Deadly Identity (16 page)

“Listen, there's more we need to talk about,” she quavered, searching his eyes. “Every moment here I feel like I'm putting all of you in jeopardy, Cade. I—I just couldn't stand seeing anyone else killed by Dirk. I couldn't bear it.” Her voice cracked.

Nodding, Cade whispered, “Come with me. Let's
sit on the couch together. We'll look at all of this and figure it out.”

As they sat down, Rachel's knee grazed his. She cleared her throat. “Cade, I'm a danger to your world. My God, you just lost Abby and your baby daughter. Now, I come in here under a layer of lies, and I have placed you, Jenny and your parents in an even more dangerous place. Don't you see that?”

“Rachel, I might see it that way if I weren't in law enforcement. First off, I think the right thing to do is get Mom and Dad over here after dinner and tell them everything. They need to make up their own mind about this. We will abide by their wishes.”

“If I were them,” Rachel said unsteadily, “I'd tell me to leave now.”

Cade shrugged. “You're seeing only one side to this, Rachel, and I understand that.” He added, “There are advantages to being here, too. If my parents approve of you staying, then they can be alert for strangers coming to our ranch. Forewarned is forearmed.”

“Well,” Rachel said, drawing in a ragged breath, “I don't see how they would want me to stay. I've lied to them, too.”

“Rachel, you had to keep your cover,” Cade offered, giving her a searching look. “I know enough about the FBI program to know they put the fear of God in you about never blowing your cover.”

“I—I just couldn't keep lying to you, Cade. I like
you too much. I love my life here. I love Jenny. And your parents are incredibly wonderful to me.”

Nodding, Cade bit back so many personal words he wanted to share with her. Right now was not a good time. He had to concentrate on Rachel and help ease her out of this world she'd carried silently on her shoulders for so many years. “We all love you, too. It's mutual, Rachel.” Cade kept the
we
light so that she didn't read it the wrong way. God knew, he wanted to tell her of the love he'd discovered for her. “I believe my parents will want you to stay.”

Rachel wiped her eyes, feeling miserable. “I don't see why any of you would.”

“I do.” The words, the need to hold her nearly ate him alive, but he kept his hands in his lap.

“If they let me stay, what then, Cade? Are you okay with me living here and taking care of Jenny? Should I move out? Live in town? Or just disappear?”

Cade gave her a level, serious look. “No to all the above. I want you here, Rachel. You've given us so much. I can't tell you how much I look forward to coming home after a shift. You have no idea of the dark world I lived in until you walked into our lives.” He placed his other hand over hers. “I don't want you to leave.”

“But I'm putting you and Jenny in danger!” Her voice cracked, and Rachel felt herself getting swallowed up once more by fear for their lives.

Cade patted her hand. “Once we find out what my
parents' decision is and if they want you to stay here, I'll contact Brenda, your FBI handler.”

Rolling her eyes, Rachel whispered, “Oh, God, Cade! She'll hit the roof! She'll be so angry and disappointed in me. She once warned me that if I blew my cover, they would drop me out of the program and wash their hands of me.”

Looking into her pale, drawn features, Cade understood the risk that Rachel had taken for him and his family. “You have the heart of a lioness, strong morals and values, Rachel. You did the right thing in telling me. I don't always agree with the FBI or their rules on things like this. There are a lot of gray areas that the FBI would rather ignore. And this situation is one of them. No, I think you did the right thing.”

“But, if they drop me, I won't have their protection and help like I did before. I worry about my mother most of all. Have I jeopardized her, too? I'm so scared, Cade.”

“I know you are,” he said, fingers trailing down her cheek and jaw. It was so easy to touch Rachel. How badly Cade wanted to draw her into his arms, carry her to his bed and love her. He could see her need in her eyes. Cade had to remain strong and steady for her right now. Making love to Rachel was not where this needed to go. He hoped there would be a time in their future when he could court her as she deserved.

“If Mom and Dad feel endangered by you being
here, then we'll move you into town. I don't have a problem with that. And I respect whatever their needs are. This is their home.”

