Not allowing herself the chance to change her mind, she turned and hurried to the door. Her hand was on the doorknob when he stopped her.
Grabbing her shoulder, he swung her around to face him. His eyes glittered with a fierceness she’d never expected. Before she had time to react, he clamped a hand around her waist and pulled her close. With smooth, swift movements, he stepped forward and pinned her against the wall with his big body.
Fear squeezed her chest, and a protest rose in her throat. Before she had the chance to utter it, he lowered his head and took her mouth with his.
There was no tenderness in his kiss. Raking his fingers through her hair, he tilted her head back and parted her lips with a flick of his tongue, delving into her mouth with a clear and complete show of possession. The kiss was harsh, meant to punish. His late-day beard abraded her skin. It was as though he wanted to hurt her as badly as she’d wounded him.
She gasped for air when he finally tore his mouth from hers. Holding her tight, he stared at her, his eyes glazed and wild. Someone else, not the gentle man she’d come to know, demanded, “Who are you, Maggie?”
She shook her head, unable to find the words to answer.
With a growl of frustration, he buried his face in her hair. The words sent a shiver down her spine as he whispered over and over, “Who are you? Who are you?”
Cold tendrils of fear curled up in her chest At that moment she realized there was more to his anger man pure male pride. Somehow he’d figured out the truth. He knew that she’d lied to him. That she wasn’t the woman she had led him to believe.
For the first time Maggie was afraid of Jason.
“Jason, stop,” she said, the words bubbling up in her throat. Vainly she tried to push him away, but he was too strong. As she fought, the pressure of his arms tightened, nearly smothering her with his weight. It was as though he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, hear her. Desperately she cried, “Jason, please. You’re hurting me.”
The stark fear echoing in her voice finally seeped into his consciousness. Immediately he loosened his grip, backing away, giving her room to breathe, room to escape.
Sucking in choppy breaths of air, she stared at him. He looked almost as stunned as she was by what had just happened.
“I—I’m sorry, Maggie.”
Maggie was unable to stop the hot tears of disappointment that coursed down her cheeks. All the regret she felt in her heart spilled out in a rush. Without another word, she turned on her heel and ran.
The screen door banged shut behind her as she stumbled outside. She didn’t look back. Nor did she stop running, not until she reached the safety of her own house. Once inside, she bolted the door behind her and leaned her shaking body against its solid frame.
Then the strength leaked out of her limbs. Like a rag doll, she sank slowly to the floor. Weak, useless sobs racked her body as she buried her face in her hands.
Oh, God. What was she going to do now?
Jason stared at the empty doorway.
He was in love with Maggie. And yet he’d forced himself on her. He’d used his brute strength to take something that he’d wanted, not caring that it wasn’t his to take. How could he have hurt her that way?
Appalled at his volatile reaction, he turned his back to the door. The kitchen felt as empty and hollow as his heart.
“Dammit,” he muttered, his voice echoing in the quiet room. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed the pain throbbing in his chest to stop.
He was fighting a losing battle, he realized, opening his eyes. His actions had put them both in a tenuous position. He knew she was using a false ID. Instead of confronting her, he’d hoped against hope, had given her the chance to open up to him.
But she hadn’t.
She’d continued to lie, betraying his trust. Even now, the anger and bitter disappointment roiled up inside him. He wanted to march over to her house and demand she tell him the truth.
But in his heart, he knew she had to be the one to initiate the confidence.
Either she trusted him or she didn’t.
With a defeated sigh, he glanced at the table. The can of soda remained on the tabletop, untouched. But Maggie had held the glass in her hand.
At that moment he knew what must be done. Before he could change his mind, he strode to the counter and withdrew a plastic bag from a drawer. Returning to the table, he carefully picked up the glass and slipped it into the bag.
Maggie’s fingerprints would be clear on the smooth surface. If she were a criminal, her prints would be on file. Once and for all he would know who she really was, what she was hiding.
It was his only chance at finding out the truth.
So why did it feel as though it was too little too late?
Chapter 12
The bed shifted beneath her, waking her. Maggie squinted against the brightness of the sunlight pouring in through her bedroom window to see her son sitting cross-legged on the bed next to her.
“Hi, Mom. Whatcha doin’?”
“What time is it?” She blinked the grit from eyes that burned from lack of sleep and too many tears shed the night before. Her head felt thick, as though stuffed with cotton.
Careful of his broken arm, Kevin scooted to the head of the bed for a closer look at the alarm clock. The ancient mattress rocked drunkenly in his wake. “It’s seven o’clock.”
“Oh, great,” she moaned, struggling to sit up. “I’m going to be late for work.”
“It’s Sunday, Mom.” Kevin frowned, giving her a puzzled look. “You don’t have to work on Sunday.”
“You’re right,” she said, falling back against the covers, letting her eyes drift shut. She gave herself a chance to regroup before she tried to move again. Her encounter with Jason the night before had left her emotionally and physically drained. She needed more time to recover.
Seconds later mother’s guilt took aim and struck a clean blow to the heart. Her eyes flew open. She raised herself on one elbow and looked at her son. “How are you feeling? Is your arm still sore?”
