by Barb Han
He could try to reason himself to death or he could go on instinct and tell her what had happened. “My partner was killed.”
“And you blame yourself?” she asked.
“The bullet was meant for me,” he supplied, waiting for the heavy downpour of emotions that always came when he thought about it, let alone tried to discuss it.
“And he—”
“She,” he corrected, and it seemed to immediately dawn on her that the two had been having an affair. “Was pregnant.”
“Oh” was all she said at first. She wrapped her arms around his neck, placed her head on his chest and said in barely a whisper, “I’m so sorry, Hudson.”
Those words were all she had to say to lighten the war raging inside him because she turned to him when she spoke and that one look she gave shattered another layer of his defenses. There were so few walls left between her and the real him and he felt exposed.
He looped his arms around her waist, aware that another layer was disintegrating. He thought about how helpless he’d been to help Misty and he was in the same boat with Madelyn now, too.
The thought of not being able to protect Madelyn, of the possibility of losing her, too, hit like a physical punch with lightning speed. He glanced around, thinking that someone on this ranch could be threatening her. His own judgment was swayed by his closeness to the case. A good cop never went in alone, like he’d tried to do on the shift with Misty. He was trying to protect her and all he’d really done was end up getting her killed. He’d stopped treating her like a partner and had started looking at her as the woman carrying his child. It had cost him a whole helluva lot. It didn’t seem to matter then or now that she hadn’t been 100 percent sure the baby was even his. She’d admitted that to him on their dinner break. She’d started seeing someone else when she thought she might be getting too close to Hudson.
Hudson had learned from his mistakes and he wouldn’t try to do any of this alone. He and Madelyn needed to involve as many people as possible. They needed to work with law enforcement, the Butlers and anyone else who wanted to be involved in order to ensure her safety.
“You have to go home,” he said. “We’ll talk to the police in your area and bring them up to date. They’re already aware of the restraining order and I’ll call my old boss and see if I can plead your case. He’ll believe the threat is real, when I explain to him what’s going on. You’re not safe here. The sheriff is too overloaded. I can’t do this on my own and I can’t allow anything to happen to you.”
This close, he could breathe in the scent of her shampoo, which smelled of citrus and spring.
“I want to see Cadence first. I want to look her in the eyes so I can tell if she’s lying.” Madelyn didn’t budge. She stood there with a fixed, determined look.
“The threat won’t stop if it’s coming from inside the Butler camp. They stand to gain millions if you don’t exist,” he said. “I didn’t consider them a serious possibility until today.”
“If it’s not her, someone also targeted Ella. What if more than one person was involved?” she asked.
“A good investigator follows the evidence and right now that leads to Cadence Butler,” he said. “She has motive and had opportunity.”
“What about the incident at your place earlier?” she asked. “That couldn’t have been her.”
“Let me think on this some more.” He frowned because she was right. She was also overlooking the possibility that now hit him like a truck. There could be multiple issues at work, converging. The first was her ex. The incident at his ranch and then at her father’s house earlier had more of a stalker ring to it. How did Trent fit into the picture? A male figure hiding in the woods, watching. That could be Owen or someone hired by him. This all circled back to the road-rage incident and the white sedan.
Nothing made sense, nothing clicked.
More than anything, Hudson wanted to give Madelyn her life back. Maybe it was selfish but he needed to know that she’d be all right. The feeling in the pit of his gut warned him. And he needed to distance himself from her.
Chapter Eighteen
Hudson stayed within arm’s reach for the rest of the afternoon, but he made no physical contact with Madelyn. There was something different about him that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. His stance was aggressive and she figured he was going into investigator mode.
Madelyn kept an emotional distance.
At least he’d shared part of his history with her. The constant guilt he seemed to carry made more sense now that she knew, but there was precious little she could do about it.
Dade walked outside and signaled. “Cadence was picked up by the deputy at the airport. She’s being taken to the sheriff’s office and should be there in fifteen minutes.”
“We’ll meet you there,” Hudson said with a look toward Madelyn. She grabbed her purse and they bolted to his truck.
Twenty minutes later, they were parking at the sheriff’s office. Media swarmed the Butler vehicles and Madelyn had the very sobering realization that would be happening to her as soon as news of her paternity got out. There’d be a feeding frenzy when word got out that Maverick Mike’s illegitimate child had surfaced. This was her chosen career and she’d always believed in being transparent, in telling the truth. So, why did it feel like the walls were closing in on her?
Because it was her life, dammit, and her professional values just clashed with it. As a journalist, she felt people had the right to know. As a person, she didn’t want her life splashed across the news. She shelved those heavy thoughts, kept her head down and walked inside. That would be her life soon enough, but for now she had a little anonymity and she intended to hold on to it until the very last second.
