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  A faint smile bent her mother’s mouth, but it quickly faded. “The sheriff called and told me about the shooting here last night. It’s sad that I heard it from him and not my own daughter. I considered calling you, but since you would probably just let it go to voice mail, I asked Tim to drive me out here. I wanted to see for myself that you were okay.”

  So, that’s why she was here. Bailey had meant to call her, but she’d gotten distracted—first with her need for sleep and then her need for Parker. “I’m fine.”

  “We were worried about you,” Tim snapped.

  “I’m sorry,” Bailey apologized. If she had to grovel, she would, but her first priority was getting them out of here. The longer her mother remained, the more speculation she would have about Parker and her.

  Her mother pushed right past them and went inside.

  Bailey huffed. So much for getting them to leave.

  Tim stepped in as well, and Parker looked at Bailey as if he was trying to figure out how to handle this. Bailey just threw her hands in the air. Parker relented too because he finally just shut the door. And there they stood, all four of them, with the tension as thick as the muggy July heat outside.

  It was obvious that Tim was upset about the call he’d received from Parker about the ruby ring. Tim glared at him. Her mother didn’t glare exactly, but judging from what she’d said earlier, her feelings had apparently been hurt.

  “Would you like to sit down?” Parker asked her mother, though it didn’t sound like a heartfelt invitation.

  Still, Lila took him up on it and sat on the sofa. Tim took the chair across from her. Since this was apparently going to turn into some kind of lecture, Bailey also sat on the sofa, but Parker stayed put, near the door, and he glanced out the window. He was the bodyguard even now.

  “Bailey, I want you to come back to the ranch with us,” her mother insisted.

  Yes, definitely a lecture. “That’s not a good idea. So far, this stalker seems to be after only me. It’s been days since you’ve gotten a disgruntled letter. But me? Well, let’s just say, this guy is trying to scare me, and I don’t want to give him a reason to go to the ranch.”

  Lila crossed her arms. “Your safety is far more important than mine.”

  Bailey knew that her mother truly felt that way. She slid her hand over Lila’s. “And I feel the same about you.”

  “Well, I don’t want you to feel that way. I want my children safe, but I can’t seem to make Chloe and you understand that.”

  “We do understand it, Mom. Devin has a bodyguard, too. Someone that Parker and Bart Bellows trust.”

  “Yes, I know. Bart called me. Devin did, too.” Lila blinked back tears. “Someone shot at you, Bailey.”

  Bailey hated seeing her mother’s tears, probably as much as her mother did. Lila wasn’t a crier, so this was proof that she was truly upset and not just acting to get Bailey under her roof. She had to try to give her mother some peace of mind.

  Even if she had to lie.

  “The shots weren’t meant to hurt me,” Bailey explained. “They were purposely aimed at the stone on the exterior of the house. So, I’m not in any real danger. This stalker just wants to scare me.”

  Tim moved to the edge of his seat. “Do you really believe that?” He scrubbed his hand over his face. “Jesus H., Bailey, what does he have to do, put a gun to your head to make you realize you’re in danger? Because you are in danger.”

  “He could be just trying to get some attention,” Parker offered. “If he’d wanted to hurt Bailey, he could have fired into other parts of the house. He’s had opportunities to do some real damage, but he’s stuck with these juvenile scare tactics.”

  “Next time, this stalker might have a better aim,” Tim snarled. His tone softened when he turned back to Bailey. “If you come to the ranch, I can protect you.”

  Tim reached across and caught onto her hand, as she’d done with her mother earlier. But Tim’s touch felt clammy and, well…wrong. So Bailey pulled back, and Tim flinched as if she’d slapped him.

  “I’m not blind,” Tim snapped. “I can see what’s going on between you and this so-called bodyguard. You’re letting your emotions rule your actions, and that’s not like you, Bailey. Trusting him could get you killed.”

  Her reaction was instant and intense. The anger raced through every vein in her body. “You have no idea what I’m like. And I trust Parker with my life.” Bailey got to her feet, ready to toss Tim out.

