by Jen Talty
“You find out anything about Jessica from her family?” Reese asked.
Nana reached for her bag, a large one, usually filled with everything but the kitchen sink. She rummaged around in it for a half a minute before pulling out a small envelope. “My contacts didn’t find out anymore than your PI friend. Seems she’s disappeared, but here is everything up until then, and she’s nothing but a con artist. Her family has disowned her, and her mother looked so sad just talking to me about it that I felt bad for her.”
“I appreciate you asking them,” he said. “The money for the down payment on this place? The financial reports?”
“In my briefcase in the car,” she said, “but until you are divorced from that gold-digging, baby murdering hussy, or we find out she’s dead, this hotel will be in my name. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Now, I suppose there is another bedroom for me here.”
“I have two other house guests. It’s a long story, but we’ll need to buy some furniture for one of the other guest rooms.”
“Perhaps I will take Patty with me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good—”
“I don’t care what you think.” Nana looked at her Apple Watch. “I was told you need to be at work soon, so you should go clean yourself up. Tell Patty I’ll be back in an hour with my things, and she and I will spend the day shopping.”
“I don’t think she’ll—”
“Just stop thinking,” Nana said. “It’s too painful.”
Reese heard giggles coming from the other room. He hugged and kissed his Nana and then watched her walk out the door. He stood in the kitchen, waiting to be harassed by Frank, Lacy, and Patty.
It was starting out to be a banner day.
Chapter Thirteen
PATTY HAD BEEN LOOKING forward to spending the day with Reese’s nana, but she needed to address the injunctions and meet with a lawyer on Reese’s behalf. His nana seemed genuinely grateful that Reese had Patty to take care of those things. Patty didn’t know how she felt about anything, other than that meeting with Andrew meant a possible job opportunity, and she wasn’t going to feel guilty about taking that opportunity.
His offices were in Bolton Landing, a small town off the east shore of Lake George. He rented space over a diner on the corner of Main Street. There was a small reception area, and two offices, one for him and one for his partner. The furniture a dark cherry. The reception area had a brown leather sofa with two matching, wingback leather chairs. Both rooms had built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, lined with legal books and journals.
“Everything looks good,” Andrew said. “I’m making copies for Reese, but we should be able to push this sale through in a couple of days, as long as we get the affidavit signed by both Riley girls and a judge, stating there was no previous verbal offer with Holland Development.”
“We’re working on that,” Patty said. “Thanks for your help on this.”
“My pleasure.” “I have a couple other projects I would like to contract you to work on. I can’t give you full-time hours, or even an office, but I can pay you for your time.”
“I’m good with contract work.” Andrew was short, in his early fifties, with a thick head of graying brown hair. He was fit for his age, and while he didn’t look old, he didn’t look young, either. Nothing about the man that stood out, except that he was genuinely a nice guy.
That went a long way.
“I’ll let you know when I get that signed affidavit,” Andrew said.
Patty decided to go out on a limb. “Have you ever worked with Holland Development before?”
“No,” he said, “but I have friends who aren’t fond of him or his development company.”
“Why is that?”
“Holland doesn’t fight fair.” He handed her a large envelope. “That’s everything you need to stop that one injunction. Once I get that signed affidavit, I’ll push everything through, and Reese should be rid of Holland for good.”
“Thanks. We really appreciate it.” Patty took the envelope then made her way to where she’d parked on Main Street, constantly looking around, feeling as though someone could be watching. Her heart beat a little faster. She quickly texted Reese, letting her know her whereabouts. Normally, that would be silly, but right now, it felt like she was being smart. The sun was bright, the snow nearly gone. If she had reservations about Reese, they were quickly melting like the snow. Deep down, she wanted him to have this hotel, and she wanted him to be part of her life.
No. She wanted to be with him. Simple as that.
Her phone rang. She quickly got in her car and put it through Bluetooth, then pulled out on the street, heading toward Route 9. “Hey, Lacy,” she said. “What’s up?”
“Talk to Reese or Frank in the last hour?”
“No, why?”
“The sheriff’s office determined the rat infestation was intentional. I guess they were able to identify the rats and where they came from.”
“That’s creepy.”
“More than creepy, and it gets weirder,” Lacy said. “They came from a medical research facility that reported a break-in yesterday, and over fifty rats went missing. The same rats that showed up in the house.”
“Who would do that?” Patty pulled onto Route 9, looking forward to navigating the twists and turns without the snow and ice. She took the corners tight, but not too fast. She slowed as she approached the intersection, tapping gently on the brakes.
“Everyone thinks it was Holland,” Lacy said.
A loud bang ripped through the car as it jolted to the right. “Oh, my God!”
“What’s going on?” Lacy asked, but Patty didn’t have time to answer, much less figure out what had happened or what to do next, because the world went black.
* * *
“What do you remember?” Reese knew he sounded more like a cop than a concerned boyfriend, but he was in uniform, in the hospital, taking a statement from the victim of a potential crime.
