There was something in his tone, a wistfulness that hadn’t been there before. Once again, Maggie was reminded of something Kevin had mentioned when they’d first met—his son, Jason’s missing child. She fought the urge to ask him about the boy who wouldn’t be needing to use his abandoned baseball glove.
“I guess it’ll be okay,” she said, unable to believe the words slipping from her mouth. For some reason, she felt she could trust Jason. Or was it merely her heart telling her it was time she needed to trust someone, anyone, again? “As long as you don’t mind...”
“I don’t mind,” Jason said, his gaze steady on her.
She couldn’t find the words to end their conversation, to bid him good-night. Nor did she have the strength to look away. Silence lengthened between them. The breeze picked up, carrying with it the promise of an approaching storm. Maggie shivered, blaming the cooling effects of the changing weather for her reaction, not the discomfiting presence of the man before her.
Jason was the first to break the spell of silence. He shifted his stance, one foot to another, as though searching for safer ground. “Bob Williams is out of danger. I checked with the hospital before my shift was up.”
“I know,” she said, smiling despite herself. “I called earlier, too.”
He returned her smile. “Saving a man’s life leaves a lasting impression. I guess neither of us will be able to forget the experience for a while.”
“No, I guess not.” Maggie searched his face. There was no glint of curiosity. No hidden messages. Just an honest statement of fact.
Relief poured through her. Less than an hour ago, she’d been on pins and needles, waiting for Jason to accuse her of being a liar, to have guessed the truth. That she was a trained medical professional. That he knew she was a woman running from the law, running from her past.
But now all that seemed to have changed.
In Jason’s pale blue eyes, she saw a loneliness that was reflected in her own heart. Perhaps they weren’t so different, after all. For the first time she believed him when he said he was only looking for a good neighbor, a friend.
The slamming of a door in her house reminded her that her son was still waiting for an answer. She glanced at the light glowing in the kitchen and knew it was time for her to go. “I think I’d better check on Kevin.”
“I suppose that might be best,” he said with a smile. “That is, if you still want your house to be standing in the morning.”
Despite the casual reply, she heard a hint of disappointment in his tone. He didn’t want her to leave.
Heat lightning flickered in the distance, warning her to tread carefully.
Unnerved, she took a cautious step back, heading for her house, her haven of safety. Feeling awkward and clumsy, she said abruptly, “Good night, Jason.”
“Good night, Maggie,” he returned, his expression unreadable in the thickening darkness.
Turning on her heel, she fled across the yard, not stopping until she was safely inside. Only then did she allow herself a second glance.
By then he was gone. He’d disappeared into the night with a swiftness that surprised her. She refused to acknowledge the disappointment thrumming through her veins.
Calling herself a fool, she turned away from the door and stared at the map on the kitchen table.
Maggie’s heart caught in her throat. She’d forgotten about the map and her decision to find a new home. Somehow, leaving Wyndchester didn’t seem quite as urgent as it had earlier.
Walking to the table, she picked up the map and slowly folded it along its well-worn creases, putting it away for another day.
Chapter 5
The storm outside broke soon after Maggie went into the house. The storm inside was averted, once Kevin was given an assurance that she would allow him baseball-practice sessions with Jason. A short time later, Kevin went peacefully to sleep for the night. Now, except for the steady drumming of rain on the roof, the house was finally quiet.
With the windows closed against the weather, the rooms were hot and airless. Maggie felt as though the walls were closing in on her. Second thoughts were the real cause of her disquietude, she reluctantly admitted to herself. She had allowed Jason a foothold in her life.
Short of disappointing her son, she didn’t know how she could have acted differently. Lifting her hair from the back of her neck, she gave a weary sigh. Perhaps a soak in the tub would soothe her nerves.
Before she had time to act on the impulse, the doorbell rang. Maggie froze. A bolt of panic traveled through her, riveting her to the spot. No matter how much distance she might put between herself and her ex-husband, there would always be the fear that somehow he would find her.
