Her Christmas Protector (14 page)

“He’s alive,” Luke stated and met her gaze.

“Drop the gun.”

Startled, Faith jerked her gaze around to find the source of the command as Luke’s arm came around her waist. Three men stood near the side of the house. Two held guns aimed at them. Both men were dressed in long trench coats and shiny dress shoes. Faith blinked as her mind registered the smaller man without a weapon. He wore jeans, a leather bomber jacket and his dark hair fell forward over his brown eyes. “Anthony?”

“I said drop the gun,” the man on the right barked.

Luke laid the gun on the ground and slowly rose, his arm pulling her behind him. “You know these men?” Luke asked over his shoulder to her.

“Yes. No. I mean—Anthony is Vinnie’s brother.” She tried to step forward, but Luke held her still, his body protecting her. “What’s going on?”

The bigger of the two men shoved Anthony forward and he stumbled to a halt. “Sorry, Faith. I never meant to drag you into this.”

“Drag me into what?”

“Enough chitchat,” the older of the other two men stepped forward. His demeanor made it obvious he was in charge. “Get it.”

Anthony grimaced. “Faith, I need your prayer-box necklace.”

“What? Why?” She resisted the urge to reach inside her shirt collar and finger the box.

“I wrote down a number on the back of the prayer. I need that number,” Anthony explained, his gaze showing desperation.

“So that’s what you were doing in my room.” She remembered the day she’d walked in to the bedroom that she’d shared with Vinnie a week before she left. Anthony had been going through her jewelry. She’d figured he’d swiped something to pawn for money to support his gambling habit, but nothing had been missing.

“I need that number or they’re going to kill me,” Anthony pleaded.

“How do you know that once you give it to them, they won’t kill you, and us, anyway?” Luke demanded harshly.

“You don’t,” the older man stated. His ruddy complexion grew redder with the cold air. “Now get it. I’m freezing here.”

“Faith, please. Just do as they ask. Where is it? Inside?” Anthony stepped closer.

“What’s the number to?” Luke asked.

“Now if we told you that, we’d really have to kill you,” the younger man quipped.

“Shut up, Junior,” the older man barked. “Just get the number. I’m running out of patience.”

The slight squeak of the porch door sounded seconds before the loud bang of a shotgun. Faith yelped, Anthony dove to the ground with his arms covering his head, the two men swung their guns to ward the house and Luke bent to grab the gun from the ground.

Dottie, looking fierce holding a twelve-gauge shotgun aimed at the chest of the older man, moved to the top of the stairs. “Throw your guns on the ground or you’ll take one in the chest.”

The older man lifted his hands, his gun aimed in the air. “Now, listen here, I just want what’s mine.”

“You heard the lady, put down your weapons.” Sheriff Bane came from around the house, a gun in his hand, as well.

Faith clutched Luke’s arm, feeling like she’d somehow been plopped down in the middle of some gangster movie. The distant wail of a siren grew louder, bringing hope of an end to this daylight nightmare.

The older man swore and dropped his gun. The big guy did as his boss. Within moments, the place was swarming with uniformed police officers and men in navy vests with the letters FBI emblazoned across them in bright yellow. Luke helped Faith to the porch, where he took the shotgun from his mother before going to talk with the sheriff.

Faith watched the activity with numb detachment. The two strangers and Anthony were cuffed and put into a cruiser. The private investigator was also apprehended. Leo and Charles had been found tied up in the barn. Vinnie only had a leg wound. Paramedics worked to stop the bleeding.

Unsure how she felt about Vinnie surviving, Faith clenched her hands together. On the one hand she was grateful Luke wasn’t responsible for a death. Yet, with Vinnie alive, her nightmare still lived on. She knew he wouldn’t stay in jail forever and then he’d come looking for her again.

She dug out the prayer box from inside the collar of her shirt. Carefully, she opened the lid and pulled out the rolled paper. She stared at the numbers across the back. What were they to? She hurried to where the FBI agent who seemed to be in charge stood giving orders.

“Excuse me,” she said as she approached.

