Slade's Secret Son (6 page)

It was late evening when they arrived in Dayton. Both tired, they opted to grab dinner at a fast-food restaurant, then checked into the first respectable-looking motel they saw. As soon as they settled in their room, Lisa called the ranch to check on her family.

It was earlier in Texas and she heard Andy laughing in the background when Slade’s mother answered the phone.

His voice grew nearer as her mother came to the phone and the longing to hold him in her arms grew intense. “There’s someone here who wants to talk to you,” Helen said, laughter in her voice.

“Pon-ney. Meee. Ri-idee,” the toddler garbled excitedly when Helen put him on the phone. “Coowbooy. Meee.”

Lisa hadn’t ridden since she was in her early teens, and the mother in her panicked. Andy was just a toddler. His legs wouldn’t even reach around a pony. Her mind flashed back to the times she’d fallen. There had only been two and she hadn’t been injured except for her pride and a small amount of bruising, still the possibility of serious injury had existed. Not wanting to alarm Andy, she hid her concern until her mother came back on the line.

“They have a child-size saddle and Andy’s only allowed to ride in the corral with Jess walking on one side
keeping a hand on him while one of the ranch hands walks on the other,” Helen assured her.

Still, Lisa remained apprehensive.

When she handed the phone to Slade, he spoke first to Andy and then to Jess. As he went through a checklist of safety precautions with his brother, Lisa realized that he was as concerned for their son’s safety as she was.

“Thanks,” she said when he hung up.

Slade raised a questioning eyebrow.

“For making certain Jess was being very careful with Andy,” she elaborated.

“He’s my son, too. I don’t want to see him injured.”

She heard the irritation in his voice and knew he was angry with her for thinking he wouldn’t be concerned. “I just figured that you’d be so proud Jess was making a cowboy out of him that you wouldn’t consider the danger,” she said to defend herself. She meant to stop there, but something that had always concerned her about his behavior insisted on being said. “You disregard danger to yourself.”

He scowled. “I always know what I’m doing.”

“I think that’s what used to frighten me most. You did always know what you were doing.” Deep inside the pain he’d caused her in the past came back as intense as ever. “I used to wonder if you placed yourself in harm’s way because you wanted to join Claudette so badly you were willing to die to accomplish that aim.”

“I was just doing my job. That’s what lawmen do…put their lives on the line.”

She met his gaze. “That time you didn’t wait for backup and went in after that drug dealer yourself was putting your life way over the line. Then there was that bank robbery with hostages when you walked right in and offered yourself to the robbers in place of hostages.”

“I didn’t want the drug dealer getting away. As for the hostages, I figured it was my job to do what I could to save them.”

He’d given her the same reasons at the time the incidents had occurred. She hadn’t bought them then and she wasn’t buying them now. The only difference was, at that time, she hadn’t voiced her opinion that Claudette had anything to do with his behavior. She hadn’t wanted to accept the fact that Claudette’s hold on him was that strong. Frustration swept through her. “You’re a stubborn, hardheaded fool, who’d rather live in the past than face the future.” Without giving him a chance to respond, she stalked into the bathroom to take a shower.

Slade sat staring at the closed door between them. He recalled how angry she’d been with him following the drug bust. She’d been working on the drug enforcement task force with him and had been in one of the backup units that had responded to his call. When the units arrived and the officers discovered that he had gone in singlehandedly and taken the five people inside into custody, they had accepted his actions without comment. Lisa, on the other hand, had taken him aside and told him just what an idiot she’d thought he was.

That was when he’d asked her out on their first date. He’d liked her spunk. He knew some of the others had to be thinking the same thing, but she had been the only one who’d had the nerve to say it.

He also recalled the very last time they’d spoken before she left Lubbock. He’d been surprised when she’d showed up at his door. She’d been avoiding him since their final date. She’d refused his invitation to come inside. Instead she’d said stiffly, “I’ve just come by to say something I feel needs to be said. If Claudette loved you as much as you love her, she wouldn’t want you throwing
away your life by taking unnecessary chances.” Then she’d walked away and he hadn’t seen her again until she’d showed up at his home to tell him about his son.

So maybe he had been a little cavalier about his life, but she was wrong about his motives.

Lisa came out of the bathroom to find Slade where she’d left him.

“I don’t have a death wish,” he said. “I’ll admit that maybe I take risks, but they’re always calculated risks. I’ve always been that way. I was that way when Claudette was alive.”

