Ty checked the pulse in his neck once more. “Faint but he’s alive.”

Sirens blared, sounding closer by the second.

“Uncle Marc?” Lilly asked, leaning her face close to his.

Ty put his hand on her back which was damp from sweat and fear. “He’s unconscious.”

“Who shot you?” Lilly asked the old man. “Who wants you dead? Were you telling me the truth when you said you weren’t behind the attempts on my life? Were you?” She couldn’t help demanding answers to the questions that haunted her.

Ty lifted her away from the man just as the paramedics ran up the front lawn, cleared them away from the area and got to work.

Seconds later, the police followed. The paramedics moved Dumont into the ambulance and transported him to the same hospital where Ty’s mother had been admitted. Though he was anxious to get back to her, they sat through an hour of questioning in his mother’s family room. Lilly answered everything she could while Ty and Derek did their part to help. Finally, the officer ran out of things to ask, at least for the moment.

“We need to get back to the hospital,” Lilly finally said, still trembling.

The cop who’d been taking notes snapped his pad shut. “I’ll need you to come by and give official statements, but you can go now.”

“Those statements might not have been necessary if one of your men hadn’t stalled me, giving Dumont the chance to get to Lilly and get himself shot,” Derek muttered. “I’m licensed and he knew it the second I showed him my badge. He should have just let me go.”

The cop, a guy who knew both Ty and Derek, nodded in understanding. “We’ll look into what happened. I promise. In the meantime, I suggest you stick close to Lilly until we follow up any leads that come from the investigating team.” He gestured to the rest of the house, indicating the forensics team who were checking footprints, interviewing neighbors and checking on other possible leads.

Guilt rushed through Ty for leaving Lilly alone in the first place. But with his mother in the hospital and Derek on his way, the decision had seemed like a safe one at the time.

“She’s not leaving my sight again,” he said, reaching for her hand and pulling it tight against his side. “Right now I’m getting her out of here.” She didn’t need any more time in the house with the frightening memories.

“Derek, can you take the dog?” Lilly asked. “I don’t want to leave her here with all these strangers coming in and out.”

The house had been designated a crime scene, something that would worry his mother sick-so he didn’t plan on telling her just yet. When she was stronger, he’d fill her in on everything. And she would get stronger. She’d be fine. He had to believe that.

“Sure. I’m not on Dumont duty anymore.”

“Right. The cops have someone watching him at the hospital until whoever shot him has been caught,” Ty said.

“Who would want him dead?” Lilly asked. “And who’d come after me if not Uncle Marc?”

Ty shook his head. He’d been sorting through possibilities since hearing Lilly’s version of events. “He said he wasn’t behind the attempts and he knew who was?”

She nodded. “I was petrified and I wouldn’t let him into the house. But after he was shot, it actually seemed like he came to warn me, not hurt me.”

Ty rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. “Let’s get to the hospital and see how my mother’s doing. Maybe there’ll be news on your uncle by then, too.”

“And don’t worry about your dog,” Derek said, coming back into the room with Digger on her leash, trotting happily at the other man’s feet.

“Looks like you got yourself a new lady,” Ty said, laughing. He knew all too well how Digger attached herself to new people.

“She stinks,” Derek said with a frown. “Did you ever think of getting her breath mints? She licked my face when I was putting her leash on and I swear to God, I nearly passed out.”

Lilly grinned. “It’s part of her charm. Take good care of her and thanks again.”

They started for the door together, when Ty turned to Derek. “She likes to sleep with you,” he told the other man. “And she likes to be on top.”

“Swell,” he muttered.

And Lilly laughed for the first time in hours.

TY HAD CALLED Hunter about the incident at his mother’s. Hunter had called Molly, knowing she’d want to be there when Dumont was brought in. He’d promised to meet up with her as soon as his meeting was over. She’d told him not to rush, that she was fine.

And she was fine. At least fine as far as Molly’s life was concerned. As soon as she’d hung up with Hunter, Molly had called her mother.

“I really don’t do hospitals,” Francie had said.

Disgusted, Molly had slammed down the phone and driven straight to the hospital by herself.

Molly heard the distance in her mother’s voice. She’d sensed it for a while. Ever since the party, when Francie had discovered Lilly was alive and well and stood to inherit the trust fund that would have been Marc’s and by virtue of marriage, hers, as well.

Molly had hoped things would turn out differently this time, especially since her mother hadn’t yet ended things with Marc. But with her mother’s refusal to come to the hospital, Molly had to face the truth. Francie was merely biding her time, waiting until she had a lead on another eligible wealthy man or at least until she had an idea about where to find one. Knowing Francie, a cruise or a trip to Europe would be her next stop as she hunted for her next victim. She wouldn’t think twice about leaving Molly behind. In fact Molly would be lucky if she received a goodbye. After all, she’d been this route before.

So much for family. So much for a mother loving her daughter and realizing her past mistakes. So much for Francie having changed.

Molly stepped through the automatic hospital doors and strode up to the check-in desk. “I’m here to see Marc Dumont,” Molly said to the tired-looking woman sitting in front of her.

“Are you immediate family?”

Molly swallowed hard. “No.”

The woman glanced down at the papers on her desk. “Mr. Dumont is not allowed visitors just yet. Have a seat and we’ll let you know when you can see him.”

Molly nodded. “I see. Thank you.” She turned and headed for an empty chair in which to wait.

