Acutely conscious of the weight of Rafe’s arm around her shoulders, Maggie gazed through the window glass, watching the taillights of his parents’ Cadillac fade to pinpricks of red in the twilight. She sighed as the car disappeared around a curve. She smiled slightly as she recalled the excited anticipation in Heidi’s eyes when she’d been invited to spend the night with her “grandparents.” Maggie suspected that Keefe and Ann would see to it that their newly adopted granddaughter had the time of her life at their cottage.
“Tired?” he asked huskily, his fingertips toying idly with a curl at her temple.
“Painting’s hard work.”
He chuckled and bent to kiss her hair. “My mother’s something else, isn’t she? She knew the whole time we’d end up doing it all.”
Maggie smiled. “I think she’s wonderful. I wish—”
“What?”
She shrugged. “Being around her makes me miss my mom. Not the way she is now, but how she used to be. When I was younger, before she got sick, she was so bright and funny. She could always make Daddy laugh. When he got home at night, they always teased and cut up. And every chance they got, they’d kiss when they thought I wasn’t looking. It’s so sad to not have her with me anymore. You know?”
He grew still, his lips pressed against her hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I guess it must be hard. It’s a shame it happened to her, Maggie, but now all you can do is love her for who she is.”
“Do you think she might come here someday?”
“It’s hard for me to say. She loves you and Heidi. I guess it’s a possibility.”
“She’ll probably drive you crazy. She’s flighty and scatterbrained. And she gets all in a dither over the silliest things. Like if she forgets to write something on the grocery list when we run out of it. You’d think the world was about to end.”
“It probably frustrates her because she can’t remember things.”
“I suppose.”
“She won’t drive me crazy,” he assured her. “You drive me over the edge, though.”
“Me?”
“I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of you all afternoon. God, Maggie, I can’t get enough of you. Jaimie’s asleep. Come make love with me.”
She threw him an incredulous look. “What will Becca think if we just disappear?” She glanced at the plump housekeeper, who was bustling around in the adjoining kitchen, preparing dinner. “She’ll wonder what we’re doing.”
“She’ll wonder, but she won’t know. It’s a big house. We’ll be clear back in the bedroom.” His breath sifted through her hair, warming her scalp and igniting her imagination. “Please, Maggie. I need to hold you.”
She leaned against him, giving her answer without speaking. Just as he turned to lead her from the room, the phone rang. “Damn it. It’s probably for me.” He bent to nibble her ear and the hollow beneath, making chills run up her spine. “Hold the thought. I’ll be right back.”
He stepped over to the counter and grabbed the phone. “Kendrick residence.”
Maggie resumed gazing out the window at the swiftly descending darkness, her thoughts no longer on her parents-in-law, but on making love. Rafe. She was so happy. Sometimes she wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
“Helen? Is that you?”
Hearing her mother’s name, Maggie whirled from the window. As she stepped toward Rafe, she could hear the muted sounds of a woman’s voice.
“Helen, calm down. Start at the beginning. Lonnie did what?” He listened for a moment, then cupped a palm over the mouthpiece. “She says Lonnie’s left her. She’s horribly upset.”
Maggie’s stomach dropped, not because she would regret seeing the last of Lonnie Boyle, but because with the heart condition, her mother wasn’t supposed to get upset.
“Write down her street address and the name of her doctor for me,” Rafe whispered urgently. Then, to Helen, he said, “I’m sure he’ll come back, Helen. Just calm down. When did he leave?” A pause. “I see. And he didn’t say why in the note?”
Maggie was searching frantically for a pen. She finally found one inside the phone book. Snatching up a piece of paper, she quickly scribbled out the address of her childhood home. When she thrust the slip of paper at Rafe, he once again cupped a hand over the mouthpiece. “She thought Lonnie was sleeping. He’s been using your bed since you left, she says, and keeping odd hours, staying up all night, sleeping during the day. She just went in to tell him supper was done, and he wasn’t there. She found a note on the pillow, saying he’s leaving her.”
Maggie pressed a hand to her throat. “Oh, God, Rafe, her heart! She could collapse. There’s no one there to call an ambulance.”
