Rachel took Jamie from her. Her son’s eyes fluttered open but then closed again when he saw his nanny.

  While Rachel left the kitchen, Kate walked to the cabinet. “Do you want something to drink? Water? Iced tea?”

  “Actually, water sounds great after jogging.”

  “I agree.”

  Kate fixed two glasses, handed him one and then made her way into the hallway. “Let’s talk in the den.”

  She lived in this room filled with photos, books and comfortable furniture. In the corner was Jamie’s toy box, which he usually made a beeline for every time he came into the den. Kate settled onto the overstuffed maroon-and-navy couch while the police detective took the chair across from her, giving her a good view of him, all six feet. His short black hair, damp with sweat, lay at odd angles. But what drew her was his silver-gray gaze, alert, intense.

  Earlier she’d noticed he was favoring his left leg. “Did you hurt yourself running after the attacker?”

  He kneaded his thigh. “Not really. I was injured three years ago, and occasionally it’ll flare up when I push myself.”

  “I’m sorry you had to do that for me. No doubt you were off duty.”

  “A police officer is never totally off duty. There’s something in our makeup. We can’t ignore a person in trouble.”

  “And for that, I’m grateful.” She reclined back and relaxed for the first time since the attack. There was something about Chase Walker’s presence that was reassuring. She looked into his eyes and felt safe. “What do you need to know?”

  He fished out his phone again, setting it to record. “Tell me what happened.”

  Kate relived the incident, replaying it in her mind as she went through what she remembered, parts of the attack already foggy. Her heartbeat sped as words tumbled from her.

  “What do you think he was after?”

  “I don’t know. Other than my wedding ring, I wasn’t wearing or carrying anything of value.”

  “Did he say anything to you?”

  “No. He cursed when I kicked him. I wasn’t going down without a fight.”

  “Do you think it was a kidnapping attempt?”

  She wanted to say no but couldn’t. “Possibly. Or he was coming after me, but I was holding Jamie. Maybe he wanted to get Jamie out of the way? It is hard to say.”

  “Any gut feelings?”

  “Do you believe in those?” The intensity pouring off of him further soothed her fear. At this moment no one would hurt her or Jamie.

  “Yes. A couple have saved my life in the past. We take in nonverbal cues, sometimes not even realizing it, and process what they mean. That’s where a gut feeling comes from. At least that’s what I think. So any hunches?”

  She closed her eyes and reviewed again what she remembered in her mind. “Yes. I think this was personal. Why was the tree down over the path I usually use when I come to the reserve?”

  “So a planned attack. Okay. Do you follow the same schedule every day?”

  “Am I predictable?” She drew in a deep breath and thought about her routine. Usually, she got up every morning, spent some time with Jamie before she headed for the courthouse. She often had lunch in her office while she worked so she could spend more time with her son later. She frequently left for the day by four unless a court session ran longer. “Yes, especially during the weekdays. When I come home, I either jog for half an hour or longer, depending on how Jamie is. He likes to run with me. If the weather is bad, then I stay home and put music on and dance. My son loves to do that, too.”

  “But if the weather permits, you run outside during the work week?”

  “Yes. I’m indoors all day at the courthouse. My cases can get intense. Exercising helps relieve my stress.”

  “That’s why I run, too.”

  Her deceased husband would only swim, sometimes even in cool weather. He’d been talking about enclosing the pool in the backyard right before his death. Her world had ended that day, too. Her son had saved her from the abyss of sorrow she’d wallowed in right after James had died.

  “So Rachel is your live-in nanny.”

  It wasn’t a question, but she said, “Yes. I was going to stay home longer than six months after my son was born, but the person who was filling in while I was on maternity leave quit suddenly. Rachel was already working for me part-time, freeing me up for a few hours every day to run errands and get things done. When I needed her to switch to full-time, she was available to step right in, allowing me to get back to work. In the long run that had been a good decision.”

  “Is there anyone who might have a grudge against you?” His gray eyes, the color of a thunderstorm brewing, locked with hers. “Who do you think would do this?”

  Before she could answer, the detective’s cell phone rang.

  He looked at the caller’s name. “Sorry. I need to take this.” He punched his answer button and put the phone to his ear. “Has the car been found?” Chase listened for a moment then disconnected.

  “Do you have a lead on the attacker?”

  He rose, slipping his cell phone into his pocket. “Yes, the car belongs to Zed Hammer. Do you know him?”

  The name of a father who had threatened to make her pay last month for her judgment against him in court chilled her deep into her bones. Was the attack motivated by revenge?

  TWO

  The color drained from Kate’s face. She sat forward and crossed her arms over her chest. “Yes. Is Zed Hammer my attacker?” Her voice quavered as she said his name.

  “He owns the vehicle the man used to escape.”

  “Has the car been found?”

  “No. We haven’t been able to locate Mr. Hammer, either.”

  Kate shot to her feet, her arms stiff at her sides. She balled her hands so tightly her knuckles whitened. “So he could try to kidnap my son again. He told me when the trial was over that I would regret my decision to only permit him supervised visitation with his children.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds and shuddered. “The look he gave me told me he meant every word he said.”