Lisa had heard other officers say that Slade had always been a risk-taker, but she’d assumed that behavior had started after his wife had died. Finding out that Claudette wasn’t the reason for his dare-devil behavior was a relief. But it was short-lived. “So you’re saying that you were born foolish.”

Slade grinned crookedly. “Guess so.”

He looked so boyishly appealing, her heart skipped a beat. Silently she cursed. She was a practical, level-headed woman. How could she have allowed herself to fall in love with a man who was bound to a ghost and had a reckless streak, as well?
“Being in love” was in the past
, she assured herself. She’d gotten over him and she would not allow herself to fall back into that dismal pit of pain and frustration.

“And I’m not the only one who took chances.” Recalling some of her behavior, his expression became serious. “You gave me a few white hairs with some of your antics.”

“I was never as oblivious to danger as you were,” she returned curtly. Refusing to get into a one-upmanship battle with him, she said a sharp, “Good night,” then climbed into bed and went to sleep.

T
he next morning they knocked on the Montgomerys’ door at nine.

A woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties answered.

“I’m Lisa Gray,” Lisa introduced herself. “And this is Slade Logan. We need to speak to Miss Isabelle Montgomery.”

The woman’s gaze focused on Slade’s badge. “Why would a Texas Ranger want to speak to my daughter?”

“Mom, who’s at the door?” a woman’s voice sounded from down the hall. It was accompanied by footsteps coming their way.

“These people want to talk to you,” the older woman said as a younger version of herself joined them at the door.

Isabelle’s gaze skimmed over Lisa and focused on Slade, traveling from his gun to his badge. “You’re a Texas Ranger? What are you doing in Ohio?”

“That’s what we’d like to talk to you about,” Slade replied in an easy drawl.

“I don’t know anybody in Texas.”

Lisa moved so that she was between Slade and Isabelle. “I’m a private investigator from Seattle and I was hired by Henry Ogden to investigate you.”

Isabelle frowned. “I don’t understand. I called off the engagement.” Her expression turned dry. “I can’t believe he continued to have me investigated.”

“He didn’t.”

“If you’ve tracked me down to tell me that he’s sorry. Forget it.”

“That’s not why we’re here,” Slade said.

Isabelle’s gaze moved back to his badge. “No. I guess it wouldn’t be. Texas Rangers don’t usually make house calls for the lovelorn.” Suddenly cynical amusement sparkled in her eyes. “So did it turn out that Henry had something to hide?” The amused gleam increased. “It must be something big if the Texas authorities have sent a Ranger all the way to Ohio just to interview me.”

“Could we speak in private?” Lisa requested.

“Yes. Sure.” Isabelle motioned them inside.

“Would you like some coffee?” Mrs. Montgomery offered.

“No, thanks,” both Lisa and Slade spoke in unison.

The woman’s lips pursed in an expression of dislike. “I knew that Ogden man was a bad apple. Having my daughter investigated…who did he think he was?” Having had her say, Mrs. Montgomery headed down the hall.

The way Margaret spoke, made it apparent to Lisa that Isabelle had told her mother about Henry hiring a private detective. It was also apparent that Margaret wasn’t worried about her daughter having anything to hide.
But then
,
children don’t always tell their parents everything
, she reminded herself.

Isabelle guided them into the living room. “So what kind of trouble is dear Henry in?”

“He’s not.” It was Lisa who spoke as she and Isabelle seated themselves.

Slade didn’t sit. Instead he moved to a corner of the room, a short distance from the women, and leaned against the wall in a relaxed pose.

Lisa knew his easy manner was merely for show.

The amusement Isabelle had been exhibiting vanished as her gaze traveled from Lisa to Slade, then back to Lisa, “What’s going on?”

“Someone has tried twice to kill me in the past three weeks,” Lisa said bluntly.

Isabelle stared. “Kill you?”

Lisa noted that the woman seemed genuinely stunned.

“I don’t understand. Why are you here?” Again the cynical expression returned to her face. “You think Henry had something to do with it?”

“No.” It was Slade who spoke.

Shock and fear mingled in Isabelle’s features, followed by indignation as her gaze swung back to Lisa. “You can’t possibly think I had something to do with that? Why in the world would I want to kill you?”

“You found out I was investigating you and there is something you wanted to make certain I didn’t find out.”

“That’s absurd.”

“So where were you…” Lisa named the date of the first attack on her.

“What day of the week was that?”

“Wednesday.”

“What time?”

“Ten a.m.”

“Then I was at work.”

“And where were you two days ago?”

“I was in St. Louis, visiting a friend.”

“I’ll need the name and address of the friend.”

