“I moved in over two years ago, this place as you see it now, wasn’t like this. It was run down. The outside resembled a gravel pit and junk yard. I renovated the inside of the house and landscaped the entire yard.”
“I guess I’m a little confused. You were renting this house from Dan McKenzie, yet you’re having a relationship with him?”
Angie looked down at her clasped hands as she stood shivering in a beige sweatshirt and old faded blue jeans. “I went through hell with my divorce and trying to find a place to live. I work hard and have never bounced a check and always pay my bills, but I couldn’t find a place to rent because I’m a single mom. I found this house, and Dan offered it to me on the condition I do the repairs, which I gladly did because I needed a place to live. I did everything here, painted the entire house, repaired all the broken cupboards, doorframes, re-grouted the shower and bathtub, re-mortared the chimney, and rebuilt all the brickwork inside. And of course, cleaned the place; it looked as if it had never been swept. Then I started landscaping and dug every rock from the dirt, so I could put in seed grass. And the rockwork you see? I built it with every rock I dug from the ground. It took me almost a year because I fell in love with this place and Dan. When I first moved here and started the work, Dan showed up here every night. He knew just what to say, and I thought he was my Mr. Right. He seemed so concerned with my daughter; he knew exactly what to say to me, as if he read my mind.” She sighed and then continued.
“I don’t even know how to explain our relationship. I slept with him. Then after I was so in love with him, all the weirdness and his games started. He knew my insecurities. He’d say to me he’d let me know if he saw other women. I thought I could change him. And all through this, I’m paying him rent. It felt odd and made me feel powerless, as if I was less than him. And the whole time, I continued to believe we’d have a future together. I’m sure you think I’m stupid for believing all his promises. But for the last year, he kind of disappeared and then came back as if nothing happened.”
She wanted to shake Angie and ask her to wake up. But she couldn’t shake the bitter feeling that crawled throughout her. Hadn’t he played the same game with Marcie? And while he was with Marcie, he’d been with Angie too. She gazed at the red rimmed eyes of the lovely lady and at Jean who watched her like she hoped Maggie had some answers. “How about some coffee, Angie?”
She followed both Jean and Angie into the light cedar house. As the women climbed the inside stairs to the kitchen, she lingered at the open front door and stared at the small bungalow attached to the shop, half expecting the blinds on the kitchen window to move.
Chapter Twenty-three
Maggie stared out the passenger window at the miles of heavy forest.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Richard brushed her arm lightly with his hand as he drove home after picking her up from a coffee shop in town, where she and Jean stopped after meeting Angie, mostly to decompress.
“Do you know Angie Mueller, one of the special needs kid’s mom at school? She lives on Dan’s property.”
Richard took his eyes off the road for a second and squinted at Maggie. “Small world. I met her after she moved into Dan’s house. Didn’t put two and two together. She’s the same Angie you’ve talked about? She did a lot a work to his big old house on the property, landscaping, it was amazing what she accomplished as a single mom.”
“Did you know Dan was sleeping with her and playing daddy to her kid?”
Richard focused straight ahead, but Maggie could tell he was angry by the way his lips tightened into a thin white line.
“Yah, I knew he was banging her. She was head over heels in love with him, too. He’s not a nice guy when comes to women. We’ve established that. I warned Marcie. So why are you bringing her up?”
“Jean phoned yesterday, remember? She took me to see Angie. He’s throwing her out of his house after she stood up to him and all his crap, his bullying, and belittling her. She wouldn’t allow him to take advantage anymore, and she set boundaries. So he served her with eviction papers. Said he’s moving in a relative; the only way to get her out.”
Richard shook his head. “She’s better off getting away from him. Far away. Whether she knows it or not, he’s doing her a favor.”
“It’s the way he’s going about it. You don’t rip apart someone’s basic foundation like this. And don’t you think he owes her?”
“For what?”
Maggie slid her bottom around on the leather seat until she faced Richard. “All the work she did, he never paid her but filled her with promises she would have her own place, and she believed at one point, a relationship with him. He did pretty much the same thing to Marcie, and he was sleeping with Angie the same time as Marcie.”
Richard did a double take toward Maggie. “Dan sleeps with a lot of women at the same time. He fills all their heads with promises. That’s who he is. Whatever he told them, he lied to each of them. And he’s stolen something, profited in some way, from each of them. You know this. Stay out of it. You don’t need to take this on. You’re too fragile right now.”
“I’m not fragile, Richard. And I’m not staying out of it. That cowardly prick has got some other woman, a thug, he’s sent to deal with Angie. And this person has been harassing her for weeks. Even sent a letter saying she’s not allowed to contact Dan anymore. That she has to go through her to pay rent or to have repairs done, and any repairs Angie does, this woman will decide whether she gets reimbursed for any of it. And then she phoned her and said she’s Dan’s friend, and he wants no more contact with her. And he did this only after she finally stood up to him, and she would no longer allow him on the property or around her daughter. She asked him to call first, and they would leave if he needed to come by. She wanted a contract signed by him, to protect her and her child’s rights while they remained there, and he retaliated by evicting her and taking away her home. Something she made into hers, which he stoked and was responsible for encouraging and making her believe with their relationship, this was her home. What makes it worse is this ‘woman friend’ showed up with Dan and gloated to her he was establishing his rights as a landlord, and that Angie had no rights. This treatment is unconscionable. This is not okay, Richard! There should be laws to protect women from this type of violation. What country do we live in? Aren’t there human rights, civil rights that protect her?”
