Authors: Stevie MacFarlane
“Oh,” she stammered, flustered and embarrassed. “In your employ, I see, but it’s all right for your brother to…”
“You’re damn right it is. I know exactly how Nick got you to tell the truth. He knew something was very wrong, and you were lying through your teeth. What did you expect him to do?”
“I guess I expected him to stay out of things that don’t concern him and mind his own business” she spat out, arms crossed and foot tapping.
“I believe he considers you his business, Maggie, and let me just give you a little advice. If you ever pull a stunt like this again, you’ll think what Nick gave you was a walk in the park. Are we clear?”
Maggie’s mouth dropped open, and her hat slipped from nerveless fingers. Had Mason just threatened to spank her? Oh my God, she was surrounded by testosterone. What, were they putting it in the water? Grabbing her hat off the floor, she slapped it on her head, mumbled a “yes, sir” and got the hell out of dodge as fast as her legs would carry her. Her face was beet red and she was literally shaking, whether from anger or fear, she wasn’t sure. One thing she was sure of, if any man so much as looked like he was going to touch her, she’d be on her way to Mason’s office.
By Wednesday, Maggie was ready to scream. Sleepless nights with unwelcome dreams of Nick were taking their toll. Her mother had called and invited her and the kids to an impromptu family dinner, but Maggie had cried off. For the last few months, seeing her brothers and sisters with their husbands and wives had been painful. Even her brother Rory was dating again, although she didn’t hold much hope of that lasting. Maggie didn’t think a woman existed who could tie him down. Yes, she loved them all and was very grateful they were all happy and healthy, but sometimes, when these boisterous gatherings broke up, the loneliness she felt made it easier to just keep to herself.
Maggie sighed and dejectedly flopped into a chair. Now, on top of everything else, she had to come up with a date for Friday night. Telling Nick she didn’t need him to baby-sit would require an explanation. Never would she admit she didn’t have a date in the first place, neither could she bring herself to tell him the date had been broken. The number of lies she’d told since he came back into her life staggered her. Maybe she had better get to Confession. The frosting on the cake came when she called home at five to let Jason know she was going to be late.
“No problem, Mom,” he told her, obviously trying to talk around a mouthful of whatever he was devouring. “Nick’s here anyway, and he brought KFC. He wanted to know if it would be all right if he took us over to see his new office.”
Maggie’s shoulders slumped, and she braced herself against the desk.
“New office? Let me talk to him, Jason.”
“Sure thing.”
She could hear laughing and music in the background; for a fleeting moment she thought about asking Charlie to take over so she could go home, where apparently the fun was.
Nick’s voice sounded friendly and relaxed when he came to the phone, which only made her grumpier. I’ll bet there’s not a speck of dust or sweat on him, she thought resentfully, feeling grubby and hot.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, knowing she sounded bitchy, ungrateful, and not caring.
“Feeding your children for one thing,” he shot back. Although he didn’t raise his voice, she knew she’d made him mad. When he continued, the roughness was obvious. “And waiting for you to get your butt home. Don’t you think you’re taking this superwoman stuff a little too far? The kids were hungry.”
“There are plenty of microwave meals in the freezer, and Jason is certainly capable of fixing dinner. As far as working late, which by the way is none of your business, I happen to have a deadline on this job and I’m trying to meet it. Not to mention, the overtime pay will certainly help out,” she informed him angrily. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to get her temper under control. Perversely, she knew she was acting like a shrew, but she couldn’t seem to stop. The scolding she had received from Mason was still riding her hard, and Nick’s attitude didn’t help.
“Jason, will you hang this up when I get in the den?” she heard Nick ask calmly, and she found herself swallowing with difficulty. Nick was probably furious now, which was why he wanted to talk to her privately, but at this point she didn’t care. However, she was not prepared for the gravel-voiced male that came back on the line.
