A Christmas Wish: Sapphire Bay, Book 3 Read online

  They turned the corner into a service hallway. Didn’t he know the airport would have cameras on him? Maybe he didn’t care. Maybe he was like a suicide bomber who only wanted his victim dead.

  She wrenched her arm, trying to get away.

  With a muttered curse, the man smashed the back of his hand across her face.

  The impact made her stagger. Her eyes filled with tears and the sharp tang of blood ran over her mouth.

  His hand returned to her hair, yanking her toward an emergency door.

  Using every last ounce of her energy, Megan slammed the heel of her foot into the side of the man’s knee.

  Howling with pain, he let go of her hair and leaned forward.

  Drawing back her leg, she drove her knee into his face, gritting her teeth against the impact.

  Megan didn’t wait to see what happened next. She turned and ran, rounding the corner into the main concourse and slamming straight into William.

  He held onto her arm and pulled her away from the corridor.

  “Where’s Nora?” she gasped.

  “With a security guard. Have you been shot?”

  “No.”

  “Come with me.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and they ran from the departure gates.

  Security guards swarmed across the concourse, sprinting toward the corridor she’d left.

  Megan ignored the blood dripping down her chin and the pain in the back of her head. She focused on Nora and getting away from the man who’d tried to kidnap her.

  A security guard joined them. “Your niece is upstairs. Follow me.”

  They rushed toward an elevator. A police officer held open the doors.

  When she saw her face in the elevator’s mirrored walls, she sucked in a deep breath. If Nora saw her like this, she’d have nightmares for weeks. She hunted for a tissue, wanting to wipe all evidence of the man’s attack from her face.

  “Use this,” William said softly.

  With trembling hands, she took his handkerchief. “Thanks.”

  “Do you remember what he looked like?”

  She nodded. Pain exploded inside her head.

  “It’s okay,” William said. “You’re safe. The security staff will find him.”

  Megan wiped her tears, then gently dabbed her nose. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get rid of the pale pink residue staining her skin.

  She leaned against William, barely registering that his arm was still wrapped around her waist. “The man would have killed me.”

  “But he didn’t. You got away and that’s all that matters.”

  Megan wasn’t so sure. What if other people wanted her dead? What if next time, they achieved what they’d set out to do?

  Chapter 4

  While Megan spoke to airport security and the local police, William sat at a table in one of the airport offices, watching Nora draw pictures on a sheet of paper.

  “When will Aunty Megan be here?” Nora asked.

  “She won’t be gone for much longer,” William reassured her. “Tell me about your picture.”

  Nora studied her drawing. She pointed to a row of people with frowns. “These are the people who were standing outside the bathroom. They were really tall and I couldn’t see around them.” Her bottom lip quivered.

  “How did that make you feel?”

  “Scared, but you found me.”

  William knew he’d been lucky. Nora could have become lost in the crowd, especially after Megan screamed. People had run in all directions as they tried to get away from the man holding the gun.

  He knew he shouldn’t feel guilty for not being able to help Megan sooner, but common sense didn’t take away the gut-wrenching fear of what could have happened.

  Nora showed him another picture. “This is you and me.” She picked up a crayon and drew another figure. “And this is Aunty Megan. Is she going to be okay?”

  “She’ll be fine. When the police have finished talking to her, she’ll come back here.”

  “Did she tell you my mommy died?”

  William nodded.

  “I was only a baby. Aunty Megan’s my mom now.”

  William’s heart broke. Nora was about the same age as his daughter had been when she died. He could imagine Lacey telling him the same thing. She’d remind him, in the same matter-of-fact way, that you didn’t have a choice about what happened in your life. All you could do was love the people around you.

  Nora drew some more shapes on her paper. Her blond hair fell forward, shielding her face from his.

  “You’re lucky you have each other,” he said softly.

  “That’s what Aunty Megan says. Do you have a mommy and daddy?”

