Rebecca Winters: The Texas Ranger's Family

“How did the boss take it when you told him you were going to go undercover as Kellie’s husband?”

A long silence followed. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to do the same thing with this new case?”

Kit exhaled a sigh. “You’ve just answered my question.”

“No—forget what I said. Tell me about the case.”

“The wife of the guy who was found dead in his hotel room a week ago could be in serious trouble—someone broke into her house today. But having a surveillance crew watching her could scare off the bad guys. I want to catch them in the act. I’m thinking about posing as her cousin who is taking his retreat from the parish he serves to be with her for the next week.”

“A priest?”

“Yeah. I’ll wear a collar.”

Cy made a funny choking sound. “Have you told the widow what you’ve planned?”

“Nope. I wanted to run it by you first. If you think my plan holds water, then I’ll tell the captain. If he gives his approval, then I’ll talk to her.”

“What haven’t you told me yet?”

“Get ready for an earful.”

In the next few minutes Kit had revealed everything to his friend, including the fact that the widow had a sixteen-month-old daughter. When he’d finished, a loud whistle came from the other end of the line.

“Harold Park has been on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for years! You mean to tell me his wife didn’t have a clue?”

“As far as I can tell, not one.”

“Maybe she’s as big a con artist as he was.”

“No. When she saw the rap sheet, she went white as a ghost. I followed her to the bathroom and watched while she lost her lunch. That kind of reaction couldn’t have been faked.

“Seriously, Cy, I would have treated this like a normal case until Detective Carr called me about the burglary.

“If you could have seen her house, you’d know that whoever is after the money isn’t going to stop. My hunch is that the money he embezzled over the years has been laundered, but he kept four-hundred thousand for quick cash. Someone knew he had it and came to the house hoping to find it stashed there. But they only had that short window of time. I’m afraid they’ll be back for a more thorough search. That puts Mrs. Harris and her daughter at risk and changes the way I planned to go about solving the case.”

“I hear you. Knowing what I know now, your priest idea sounds inspired. It makes sense that a family member would stay for a while to help her in her time of grief. The collar will stop any gossip, especially if she’s attractive.”

Kit didn’t comment.

“Is she?”

“Is she what?”

“Attractive.”

“Yes.”

Cy waited for his friend to continue. “Just yes?”

“Yes. Just yes!”

“Whoa! For you to clam up like this means she must really be a knockout. Right?”

“That’s not what’s important here.”

“The hell it isn’t! I’ve been there, remember?”

“I do remember. Vividly. That’s why I called you.” Cy had ended up marrying the woman he’d been protecting.

“You shouldn’t have any trouble with the captain. No matter how you do it, he knows Kit Saunders always gets his man. But he’ll give you the same advice he gave me. Be careful you don’t cross the line.”

Kit knew exactly what his friend meant. A strong attraction could complicate a case while you were trying to remain professional. “That won’t happen to me. This woman’s in shock.”

“So was Kellie. But it wore off. When it wears off for Mrs. Harris, that’s the time to worry.”

“Thanks for the warning, Cy,” he muttered. “Give my best to Kellie. Talk to you later.”

He ended the call and dialed TJ. Might as well run it by him. Depending on the captain’s answer, Kit would have some preparations to make before eleven in the morning when he saw her again. He’d have to keep his head down and try to concentrate on his work instead of those eyes, green as lush spring grass.

* * *

NATALIE HAD ALREADY used up a week of her ten-day paid leave for family bereavement. She was thankful for a few more days to play with her golden-haired daughter before going back to work.

She was just the sweetest little thing, Natalie thought, as Amy ambled around the house on fairly steady legs, pushing her little grocery cart. Natalie adored her and sang her favorite songs over and over again while she got her dressed and fed her breakfast.

One day Amy would have to know about her father, but that time wouldn’t come for years yet. Since he hadn’t been around at all since moving to the hotel, she rarely said “dada.” Her vocabulary consisted of about twenty words. She loved her farm animals and had cow and pig down pat. Amy particularly loved the “Eensy Weensy Spider” song and always said the word spout very loudly when the time came.

At quarter to eleven Natalie let Amy drink her milk from a sippy cup then put her down for a nap and sang nursery rhymes until the toddler’s eyelids fluttered closed. After tiptoeing from the bedroom, Natalie walked back to the kitchen to clean off the high chair and straighten up. The Ranger would be arriving in a few minutes.

She hurried into the bathroom to give her hair a brush-through and put on some lipstick. Today she’d dressed in a blue-and-white print blouse with jeans and sandals. When her cell rang, she went to her bedroom where she’d left it on the bedside table.

She knew when she saw that there was no name on the Caller ID that it had to be him. Miles. The two hang-up calls had come in on her landline. She clicked Answer. Maybe he wouldn’t be coming, after all. “Hello?”

“Mrs. Harris? Ranger Saunders here. How are you this morning?”

The vibrancy of his deep voice curled through her. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d believe you. I’ll be by in a minute. I’ll be driving a dark red Altima and I’ll come to the front door this time. You mentioned putting your little girl down for a nap—I’ll knock so I don’t disturb her.”

“That’s very considerate of you. I’ll listen for your knock.”

“All right, then.” He clicked off.

Natalie left her bedroom and paused at the nursery door. She’d played hard with Amy and figured she’d stay asleep for an hour, but probably no longer. By that time, presumably, the Ranger would have finished whatever it was he needed to do and gone.

The news had been shocking enough when she’d learned that Rod had been found shot. But whatever news the Ranger still had to share couldn’t possibly be as ghastly as what she’d learned about her husband yesterday. He’d committed murder.

Rod hadn’t even been his name... She shuddered to think that she’d been married to him all that time. They’d had a baby together. Natalie felt violated. She hadn’t slept well.

She was still deep in torturous thought when she reached the living room and heard a soft knock. As she opened the door, another shock awaited her. The Ranger who’d left her home yesterday had been so transformed she almost didn’t recognize him except for those fabulous hazel eyes and dark brown hair.

Standing in front of her was a tall, well-honed priest carrying a suitcase. He wore a traditional, short-sleeved, tab-collared clergy shirt in a vivid blue color and a pair of black pants. His white collar stood in contrast with the tan of his complexion, and even more brilliant was his smile. It took her breath.

“If you’ll invite me in, I’ll explain.”

Natalie had been staring at him. His remark caused the blood to rush to her face. She opened the door wider so he could pass.

He put the suitcase down on the floor in the small entry hall before following her into the living room. “Your daughter is asleep?”