“I got in the car. I was talking with Lacy, then I heard a loud bang, and then I don’t remember anything until I woke up while the EMTs were pulling me from my car.”
Reese checked his phone. Still nothing from Stacey, who was currently looking into what caused the tire to blow out.
“How old are the tires?”
“Less than a year.” Patty had adjusted the hospital bed to a sitting position. Her legs were slightly bent, two pillows tucked beneath her back, one under knees. Reese had heard about the accident over the radio. He’d been on patrol when Lacy called in 9-1-1, and Jared had forwarded the information to him. As he raced to the hospital, fifteen minutes after Patty, he realized that while he wanted the baby to be unharmed, he wanted Patty to be okay even more. He wanted the woman he loved to be all right. If she were good, he could survive anything.
Now they were awaiting her OB/GYN. Patty had been given a clean bill of health, but they had yet to confirm the health of the baby.
“Rotate them regularly? Check the pressure?”
“Three months ago. Not lately.”
Reese poked his head out of the curtain, hoping to expedite the needed tests, but it didn’t seem to be working. “Did you see anything suspicious?” He checked his Apple Watch for any information from Frank, Stacey, or Jared. So far, nothing.
“I’m really scared.” She rested on hand over her stomach, rubbing gently.
He sat on the edge of the bed. “There have been too many strange things going on for me not to be concerned that this wasn’t just an accident.”
“I should be scared, then.”
“I really don’t want to frighten you,” he said. “But I’d be avoiding the truth by omission if I said otherwise.”
“Thanks for being honest.” She smiled faintly, still rubbing her stomach.
“Have you felt any movement yet?” He placed his hand tentatively over hers. “You’ve never told me when the baby is due.”
“You never
asked.” She smiled at him. “Based on my last period, around November twenty-first, but they said a sonogram will be able to give us a more accurate date.”
“So, you’ve been to the doctor?”
“Just for a blood test. Not to see the doctor.” She shook her head. “My first appointment is next week. You can come. Actually, I’d like it if you did.”
“Just tell me when, and I’ll be there. Do you think we’ll be able to hear the heartbeat?”
“I think we’ll be able to hear it today,” a woman’s voice said. Reese looked up to see a woman no older than him, wearing scrubs.
“Hey, Doctor Noonan.” Patty laced her fingers through Reese’s, squeezing tightly.
“How are you feeling?” The doctor stood on the opposite side of the bed, glancing at Patty then flipping through pages in the patient chart.
Reese wasn’t sure if he should continue to sit, or stand. Introduce himself? Leave? Ask questions? Before he could finish contemplating his next move, Patty tapped his shoulder.
“Reese, you okay?”
“Um, yeah, why?”
“Because I’ve introduced you to my doctor twice, and you’ve been sitting there, staring at nothing, saying nothing.”
“Oh,” he said. “Reese McGinn. Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Dr. Noonan said. “So, as I started to tell Patty, I’m going to check the baby’s heartbeat using this device.” She held something in her hands. “Normally, we can hear the heartbeat at about ten weeks, and Patty is right about the eleven to twelve-week mark, if our calculations are correct.”
“What if you don’t hear anything?”
“Let’s not worry about that right now,” the doctor said. “Dad, do you mind moving for a moment?”
Reese looked around the room, half expecting to see Patty’s father. “Oh, you mean me.”
Dr. Noonan smiled. “You might as well get used to the title.”
Reese hadn’t even thought about being called ‘Dad.’ He was still getting used to the idea that he was going to be one, not actually have someone, anyone, call him by that name. When he rose, Patty didn’t let go of his hand, so he stood at her side, giving her support. Or maybe she was giving him support. His heart beat so fast and hard, he figured it could be heard a mile away without any listening device.
“I’m going to put some gel on your belly. It might be a little cold.”
Reese watched the doctor squeeze the gel, then rub it around with a little handheld thing, and the device picked up a thumping sound. A very loud and strong thumping sound. It mimicked what he felt in his chest, but was even faster.
“Baby sounds good,” Dr. Noolan said.
“What a relief.” Patty looked up at Reese, her eyes moist with tears, but her smile so big and so happy. “Reese?”
“Yeah,” he managed.
“You’re hurting my hand,” Patty said.
“Oh.” He quickly let go. “That was…that was…”
“Your baby,” Dr. Noonan said. “I think all is well, but since I like to err on the side of caution, I’m going to order a sonogram before I let you go today. It shouldn’t take long. They won’t be able to say anything to you, but I’ll be back to discharge you and will fill you in on the results.”
“Should we be worried?” Reese asked.
“I’m sure all is fine, but you were in a car accident, so I think it’s best we take a look,” Dr. Noonan said. “Perhaps Dad might need to sit down, and we should get him some water.”
Reese heard all the words. They registered in his brain. But for the life of him, the room wouldn’t stop swaying. His vision blurred, and he couldn’t utter a single word, so he let the doctor lead him to a chair, and he sipped the water she handed him. He had no idea how long he sat there. He suspected only a minute or so, but it felt like hours. “I’m fine,” he said.
