The Texas Ranger's Family (17 page)

Aching with love, she cupped his face in her hands. “Come home soon, Ranger Saunders. You're needed by an awful lot of people.”

Natalie made a swift exit from Kit's arms and hurried into the living room.

* * *

T
HAT
KISS
HAD
fanned the flame burning inside him. On fire with near-white heat, he'd left his condo and headed for her house.

Come on, Morales. Bring it on.

He parked his car one street over as he'd done that first night. He put his night-vision goggles around his neck. No one was in sight. He locked the car and darted through several yards. There were a number of fences to scale before he reached the tree in question. He'd done a lot of tree climbing in his youth. This one was easy.

When he reached midway and was well hidden by leaves, he phoned Cy.

“Where are you?”

“In the tree looking at the back of the house. Have the guys put up the sign?”

“About an hour ago.”

“Good. I take it there's been no other movement.”

“Not yet.”

“In that case, I'm going to join you. Leave the back door open. I'll be there in two minutes.” He disconnected and started down the tree. One more fence to climb and he'd be there.

When he crept in through the back door, it felt like home.

Cy was waiting for him in the kitchen.

Kit smiled. “Good to see you, bud.”

“Likewise. Guess who else is here?”

Kit couldn't imagine.

“Vic.”

“You're kidding—”

“Nope. After you gave me the tip from Juanita about Alonzo hiding out at the billiards place, I went over there to investigate. One of the girls who works at the front as cashier is terrified of him and hopes we get him. She said he always has two thugs with him and carries an AR-15. They operate like a gang and drive around in an old hearse.

“When Vic heard that, he volunteered to help us on this stakeout. There's a bulletproof vest for you on the chair there. Needless to say the boss wants this killer caught.”

Good old TJ.

Kit put on the vest, then walked through the house feeling a ton heavier. He found Vic in Natalie's bedroom watching the windows through his night-vision goggles. They talked shop for a few minutes before Kit returned to the kitchen.

Cy eyed him. “What's your gut telling you, Kit?”

“The way Juanita explained it, I figure it's going to go down gangster style. She says Alonzo's a raging bull and he's got nothing to lose at this point. I have no doubt he'll blast his way in.

“The only problem is, I don't know how long we're going to have to wait. Juanita felt it would happen right away because he's desperate to settle his gambling debts. I hate tying up Vic when this isn't even his case.”

“He insisted, and the boss knows we work well together. He'll send other guys to relieve us tomorrow if it looks like we'll have to be here longer.”

Kit nodded and pulled out his weapon. “Which door do you want to guard?”

“Doesn't matter.”

“I'll take the front and you cover the back. We'll trade off.” Kit had a hunch they'd charge the front of the house and shoot the door off its hinges. Of course, anything was possible. He placed himself to the side of the glass so he could see the whole front yard.

His father had gotten into a situation like this. But the shootout had taken his life. Kit wasn't ready for that to happen yet. Tonight he'd found a new reason for wanting to live life to its fullest. Natalie may not have said all the words he wanted to hear, but he knew how she felt about him.

Go get him, cowboy.

Those were magic words. They'd freed him from the fear that she couldn't handle what he did for a living. During all the years since he and Janie had broken up, he'd been afraid to fall in love. He couldn't go through that again, only to be told that his career was getting in the way of total fulfillment.

Kit had seen how hard it had been on Luckey. The poor guy had suffered when his wife had said goodbye. To be told that you had to find a different way to make a living after a year of marriage would have been devastating. Luckey was doing better, but he was as gun shy about falling in love again as Kit had been.

Tonight Kit had been given a gift he hadn't expected. He didn't have to worry about that issue with Natalie. Even though she knew his father had been killed in the line of duty, she'd sent him off with her heart in her eyes, willing him to come back to her. That's what he intended to do. He could see a future opening up. A fantastic future with the cherub and, God willing, maybe even a few more.