“What the hell is your problem?” he demanded. “I—”
“You,” she shouted back. “You have always been my problem, and from the sounds of it, you will continue to be my problem for some time to come. What’s this about an office?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were having financial difficulties?” he growled back, ignoring her question and completely throwing her off track. “I would be more than happy to contribute to Jason’s support, or for that matter, help out with anything you or the kids need.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t need or want your money, and I—”
“Then why are you working yourself ragged and neglecting the kids?”
“I am
not
neglecting my kids. How dare you say that,” she demanded, furious to the point she was physically shaking. “Just who do you think you are?”
“I happen to be the father of the kid that’s picking up the slack around here. Jason is a teenager and very responsible, but he shouldn’t have to take on what he does just because his mother’s too stubborn to accept any help.”
“I said I don’t want or need your help, and furthermore—”
“You may not want it, but you sure need it—that and a few other things I can think of,” he whispered darkly.
The heat that coursed through her so suddenly had nothing to do with fury. Several seconds passed while she struggled with the images his words provoked. Firelight, smooth glistening muscles, hot breath, sweet whispered sighs. Desire poured through her like sweet cream, reaching every part of her body. Sinking into the chair, she held her stomach as if in pain. God, she wanted him. If he was with her now instead of miles away, she’d let him take her on the hard dirty floor of the site trailer; hot and hard, fast and furious…
“Maggie?” he questioned softly. “Are you there?”
How he frightened her. His voice stroked her, weakened her, and terrified her. This man can get to me, she thought, really get to me. This lawyer in blue jeans and boots, with the rugged body and the bluest bedroom eyes, was going to make mincemeat out of her if she didn’t watch herself. He was going to get everything he wanted, and she was going to end up some kind of sickening, dependent whiner who could only mutter “yes, dear” and “of course not, dear” if she wasn’t careful. Maggie took a deep breath and spoke firmly into the phone. The voice that Nick heard however was soft and shaky.
“Look Nick, I’ve got to go. They need me outside. Take the kids to see the office, and I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“That’s my Maggie, always on the run,” he responded almost sadly.
That’s right, Nick, she thought, and I’m going to keep right on running just as fast as I can.
“We’ll talk later, got to go.”
* * *
It was shortly after nine o’clock when Maggie pulled into the driveway. She’d kept the crew working until the light failed and then found some other things to keep her busy for a while. Finally, unable to put it off any longer, she’d headed for the pickup, absently noticing a car still parked on the site. As she pulled out, her headlights shone on the vehicle and she shivered, recognizing Jack Harley sitting in the driver’s seat. Gunning her engine she hurried out onto the road, watching in her rearview mirror as his lights came on and he pulled out behind her. Maggie was sure he followed her for several miles, but she lost sight of him in the traffic. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach persisted despite the way she tried to convince herself it was no big deal. After all it was a free country, and he could drive any road he wanted, but she still made a mental note to mention it to Mason tomorrow. Emotionally she just couldn’t handle another confrontation, and she sure wouldn’t give him an excuse to make good on his threat.
Pushing Jack to the back of her mind, Maggie let herself in the back door. Jason was doing his homework at the kitchen bar, and he looked up worriedly when she came in.
“Are you all right, Mom?” he inquired, his handsome face creased with concern. “You look upset about something.”
“I’m fine,” she lied smoothly, dropping a kiss on his cheek as she headed for the bathroom.
“Well, Nick said you weren’t yourself. He stayed until Caitie went to sleep and told me to call him if there were any problems.”
Maggie stopped and turned back to her son. “I’m fine, Jason, just tired. Did you go see Nick’s place?” she asked, rotating her neck to relieve some of the strain and trying to appear less than interested.
Jason grinned. “Yeah, it’s real nice… you know, classy. There’s an extra room where he’s going to put a TV, video games and stuff, maybe even a pool table. He said I could stop there on my way home from school. It’s only over on Maple, and if I wanted a ride home or something, he’d take me.”
Maggie sat down across from him, watching the expression on his face. It was very clear he thought a lot of Nick, admired him, and valued his opinion. Maggie hated to burst his bubble, but it sounded like Nick was making a lot of promises.
“Ya know what else he said?”
“What honey?”
