Running to You: Small Town Romance

Chapter Six

**This has not been edited or proofread.**

GRAYSON

I thought I'd been terrified the two times Farrah had been caught in a barn fire.

The fear I felt now trumped that. She was by herself at her house where someone had crossed onto her property and up to her front door to put an article there so she'd see it, so she'd know she was being targeted.

The fear I felt as I rushed towards her house had me swallowing vomit as it rose up in my throat. I had her on the phone, terrified if I couldn't hear her voice, I'd completely lose it.

I threw my truck in park as soon as I was in her yard. She stood up from the step she was sitting on as I jumped down, quickly moving towards her. I caught her in my arms and crashed my lips to hers, kissing her with a desperation that rocked my soul and tipped my world.

"Pack a bag," I rasped once I released her. "You're not staying by yourself until this is taken care of. And while I hate to do this to you, baby girl, I suggest closing your office until all of this is over. I don't want anyone else in town targeted."

Sadness clouded her eyes. "I don't either," she whispered. "But if I don't, they'll be targeted, too."

I cradled her face in my hands and pressed my lips to her forehead, holding her with me for a moment until I felt her relax some. I then took her keys from her hand and moved up the porch, unlocking her front door. I probably should have called Chase, but I knew he was probably passed out in bed still. God knew the man needed some rest. Between work and the baby, he was probably being run ragged.

"I'm calling my brother," Farrah told me as I began flicking on lights. Gut feeling told me no one was here, and I trusted my gut.

I sighed. "Let's get you to my place first and settled in," I told her. "He's going to want to talk to you, and I want to get you the fuck away from here."

She nodded in understanding. I grabbed all of her perishable food items, throwing them into grocery bags she'd saved for her smaller trashcans. I didn't know how long this would take, and I knew it would drive Farrah nuts if some of her food went to waste.

She wheeled a suitcase into the room, her hair now up in a messy knot on the top of her head. She looked stunning – took my breath away.

"You ready?" I asked her, reaching forward to grab the handle of her bag.

She nodded. "Let's get out of here," she whispered.

~*~*~

When we got to my place, I let her get settled into the guest room. Though we were together, Farrah and I both still appreciated our own space. I knew once I got a wedding ring on her finger we'd share a room, but until then, I knew we would both take advantage of having our own rooms when we needed a break from one another.

It wasn't healthy to constantly be up under each other.

"Someone better be dying," Chase grunted when he answered my call.

"Could have been your sister about forty-five minutes ago," I told him.

That woke him up. I heard him shuffling. "What's that supposed to mean, Grayson? Don't play with me."

I sighed and wedged my phone between my shoulder and ear as I got ready to throw some crap together for dinner. "Someone left a news article on her front door. She found it when she got home. I've got her here with me, and she's got the article with her. You might want to get over here and check her home out, too. Might be some prints, hair follicle, something."

I was desperate.

"Yeah, I'm on my way," Chase told me. "Let me take Ryan to the bookstore first, and then I'll be over."

"Sure thing."

I hung up, watching as Farrah strode into the kitchen. She looked tired, like the weight of the world was settled on her shoulders. I drew her close to me, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips. She rested her head against my chest. "I'm sorry I've turned your life upside down."

I snorted. "Farrah, you've been turning my life upside down since the moment you were born," I teased, trying to lighten her mood.

It worked. She smacked my side with a giggle. God, she was adorable.

"What are you cooking?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I confessed. "Just needed something to do."

She pressed a kiss to my cheek. "Why don't you go outside, maybe split some wood so we can cuddle in front of the fire tonight, and I'll make vegetable soup. Sound good?"

I sighed. This woman knew me so well. "Sounds great, babe."

I kissed her one more time before disappearing out of the kitchen, heading outside to go busy my mind and wear myself out to the point I couldn't think about any of this mess any longer.

~*~*~

Chase pulled up in his truck and jumped out, a tired frown pulling at his lips, dark circles under his eyes. God, he looked rough. I couldn't even begin to imagine the hell he was receiving from his wife for letting himself get to this point.

The man didn't know when to just rest.

"Where's my sister?" Chase asked me.

I pointed to the house. "Kitchen."

He grabbed shoulder, steering me in the direction of the porch. "Come on. Need you in there, too."

I huffed and dropped the axe from my hand before following him inside. Farrah looked up at our entrance, and she frowned at my brother. "Are you the only police officer in this town?" she demanded, her hand on her hip, a wooden spoon in the other. I grinned at the image she made. "Seems to me like you are."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Just give me coffee."

She pointed at the freshly-made pot. "Get it yourself."

He grunted and walked over to it, pouring it black, not even bothering with sugar and cream like he normally did. When he inhaled the aroma, I thought for sure he was just going to dunk his face into it.

"Alright, tell me what happened, step by step," Chase ordered, looking at his little sister.

So, she recounted to him everything she'd gone through: closing up her shop, driving home talking to me, going up her porch, finding the article, and then waiting for me to show up. Chase had already started on his second cup of coffee by the time he finished, and he was looking a bit more awake.

"I need the article," he told her.

She left the kitchen. Chase and I sat in silence until she returned. He took it from her and grabbed one of my Ziploc bags, sliding it into it. "Doubt we'll get anything off of this since it's been handled so much, but we'll try. In the meantime, I'm labeling your place as a crime scene until we can swipe everything for prints or anything we can use to get DNA."

She didn't even put a fight. "Okay."

Chase sensed her weariness and tugged her into his arms. "I'm sorry this is happening, little sis, but I'm going to take care of it. I promised. I won't stop until I can prove to you this man is behind bars, you hear me?"

She weakly nodded her head before stepping back, her eyes blurring with tears. I reached out for her, but she shook her head, turning back to the stove. I sighed and looked at Chase. "She's safe here," I told him. "I won't let anything happen to her."

He nodded. "I know, Grayson. You're probably the only person I trust with her right now," he confessed.

With that, he dropped a kiss to the top of his sister's head and disappeared out of the house. A moment later, I heard his truck start up before he left down the drive.