Well, not the whole truth. She couldn’t imagine telling him about Jack kissing her. Sam would never speak to her again. “I apologized to him,” she said after a moment. “I think we’re okay.”
He scowled down at her. “The plot thickens,” he said, his voice carefully neutral.
“No. It doesn’t.”
“You sure?”
Maren studied the tense jut of his jaw, the heated glint in his eyes, and the deep set of his brows. She laid a hand on his arm. “It’s okay, Sam. I messed up, and I had to make it right.”
“The man is taking your farm.” He glared down at her. “You’re not the one who should be apologizing.”
Maybe. Or maybe she would have to be the one to give it up. She clamped down on a grimace. “Don’t worry about the farm.”
“I’m more worried about you. Don’t let him get too close, all right?” He slipped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “This is me, remember? I know what it was like before. I was the one who was there for you.”
True. “I know. But you don’t have anything to worry about.” She smiled and held up the envelope. “Now it’s my turn to help you.”
Sam opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again when a familiar truck crept up the driveway, seemingly unaffected by the slick mud that squelched under its tires. Maren frowned. She’d left Jack’s office less than three hours ago. Had he sensed her weakening? If so, he sure hadn’t wasted any time in pressing his point.
Sam edged in closer. “You sure?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
Jack unfolded his tall frame from the truck and Sam tensed. “Want me to hang around?”
Yes. And no. With Sam around, she would be safe from the intimacy that seemed to creep up on them when she least expected it. But Sam and Jack didn’t like each other. There was enough awkward to go around without throwing that in. “I’m fine.”
He squeezed her again and kissed her on the forehead. “Okay. Call me if you need a lift.”
“Looks like that’s what she should have done in the first place,” Jack interrupted, his voice short and brusque.
Sam glared at Jack. “Lucky I was here for her, then. Like I’ve always been.”
Jack’s eyes hardened, and heat crept up Maren’s cheeks. “Sam, don’t.”
“How can you take up for him after what he did to you?”
She locked her gaze with his, willing him to understand. “It’s okay.”
“It’s never been okay. You’re just too nice to say so.” The edge of Jack’s mouth lifted in a reluctant smile. Sam ignored him. “Remember what I said, okay?”
“I will,” she promised.
Sam nodded, tossed a final glare at Jack, then rounded his truck and hopped inside. She turned back to Jack. “What’s so funny?”
His smile widened now that Sam was gone. “Did he just accuse you of being nice?”
She frowned back at him. “What?”
“In fact,” he continued, “I think he said you were too nice to say anything bad about me.” He tilted his head and studied her, eyes twinkling. “Does he know you?”
She smirked. “All right, knock it off.”
Jack’s warm, throaty chuckle made her breath catch in her throat. “Such charm.”
“Do I want to know why you’re here?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
She shook her head and the smirk turned into a laugh. “Probably not. Go away.”
He closed the distance between them, then towered over her, his green eyes now glittering. “That’s not very hospitable of you.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She met his gaze and her breath caught in her chest. “Go away please.”
“Nope.” He tilted his face towards the sky. The rain had stopped and the sun peeked from behind the clouds. The air turned hot, heavy, and wet, like a blanket made out of liquid wool. He dropped his gaze back down to hers, and then lower, studying her with undisguised humor.
She glanced down. Ah, jeez. Mud and rain had turned her into a disheveled mess. Self-awareness bit hard, and she squelched an urge to run into the house.
“Stop that.”
“My, my. Aren’t you touchy today?” he said. “Do you want to go change?”
“Lord, yes.” She took a step towards the house, then looked back at him. “Wait. Why are you here?”
“Change.” He shooed her into the house.
One look in the mirror confirmed her worst fears. What a mess. Dirt streaked her face, her hair hung in damp, messy tendrils around her face, and her light blouse had turned nearly transparent. Maren groaned out loud.
Wow. Just wow.
A smile broke loose in the middle of that thought. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and the smile turned into a giggle. She rubbed a smear of red clay on her jaw and the giggle turned into a gusty laugh. What a sight she and Sam must have been. And her car looked like it had been dipped in a mud fondue. If she had been in Jack’s shoes, she wouldn’t have been able to keep a straight face long enough to say hello.
As she scrubbed herself clean, her smile faded. Somehow, the anger and hurt she’d spent the last ten years ignoring had faded. Now, Jack made her laugh. He made her care what he thought, and he made her melt when he stood too close. Had her problems with Bill caused her to rebound into this? Or had her problems with Jack caused her to rebound into Bill?
She frowned at herself in the mirror. Either way, she wasn’t in control of her emotions or her life. She couldn’t mistake her sudden softening towards Jack for anything other than a reaction to her recent turmoil. Whatever she thought she felt for Jack would fade when she left. In fact, once things settled down, she’d probably realize she hadn’t felt anything at all.
Her heart flipped over in her chest. You know better than that.
