DRAGONJULS Storybook
Disclaimer and Acknowledgements: See Part One
Part 15
Chapter twenty-six
Colin waited for Catherine's jet to arrive; it had been delayed by ten minutes due to the weather but still twenty ahead of schedule. Colin wasn't sure if the helicopter would brave the conditions but suspecting Catherine's present mood, he knew she would take her chances.
He'd decided to come to Christchurch personally and be there to give her the updated
news from the detective in charge of the case, although because of it's high profile
status, there was talk of a team from Christchurch coming to take over. The events last
evening when he'd waited with Faith, Judy and the two girls had been traumatic.
"Colin, Grace said Jake would be okay, is he Colin, is he?" Lisa asked the man as he stepped over the threshold into the lounge.
Picking up the slight form of the redheaded child he hugged her close; his own body weary from the events of the evening; but what must these women all be feeling, they were here in the thick of it, especially the child. "Princess he's going to be fine. Grace told me that tomorrow you can go visit your brother," he smiled at her briefly.
Lisa gave him a puzzled frown. "He's not my brother Colin, we haven't been adopted yet!" The child told him in a tone of surprise.
"Ah, that's right, you haven't have you, but one day maybe?" Colin looked at his eyes twinkling at her.
"I don't mind but it's Jake, you know how strange he is about some things; he doesn't want me as a sister, he told me so!" Lisa informed them all.
Colin looked at the child and then to the interested stares of Faith and Judy. "He doesn't? When did he say that?"
"Oh, he said that ages ago when Catherine could still see us. We don't discuss it now because she's blind and I think she's forgotten she asked us that question when she went away the first time. I think when her head got hurt it lost that question," the child said simply as if it was a normal occurrence.
Colin hugged her close and whispered in her ear. "Maybe she just needs someone to trigger her memory Princess?"
Lisa grinned at him happily for the first time since the shattering of their peace at the ranch. "I can do that, do you think that's all it is?" The child's voice held a plaintive note.
"Yes I do. I'm sure she will be proud of you if you reminded her of her question, definitely proud of you!" Colin placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Lisa smiled at him again and her eyelids dropped as she fought the oncoming of sleep. "I see it is bedtime for little Princess's, what do you say?"
Lisa looked at him solemnly, "I'm scared to sleep on my own Colin, and will you come and sit by me tonight?"
Colin blinked back the tear that threatened to fall at her request. "Tell you what Princess, Judy will take you to bed and read you a story and then I will come up later to sit for a while before I go and collect Catherine from the airport, what do you say?"
"Catherine is going to be home tomorrow?" Lisa asked excited at the prospect.
"She certainly is, and if you don't get some sleep you're going to be falling asleep when she gets home." Colin pointed out.
Lisa kissed his cheek as she wiggled to be put down, then went over to Faith and placed a shy kiss on the older woman's face and smiled at her. Then she picked up a large book that was on the coffee table and held her hand out to Judy, who took it and glanced at the book in enquiry. "I will keep this book safe until Jace gets home, she wanted us to read it, so I'll look after it until then," she walked out of the room with the housekeeper.
Colin placed a hand across his eyes to remove the moisture building up and then turned to the gurgling baby in the crib at Faiths side. "Is it okay if I hold her?" He looked at Grace's mother for perhaps the first time fully and noticed the resemblance to the woman he loved.
"Yeah, she will like that but don't be surprised if she gets a little agitated, she must know something is wrong." Faith eyed the tall man as he leaned into the crib and gingerly pulled out the baby and held her in his arms.
"Hey Elena, where's that big smile you give your mama huh?" Colin softly whispered to the baby, he didn't see the interested expression of Faith's face as she watched him with the infant.
Elena responded to his voice, it was new experience and she wanted to hear more. The baby's little green eyes twinkled as she looked up at the man in fascination. A tiny hand gripping the index finger on his left hand, Colin smiled at her grip. "She's a very strong baby, look at how she holds onto my hand," he whispered to Faith.
"Yeah, she is, she must get that from her mother." Faith replied absently, her eyes never leaving the man and his absorption with the baby.
"She looks like her mother that's for sure, all that wonder in those eyes, reminds you of Jace when she's looking at things for the first time. She smiles like her too, and that nose, well that's got to be a family trait." Colin chuckled as he examined the baby.
"Would you like a family one day Colin?" Faith asked him with interest.