“Who’s the woman?”
“What?”
Richard turned down their driveway. “The woman who’s representing Dan?”
“Janet Slugg.”
Richard parked, turned off the engine, and put his arm over the back of the seat when he faced her. “Janet Slugg’s married to a guy named Hank. He’s a friend of Dan’s. Does all his dirty work. Stay away from them. They’re only interested in what benefits them. And they’ll play dirty. Angie had best move.”
“Well she needs to sue Dan and make him pay for all the work she did. He stole from her, he profited off her. She can’t let him get away with it. He’s going to do it to someone else. Richard, you could help her.”
“No.” Richard climbed out and slammed the door.
Maggie had felt some of Angie’s pain just being in that house and seeing what she’d done. And she understood where it came from. The threat of having your basic foundation, the roof over your head, ripped away was one of those basic necessities of life that could tear a person apart. So of course, the fury that boiled through her bubbled up and had her yanking on the door handle and kicking the door open. “Oh, don’t you dare walk away from this.” She ran after Richard. “Richard, please. This just isn’t right, what he’s doing to her. She reminded me so much of Marcie, and all the same pain he caused her. He keeps doing this to vulnerable women, and nobody stops him. Look at what he got away with. No jail time for his role as a drug dealer. How does he keep getting away with it?”
Richard stopped and turned so abruptly, Maggie ran into him. “One, he had the best fucking attorney ther
e is, and two, the cops screwed their own investigation. Three, there was a bug planted in Marcie’s granny’s cabin by Lance Silver, so they heard every fucking thing and turned the tables. And Dan had a link to some cop on Sam’s team. Still does, I’m sure.”
“Well, you could help her. She’s going to sue him to make him pay for all the work she did. He owes her. And you could make Dan pay her what he owes. Or give her a truthful statement about Dan she could use.”
“No.”
She cupped his shoulder and flattened her hand across his heart. “That could have been me. I understand how she could have been manipulated. I don’t think there is a woman out there who hasn’t been exposed at one time in their life to a predator. And it hurts. I don’t understand why you won’t help.”
He sighed and then covered her hand with his. “Maggie, if she sues him, there’s a very real chance it could freeze my assets.”
She tilted her head when a screw-like feeling tightened her shallow breath to a thin whisper. “I don’t understand.”
“Dan and I are still partners.”
Chapter Twenty-four
“How are you still partners?” Maggie had a sick buzz in her head. She moved back two steps, really looking at Richard, trying to understand what he said.
Richard rubbed the base of his hand across the center of his forehead.
“Oh for God’s sake, Richard!” she yelled, gripping her fist and stepped toward him. She hit his arm hard and swore again.
“You tell me everything right now. You want us back together? There has to be trust. I’m not some weak woman who’s going to melt into hysterics. I need to know right now. What the hell’s going on?”
He turned his back and raised his fist in the air before facing Maggie. “We still own the property together. And if you forgot, I dumped a large chunk of cash into that development project.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but only a squeak came out. She looked down at the ground and struggled to grasp some intelligent words from her brain over this betrayal.
“Don’t give me that wounded pride thing of yours, Maggie. This is the real world, and I can’t make him disappear.”
“Why didn’t you sell?”
“How am I going to sell when the market’s in the toilet? Tell me, huh, cause I’d sure like to know.” Richard leaned in toward her with a fiery energy that had Maggie considering maybe there was more to it than he let on. “He owns half the property. He won’t buy me out. I already tried. Do you honestly believe I’d intentionally stay in business with him? Come on Maggie, do you really?”
She felt tears burn her eyes and felt horrible. What burdens did he carry? She looked at him with fresh eyes. He too struggled. But Richard always did it in a way to shelter her. He handled, he dealt, but she couldn’t let him do this anymore. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Look at you.” He grabbed both her arms and ushered her up the steps and into the house. Not once did she fight him as he placed her a few inches from the wall mirror in the dining room. “Do you see those gray circles under your eyes? You’re still tired, and each day you fight your way above water to regain a simple thread of sanity. I watch you. And every day, I see you struggle to not sink back into that pit of nothingness. Two weeks ago, you functioned on pills to get you through the day. Then more pills to put you out of your misery at night. To shut out those voices, judgments, recriminations and doubts, of should’ve, could’ve, or would have done something, anything different that horrible day. You relive the nightmare of our little girl being ripped away over and over again. So much so, you couldn’t even be a mother to Ryley. You existed. You cooked. You cleaned. You went through the motions of the living, but you were dead inside. And you never saw Ryley’s pain or mine. Now why would I tell you my problems when you were oblivious to anyone around you? Come on Maggie, explain it to me. Because I’d really like to know how I could have counted on you to confide in.” He lowered his voice to just above a whisper, and there was no mistaking the punch in his words. “Would you have used it against me?”