“Yeah,” he said, giving a half shrug, feigning indifference. “It feels kind of hot. And it’s like it’s got a heartbeat or somethin’. It keeps thumpin’ inside my cast.”
“Oh, Kevin, I’m sorry.” She sat up straight, brushing a hand across his forehead. He felt warm, feverish. “I think you’re running a temperature.”
“Is that bad?”
“It means I should probably call the doctor.”
He made a face. “Is it going to hurt?”
“No worse than it already does,” she promised, wishing she could do more to ease his pain. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and pushed herself to her feet. “Let me get dressed, then I’ll take your temperature.”
Kevin scanned her body from head to toe and grinned. “You’re already dressed.”
Embarrassed heat flushed her skin as she glanced down at her clothes. She still wore her denim cutoffs and the faded shirt from the night before. Last night she remembered falling into bed fully clothed and crying herself into an exhausted sleep. She’d been so tired she hadn’t bothered to get up and undress.
Heaving another weary sigh, she said, “You can stay in my bed, if you want. I’ll change in the bathroom.”
He didn’t argue. Instead, he took her spot on the bed, burrowing himself in the lingering warmth of her pillows. His skin looked pale beneath the flush of his fever.
She grabbed a fresh pair of shorts and a T-shirt out of her dresser. Forcing a smile, she said, “I’ll be right back.”
Kevin nodded, his glasses glinting in the sunligh.
She hurried into the bathroom. When she looked into the mirror, she cringed inwardly. Her eyes were puffy, the skin beneath blotched, all remnants of last night’s crying jag. Turning on the faucet, she doused her face with cool water, wishing she could wash away the memories of Jason just as easily.
Impossible, she told herself, letting the icy water trickle through her fingers. She would never
be able to forget the anger and disappointment she saw in Jason’s eyes. Somehow he’d guess the truth. That the widow, Maggie Conrad, was nothing more than illusion. That her whole world, everything she had told him, was a lie.
If only she had followed her instincts and left town weeks ago, none of this would be happening now. She wouldn’t have been forced to share close quarters with the town’s chief of police. She wouldn’t have risked her and her son’s safety.
She wouldn’t have risked losing her heart.
In the wee hours of the morning, she’d convinced herself that she had no choice but to leave Wyndchester. Now, in the light of day, she wasn’t sure how she could. Obviously Kevin wasn’t ready to travel. Until his arm healed, he needed to be under a doctor’s supervision.
Not only that, Jenny’s wedding was less than a week away. She was depending on Maggie’s support. Despite their efforts to the contrary, she and Kevin had made friends in Wyndchester. Good friends who cared about them.
For her that was no small feat. Most of her adult life, she’d been wary of forming any close relationships. Her mother and then her husband had reinforced her belief that letting someone into your life, opening your heart to them, only led to pain. Out of necessity, she’d learned to become self-sufficient and independent. But the experience had hardened her.
Jason had been the first to break through her protective shell. She had trusted him. More than that, she’d fallen in love with him. Completely and irrevocably in love.
How could she ever leave him?
Her vision blurred as new tears threatened. If he knew the truth, would he even want her to stay?
Maggie switched off the water. She unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off her shoulders, letting it slide carelessly to the floor. The denim shorts soon followed. Picking up the clean T-shirt and shorts, she dressed quickly.
Later, when she had more time to think, she would decide how to handle the mess she’d made with Jason. She picked up a hairbrush and attacked her snarled curls with unnecessary roughness. Right now she had a son who was in pain. He needed a strong, confident mother to take care of him.
Kevin’s well-being, his happiness, had been the driving force in her life since the day he was born. He was the sole reason she’d finally found the courage to leave her husband. His safety was most important. Nothing else mattered.
Nothing else mattered?
Maggie’s hand froze midbrush. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, catching a frightening glimpse of her future. A future of being constantly on the run, never settling down, never forming another close relationship.
A future of always being alone.
Later that morning, Jason entered the Wyndchester Police Department carrying a plain manilla envelope. The offices were eerily quiet, unnerving him. The weekend dispatcher looked up from his desk and nodded a hello. Jason returned the silent greeting.
A few other officers milled about, sipping coffee and looking bored. Duty calls would be few and far between today. It was Sunday, a day of rest, even for the bad guys. Only a skeleton staff was needed this morning. Most of the crew were home with their families.
Which suited his needs just fine. For the job he had in mind, he didn’t need an audience.
Striding into his office, he closed the door behind him with a firm click. Earlier this morning, in the privacy of his own home, he’d taken the prints from Maggie’s drinking glass. He’d been careful, touching only the rim. Dusting the smooth surface with powder, then lifting the prints with a sticky tape had been easy. In a matter of minutes he’d had a clear imprint of Maggie’s thumb and her first three fingers.
Now he was faced with a more difficult task.
Once again, he had to find the strength to betray the woman he’d come to care for.
Jason carefully placed the manilla envelope that contained Maggie’s prints on the middle of the desktop. He stood staring at the envelope, unable to move as memories of last night flooded his mind. It had been as though someone else, not him, had grabbed Maggie and pinned her to the wall. Once again, he felt the anger that had spurred him to act in such a brutish way. He saw the terror in her eyes, knowing he’d been the cause of her fear.
