His Safe Keeping (The Safe Series) (6 page)

Chapter Seven

Krista woke up the next morning slowly, remembering the day before. Meeting Kade, talking to him, being held by him, telling him about her blood and the treatments. Never once did he turn away from her, even when she tried to push him away. He stayed. No one else had ever done that for her—not since her mom had died. Shaking off that thought, she got up and decided that today would be a good day to clean her little house.

She knew there wasn’t much to her home. The furniture was old and ugly and the appliances were even worse, some of them twenty years old or more, but everything worked. And it wasn’t the inside which drew her to this place anyway. Granted, when she had first seen the ad—fully furnished one bedroom, appliances included—she had checked the pictures out that were included in the ad. But the pictures she saw online were ones of the house from the outside and the small yard and wooded area around it. That was what did it for her. Well, that, and she kind of got a kick out of the name, ‘Mt. Eve.’ She giggled a little every time she thought about it. The naming of a small country town, ‘Mt.,’ when the closest mountains were at least fifty miles away was just silly to her. But, it was the second part, ‘Eve,’ that she liked so very much. Her favorite author’s main character’s name was Eve, so it had to be fate as far as she was concerned. Anyway, she didn’t care about the inside of her little house. Okay, maybe she did wish it was prettier, but the outside reminded Krista of her childhood home. Living in the country, fifteen miles from town with her mom and dad, she had been happy. Although she’d never had many friends, because most of her classmates’ parents didn’t understand the problems she had with her blood and they feared what they didn’t understand. So, they kept their children away from her as much as possible. But, her mom and dad had tried to make up for any loneliness she might have been feeling.

Krista didn’t remember ever feeling unhappy as a child. She’d always had pets to play with, a big yard, and lots of woods to roam around in. But, most importantly, she’d had a mom and dad who loved her. She had all that until she was fourteen years old. Then she lost it all, in a single moment, and nothing had ever been the same since. With her little house, Krista felt that she had a little piece of the happy part of her past back.
Maybe
, she thought,
I should get a pet. Maybe a dog.
She hadn’t been able to have a dog, living in a city like Richmond. Oh, she knew she could have, but living in a small apartment, on a busy street, would be no life for a dog. But, now, maybe she could.

Krista cleaned her house for half a day. Even though nothing really needed cleaning, she re-cleaned everything anyway. Another thing she needed to do was go grocery shopping. She’d put it off for too long as it was. Although she loved to cook, she didn’t enjoy cooking for just herself. And every time she went grocery shopping, it just reminded her of that fact. Maybe she would go this evening, she mused. Maybe give Mrs. Worley a call to see if she needed anything or if she would like to go with her. As for now, she grabbed her laptop and headed out back to the small deck where she’d added indoor-outdoor gray carpet, which complimented the three-piece matching deck furniture she’d purchased.

Looking around, Krista laughed to herself, thinking that her deck looked better than her living room, what with all the small touches she’d added out here. “One day,” she told herself, she’d have a ‘perfect’ house of her own. She had money in the bank—enough for a good down payment, if not enough for the whole purchase price. Her web designing business paid her well. She just needed to find the perfect place for her. And so far, nothing had been close to what she wanted and hoped for. From time to time, she had looked, but either the land was too small—she wanted lots of land and accompanying woods—or the house was way too big. So, for now, she would enjoy what she had and get some work done. Sitting on her deck with her laptop, feeling content, she began to work on her new client’s web page.

Hours later, after working and doing her grocery shopping, and even though Mrs. Worley needed nothing and didn’t feel up for a trip to town, she’d spent a few hours visiting with her. Now, she was back home unlocking—she giggled at that—her door. Krista could hear her phone ringing from inside, but by the time she unlocked her door and found her phone, it had stopped. She looked at the display, but didn’t recognize the number. Krista thought maybe she would call whoever it was back, just as soon as she brought everything in from the car and put it away where it belonged.

Right as she was finishing putting the last of her groceries away, her phone rang again. Glancing down at the display, Krista realized it was the same number as before. “Hello?” she answered curiously.

“Where the fuck have you been?” The words were said loudly in her ear.

“Irish?”

“Yeah, Krista! I’ve called you five times! Where the hell have you been?” Kade bellowed again, loudly.

“Stop yelling in my ear. I swear for goodness! Mrs. Worley could hear you from here, even if she’s not wearing her hearing aid.” Krista fussed at him. She was met with silence and heavy, deep breathing. “Irish, are you all right?” She was beginning to get a little concerned.

“No, I’m not all right! I’ve been trying to call you and you haven’t answered your damn phone.” She noticed his voice wasn’t quite as loud this time.

“I went to Mrs. Worley’s and then I went shopping.” Krista explained to him.

“You have a cell phone.” Kade informed her like she didn’t realize what kind of phone she had in her possession.

