it up then came back and dropped it at Jamie’s feet. The boy giggled and tried again.
Chase moved back to Kate. “Jamie has his own method.”
“Haphazard, yes.”
After a few pitches, Jamie decided to change things up. He would send the ball sailing, then ran after it with Mac. At first, Chase stepped nearer, not sure how his dog would deal with competition, but soon Mac turned it into a game. Sometimes he would get the prize while other times he’d let Jamie get it.
“Mac is great with little children.” Kate closed the space between them.
“My friend who gave me Mac had children. I never thought to ask him about how Mac would be with kids.”
“A natural. It’s like he knows Jamie is young and needs gentleness and patience.”
“Animals sense a lot of things.” When Chase had had one of his nightmares about that last skirmish and had woken up shaking and sweating, Mac had been right there to comfort him. In the past months, he’d had fewer of those dark dreams and part of the reason was Mac.
“I feel comfortable with Mac here. When the workers were fixing the alarm and window, he sat nearby and watched their every move. I’m glad we didn’t have to find out what he’d do if one of them stepped out of line.”
“He’d corner the person. Unless physically threatened, he’d just remind them he was there and prepared to protect.”
Kate pointed at his dog sitting on the ground letting Jamie rub him. “As fierce as he can seem, you wouldn’t expect that kind of gentleness from him.”
“He’s been trained and treated well. Speaking of Mac, I wanted to talk to you about me staying here until Hammer is caught, too. My dog is good, but I’d feel better if I was here. The couch was quite comfortable, and I even dozed some last night.”
She released a slow breath. “I wasn’t going to ask you, but with both of you here, I’d feel even better and safer. I’m so glad you want to. But what about your work and Monday when I go back to court? I’m concerned about Jamie’s safety here in the house with just Rachel.”
“I’m hoping we’ll find Hammer by then, but if we don’t, we’ll discuss it then. I’m thinking my younger brother, who is a police officer, could help with Jamie or I’ll check with my chief about assigning a uniform to be here with Rachel and your son. I could drive you to and from the courthouse to make sure you’re safe and to check in with the security guards there. That way I can work on the case. Todd is doing the legwork right now. We want to have enough evidence to charge Hammer and keep him in jail without bail. The photos at his house will help us a lot. And when we find his car, there might be more evidence to tie him to the attack.” He took her hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll get him. His photo has been circulated everywhere. The news network has picked it up and has shown it several times in the last twenty-four hours.”
Kate faced him, only a foot between them. Her brown eyes fastened onto him, and he felt a new and somewhat unsettling sense of connection toward her.
He dropped her hand and stepped back. He needed to remain detached and on guard. “I’ll stay until Hammer is caught,” he said to remind himself he was unofficially on duty.
* * *
“Jamie finally went down for a nap,” Kate said on Sunday as she came into the den where Chase was going through her list of cases from the last few years.
“I need your input. Did any of these people make threats against you or make you uncomfortable?”
Kate sat next to Chase to go through the files he had already perused. “Find anyone promising besides Hammer?”
“A couple we’ll look into, but most would do something not long after the event that angered them. That doesn’t mean a person can’t hold a grudge and wait, but it’s not as likely. Hammer still is our best option. Men with a known pattern of domestic violence, which is the reason you limited his visitation with his children, are volatile. Tempers flare easily, especially if he thinks he’s wronged.”
“The abuse was directed only at his wife. His children wanted to see their father so I came up with a supervised visitation plan with a case worker so the mother wouldn’t be involved. I feel both parents are important to a child’s emotional growth, but sometimes I’ve had to completely deny a parent visitation rights.”
“Any in the last year?”
“There was one last fall. Let me see if I can find his folder.” Kate dug through the stack until she found Dale Winn. “Here it is. Not a nice man.”
“I’ll have Todd check him out. I’ll put him at the top of my list of people requiring further investigation.”
“Where’s your list?”
Chase passed the pad he’d been using to Kate. She let out a sound of surprise. “It’s a long list.”
“You’re one busy judge.”
She nodded her agreement. “Sadly, my docket is full. I wish it wasn’t. James and I had a great relationship and wanted to have several children. We tried. I miscarried four times. We’d come to the realization that adoption might be the best option for us. Not long after James died, I discovered I was pregnant. I honestly didn’t know if I would make it past three months. But I did.” When she thought back to that long month wondering if she would miscarry again, her emotions were all over the place. “When I was six-months pregnant, I realized my dream of having my husband’s child might come true.” Her throat closed around that last word, and she looked away from the sympathy in Chase’s expression.
He laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’ve had days when I didn’t want to wake up and face the day. After the second surgery on my leg...”
His voice trailed off, and she blinked her tears away and twisted toward him. “What happened?”
He pulled his hand away. “I don’t like to talk about it.”
“I understand. I don’t like to relive the months I knew I was going to have a baby and James wasn’t there to celebrate with me. It was bittersweet. I was given the most precious baby, but I’d lost my husband. Finally, I realized by sharing with others I healed faster. We aren’t meant to go through ordeals alone. We were made to help and support each other.” She wouldn’t force him, but she hoped he would tell her. She might be able to help him. “I’m here to listen if you ever want to.”
“I appreciate the offer. What I went through was different.”
“How was it?”
“I lost my best friend. We’d served together for several years and had gone through a lot.”
“I lost my best friend, too. James and I went through so much together although not in a war zone. He was there for me when my father passed away, when I miscarried each time. I understand loss. The emptiness. The hole in your life that you don’t know if you can ever fill. How did it happen?”
“We were ambushed by the enemy. He was right beside me one second, helping me because I was shot—” he snapped his fingers “—then the next second, he fell against me.”
“That’s
