She Can Hide (She Can Series) (14 page)

Abby tipped her head back and let the desire wash through her. Her blood thickened, and her pulse throbbed in her ears. Her hands relaxed, sliding from his arms to splay across his muscular chest. Ethan lifted his head. His eyes had darkened from piercing blue to navy. He kissed her jaw and temple.

She pulled her head back. “I need to take this slow.”

His eyes didn’t like it.

“My last relationship didn’t end well.”

“I thought you didn’t have an ex.” Ethan perked up. “Could he be involved in this?”

“No,” Abby said. “It was over before Faulkner kidnapped me. He was older, and I fell for him in the most embarrassingly cliché trying-to-replace-the-father-I-didn’t-have way.”

“Everyone makes mistakes.” Ethan brushed a thumb along her jaw. “What happened?”

“He neglected to tell me he was married.” Years later, Abby could still feel the sting. “I’m not sure what was worse, the humiliation of being duped or the betrayal of being lied to for several months.”

“That sucks. What a jerk.” Ethan cupped her jaw.

Realization hit Abby. She trusted him. When was the last time she had trusted anyone? Her mother had let Abby down. Her father wanted nothing to do with her. Brooke was her best friend and hadn’t been able to break through the instinctive wall of suspicion that surrounded Abby’s heart.

But in less than a week, Ethan was on the inside looking out. Was she rushing things? Was her reaction mainly physical? There was no denying the desire raging in her body. Perhaps she should slow down on the emotional confidence.

Abby leaned into his palm. “How about you? Any deep, dark secrets in your past?”

He snorted. “I haven’t even had a date in ages.”

“Why not?” What she meant to ask was how he kept women away.

“For years I was too busy taking care of the family,” he said. “But they don’t need me all the time anymore. I’m out of practice. It’s probably best we take this nice and slow. I don’t want regrets for either one of us. But I really like you.”

“Me too.” With a smile she felt all the way to her heart, she slid off his lap and straightened her jacket. “Maybe you’re right about me wanting to come here today. Maybe I needed to see it couldn’t happen again. I can’t believe he’s dead.”

“He can’t ever hurt you again.” Ethan adjusted his sweatpants.

Abby averted her eyes, but not before she got an eyeful that demonstrated how much Ethan wanted her too, at least physically. The attraction went both ways. Good to know. Now back to the case. “Do you think Faulkner was the one who poisoned me?”

Ethan looked thoughtful. “I don’t know.”

“And who killed him?”

“I don’t know that either, but I’m going to do my best to find out.” Ethan turned the truck around.

Abby grabbed the armrest as the pickup bounced over a rut in the gravel and dirt road. “Where do we go next?”

“Home. But early tomorrow, I’ll make some calls. The Harris cops said they’d keep me updated on Faulkner’s homicide investigation. The autopsy will probably happen in the next day or so. I also have a call in to the detective who handled your case, Roy Abrams. He’s retired now, but I’m sure he remembers plenty.”

“I’m sure he does.” Abby swallowed. The flush on her skin chilled. “It was his fault I wasn’t found for so long.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ethan’s hand jerked on the wheel. The truck hit a tree root and nearly bottomed out. He straightened the vehicle, and it slid back into the ruts in the dirt. “What?”

“Faulkner had the address of the farm.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the truck’s rear window. “It was in his cell phone the whole time. The detective never checked it out.”

“That doesn’t sound right.” Ethan’s jaw clenched. “Cell phones are one of the first things any good cop checks out. People keep half their lives in their phones.”

Abby shrugged. “Just because you’re a good cop doesn’t mean they all are.”

“True.” The large majority of his fellow cops were honest and hardworking, but as in any profession, a handful were either incompetent or corrupt. “Are you sure it wasn’t a legal hang-up? Sometimes cops get a bad rap simply for doing their jobs. The legal system doesn’t always make sense, but we have to work within it.”

“Not only did he mess up the investigation, but he tried to cover it up. I found out later, by accident,” Abby shot back. “Do cops always stick together? Even when one of them is wrong?”

“Sometimes,” Ethan admitted. Cops tended to close ranks when one of their own was threatened. “We depend on each other. Doubts about the loyalty of a team member can get a cop killed in a high-stress situation. You need to know without question that your partner has your back.”

But the revelation about her kidnapping explained why she was so distrustful of him at first.

Abby didn’t respond. She rested her head against the window and closed her eyes. At first Ethan thought she didn’t want to talk to him anymore, but her even breathing convinced him she was asleep. She stayed that way for the next two hours, waking as he exited the Northeast Extension of the PA Turnpike.

“I’m sorry.” She yawned and stretched. “I didn’t mean to sleep.”

“No worries. You were tired.”

They’d left the dog at Brooke’s house in case their trip ran late. Ethan pulled into the driveway, and Abby ran in to fetch Zeus. Then she shoehorned the big dog into the small backseat of Ethan’s pickup.

“Will you be all right alone tonight?” Ethan pulled out of Brooke’s driveway and headed for the main road. Abby’s development was closer to town. A few miles later they passed the high school. A figure walked on the side of the road, his dark gray jacket and black backpack blending into the early winter twilight.

