by Sharon Dunn
Morgan glanced around the kitchen while he put a kettle on. “This is really homey.”
He detected emotion in her voice, longing perhaps. After grabbing an ice pack from the freezer, he turned to face her. “Oh, does it remind you of a kitchen you grew up in?”
Her face blanched and she looked off to the side. “No, I just think it looks very...welcoming.” Her tone was defensive.
Even that tiny bit of probing about her past scared her. She exuded confidence around the horses, but in many ways she was like a frightened little bird. What was she hiding? Everything else about her seemed honest and forthright. But still, there was a guarded quality to their interaction, as if she’d built walls around herself.
He set two mugs on the counter and pulled out the tea bags. “Mrs. Stovall’s rules remain even when she’s not here. We have access to everything in the kitchen, but we have to clean up after ourselves, same as the guests.”
She picked up the tea bag and placed it in her cup and then pressed the ice pack against the small of her back. “Understood. I get the impression she runs a pretty tight ship.”
They then talked a little more about the horses. The kettle whistled. Alex poured the steaming liquid over her tea bag and pushed the sugar dish in her direction across the counter. He watched her stir in the sugar, the metal of the spoon tinkling against the inside of the mug. Once again, he was struck by her beauty, the wide brown eyes and thick eyelashes, her swanlike neck.
But it was that look of vulnerability in those eyes that had won him over. There was no guile in her. That’s why her secretiveness confused him. Was she running from an abusive boyfriend or husband?
She gazed at him over the top of the mug.
She was a horse that needed to be wooed. If she trusted him, maybe she’d open up to him. What could he talk about that wouldn’t make her retreat? “Tomorrow the kids from Reach Out will be here for their therapeutic riding session.”
Her eyes grew wide as though a realization had come to her. “Oh, yes, tomorrow. I saw that on the schedule.”
“You should be able to handle it. We’ll have five children here with varied ability levels. Each one has an aide or family member to help. I’ll come out and introduce you to everyone.”
“I’m looking forward to it. I like working with children.”
“So you’ve done something like this before?” He’d blurted the question without thinking.
Her reaction was more subtle this time, though he could tell the question upset her. Her round eyes narrowed, and she placed her cup back on the counter. “Let’s just say that I’ve always loved children and wanted to protect them.” She angled away from him. “It’s late, Alex. I should be getting back to the cottage.” She placed the ice pack on the counter, too. She turned on her heels. He listened to the echo of her footsteps across the wooden floor of the lounge.
Feeling frustrated, Alex poured out Morgan’s half-full cup of tea and washed the mugs. Maybe it wasn’t an abusive boyfriend. She might be hiding from the law. He didn’t want to believe that Morgan was involved in anything shady. But he didn’t want to be a chump, either...not again.
He’d had enough lies in his life. His ex-wife had cheated on him for a year with his best friend before filing for divorce. Though he’d voiced suspicions, he’d believed Gretchen when she had said there was nothing going on. The deception had left a hole in his heart that would never mend.
He needed someone to deal with the day-to-day care of the horses so he could focus on the financial and promotional end of running The Stables. Plus, the Waverly Horse sale was in two days. He’d need her help picking out and hauling a horse.
Clearly, Morgan could do this job. As qualified as she was, though, he had zero tolerance for someone who couldn’t be forthright with him.
TWO
Morgan glanced over at the redheaded boy staring at the ground and then at his mother, a woman of about forty.
“His name is Richie. This is his first time riding. I’m Adele.” The mom gave away her nervousness with the wringing of her hands.
In the morning when she felt safe leaving the cottage to get a cell phone signal, Morgan had left a message with Brendan O’Toole, her contact at the marshals’ regional office in Des Moines. Even with all the doors and windows locked she’d had a restless night’s sleep. Though her nerves were on edge from the incident last night, she didn’t want to leave Alex high and dry. She’d swallowed her fear, gotten dressed and gone out to do her job. The marshals would get this cleared up soon enough and move her. She felt pretty sure nothing was going to happen to her in the daylight with all these people around.
The other four children in the therapeutic riding class were already being led around the riding arena on their horses.
Hoping to ease Adele’s fears, Morgan turned to face the boy. “Richie, you’re going to have a great time.”
Richie angled his body away from her.
“He has autism. He can’t talk, but he understands every word you say to him.” Adele patted the horse’s neck. “I used to ride all the time when I was a girl. I hope he loves it as much as I did.”
“I’m glad to hear you have some experience.” Morgan studied Richie, who continued to look at the ground. “How about if we get used to the horse?”
Adele took Richie’s hand and pulled him toward the horse that Morgan had already saddled. “Richie, this is Miss Smith, and she’s going to help you learn to ride.”
Richie nodded but didn’t make eye contact. He tugged on his shirt collar.
“Richie, meet George. He’s very gentle.” Using slow movements, Morgan took Richie’s hand and laid it flat on George’s neck. She moved his hand up and down. George angled his head toward Richie and sniggered. “He likes you.”
