“That baby—Eugenia—wasn’t in a good way, either, in that boat God knows how long, then riding twelve miles in damp, frigid air with only a blanket to keep her warm. Da had me put her inside my coat while they finished unloading the crates, and I kept her warm as I could, but she was chilled to the bone, no doubt about it.”
“What happened when you got home?” Dex pushed.
“He was just a kid,” Maggie reminded him, keeping her voice even for her uncle’s sake. “It’s not like they would have consulted him, or told him what they planned to do.”
“You have the right of it, Maggie. I… I don’t know what happened to the child.” He shook his head. “If she didn’t die of exposure, she’d have been placed with one of the families who’d lost a child to the epidemic.”
“Do you remember any of the families that would have fit the bill?” Dex asked him. “One with a baby girl about the same age?”
The way Emmett looked over at her had Maggie’s blood running cold. He squeezed her hand, but it didn’t lessen the blow she knew was coming.
“Your grandmother, Maggie, she’d have been about the same age as Eugenia Stanhope. Is she the only one?” Emmett, frowning a little, looked over at Dex. “Do you know?”
“There’d have been several other families with little girls around the same age,” Maggie said soothingly. “Jessi’s for one.” The Walker family would be another, which put Paige squarely in the crosshairs as well. And they wouldn’t be the only ones.
“It might be a moot point if Eugenia didn’t survive that boat trip,” Dex said. But his gaze strayed to hers, not just considering now, judging.
Maggie ignored him, trying to reconcile what she’d just learned. When Dex had told her the truth about why he’d come to Windfall, she’d known someone’s life was going to be turned upside down. She’d never dreamed it might be hers.
“Can I trust you to keep this a secret a little while longer?”
Dex spoke to Emmett, but he was still studying her face. She didn’t like the pity she saw in his eyes now.
“You’ll keep it to yourself, won’t you, Uncle Emmett.”
“Secret?” Emmett sighed wearily. “Did you tell me a secret?”
Maggie managed a weak smile as she got to her feet. “I’ll send Mort over tomorrow to look at your oil burner.”
“I’d be grateful, child. These old bones don’t hold the warmth like they used to.”
She bent, kissed his wrinkled cheek then put her hands on his shoulders. “Thank you for the cookies.”
“Don’t be a stranger.”
“Never. You and Han are the only family I have.”
She hoped.
“Maggie,” Dex called after her as she headed out the front door. If she heard him, she didn’t show it.
He thanked Emmett and hurried out after her, catching her arm before she could slide into the driver’s seat of her Mustang.
She looked down at his hand, her expression as coldly furious as her voice. “You’ll want to move that.”
“Not until you tell me what you’re thinking.”
“None of your damn business.”
When she tried to brush him off, he yanked her out of the door opening, put her up against the car, and caged her in. “I started this mess. That makes it my business.”
“Back off,” she snarled, punctuating it with a two-handed shove that wouldn’t have budged him if he hadn’t allowed it—which he did because he saw the pain in her eyes.
Pain he’d put there. He was just beginning to understand how deeply he’d hurt Maggie, just allowing himself to think about why he’d needed to believe she didn’t know her own heart.
“What more proof do you need?” she said, her words, her demeanor so cold he wondered he didn’t get frostbite. “The next step is to have my DNA tested.”
“No.” The word was out before he gave it conscious thought. And when he did, he decided it was the right response. Even if it sabotaged his case.
Maggie’s chin came up, her tone remained even, reasonable. But the bleakness in her vivid blue eyes sliced at him. “Not getting squeamish on me, are you? Where’s the guy who’d do anything to solve a career-making case like this one?”
“Damn it, Maggie.”
She stepped away, and he let her. He needed the distance as much as she did. He couldn’t be close to her and pretend he still didn’t want her like he needed his next breath. And he couldn’t pretend she wasn’t more important to him than his case.
