by Joanna Wayne
“I know you haven’t had much time since my earlier phone call, but have you given any thought as to where you’d start?”
Jackson reached across his desk and picked up a sheet of paper where he’d jotted down notes. “Here’s where I am. I figure that either Scott Hayden is the monster that Alexis depicted him as, or she’s the mentally unbalanced woman who attacked him without provocation, set his house on fire, kidnapped his son and possibly even killed his wife.”
“The son who might be more than her stepson,” Tague said.
Jackson nodded in agreement. “That would open another giant can of killer worms and make Scott even more of a monster for framing her. It’s been my experience that monsters don’t just spring to life. They develop over time. Dig deep enough into Scott’s past and we’ll find out if the man is capable of heinous acts.”
“Makes sense to me,” Tague said. “But what if Alexis is the one who’s lying?”
“We’ll figure that out as we go. If she’s guilty, you call the cops or talk her into turning herself in. Frankly, I have trouble believing she’s squeaky-clean with all the accusations against her. But I’m willing to keep an open mind until the facts close it for me.”
“Then we agree on that much. Are you ready to talk price and expectations?”
Jackson handed Tague a printed form that quoted his hourly rate and which expenses were to be paid by Tague.
“I’ll give you that and a three thousand dollar bonus if you can deliver the results by next Monday,” Tague said. “Time is of the essence. I’m holding a kidnapper hostage.”
“Either that, or she’s holding you hostage,” Jackson said. “How about I start on my homework tonight and meet you at the camp in the morning? I’d like to hear Alexis’s justification for the kidnapping from her. We can also discuss strategy a bit more. If Meghan can make it, all the better. How about 9:00 a.m.?”
“How about 6:00 a.m.?” Tague said. “I work on rancher’s hours.”
“Six it is.”
In the meantime, Tague planned to have a long discussion with Alexis about how a woman without a womb gave birth to Tommy.
* * *
THE HUNTING CAMP was far more lavish than Alexis had imagined. The decor and design had a rustic flair, but all the modern conveniences were present, including big-screen TVs, a commercial oven, grill and cooktop, a huge den with leather chairs and sofas, and a giant stone fireplace that they wouldn’t be needing in July.
The only drawback was that she was surrounded by wild animals that didn’t move but simply stared at her with glassy eyes. Moose, elk, bear and caribou scrutinized her every move as if preparing to pounce from their respective lookouts.
Even here in the kitchen, a huge blue-and-silver fish looked as if it might flop from the wall and into the frying pan at any second.
In spite of the stuffed and mounted menagerie, the lodge had a lot going for it. It was tucked away in a setting so serene and isolated that had she not been so on edge, she would have felt safer than she had in months.
Now all she felt was the anxiety of waiting for Tague to ask about Lena. She knew the question and the resulting argument about trust and honesty were coming. She just didn’t know when and the suspense was churning in her stomach.
It was one more lie she’d have to explain. One more personal failing that Tague wouldn’t understand. How could he comprehend her insecurities when he’d lived a charmed life since the day he was born? Always cosseted. Always knowing where he fit in the grand scheme of life.
She rinsed Tommy’s empty bottle, thankful he’d settled down and gone to sleep so quickly in yet another strange bedroom. Fortunately, he was captivated by the mounted animals, especially after Tague lifted him up to touch each one and see that they were harmless.
Tommy had never taken to any man as quickly as he’d taken to Tague. Nor had she. That made disappointing him again especially painful. But now she just wanted to get it over with.
She walked to the back door, opened it and stepped outside. There was a slight breeze, but the heavily shaded Texas Hill Country setting was a welcome relief from the stifling heat they’d left in Dallas.
Tague must have agreed. He was relaxing in one of the teak Adirondack chairs grouped around a built-in fire pit just a few yards from the house. She turned to go back inside, but changed her mind. The tension was driving her mad.
She marched over and perched on the edge of one of the chairs. She’d rehearsed what she’d say ever since they’d left Jackson Phelps’s office. She tried to think of how she’d planned to start. When she couldn’t, she simply blurted out the truth.
“I gave birth to Tommy.”
Tague met her gaze and held it. “Is that a fact or is that merely what it says in your script? Time to throw another crumb of information to the naive cowboy?”
She deserved his attitude, but it still riled her. She stared down his glare. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
He finished the beer he was holding and dropped the empty bottle to the grass. “Is it the truth?”
“Yes, but it’s not what you think.”
“It never is when I’m dealing with you.”
“You’re not making this easy.”
“I’m not the one who dishes out information in piecemeal fashion, manufacturing it as I go.”
“I was wrong not to explain everything, but it’s not like we’re old friends, Tague. I barely know you. And I didn’t ask for your help.”
“Point made. Would you like a beer?”
“No, thank you.”
“I would.”
