by Barb Han
“I remember reading about your parents in the newspaper and thinking it was a tragic accident,” Stacy said wistfully. “I’m real sorry about that, because I’d always heard they were fine folks. Real down-to-earth types. It must’ve been hard to lose both of your parents like that and especially…”
She glanced up at him with an apologetic look on her face but couldn’t seem to finish her sentence without breaking down.
“Thank you,” he said. “I know what it’s like to have people taken away before their time. And, yes, the upcoming holidays make it worse. Believe me, very soon, once the initial shock wears off, you’re going to be angry.”
Stacy nodded, blowing her nose into a wadded-up tissue.
“You already want answers and so do we,” Dallas said. She was getting close to trusting him; he could tell by the change in her demeanor. “You already know that I could have a child, a son. And I need to know if Wayne found something that got him in trouble while working on my case.”
Shock registered on her face, but to her credit she recovered quickly.
“Family has always been important to an O’Brien, and I’m no different. Losing my parents makes me value it even more,” he said. “I have selfish reasons for wanting to get that file. Wayne was most likely killed because of my case…because of something he found. If I know what that is, I have a chance at finding out if I have a son and nailing Wayne’s killer. Plus, the whereabouts of my son’s mother is unknown. She might be in trouble. You and I both know the sheriff may never figure it out since he has to work within the law. And even if he does, it might be too late.”
Dallas believed Tommy could dissect pretty much anything given enough time. But that was one luxury they didn’t have. As sheriff, he would have to go through proper channels and file paperwork that could take days, weeks or months to process.
“I hired Wayne,” Dallas said. “His death is on me. And I need to find out what he knew.”
A tear rolled down Kate’s cheek. She quickly wiped it away.
Stacy was already blowing her nose again. “He spoke very highly of you,” she said. “I didn’t know at the time that it was you. He referred to your case as Baby Brian. Now I realize it was because of O’Brien.”
“Help me find the jerks who did this to him, who shot him in cold blood,” Dallas said. “You have my word you’ll be the first to know when I do.”
Stacy sat there for a long moment, her gaze fixed out the window.
“Will you hand me my purse? It’s in the bottom drawer over there,” she finally said, motioning toward the nightstand near the bed. “The deputy brought it to me last night when he stopped by.”
Kate retrieved the Coach handbag and Dallas noted the designer brand.
Stacy glanced up at Kate and then Dallas as she reached for it. “This was a gift from Wayne.” She finally dropped the pretense that the two of them had had a strictly professional relationship.
Kate reached over and hugged her, and the woman sagged onto her shoulder.
“He was all I had,” Stacy said. “I never really had a family. He took a chance when he hired me five years ago, because I was nothing. I didn’t know a laptop from a desktop. He said he could send me to training for that. Loyalty was the most important thing to him. I could do that. Our relationship was a professional one for the first three years and then, boom, something happened.”
“You fell in love,” Kate whispered.
“It was like a lightning bolt struck one day and there was no going back,” she agreed. “We kept things a secret because Wayne was afraid of someone using me against him.”
Kate touched her hand and Stacy looked up with glassy, tearful eyes.
“I’m sure he wanted to do whatever was necessary in order to protect you. He must’ve loved you very much,” Kate said with calm reassurance.
More tears flowed, and even though Dallas was in a hurry to get information, he didn’t want to rush out of the room. He was glad that he and Kate could be there for Stacy, and especially since she’d lost her entire support system in one blow.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do now,” she said. “I don’t have a job or a purpose. Wayne showed me his will last year. He left everything to me, but what do I do when I leave here without him?”
There was a lost quality to her voice that seared right through Dallas.
“If you ever want to work again, there’ll be a job waiting for you at the ranch,” he said. “Once you get your bearings.”
“You would hire me without knowing anything about me?” Stacy looked almost dumbfounded.
“Wayne was a good man. I trust his judgment,” Dallas said. “Call my cell whenever you’re ready and let me know what you decide.”
He pulled out a business card and dropped it on the nightstand.
“And the soup kitchen always needs good people,” Kate offered.
“That means a lot,” she said. “I’m not sure what I’ll do at this point, but this gives me options.”
Loyalty was important to Dallas, too. And Wayne was right. An employee could be trained for pretty much everything else.
Stacy rummaged around in her purse until a set of keys jingled. She pulled them out and held them on her left palm. With her right hand, she picked through them until she stopped on one.
“This is the key to our house,” she said, locking eyes with Dallas. “I’ll write down the address for you.”
He nodded before she returned her attention to the keys and thumbed through a few more.
“I kept all the keys on one ring, but I also made a duplicate just in case.” She pulled out a piece of paper and pen, and then she scribbled the address.
“This little baby right here opens his office door at home,” she stated. “There’s a house alarm. I’ll give you the code. And another one for his office.”
Dallas would expect nothing less from an investigator of Morton’s caliber.
Next, she dumped the contents of her purse onto the bed. She had a matching wallet, a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, a pack of gum and sundry items like safety pins and paper clips.