She ignored that thought, stepped into a pair of white shorts and a red top, then pulled her wet hair into a bun and slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. Her time was short now. With the second hearing in a few days and her promise to Francie fresh on her mind, her focus should be on what to do about the farm, not what happened when Jack got too close.
She stepped out into the living room, but Jack hadn’t followed her inside. Why would he stay outside, when the humidity was enough to take a person’s breath away? She opened the storm door and let it shut behind her. The driveway sat empty.
Hm. She rounded the corner into the front yard, where Jack stood transfixed by a tablet he held in his hands.
She walked up to him and stopped a respectable distance away. “What are you doing?”
“What I do best,” he answered without looking up.
“Jack?”
He glanced up at her. “We’re running out of time. We either have to solve this problem or take the whole thing to court. I don’t want that, do you?”
No. She didn’t want to give up her grandparents’ home, but she didn’t want a court battle. She didn’t have the time or energy for one.
And there’s still the search warrant. Even now, the feds could be zeroing in on her farm, recording her conversations, and researching everyone she came into contact with. She turned her head and studied the yard around her. They couldn’t plant bugs outside, could they?
I’m the most paranoid woman alive.
“Jack, I need to know what promises you made to get this bid.”
His gaze snapped up to hers. “I didn’t make any promises.”
“You said deals were made. What deals?”
He stared at her a long moment. “You believed him, didn’t you? That article may have been his accusations, but you agree with him.”
No. Yes. I guess. Something didn’t add up. “No, I’m trying to understand what happened.”
He took a deep breath. “Constituents that were happy about this development made campaign contributions. Lance wants to keep them happy.”
The feds wouldn’t find anything there. Even if they did, she didn’t care. She only cared about saving Jack.
“What about you?”
“I said I didn’t make any promises,” he said, his gaze frosty on hers. “No campaign donations, and no deals. I put in a bid, and the County accepted it.”
“Yours was the lowest?”
His eyes flicked away, then back to hers. “Mine was the best.”
He believed that. She could tell by the tone of his voice. There was something about that flick of his eyes, though. What if he hadn’t told her everything? Was what he’d held back enough to cause trouble if he got caught in her web? Could she take that chance?
No. She had promised Francie she would come back. When she did, she couldn’t leave trouble behind for Jack. She had to keep the authorities away, if it wasn’t too late already. The best way to keep them away from him would be….
“Jack, I’ve decided to turn the farm over to the county.”
His brows furrowed, and his startled gaze connected with hers. “What?”
“I’m going back home.” Again, that word fell at her feet like a dead weight. She was home. And she realized with a pang that she wanted to stay here.
His eyes narrowed, and her mouth went dry. He’d known she would make this decision well before she had. No matter what happens, you’ll go back. Still, she couldn’t stand the thought that he would be relieved, or even happy, with the idea of her leaving.
His expression gave nothing away. “Just like that?”
How much should she tell him? He had believed she could be guilty. She had seen it all over his face when she told him about Bill. If she told him that, even now, the feds were sifting through evidence gathered from a storage unit full of her belongings, his belief would be even stronger. She gave him a tight smile. “You said it yourself. I have to get back to my life. I can’t ignore my problems forever.”
“No, you can’t.”
She shrugged, pretending a lack of concern she didn’t feel. “I’ll stay for the meeting. It’s only a couple more days, and after that article in the Times, everyone needs to know this is my decision.” She forced herself to smile. “My attempt to save your reputation.”
He nodded. “All right, then.”
She studied his face for something, anything, that would tell her what he thought about her decision. He gave her nothing. Her eyes stung, and she bit the inside of her cheek to push back the sudden mist. She hadn’t wanted him to be happy about her decision to leave, but this total indifference hit her like a punch in the gut.
She couldn’t look at him anymore. Her gaze dropped to his shoulder. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”
He tucked his tablet under his arm. “It’s fine. All’s well that ends well, right?”
Not exactly. “Sure.”
She watched him go, her heart heavy. What would it take to make you happy, Maren? She had told him she wanted her life to be normal again, but that hadn’t been right. Well, not quite. Maren knew what she wanted. She couldn’t have it, though.
Instead, she had to decide what she could settle for. She had walked away and gotten over him before. She could make herself do it again. Except this time, she would never be able to come back. She would finally let Jack go, from her mind, her life and her heart, for good. And she would give up her home to make sure she could never go return.
She turned away as he stepped into his truck and started the engine. Her gaze fell on the porch, where Grandma and Grandpa had shared quiet mornings rocking in chairs and sipping coffee every day of her life here. Tears stung her eyes again, and she let them fall. How had she managed to make such a mess of her life? She’d lost Jack because she’d been terrified of repeating her mother’s mistakes. She had lost her grandparents, and she’d missed the last, precious months of their lives because she’d been too busy trying to build the life she thought she wanted. And now, she’d lost her job and the only home she’d ever known because the life she’d built had been an empty promise.
She would give up her home, her first love, and every good memory she had of her childhood. She would do it to face her problems head-on and to make sure Jack could never get caught in the fall-out.
