Her Christmas Protector by Terri Reed

longer. “Stay put and out of sight.”
    He gave a short nod of his head and then disappeared, his footsteps receding down the stairs and out the front door. Faith ran to the window and peeked out the corner of the curtain. Below, a short, balding man, looking very much out of place in his off-the-rack suit and tie, held out his hand as Luke came into view.
    Sinking to the floor, she fingered the prayer box at her neck. “Oh, Lord, what do I do now?”
    Tears once again welled up in her eyes and one by one slipped down her cheeks. How was she going to find the words to tell Luke about Vinnie?

     
    “What can I do for you, Mr.—” Luke’s gaze raked over the man, noting the muscular build beneath the dark suit and red-striped tie. The hard lines etched into the guy’s face put him at about fifty.
    “Mr. Costello.” The man held out his beefy hand.
    Luke shook the offered limb. “What brings you to the Circle C, Mr. Costello?”
    “I’m looking for a woman you might have seen.”
    Luke kept his expression carefully blank. “Oh?”
    “Her name is Faith Palmero. Tall, blonde, catlike eyes.”
    A sinking feeling anchored itself in Luke’s gut. He frowned. “Palmero?”
    “She’s probably going by an alias.” Withdrawing a photo from his inside pocket, he held it out. “Here, I have a picture of her.”
    Aware of the man’s shrewd gaze, Luke took the snapshot and quietly sucked in his breath. There could be no mistaking the woman in the photo. Faith. The snapshot looked as if it was taken straight from the society pages.
    A confident smile sparkled on her lips and her hair was piled high upon her head. Diamond earrings sparkled from her earlobes and a diamond and pearl choker accentuated the slender column of her neck.
    Feeling sick, he handed the picture back. She didn’t belong on a ranch in the middle of Oregon, so what was she doing here? God, grant me wisdom now.
    “So, have you seen her?”
    Snapping his mind to attention, Luke countered, “Why are you looking for her?”
    “I’m sorry. Client confidentiality, you know.” The man looked past Luke to the house. Luke turned to follow his gaze and saw Reva standing just inside the screen door.
    Turning back around, Luke stifled the urge to grab the man by the collar. “Who’s your client?”
    Mr. Costello smiled tightly. “Sorry.”
    Luke fisted his hands. He wasn’t going to let this man or anyone else harm Faith. “Is this woman in some kind of trouble?”
    “So, you have seen her.” Mr. Costello looked pleased with himself.
    So much for his poker face. Luke shrugged noncommittally and hoped Reva would stay silent.
    “People in town said they saw you with her.” Mr. Costello’s eyes narrowed.
    “I met her the other day,” Luke conceded. “Seemed like a real nice lady.”
    “Hmm. Did she happen to say where she was headed?” The man’s eyes scrutinized Luke before he darted a glance at Reva, who blessedly stayed put.
    “No, she didn’t.” Then inspiration hit. “Oh, wait. She did mention something about wanting to see the tundra.”
    If he wasn’t going to get any information out of the P.I., he’d just as soon wish him on his way.
    “Tundra?” Mr. Costello screwed up his face in puzzlement.
    “Tundra, as in Alaska.” That should keep him busy for a while. Alaska was a big place and people there didn’t tend talk to strangers.
    “You think she went to Alaska?” The man wrinkled his large nose in distaste.
    Luke steered the man toward his rented car. “Yes, I definitely remember her mentioning Alaska.”
    Mr. Costello stopped. “Did she have a car?”
    Luke shook his head as he opened the car door. “Not that I know of.”
    “Uh, well…thanks. If you hear from her, would you please give my office a call?” He handed Luke a card before sliding behind the wheel of the sedan.
    Luke stepped back and closed the door. When the tundra melts.
    The sedan slowly moved down the drive and out to the road. Luke looked down at the