Maggie Undercover (4 page)

Eyes burning, unable to watch anymore, he
started to turn away.

"Hi." Maggie McCade's sleepy voice stopped
him. "Sorry I didn't get Alexandra to bed on time. After she
changed into her pajamas she talked me into popping popcorn,
roasting marshmallows and listening to music. Hope she doesn't end
up with a sick tummy. She's great kid. Smart and funny. We had a
good time. Guess we dozed off."

The two of them fit together like mother and
daughter. Not even when Alexandra was a baby had he ever seen her
so content in Brittany's arms. Brittany had held her baby as if she
were a fragile doll that might break at the slightest touch. Jared
couldn't imagine Brittany cuddling with Alexandra, their mouths
shiny from popcorn butter, their fingers sticky from toasted
marshmallows.

It both pleased and pained him that Maggie
had reached through Alexandra's shell in one day when he'd failed
to do so in six months.

She eased free of Alexandra and slipped off
the couch. Tousled hair surrounded the sleep-creased skin of her
face. Tiny grains of salt at the corners of her mouth glittered
like diamond dust. At that moment she looked both childishly
innocent and seductively adult. Jared's mouth went dry.

"Don't worry. I'll carry her up. Would you
like a drink before you go?"

Yeah, a straight shot of Scotch. Maggie had a
moment of understanding of her deceased parent's need for liquid
amnesia as she followed Jared into the kitchen. At times like this
she almost regretted that she didn't drink. Then memory kicked in
and the need for the false escape the liquid provided
evaporated.

Her legs felt rubbery, her eyes gritty. She
and Alexandra had talked and laughed throughout the evening then
fallen asleep curled together on the couch. Alexandra's eager
acceptance touched the motherless little girl buried deep inside
Maggie. Without her consent they forged a bond that left Maggie
feeling heavy with guilt. What would happen to Alexandra if she
found evidence against Jared?

"Milk? Cola? Juice?" Jared asked.

"Milk." She was going to need all the help
she could get to sleep tonight.

Strained silence wrapped around them as she
sipped the icy cold milk. She was too aware of his large, solid
body inches from hers to relax. The smell of crisp air, the aroma
of Chinese food, and the clean scent of warm male swirled around
her. Wide awake yet vulnerable with sleep she wanted to crawl
inside the protective aura he projected at the same time she craved
the danger he represented.

He cleared his throat and broke the quiet.
"Thanks for watching Alexandra."

"How was your date?"

He stared into his drink before answering.
"Uncomfortable."

In the dim light the barriers between them
seemed to dissolve. "In what way?"

"Other than teaching Ms. Quinn and I don't
have a thing in common. Conversation was stilted. If it hadn't been
for the movie our date would have ended right after dinner. I think
she was as glad as I was when the evening was over."

"Ms. Quinn is a nice person, but you and she
are too much alike."

His head shot up and he started to object.
"But…"

"I don't mean having interests in common. You
could have everything in common and still be different as night and
day. I mean that you have the same type of personalities. You're
repressed."

"Repressed?" He sounded like he didn't care
for her assessment of him.

"Yeah, you need someone who's bold and brash.
Someone who'll shake you out of your neat, tidy little groove."
Forgetting her disguise, she warmed to her topic. "You're white
bread and she's unsalted butter. Together you have no taste. She
needs whole wheat. And you need…."

Eyes hooded, he stood. "I think that's about
enough of this conversation. Thank you again for your help." He
pulled some bills out of his wallet and pushed them across the
table at her. When she reached out he snapped back his hand.

Heat coursed up her throat. She grabbed the
money and ducked her head before he could see the color staining
her cheeks. What Jared Blake needed was none of her business. The
thing that mattered was what she needed – to find the hacker, close
her investigation and end this charade before she did something
she'd regret.

Then why did the thoughts of her and Jared
together leave her weak with longing rather than regret?

***

Saturday night Jared hid in a corner of the
festively decked out school gym and watched the students as they
gyrated to the music provided by a local DJ. He wasn't quite sure
how he'd been roped into being a chaperone for the Homecoming
Dance, but he was sure his ears and nerves would never return to
normal.

Already he'd routed three couples from dark
corners, broken up one potential confrontation between two
hormonally charged young men, and confiscated a bottle of vodka
before it found its way into the punch bowl. He glanced at his
watch and sighed. Another hour to go before this nightmare
ended.

"Why aren't you dancing?"

He turned to face Maggie McCade. The white
flowing dress she wore clung to her young body revealing ample
curves. Smooth, creamy skin played hide'n'seek beneath the
diaphanous material. He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat.
"I'm chaperoning."

"The other chaperones are dancing." She
pointed to Gwen Davis, the hottie she'd suggested as his possible
love interest. But the sight of Gwen in her short, skintight red
dress, arms swinging, hair flying, her limber body moving
enthusiastically to the beat of the pounding music, stirred nothing
within him. Next to her, a big grin on his owlish face, the English
teacher, Harold Wolsinski danced awkwardly. But with the flashing
lights and crowd of people it was impossible to tell whom if anyone
was her partner.

"Looks like you missed your chance with the
lovely Ms. Davis. Don't they make an odd couple?" Ms. McCade
asked.

"I don't find your comments amusing or
appropriate." Jared struggled to keep the laughter out of his
voice.

"Don't be such a grump. Come on. Let's
dance." She grabbed his arm just as the loud rock music ended and
the DJ put on a soft, slow ballad. The lights dimmed and couples
moved into each other's arms. Before he could protest he found
himself in the middle of the floor his arms around her slim waist.
He feared that pulling away would cause more speculation than
dancing with her.