“What are you saying?”

“If they want you to leave, we'll find a house and move into it—the three of us.” Cade saw the shock in her eyes. Her lips parted. “Rachel, I like what we have. I believe you're safe here. Based upon what you've told me, Payson isn't going to think of Wyoming to hunt for you. The FBI was smart in placing you here. I'll talk with my captain, and we can put out an extra alert throughout the sheriffs' organization to stay on top of strangers coming into Jackson Hole. We can circulate his poster to every business in town. And we have a good working relationship with the police of Jackson Hole. They'll be with us on this. We can cover your back. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't be offering these kinds of solutions. The last thing I want to do is put Jenny in the line of fire.”

Rachel absorbed his ideas and possible plans. “I thought…” and she opened her hands, her voice trailing into a shaky whisper “…that you would tell me to leave.”

Shaking his head, Cade gave her a slight, one-cornered smile. “No, Rachel. I know this isn't the time or place, but you're special to me and Jenny. That little girl dotes on you. You've got to know that.”

“I do. On some days I think she was sent to comfort me for the loss of Sarah.”

Cade reached out and settled his hand on her shoulder. “Jenny is helping you to heal from that terrible loss, Rachel. She's good for both of us in that way.”

“You've lost so much more than I have,” Rachel choked out. “And now I've saddled you all over again. I've brought a killer and drug dealer to your doorstep.”

“I don't see it that way.” Cade allowed his hand to trail down her arm and enclose her hand. Her fingers were damp and cold. His hand was warm. “You've brought laughter, warmth and happiness back into this cold house. Now, I call it a home again. You have no idea how much I look forward to getting off duty to see you and the baby. It means the world to me, Rachel. It's as if by coming here, you gave me life once more. And Jenny…well, she lost her parents to tragedy and like a guardian angel, you stepped in to become her mother.”

Hearing the barely concealed emotions in his husky voice, Rachel could only drown in his stormy gray eyes. Cade gulped several times as if to swallow a lump of tears struck in his throat. “Oh, Cade.” She turned and slid her arms around his neck. Without thinking, Rachel fell into his waiting arms, his embrace powerful and protective. Closing her eyes, she laid her head on his chest and heard his heart beating
like a solid, steady drum beneath her ear. The sound was incredibly stabilizing to her. At last, the truth was out and Cade hadn't spurned her. Or become angry at her. As his hands moved in reassuring strokes down her back, Rachel released a long breath of air. And with it went the fear and anxiety. Cade wanted her here, with him. With his adopted daughter.

“Listen,” Cade told her gruffly, his lips against her hair, “our homes have been broken. We've suffered a lot. But by coming into my life, Rachel, you've given me the hope I thought I'd never feel again. You've given Jenny a mother. I want you to realize how much you mean to us.”

Sliding her hand across his firm, hard chest, Rachel whispered, “I'm beginning to understand, Cade. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think you'd react to what happened like this. You're one in a million of the men out there. I really thought you'd want me to leave.”

Closing his eyes, Cade pressed a chaste kiss to Rachel's soft, fragrant hair. “Not a chance, sweet woman of mine. Not even possible. I want you to hang on to one thing—we'll get through this together, Rachel. Life is never easy. And it's often damned demanding and even cruel to people. The one thing we have in our favor is we like one another.” Swallowing hard, Cade had wanted to say
love
but didn't dare. “We have each other. We can hold one another when we're scared or anxious. We can talk openly and without
fear of recrimination by the other, Rachel. We have so much already. I hope you see that. And that realization should give you a rock to cling to no matter what life throws at us in the weeks and months ahead.”

A
S THEY SAT AT
the kitchen table in Cade's house, Ray Garner gave his wife, Gwen, a measured glance. “We see the dangers here, Rachel.” He looked at her, a frown across his broad forehead.

Gwen nodded. “We've talked it over, honey, and none of this is your fault.” Taking a deep breath, the woman addressed Rachel. “We don't like liars, but you had no choice. We want you to stay.”

