His heart swelled. “I’d like that. You know, I have to admit that there’s still a part of me that finds this all a little hard to believe.”
She gazed at him, her green eyes suddenly dark and solemn. “Dallas, I’d be glad to get a DNA test after the babies are born.”
“Oh God, Avery, that’s not what I meant and I don’t need that from you.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his, afraid that he’d offended her unintentionally. “What I meant was that one minute I was a single man standing in front of the courthouse and the next minute I was a father-to-be to not one, but two babies.”
She smiled and pulled her hand from his. “You’re still a single man. You can date, and that’s something that hasn’t changed.”
“But it has,” he protested. “I have absolutely no desire to date at the moment. All I want is to spend time with you and get to know you better. I want to go to your doctor appointments with you and support you and be an integral part of this amazing experience.”
“I appreciate that, and speaking of doctor appointments, I have one on Monday at two in the afternoon.”
“Then I’d like to take you, if that’s okay.”
Once again she smiled. “It’s more than okay with me.”
For the next few minutes they ate and talked about their views of discipline. He was grateful that they seemed to be on the same page.
They both preferred time-outs to spankings. They believed that open communication was key and keeping strong boundaries and a united front was vital.
“Have you thought about how we should handle the custody issue?” she asked.
“I would definitely like equal custody,” he replied. “But we can worry about the details later.”
She nodded and then set her fork down. “I am stuffed. This was a wonderful meal.”
“I hope you aren’t too stuffed for dessert,” he replied.
She grinned. “I could probably force myself to eat a little dessert.”
“Good, then why don’t you go relax on the sofa and I’ll get it ready.” He got up from the table.
She stood and picked up her empty plate. “At least let me help with the cleanup.”
“Absolutely not. You are my guest tonight and I insist you go sit and relax.” He took the plate from her. “Please.”
“If you don’t mind I’ll just wander around the room a bit.” She placed her hands on her lower back and winced.
He looked at her with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just need to stretch a little bit. These kids sometimes ride low in my back.”
As he cleaned up the kitchen, he was aware of her walking around the living room. She stopped by his desk. “What are these?” she asked.
Immediately he knew what she was looking at. He placed the last plate in the dishwasher and then joined her by the desk, where three buttons with unusual markings sat next to his computer. “These were found next to Patrice Eccleston’s body. Do you know about the case?”
“A little, but not much. I was pretty much kept out of the loop due to my condition and the fact that I was going on maternity leave.”
“So, what do you know?” he asked.
“Just that her body was found in the Lone Star Pharma parking lot when they were digging it up due to renovations. I didn’t know her personally, but I do know she was twenty years old and is part of an on-going investigation. What don’t I know?”
“There was evidence that she was bound and that she struggled before she was killed. These buttons were found near her body and the same kind of buttons were found near the mummified body recently found at Maggie Reeves’s house.”
Maggie Reeves was a former beauty queen and cotillion champ, but recently a fully mummified skeleton of a young woman had been found on the outskirts of Live Oak Ranch. Dallas’s oldest brother, Jonah, had helped Maggie investigate and the two had fallen in love. Still, that mummified body hadn’t been the end of the investigation, for Patrice’s body had then been found.
Avery grimaced. “I can’t believe we’re talking about the mummy murders again. I thought that was behind us and they were solved when Elliot Corgan was tried and convicted.”
Approximately forty years ago, seven young women had gone missing. Police finally found all the bodies except one, buried in ditches with red scarves stuffed in their mouths. Because of the condition of the bodies, the killer was dubbed the Mummy Killer.
Elliot Corgan, the brother of a successful rancher in Whisperwood, was arrested for the crimes. And now mummified bodies had shown up again in the small town.
“We all had hoped that when Elliot was arrested that would be the end of it,” he replied. “But now there’s a lot of doubt about who might have been responsible for the murders that occurred forty years ago, and who is responsible for those happening now.”
“So, what are you doing with the buttons?” she asked. She stared at them with a frown and he wondered if he should have told her as much as he had. The last thing he wanted was for her to think about murder and mummified bodies while in her condition.
“The buttons went to the lab, where they tried to lift some DNA evidence, but whatever might have been there was too disintegrated. The forensic specialist, Dr. Octavia Winters, identified them as army standard uniform buttons, so I’ve been asked to do some research to try to find army men who were stationed locally around forty years ago.”
“Wow, that’s going to take some work. Texas isn’t short on army bases and I’m sure the records from that long ago aren’t all that good.” She turned to look at him, a light of excitement in her eyes. “I could help you with this research, Dallas.”
“You don’t need to get involved with any of this,” he replied.
“Dallas, I want to get involved. Since I’m not working right now I have all the time in the world to sit at my computer and help.” She looked at him pleadingly. “Please let me do this.”
