Hook, Line and Shotgun Bride

She looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Your bedroom window was open.”

Her eyes widened, and she gasped. “It was closed. I’m sure it was closed. I remember the rain splattering against the panes.”

If that was true, someone had opened the window. She was right about the intruder. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, God, I don’t know.” Her hand rose to cover her mouth. “I think so. Is there a way to prove someone was inside?”

“I doubt anyone was inside. With all this rain, they would have left wet footprints, and I didn’t see anything.”

She shuddered. “What if they were standing outside and peeking in?”

He thought of his gun under the pillow in the extra bedroom. If somebody was sneaking around the house, he needed to secure his weapon. “Stay here.”

He retrieved his gun and checked the window in the guestroom. It was locked. Moving fast, he surveyed the other windows and made sure they were all fastened.

When he returned to the kitchen, she was pacing. Her moment of calm had been replaced by renewed panic.

“Angela, listen to me.”

“How could I be so careless? I know I should keep the windows locked, but I have them open during the day. When I checked on Benjy earlier tonight, his window was open and the screen was loose. Somebody could have slipped inside. Into my son’s room!”

“The window is locked now. I checked.”

“I don’t understand. Why would anyone want to rob me?”

He fastened his holster on his hip and put the gun away. Holding her by both shoulders, he stared into her eyes. “This isn’t a typical break-in. Nothing was stolen.”

“What are you saying?”

“This is personal.” Somebody wanted to hurt her, to frighten her.

“How do you know?”

“I’m not a big-city cop, but I’ve seen my share of troublemakers and stalkers.”

“A stalker? Oh, damn. What am I going to do?”

“You and Benjy need to move out of this house as soon as possible. Tonight. Maybe you can stay at Neil’s house.”

“I can’t. I don’t want him to think I’m crazy. Or helpless.”

“He’s going to be your husband. If you can’t share your fears with someone you love, who can you tell?”

“Not tonight.” In spite of her raging fear, her voice was determined. “I won’t wake Benjy again. I’m putting him through too many changes. A new house. A new daddy. A new babysitter. I can’t tell him that mommy has a stalker. I don’t want to scare him.”

“I understand.” And he figured he could handle just about any threat. “We’ll stay here. I’ll make sure we’re safe.”

“Thank you, Shane.” She flung her arms around his neck and held on tight. Her slender body pressed against him, and he tried to ignore his natural response to having a beautiful woman in his arms. This was Angela, after all. She’d been Tom’s wife, then his widow. Now she was engaged to another man. Shane had no right to feel anything more than friendship.

But she was so warm. He closed his eyes for a moment as he embraced her. Quietly, he said, “I won’t let anybody hurt you.”

He heard the front door open. Still holding her, he drew his gun.

Dr. Neil Revere strode into the kitchen. “What the hell is going on?”

Chapter Three

Shane considered himself to be an honorable man. As such, he’d never seduce a woman who was about to get married to another man. Unfortunately, Neil didn’t know him well enough to understand that finding Angela in his embrace was purely innocent, and there wasn’t a real good way to explain what he thought he saw.

Angela left his arms and went toward her fiancé. She kissed his cheek. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

“I told you I’d be stopping by after my meeting. You must have forgotten.” He peeled off his wet trenchcoat and tossed it over one of the chairs by the kitchen table. As he tugged at his necktie to loosen the knot, he said, “You’re forgetting a lot of things lately.”

Though Shane didn’t like the way Neil snapped at her, he cut the doctor some slack. Finding his bride-to-be in the arms of another man was damn awkward.

Ignoring her fiancé’s rebuke, Angela forced a smile. “Neil, you remember Shane Gibson.”

“Of course.” He glared at Shane as though he were a virus that needed to be stamped out. “You’ll be giving Angela away at the wedding.”

Shane holstered his gun and shook hands. “I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you. You’re a lucky man to be marrying Angela.”

Warily, the two men sized each other up. Physically, Shane had the edge. At six foot two, he was a couple of inches taller. He was probably five years younger and certainly in better shape, since being a deputy in a mountain community meant he sometimes had to go on rescue missions and sometimes had to break up bar fights.

Neil managed to smile without showing a bit of friendliness, which was okay with Shane. He didn’t have to like this well-dressed doctor with the dark, serious eyes. The only thing that mattered was for Neil to be a good husband to Angela.

“Tell me, Shane. Is there a reason why you had your gun drawn?”

“Angela had an intruder. Somebody creeping around the house.”

“My God.” To his credit, Neil’s hostility shifted to concern. He stroked Angela’s cheek. “Are you all right? And Benjy? Is he okay?”

“Yes and yes,” she said. “I didn’t actually see the intruder, but the window in my bedroom was opened. And in Benjy’s room, too.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just leave the windows open by mistake?” His voice was skeptical. “Absolutely sure?”

“What are you insinuating?” she asked. “I’m not making this up.”

“It’s okay, honey. I know you’ve been upset, having trouble sleeping.” He seemed to be examining her as though she were a patient. What was wrong with this guy? He ought to be comforting her.

Neil continued, “Getting married can be very stressful, and I know change is difficult for you. If you’re having panic attacks, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d like for you to get help with—”

“I’m fine.” Angela’s voice was strong. “If you don’t believe me about the intruder, talk to Shane. He’s in law enforcement, and he believes me. When you came in, we were discussing what to do next.”

“Is that so?” Neil wheeled around to face him. “It didn’t look like you were talking.”

Shane replied in a cool, professional tone. “In my opinion, there was an intruder, possibly preparing to enter. It’s unlikely that the motive was robbery. Burglars don’t break into a house when the owner is awake and walking around.”