Kellan stepped into the squad room, motioning for Raylene, and a moment later, the sturdy-looking brunette deputy joined him in the doorway, where Kellan, Jack and she had a whispered conversation. Something that Jack said had Kellan frowning and groaning, but Jack persisted and finished whatever point he was making.
When they’d finished talking, Raylene glanced at Caroline in a gesture that was probably meant to reassure her. Surprisingly, it did. Caroline hated that she needed to be babysat like this, but she wasn’t stupid. She’d come close to dying too many times to take unnecessary risks by turning down protection.
“Caroline, Raylene and I will go in a cruiser,” Jack explained. “Gunnar will follow as backup but will come back here once he’s sure it’s safe. Raylene will stay with us.”
Raylene nodded. “Just let me get the overnight bag I keep in my locker.”
While Kellan spoke to Gunnar, Raylene hurried toward the break room. The deputy didn’t take long and was back in under a minute. That was still plenty enough time for Caroline’s stomach to start churning with the reminder that the person who’d tried to kill them could be waiting outside.
“Move fast,” Jack instructed, and he hooked his arm around Caroline’s waist to get her moving.
There were two cruisers parked out front. Raylene and Gunnar went out first, each of them hurrying to get behind thewheel of their respective vehicle. Jack had one last look around before he moved with Caroline, and the moment they were inside the cruiser, Raylene took off with Gunnar following right behind her.
Jack continued to keep watch. So did Caroline. She studied each person on Main Street as if they were a would-be gunman, but no one attempted to fire at them. That still didn’t make her relax. She kept her eyes on their surroundings, wishing that she had a gun so she could defend herself if it came down to it.
Raylene drove out of town and onto the rural road that snaked through the countryside. There were no pedestrians here to watch, only miles of woods and pastures, and it didn’t take Caroline long to realize where they were going. She whirled toward Jack so fast that her neck popped.
“You’re taking me to your family’s ranch,” she blurted out, and was certain her tone and expression let him know she didn’t like that.
“Actually, I’m taking you to my place, but as I’m sure you remember, it’s on the ranch.”
Oh, yes. She remembered all right. It was the wood-and-stone house where she’d spent many nights with Jack. As his lover. And while it might be more comfortable than standing around at the sheriff’s office, it wasn’t exactly “safe.” Not with all the memories the place held. Specifically memories of Jack and her in bed.
“You can’t think going there is a good idea,” Caroline said.
He shrugged and continued to keep watch. “I have a security system, and the ranch hands will help guard the place.”
Again, that didn’t make it safe.
“Are all the repairs done?” Raylene asked him, her gaze briefly meeting Jack’s in the rearview mirror.
“They are. The damage wasn’t that bad.”
Caroline didn’t need clarification on the repairs or damage because she’d heard about theincidentthat’d happened at his place. Someone who’d been after Jack’s brother, Owen, had rammed his car into the porch. She’d heard bits and pieces about it from Lucille and the media reports she’d accessed, but Caroline figured she hadn’t gotten the full story. Wasn’t sure she wanted it, either. She had enough bad stuff in her head without adding more.
“Considering that an attack happened so recently at your place, maybe we should take that as some kind of sign not to go there,” Caroline grumbled.
“The attack caused me to beef up security,” Jack said as if that answered all of her concerns. It didn’t. But then Caroline didn’t know anywhere they could go where she wouldn’t feel the danger looming over her.
Still...
She had to put her argument on hold for a moment when Raylene pulled to a stop in front of Jack’s. Despite those repairs and the security upgrade that he’d mentioned, the place looked exactly the same. It definitely wasn’t sprawling like the main house just up the road, where Kellan lived and helped run the family ranch. Jack’s place only had three bedrooms and two baths, and was as comfortable-looking and laid-back as the owner.
“Wait here a sec,” Jack told her.
He got out and ran to the front door. Caroline watched as he unlocked it and then used his phone to disengage the security system. He also went in, likely to search the place, before he came back out. As they’d done at the sheriff’s office, they moved fast, and only after Jack had Raylene and her inside did he motion for Gunnar to leave.
While Jack reset the security alarms, Caroline walked into the living room and glanced around. No changes here, either, andthat included the two framed photos of Jack and her on the mantel. In one, he had his arm crooked playfully around her, his mouth pressed to her cheek, while she had a huge grin on her face. The other photo was a shot of Kellan and Gemma standing next to Jack and her, all of them smiling. Obviously, they were taken in much happier times.
“You can take the guest room,” Jack told Raylene, and he motioned toward the first room off the hall.
With her overnight bag in hand, Raylene headed in that direction, leaving Caroline with Jack.
“I’ll take the couch. You can use my room,” he added to Caroline, holding her hand to take her there.
She knew the way, every step of it, and every scent was familiar because it was Jack’s. By the time she walked into the bedroom suite, her body was humming with that familiarity. With those memories of what had gone on here. None of the bad stuff. Not here. This was all warmth and pleasure.
He’d kept the same quilt, and Caroline knew the feel of it. The soft cotton that had slid against her skin every time she’d been naked in that bed.