He pushed the phone at her. “Keep her talking. Try your best to calm her down. I’ll get on another line, call her doctor, and arrange for an ambulance to get over there.”
Maggie nodded. “Mama? Mama, this is Maggie. Oh, Mama, don’t cry. Lonnie will come back. He probably just got upset about some little thing.” Maggie forced out the next words. “You know he loves you.”
“He says he doesn’t!” her mother wailed. “Oh, Maggie, I can’t bear it. What’ll I do? Now I’ll be all alone.”
Her mother sounded like an abandoned, terrified child. Maggie squeezed her eyes closed, wishing with all her heart that she were closer. “You’re not going to be alone, Mama. You know I won’t leave you there all alone.”
“You’ll come? I need you, Maggie. I’m scared. It’s getting dark. You know I can’t sleep if I’m here all alone after dark.”
Maggie had no idea how long it might take her to reach Prior. Becca’s dinner preparations had come to a halt, and she came to slip a plump arm around Maggie’s shoulders, offering silent comfort. “Mama, listen to me. Are you listening? Rafe’s calling your doctor right now, and someone is coming to be with you. I won’t let you stay there all alone. It’s going to be all right. And I’ll be with you as soon as I can.”
“Oh, Maggie. How come did he leave me?”
Maggie could almost see her mother’s brown eyes, wide with fright and swimming with confusion. “I’m sure he’ll be back very soon. I don’t know why he left, but he’ll come to his senses.” Maggie’s gorge rose as she mouthed the lies. Lonnie never did anything that wasn’t calculated. He undoubtedly had left her mother because the pickings there had ceased to be appealing. An older, mentally incapacitated woman? Now that he was into the big money and no longer had a young plaything to keep him entertained, he wanted out.
Keeping odd hours and sleeping in your bed, Rafe had told her. Maggie’s stomach rolled. Lonnie was obsessed with her, and she was glad he’d left. Glad. She just prayed the emotional upheaval didn’t end up killing her mother. “Please, Mama, stop crying. Your doctor will be there soon, and until he gets there, I’ll stay on the phone with you. Rafe and I are a long way from you, but we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
With half an ear, Maggie listened to her mother babble and sob. The rest of her attention was fixed on the background noise that came over the telephone line. It seemed like forever before she finally heard the muted wail of a siren.
“There’s an ambulance here!” Helen cried.
“It’s all right, Mama. Rafe called your doctor. Remember I told you that? I’m sure the doctor sent the ambulance.”
“But I’m not sick.”
“I know. The doctor is just making sure you don’t get sick. The paramedics will probably give you a shot to make you feel calmer. Won’t that be nice? Get on the portable and keep talking to me while you go open the door to let them in.”
Maggie listened. In a moment, she heard male voices. The phone clattered in her ear, telling her that Helen had dropped the receiver. Believing her mother might have collapsed, Maggie’s legs turned to water. She was so relieved when she heard Helen talking in the background a second later that she nearly wept.
“Hello?” a male voice said. “Who am I speaking with?”
“Her daughter in Oregon. Are you one of the ambulance attendants?”
The man assured her he was and that her mother was very upset but doing fine.
Rafe returned to the kitchen. Maggie threw him an agonized look. He took the phone, spoke briefly with the medic, and then said, “They’re giving her a shot, Maggie. Her vitals look good. So far, so good.” He listened for a moment. Then he hung up the phone. “They’re taking her to the hospital now. They can watch her there and keep her calm until we arrive.”
Rafe stepped over to hug her. Feeling his hard strength and warmth calmed her and imbued her with strength. She leaned against him, letting him support her weight. “Oh, Rafe, how could he do something so cruel?”
“Think past it, sweetheart. By leaving, he’s opened the door for us to bring her here. She’ll be with you and Heidi and Jaimie. And she’ll have me and Dad and Rye to make her feel secure. As rough as this is right now, she’ll be much better off in the long run.”
Maggie glanced up at him. “How long will it take for us to get there?”
“I’ll have to call Ryan. He’ll need to arrange for a preflight to be done on the Cessna.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ll probably get there sometime during the night and be there to see her at the hospital first thing in the morning.”