"If I found the right person to have my children with surely," he said laconically.
"Have you found the right person?" Faith knew that her daughter would kill her if she knew that she was quizzing Colin.
Colin smiled first at the baby and then at Faith, he nodded his head. "I've found her alright, now I've got to keep her, that's always the difficulty, wouldn't you say?"
Faith smiled at him and nodded her own head. "Yes, but if you love enough that person will never go away."
Colin looked directly at Faith and his grey eyes gave her a piercing glance. "I love enough and if necessary, I'll love enough for the both of us!" He turned and put the baby back in the crib. Elena gurgled happily as she kicked her feet inthe open air of the crib. " I have to leave now Faith to go pick up Catherine." The tall rancher said soberly as he gave the baby one more gentle look, then turned and swiftly left the room.
**********
The early morning light streaming into the cave brought activity from Jace's kidnappers and suddenly she was starring face to face with a woman. A woman whose features looked like she had been subjected to more than one broken nose and a scar prominently featured on her right cheek, she wasn't the most angelic looking woman Jace had ever seen. Now her mind raced, this must be the neutral voiced leader?
"Ms Bardley, no that's far to formal for this informal gathering now isn't it? Jace, interesting name." The woman put a stubby finger down Jace's left cheek and pressed her finger into hollow of the cheek, smiling as she saw the pain register in Jace's eyes as the pressure.
"No more interesting than yours?" Jace challenged as the finger moved down to the side of her neck in an angry gesture.
"Ah, you still have spirit, I'm surprised. Surely our mutual friend would want someone to be decorative rather than feisty?" The heavily accented voice rumbled in Jace's ears.
"Catherine wouldn't call you a friend!" Jace retorted her expression defiant.
A hideously sounding laugh echoed around the cave as the burly tall woman breathed down on her blonde captive, "Perhaps not, but by the time she gets here I will be your friend and a good friend too!"
Jace grimaced at the thought, 'What the hell did these sick perverts get out of taunting people this way, first it had been Hudson and now this bitch; couldn't they get a love life without threatening people?' "That's not going to happen!"
"You think you can stop me? When I've finished I'm sure the boys outside wouldn't mind taking care of you when I move on to Catherine. I've waited over ten years for that piece of arse. Tell me is she good?" The words whispered into Jace's ears made her want to be sick on the spot, but she controlled the churning of her stomach.
"I will have the pleasure of your company tonight, after I leave my ultimatum for your precious Catherine, and you will find out what a real woman is then!"
Jace was left shaking at the terrible thought of being at the mercy of the murderous woman. 'I think I'd rather be dead!' that particular thought didn't bring the fear that she knew it should, it was almost as if her mind had resigned itself to the inevitable fact.
**********
Grace replaced her cell in her handbag and looked at Jake who was struggling to open his eyes. The call had been Colin, he was waiting for Catherine and she was due through customs any time; he would have her back on the ranch by noon weather permitting.
Grace watched in eager anticipation as Jake opened his left eye and then shut it quickly and then within a few seconds tried the same task on the right with the same result. "Hey Jake, how do you feel?" Grace asked him softly.
Jake tried to open his eyes again and this time he managed to with difficulty as they were almost closed shut with the bruising to his face. "I hurt Grace," the boy replied weakly.
Grace felt her tears well up and spill over onto her cheeks. "I know you do darling, but you're going to be fine; the doctor said so."
He tried to look at his body and saw his leg held up in the air in traction equipment. "They broke my leg?" The boy whimpered in disbelief.
"Yeah in two places, but the doctor says it should be fine in a few weeks." Grace held onto one of his hands and chaffed it in sympathy.
"She sat on my leg and pulled it back!" Jake informed Grace matter of factly, his tears surfacing and slowly trailing down his pale face.
Grace clutched at the child and held him tight. "I know it hurt Jake, but it's over she won't ever hurt you again!"
"Is everyone else all right, what about Lisa you know she's a scardy cat really she just tries to be brave all the time." The boy asked his eyes shadowed in pain.
"Lisa is coming over later Jake, she wants to say sorry. Faith and Judy and Elena too are okay." Grace informed the boy.
He looked at her his alert intelligence already picking up that she'd missed one person out. "They took Jace away Jake, kidnapped her. Catherine will be home by lunchtime and we'll get her back."
