Landon insisted on driving them to their mother's house. He had been hanging around the office pretending to do paperwork until Caris left for the night. She had obviously been waiting for someone or something; Landon would not vacate the premises until she did.
Protecting Caris was a major part of his job description. The young psychiatrist did not just need protection from the various troubled clients that moved in and out of her office on a daily basis. No, Caris needed protection from herself.
That's what her father, Ellis St. John, had carefully explained to Landon when he first offered him a job with his daughter. All her life, the elder St. John explained, his younger daughter had a need to play with fire. It was an attribute he recognized in her from the time she learned to walk. Growing up, Ellis had hoped that spending large amounts of time with Caris might blunt that need for danger she possessed.
It had not.
Now, listening to Ellyn recount the details of the last couple of days, Landon appreciated Ellis St. John's fears for his younger daughter. "Going to that construction site alone wasn't smart, Ells," Landon murmured. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "You had no idea what you were walking into."
Ellyn shrugged apologetically. "I kept telling myself that Caris would never put herself in a dangerous situation. Not life or death dangerous, at least."
"Why are you discussing me and our family business in front of a stranger?" Caris demanded from the car's back seat.
Ellyn glanced over at Landon, who kept his focus on maneuvering the busy highway before them. "Landon is not a stranger," Ellyn replied softly. She reached over and gently laid a hand on his thigh. "He is my fiancé."
"Fiancé," Caris repeated slowly.
"Yes," Ellyn nodded. "We've been seeing each other for a while now."
"And you didn't say anything to me. Either one of you."
Ellyn glanced back over her shoulder at her twin sister. "I guess it's a good thing we didn't, huh? You might have decided to sleep with him, too."
"Ells..." The quiet rebuke made Ellyn duck her head in shame. Whatever the issues between them, the shot she'd just taken at her twin sister was a cheap one.
The car was silent for the remainder of the ride. Ellyn and Caris were lost in thought, Landon realized, preparing for the encounter with both their mother and stepfather.
"This is our exit." Caris' voice trailed off when she saw that Landon had already begun to move into the exit lane even before she spoke. It was an awkward reminder that her twin sister's life was completely unknown to her. And she only had herself to blame for that, Landon thought.
It wasn't long before they turned onto the well-kept, stately driveway that led to the St. John house. Landon slowed as they drove past the open garage. "Well, his car isn't here." Ellyn did not have to identify who she meant. "Maybe he decided to save everyone the headache and just left."
Landon refrained from comment. From what he'd heard during the ride to Carolyn St. John's home, Eamonn Danvers hardly seemed the kind of man to panic at the first sign of trouble. "It looks like your mother has turned in for the night," Landon murmured. His gaze swept over the large, darkened house.
The thought seemed to give Ellyn pause. "If she has," the attorney bit her lip, "maybe we should wait until tomorrow to lay all this on her."
Caris impatiently opened the door and got out of the car. "I need to talk to her, be the one to explain." She strode toward the front door, ignoring the angry noise Ellyn made.
"Come on." Landon grabbed Ellyn's hand.
By the time they caught up with Caris, she had already rung the front doorbell several times. "God, Caris, just use your key!"
Caris froze. "I don't have one anymore," she admitted quietly. "I mailed it back to her."
All three flinched when the area was suddenly flooded with light. The front door swung open, revealing a smiling housekeeper. "Miss Caris! And Miss Ellyn and Mr. Landon!" The petite, dark-haired woman hustled them inside the foyer. "I am so happy to see you all together!" She began to divest them of their coats. "Miss Carolyn will be so disappointed she missed you!"
"Missed us? What do you mean?"
The housekeeper shook her head. "Your mother is not here, Miss Ellyn. She and Mr. Eamonn left a little while ago. He said they needed a little private time together before all the bustle of their first Thanksgiving with the family."
"Did he mention where they were going?" Landon's calm voice revealed none of the apprehension he was feeling at the moment.
"No," the housekeeper readily replied, "but he said they would be in touch as soon as they arrived at their destination." She nodded to Ellyn and Caris. "Mr. Eamonn made me promise to let you two girls know that you shouldn't worry. He fully intends to take care of your mother while they're away."
Ellyn and Caris exchanged looks. "Maybe we should spend the night here." Both women looked to Landon for his opinion on their plan.
"Yeah," Landon nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." He did not have a good feeling about Carolyn St. John's situation. "This way you can be here when your mom calls to check in."
"What about you? Are you going to stay, too?"
Landon gave Ellyn a chaste kiss on the cheek. "No, I have some things I need to take care of." He reached out and gave Caris a quick hug. He ignored the way she stiffened at his touch. "But I will be back here bright and early tomorrow morning."
Landon let himself out of the St. John house. He could see Ellyn and Caris watching his departure from the front doorstep so he gave them a cheerful wave goodbye. The moment he was no longer in their view he instructed Ellyn's onboard computer to begin dialing a fellow soldier now serving on the state police force. "Kev, hey, it's me, Landon. I need a favor. I think my fiancee's mother is in danger..."