“My great grandfather brought Eugenia home that night, weak and sick from exposure. His daughter was deathly ill with the measles. One of them survived to become my grandmother.”
“Or Eugenia could have been placed with another family that lost a daughter about the same age.”
“Then the test will rule me out.”
“Or put you in immediate danger. Somebody knows why I’m here, Maggie. Whoever broke into my room wanted to find out what kind of progress I’d made on finding an heir for Eugenia. There’s no other explanation. And if they’re watching me I have to assume they’re watching the lab. The minute we send off your DNA, you’ll be a target.”
“And you think I’m going to stand around wringing my hands if he comes after me? I’m not the kind of defenseless little woman you must be used to dealing with.”
“No.” Dex rubbed at one of the shoulders still aching from the shot she’d given him. “I wouldn’t call you defenseless, but he’s not going to give you fair warning, Maggie.”
“Then I’ll have to be careful.”
“And I’ll have to be your shadow.”
That stopped her. She turned, her gaze so caustic she all but stared holes through hm. “I don’t think so.”
“Try to stop me.”
“I’m just supposed to sit around in limbo? For how long?” she demanded, though she knew as well as he did that he had no answers to give her. “Sooner or later, and my guess is sooner, your bad guy is going to start nosing around out here. My office locks, but it isn’t exactly Fort Knox, and I won’t be the only possible descendant on that chart your genealogist is putting together. How many lives are you going to risk while you’re busy watching my back?”
“We’ll get rid of the chart for now.”
She stepped back, crossed her arms, and when he met her eyes he could see he needn’t have worried about her drawing any conclusions about why the idea of her being in danger made him want to hurt someone.
“Putting off the DNA test won’t accomplish anything.”
“That’s my call.”
“Try to stop me.”
“You’re already stopped. You don’t know where to send the sample, or who to test it against.”
“I don’t imagine the Stanhopes will be hard to find. And I have a plane.”
“That would be stupid,” he said bluntly. “Which one of them wants Eugenia’s descendants to disappear?”
“I thought they were the ones who sent you.”
“But why did they send me? If I find descendants, will they be welcomed into the family or eliminated?” Dex could see he’d gotten his point across, but he felt a need to drive it home. “Going to the Stanhopes is the fastest way to get yourself killed.”
“I want this over with.”
“So you can go back to your nice, comfortable, closed-off life?”
“I’m closed off?” She stepped up to him, toe to toe. “You’re the one who comes from a tidy, safe little world. You’re the one who’s afraid to risk, but you can stand there and accuse me? All I’ve ever done is risk and work—” Her voice hitched and she turned her face from his.
Dex almost hated himself for breaking her even that much. He reached for her, but she slapped his hands aside and walked away. “Maggie.”
She paused, one foot already in her Mustang, and looked at him with eyes not just bleak but drenched now, too. “Stay away from me, Keegan. Just stay the hell away from me.”
He caught the door, stopped her from
closing it. “Promise me—” He stopped, words jumbling in his mind, feelings clogging his throat at the idea she might be hurt. And it hit him, with all the speed and explosive impact of a freight train. “Jesus, Maggie, I think I’m in love with you.”
She laughed. It was a truly heart-breaking sound. “Right, throw me a bone and expect me to fall in line like a lovesick fool. You should have thought of that a couple of days ago. I might have fallen for it then.”
She dropped into the driver’s seat, flooring the car as soon as it turned over. The door ripped out of his hand, and all Dex could do was stand there, staring after her.
Like a lovesick fool.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Dex made good on his promise. A fool he might be, and a lovesick one at that, but a little discomfort didn’t absolve him of his responsibility for putting Maggie in harm’s way. Whatever he was feeling now would be nothing to what he’d suffer if she was hurt—physically—because of him.
He’d have slept on her front porch if necessary, but thanks to Holden Abbot, Dex had moved his things from the Horizon to Maggie’s house. Until they found out who wanted Eugenia’s descendants to disappear, Maggie’s shadow was what he’d be.
