Natalie closed the laptop and whirled to glare at Grace. "That's all you do, Grace. Talk, talk, talk! I'm sick of it. I'm sick of you. Half of the money that went to the triplets was supposed to be mine."

"I'll give you the money," Grace replied hysterically. "Take me to the bank right now and I'll take it out and put it in your hands. You can have all of it. I don't care about it."

"Yeah, right, and then you call the cops and have us arrested," Jimmy said with a sneer. "It's too late for that, Grace. You're a liability."

"Yeah, a liability," Natalie parroted. "Okay," she said to Jimmy. "You can start carrying this stuff out the back door and loading it in the truck."

He walked over to Natalie and gave her a rough kiss on the lips. Grace wanted to gag as she saw the way her sister responded to him, with eager desperation.

But when Jimmy handed Natalie the gun and then picked up the flat-screen television, the first stir of hope filled Grace. If Jimmy walked out with the television, then that would leave her alone with Natalie. Surely if the two sisters were all alone Grace could talk Natalie away from the edge.

"Remember, baby, we're doing this for us, for our future," Jimmy said, and then he walked through the living room and into the kitchen.

Grace waited until she heard the back door open and close and then she gazed at her sister. "Natalie, untie me and let me go." She kept her voice soft and soothing. Natalie's gaze shot all around the room, everywhere but at Grace's eyes.

"Natalie, honey. Untie me and give me the gun," Grace continued. "We'll make this all right. Nothing bad will happen to you, but you have to stop and think. You don't want to do anything now that can't be made right."

"We're making it right. Jimmy and me, we're making it the way it was supposed to be," Natalie replied. "For me. I deserve this." When she finally met Grace's gaze her eyes were still wild and crazy looking. "You made a stupid mistake and Mom gave you almost all the money. I make stupid mistakes and all I get are lectures from you."

"I won't lecture you anymore. I'll let you live your life however you want. Natalie, I love you. I'm your sister. I know you really don't want to hurt me. It's the drugs and Jimmy making you do all this."

Natalie's eyes narrowed and she laughed. "Do you really think this was all Jimmy's idea? He's too stupid to come up with this. This is what I want, Grace. I want you gone from my life forever. Don't worry, I'll see that your brats are fed and clothed, but from here on out I call the shots. I'll have the money to do whatever I please and won't have to answer to anyone, especially you!"

It was at that moment that any hope Grace might have had died and one of her "brats" woke up and began to cry.

Chapter 12.

The first thing Jake did was call 911 on his cell phone and give them Grace's address. He had no idea if the dispatcher took him seriously, had no idea how long it might take for the cops to arrive. He only knew he couldn't cool his heels and do nothing.

But what could he do? He was unarmed and unaware of Grace's or the babies' whereabouts in the house. He couldn't ride to the rescue when he wasn't sure exactly what was taking place inside. The last thing he wanted to do was bust inside and cause more danger.

The only thing he knew for sure was that a man brandishing a gun shouldn't be inside Grace's house. The only thing he knew for certain was that he had a sick, urgent feeling inside his very soul.

It was at that moment he remembered the gun in his glove box, the gun he'd placed there for safekeeping on the night he'd taken Grace to the hospital. He'd forgotten about it and apparently so had she when she'd packed up and left Cameron Creek earlier that day.

Jake made his way back to his truck and breathed a sigh of relief as he plucked the gun from inside the glove box. It was a nine-millimeter and fit comfortably in his hand. It took him only a moment to check to make sure it was loaded and ready to go.

Now that he was armed, he intended to get a better look inside to see if he could discern exactly where Grace and the children were located and get an idea of exactly what in the h.e.l.l was going on.

He walked stealthily around to the side of the house and peered into the first window he came to. It was obviously the triplets' bedroom, all pink and white and frills.

If he hadn't known anything was wrong in the house by then, he would know it now. All three of the girls were awake and crying to get out of their beds. From where he stood he could see the tears trickling down their cheeks, letting him know they had been crying for several minutes. He could hear their plaintive wails through the gla.s.s, piercing straight through his heart.

