Keeping Katie (A Mother's Heart #1) (23 page)

Alan smiled. Ned’s mother
would
be angry if she knew her son had just revealed her secret—even though it was really no secret at all.

“But what about young women?” he persisted. “Those who
aren’t
trying to be blondes. Why do they do it?”

“Beats me.” Ned shrugged. “Maybe they just don’t like their real color.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” Alan shifted and stared off into the distance.
Or maybe she’s running from something.
After a few minutes, he said, “Thanks, Ned. You go on and make sure Bud doesn’t decide to head back into town.”

Ned looked ready to ask another question but nodded instead. “Sure, Sheriff.”

“I’ll be at the station if you need me.”

Alan made his way over to his office. Inside, he tossed his hat aside and lowered himself into the chair behind his desk. Propping his feet on an open drawer, he leaned back and tried to decide what to do.

Maureen Adams. He wondered if that was even her name.
Don’t be an idiot!
Of course it wasn’t her real name. So he might as well forget about calling Chicago and trying to locate some lawyer named Adams who just might be her father. Hell, maybe that was a lie, too. No, he thought, that little piece of information had been an unintentional slip of truth. He’d have bet his badge on it. And the dead husband? Unless she was a hell of an actress, that was true, as well.

So what else was she lying about? Her hair color. Hadn’t he spotted that on day one? Hadn’t he noticed a lot of things that first day, things he’d sort of pushed aside because he didn’t want to look too hard? Like the fact that she didn’t move like any down-and-out drifter he’d ever seen.

“Damn!” he said, dropping his feet to the floor.

Glancing at his phone, he thought of his friend Mac Credal at the Seattle Police Department. One call would be all it would take. “Hey, Mac, it’s me, Alan Parks. You know that favor you owe me …” A description of Maureen and Katie would go out on the wire within the hour, and he’d bet he’d know all he needed to know by the end of the day.

Then what?

Shoving a hand through his hair, he leaned back in his chair again. He couldn’t do it. Not yet. Not without giving her a chance to explain. After all, it might not be the law she was running from. Maybe an ex-husband or an abusive boyfriend. Yeah. That could be it. Just because the lady was running didn’t mean she was running from the law.

Then why the hell hasn’t she come clean with you, Parks?

The question leapt at him from nowhere. He tried ridding himself of it, yanking it from his back and tossing it aside. But it dug its claws in deeper and held on, eating at him, so that by the time he arrived at Rita’s after dinner, he felt as surly as a wolf nursing an injured paw.

Maureen knew Alan was upset, and sooner or later he’d come demanding an explanation. She’d kept her visits to Tommy a secret because she knew Alan wouldn’t approve. In fact, she was sure he would have tried to stop her.

Her headache grew worse as the day wore on, and the crowd at the diner refused to let up. She’d never been happier to see two o’clock come around, when she could finally leave for the day. As she left the diner, she almost expected Alan to be waiting for her. Thankfully, she made it back to Rita’s without seeing him.

All she wanted was a few aspirins—three or four at least—a cool shower and a nap. But there was Katie to think about. So she settled for the painkillers and headed to the playground with her daughter.

As they passed Alan’s office, she noticed him standing at the window. She expected him to follow them. He had a way of cornering her when Katie was around, so she figured this time wouldn’t be any different. But he didn’t show, and instead of making her feel better, his absence made her feel worse.

Later, she told Rita about the incident. The older woman patted her hand and told her not to worry. Alan angered quickly—that was like him—but his anger was also quick to cool. Maureen would, of course, have to stop going out to see the boy.

For the first time all day, Maureen thought of Tommy’s situation and immediately felt a rush of guilt. How had Bud found out about her visits? Had he found out about the deer? Tommy’s reasons for keeping the deer secret remained a mystery to her, but she knew for certain that the boy’s father was a big part of it. If Bud had been angry enough to come into town and threaten her, what had he done to his son? No matter what happened with Alan, she needed to make sure that Bud hadn’t taken his anger out on Tommy.