He returned a minute later with a longneck brew. He took a gulp before looking her way again. “So you gave birth to Scott Hayden’s son before Lena killed herself or was murdered. Your being the mother of Lena’s husband’s son must have caused a few fireworks around the breakfast table.”
“I didn’t say I was Tommy’s mother. I said I gave birth to him.”
“I’m apparently missing something in the translation.”
“Lena couldn’t have children because of a medical condition. She begged me to supply my womb for her and Scott’s embryo.”
“And you agreed to that?”
“Not at first. I was still clinging to visions of becoming a great actress. I didn’t want stretch marks or morning sickness or labor pains.”
“What changed your mind?” Tague asked.
“Lena. She was so desperate to have a child. I couldn’t say no to her dreams for my selfish reasons. Besides, at the time I was stupid enough to believe she and Scott were in love and that they’d be wonderful parents.”
“Weren’t they in love?”
“To the contrary. They were having significant marital problems. Lena thought that by giving Scott the one thing no other woman had, she could hold on to him.”
“Did he want a child?”
“Absolutely. His vanity and egotism demanded he pass on his self-perceived genius to a descendant.”
“Sounds like a real charmer,” Tague said.
“You’d see right through him,” she admitted. “Lena didn’t. Neither did I until the truth was too brutal and blatant to ignore.”
Tague took another sip of his beer. “Did Lena ever complain of monstrous behavior on his part?”
“Not to me.”
“Then what do you think their problems were?”
“Sex and drugs.”
“A shortage of one and an abundance of the other?” Tague asked.
“No. There was an abundance of both. Scott was mostly a recreational user. Lena was on the fast track to becoming a full-fledged addict. And Scott had told her he was in love with someone else.”
“You?” Tague asked.
“Yes, but neither Lena nor I guessed that—or
if Lena did, she never admitted it to me. By the time I realized their marriage was on the fast track to divorce, their child had been growing inside me for six months.”
Oddly, admitting the truth after so long was somewhat cathartic. Slipping back into the past wasn’t. She struggled to keep the worst of the memories from pulling her back into the nightmare.
“Were you and Lena friends before you agreed to be the surrogate womb?”
“I thought we were. It turns out I was the intended ‘womb’ from the very beginning. I even agreed to her specifications that I hide my pregnancy while she hid her lack of a pregnant body.”
“How did you get mixed up with these sick people in the first place?”
“It started out innocently enough. I went to a casting call for a historical romantic thriller Scott Hayden was going to produce and direct. I was so nervous about reading for him that I messed up the lines. I was shocked when I got a callback a week later.”
“Did you get the part?”
“No, but he had me act out an entire scene in costume. Not the official costume, but one he’d provided so that he could get a real sense of the performance. At least that’s what he’d claimed.”
“And this time you were terrific.”
“No. Bottom line, the Great One said I didn’t project the kind of terror he was looking for.”
“How did you go from losing a role to becoming Lena’s pretend friend and the incubator for their fetus?”
“I got an invitation to their Malibu beach house the following weekend. Invitations to a Scott Jeffery Hayden weekend are about as rare for wannabes like me as receiving the golden grail by FedEx. Of course, I accepted.”
“Of course.”
“Lena spent hours with me. At the end of the weekend, she said that Scott was convinced I had talent but that it needed nurturing. She was willing to devote a few months of her life to provide that. All she wanted in return was for me to live in her guesthouse and keep her company while Scott was on location in Paris.”
Tague finished his beer, dropped the empty bottle to the grass next to the other one and massaged the back of his neck. “Apparently, you took her up on the offer.”
“I moved in the very next week, sure that was exactly what I needed to soar me to stardom. And then I let her talk me into carrying their child. I’m not that naive anymore.”
“Is naiveté your excuse for marrying Scott Hayden just two months after Lena died?”
“No. That was love.”
“Were you having an affair with him while Lena was still alive?”
“I never had an affair with him. And the love wasn’t for him. It was for Tommy. From the moment I first felt him move inside me, all my priorities changed.”
“How so?”
“He became my life. When I gave birth to him, the bond grew even stronger. I heard his first cries, rocked him to sleep, stayed up with him when he was sick.”
“Where was Lena?”
“Mostly she kept to her room. By then her marriage was in shambles and she’d turned totally to drugs. Scott asked me to stay on in the guesthouse and take care of Tommy and I jumped at the opportunity.”
“But you weren’t romantically involved with him?”
“No, but I knew he was interested in me in a sexual way. I convinced myself I could handle his advances. All that really mattered to me was not losing contact with Tommy. He was my son in every way that mattered except DNA.”
“So when Lena died, you married Scott and became Mrs. Scott Jeffery number four?”
“Scott wanted a wife and a mother for Tommy. If not me, it would be someone else, and in that case he made it clear I’d never see Tommy again.”
Tears filled Alexis’s eyes. She turned away so Tague wouldn’t see them. She’d made so many mistakes. Tommy was the only good thing to come from them.
