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It was a nursery. Decorated in pale pink and lavender, with a large picture window and a crib. The name Charlotte was hung with wooden letters on one wall. Toys spilled from a corner basket. The overhead light was off, but there was enough of a glow from a corner lamp to bathe the room in soft illumination.
Hannah turned as Ryker entered. Her curvy form was encased in a pencil skirt and a silk blouse. Probably not what she’d worn to bed. She must’ve dressed before his arrival after her injuries were photographed and her pajamas taken into evidence. Hair the color of a shiny new penny framed a porcelain face stunning enough to stop any man in his tracks. A high forehead was offset by a perfectly shaped mouth. Dainty freckles skipped across her nose. She was petite, barely coming up to his shoulder, but heels added another few inches.
They were work colleagues and acquaintances. Ryker knew some things about her personal life. She was widowed. Visited Fulton County on vacation, fell in love with the town, and moved here looking for a fresh start after a hectic career as a prosecutor in Austin. Attended the same church as Ryker and his parents. Her older brother was in the military and currently deployed. So was his wife. Hannah had taken temporary custody of their daughter, Charlotte, for a few months.
She was also an outstanding lawyer. Since joining the DA's office, Hannah had successfully prosecuted or plea-bargained hundreds of cases. Ryker had been impressed by her dedication and her integrity. She never cut corners, nor was she afraid of risks. She fought for justice every time.
Despite his attraction and his admiration, Ryker resisted deepening their relationship to something more. When her gaze met his, he was reminded why. The pierce of those icy blue orbs cut straight through him. Hannah was the only woman he’d ever met who made him feel… unbalanced. As if she saw every insecurity and wound buried in his psyche. He didn’t like it.
“Thanks for coming so quickly, Ryker.” Hannah kept her voice pitched low to prevent from waking the baby. She absently touched the cross pendant hanging from a delicate gold necklace with trembling fingers. Several knuckles on her right hand were scraped raw and swollen.
The sight punctured through the wall he normally kept up around Hannah. She was trying to hold it together, but was struggling. Rightfully so. He crossed the room and, without thinking, cupped her shoulder with his palm. “Are you okay? Do you need to see EMS?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Can I call someone for you?”
“Gavin already took care of it. Pam is on her way over.”
Pam Westgrove was a paralegal in the District Attorney’s office. The older woman was something akin to a surrogate grandmother. She’d known Hannah’s mother back in Austin, if memory served, and their families had been close for decades. Pam was the only family Hannah had nearby now that her brother and sister-in-law were deployed.
A wail came from the corner of the room. Charlotte made her presence known loud and clear. Tiny fists waved in frustration. Hannah raced to the baby’s side and cooed before lifting her out of the crib. She cuddled the little one close to her chest. Something inside Ryker twisted hard watching the steel-boned lawyer morph into a warm caregiver. He’d seen this side of Hannah before, with the families of murdered victims, but witnessing her with a baby punched differently somehow.
Charlotte quieted. The infant was sweet with tendrils of dark hair and a button nose.
Hannah continued rocking her side to side even as her attention locked back on Ryker. “How confident are you that Doctor Anderson killed his wife?”
Ryker was knocked momentarily speechless by her question. Julie Anderson was found stabbed to death in her home by her husband, Thomas. He claimed to have gone to the grocery store and returned to find her murdered. In actuality, he’d killed his wife. His trial started next week. Hannah was the lead prosecutor. Ryker blinked, confusion mingling with a heavy sense of trepidation. “I’m certain he killed her. Why are you asking?”
She held his gaze. “Because the man who attacked me…” Uncharacteristic tears shimmered in her eyes and Hannah sucked in a breath to hold them back. A moment later, she cleared her throat. “He claims to be Julie Anderson’s killer.”
Ryker’s mouth dropped open. “How do you know that?”
She pointed to a piece of paper encased in an evidence bag. “He left a note.”
THREE
Hannah cuddled her niece closer as she deftly made a bottle using the supplies kept in the nursery for emergency feedings. Charlotte was going through a growth spurt and occasionally woke for a late-night snack. The routine provided comfort. Normalcy. Hannah could almost pretend tonight’s events hadn’t happened.
Almost… but not quite. It was only midnight, but it felt like Hannah had been up for days. Her head ached from being slammed against the stairs and her muscles were sore from the beating she’d taken by the attacker. And that was only the physical aspects. It would take weeks, if not months, to recover from the emotional impact of having her home invaded. Her niece put at risk. She shuddered thinking about how close evil had been to the precious baby in her arms.
Hannah settled into the rocking chair and tilted the bottle for Charlotte. Once she was assured the baby was eating properly, her gaze drifted to Ryker. He was still studying the letter. His towering height—over six foot two—and broad shoulders commanded attention. A permanent five-o’clock shadow covered his chiseled jaw. Greek ancestry provided him with an olive skin tone and cheekbones that appeared carved from granite. The man was stunningly gorgeous. And he knew it. Ryker was a notorious flirt. Hannah wasn’t much for office gossip, but even a blind and deaf woman would’ve been hard pressed to avoid learning about his reputation.
She didn’t give a fig what Ryker did in his personal life, but work… that was a different matter altogether. Hannah had kept him at arm's length initially but, over time, was pleased to discover he was an excellent Texas Ranger. One of the best. Yes, there was a rakish edge to his personality, but it was tempered with a fierce dedication to victims and their families.
A slow-growing friendship developed from there. Hannah wouldn’t consider them close, but they’d spent hours working on cases together. Law enforcement’s role was to examine the evidence and interview persons of interest, but prosecutors determined if there was enough probable cause to charge a suspect. Sometimes, the relationship required working together to gather enough evidence.
She’d gleaned some personal information from their interactions. Ryker was close to his family, took his Christian faith seriously, and collected friends like a kid gathered shells from the beach. He was quick to laugh and slow to anger. A straight-shooter, in every sense of the word, and trustworthy.
Hannah had a hard time believing the contents of the letter in Ryker’s hand were true. But she couldn’t ignore the possibility. The intruder had dropped it while escaping. She imagined he’d intended to leave it near her body, but their altercation hadn’t gone as planned. Thank God.
Her attention focused back on the man standing in the center of the room. “Is there any truth to that letter?” Hannah was careful to keep judgment or recrimination out of her tone. “Any chance Dr. Anderson is innocent of killing his wife?”
Ryker met her gaze. His eyes were a tangle of green, blue, and brown. As complicated as the man. His jaw hardened. “Not in my opinion.” He blew out a breath. “You’ve seen the evidence. His wife was pregnant. He didn’t want the baby because he was in the midst of having an affair. There was also no prenup. A divorce would’ve been costly, child support too.”
“Yes, but Dr. Anderson claims he was at the grocery store during the time his wife was killed.”
“No one at the market remembered seeing him. He didn’t have a receipt, nor could the store produce one for the items found in the grocery sacks found in the Anderson kitchen on the night of the murder.” Ryker’s nostrils flared. “The items Thomas supposedly purchased were nonperishable. He could’ve bought them days before in order to create a credible alibi.”