As she turned the bag inside out, Dallas saw a glint of something shiny inside. Metal? A zipper?
“This purse was made special,” she said, unzipping it.
She shook the bag and a key fell out.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“This one unlocks a compartment in a book called Save for Retirement. It’s on the bookshelf behind his desk in his office, on the second shelf. It should be the second volume from the right. It works like a diary,” Stacy said, motioning toward the key. “There’ll be a flash drive inside. I never looked at it, wasn’t supposed to, so I didn’t. I can’t tell you what’s on that drive for certain. But whatever he found out about your case, I’d bet my life it would be there.”
She held out the keys toward Dallas.
“Thank you,” he said as he took them.
Kate hugged Stacy again and he could plainly see that she didn’t want to leave the woman alone.
“Mind if I send someone over to keep an eye on you while you rest?” Dallas asked. “I don’t like you being here without protection.”
“Guess I didn’t think about it, but you’re right. I’d appreciate that very much,” Stacy said.
Dallas made a quick call to Gideon Fisher to put the wheels in motion and then settled in to wait for backup to arrive. Fisher said he’d send Reece Wilcox.
Stacy was on medication, and even though she seemed wide-awake and alert, he didn’t want to risk her falling asleep and being vulnerable until Reece arrived.
Kate retrieved the remote and put on one of those home decorating shows to provide a distraction for Stacy. Mindless TV was the best medicine sometimes.
“Can I get you anything from downstairs?” Kate asked. “Or order out?”
“No, thanks. I’m fine. The food here isn’t horrible.” Stacy paused long enough to wipe at a tear. “You can’t know how much I appreciate you both.”
For the next twenty minutes, they all sat and watched a kitchen makeover in comfortable silence.
By the time Reece showed up, Dallas and Kate were due at the sheriff’s office.
They said their goodbyes to Stacy and promised to visit again as soon as they could.
In the parking lot, Kate put her hand on Dallas’s arm.
He stopped and turned to face her, but before he could speak, she pushed up on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Hard.
* * *
KATE HAD MEANT to brush a quick “thank you” kiss on Dallas’s lips, but her body took over instead and she planted one on him.
His arms looped around her and dropped to her waist, pressing her to his muscled chest.
Dallas O’Brien was the very definition of hot. But he was also intelligent, kind and compassionate. Traits she didn’t normally associate with a rich cowboy. He also had a down-to-earth quality that was refreshing. Her body seemed to take notice of all Dallas’s good qualities because heat flooded through her even though it couldn’t be much more than thirty degrees outside.
When he deepened the kiss, she surrendered.
Instead of fighting her feelings, she tightened her arms around his neck and braided her fingers together. The motion pressed her breasts against his chest even more and her nipples beaded inside her lacy bra.
Neither made a move to break apart when he pulled back a little and locked his gaze with hers.
They stood there, only vaguely aware that it was frigid outside, because inside their little circle was enough warmth to heat a room, and Kate’s heart filled with it.
She’d never known this kind of appreciation and acceptance from anyone.
Certainly not from her mother or father. During her childhood, when the two spent time with her, it had felt sometimes as if they were ticking off boxes on a duty list rather than spending real time with her. And then there was her failed marriage to Robert. He’d been handsome and they’d been attracted to one another, but she’d never felt…this, whatever this was. More than anything, he just seemed ready to take the next step when the time came. Had their relationship, too, been a box he’d needed to tick off at that point in his life?
Gazing into Dallas’s dark, glowing eyes, she saw something she’d never seen when looking into another man’s. Rather than analyze it, she kissed him again, because Dallas O’Brien stirred up emotions she didn’t even know how to begin to deal with.
And she lost herself in that kiss.
Dallas pulled back enough to whisper in her ear, “You’re beautiful, Kate.”
She loved the sound of her name on his lips. “So are you.”
He laughed at being called beautiful. But he was, inside and out.
His phone dinged, and he checked the screen and then showed it to her.
William Seaver had just checked in at the sheriff’s office.
“This is to be continued later,” Dallas said, taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He led her to his truck, which had been retrieved by a member of security last night, his gaze sweeping the area as they walked.
Ten minutes later, he parked in the lot at the sheriff’s office.
“I hope we didn’t miss anything,” she said.
“If I know Tommy, he’ll hold off the interview until we get inside.” Dallas surveyed the lot before ushering her into the office, a reminder of how dangerous their situation still was.
Tommy greeted them in the hall before leading them to his office. “I spoke to Mrs. Hanover last night.”
“What did Susan’s mother say?” Dallas asked.
“That the last time she heard from her daughter was three months ago,” Tommy said.
“What did she remember about their conversation?” Dallas perked up. He seemed very interested in what Tommy had to say and who could blame him?
“She told her mother that she was going out of the country for a while and not to worry about her,” he said. “Told her she’d get back in touch when she could.”
“That makes me think she planned to disappear,” Dallas said. “She knew that she was in trouble.”
“That’s my guess,” Tommy stated.
“This is the first positive sign we have so far that Susan could still be alive,” Dallas said.
