that refused to leave her body.
He nodded, glanced at Duff. “And you bought a dog.”
“He’s my second one. Do you blame me?”
Jackson didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stalked around the confines of her tiny living room like a giant cat, his nostrils lifting, his eyes scanning her minimalist existence with a laserlike scrutiny, his expression blank and unreadable. Reaching out a hand toward Duff, he let the big dog sniff his knuckles. “What’s upstairs?”
“A bedroom and a bath,” she replied, amazed that her highly trained guard dog seemed to accept Jackson as an immediate ally. But then, Jackson was that way—quiet and calm, and capable, offering a solid security to anyone who needed his help. “Half bath down here and a small laundry and storage room off the back. Two entries—the front door here and the back door off the laundry room. Dead bolts and chain locks on both. And I have a security system and an upstairs exit route. I know the rules, Jackson. And you still haven’t answered my questions.”
He pushed at his thick, spiked hair, a long sigh his only answer for now. After a minute of looking the place over again, he said, “First, we need to move you.”
“I don’t want to be moved,” Eloise responded, digging in her heels even as the words came out. “I’m settled here and as you apparently already know, I have a good job.”
“Risky, opening your own business.”
“I took the risk. I set it up under a corporate name and I was very careful with all the paperwork. I needed something to focus on. And baking is the one thing that brings me a sense of peace and normalcy.”
The unspoken things hung like high clouds there in the air between them. But Eloise knew he was thinking the same thing she was. Finally, because she knew she might not get a straight answer from him on anything unless he decided she needed to hear it, she dared to ask one more question.
“Jackson, I need to know. Just tell me…is she safe? Is she okay? Is my daughter okay?”
Jackson turned to face her, his hands on his hips, his frigid eyes turning a liquid blue. “She is now.”
Eloise’s brief joy turned to a familiar dread but that dread brought her courage back. “What do you mean—she is now? And stop evading me, Jackson. You came to me. And if you want to protect me, you’d better level with me. I need the truth—not just the ‘need to know.’ You owe me that even if I did leave my baby with you to keep her safe. Even if I did leave the witness protection program.”
He tipped his chin then sat down across from her, his eyes flittering around the room. “She goes by the name Kristin Perry now. Her adoptive parents were Anna and Barton Perry. I handpicked them then pulled a few strings to go through the proper procedures. They were good people.”
Eloise swallowed then closed her eyes, trying to imagine what Kristin looked like now. “Were?” she asked, the dread congealing in her stomach.
“They were killed in a car accident several months ago.” At her gasp, he held up a hand. “It was a horrible accident, nothing more. Believe me, I had it thoroughly investigated. Anyway, Kristin found something in their things, a sealed envelope with…the note you left me. She got in touch with my brother, Micah—he’s a U.S. Marshal now, here in Montana. She didn’t know he was my brother but…we had to tell her. I met with her in Billings and warned her off, then later she came to see me in Chicago and while she was there, she attended Vincent Martino’s trial.”
Eloise put a hand to her mouth. “What are you saying?”
He leaned forward, his fingers templed together. “She knows about you, Eloise. And she was so determined to find you that she almost got herself killed. Vincent is out to get both of you now. And if he’s the one who sent those roses, then we have to move you immediately.”
The pulse building inside Eloise’s temple throbbed into overdrive. A silent prayer screamed throughout her mind as she stared at Jackson. “Dear God, what do I do now? What if he finds Kristin?”
She hadn’t realized she’d said it out loud until Jackson’s dark eyebrows lifted in a reaction. The phone rang, causing both of them to jump—Eloise in sheer terror and Jackson into high-alert mode.
Jackson put a hand on her arm. “Whoever it is, act normal. Don’t give anything away.”
She nodded as she went into the kitchen to get the cordless phone. “Hello?”
“Girl, I’m worried about you. Where are you? And where is Meredith? She’s not answering her phone. You girls have a late night or something?”
Eloise steadied herself, the image of Meredith’s body still fresh in her mind. “Hi, Verdie. I’m sorry. I was feeling kind of sick and I thought it would pass. I should have called you back. I might be a while.” She shot Jackson a glance. “If I even make it in.”
“Take your time, honey. I called Timothy in for backup since I can’t get Meredith on the phone. We’re kind of slow today, anyway. Except for this delicious-looking blond-haired, blue-eyed stranger who keeps winking at me, it’s just a few of the locals and me, Timothy and Frank. You rest up. Between my old man and that scrawny teenager, we’ll take care of things. We got plenty of cinnamon rolls turning brown in the oven and I know how to bake bread and cook French toast, even if you make the best in the world. I just wish Meredith would show her pretty face. I could use her help with Mr. Delicious. The man’s already been through a whole pot of coffee and he wants two of those cinnamon rolls.”
Eloise didn’t comment on Meredith. She couldn’t. And she was pretty sure Mr. Delicious was probably one of the FBI agents Jackson was communicating with right now. “Thanks, Verdie. I’ll call you later, I promise.”
“Okay, then. Hey, are you sure you’re all right?”
Eloise wanted to laugh again. She might not ever be all right. “I’m fine. Just a bug or a summer cold.”
She hung up then came back to the living room, her knees too weak to keep her standing straight. “My coworker, checking on me again. I rarely miss work.” Grabbing the arm of the couch, she managed to fall back against it. The dizziness returned, forcing her to put her head down and close her eyes.
Jackson was beside her before she took her next breath. “You don’t look so hot. Are you really sick? Is that why you didn’t go to work?”
Eloise didn’t dare open her eyes. “I don’t feel so hot, either, but I’m okay. And I need to know the rest.” She lifted her head but avoided looking directly at him. “Is…Kristin safe?”
“She is. But she’s stubborn like her mother. She wouldn’t let up. She hired a private investigator to help her track you down. And somebody out there found out about it and tried to harm both of them. But…for now, she’s safe. I might as well warn you, though, she wants to see you and if she tries, that could lead Martino right to your door.” He stopped, shook his head. “She did see you down in Mountain Springs, at the fair. I was there with her.”
“That was just last month.” Eloise shot off the couch. “I won the prize for my Huckleberry pie. I used the money to do some quick renovations at my place here.” She paced around, holding on to the back of the couch. “You were there? Kristin was there? But why—”
“I