She forced herself to move and walked slowly to the living-room window, flipping on the porch light as she went. Pulling back the lace curtain slightly, she peered outside. To her surprise, Jenny Lewis, the young waitress from the diner, stood on the stoop.
Fears forgotten, she hurried to the front door, slid off the safety chain and unlocked the dead bolt. Then she threw open the door and greeted her friend. “Jenny, this is a surprise. I...”
Her voice faltered, the words fading at the sight of the young woman. Despite the damp heat of the night, Jenny was shivering. Rain had splattered her clothes, leaving dark blotches on her blouse and denim skirt. Her dark hair was slicked back from her face as though she’d just run her fingers carelessly through it. She was pale, her face tearstained.
Jenny attempted a smile and failed. “I hope you don’t mind my calling so late. But I really needed to talk to someone.”
“Don’t be silly,” Maggie said, taking her friend by the arm and pulling her inside. “My door’s open to you at any hour.”
“Thank you, Maggie.” Jenny’s tiny frame seemed even more fragile beneath the weight of whatever was troubling her.
Maggie’s nurturing instincts kicked in. “Can I get you a hot drink? Something to eat?”
“No.” Jenny pressed a hand to her stomach. “I don’t think I could keep anything down even if I tried.”
Maggie motioned toward the living-room couch. “Why don’t you sit down?”
Nodding, Jenny stumbled across the room and sank onto the worn couch. She looked so miserable Maggie’s heart caught.
“Aw, honey. What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting down next to her, draping an arm about her shoulders.
“It’s Joe.”
“Your fiancé?”
Jenny nodded.
When she didn’t continue, Maggie prompted her. “Did you two have a fight?”
“No, Joe’s out of town studying for the bar exam.” Her voice trembled. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “I haven’t talked to him in almost a week.”
“Then... what is it?” Maggie shook her head, feeling confused.
“If Joe were here, I wouldn’t have been with Stan tonight,” she whispered, averting her gaze, unable to look Maggie in the eye.
“Stan?” Slowly understanding dawned. “You mean Officer Stan Wilson?”
Jenny nodded miserably. She kept her eyes focused on the faded cabbage roses in the rug at her feet as a single tear trickled down her cheek. “He wanted to talk to me about the wedding. I thought ... what harm could there be in talking? We’ve known each other for a long time.”
Fear constricted Maggie’s chest, making it hard to breathe. “Jenny, look at me,” she said, turning her friend to face her. “Did Stan hurt you?”
“No, of course not. Stan would never...” She shook her head, embarrassment clouding her expression. “That wasn’t the problem.”
Maggie frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I kissed him,” Jenny said, the words so soft Maggie could barely hear them.
Relief coursed through her. She bit her lip to stop from smiling. “Jenny, I don’t think you need to worry about one little kiss.”
“It was more than a kiss,” Jenny blurted in a rush. “Stan and I ... we almost...” Twin spots of color
stained her pale cheeks. Her voice quivering, she said, “We almost made love.”
Maggie cleared her throat, searching for the appropriate response. “Jenny, sometimes in the heat of the moment we do things we might not normally consider.”
“You don’t understand. I wanted to make love to him. If it wasn’t for Joe’s engagement ring getting caught on Stan’s shirt, I would have made love to him.”
“I see,” Maggie said, careful to keep her tone neutral. It wasn’t her place to judge anyone else’s actions, especially not when it came to matters of the heart.
Jenny buried her face in her hands. Tears choking her voice, she moaned, “What’s the matter with me, Maggie?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you, honey.” Maggie rubbed a soothing hand against her friend’s back, feeling the quivering sobs that shook her slender frame. “You’re just having second thoughts, that’s all.”
“Second thoughts?” Jenny sat up, laughing bitterly, as she wiped at the tears dampening her face. “Not thinking, that’s my problem. Joe’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. He comes from a good family. He’s got a college education. And once he passes his bar exam, he’ll be making such a good living I’ll never have to worry about money again.”