“How dare you come into my house and make such a ridiculous accusation against my daughter.” Mrs. Montgomery strode into the room, her face red with rage. Reaching her daughter’s side, she wound an arm protectively around the younger woman’s shoulders.

Slade straightened into a more alert stance.

Lisa stood her ground. “She left Seattle in a hurry. I want to know why.”

“Because the man I thought loved me, didn’t trust me.”

“People break up all the time. But most don’t quit their jobs and move halfway across the country. That requires a very good reason.”

“I was disillusioned. I knew his grandmother didn’t like me. She didn’t think I was good enough for him. When I found out about the investigation, I knew she was the one who’d put him up to it. But what hurt most was that he’d gone along with her. That was when I finally admitted to myself how strong a hold she had on him and I knew she’d make my life miserable if I went through with the wedding. So I decided to call the whole thing off, come home and get a fresh start.”

“Considering how easily Mr. Ogden accepted your decision, I’d say you did the right thing.” As she spoke Lisa’s mind again flashed back to how easily Slade had accepted her departure. The protective shield she’d been erecting around her heart grew stronger.

Slade caught the subtle glance Lisa cast in his direction and knew the wall she was building between them was getting thicker. So maybe that was just as well. If they
stayed together, eventually she’d want an emotional commitment and that was something he wasn’t willing to give.

“That’s exactly right.” It was Mrs. Montgomery who spoke. “My daughter is a smart woman with good instincts. She knows when to get out of a bad situation. Besides, I wanted her to come home. I’d been asking her to. Since she left, I’ve been very lonely.”

Lisa’s attention jerked to the mother. Something wasn’t right. From her arrival here, she’d sensed a closeness between mother and daughter she hadn’t expected. Less than six months after her father died, Isabelle had quit a job in Dayton where she’d had a managerial position and moved to Seattle to begin again. Lisa had assumed this was Isabelle’s way of breaking away from a mother she didn’t get along with. But that didn’t seem to be the case. Lisa returned her attention to Isabelle. “So why did you go to Seattle in the first place?”

“I wanted a change of scenery. I felt like my life was in a rut.”

Lisa didn’t buy that explanation, either. “You could have simply gone on a vacation. It’s obvious you and your mother are close. I find it very peculiar that you would up and leave her on her own so soon after your father’s death.”

Mrs. Montgomery glared at her. “My daughter’s reason for going to Seattle was personal. She had nothing to do with any attempts made on your life and that’s all you need to know.”

“I’d wager the homestead that you and your daughter are hiding something.” Slade spoke in an easy drawl, but as soft as it was, it carried a warning to not mess with him. “And, it could be that she had nothing to do with the attempts on Lisa’s life. However, if what you’re hiding
involves someone else, it’s possible that person could be responsible. We want the whole truth. Either you tell us, or we’ll find out on our own.”

Isabelle’s jaw hardened and both women remained mute.

So they are protecting someone
. “I’ll start with your phone records and talk to everyone you’ve spoken to in the past year,” Lisa said.

“I have a right to my privacy,” Isabelle snapped.

“Not if your ‘privacy’ involves getting an innocent woman murdered,” Slade growled.

“I swear to you, my private life had nothing to do with the attempts on Miss Gray,” Isabelle insisted.

“I have to insist on us being the ones to determine that,” Slade returned.

A look passed between mother and daughter. They were clearly not happy. Isabelle turned back to Lisa and Slade. “I want your promise that you will keep what I tell you confidential.”

“As long as we are assured it has nothing to do with the attempts on Lisa’s life,” Slade stipulated.

Isabelle continued to hesitate, her discomfort obvious.

In the end, it was Mrs. Montgomery who spoke. “After Peter died, I felt compelled to tell Isabelle the truth. He was so good to me and her that while he was alive it didn’t seem right to say anything. She could not have had a better father.” Mrs. Montgomery fell silent.

“But he wasn’t my biological father,” Isabelle said what her mother was having trouble saying.

Mrs. Montgomery nodded, then her shoulders stiffened defensively. “From the beginning, before we exchanged vows, he knew the truth, but we never told Isabelle. After I saw one of those shows about people who needed to know their true family’s medical history, I wrote everything
out in a letter to Isabelle and put the letter in my safe-deposit box. Peter knew it was there. If anything had happened to me, he would have given it to her if it had become necessary. She would have found it after we were both gone.” The mother looked to her daughter. “I know it would have been a shock under those circumstances, but I really didn’t know how else to handle it.”

Isabelle slipped her arm around her mother’s waist. “I understand.”