Richie grinned. Adele stepped in closer and stroked George’s nose.
In her peripheral vision, Morgan noticed a dark SUV pulling up in the lot. Two people, a man and woman, got out of the car. Morgan tensed. What were Serena Summers and Josh McCall from the St. Louis Marshal’s office doing here? They couldn’t have gotten the message from the Des Moines office and made the long drive that fast. But, now that they were here, she could talk to them about being moved.
“Miss Smith, what’s the next step?” Adele’s voice pulled Morgan from her anxious thoughts.
“I’m sorry. Do you feel comfortable leading Richie around? I’ll help get him into the saddle, and then I need to speak with these two people for a minute.”
As Josh and Serena drew near, Morgan instructed Richie to place his foot in the stirrup. The two marshals stood off at a distance, waiting for her to finish.
After Adele led Richie toward the group, Morgan crawled over the metal fence that surrounded the outdoor arena. Why hadn’t they told her they were coming? How could she ever expect to have anything that felt like a normal life if they could show up at any time? If Alex saw them, she’d have to make up a lie about who they were.
Both Josh and Serena nodded as she approached them.
The marshals were dressed more casually than the tailored suits and crisp white shirts they’d been wearing the first time she’d met them. Serena had pulled her dark hair up with a clip and she wore jeans and a button-down shirt. Josh dressed in a windbreaker, khakis and a polo shirt.
Morgan had met them once before when she’d been told that they were the ones handling the illegal adoption ring case. Her initial impression of Josh and Serena was that they were both good at their jobs, but there was a tension between them that she didn’t understand.
Morgan glanced around. It would be nice to hide in the barn while she talked to the marshals, but she couldn’t leave the class in case there was a crisis. Alex was in his office in the guesthouse. Hopefully, he’d stay inside so he wouldn’t wonder who Josh and Serena were. She didn’t like
the idea of deceiving him.
Josh spoke first. “The reason we’re here is we just wrapped up a case that had some similar elements to it as yours. I don’t know if you saw the news story about a woman named Emma Bullock. She was found beaten nearly to death in a Minneapolis park. She had no memory of the assault or of who she was. She went by the name of Julie Thomas for a long time.”
So that’s why they’d come here. They probably hadn’t gotten her message yet. “I haven’t had time to watch the news.” She drew her attention to the students to make sure everything was running smoothly. “I don’t see how that relates to what happened to me in Mexico.”
Serena rested an arm on the fence. “As it turns out, Emma was trying to protect a baby at the time of the assault. Unfortunately, the baby was taken from her.”
Morgan’s chest tightened. More than anything, she hated that anyone would harm an innocent child. “Did they find the baby who was taken?”
Serena shook her head. The forcefulness of her words gave away how upset she was about the crime. “The missing baby’s name is Kay. Does that ring any bells for you?”
Morgan closed her eyes, trying to shut out the pain connected with knowing a child had been kidnapped. She shook her head. “Is this Emma woman Kay’s mother?”
“No,” Serena said. “Kay’s mom is a young girl named Lonnie. We’ve been unable to track her down either, and we’re afraid she may have met with foul play.
“For a while, we thought we might have found Kay. A blonde, blue-eyed baby was brought to the Denver airport by a man we know to be associated with this ring, and it was on the same day Emma was attacked.”
Josh pulled a photograph out of his jacket pocket. “As it turns out, there are two different babies. We call the little girl we intercepted in Denver Baby C. She’s in foster care right now.”
Morgan stared at the photo. A happy baby with a tuft of blond hair and bright eyes looked back at her.
“Does she look familiar to you?” Josh stepped toward her.
“Give her a moment to think, Josh.” Serena’s words were terse.
The tension between the two marshals had bubbled over. She wondered what the history was between them. It seemed personal. Maybe they had been involved at some point and weren’t anymore.
Josh shot Serena a look that had daggers in it and then turned to face Morgan. “A blonde, blue-eyed baby would be unusual in Mexico.”
The trauma of what she had been through made her memory foggy. “I definitely never placed a child who looked like that. But sometimes we had moms who would visit once and then change their minds.”
“It would have been shortly before you had to leave Mexico,” Josh said.
Morgan strained to put together a cohesive memory from that time. A vague picture materialized in her mind. “There was a mom with a blonde baby. I think the mom’s first name was Vanessa.”
Serena stepped closer to her, urgency filling her voice. “Do you remember her last name?”
Morgan shook her head. “If I had the records, notes and photographs from my office, I might be able to help you more.” Frustration rose to the surface. “Were you able to get anything from the agency office?”
“By the time we cleared the paperwork with the Mexican authorities, the place where you said your office was had a real-estate firm occupying it. We haven’t been able to locate the other woman you said worked there. Whatever you left behind got destroyed.”
Could her coworker have been a part of the deception? Anger burned inside her. The agency had represented itself as Christian. Had they used her to give the agency legitimacy? “So all you have to work with is what I witnessed.”