Grace would have never allowed that to happen. She was usually there the minute the first of the three woke up from a nap. The knot that was in his chest twisted harder, tighter.

He was about to slide around to the back of the house when he heard the back door open. He peeked around the corner and watched as the tall, thin man he'd seen earlier carried out a computer.

Confusion battled with fear inside Jake. Was there a robbery taking place? An armed robbery or some sort of home invasion? Was Grace unconscious?

Already dead?

The thought nearly crashed him to his knees in agony. He could scarcely breathe as he imagined her hurt or worse. The girls. He had to get inside and save the girls even if it might be too late for Grace.

He couldn't go in through the front door, not knowing exactly what was happening, and it was obvious he couldn't go through the back. But there was no way he intended to stand around and wait for the authorities to arrive.

There was really only one way inside and that was the window to the triplets' room. He used his car key to tear the screen and easily removed it, then used the b.u.t.t of the gun to break the window just above the lock, hoping the cries of the girls would mask the sound of the breaking gla.s.s.

He was aware that at any minute somebody could come into the room to tend to the crying babies, that he could be shot half in and half out of the window itself. But it was obvious the kids had been crying for a little while now and n.o.body had come to their aid. That fact only made Jake's heart tighten more in his chest.

He eased in through the window and hit the floor on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet. "Da-da?" Bonnie sniffled and held out her arms to him and then the other two did the same.

Their outstretched arms and smiles of relief at the sight of him were nearly his undoing. He wanted nothing more than to pick them all up in his arms and hold them tight, soothe their tears and let them know they were safe. But he couldn't do that until he knew where Grace was and exactly what was going on.

His heart felt as if it bled as he walked past the three cribs and tried to ignore the cries of the little girls. With his heart pounding loudly in his ears, he held the gun tight in his hand and peered out of the room and down the hallway.

n.o.body was in sight but he heard Grace's voice coming from the living room. "Natalie, please, let me go. Can't you hear the girls? They're frightened and they're crying. They need me."

"They don't need you. n.o.body needs you!" a female voice cried, a voice Jake a.s.sumed was Natalie's.

He slid his way down the hallway, checking each room as he went to make sure he didn't run into the man he'd seen earlier. All he knew was the sweet relief that at least for now Grace was well enough to talk, well enough to plead with her sister.

He didn't try to make sense of what was happening, he only knew he wanted it to stop. He didn't want to confront Natalie without knowing where the man he a.s.sumed was her boyfriend was...the boyfriend with the gun.

And where were the cops? It felt as if it had been hours since Jake had made that 911 call, although in reality he knew it had only been minutes.

"All done," a deep male voice said. "Everything is loaded up in the truck and we're ready to rock and roll."

Every muscle in Jake's body tightened. He now knew they were all there in the living room. If he was going to make a move it needed to be now, before anyone "rock and rolled."

He just prayed that he was about to do the right thing and that it wouldn't get anyone hurt or killed, especially Grace. He slid a glance around the corner into the living room and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Grace was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. Thankfully, she didn't look hurt; but Natalie and her boyfriend stood in front of Grace and the boyfriend once again had the gun in his hand.

"So, what happens now?" Grace asked. "Do you shoot me right here? Is that what you want him to do, Natalie?"

"I didn't want any of this," Natalie replied. "This is all Mother's fault. If she'd just left her money to me instead of to the triplets then none of this would be happening. It's her fault, and it's your fault for having those kids in the first place."

"If you allow this to happen, then it's n.o.body's fault but your own, Natalie," Grace replied, and Jake heard the weary resignation in her voice.

"Let's get this done," Jimmy exclaimed. "We've been here too long as it is."

Jake knew he could wait no longer. He whirled into the living room, his gun pointed directly at Jimmy's chest. Thankfully Jimmy's hand with the gun was at his side. He'd obviously not expected anyone else in the house.

"Either one of you twitch and you're dead," Jake said, his gaze focused on the biggest threat-Jimmy and the gun.

"What the h.e.l.l?" Jimmy exclaimed, but he didn't move. He must have believed the cold resolve Jake knew was in his own eyes. He'd shoot the kid without his heart skipping a beat to save Grace.

