Mountain Ambush. Hope White

wearing a black jacket but no mask, which meant he wasn’t worried about being identified because he planned to kill the witness to this attack.

      He planned to kill the doctor.

      But Spence wasn’t the only witness.

      The assailant drew a knife. “One way or another, Doc.”

      Maddie jumped out of her hiding spot. “Hey!”

      The guy turned to her, more irritated than anything else. He had a full beard of dark hair and piercing brown eyes.

      He started toward her.

      “The cops are on the way,” she said, clutching the hiking stick.

      She had to make him drop the knife.

      He took a step closer. “You weren’t supposed to be here.”

      If only he’d get close enough. She fingered the container of chili powder in her other hand.

      Spence suddenly grabbed him from behind.

      “No!” she cried, fearing the bearded guy would slash him with the knife.

      The guy elbowed Spence in the ribs and the doctor released his grip, dropping to his knees.

      As the stranger turned his attention to Maddie, she lunged...

      Hurling chili powder into his eyes.

      The guy cried out and made a wide arc with the knife. Gripping the walking stick with both hands, she nailed him in the gut. He pitched forward, faltering as he tried to get away from her.

      She smacked him again, and again.

      Flailing his arms, he couldn’t see her well enough to hit his mark. She had no problem hitting hers.

      “Out of here!” she shouted, delivering firm strikes to his ribs, arms and shoulders, forcing him backward. He stumbled out the open front door. She slammed it shut and flipped the dead bolt.

      She rushed to Spence’s side. “Are you—?”

      “Fine,” he said.

      “Come on.” She grabbed his arm and led him into the bedroom. “We need to block the window!”

      She didn’t think the intruder would try another attack, not with blurred vision from the chili powder and bruised ribs, but she couldn’t be sure. Spence helped her shoulder an armoire in front of the now glassless window.

      Shutting the bedroom door, she scanned the room, grabbed a chair and wedged it against the handle. Even if the intruder got in through a living room window, he wasn’t getting into the bedroom.

      Backing up against the empty wall where the armoire had been, she took a deep breath and reminded herself it wasn’t over until the police arrived.

      She had to be ready for whatever happened next.

      Spence shifted onto the edge of the bed. Silence stretched between them, the sound of her heart pounding against her eardrums.

      “You’re a ninja,” Dr. Spencer said.

      She glanced at him. “What?”

      “The way you used my hiking stick as a weapon. You’re a ninja.”

      “And you’re an idiot,” she let slip.

      He looked up at her with a confused expression.

      “I told you to stay hidden, but you jumped up like a jack-in-the-box and announced yourself. What was that about?”

      “I was trying to distract him, so he wouldn’t hurt you.”

      Maddie was speechless. Even in his injured state, Dr. Spencer was trying to protect her?

      “I had a hard time figuring out how to activate the extinguisher, sorry,” he said.

      “We should keep quiet and listen.”

      “I doubt he’ll come back. You gave him at least three broken ribs by my count.”

      She didn’t respond, trying to stay in the present, and not relive what had just happened. With full concentration on the now, she could effectively catalog every sound that tweaked her eardrums.

      “Thanks for saving my life,” he said, “again.”

      She didn’t want his thanks. She wanted him to get better so he could defend himself. She wanted him to use his common sense. He was in no condition to protect Maddie from harm. It was pretty obvious she didn’t need his help, or anyone else’s for that matter.

      “Where’d you learn that stuff with the stick?” Spence asked.

      “Martial arts class.”

      “Guess I should sign up.”

      “How can you be so aloof?” she said.

      “Not sure how the alternative would help.”

      He was right, although Maddie still couldn’t calm her racing pulse. Her phone vibrated and she answered with one hand, while gripping the stick with her other. “Hello?”

      “It’s Nate.”

      “The guy broke in. We forced him out, but he might still be on the premises.”

      “Officer Carrington called in suspicious activity and went silent.”

      “I heard a gunshot. I haven’t seen him since then.”

      “I’m en route, along with another cruiser. Two minutes tops.”

      “Thanks.”

      The fact that help was close eased the tension in her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she said a prayer of thanks for giving her the strength to snap into action so quickly.

      “What’s wrong?” Spence said.

      “Why do you think something’s wrong?”

      “You’re humming.”

      “I am?”

      “Yes.”

      “Sometimes I hum when I pray.”

      “You’re praying?”

      “Yep. A prayer of thanks that we outmaneuvered that jerk.”

      “A prayer of thanks,” he said in a soft, puzzled voice.

      “Don’t you pray?”

      “Never given it much thought.”

      “That’s the beauty of it. You don’t have to think about prayer. You just do it.”

      “Does it help?”

      “Absolutely.”

      She sensed he was processing her explanation. It didn’t surprise her that Dr. Spencer wasn’t one for prayer. He was a physician, a profession prone to big egos. Some docs didn’t feel the need to look outside themselves for guidance, comfort or emotional peace.

      “I’m sorry,” he said.

      “For not listening to me? I get it, you’re used to giving orders, not following them.”

      “Not that. I’m sorry I dragged you into all this.”

      “Hey, I chose to respond to the call in the mountains.”

      “But not to do hand-to-hand combat with a psycho in my living room.”

      “It’s good to know I still have my skills. Now shush, we need to listen.”

      This whole apology and conversation moment in his bedroom felt unusually raw and authentic. She sensed his guard was down, probably because of the head injury, or because of the threatening encounter with the bearded guy. At any rate, a connection was developing between herself and Dr. Spencer, a connection that made her uncomfortable on so many levels.

      Maddie