“But does he make you happy?”
Jenny didn’t answer.
Maggie drew in a considering breath before plunging on. “Jenny, I know I’ve told you this before, but money isn’t everything.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Jenny said, turning a flat, emotionless gaze on Maggie. “You’ve never seen where I live, have you?”
Maggie shook her head.
“My home is in a trailer park outside of town. I live there with my mother because we can’t afford anything better. My daddy ran off when I was just a little girl. My momma’s been drowning her sorrows in booze ever since.”
Maggie didn’t comment. Instinctively she knew Jenny wasn’t looking for pity. What she needed was a sounding board, a person with whom to share her problems. Quietly she waited for Jenny to continue.
Jenny pressed her lips into a thin, hard line. For a long moment, she stared blankly across the room, as though focusing on a distant memory. Abruptly she broke the silence. “When I was five, I used to believe in fairy tales. Every night, I’d dream about a white knight who’d come and rescue me from my fate. When I was thirteen, I knew that fairy tales didn’t come true. That the only way I was going to move out of the trailer park was by being smart.”
Emotion filled Maggie’s heart. She and Jenny had more in common than she’d first realized. Both had been raised by single mothers. Both had had less-than-happy childhoods. While Maggie’s mother never drank, she’d been bitter about her husband’s abandonment, hating all men with equal zeal. Her rancor had permanently tainted Maggie’s life.
Maggie had rushed into marriage, determined to prove her mother’s warped view of men wrong. When her marriage failed, her confidence was rocked. She still wondered if her mother had been right. If any man could ever be trusted.
Sternly she pushed the unpleasant memories from her mind, concentrating, instead, on her friend’s problem. “Jenny, I don’t know what to tell you. My heart says you shouldn’t agree to a marriage for the sake of financial security alone.”
“I do care about Joe,” she said quietly.
“But do you love him?”
New tears threatened. “I thought I did.”
“Aw, honey.” Maggie enfolded her in a hug, ignoring her wet clothes, circling her in the comforting warmth of her friendship. “You just need some time to think things out so you won’t do anything you’ll regret later.”
“Time is the one thing I don’t have. The wedding’s only a few weeks away.” Releasing a harsh breath, Jenny rose to her feet. “I’ve got to go. I’ve bothered you long enough for one night.”
Maggie shook her head. “Don’t ever think that. Promise me, Jenny. If you ever need someone to talk to, come to me. Anytime.”
“I promise,” Jenny said, her smile weak. She moved toward the door. “Thanks for listening, Maggie.”
“I don’t know how much help I’ve been. You should really be listening to your heart,” Maggie said, opening the door. “It’ll tell you more than I could.”
“That’s not so easy to do,” Jenny said. She stepped outside, staring at the ribbons of falling rain. “Not when common sense is telling me to do something else.”
Maggie sighed. “Take care of yourself, Jenny.”
Jenny didn’t answer. With a wave of her hand, she hurried off the porch, disappearing into the rain-shrouded night.
Slowly Maggie closed the door behind her. Physically drained, she collapsed against the solid wood frame. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Of all the people from whom Jenny could have sought emotional advice, why did she have to choose her?
Maggie would have thought it was painfully obvious that she didn’t have a clue when it came to loving a man.
Unbidden, her mind’s eye conjured up an image of her mother’s face, narrowed with bitterness, as she railed against men, Maggie’s father in particular. The image flashed forward, giving her a disturbing picture of her ex-husband’s face contorted in anger.
Unwanted tears stung her eyes. Blinking hard, not allowing herself such weakness, she pushed herself away from the door. The air in the house felt hotter, more stifling, than before. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think straight, not without memories of the past getting in her way.
Making up her mind quickly, she strode barefoot through the living room into the kitchen, not stopping until she stepped outside onto the cold, wet grass of her backyard. She shivered as the rain pelted her overheated skin. Letting the droplets rain down upon her, she lifted her hands, then her face to the cloud-ladened sky.
