by Judy Duarte
“Thanks, Martin. I have a person of interest, who’ll probably turn out to be the perp. He’s also in custody now. Who’s heading the investigation?”
“Tina Singh.”
“Thanks. I’ll give her a call.” Adam had no idea how he’d tell Eddie and Cassie that their mother was dead. But he owed them the truth. He didn’t want them thinking that she’d abandoned them.
After calling Tina and telling her Brady Thatcher was a person of interest, he called Julie.
When she answered, he told her the news.
“That’s awful.”
“Yes, it is. I’ll have to tell the kids.”
“I know. But maybe you should tell them after Ms. Kincaid’s visit.”
“Good idea. I’ll see you shortly, and we can talk more then.” When the call ended, he focused on the road.
Up ahead, the traffic light turned green, which meant he wouldn’t need to slow down.
Adam had no more than entered the intersection when a Ford Mustang slammed into his Bronco, knocking him side to side. Before he had a chance to assess his injuries, the world went dark.
Minutes later—or had it been hours?—a familiar voice called him out of the fog. “Are you okay, buddy?”
Adam, who no longer sat behind the wheel of his Bronco and now lay on the side of the road, opened his eyes. A female paramedic knelt beside him.
The male voice spoke again. Adam squinted at the hazy figure easing closer. “Who...?”
“Pancho, it’s me. Bullet.”
His old high school buddy. Clay Masters. A Life Flight pilot now. Adam closed his eyes, willing his vision to clear.
“I’m going to fly you to the Brighton Valley Medical Center,” Clay said.
The hospital? Damn. That wasn’t good. “What...happened?”
“You were in an accident,” Clay said. “And it looks like you’ve got a concussion, not to mention a couple of deep cuts and considerable blood loss.”
Adam wiped his palm across his sweaty brow, only to find his hand covered in blood.
His head ached like a son of a gun, and he had a hard time focusing. Still, he reached into his pocket, removed his cell, used his fingerprint to unlock it and handed it to his old high school friend. “Call Julie.”
“Who’s that?”
“She’s...” Adam took a deep breath, then blew it out. “She’s my...wife.”
“Damn,” Clay said. “This isn’t good. He’s hallucinating.”
Adam had no idea who Clay was talking to. A paramedic, he supposed. But he didn’t dare open his eyes, since that only made his head hurt worse.
“It’s complicated,” he told his buddy. “Just give her a call. Her contact info is in my phone. Let her know what happened.”
“Will do.”
“Tell her to take my dog to her house.”
“You have a dog? I can’t believe it.”
“I joined the ranks of people who have fur babies. I’ll have to introduce you to Biscuit someday.”
Clay laughed. “You’ve gone whackadoodle.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Adam grimaced. “Give Julie my address. And tell her where I hide the spare house key.”
“Are you sure?” Clay asked. “I mean, you’ve got a head injury and may not be able to think clearly.”
“I’ve given things a lot more thought than you’ll ever know.” And it had taken a head injury to shake the truth loose.
“Believe me, buddy, I know what I’m doing.”
“Boy, you really do have it bad.” Clay chuckled.
“Thanks,” Adam said before drifting out again.
* * *
Adam’s news about the kids’ mother had not only surprised and saddened Julie, but it had convinced her that they were still a team, even if their marriage was fake. Instead of regretting she’d agreed to go with him to the ranch, she actually looked forward to it.
He’d said he would see her shortly, but forty-five minutes later, she hadn’t seen nor heard from Adam. He’d probably gotten tied up with something or other, so she didn’t stress about it until one hour stretched into two.
She reached for her cell phone to give him a call, but before she could get that far, it rang on its own, and she nearly dropped it on the floor. She fumbled to answer it and didn’t take time to check the display. “Hello?”
“Julie?”
“Yes...?”
“I’m Clay Masters, a friend of Adam’s. He’s going to be okay, but he was in a car accident earlier this afternoon and is in the hospital.”
“Oh, no.” Her knees nearly buckled, and she placed a hand over her chest.
“Like I said, he’ll be all right. He’s got some lacerations, which the doctor stitched up, and a bad concussion. The doctor wants to keep him a couple of nights because of the head trauma. But it’s just a precaution.”
Julie’s head spun at the thought of Adam’s injuries requiring a hospital stay.
“Are you okay?” Clay asked, concern in his tone.
She shook off her stunned reaction. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I... Where is he?”
“At the Brighton Valley Medical Center. He wants you to pick up his dog and take care of it for him.”
“Of course,” Julie said.
“He’s sorry that he can’t take the kids to the ranch today and wants you to give them his apologies. He promises he’ll reschedule as soon as he can.”
“That’s all right,” she said. “The kids will understand.”
“I already contacted Matt, and let him know that Adam will reschedule—possibly next weekend.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that. I’ll let the kids know and then bring Biscuit here.”
“Good. I’ll let him know you’ve got things under control.”
Did she?
Her heart was pounding like a bass drum, and the walls seemed to be closing in on her. Just last night she’d been hurt and angry, and this morning she’d been resigned to reality. But now, fear shoved everything else aside.
