Free Holiday Hideout by Lynette Eason

there’s danger…well, the McIvers have never run from it, but we’d like to be prepared for it.”
    Fiona nodded.
    And Abby felt about two inches tall.
    She opened her mouth to spill her story when a knock sounded on the door. Fiona opened it to let Cal in.
    Abby bit her lip. She’d almost forgotten. Cal was a cop. Cops stuck together. If she spilled her guts, he’d never believe her brother-in-law was behind the attacks on her life.
    In fact, if Reese hadn’t uttered those horrible, threatening words while standing at his wife’s deathbed, she wouldn’t believe it herself.
    But he had.
    “How are you doing?” Cal asked as he pulled the door shut behind him.
    She nodded. “Warming up. You?”
    “I put on two pairs of socks. I think my toes are about thawed.” He flashed her a grin, and she couldn’t stop the answering smile or the rapid flutter of her heart as she wondered what he’d do if she grabbed him and pulled him down for a thank-you kiss. Heat immediately infused her face.
    Well, that was one way to get warm, she thought ruefully. Just think about kissing Callum McIvers.
    Instead, she derailed that thought when his smile flipped into a frown. “Did you know that man at the river?”
    Shaking her head, she glanced at the McIver family. “No. I was just telling your mother and Fiona that he had a ski mask on. I couldn’t tell a thing about him.” She paused. “Other than the fact that he was strong. But lean. Not really muscular and not really that much taller than I am.” Which was really odd, she mused slowly, because Reese Kirkpatrick was a tall man topping six feet easily. Maybe even an inch or two over.
    So what did that mean?
    The man who attacked her wasn’t Reese?
    Then who had Reese paid to attack her?
    “And you said he pushed you.”
    She gathered the rest of her thoughts. “Yes.” Frowned again. “No.”
    Cal grunted. “Well, which is it?”
    Abby shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…I thought I felt someone watching me, but couldn’t see anyone. There were several horses in that area. I was focused on the paint drinking from the river.”
    Cal nodded his encouragement. “And?”
    “Well, the horse was in the river. In the shallow part. I got off my horse thinking it might be easier to get a lead on the paint if I wasn’t leaning over my own horse. Only the paint was kind of stubborn and didn’t want to come out of the water.”
    “That’s Shoes for you. Stubborn as they come.”
    “Anyway, I got up to him and almost had the halter with the lead on him when I felt something grab the back of my coat and pull me around.” Abby swallowed at the memory. The nightmare of coming face to face with the masked man. “He didn’t say anything, just pulled me. I yanked away from him, he lost his grip and I went into the river.” She finished the last part of the sentence slowly. “Actually, I guess he didn’t really push me. I…fell.”
    “But if he hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have fallen.”
    “True.” Another shiver racked her frame.
    A loud crash came from upstairs and Cal darted to his feet, hand on his gun.
    With a quick look at the women, he said, “Stay here.”

SEVEN
    C al took the steps two at a time. No one was supposed to be here. At the top of the steps, he paused, pushed the door open a crack. Just enough to peer around and into the kitchen.
    Muttering reached his ears.
    His fingers gripped his weapon…
    …then he relaxed.
    “What are you doing home?” he asked.
    Joseph looked up, his blue eyes startled. “Cal? I finished up a day early and caught a flight this morning. What are you doing in my basement? And where’s Fiona? Is she all right?”
    Cal laughed and before his brother-in-law could see the move, he turned slightly and slid his gun back into the holster. “Fiona’s fine. What’s all the racket up here?”
    Joseph shook his head. “I stopped and got some groceries. Figured with this storm coming, we might need ’em.