“Okay,” he said, relenting. “To be honest, I could use some help with the project. I’ve asked around to get names from people who remember soldiers from that time frame, but now I’m doing internet searches.”
They sat on the sofa and for the next few minutes he told her what sites needed to be checked out to get the names of soldiers. “Unfortunately, you’re right, records from forty years ago aren’t that easy to find,” he said.
“If it helps get a killer off the streets then I’m definitely in on helping however I can,” she replied.
“I just hate like hell to believe any fellow soldier might be involved in these horrific crimes,” he said.
“Soldiers are people, Dallas, and most of them are upstanding and dedicated. But sometimes some people do terrible things.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, but I still hate to believe a soldier is responsible. Now, enough about all this. You sit tight and I’m going to go get your dessert.”
He got up and went back to the kitchen area. He was glad her back was to him so she couldn’t see what he was doing. He first pulled out the cherry pie he’d bought at the store and cut them each a piece. He topped the pie with whipped cream and then moved on to prepare the dessert he intended to give her before the pie.
When he had it ready, he carried the plate into the living room and set it on the coffee table before her. She stared at the jar of green olives next to the bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips and then threw back her head and laughed.
He found himself laughing with her. It felt good. He didn’t feel like he’d really laughed for the past year. They both sobered and the gaze she sent him was filled with warmth.
“My favorite dessert,” she said.
“Actually, that’s your take-home dessert. I’ll be right back with the real one.” He was almost grateful to escape for a minute. Because for just a moment he’d wanted to fall into the warmth in her
beautiful green eyes. For just a moment he’d wanted to pull her into an embrace and taste her lips once again.
And that made him angry.
It should be Ivy sitting in his cabin. It should be Ivy carrying his children. It should be his wife he laughed with, and her tempting him with her lush lips. Damn fate for taking her away from him.
And damn him for even thinking for one second about kissing Avery.
Chapter 4
Avery awoke late on Sunday morning. She’d tossed and turned for half the night with the babies doing what felt like hip-hop dances in her belly. She’d also had heartburn and the combination of the two had kept her awake and uncomfortable for several agonizing hours.
If that wasn’t enough, thoughts of Dallas had whirled in her brain, confusing thoughts that had concerned her. She’d really enjoyed the evening with him, but by the time he brought her home things had become awkward between them.
She felt as if he’d rushed her when she’d eaten the cherry pie, and then he’d immediately taken her home. He’d grown quiet and closed off, making her wonder if she’d done something wrong. And she’d tossed and turned, with her brain working overtime, to try to figure out what that might have been, but hadn’t been able to come up with anything.
They’d made no plans for today, but he’d told her he’d pick her up tomorrow for her two o’clock doctor appointment. Maybe it was good for them not to see each other today. Just because he was here now and they were working on building a friendship didn’t mean they had to be together 24/7.
She pulled herself out of bed and then showered and slipped on a long navy blue dress that hugged her breasts and then skimmed the rest of her body. It was one of the most comfortable articles of clothing for her right now.
She was eating breakfast when her phone rang. She looked at the caller identification and cursed herself. She’d completely forgotten to call Danny back.
“Hey, Chad,” she said.
“Hi, Avery. Danny and I were wondering if we could bring lunch to you and visit for a little while.”
“That would be nice, and please tell Danny I’m sorry I haven’t called him back. Things have been a little crazy for me the last couple of days.”
“No problem. Would right around noon work for you?”
“That would be fine with me,” she replied. “I look forward to seeing you both.”
She hung up with a smile. Visiting with Chad and Danny was always pleasant. The two men had been like overly protective brothers to her for the last several months. They hadn’t let her carry anything heavier than a file folder in the office and had even followed her home to unload groceries and the like.
After she cleaned up her breakfast dishes she sat at her desk in her home office and pulled up her email. There was really nothing that needed her attention. She then checked her other social media and laughed at several funny memes Breanna had posted to her.
She pulled up one of the websites Dallas had given her to search for soldiers who had been stationed in the area forty some years ago.
She was glad Dallas had agreed to let her help. There was nothing she’d love more than to get a murderer off the streets. And for the next month or so, until she delivered, she had nothing but time on her hands.
Despite what a slug she’d been the day before, she preferred to be productive, and wasn’t the type to sit around doing nothing day after day.
Hopefully, she would be able to find some names of potential suspects in the horrific murders that had occurred in the town.
There was something terrible going on in Whisperwood, something tied to the murders that had happened years ago. But so far the authorities were baffled. Those old army buttons showing up at the latest crime scenes were definitely disturbing.
She was still seated at her computer when her doorbell rang. She was shocked to look at the nearby clock and realize it was just after noon. She hurried to the front door and opened it to the two men.
Chad swept in first. He was a tall man, distinguished looking with premature salt-and-pepper hair. His blue eyes were soft and warm as he greeted her, but she’d seen them go gas-flame intense when he was before a jury and attacking a defendant.