Relief tunneled through Rachel. At the same time, the gnawing sense that Dirk would find her brought pain and anxiety. Cade gave them a grim look and nodded. “All right,” he managed, his voice tight with emotion. “It's settled.”

Rachel managed to speak. “Thank you. I'm grateful in one way, but scared for all of you in another. My ex-husband is never to be trusted. He's so dangerous.” She pressed her fingertips to her wrinkled brow. “I worry for all of you.”

Cade reached out, his hand over hers. “He's a killer, Rachel.” He looked across the table at his father who had a very serious expression on his weathered
features. “I'm going to the captain today about this. He'll know what to do next. I think he'll probably call Brenda, your handler at the FBI, and discuss the situation.”

Rachel felt the steadying warmth of Cade's roughened hand over hers. “She's going to be angry with me.”

Gwen shrugged. “So let her be. With Cade in law enforcement, there are other ways to keep track of Payson and his whereabouts. The FBI isn't the only one with connections and info.” She gave Rachel a tight smile. “Besides, Captain Henderson, Cade's boss, has been in this business for over twenty years. He knows people inside the ATF, the FBI and DEA.” Gwen reached out and patted Rachel's other hand. “No one is minimizing the danger here. We know we'll be in his gun sights, too.”

“Yes,” Ray grunted, “we are. We'll put an alarm on the main gate into our ranch. If anyone opens the gate, it will go off in Cade's home as well as ours.” He gave her a grim look. “There's only one possible route into this area and that's down a mile-long road to our ranch. You can't drive a vehicle into our area no matter how rugged it is. The land won't allow it.”

Rachel began to feel a tad better. “My heart aches over this whole situation. I appreciate the security you're putting up.”

Gwen snorted. “Listen, Rachel, that man does not
want to come up against anyone here at our ranch. We all carry weapons on us. And we're authorized by the law to do so. Between us and the sheriff's department working with the Jackson Hole police, you'll be a little safer. But nothing's foolproof.”

“You're right, it's not foolproof,” Rachel agreed quietly. “Thanks, all of you.” She was still stunned they would willingly put their lives on the line—for her.

“Now,” Ray said in his drawl, “you need to get out and about, Rachel. Gwen and I couldn't figure out why you holed up like you did, but knowing what we know now, it makes sense. You were hiding from Payson and the possibility of being identified by him in town.”

“That comes to an end,” Cade said. “You need to have the freedom to come and go. With this type of security in place, you should begin to integrate back into real life, Rachel.”

“It feels like I'm stepping out of prison,” she whispered, giving them a grateful look.

“And coming to the quilting classes at my store will give you a start on that,” Gwen said. “The women there are just wonderful and you'll make good friends.”

“Quilters stick together like a quilt sandwich.” Ray glanced at his wife.

Cade grinned and joined the laughter. A
quilt sandwich
consisted of the top material that had been
sewn together, the thick cotton batting below it and then a backing material. Put together, the three layers were a
sandwich
.

Rachel felt the dire threat lift the tiniest bit.
Hope.
Looking into Cade's gray eyes that shimmered with an unspoken promise of love, Rachel saw her future.

 

T
HE SUN WAS SHINING
brightly the next morning. Rachel worked in the kitchen, preparing a leg of lamb with couscous and vegetables for their dinner. Despite Cade's family's assurances, Rachel felt unsettled. Worried. Now, she had four other people in danger. Had she made the right decision?

Jenny was in her playpen crawling around and making happy sounds. Soon, her legs would grow stronger and stronger. Instead of crawling, the infant would be ready to start standing up and walking. Already, Jenny would stand at the side of the playpen, her little bowed legs upright and she'd laugh and wobble around with unsteady steps.

Cade had the night shift—6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for the next week. The shifts were frequently changed so that no deputies ended up with sleep deprivation from working nights. She heard his cowboy-boot footfalls in the hall and looked up from the sink. Her stomach knotted.

Emerging from the hall, Cade shrugged into his thick sheepskin coat. He noticed the tension in
Rachel's face. He hadn't slept well last night at all, his mind running wild with “what if's.”

