Walking into her bedroom, she retrieved a suitcase from the top shelf of her closet and opened it on her bed. Although she knew Hawke was going to call, she jumped when the phone rang. Gasping, she splayed a hand over her heart and felt its pounding.

  To be on the safe side, Kit glimpsed the number displayed on her caller ID screen, then brought the phone to her ear. “Hello, Hawke. I thought we said our goodbyes at the pueblo.”

  “I couldn’t let you go to your mom’s without telling you to call me when you get there. Let me know how she’s doing.”

  “I’ll be going straight to the hospital. The doctors told me they’ve stabilized her and will be monitoring her for the next few days.” She injected the right amount of worry and urgency into her voice. If someone was listening, she had to convince him she was leaving town.

  “Again, I’m so sorry about the heart attack, but at least she got help right away.”

  “It’s a good thing the hospital was able to reach me on my cell. I need to be with Mom. I’ll let you know when I get there. Bye.” Kit hung up, her whole body quaking.

  As tears welled up into her eyes, she crumpled onto her bed and cried, loud sobs that were an unplanned part of the performance. But suddenly her whole situation crushed her resolve not to let this stalker get the best of her. She wanted to curl up into a tight ball and forget everything that was going on. She wanted to escape, really get on a plane and leave her life behind—all that she had worked for, her friends, even Hawke.

  Words from Matthew drenched her in comfort: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

  It’s going to be okay. The Lord’s with me.

  * * *

  She’s leaving!

  The Guardian slammed his chair back, knocking it over as he lurched to his feet. She can’t leave me. She—

  His raging thoughts came to an abrupt halt. “It’s all right,” he muttered between inhaling deep breaths. She’d be back. She was just going to check on her mother, something any good daughter would do.

  He could use the time she was away to his advantage. This could be a great opportunity to get rid of Lonechief. An accident. It still needs to be one. It won’t be easy, but I’ll have a few days to follow him and figure out something.

  After he killed Lonechief, he could reveal himself to Kit and take her away from this place. He was tired of cleaning up her messes. The only way he could really protect her from danger was to keep her to himself.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  She’s with him! She didn’t go to see her mother! She lied to me!

  Lying flat on top of the mesa overlooking Lonechief’s ranch, the Guardian dropped the binoculars and rolled over, staring up at the sheet of steel-gray clouds stretching as far as he could see.

  After all these years of watching over her. She didn’t care.

  Fury clawed at his insides and burned a hole through his gut. Reeling with frustration, he clutched a rock and pummeled the binoculars until they shattered into tiny pieces.

  Panting hard, he went through several relaxation techniques before he was calm enough to think rationally.

  He’ll pay for this. She’ll pay for this.

  * * *

  Kit set her mug on the wooden railing and inhaled the clean, fresh air of a beautiful day. The sun struck the face of the mesa, coloring it red orange. A roadrunner scurried across the yard in front of Hawke’s house.

  Not a bad way to start a day. Kit took a sip of the wonderful coffee that Evelyn made only a few minutes ago. Its fragrance blended with the sage-scented breeze.

  The door behind her opened, and Hawke tromped toward her with enough racket to wake every creature around his ranch. She smiled and turned to greet him.

  “Is this loud enough for you?” He cradled his drink in one hand.

  “Yep. I think you’re getting the hang of letting me know when you’re approaching.”

  “I thought I’d find you here.”

  “I love coming out on the porch early in the morning. It’s so quiet and peaceful.”

  “That’s until I came outside.” His lips curved into a grin.

  “I hope we hear back from the police soon. I’ll need to call some people if I’m gone much longer, especially when I don’t show up at church.”

  “You’ve only been here two days.”

  “You don’t understand. I don’t normally drop off the face of the earth without letting people know where I’m going. I have good friends who would worry about me.” She sank back, half leaning, half sitting on the railing. “Well, at least, I used to think so.”

  “We still don’t know anything for sure, and Harrison wasn’t able to enlighten me about who hired him. There was no job for Harrison. At least he fared better than Hoffman, who’s still in a coma.”

  “He deserved a few problems the way he was leaving me to go on a wild-goose chase for a job that sounded too good to be true.” She chuckled. “And it wasn’t true.”

  “This could just be the work of an acquaintance or even a stranger.”

  She penned him with a probing gaze. “You don’t believe that, though. You think it’s one of the four men you’ve been checking out.”

  “The problem is they all have something that makes me suspicious.” He held up one finger. “First, there’s Marcus, your ever-present neighbor, always around. He has lots of free time and plenty of money to cause things to happen.”

  “He has a job. He writes self-help books and manages his property.”

  “Which makes him computer savvy.”

  “But then so is Samuel. There isn’t much he can’t do on the computer. His world revolves around one as a research librarian.” Kit shook her head. “I’m still surprised he lives a block away from me on the street behind mine. He never said a word.”

  “Because he wanted to keep it a secret?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged.

  “He has a crush on you. I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

  “Our relationship has always been professional. I just don’t see him wielding a gun or driving a big truck anywhere.”