Jake slowly shook his head and cried out at the pain; Grace pressed the button for the nurse. "Catherine will be mad at me, I tried to stop them Grace, and I really did! I was the man in the house, I tried Grace I tried........." the boy sobbed into Grace's shoulder.
"Jake? Jake, Catherine won't be mad, she knows you tried to stop them, look at you? You couldn't have done any more than you did, Catherine will be proud not mad at you!" Grace whispered to the sobbing child in her arms.
The nurse came in and then picked up the phone to alert the doctor, it wasn't good for the boy to be this worked up he needed to rest. Grace reluctantly moved away when asked and watched as they sedated the boy and he quickly went back into a deep sleep.
Grace watched and then turned and went out of the room for some air and a coffee, her body protesting at the lack of sleep, but more importantly the emotional turmoil she was storing up. 'Where was a good mountain when you needed one!'
A police officer was stationed outside the door and looked Grace over seriously as she left.
**********
He saw the announcement of the flight arrival and waited patiently for the formalities of her disembarkation, he was pleased she was finally home, regardless of the situation. He had already arranged for a Red Cap to immediately place her luggage aboard the waiting helicopter as soon as she cleared customs for what he knew would be a bumpy flight from Christchurch to the airport closest to 'Destiny' where he had left the Land Rover. He dreaded answering her questions about the incident at the ranch much more than he the nauseating return helicopter ride and then their final lap back to the ranch.
Catherine had her eyes closed as the Land Rover progressed steadily towards the ranch entrance; Rio was in the back and had lavished Colin with affection when they had met at the airport. Other than a brief update, the rest of the journey had been fairly silent. There again the trip from Christchurch to the local airport in town had been far from ideal and they both felt queasy after alighting from it.
"Catherine the police will want to see your ID, they have put people on the gate." Colin said, his feeling of failure evident in his voice.
"Okay, but a blind woman isn't going to do much damage is she?" Catherine heard the tone and smiled briefly towards her companion.
"Ah, but you're a very resourceful blind woman Catherine," he smiled a little as he pulled up at the entrance to the property.
"Thanks, I don't feel it about now I'm afraid Colin," her own voice tired.
Formalities over, they quickly reached the ranch house and Catherine was informed that there were two police officers guarding the house also. Eventually she was let into her home, where she sighed heavily at the intrusion of her privacy, but knew that it was long overdue and far too late. Her ears picked up the sounds of Lisa laughing as she was being over run by Rio; Catherine had let him into the house to look for his small mistress as she divested herself of her outdoor clothes.
Catherine then heard a movement towards the kitchen doorway and she saw a small shape waiting there. "You coming to give me a hug as well as the dog?" Catherine asked her eldest daughter.
The small girl then suddenly ceased her at the waist and Catherine swiftly bent down and wrapped her arms around the child and picked her up so they could come face to face. "I love you Catherine and I missed you!"
"Same here Princess," they exchanged a kiss on the cheek and Lisa burrowed into her shoulder. "Are you ready to go and see Jake with me in a little while?"
Lisa looked into her eyes and placed another kiss on her left scarred cheek. "Oh yeah, I'm ready now," the child said enthusiastically.
"Well, I need to have a shower and change, then we can go; I think Grace needs to get home for some sleep don't you?" Catherine smiled into the child's face close to her own.
"Okay, are you home forever now Catherine?" Lisa asked her voice holding the fear that another person she loved was going to leave again.
"Princess, I might need to go look for Jace, but otherwise I'm not leaving you all behind again next time I need to go away on business." Catherine patiently explained to the child.
"Great that means we can go to America too! Cool." Lisa laughed into her shoulder; then Catherine gently put her down onto ground level and they walked hand in hand towards the kitchen.
Judy saw her employer enter the room and she immediately reached for the kettle and the
tea. The woman looked haggard and thin, certainly the last month hadn't been good for her
health and this was the final straw. "Would you like tea Mrs Warriorson?" Judy's
mind going over the interview she'd had with the detective, before he left the house last
night.
"Ms Schmidt, interesting name are you of German decent?" Armstrong asked the young woman politely, it was odd that she had the same surname as the leader of the kidnappers, very odd.
"Yes my grandparents are from Dresden, they arrived in New Zealand in the late fifties. My father was born here and I have two brothers, we have a farm on the North Island." Judy responded quietly. She'd known that questions were going to be asked about her parentage, especially in light that the lead kidnapper was German.