  Her gaze flitted from the two windows in the den to the door as though she expected the man to rush into the room. When she hurried into the hallway, Chase followed her to the foyer where she set the alarm, checked that the front door was locked then hurried to the kitchen and did the same with the doors to the garage and the backyard. When she’d finished doing that, she spun toward him. “What else can I do to make sure Jamie is safe?”

  She held herself so rigid he was afraid she would snap. He covered the distance between them and took a trembling hand, searching for a way to reassure her.

  “I’ll stay as long as you need. Do you have any family nearby?”

  “No. Both James and I were only children. His mother and father live in Australia, while my mother is widowed, too, and lives with my grandmother in Florida. She takes care of Nana, which is a full-time job. I don’t want her to even know about what’s going on. She has enough to deal with. I don’t want her worrying about Jamie and me.”

  Chase drew her toward the nearest chair at the kitchen table. After she was seated, he sat next to her. “The police are looking for Zed Hammer. With his car being used in the attempted kidnapping and now that I know about his threat against you last month, I’m sure we’ll get a warrant to search his house.” He would call the station about Kate’s connection to Hammer. He wanted to be out there seeing to the details of the search, but at the moment he would be best utilized staying near Kate. She was right to be concerned the man might return and try again. “Tell me what he looks like.” Chase wanted to keep the conversation going to distract her from running every scenario of what could happen through her mind.

  Kate stared at her lap for a long moment. “He could be the attacker. Mr. Hammer is about the same height and build. I think his eyes were dark like the man at the reserve, but I’m not sure. Oh, and he had a little girl about my son’s age.”

  “Did you notice a white compact car following you anytime lately?”

  “Seriously? White is the most common color for a vehicle, so in the last month I’m sure some have driven near me. But I don’t remember seeing the same car behind me for long.” She dropped her head and rubbed her hands together. “I’ve never really thought about the traffic around me unless there was a problem. Coming home from work, I’m usually decompressing. I don’t like bringing my problems home. I love my job, but it can be emotionally draining at times. I don’t want my child affected by that.”

  “I know what you mean. I don’t have a family but if I did, I would feel the same way. Being a detective is challenging and rewarding when I can solve a crime, but I’ve seen things I wouldn’t want to share with my loved ones.” Not just as a detective but as a Marine, fighting in a war zone. Memories he’d tried to avoid leaked back into his thoughts. The sounds of gunfire all around him. The stench of death in the air. The agonizing pain streaking up his leg. The fight to keep that injured limb.

  Rachel appeared in the entrance. “Jamie is asleep. I won’t be surprised if he slept until morning. Do you want me to put in one of the casseroles you made this weekend?”

  “That would be fine. I need to change out of my jogging clothes. I’m going to check on Jamie, too.” Kate rose.

  “And I’m going to check your house and make sure it’s secured.” Chase shoved his chair back and stood, trying to shake that last skirmish from his mind.

  But as he left the kitchen with Kate, the memory stayed with him. He’d been the only one from his team who had survived. So many of his combat buddies had families. He hadn’t, but he’d lived while they’d died. That had challenged his faith through the months of recovery stateside.

  “There are five bedrooms upstairs,” Kate said as she mounted the stairs.

  “I’ll start there. Are your windows wired to your security system?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s good.”

  “That room at the end of the hall—” Kate pointed to the left “—is Rachel’s. This one is Jamie’s.”

  She turned and gestured to the door next to her son’s on the other side. “And mine is there. The rest are for guests, and that one in the middle opens onto the staircase to the attic. I keep it locked so my son doesn’t try to explore by himself. The steps are steep.”

  Chase decided to start with her room. He expected Kate to leave him to check on Jamie, but instead she followed him through the door.

  When he entered her tastefully decorated bedroom, he immediately saw her touches throughout, from the family photos on the dresser and nightstands, to a gavel attached to a plaque on the wall.

  “That’s from my first case as a judge. My husband had it mounted and gave it to me as a surprise. He’d told me he was also going to do the gavel of my last trial, so I would have matching plaques. I intend to fulfill his wish.”

  “Does this incident make you think twice about being a judge?”

  She cocked her head. “I don’t think so. There are risks in a lot of people’s jobs. You should know that more than anyone. Have you ever considered giving up being a police officer because of the risks?”

  He hadn’t thought about it, either, but now that he did, the answer that came to mind surprised him. “I’ve been the first person to go into a dangerous situation plenty of times—but better me than some of the other guys. I don’t have a family, and a lot of my fellow officers do. If something happened to me, it wouldn’t affect a wife or children.”

  “So you never want to get married and have a family?”

  Want? Want had nothing to do with it. What right did he have to build a family when so many good men had been forced to leave their loved ones behind forever? He’d walked away from an ambush alive while all the men with families had been killed. His friend who had taught him about God had died in that firefight and fallen on top of him. In the end, that was what had saved him. Later, he’d known the pain and grief his buddy’s wife had gone through, but he could do little to change that. He hated that feeling of impotency and had promised himself he would protect others at all costs.

