by Sharon Dunn
“Since the other woman in the Mexico office has vaporized, we need to find some sort of connection back into the States. We have had linked incidents in Denver, Minneapolis and St. Louis that are tied to this ring. I assume you had to work with someone in the States to complete the adoptions. Do you remember who any of those people were?”
“Mostly I did the intake interviews of the moms. I didn’t handle much of the adoption paperwork.” She realized now that her duties had been restricted so she wouldn’t get suspicious. “I did answer the phone if Marion was out, and I do remember taking a message from the States from a man named Dylan McIntyre. I don’t know where the call came from.” She smiled. “I remembered him because he seemed nice. He talked about his family.”
Serena wrote down the name. “We’ll see what we can do with that. Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll be in touch.”
“I’m sorry for all the trouble I’m causing,” Morgan said. “I didn’t realize how hard this would be. I miss my family.”
Serena closed her notebook. “I understand about the loneliness, but I want to remind you about how important it is that you don’t form attachments, and not only because you risk revealing who you are.”
“What do you mean?”
Serena took a moment to answer. “What these people do is horrifying. If they knew who you cared about, they might be able to gain your silence by threatening to hurt them.”
Morgan sucked in a gasp of air that caused another blue-hot pain to sear through her. “I would never want someone I cared about to be hurt.”
“I know that,” Serena said. “What you know, what you can help us with, is part of a much bigger picture. Now get some rest.” She waved as she shut the door.
Serena’s shoes echoed down the hallway and then faded altogether. A few hours later, the nurse brought Morgan dinner. As the night wore on, she fell into a fitful sleep.
The next morning, Alex appeared in the doorway. “I’m here to take you home.”
“Good, I’m ready to go.” She managed to keep her voice neutral.
He lifted the plastic bag he held in his hand. “I hope it’s okay. I had one of the maids go over to your place and find you a change of clothes.”
His thoughtfulness was like a knife through her heart. “I could use those. I’m sure the ones I had on me are not fit to wear.” Maybe she couldn’t get in the car and drive away, but there were other ways to keep her distance. She didn’t want to see Alex hurt, and she didn’t want to lie to him anymore.
He placed the clothes on the end of her bed. “I’ll wait outside.”
Getting dressed took longer than Morgan had anticipated. She was bruised and sore and movement caused pain to rise up in new places. Finally, she stepped out into the hallway where Alex waited with a wheelchair. “Hospital regulation dictates you have to be pushed out. But they said I could do the honors.”
He pushed her slowly down the hospital hallway and through the automated doors to where his car was parked close to the curb. He opened the passenger door for her, and she eased herself down into the seat.
After returning the wheelchair, Alex got into the car and pulled out onto the road. The landscape clipped by as he spoke. “The doctor wants you up on your feet, but only very light activity.”
“I’m sorry to do this to you. Even if I can’t ride or lift a saddle, I can still feed and doctor the horses as needed.” Morgan rested her head against the window. Now she was trapped in more ways than one. Her mobility was limited, too.
“We’ll do all right, Morgan. Don’t worry about it. Craig could probably use the money from picking up extra hours,” Alex said.
How could he be so nice to her? Morgan stared out the window and remembered what Serena had said about giving the baby thieves bargaining chips. Anyone she loved or cared about would be in danger if the people behind all this found out about them. No matter what, she had to build a wall around her heart against Alex’s kindness.
* * *
Alex drove right up to the door of Morgan’s cottage. He hurried around to the passenger door. Though she worked hard to hide it, the tight line of her mouth told him she was in considerable pain. She tilted her head toward him, and he reached down to help her out of the low car.
Something had changed. She seemed even more guarded than usual. As he helped her to her porch, he could feel her pulling away from him emotionally. Maybe it was only the physical pain she was in that made her withdraw. He suspected it ran deeper.
He’d made a vow to be in her life in whatever capacity she allowed. Now he was seeing her retreat even more. He sensed his own heart closing off also. Having feelings for her only meant they’d be rebuffed. Hadn’t he picked up on that pattern by now?
He could do the right thing—give her a place to stay while she mended and then let her do her job. He’d sign her paycheck and seek her advice on caring for the horses. He had to quit wearing his heart on his sleeve, hoping he could somehow win her over.
He placed a steadying hand on her back as she trudged up the stairs. He stepped ahead of her and pushed the door open. “You probably want to get a few hours’ sleep.”
She nodded. “Who would have thought you could get so tired from a car ride? I’ll be well enough to come over and visit with the guests for lunch.” She stepped into her living room, slowly scanning the expanse.
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah, sure.” She offered him a stiff smile.
He saw that look in her eyes again and the subtle tightening of her mouth. Maybe coming back to the house where there’d been a poisonous snake brought back the frightening memory. “I’ll leave you to it then.”
She turned slowly to face him. “Thank you for doing this for me...for everything.” She said the words as though she were reading them from a script.
He nodded and tipped his hat to her. “It’s what I would do for anyone in your situation.” He turned and stepped outside. As he passed by the window with the open curtain, he saw that she hadn’t moved. He made his way back to the guesthouse, wondering why her thank you sounded more like a rejection.
