The Protector's Promise (The Sinclair Brothers) Read online

  “I’m sorry. I guess with everything that’s happened the past few days, I forgot. Do you have plans? If so, I can probably skip the meeting.” Though she doubted her supervisor would be happy about it.

  “No, that’s okay. I don’t have any plans. I just was expecting you to be home a while longer.”

  “Is something wrong? Do you need me to stay? I will. I’m sure my supervisor will understand.” She wasn’t sure of any such thing, but her family came first, and if Candace needed her home, home was exactly where she would be.

  “No. That’s okay. I was just surprised.” Candace’s gaze dropped to Lily, then met Honor’s again. “Just make sure you’re careful, okay?”

  “You know I will be. Call my cell phone if you need me.”

  “We’ll be fine.” Please, please make sure you are.

  The words were unspoken, but seemed to shine from Candace’s eyes, begging for reassurance. Her parents had shown no interest in her during the past years, and Honor knew that she was all the young woman had.

  Honor wanted to pull Candace into a hug, but knew her sister-in-law well enough to refrain. Malones didn’t admit to weakness. Jay had told Honor that often enough during their marriage. Candace might not verbalize the sentiment, but from the day she’d entered Honor’s life, it had been obvious that was how she felt. Tough, independent, but with a soft spirit that could so easily be bruised and broken.

  “I’ll be okay, too, Candace.” Honor whispered so that Lily couldn’t hear, hoping her words would be enough to ease Candace’s worry.

  “You’d better be.” Candace spoke just as quietly, but Honor could still hear the fear in her voice.

  Guilt at having to leave followed Honor out the door and into the car. It stayed with her as she drove along the winding road that led out of town. Past pastures steeped in golden sun, across a bridge that spanned a tributary of Smith Mountain Lake, then along the lengthy driveway that led to Lakeview Haven. Guilt that she couldn’t do more to make the girls feel secure. Guilt that she’d somehow brought danger into their lives.

  “Lord, please help Sheriff Reed find the person stalking me soon. Please keep the girls safe. Keep me safe. Help us to put this behind us and to build wonderful memories here in Lakeview,” she prayed. And as she pulled into a parking spot close to the front entrance of the building, a sense of peace filled her.

  There was nothing to be afraid of when God was in control. Nothing to worry about. She just needed to cling to her faith, trust that God would work things out according to His will and His way. Everything else would fall into place.

  She stepped out of the car and started toward the building, aware of the emptiness of the parking lot and the porch. Obviously, the cold weather was keeping everyone inside. Hopefully it was keeping her stalker inside, too. The thought of him watching as she made her way up the wide steps to the front door made her shiver from something other than freezing temperatures.

  “Honor! Wait!” The masculine voice calling from somewhere behind Honor sent her heart tripping. She lunged for the door, pushing it open and racing into the lobby, visions of a masked pursuer filling her mind.

  Safe inside, Honor nearly sagged with relief, her heart slowly settling into a normal rhythm. She was halfway across the wide lobby when the door swung open, the sound sending her pulse racing again. She whirled around, expecting to see a stranger highlighted in the afternoon light. Instead, she saw Will walking toward her, his deeply tanned face set in a scowl. “Hey, didn’t you hear me calling you?”

  “Sorry, it was so cold outside, I couldn’t wait to get in where it was warmer.”

  “Yeah?” His dark gaze raked her from head to toe. “Because the way you were running, anyone would have thought Jack the Ripper was after you.”

  Jack the Ripper?

  Not a good image.

  Honor tried to relax and smile. Act like she hadn’t been scared out of her wits over nothing. “If Jack the Ripper had been after me, I wouldn’t have just been running. I would have been screaming.”

  “And risk waking Mr. Erickson? I think I’d rather face the Ripper.” Will smiled, the irritation in his face easing as they moved toward the nurse’s station together.

  “True. Mr. Erickson can be a challenge, can’t he?”

  “A challenge? I got called in this morning because he insisted I stole five dollars in quarters off his dresser.”

  “You’re kidding.” No wonder Will looked on edge.

  “Do I look like I’m kidding? The old guy asked me to put the change in a sock in the bottom drawer of his dresser. Said he wanted to make sure no stinking thief got his hands on it. Next thing I know, I’m being accused of being a stinking thief.” Will nearly spit the words.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah. Me, too. Fortunately, this isn’t the first time Erickson has pulled something like this. He accused an orderly of stealing his iPod last month. We found that under Erickson’s mattress. Once I showed Janice where the quarters were, the matter was dropped.”

  “It sounds like Mr. Erickson is in desperate need of attention.”

  “You’re probably right about that. I just wish he’d go about getting it in a different way.” Will smiled, his gaze searching Honor’s. “How about you? Did you have a relaxing weekend?”

  “As relaxing as any weekend can be when you’ve got a four-year-old in the house.” That was as much as she planned to say on the matter. Her problems weren’t something she wanted her co-workers to know about. Not yet, anyway.

  “So, nothing exciting happened? No hot dates or secret assignations?”

