“No,” Tony whispered. “I haven’t. I’ve only discussed it with Roach. If you don’t want this, we won’t do it. I just thought there might be times when you and I and Nichol may all need to go in different directions. This woman could help with that too.” His lips brushed her hair as the scent of his cologne wafted through the air. “I love you. I love Nichol. I worry about both of you. Your safety and security are my primary concerns.”

The tension eased from her muscles as her body liquefied against him. “Really? You haven’t already started hiring someone. You truly want my input?”

“Really,” he whispered, as he nuzzled her collarbone. “I mentioned it to Roach. He’s found a few viable candidates. No one has been contacted. I wanted your input first.”

Allowing her husband more access, Claire tilted her head and closed her eyes. His prickly cheeks abraded her soft skin. The sensation was like a spark to dry kindling, warming her and infusing her with the fire of desire she’d purposely tried to subdue. “Can I think about it?” she asked.

He nodded, striking the match with each movement of his head. His intention grew as her internal flames intensified. “If that’s what you want to do…” His words came breathily against her exposed skin. “…then by all means, my dear, think.”

Thinking, however was not what she wanted to do at the moment.

Memories are the key not to the past, but to the future.

—Corrie Ten Boom

“SO WHAT DO you think of her?” Emily whispered as she and Claire stood on the shore of the frozen lake watching the mayhem of activity.

“I think she seems nice,” Claire replied, glancing at Taylor, the new addition to their security detail.

Emily shrugged. “Nice doesn’t seem like the best description of a bodyguard. That is her job description, isn’t it? I mean, she looks awfully petite for a badass. Shouldn’t she be like that knight lady on that TV show? You know the one who’s about seven feet tall.”

Claire laughed and shook her head. Taylor definitely wasn’t seven feet tall. She was probably only a little taller than Claire, about five-foot-five or –six and physically fit. Her long, dark hair was usually wrapped in a low bun, and her clothes were professional. She’d only been working with the Rawlings family for a week, but she seemed to fit in well. The most important thing to Claire was that she got along well with Nichol. “I don’t know what she should be. She had the best references. Tony and I like her, and Phil was impressed with her resume. I guess that makes her worth a try.”

“Well, I don’t know how you deal with having all these other people around all the time.”

It was Claire’s turn to shrug. “They aren’t always around and sometimes when they are, you don’t even realize it. That’s their job.” She thought about how Phil had been watching and protecting Nichol without Emily or John’s knowledge for years. That little secret brought a smile to Claire’s face.

“I guess if you’re all right with it.” Emily leaned closer. “Did you even have a choice? Did you get any input in the matter? Or was it all decided for you?”

Claire turned indignantly. “Yes, Em, I had input. It was Tony’s idea, and at first, I wasn’t on board. But then I kept thinking about Nichol. I’ll take a little less privacy to assure her safety any day of the week.”

“But… like now… why are they here? We’re on your property…” Emily looked around at the frozen lake, snow-covered ground, and bare trees. “…in the middle of nowhere.”

Claire and Tony had agreed with law enforcement to keep all the information about the threatening mailings private. No one outside of their security and staff knew anything about them. The FBI explained that the fewer people in the know, the better chance they had of finding the culprit or culprits. Though they hadn’t received any Rawls-Nichols mailings since Nichol’s birthday, there had been some letters addressed to Claire Rawlings. After analysis, these new mailings were found to have male DNA. The writing was inconsistent, but the message was the same on each of these mailings: ‘I will save you.’ Neither Claire nor Tony knew what that meant.

“Part of it is for Nichol,” Claire explained. “The more she’s used to them being around, the more comfortable she’ll be if she ever needs their help or protection.”

Emily shuffled her boot-clad feet. “Claire, I didn’t know that she needed that kind of protection.” Her voice softened. “I’m sorry. We did our best to keep her safe.”

Claire reached for her sister’s arm. “Stop that! You did great. You kept her out of the public eye. Look at her. She’s perfect and she is safe. Things are just different now that Tony and I are with her. Tony’s businesses and position puts him more into the limelight. You know we don’t like that. We never have. And, well, with Meredith’s book, there are still people who think they know us. Eric, Phil, and Taylor are our first line of defense. The more we include them in our activities, the more natural it is for Nichol.”

“I get it,” Emily admitted as the shrill expressions of glee came from the ice.

“Look, Momma!” Nichol yelled, as she and Michael performed their ice-skating wonders accompanied by their nannies and their fathers.

“I see, sweetie. You’re doing great!” Claire replied.

“Claire, you should go back out there with them. I don’t mind. I just don’t think in my condition I should be on thin blades of metal.”