by Donna Fasano
"She's like one of us guys?" Reece asked. He thought of Maggie's soft skin, her flowery scent, her womanly curves. Hell, he couldn't think of one thing about her that wasn't distinctly feminine. He followed up the question with another. "How do you figure that, son?"
Jeff reached down to absently tug on one of his sagging crew socks. "Well, she laughs. Real loud. Usually girls just smile or chuckle behind their hands. They never laugh."
Reece pressed his lips together to keep from smiling.
"And when me and Maggie went fishin', she baited her own hook, Dad. She didn't cringe or nothing."
"Or anything," Reece automatically corrected.
"Exactly." Jeff nodded. "And there are other ways she's like us, too," he went on. "She talks with her mouth full. She can whack a Wiffle ball a mile. And she doesn't have all that long, tangly hair that gets in the way of her doin' stuff like—"
"Now, wait just a second." Reece stopped his son with an upraised hand. "Talking with food in your mouth is bad manners. Those rules don't change whether you're male or female. And there are some guys who have long hair," he argued. "I'm sure you've seen those rock stars on television."
"Oh... yeah." Jeff thought a moment. "Well, I was talkin' about normal guys—you know, like you and me. Maggie's a lot like us, so the way I figure it, it's okay to like her."
Reece pressed his fingers against his jaw, thinking. Maggie had worked so hard to impress his son with stories of famous, intelligent women from history. He wondered how she would feel if she ever found out that what turned Jeff's thinking around, what had impressed him, was not the fact that Marie Curie had dedicated her life to science, but that Maggie herself was "one of the guys," and could "whack a Wiffle ball a mile."
He didn't think Maggie would like it much, so he certainly wasn't going to go out of his way to tell her.
"Son, come over here and sit down." He led the boy to the picnic table and eased himself down on the bench. Once Jeff was seated beside him, Reece said, "Now, I want you to listen very closely to what I'm going to tell you." He inhaled deeply, and then gazed down at his son's face. "Maggie's a woman, Jeff. That fact isn't going to change whether she grows her hair long, or if she wears it short. It doesn't matter if she laughs really loud, or if she makes the mistake of talking while her mouth is full of hot dog. She's a woman. A nice woman. A likable woman." The next words threatened to stick in his throat, but he forced himself to say them because they needed to be said. "Some women are. Nice and likable, I mean."
Jeff's small brow was knit, and Reece knew it was because the opinion he was voicing contradicted the way he had lived his life and to the opinions he had expressed for a long time.
"Son, I know that I've said in the past that we don't need women," he told Jeff. "That they complicate things, and mess things up. I know that I told you that the two of us can get along just fine on our own. And we can." He reached out and touched his son's shoulder. "But I'm afraid that the things I've said—the things I've done in the past—might have tainted your view of women."
"Tainted?" The frown of Jeffrey's brow deepened as he rolled this new word around on his tongue. "What's that?"
"It means, ah, corrupted." Reece tried to think of a more elementary term. "Poisoned."
"You poisoned me?"
"Not you," he explained patiently, a gentle smile tilting his lips. "Your attitude. About women."
Reece could see that all this was pretty much incomprehensible garble to Jeff.
"Look," he said, trying again, "all the bad things I ever said about women were spoken when I was feeling very angry."
Jeff nodded knowingly. "With Mom," he provided.
Although his son's perception had Reece feeling surprised, he recovered as quickly as he could. At last, feeling the need to explain a little, he said, "Yes." He nodded. "It's awful, but I've been angry at your mom. For way too long. I wanted her to—"
He stopped, remembering Maggie's words when she'd told him he hadn't given Jen what it was she had needed. The freedom to be... the freedom to be whatever it was that made her happy. Well, Jen had that now. Reece decided that he should be glad for her, not angry that his ex-wife couldn't be what he'd wanted her to be.
Reece shook his head. "It doesn't matter what I wanted. I expected too much from your mom. A person can only give what they're able to give, right?"
"Right."