“Ma’am,” he responded. “Agent Tanner at your service. Can I help you?”

“Yes, sir.” She held out the paper. “This is what the men were looking for. Do you know what it is?”

Luke stepped close but didn’t touch her. She wished he’d put his arm around her, she needed his solid strength.

“Yes, ma’am. This is a numbered bank account. Mr. Fernando and his associates run a gambling and drug operation in Miami. Hopefully, this will be enough to put them away for a long time.”

“How did you know they were here?”

He lowered his voice. “We have a man on the inside of the operation.”

“What does Vinnie have to do with any of this?” she asked.

“From what Mr. Campbell, here, tells me, your ex-husband was stalking you. Other than a means for Fernando to find you, Vinnie wasn’t involved with the operation. But he will be dealt with on the stalking issue. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

Agent Tanner left, taking the two men from Miami and Anthony with him. Luke went to talk with the sheriff.

Needing something to do, Faith righted the chairs and table. Beneath her feet, she heard the crunch of paper and saw the mail scattered about.

Bending down, she began to pick up the pieces of paper and froze as her hand closed around the official-looking envelope. Sadness gathered in her heart. She knew she had to give the letter to Luke.

Her gaze settled on him. He bent down close to where Vinnie was stretched out on a gurney. She frowned. What could he be saying to Vinnie? The ambulance attendants stood a good distance away, leaving Luke alone with the wounded man.

She could see the same hardness in Luke’s face that she’d seen earlier, but there was also a menacing quality to his expression that sent a chill down her spine. This was the man who’d spent the last decade in the military.

From the wide-eyed, scared look on Vinnie’s face, Faith could only assume that whatever Luke was saying was having an impact on her ex-husband.

Luke moved away from Vinnie and the attendants lifted the gurney into the ambulance. She released a sigh of relief when the vehicle rumbled down the drive. A powerful sense of momentary freedom infused her, but did nothing to dispel the ache in her heart.

With the letter in hand, she walked down the stairs and over to where Luke stood talking with the sheriff. Both men turned at her approach and Sheriff Bane tipped his hat before ambling away.

Luke’s penetrating gaze caught Faith off guard. She swallowed back the urge to fling herself into his arms and ask him to hold her until she felt safe again. Instead, she said, “Thank you, again.”

He nodded, his gaze never wavering. She couldn’t ascertain what he was thinking, so with a trembling hand she held out the envelope and felt a part of her shrivel up into a tight ball. He would open the letter and go to wherever he’d been assigned.

For a long moment neither moved. He looked at the envelope then back to her face. His hand reached out and closed over hers. “Faith, I…”

“It’s okay, Luke,” she interrupted him, wanting to spare him from having to say the words or her from hearing them. “We both knew this moment would come.”

She withdrew her hand, leaving the envelope in his grasp. With a heavy heart, she said, “You’re—you’re free to go back to your life now. I don’t need your protection any longer.” Just his love.

He nodded, his expression shuttered. “I see.”

Do you?
she wondered, tears burning the backs of her eyelids. She refused to give in to the pain tearing at her heart. “I’ll leave in the morning.”

“Whatever you’d like. Just let me know how I can help you,” he responded in clipped, formal tones.

Rapidly losing the battle with her tears, Faith nodded and hurried back to the house.

L
uke knelt beside his bed, his head bowed and eyes closed.
Heavenly Father, I’m asking You for guidance. I know what my heart wants, but I will do what You want.
He waited and listened with his whole being for some reply. Moments passed.
Okay, Lord. Let me be more specific. Do I tell Faith that I love her and ask her to stay even though she’s made it clear she wants to leave? Or do I let her go and return to the military?

He waited for the excitement, the sense of adventure that always came when he thought of his career. They didn’t come.

Realization hit him full in the chest. He didn’t want to return to his military life. Relief swept away the guilt he’d felt for leaving his men to flounder. He shook his head. They weren’t his men, they belonged to God. And now someone else was leading them.
Forgive me, Lord, for being so arrogant.

But that still left the question of Faith. Would she be content to be a rancher’s wife? Did he dare ask her to be?