She and Rita were just finishing the after-dinner cleanup when someone knocked on the back door. Maureen nearly dropped the plate she’d been drying.

Tossing her a reassuring smile, Rita opened the door. “Why, Alan,” she said, stepping back to let him enter. “We expected you for dinner.”

“Sorry.” Removing his hat, he stepped into the kitchen.

“Is something the matter?” Rita asked, her voice laced with innocence.

He shifted his gaze to Maureen. If anything, his mood had deteriorated. “Rita,” he said, “do you mind watching Katie for a few minutes? I need to talk to her mother.”

Rita glanced quickly at Maureen. “Of course.” When Rita looked back at Alan, Maureen wondered if she, too, saw the simmering anger behind his eyes. “Katie and I will be in the living room.” Then, turning to Maureen, she added, “If you need me.” She leveled a warning look at her nephew and left the room.

Neither of them spoke at first. Maureen finished drying the plate she’d been holding and set it on the stack of clean dishes. She took her time putting them into the cupboard and then folding the dish towel on the rack.

“Are you through?” Alan asked, irritation and impatience evident in his voice.

“Yes.” Not daring to meet his eyes, she nodded and glanced around the kitchen. “I think so.”

“Good.” Alan moved toward the door and held it open. “Let’s go out back then.”

Maureen took a deep breath and walked out onto the back porch. It was still light, but the day had settled and the sights and sounds of evening filled her senses. Too bad she wasn’t going to be able to enjoy them.

Alan closed the door behind them and moved to stand by the rail with his back to her. Bracing herself, Maureen decided to take the offensive. “Is this an official visit, Sheriff?”

He spun around, and she wished she’d held her tongue. His eyes sparked and his voice dripped with annoyance. “We could make it official. If that’s what you want.”

Maureen looked up at him for a moment, then shook her head in resignation. There was no point making this any harder than necessary. “No.”

He took a step toward her. “Then how about telling me just what the hell you think you were doing out at the Simmons place?”

“What a silly question.” Maureen threw up her hands in exasperation and moved away from him. “You sound just like Bud.”

“I’m not Bud.” He followed her across the porch, coming close enough to pin her against the railing. “And I deserve an answer. What were you doing out there?”

“Okay. Okay.” Alan’s closeness accomplished what Bud’s size had failed to do. She felt small and defenseless, and unwilling to defy this man any further. “I wasn’t doing anything. I simply befriended a young boy.”

“Bud Simmons’s boy.”

“That’s right.” She lifted her chin in a silent gesture of defiance. “I wasn’t aware that was against the law.”

“Damn it, Maureen.” Dropping his hands to his hips, Alan stepped away from her. “You know the situation out there.”

“No, I don’t. Or at least, I didn’t.” She crossed her arms and moved farther away from him. “All I knew was what you told me—which didn’t agree with what I’d seen.”

“You thought Bud was abusing his boys.”

“Yes!” She shot him another defiant look. “Tommy was so painfully shy and so afraid of … something.”

“But I told you—”

“I know what you told me,” she snapped. Then, almost apologetically, she added, “I needed to see for myself.”

Alan shook his head and turned away. “So, do you believe me now?”

She looked away guiltily. “Yes. Though I still don’t know why he’s so afraid.”

Shifting to lean against one of the roof supports, Alan half sat on the railing, leaving one foot firmly anchored on the floor. “So is that why you kept going out there?” The hard edge of anger had disappeared from his voice, but she sensed it, just below the surface, ready to emerge again at a moment’s notice. “Because you couldn’t figure out what Tommy was afraid of?”

“Yes.” She met his gaze. “And there was something else he needed my help with.”

Alan raised a questioning eyebrow.

“There was this deer.” Even now, she felt guilty revealing Tommy’s secret. But she figured Bud had already found out about the animal, and it might smooth things with Alan if she told him the whole story.