“Yes, it’s a cell phone,” she answered him like he’d asked her a question.

“Then why the hell didn’t you answer when I called you?”

“I wasn’t home when you called, so I didn’t hear it ring to answer it.”

“Wait, you left your cell phone at home?”

“Yes.”

“What? Why?”

“Yes. I always leave my phone at home.” She heard more deep breathing, then silence. “Irish?” Still, nothing but silence. “Kade!” Silence. “Lieutenant Lawson McKaden!”

He finally decided to say something. “Krista. Why do you leave your cell phone at your house when you’re not fuckin’ going to be there?” She noticed each word he said was getting louder again.

“Because it rings.”

“What?”

“When I’m shopping or in line to check out, or worse, when I’m checking out at the store, it rings. Granted, it’s usually a wrong number or a telemarketer, but, still, it’s rude. I don’t like it. So, if my phone is at home, then neither I, nor anyone else, can hear it.” She explained to him since he obviously didn’t understand.

“Are you fuckin’ serious?”

“Of course I am!” Now she was getting a little ticked herself.

“And what if you break down, or you get sick and stranded on the side of the road?” he asked the question patiently.

“Then maybe a very nice cop will stop and help me. Oh, but the last time you called, except I didn’t know it was you then ‘cause I didn’t recognize the number, I would’ve answered, but I took too long unlocking my door. See, I locked my door, just like you asked. Aren’t you happy?” Silence again from his end. “Irish. Stop talking to me!”

“Yeah, Krista. I’m happy you locked your door when you left. I would’ve been even happier if you’d taken your phone with you so you could’ve answered when I called you. Instead, I’ve been sitting here, hundreds of miles away, worried to death about you!” She could hear the barely restrained frustration in his voice.

“Irish?” she asked cautiously.

“What?” He sounded so very tense.

“You were worried about me?” Krista asked softy.

“Yeah.” Silence on her end this time. “Baby?” More silence. “Krista!”

Krista was fighting back tears. “I’m sorry.”

“Baby.” He could hear the contrition in her voice, so he spoke softly now.

“Thank you,” she whispered back.

“Keep your phone with you from now on.”

“Okay.”

They talked for a bit longer about each other’s day before hanging up. Then, for the next three days, Kade called her every evening. They talked. He told her about his career in the military and his years on the force, and his ranch. All about his ranch. The summers he spent working it, the years he missed it when he was away from it, and, now that it was his, what he wanted to do with it, the direction he hoped to take.

Krista told him about her childhood, growing up in the country and how much she’d loved it, and the reasoning behind why she’d moved to this particular house. She shared her dreams of owning her own place with lots and lots of land and woods and how it would be hers and no one else’s and how no one could ever make her move again. When he asked her why her family moved from the country to the city, she lied. She hated lying to him, but she just couldn’t tell him everything. She just told him that after her mom died, her dad didn’t want to live where they were any longer. He’d sold everything and they’d moved to a small apartment in the middle of Richmond. Which really, it wasn’t a total lie…her dad had wanted to move, but her mom didn’t just die—she was murdered. And Krista, at only fourteen years of age, was forced to stand by, helpless to do anything but watch, then after…she couldn’t allow herself to talk about it. Not then, not now, not ever!

“Does your dad still live in Richmond?” he’d asked. So, Krista told him her dad had died a few years ago from a bad heart. This would’ve been true, if a few years meant seven years, and a broken heart was the same as a bad heart. Mostly, it was just nice talking to him. He spoke softly and talked sweetly to her. She didn’t even realize how much she’d missed that until every evening when they hung up. Though she didn’t understand it, Krista always wanted to call him right back.

Chapter Eight

On Tuesday, the day before her next treatment, Krista carried her phone everywhere she went—on her walk through the woods, on the back deck while she worked—and she never kept her phone near her while she worked—and even when she went to visit with Mrs. Worley who she hadn’t seen in days. But Kade never called that day. Krista started to call him a few times…okay, maybe more than a few times. But, she didn’t want to interrupt him if he was busy. He’d said he was called away to testify, but it turned out, it was a lot more than that. Although he never did say what the problem was, just that there were problems, one after the other. So, she didn’t call him, and he never called her. When she woke the next morning, as she was getting ready to go for her next treatment, she was still hoping that Kade would call. But he didn’t. And, he hadn’t shown up either. When she had to leave so she wouldn’t be late, she got in her car and was just about to pull out, when Kade came driving up her driveway. She got out of her car and walked to his truck as he was getting out.

“Where are you going?” he asked, as he reached for her.

“Uh…my next treatment is today,” she said as an answer. He pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her and laid his forehead on top of her head, inhaling her scent.

“I know. I told you I’d take you,” he said into her hair.

She wrapped her arms comfortably around his waist. “But, I didn’t talk to you yesterday or this morning, so I thought you’d changed your mind or had gotten too busy.”