TEN
The afternoon sun warmed the air as Morgan made her way across the grounds to the guesthouse. Craig stalked toward her from the parking lot where he’d been dropped off. The man in the old battered truck must be Craig’s father, Robert.
As usual, Craig’s eyebrows drew together in a scowl. She knew he wouldn’t have a pleasant word for her even before he spoke.
“The horses are all fed and watered. When the kids come for the therapeutic riding class, I’ll help you out as much as I can,” she said.
Craig shook his hand in protest. “Let me guess—I’m going to have to saddle all the horses myself.”
“Craig, I simply can’t lift something that heavy yet,” she said. “Besides, some of the clients like to saddle their own horses.”
“Must be nice to be a princess.” He walked away from her, muttering under his breath.
Morgan rolled her eyes. On any other day, she would have handled his snarky attitude just fine. But she was still in some pain even though it had been three days since the accident.
The marshal Serena had arranged for her protection came out of the guesthouse and walked toward her. Burke Trier had first arrived three days ago, when she’d just gotten home and was still spending much of her day in the cottage. But anytime she was outside, Burke showed up.
Burke walked past her and tipped his hat. “Morning, Miss Smith. Getting ready to teach your lesson?”
“As much as I can. I’m still moving kind of slowly.”
Burke had checked into the guesthouse under the guise of wanting to have a long-term ranch experience. He was a tall, lean man with dark hair and a dimple in his chin.
Burke leaned a little closer and lowered
his voice. “Everything still looking all clear for you?”
Morgan nodded.
Alex came around the corner of the guesthouse and she and Burke broke up their conversation. As Alex approached, she saw the dark circles under his eyes and the drawn expression. A pang of guilt shot through her. Craig may have picked up some of the slack, but clearly Alex was doing the work of two people.
The first of the students for the class was already pulling into the parking lot.
“Thought I’d help out with the class as much as I could,” Morgan said. “Craig is already headed toward the barn to get the horses saddled up for the kids who can’t do it themselves.”
“I’d better get down there and give him a hand.”
“You can probably talk Burke into helping since he wants all that authentic experience.” She grabbed his arm. “Hey, maybe we should let Craig help out with the class, too.”
Alex raised his eyebrows. “Craig doesn’t exactly have good people skills.”
“Neither do some of those kids. They might end up being two peas in a pod.” She glanced over at the parking lot, where several other cars had pulled up. “Why don’t you try pairing him with Richie? His mom, Adele, mentioned that she’s not going to be able to come for a couple of weeks this month. This would be a good chance to see if Craig could handle the responsibility.”
Alex shrugged. “We’ll give it a shot.”
Morgan greeted the clients. When Richie and his mom arrived, she explained about his working with Craig and led them down to the corral where Craig had just turned a horse over to a young boy and his aide.
“Craig, this is Richie and his mom, Adele.” Morgan touched Richie’s shoulder.
Adele stepped forward. “I’ve got extra work at my accounting firm for the next couple of weeks because of tax season so I can’t stay. Morgan said you might be able to help out so Richie can continue his lesson. He looks forward to them.”
“Me?” The look on Craig’s face bordered somewhere between shock and fear.
Morgan tensed. Maybe this had been a mistake. She’d thought asking Craig in front of the clients would prevent his usual outburst. “Alex and I both think you are ready to handle more responsibility.”
The harsh angles of Craig’s expression melted. “Really.” He raised his chin and squared his shoulders. “Course I can.” Craig stepped toward Richie. “Why don’t you come on over with me?”
Richie responded by turning sideways and staring at the ground.
Morgan glanced at Adele, both of them ready to explain Richie’s personality. Morgan opened her mouth to speak but then watched as Craig’s posture relaxed and his voice softened. “Or, how about I bring the horse over to you?”
Richie raised his head and nodded enthusiastically.
She’d known all along that Craig was sensitive to the animals, but this was the first time she’d seen him show an awareness of another person’s needs. Maybe if Craig’s confidence was built up through accomplishing new things, he’d let go of his resentment toward her.
From across the corral, she saw Alex observing the interaction. He gave her a thumbs-up sign.
Adele stared out at the kids as their aides led them around the arena or out for short trail rides. “The work you do here is so important.”
Morgan nodded. “I suppose that’s true.” Though she hid her reaction from Adele, the comment stirred up sadness in her. She had thought the work she was doing in Mexico was important, too.
Her cell phone rang, and she stepped away from Adele. She didn’t need to look at the number to know that it was one of the St. Louis marshals calling her. Alex was the only other person who knew her number. “Hello.”
“Morgan. Serena here. I’ve arranged for a sketch artist to sit down with you since you said you thought you could identify the man you saw at the horse sale.”
“Thank you for doing this,” Morgan said.
“If you can, we’ll have something solid to work with.”
Morgan’s spirits lifted. Maybe they could get this thing resolved. “I understand.”
“When would you like him to come out?