"I see. Why did you move over to the South Island? Surely you could have secured a post in the North, your qualifications are very good? Armstrong saw the shift of the young woman's shoulders and knew that something didn't fit right in this conversation-but what?
"You will know sooner or later and I was hoping to tell Jace earlier, but things obviously didn't come about for me to do so. My qualifications wouldn't take a through screening, I fabricated some of the references, as I needed the work."Judy looked down at her hands, which she had been wringing unconsciously.
"Why?" Armstrong saw the nervous hand signals and he knew that she didn't have anything to do with the kidnapping at all, it was like having a set of perfect clues, but they ended up being the red herring in a crime thriller, just so here.
"I was running away from a brutal relationship with my fiancé. This was an ideal solution, he would never find me because this post isn't something I'm trained for." Judy admitted sadly.
"What are you trained for?" Armstrong sat next to the younger woman and patted her hand in sympathy.
"I'm a qualified teacher, high school teacher; received my degree and teaching certificate two years ago. I can give you the name of the last school I worked at, but I need it to be discreet, my ex-fiancé is the deputy head." Judy gave him a long searching look.
"I will make the enquiry.......discreetly Ms Schmidt, have no fear of that, but I suggest you inform your employer here on the ranch, with the things that happen at this place, it maybe only a matter of time until your ex does find out where you are." Armstrong smiled at her and left her to mull over his advice.
Catherine turned her head towards the housekeeper, her mind mulling over what Grace said about the possibility of Judy being involved. "Thanks Judy, I'd love a decent mug, better make plenty I'm in withdrawal." 'I'm going to have to tackle that problem at sometime but not yet.'
Faith chose that moment to enter with Elena who was chuckling at the movement of shapes and light. Seeing Catherine, Faith stopped at the doorway and considered retreating back to the bedroom with the child.
"No! Please stay?" Catherine raised her hand; she'd felt the uncertainty in the room as the baby came into the room.
Faith looked at the woman, she'd heard so much about in the last six years and certainly more so in the last month; she was certainly beautiful, tall and yes, blind. But, she gave off a physical aura that put her at the top of the pile in any room; she was simply stunning. "Mrs Warriorson, I'm Faith Thornton, Grace's mother, how do you do."
"Pleased to meet you Faith, I've heard about you of course in the last few years," Catherine returned the welcome.
"In that case, I'm going to have to start from scratch, because I know how that would have come out knowing Grace and her sense of humour." Faith depreciated her daughter's views of her.
Catherine laughed quietly. "Yes, well Grace does have a rather colourful way of explaining people at times. You have my daughter, would you mind if I hold her for a few minutes?" Although Catherine asked it was a demand and Faith knew that.
Walking over to the seated woman, she gently placed the baby in the crook of Catherine's arms and helped to settle her, before going to the other side of the kitchen table.
"Hey beautiful, how's my baby behaving?" Catherine crooned softly to the baby and heard here chuckle contentedly. Elena grasping her fingers in a tight hold.
Catherine bent her head to the baby and placed a tender kiss on her downy head. "Her hair is growing!" Catherine said, surprise in her voice.
Faith and Judy both had tears in their eyes as they watched the tall woman take in the perceived changes to the baby which she hadn't seen or touched for over a month and babies were apt to grow quickly. "Yes, it's black, as black as yours I would think." Faith replied the grey in Catherine's showing through in stark contrast to her normal colouring.
"Yes, her mother said it looked like mine, have to wonder at that. But you still have your mama's eyes little one, those wonderful green orbs that captured me from the first day." Catherine whispered to the baby but the other two women heard the words and each looked at the other in sympathy at her pain; she certainly wasn't talking about the baby's eyes.
Judy placed the mug of tea to her right and Catherine looked towards Faith to take back the baby.
"Gran can I hold her?" Lisa asked hopefully.
Catherine heard the term of affection and smiled.
"Do you mind that she calls me Gran?" Faith enquired.
"No, not at all, I'm glad she can call someone that! My parents are dead, Jace.......... is estranged from her family at the moment, but we will clear that up soon. I'm pleased, Grace is my family, and so her mother by default gets to take some of that responsibility too, thank you." Catherine said quietly.
Eventually drinking a couple of mugs of tea, she got up from her chair and walked to the door to the hall. "I need to clean up then, before going to see Jake. Faith can you leave Elena in my room in the crib for a short while, I want to......." Catherine didn't finish as Faith immediately said she would. "Thanks."