Chad had gone through a divorce six months before and was now hitting the dating scene hard. His penchant seemed to be for young, vacuous blondes with big breasts, the exact opposite of his dark-haired former wife.
The shorter, much shyer Danny followed behind him and carried two large take-out bags from the diner. He walked to the kitchen table and began to unload the contents.
“Oh my gosh, it looks like you two bought way too much food,” she said.
Danny smiled at her. “You know how Chad can eat.”
“Damn right,” Chad said. “It takes a lot of fuel to keep me this good-looking and awesome.”
“And humble,” Avery replied with a laugh. “We can’t forget how humble you are.”
Within minutes the three of them were at the table with full plates before them. The two men were not only caring coworkers, but had also become close friends. When they had realized she was pregnant and all alone, they had taken her under their wings.
They had been the ones who had helped her set up the cribs. They had carried in boxes of diapers from her car, Danny had even driven her to a doctor appointment when she hadn’t been feeling well enough to drive herself.
Chad often referred to Danny as his younger brother from another mother. The two couldn’t be more different. Where Chad was outgoing and a whole lot of confident bluster, Danny was much quieter and with a sweetness that made him a favorite among everyone at the office.
“Danny, I’m sorry I didn’t call you back the other day,” she said, and then popped a french fry into her mouth.
“No problem. I just wanted to check in with you.”
“He worries about you,” Chad said.
Danny shot Chad a look of irritation and then gazed back at her. “Of course I worry about you. You’re my friend.”
“Thanks, Danny. I appreciate it, and as you can see, I’m doing fine, just getting bigger and bigger every day.” She laughed and placed a hand on her belly.
“As long as you and the babies are healthy, that’s all that’s important,” he replied.
“Since I haven’t really been gone from work yet for any length of time, I guess there’s no news for you two to share with me,” she said. Chad and Danny exchanged a quick glance. “What?” She looked from one man to the other. “What is it?”
“Actually, there is something I heard. Apparently some of Dwayne Conway’s thug friends are talking trash about wanting revenge for him going to jail,” Chad said.
“We thought you needed to know,” Danny said, his brown eyes holding her gaze for a long moment before he shyly looked away.
“But you know how these creeps are,” Chad said dismissively. “After a trial when one of them gets locked up, the rest whine and talk trash for about a week, and then they get back to their low-life ways.”
“Still, we thought it was important you know about the threats,” Danny added.
“I’ve had threats against me before and have managed to survive,” she replied.
“Still, I want you to call me if anything happens that scares you.” Danny’s gaze again held hers for a moment and then once again skittered away.
“Thanks, Danny. I appreciate that, but I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“We don’t want any of those creeps bothering you,” Chad added.
“I’ve really appreciated all the things you two have done to help me, but you’re officially off the hook now,” she replied.
“What does that mean?” Chad asked.
“The daddy is back in the picture.” She explained to them that the baby’s father had come back into town after being gone for months and that the two of them were now working on
building a relationship of friendship.
When she was finished, Chad looked at his friend. “Well, Danny, old boy, it sounds like we’re being tossed out with the morning trash.”
Avery laughed in protest. “You know that isn’t true. I love having the two of you in my life and I hope both of you will continue to be part of it. These babies could always use uncles.”
The rest of the lunch passed uneventfully, with them talking about past trials and some that Chad anticipated happening in the future.
By two o’clock she was once again alone in her house. As she sank back down at the computer to work, she thought about what Chad had told her about Dwayne Conway’s friends threatening some sort of revenge against her.
It didn’t really scare her. It was probably all a bunch of big bark and no bite. Those kind of thugs enjoyed making threats, but Avery didn’t anticipate them actually following through and doing anything. Besides, she was no longer working at the office so the bunch of dope-selling thugs would probably focus their attention on one of the other prosecutors.
By the time she knocked off working on the computer she’d found only one name for Dallas. She wished she’d found more, but the work was very tedious and difficult.
For dinner she ate some of the leftovers Chad and Danny hadn’t taken with them when they had gone. The house was quiet, and now that her brain wasn’t engaged doing much of anything, it filled with thoughts of Dallas.
It was funny how a week ago she hadn’t spent a minute of time with Dallas in months, and hadn’t even known he was back in Whisperwood. But this evening she realized she’d missed seeing him today. It had to be a result of her crazy pregnancy hormones again.
Certainly she couldn’t expect any real relationship with him, nor did she want one. Now that he was here, all she wanted from him was to be a good father to his children.
Still, she couldn’t help the way her heart danced the next afternoon when he pulled up in her driveway to take her to her doctor appointment.
“Be back soon, sweet baby,” she said to Lulu, and then she left the house.
Target in Jeopardy Page 5