Natalie fell to her knees and began to sob, and at that moment there was a sharp knock on the front door. "Wichita Police Department," a deep voice yelled.

"In here," Jake cried out.

Two uniformed policemen entered the room and immediately took control of the situation. Jake was disarmed and handcuffed along with Jimmy and Natalie, and then Grace was untied from the chair.

To everyone's surprise except Jake's, she ran out of the room and down the hallway. One of the officers ran after her while the other kept his gun trained on the three adults left cuffed and standing in the living room.

Jake knew she'd go to her girls, all of whom had been crying since Jake had entered the house. He couldn't imagine what it had been like for her, to be tied to a chair not knowing if she was going to live or die while her babies cried for her from another room.

Although Jake was handcuffed, he wasn't worried. He knew the officers had cuffed him for their own protection, because they'd walked into a situation they didn't understand and because Jake had been one of the men with a gun. He knew that once Grace had a minute to talk to the officers he'd be freed and everything would be sorted out.

Natalie hadn't stopped crying since he'd appeared on the scene and she'd realized the scheme had been foiled and they'd been caught. Jimmy looked sullen and scared. He should be scared. He and Natalie would be looking at attempted murder charges.

Grace came back into the room carrying Casey, and the officer followed behind her with Bonnie and Abby in his arms. "He's a good guy," Grace said and pointed a finger at Jake.

"I'm the one who called you guys," Jake said.

"If you'll release him then he can help me put up a playpen for the girls," she said. Jake noticed she didn't spare a glance for her sister or Jimmy.

The officer released Jake from his cuffs and together he and Grace set up a playpen that had been folded up and hidden behind the sofa.

Within minutes the three girls were in the playpen and the officers were asking for answers. "They were going to kill me," Grace said to the man who'd identified himself as Officer Jacobs, and who appeared to be in charge. "They were going to make it look as if I disturbed a robbery and then they were going to shoot me." Only the faint tremble in her voice gave away how distraught she was as she sank down on the sofa.

"He made me do it," Natalie exclaimed, tears cascading down her cheeks. "It was all Jimmy's idea and he beats on me all the time and I was so afraid not to do what he told me to do." She tried to step closer to Grace, but the other officer, Officer James, jerked her back. "Grace, tell them...tell them I'm not really a part of this, that it's not what it looks like. Tell them to let me go, that I'm innocent."

Jake felt Grace's pain as she looked at her sister. He knew exactly what she was thinking, what she was feeling; but he was afraid of what she might say, what she might do.

Would she save her sister, as he'd saved his brother so many times in the past? Would she be in a sense of denial about what had happened here today? About what part Natalie might have played in it?

"I love you, Natalie." The words caused pain to cross Grace's features. "But I can't save you. What you tried to do here is beyond belief. You need help and you need to stay as far away from me and my girls as possible."

"We need to get everyone down to the police station and sort all this out," Officer Jacobs said. By this time three more patrol cars had arrived. Jimmy was loaded in one and Natalie in a second. Grace and the girls went into the third car and Jake found himself alone in the back of Officer Jacobs and Officer James's car.

He'd seen the questions in Grace's eyes as she'd gotten into the police car and knew she was wondering what had brought him back here. He'd also seen her grat.i.tude and knew she was wondering how he'd managed to be here in time to save her life.

He'd seen something else in the depths of her eyes when her gaze had lingered on him-a hint of hope. And that scared him almost as much as whirling around the corner of the living room to confront Jimmy and Natalie.

Was she entertaining some kind of hope that he'd come back here for her and the girls? Hope that he'd shown up here to offer her a future with him? Could she believe that he was here to give her the happily-ever-after she wanted?

She'd just had the biggest betrayal of her life by her sister, coming on the heels of the biggest disappointment in her life from Justin. He hated that it was possible he was going to be the third blow to her world that would send it all completely crashing apart.

Afternoon turned into evening as the questions continued. The triplets had eaten a dinner brought in by a female cop around five. They'd sat on a blanket on the floor in one of the conference rooms and had eaten French fries and grapes, a few chunks of apple and crackers. Not exactly the best meal, but adequate enough to fill their bellies while the adults worked on the details of the crime.