  “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that. It isn’t in your job description.” She walked into her closet.

  “I don’t mind. Starting a family’s just not in my plans right now.” He headed for the first window, checked it, then moved to the other one. “Both are locked. I’ll finish with the rest of the house.”

  She emerged from her closet. “I hope you’ll have dinner with us. It’s nothing fancy. It’s a Mexican chicken dish. On Saturday and Sunday, I cook up a storm then we eat the meals throughout the week.” She grinned. “I’ve been accused of being highly organized.”

  “Thanks. I skipped lunch today working a burglary case. I’ve been accused of being highly determined.”

  “To the point of going without food?”

  He nodded then left before he became distracted from his task. Kate could easily do that with one look or smile.

  * * *

  After she took a quick shower and dressed, she stopped by Jamie’s bedroom again. When she cracked the door open and looked inside, she found her son standing up in his crib and lifting his leg to try and climb out. He’d succeeded a couple of times. She crossed to him and swung him up into her arms.

  “I should have known you wouldn’t sleep through to the morning.” She hugged him against her, wishing she could stay like this the whole night.

  “Mama, me eat.”

  “So you’re hungry. No wonder you woke up.” She headed for the hallway. “Let’s go get you something for dinner.”

  “Down. Down.” He wiggled in her arms.

  “Not until we get to the kitchen.” When Jamie was awake, they locked a gate across the bottom or top of the staircase. He was still a little shaky on the steps. She reached the first floor and put the barrier in place. She didn’t need to worry anymore about him than she already had today.

  The second she entered the kitchen she put Jamie on the floor, expecting him to make a beeline for his high chair and climb up into his seat. When he was hungry, that was what he usually did. But he stopped after two steps and stared at Chase across the room. Then he struck out for him and threw his arms around his leg.

  Jamie loved meeting new people, but after today, she’d thought that might be different. She hadn’t known he’d really been aware of the man who had saved them today, but he must have been because he raised his hands, opening and closing them.

  “Up!”

  Chase hoisted Jamie into his arms. “Sure, big guy. I’m Chase. I have a nephew not too much older than you.”

  “Case.” Her son rubbed his hand across Chase’s day-old beard. He giggled and did it again.

  Seeing Jamie with Chase made her realize her son didn’t have too many males in his life. She closed the space between the police detective and her. “C’mon, Jamie. Time to eat.” As Rachel put the food on the table, Kate took him from Chase and set her son in his high chair.

  After everyone was seated, Kate bowed her head and said, “Lord, thank You for sending us Chase when we needed him. Bless this food and our soldiers protecting us. Amen.”

  When she looked up, Chase was staring at her, and for a few seconds her son and Rachel faded into the background, the lure of his gaze making her forget who else was around. No wonder she’d remembered him from all the many people who frequented the county courthouse. It wasn’t just that he was handsome—there was also an intensity to him that drew her attention. When he’d described himself as determined, she understood why. There was something about the man that intrigued her.

  A purring Boss rubbing against her leg pulled her attention back to the moment.

  While Rachel was eating, Kate assisted Jamie with his meal, a mixture of baby food and the Mexican chicken, trying to minimize Jamie’s chances to play with it or fling it. Then her nanny would take over while Kate had her dinner. But her son kept getting distracted by Chase across the table from him—probably because he was the first man to sit at her table. She hadn’t realized how small her world had become since Jamie’s birth.

  Her world centered around her child, the only one she would ever have. For ten years she and her husband had tried to have a baby. She had miscarried four times, and they’d given up the last year James was alive. Then her husband had died in a small plane crash. Not long after his death, she’d discovered she was pregnant. James would never know he had a son. A complication after Jamie’s birth had led to a hysterectomy. Jamie would be her only child, but she cherished him and thanked the Lord for her one baby.

  Jamie flipped his spoon, causing his food to fly in several directions.

  “Okay. That’s my sign you’re finished.” Kate took the utensil and bowl off the tray while Boss licked the food that landed on the tiled floor.

  Then her son rubbed his eyes and tried to stand in his seat. Kate rose and picked him up. She noticed her nanny was finished with her meal and said, “After you wash him up, let’s try and put him to bed again.”

  Rachel stood and took Jamie from Kate. “I’m surprised he even woke up after not sleeping much last night. I’ll take care of him. You need to eat.”

  When the nanny left the kitchen with Jamie, Kate served several spoons of her Mexican chicken onto her plate. “Do you want anymore?”

  “Yes. I don’t get a lot of home-cooked food. This is delicious.”

  Kate passed the serving spoon to Chase. Their fingers briefly touched. For a few seconds she forgot to breathe. Sharing a meal with a man was something she hadn’t done in so long she didn’t know how to react anymore. She sternly reminded herself not to be silly. This wasn’t a date—he was just trying to keep her and her son safe. If an assailant wanted to hurt her, the most effective way would be to do something to Jamie. Zed Hammer’s anger the last day she saw him might have driven him to harm her son. The thought plunged fear deeper into her. She’d fought to have her son, and she would fight to keep him and protect him from any harm.