by T. L. Haddix
“Then why haven’t you?” she asked quietly.
“Because I wasn’t sure you were interested back, not until last night. I didn’t want to say anything and risk our relationship at work.”
As he waited for her response, he studied the contrast of their hands. His was large, broad-palmed, and roughened from working around his property on the weekends. By contrast, hers were delicate, with long, elegant fingers. Her nails were short and neat, and entirely feminine. As the silence stretched, he hoped he hadn’t misread the situation entirely.
“You might find that I’m more trouble than I’m worth. I have some baggage.”
Wyatt met her gaze. “I’m not without baggage of my own, you know.”
Her mouth quirked up at the corners. “How would we go about this? Dating, I mean?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “I don’t know. The usual way, I guess. What do you like to do?”
“Bowl, watch movies, read. Go to flea markets and antique shops. I also volunteer quite a bit. What about you? It’s amazing that we’ve known each other so long and don’t really know that much about each other.” She played with the fringe on the blanket.
“Well, I don’t volunteer much outside the job. I like to ride ATVs, help my brother and brother-in-law from time to time on their farms. But I also like flea markets, antiquing, that sort of thing. I just don’t take the time to do it. It isn’t really fun if you don’t have someone to go with.”
“No, it isn’t. I usually go with Stacy.”
“Well, I guess we could let her tag along now and then. Maybe invite Gordon, too.”
Maria gave a soft laugh, as he’d intended. “She’d kill both of us.” Her laughter faded “Wyatt, we sound good on paper, but if we tried this, there’s no going back. Once it’s done, it’s done. We have to both be willing to suffer the consequences if it doesn’t work out.”
He nodded. “I know. And I’m willing if you are.”
She bit her lip, and his eyes followed the movement. “Okay.”
“Really? Okay, we’ll try this?”
“Yes.”
He smiled, and to his relief, she smiled back. “Thank God. I was starting to think I was going to be leaving here in a little while with my tail tucked between my legs.” When she picked up a small pillow and whacked him gently with it, he laughed. “How about we try to finish watching this movie?”
“Sounds good, but only if I can hold your hand.”
Settling back against the pillows, he tucked her under his arm with a contented sigh. “Oh, I think that can be arranged.”
Chapter Twenty Two
Wyatt had called Richard Hudson on Saturday to let him know where the investigation stood. “We’re still trying to put the puzzle pieces together. I wish there was more to report, but we’re struggling to find the common thread here. I’m sorry.”
Richard gave a frustrated sigh. “That’s not what I’d hoped to hear, but I guess you can’t do more than what you’re doing.”
“Have you told the rest of the family what’s going on yet?”
“No, we were planning on doing that tomorrow at Sunday dinner.” Richard paused, and Wyatt could practically hear him thinking. “Back when all that trouble was happening with Chase, when Jackie and I were on our second honeymoon, didn’t the kids get together and figure some things out that helped break the case wide open?”
“They did,” Wyatt confirmed. “Are you thinking we should do something like that again?”
“It can’t hurt, can it? Why don’t you come out to the farm tomorrow around twelve-thirty? Everyone will be here, and maybe if we put our heads together, we can come up with something. Who all do you have working on this? We can invite them, as well.”
“Stacy and Maria are the only other members of the department who know about it.”
Richard quickly disguised his laugh as a cough. “Maria, huh? Tell you what, I’ll have Jackie call Stacy and issue an invite, and you can call Maria. Does that work for you?”
Wyatt had grinned. “I see now where Jason gets it from. I think I can handle that. See you tomorrow, Doc.”
Pulling into the Hudson’s driveway on Sunday afternoon, he turned to glance at Maria. “Nervous?”
“A little. You?”
He could see her surprise when he nodded. “Yes. But I don’t have any regrets.”
Her smile widened. “Good.”
Wyatt stopped his SUV next to the sedan parked in front of the garage. Richard and Jackie’s oldest son, Chase, stepped out of the vehicle and waited for Wyatt and Maria to join him. “Hey, folks. What brings you here today? How are you?”