“I thought I could learn to love Scott—for Tommy’s sake. I couldn’t. I thought I was hiding my true feelings until one night I cried when we had sex. After that, he never touched me again except in anger. That’s when I realized I’d married a monster.”
Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She dabbed at her eyes with the backs of her fists but it did little to slow the flow.
Tague stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted. You’ve been through enough without having me turn sarcastic.”
“It’s not you. It’s everything. All the mistakes. All the ways I’ve messed up my life and Tommy’s.” Shudders shook her body and she couldn’t stop sobbing.
Tague tugged her around to face him and held her in his arms. “I’ve never been good at dealing with a crying woman, but I don’t think you should fight the tears, Alexis. It seems you’ve locked enough inside you to last a lifetime.”
When she finally stopped crying, she pulled away. “It’s just that I love Tommy so much.”
“I promised to do what I can to help you, Alexis. I still will, but even if we find evidence to back up your claim that your husband tried to kill you, that won’t automatically lead to your getting custody of Tommy.”
“I know that. But there is a way you could make sure Tommy stays with me. All you have to do is help me get to Mexico before Hampton alerts every law enforcement agency in the state that I’m in the area.”
“You might escape the law, but Scott would eventually find you. You must know that. And when he does, you’d have to face him on your own. I can’t let you do that.”
He dropped his arms from around her. “I can’t change the past. Neither can you. But that doesn’t mean you have to blow the future. Now let’s go inside and see what we can rustle up for dinner. It’s been a long, long time since lunch and I’m starved.”
“You know, Tague, you’re a lot better at handling a crying woman than you give yourself credit for.”
“It’s not me. It’s the beer talking.” Tague gathered up his empties. “Just for the record, would you go back to acting if you got the chance?”
“Not in a million years. I’d look for something to do that I’m good at.”
“Like milking beef cattle,” he teased.
“Maybe.”
In a New York second, if the cows came with a man like Tague.
* * *
TAGUE FORKED THE bacon and admired Alexis’s slender hands as she slid the razor-sharp knife through the bright red beefsteak tomato they’d picked up at the market.
“Careful with the knife,” he warned. “Hunters tend to keep all their blades honed to perfection, even those in the storage block.”
“Please tell me that no one used this to butcher one of those animals mounted on the wall.”
“Most of those were killed in the Northwest. The two bucks in the den area were killed here on the property, but I can assure you that no one used a kitchen knife on them, at least not before the meat was ready to cook.”
She spread a generous dab of mayonnaise on two slices of bread. “Do you hunt?”
“I have, but fishing’s my sport of choice. My dad did a lot of hunting in his younger years, but I think he and his buddies mostly used this place for male bonding. This is the first time anyone’s been up here since his death.”
“This wasn’t what I pictured when you said ‘camp.’”
“What were you expecting?”
“Gas lanterns, bedrolls, cooking over an open fire. Not that I’m complaining, but this is sheer luxury. Nothing’s missing but a crew of servants.”
“I gave them the week off.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Well, there’s not actually a crew, but there is a man and his wife who’ve been taking care of the place for years. Otherwise, it would be overrun with spiders, scorpions, lizards and maybe a rattlesnake or two. This is still
Texas, you know.”
“And if I encounter any of those creatures, they’ll hear me scream all the way to Austin.” She reached for the lettuce she’d just washed and pulled off a couple of crisp leaves.
“You know, Tague, I know you’re wealthy. I’ve seen your ranch and the luxury you have here. But I still have trouble thinking of you as one of the Lamberts I read about in the society pages.”
“Then don’t. I never do.”
“You’re so normal.”
“Isn’t that a synonym for ‘boring’?”
“‘Normal’ was probably not the best word choice. You’re easy to be with—and you listen. Really listen.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Now let’s eat. I’m starving.”
They carried their food to the oversize den and settled on a sofa that faced a wall of windows. The sun had slipped below the horizon and twilight was creeping from the shadows like a caressing blanket.
The beauty and the peaceful setting were wasted on Tague. He’d arrived at the camp ready to turn her safety and the investigation over to others and drive back to the ranch. But as soon as she’d started explaining the situation with Lena, he’d fallen completely under her spell. She was like a liqueur with the power to intoxicate in a single drop.
He was half-finished with his sandwich when his phone rang. The caller ID read “Carolina Lambert.” He had a disturbing premonition that she was not calling just to say good-night.
The second he heard her voice, he knew that his instincts for trouble were still healthy and intact.
Chapter Eleven
“I’m worried about Alexis, Tague.”
So was Tague. If Alexis wasn’t taking him for a ride down deception road, she was in trouble so deep a bulldozer couldn’t dig her out. But his mother knew nothing of that and he hoped to keep it that way for a few days longer.
“Mother, don’t you have enough things to worry about without looking for more?”
“I’m serious, Tague. I just got off the phone from talking with Detective Gerald Hampton with the Dallas police force. He’s the detective who’s investigating the carjacking.”