Maggie leaned against him and closed her eyes. He held her for a moment, and then he whispered, “Don’t get upset with me. All right? But I can’t help but worry that there’s something rotten in Denmark. It doesn’t make sense that Lonnie took off like this. When the lawyer spoke to him the night before Thanksgiving, he seemed eager to work things out so we can get permanent custody of Heidi. He was quibbling over the money and trying to drive the price up. Why would he suddenly decide to take off without first getting his hands on the cash?”
“I don’t know,” Maggie said hollowly. “Oh, Rafe, I’m so worried about my mother.”
“I know you are, and you’re not going to like what I’m about to suggest.”
Maggie looked up at him. “You don’t think I should go, do you?”
He sighed. “No, I really don’t. You’d be going back across the Idaho state line. I have a bad feeling. You know? What if this is all a ploy on Lonnie’s part to lure you back there? He may have the groundwork laid to have you arrested for kidnapping or some damned thing. Or to meet us at the plane with those damned adoption papers and take Jaimie.”
“I need to go be with my mom, though.”
He gave her a comforting squeeze. “Let me call Mark and see what he thinks. If it isn’t safe for you to go, Maggie, it isn’t safe. I can handle your mom. We’ve met once and talked a lot on the phone. It’s not as if I’m a complete stranger to her. If her health allows, we’ll be back here sometime tomorrow. I guess it depends on whether or not the doctor thinks she should fly. If not, I’ll have to rent a car to bring her back. Either way, it’ll be all right. She’s in good hands right now. They’ve sedated her. She’ll come through this.”
Maggie prayed he was right as he dialed Mark’s home. She listened intently to Rafe’s side of the conversation as he discussed the situation with his friend and attorney. Before Rafe said goodbye, Maggie already knew the outcome of the phone call.
“He doesn’t think it’s wise for me to go. Does he?”
“No. Here in Oregon, you’ve got a measure of protection. Interstate red tape. They have to extradite you to prosecute. But if you return to Idaho…” He shrugged. “Lonnie supposedly reimbursed the adoptive parents and they’ve given up on getting Jaimie. But until we see documented verification of that, which Mark is working on getting, you could be wide open to criminal charges. Lonnie can’t make them stick. I’ve been named on his birth certificate as the father, and we’re married. But it could be a hell of a mess until we got it all straightened out.”
Maggie nodded and clasped her waist with her arms. “It’s only a day. I’ll just have to wait for you to get back.” She tried to smile. “Mama already loves you. I’m sure she’ll be fine once she’s got a big, strong fellow to lean on. I think that’s her main attraction to Lonnie, that she misses Daddy so much.”
“That’s like cozying up to a rattlesnake.”
Maggie agreed.
“I’ve got to call Ryan,” Rafe told her. “I haven’t renewed my pilot’s license yet, so he’ll have to fly me there.” He gazed down at the phone, frowning thoughtfully. “I think I’ll call Mom and Dad and have them come stay with you.”
“I’m sure that’s not necessary. It’ll spoil Heidi’s sleepover, and I’ll be fine here with Becca.”
“I’ll feel better if Dad’s here, nonetheless. There’s no point in taking any chances, and something about this just doesn’t feel right.” He smiled slightly. “If Boyle comes around with Dad guarding the fort, he’ll rue the day he was born. My father may be sixty, but he’s in damned good shape. He’d chew Lonnie up and pick his teeth with the bastard’s bones.”
“I’ll feel better with him here, for sure,” Becca inserted. “Better safe than sorry, I always say. Tell Miz Kendrick I’ll fix extra and to plan on eating dinner here.”
Rafe made the two phone calls, the first to his folks, the second to Ryan. After hanging up, he said, “I’m going to go throw some clothes in a duffel bag.” He glanced at his watch. “Ryan’s coming right over to pick me up. He says the plane was checked out after the last trip. He’ll file a flight plan, give the plane a quick going-over, gas it up, and we’ll be ready to lift off. Mom and Dad are packing to stay for a few days, just in case it takes me longer than I hope to get back. They’ll be here in about an hour.”