Grace felt as if her heart would never truly heal from Natalie's actions. No matter what happiness she found in her future, there would always be a tiny scar left behind by Natalie.

Still, as she told the police what had happened, what Natalie and Jimmy had planned and why, there was also a part of her heart that hardened where her sister was concerned.

Natalie had crossed a line Grace had never even seen coming. Grace had made excuses for Natalie's selfishness in the past, she'd overlooked a meanness of spirit that her sister possessed, but now she recognized the depth of malevolence Natalie had. Grace knew her sister belonged in prison along with her boyfriend, Jimmy.

Throughout the questioning process Grace tried to keep thoughts of Jake out of her mind, but it was impossible not to wonder why he'd shown up when he had. What had brought him to her when she had needed him most?

If it hadn't been for him she might have been killed. She wanted to believe that when it actually came time for Jimmy to pull the trigger and kill her Natalie would have intervened to stop him, but in her heart of hearts she just didn't believe that.

Jake had saved her life. He'd allowed her to live to continue to raise her daughters. But what had brought him to Wichita in the first place?

She wanted to believe it was love. Love for her and her daughters, his need to be with them forever and always.

She wanted that. She wanted it so much it ached inside her as much as her shoulder ached from the renewed insult of having her arm jerked up behind her and tied to a chair.

But she was afraid to embrace that hope. With everything that had gone so crazy since she'd arrived back home, she was afraid to even wish for a little bit of happiness and love.

It was after nine by the time she finished up with the police. The girls had fallen asleep on the blanket and Grace felt as if she'd been in the midst of a tornado that had finally stopped blowing destructive winds.

"I'll have Officer James take you home," Sergeant Walker said when the questioning was finally over. "We'll hold your sister and Jimmy overnight and they'll be arraigned first thing in the morning on attempted murder charges."

"What about Jake Johnson? Is he still here?" she asked.

Sergeant Walker shook his head. "We let him go about an hour ago. You were lucky he realized you might be in trouble from somebody close to you here in town and followed you back here."

So that's what had brought him here, she thought. It hadn't been the need to tell her he wanted her forever and always. He'd somehow figured out that the danger to her was here rather than from some source in Cameron Creek and he'd come to warn her. He'd tried to get her on the phone and when she hadn't answered he'd jumped in his truck and had driven here.

There was no question in her mind that he'd come to care deeply about her and the girls, but he was probably halfway back to his ranch by now, back to living the life he wanted-a life alone.

If was Officers James and Jacobs who helped carry the sleeping babies to the patrol car that had been equipped with three child seats in the back.

As she watched the officers carefully buckling her daughters into the seats, tears sprang to her eyes as she realized how very close she had come to being lost to them.

She wished she had six arms so she could wrap each of them in a set and hold them close for at least the next twenty-four hours.

On the drive back to her house she thought of how easily she'd been able to give Jake advice about Justin, never seeing the depth of her own issues with Natalie. She owed Jake an apology. Heck, she even owed Justin and Shirley one for believing that they might have been behind the attacks on her.

"You okay?" Officer James asked softly.

She flashed him a forced smile. "As well as I can be considering my sister and her boyfriend had plans to kill me."

"Is there anyone you'd like me to call for you? Maybe somebody to come over and stay for the rest of the night with you?"

"No, thanks. I'll be fine." She appreciated the man's concern, but the danger was over now and she would be fine alone. She had spent most of her life being fine alone. She was just tired, more of an emotional weariness than a physical one.

She'd scarcely had time to process leaving Jake before she'd been thrust into a life-or-death situation. She was truly alone now. No father for her babies, no sister to deal with and no Jake to love.

She even lacked in the friend department. The few single women she'd run around with before she'd gotten pregnant had drifted away after the triplets were born. Grace understood. They were at a place in their lives that didn't include diapers and drooling multiplied by three, and Grace didn't have the time or energy to feed a friendship the way it should be fed.

"I'll help you unload the kids," Officer James said as he pulled up in her driveway.