by Linda Conrad
Maisie’s shoulders slumped. “They said the same thing this time. But one of these days they will pay attention to me. Honey Creek is a hotbed of drama. I mean, really. First a murder, then that attack on your friend Susan a few weeks ago, last night’s fire and now the town’s former wild child has come back to town. We need something like the Dr. Sophie show to open things up around here and make people notice.”
“What wild child?” Mary was stumped. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“Why, Mary, you should know. The library has supposedly hired Lily Masterson to be your new boss. Can you imagine? Lily Masterson, of all people. I thought we’d seen the last of her years ago.”
Jake took Mary’s arm and spun them in the other direction on the sidewalk. “Nice meeting you, Maisie. Mary and I are late. We’ll see you around.”
He whispered in Mary’s ear. “Hope you don’t mind me being rude to her, but…”
Mary chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone in town knows she’s a little unhinged. She’s a single mother, and I pity her son. Poor kid is growing up way too soon, what with trying to compensate for his mother.”
“How old is he?”
“Around fourteen. Kinda gawky for a teenager, but he’s a really nice kid.”
Jake made a couple of mental connections and since they were out of earshot, said, “Do you think it’s possible she’s just crazy enough to kill your father?”
“Definitely. The woman can be downright spooky. I would have to put her up at the top of any possible list of suspects.”
Jake wouldn’t go that far. He didn’t consider Maisie a serious suspect. In his experience, being a little eccentric was not a prerequisite for a murderer. And inviting the media in to inspect your life usually meant you had nothing serious to hide.
But you never knew with nuts who craved publicity.
As they reached his SUV, Jake asked, “What was she saying about your friend being attacked a few weeks ago?”
Mary climbed into the passenger seat. “Susan was attacked by some weirdo. It turned out some man had been stalking her. She ended up in the hospital.” Mary shook her head sadly as she buckled up. “The creep was apparently looking for revenge against Susan’s new fiancé and put Susan in the middle.”
“But she’s okay? The stalker was caught, wasn’t he?”
Mary nodded. “And everything is back to normal for Susan. Except now she’s engaged to be married.”
Jake climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled in. He didn’t want to keep talking about the town’s domestic problems. He didn’t want to talk about any sort of problems with Mary right now. She had unanswered questions in her mind about him carrying the weapon and warning her about a sniper while they tried to escape from a house fire. Too much discussion about other things might remind her of her doubts.
“I have good news,” he said as he gave her a gentle look. “The house should be secured and cleaned up enough for us to stay there tonight. And your mother told me that her plans are all set for the barbecue. We’re just going to make it back to the farm in time for last-minute preparations.”
He’d been considering what to do about Mary all afternoon while working with the security-alarm team from Denver. But he hadn’t yet come up with any specific plan.
Still, he knew things would soon be coming to a head. He’d even called his partner Jim and told him to stay close and be ready for anything.
Jake knew his cover had cracks as wide as the Grand Canyon, and things were closer than ever to the explosion point. More than anything, he needed to protect Mary from the fallout.
“You care about him. I can tell.” Susan stood in the farm’s kitchen, putting last-minute preparations together for the barbecue while she talked to Mary.
“Yeah, I do. I think I’m falling in love.”
“But…” Susan’s head shook and strands of her chin-length dark blond hair swung across her face. “What do you know of him? Wes said his background was okay, but what about the man’s family?” She used her wrist to move the hair back.
“Jake told me his mother died when he was a kid and that he and his father are estranged. He said he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.”
“How about ex-wives? Kids?”
Mary didn’t like facing her worst fears. “He told me there weren’t any ex-wives or kids, either.”
“And you believe him? Guys can say whatever they want.”
“How am I supposed to know for sure? He doesn’t act like a liar.” At least, not really. Mary could feel the tears threatening.
Susan stopped what she was doing and laid a hand on Mary’s shoulder. “I don’t mean to upset you right before your party, hon. Enjoy yourself and be happy. But tomorrow you and I need to get busy on the computer. We’ll find out about his past. If we can’t, we can always ask your brother Peter for help with a full investigation.”
Mary sniffed and nodded her head. “Thanks. You’re such a good friend. I didn’t want to involve Peter, or you for that matter. But I don’t know what else to do. Mom and Craig and Wes all seem to like Jake a lot. But…”
“I know. Here.” Susan handed her a dish full of chicken pieces covered over with a film of clear plastic. “Help carry the meats out to the firepit. And try to forget about your worries at least for tonight. Tomorrow we’ll find your answers about his personal life.”
Mary nodded and headed for the door, but she couldn’t forget. She couldn’t forget anything when it came to Jake. Not the way he held her in his arms when the two of them made love. Nor the way he sometimes looked at her as though she had just made all his dreams come true. And she sure as heck couldn’t get past the way his eyes sometimes brimmed over with secret pain.
Feeling a nasty ache of suspicion rising once more in her chest, Mary swallowed it down and stepped out into the late-afternoon sunlight. She hoped her fears would be put to rest tomorrow with a few simple strokes of the computer keys. But her gut told her not one thing about the man she loved was ever going to go down easy.