  “The white one was found near the college, a short walk to the library.”

  “Also not far for Wes to go, either.” With each name spoken, the beautiful morning evaporated around her. In its place was terror and betrayal.

  “What about the good professor snooping around your office? I wouldn’t be surprised that was bugged as well as your house.”

  “We don’t know if either one was.”

  “Too risky to find out.”

  “The rumor flying around the faculty grapevine is that he’s in trouble with his research article, which may explain his snooping in my office.”

  “But would that lead to the other incidents?” Hawke sipped his coffee. “I’d love to ask the young man that. Probably not a good idea though.” He shrugged, deep in thought for a moment before continuing, “Then there’s the mailman, Sean Sullivan, trained as an army ranger to use a rifle.”

  “That’s what soldiers are trained to do. A lot of people out here know how to shoot.”

  “He didn’t just help his sister buy the house across the street from you, he bought it outright, a detail he neglected to tell you. He’s the owner, not his sister.”

  “He’s a private person. Maybe he didn’t want me to know the extent of the help he offered his sister. Or maybe it was her. She’s a proud woman.”

  “The more I delve into each of their lives, the more I feel in my gut it is one of them. Call it cop instinct, whatever you want.”

  “Then let’s hope the police find a video of the parking lot that shows someone getting out of the white truck.”

  “Or a picture from one of the traffic cameras. We just need a break. One slipup.”

  Opening the front door, Evelyn stuck her head out. “Hawke, there’s a call for you. It’s your friend with the Albuquerque Police Department.”

  “This may be it.” He hurried inside and snatched up the phone in the living room.

  Kit stood by the door, listening, watching the play of emotions across his face. Deep concentration settled over his features, the kind she saw when he was processing information and trying to piece it together.

  “We’ll be there. We’ll leave right away.” Hawke dropped the receiver in its cradle and smiled. “We got a break. The police tracked down a videotape that shows someone exiting the truck. The picture is grainy, but their tech people will work on it. My friend hopes we can ID the person, since there wasn’t anything in the truck.”

  “Thank you, Lord.”

  “You’ve got that right, Kit. We needed some of God’s intervention.” After swallowing the last few swigs of his coffee, he plucked his keys from the table by the phone.

  “I can be ready in two minutes.” Kit hustled into the kitchen to place her mug in the sink.

  “I heard the good news.” Evelyn stood at the stove, dishing an egg mixture onto a tortilla. “You two will need to eat. You can take these with you.”

  Kit took the breakfast burrito and ate a bite. “Delicious as usual. I’m gonna miss your cooking. Hopefully this will end today, and you won’t have me underfoot anymore.”

  “I’ve enjoyed having you here. It’s like having a daughter. I always wanted one.”

  Hawke’s mother’s words robbed Kit of speech. He had grown up in such a different home than she had. Hers had been filled with turmoil and rage, while love and the Lord had surrounded Hawke.

  Kit cleared her clogged throat. “I’ll miss you.”

  “I hope you won’t be a stranger. You’ll always be welcome here.” Evelyn’s glance strayed to her son, who had entered the kitchen.

  She quickly fixed him a burrito while Kit hastened to get her purse and sandals on. As she’d exited the kitchen, the appreciative look Hawke had given her had curled her toes. In the hallway she paused, steadying herself against the wall.

  I love him.

  She couldn’t deny it any longer. She’d known for a long time she cared for him a lot, but the emotions concerning him went much deeper to heal all the wounds from the past. She could put her volatile relationship with her dad behind her. Her Father in heaven had taught her what it meant to be unconditionally loved, that she was a worthy human being. Now looking back, she could see how her interaction with her dad had affected the men she had been attracted to.

  Thank you, Father, for changing my views or I would never have opened my heart to Hawke.

  Now all she had to do was convince a man who had shied away from any kind of relationship since his wife’s tragic death, that they would be good together.

  Father, show me the way.

  * * *

  As the detective brought up the taped footage, Kit steeled herself for what she might see on it. Did someone she know betray their friendship? Her breath trapped in her lungs, she zoomed in on the white truck as the unknown person parked it in a space. Seconds later, the door opened.

  And Sean Sullivan climbed from the vehicle.

  Although the photo wasn’t sharp, she saw enough of his face to recognize him. But even if she hadn’t, she knew his walk, having seen it a lot around the neighborhood as he delivered the mail.

  While she watched him stroll away from the truck as if he’d done nothing out of the ordinary, her heart bled for the person he’d become. What happened? Why, Sean? She didn’t understand any of what was going on. He’d never indicated to her he was obsessed with her to the point that he’d commit murder. The very thought manifested a knot in her stomach that grew until she wanted to double over in pain.

  “Miss Sinclair, do you know that man?”

  Words crammed her closed throat and refused to come out. She nodded while Hawke replied, “That’s Sean Sullivan. He’s her mailman.”

  “Is that correct? Are you sure it’s him?” The detective’s troubled gaze skimmed over her features.

  “Yes,” she choked out, wishing it were a total stranger.

  “Excuse me a moment.” Hawke’s friend rose and left the interview room.

