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Spencer paused for a moment while the tightness in his chest loosened. The location she’d described was busy, with shops and businesses on each corner and people passing by all the time. A man who had followed her would be stupid to try anything in such a public place. But he knew from experience that crooks played by their own rules and they weren’t always the most predictable people.
“Stay where you are. I’m two minutes away.”
Racing along Mustang Boulevard, Boris on his leash, he mentally reviewed all the reasons why someone would follow Katrina. It could be a dissatisfied customer, someone who had a grudge for another reason, or the guy could have noticed her because of her looks. He wasn’t ruling out a link to her visit to the AAG and her sister’s disappearance. Not yet—there were other possibilities to be explored first.
He was approaching the intersection and he was relieved when he spotted Katrina’s blond hair and her two dogs at her side. She was standing on the sidewalk outside a drugstore. He was just about to call out to her when a squeal of brakes made him turn his head. He quickly registered the presence of a fast-approaching vehicle traveling along Mustang Boulevard. It was a black Chrysler sedan with tinted windows, and he checked out its license plate. As it sped closer, alarm bells started to ring inside his head.
Spencer broke into a run again and drew level with Katrina just as the car mounted the sidewalk a few yards away. He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her toward him, diving out of the path of the vehicle and into the shelter of a nearby doorway. Holding her down and shielding her with his body, he lifted his head to see what was happening.
Exhilaration pumped through his veins like a drug at the knowledge that he’d acted fast enough to save Katrina. A second or two later and the car could have plowed into her. The spark of fear in his belly that had been lit when she told him she was being followed now became an uncontrollable blaze.
She could have been killed...
As he cradled her close, his mind remained focused on the practicalities of keeping her safe. At the same time, his body insisted on taking note of how good it felt to hold her warm curves in his arms.
Having skidded to within feet of where Katrina had been standing, with its front wheels and most of the body on the sidewalk, the sedan veered sharply away. Bouncing wildly for a few seconds as it hit potholes in the road, it straightened before speeding off. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and placed a call to the dispatcher at the station, giving the details of the vehicle and the direction in which it was heading.
“Are you okay?” He ended his call and drew Katrina to her feet, still holding her against him. Throughout the impending danger, Dobby had given the occasional bark, while Holly had hidden behind Katrina. Although they now appeared subdued, they were unharmed. Boris, who was used to difficult search-and-rescue and manhunt situations, calmly sat at his master’s feet.
“I think so.” She looked slightly stunned.
“Although the car came close, it was lucky that the driver managed to swerve at the last minute.”
“But it was heading straight toward me.” She raised frightened eyes to his face. “That wasn’t luck. It was a warning.”
Although he was inclined to agree with her, his police training had taught Spencer caution. Katrina had been making inquiries about her missing sister. Someone had broken into her house, she had been followed and a car had almost mowed her down. Those things could have been unrelated. Even though he didn’t believe in coincidences, he would
have to start from there.
“Not necessarily. The guy could have lost control of the car,” he said. “He should have stopped if he was able to, but that doesn’t make him an attempted killer.”
She put her hands on her hips. “What has to happen for you to take this seriously? Do they have to carry a sign saying We Want to Hurt Katrina Perry?”
“I will investigate this, Katrina.”
She pulled away from his arm, which was still around her. “You do that. And in the meantime, I’ll try to find a stretch of sidewalk that’s safe for me to walk on.”
She was the most awkward, difficult and prickly woman he had ever encountered. She was also the most beautiful and desirable. As she stomped away, Spencer reflected that his life would be a lot easier if he wasn’t getting more attracted to her each time they met.
* * *
Katrina’s anger sustained her for most of her walk back to the dog-training center. Spencer’s response had made her feel like she was overreacting, prompting memories of the dramas of her childhood. One of her worst fears had always been that people would compare her with her mother.
Even so... Do I have to get killed before Spencer Colton will listen to me?
That thought added a dose of fear to her anger, causing her to glance over her shoulder. Her gut instinct told her that the driver of the sedan had intended to scare her and not hit her. Not only that, but she was also convinced the incident was linked to Eliza’s disappearance. She understood that Spencer had a job to do, and that there were police procedures he had to follow, but would he ever see her point of view before it was too late? It seemed as if a number of factors were conspiring against her. From her understandable distress about Eliza’s disappearance at the time they’d first met, Spencer must have gotten the impression she was emotionally volatile. Then, it seemed that his visit to the AAG ranch left him wondering about Katrina’s mental stability. It was no wonder his initial reaction was to treat anything linked to her with caution.
And, because events had overtaken them, she hadn’t yet told him about the encounter between the angry woman and the AAG members. Clearly, it wasn’t worth mentioning it to him now, but she couldn’t let it go.
What was it that woman had said? My son just lost his dad in a horrible accident. Mustang Valley was a small town. It was possible that, by looking into that statement, she could find out more about the person who had challenged the AAG members. It was a long shot, but worth a try.
It had taken years of hard work to build up Look Who’s Walking and its success was a result of Katrina’s personal commitment. For the first time ever, the sight of her own business didn’t soothe her spirits. Anxiety still pricked her spine as she stepped inside and she was barely aware of the quick, concerned glance Suzie cast in her direction.
“Have you eaten?”
Katrina shook her head. “I have some pasta in the fridge. I’ll grab a few bites as we set up for the afternoon sessions.”
“Sorry.” Suzie jerked a thumb in the direction of the office. “A potential client stopped by. I asked if I could help but he insisted on seeing you.”
