Healing Her Spirit (Serenity Springs Book 2) (7 page)

Clint awoke to the sound of someone banging on his front door.  Reaching out, he ran a hand down the cool sheet next to him.  It did not surprise him that he was alone in bed.  He’d had a feeling when he had let those three little words loose earlier that Lacey would run.  Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he sighed in regret.  He was afraid he had screwed everything up with her once again.  When the pounding in the next room continued, Clint reluctantly got out of bed and pulled on his jeans.  Making his way through the living room, he yelled, “I’m coming.  Don’t break my damn door!”

Yanking open the door, he stepped back when Clay strolled in and flopped down on the couch.  Leaning his head back, Clay closed his eyes and demanded, “Why the fuck did I become the mayor of Serenity Springs?  Give me one good reason, because right now I can’t think of one.”

Slamming the door, Clint replied, “Because your money hungry ex-fiancé talked you into it.”

“True,” Clay said, as he slowly raised his head to look at Clint.  “Then she dumped me for a plumber.”

Clint threw his head back and laughed.  “The man may have been a plumber, but he had just inherited millions of dollars from his dead aunt.”

“That’s right,” Clay sighed as he picked up the TV remote.  “You want to see what I am dealing with right now?”

Walking into the kitchen, Clint grabbed two bottles of beer.  After twisting the tops off, he handed one to his best friend before sitting in the recliner next to the couch.  Putting his feet up, he said, “Show me.”

For the next hour and a half, he and Clay watched the news, flipping between various stations to see what each was saying.  For the first time in years, Clint was scared to death.  Having the face of the woman he loved splashed all over the television when there was some psycho out there preying on women terrified him.  Not only did the news anchors point Lacey out as the town coroner, but they called her by name.  They also gave out details of not only Lela’s murder, but also Sherry Watson’s. 

Clint watched as Lacey walked down the stairs of the farm house behind two men carrying Lela Wallace in a black body bag.  She had a resigned look on her features, and he knew she had to be emotionally drained.  This was why she had left his bed that morning.  Maybe his declaration of love had not scared her off after all.

Clay shut off the TV and raked a hand through his short, dark hair.  Throwing the remote on the couch next to him, he leaned his head back and shut his eyes.  “I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Clint,” he ground out.  “I am sick and fucking tired of having the town council up my ass on a daily basis.  If one more person tells me what the hell I need to do, I will not be responsible for my actions.”

Watching his friend, Clint suddenly realized how unhappy Clay really was.  He didn’t know why it had taken him so long to figure it out, but he refused to let it go on.  “So tell them all to go pound sand,” he told him.  “Tell them to find a new pencil pusher.”  When Clay looked at him in surprise, Clint shrugged.  After taking a long swig of his second beer, he went on, “Seriously, man.  It’s about time you did something for you.  I can’t remember the last time I’ve actually seen you laugh.  Take a vacation, get laid, do something.  Then, when you are ready, decide what you really want to do with your life.”

Shaking his head, Clay muttered, “It isn’t that easy, Clint.  I can’t just quit.  My term isn’t up until December.  Until then, I’m stuck.  I can’t just leave the people of this town.  I pledged an oath to them and I never go back on my word.”

“True,” Clint agreed, “but nothing says you can’t take a vacation, right?  You haven’t gone anywhere in the past four years.  You have to have time saved up.  What is it?  Two weeks, three?”

“Four, actually,” Clay responded quietly.  “I get two weeks a year and the ones I don’t use roll over, so I have four now.”

“Then take some time off,” Clint pressed.  “Get the hell out of here and recharge.  If this town can’t survive without you for a few weeks, then we are in bigger trouble than I thought.”  Looking back at the silent television, he said, “Although the way things are looking right now, that could be the case.”

Sighing, Clay rose from the couch and took his empty beer bottle into the kitchen.  Placing it on the counter, he turned and walked to the door.  “I’ll think about it,” he finally agreed, “after this mess is taken care of.  I’m not going anywhere right now.  I need to be here to keep the town calm.”

“Good luck with that,” Clint groused as he rose and followed Clay to the door.  After shutting the door behind his friend, Clint took his beer to the kitchen and dumped the rest of it down the drain.  He did not drink often, and wanted to be sober in case Lacey needed him.  Walking back into the living room, he picked up the remote and turned the TV back on, cringing when he saw the camera was pointed directly at Lacey where she stood talking to Creed and Katy Caldwell.  He really did not like her picture all over the news.  The jackasses were shoving his woman right in the line of fire, in his opinion, and he had no idea how to keep her safe. 