  Hawke closed the laptop, then took her hands. His touch wrapped around her cold fingers, but nothing seemed to be reaching inside to warm her.

  “Kit, everything will be over soon. This was a good thing we discovered today.”

  “No!” She yanked her hands away. “It isn’t. Why would Sean do all those…those—” She couldn’t even grasp the magnitude of what he’d done. It didn’t fit into her world or the way he’d projected himself to her.

  “We’ll ask him when he’s caught.”

  “I even—” She shook her head but couldn’t rid herself of the image of Sean. “I saved his life once. I didn’t think it was that big a deal, but he did.”

  “What happened?” Hawke took her fingers between his and rubbed them.

  “I stopped him from stepping into the street. He was on his mail route one of those days when I tried to take up jogging. He was fumbling with something in his bag and didn’t see the speeding car coming around the corner. The teenager missed him by only half a foot.”

  “Did you know him before that?”

  “I saw him around the neighborhood a few times. I’d just moved into my aunt’s house. After that, he made a point to talk with me. Then his sister bought the place across the street and I saw him a lot after that. I—” Her eyes wide, she covered her mouth with her hand. “Everything changed after that. He started going to my church. He’d asked me if I knew a good one, and I’d told him about the one I attended.”

  The detective came back into the room. “Some patrolmen are heading to his house. He isn’t working today. He called in sick, which he has been doing quite a bit lately according to his supervisor. Hopefully we’ll catch him at home. Then they’ll bring him down for questioning.”

  “Do we have to stay? I don’t want to see him right now.” It was too much to take in. She needed time to process all this.

  “No, I think we’ve got what we need for the time being.”

  “You have my cell number.” Hawke rose. “Call when the officers bring him in. I want to be informed of what progress you make with his interrogation.”

  “Will do.”

  Still numb, Kit allowed Hawke to guide her from the police station to his Jeep. She still couldn’t believe the man who’d helped her get through Gregory’s death and betrayal may have killed her fiancé. He’d seemed so sincere and caring. He’d—

  Another person she had read wrong—dead wrong.

  Kit sat in the Jeep and leaned against the door, her arms folded over her chest. What was wrong with her and the men she chose to care about? Maybe when this was all over, she should go off and live by herself on top of a mountain where she didn’t have to deal with people or with feelings. She wasn’t good at it.

  “Kit?”

  “Hawke, I’d rather not talk about it right now.”

  Another ten minutes and they were on Interstate 40, heading out of Albuquerque toward his ranch. The monotonous ribbon of highway stretching before the Jeep lured Kit’s eyes closed. She rested her head on the seat back and relished the quiet, emptying her mind of all thoughts.

  The sound of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro penetrated her drowsy state and jarred her fully awake. Hawke flipped his cell open and listened to the caller.

  “I see. No idea where.” A frown slashed across his face, his voice strained.

  She tensed, gripping the door handle so tightly her hand ached. When he ended the call, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Sean Sullivan wasn’t home. It looks like he hasn’t been there for a few days. He may have fled town or—”

  “Gone to Florida to my mother’s? Gone after me?”

  “It’s a possibility.” He gave Kit his cell. “Call her. Have her leave her place and stay with a friend until you let her know everything is all right.”

  She could barely hold the phone, let alone punch the buttons for her mother’s number. They had never been close, but in her own way Kit knew her mom loved her. She’d just been scared from years living with an alcoholic husband.

  When she heard her mother’s voice, Kit nearly broke down, all her tears suddenly coming to the surface. She couldn’t cry. She didn’t want to frighten her mom any more than she would by asking her to leave.

  “Darling, it’s good to hear from you.”

  “Mom, I have something I need you to do.” Kit paused, not sure how to proceed. But there wasn’t any way to sugarcoat her request or why she’d made it. “I need you to go to a friend’s place and stay for a few days. You shouldn’t go back to your house until I call you.”

  “Why? You’re scaring me.”

  Welcome to my world. Kit gripped the cell phone even tighter. “This is important. Someone may be coming to Florida looking for me and you can’t be there.”

  There was a long silence. “Kit, what’s going on?”

  “This man has been stalking me and thinks I might be there with you.”

  The cry of alarm from the other end echoed so loudly from the cell that Hawke heard it. She took in a deep breath, Hawke’s familiar scent pervading her and calming her. “Please, Mom. I have police protection, but I don’t want to be worrying about you. I’ll call when this is over and explain everything in detail.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “Yes,” Kit said as Hawke turned onto the paved two-lane road to the pueblo.

  “What if this man comes here?”

  “Leave now and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

  “May I?” Hawke held his hand out for his cell. When she gave it to him, he said, “Mrs. Sinclair, I’m protecting Kit. I work for the police. I’ll be calling the detective in charge of the case to have him let the authorities in Florida know of the possibility that the suspect might arrive there. This will be over soon. They have an APB out on him, and if he comes there, they’ll catch him.” Hawke listened for a minute longer, then said, “She’ll phone. Yes, you’ll be at Flora’s. I’ll tell her. Goodbye.”