Wyatt shook his proffered hand. “Your dad invited us. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials,” Wyatt said.
Chase grinned. “Thanks. Things have been a little crazy around here lately, what with all the wedding planning.” Just then, Jason pulled up with his fiancée, Hannah, and Annie, Chase’s fiancée, came around the corner of the house. Since a fire had destroyed her apartment and flower shop in downtown Leroy a few months earlier, she’d been renting the Hudson’s guest house. “Hey, everyone. Wyatt, Maria.”
As they walked around to the back door and went into the kitchen, Jason shot Wyatt a puzzled look. When Jason looked from Wyatt to Maria and back again, Wyatt grinned and Jason’s face lit up. Turning back to the kitchen, Wyatt was surprised to see his hosts locked in a passionate embrace.
Chase teased, “I’d give that a six, seven, at least. What do you think, Jason?”
Richard and Jackie jumped. With an embarrassed flush, Jackie started to move away, but Richard tightened his arms around her and kept her close.
“From the shade of red Dad’s face is turning, I’d say that kiss was closer to a ten,” Jason said with a grin that was a duplicate of his father’s. Pointing to Wyatt and Maria, he tsked his parents. “We have guests here.”
“I can hardly wait until your children are old enough to embarrass you, Jason Hugh,” Jackie said. Richard finally let her go, and they moved to greet Wyatt and Maria. “Please excuse us, folks.”
“Nothing to forgive,” Wyatt assured her with a smile. He bent to kiss her cheek. “Thanks for inviting us.”
Something in his voice must have given him away, because Jackie turned an astute gaze to Maria. When she broke into a wide, approving smile, Wyatt felt some of his tension ease. “Us? Really? When did this happen?”
“Just the last few days, actually,” Maria said. “You’re the first people we’ve really… gone public with, I guess you could say.” She handed Richard a tray of cookies. “These are to help celebrate the new dining room.” Given that their family had expanded so rapidly in recent months, Jackie had decided to have some renovations done to the house to accommodate the growing crowd. The contractors had just finished remodeling and enlarging the kitchen and dining room earlier in the week.
He took the tray and gave her a hug. “You didn’t have to do that. But thank you.” When Jason called to him from the living room, he reluctantly handed Jackie the cookies and excused himself.
“Come on in here and have a seat at the island,” Jackie said. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water’s fine, thanks,” Maria said, and Wyatt nodded his agreement.
Once they’d been served, Jackie said, “I’m glad the two of you made it today. I’m afraid it might turn into a tense meal, though.”
Wyatt offered her a reassuring smile. “We’ll deal with it. Hopefully, we’ll be able to figure some of this out.”
Jackie’s smile was tense. “I hope you’re right. God help us all if you aren’t.”
~ * * * ~
When Ethan and Beth came in a short while later, they were accompanied by Stacy Kirchner and Galen Gordon. A chorus of ‘hellos’ greeted the newcomers, and after hanging up his coat, Ethan moved over to the island.
“Hey, boss. Maria. This is starting to look like a setup,” he said, glancing back at Stacy and Gordon. He kept his voice low. “Pow-wow ti
me?”
“Yes,” Wyatt confirmed. “But the rest of the family doesn’t know.” He shook hands with Gordon. “Hey, stranger. Where’ve you been keeping yourself?”
“Here and there. Hey, Maria,” Gordon said, giving her a quick hug.
Gordon was a former FBI agent and a friend of Chase Hudson’s. After he left the FBI a few months earlier, he had been going back and forth between Leroy and his home in Louisville, Kentucky, while he decided what his next step in life was going to be. “Look at you, all bearded up,” she teased. “You look very roguish.”
Gordon’s grin self-consciously as he rubbed his face. “Yeah, I’ve been too lazy to shave lately, so I decided to just let it grow. So how goes crime fighting in Olman County these days?” he asked Wyatt.