She closed her eyes. His warm breath brushed her cheek as he stood behind her and held her tight. “Oh Richard, I’m sorry.” It took every ounce of courage she could muster to raise her eyes and meet the scrutiny reflected back. “You’re right. I was too wrapped up in me. And the ugliness. You brought me out of the darkness. You sat with me. You took over handling everything. Maybe I wasn’t capable of dealing then. But you need to let me in now. I still ache, and that nightmare still finds a way in when I least expect it. But I won’t slip back and hide. I promise you and Ryley. I’m pulling me together. I won’t break, and I need you to be able to trust me and talk to me.”
“You didn’t answer my question. Would you have used it against me?”
Sadness lurked in the deep blue eyes reaching him through the reflection. Tears slid and traced a single path straight down her cheek. “Yes.”
Chapter Twenty-five
“I need to pick up Ryley.” Richard backed up and put distance between them.
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, I need some space.” Hurt and something vulnerable seemed to hover over him. How had she missed it? She grabbed his arm and held tight when he tried to walk away.
“I’m being honest with you, Richard. I was so out of it, I would have used anything as I fought to keep my head above water. It wasn’t intentional. I was in survival mode. And I wanted to hurt you.”
“I guess that’s where you and I differ, Maggie. I would never have considered using that against you.”
“Richard, you played dirty. You cancelled my credit cards. Cleared out the bank account. You took my SUV. I had to fight to get what little I had.”
Richard reached down and lifted her hand off his arm. “I was trying to freeze you up, so you would come home. That was different.”
“No, Richard; maybe in your eyes. But not mine.” He squinted. She was sure he’d respond.
But then his mouth tightened, and he shook his head. He backed away and pushed open the screen door. “I got to go. Ryley’s waiting.”
This time, she didn’t push her case. She stayed right where she was. Richard was intense at times, and he kept all those hidden dark feelings bottled up inside and stashed away in some secret alcove. Their trust, faith, and belief in each other was fractured. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him the truth. Of course he didn’t trust her not to use whatever connection he still had with Dan against him, to get what she deserved in the divorce. And it hurt beyond anything imaginable to have that ugly truth dumped between them. So now what? How could she break through the steel wall and rebuild the trust they once shared?
She wandered through the kitchen and caught sight of a doe grazing in her bed of winter kale. Then a fawn trailed after her. She gazed at Maggie through the window. Those bold brown eyes widened, blinked, and in a flash, she darted back into the forest with her baby. And it was pure instinct when she picked up the phone and punched in the familiar number. It was answered on the first ring.
“Hey, sugar.”
“I think Richard’s in trouble. Dan’s back.” She squeezed the receiver, breathing in the stony silence that rippled across the line.
“Where’s Richard now?”
“He went to get Ryley at school.”
He let out weary sigh. “I’ll come as soon as I can, Maggie.”
“Sam, thank you.”
Chapter Twenty-six
“Great dinner, Mom.”
“Yeah Mom, good job.” Richard winked from where he sat across the table as he shoved a fork full of spaghetti and meatballs into his mouth.
Richard had remained distant when he arrived home with Ryley. He hovered in the background with his son. But now he appeared to have shaken off the unease that had lingered. How’d he do that? Maggie was the opposite; she had a hard time shaking off anything hurtful. Her heart ruled her head, so it was no wonder she struggled to let things go.
“While you g
uys were out having fun, I made blueberry pie for dessert.”
“From scratch?” Richard asked like an excited boy.
“Hmm mmm.” Their eyes appeared to fill with pleasure. After discovering the frozen berries buried in the bottom of the deep freezer, the thought of making one of their favorite pies struck. Now as she thought about it, it was her peace offering. The softness filling Richard’s heavenly blue eyes was a small step in their reconnection. She had to glance away when an awkward feeling of nerves hit, as if she and Richard were dating. So she grabbed her empty plate and started to get up.
“Ryley, come on bud, help me with dishes.” Richard rested a warm hand on her shoulder. “Sit, have some tea, we got this. Then he leaned in and touched her lips with his, leaving Maggie breathless as she sank back in her chair.
A vehicle rumbled down the driveway. Richard lifted his head and wandered to the back door, but Ryley beat him to it.
“Hey Dad, look! It’s Diane.”
“Maggie, did you know Diane was coming?” The way Richard watched her made her think he was suspicious.
“No.”
She pushed away from the table and followed Richard to the door. Diane’s blue SUV parked beside Richard’s truck. She climbed out and waved just as Sam and Marcie came out of the passenger side. Sam reached into the backseat and pulled back out holding Kyla.
“Hey guys. Nice surprise, didn’t know you were coming.” Richard started out the door.
“Richard, how’s it going? We’re completely invading you guys, hope it’s all right.” Marcie sounded a little breathless as she led the way, her long brownish hair hanging in waves over her heavy wool sweater.
Richard wrapped his arm around Maggie’s shoulders and pulled her close to him. She glanced up; Richard’s gaze lingered on hers for a few seconds. The teasing spark there moments ago, vanished.
From the Heart: Romance, Mystery and Suspense a collection for everyone Page 32