  Surprised, Honor took a harder look at Will. Was he asking for a reason other than simple curiosity? Did he know what had happened? Had he somehow heard about the package Honor had received? Or did he know because he’d been the one to deliver it? “No. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I’d like to believe you have a more exciting life than I do.” Will grinned, flashing straight white teeth.

  He was young, brash and too handsome for his own good, but that didn’t make him a stalker. Honor really did need to gain control of her imagination. “I’m sorry to tell you, I don’t.”

  “Yeah, well, both of our lives are about to get a little more boring. These meetings tend to drag on. Lots of talk. Little change.”

  “It can’t drag on too long. Our shifts begin in two hours.”

  “Two hours can feel like an eternity when Janice is talking.” Will winked and pushed open the door to the conference room, gesturing for Honor to step in ahead of him.

  She did, walking into warmth and soft conversation. The sharp scent of coffee and the sweeter aroma of doughnuts. The easy rhythm of men and women who worked together.

  Honor took a seat next a gray-haired RN she’d never met before and introduced herself, relaxing for the first time in what seemed like days. Here, in a room filled with people, she felt safe. Any length of boredom would be worth it for that.

  Honor’s shift proved to be busy enough to keep her mind off her troubles. Several patients were sick with a flu that seemed to be running rampant through the facility. Another had difficulty breathing and had to be taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Between administering medicine, lending an ear to some of the lonelier residents and making her rounds, she had little time to worry about who might be waiting for her when she left the safety of Lakeview Haven.

  By the time she punched out, her back ached and her head throbbed, but at least she wasn’t as scared as she’d been when she left home. She waited until Will came to the nurse’s station, unwilling to walk out to her car by herself.

  “Waiting for me?” He grinned, his boyish charm meant to melt hearts, but doing nothing for Honor. She preferred a little more maturity, a little more experience.

  A picture of Grayson Sinclair flashed through her mind, and she shoved it away.

  What she preferred was going it alone.

  And if she told herself that enough she just might believe it.


  “I’m waiting for someone to walk out with.”

  “Ah, so it’s not me specifically you were waiting for. Too bad.” His smile faded, but he seemed happy enough to walk to the lobby with her.

  “Actually, I was waiting specifically for you. We are the only two nurses working this shift, after all.”

  Will laughed and pushed open the door. “That makes me feel so much better.”

  “What would make me feel better is a little warmth.” Honor shoved her hands into her coat pockets, wishing she’d brought her gloves to work. Wishing even more that she didn’t have to drive home and get out of her car with the night hiding anyone who might be watching.

  “We’ve got a few more months before that happens. Of course, I can think of plenty of other ways to warm up, if you’re interested.”

  “You never give up, do you?” Honor would have laughed if she weren’t so anxious to get in her car, get back to her house and hide inside again. She felt exposed, vulnerable and very aware of how easy it would be for someone to watch undetected.

  It had been done before.

  It was possible it was being done that very moment.

  She shuddered at the thought, hurrying down the stairs next to Will. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “See you then.” Will continued through the parking lot while Honor half jogged to her own car. Fear made her pulse race and her hands tremble as she shoved the key into the lock. She really needed to get herself under control. Getting panicky wasn’t going to keep her safe.

  Headlights flashed as Honor opened her car door, and she looked up at the vehicle driving toward her. Not Will’s car. He drove a Jeep. Someone else. Heading right toward her and flashing his high beams.

  Honor yanked open her car door, her heart slamming against her ribs as she slid into the driver’s seat. Her cell phone was in her pocket, and she pulled it out, her hand shaking so badly that she nearly dropped it on the floor. She needed to call the police. Though what good calling for help would do if the person in the car was carrying a gun, Honor didn’t know.

  The car pulled into the space beside hers, and Honor tensed, her fingers poised and ready to dial. As she watched, the interior light turned on, revealing sandy hair, strong features, eyes she knew were the same vivid blue as the flowers that bloomed in her mother’s garden. Grayson.

  She unrolled her window, relieved and frustrated at the same time. He’d scared five years off her life. “And just what are you doing out at this time of night, Grayson Sinclair? Besides scaring me to death, that is.”

  “Same thing as you. I just got finished working.”

  “Maybe so, but you weren’t working here, so how did you end up in Lakeview Haven’s parking lot?”

  “It was on my way home from Lynchburg.” The yellow interior light cast shadows beneath his eyes and added hollows under his cheeks. He looked hard and tough, and so appealing Honor almost had to look away.

  “It was on your way home, so you thought you’d stop by? And you just happened to arrive as I was getting done?”

  “The timing wasn’t quite that perfect.” He grinned, and Honor’s heart jumped in response.

  “No? Exactly how long have you been waiting?”

  “One hour and fifteen minutes.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “That’s up for debate.”

  “Really, Grayson, you should be home sleeping. Why wait out in a cold parking lot?”

  “Why do you think? I wanted to make sure you got home in one piece.”

  “Grayson—”

  “Look, I’m here. You’re here. We’re both heading home. Let’s save the discussion of the reasons I shouldn’t have done this for a time when we’re not so tired.” There was a weary edge to Grayson’s voice that made Honor want to ask questions. Questions about his life, his work, his brother. Questions that shouldn’t be asked by someone who wasn’t interested.

