Trained To Defend. Christy Barritt

had no choice but to leave, refused to understand that this was never about her art.

      Buzz appeared beside Sarah, and his cold nose nuzzled her hand. She smiled and rubbed the dog’s head, finding comfort in his familiar scent.

      Her smile faded quickly.

      Poor Buzz…he must feel worse than she did. Buzz had loved Loretta so much.

      And now she was gone.

      Another guttural cry escaped.

      Colton leaned toward her, his gaze intense and concerned. “Sarah, you need to tell me what’s going on.”

      She studied Colton a moment. Glanced at the perfect lines of his face. His messy light brown hair.

      The man always got her pulse racing.

      But he was off-limits. Sarah needed to remember that. He’d already broken her heart once. If he broke it again, she wasn’t sure it could ever be repaired.

      Which was why coming here had been such a horrible idea. Sarah definitely hadn’t been thinking clearly. Otherwise, she would have gone anywhere else.

      She gathered the blanket around her and stared at the fire in front of her. Buzz lay down beside her, his icy blue gaze on Colton, as if daring him to make one wrong move.

      She needed to tell Colton why she was here. But first she needed to collect her thoughts. Besides, she wasn’t sure she could say the words aloud.

      Every time she remembered what happened it felt like a punch in her gut. Maybe this was a nightmare. Maybe she would wake up. Sarah wished those things might be true and, even more, she wished she believed them.

      But she knew the truth. She just didn’t know if she could find her voice long enough to share.

      “Can I…can I have some tea?” Sarah asked, buying herself time. “Please. I… I just can’t get warm.”

      As if on cue, her teeth chattered. The reaction had little to do with the cold, however. No, it felt like someone had rammed an icicle into her chest and shattered her emotions.

      “Of course.” Colton stood. “But then we need to talk.”

      Why had Sarah come here? Why couldn’t she think of anywhere else she’d be safe?

      She knew why. Colton had always been a protector. Even if he had been distant and withdrawn toward the end of their engagement, he was still, in some way, her safe place.

      The drive here flashed back to her.

      There had been headlights behind her. They’d appeared about fifteen minutes into her escape.

      Sarah had tried to lose the driver, fearing it was the man who’d killed Loretta.

      But what if she hadn’t lost him?

      She jumped to her feet and pulled the blanket around her as she walked toward the window. She had to know if she was truly safe here or not. Sarah had to see if anyone lingered outside, waiting to make his next move.

      Buzz followed beside her, keeping a watchful eye on her.

      “What are you doing?” Colton asked from across the open expanse of the room. His hands froze on the teakettle, as if he braced himself for action.

      “That man…” Sarah started, fear seizing her again.

      She couldn’t get the image of Loretta’s dying figure out of her mind. Couldn’t forget the horror of finding that man standing over her.

      “What man, Sarah?” Colton stepped from around the breakfast bar, coming toward her. “Who are you talking about?”

      Sarah shook her head, battling the memories and hoping this was all a bad dream. She knew it wasn’t. “I’m afraid… I’m afraid he followed me.”

      Colton took her elbow and led her back to the couch. “If that’s the case, the last place you want to be is in front of the window.”

      She felt stoic as she sat back on the cushions and stared at the fire. The kettle whistled.

      “One minute,” he murmured. “Then we need to talk.”

      A moment later, Colton handed her some tea, complete with sugar and cream. He’d remembered what she liked. The thought shouldn’t bring her so much delight.

      “Sarah, you need to tell me what’s going on.” Colton stood with his hands on his hips. “Tell me why you have blood on your clothes.”

      At his words, she glanced down and gasped. He was right. Loretta’s bloodstained her sweater.

      A new round of tears welled up in her eyes. She jerked the sweater off, unable to stand the thought. She tossed it on the couch out of sight, wishing she could discard her memories as easily. But life didn’t work that way.

      Colton’s intelligent, compassionate gaze remained latched on to hers. He sat on the chair near the couch, leaning toward her, waiting to listen.

      He’d positioned himself at a place where he could also see the windows.

      Sarah didn’t miss that fact. Colton was always the cop, wasn’t he? He was ever vigilant, kind of like Buzz.

      She sucked in a deep, shaky breath. She wanted to forget about tonight. Erase it from her mind. Yet she realized that she couldn’t do that. She was going to have to go back and revisit those dark moments.

      As she opened her mouth, words wouldn’t escape. “I…”

      Where did she even start?

      “It’s okay,” Colton prodded. “What happened last night?”

      She drew in a deep breath, praying for courage as she shared the truth. “I’ve been working for a woman, Loretta, and living in her home. I returned to her house last night and found her on the floor in her room. Bleeding.” Her voice cracked.

      Colton’s eyes widened. “What happened next?”

      “Buzz knocked out the man who attacked her. I tried to help Loretta, but she told me to take Buzz and run and to not trust the police. And then she…” Sarah swallowed hard. “Then she died. She was gone.”

      “I’m sorry, Sarah.”

      She nodded stiffly. “So, I did what she told me. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t even put my shoes on. I just… I wanted to get away.”

      “What happened to the man?”

      “He was still in the house when I left. Buzz had jumped on him, and I think the man hit his head and was knocked unconscious. But then, on the way here, I was certain someone was following me.”

      Colton stiffened. “Why do you say that?”

      Sarah shivered at the memories. “There were headlights. And they always seemed to be there, even when I turned off the main highway. I lost him… I think. I mean, I didn’t see the car for the last thirty minutes of my trip.”

      “Why did you come here, Sarah?”

      She swallowed hard, downing every last ounce of her pride as her gaze met Colton’s. “Because I didn’t know what else to do or who else I could trust. Please help me, Colton. Please.”

      Colton tried to process everything that Sarah had told him. He had so many questions but most of those could wait until later. Right now, he was concerned about Sarah. About how frail she looked. About how her arms trembled so badly she could hardly drink her tea.

      “Sarah, I need to call the police—”

      “No!” She nearly jumped off the couch, and Buzz followed her, standing on guard. “You can’t. Loretta said not to.”

      “Why would she say that?”