“So after your husband died, you decided to tell your daughter the truth.” Lisa brought the conversation back to the point she was most interested in.

Mrs. Montgomery’s gaze shifted back to Lisa. “Yes. Her father was—is a man by the name of Bruce Price-man. He and I were high school sweethearts. The summer after we graduated, we quarreled, he joined the army and left. He’d been gone about a month when I realized I was pregnant. I was working at Peter Montgomery’s hardware store. Peter was twenty-five years my senior, widowed with no children. He was the kindest man I ever knew. I couldn’t tell my parents. Peter found me crying in the stockroom and I told him. His first suggestion was that I write to Bruce. He was sure Bruce would do the honorable thing. But I had my pride. He hadn’t written, called or made any attempt to contact me since he’d left.”

The strain of telling her story was showing on Mrs. Montgomery’s face. She sank into a nearby chair. “Peter’s next solution was for me to marry him and let him claim the baby. There was some gossip, but Peter was so proud of Isabelle and so good to me and I did care for him, that the gossip faded and people accepted our marriage as a good thing.”

Again Mrs. Montgomery paused, then continued. “Bruce came home after a year. He knew about the marriage
and the baby and had figured out that Isabelle was probably his. He hadn’t come to claim us, he’d only come to make certain we were all right. I suppose he would have taken us with him if we’d been unhappy, but we weren’t. And, it was obvious that he was relieved. He even told me so. He said he wasn’t prepared to be a father and support a family. I think I knew all along that he wasn’t good husband material. His own family was pretty dysfunctional. He and his father fought all the time. I don’t think he even went to see them when he was in town. Anyway, after he was assured that I was happy, he left again and, this time, he never came back.”

Her eyes glazed as if the past was filling her vision. “It was all so very civilized. We were all so polite to each other. I suppose I never really loved Bruce. What we had was merely passion…teenage passion at that. To be honest, I was glad to see him go. Peter made me feel safe and secure and loved and, luckily, I had matured enough to realize those were the qualities I really wanted in a marriage.”

Smart woman
, Lisa applauded Mrs. Montgomery mentally, wishing she’d found someone to take Slade’s place.

Slade caught the look on Lisa’s face and guessed what she was thinking. The thought of another man taking his place as husband and father caused a bitter taste in his mouth. Forcing his mind back to the current situation, he focused on Mrs. Montgomery. “And so you never said anything about Bruce Priceman to your daughter until after your husband’s death.”

“No. I didn’t feel it was fair to Peter. In his heart and in Isabelle’s, he was her father and he’d earned the right to be. But after he was gone, I decided the time had come to tell her the truth.”

“And I decided I wanted to meet my real father.”
Isabelle picked up the story. “Or, at least, to find out what had happened to him. I hired a private investigator to find him and to find out about his life. It seems he stayed in the military for twenty years, then retired. He’d been married and divorced once during the time he’d been in service. No children. After he retired, he started working for a computer company in Seattle. He’s president of it now and he’s married to the founder’s daughter.”

“You were working for a computer company. Was that his?” Lisa asked.

Isabelle nodded. “Yes. I went to see him. I told him I didn’t want anything from him. I just wanted to meet him. He was very kind. As it turned out, he and his second wife hadn’t had any children, either, and there is no prospect of them ever having any. She has cancer and is dying. He asked me to stay and learn the business. Apparently, he’d kept up with me and had made me the primary heir in his will. The only thing he asked was that we keep our relationship a secret until his wife passed away. He didn’t want her having to face people whispering about him, me and her. He wanted her final days to be peaceful.”

“And you were afraid I would uncover the connection and tell Henry?”

“Actually, there was more to it than that.” Isabelle perched on the arm of the chair her mother was occupying. “Henry is a very charming man. But like I said, I had begun to worry that he was too influenced by his grandmother. She’s a wealthy woman and measures people by their social standing and the amount of their estate…the amount of their estate holding sway over social standing. Basically those were her objections to me. As far as she knew, I had no social status and certainly no
fortune. It occurred to me that if she found out about my true parentage and my father’s plans for me, her attitude would change. My father is a very wealthy man. And it irked me to think that she really didn’t care what kind of person I was, she only cared about what material things I could bring to her family. And I had also begun to have my doubts about Henry’s feelings for me. The truth is, I’d begun to wonder if he wasn’t more superficial than I’d believed. I knew that if he found out the truth, I’d never be certain about him. So I left. I guess I wanted to see if he would come after me. He didn’t, and that gave me my answer.”