Wyatt raised an eyebrow. “Oh, it goes. You ready to wear a badge again? I could use someone of your caliber in my department.”
Gordon shook his head. “No, I’m enjoying being unemployed. It’s the first time since I was a teenager I haven’t worked, and I’m milking it for all it’s worth.”
Chase walked up in time to hear the last comment. “Enjoy it while it lasts, old man. I’m planning on you coming to work with me. I’ve got your office ready.”
“We’ll see,” Gordon said. Excusing himself, he moved off to hug Jackie, and Beth and Stacy walked over to where he had stood. Stacy quirked an eyebrow and sent a pointed look at Wyatt’s hand, which rested on Maria’s waist.
“I guess Jason wins the pool.”
Ethan overheard and grinned. “Not just Jason.”
Jason entered into the kitchen at that moment. When he saw the new arrivals, his eyes narrowed. Leaning against the refrigerator, he crossed his arms, his gaze bouncing around the room. Wyatt could almost see him puzzling it out.
“Not that I’m complaining, but why is half the sheriff’s department here today?” he asked Jackie, who shooed him aside.
“It’s not half the department,” Ethan said as he strolled over to his brother-in-law. He put his arm around Jason’s shoulder and shook his head. “We’ve really got to see about getting you into a remedial math class.” When Jason elbowed him in the ribs, Ethan grunted and moved his arm, grinning as the younger man’s brow lowered with annoyance.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen your husband smile like that,” Maria told Beth.
“I know. I’m beyond relieved to see it,” Beth confessed. “Yesterday was bad. Really, really bad.” When Wyatt shot her a concerned look, she shook her head. “His family… well, we’ll explain to everyone later. I don’t think I could bear to tell it more than once.”
Jackie called everyone in to fill their plates, and as Beth moved away, Wyatt looked at Maria. “That sounds ominous.”
She nodded. “It certainly doesn’t sound good.”
While they waited for the serving line to move, Wyatt considered everything that had happened in the last week or so. He was very concerned that if they didn’t figure out who was doing the blackmailing, the community he loved was going to be permanently altered, and not for the better.
Chapter Twenty Three
Maria was quiet as everyone settled in around the table. Even though she’d grown up as part of a noisy, rambunctious family, the Hudson family dynamics were intriguing to watch. There was teasing and bickering, of course, but there was also a very real warmth and love that infused the dining room. On the surface, the family looked almost too good to be true. Maria knew that was not the whole picture. In the last couple of years, the Hudsons had faced some very serious challenges, including almost losing Beth and then Annie in different, but equally frightening scenarios.
Once grace had been said, Jason asked, “So what’s really going on here?”
Jackie froze, then sighed with resignation. “You always have been good at puzzles.” She waved her hand toward Richard, who sat at the opposite end of the table. “This one’s yours, honey.”
Sitting back, Richard looked around the table, his gaze stopping on Jason. “Aside from the fact that all of you truly are welcome here any time, Jackie and I did have a particular reason for inviting you today.” He explained about the extortion letter, and concerned murmurs broke out around the table. Holding up his hand for silence, he continued. “Wyatt and I discussed this yesterday, and we thought it might be worth seeing if we can come up with something if we put all our heads together.”
“It’s worked before,” Ethan said.
“Wyatt, why don’t you bring everyone up to date on what’s going on?” Richard asked.
“Sure. I can’t go into the details, but the letter Richard and Jackie received ties into a big case we’re working. You all aren’t the only ones who have received a blackmail letter. Several other prominent citizens around town have as well, including me.”
Jason looked flabbergasted. “What? You’re kidding. What have you done to be blackmailed over?” He turned at his father. “Not that I think you’ve done anything, either, Dad.”
A tense silence followed as they all waited to see what Wyatt would say. Maria slipped her hand into his, and they exchanged a look full of unspoken words. She knew it was hard for him to talk about, and she wished she could make it easier somehow. He squeezed her hand and, without taking his eyes off her, answered, “My letter has to do with my late wife and her death. That’s all I’m going to say about the specifics.”