Lord?

Luke’s mouth quirked. Free will. Sometimes the Lord left the decision to His children. Well, he knew what he wanted and the only way to get it was to ask.

Twilight had come and gone. Dusk settled over the ranch, the darkness a relief to the grim events of the day. On Christmas Eve, Faith had expected to be in church singing worship songs, not in her room, fighting off an ache that clenched her stomach into a hard knot. Around her, clothes lay in heaps. Her open suitcase sat on the bed.

For so long, tension and fear had been her constant companions. But now all she felt was a deep, wrenching pain. A tear slipped down her cheek, leaving a wet trail in its wake. She was doing the right thing by not staying at the ranch. She’d already put the Campbells through enough. And this time when she left, she wouldn’t be alone. God would walk with her every step of the way.

But she loved Luke. Her heart and her mind knew the truth. And if she didn’t tell him, she’d live the rest of her life with regret.

Dear God, I want to be with Luke. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s on the ranch or a military base somewhere, I just want to be with him. I love him. He’s told me You have a plan for my life. Please let it include Luke. I ask this in Your Son’s precious name. Amen
.

Determination dried her tears and lifted her chin. There was unfinished business between her and Mr. Campbell and it needed to be resolved now. Tonight. On Christmas Eve.

She stepped into the dimly lit hall and ran straight into a moving object. The world teetered, and for a precarious second she thought she’d find herself on her behind, but two strong arms gathered her close, pulling her up against a hard muscled chest.

She knew those arms, that chest. Knew the heady scent that wrapped around her like a cozy blanket. Savoring the embrace, she tilted her head back to look up into Luke’s face.

“Sorry,” he said, dropping his arms, leaving her feeling vulnerable and cold.

For a moment silence stretched between them. Faith gathered her courage. “Luke, I—”

“Faith, I—” he said over her.

Laughing softly, she held up a hand. “Please, let me say this.”

With a slow nod, he stood perfectly still, his gaze intense. “Luke, I—I just want to be sure you understand that the things I said to—to Vinnie were untrue. I said what I did because—”

He pressed a finger to her lips. “I know.”

“You do?” she said against the rough pad of his finger.

His hand moved away, leaving a warm spot on her mouth. She licked her lips, tasting the faint essence of him.

“I’ll admit, at the time I was taken by surprise. Hearing those words hurt, but—that lasted only a second. I know you were protecting yourself and I know how you protected my mother. And when you attacked Vinnie, I knew you were protecting me.” He placed a hand over his heart. “I can’t begin to tell you how that made me feel. You’re one courageous lady, Faith.”

Ducking her head, she could feel her cheeks heating at his praise. Gently, his finger crooked beneath her chin and tilted her face up. The tender expression on his face knocked the breath from her body like his size had nearly knocked her from her feet.

“I know you want to leave in the morning but I just—I—” He took a quick breath and shifted his feet. “I was doing a lot of thinking tonight. And I came to some conclusions. First and foremost, I have to stop running from who I am. I’ve become everything I thought I didn’t want to be. There’s no use denying the truth any longer. I’m a rancher, just like my father.”

“Oh, Luke.” She knew how much he loved his father.

“Ironic, isn’t it? I joined the military to keep from becoming my father and here I am wanting nothing more than to follow my father’s path.”

“I’m sure he would be proud to know that.”

Luke nodded. “Yes, he would have been. He was a wise man. He’d said once that each person had to find their own way home, wherever that home may be. It took me a while, but I’ve finally come home.”

Barely daring to breathe, she asked, “Wh—what about your career?”

He took her hands in his. “I’m not going back. That season of my life is over. God has set me on a new road. I belong here.”

“But your ministry?”

“Is not limited to the military. I started something that others can finish. Now, it’s time to do good closer to home.”

Biting her lip, Faith’s mind raced. If he wasn’t leaving, did that change things between them? “Luke, I—”

“Faith, please.” He squeezed her hands. “Let me finish.”

She almost protested, wanting to say the words burning on her tongue, but the agitated look now in his eyes kept her silent. She nodded.