Maggie forced a smile. “I’m sure Becca and I will be fine here by ourselves for a little bit.”
Rafe bent to kiss her. “I’m sure you will be, too, or I wouldn’t leave until they got here.”
Chapter Twenty-three
Watching Rafe drive away was the hardest thing Maggie had ever done. She wanted so badly to go with him to Idaho. Her mother needed her. Staying behind was the wisest thing to do, but her heart urged her to throw caution to the wind.
Right before leaving, he had pressed a kiss on her palm and closed her fingers around it. Now Maggie made a tight fist over the place where his lips had touched, clinging to it as she watched taillights fade from sight for the second time in less than an hour.
“Your parents-in-law will be here shortly,” Becca assured her. “And Rafael will be back tomorrow. Don’t look so glum.”
Maggie heard the concern in the housekeeper’s voice and was able to laugh at herself. “I know. I’m being silly. I think my mother’s childish? Now Rafe’s leaving me overnight, and I’m acting the same way.”
“Well, now, it’s a bit more than just that. I know you’re very worried about your mama, and well you should be. Rafael’s got a good heart, though. He’ll hug her up and have her set to rights in no time.”
“Yes.” Maggie remembered how he had hugged her up when she first met him. Her ragtag cowboy. In a twinkling, he had become her staunch defender, picking up the pieces of her shattered world and rearranging them into a magical dream. She sighed. “You’re absolutely right, Becca. With Rafe there to handle it, everything will be all right.”
“I need to go change the bed linen in the guest room,” Becca said. “Can you take some steak out of the freezer and toss it in the microwave on defrost?”
Maggie turned from the window. She refused to be like her mother, helpless and falling apart just because her man had left her. Rafe was taking care of her family. While she waited here for him to return, she would be the wife he deserved, keeping her perspective and taking care of business, which at the moment happened to be helping with dinner preparations.
As Maggie set the dial on the microwave a few minutes later, she smiled sadly, recalling that Rafe’s favorite meal was steak and a baked potato. It was a shame he wasn’t going to be there to enjoy it.
“Scream, and I’ll blow your head off.”
Maggie froze
with her finger on the start button. Lonnie. Something cold pressed against her ear. She realized it was a gun, and her legs nearly buckled. “Lonnie?”
“Lonnie?” he mimicked in a singsong voice. “You faithless little bitch. You think you’ve got it made, here with your rich cowboy? That I’d just kiss off if he offered me more money?” He bumped the barrel of the gun against her head, making her ear throb. “Think again. You’re mine, sweetness, and your cowboy’s one stupid son of a bitch. He already gave me money. Lots of it. And that’s gonna be our ticket out of here. We’ll go where he can never find us. Oh, I like the sound of that. Way off alone, just you and me and the little brat. You don’t do what I tell you, and the kid’s brains will decorate a wall.”
He shoved at her with the gun again, knocking Maggie slightly off balance. She bit down hard on the inside of her cheek as she struggled to keep her footing. Becca. She was just down the hall in the guest room. Maybe she would hear Lonnie’s voice and telephone for help.
“Let’s go get Junior. We have to get out of here before your daddy-in-law gets here.” He laughed evilly. “Didn’t think I knew about that, did you?”
Maggie realized he’d been in the house, listening to everything they said. For how long? Before Rafe even left? Oh, God. Think. She couldn’t leave here with him. She had to stall, hold him up. Once Rafe’s dad got here, everything would be all right. Lonnie was a coward, according to Rafe. She could remember him telling her that so clearly. He gets off on fear, he’d said. He won’t pick on someone his own size or bigger. Only those who are weaker, or people who won’t or can’t fight back. Maggie’s head reeled. He gets off on fear. Power is the ultimate turn-on.
Maggie was plenty terrified now. As she walked ahead of Lonnie down the hall to the bedroom she shared with Rafe, her legs felt watery. Jaimie. Oh, God. His brains decorating a wall. The picture those words formed in her mind made Maggie shake. Her baby. Her sweet, precious baby. Would Lonnie go so far as to actually kill him? Jaimie was his own flesh and blood.