He gave her a little squeeze. “I said I would.” Straightening, he stepped back from her. “I take it you’re ready to go?”

“Yes, just let me grab my bag from my car.” Krista got her bag, then went around to the passenger side of his truck, where Kade stood, holding the door open for her to climb in.

Kade buckled her seatbelt after helping her in. When she turned to look at him, he caressed the side of her cheek. “To keep you safe.” That was all he said in explanation. He shut her door, walked around and got in the truck. When he looked at her, she was smiling. There…that was what he needed. To see that smile on her face, smell her sweet scent, and know she was close. He reached out, grabbed her hand and held it as he started to drive. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you yesterday. Between court and working with the other officers and prosecutors, it was a long day. I had to finish up everything they needed from me,” he told her, sharing as much as he could about what he’d been doing.

“You didn’t have to leave, or hurry, because of me. I would have understood if you couldn’t take me.” She was trying to reassure him. And yeah, he knew she would have. But, he also knew she would go by herself, and wind up on the side of the road getting sick again, putting her safety at risk, a-fuckin’-gain! Yeah, he knew. On the ride up to Roanoke, while she talked about her newest client and the ideas she had for the web page, he listened, but really, he couldn’t have cared less about what she was talking about. Just being there with her, her beside him while he held her hand, and sneaked glances at her as much as he could without running off the road, was all he needed. All too soon for him, they were at the hospital and he was looking around for a place to park.

“You can just drop me at the door,” she announced.

“What? Why would I just drop you at the door?”
Did she just say that?
He asked himself, confused.

“So you can go do whatever you want to do. It takes about two hours and I can just meet you back here.” Krista pointed at one of the doors into the hospital.

“Krista. I want to be with you.” He explained this to her patiently.

“That is just crazy! You don’t have to waste two hours of your time just sitting in a hospital room,” she told him, but she wouldn’t look him in the face.

“Krista.” He sighed when her eyes finally met his. “I don’t mind sitting with you.” She looked away from him, then down, and he understood. “You don’t want me to go in there with you, do you?”

“No,” she answered him so quietly, he almost didn’t hear her.

He didn’t like it, but decided he would ask anyway. “Will you be okay coming out by yourself?” He carefully watched her face as she answered his question.

“Yes. It takes a little time before the effects usually hit.”

Well, he didn’t like it one bit, but for now, for this round, he would let her go by herself. But, they were going to talk about this before the next round. He raised her hand that he was still holding, kissed the back of it, then turned it over and whispered into her palm. “Okay, baby, this time.” He kissed her palm, and motioned toward the entrance. “I’ll be right here in exactly two hours. Do you have your phone on you?” he asked her and when she nodded, he continued, “Call me if you get done early, or if you want to talk, or for anything.” He leaned all the way over her. “For
anything
.” He stressed the last word to make sure she would understand he was serious.

“Okay.” She got out of the truck. Stopping, she gazed at him and smiled. It was a beautiful smile, but it wasn’t one of those big happy smiles she’d given him before.

After Krista went into the hospital door, Kade parked and just laid his head back on the seat. Damn, he was tired! It had been a long five days. With all the problems with the testimonies and the evidence, he was surprised they had enough left to convict anyone. It was a major headache. The only time he’d felt any peace was when he was talking to Krista each evening. Each night, after they’d hung up, he always wanted to call her right back. Just to hear her sweet voice for another minute. He could just picture her waving her arms around while she talked to him. Or how she’d take a deep breath before she spoke when she was getting ready to say something she really didn’t want to say or was hard for her to talk about. He had already figured out there was more to what had happened with her mom dying and her dad moving to a city they both hated. And even to her dad’s death. But, he didn’t want to push her, and he most definitely didn’t want her upset over the phone when he was so very far away from her. The day he had called five times still got to him, being so far away and not knowing what was going on…that had nearly killed him! So, yeah, when she’d answered, he was loud. Hell, she had scared him shitless imagining every god-awful thing that could happen to her. Then she’d started spouting some shit about her phone ringing was being rude. Who thinks like that in this day and time? Krista! Yeah, she did. More concerned with being rude to others than her own safety. Damn, but he’d missed her while he was gone, thought about her so many times. Times he’d gotten to hold her, or when he’d thrown her over his shoulder. Okay, that might have been a mistake, having her ass, that exquisite ass, right there, was enough to give him a hard-on. But, when she had pushed herself up his back and started running her fingers through his hair—shit—that had almost killed him. Then to have that sexy little body slide down his, he’d thought he was gonna embarrass himself. Thirty-five years old and she had him horny as a teenager. And he hadn’t even tasted that mouth yet. He jerked up at the thought. “Son of a bitch!” he mumbled to himself. “I haven’t even kissed her yet!” While he sat thinking about kissing her, his phone rang. He looked at the display. Krista. Something must be wrong.