Bella was a wreck because Lise had called to cancel her visit for Thanksgiving. His sister believed she was the reason her new sister-in-law had moved to Seattle and refused to come home for the holidays. Bella had spouted some baloney about being afraid she’d displaced the other woman since she married Lise’s brother, Jake.

According to his sister, Lise had said she had a cold that she didn’t want to expose the baby to. That had sounded reasonable, but then Bella told him that Lise had said she wouldn’t be able to make Christmas either because of an unexpected deadline.

Bella was sure the excuses were phony. She said that Lise planned her deadlines out a year in advance. He didn’t know about that, but the sexy, but shy author of kick-butt women’s fiction would not put work ahead of an important family event. That much he knew. He was still reeling inside from the shock she’d moved across country from them. She was too attached to Jake, Bella and the baby for the move to make any sense.

When Bella had let slip that Lise had cancelled her arrival after discovering he was going to be at the ranch for the holidays, he’d known what the real problem was. Lise didn’t want to see him again.

He was here to fix that.

He knocked, glad to see she at least had a peephole in her door. Her secure building had been so easy to get into, he was embarrassed for the agency that installed the security measures and the so-called guard at the front desk in the lobby.

A crash came from inside the apartment. Then silence. He knocked again, louder this time.

Again there was no response.

He called out her name, but absolutely no sound came from the apartment.

Had she fallen and hurt herself? She wasn’t always completely aware and he’d seen her walk straight into a wall when her eyes were hazy with a certain look she got.

His fist against the door made it shake within its frame.

Still nothing.

He surveyed the locks on the door. They were too basic to be of any real use at keeping out the criminal element. He didn’t even hesitate.

He had the door open faster than if he’d had a key.

A slight whoosh of air to his left sent him into immediate battle ready mode. Reflexes honed by six years in the Army Rangers and a decade spent as a mercenary took over. He swung toward the faint sound, his hand coming up to block the blow.

He grabbed the poker before it connected with his head and had his assailant in a headlock before he realized it was Lise.

He tossed the cast-iron poker aside and spun her to face him, her dark blonde hair flying around her face. "What the hell are you trying to do?"

Big hazel eyes stared back at him with a glazed look he’d come to know all too well in his profession.

Terror.

Her breath came in shallow pants and her sweatshirt clad arms were trembling.

What the hell was going on?

"Why didn’t you answer the door?"

Her mouth moved, but nothing came out.

He shook her gently. "Speak, Lise."

Her eyes blinked and then filled with tears.

"Damn it." He hauled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. 

He’d really frightened her when he forced his way into her apartment. He hadn’t considered that possibility when he picked her locks. He should have.

She was a small town Texas girl living in the big city.

Obviously, she hadn’t acclimated well.

Her body shook against him and he felt like a real heel. 
"I didn’t mean to scare you, little one."

Lise’s fingers were digging into his shirt, holding the denim so tight, he’d lose the shirt before he lost her grip. She pressed her face into his chest as if she was literally burrowing into him.

"Joshua?" It was the first recognizable sound she’d made in over a minute.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing here?"

"You told Bella you weren’t going to Texas for Thanksgiving.

Lise shuddered. "No. I’m not going."

She didn’t sound like she had a cold. Her usually soft voice was strained, but not in a way that could be misinterpreted as being caused by a scratchy throat.

He rubbed her back.

It just seemed like the right thing to do.

She responded by relaxing her hold on his shirt just the tiniest bit. He kept it up, talking to her in the same tone of voice he’d used to calm the little boy he’d liberated on his last mission. He used similar words too, telling her it was all right, that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her, that she was going to be okay.

It took almost as long as it had taken him with the boy before she relaxed enough to step away from him. When she did and he got his first good look at her face, he winced.

He’d seen snow with more color than her skin, except the purple bruises under her eyes. Her bow-shaped mouth trembled.

"Lise, you don’t belong in Seattle."

"H-how..." She blinked, made a visible effort to gather herself in and her quivering lips formed words. "How do you figure that?"

"It’s pretty damn obvious to me you aren’t settling into city living. You get an unexpected visitor and you’re practically crawling out of your skin."

She shook her head and laughed hollowly. "Trust me, moving back to Texas won’t help."

"Why not?"

"My problems travel with me."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She didn’t answer, but this time he didn’t wait around for a reply. He propelled her gently toward the bedroom. "You can tell me about it on the plane. Get your stuff together. We’ve got an eight o’clock flight."

"No." She twisted from his guiding hand and stopped, wrapping her arms around herself covering the Dallas Cowboys logo on her sweatshirt.

"I can’t go, Joshua." Her southern drawl was very pronounced and her voice was on the ragged edge of hysterical.

"Why not?"

She swallowed and looked away from him, her body stiff with stress.

"I’m afraid."

"Of what?"

"I don’t want my family hurt because of me." Her eyes were both pleading and wild. "If I go to Texas right now it could put them all at risk, even little Genevieve."

He bit back an ugly word. "Explain."

"I’m being stalked."