"And your mom gives what she can," he went on. "And I was wrong to be angry. I was wrong to say things against her. And I was wrong to allow my feeling to rub off on you."
It broke Reece's heart to see his son working to comprehend all that he was being told. However, it was evident that this subject was too complicated, this problem too complex, for Jeff to grasp.
"It's okay if you don't understand," Reece said. "We'll work on it, okay? We'll talk about it some more. We don't have to solve everything today."
Jeff nodded, looking a little relieved.
Reece chuckled and ruffled his son's dark hair. "What I do want you to understand—" he looked at his son with the most serious expression "—is that women are people. Just like you and me. They deserve your respect. They're honorable and trustworthy. You should appreciate and be courteous to any women you come into contact with. Mothers of your friends. Teachers. Camp counselors and archery instructors."
He looked at Jeff pointedly, and Jeff blinked, his shoulders slumping.
"Now, I'm not scolding you," Reece assured him. "I'm talking to you, man-to-man." He grinned. "I'm learning all these things myself. And I'm learning them because, well, because Maggie helped me to understand how I was looking at things."
Reece was filled with a sudden awe as he realized just how much Maggie had changed his life in the short time he'd known her.
Patting his son's shoulder lightly, he said, "It's okay to like Maggie." His grin widened a fraction. "I kinda like her myself. Now, what do you say we go over there and make that birdhouse?"
As he went across the yard with Jeff, Reece couldn't help but ponder all the things he'd said about women in general. And about Maggie specifically. The woman had altered his life. That was an undeniable fact. She'd forced him to look at himself and his attitudes the way no one else had. Maggie had made him question and rethink and rearrange his viewpoint on females from day one. And the attraction he'd felt toward her from the very beginning had been, and remained, phenomenal.
The sweet taste of her honeyed lips, the feel of her heated, velvet-soft skin, the sight of her ecstasy-filled expression when he'd taken her to the heights of desire—these memories had continued to haunt him ever since the passionate moments he'd spent holding her in his arms, yet they were memories he wouldn't give up for the world.
That night might have caused a terrific strain between them, but it was a night he'd never forget. She was angry that he hadn't slept with her, and after all that she'd told him about her ex, Reece understood now better than ever what Maggie had been feeling. She'd presumed he would expect some kind of payback for the fact that he'd brought her to orgasm.
The very idea was strange. Almost twisted. However, that's how Maggie believed things should be. And it was no wonder after what she'd been through. However, Reece could only tell her that he didn't expect anything from her. He couldn't make her believe it. That was a conclusion she had to come to on her own.
And yes, he might regret the fact that he hadn't had sex with her; however, he still believed he'd done the right thing. Before consummating a relationship, two people needed to commit themselves to...
To what? he wondered. To the future. To each other. Reece gave a mental shrug because he wasn't certain. This kind of thinking was brand new to him.
Reece had admitted to his son that he liked Maggie, but after talking with her down by the bay yesterday, after thinking about the things they'd been through together, Reece was left wondering just how much of a gross understatement that confession might have been....
Chapter 10
Reece pl
ucked a piece of popcorn from the bowl and popped it into his mouth. Even though the old black-and-white movie blaring from the flat screen TV was in its most climactic moments—the Sioux war party had the wagon train surrounded, and the settlers wondered if the cavalry would arrive in time to save them—Reece was having a terrible time concentrating on the film. He looked down at Jeff sitting beside him. His son seemed enthralled by the images of the American Old West.
Absently, Reece savored the salty taste of the kernel of popcorn before he bit down and chewed, unbidden thoughts of Maggie once again intruding on his mind.
What was she doing up there in her room? She'd seemed antsy and nervous all weekend, and he knew she was dealing with some dark memories of her ex, the man who had mistreated her.
Reece hoped that she would come to believe in him, that she would finally be convinced he was nothing like the guy she'd lived with, that he was nothing like any of the men she'd come into contact with in her line of work. Until she came to that realization, their relationship was at a stalemate.