“Is that Derek?” Ethan slowed the truck. Zeus whined and stuck his head over the front seat.

“Yes,” Abby said. “He must have stayed after school and missed the late bus.”

Ethan pulled over in front of the boy. In the rearview mirror, he saw the kid stop. His posture said he was considering whether or not to run. Abby lowered the window, stuck her head out, and waved. Derek jogged to catch up.

“You want a ride?” Ethan asked.

Derek shrugged. “Sure.”

Abby opened the door, and Derek squeezed into the back with the giant dog. Instead of moving over, Zeus practically sat on Derek’s lap. The kid didn’t seem to mind.

Ethan pulled back into traffic. He was supposed to be simplifying his life, paring it down, limiting his responsibilities. So why did it seem he was picking up needy strays at an alarming pace?

His phone vibrated. Cam’s mobile number.

Ethan answered. “What’s up?”

“I hate to bug you, but I could use you back home.” A loud
thud
sounded over the connection. “Like now.”

“What was that?” Ethan asked.

“That was Bryce trying to get a rope on the bay horse,” Cam explained. “He’s sick. We called the vet, but neither of us has been able to even get in the stall with him.”

Ethan rapped the phone against his temple. He did not need this. He was spread as thin as a sheet of paper over his responsibilities. Cam and Bryce were going back to school the next day, and Mom was headed to her sister’s house. Normally, Ethan would be looking forward to a few weeks of post-holiday alone time, but not this week. “I’m on my way.”

He hung up and turned to Abby. “There’s a small emergency at home. Do you mind if we stop at my place?”

Abby shook her head. “Of course not.”

Ethan looked at Derek in the mirror. “Derek?”

“Nope.” The kid draped a companionable arm around Zeus’s neck.

“Do you need to call your mom?” Ethan held his cell over his shoulder in offer.

“Nah. She’s at work.” Derek turned his attention to the dog.

“OK. Thanks.” Ethan made a U-turn toward home. Tomorrow he was calling Ronnie and pressuring her to find a foster home for those horses.

Abby sat up straighter. Nerves quivered fresh. She was going to see Ethan’s house and meet his family. The truck turned into a gravel driveway next to a weather-beaten mailbox. There were no other houses in sight. A football field away, a white farmhouse sprawled in front of a small compound of outbuildings. Behind the barn, a snow-covered corral and pasture spread out to woods in the distance.

She got out of the truck. She folded the front seat to give Derek and Zeus more room to climb out. Abby looked up at the house. Three wide steps led to a front porch. Despite the fact that Christmas had passed three weeks before, an evergreen wreath decorated with a huge red velvet ribbon hung on the door.

She glanced over at Derek, who chewed a bit of skin from the side of his thumbnail. He looked as nervous as she felt.

What had it been like to be raised in the country? Abby’s ears prickled at the lonely sound of wind whistling across the open land. She imagined you could sit on your deck in complete silence in the middle of the day, quite unlike the suburbs, where the sounds of lawn equipment and kids punctuated the weekends.

“Oh good, the vet’s here.” A MINI Cooper, a midsize SUV, and a large white van were lined up in the yard. Ethan led the way into the barn. Abby and Derek hesitated at the door.

“It’s OK. You can come in.” Ethan wiggled his fingers in a
come along
gesture. The most trusting of them, Zeus, followed him first.

Three men and a woman were gathered around a half door. The woman was striking. Even in her bulky winter gear, she was tall and thin, her long black hair partially covered with a watch cap. She turned to Ethan, and her mouth opened in a warm smile. An unexpected shaft of jealousy speared Abby. She tamped it down. She and Ethan had shared one kiss, one desperate embrace born as much from her loneliness and raging emotions as her desire. She had no claims to him.

Abby blinked away to study the two younger men, also tall and slim, with the same black hair and bright blue eyes as Ethan. His brothers. Which made the remaining man the vet.

“Abby, Derek, these are my brothers, Bryce and Cam.” Ethan gestured. Cam was clean-cut, while Bryce wore his long hair in a ponytail. Other than their hairstyles, their features were identical. Twins?

“This is Doc White.” The vet was to people what Zeus was to dogs. The huge white-haired man, dressed in winter coveralls, nodded at them.

Ethan’s open hand shifted to the gorgeous woman. “And my cousin, Ronnie.”

Cousin? Abby perked up. The relief that swept through her was as unexpected as her earlier prick of jealousy. One kiss. That’s all it had been, and it likely meant more to her than Ethan, since she’d been the one melting down.

“Nice to meet you.” Ronnie walked over and shook their hands. A patch on her jacket identified her as a humane society police officer.

Next to Derek’s shoulder, a reddish nose poked over the nearest stall and snorted. A pony head followed, barely reaching over the half door.

Derek’s eyes brightened. “Can I pet him?”

“Sure.” Ethan rubbed the pony’s nose. “This little guy is as friendly as a puppy.”

