Silent Killer Page 0,45

Shack, she wouldn’t have believed it possible. But not only had she shared dinner with Jack, she had laughed with him and danced with him. And he had helped her hold back the memories that threatened her hard-won sanity, memories of the day Mark had died.

Jack had been true to his word. He had given her what she had told him she wanted—not to think about what had happened today or a year ago or eighteen months ago. She had desperately needed to forget about all of it, just for a little while.

They walked up the sidewalk, hand in hand, and then, halfway to Lorie’s porch, Jack stopped, looked up at the night sky and said, “It’s a beautiful night.”

Cathy gazed up into the star-studded sky and remembered a long-ago time when they had lain on a blanket in the park and gazed up at a night sky equally as beautiful. Was he remembering that night, too?

He slipped his arm around her waist but didn’t pull her against him. “I’d like to kiss you good-night, but you’ve already laid down the law about that. So how about a kiss on the cheek?”

“I think that after your playing my knight in shining armor and running away with me, you deserve a kiss on the cheek.” She lifted her hand and caressed the side of his face.

He tensed instantly and grabbed her hand.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He held her hand against his cheek, then eased it down his neck and beneath the collar of his shirt. Her fingertips encountered a rough patch of flesh at the base of his neck.

“Feel it? The doctors did a good job on my face, but my shoulder and arm and part of my chest aren’t so pretty.”

“Then you were badly wounded, weren’t you? Is that why you left the army?”

“I’m not the man I used to be. I wanted you to know, up front, that I’ve got battle scars on my body and, according to the psychiatrist, on my soul, too.”

“I’ve got my own battle scars,” she told him. “They’re invisible because they’re on my heart and my soul, so I truly understand.”

“We’re just a couple of wounded warriors, aren’t we, honey?” He lifted her hand away from his face and brought her open palm to his mouth.

When he kissed the center of her palm, she drew in a deep breath. “I—I’m not a warrior.”

“Yes, you are.” He released her hand. “You waged war in your own mind. You fought your demons and won.”

“For the most part,” she said. “Sometimes I still have to fight them. Like today. You helped me more than you can ever know. Thank you.”

He shrugged. “I know quite a bit about fighting demons. I have a few of my own. So anytime I can help you…”

Cathy stood on tiptoe and, without touching him, kissed Jack on the mouth. She had acted purely on instinct. When he kissed her back, she withdrew quickly and said, “I think it’s time for me to say good-night.”

Neither of them said anything else. He walked alongside her up the stone pathway and onto the porch. Just as they neared the front door, a dark silhouette rose up out of the porch swing.

“Where have you been?” Seth demanded as he emerged from the shadows. “And who is he?”

Chapter Ten

“Seth?” Cathy gasped his name. “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you,” he told her, but his gaze surveyed Jack from head to toe.

Jack held out his hand. “I’m Jackson Perdue. I’m the new deputy Sheriff Birkett hired.”

So this was Cathy’s son. She was right—he looked like her. Same glossy brown hair, same full mouth, same oval face. He was a handsome boy, tall and lanky.

Seth stared at Jack’s hand, then grabbed it firmly. They exchanged a man-to-man handshake.

“I’m Seth Cantrell. I’m her son.” He inclined his head in a quick nod toward his mother, then turned to Cathy. “Are you okay? Did something happen?” He looked at Jack. “Why is my mom with you? Is she in some sort of trouble or…?”

“Seth!” Cathy’s tone implied a mixture of censure and surprise.

Jack tried not to grin. He respected Seth’s protective attitude toward his mother. It was obvious that the boy loved her.

“It’s okay, son. Your mom’s not in any trouble,” Jack explained. “Your mother and I are old friends. We knew each other when she was a teenager. I took her out for dinner this evening.”

“You took her out for dinner?” Seth turned to Cathy. “Granddad said you