Maggie Undercover (2 page)

Alexandra approached the car. The driver
turned to greet her and the image of Brittany shattered. Though
both were blonde and petite, the likeness ended there. Ms. McCade
had a healthy, wholesomeness about her. She was a sturdy sunflower
to Brittany's delicate, hothouse orchid.

Jared groaned. He'd forgotten he'd promised
to find time to tutor the McCade girl. Girl? He watched the woman;
dressed in skintight jeans, and a crimson, sleeveless shell, with a
denim jacket slung over one shoulder, exit her car and saunter
toward him. Alexandra danced alongside, talking a mile a minute and
exhibiting more animation than he'd ever seen. Did Alexandra see
something of her mother in this woman?

It seemed Ms. McCade had grown impatient with
his procrastination.

"Hi, Mr. Blake. Are you busy? Any chance you
can help me with my lessons today?" Her blue-green eyes sparkled
with mischief as she let her gaze travel down his t-shirt covered
chest and rested briefly below his waist before snapping back to
meet his eyes.

He fought back the heat her interested gaze
generated. "Ms. McCade."

"Call me Maggie."

Most of the teachers at the small Council
Falls high school called their students by their first names, but
painful experience made him maintain an aloof, formal attitude with
all his students. If it weren't for Alexandra he would never get
within range of a female under the age of thirty again.

So why did this one girl's blatant flirtation
cause unwanted heat to surge through him? Irritated, he snatched up
his sweatshirt and pulled it on. "Ms. McCade, I don't tutor out of
my home. See me before or after school on Monday."

She paused, rested a hand on her outthrust
hip and regarded him with a thoughtful look.

"Hi, my name's Alexandra, what's yours?"
Alexandra piped in, seeming unaware of the growing tension between
what she considered two adults.

Ms. McCade turned her speculative gaze to
Alexandra and smiled. "Pleased to meet you Alexandra. Want me to
give you a hand?" She nodded at the leaves that a playful wind was
doing its best to re-spread over the yard.

"I don't think…" Jared started to
protest.

"That's great!

Mouth open he watched as Alexandra shoved a
rake at Miss McCade and grabbed her hand, tugging her toward the
yard.

"I love raking leaves. Don't you, Ms.
McCade?" Alexandra babbled.

"Don't know. Never done it before. Call me
Maggie." She dropped her jacket on the steps and took the rake. The
motion stretched her top across her breasts. Cool air teased her
nipples into sharp points. His mouth went dry.

"I hadn't either, 'cause I lived in the city
be-before here."

Alexandra's pause made him hold his breath
waiting for McCade's answer. Don't crush her, he prayed.

"Me, too," Ms. McCade said.

"It's fun and it isn't hard. I'll show you.
If you want."

"I'd love to, if it's okay with your dad."
She turned guileless eyes to him.

Though the thought of Maggie McCade
interacting with Alexandra didn't thrill him, he didn't want to see
his daughter's first sign of enthusiasm quelled. "I don't know. I'm
sure Ms. McCade has other things to do today."

"Nope. Other than my Algebra homework I'm
yours for the day." She grinned up at him.

Her oh so innocent offer kindled unwelcome
sparks inside him. Then memories of another not so innocent offer
and what happened afterwards doused the fire.

"Fine. I'll be inside when you're ready."
Maybe if he gave her what she wanted she'd go away.

"But I thought you'd help, too."

Alexandra's disappointed words followed him
as he turned and fled into the house.

Maggie hid her satisfied grin as Jared
retreated into the house. You can run but you can't hide. She
listened as Alexandra chattered on. Maggie didn't have much
experience with kids, but this one seemed okay. What an adult
vocabulary the little girl had.

Raking leaves was fun, even if it did raise
blisters on her hands. She and Alexandra talked while they raked
tons of crunchy, bright colored leaves into a huge pile.

Then following the example of what the other
kids on the block were doing Maggie jumped into the pile. At first
Alexandra seemed upset that her neat pile was again scattered
across the broad yard. But when two kids from three doors down
joined Maggie, Alexandra unbent enough to jump into the fray. Their
shouts and laughter made the re-raking well worth the blisters.