Seeing movement in the periphery of his vision, he looked up and saw her enter the room. And as always, the sight of her was like an unexpected shove. She looked so damned good.
"Hi, Maggie," Jeff said.
She smiled at him in greeting, but Reece could see the lines of stress around her mouth. Her eyes darted toward him, and Reece felt the atmosphere in the room go heavy.
He tossed her a small grin filled with a self-assuredness that was purely false, hoping the friendly overture would delete some of the stiffness between them. She only lowered her gaze to the floor. How he had hoped to dissolve this stupid barrier, but it was there just as strong as ever.
She wore dark, clingy trouser things... leggings, he thought. The knit fabric looked cottony soft, and it hugged her calves, thighs, and hips provocatively. The top she wore was a deep maroon that emphasized her creamy, smooth skin and burnished coppery hair. She looked so sexy his mouth went dry.
Just then, the TV emitted a cacophony of sound as the cavalry in the movie crested the hill, the trumpet player blasting the issue to charge.
"This is the best part," Jeff exclaimed. "Can you watch it with us, Maggie?"
Reece studied her closely as she looked at his son; a fond smile tugged and then lingered at one corner of her mouth. He found it captivating, and the urge to kiss her lips welled up inside him with a startling strength.
"Sure," she told Jeffrey, and she rounded the coffee table and sat on the couch so that the boy was positioned between herself and Reece.
The soft, feminine scent of her wafted around him like the smell of raindrops and honeysuckle. Reece inhaled it deeply into his lungs. He longed to look at her. So much so that he had a difficult time keeping his eyes trained on the TV screen.
Finally, the impulse to cast a quick glance her way became unbearable, and Reece caved into it. He met her gaze head-on, and he felt his whole body grow warm with chagrin; however, he didn't look away but stared at her steadily. The shadows that filled her green gaze worried him, and he frowned.
"Can we talk?" she asked, her tone whisper soft. "I mean... a little later?"
"Shh." Jeff pressed his index finger to his lips. "Can't cha see? The good guys are comin' to the rescue. We're gonna miss the best part."
Reece nodded to Maggie, his curiosity clamoring louder than the on-screen Cavalry. Could it be she'd thought out her feelings and was ready to tell all? Barely aware of the action-packed conclusion to the movie, Reece's mind churned with the possibilities.
"Aw, gross!"
Jeff's outburst made Reece blink and look at the television, where he saw the hero and heroine of the film in a final, tender embrace. Maggie chuckled softly, and Reece joined her as the closing credits began to roll.
"Okay, pal," Reece said to his son, "it's bedtime."
"Aw, Dad, can't I just stay up—?"
"No way," he interrupted. "Up to bed."
Jeff grumbled as he slid off the couch and padded toward the doorway.
"Don't forget to brush your teeth," Reece reminded him. "I'll be up in a few minutes to say goodnight."
Before Jeff disappeared from sight, Maggie quietly called, "Night, Jeff."
The boy paused and gave Maggie a miserable look. "Goodnight, Maggie," he said, and he was gone.
When they were alone, Reece turned to Maggie. He was surprised to see that she was grinning.
"Your son—" her smile widened, her gaze lingering on the empty doorway "—is something else."
She actually chuckled. The silky sound caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. Lord, but she was beautiful.
"Remember when I first came here to stay?" she went on. "How he ignored me?" She glanced toward the empty doorway. "Yep, Jeff's gonna be all right."
"Because of you," he commented.
Maggie's smile was benign, yet he could see a storm brewing in her gaze. He wanted to take her hand, to tell her all the things he was feeling, but he knew she needed to be the one who brought up the subject of their relationship. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Her green gaze lowered for a second and then rose again to his face. Finally, she said, "I called the garage. They said my car would be ready soon."
The subject she chose caught him off guard. "Yeah. I was told the first of the week. I took that to mean Monday or Tuesday."
