Martha looked up at the voice she didn’t recognize.
Gunshots sounded, followed by loud thumps.
“Catch her!”
The sound of footsteps running away ... then nothing.
“Help! In here! I’ve got an injured man.”
No one came.
Each tick of the clock passed in agonizing silence. The man underneath her hands had ceased all movement. She started to cry.
Another life lost because of her mother.
No. Please, God ... no!
Jacob stepped outside the jail and drew in a long breath. Fresh air. He glanced up. The last rays of sunlight were fading into a riot of oranges and reds. It had been the longest twenty-two hours of his life.
But now he was free. A smile lifted his lips. Freedom. It was a beautiful thing.Thank you, Lord.
Martha gripped his elbow. “I’m sorry it took so long to get you released. They’re still searching for Mother. Her bodyguards were the only ones who knew all of her hideouts, and they are both in the hospital with wounds from their fight with the sheriff. Once they caught Police Chief Masterson, I knew it would be safe for them to release you. But we still don’t know how many more of my mother’s accomplices are out there.”
“Please don’t apologize.” He stopped and turned toward her. “I’m thankful to be free and with you.”
“Me too.” She sidled a bit closer. “But I’m afraid it’s all a dream and you’ll disappear.” Her face fell and tears glistened in her eyes. “I don’t deserve you, Jacob. Especially not after what my mother did to you.”
Pulling her into his arms was the most natural thing he’d ever done. He pressed his lips into the crown of her hair, her sweet verbena scent filling his senses. “You aren’t responsible for your mother’s actions, and in my heart, I’ve already forgiven her.”
“But how can you?” She sobbed against his chest. “She’s ahorrible, horrible person. I can’t even begin to fathom all that she—and my family—have done over the generations. Who am I, Jacob?” Lifting her head, she snagged his gaze. “If what they’ve done is what it means to be a Jankowski, I no longer want to be one.”
He ran a finger down her cheek, her tears dampening his skin. He didn’t want to overwhelm her when her whole world had turned upside down. But she needed to know his feelings for her hadn’t changed. Wouldn’t change. “First and foremost, you are a child of God. Second, I’d love for you to be a Duncan one day.” The words were out before he could catch them. This wasnotthe right time, but he’d blurted out his heart anyway.
She ducked her head and stepped out of his arms, pink filling her cheeks. “Do you want to be associated with me after all this? Truly?” The doubt in her eyes crushed him.
He could throttle Victoria Jankowski for all she’d put her daughter through! “Of course I do. I thought I loved you before, Martha. But the thought of losing you was more than my heart could take. I would willingly lay down my life for you. I never want to take another moment together for granted.”
Her blue eyes, puffy from crying but still as radiant as a Colorado summer sky, roamed his face. Slowly, a smile turned her lips upward. “I feel the same.”
He cupped her face with his hands. Then lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and sweet, and the passion in his heart threatened to overwhelm him.
When she melted into him, he deepened the kiss and let out a little moan. So this was what he had to look forward to. It was better than ... well, than anything. He pulled back and grinned. “I have a question for you, Martha Jankowski.”
“Oh?” The pink in her cheeks was lovely.
“You don’t have to answer right away, but I would like to spend the rest of my life with you. If you are amenable.”
She bit her lip and tipped her head to the side, considering his words. “I am more than amenable to that idea, Mr. Duncan.”
“Good.” He got down on one knee right there in front of the jailhouse. “Martha ... will you be my dig partner?”
Her giggle shook her frame. “Forever and always. I love you.”
“I love you too.” This time, he took her in his arms and kissed her with every bit of love within him.
Two days later, Pinkerton agent Cole Anderson sat in the Jankowski mansion’s parlor and faced Jacob and Martha. “I’m sorry to tell you that your mother hasn’t been caught yet.”
Martha sucked in a breath. “What does that mean for us? Are we safe?”
