Kidnapped by Dee Henderson Page B

to say yes?”
    Caroline laughed. “I suppose there is some logic to that.”
    â€œWhen you have to compress a relationship into the time available, and it’s agonizingly short, it gets easier to focus on the things that matter.” He ate another chip.
    â€œYou planned this evening, Luke.”
    â€œJust the when and where. The thing that mattered most was your being here.”
    â€œIt’s going to take me a while to get used to the nonwork side of you. You’re not nearly as serious about life as Mark is.”
    He smiled. “Mark planned Christmas Day, did he?”
    â€œMark wanted their first Christmas to be enjoyed by everyone. It was nice. We even went for a sleigh ride.”
    â€œI don’t get that detailed. And my job is serious enough; there’s no reason to let my occasional day away stay serious.”
    â€œMy schedule is a bit of a challenge during the school year. And you live an hour away from Benton.”
    â€œWe’ll figure it out. What would you like to do next?”
    â€œWe need a picture to memorialize tonight.”
    â€œWe do?”
    She nodded. “For my scrapbook.”
    â€œI’m not big into pictures.”
    â€œTough.”
    He laughed. “I suppose I could go along with this, just as long as I get a copy of it.”
    â€œAdmit it; you keep photos around. I know you picked out a couple from the wedding photos. Sharon told me.”
    â€œI liked how you blushed. Which you’re doing again by the way.”
    â€œDon’t remind me.” She slipped from her chair. “I’m going to go find a mirror. Watch the packages?”
    â€œI’ll even save you the last chip,” he promised.
    She knew he watched as she joined the crowd. Luke Falcon was not what she expected, not even close. And it made her smile.
    * * *
    Luke left Caroline in the rocker, knowing the sleep mattered more than the comfort of a bed. If they got the bad news he feared, she would be struggling to get that sleep in the days ahead. People who had lost loved ones often ended up working nights so they could sleep days. The hours after dark and the memories they brought were so heavy as to make sleep impossible.
    Her house had floorboards that creaked, but he moved slow enough to keep the sounds to a minimum. He didn’t look at a clock. He picked up the quilt he had set aside on the couch and stretched out again.
    If Caroline lost her family, Luke knew he was going to lose her too. There were not enough good memories built up between them to overcome the weight of this weekend. This day would be the raw memory she could never get past. He wiped his eyes and closed them, longing to find the escape of sleep.

Chapter Eleven
    L uke woke to the sound of a phone ringing. He pushed himself up on the couch, his left arm numb, his back aching at the twisted way he had slept. He grabbed for his phone on the side table. “Luke Falcon.”
    â€œThey found Mark,” Jackie said.
    So close to a nightmare, so pushed without sleep, Luke heard Jackie’s words, and his first instinct was to see blood. “Where?” he choked out.
    â€œHe’s alive. A country road near the home he designed, a farmer’s pond. The car is wrecked and in the water. Mark extricated himself from the car and out of the water before he collapsed. The paramedics haven’t even reached him yet. I’m giving you what the sheriff called into the dispatcher less than a minute ago.”
    He saw the clock. 5:10 a.m. His cousin had dumped his car into water a good twelve hours ago. “Is he conscious?”
    â€œIt doesn’t sound like it. An air ambulance is on the way to the scene. Hold on, dispatch is working to get me a radio link with the sheriff.” Jackie dropped off the line. Luke reached for his shoes and tugged them on with one hand. Jackie came back. “It sounds like Mark has serious chest injuries. Luke, if you want to see him