thoughts prodded his steps faster until she halted, making him stop, too. She blinked as though trying to orient herself to her surroundings.
“Slow down,” she said in a voice that had been heard around the world for years until she suddenly dropped out of sight five years ago. “Dizzy.”
He’d let her get to him. Angry with himself, he clenched his jaws and nodded. At a much slower pace he covered the distance to Doc Sims and eased Cara onto the backseat. The doctor whipped out a blanket and draped it over Cara’s shoulders, sending up a cloud of dust that aggravated her coughing. Connor stepped away as the doctor began examining her.
“Do you hurt anywhere?” Doc Sims asked.
Her face crunched up into a frown and she started to say something when Connor replied, “She can’t hear. The blast.”
“I was hoping she hadn’t been that close to the explosion.” Doc looked from her to Connor. “I’ll take it from here.” A smile accompanied the dismissal.
Connor backpedaled for a few paces then swung around and went in search of the sheriff. Nothing would be discovered until the bomb squad arrived, but he was itching to do a walk-through. This wasn’t his area of expertise, though, and he would have to wait.
Was the bomb meant for Cara or her dad? Most likely her dad. But if Cara was still working as a bodyguard, it was possible she had angered someone.
The sheriff rounded the corner from the side and strode to Connor. “I got a call that the bomb squad should be here shortly. I didn’t find anything suspicious in the backyard. I looked in the kitchen window and saw part of the ceiling on the floor. Cara’s lucky she got out okay. Is Doc going to call for the ambulance in Silver Creek or take her to his clinic?”
Since Clear Branch was small with a population of four thousand, the ambulance would have to come from the larger town twenty minutes away. “I don’t know. He dismissed me.”
“That’s our doc.”
“Do you think the bomb was meant for C.J.?”
“For over thirty years he was in the middle of any important newsworthy situation in the world working for Global News Organization. His exposé on the Mafia alone would have ruffled people’s feathers. Not to mention he’d decided to write his memoir. Planned on naming names and exposing corruption in high places. People that may have escaped prosecution but not the power of the pen—his words, not mine. So, yeah, I think someone could have a grudge against him.”
“Maybe the memoir is the key, and that sparked this attack now.”
Sean rubbed his hand through his hair. “Maybe, but he hadn’t started it yet. Cara has done her fair share of things that would make enemies.”
“As a bodyguard?”
“She’s worked a couple of high-profile assignments.”
“So you think she could be in danger?”
“Maybe. But if I had to pick one I would pick C.J. He’s got the manners of a pit bull and a rattlesnake all rolled up in one, especially when he’s on a hot story.”
As much as he wished he didn’t, he still held feelings for Cara. Connor’s own relief, though, that C.J. was probably the target rather than Cara eased the tautness from his muscles. There was no love lost between her dad and him. “Where’s she living now?” Why was he asking? Stay away.
“Dallas, when she isn’t traveling for Guardians, Inc.”
He’d heard of the group of all female bodyguards. Its reputation was top-notch. Connor looked toward where Doc was still checking Cara out. Lord, I wasn’t prepared to see her again. “Do you think she’ll go back to Dallas soon?”
“I don’t know if she’s going back just yet. She’s trying to get something set up so her father can live at home and receive the therapy he needs for his recovery. He’s been getting better. I was surprised this morning when she called to tell me the birthday party she’d planned for tomorrow at the house was canceled because her dad would be at Sunny Meadows a few more days.”
“She doesn’t have anywhere to stay now,” Connor murmured, looking at the bombed-out front of the house. If he’d realized Cara was back in town, he wouldn’t have come home. Gramps had failed to mention that when he’d talked to him last night before coming from Richmond.
“There’s always the hotel on Main Street since the lodge by the lake is full with Labor Day approaching. But I’m figuring she needs someone to watch over her until we can piece together what’s going on. Who the target is.”
Connor chuckled. “I don’t envy you that job.”
“I don’t have the manpower to watch over her adequately and C.J. at the center as well as try to solve this case. But you could protect Cara.”
“Oh, no.” Connor shook his head, stepping away from his friend to emphasize he didn’t want anything to do with Cara Madison. “I’d rather be in a pit full of rattlesnakes,” he said in all seriousness, thinking about the sheriff’s reference to a rattlesnake earlier.
Sean burst out laughing. “I hear where she lives they have rattlesnake roundups. Maybe you could visit her and go to one.” A serious expression descended. “I need someone I trust. Your grandfather lives on the outskirts of town on a few acres. Quiet. Between you and your grandfather, she ought to be safe just in case we’re wrong and she’s the target.”
“And just how do you think I can keep her at Gramps’s house?”
“I know that will be impossible, but when she comes into town, you can be with her. Your place is defensible, better than a hotel. Your grandfather has an alarm system. The terrain around his place is open, and the area is a quiet neighborhood without a lot of people.”
“You make it sound like I should be planning for a war.”
“Well, not exactly. Just pointing out why your grandfather’s house is perfect, and I’ll sleep a whole lot better knowing she’s being taken care of.”
“And I should care why?” The tension in Connor’s neck spread down his spine and radiated across his shoulders.
“Because when I get a good night’s sleep, I can actually function pretty good and might just be able to find out who’s trying to kill one of the Madisons.”
But I won’t get a bit of sleep, Connor wanted to shout at his friend.
“It shouldn’t be more than a week at most, and you know your grandfather has a soft spot for Cara. I wouldn’t be surprised if when he hears about the situation, he won’t insist she come stay with you guys. And her dad, too, when he’s discharged from Sunny Meadows.”
The thought of being in the same house as C.J. increased the pain gripping his shoulders. Connor leaned toward Sean and lowered his voice. “I won’t tell Gramps.”
“But every busybody in this town will. So cut your losses and just agree now. He probably already knows.”
There was a part of him that really meant what he’d said about her not staying with him and Gramps, but there was a part that knew