Dropping her hands, he began to pace. Three steps left, pivot, three steps right, pivot. For a long tense moment, Faith watched his restless movements until she couldn’t stand it any longer. Softly, she prodded, “Luke, what is it?”

As he passed in front of her, he abruptly stopped, his handsome face intent and his eyes dark in the dim hall. “I know I can’t offer you what you had in your old life. You deserve better than being the wife of a rancher and I don’t blame you for wanting to leave.”

Heart racing, Faith interjected, “But, Luke, I—”

“No, Faith, I need to tell you.” He took a shuddering breath. “I don’t want you to leave.”

Urgently, her heart brimming with tentative hope, she asked, “Why?”

Determination etched in every line, every angle of his body. “Because Faith, these weeks with you have been the best in my life. Because, you fill a void inside of me that I didn’t know I had.”

She tried to stop the trembling that suddenly began in her knees. Was he trying to say what she hoped he was saying? Did she dare believe that God would grant her the desires of her heart?

Capturing her hands, he said, “You belong in my life, Faith.” He pressed a kiss to her palm. “I love you.”

The doubts, the fears, all melted away with the utterance of those three little words. Savoring the joy welling up inside, she closed her eyes. “Luke, I—”

No more words could slip past the tightness in her throat.

He dropped his gaze. “It’s—it’s all right if you don’t feel the same. I understand.”

“No, Luke. You don’t understand.”

In a shaky voice, she told him what was in her heart. “I don’t want to leave. Don’t you know? I love you, too. I have for so long.”

“Are you sure? Do you mean it?”

“Don’t ever doubt it,” she said fiercely and repeated, “I love you, Luke.”

Swiftly, he took possession of her mouth. At once wild and urgent, Faith lost herself in the fire igniting between them until a dark, awful thought intruded. What would happen when Vinnie returned?

Regaining control of herself, she pulled back, breaking the contact.

Eyebrows furrowed in concern, Luke asked, “What’s wrong?”

“What about Vinnie?”

“What about him?”

“When he gets out of jail, he’ll return with a vengeance.” Old fear surfaced, clouding her happiness.

Tenderly, Luke stroked her cheek. “Sweetheart, you don’t ever have to worry about him again.”

“But how can you be sure?”

He gave a mirthless laugh. “Oh, I made it very clear what would happen if he ever came within a thousand miles of you.”

The memory of the fear in Vinnie’s eyes as Luke bent over him pricked her curiosity. “What did you tell him?”

“You don’t want to know. Let’s just say it involved the removal of vital body parts.”

Faith gaped. “You didn’t.”

He shrugged sheepishly. “Well, something to that effect.”

Giggling, she shook her head. Amazingly, she believed she’d never have to fear Vinnie again. Not with Luke by her side and God watching over them.

“I know it’s not officially Christmas yet, but—” He took her hand and led her down the stairs to the living room.

He went to the tree and picked up a beautifully wrapped present. “Merry Christmas.”

Her hands shook as she took the gift. Overwhelmed by his generosity and by her lack of a gift for him, she blinked back sudden tears. “I haven’t finished your present.”

“Your presence is gift enough,” he stated softly.

Love for this man filled her soul to overflowing.

“Go ahead, open it,” he urged.

Eager to see what was inside, she quickly dispensed with the wrapping and opened the box. She gasped. “Luke!”

His boyish grin filled her with joy.

She lifted the intricately designed butterfly ornament from where it lay on a bed of tissue. As she lifted it high, the glass, multicolored wings caught the light from the tree and reflected on the walls, filling the room in a kaleidoscope of color.

“It’s beautiful!”

“Add it to the tree.”

A tear slipped down her cheek as she hung the butterfly on a branch.

Luke gathered her close. “Now we’ll have a memory of when you joined our family.”

“Joined?”

Luke dropped to one knee. “Marry me, Faith.”

No longer able to stand she dropped to her knees. Joy bubbled from the depths of her soul. Looks like God was giving her a Christmas blessing after all.

“Yes, I’ll marry you.”