Fun though it was, she never lost sight of
her goal. He stood in the window of the house watching them. The
look on his face as he followed his daughter's movement around the
yard tugged at Maggie's heart. Pride. Longing. Pain. His dossier
contained all the facts about his divorce and his ex-wife's death,
but seeing it in the flesh made it real.

She squashed her sympathy for Jared Blake's
trouble with his daughter. They weren't her concern. Everyone had a
history. Compared to her childhood Alexander's problems were
nothing. At least she had a father who cared about her.

She'd better get busy and earn the money Reed
Software was paying her and the others to be here.

Daniel figured the hacker was one of the
students, but Jared was her pick. Before he'd come back to teaching
last spring, he'd been a senior programmer making top dollar for a
rival company. His file didn't show anything, but there had to be a
reason for him to give up a lucrative career in Chicago to go to
work for peanuts as a teacher in Nowheresville, Illinois.

She was eager to get back to L.A. This small
town life was, well, not boring, but uncomfortable. She preferred
the anonymity of being one of many. Here everyone seemed to know
everyone else and their business.

If, no when she pulled this job off, she
could write her own ticket in the computer security world and get
back to her real life. If she failed, she'd be stuck working for
Daddy Daniel for a long time to come.

An hour later she grimaced in pain as she
washed up in the Blake's tiny downstairs bathroom. She peeked out.
The sound of Alexandra's voice drifted down the hall from the
kitchen. She couldn't make out the words, but Jared answered in low
tones. Bless the little minx for inviting her to lunch. Though
reluctant, Jared had agreed.

While the two of them were busy in the
kitchen was a perfect opportunity for her to do some snooping. Who
knew when she'd get another chance?

Old and rambling, the Victorian house seemed
over large for just two people, but she knew the quaint residence
had been in the Blake family for generations. Though after the
senior Blakes retired to Florida it had been closed, when Jared got
custody of his daughter he'd moved back into town and opened it up.
There were signs of on going renovation both inside and out –
ladders, paint, and tools lay scattered about. Maggie couldn't find
fault with the design or décor.