“Are you sure?” Patty asked. “You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” he said with more authority as he pulled himself out of the shock of being called Dad. Since hearing the word, then his child’s heartbeat, a rush of emotions had flooded his brain, a combination of his past and his present colliding. Something that never had a chance, and the sadness that tore through his heart for so many years slowly gave way to the promise of a future he once thought he could never have.
“That was pretty cool.” He stood, adjusting his belt, then placed his hands on his hips in the best manly and authoritative-cop stance he could muster.
Patty smiled again. “Reese McGinn,” she said, “you’re starting to be a bit of a sap.”
“Funny girl.” He moved back to her bedside to give her a wet, sloppy kiss, but, his cell phone rang out.
“I’ve got to take this,” he said. “It’s Stacey.”
Patty nodded.
Reese stepped into the hallway just as he heard the doctor tell Patty that hospital transport would be by shortly to take her to the sonogram.
“What did you find out?” Reese asked, skipping the formalities.
“Bullet hole,” Stacey said.
“Got the bullet?” Reese asked.
“Sent on to ballistics, but suspect it was from a military-grade sniper rifle.”
“That doesn’t make sense. Why Patty? Why now? The only person giving us any trouble is Holland.”
“I know,” Stacey admitted, “but Frank found an eye-witness who says they saw something where Patty’s tire blew. Figured you’d want to be there for questioning.”
“I’m leaving now.” He hated to leave, but her safety depended on him finding out why someone would want to hurt her. That was his job, both as a trooper and as the man who loved her.
* * *
Reese stood at the door of the master bedroom, where Patty was most likely sound asleep. The house was quiet. His grandmother was tucked away in her new suite. Lacy and Andy had returned to Harmon Hill. Reese’s hand trembled as he gripped the door handle. There had been an emotional shift between him and Patty, but he wasn’t quite sure what it meant for her. He knew what it meant for him.
The connection he felt to her was far more than having a child. Life without Patty would be no life at all. He prayed to a God he never believed in that she felt the same way.
He wanted to feel it was wrong of him to sneak into her room, but it felt right. More than right… It felt natural. Normal. She’d also mentioned it was a big bed. His heart had been with her for a long time. It just took his brain a while to catch on. Running from it because he’d gotten burned had once seemed like a great way to protect himself, but it had only made him lonely. And he’d been a very lonely man for the last seven years.
Not anymore.
Patty had the curtains open, and the moon cast a gleam across the bed and the polished hardwood floor. The only other pieces of furniture were a dresser and a small nightstand, but he could picture a big sleigh bed. Maybe dark cherry. Matching dressers, bed tables, vanity. A small bassinet for the baby. Maybe even a dog at the edge of the bed. A big, cuddly Golden Retriever. It was almost too much to dream for.
Patty lay on her side, her back to him, hugging a pillow. He slipped out of his uniform, then put his gun in the top drawer of the dresser. He left his shirt and pants on the floor then tucked himself under the sheets, pulling her close.
“I was hoping you’d visit me tonight.”
He twitched, her voice startling him. “I want you to be safe.”
“I have mixed feelings about you.”
“I’m not surprised,” he said.
“I feel safe with you, though.” She pulled his arm tighter around her midsection.
“How are you holding up?”
“Okay.” She rolled over and faced him, slipping her knee between his legs. “Want to see a picture of the baby?”
“You have one?”
“Doctor Noonan brought it to me once the sonogram checked out.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay.”
“I understand.” She sat up, then t
urned on the lamp next to the bed and handed him a picture. “See that?”
“Yeah.”
“Baby,” she said. “Doing just fine. The doctor adjusted the due date to November nineteenth, but all is well in babyland.”
“We’re having a baby.” The words still sounded surreal rolling off his lips. With everything going on, he hadn’t really allowed himself to embrace it. Now, he never wanted to let it go.
“Why is this happening to us?” She looked up at him with big, doe-like eyes. “Why does someone always want to hurt me? First, the whole thing last year with Lacy and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. And then Terry. The rats. And I know the tire was hit with a bullet.”
“I wish I had an answer.” He reached around her to put the picture back on the nightstand, turned off the lights, then settled them back down under the sheets. They lay facing each other, gazing into each other’s eyes. It wasn’t sexual. Or even romantic.
Just comfortable.
“I know it’s Holland, but I can’t prove it. Yet.”
“So, why me?” Patty had tucked both her hands up under her cheek.
“It’s not you,” Reese said. “I think it’s both of us. I think I’m the reason this is happening to you. All I want is to keep you safe.” He ran his fingers up and down her arm, enjoying her soft skin. Everything about her was perfect. “We’ll find a way to nail Holland.”
“Maybe it’s not him. Maybe it’s your wife.”
His breath hitched. Bringing up Jessica was like putting a knife through his heart. “Doubtful,” he said. “From what Nana and the PI gathered on Jessica, she worked one con after the next. Her parents disowned her. That says a lot. Besides, she really not smart enough to pull this off.”
“It’s also kind of sad.”