  And she wasn’t interested.

  No matter how much her heart might be saying otherwise.

  “I guess I am tired. Let’s go.” She rolled her window up and pulled out of the parking lot, the headlights from Grayson’s car reminding her of just how nice it was to not have to go it alone. Of just how comforting it was to have someone in her corner.

  She closed her mind to the thought.

  God was in her corner. She didn’t need any more than that.

  But maybe she wanted more.

  Maybe she wanted to know what it would be like to let a man like Grayson into her life.

  And maybe she was too tired and too scared to think straight.

  Determined to change the direction of her thoughts, she turned on the radio, letting the soft classical music fill her mind and chase away the longings she didn’t want to feel, but did.

  THIRTEEN

  Grayson’s day hadn’t gone well. Aside from the normal hectic pace of work and the hassle of trying to get several crews to work simultaneously on his parent’s rental, he’d received a call from his father. Jude’s condition had worsened, his weakened body attacked by a bacterial infection. According to his attending physician, the infection had been caught early and was under control, but Grayson still felt uneasy. He was worried about his brother, frustrated to be so far from him. He had wanted to take the next flight up to New York, but Jude had called before Grayson could buy the ticket and insisted that he didn’t need another person hovering over his hospital bed.

  Grayson knew his brother well enough to believe him. Jude had always been independent to a fault. Going his own way, forging his own path, determined to make decisions apart from the family. There was nothing wrong with that, but it had led him farther away from home than the rest of the Sinclair siblings. If Jude said he wanted Grayson to stay away, there was no doubt that he meant it.

  Of course, there were other reasons Grayson hadn’t flown to New York. Three of them. Honor, Lily and Candace Malone. As long as Jude was holding his own and insisting he didn’t need his brother at his bedside, Grayson would keep doing what he had been doing—keeping his eyes on the Malone women.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension there as he followed Honor home. He hadn’t meant to stop by Lakeview Haven, but he’d seen the sign for it on his way back from Lynchburg and had found himself traveling down the back road that led there. Compelled. Intent. Determined to help.

  The night was silvery gray and silent, the moon pale gold as Grayson pulled into Honor’s driveway and got out of his car. Honor’s house was dark but for the light that illuminated the porch and cast shadows across the yard. Grayson surveyed the area as he approached her car, looking for signs that they weren’t alone, that someone was watching from the darkness. There didn’t seem to be anyone, but someone could be hiding out of sight, snapping pictures, getting ready to send another “gift” to the object of his affection.

  The thought filled Grayson with rage, but he forced it down as Honor’s car door opened. She had enough on her plate. The last thing she needed was to deal with his emotions.

  He offered her a hand out of the car, and she hesitated before accepting, as if she were afraid letting him help would give Grayson an inroad into her life.

  He didn’t bother telling her that it was too late. That he was already too deep in to ever back out. She didn’t need to deal with that, either. Eventually, there would be time for a discussion about their relationship, but that time wasn’t now.

  His hand tightened around hers as he pulled her from the car, and she smiled into his eyes. “Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For following me home, though you really didn’t have to.”

  “Sure, I did. Otherwise, I would have been lying in bed wondering if you’d made it into your house safely. Eventually, I would have given in and called to check on you. This saved us both some time.”

  “Well, now you know I’m home. Safe and sound. You can go back to your place and sleep peacefully. Good night, Grayson.” Hono
r smiled at him, gently pulling her hand from his grip, her dismissal hinting that he was welcome to leave before she was inside.

  “Not until I walk you to your door and make sure you’re locked in tight.”

  “So, you really are a true gentleman?” There was laughter in Honor’s eyes, and Grayson wondered what it would be like to know her under different circumstances. Wondered how she’d be acting, what she’d be saying if she hadn’t been hurt before.

  “I like to think so.”

  “Ah, but what you think in that regard doesn’t matter. What matters is what others think.”

  “Then I guess I should be asking you.”

  “Whether or not you’re a true gentleman? Right now it seems you might be.” She smiled again as they moved up the porch stairs. “But it takes time to know the truth about someone.”

  “Then I guess we need to spend more time together so you can figure it out.”

  “I’m sure my opinion about you doesn’t matter so much that I need to spend time figuring anything out. Or that you need to spend time worrying about what it is.” She put her hand on the doorknob, and Grayson expected her to go inside. Instead she turned to him, her eyes scanning his face, her brow furrowing. “I’ve been thinking about you today.”

  “Have you? Then maybe there’s hope for us after all.”

  “Actually, my thoughts were centered more around your brother. How is he doing?”

  Her question sobered Grayson, and he shook his head. “Not as good as I’d like. He’s got a bacterial infection. The doctor is treating it aggressively, but Jude is pretty weak. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen.”

  “I’m sorry. I know how frustrating it can be when someone you love is sick.” She touched his hand, her fingers lingering for a moment on his knuckles, their warmth searing into his skin, comforting him.

  Grayson’s pulse raced in acknowledgment. “What’s more frustrating is that he doesn’t want me up there with him.”

  “He’s alone?”