His woman, Clint thought, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.  Yeah, he liked the sound of that.  He never thought he would get another chance with Lacey, but now that he had held her, made love to her, he refused to contemplate a life without her.  He would fight for the right to be the man she wanted in her life, not just for now, but forever.

He slammed his hand into the wall above the dresser in the rundown hotel room.  It was a fucking dump.  It was not his first choice in place to stay, but when you wanted to be discreet and not leave behind a paper trail, it was ideal.

Turning back to the TV, he glowered at the sight of the deputies talking to his woman…his Lacey.  So, they knew about both deaths already.  When there had been no mention of the first murder on the radio or television, he figured no one had found her yet, which was fine with him.  The longer it took to find them, the more time he had to play.  Watching Lacey, his fingers started to itch.  He wanted to hold the blade in his hand, to watch it slicing through her perfect skin.  His gaze focused in on Lacey with her long dark hair, beautiful, pale skin, and clear green eyes.  She was so stunning and he wasn’t surprised when his dick immediately stood to attention.  Clenching his hands tightly into fists, he decided he was done waiting.  It was time.

Lacey walked into her house just before 7pm that night, broken and exhausted.  She had just spent hours trying to get in the mind of what appeared to be a serial killer while working on Lela Wallace’s body.  She’d had to leave the room twice to avoid getting sick, the horrific sight of the woman’s mutilated body just too much to bear.  Yes, she was a coroner, but she had no desire to be one who dealt with this kind of death.

After the sitter left, Lacey sat down on the couch and watched Ethan playing on the living room floor with his tractors.  She thought about ignoring her phone when it started ringing just a few minutes later, but was glad she didn’t when Clint’s number flashed across the cell screen.  “Hi,” she whispered as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. 

“Hey,” Clint said softly.  “I saw you on the news today.  You okay?”

The concern in Clint’s voice warmed her heart and she responded, “Not really.  I wish you were here.”

“That’s why I called,” he said.  “I ordered a pizza and am on my way to pick it up.  Are you and Ethan hungry?”

A tear escaped as she whispered, “I don’t know if I can eat anything, but I’m sure Ethan will.”  She could not get the memory of Lela’s body out of her mind.  The thought of being alone terrified her.  She had always had to be the strong one in the past, for both herself and her son.  For once, she wanted to lean on someone else.  “Please hurry, Clint.  I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’m on my way, Lace,” Clint promised.  “I’m getting the pizza now.  Be there in ten minutes.”

Lacey hung up the phone and brushed away the tears that had fallen unnoticed down her cheeks.  “Mommy,” Ethan said, the fear evident in his voice, “what’s wrong?  Why are you crying?”

“Nothing’s wrong, sweetie,” Lacey replied, forcing a small smile as she got off the couch and sat on the floor beside him.  “Let’s play until Clint gets here,” she said as she leaned over to kiss him lightly on the head.  “He’s bringing us pizza!”

One timid smile from her son was all it took for Lacey to remember why she remained strong daily instead of giving in to her fears.  She lived for him, she fought for him.  Giving Ethan a quick hug, she grabbed the red tractor and hooked up the green trailer to it.  “You can’t do it like that!” Ethan exclaimed as he quickly unhooked the trailer and paired it with a green tractor.  Lacey laughed softly as she watched him.  Of course she knew it was unacceptable to hook a John Deere trailer to an International tractor, but she had done it on purpose to take Ethan’s mind off her tears. 

They continued to play until there was a knock on the door.  Lacey’s heart skipped a beat and began to race when she opened the door to a smiling Clint.  He was so damn sexy with his crooked little grin.  She wanted to fall into his arms and beg him to hold her, to make love to her and help her forget the horror of her day.  Instead, she returned his smile and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before taking the pizza from him and heading to the kitchen. After placing the pizza on the counter, Lacey opened the cabinet above her and took out three plates.  Placing them down next to the pizza, she went to open the next cabinet but squealed in surprise when she found herself turned around and pushed up against the counter, Clint tight against her.  Before she could say anything, he swooped down and took her mouth with his, slipping his tongue inside on her gasp.  She felt his cock grow hard against her belly and clenched her thighs tightly together as pleasure shot through her.  Slipping her fingers into his hair, she held him to her, chasing his tongue with hers. 

