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  The figure remained silent, but she could hear his rapid, hitching breaths. Paige’s foot grazed her weapon. Throwing herself to the floor, she wrapped her fingers around the butt of the gun and rolled until her back was up against the wall.

  She froze, trying to listen.

  Silence.

  And her eyes landed on empty space.

  Her intruder was gone.

  She bolted after him, doubled over with pain yet determined to see as much as she could. Did he drive? Where was he parked? Before she could get out of her bedroom door, she heard her front door slam shut.

  Giving chase would be futile in her condition, but she had to try. She reached the door, head and arm throbbing. Throwing it open, she held her gun ready in case he was waiting for her. She stepped out onto the porch.

  Empty.

  Taillights faded in the distance.

  Her intruder?

  Probably.

  In disgust, she returned to her house and grabbed another painkiller while she punched in a number on her cell phone. Reporting it to the police would just bring more unwanted attention down on her. She wouldn’t call the police, but Charles needed to know.

  After another round of prayers asking for a good night’s sleep, Dylan tucked Will into the bed for the fourth time and sat on the edge. “’Night, buddy.”

  Will reached out and squeezed Dylan’s fingers. He might as well have wrapped his hand around Dylan’s heart. Surprised at the gesture of affection, he tried not to let his excitement show. Instead, he smiled and leaned over to plant a kiss on the boy’s forehead.

  Will let his gaze linger on Dylan’s face, then he turned on his side and closed his eyes.

  The lump in Dylan’s throat grew, and it took several swallows to get it down. How he wished he’d been a bigger part of Will’s life before Sandra had died. But she hadn’t let him. She’d been desperate to hide her renewed drug habit from him.

  And it hadn’t been hard. At first.

  Dylan had been so wrapped up in Erica, first as the woman he was dating, then as his fiancée for a year, that he hadn’t paid much attention to what Sandra was doing.

  It wasn’t until his sister had started asking for money just about every week that Dylan remembered Sandra’s previous pattern. After playing private detective one weekend, he’d figured out what she was doing.

  Sickened at the thought that the money he’d been giving her had gone up her nose or in her veins, he’d confronted her and threatened to turn her in to the cops.

  She’d been furious. Then tearful. Then begged him not to because Will would be taken away from her.

  Dylan closed his eyes as guilt swept over him.

  If he’d turned her in, would she be alive today?

  Maybe.

  When it looked like Will was going to stay in the bed this time, Dylan rose and made his way into the den. His housekeeper and part-time babysitter, Cheryl Hunt, walked from the kitchen drying her hands. The lively, sixty-year-old woman had become more like a mother to him than hired help. “Well, if you don’t need me any longer, I suppose I’ll be on my way.”

  Dylan smiled. “Thanks, Cheryl. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  She waved a hand in dismissal. “Oh, you’d figure something out.”

  He laughed and walked her out to her car. Once again, just like in the hospital, he had that feeling of being watched. Spinning around, his eyes probed the darkness, looking for any sign of movement. His ears pricked, listening, alert.

  “Dylan? Are you all right?”

  He jerked. Cheryl stared at him, her forehead pinched with concern.

  Helping her into the car, he reassured her. “I’m fine. Just thinking about something.”

  “Do you want me to stay a little longer?”

  Dylan shivered as the hair on the back of his neck spiked. “No.” He forced a smile. “We’re good for the night. You drive safe.”

  He waited until she was settled in her car and pulling out of the drive before narrowing his gaze and looking around. His heart thudded as he examined the bushes lining the house.

  Nothing.

  Standing still, he let his eyes wander the property as his ears tuned in to the night sounds.

  More nothing.

  With slow, measured steps, he reentered the house, shut the door and locked it.

  Taking a deep breath, he ordered his heart to slow its rapid beat.

  Silence settled in on him. Around him.

  Slipping to the side window, he pushed aside the curtain and looked out. The motion lights on the corners of his house only illuminated so far. Beyond them, it was pitch black.

  But nothing moved.

  Senses still in alert mode, he allowed his mind to drift to Paige Worth. Now there was an interesting woman. Pretty, tall enough he didn’t get a crick in his neck when looking down at her, and from all indications, she had an independent streak a mile wide.

  He liked that.

  His eyes trailed back in the direction of Will’s room. “And she obviously likes kids.” Speaking the words out loud made him laugh at himself. “You’ve got to get a life, Seabrook.”

  Then he frowned. No, right now, Will was his life. Until the little boy felt comfortable and learned to trust again, Dylan would put his own life on hold.

  Although Paige sure did seem to bring out the best in Will.

  He wondered if she would bring out the best in him. He thought he might like to find out. When the time was right, of course. And if she shared his love for God.

  What do You think, Lord?

  Dylan walked to the couch and sat down, grabbing the cordless handset. He’d already memorized Paige’s number, and he punched it in. It was only nine-thirty. Not too late to call.

  He hung up.

  Unless she was still sleeping.

  But she’d probably slept all day, he argued with himself.

  Redialing the number, he felt his heart pick up speed in anticipation of hearing her voice.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Paige, it’s Dylan. I just called to check and see how you were feeling.”