And she would spend every day aching with regret for her losses. That would be the price she paid for all her mistakes.
Chapter Eleven
“You found him?”
Sam’s eyes lit with disbelief and hope, and Maren couldn’t help but smile. Francie’s email the night before had lifted Maren’s spirits when Maren had been certain nothing could. With the Board meeting only hours away, her time in Shepherdsville had nearly come to an end. At least she could do this last good deed on her way out of town.
“We did.”
She clutched the envelope in her hands, and her smile faded as quickly as it had come. Francie’s investigator had found Doug and Rita. Unfortunately, the rest of Maren’s news wouldn’t make Sam as happy.
He untied the nail apron he wore at his belt and laid it on the counter. “Is he okay? Where is he? I’m going to get my boy.”
“Wait, Sam.”
He frowned back at her. “I’ve been waiting for weeks. I want my son.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “Let me explain first. Please promise me you won’t do anything until I’ve finished.”
His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. “That sounds like something you’d say if you thought I might hurt somebody.”
That’s exactly what I think. She squeezed his arm and injected a soothing note into her voice. “No. But you might do something that would hurt Doug.”
“I would never hurt my son,” he growled.
“Not on purpose, I know. But you might do something that would be detrimental to him, and then you would lose him for sure. Do I have your word?”
Sam studied her for a long moment. His jaw clenched tight and a pulse beat in his temple. What would she do if he said no? In a few hours, she would load her car and leave town. If Sam decided to take matters into his own hands, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. She could only hope the thought of losing his son would keep him grounded enough that he could handle what came next.
“I’m listening.”
Not quite his word, but that’s probably all I’m going to get. She nodded. “Rita took him to Tennessee. She lives about two hours from her mother.”
“Is Doug okay?”
She gripped the envelope tighter. “Yes. The investigator saw him. I’m supposed to get pictures later today, but he said Doug looks like a healthy, normal boy.”
Sam’s shoulders sagged, and he closed his eyes. The moisture in their corners tugged at her heart. “Thank you, God,” he murmured.
“The rest is going to be hard for you,” she warned.
He nodded, but he didn’t open his eyes. “All of this is hard for me.”
True. She flashed him a sympathetic smile. And I thought I had problems. She’d been moping for three days over losing the farm. She’d tried to erase Jack from her heart before she had to turn her back on him again. But at least her son wasn’t missing.
“Okay. Here goes.” She took an unsteady breath and plunged in. “There’s someone else.”
He opened his eyes, but other than that, Sam’s face didn’t register any reaction at all.
So far, so good.
“She’s living with a man named Allen Bailey. Does that name sound familiar to you?”
He shook his head. “Never heard of him.”
“Okay, so he might not have been around when Rita…” She bit her lip.
“It’s okay, Maren.” His voice softened, but the hard lines of his jaw didn’t. “I don’t care about Rita anymore. I just want my son.”
“The house where they live is in Bailey’s name. He owns a body shop nearby, and she works there answering the phones.” She hesitated. The envelope in her hands contained a report that detailed everything she had told him. She could simply hand it to him and let him figure the rest out on his own.
No, I couldn’t. By telling him herself, she could soften the blow.
&nb
sp; Get real. Nothing could soften the blow. Still, she wanted him to hear this from a friend, not from a clinical report written by a complete stranger.
He scowled. “What?”
“Bailey has a prison record.”
Sam uttered an expletive, low and calm, but his fingers clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. Maren laid the envelope on the counter and placed her hand on his arm. “We’re going to get him back, Sam. That just makes it easier.”
“I hope for Rita’s sake that she doesn’t know.” His calm voice scared her. Mild-mannered Sam didn’t look so mild right now.
Maren picked up the envelope, opened it, and drew out a stack of papers she had clipped together. If what he’d heard already hadn’t been enough to send him off to Tennessee in a rage, this next part might be. She wouldn’t be able to stop him. And she wouldn’t blame him.
Careful, Maren.
She laid the papers in front of him. “She might. Before I explain, I want you to know that what she’s doing will never work. Not in a million years.”
He pushed the papers aside and fixed her with a cold, steady gaze. “What?”
“She’s filed a petition with the local court to take away your parental rights. She said you abandoned him.”
Dark color flooded his face, and Maren fought the urge to take a step back. “Where is she?”
She grabbed his arm again. “She can’t do it, Sam. I think she met this guy, and then realized you might try to take Doug from her if you found out. So she disappeared. All she had to do is lay low for four months. In Tennessee, that’s enough time for a child to be considered abandoned.” She tilted her head to catch his gaze and forced him to look at her. “But she has to have you served with a copy of this. The papers say she doesn’t know where you are, but that’s not good enough. They have to find you and serve you. The judge would have thrown this out even if we hadn’t found out about it.”
“Is that what she said?” he asked, his voice creepy-calm. “That I abandoned him?”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah. She said you took off and haven’t tried to see Doug or pay his child support.”
He grabbed the papers and pushed away from the counter. “I’ll show her abandoned. I’m going to get my son.”
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