Beth suddenly clamped her hands over her mouth. Pushing her chair back from the table, she rushed from the room. After a few seconds, Maria heard a door slam from the other end of the house.
Ethan stood to follow her, but Jackie stopped him as he reached the dining room door. “Ethan, what’s wrong?”
He turned back to glance at her, then in the direction Beth had gone. “She’s okay, Jackie. I promise.” He sniffed the air and grimaced. “You might want to get rid of the coffee, though.”
There was total silence after he left, and then to Maria’s surprise, Jackie started laughing softly. “The coffee made her sick. Oh, my God. Richard?”
Looking around the table, Maria saw that she wasn’t the only one who was confused. Wyatt, however, was smiling, and so was Beth’s father.
“Why is it amusing that Beth is sick?” Chase asked with a frown.
Richard stood. “It isn’t, son. It’s the reason for the sickness that has us excited. I’ll check on the patient, you get rid of the coffee?” he asked Jackie.
Maria looked at Wyatt, who was still grinning. “Okay, what is it that you know that the rest of us don’t seem to?”
Gordon answered, “You think she’s pregnant, don’t you? And the smell of the coffee makes her sick.”
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah. But how did you guess?”
A shadow passed across Gordon’s face, and he shrugged. “I was married once.”
Jackie came back in from the kitchen and moved to the French doors at the end of the dining room. “Folks, it’s going to get a little nippy in here, I’m afraid. I just need to open the doors long enough to air out the smell.”
“Is that what’s causing her nausea, Mom? She’s pregnant?” Jason asked.
“I don’t know. But every time I was pregnant, I couldn’t stomach the smell, either. And we all know how much your sister loves coffee,” she said. “Just in case she isn’t, though, we probably shouldn’t say anything.” She excused herself to go check on Beth.
When everyone returned to the table a few minutes later, Beth apologized. “I didn’t mean to interrupt dinner.”
The apology was waved away. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us, sis?” Chase asked as she walked past his chair.
Stopping to ruffle his hair, she gave him a quick hug. “No, not just yet.”
He grinned. “Well, in that case, let me just say that I’ve never been so happy to see you battle the flu.”
As they resumed their seats, Ethan tried to steer the conversation back to the extortion. “Where were we?”
“Wyatt and Dad have received letter
s, and apparently no one saw fit to inform the rest of us,” Jason said. His arms were crossed, and from the set of his jaw, a blind man could see that he was furious.
“When did all this come about, Dad?” Chase asked.
“We received the letter at the office Friday, and I immediately contacted John. He advised me to call Wyatt, and that’s what I did.”
“Wednesday is when we found out something was going on, Jason,” Wyatt said. “I made the decision at that point to not involve anyone else in the department, aside from the people already involved. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”
Jason sighed. “I can accept that, but why didn’t you come to us, Dad? Mom?” He let his gaze rest on his father.
“Because I didn’t want any of you to think we were playing favorites. Ethan just happened to be there Friday.”
Ethan shrugged. “I couldn’t not tell Beth.”
Studying him, Jason visibly relaxed. “Well, you’ve always been the favorite son,” he told Ethan. Everyone laughed except Ethan and Beth, and Jason’s frown returned. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve had a falling out with most of my family, including my parents,” Ethan said.
Jackie, who was sitting next to Ethan, reached over and laid a hand on his arm. “Oh, honey, surely not.”
Face grim, he explained. “You all know about the forum posting, right?” They all nodded. “Well, we decided to go to James’s birthday dinner yesterday. That was a mistake. Lina started in on us pretty much as soon as we walked in the door. She all but accused Beth of using me, said our marriage was a sham… brought up my drinking. And Mom backed her up. So needless to say, yesterday was not a good day. We actually spent the night in Madison at a hotel, just to get some space.”
“Damn, I’d like to get my hands on Lina. That little snotty bitch–” Jackie stopped abruptly. “I’m so sorry, honey. You don’t need me adding to your stress. Is there anything we can do?”