She handed him the quilts and her guitar case, along with a grocery bag full of small treasures, carefully wrapped in paper towels. “Be careful with those,” she said, indicating the bag. “Some are Christmas ornaments that our grandparents had...” She bit her lip.

“Damn, Clancey.” He put the things down and pulled her into his arms. He rocked her gently. “Come on, kid, it’s not the end of the world.”

“Yes, it is,” Tad said, moving close to Cal to be hugged, too. “Morris will kill us...!”

“He will not,” Cal said firmly. “Whatever it takes. You’ll be safe. Why don’t you come home with me?”

Clancey took a deep breath and pulled back, forcing a smile as she wiped her eyes and Tad’s with a paper towel wadded up in her jean pocket. “Thanks. But we’ve got a nice place to stay. Or we will have, tomorrow. I’ll give you the address when we move in, but you’ve got my cell phone number.”

He nodded and grimaced. “Damned bad luck, having him get out just before Christmas.”

“It’s his house,” she said simply. “We can’t live there. Not when he’s home. He’ll go right back with the same gang he used to run with, I guarantee it. He may have managed to fool the jailers, but I know him. He’s a good actor. He should have gone on the stage,” she added with faint bitterness.

“He’ll make one mistake, and he’ll go right back in,” Cal said with steely eyes.

“He’ll have to be caught doing something wrong, first,” she sighed. “If he really killed Granddaddy, and I think he did, he got away with murder.”

He rammed his hands into his pockets. “He wasn’t being watched, at the time.” He smiled coldly. “He’ll be watched, this time.”

“I know about law enforcement budgets,” she began.

“I have friends,” he said simply.

She knew the friends he meant. People he’d been in combat with, overseas. Mercs. She smiled. “Okay. Thanks.”

He shrugged. “I have to look out for the only family I’ve got left,” he said with a smile and a sigh.

She fought tears.

“Stop that,” he muttered. “My assistant’s right outside the door. Imagine if he looks in here and sees me bawling...!”

“There would be such terrible gossip,” she returned with twinkling eyes.

“You can’t even imagine.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to go to a meeting with some local civic leaders in thirty minutes. I’ll drop you two off on the way. How about that?”

“That would be very nice of you.” She glanced at the guitar sadly. “You’ll take care of...?”

“I’ll lock the door while I’m in the meeting, and I’ll have two trusted associates sitting on the hood and the trunk.”

She burst out laughing.

He grinned. “Let’s go.”

TEN