That was just how she treated him. When she did have the misfortune to notice him, he was completely ignored.
Not that he didn’t deserve it. He’d fucked up in a variety of ways. The list was long, beginning with him throwing her love back in her face, and ending with her returning the favor.
Dex leaned against the pillar supporting the roof over the wraparound porch, stared past the side of Maggie’s house and out over the silver-gray chop of the bay under equally leaden skies. The wind had real teeth today, biting through the jeans and hooded sweatshirt he wore. He barely felt it. The Atlantic in a wintry mood was no competition for Maggie’s particular brand of cold shoulder.
He blew out a breath, stuffed his hands in his pockets. If she’d cry, he could comfort her. If she’d lash out, he could fight back until her anger turned to a different kind of heat. If she’d throw his insults back in his face, he could agree with her. If she’d only talk to him, he could…
What? he asked himself, as he’d done so many times he’d lost count. What words could possibly be said that would erase the damage he’d already done?
I love you?
He’d tried that. She’d laughed at him. She’d believed he was trying to play her. She’d been right on both counts.
Where the hell did he get off proclaiming his feelings, let alone expecting her to fall at his feet in gratitude? He’d done nothing but lie and use and manipulate her since the moment he’d walked into her life. He’d threatened everyone and everything she loved, pushed her into a corner, and forced her to lie to her best friend, not to mention everyone else on the island. He’d done nothing but hurt her.
None of that changed how he felt, but his heart wasn’t the one that mattered. Hers was. He’d broken it; he’d find a way to fix it before he left her alone. There was no other option.
“I hope you’re thinking about what a jackass you are.”
Dex turned, saw Jessi standing just behind him.
“A spineless, miserable jerk of a jackass,” she continued, taking one step on each syllable, punctuating the last one by drilling a finger into his chest.
“What is it with the women on this island and physical assault?”
“We have a lot of experience with jackasses. Cowardly, slow-witted jackasses, who don’t get a point unless it hits them over the head.”
“That’s the second time you’ve called me a coward.”
“I’m not trying to be subtle.” She held up a finger when he tried to talk. “I don’t want to hear any whiny defense or simple-minded justifications.”
“I don’t whine.”
That earned him a small smile, as he hadn’t troubled to deny any of her other insults. Except, “Slow-witted? Simple-minded?”
“Maybe short-sighted would be better, and I forgot self-delusional, so you can add that to the list. Don’t you think it’s about time you faced up to the truth, Dex? You’re terrified.”
“And we’re back to cowardly.”
Jessi looked away, murmured, “It takes one to know one. And you have no idea what I’m talking about,” she said loud enough for him to hear her. “Love, Dex. You love Maggie and it scares the pants off you, doesn’t it?
“You know how I know? Because I feel the same way. All the time. Terrified I’ll fall in love with some jerk who will break my heart.” She rubbed a hand over her chest in a way that told Dex more about her luck in love than any words she could have used.
“Benji’s father?”
“Yeah. The idea of trusting anyone like that again makes me want to kill everything with a Y chromosome on the face of the earth.”
He smiled, just a crooked twist of his mouth. “There’s that bloodthirsty streak again.”
“I was being dramatic for effect. Maggie…” Jessi sighed. “Her heart has been broken all her life, but she still chooses to love. She’s so brave, Dex, so fearless. She’s known the worst kind of pain there is, but she still risks her heart.” She shifted enough to lean against the railing. “I could hate her for it, but mostly I’m just in awe.”
“So you’re saying she won’t pine over me forever?”
“Maggie, pine?” Jessi laughed.
Dex had to smile, too, a real smile. Maggie Solomon wasn’t the kind of woman who would sit around moping and sighing. She’d go out and live her life—hell, live was too pale a word. Maggie didn’t just live. Maggie was life, vital and breathtaking, filled with a spark that was impossible to resist. Some day she’d find a man, settle down as much as she was able to, and have a couple of kids.