  Her mother got up as well, and Lila caught onto her shoulders. “We have your best interest at heart.” Lila’s voice was a lot calmer than Tim’s, and she was obviously trying to defuse the tense situation.

  “If that’s true, then you’ll leave and let Parker do his job.” Bailey narrowed her eyes when she looked at Tim. “And I’m not going to be bullied by you or anyone else into going to the ranch.”

  “We’re not trying to bully you,” Tim insisted.

  “That’s what it feels like to me,” Bailey fired back, “and since Mother does know me, she knows that this kind of demand will only make me dig in my heels. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Tim’s mouth tightened, and he slid glances at both Parker and her. “Fine. He can come to the ranch, too. We can protect you together.”

  Since Tim gave Bailey the creeps, that wasn’t exactly a good offer, and her expression must have conveyed that because her mother sighed.

  “Come on, Tim,” Lila said. “We’re wasting our breaths and time.” She looked at Parker. “Please keep her safe.”

  “I will.” And Parker didn’t hesitate. “But I do have some questions—about the threats you’ve received, Governor Lockhart.”

  Lila stiffened a little. “What about them?”

  “I’ve been told bits and pieces, but I haven’t actually read any of the letters. The one that Chester Herman threw out of his car for Bailey said ‘This isn’t over. Hope you enjoy what I have planned for you.’ Is that the same tone as yours?”

  “No.” Lila seemed surprised by that because she put her hand to her chest and repeated the no. “The threats, if you can call them that, say things like—vote this way on a particular bill or you’ll be sorry. There isn’t a mocking tone. In fact, if the person had actually signed the letters, I might not have even considered them threats but rather just an annoyed constituent voicing an opinion.”

  “But he didn’t sign them,” Tim pointed out. “And coupled with several hang-up calls from a prepaid untraceable cell phone, there’s a reason for concern. I’m worried about both of them,” Tim went on. “I’ve added some extra security at the ranch, and I’ve been studying the footage from the surveillance cameras. Early this morning, I saw some guy near the fence. He looked just like Sidney Burrell.”

  That obviously got Parker’s attention. He walked closer. “You called Sheriff Hale?”

  Tim shook his head. “The guy was dressed like a hunter, and I figured he’d be long gone before the sheriff got out there. Besides, if he’d gotten onto the property, I would have shot first and asked questions later.” He looked at Parker. “How about the guy in your yard last night? You think that was Sidney?”

  “Maybe.”

  Bailey wondered why Parker hadn’t volunteered that it could have been their other suspect, Chester Herman, but she didn’t question it.

  Lila’s phone rang. “Business,” she commented, glancing at the screen. “And I have to take this call. Tim, I’ll meet you in the car.”

  Lila mumbled her goodbyes, gave Bailey a kiss on the cheek and walked out. Parker kept the door open, waiting for Tim to leave, as well.

  But he didn’t. Tim stood and stared at Bailey. “I’d like a word with you alone.”

  Bailey glanced at Parker to see what he thought of that. Oh, he wanted to object, but he wouldn’t. He would allow her to make her own decision about this. At first, Bailey’s decision was a big fat No! but she rethought that. She did want to ask Tim about that ring to see if he would give her the same tidy a
nswer he’d given Parker.

  “I’ll be outside on the porch,” Parker explained. “I won’t be far, just a few steps away.” And he aimed that warning at Tim.

  Tim didn’t say a word until Parker was indeed outside, and then he moved closer to Bailey. “I think you’re making a mistake,” Tim whispered.

  Bailey folded her arms over her chest. “A mistake? You mean similar to one the jeweler made on the ring you ordered for Mom? For the record, rubies aren’t her style. She’s more of a diamonds-and-pearls person. I, on the other hand, have several pieces of ruby jewelry and anyone who knows me knows that it’s my favorite gemstone.”

  Whatever he’d been expecting her to say, that wasn’t it. He looked a little poleaxed, and it took Tim several seconds to regain his composure.

  “The ring wasn’t for you,” he insisted. “I ordered it for your mother, and the jeweler made a mistake, that’s all. Parker blew this situation out of proportion so that you wouldn’t trust me.”