Clay said Adam would be okay, but she wanted to see for herself. But first things first.
She went to the living room, where the kids were watching television. “Hey, guys. I need to talk to you. Let’s turn off the TV, okay?”
As soon as they did as she told them, they turned to her, eyes wide.
“I’m afraid we won’t be able to go to the ranch today. Adam was in a car accident.”
Both kids gasped, clearly surprised to learn why he was late in returning. Tears welled in Cassie’s eyes, and her lip quivered.
“Don’t worry,” Julie said, trying her best to be upbeat. “He’s not hurt badly. And he wanted you to know that he’ll take you to the ranch next week.”
“Do we have to go back to Kidville now?” Eddie asked.
“Yes, but only because I want to talk to Adam’s doctor and see if there are any...special things I need to do for him.”
“You promise?” Cassie asked. “He’s going to be okay?”
“Yes, I promise.” Julie hoped Clay had told her the truth, that Adam would recover. Otherwise...
No, he was going to be fine. And so would she. Learning that he’d been injured, that he might have been killed put everything in perspective.
Last night, she’d been hurt to think that he was looking forward to the annulment, but he really hadn’t said that. She’d made something out of nothing. And after a second glass of wine, she hadn’t been thinking clearly.
Somehow, she’d set things to right as soon as they had time to talk. She grabbed her purse, locked the house and took the kids to her car. Once she was on the road, she called Kidville and told Jim Hoffman about the accident.
“Oh, no,” Jim said. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“The kids are disappointed, but they
understand. I told them we’d reschedule the trip to the ranch.” Julie bit down on her lip as a new plan took shape. “Would you mind if I picked them up after I check on Adam? They can spend the night with me again—if that’s okay with you.”
“I’m sure they’d like that.”
“Great.” That also meant the kids would be at her house during Ms. Kincaid’s visit, although that’s not why she wanted to bring them home. She wanted them to all be together while Adam was in the hospital.
After arriving at Kidville Julie took Eddie and Cassie to the office, where the Hoffmans greeted them.
“When you see Adam,” Jim said, “give him our best.”
“I will.”
Once Julie got back in the car, she set her GPS with Adam’s address. Just having a purpose put her back in control. And knowing that she was doing something helpful calmed her fears.
Twenty minutes later, she drove down a quiet, tree-shaded lane and parked in front of the address she’d been given. She studied the green stucco house with white trim. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. A bachelor pad, she supposed. Not a typical home in a family neighborhood.
She left her car unlocked, figuring it wasn’t necessary in this part of town, especially when she wouldn’t be inside very long. She’d have to leave Biscuit here for a while, but after she visited Adam in the hospital, she’d return for the dog and take her home.
Using Adam’s key, she opened the front door and the dog barked.
“It’s only me, sweetie. Don’t worry, I’m not a prowler.”
As if recognizing her voice, Biscuit rushed to greet her, tail wagging.
“How are you doing?” Julie asked as she bent to give the dog a head rub. “Did you think we forgot you?”
Biscuit wiggled her back end, clearly happy to see someone she knew.
After giving the dog a belly rub, Julie wandered around the living room, noting the masculine decor—a brown leather sofa, dark wood furniture, a bookshelf with novels by Tom Clancy, John Grisham and Stephen King.
She proceeded to the kitchen to give Biscuit fresh water and food. Once the dog’s bowls had been replenished, she scanned the cooking area, which didn’t appear to be used as such. A coffee maker was the only small appliance on the countertop.
The telephone, a notepad and the old-style answering machine sat on a desk in the corner, its light flashing to indicate Adam had messages. She’d no more than turned away when the telephone rang. After the third ring, the answering machine kicked on.
Julie wouldn’t have given the call any thought. Adam could check the message when he got home, until a woman’s voice sounded, recording a message.
“Hi, Adam. It’s Lisa, returning your call. You asked me to give you a few dates so we can get together for dinner—or whatever.” She paused, then let out a little giggle. “Anyway, my flight was canceled, so I’m free on Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings this week. I’m really looking forward to seeing you. You have my number. Give me a call.”
Julie’s gut clenched, and she returned to the desk, where someone—obviously Adam—had sketched out the name Lisa, followed by a local telephone number.
Apparently, Lisa was returning Adam’s call, which sounded as if it had been recent.
The night of the costume party, Adam had mistaken Julie for a woman named Lisa and had whisked her onto the dance floor. Was the caller the same Lisa?
She had to be, and if so, he’d been seeing her all along. The realization crushed her. Her throat tightened to the point it hurt to breathe, and her chest ached. She placed her hand on the edge of the desk to steady herself as her brain took in the unexpected, heart-rattling information. Adam wasn’t the kind of guy she’d thought he was.
She’d been right when she’d assessed him as a player. So why had he married her?
For the kids’ sake. Just like he’d said all along. He’d never suggested their marriage would ever last. Julie had been the one to hope it could become real.
