Cornered At Christmas. Barb Han

her and she wanted to scream. Panic gripped her like a vise, squeezing air from her lungs.

      Mitch was so close on her heels, he almost ran into her when she stopped.

      “People are after me and they’ll use you and the twins to draw me out. I shouldn’t have shown up at the doctor’s office today,” she admitted, both hands out in defense.

      “That was you?” Recognition dawned with the admission but it didn’t help with his anger.

      “I’m sorry, Mitch. I truly am. I made a mistake but I can’t change that now. You and the babies aren’t safe here.”

      “Why not call the sheriff?” He shrugged. Suspicion laced his tone and she completely understood why he’d feel that way even though it hurt.

      “Because in my case that will do more damage than good,” she admitted. The night-light plugged into the socket in the hallway cast a warm glow on his chiseled features. Again she stared into eyes of suspicion and disbelief.

      “I don’t know what to tell you. Sounds like you got yourself into a mess of trouble.” His words came out clipped.

      “It’s so much worse than that. I got you and the babies in a terrible fix. There’s no way out but to run. I need you to believe me, Mitch.” She stared into his eyes, which had hardened toward her. Was she even getting through? Based on his stern expression and closed-off stance, the answer was no.

      This wasn’t the time to back down. “I’m serious, Mitch. Please come with me and I’ll explain everything once we’re out of danger. Trust me when I say men could show up anytime and they’ll outnumber you. They’ll bring weapons.” There were times when she felt like she would always be on the run. By the time she met Mitch, she’d been running for half a year. When the man who raised her had given her a throwaway phone and insisted she try to reach him only using the cell, she’d worried that he might be getting senile.

      The first few calls had gone fine. As fine as they could be with him acting so strange. He’d mumbled about putting her in danger, but he never explained when she questioned him. She didn’t put too much stock into what he said. She knew full well that he was a decent man. She played along while she tried to figure out the next move. Counseling? Support group? Her thoughts moved to questions like was it safe for him to be behind a wheel? And was it okay for him to live on his own and continue to run his business? Her worries quickly shifted from thinking about taking his car keys away to realizing something was really wrong when he didn’t answer her calls. Days later, the deputy had found him. He’d drowned, which was highly unlikely for a man who never went near the water. And now the men who’d killed her father were after her.

      But then again gloom had always followed Kimberly. Mitch had been a light against so much darkness. Falling for him had been so easy, so effortless. He was sunshine in a world that had become pitch-black.

      It was selfish of her to want to hang on to the feeling of finally basking in the sun again, a feeling she hadn’t experienced in so long.

      A well of resolve sprang inside her. Loving him was exactly the reason she needed to buck up and be strong right now. She’d put Mitch and the babies in danger. So she would get them out.

      A flash of light followed by a crack of thunder split the night air.

      “What do those men want from you?” he finally asked, and she realized he must’ve seen them earlier.

      “They must’ve followed me to the plaza. I hadn’t seen them in a few days, so I thought I was in the clear. I’m sure they saw my reaction to you and put two and two together because they disappeared when I was so close. They’ve never done that before,” she admitted.

      “They won’t get past security on the ranch. They don’t know the place like you do,” he started and then paused. A strange look crossed his features.

      “What? What is it?”

      “A heifer’s hoof was cut off, butchered. Any chance your men would do something like that?” he asked, and it was a genuine question.

      “Like a warning?” She was already shaking her head. “No. They’d use you or the babies to draw me out. You wouldn’t see them coming.”

      Mitch stood there, all fire and frustration. More signs she was making progress with him.

      “It also proves someone can get past security,” she added for good measure.

      When he didn’t argue, she realized she was getting closer to his agreeing to cooperate.

      “I promise this will all make sense soon. Just please come with me. I don’t know how much time we have before they get here,” she stated as plainly as she could. Seeing the man she would always love stirred up so many emotions inside her once again. Emotions she needed to keep in check for the sake of everyone she loved. In another time and place, the two of them could have shared something very special, very real.

      Where was the reboot button when it came to life?

      “LOOK. I DON’T know what you have going on or what game you’re playing but your problems are not my problems anymore. That all stopped when you walked out on us,” Mitch said through clenched teeth. For a split second he thought maybe his wife had been in a crash and survived but lost her memory or her mind.

      All hope was decimated when he heard her speak. She knew who he was. She knew that they had children together, children she hadn’t once thought to check on in the last year. Those were her choices. This woman’s mind was as clear as water in a mason jar.

      So he stood there, examining her. Anger boiled inside him at the fact that she stood in his home without an apology for what she’d put their children through by making them live the first year of their lives without a mother.

      “My wife is buried on the west lawn at the entrance to her favorite place on the ranch, the meadow,” he ground out, trying and failing to keep his voice at a whisper. He refused to believe that the woman he’d fallen in love with could be so heartless.

      His words were intended to deliver a physical blow.

      “I—I’m sorry for that, Mi—”

      “Don’t apologize to me. I got exactly what I deserved. But they didn’t.” He nodded toward the babies’ room. “Those two didn’t do anything wrong.”

      Kimberly stood there, her gaze scanning the area. She looked scared and a little bit angry. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, she also had that protective-mother look. The one that said nothing and no one would hurt her babies. And he couldn’t ignore what she’d said. Someone had slipped past security and butchered one of his animals on his watch. Could they get to the babies, too?

      Determination radiated off her five-foot-six-inch frame. Standing there, she was just as beautiful as he remembered. Dozens of times she’d slipped into his dreams. He’d imagine her right there next to him in bed. Or bounding through the house with that energy and light only she had.

      Never once did he envision she’d return in the middle of the night with a warning. There were scenarios that had crossed his mind. The loss-of-memory one had always been prominent. Maybe because that would explain her leaving him behind, with his heart stomped on.

      His dead wife standing in his hallway in the middle of the night, trying to convince him to go somewhere with him before she explained what the hell was going on, wasn’t exactly topping the list of scenarios in which he’d dreamed of seeing her again.

      “Please, Mitch. I know I don’t deserve your trust. But believe it or not I’m here to help not hurt anyone,” she pleaded one more time.

      “You can’t hurt me anymore. I don’t care what happens to you.” The words escaped before he could reel them in. It wasn’t true. He did care for his kids’ sake. They needed a mother.