Page 56 of Sean

He should rouse her. He should get up himself, but he took the time to enjoy being with her. He didn’t know where their late-night conversation would lead, if anywhere, but he knew what he wanted. Still, whatever happened between them had to be her choice—a choice made when she was thinking clearly and not under the stress of dealing with Wilson. He would just have to wait and see.

Out in the hall, he heard his nieces and sisters troop past, talking about plans for the day. He could smell bacon cooking and knew his mom and dad would make sure the kids ate. There was no reason to rush to join them. He’d just closed his eyes again when Julia suddenly moved, flinging the covers back and moving to get out of bed.

“It’s past seven. I’ve got to—”

He caught her hand and kissed it. “Relax. Based on the sounds, everything’s under control. Stay with me a little longer.”

“I shouldn’t.” She stole a glance toward the door. “Is it locked?”

“Yeah.” He pulled her back toward him for a kiss.

“We can’t make love. Not with…”

“Then, let’s just lie here together. Start the day slowly.”

“Do you mind if I checked my professional site?” She was already moving away from him to grab her phone from the bedside table. “I’m hoping to hear back about licensing for an image.”

“I should see if anything came in last night myself.” He propped himself up, got his phone, and was scrolling through his emails when he heard her soft gasp.

“Another message from Wilson,” she said before he could ask. She clicked on the icon and a voice that had become familiar to Sean began to play. It was definitely Wilson, but his tone was different from it had been in the previous messages, more commanding and less snarly.

“I’ve had enough, Julia. You will bring the children to me tomorrow at noon at the corner of Eighth and Washington. If you don’t, your mother will pay the price. It would be too bad if something happened to her because her daughter is stubborn and refuses to follow instructions. Tomorrow, Julia.”

Sean glanced at Julia’s pale face. This new threat brought the danger even closer to home.

“Your mom’s convalescing, right?” Sean asked when the message ended. He was still struggling with the newfound confidence in Wilson’s tone. He must think that he had the upper hand. A cold fear crept down Sean’s spine. When an adversary changed their approach, it was never a good thing.

“Yes, from a stroke.” Julia was up, moving around the bedroom and picking up clothing from the floor where it had landed the night before. She yanked on Sean’s sweatshirt. “Mom’s been in a private nursing rehabilitation facility in Norfolk. What if Wilson already got to her? What if he—?”

“Call the place. Talk to the charge nurse,” Sean suggested.

“I haven’t checked in in weeks because I was afraid that Wilson would pay off someone to report to him if I called. But now…” She hit buttons on her phone and waited. “Hello, this is Julia Hart. I’m calling to check on my mother, Charlotte.” There was a pause. “She is? That’s good to hear.” Julia sent him a relieved look, but he could see her hands shaking.

“Ask about visitors?” he said softly.

“Has anyone come to see her in the past few days?” Julia said into the phone and waited. “I see.” She sank down onto the edge of the bed. “If he comes again, do not let him in under any circumstances. Yes, thank you.” Julia hung up and looked over her shoulder at Sean. He went to her and wrapped her in his arms.

“He’s been there?”

“Yesterday afternoon. He stayed for only ten minutes,” Julia said. “That asshole brought her flowers. What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s getting more desperate. I’m guessing that the bank hasn’t reached him yet with their offer yet. They wouldn’t have tried to contact him over the weekend. That would have looked too suspicious.” It was Monday morning now, but he doubted the bank was open yet.

“She doesn’t know about any of what’s happened—doesn’t know to be on her guard. I couldn’t tell her before I took the kids and left town because her health was too precarious. The nurse said she’s doing better, but her memory’s spotty because of the stroke, and the last time I saw her she was still struggling to communicate. Wilson could convince her of anything. He could hold her hostage.” Her voice was getting higher with fear. “He could burn the rehab facility down. You know he’s capable of anything.”

“Calm down, sweetheart. Now that you’ve warned them, the nurses won’t let him see your mom.”

“What if that message doesn’t get communicated to the people on the next shift?”

So far, Sean’s role had been to protect and wait, but he decided that he could no longer do that. He needed to act. “I’ve got a solution. You and the kids stay here with my family where it’s safe. And I’ll go get your mom and bring her here.”

Julia’s face instantly brightened. “You’d do that? You think your family would be okay with her being here? I can’t say for sure what kind of condition she’s in.”

“We’ll talk to them, but I’m sure they’ll welcome her.” Sean had no doubt about that. Being with his family for the past weeks had reminded him of how much his family cared for each other and those associated with them. How many times had he seen his mother help out a neighbor in need? Or give free riding lessons to a family too poor to afford them? They were giving people.

“That would be…wait, I’ll have to go with you. The facility won’t discharge her to you,” Julia said. “Besides, she might not trust you enough to go with you. She never really liked Wilson, but she does know him. And if he said he was bringing her to her grandchildren, she wouldn’t have any reason to argue. But you…she’s never even heard me mention you before. I don’t want her to be frightened by a stranger.”

Sean saw her point. It would be better if Julia was there. But that meant taking her from the safety of the ranch. While he’d done that once before when they visited the Westmans to ask questions about Mira, the situation was different now. Wilson had become more demanding, more aggressive. And Wilson would guess that Julia would go to her mother after receiving that message. It could be a trap.

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