While he kept watch, he checked in with the guys on his phone. Maybe tonight wouldn't be the night. Only a few cars had gone by. They talked strategies. The hours dragged on. He ate a couple of Snickers.

Around three-thirty in the morning when Kit had just about decided it wasn't going to happen, he saw a dark vehicle turn onto the street and park a few houses away on the opposite side.

He alerted the guys to get ready.

Three figures had gotten out and were creeping toward the house. No sooner had Kit warned his buddies than the front window shattered from the impact of a semi-automatic weapon, just as Kit had imagined. Shards of glass flew in all directions. With his adrenaline gushing, he waited against the wall until they started to climb inside.

Kit aimed his gun and shot the first two thugs. He would never forget the look of shock on Alonzo's face as he spun around in the moonlight before falling to the floor. Cy shot at the third intruder, but he turned and started running.

“Oh, no, you don't.” Kit climbed up on the window sill and jumped to the grass. The thug shot at him, then took off toward the car. Kit raced after him and tackled him before he could open the door. It was like throwing a steer; the guy fell hard against the pavement and lost consciousness. With a grunt of satisfaction, Kit reached into his pocket to pull out his cuffs when a fourth man pointed a gun at him through the open rear window of the car. Kit hadn't counted on him.

“Get down!” Cy yelled. Kit had already obeyed the instinct and heard two shots fired. The last thing he remembered was a stinging sensation in his upper right arm.

* * *

N
ATALIE
WOKE
at seven and looked over at Amy. She was still asleep, her knees pulled up beneath her and her cute little bottom in the air. Her quilt was wrapped around her middle. It was a hilarious site. She quickly grabbed her phone and took a picture. Kit would laugh his head off.

Her body quickened when she thought of him. She had no idea how long it would be before she spoke to him again, let alone saw him. But it didn't matter because however long it took, she knew he'd eventually come home and she'd be here waiting for him.

While Amy was still out cold, Natalie got dressed in a pair of jeans and a blouse. After freshening up in the bathroom she went into the kitchen to make coffee. Just as she found the jar of decaf in the cupboard, she heard the phone ring. Her heart pounded. Maybe it was Kit.

She answered.

“Mrs. Harris? This is Milo, one of the surveillance crew out front. You're going to have a visitor in a minute. It's Ranger Saunders's mother. I didn't want you to be startled.”

Kit's mother? “Thank you for letting me know.”

“You're welcome.”

She hung up, curious to know why the older woman had come. Kit's mother was probably here for an unannounced visit and would no doubt be surprised to find Natalie in residence. She was glad she'd gotten up and dressed.

She walked to the front door and opened it in time to see Kit's mother walking toward her. She was dressed in jeans and a top much like Natalie was wearing, but the older woman looked paler than Natalie remembered and for some reason she started to get nervous. “Mrs. Saunders?”

The woman's hazel eyes looked at Natalie for an overly long moment. “There's no way to make this easy for you, Natalie.” Natalie's heart plummeted. “Kit was injured last night. His captain asked me to come over here because he knew Kit had brought you here and that you'd need to be told.”

She gasped. “But he's still alive. Right?”

“Yes. By some miracle he is.”

Natalie felt weakness overtake her as if she might faint, but she'd never fainted in her life. “Come in and tell me what happened.”

“Oh. Your little girl is still asleep,” Mrs. Saunders said quietly as they entered the living room.

“It's fine. Please. Sit down.”

“I've just come from the hospital. I don't know all the facts yet, but he got shot in his upper arm.”

“Oh, no—” Natalie exclaimed, causing Amy to stir.

“We simply won't know the prognosis for a while. The doctor explained that they have to look at the X-rays to find the extent of the damage. If it hit the bone, surgery might be required. He says there was little loss of blood, which is a very good sign. They've hooked him up with IV antibiotics and fluids. Whatever is decided, he'll need wound treatment and dressings. The ironic part is that he was wearing his bulletproof vest, but it doesn't cover the arms.”

Natalie shuddered. “Mrs. Saunders?”