When Catherine left, Faith looked at Judy and asked. "That's the reclusive Catherine Warriorson?"
Judy smiled at the expression. "Some recluse, I think every man and his dog knows where she lives, what she eats and just about everything that you want to know, they all know, but she is something else isn't she?"
"I know now why my daughter loves her so much and will defend her to the last." Faith said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, why?" Judy asked interested in the observation.
When she loves, she loves wholeheartedly and you can see that in the way she treats her children and how she treats both Jace and my daughter. It is very rare to find that in a woman who comes from her background and heritage to express outwardly her feelings; it is hard to elicit any reaction from her about most things, but for those she loves, she gives her heart and soul. You can't ask for more than that in this life and I think anyone who has that love from her knows it." Faith smiled at her romantic meandering; my, but this place had the strangest effect on people!
"Maybe I'd better find someone like that myself." Judy laughed at the older woman's words, she was almost as bad as her daughter with these strange sayings.
"I hope you get that lucky Judy, I sincerely hope you do." Faith looked at Lisa and gently went to collect the baby from her and left the room.
Catherine had showered and changed her clothes; it felt good to be home in familiar surroundings at least. Walking over to the crib and the gurgling Elena. Catherine looked down and a brief smile crossed her lips. Sitting at the edge of the bed, she gently put out a hand and placed it on the baby's head ensuring it was done slowly not to startle the baby.
"I'll bring her home little one, your mother is going to come back to you and you will never know she left. That much I promise and I never break a promise Elena. Never!" Catherine whispered to her daughter. She picked the baby up out of the crib and gently rocked her as she sat in her room and recalled the last moments she had with Jace, tears once again tracing a path down her cheeks, her memories the only things holding her sanity.
"Elena, I'm going to tell you a story. It's a love story about two people who meet on a mountain side in appalling conditions and how the most compelling green eyes captured blue ones, never to release them again without projecting love!" Catherine softly crooned the words to her daughter and began her tale of love that defeated the darkest of spirits and brought only light into hearts.
**********
Chapter Twenty-seven
Katia Schmidt walked confidently into a local newsagent and purchased the stationary she needed to leave her ultimatum. Purchasing notepaper, envelopes and a small box, sellotape and finally a newspaper to see if the story had hit the headlines. It had! Leaving the shop she continued on to a local café and ordered the largest meal she could along with strong black coffee and settled down to her task of reading the news and composing her note for Catherine Devonshire. Within an hour she had been fed, watered and had the note ready for the postal service. She did consider sending a token of maybe a piece of Jace's ear as a little gift but thought better of it, that could come later if Catherine ignored the first request. Hudson didn't think that would be necessary but you could never tell Devonshire was volatile and un-predictable. Hudson was assuming she had become predictable in her relationship with Bardley; it would be interesting to see if that was true.
Katia purchased the necessary stamps to send the message express; assuring its delivery would be by tomorrow. 'No way is Catherine going to get in the way of my fun with Bardley tonight, no I deserve some fun and why not take advantage of the blonde. Bardley was after all very desirable and the prison hadn't had much to offer by way of desirable women in a long, long time. When I'm done with her, Bardley wouldn't be in a fit state to have a relationship with anyone.' Katia laughed at the thought, Hudson had said she could do anything, so anything it will be!
Putting the envelope in the post box she noting that the collection would be in a couple of hour's time. Excellent!
Katia got into the truck she'd used to come into the town and headed off in a southerly direction. She was two hours away from the hideout, almost guaranteed to stop the police getting their hopes up that the kidnappers were in the close vicinity; that would have been way too easy.
**********
Catherine was being escorted to the hospital by a police officer, in an unmarked vehicle, it had been a precaution that she welcomed; and it meant that Colin could remain on the ranch when she left. Lisa was sat in the back with her, holding onto her rag doll and Blacky the stuffed toy dog. She was humming a tune painfully badly, but Catherine refused to tell her so; she looked relaxed and that's the only thing that mattered. Rio was in the rear of the vehicle behind a mesh screen, sitting patiently waiting to get out of his prison.
Arriving at the hospital, she was immediately engulfed by reporters and it took the strength of the burly officer who was escorting her and the child, to get them to leave her alone, having shouted that he would put them in the local lock-up if they didn't let them through. Catherine smiled briefly at the officers stance and held onto Lisa's hand tightly and Rio's harness as she was finally allowed inside the doors of the hospital.