“What’s his name?” Derek mimicked Ethan, stroking the pony between its soft brown eyes. Zeus put his front paws on the stall door. Mutual sniffs were exchanged. The dog wagged his tail. The pony pricked its ears.

Ethan frowned. “He doesn’t have a name. These horses aren’t ours. We’re fostering them for the humane society.”

Abby glanced over the stall door. The blanket didn’t cover the bony neck. She didn’t know much, OK anything, about horses, but she recognized a starving animal when she saw it.

The vet cleared his throat, and Ethan’s attention moved to the next stall, where Abby assumed the sick horse was kept.

“Bryce, why don’t you take Abby and Derek into the house? It’s cold out here,” Ethan said.

Bryce raised a brow and pointedly looked at Abby. “Really? With Mom?”

Ethan sighed. “Just tell her they’re hungry. That ought to keep her busy.”

Bryce laughed. “Come on up to the house.” He waved toward the exit.

Abby glanced over her shoulder. Ethan approached the stall door. He plucked a rope from a wall hook and walked inside without hesitating. A few seconds later, he emerged with a horse on the other end of the lead. The nylon was slack with no tension. The horse stopped and gave the vet a nervous eye roll. Without looking back, Ethan left the rope loose and took a step. The horse shifted forward and followed. Ethan turned. The horse stopped, stretching its nose toward his face. For a minute, they seemed to be sharing breaths—or thoughts. Ethan raised a hand and rested it on the thin neck. The horse sighed. Its head lowered as its spine relaxed.

Goose bumps rose on Abby’s arm. She knew how the horse felt. Ethan had the same effect on her.

“Amazing.” The vet straightened and moved toward the animal. “You still have the touch, my friend.”

Ethan moved his hand, rubbing a spot at the base of the horse’s neck. “He just needs someone to trust.”

“Don’t we all,” said the vet.

As Abby left the barn, she could hear Ethan and the vet discussing possible infections and feeding issues.

She closed the big wooden door quietly and hurried to catch up with Bryce and Derek. Twilight was settling over the snowy yard in shades of gray and white. Bryce opened the back door. Abby, Derek, and Zeus followed him inside. They hung their coats on hooks in the mudroom. A short hallway opened into a spacious living room. Two overstuffed sofas and a recliner clustered around a stone fireplace. A flat-screen TV hung on the wall, and a Christmas tree glittered in the corner. The room was furnished for comfort, not aesthetics. Abby wanted to start a fire, take off her shoes, and curl up with a good book and a glass of wine. A big glass.

An old tomcat stood at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Oh look, a cat,” Abby said.

“Oh shit! Where?” Bryce whirled.

“It’s OK. Zeus likes cats,” Abby said.

“It’s not the cat I’m worried about.” Bryce lunged, but before he could snag the big dog’s collar, Zeus shuffled up to the cat, sniffed, and wagged his tail. The scraggly feline arched its back and hissed in its best impression of the dead cat from
Pet Sematary
.

Zeus cocked his head and backed up a step. With an ear-splitting yowl, the cat attacked, jumping forward at lightning speed and swiping at the dog’s gigantic nose with one taloned paw. Zeus yelped. He shook his massive, loose-lipped head, sending gobs of spit and drops of blood flying through the air.

“Sweetums, stop that!” Bryce changed direction, heading for the cat, but Sweetums was on the offensive. Zeus backed up at warp speed through the living room, upending an end table in his path. The cat chased the retreating canine across the debris.

“Oh dear. Come here, Sweetums. Bad cat.” A slim blonde woman hustled through the doorway just as Zeus backed into and over the cheerfully decorated Christmas tree. The six-foot artificial evergreen went over with a creak and crash. The sound of glass bulbs breaking and lights popping filled the room, accompanied by more high-pitched howling from the dog and hissing and spitting from Sweetums. The woman swooped up the cat and tucked it under one arm.

Abby was unable to move. Shock and embarrassment rendered her motionless. Her larynx froze in horror. Then she heard an unbelievable sound. Ethan’s mother was laughing, and it wasn’t just a giggle, it was a full belly roar.

Bryce grabbed Zeus’s collar. He sighed. “Abby, Derek, this is my mom, Lorraine Hale.”

“Mrs. Hale, I’m so sorry,” Abby stuttered.

“Please call me Lorraine, and you have no reason to apologize.” Lorraine laughed so hard that she dropped the cat. Sweetums climbed a nearby bookshelf.

“Where’s the video camera when you need it?” Lorraine slapped her knee and lowered her body to the living room chair. Tears streamed down her face, and she snorted indelicately. “That would’ve taken the grand prize.” She sniffed and tried to catch her breath.

Derek and Bryce stared at the carnage of broken ornaments, overturned furniture, and the felled tree with identical expressions of disbelief.

Cam came in from the mudroom. “What the hell happened in here?”

“Zeus met Sweetums,” Bryce said.

“I take it Sweetums was his charming self?” Cam asked dryly.

“The gracious host, as always.” Bryce let go of the dog. Zeus tucked his tail between his muscular legs. Strands of tinsel hung from his ears, and blood dripped from his nose onto the hardwood floor.