Foxfire (17 page)

“I won't.”

Tyler jogged back toward the clinic and Brad
put an arm around her waist. “What's all this about an envelope and
note?”

“Come on, I'll show you.” Grace lifted the
lid on the garbage can, but all that remained inside was a plastic
bag of trash still neatly secured. The envelope and note were gone.
Reaching inside she moved the bag to see if the papers had slipped
to the bottom. No, they were definitely missing and along with them
any proof that Max had contacted her. She calmly replaced the lid,
hiding her fear from Brad. She took his arm. “Let's go to your
house. There's so much to tell you, but I need a bowl of ice
cream.”

Tyler joined them a few minutes later but
declined the dessert. “Where's the note?”

“It's gone. Max must have taken it when he
took the scarf.”

Brad turned a puzzled frown on them. “What's
going on here? Max? Is that man here? For God's sake, honey, we've
got to call the sheriff.”

Grace looked at Tyler. “Tell him who you
are.”

****

Tyler closed his eyes and prayed for
patience. He'd gambled on telling Grace the truth, but in doing so,
he'd hurt her and maybe ruined any chance of keeping her in his
life. But Grace's safety came above his personal feelings. Above
all else, he swore he'd keep Grace out of Max's reach.

“I'm an undercover agent for the DEA in Ohio.
But it's only temporary. As soon as I catch Max, I'm retiring to
spend the rest of my life working here as a veterinarian. Jake,
that's my boss, and I have been after Max since he escaped from the
courtroom where he'd been convicted of several crimes.” Tyler
paused and searched for the words he needed to say. “I was married
to Jake's sister.”

Brad's eyes shifted quickly to Grace. Tyler
watched the silent exchange between them.

“Max took a woman hostage for protection
until he could escape. After he had her drive him away from the
city, he killed her and left her body alongside the road. That was
his first murder. Since then, he's killed all the people who
testified against him, with the exception of Grace. That's why I
came to Foxfire.”

As if he heard nothing after the word
married, Brad said, “Are you divorced?”

Tyler was surprised to feel Grace's hand grip
his. “No. The woman Max took captive was Tyler's wife. Max killed
her. And she was pregnant.”

Brad's face lost color. “Tyler, I'm
sorry.”

Tyler shook his head. “It's been three years.
I've come to terms with it. The important thing is that Grace is in
danger. We need to protect her.”

“Son, I'm really sorry,” Brad said. “Dealing
with her death must have been hard. I know.”

“Like I said, it happened a long time ago. My
only concern now is Grace.”

“I agree. We can't leave her alone.
Somebody's got to be with her at all times.”

“Right,” Tyler agreed.

“Wait a minute. Don't I have a say in this?”
Grace asked.

“No,” both men answered in unison.

“Listen. I'm not some helpless female. I know
Max and I know how dangerous he is, but I'm not defenseless. I've
taken self-defense courses. I have a gun and—”

“Whoa,” Tyler interrupted. “You have a
gun?”

“Of course. I've been running and hiding from
Max for a long time. I had to protect myself.”

“Do you have a license?”

“Yes, and I know how to shoot.”

Great. Tyler didn't have to think twice about
how dangerous that might be. Not to Max, but to Grace. Didn't she
realize Max could overpower her and use the gun against her?
“Grace, I don't doubt you know how to protect yourself, but I'm not
willing to take any chances. From now until we catch Max, you're
going to stay with me.”

“And how is that going to help catch Max? He
wants me, and he's threatened to kill anyone who helps me. That
means you, Tyler.” She faced Brad. “And you. I'm not willing to
risk your life. If it wasn't for me, you'd be safe.”

“And I wouldn't have you to love,” Brad said.
“Grace, you've got to listen to Tyler. He's trained in these
things.”

Tyler had to hand it to Brad. He'd taken in a
lot this afternoon and kept everything in perspective. “Nothing is
going to happen to either of you. I'll call Jake and have him send
in some men to help.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Brad agreed.

****

She's in good hands, Brad thought, watching
Grace and Tyler walk away together. Grace might pretend she didn't
want Tyler's help, but Brad knew she would do anything for
Tiffany.

Tyler was a good man, dependable and
down-to-earth, nothing like the lawyer Grace had been engaged to.
All the things she'd ever wanted were within reach, if she'd only
open her eyes and her heart.