Dex caught himself frowning over that notion. Or maybe it was the way green crowded around the edges of that happy domestic picture.
“Well, now, that’s not terror I see on your face.”
Dex snapped back, caught sight of Jessi’s self-satisfied smirk, and popped up a brow.
“So,” she said, making her expression suitably serious, “Still afraid?”
“Absolutely,” Dex said, “But I’m no coward.”
She rested her hand on his arm. It amazed Dex how comforting he found the simple touch. “I never really doubted you.”
“She won’t even talk to me, Jess.”
Jessi gave his arm a bracing squeeze. “I know Maggie. There’ll be a moment, Dex. When it comes, you’ll know it.”
Jessi’s confidence in him was highly overrated, Dex thought. Or maybe it was her faith in Maggie.
He could see it wearing on her as much as it was wearing on him, this… impasse they were at. He could understand that she wasn’t the kind of woman who waited patiently. He should take the DNA sample and put them both out of their misery.
He couldn’t bring himself to do it, though, knowing it would put her firmly in the cross-hairs of whatever weapon was trained on his investigation.
The front door swung open, and Hold and Maggie stepped through it.
“We’re off to the village,” Hold announced. “Maggie’s promised to buy me supper.”
“I’ve been feeding and housing you since you arrived,” Maggie said to him in an easy, sarcastic tone. “I think it’s about time you picked up a check.”
“I’m only too happy to, darlin’.” Hold slung an arm around her shoulders, and every muscle in Dex’s body clenched, except the one bunching in his jaw.
As they went down the steps, Maggie looked over. Her gaze didn’t make it as far as Dex, he noticed, but she caught Jessi’s eye. A look passed between the two women, and Jessi nodded slightly.
“What was that about?” Dex asked Jessi.
“Nothing, Sweetie, just a little girl talk. How about you come home with me and have a hot meal? It’s only leftover night, but it beats eating alone.”
“I’m not fit company tonight,” Dex said, his eyes following Maggie’s taillights until the
y disappeared. “Tell Benji I said hi.”
He didn’t hear Jessi’s response, had no idea she’d gone until he heard the rumble of her old Explorer putt-putting out of the parking lot. Darkness fell before he tried to move and found himself all but frozen where he stood.
He shook off the cold, squared his shoulders, and sloughed off the malaise that had settled over him for the last two days. He didn’t know how or why, but he was going to deal with Maggie, get her to see reason, and figure out a way to deal with her possible connection to Eugenia without putting her in danger.
And while he was at it, he’d end world hunger, he thought with a grim smile—which would be easier than getting Maggie to talk to him.
Maggie led Hold through the Horizon’s lobby door rather than the one that opened directly to the restaurant. It had occurred to her on the short drive into the village that no one knew about him. She should have known better.
Not five seconds after they stepped inside Helen Appelman poked her head around the doorway.
“What, do you have radar or something?”
“We have a doorbell,” she said to Maggie. But her eyes were firmly on Hold, and they were giving him a very thorough and appreciative once over. “This must be Holden Abbot. Mort,” she said to Maggie’s frown. “He mentioned you had a new fellow staying out at the airport, and what with Dex moving out there…” Helen smiled. “It’ll be interesting to see what happens when you walk in on this one’s arm.”
Hold cocked his elbow obligingly.
Maggie ignored him. “I’m not on his arm.”
“Okay, but see you take your customary booth,” Helen said. “And keep your back to the wall. I’ll try to keep the lunatics away.” She took another long visual tour of Hold’s tall, lean body. “I’ll expect a full explanation later.”
Hold grinned. “Name the time and place, darlin’, and I’m yours.”
Helen’s cheeks pinked.
“Don’t let AJ hear you say that,” Maggie warned.
Temptation Bay (A Windfall Island Novel) Page 27