  “Why would he do that?” she fired back.

  “Maybe because he’s jealous of me.”

  Bailey gave him a flat stare.

  A stare that put some fire in Tim’s eyes. “Or maybe Parker just wants to create trouble. The point is the ring was a mistake, but it can be fixed. The jeweler can add the other two names. Your situation can be fixed too, Bailey. I can fix things for you.”

  She groaned. “By coming to the ranch?” Bailey didn’t wait for him to confirm that. “No, thanks. I’m staying here with Parker.”

  “Parker,” he repeated like a profanity. “It’s obvious that he wants you. You’re a wealthy woman, Bailey. The governor’s daughter. He’s got a mortgage on this house. He’s not your kind of people.”

  “Excuse me?” The anger sliced through her. “What does that mean—your kind of people? If it weren’t for my trust fund, I’d have a mortgage too, and I’d be in debt up to my eyeballs for all those renovations to the day care.” She shook her head. “Why are we even discussing this? Parker’s net worth is none of our business.”

  Tim caught onto her arm, but she threw off his grip. “It is my business, because I care about you. About Lila and her entire family,” he quickly added.

  She got in his face. “You were hired to protect my mother, that’s all. Now, while I’m very happy that you’ve done an excellent job as her bodyguard, you are not part of my life. Never have been, never will be.”

  Bailey hadn’t intended to be so harsh, but she wanted to make it clear that she had no interest in him. Plus, she was furious at what he’d said about Parker.

  Tim backed away from her, each step slow and calculated. “As long as I work for your mother, I’ll always be part of her life. And yours.”

  It sounded like a threat. His tight jaw muscles added to the menacing feel.

  “I would have died for you,” Tim tossed at her, and he stormed out, leaving her to stand there and wonder what the heck had just happened.

  When she heard Parker talking, Bailey hurried out to the porch. She thought that Tim might be starting round two with Parker, and she wanted to nip it in the bud. But Tim was already in the limo, and he and her mother were driving away. Parker, however, was speaking to someone on the phone.

  “Bailey and I will be there in ten minutes,” Parker said to the caller, and he snapped his phone shut.

  Oh, mercy. What had gone wrong now?

  “That was Sheriff Hale,” Parker informed her. “He found Chester Herman.”

  She felt both the fear and relief. “Where is he?” Please, don’t let him be near Zach.

  “At the sheriff’s office.”

  The relief got a lot stronger. “Sheriff Hale has him in custody?”

  “Not exactly. Chester walked in a few minutes ago and said he wanted to talk. To you and me. He said we’d be very interested in what he has to tell us.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Parker stepped around the eight-foot-high inflatable Uncle Sam so he could open the heavy glass door to the sheriff’s office. Main Street was a hive of activity with the work crews stringing red, white and blue streamers and lights for tomorrow’s Fourth of July parade.

  The air felt festive.

  Parker felt some of that, too. Judging from the way she was smiling and greeting people, so did Bailey. The sheriff finally had their number one suspect off the streets and in custody. If Sheriff Hale could make the stalking charges stick, Chester Herman would be arrested, and Bailey could reopen Cradles to Crayons and get on with her life.

  Parker wanted that for her. He wanted her safe and at work at the job she loved. But he kept going back to one question.

  What now?

  Bart Bellows had told Parker that he would remain in Freedom so that Zach would have some stability, but Parker also knew there was a likelihood that future jobs with Corps Security and Investigations would take him out of town.

  And away from Bailey.

  Even if there was work for him in Freedom, that didn’t mean Parker would see her often. It was possible their paths wouldn’t cross again.

  “Something wrong?” Bailey asked.

  Parker pulled himself out of his little trance and realized then that even though he’d opened the door of the sheriff’s office for her, he hadn’t budged. He was just standing there, probably with a blank look on his face. That got him moving, and Bailey and he made their way past a dispatch/reception desk and to Sheriff Hale’s office. The sheriff wasn’t there, however. He was in the small interrogation room across the hall.

  So was Chester Herman.