Yes, they would make a perfect match. Things
would work out once they got past the issues at hand. He went
inside to call Adam and invite him down. Adam needed to know what
was happening, too. Especially since there would be some strangers
coming in later today.

Adam knocked at the door less than five
minutes later. Brad joined him on the porch and Adam began to talk
before Brad could find a way to tell him what he'd learned.

“Strange things are happening,” Adam
said.

“Indeed, they are, my friend. Indeed they
are.”

“It's that vet. Nothing bad ever happened in
Foxfire until he came.”

“Adam, tell me the truth. Are you in love
with Grace?”

Adam scuffed his foot across the rough
boards, like a little boy caught in a lie. “I don't love her. Not
in the way you mean.” He looked at Brad. “I think she's real
pretty, and I hoped...but she's not interested in an old man like
me. I had a crush, that's all. I realized that when Lainey and I
started seeing each other again.”

“I see.”

“Lainey and I would be married if I hadn't
done something stupid.”

Neither Adam nor Lainey ever explained why
they called off their engagement. Neither of them had dated anyone
else since, at least to Brad's knowledge. He'd often wondered what
happened, though he'd never brought up the subject with Adam.

Adam took off his cap and held it in his
hands. His arms rested on his legs as he leaned forward, his gaze
focused on the boards under his feet.

“So, what happened to you and Lainey?” Brad
asked.

“Before I tell, you've got to promise not to
say a word to her.” He turned his gaze on Brad's.

“Okay.” Brad nodded as he agreed. He began a
slow rocking motion, keeping both feet firmly on the floor.

“She don't want anyone to know.”

“Then maybe you shouldn't tell me,” Brad
said.

Adam's eyebrows shot upward. “I trust you,
Brad, and I need somebody to talk to.”

Brad patted Adam on the back. “I trust you
too, my friend.”

“Cross your heart,” Adam ordered.

Brad complied with the childish request.

Adam shifted his gaze away. “Lainey and I
were sweethearts in school. I always knew we'd get married. Lainey
felt the same way. We used to talk about how it would be.”

Adam looked out toward the mountains in the
distance. “Then Lainey's mom got sick and she had to take care of
her while her dad went to work.” Adam leaned back in the chair and
began to rock. “Grandpa was in the hospital then, too. We both had
our hands full.”

“I remember that time,” Brad said. It had
also been when Jenny had been diagnosed with cancer. Sadness crept
into his heart for his loss. Jenny had been gone for a long time,
but she still lived in his heart and in his memory. Not a day went
by that he didn't think of her.

Adam's voice droned on.

“After Lainey's mom got better, I gave Lainey
an engagement ring, and we set a date to get married.”

Brad remembered the engagement party Lainey's
parents hosted. Everyone in Foxfire had attended. Even Jenny,
though she'd been so ill. “That was quite a party Lainey's folks
threw.”

Adam's jaw clenched and unclenched several
times “Yeah.” Adam popped the knuckles on his left hand.

Brad rocked back and forth.

Adam worried his lip.

Finally, Brad broke the silence. “Let's see.
You were going to get married in October, right?”

Adam's eyes widened as they met Brad's. “Not
that year. We planned on a long engagement.” Adam popped the
knuckles on his right hand.

“That's right,” Brad said. “You decided to
wait a few years...three wasn't it?”

Adam nodded. “And that's what caused the
problems between us.”

“Whatever it was couldn't have been that
bad,” Brad ventured.

Adam stared at the floor again. “Yeah, it
was.”

The wind blew the trees, swaying the tops in
a gentle dance beneath a clear blue sky. In the distance, cicadas
sang their songs, the notes rising and falling, then picking up
again from another direction. Birds chittered, adding to nature's
stereo. As Brad rocked, he lost himself in the peaceful sights and
sounds of the mountain's majesty, but under it all, he felt the
danger closing in on them.

“You'll understand what I did. You're a man.”
Adam fixed his gaze on Brad's.

“I'm sure I will,” Brad answered, not at all
sure if he would.

“Lainey was beautiful. I mean, she still is,
but...when she was young, she made my body shake every time we
kissed. You know what I mean?”

Brad nodded.