The glow of computer monitor lured her down
the hall toward what looked like a den or office. It wouldn't hurt
to poke around in it.

~~~~~

CHAPTER TWO

"Maggie."

Alexandra's excited call stopped Maggie in
her tracks just as she was about to slip into Jared's office. She
whirled around and came face-to-face with his suspicious frown.

Three short feet separated them. A tingling
awareness started low in her belly and spread upward. "I got turned
around. This house is like a maze."

"The kitchen is this way." He pointed
straight down the hall.

Damn. She hadn't been caught unawares by a
suspect in years. Maybe Daddy was right she needed a vacation, but
not until after she closed this case. No aging, high school
teaching lothario was going to sidetrack her.

"Oh, yeah, right. Thanks," she mumbled

Aging? Who was she kidding? Every girl, and
every female teacher at Council Falls High had a crush on him. Who
could blame them? Jared Blake was prime.

Head down she sidled passed him. She could
feel the heat rolling off his body. He smelled of fresh air, roast
beef and some clean, spicy aftershave. Her mouth started to water.
Ten years ago he'd been much younger, a mere twenty-two, fresh out
of college. Could anybody blame him if he had succumbed to the
temptation strewn in his path?

Aside from Alexandra's non-stop chatter lunch
was a quiet affair. Jared responded to his daughter's questions and
comments, but said nothing to Maggie. Which was just fine with her.
She kept her mouth busy with food. Though the fare was simple, thin
sliced roast beef on fresh French bread, a crisp green salad and
iced tea, everything tasted marvelous. Cooking wasn't one of her
strong skills, so when presented with edible food she took
advantage of it.

She tried to focus on the melt-in-your-mouth
beef and keep her mind and eyes off of the melt-in-your-mouth man.
She couldn't let his good looks and animal magnetism distract her
from her goal. But when he wasn't looking her gaze slid back to
him.

After lunch, despite his objections, she
helped him clear the table and load the dishwasher. The kitchen had
obviously been the first of his remodel projects. Though the
cabinetry and décor fit the Victorian style of the house, it had
all the modern conveniences.

"Shall we get started with your lesson?"
Jared asked.

"Oh. Sure. Just let me get my bag out of the
car."

"I'll get it for you." Alexandra didn't wait
for an answer. She dashed out of the house.

Jared's gaze turned thoughtful.

"She seems enamored of my car. Wants me to
take her for a ride. Is that okay?"

He frowned.

"It's all right if you say no. I'll
understand. Not everyone's comfortable with convertibles or
teenaged drivers, especially where their children are concerned.
But I am responsible."

"You might understand if I say no, but will
Alexandra? Her mother had a similar car. She crashed it and
died."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. This is the most I've heard
Alexandra talk to anyone, including her therapist, since her
mother's funeral. You resemble her a bit. I'm not sure whether to
be pleased or upset."

Why was he telling her this? The last thing
he needed in his life was to get involved, no matter how
innocently, with another high school girl. But the sympathetic,
understanding look in her eyes undermined his determination. Or
maybe it was because her mere presence had broken through
Alexandra's shell when nothing he'd done had been able to, and he
needed someone to talk to.

"Here's your bag, Maggie. Father? Can I go
next door? Lisa and Bobby asked me to come over."

He struggled not to shout in excitement over
her request to visit the neighbor kids. At the same time he felt
like groaning at the thought of being left alone with Ms McCade.
"Sure. Just be back by four. You have a piano lesson."

After Alexandra ran out, Maggie lifted an
eyebrow. "Father? How formal."

Jared couldn't contain his grin. "I'm working
on it. She lived most of the time with her mother's parents. They
were – are a bit stuffy."

"Well, it could be worse. She could call you
what I used to call my father," she mumbled.

"And what was that?"

Startled she glanced up at him then turned to
look out the window at the children jumping in the leaves. A
strange look of longing shadowed her clear gaze. "What? Oh –
nothing. Nothing at all."

The urge to comfort her for some unknown loss
hit him hard. He shook it off. Her home troubles and emotional pain
weren't, couldn't be his concern. All he had to do was make sure
she passed Algebra. "Are you ready for your Algebra lesson?" If his
tone sounded cooler than he intended maybe it was for the best.

"Yeah, sure. Here?" She started to sit at the
kitchen table.

"No!" Squelching his sudden panic at being
alone with her, he continued in a calmer tone, "It's so nice
outside; let's sit on the porch. Follow me." He led her toward the
front of the house. A small wicker table and two chairs sat on the
sunny front porch facing the street.

She looked over and waved at the Widow
Larkins who as usual sat in her front window across the street.
When the widow waved back, Maggie grinned at Jared. It was obvious
she understood his choice of location.

Widow Larkins knew everyone and everything
that went on in Council Falls. By tonight it would be all over town
that Jared Blake had had Maggie McCade in his house. Sitting on the
porch in full view of the widow and any passersby would mitigate
some if not all of the speculation. In a small town, appearances
could be everything.

If he'd thought about appearances ten years
ago his life might have taken a different path.

She plopped down in a chair. "Well, start
torturing – I mean tutoring me."

For an hour Jared went over the basic
concepts of Algebra. Though bright, the girl was further behind
than he thought. Tomorrow he'd take a look at her transcripts to
see where he could help her most.

Her eagerness to learn, her excitement when a
concept became clear to her, stirred something inside him, a thrill
he hadn't felt in years – the urge to impart knowledge, to see a
student's eyes light up with understanding.

The middle of last term, he'd come back to
teaching, leaving behind a lucrative position with a computer
software firm in Chicago. He told himself it was for Alexandra, so
he could create a better life for her in a small town. But it was
here and now that he acknowledged the real reason he'd decided to
teach again rather than accept a job with Reed Software, a
well-known computer company located in town. No matter how
complicated or innovative, writing a computer program couldn't
compare with seeing that spark of understanding dawn in a student's
eyes.