She’d been charmed, swept off her feet, but he never had anything romantic in mind. Other than a stupid honeymoon, which would be fake, too.
And like a fool, Julie had believed every line he’d given her.
I’ve learned that it’s better to be honest. It makes the story you tell easier to remember.
Yeah, right. And she’d fallen for that line of BS, just like every other one he’d told her. But she wasn’t going to fall for his lies again.
Tears welled in her eyes while a seed of anger built inside her like Jack’s beanstalk, shoving the pain aside as it continued to grow.
She’d been naive, and she was hurt. But she only had herself to blame for believing Adam was husband material.
Once Ms. Kincaid approved of the home Julie had created for the kids, Julie would demand that annulment as soon as possible.
Chapter Twelve
Adam stayed in the hospital for three days. He’d expected Julie to visit him on at least one of those, but she never showed up.
He’d been tempted to call her several times, but he hadn’t wanted her to think he was needy, even if he’d really wanted to see her. Or at least hear her voice.
She probably hadn’t wanted to bother him while he was recuperating. And on top of that, he’d figured that she’d gotten caught up with the social worker’s visit. Still, he’d played a big part in getting her house ready, so he’d assumed she would have called or sent him a text to tell him how things had gone.
He hadn’t wanted to bother any of his friends by asking one of them for a ride home. Matt was tied up with a lot of rodeo promo this week, and Clay was on duty. So he’d taken an Uber to his house. He’d been tempted to provide her address to the driver instead of his, because he would have preferred to have continued his recovery there. But he wouldn’t show up uninvited. Besides, he usually liked to be alone when he wasn’t feeling up to speed.
But when he opened the front door and stepped into the living room, silence slammed into him. No barks. No whines.
No Julie.
She’d obviously taken Biscuit to her house, like he’d asked her to. And sure enough, when he entered the kitchen, the dog’s water and food bowls were gone. In their place was the key to his house—and a note.
I have the dog.
Julie
That was it? No sentiment whatsoever?
He whipped out his cell and placed the call he’d been wanting to make for days. They might have a fake marriage, but didn’t she owe him...something?
An explanation?
A How are you feeling?
Physically, better. Thanks for asking. But emotionally, I’m a freaking train wreck.
Rather than act hurt—which he hated to admit he was—when Julie answered, Adam opened the conversation lightheartedly. “Don’t pay the ransom, honey. I escaped.”
She didn’t laugh.
Okay, so she didn’t find his attempt at humor funny. He tried another tact. “How’d things go with Ms. Kincaid?”
“Better than expected. She’s going to send in her report recommending that Eddie and Cassie live with me.”
That was great. But why didn’t she sound the least bit happy?
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing that a quick annulment won’t fix.”
He stiffened. Where in the hell had that come from?
Okay. He’d been the one to suggest a fake marriage, followed by an annulment. And he’d had every intention of following through. But why so quick? He’d actually gotten used to the idea of spending more time with her and the kids. Not less.
But it wasn’t just the “quick” part that bothered him. Her response and her tone blew him away. Something was definitely off.
“Don’t you think we should hold off on the annulment?” he asked.
“Only until Friday afternoo
n, the day after Ms. Kincaid officially retires.”
Her snappy response knocked him further off stride. “Okay, Julie. Let’s back up and start over. I’ll be damned if I know why you’re so mad. Just lay it on the table so we can deal with it.”
“Check your answering machine. And your notepad.” At that, she hung up, leaving him stunned. And speechless.
Damn. Had she listened to his recorded messages while she’d been at his house? If so, it served her right for being so damned snoopy.
He strode to Stan’s answering machine, the light blinking. He pushed the play button.
“You have one new message and one saved message.” Beep.
He knew what the saved message said. And if the other one was new, she hadn’t listened to it yet. Or else someone called while she was here and she’d overheard it. That had to be it. And it had really set her off.
“Hi, Adam. It’s Lisa, returning your call. You asked me to give you a few dates so we can get together for dinner—or whatever.” She giggled, and the sound rolled around his stomach like a rock. “Anyway, my flight was cancelled, so I’m free on Monday, Thursday and Friday evenings next week. I’m really looking forward to getting together. You have my number. Give me a call.”
Adam glanced at the notepad, where he’d written her name and number.
Okay, so now he knew why Julie was angry. What should he do about it?
His first inclination was to be grateful that his privacy and independence would stay intact. Instead, loneliness settled over him like a dark rain cloud threatening to drench him to the bone.
He deleted Lisa’s message, wishing he hadn’t felt the need to return her call in the first place. Then, like he usually did whenever he felt stumped or uneasy, he played Stan’s message.
“Hey, Adam. I won’t be home tonight. I’m going to take Darlene on the town. That gal might be the one woman in the world who can change this ol’ bachelor’s mind about commitments.
“Yeah, yeah. You think I’m going soft. Believe it or not, I went the first fifty years of my life without getting roped into marriage, but then I met Darlene, and I actually like the idea of spending the rest of my life with her. Maybe it’s time for you to find your Darlene, too.”