She nodded. "I need to get back to work. It's been great to take some time off. You were right. I really needed it. But I'll never solve this thing hanging over me until I get pictures of the sheriff and hand them over to his wife. Once that's done, he'll have no more reason to be concerned with me."
"Concerned with you?" He couldn't keep the incredulity from his tone. "Aren't you describing the man's behavior rather mildly?"
"Look, Reece," she said, "we don't even know for sure if the person who broke into my house is Arnor. It could be some lunatic off the street. Regardless, I have a job to do. I have to get back to it. I have to earn a living. I have bills to pay. Responsibilities to meet. A life to live. I won't allow anyone to keep me from doing that any longer." She ran her fingers through her short red hair. "I just wanted to let you know… that I intend to get back to work."
Maggie stood up to leave, and Reece felt his brow crease deeply.
But... but, he wanted to say, isn't there something else you wanted to talk about? What about us, damn it? What about us?
His questions showed clearly in his eyes; he knew it. Could feel it. And at least Maggie had sense enough to look uncomfortable.
Her tongue darted out to moisten her bottom lip, and she shook her head slowly. "I'm just not ready, Reece," she whispered. Then she turned and walked out of the room.
He wanted to chase after her. Hound her until she told him everything that was going through her head. Everything that she was feeling, whether it was good or bad, positive or negative. But he didn't move.
He had to let her go. He had to.
She had to find her own way. She'd said she wasn't ready. Reece knew he had to wait until she was. He had to allow her the freedom to be....
Even if it killed him.
* * *
"Is she certain she's got the right guy?"
Derrick's face expressed his shock as he asked Reece the question.
"There's no way to be certain." Reece frowned, still uncertain that unloading on his friends was the right thing to do. Maggie would not be happy. "But there's a huge possibility."
Jason just sat there, a dark and dubious look in his eyes.
It was Tuesday night, and Reece had called a special meeting of the Single Daddy Club. Today had been filled with one hellish experience after another, and it had all started early when Joey, the claims adjuster who had first introduced him to Maggie, had been called home due to a death in the family. Reece felt terrible about the young man's plight. Then, due to the staff shortage, the office had been swamped with work. He'd arrived home only to find a note from Maggie saying that
her car had been delivered and that she had gone out on surveillance as she had put it. He'd worried himself sick for two solid hours, pacing around the house, thoughts of her tailing a maniac rolling through his head. But he had to allow her to do her thing, live her life, he kept telling himself. He simply had no other choice.
Finally, he'd picked up the telephone and called Jason and Derrick. Now the three men sat around Reece's kitchen table sharing a little time and a couple of beers together. Reece was certain that, with his friends here with him, he could get through the evening without completely losing his mind.
He probably shouldn't have told them about Maggie's investigation of Sheriff Anthony Arnor, but he'd asked them to keep the information confidential. Besides, he really needed the support of his friends right now.
Jason finally spoke up. "Reece, I know Sheriff Arnor. He isn't the kind of man who would fool around on his wife... and I just can't see him breaking into someone's home, playing terrifying mind games. I just can't believe it. Is there anyone else she suspects?"
Reece could only shake his head. "We need to catch the bastard in the act."
"Could it be—" Jason leaned an elbow on the edge of the table "—someone she's investigated in the past?"
"Of course, that's possible. Although Maggie seems to think that once a case is closed, there's no reason for anyone to try to go after her. The dirt's already out in the open, so to speak."
Derrick smoothed his fingertips over the damp surface of his half-filled beer bottle. "In her line of work," he softly stated, "she must have angered a lot of people."
"Revenge is a great motivator," Jason agreed.
Reece emitted a tense sigh. "Damn, it could be any one of the men she's dug up dirt on."
"Or their wives or girlfriends..."
Jason's comment elicited a perplexed look from Reece.
"Women are notorious for changing their minds, and they often develop a warped sense of love and devotion. If a woman decides she wants to stay with her husband—despite the information Maggie has shoved in her face—who is she going to blame? Her man she thinks is her soul mate?" Jason's short, sharp laugh was humorless. "I doubt that."