Morgan tensed as her gaze traveled to where Alex had stepped in to calm a jumpy horse. “I don’t want him to come out here. I don’t like having to make up stories to my boss. Can I meet him in Des Moines?”
“Sure. There’s a café not too far from the Botanical Gardens that’s easy to find. I’ll send a picture to your phone so you know what he looks like, along with his name and directions to the gardens,” Serena said. “Marshal Trier can go with you if you want.”
They settled on a time and Morgan hung up. One of the horses had planted her feet and refused to move despite the aide tugging on the reins.
Morgan stepped in. “Don’t keep pulling. She’ll get agitated.” She stared up at the nine-year-old girl on the horse who was talking in sign language.
The aide signed back and then addressed her comment to Morgan. “She wants to get moving.”
“Let me take over for a while. Jojo can be kind of stubborn sometimes.” Morgan made a clicking sound with her tongue. The horse plodded forward.
She could see Richie and Craig seemed to be getting along quite well. Burke leaned against the fence not too far from her. She caught a glimpse of Alex as he worked his way around the arena. The sun shining on his hair brought out the coppery highlights. He locked gazes with her for a moment. Her heart fluttered.
Maybe the guy she’d seen at the horse sale was the one responsible for all the other trouble. If they caught him, would she be able to stay in this place she was growing to love? Morgan turned away. No matter what, she’d never be able to tell Alex who she really was.
She wasn’t looking forward to asking Alex if she could borrow a car. Hopefully he wouldn’t ask too many questions.
* * *
Alex watched Morgan come out of her cottage as he rode a young palomino toward the open door of the stable. The trail ride had done him good after a long day of work. With Morgan not able to ride yet, he liked having an excuse to get some additional time on the horses. He hadn’t minded the extra work, but feeling like there was a wedge between him and Morgan was wearing on him.
Just outside the stables, he tightened the reins. “Whoa.” He dismounted. Morgan was headed toward the stable with a look of determination. Burke, who was riding his horse around the arena, slowed down some. The guy sure showed a keen interest in Morgan. He kicked himself mentally for the surge of jealousy he felt. Just more evidence that he still had feelings for her. He clenched his jaw. They were feelings that would never go anywhere or lead to anything.
He braced himself as Morgan drew close. Whatever she had to say to him, he was not going to read into it or become hopeful that she would open up to him. She’d seemed more closed down than ever since the accident.
The horse’s hooves made clopping sounds on the hard ground as he led the mare toward her stall.
“I saw you coming in from your ride.” Her voice pelted his back like a soft summer rain.
“Yup.” Alex pulled the saddle off the horse.
She stepped toward the horse and slipped off her bridle. “I haven’t had a chance to ask you—do you mind if I borrow that car? I need to go into the city.”
A simple enough request. He could handle that. “Sure, when did you need it?”
“Tomorrow. I’m meeting a friend around two o’clock. I’ll make sure all the horses are fed before I leave.”
“Tomorrow? How fortunate. I have a meeting with the owners of The Stables around that time. I can drive you in.”
Veiled panic, quivering lips and nervous sideways glances told him that she didn’t like the idea. He tensed. Now she didn’t even want to ride in a car with him.
“I...I suppose that would work. I’m not sure
how long this meeting will take.”
“Meeting? I thought you said you were getting together with a friend.” Why did she have to be evasive? The level of frustration he felt kicked up a notch. Not wanting her to be the target of his ire, he turned his back and stomped toward the feed bin.
You can trust me, Morgan. Whatever your secret is, you can trust me.
He loaded the bucket with feed. The silence was so intense, he wondered if she’d left. When he looked back toward the stall, she still stood watching him, her hand idly stroking the palomino’s nose.
“Driving might not be the best thing for you, Morgan, considering you’re still healing up,” he said.
She thought for a moment. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “Does eleven-thirty sound good? Gives us plenty of time if the traffic is heavy.”
He stalked toward the horse stall and poured in the feed. His arm brushed over hers as he bent to dump the feed. She took a step back but remained close to the horse.
He straightened and rested the bucket on the top rail of the stall gate. “That sounds like it will work to me.” His words had come out harsher than he’d intended.
He thought he detected hurt in her eyes. He shook his head as she turned her back and left the stables. They couldn’t keep playing this game. He’d been lying to himself when he thought he could draw the boundary at working together. His attraction to her was too intense to keep his feelings at bay. But every time he reached out to her in even the smallest way, she found a way to put up another wall.
Yet, she had gotten extremely cozy with Burke in short order. He was starting to think he’d read the signals all wrong. She really didn’t like him at all.
* * *
Though the drive to Des Moines took over two hours, Morgan managed to keep the conversation focused on the horses, clients and other things related to The Stables. She had texted Burke that he didn’t need to drive her since she would be either with Alex or the forensic artist. That meant she didn’t have one more odd thing to explain to Alex. Burke texted her back and said to be on the safe side he would follow in his car. As they talked, Alex’s voice and expressions became animated. She loved how passionate he was about his work.