“A deer?” Pulling off his hat, he ran a hand through his hair.

She moved up to lean against the railing next to him. “The day we went to Seattle, I found Tommy in the barn. He was nursing a wounded deer.”

Alan frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“Tommy asked me not to.”

Alan didn’t say anything for a few moments, but just stared out at the woods bordering Rita’s backyard. Then he turned to her and asked, “How was the animal hurt?”

“His leg. It was broken and pretty badly chewed up—”

“No. I mean how was it hurt? What caused it?”

“Tommy said it was a trap.”

Surprise registered on his face. “A trap?”

“I didn’t see it, but that’s what he said.” She shrugged. “Why? What difference does it make?”

Alan shook his head. “That’s why Bud was so riled up. He’s using traps for big game.”

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s not trapping season. And even if it were, trapping big game like deer is illegal.”

“But Tommy said the trap wasn’t meant for the deer.”

“Maybe not, but if the trap was big enough to break that animal’s leg, my guess is that Bud isn’t after small game. He’s probably using old illegal traps, as well.” Slipping off his perch, he turned to rest both hands on the wood railing. “Damn!”

Maureen didn’t know what to say. Bud’s ravings in town today suddenly made much more sense. He’d been afraid she knew about his illegal hunting activities. If only he knew the mistake he’d made. She didn’t know the first thing about hunting of any kind. If he’d only kept his cool, Alan wouldn’t be standing here considering what to do about it.

Suddenly, she was more afraid than ever for Tommy. Over the last several weeks, she’d come to the conclusion that Bud didn’t beat his boys. But he was a violent, unpredictable man. And if he’d found out about her and the deer …

“Alan.” She moved up beside him and placed a hand on his arm. “I have to go out there again.”

“Forget it.” His eyes darkened, warning her that his anger stirred close to the surface. “You were trying to help Tommy, but it’s over now. Things have taken on a whole new flavor here. You can’t go out there again.”

“But I have to.” She tightened her hold on his arm, begging him to understand.
I have to make sure Tommy’s safe.

“Maureen …” The muscles under her hand bunched, his voice threatened, but she chose to ignore both warnings.

“Once more. I promised him. And I won’t break that promise.” She turned and started to walk away.

Before she knew what was happening, Alan grabbed her and spun her around. Taking hold of her upper arms, he pulled her against his chest, trapping her hands between them. “No! I won’t let you.”

She should have been furious. There was nothing gentle about him—not the look in his dark eyes nor the hands gripping her arms. She should have resented his tone of voice, hated his attitude. Not even her father dared treat her like this. She should have slapped his face, or at least demand that he unhand her. She didn’t do either. Instead, she held her breath, wondering if he could hear the pounding of her heart.

She felt the shift within him as his temper gave way to something else. His eyes warmed, hunger replacing anger. His hands gentled, stroking, working their way to her waist, where they pulled her even closer.

It felt like coming home. As if she’d been away and finally arrived back where she belonged. For two months, she’d pretended not to want this, trying to forget how good it felt to be in his arms. Now she knew it had all been for nothing. She would never be able to forget. She loved him.

Slipping her arms around his neck, she lifted her face to his. He accepted her offer, lightly grazing her lips with his own. It was like touching a match to dry kindling. The bridled flame between them ignited, and the gentle touching of lips became a blaze of longing and desire.

Alan had dreamed about this far too long to resist. Soft, demanding lips met his. Low, urgent moans echoed her desire for him. He reveled in the feel of her slender body curved next to his and imagined her soft skin, fevered with wanting, beneath the fabric of her shirt. Without thinking, he yanked her blouse from the waistband of her jeans, wanting to feel …

Suddenly, he stopped himself. Ending the kiss, he pulled back enough to see her face. He couldn’t quite bring himself to let her out of his arms. “This isn’t a good idea, Maureen.”