  The sheriff and Chester weren’t alone though. Sidney Burrell was seated at the metal table across from them. There were no lawyers, so maybe that meant both men were ready to talk.

  Bailey and Parker didn’t join them at the table. There were extra chairs, but Parker didn’t want her any closer to either of the men, so they continued to stand.

  “Two for the price of one,” Sheriff Hale commented. “Sidney here walked in a couple of minutes ago and wanted to talk, too. Must be the day for confessions and conversation, huh?”

  “I didn’t know he’d be here,” Sidney practically growled, and he aimed his index finger at Chester. “He’s your suspect. Not me. I’m just a guy with a juvenile record who’s getting railroaded.”

  “Hold your horses,” the sheriff growled back. “Nobody’s accused you of anything—yet.”

  “Tell that to the people in this narrow-minded town,” Sidney answered. “I can’t get a job and got no money to move. I’m stuck here, and the only chance I got is to clear my name.”

  Chester smiled. It was as cocky as the rest of his demeanor. A well-chewed toothpick dangled from his chapped mouth. “My feelings would be hurt if y’all were accusing me of anything.”

  Parker glared at him. He had no intention of playing games with this moron. “You threw a threatening letter into the parking lot of the day care that Bailey owns,” Parker reminded him.

  “Oh, that.” Chester smiled again. “I didn’t know it was threatening. It was folded up, and I didn’t even read it.”

  “Sure, you didn’t.” Parker stepped closer.

  “I didn’t,” Chester insisted, though he didn’t look the least bit concerned that he was being accused of stalking. “Yesterday morning when I went out to my mailbox, that folded-up piece of paper was there, with a note and half of a hundred-dollar bill paper-clipped to it. The note was addressed to me and said I was to leave the folded piece of paper in the day care building parking lot, after I sat there a spell. If I did that, I’d get the other half of the hundred.”

  “Who left the paper in your mailbox?” Bailey asked, taking the question right out of Parker’s mouth.

  “Don’t have a clue.”

  Chester’s flippant response created stares and grumbles from the rest of them, especially Sidney.

  “I want the note and the half of the hundred-dollar bill,” the sheriff ordered. “I want to test it for prints.”

  “Didn’
t keep the note. The bill is at my house, but I got to warn you, I accidentally left it in my jeans pocket, and I ran it through the washer. Bleached the daylights out of it.” He chuckled about that.

  “Did this anonymous person pay you the other half of the hundred when the errand was done?” Parker wanted to know.

  “No.” Chester dropped the smile. “That’s why I came here. I don’t mind running a few errands for people, but if you promise to give me money for my services and then renege, there’ll be hell to pay. I think Sidney might be the one who catches that hell.”

  “I had no part in this.” Sidney got to his feet and loomed over Chester. “And I damn sure didn’t offer you any money to do anything.”

  Chester didn’t appear intimidated. He stared up at Sidney and shrugged. “So says you, but it’s all over town that you got your dander up when Miz Lockhart here fired your sorry butt. I figure you wanted to get back at her, and you used me to do it. Well, guess what—I’m not taking the blame for low-life scum like you.”

  Parker studied both men whose reactions and emotions seemed sincere. Seemed. But he wasn’t about to trust appearances.

  “You two went to school together,” Parker pointed out. “So, is this argument all an act?”

  Both Chester and Sidney snapped their attention to Parker.

  “Why would I do something like that?” Sidney demanded.

  “Because as long as you’re pointing accusing fingers at the other, then it muddies the water of who’s really guilty,” Parker explained. “Heck, maybe you both are.”

  Chester’s eyes darkened. “I wouldn’t work with the likes of him. He’s a woman beater, you know that? Beat the crud out of his girl back in school.” He shook his head. “Only a coward hits a woman with his fists, and that’s what you are—a coward.”

  A feral sound tore from Sidney’s throat, and he dove at Chester. Parker pushed Bailey out of the way and caught onto Chester when the man moved in Sidney’s direction. Sheriff Hale latched onto Sidney’s shoulder and slammed him back into his seat. Parker did the same to Chester.