“He said if I wanted to get into an after school sports club or something, just let him know what days and he’d come over here and stay with the brats.”
“Don’t refer to your brother and sister as brats, and how is he going to manage all that and run a law practice too?” she asked, trying not to let her anger show. This was just what she’d been afraid of. Jason was bound to be hurt and confused when Nick couldn’t follow through with all his promises.
“He told his secretary never to schedule an appointment after three o’clock. That way if I need him, he’d be able to help out. He said he would consider taking on a partner if he needed to, someone who can handle late afternoon stuff. And Mom, you should see his secretary. Her name is Monica, and she’s really hot.”
Maggie’s “it figures” went unnoticed.
“She was there putting books and stuff away, and I could tell she liked me. She has this curly blonde hair, and she doesn’t look much older than me, maybe eighteen or nineteen.”
“Slow down, buddy,” Maggie told him, trying not to smile at Jason’s enthusiastic response to the opposite sex. “You have a lot of girls your own age calling here.” As if to emphasize her words, the phone rang and Jason slid across the floor in his socks to answer it. The guilty grin he sent her confirmed it was for him, and she went upstairs smiling.
Chapter Six
Mason wasn’t in on Thursday, and Maggie tried several times on Friday to get a minute alone with him, to no avail. Her suspicions regarding Jack seemed foolish in the light of day, and even though she was sure he had been following her, she wasn’t overly concerned. Until she could catch up with Mason, she would make it a point to be ready to leave when the guys did so she wouldn’t be left to walk to her truck alone. After finishing up the paperwork for payroll, she sighed and locked up the trailer. At least it was the weekend, she thought as she headed to her truck.
The drive home wasn’t long enough to unwind, but the hot shower did the trick. Nick would be there at seven-thirty to babysit, and she still hadn’t decided where she was going. Tired and cranky, she was sorry she’d even asked him to sit. The excitement of the kids was irritating too. You’d think they hadn’t seen him all week.
All the way home, Maggie played different scenarios in her mind. She could get dressed up and go out by herself, pretending to meet her date somewhere. She could call a girlfriend and go out for a drink. Nick would never know that she wasn’t on a real date. Frankly, she had half a mind to tell him she’d broken the date and then stay home with the kids, but her pride wouldn’t let her. Besides, now the kids were looking forward to spending the evening with Nick, and she didn’t have the heart to disappoint them. The thought of staying home and spending the evening with all of them was appealing. Unfortunately, she didn’t know how many more of those
looks
she could handle without making a total fool of herself and dragging him off to bed. Heat suffused her face. She moaned. Why did she remember the passion they shared in such vivid detail? Instantly her mind was made up. Out it was. Maybe if Nick thought she was interested in someone else, he’d back off and give her some breathing space. She still hadn’t gotten back to her lawyer with her decision, and the more time Nick spent with her, the harder it was becoming to put the best interest of the kids first. She still believed that they were all better off before Mr. Nicholas Kord had sailed back into her life. The last thing any of them needed was more heartbreak, and he hadn’t exactly shown staying power. He’d walked out on her once before when she’d needed him desperately, and he wouldn’t get the chance to do it again. Yes, now he knew about Jason, but if a man didn’t stay with you because he loved you, couldn’t live without you, then how could you be expected to ever trust him again? And why would you risk your children getting hurt? Maggie knew straight up, she would not survive another betrayal from the one man who had the power to destroy her.
Dressing with care, she found herself wearing the sexiest thing she could find in her closet. The emerald green dress was well above the knees and shimmered with every movement of her body. Spaghetti straps held the snug bodice and the short black jacket only emphasized her tiny waist and flared hips. Black heels completed her outfit and a jeweled clip held her auburn curls away from her face and cascading halfway down her back. Not bad for a woman your age, Maggie my girl, she told herself after finishing her makeup. Hearing the doorbell, she grabbed her earrings and headed downstairs.
Caitie launched herself at Nick the minute he came through the door and demanded to see what was in the large bag he carried. When he pulled out a new PlayStation, Maggie was momentarily confused.