“I'm going out to help my dad put the alarms in place,” he told her. Rachel still looked beautiful despite the tension, her hair soft and curved around her shoulders as she stood at the sink peeling potatoes. Coming over, Cade leaned against the counter.

“That's good.” Rachel's heart took off as Cade stood a few feet away watching her. There was something so primal and exciting about him that she fumbled the potato in her hands. “It's a beautiful day. Blue sky and sunshine and almost above freezing.” That was how she felt inside: icy cold with dread and fear.

Glancing out the window, Cade nodded. “It's a warm day for March.” He forced a smile he didn't feel. Changing topics, he said, “I wondered why you dyed your hair sable instead of letting it grow out to its natural blond color. Now I realize why you did it.”

“Brenda told me to change my appearance as much as possible.”

Cade watched her peel a potato. “Will you let it grow out naturally now?” he wondered. It was important that Rachel felt safe enough to really be herself. Cade found a lot of uncharted territory now that Rachel had removed the heavy FBI mask. Who was she? Was this all an act?

“I think I will,” she said. “I hated dyeing my hair.”
She shivered. “I'll never do it again, Cade.” Rachel glanced up at him and drowned in his intent gaze. There was darkness in his eyes. He was worried, too. She could see and sense it. Despite everything, an energy built between them, the hunger, the yearning strung between them like a taut rope. It was all there to read in his eyes, along with his worry. Swallowing convulsively, Rachel tore her gaze from his. The truth was, she wanted Cade as badly as he wanted her, her whole life was crazy. Fear and love. How did they get together? Much less survive one another? She had no answers.

Cade's instinct was to move those few feet to where Rachel stood. More than anything, he craved one kiss from her. He needed to hold her. Carry her off to his bedroom and never let her go. For now, Cade checked those desires and dreams. It was way too soon and there were still hurdles in their way. Cade had no idea what the FBI would do, and knew Rachel was most worried about her mother. Would the FBI refuse to keep her cover because Rachel had broken her vow? Until he could get answers, they both had to play the waiting game.

It was getting tough not to reach out and touch this beautiful woman. Rachel was like a bright, colorful butterfly who had flitted unexpectedly into his life. Despite her deception, Rachel had given Cade hope of living once more. Jenny had blossomed beneath
her loving care. What didn't flourish beneath Rachel's caring touch?

“I'm off,” Cade said, pushing away from the counter. He headed across the room, picking up his black felt cowboy hat and settling it on his head. His last, most precious act was to go to the playpen, hoist Jenny up and give her a smooch on her bright red cheek. The baby gurgled, laughed and touched his nose with her tiny hand. “Okay, pumpkin,” he told Jenny, “I'm off to keep Rachel safe and sound here with us.” He gently placed Jenny back into her playpen.

Rachel twisted around and watched the two of them. There was such incredible love between Cade and Jenny. How she ached to be a part of this family.
Time,
she reminded herself.
Time and patience. A step at a time.

As Cade left and the door shut, Rachel sighed. She quickly peeled three more Idaho potatoes and put them in a bowl of water. After washing and drying her hands, Rachel turned and gazed fondly around the warm kitchen. The radio was on and played the elevator music she loved so much. Jenny sat with a plop when her little legs gave out. She then rolled over on her hands and knees, grabbed the white nylon netting of the playpen's side and pulled herself up into a standing position once more. Jenny was such a happy baby. Rachel wished her whole life could be
like this moment: happy. Someday, when this mess was over and Dirk was back in jail.

She went to the fridge to pull out the leg of lamb and placed it into a large rectangular glass baking dish. Her life was changing rapidly now that she'd made a decision. The heavy chains that had imprisoned her slowly began to melt away. But new ones replaced the old ones. Four people were in danger because of her choices. Dirk could strike like a rattlesnake out of nowhere. Cade looked at her oddly sometimes and that bothered Rachel. She wished she could read his mind. Was he having second thoughts about her? How did he really feel about her now? Shaking her head, Rachel muttered under her breath. Her focus had to be on her mother and what the FBI might do to her.