  “My mom died a long time ago.”

  Nora stopped drawing. Her blue eyes were as round as a full moon. “Is your daddy dead, too?”

  “No. He’s still alive.”

  Nora bit her bottom lip. “Do you see him lots?”

  William shook his head.

  “Why not?”

  “We had an argument about something important. It’s better if we don’t spend too much time together.”

  “Maybe if your dad came to see us he wouldn’t mind spending time with you.”

  “It’s not that simple.” But some days he wished it was.

  Nora picked up a red crayon. “You look sad. I’ll draw you a flower to make you feel better.”

  After six years of holding onto the grief that had torn his world apart, he didn’t think a picture would help. But, by the time Nora added the last petal to her flower, some of the dark places inside his soul had disappeared.

  The office door opened.

  Nora dropped her crayon. “Aunty Megan!” She ran straight into her aunt’s open arms. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too, pumpkin.” She hugged Nora tight.

  William’s eyes narrowed. By the end of the day, Megan would have at least one black eye. And the red, swollen skin across the left-hand side of her face must be sore.

  Her gaze caught his. “It’s not as bad as it looks.”

  He raised his eyebrows and was surprised to see Megan’s mouth tilt at the corners.

  She grimaced. “Don’t make me smile. It hurts too much.”

  Nora led Megan across to the table. “William has been helping me draw pictures. Do you want to see them?”

  “I’d like that.” She carefully sat in one of the chairs and admired the first picture. “It’s beautiful, Nora.”

  “It’s a flower. For William.”

  He held his breath, hoping Nora didn’t tell Megan why she’d drawn it.

  “And this is a picture of the people who were standing outside the bathroom. They were scary.”

  Megan wrapped her arm around Nora’s narrow shoulders. “Did you feel better once you found William?”

  “I didn’t need to find him. He found me.”

  Megan turned toward William. Tears filled her eyes. “I don’t know how I can ever repay you for what you’ve done. But if you ever need a cake for yourself or a friend, let me know.”

  “I was only doing my job.” He didn’t know who he was trying to fool. When Megan yelled his name, he’d reacted as if they were his own family.

  “You did more than your job,” Megan said. “You made sure we were safe, then you stayed to look after Nora. Thank you.”

  His heart clenched tight. Reminding himself that he was here to do a job was only half his problem. He was attracted to Megan and nothing he said or did would change that. “Do you need to see a doctor?”

  “I’ve already been examined. The doctor doesn’t think my nose is broken, but he wants me to have an X-ray once the swelling goes down.”

  “There’s a hospital in Polson. Do the police need you for anything else?”

  “No, but they want to talk to you before we leave.”

  “I’ll see them now. Are you still happy to fly to Montana today?”

  Megan tightened her hold on Nora. “I’d leave right now if I could.
”

  William checked his watch. “Our luggage has been offloaded from the original flight so, if we’re lucky, you won’t have long to wait. I’ll be back soon.”

  And before he became even more involved in Megan’s life, he left the room. The sooner this assignment was over, the sooner he could go back to Bozeman. He was becoming too emotionally involved in their lives. And, for a man who was used to being alone, that was a dangerous place to be.

  By the end of the six-hour flight from Milwaukee to Polson, everyone was tired. William was tempted to stay in Polson for the night, but it wasn’t where they needed to be.

  They’d met two special agents at the airport. Even though the agents wouldn’t be traveling to Sapphire Bay, it was good to know they were close.

  After they gave William the keys to an SUV, they helped load their suitcases into the vehicle and handed him a folder.

  He’d scanned the contents and left it beside the luggage. What was in there could wait until Nora was asleep.

  So far, the journey between Polson and Sapphire Bay had been uneventful. They were lucky the snowplow had been along this stretch of the highway. Before he’d left Milwaukee, he’d checked the latest weather forecast. With winter storms hitting the bay almost daily, it was the worst time to be going anywhere.