“I'd hold her and kiss her and next thing, my
arms would start to shake, then my whole body felt like an
earthquake rumbled under my feet. I couldn't stop it for nothing.”
He looked at Brad with a hint of a smile lighting his eyes. “She
knew what she did to me, too.” Adam pushed out of the chair and
walked to the end of the porch and back, stopping to lean against a
pillar. The grooves beside his mouth appeared deeper, and his
cheekbones stood out sharply.

“That's a natural feeling, Adam. I felt the
same way with Jenny.” Brad felt a trembling deep inside whenever he
thought about how good things had been between them. That's what
kept him from proposing to Harri. He was afraid Jenny's memory
would haunt him forever.

Adam slapped his ball cap against his leg.
“So, maybe you can understand what I did.”

“What did you do, Adam?”

Adam's face turned red. “I peeked in her
window and watched her while she was getting dressed. One night she
caught me. We argued about it and I told her a man has needs when
he loves a woman. I-I touched her breast and pulled her against me
so she could feel what she did to me. I tried to stop, Brad, I
swear I did.” Adam raised his right hand. “But, I couldn't. I kept
kissing her. Before I knew it, I'd slipped my hand under her gown.
Her skin felt so soft, like velvet.”

Adam sank into the rocker. “It didn't matter
that she was pushing me away. I was only thinking of me, what I
wanted. Until I saw her tears. Then I let her go. I was ashamed of
what I'd almost done. I hated the look I'd put in her eyes. She was
afraid of me. I knew I'd ruined everything. She threw the ring at
me, and that was the end of our engagement.”

Brad patted Adam's back. “The important thing
is that you stopped, Adam. You didn't want to hurt Lainey.”

“You don't know the worst part yet.”

Brad didn't think he wanted to hear any more,
but Adam needed to get this off his chest. “What is the worst
part?”

Adam leaned forward as if sharing a deep
secret. “I still watch her.”

Adam sat back, his eyes glazing over as if
looking at something other then Brad. “At night, I go down to her
house and look in her windows. I think she knows I'm there.”

Adam blinked. His gaze once more shone
brightly on Brad's. “She's not a bad woman, Brad.”

“Of course, not,” Brad said. He had trouble
visualizing Adam as a peeping Tom. “Adam, you know what you're
doing is wrong, don't you. You could go to jail.”

Adam nodded. “But I can't help myself. Lainey
kind of dances before she puts on her nightgown, like she's doing
it just for me.”

“You aren't peeping through anybody else's
windows, are you?”

“No. Why would I do that?”

“You tell me. I'm having trouble believing
what I'm hearing.”

“Now you're accusing me of doing something
I'm not. I thought you'd understand.”

“Don't get all riled up again. I wasn't
accusing you. I was only asking a question.”

“I guess you have the right to ask,” Adam
conceded. “Anyway, I finally got up the nerve to ask Lainey to
dinner and she said yes. She told me she'd forgiven me for what
happened. She said she didn't blame me anymore. So we've been
spending a lot of time together.” Adam leaned forward again. “Last
night she told me something.” His eyes shone with a secret
happiness. “She’s still a virgin. Can you imagine that? She waited
for me all these years.”

“That's nice, Adam. I'm happy for both of
you.”

“Yeah, but I still don't know what she sees
in a guy like me.”

“You and Lainey belong together. Marry the
woman while you're still young enough to make memories. Life's too
short for second guesses, Adam.”

Adam's smile lit his face. “Do you think I
should get a new engagement ring or use the old one? I still have
it.”

Brad patted Adam's hand. “I'd get a new one,
my friend. After all, this is a new beginning, right?”

“Right.”

Adam and Lainey. Imagine that. After all
these years. Brad felt loneliness settle deep in his bones. He'd
been alone too long. Maybe he should take his own advice and ask
Harri to marry him.

“I'm glad you told me,” Brad said. “I hope
everything works out for you and Lainey.” He began to rock again.
“There's something I need to tell you, too. Tyler's an undercover
agent who's here to protect Grace.”

“He's what?” Adam stared at him as if he'd
grown two heads.

“It's true.” Brad pushed the rocker back and
forth. “He's a vet, too, of course, and he's planning on staying
here after he catches the killer.”