“Would she just give up her baby and take off?” Kate asked. Those actions were inconceivable to someone like her, but Dallas didn’t seem surprised.
“If her child really had been mine, it seems out of character that she’d give up so easily on proving it to me,” Dallas said after a thoughtful pause.
“She would’ve had the paternity test done, the results made into a necklace, and then worn them on a chain around her neck,” Tommy stated.
Dallas nodded. “Gives me a lot to think about.”
“Sure does,” Tommy said. “Let’s see what Kate’s lawyer has to say.”
Tommy urged them into his office. Then he brought in the attorney.
“You already know Kate Williams,” Tommy began, “and this is Dallas O’Brien.”
Seaver barely acknowledged Kate. What was up with that?
He looked guilty about something, but Kate couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason.
Her lawyer’s eyes widened when he heard the O’Brien name, a common reaction she’d noticed and figured was due to the status of Dallas’s family. Even she’d heard the name before she moved to Bluff, albeit briefly, and that was saying something.
“You represented Miss Williams in her adoption from the Safe Haven Adoption Agency, correct?” Tommy asked.
“Yes, I did.” Seaver’s eyebrows arched. “Why am I being asked about that? Miss Williams is right there and she can tell you everything.”
“We appreciate your patience with the question,” Tommy said, redirecting the conversation. Seaver was midfifties and wore a suit. His round stomach and ruddy cheeks didn’t exactly create the picture of health.
“Did you know that Miss Williams’s home was broken into yesterday?” Tommy pressed.
Seaver seemed genuinely shocked. “Why would I know that?” he asked, crossing his right leg over his left. “I don’t live around here, Sheriff. Have you looked at anyone locally?”
“Whoever did this walked straight to her desk. Isn’t that strange?” Tommy continued.
“I guess so. Maybe they were looking to steal her identity,” Seaver guessed but he seemed tense.
“People usually search the trash for that information,” Tommy said.
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Seaver asked.
“Nothing, I hope,” Tommy quipped. “But on that file, the stolen one, was her adoption records. Now, why would anyone want those?”
“Good question. And one that I don’t have an answer to,” Seaver said, but his eyes told a different story.
It struck Kate as odd because he was practiced at presenting his side of an argument and maintaining a blank face, having done so a million times in court. And yet he seemed unnerved.
“A man tried to abduct Miss Williams’s son yesterday, as well. Guess you don’t know anything about that, either,” Tommy murmured.
Pure shock and concern crossed Seaver’s features. His top button was undone and his tie was loose around his neck. He leaned forward. “Look, I never dealt with the guy, but this sounds like the work of Harold Matthews. I’ve heard rumors about him setting up adoptions and then staging abductions. He works for Safe Haven and that’s the reason I specifically requested Don Radcliffe. I don’t know if any of the rumors are true, mind you. But that’s where I’d look first.”
“Could Radcliffe and Matthews be working together?” Tommy asked.
Seaver took a second to mull it over. “It can’t be ruled out. I’ve placed a dozen babies through Radcliffe and this is the first time anything like this has happened.”
Tommy asked a few more routine-sounding questions before asking for the list of clients with whom he’d placed babies from Safe H
aven.
“I can’t do that without a court order,” Seaver said, tiny beads of sweat forming at his hairline.
“I’m asking for your cooperation, Mr. Seaver,” Tommy countered.
“Look, I don’t mean any disrespect, but I’m not about to expose clients who have requested and paid for private adoptions to anyone, not without a signed order from a judge,” he said, folding his arms and then leaning back in his chair. “And especially not for a failed abduction attempt and a break-in.”
“Then you must not have read today’s paper,” Tommy said.
Seaver blew out a frustrated breath. “Where is this going, Sheriff?”
“A man was murdered yesterday in connection with investigating Safe Haven Adoption Agency,” Tommy said matter-of-factly.
A startled look crossed Seaver’s features before he quickly regained his casual demeanor. “I’ve already told you everything I know. But for my money, I’d locate Harold Matthews.” The lawyer pushed himself to his feet. “And if there are no more questions, I have other appointments to attend to today.”
“I’ll be in touch,” Tommy said, also standing.
“I have no doubt you will, but you want to talk to Matthews, not me,” he said as he walked out the door.
“I think he’s lying,” Dallas said when he’d left.
“What makes you say that?” Kate asked.
Before Dallas could answer, Tommy called Abigail into the room. “See if we can get a subpoena for William Seaver’s client list as it relates to Safe Haven,” he said.
“The judge has been downright cranky lately,” she said. “I’ll do my best to convince him.”
Tommy thanked her. “Another thing before you go. I need everything you can get me on Harold Matthews. Search Don Radcliffe, too. If either one of those men have had so much as a parking ticket in the past year, I want to know about it.”
“Will do,” she said, before padding out the door and then disappearing down the hall.
“There’s another way to go about this,” Tommy said, turning to Dallas. “We need to step up our efforts on connecting the existing kidnappings to Seaver. It might take some time. If there’s a link, we’ll find it. Don’t leave until I get back.”