like the answer to a nightmare. “Carrie called you to tell you that Daniel was here,” Elaina said to Theresa.
“Yes. And Jay from the gas station, too,” Theresa verified. “It’s impossible to keep secrets around here.”
It was a comment that caused Elaina to cough.
Theresa motioned toward the house. “Christopher’s taking a nap, but I can wake him. I suspect you’re anxious to see him.” She smiled. “Or maybe you two should just head home and I can bring him after he’s awake.”
“No.” Elaina quickly vetoed that. She wanted to spend no more time alone with this man. Of course, she didn’t want him around Christopher, either. “We’ll come back later.”
Much later.
“Darling,” Luke said. The term of endearment seemed as foreign as his smile. “If you don’t mind, I’d love to see my son. Now.”
Those stormy eyes warned her to defy him.
Elaina cast him her own warning, but she knew his carried far more weight. He could have her arrested. He could legally remove Christopher from her life.
Because she had no choice, Elaina reached for the door handle. She would cooperate, for now. But there was no way she could let him take Christopher.
Luke got out of the car at the same time she did, and he quickly went to her and slid his arm around her waist. Since Theresa was ahead of them and couldn’t see, Elaina tossed him a scowl and pushed her elbow against his ribs to keep some distance between them.
“Daniel, the three of you will have to come for dinner once you’re settled,” Theresa said.
“Thank you,” Luke answered. “I’d like that.”
Elaina mumbled the same fake gratitude under her breath, knowing that there’d be no dinner. If she couldn’t talk Luke into leaving, she’d have to consult an attorney about what her rights were.
If she even had rights.
It was entirely possible that she didn’t.
“Oh, I nearly forgot,” Theresa said, stopping on the top porch step. The wind rifled through her hair when she turned around to face Elaina. “About two hours ago I went over to your house to get Christopher his bunny. You forgot to bring it this morning. Anyway, while I was there, two men drove up in a black car and asked to speak to you.”
Elaina stopped, too, and stared up at the woman. “Who were they?”
“Census takers, they said.” Theresa’s forehead bunched up. “I thought it was a little early for that, but they said they needed to ask you some questions. I told them you might be at your shop and let them know that it was easy to find since it was on Main Street just up from the police station.”
Elaina was more than a little concerned. In the entire year she’d been in Crystal Creek, no one had come looking for her. It seemed too much of a coincidence that she’d have three visitors in the same day.
“Did these men show you any ID?” Luke wanted to know.
Theresa shook her head. “No. I didn’t ask for it. Oh, dear. Should I have?”
“No,” he assured her. “It’s just they might have been from the air force, to give Elaina official notification that I was coming home.”
“They definitely said they were census takers.” Theresa paused. “But to be honest with you, they made me a little uncomfortable. Especially the one with the eye patch.”
“Eye patch?” Elaina repeated, her voice barely making a sound.
Theresa nodded. “You just don’t see many eye patches these days, and this guy had a scar to go with it. Anyway, he didn’t talk much, but the tall blond man with him said they’d come back later to discuss things with you.”
Elaina looked at Luke, and would have given him an I-told-you-so glare if she hadn’t been so terrified.
Luke reacted. And his reaction terrified her even more.
He shoved his hand inside his jacket so he could grip his weapon, and his gaze fired around them.
“Get inside,” he ordered. “Now.”
Chapter Four
“What’s wrong?” Theresa, asked. “What’s happening?”
Luke didn’t answer her. Instead, he hooked his arms around both women, hurried them inside and locked the door. He did a quick visual scan of the interior of the place. It was clean and homey with the smell of freshly made cookies. But the main thing he wanted to establish was that there were no gunmen inside.
There weren’t any signs of them. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
“Are the other doors locked?” he asked Theresa.
Her eyes widened. “Yes. I did that before I drove over to Elaina’s. I haven’t been out back since then, so I’m sure they’re still locked.”
Good. A locked door wouldn’t stop pros, but it might slow them down. “Check, just to make sure.”
Theresa didn’t question him. She hurried to do what he’d asked.
Luke automatically went through a mental checklist. According to the sitter, the baby was asleep. The men were likely only minutes away. Maybe less. And basically, once he’d verified that the doors were locked, Theresa’s house was about as secure as he was going to be able to make it without equipment and assistance.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Elaina mumbled. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and paced.
Yeah. Luke was having a hard time believing it, as well. “You’re sure these guys are a real threat?”
She stopped in midpace. “Oh, they’re real. I’m just wondering why they didn’t go to the shop after Theresa told them that’s where I was.”
Probably because the shop was so close to the police station. If the men were up to no good, that’s the last place they’d want to confront Elaina. More likely scenarios were that they’d either hang around her house. Or they’d come here.
“Everything’s locked up,” Theresa said, returning to the room.
Luke took out his gun and pulled back a lacy white curtain so he could see outside.
“Please tell me what’s wrong.” Theresa said. She sounded on the verge of tears.
Elaina answered before he could. “There are war protestors who might have followed Daniel to Crystal Creek. You know how some people are opposed to the military being overseas. Daniel just doesn’t want to take any chances that these protestors might be fanatics.”
Luke wasn’t
