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Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

A fter bidding Bailey good night, Nate got the couch set up. He opted to sleep in his jeans and T-shirt in case he had to get up quickly in the night, but he did empty the contents of his pockets into a zippered section of his backpack so he'd be more comfortable.

He'd also brought a small gun safe that only opened in response to his fingerprints. That way he had a safe place to put his handgun while he was sleeping. He didn't know if Seth and Jordan ever wandered downstairs at night or not, but he didn't want to risk it.

Even though his body was tired, his mind was much too busy to fall asleep. He double-checked that all the doors and windows on the bottom floor were closed and locked. After that, he pulled up the Bible app on his phone and spent some time reading the book of John. The last thing he did before falling asleep was to pray for Bailey, Seth, and Jordan. "And Lord, please give everyone wisdom. Help us figure out who's doing this to Bailey, and give me the ability to keep her and the boys safe. "

He uttered a quiet "amen" before falling asleep.

It was Minnie who woke him up an hour later. She didn't bark, but she did get to her feet and pace past the coffee table, her eyes alert.

Nate sat up and quickly opened the gun safe. "What is it, girl?" He waited silently, listening to the unfamiliar creaks of the house and hoping to pick up anything that didn't belong. Minnie cocked her head to one side and looked upward. Was someone moving around upstairs that she could hear but he couldn't quite detect?

He was just about to relax again when Seth's frantic voice carried from upstairs, "Mommy! Help me!"

Minnie woofed, and Nate leaped to his feet. He grabbed his handgun and secured it on his belt before taking the stairs two at a time. At the top, he spotted Seth's bedroom door open and the light on down the hall. He told Minnie to stay and crept closer. Right outside the room, he heard Bailey's voice as she tried to console her son.

"It was just a dream, sweetie. I promise. Everything's okay."

A little whimper was followed by sniffles. "He opened my window and came in. He was really scary."

"Let me tell you something. No one is coming in your window. For one thing, they'd have to scale the side of our house like Spider-Man to get to it. Do you really think someone could do that?"

Nate imagined the little boy shaking his head no, tears in his dark eyes.

"Of course not! Plus, we have locks on all the windows. They can't be opened from the outside."

"What about downstairs? The bad guy can reach the windows."

It was hard for Nate not to go in and try to reassure the little boy himself. Instead, he continued to listen, impressed by how well Bailey seemed to be handling the situation. Her voice was soft and soothing. He imagined her sitting on the edge of the bed, smoothing back Seth's hair or holding his hand.

"The windows downstairs all have locks. The same with the doors. Plus, Nate and Minnie are sleeping down there. If someone tried to come into the house, Minnie would know it before they ever stepped foot inside. Can you imagine being a bad guy and sneaking into the house only to find a big dog like Minnie waiting for you?"

The two of them giggled together, and the sound warmed Nate's heart. If his presence there at the house today only served to make Seth feel safer after a bad dream, then it was all worth it.

"Will you sing me a song? Please?"

"One song, and then you'd better get some sleep. You need to make more energy so you can play with Minnie tomorrow. She'll be disappointed if you're too tired to play ball with her."

Seth must have agreed because a moment later, Bailey's sweet, soft voice filled the air as she began to sing a lullaby.

Had Nate ever heard her sing before? Maybe with a group at a birthday party, but not like this. He suddenly felt like he was intruding and considered trying to retreat downstairs when Bailey spoke again.

"Sleep well, my boy. I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, Mommy."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

With that, Bailey backed into the hallway and quietly closed Seth's bedroom door. She turned, spotted him, and didn't seem the least bit surprised that he was there .

Nate, on the other hand, took in the way her dark blonde hair cascaded in waves past her shoulders to the middle of her back. His hand itched to reach out and see if it was as soft and thick as it looked.

It didn't matter that she was standing there in a pair of loose pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt. Beautiful didn't even begin to describe her.

His throat went dry, and he swallowed hard. "I'm sorry to intrude. I heard him cry out and came up to make sure everything was okay."

She nodded and motioned for him to follow her to the top of the stairs so they were farther away from Seth's room. "I appreciate it. I guess the break-in at the store and everything else has bothered him more than I realized." She crossed her arms in front of her and frowned. "I wish I'd known—I would've done more to reassure him."

"You were great in there, Bailey. They're lucky to have you for their mom."

"Thank you." She blinked several times and then reached a hand down to pat Minnie. "Maybe, when this is all over, I'll seriously consider getting a dog. Just knowing you and Minnie were downstairs made Seth feel better."

"Dogs have a way of doing that." Nate scratched Minnie's ear, and his hand brushed against Bailey's.

She didn't immediately move hers away. "Dogs and their stubborn owners."

There was just enough light in the hallway for him to make out the humor that sparked in her eyes. It took everything in him not to reach for her hand, but if he did that, he wasn't sure he could stop himself from kissing her.

Nate shifted his position and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I'm glad we can help. Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep? "

Bailey pulled the ends of her sleeves down to cover her fingers. "I think so. You?"

"We'll be fine. See you in the morning."

She nodded, and Nate made himself turn and go back downstairs. One thing was certain: the image of Bailey standing in the dim light, her hair flowing around her shoulders, was something he'd never forget.

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