“Call me June.”

“June, then. If it hampers his ability to use his arm, will that mean he can't be a Ranger anymore? Because I know that would just about kill him.”

“That's my worry, too. We'll simply have to wait and see. On the bright side, you won't have to worry about your safety anymore. Kit took down the man who killed your husband.”

Talk about the bitter with the sweet—

“He also killed one of the man's accomplices and wounded another, who has been arrested. Ranger Vance killed the fourth man, the one who was hiding in the getaway car and injured Kit.”

It took a minute for Natalie to take it all in. She stared at Kit's mother. “You've been through this before.”

“Yes. But this time we can be thankful Kit's life has been spared.”

“I—I'm so thankful, I don't know how to react. How terrifying for you to have to hear news like this about your son.” Natalie put her arms around the older woman, and the two of them simply held on to each other for a little while before June pulled back, wiping her eyes.

“I've been told your living room window was shattered during the gunfire. It might be best for you to stay here until the Rangers have finished their job and the people from Forensics are through. Then they'll have the mess cleaned up and new glass installed. I imagine that by tomorrow you'll be able to go home.”

Natalie felt numb. Home without Kit was unthinkable. “How soon can he have visitors?”

“The surgeon told me not until tomorrow and maybe not even then depending on his condition. He's been through a lot of trauma physically and psychologically.”

“But he's tough.”

June nodded. “He's just like his father.”

“Has your other son been told?”

“Yes. I called Brandon the second I had word from his captain. He'll arrive at the hospital before long to talk to the doctor.”

“Why don't you stay here until you hear from him? I was just about to make coffee. Have you had any breakfast?”

“Not yet.”

“Then let me get us some. I'm so thankful he's alive, I need to work off my excess energy and stay busy. I'm glad you're here with me. Amy and I would love the company. It's been very quiet with just the two of us.”

“It must have been intolerable to be cooped up in your house.”

“Not really.”
Not at all
.
I've had Kit all to myself. Now there's no excuse for us to be together under the same roof.
“What I've missed is taking this little girl out to the park.”

Amy awakened and stood in the playpen. “Mama.” She held out her arms. “Kit!”

“Oh—” June laughed. “She knows his name. She's adorable.”

“He's been playing with her.” She walked over to the playpen. “Amy, this is June. Can you say June?”

She pointed her finger at Kit's mother. “June.”

“Yes, sweetheart. June!” Natalie looked at Kit's mother. “Your son has won her heart. I'll just change her diaper and get her dressed. Then she can eat breakfast with us.”

She picked Amy up and carried her into the bathroom. When she returned to the living room she saw that June had gone into the kitchen. She'd made the coffee for them and was toasting Eggo waffles.

“Waffles sound good.” Natalie put the baby in the high chair.

“Kit has always loved them.”

She got out the syrup and the butter. While June brought the plates of waffles to the table, Natalie found a jar of applesauce she'd brought with her. She broke a waffle into pieces for Amy and June poured the coffee.

They began eating their breakfast, but after a few mouthfuls of fruit, Amy wanted to get down. “My daughter is restless. Excuse me for a minute. I'll put on her sandals and take her outside for a little walk. In the rush to get here yesterday, I forgot to pack the stroller.”

“I'll walk outside with you. Right now I'm afraid I can't sit still.”

“Neither can I.” Their eyes met in silent understanding.

Natalie was hurting for Kit, but she experienced a feeling of liberation to walk outside and know there was no danger lurking. The surveillance van had gone. Amy stopped and started many times, exploring this new world. It caused both women to laugh. Several times she stumbled. Natalie let her pick herself up.

Already too hot to stay out for long, they headed back to the condo. Their return coincided with June's cell phone ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket. “It's Brandon.”

“Go ahead and talk while we get ourselves some water.” Amy followed Natalie into the kitchen, where Natalie got down a glass and filled it for her. The little girl drank from it very well. Before long she wouldn't need her sippy cup.