The longer she sat, the more uncomfortable she grew and she fidgeted, unable to remain still. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t related to Marc and probably never would be. But he’d been good to her in ways nobody else had been and she wanted to make certain he would be okay.

She tapped her foot. She drummed her fingers against the armrest. And she waited.

“Molly?”

She glanced up and saw Lacey and Ty standing in front of her. She rose to her feet. “I didn’t see you come in.”

“You were deep in thought,” Lacey said.

“Yeah. Not in a pleasant place, either. Are you okay? Hunter told me what happened. I can’t believe Marc was shot right in front of you. Why did he come to see you in the first place?” Molly asked, still missing major parts of the story.

Lacey shrugged. “We never got that far. Is there any news?”

“Not yet.”

“I need to go inside and see my mother,” Ty said.

“I’m coming.” She touched Molly’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Go. I’ll be fine.”

Lacey gave Molly a quick hug and walked off with Ty.

Molly sighed. Her gaze followed the retreating couple until they disappeared behind the emergency room doors, then she glanced around the busy room. Most people were here with someone else. A friend, a family member. Someone they loved. Not Molly.

As she waited for news on Marc, she realized something profound. She’d spent too much time defending the man and not enough time sorting through the truth, only to end up exactly where she feared she’d be when all was said and done.

Alone.

A place where she had always been and a place she knew she would be for a long time to come.

TY HELD ON TO Lilly’s hand as he walked into the room where his mother lay sleeping. Earlier today Lilly had needed him but now he needed her. As he pulled a chair up to his mother’s bedside, he was reminded of the last time he saw her this frail and sick.

He’d come home from college when she’d had her first heart attack and subsequent surgery and she’d lain sleeping in a sterile room much like this one, hooked up to machines similar to these. He’d taken one look at her and realized she was all he had in the world and he stood to lose her.

He felt the same way now. Because despite the fact that Lilly had returned, despite loving each other, there were no promises exchanged, no guarantees made to each other. He knew they’d take things one day at a time until this trust fund issue was solved, but after that? Who knew.

The only constant in his life had been the woman whose frail hand he clasped in his.

“Ty?” He glanced up.

Dr. Sanford walked over to him, another man he’d never seen before by his side. “Ty, this is Dr. Miller. He’s our newest cardiologist. He has some things he’d like to explain to you.”

Ty listened as the young doctor who was also a surgeon explained that an angiogram showed his mother needed immediate surgery to reopen arteries that had closed off. More technical terms followed but the next thing he knew, he was signing a consent form and his mother was being wheeled out of the room.

Lilly placed her hand on Ty’s shoulder. “She’s going to be okay. The doctor said so himself.”

He glanced up and into her comforting eyes. “Did he? I barely remember the conversation.”

She smiled. “That’s why I listened carefully to every word. The surgery shouldn’t take more than an hour and she’ll be brought in to recovery where you can see her.” Lilly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his. “Then you’ll see for yourself, okay?”

He covered her hand with his. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“I felt the same way when you opened that closet door and found me. How did you know where I’d be?”

He leaned backwards, against her. “Because I showed you that hiding space myself and I couldn’t think of anyplace else you’d go that was safe.” And he’d refused to believe she was anything other than okay, despite her uncle’s bloody body lying at the front door.

Silence surrounded them until he couldn’t stand it another minute. He needed a distraction from waiting for the surgery to begin, let alone end.

He glanced at the clock. “We have time to kill. We should check on your uncle and see what, if anything, the police have found.”

Lilly straightened. “Now that sounds like a plan.”

Except the guard dog nurse at the desk had no new information on Dumont. Not even the fact that Lilly was a blood relative uncovered any more news. So, along with Molly, they settled in to wait.

Fifteen

Twenty-four hours later, Flo was recovering from successful surgery. Lilly’s uncle was still unconscious, the bullet having punctured his lung. The doctors expected him to recover, but they wouldn’t allow visitors for a while.

Lilly, Ty, Hunter and Molly sat in the waiting area of the hospital, having moved out of the emergency room wing. The police were on their way to talk with them. They had new information and the hospital was as good a place as any to bring together all interested parties and fill them in.

Molly looked pale and she hadn’t had much to say to Lacey or Ty since they’d met up here. Hunter had his intern doing research and he’d taken the day off to be with Molly, but she wasn’t talking to him, either. Lacey didn’t know if the other woman was upset over Marc’s condition or the fact that Marc was obviously involved in something bad enough to have ended up with him being shot on Ty’s mother’s doorstep.

Lacey was grateful when Don Otter, the chief of police, walked in the door and broke the silent tension.

“I’m glad you’re all here,” the chief said.

“Hey, Don.” Ty rose to greet the man and shake his hand.

The big man nodded.

“What brings you out so early in the morning?” Ty asked.

Don settled his large body into a seat and leaned forward, stretching the buttons over his shirt. “My men have been all over the site of the shooting. The footprints outside definitely belonged to a man. Some matched Marc Dumont’s shoe we confiscated from the hospital, the other prints are unknown. No fingerprints beyond the obvious, Flo, Lilly, Ty, etc. The bullet taken out of Dumont during surgery was sent to forensics and we should have answers soon.”

Lacey gagged.

Molly grabbed her hand.

How odd that the two women who felt so drastically different about Marc Dumont had formed such an unlikely bond, Lacey thought.