Lacey cried out in dismay when Clint broke the kiss just moments later.  He laughed softly.  “Now that is how I like to be greeted by a pretty lady,” he told her as he stepped back and opened the pizza box.  Placing pieces of pizza on the plates, he looked at her and grinned, “Are you coming?  Ethan’s starving.”

Lacey’s eyes widened in shock at the mention of her son and Clint threw back his head and laughed loudly.  “It’s alright, Lace.  He is picking out a movie to watch while we eat.  I told him we would eat on TV trays in the living room. I saw you had some in the corner.”

Blushing furiously, Lacey turned back to the cabinets and retrieved some glasses.  After filling them with milk, she made her way to the living room and smiled at the sight of Ethan telling Clint about his tractors.  “I’ve never ridden on a tractor,” Ethan admitted quietly, “but I would like to.  Do you have a tractor Mr. Brody?”

Clint shook his head.  “I don’t, but my dad does.”  Clint chuckled when Ethan’s eyes filled with hope.  “I bet I could get him to take you for a ride on one this weekend if your Mom doesn’t have any plans.”

“Really?” Ethan whispered, his eyes wide in awe.  “That would be so cool!  I can’t wait to tell my friends at school about it!”

A lot of the kids at school had probably ridden on a tractor numerous times, Lacey thought, but she wasn’t telling her son that.  “What movie did you pick out, Ethan?”

While Ethan chattered about the cartoon video they were going to watch, Lacey found she could not keep her gaze off Clint.  He had told her earlier that he loved her.  Did he mean it?  Did he even remember saying it? 

Lacey’s mind wondered through the entire hour and thirty-five minute movie.  It would jump from Clint, to Justice, to Ethan, and all too often to the two women who were in her morgue at this very minute.  The credits were rolling across the screen before she realized the movie was over.  She sat snuggled next to Clint and Ethan was next to her, snoring softly.  Smiling, she softly pushed his hair off his forehead, but frowned when she felt the heat radiating off of it.  Sitting up, she placed her palm on Ethan’s cheek and her breath hitched when she realized he had a fever.  Ethan getting a fever was not like any other child getting one.  With the fear of a fever always came the fear his cancer had returned.  When they had first moved to Serenity Springs, he’d had a low grade fever for days, but his doctor had found nothing in his lab results to indicate the cancer had returned.  It was just a virus Ethan had contracted.  She prayed this was, too.

“What’s wrong?” Clint asked quietly as he watched her closely.  “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know,” she murmured, hugging her baby to her.  “He has a fever.  It could just be a virus.”  

Standing, Clint reached out and scooped Ethan into his arms.  “Let’s get him in his pajamas and to bed.  Do you have some Tylenol or something?”

Nodding, Lacey hurried down the hall to Ethan’s bedroom, Clint right behind her.  After getting Ethan in his jammies, she gave him some medicine and sat beside him for several minutes, praying that the cancer hadn’t returned.  He could not be sick again.  She didn’t have the strength to watch him fight for his life a second time.  A part of her knew she was being ridiculous.  A fever did not mean cancer, but the idea of it scared the hell out of her.

She tried to remember the last time she’d had him into the doctor’s office for a physical, but realized they had missed their last couple of appointments.  They missed one because Dr. Adams had made an unexpected trip out of town.  That one had been rescheduled, but they had missed the next one because it had been on the day of the shooting in the elementary school.  Bowing her head, Lacey prayed as terror of the unknown filled her.  She jumped when she felt a large, strong hand rest on her shoulder.  Then turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.  “I missed his appointments, Clint.  Oh God, if the cancer’s back, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Clint held her close, rocking her back and forth.  “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered as he ran a hand down her back soothingly.  “We’ll call the doctor in the morning and get Ethan in right away.”  He laid his cheek on the top of her head as he vowed, “I’m here for you, Lacey.  I’m not going anywhere this time.  I’m not going to let you push me away.  If the cancer is back, we will fight it together.”

Lacey fought to hold her sobs inside as she pushed closer to him.  They stood like that for a long time before Clint finally drew back.  Reaching down, he lightly touched Ethan’s cheek and then forehead before saying, “His fever has gone down.”

Lacey ran her hand gently over Ethan’s face, before agreeing, “Yes, it has, but I worry it will be back.”