The police officer followed immediately behind her and asked her if she knew where the elevator was in the hospital, she nodded her head.
"We are going to the fifth floor, your son has been put in a private room and we have a man posted outside the door until the situation is relieved," the officer advised.
"I see. Then let's go shall we officer........?" Catherine turned her sightless gaze upon him.
"Officer Grant, Liam Grant, at your service Ms Devonshire." The police officer's voice held a touch of humour in his voice.
"Well Officer Liam Grant, thank you." Catherine smiled once again at him as she whispered to Lisa their destination. Lisa then tugged her towards the elevators and Jake.
Within minutes they had been shown to the door of the boy's room, and immediately officer Grant took up vigil next to his compatriot outside the hospital room.
Lisa opened the door and rushed inside, letting the door fall back in Catherine's face in her haste. Fortunately, Catherine had a hold of the top of the door and managed to stop it hitting her and Rio, She smiled wryly at the child's enthusiasm. "Aunt Grace, we're here." Lisa said excited at seeing Grace and Jake.
"So I see Lisa, but I think it would have been polite not to have let the door slam into Catherine and Rio." Grace smirked as she noticed the quirk of Catherine's left eyebrow at the comment. The woman looked terribly thin and had a grey pallor that wasn't healthy at all!
Lisa looked at Catherine and then back at Grace and gave her a sheepish grin, then turned to the bed and the occupant within. "Jake, Jake it's me are you awake?"
"Yeah silly, how could I be asleep with a tornado like you entering the building." Jake said with a smile. He was pleased to see Lisa and looked at Catherine in quiet wonder.
Grace walked slowly over to Catherine as she came into the room and disengaged Catherine's hand from Rio's harness and pulled her into a sympathetic hug. "Hey Catherine." Grace whispered gently into her ear.
"Hello yourself Grace, it's good to be with you again." Catherine's voice choked back a sob.
"You look terrible Catherine, what the hell have you been doing in the States?" Grace admonished her best friend.
"Thanks very much Grace and I love you too!" Catherine laughed softly.
"Just a friendly observation and you do you know, Jace is going to give you a hard time when we get her back." Grace had see the flinch at Jace's name but refused to back off it was important that they think positive at all times.
"Yes, I know she will, but let's get her back first and then I can worry about the back lash," Catherine sighed heavily.
Grace removed her arms from around Catherine and gently led her towards the bed and saw that Lisa had already propped herself next to Jake. "Hey I hope you are being careful Lisa, Jake isn't well enough to be pushed around yet?" Grace chastised the child but gave her a smile to counter any negative feeling.
Catherine sat down on the chair that Grace pulled up close to Jake's bed and she put her hand out for the boy tentatively. "Hey Jake how are doing?" Catherine wasn't sure what to say to the boy, he'd almost been killed and it had all been her fault.
"I'm fine Catherine, but they broke my leg and I can't play football for weeks," Jake said sadly.
Catherine grimaced at the mention of the person that had hurt her boy. The worse part of it was that she knew exactly who it had been; it wasn't a stranger to her, it was someone who had a grudge and could and had decided to act on that feeling. She should have finished the bitch off all those years ago! "Well, in that case I was thinking that as you can't play, how about we go and watch a couple of matches when things have settled down at home. What do you say?"
"You can't see them play Catherine, you wouldn't enjoy it, so I'll wait until you can see to go to another match with you." Jake gave her a solemn look, he knew that she hoped for her sight back, he had heard her say lots of times that it would be soon.
"In that case you have a date Jake and I'd better get my sight back soon or you will be to old to want to go with an older woman." Catherine gave him a slow grin and reached over to ruffle his hair, but her fingers misjudged his position and she touched his bruised face and he gave out a small cry of pain. "I'm sorry Jake, I guess I.....I'm sorry." She trailed off, acutely embarrassed and upset at her mistake.
"That's okay! Grace said I could trade stories with Colin now we have both broken our noses." Jake tried to wipe away the hurt he saw in Catherine's face.
Grace suddenly picked up Lisa from the bed and said they were going to get some refreshments and they would be back shortly, the child tried to protest but was soon whisked out of the room, leaving Catherine and Jake alone.
Catherine looked towards the boy and swallowed hard. "I want to thank you Jake."
"Thank me, why?" Jake looked at her quizzically and saw uncertainty and something else he couldn't understand in her face.