Under the cover of darkness, slowly, quietly, she spun around in a mind-clearing circle, willing the bath of steady rainwater to cleanse all the doubts and bitterness of her past away.
Jason froze in his tracks. He felt like an intruder, a peeping Tom, watching a scene that was never meant to be viewed. One minute he was dashing through the rain, taking the trash out to the garbage can in the garage, the next he was privy to a moment so erotic he could never have imagined it, not even in his wildest dreams.
Maggie was standing in the middle of her backyard, circling and swaying. Her arms were upraised, as though in welcome to the rain that soaked her skin. Her clothes clung to her slender curves, leaving little to the imagination. She looked like a sea nymph out of place on solid land.
Seconds ticked by like hours. Guilt and awareness stirred deep inside him as he stood helplessly watching the scene. If he left the cover of the garage, Maggie would see him. Embarrassment on both their parts would be the only result.
But if he stayed, hidden beneath the darkness of the garage’s eaves, he would feel every bit the voyeur he’d unwittingly become.
His decision was made for him.
Unexpectedly, with a cry of pain that ripped his heart in two, Maggie came to an abrupt stop. As though the strength had left her, her knees buckled and she slumped to the ground. Despite the drumming of the rain on the roof above his head and the pounding of his pulse in his ears, he heared her soft sobs of despair.
Not giving himself a chance to reconsider, he acted on impulse. Crossing his backyard to hers, he ignored the rain that peppered his skin. Puddles of water pooled in the grass, soaking his shoes, chilling his feet as he stepped unseeingly through them. Raindrops fell into his eyes, blurring his vision, blurring his reasoning.
He blinked hard, steeling himself for Maggie’s reaction to his presence. He doubted if his intrusion would be met with open arms. A slap on the face would be more likely.
But the thought of rejection didn’t stop him. He’d seen the toll the day’s events had taken on her. This morning she’d saved a man’s life. This evening she’d struggled to deal with the problems of raising a son on her own. It wasn’t any wonder
she’d broken beneath the weight of such pressure. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Maggie needed a friend to lean on, someone to comfort her after a long and horrendous day.
He intended to be that friend.
As Jason neared, his step slowed. Kneeling on the soggy ground, her face buried in her hands, Maggie’s slender body shook with each sobbing breath she drew. His determination faltered. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps one’s anguish, especially so deep and so painful as Maggie’s, shouldn’t be witnessed by another soul.
Before he could change his mind, however, as though sensing his presence, Maggie jerked her head to attention. Through the sheets of pouring rain, she stared up at him. Her mouth opened, but no sound emitted. Then, her eyes wild and unseeing, she scrambled backward, slipping and sliding on the wet grass as she struggled to her feet.
“Maggie,” he said, keeping his voice soft, his approach slow, trying to soothe her panic.
She did not answer. All he heard was a whimper of terror, not unlike that of a cornered animal. Maggie was scared to death. Of him? But why? Granted, he’d surprised her, caught her off guard by joining her in the rain. But he’d done nothing to harm her, nothing to warrant such a primal reaction.
“Maggie, wait,” he said, louder this time, his voice firm, trying to penetrate her paralyzing shell of fear. He reached out a hand, but did not touch her, then lowered himself to her eye level. Down on one knee, his hand still extended, he wondered how to help her. “Maggie, look at me. It’s Jason. I promise, I’m not going to hurt you.”
The words had the desired effect. Maggie stopped her struggle. Sitting on the rain-soaked grass, she stared at him. Thick, wet strands of hair clung to her face. Her T-shirt and jeans were molded to her slender curves. Her breasts rose and fell with each shuddering breath she drew.
Encouraged, he kept his voice slow and easy, soothing her with words while his hands itched to reach out and touch her. “I was outside in the garage. I heard you... crying. I thought maybe I could help.” His heart pounding, he added, “You’ve got to believe me, Maggie. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Her Second Chance Family Page 7