Josh cleared his throat. “We need to connect the dots in order to get the big fish behind all of this. We’re looking at multiple incidents in different states and now internationally. We put you under our protection because we believe your testimony might be valuable once our case is made.”
Serena picked up where Josh left off. “It would be helpful if you could remember any more details.”
The marshals weren’t hiding her out of the goodness of their hearts. She was in witness protection because they thought she might be of value. “I know that you expect me to help.”
Josh paced. “In all the dealings with these mothers and children, there must have been names mentioned. There has to be some sort of connection back in the States.”
Morgan shook her head. “We dealt with a lot of different agencies and people.” She tried to piece the memories together... “That night Josef attacked me in the office, I was going through the records. There was a pattern with three of the women, meeting with me and then deciding to keep their babies. And then a few weeks later, they’d be back ready to give up their kid. When they came back, they seemed agitated and afraid.”
Josh crossed his arms over his chest. “So you think they might have been blackmailed or coerced?”
Morgan nodded. “I noticed other things, too. My coworker started transporting the babies across the border to meet the adoptive parents. Adoptive parents are supposed to meet residency requirements in Mexico—they can’t just have their babies delivered.”
Josh shoved his hands in his pockets. Both of them must be mulling over what she had told them. “When you showed up, I thought maybe you’d gotten a message from my local contact,” Morgan said.
Josh looked at her. “Brendan never called us.”
“Last night at least two guys were prowling around the grounds. They tapped on my window and tried to open my door. Then when I was outside, one of them knocked me over.” Her voice tinged with anxiety. “Do you think whoever this big boss is could have found me already and sent someone?”
Josh seemed alarmed. “What happened after he knocked you over?”
“He ran off because Alex was coming around the corner. Alex thinks it was just teenagers goofing around, but I don’t know.”
Josh’s voice grew intense. “Did you get a look at him?”
“All I saw was his plaid coat,” Morgan said.
“That’s not much to go on.” Serena faced Morgan. “We can look into it from the angle of information having leaked out. I don’t think any details about your relocation have been shared with anyone outside the St. Louis office except with Brendan. If there’s even the possibility you’ve been found, we’ll move you.”
Josh looked directly at Morgan. “You haven’t said anything to anyone, have you?”
Morgan grew nervous, remembering how Alex had pressed her for details about her past. “No, I haven’t let anything slip.”
Serena glanced at the children in the class and the surrounding buildings. “Do you like it here, Morgan?”
“I do. I love it.” She’d hate having to leave. “It reminds me of where I grew up. It’s just that there are children here, and I wouldn’t want them being hurt at my expense.” Or Alex.
“Morgan, we’ll do everything to ensure you’re safe here.” Serena’s gaze was unwavering. “For today, we’ll stay in the area until we can clear this up.”
“We can check with local authorities. Find out if any other properties had prowlers. If it was teenagers, they might have decided to make a night of it,” said Josh as they headed out of the stall. “Call Brendan if you’re worried.
Serena and Josh headed back toward their car.
She listened to their footsteps fade as she turned her attention back to the class.
“Looks like the therapy riding class is going fine.” Alex had come up behind her without her noticing.
Again she looked at the student riders being led around the arena. “Yes, they seem to be doing pretty good. I haven’t had to jump in at all.”
“It’s pretty self-regulating once you get it started.” He studied her for a moment. “Who were those people you were talkin
g to?”
Morgan turned away from Alex, gripping the top of the fence for support. “They were friends from Des Moines.” She squeezed her eyes shut, hating herself for lying.
“Maybe they could come out riding sometime.”
“Yes, that would be nice.” Her stomach coiled into tight knots.
“Listen, I’ve got a kid who’s going to come and help you with some of the manual labor a few days after school and on weekends. He’s worked for me for almost a year. Craig has some issues but he’s a hard worker, and I feel he deserves a chance. His father has had his share of heartbreak, most of them due to a drinking problem.”
In that moment she saw Alex’s heart. He wanted to give a troubled kid something better than what he had. “Everyone deserves a chance.” She turned her attention back to the class.
“I’m not throwing too much at you at once, am I? You seem distracted,” Alex said.
Richie had a big grin on his face as he rode George around the arena. The sun warmed her skin. She did like it here. It would be a shame to have to leave. She looked into Alex’s brown eyes. “No, Alex, you’re doing fine. I’m sorry if I’m not focusing like I should.”
Morgan looked out at the parking lot where Josh and Serena had just pulled out. Another slow-moving car went by on the road. At first, she thought the car was going to pull into the lot. Instead, it eased past.
The hair on the back of her neck electrified and she felt a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. Why was the driver going so slowly? What was he looking for?
Alex touched her upper arm. “Something wrong?”
She shook her head, remembering Serena’s reassurance. “It’s nothing.”
“Good then. Craig should be here later this afternoon.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Morgan said.
“Tomorrow I’m going to the Waverly horse sale. I have funds to purchase another therapy horse. I’d value your opinion on picking one out.”