  “Are we nearly there?” Nora said from the back seat.

  William glanced in the rearview mirror. “Nearly.”

  “That’s what you said last time.”

  “It’s true. The house we’re staying in belongs to someone I know. It’s about five minutes away.”

  “Is that a long time?”

  Megan turned around. “It’s about as long as it takes to tie your shoelaces.”

  Nora looked down at her feet. “Okay. I can wait that long.”

  He turned into a driveway and carefully wound his way up to the house. After what had happened this morning, the last thing anyone needed was their truck sliding off the road.

  When he stopped in the front yard, Megan’s soft gasp of surprise made him smile.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  What the house looked like was the least of his worries. But seeing the two-story home now, he had to agree with Megan.

  Even in the half-light of dusk, the snow-covered gable roof and wide veranda looked like something you’d see in a visitors’ guide to Montana. A chimney rose from the center of the building, reminding him of roaring fires and sweet, toasted marshmallows.

  But that wasn’t the best part of the property. “Wait until you see the view. The house overlooks the town of Sapphire Bay and Flathead Lake.”

  “Is this one of the FBI’s usual safe houses?”

  He pushed the button on the remote control and the garage door opened. “It belongs to a friend of mine. He’s in Europe for two months and was happy for us to use his home.”

  “Can we build a snowman, William?” Nora asked.

  He drove into the garage and turned off the engine. “Not now. I think your aunt would want us to wait until tomorrow. It’s almost pitch-black outside.”

  Megan turned to Nora. “William’s right. It’s too dark but, after we’ve unpacked everything, we could explore the inside of the house.”

  A grin broke across Nora’s face. “Yeah!”

  William had forgotten how quickly five-year-olds bounced back after something traumatic happened. “I’ll bring our bags inside. The electricity and hot water have been turned on and there should be food in the refrigerator.”

  “You thought of everything.”

  “I hope so.” He kept an eye on Megan as she helped Nora gather the toys she’d played with on the way here. She was exhausted and it showed in every slow movement of her body.

  Nora jumped out of the SUV with Dolly clutched in her arms. “We’re going to explore.”

  Megan held out Nora’s backpack. “After we’ve helped William.”

  Nora sighed but wiggled her arms through the shoulder straps. “Can we have some hot chocolate before we go to bed?”

  “As long as William has some chocolate powder, we can.”

  “There should be some in the kitchen.” He pulled one of Megan’s bags out of the SUV. “This is heavy.”

  Color stained her cheeks. “I brought my mixer with me.”

  It took a couple of seconds for him to work out what she meant. “A food mixer? Why?”

  “It isn’t just any old mixer. It’s my KitchenAid stand mixer. I couldn’t leave Milwaukee without it.”

  “We could bake you a cake,” Nora said.

  He studied the serious expression on Megan’s face. Her food mixer meant more to her than he realized. “That would be great. Especially if it was chocolate.”

  Nora turned excited eyes toward Megan. “We could bake William a cake like Josh’s.”

  Megan ruffled Nora’s hair. “Except without the dragon.”

  William didn’t know who Josh was or anything about a dragon, but it looked as though Megan wasn’t letting her trusty food mixer out of her sight.

  “I’ll take my suitcase through to the kitchen, then come back for more bags.” Megan extended the handle of the bag and wheeled it toward the house.

  “The kitchen is at the end of the hallway,” he said quickly. “If you’re hungry, help yourself to anything that’s there. Did you bring other appliances with you?”

  “Only my razor-sharp knife set and a dough hook.”

  William didn’t think she was serious—until he looked into her eyes. He couldn’t believe her suitcase had made it through security. “Remind me to ask what’s inside your bags before I fly with you.”

  Her sad smile made him regret his words. If it weren’t for a potential breach in national security, they wouldn’t be going anywhere together. He only hoped the next flight they took was back to Milwaukee.