  “I’m doing fine, thanks.”

  Something in her voice made him frown. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “You don’t really sound fine.”

  A breathy laugh filtered through the line. “I promise, Dylan, I’m fine.” A pause. “But thanks for checking on me.”

  “Sure.” An awkward silence. Then Dylan cleared his throat. “Did you eat supper?”

  “Uh … not yet.”

  His suspicions aroused, he asked, “Do you have any food in the house?”

  Silence. “Dylan, I’m a big girl. I promise I can take care of myself.”

  Dylan knew he flushed even though she couldn’t see him. He was kicking himself for not checking to make sure she had something to eat before he left. “Right. Sorry. I just …”

  Her voice softened. “I know. Thanks, though.”

  He didn’t want to let her off the line, but he couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say. Better stop while he was ahead. “Talk to you later?”

  “Sure. Bye.”

  For several minutes after she hung up, Dylan sat still, staring at the wall. Then a smile curved his lips, and he dialed another number.

  “Hi Cheryl, it’s Dylan. I was wondering if you and some of the ladies in the church would be willing to help me help a friend.”

  Three days later, after a clean bill of health and enough casseroles in her refrigerator to last her at least a decade, thanks to Dylan and his friends from church, Paige climbed in her car and made the short drive to the school.

  The cloudy, gray sky said she’d better have an umbrella handy. Rain was in the forecast and a tornado watch had been issued. She’d forego walking until the weather cleared up.

  When she’d told Charles about the intruder in her house, he’d been deeply concerned. “Are you hurt?”

  “No.” Well, her arm still ached, but
the pain pills she’d been taking for her head had helped the arm, too.

  “Is your cover blown?”

  Paige had thought it over very carefully. “I really don’t think so. It could have just been a random thing. The neighborhood’s not the worst in town, but it’s not the best, either. Don’t pull me yet. Let’s see if anything else happens. I’m not ready to give up before I’ve even really gotten started.”

  “What about Dylan Seabrook? Have you gotten any vibes on whether he knows what his sister was involved with?”

  Oh, she’d gotten vibes all right. But not ones she cared to share with Charles. “He figured out she was doing drugs. But I don’t think he knows anything about where she was getting them.”

  “He’s a doctor. He wasn’t prescribing them for her?”

  The thought had occurred to her. “I don’t think so. She was more into cocaine from what I understand. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to run his license and see who he’s prescribing for.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “He also has an alibi for the night of the fire.” Paige gave him the information, and he promised to check it out.

  Charles had called her back the next day saying Dylan had prescribed a few drugs but nothing addictive. A couple of antibiotics and a cough medicine for Will.

  And he’d been at the hospital with a patient all night. Relief flowed through her. Not that she’d really thought he had anything to do with the fire, but his nice, solid alibi made her feel better about him.

  The school came into view, and she pulled into the parking lot. The rain threatened to start at any moment, so she grabbed her umbrella from the backseat.

  The minute she hit the front door, the skies let loose. Paige hurried into the office, shutting the door on the deafening noise.

  “Good morning, can I help you?” The woman’s ID badge read Heather Wilson.

  Paige stepped forward. “Hello, Ms. Wilson, I’m Paige Worth, the new guidance counselor.”

  The secretary’s eyes went wide. “Oh! You’re the one who saved little Will Price, aren’t you?”

  Oh, boy. Word traveled fast in a small town. Of course, the incident had taken place right outside the front door of the school. She wondered if she would encounter answering questions about saving Will all day long.

  Probably. Paige forced a smile. “Yes. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” She glanced around. “And now that I’m feeling better, I’m ready to get to work.”

  “Well, we’re glad to have you.” Paige breathed a relieved sigh when the woman let the subject of the rescue drop. Ms. Wilson grabbed a set of keys and a badge from her desk and said, “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your office and you can get settled.” She handed Paige the badge. “You’ll need that to access certain areas of the building. Just swipe it with the strip facing the door.”

  Paige took it and clipped it on her shirt. She’d had her picture made the day of the interview. The day she’d been officially hired by the superintendent.

  Ms. Wilson bustled on. “Dr. Bridges is in a meeting at the moment, but I’m sure he’ll stop in to check on you later when he hears.”

  “Sounds great.”

  Paige followed the woman out of the double doors and down the hall.

  Ms. Wilson unlocked the door and stepped back. “Everything should be in there. I think it’s still pretty well-organized. Once you familiarize yourself with the location of everything, you shouldn’t have any trouble jumping right in.”

  Paige looked around the office. It was a nice-size room broken into different areas. A large carpet surrounded by toys, a couch facing a rocking chair and a long conference table in front of the window. She smiled at Ms. Wilson. “This should be just fine.”

  The woman nodded, pulled a key off the key ring and handed it to Paige. “That will get you in the building and your office. Also, there have been tornado watches posted in recent weeks so we’re going to have a tornado drill later today. Just follow the crowd and do what they do and you’ll be fine.”

  Paige thanked her and Ms. Wilson left.

  Instead of jumping in and getting to know the room, Paige decided to get to know some of the people—and see what kind of information she could glean.

  She couldn’t think of a better place to get started than the teacher’s lounge.