It occurred to her that Hudson’s life would be tabloid fodder, as well. His association with her would ensure it. He’d lost a partner, a future wife and a child in the time it took for a bullet to split the air. He’d gone to great lengths to keep his life private. He’d quit his job and relocated to a small town. There was no way he wanted people digging around in his background, and now that she’d be news, it was something she had to consider in order to protect him. He had to come first. She couldn’t imagine that he’d be willing to subject himself to media scrutiny for a relationship neither of them was clear about anyway.
None of that mattered now. Madelyn needed to get to the bottom of who was targeting her. And with Cadence already in the sheriff’s office, she figured it wouldn’t be long before the truth came out. She absently fingered the dragonfly necklace.
Hudson was already making a beeline toward Doris. “Can we watch?”
The older woman grunted. “And get me fired?”
“We both know this office would fall apart without you,” he said.
Doris’s face flamed. “Are you flirting with me again, Hudson Dale?”
He chuckled that low rumble from his chest that she’d found so sexy. “Guess I am. Is it working?”
Now it was Doris’s turn to laugh. “A little bit.”
“Then I’m not trying hard enough.” He nodded toward the hallway.
Another frustrated sound tore from her throat. “Go ahead. I can always eat cat food if I run out of money once I lose my job.”
“You know I’d never let that happen.” Hudson motioned toward the hallway but he didn’t reach for Madelyn’s hand this time.
She followed him to a small room. Next door was an interview room. A two-way mirror allowed her to see clearly and she could listen to the interview through a speaker. Deputy Harley was there, sitting across the table from Cadence. She was petite and her face was very pale. She was hunkered forward, clutching her stomach, and there was a trash can at her feet. Didn’t someone say she had the flu?
Based on her looks, it was easy to see that she was a Butler and Madelyn recognized her from the family portrait hanging in
the dining room. Madelyn remembered that in the picture, everyone wore jeans and white shirts. They looked to be out on the front lawn. Maverick Mike was in the center and his children flanked his sides. They were younger, maybe early teens, and their father wore a collared shirt along with a white Stetson. From what she could tell, not everyone who smiled in the picture was happy. Obviously, looks could be deceiving. How well she knew that, she mused, thinking back to Owen. This would all be over soon enough and she’d return home to deal with him. The strange feeling in the pit of her stomach surprisingly had little to do with facing Owen and so much more to do with the handsome cowboy she’d grown to care about. Love?
“You said before that you have no idea who might’ve written the note on the mirror of room twenty-six at the Red Rope Inn,” the deputy said, leaning forward like he had to strain to hear Cadence. He was in her face, encroaching on her physical space, a tactic Madelyn had seen used dozens of times in interviews.
“That’s right,” Cadence responded, but her voice was shaky. The voice, the eyes revealed so much about a person. She was lying.
“Are you sure about that, Ms. Butler, because we’re going to subpoena your cell phone records,” he continued.
Cadence started working the napkin in her hands and her gaze flew to the floor.
“You’d be surprised the trail people leave behind when they do something wrong. Especially good people who don’t normally cross a line like this,” he said, dropping his tone to conspiratorial.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded, and when Madelyn looked closely, she realized a few tears were streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m tired and not feeling well.”
“Where’s the white sedan?” the deputy pressed.
Cadence’s body language immediately changed. “What?”
“The vehicle you used to run Ms. Kensington off the road,” he continued.
“I don’t know anything about that.” Her head shook furiously and then a look of panic crossed her features. “Is she okay? Because you already know what my sister’s been through.”
“How do you know Trent?” he asked.
She froze.
“She didn’t do it,” Hudson said so low Madelyn almost didn’t hear it. She was thinking the same thing and he confirmed her thoughts.
The deputy came at the question from a couple of angles and netted the same response. Cadence had no idea about the sedan. Just as Madelyn started to write the whole interview off as useless, Cadence’s shoulders rocked and tears flowed.
“You were here long enough to write the threatening note, weren’t you?” the deputy said, focusing in on the area he could make progress on.
“I was,” she said. More tears flowed. “I don’t know anything about a white sedan or anyone trying to run her off the road but I wrote the message on her mirror.”
The deputy leaned back, folded his arms and said, “Tell me exactly how you did it.”
Cadence blew her nose into the napkin and bent forward like she was about to retch. She took a sip of the water that had been provided before making eye contact with the deputy.
“I did it to protect my family. All I was trying to do was scare her, though,” Cadence quickly added. “I would never hurt anyone or put them in any danger.”
“How’d you get into the motel room?” he asked.
“Trent was a year below me in school,” she said. “I flirted with him a little bit to get the key and swore him to secrecy.”
So, Trent was guilty.
“Then I panicked about the whole episode but it was already too late to go back and fix it. Trent freaked out worse than I did and left work early,” she said.
“I have no doubt your cell records will let us know if you’re lying.”
She pulled her cell from her purse, punched in a few numbers that were most likely meant to unlock the screen and pushed it toward him on the table. “See for yourself. I’ve told you everything I know. I feel like the biggest jerk for making someone else afraid. It was impulsive and I had no idea that there was a real threat out there. The worst part is that I heard about what my sister went through and I feel awful now for putting someone else through that.”
