Fear clogged Emma's senses. She had thought she was safe. IT had been months since she'd seen him....

Now her father had tracked her down.

Emma turned slowly, her heart racing against her ribs. "What are you doing here, pa?"

Silas' haggard, bearded face split in an ugly smile. "Well listen to ya! Talkin' all proper and forgettin' where ya came from and what ya are."

Emma shook her head, hoping he couldn't hear her knees knocking together. "I haven't forgotten anything," she assured him.

"Where's that husband of yers and all those bodyguards?"

"Around," she whispered weakly.

He laughed, the sound harsh in her ears. "Ya know better than to lie to me, Emma Hawke."

Emma swallowed hard. "My name isn't Emma Hawke anymore. It's Emma McIntire now and you know that. Liam won't like you bothering me."

Rage contorted Silas' features and Emma knew she had said the wrong thing. Damn! She'd gotten more and more comfortable with speaking her mind lately and it was going to cost her dearly.

"Do ya honestly think I give a hell what that bastard of a man would want?"

Emma knew violence was coming. She laid a hand over her stomach and thought of the life growing there. She would not let her father take something else from her! He had stolen her childhood with his abuse. Murdered her mother. Tried to murder her husband. He would not harm her child.

There was a gun in her pocket.......

Before Emma could build up her courage to reach for the weapon, and, before her father could resort to the violence Emma knew was coming—a furry body came between them.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Chase's voice was one of the best sounds Emma had ever heard in her life. "This is a family matter and not any business of yers," Silas growled. Emma could no longer see him but his anger was plain to hear.

"And Emma's my family," Chase replied. "If you think for one single moment I'll let you harm a hair on her head, you're even dumber than you look."

Emma nearly fell over. Silas was not a man most men wanted to cross and yet Chase had just threatened and insulted him at the same time!

It seemed Silas was as shocked as Emma was. He stammered and huffed but remained at a loss for any real words. Chase smiled down at Emma and reached out a hand. "Hop on up, Emma and I'll find you some better company to keep."

Emma was more than happy to have an escape from her angry father. She let Chase pull her up on the horse and she kept her yes on Chase's back, avoiding see her father again.

Once they were safely back on the bustling main street, what had just happened seemed to truly sink in. Emma began to shake and tears filled her eyes.

"Don't panic now," Chase gently scolded. He brought the horse to a stop, jumped down and pulled Emma down with him. "It's all over, Emma," he soothed, pulling her into a hug and rubbing her back.

"I should probably get you home," Chase offered as Emma's trembling slowly subsided and he pulled away.

"Why was he here? Why follow me?" Emma whispered.

Because scaring people makes him feel tough."

"I was going to shoot him," she added, placing her hand over the gun in her pocket.

Chase chuckled softly. "It's a good thing I got there when I did then, quick draw. I saved that man's life."

Emma wrapped her arms around herself. "I want to go home."

She wanted Liam.

Chase nodded. "Where's Colt?"

"Hitched at the livery."

Chase led Emma there and the pair headed out of town. "Why are you in town anyway?" Emma asked as they rode. "I thought you were helping Liam at the cabin today."

"We ran out of nails." He shrugged. "I was the errand boy."

Emma fell silent. The trip home was tense and fearful. Emma expected her father to come bursting from the forest at any moment—or for a bullet to slam into her back, or Chase's, the way it had Liam's.

But neither of those things happened. The trip was long and uneventful. Emma realized Liam was back in the valley, atop his father's cabin. She didn't think he had seen her and, now that she was this close, she was afraid to see him.

She had been so excited, both to tell him about the babe and the engagement of their friends, but now..... now she knew she would have to tell him about her father and that would be a dark cloud over any happiness they both felt.

"Chase, can you tend to Colt?" she asked, slipping from the horse's back.

Chase let out a whine. "But that horse hates me. He bites me every time I get close enough." When Emma said nothing, he sighed. "Alright. I'll tend to the demon horse. You better be glad I love you."

Emma made a quick escape into the cabin with no idea what she would tell her husband when he realized she was back.

"I saw you lead Colt into the barn," Liam said, standing straight and wiping his brow with his shirt sleeve. He frowned at Chase. "Did Emma come home already?"

Chase's face paled. "Uh.. yeah... she's home."

Kyle stepped over. "What's wrong, Chase?"

"I reckon we should head home for today. Liam needs to talk to Emma."

"What the hell is wrong with Emma?" Liam demanded. "Is she sick?"

"She didn't get hurt, did she?" Patrick asked.

Chase sighed and took Kyle's hand. "Liam needs to go talk to her. I think it'd be best if she told you what happened."

Unease rushed down Liam's spine. Without another word, he leapt from the roof. With the shock of the impact still echoing through him, Liam's legs ate up the ground as he ran to the cabin he shared with Emma.

Barging in, Liam found the kitchen and main rooms empty. He immediately went to their new bedroom and found Emma sitting in the center of the bed with her knees pulled into her chest.

"Emma?" Liam rushed to the bed and sat beside her, pulling her into his lap. "Hell woman.. what's wrong with you?" he demanded when he realized her face was wet with tears.

Emma remained silent and Liam tensed. "You didn't run into Bethany or her mother again, did you? Tell me you aren't still putting any weight in what they say...."

A shake of her head followed his question. Liam sighed. "Then what's wrong? I can't read your mind, love. What happened in town? Chase said I needed to talk with you."

"I... I saw him," Emma whispered.

Liam frowned. "Him who?"

A sniffle came from Emma and her grip on his shirt became a bit tighter. "My father... he followed me. He cornered me away from main street."

Liam tensed. Anger shot through him. Along with guilt. Hell..... It seemed like every time something bad happened to Emma, he wasn't there to protect her.

"Did he hurt you?"

"No," Emma was quick to reply. "But he would have.... Or I would have hurt him..."

Liam held her a bit tighter. "I'm glad you didn't have to pull that gun, love," he admitted. He'd taught her to shoot so she could defend herself but he didn't actually want her to have to use it. Killing a person was never easy—even when that person left you no choice.

Emma's face was pale and her eyes were red-rimmed and distant as she stared at the wall. "I thought I was safe there.... I was walking to Anita's and went around the edge of town to get there. He came up behind me and he laughed and mocked me.... I spoke my mind when I shouldn't have and it made him more angry. I knew...." Emma's voice broke. "I knew he was going to get violent and I knew I couldn't let him hit me... I couldn't because....." She stopped suddenly. "....because I'm tired of being hit."

Liam remained silent. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He simply held her close against him and tried to offer what comfort he could.

Emma shifted slightly to look up at him. "Chase came just before things turned violent."

"I'm glad for that," Liam admitted.

"Why won't he just let us live in peace?" she whispered.

Liam sighed. "He's an angry, lonely man who has built his whole world around controlling and hurting those he feels are weaker than him. The fact that you escaped that life is a blow to his pride he seems to be having trouble getting over."

"Well, I wish he'd get over it."

Silence fell. There wasn't much Liam could say. He just held his wife close and was grateful that nothing worse had happened to her.

He wasn't going to let her go unaccompanied around town any longer. Just like Emma, Liam too had thought she was safe in town in broad daylight—being wrong had nearly cost him his wife.

Liam couldn't go back to a life without Emma. It simply wasn't an option.

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