  As she stepped out of her office, she noticed the janitor sweeping the hallway. “Excuse me, could you tell me where the teacher’s lounge is?”

  His dark eyes gave her an assessing look then focused in on her badge. A friendly smile curved his lips revealing a dimple in his left cheek. “You’re new, aren’t you?” Paige told him who she was, and he gave her directions, then said, “I’m Sam Hobbs. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

  “Thanks.” She headed in the direction he’d pointed. When she reached the right door, she looked back and found him still watching her, a gleam in his eye. She gave a silent snort. Well, he could forget that. She was on the job. She didn’t have time for romantic entanglements.

  Dylan’s handsome face came immediately to mind, and she felt the heat creep into her neck.

  But if she did have time, she had to admit Dylan would be the one she would be interested in. No, you’re interested in finding out what Will might know about his mother’s death.

  Focus on the job, Paige, the job, remember?

  Reaching out, she pushed the handle.

  Locked.

  “You need your ID for that room.”

  Paige turned to see the owner of the soft voice with the slight, Irish accent. A pretty, redheaded woman with brilliant green eyes smiled at her.

  Paige gripped her ID. “Ah, of course. Thanks.”

  “I’m Fiona Whitley. I teach second grade.”

  They shook hands. “Paige Worth. I’m the new guidance counselor.”

  “Oh, lovely. We’ve missed having one in the school. So glad to have you here.”

  Paige smiled. “Thanks so much.” She swiped her card and the two women entered the lounge together.

  Two more staff members sat on the sofa in the corner. Another poured coffee from the glass carafe. All three turned to stare at Paige. She smiled. “Hi.”

  After a round of introductions and a few minutes of small talk, she decided to put the question out there. “I need someone to put a rumor to rest for me.”

  “What’s that?” The redhead who’d introduced herself as Fiona Whitley asked.

  Paige pretended to fidget. “I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t even bring it up, but it’s kind of bothering me.”

  Of course, she had them now.

  “Go ahead and ask. If there’s a rumor going around that’s not true, we need to know what it is so we can nip it.” The blonde-headed woman who looked to be in her early thirties frowned. Jessica Stanton. Paige noted her name from the badge she had clipped to her lapel.

  Paige blew out a breath and said, “All right. I … um … heard that there were drugs in this school. If that’s true, I need to know which children might be most affected by this. Or if you personally know of any children whose parents are users.”

  “What? That’s crazy!” Jessica looked offended, nostrils flaring. “Where did you hear that?”

  Paige swallowed then offered a shrug. “I’m sorry. Maybe this was the wrong time and place to bring it up.” Actually, it was the perfect time and place.

  “No.” This from the redheaded Fiona. “It’s all right. If someone is saying that kind of stuff, we need to take it to the principal. And we do know of two arrests made. They were parents of two students here at the school.”

  The third woman in the room, Betty Lawson, a gray-haired lady who looked to be on the verge of retirement age, stepped forward and spoke. “It’s not so crazy.” She sighed. “My grandson is nine years old and in the fourth grade over in Bryson City. My daughter called last week to tell me he came home with a joint. Someone had put it in his backpack. They’re jumping through all kinds
of hoops to figure out where it came from.” She shook her head. “I’m sure some of that goes on around here.”

  Paige listened with interest and made a mental note about the incident. She wondered if the drugs showing up in the Bryson City elementary school could be from the same source as the ones Larry had been so sure were in this school.

  Something to definitely consider.

  Soon, the ladies left to get back to their classes. Fiona lingered. “I really hope you can help. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were drugs in this school.” She frowned. “Unfortunately, drug use even in this small town seems to be on the rise.”

  “Really?”

  “My brother is one of the deputies here in town. He and all of our law enforcement here have been busier than ever before trying to crack down on the drugs.” She shook her head, her eyes sad. “I hate it, but what else do you do other than fight it?”

  Paige could tell it bothered the woman. Just as she was about to ask about Sandra, Dylan’s sister, the door opened and Dylan popped his head in.

  “Hey, there, ladies.”

  When her heart thudded a happy beat, she took note of the reaction and told herself to cool it. She was on the job.

  Her heart didn’t care. “Hi, what are you doing here? Is Will okay?”

  A warm light from his eyes smiled at her before his lips curved. “Will is fine. Sometimes I fill in as the school nurse when she’s out sick.” He flashed his school badge at her.

  Fiona cleared her throat, and Paige gave a slight start. Had she actually forgotten the woman was there? She felt a flush creep up her neck. Fiona’s eyes twinkled as they darted back and forth between her and Dylan. Then she smiled as though she had a secret. “Hello, Dylan.”

  “Hi, Fiona.”

  “It’s been a while since you have been over for supper. Do you think you and Will can make one night this week?”

  Paige thought Dylan’s cheeks looked a little ruddier than usual as he looked at the woman who was obviously more than a coworker. A spurt of jealousy shot through her, and she blinked.

  Dylan nodded. “Possibly. If Joseph can stop playing with the horses long enough.”

  A laugh escaped Fiona’s throat. She said to Paige. “Joseph’s my husband. We own one of the horse farms up on the mountain.”