Jake manned one of the grills and kept an open can of beer at hand, trying to look casual. Every person in the entire crowd but one had been over to speak with him as the party carried on into the night. That should’ve been exactly the way he wanted it. But the one person missing was the only one he considered important. Mary.
She had been avoiding him all evening. Frustration at the impossible situation he’d created for himself quickly turned to outright panic at the thought of leaving her without protection. He couldn’t let her simply walk away from him. Not until she understood the whole truth and could accept a bodyguard.
“Hi, Jake. Need any help?” Craig Warner ambled over wearing a barbecue chef’s apron.
“No, thanks. Most of the cooking is over. I’ll be looking for help with grill-cleaning duty pretty soon.”
“I’ll see if I can round someone up for you.” Craig chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Have you managed to stay out of the way of all the gossip while cooking?”
Jake laughed. “Nope. I’ve spent most of the night listening to fantastic tales concerning both Maisie Colton and Lily Masterson, who I gather are unwed mothers with secret pasts. But I never would’ve imagined that a single difficult fact about a person’s past would make them interesting enough to talk about for the rest of their lives.”
“It shouldn’t, but that’s the way with small towns.”
Jake threw Craig a quick look, then glanced absently back down at the burgers, blackening slowly on the grill. “Want to talk about something else for a change?” Without waiting for an answer, Jake went on, “A few of the people here tonight have hazarded a guess about who killed Mark Walsh. I think that’s a question more interesting than gossiping about unwed mothers. Do you have any thoughts on the subject?”
“On who might’ve killed Mark? It’s kind of amusing, actually.” But Craig did not seem amused. “I probably have the strongest motives of anyone when you come to think of it.”
“What motives are those?”
Craig shrugged a shoulder and looked around to see if anyone else was close by. “Well, for one, I’m madly in love with his widow—and have been from the moment I first met her over thirty years ago.”
“Yeah, I would consider that a good motive.”
“You bet she is.” Craig set his cup down and began ticking off reasons on his fingers. “For another thing, I could’ve killed Mark with my bare hands for the way he treated his daughters. Someone should’ve strung him up by the fingernails long ago.
“And then,” Craig rushed on without even taking a breath, “there’s the fact that I care a lot about what happens to Walsh Enterprises. Jolene is a hell of a lot better at running the business than Mark ever was. Together, she and I have probably added ten times more value to the outfit than he ever could’ve. I think the man might’ve been stealing from his own company. I could’ve killed him for that alone.”
“Those are all good reasons for wanting someone dead but…” Jake eased around to study Craig’s expression while the man bad-mouthed his old partner.
“I’m not even getting started yet.” Craig lifted his eyes to Jake’s and there was no mistaking the hatred. “Mark Walsh couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. He humiliated his wife and kids. Stole the youth and joy from a couple of sweet young girls who didn’t know any better. And he allowed a man to go to prison because of some perverted scheme he dreamed up for disappearing.”
Craig finally wound down. “I could go on, but you get the picture. I’m glad he’s dead. I only wish I was the one who ended his life.”
“Yes, I can see that.” Jake could see something else in Craig’s eyes, too. An odd kind of weakness.
Up to that moment, he had thought of Craig as a tough middle-aged man with fire in his belly. Passionate for his woman. Passionate about his business and for the kids he thought of as his own.
Now the spark was missing. A tiny flick of something painful in Craig’s eyes said the man was suddenly feeling weak. Interesting, but none of Jake’s business.
“Well, I’d better go see if Jolene needs my help,” Craig told him. “It’s been real nice talking to you, son. I hope you and Mary can make a go of things.”
Jake had very little hope in that direction, but he lied again. “Thank you, sir. I hope so, too.”
As he watched Craig leave, Jake mentally checked his name off his list of suspects. Not that Jake intended to stop looking into Craig’s business records. But as far as murder was concerned, he didn’t believe Craig Warner could have hurt anyone—not even a mosquito.
“I guess that takes care of everything,” Mary told him an hour later. “All the guests have gone home. Did you have a chance to meet everyone?”
Jake could feel her withdrawal like a knife in the back. She hadn’t said anything yet, but he had a feeling Mary would soon be telling him that she needed time to think.
He loved her enough to give her all the time in the world. But he didn’t dare. Without protection, without truly understanding the threat, her life could be in grave danger. He had to find a way to convince her to come back to the house with him tonight. Not only had he made sure a state-of-the-art security alarm was installed in the house, but he’d also made arrangements with Jim to help keep an eye on them tonight. Mary was much safer there than she would be here at the farm.
Deep down, Jake had an ulterior motive for wanting her with him. Even beyond the sex. He planned on telling her the truth about himself first thing tomorrow morning when they could plan for her future safety. He had a feeling he knew how Mary would react to the news. But he kept on hoping he was wrong.