 

T
HE NEXT MORNING,
after Rachel had had her shower, dressed and fed Jenny, she walked out into the kitchen. To her surprise, Cade sat at the table with a cup of coffee in hand. Usually, when he came in after a night shift, he'd get a shower, sleep until about 2:00 p.m., then get up to prepare for the next night shift. She halted, the baby in her arms.

“Cade?”

He looked up and gave her a tired smile. “Good morning.”

Anxiously scanning his face for any sign of bad news and not seeing any, Rachel settled Jenny into
her playpen. She gave the baby her favorite toy, a red dragon that Gwen had made.

“Is anything wrong?” she asked, pouring herself some coffee.

“No. Come and sit down. I purposely stayed up so we could talk.” Cade tried to ignore the gentle sway of Rachel's hips.

Sitting at his elbow, she saw shadows beneath Cade's eyes. He was in civilian clothes, his hair gleaming from a recent shower. He'd even shaved. Her gaze fell to his lips and instantly, her lower body tightened with a fierce yearning. Rachel took a sip of the hot coffee. “What did you find out from Captain Henderson?”

“It's all good,” Case assured her without preamble. He didn't want Rachel to worry. He'd seen the fear lurking in her gaze. “I told him everything. He called Brenda.”

Her breath hitched. “And?”

“They aren't going to drop you or your mother out of the program.” Cade grinned, his hands around the thick ceramic mug. “Seems that the captain has some very influential ties in the FBI hierarchy. At first, Brenda was upset, but as Henderson talked to her, they worked out a plan and a strategy. She's taking the new plan to her bosses and they're going to rubber-stamp it.”

Relief shot through Rachel. She leaned back in the
chair and whispered, “Thank God… I was so worried that they'd punish my mother for my decision.”

“They could have,” Cade told her in a serious tone, “but the fact that I'm in law enforcement changes the equation a lot. And Brenda, to her credit, saw that, accepted it and then rolled with Captain Henderson's suggestions.”

Sipping her coffee, Rachel felt incredible weight lift off her shoulders. “I'm so glad, Cade. Thank you so much for doing all of this.” She reached out and slid her hand into his.

Cade squeezed her fingers. They were cold and damp, from nerves, no doubt, and he couldn't blame her. Reluctantly, he released her hand. “It gets better, Rachel. How would you like your mother to come and live here with us?”

“What?” Rachel gasped.

Cade squeezed her hand. “Captain Henderson talked to Brenda about the possibility. Your mother can't go back to the family farm in Iowa—yet. Once Payson is caught, your mother will be released from the program and she can go back to the farm.” He smiled as he saw Rachel's eyes fill with tears of joy. “In the meantime, because of our particular situation, Captain Henderson asked if it was possible to bring your mother here, to our ranch. You know we have these cabins that we rent out to tourists?”

“Yes.” Rachel's voice quavered with sudden excite
ment. Her mother coming here! She would get to see her!

“We could give your mother one of the cabins.” Cade held up his hand. “Now, this wouldn't happen right away, Rachel. It's going to take a couple of weeks for the FBI to make all the changes in their paperwork, get approval and all sorts of other stuff. Brenda said that someone far above her approved that your mother would come here and live here at the ranch with us until Payson is caught. Once he's caught, then the FBI will remove her from the witness protection program—as they will you—and she can go home. And you can get on with your life out of the witness protection program.”

Eyes widening, Rachel stared at Cade in disbelief. “Are you serious about all this? I'd be able to visit her and my brothers any time I want?” Her voice cracked.

Gripping her hand firmly, Cade whispered in an emotional tone, “Yes, Rachel. You and your mom will eventually get your lives back. Brenda told the captain that the rest of Payson's gang in the U.S. has already been rounded up, and this changed everything. And with all of them behind bars, this paves the way for your family to be normal once more. The only fly in this ointment right now is Payson himself. Once the authorities find him, then you and your mom will be released from the FBI program.”