At least they knew how Trent fit into the picture. But what would happen to him now?
“How long have you known Kelsey?” The deputy glanced up from scrolling through her phone. He’d been looking at something intensely and Madelyn figured it was either her call log or text history.
Cadence stared at the wall like she was drawing a blank. “I can’t help you there since I don’t know a Kelsey.”
“You sure about that?” the deputy asked.
Cadence made eyes at the deputy. “I think I’d know if she was familiar.”
“Then you don’t know that she’s suing Ms. Kensington,” he stated.
“No, but news she’s a Butler must’ve leaked to someone and I’m guessing maybe that person was Trent,” Cadence said.
“Interesting.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” Cadence asked. “This is all my fault. Not his. I’d feel terrible if he was brought up on charges.”
“We’ll let you know when he surfaces,” the deputy said.
“Where is he?” she asked.
The deputy shrugged his shoulders.
“Can I call him?” she asked.
“Tell him to come in. He’s either a witness or a suspect. If he turns himself in, he’s looking at a few hours of community service with a stern warning. If not, he moves to the suspect list. How he handles himself in the next couple of days determines his fate.” The deputy folded his hands and put them on the table.
“He’ll be in. I’ll make sure,” Cadence promised.
More questions swirled in Madelyn’s mind. She couldn’t go back to the Butler ranch, not with Cadence home. If the youngest Butler wasn’t connected to the white sedan then someone still had it out for her.
* * *
“IT’S BEEN A long day and I’m tired,” Madelyn said, rubbing the spot between her eyes as a headache formed. “I’m ready to go.”
Hudson took her by the hand and led her out of the sheriff’s office. She ignored the way his strong, warm hand made her heart leap.
He opened the door for her first before walking around and sitting in the driver’s seat. He’d excused himself earlier and set everything up with his old boss. Doris had had a friend pick up Madelyn’s bag.
The plan was for Hudson to take her home and yet the word seemed so foreign now. Her place had felt comfortable before. She’d always believed that once she knew her mother and improved her relationship with her father she’d finally feel at peace. All the pieces of Madelyn’s past had finally been fit together for her, and yet she’d never felt more distance between who she thought she was and who she truly was. That probably didn’t even make sense, she thought.
A couple of ibuprofen and a warm shower should make her feel human again. At least she hoped it would.
Being away from Cattle Barge was also supposed to ease the threat. After all, everything had started the minute she’d driven into town. Her apartment should be okay.
But would she ever really feel safe again?
Lack of sleep and the threatening headache had her not thinking straight as she watched the road ahead. Of course she would feel safe. Once her life was back on track and she could put this nightmare behind her.
Hudson was quiet on the ride home. He’d driven her convertible with a plan to return to his ranch in Cattle Barge using a car service. It was long past nightfall by the time they reached her place but it was impossible to miss the activity in the parking lot. There were reporters everywhere. News was out.
Madelyn lived on the second floor because it was safer. She almost laughed out loud. Nothing felt safe anymore.
Hudson ci
rcled the block instead of parking. “We could go to a hotel.”
“Would that make it harder to protect me?” She’d picked up on the hesitation in his voice.
He parked, took her hand and shielded her from the slew of media rushing toward her. It didn’t take long to sweep the place.
“It’s okay,” he said. He held up the key to her convertible. “You’ll be safe while I’m gone. I’ll be back as soon as I call on my old boss.”
With all these reporters, at least Madelyn would get a break from Owen. There were too many witnesses.
Madelyn glanced around. It was comforting that her couch was in the same spot. There were two chairs positioned around the rug for easy conversation. She’d decorated the place two years ago thinking about all the entertaining she planned to do. When in reality, all she did was work and sleep there. She’d promised herself that she’d get a dog to make the place feel more like home. But all she’d really done was hang a few pictures and arrange the furniture.
Madelyn moved into the bedroom, and couldn’t stop herself from double-checking the closet. She peeked under the bed, too. No monsters.
Even so, she waited for Hudson to come inside before she started toward the shower. He mumbled something that she couldn’t quite hear and then she turned on the water. Slipping out of her clothes made all the difference in the world. Standing in the shower as warmth sluiced through her caused her to release the breath she’d been holding. It had felt like she’d been holding that breath ever since the call had come from Ed Staples.
The realization of just how much her life was about to change was staggering. And to prove it, she could hear her ringtone in the other room pumping out almost constantly. She thought about Harlan and the promise she’d made to allow him to break the story.
Surely, he would understand. Or maybe he’d fire her. Suddenly, work was the last thing she could concentrate on. A warm shower and her own bed would go a long way toward making life straighten itself out again.
None of which mattered without Hudson.
The bathroom door quickly opened and then closed. The room stilled. The only other sound was the lock.