Jason closed his eyes, blotting out the images. His behavior had been inexcusable. By allowing his emotions to get the better of him, he’d hurt Maggie. He doubted she would ever be able to forgive him.
Not that he deserved her forgiveness.
But that didn’t mean he would ever stop hoping. Stubbornly he still believed that if only he knew the truth, the real reason behind Maggie’s deception, then he might be able to help her—and to help himself hold on to her.
Slowly he opened his eyes. Before he lost his courage, he picked up the phone and punched in the number for the Meridia County Sheriff’s Department A woman’s voice answered this time, taking his call with polite efficiency. Within minutes he was connected with his old friend, Tom Bums.
“Hey, Jason,” Tom said. “How’d you know I’d be working this morning?”
Jason smiled despite himself. “I was your partner, remember? When we were in Chicago, not only did you insist on working seven days a week, but you dragged me along for the ride, too.”
“Dragged is right.” Tom chuckled. “You were always complaining about something, like sleep or some such nonsense.”
“Yeah, well, now it looks as though we’re both turning into workaholics.”
“Work, right,” Tom said with an exaggerated sigh. “I knew this wasn’t a social call.”
“No, it isn’t. Something’s come up,” Jason said. His voice sounded hoarse as nerves tightened his throat. “I need you to run some prints for me, after all.”
“Are we talking about the same woman? This...” He paused, and Jason could hear papers being shuffled. Jason waited, his heart ticking off the passing seconds with uneven thumps. “Maggie Conrad, right?”
“Right,” he said softly. “That’s the one.”
There was an awkward silence. It seemed like an eternity before Tom finally asked, “You’re sure this is what you want, Jason?”
“No, I’m not sure,” Jason admitted. He sat down hard on the edge of his desk, the strength going out of his limbs. “But it’s what I’ve got to do.”
“Okay,” Tom said, asking no further questions. “Look. go ahead and fax me the prints. But it might take a few days before I can get the results. Our lady isn’t a flight risk, is she?”
The thought stunned Jason, stealing the breath from his lungs. Maggie wouldn’t... she couldn’t run away. Not even allowing himself to consider the possibility, he said, “No, I—I don’t think so.”
“Good, because I want to use a friend of mine to help us out, someone I can trust. He’s on vacation right now. He’ll be getting back later this week. I’ll have him get on it as soon as he returns.”
“Trust?” Jason frowned, concern prickling his skin. “What’s going on, Tom? You got some problems in your department?”
“No more than the usual.”
Jason’s unease grew. “Maybe you’d better explain exactly what you mean.”
Tom sighed again. “Look, it’s nothing to worry about. This is a big department with a lot of employees. Some I know well, some I don’t. I don’t have to tell you about a policeman’s salary. We don’t get paid enough for the risks we take. There’s always going to be a few rotten eggs looking for a way to pad their income.”
Jason’s grip tightened on the phone. “Look, Tom, maybe this was a bad idea. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”
“Me? Trouble? Are you kidding? I’m like a cat. I always land on my feet.” Tom grunted. “Just send me the prints, all right?”
“All right,” Jason said, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head telling him to stop before it was too late. “Give me your fax number and I’ll have these out to you in a few minutes.” He hesitated, then added quietly, “And, Tom, when you get the results, remember they’re for my eyes only.
No messages.”
“Whatever you say, partner. By the way, what happens if we do turn up something on this Maggie Conrad?”
The question caught him off guard. To tell the truth, he hadn’t considered his legal obligations if he discovered Maggie was hiding a criminal past. His only goal had been to help her, not harm her. Vaguely he answered, “I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
Jason jotted down the fax number, then the two men said their goodbyes. The department was still quiet when he emerged from his office. As he headed for the office’s communal fax machine, Stan Wilson entered the building.
Off duty, Stan wore civilian clothes. His jeans and faded polo shirt emphasized his lean, lanky body. A baseball cap with the Cardinals’ logo hid all but the edges of his blond hair. He looked like a teenager, not an officer of the law.
“Mornin’, Chief,” he said, strolling up beside him. He leaned an elbow on the cabinet housing the fax machine, making himself comfortable. “Kinda quiet here today.”
“Looks that way,” Jason agreed. Short of appearing rude, how was he going to get rid of his junior officer? Sighing, Jason inserted the fax with Maggie’s prints attached into the unfamiliar machine, then punched in the connection for the Meridia County Sheriff’s Office. Suddenly a high-pitched squeal went off, telling him he’d done something drastically wrong.
“Whew. I think you hit the wrong switch, Chief.” Stan grinned, then punched a button, immediately quieting the cantankerous machine. “Why don’t you let me help you out?”
Embarrassed heat warmed Jason’s skin. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to know he was using the department’s equipment to check out his next-door neighbor. Averting his gaze, he mumbled, “No, that’s okay. I can handle it.”
“Chief, listen,” Stan said, leaning close, his tone confiding. “This machine’s fickle. It needs a gentle touch, that’s all. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Now just give me the fax number and I’ll send it right off.”
Her Second Chance Family Page 17