Risky Return. Virginia Vaughan

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      Collin pointed to the window that had been shattered. “That’s how he got inside. And the threatening letters she told you about are on the table. They’re pretty intense.”

      He walked over and glanced at the letters then took out his phone. “I’ll have Forensics come by and process this scene.”

      “How long will that take?” Collin asked.

      Kent shrugged. “A couple of hours. We’ll try to pull prints off the windowsill and the wall.”

      “Good. I’ll take Rebecca and go to the hardware store for something to board up the window and some paint to cover that.”

      “We should be done by the time you get back. I’ll also have these letters sent to the lab for examination. Maybe we can pull some prints off them.”

      Collin glanced at Rebecca. Even though she’d stopped shaking, she still looked so fragile sitting in that chair. He wanted to get her out of here, fix everything and make it like it was before to make her feel better, but he knew paint and boards couldn’t fix this.

      She was in danger and he couldn’t make that go away with only a trip to the hardware store.

      * * *

      Collin did his best to keep Rebecca’s mind off what was going on at her house and, for the most part, he succeeded. Except she knew very well what the lumber and paint were for.

      Rebecca stole a moment at the hardware store to slip into the bathroom and phone Missy to let her know she’d been held up and wouldn’t be returning to the motel tonight. She didn’t tell Missy about the attack in the parking lot or the threatening message on her wall. The girl didn’t need the added worry and Rebecca wasn’t entirely sure she could make it through that conversation without breaking down herself. She touched the tender spot on her forehead where her attacker had slammed her head against the car and knew Missy would find out about it tomorrow, anyway. She certainly couldn’t hide the bruises from her.

      “I’m fine,” Missy assured her. “I’m going to try to sleep.”

      “Good. Be sure to keep the door locked and don’t answer it for anyone. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Rebecca ended the call then rejoined Collin at the cash register.

      A text message from Kent alerted them that it was safe to return to the house. When Rebecca reentered her home, she flinched at the threatening message still there, but then she saw fingerprint dust everywhere. Kent’s people had left a mess but at least they were gone.

      Collin got to work boarding up the window that had been broken. “Tomorrow, I’ll have someone come out and replace the glass.”

      “Thank you,” Rebecca said, grateful to have someone else handling these things. She was still shaking inside from knowing someone had not only attacked her, but had also been inside her house. It felt different now, like a sacred trust had been broken. Having Collin with her eased that feeling, but how comfortable would she feel once he was gone?

      He opened the can of paint he’d purchased and began covering up the threatening words, but after one coat, it still seeped through. Evil always did.

      He shook his head. “Guess it’s going to take another coat. I’ll let this one dry then start on another.”

      She heated up the takeout containers of ribs they’d picked up and they sat down to eat. It was surreal sitting across from Collin eating a meal. He was so different yet so much the same. He didn’t have to be here with her, yet he’d chosen to stay and help without being asked. She wasn’t surprised he’d made a good soldier; he’d always had a heart to help others.

      She had to stop thinking so fondly of him. This was the man who’d promised to love her for all time then abandoned her with no word after she lost the baby. No amount of boarding up windows or painting a wall could change that. He’d left her and no matter how nice he was being today, she couldn’t let herself trust him or she’d be devastated again when he left.

      They ate in silence; the awkwardness between them filled the air. Despite the pain of their past relationship, he’d shown up today and she’d once known everything about him. She knew very little about him now except the basics he’d shared—he’d been an army ranger, now worked private security and was back in town to deal with his late mother’s estate.

      “So tell me something about you,” she said.

      He shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. My work keeps me traveling. Or at least, it used to.”

      “You’re not working overseas anymore?”

      He shrugged. “That’s something that is still up in the air. What about you, Rebecca? How is your life?”

      “It’s good. I’m happy.”

      “You never remarried?”

      She looked at him, confused. “How could I when I’m still married to you?”

      He choked on his food then dropped it, looking dismayed as he stared at her. “What do you mean? You never got a divorce?”

      She was surprised by his shock. Of course, he’d assumed she had taken care of it. She should have, instead of letting this joke of a marriage continue, yet she’d never been able to bring herself to file the papers. “At first, I was too heartbroken to even think about it. Then I was just too ashamed. I never told anyone that we got married. My father would have been so angry and at the time, I just couldn’t deal with it. My family still doesn’t know. After a while, it seemed easier to keep it a secret. I never told them about the baby, either.”

      He leaned back in his seat and sighed. “No one knows?”

      She shook her head. It seemed wrong to never mention their child and she often felt guilty for keeping it a secret, but whenever she tried to think about it or mention it to someone, it brought back all the pain and heartache of that day. “Sometimes it feels like it never happened, but I know it did.”

      She stood and cleared away the containers, hoping activity would ease the tension between them. She picked up a towel and started wiping down the counters, vaguely aware of him standing behind her.

      “Rebecca, I—I’m sorry.”

      “Don’t.” She turned around to face him. “This day has been too much for me, Collin. I can’t deal with you, too. I just want to go to bed and forget this day ever happened.”

      He backed away from her, digging his hands into his pockets in a way she remembered he did whenever he’d been rebuked. “I’ll finish up that second coat then I’ll be out of your way.”

      She gave a sigh of relief and thanked him when the second coat of paint covered the ugly marks. Collin cleaned up then made certain the house was secure before he left. The place felt empty with him gone, but she knew it was for the best. It felt good to finally tell someone else what she’d been struggling with. It was like a burden lifted from her shoulders. She wasn’t alone in this. But despite how grateful she was that he’d been here today, she couldn’t risk her heart by having him around long-term. It stunned her that she still had such strong feelings for him even after all this time. It had to be because of the stress of the day’s events.

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