrong?” Zac answered.

“I just had a talk with Kate. She's in trouble—more than we thought. I need to stick close to the house this week. I know you have the Roadhouse but—”

“Consider it done. Shelley just got back from Boston. I'll see if she can cover.”

Shelley was a former manager who stayed home with her toddler but filled in now and again.

Beau sighed. “Thanks.” Just knowing he could stay close to home made him feel better.

He filled Zac in on Kate's situation, the weight of it feeling heavier with each passing word.

“Holy moley,” Zac said when Beau was finished. “She's in deep.”

“'Fraid so. I'll need you to keep your eyes open while you're working. I'm sure Sheriff Colton was discreet, and Kate did a great job covering her tracks, but like I said, we don't know who's
involved. While you're working the farm, pay attention to who comes down the drive.”

“What's Sheriff Colton doing about all this?”

“I haven't filled him in on the latest. But I will. I'll need his help.”

“Won't he be duty-bound to turn Kate over to the feds?”

“She'd be as good as dead if he did. Kate and Jack both. I can't risk that.”

“
You
can't risk it? Sounds like you're getting pretty invested in her, Beau.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing.”

Silence hummed across the line. “She's in the middle of a pretty big mess.”

“Through no fault of her own. She's the victim here, Zac.”

“I know, I know. But that doesn't change the circumstances. What'll happen if this Fattore guy is found guilty? Will she be off the hook?”

“It's not likely he'll be convicted. But either way, she's got a price on her head. Kate witnessed the murder of two marshals. They'll want her for that alone, not to mention the fact that she can finger two moles at the fed level.”

“So basically she'll be looking over her shoulder the rest of her life.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Kate wouldn't be happy about his interference, but her feelings on the matter were secondary to her safety.

“Kate isn't the only one you'd better be guarding, my friend.”

Minutes after Beau hung up he pulled a box from under his bed. He keyed in the code and opened the case, breathing in the metallic smell of his .40 caliber pistol. He hadn't handled it since he'd quit his job. It felt good in his hands. Weighty and familiar.

He'd called Colton and filled him in on everything he'd learned. He shoved a magazine into the receiver, and it snapped into place. If someone showed up intending to hurt Kate or Jack, they'd come face-to-face with his Glock 23.

Chapter 29

E
den's nerves were fraying. She felt like a sitting duck. Beau hung close to the house, barely stepping outside long enough to chop wood. Having him around was a comfort even if needing him did chafe at her pride. But she had to let that go and do what was best for Micah. The danger was real, and even though Beau was certain Sheriff Colton's source was trustworthy, she didn't buy in so easily.

Aunt Trudy was cranky, having had enough of being dependent on someone else to get her out of the house. Eden stayed busy, making the house sparkle, trying new recipes, and helping Miss Trudy wrap presents. She'd even helped Micah write a letter to Riley, who would need news from home to keep his spirits up. If he knew the danger she'd exposed his family to, he'd probably be on the next plane back to Maine.

After their initial discussion about her past, she and Beau avoided the topic. They fell into the habit of watching a Christmas movie each night. She sensed Beau wanted to put her at ease, and the routine helped. But she wasn't oblivious to the drawn shades and the locked doors or the way his ears perked each time a car came down the drive.

He went to bed after her each night, and in the morning when she plodded down the stairs, she found him sipping coffee at the kitchen table with Miss Trudy. She was beginning to wonder if he slept at all.