"Yes! You tried to save everyone in the house; you were very brave. I know that Jace would want to hug and kiss you for that, and I do too, but this time you are going to have to guide me here Jake because I don't want to hurt you again!" Catherine asked him, her voice hoarse with emotion.
Jake moved a little closer although his leg didn't allow much movement, and tugged at her hand as she rose out of the chair and moved gingerly onto the bed beside him; enclosing him in a heartfelt hug that he thought was going to squeeze all the air out of his body. Catherine then placed a couple of kisses on his cheeks and before very long they were both crying softly.
"I tried to stop them Catherine, I really did!" Jake sobbed into her shoulder.
"I know that Jake and I'm so proud of you! I've never had a hero in my life Jake but I think I've just found one and you're it!" Catherine choked back the tears as much as she could.
"I'm your hero?" Jake whispered in awe.
"Yes, you are and I'm sincerely glad that you came into my life Jake and you decided to stay with us; I love you!" Catherine hugged the boy closer again. The door to the room opened and she heard Lisa rushing back in the room and Rio's tail thud on the floor as he saw his younger mistress.
"Guess we have to break this up huh? Our tornado has turned up again." Catherine said into his ear. She felt a small tremor go through his body and heard the slight chuckle at her words.
"Well, I want to say I love Jake too Catherine, you can't hog all his time!" Lisa said with her hands on her hips, Jake and Grace burst out laughing at the stance she'd taken. Catherine shook her head in the girl's direction having a good idea what was going on.
"Great, I can take a hint." Catherine moved gently off the bed and back into the chair.
Grace moved closer to her and placed a hand on Catherine's shoulder and slowly guided a cup of coffee into her hand. "Thanks Grace."
"No problem my friend, have you received any more news?" Grace asked her quietly as the two children discussed something together.
"Colin and I talked to the detective on the way back from Christchurch, they haven't been able to trace the tracks after the snow built up again last night. He said the only thing that they hope now is a ransom note." Catherine kept her tones low and controlled.
"Colin will be upset about that and the security not to mention the young man Otaga's death, he will blame himself for everything that went wrong." Grace replied absently, her mind on her lover and his feelings.
"Grace, Colin cannot be held responsible for the weather, or the fact that some vicious people killed one of his men. The security was a joint effort from both of us. I am to blame for that; I didn't have the foresight to put more people on the ranch for that aspect alone, I thought you would all be safe there. I thought they wanted me! I'm beginning to think when I got the blow to my head last year Grace it did more than make me blind, I think it scrambled my brain cells too!" Catherine spoke in desultory terms.
"Oh, no it didn't! Have you slept at all in the last month Catherine? Or are you still having bad dreams?" Grace asked her carefully.
"Not much! I keep having the same dream over and over again." Catherine admitted reluctantly.
"I also think you can't sleep without Jace now anyway?" Grace smiled a little at her own audacity, after all what did she know? Yeah, but she would always recall that one morning when she'd seen her boss fast asleep as peaceful as a baby and the small blonde held tightly to her. Yeah, what did she know?
Catherine turned her head so that she was looking directly into Grace's face; a weak smile crossed her lips at the comment. How well Grace knew her, it was an uncanny knack she had, like being bound by a connection, very strange. "Yes I'll agree with that one, Jace has the power to make my dreams disappear. Long may that continue Grace."
Grace chuckled and patted her shoulder. "Glad you said that, I was thinking the same myself." Turning towards the children, she joined them in a conversation about horses.
"I wasn't aware of an interest in horses Grace, horsepower maybe, but horses?" Catherine asked in surprise.
"Times change Catherine and I have a major interest in more than the horses I can tell you." Grace quipped and they all talked happily about the ranch, until Jake finally fell asleep and they decided to leave him to go back to the ranch.
As they were about to leave, Lisa placed Blacky on the bed besides Jake and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Grace watched the child in fascination Catherine had left to talk to the officer on Jake's door.
"That was a sweet gesture Lisa." Grace smiled at the child.
"He won't let me kiss him when he's awake, but he can't stop me when he's asleep can he Grace? Blacky will take care of him until we come back too!" Lisa explained and put her small hand inside Grace's larger one.
"Yeah I guess you're right there Lisa. Come on let's get everyone home I'm sure Catherine could do with some sleep, I know I certainly could!" Grace pulled the door shut quietly as they headed towards Catherine and home.
Continued in Part 16
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