Page 61 of Unexpected Danger
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” If Londyn were honest, she longed for that. She wanted to be close to Brodie again. And she prayed that if it was God's will to be more than a friend to him, that it would happen.
Xander and Kit hopped out of the pool and ate another cookie that Aileen had made before they continued running around playing cops and robbers to get dry. Yukon ran along behind them, barking.
“And then you pretend like you can’t see me,” suggested Xander. Kit did as he requested and looked from left to right and all around, even though Xander was right in front of him.
“And then I go and stand by the fence, which is the police station,” said Kit, a little blond boy with numerous freckles sprinkling over his nose and cheeks.
“And then you catch me and put me in jail.”
Kit did as Xander suggested, and Xander pretended to be arrested with his hands behind his back. “But I didn’t do it,” he said.
Londyn and Mila laughed at the excuse so often heard by law enforcement.
Kit placed Xander against the cedar fence. Xander leaned forward and peered through one of the knots that had become a hole. “Mom, who’s that guy?”
“What guy?” asked Mila. “Maybe one of our ranch hands?”
“No. It’s not a ranch hand. I don’t know who it is.”
Would Xander joke about something like this? “Xander, are you sure you see someone?” Londyn asked.
“Yes. He’s out in the field, and he’s not a ranch hand. I don’t know who he is. Why is he there, Mommy? Why does he have a glove thing on his hand? And why is he carrying a black backpack?”
Londyn’s heart raced. Surely it was just Xander's vivid imagination.
“That guy out there walking in the yard outside the fence is coming this way, Mommy.”
“That guy out there walking…” Mila’s gaze connected with Londyn’s.
Lord, please don’t let it be Dustin.
She couldn’t forgive herself if she placed Mila and the boys in danger because of her association with the man who’d made it a game to stalk her.
Yukon growled.
“We’ve got to get the boys inside.” Londyn sprang from the chair, but her feet remained planted as the fear shimmied through her. Finally, she took one step and then the other before launching into a full-out run toward the boys.
Mila opened the sliding glass door and motioned at the boys. “We need to go inside.”
“Aww, do we hafta?” Xander turned and peeked a third time through the knot. “That guy is fast. He’s almost to the fence.”
Londyn grabbed each of the boys’ hands and nearly dragged them across the yard and onto the patio just as the latch to the gate clicked.
Chapter 16
Yukon barked, his piercing yips directed at Dustin, who entered the yard and bolted toward the back door. Mila slammed it and flicked up the lock seconds before Dustin reached it. She shut the curtain. “The windows in the kitchen and bedrooms are open. Can you close those? I’ll check the other doors. Boys, please go to Mommy and Daddy’s room.”
Londyn didn’t need any further prompting.
“Why did we have to come in? We were having fun out there,” said Kit.
Xander held both palms up, and his eyebrows knitted. “Can we stay outside?”
“To Mommy and Daddy’s room now, please.”
Londyn slammed the kitchen window above the sink closed as Mila issued her order to the boys. Fear flickered in Xander’s eyes, and he pulled his friend down the hall and to Mila and Roarke’s bedroom. Londyn sprinted first to Xander’s room, which overlooked the backyard, and slammed the window shut.
Panic settled in her chest, and her rapid-fire heartbeats pounded loudly in her ears. She forced her unsteady legs to run next to Roarke’s home office, where another window was open. Fortunately, this one faced the front of the house.