At least with the whole truth, she could make her own judgments about how best to stay safe. With help from the FBI. Perhaps she would ultimately decide to take a vacation until the investigation was over. He hoped she would. But it was killing him knowing they couldn’t go together.
“Uh, Jake, I’ve been thinking,” she began. “About tonight…”
No. He had to do something. He reached out, took her in his arms and planted a kiss on her mouth that nearly took him to his knees. God, they were good together.
After they both were thoroughly out of breath, he didn’t want to let her go. But he finally needed to come up for air.
He quickly said, “Come home with me, Mary. Come home and let me show you how much I love you. I don’t think I can adequately explain it in words. But…”
“You…love…me?” Her eyes were wide. Her lips wet and swollen by his kisses.
At this moment, he had never loved anyone more.
“Of course, I love you, my darling. Beyond words. Beyond reason. Please give me a chance to show you.”
Confusion swam in her eyes and she bit her lip to make it stop trembling. “All right,” she said shakily. “Then let’s go on home.”
Chapter 12
The professional assassin known as the Pro melded his body to the tree behind him. He was beginning to recognize every twig, branch and rock in these woods. Stationing himself here in the pines for most of the day, he’d watched the comings and goings at the target’s fire-bombed house. Not one of the feds swarming the area had been any the wiser to his existence.
All it took to outsmart them was a little luck and a lot of persistence. It so happened that Honey Creek’s only part-time plumber lived in the closest neighboring house to the target’s. The plumber and his family had gone off to visit in-laws. But when the feds made their usual neighborhood check after the fire, they had not bothered to interview any of the townspeople about the plumber’s current whereabouts. The Pro had simply become the plumber. He was even using the plumber’s van as a temporary surveillance headquarters.
Watching this house was easy, and what he’d seen instructive. After the firemen left, a team of federal agents showed up to wire the house with alarms and put new security features in place. Meanwhile another unit cleaned up the mess left by the Pro’s firebomb. He had catalogued it all from his safe perch.
He hadn’t needed to go in search of his targets. He’d known by all the fuss that they were coming back here tonight.
Good thing, he thought as he remembered the last few bits of torn paper in his pocket. He’d received written confirmation that half the final payment for this job had already been wired to his bank account. When he was through here tonight and had received confirmation of the second payment, everything, including paper, phones and weapons, would go up in another puff of smoke. No traces would be left to incriminate either himself or his employer.
This job was fast coming to a close. His employer had at last okayed the kill. The one part of his job that the Pro enjoyed more than any other.
The Pro heard a twig snapping in the forest nearby and turned his head to the sound. Someone else was also sneaking through these woods tonight? But who would dare sneak around the house where a federal agent was staying? No one, with the possible exception of another fed stationed outside to safeguard the inhabitants.
The Pro smiled wryly to himself in the darkness. Oh, good. A new game. Or at least a slightly changed game. Cat and mouse.
Searching through the shadows with his night-vision goggles, the Pro spotted his unwary competitor as the anonymous fed scoured the woods looking for anything out of place. But the hapless fellow was not about to spot the Pro in time to save himself. Nor the trap headed his way.
Tonight the rules of the game were all in the Pro’s favor.
As they slipped into the house through the kitchen door, Mary and Jake could not seem to keep their hands off each other. Mary’s heart was fairly bursting with love.
She had never felt this way about any other person. Not even close. Willing to give up anything if that was what he asked, Mary clung to Jake, nestling against his side as he set the new alarm system.
Jake kept one arm around her waist while he used the other to punch in the security code. “Hang on, love. We have all night.”
That was wha
t he’d said, but then he tilted his chin and placed a kiss against her temple. A kiss that was gentle, tender. But she felt the pull between them as strong as ever when he lingered, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.
She suppressed a chuckle of pleasure, knowing what was coming next. Longing for it. She was dying to show him how much she loved him.
Jake stopped in the kitchen only long enough to grab a couple of cold drinks and put together a platter of sandwiches her mother had supplied. “We’re not making any trips downstairs this time. Tonight I’m keeping you in my bed.”
Her whole body sank into his as arm in arm they headed up the stairs, each carrying refreshments in one hand. Mary refused to look at the ugly, unpainted boards covering the burned-out shell of the family room. The two of them had made body-melting memories in that room and she hated knowing it would never look the same.
But just maybe, she thought brightly, they would have a chance to put it back together and make new memories. Wouldn’t that be fun? Remodeling the house so it represented both of them?
Earlier Jake had hinted he had something important to tell her, but that he wanted to wait until tomorrow morning to talk. A secret thrill shot up her arms as she considered what he might say. Would he ask her to move in with him permanently? Or would he come right out and ask her to marry him? That was what two people who loved each other did, wasn’t it?
Mary had a strong suspicion they would be talking about one of those things in the morning. In fact, as she’d packed a little bag to leave the farm tonight, she’d told her mother not to expect her back for at least a few days. Her mother apparently guessed the potential of the situation immediately, and Mary had spotted tears welling in Jolene’s eyes. Her mother must’ve realized she was finally about to see her lonely little girl truly happy for the first time.