  Megan stood in the doorway and stared at the most incredible kitchen she’d ever seen.

  This wasn’t what most people had in their homes. With its marble counter, Sub-Zero refrigerators, and triple ovens, it was the kind of kitchen any chef would be pleased to own.

  “What can you see?” Nora asked from behind her.

  Megan stepped inside the room. “A beautiful kitchen,” she whispered. Running her fingers along the cool marble counter was like touching silk. There were so many cupboards that she wondered what could possibly be inside them.

  “Wow. Look at this.” Nora disappeared inside the butler’s pantry.

  When Megan peeked around the edge of the doorframe, her mouth dropped open. The pantry was as large as their spare bedroom. Two more sinks, a microwave, and two dishwashers weren’t the only things that made her sigh.

  The person who lived here loved to cook. Rows of brightly colored jars lined the open shelves. Preserved cherries, peaches, pears, and apricots filled one side of the pantry. On the wall opposite were rows of jams and chutneys. She could have stayed in the kitchen for the rest of the night, admiring what the owner had done.

  Nora pointed to a bright pink jar. “What’s in there?”

  Megan read the label. “It’s pink guava jam.”

  “What does it taste like?”

  “I don’t know, but it looks pretty.”

  “Could we make jam sandwiches?”

  They’d had dinner before they left Polson, but Nora was so busy looking at the people around them that she hadn’t eaten much. “Are you still hungry?”

  Nora nodded. “I’ve got a rumbly tummy.”

  “In that case, we’ll look in the kitchen to see if there’s an open jar of jam.”

  Nora rushed out of the pantry. “I can see straight into the fridge.”

  “Don’t open the door until I get there. There could be things that will spill.”

  “I won’t touch anything.” Nora stood on her tiptoes. “I can’t see any jam.”

  Megan opened the first refrigerator and peered along the shelves. The only jam she found was made from cherries. The next refrigerator didn’t have any at al
l. “You could have a cherry sandwich,” she said to Nora. “It’s a lovely shade of red.”

  “Have you found what you need?”

  Megan caught her breath. She was so focused on Nora, that she hadn’t heard William come into the room. “You gave me a fright.”

  “Sorry. Do you like the kitchen?”

  Putting into words how she felt was hopeless. The kitchen was everything Megan had ever wanted. “This is the most amazing kitchen I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe your friend let us stay here. He could rent his house as a vacation home to the rich and famous.”

  “He prefers to know who’s living here.”

  “But he doesn’t know Nora and me.”

  William turned on the coffeepot. “I’ll make sure you don’t have any wild parties.”

  She hadn’t expected William to stay with them the whole time. “You thought we might be here until Christmas. Are you sure you can stay that long?”

  “I’m not going anywhere until we know you’re safe.”

  Nora tugged the edge of Megan’s sweater. “Could I please have a jam sandwich?”

  “If we can find a loaf of bread, you can.”

  William opened a cupboard door. “The bread’s usually in here.” He pulled out a loaf and smiled. “My friend left yesterday, so it should still be fresh.”

  Megan felt the loaf. “It’s great. We’ll have to figure out some kind of rent for letting us stay here.”

  “That won’t be necessary. Zac has been in a few tricky situations as well. He was happy to help.”

  Megan didn’t want to freeload off one of his friends. “I really want to pay something toward our living expenses, but we can talk about it tomorrow. Would you like a jam sandwich?”

  “Why don’t you sit down. I can make us something to eat.”

  “I’m okay. All I need to do is—”

  William took the bread out of her hands and pointed to a kitchen stool. “Sit. Nora and I can make the sandwiches.”

  Nora was practically jumping up and down. “Yes, please. I love making things.”

  Megan looked at the excitement on Nora’s face, the stubborn gleam in William’s eyes. She was outnumbered and outvoted, so she sat on the stool.

  “Did you see that?” William said in a surprised whisper to Nora. “Your aunt didn’t disagree with me.”