Despite his effort to maintain space between
them, forced close together by the crush of dancers her chest
pressed into his. The fresh, clean scent of her perfume rose on her
body heat and filled his nostrils. Unwanted warmth stirred in
him.

He stiffened and started to pull away. "We
shouldn't be dancing together."

"Why not? Lots of teachers are dancing with
students. See. Ms. Davis is dancing with Steve Reynolds. And Mr.
Wolsinski is stepping on Judy Olsen's feet. Even Principal Matthews
has a partner, Bradley Morrison."

She was right. No one was paying any
attention to them. But if he walked off the dance floor now people
would notice. He gritted his teeth and forced a few inches of space
between them.

"Relax. I don't bite. At least not hard," she
added with a chuckle.

Relax. Who was she kidding? Wrapped in
Jared's arms her whole body hummed with tension.

"Why do you want to dance with me? Isn't
Steve Reynolds your date?"

A shaft of pleasure went through her. He'd
noticed whom she'd come with.

"Yes, he is and that's why I'm dancing with
you."

"What?"

"Because I'm new at school he thinks he has
to give me the Reynolds' stamp of approval. I'm tired of fending
off his advances."

Steve Reynolds, handsome high school jock and
hacker suspect, thought himself Council Falls' gift to the girls.
She'd quickly but tactfully let him know she wasn't available for a
taste test. But the effort of fending off his advances without
damaging his fragile male pride left her feeling weary and soiled.
Being with Jared eased that strain, but created a whole host of new
ones.

"Did you want me to have a talk with
him?"

Maggie groaned. Just what she didn't need,
one suspect warning off another. "No way. I just needed a little
break from his roaming hands."

"Glad to oblige."

The image of Jared Blake obliging her made
her stumble. He pulled her closer to steady her.

"I can handle him."

"Now why doesn't that surprise me? I think
you could handle most anything that comes your way, Ms.
McCade."

Except maybe one sexy, reluctant high school
teacher.

~~~~~

CHAPTER FOUR

Sunday morning after church Maggie stepped
out into the sunshine. Though not a regular churchgoer, she'd
enjoyed the pastor's sermon. She found herself hoping that his son,
seventeen-year-old Mark Williams, wasn't the hacker. Joining the
church youth group to investigate Mark left a sour taste in her
mouth. After the dim warmth of the quaint century old church the
October sunshine felt good on her face. Indian Summer lingered
on.

"Maggie." Alexandra's excited shout made her
turn. Dressed in a pink and purple dress, Alexandra looked like an
exotic butterfly as she ran across the church lawn toward Maggie.
Orange, yellow and brown leaves scattered as she passed. She
skidded to a halt at Maggie's side. "Hi."

The little girl's presence made an already
nice day feel beautiful. The thought startled Maggie. "Hi there
yourself. Where's your dad?" The question slipped out.

"He's over talking to Pastor Williams about
church stuff. Boring."

Maggie laughed at Alexandra's disgusted look
then glanced over to where the pastor had trapped Jared into
conversation. That he didn't look trapped or bored as the pastor
spoke did him credit.

Charcoal gray pants covered his long legs. In
deference to the warmth he'd taken off his suit coat and held it
over his shoulder hooked on one finger. The collar of his white
dress shirt was open, and he'd rolled up the sleeves to his elbows
exposing a dusting of hair on his muscular forearms. Sunshine
glinted off his dark hair making it shine like polished
hematite.

Against her will her heart rate tripped
upward. She turned her attention back to the little girl. "I'm sure
he won't be long."

"I hope not. We're going to the pumpkin patch
to get the biggest pumpkins there are. Then we're gonna carve faces
into them. First we have to scoop all the insides out. Bobby says
it's like gutting a fish – yucky. But I don't believe him. He tells
awful fibs. Do you think the insides of a pumpkin smell as bad as a
dead fish?"

"I don't know. I've never carved a pumpkin.
Or cleaned a fish." Living here in Council Falls Maggie had
discovered that despite her twenty-nine years there was a lifetime
of things she'd never done. The thought left her feeling sad. She
shook it off. Her life was full and exciting enough without raking
leaves and craving pumpkins.

"I haven't either. Grandmother says pumpkins
are pagan things. But I asked Pastor Williams and he said God
didn't mind if we carved pumpkins. Do you want to come along and
help me pick out pumpkins? You can get one for yourself, too." She
cocked her head and looked Maggie up and down. "You gotta go home
and change first though. Daddy says pumpkin fields can be
muddy."

"I'm sure Ms. McCade has other things to do
today rather than tromp around in a pumpkin patch," Jared said from
behind her.

Hand to her chest Maggie whirled around.
Twice now he'd snuck up on her.

She was going to decline Alexandra's
invitation. An instinct she wanted to ignore told her Blake wasn't
the hacker, that she should spend her time investigating the other
suspects. The fact that being close to Jared made her lose
prospective wasn't a factor. His hopeful look triggered a perverse
sense of mischief in her. His eagerness to avoid her company
annoyed her.

"Actually, no I don't have anything else to
do," she lied. "I'd love to go pick out pumpkins."

"Can I ride in Maggie's car?" Alexandra
asked. "Please, Daddy. Please."

Jared hesitated.

"She can run home with me while I change then
I'll come by your house so she can change. Don't worry it's only a
few blocks and I'm a very careful driver," Maggie assured him.

"I'm sure you are." Obviously he didn't want
to disappoint the excited Alexandra, who was bouncing around him
like a Mexican jumping bean, but he wasn't thrilled to have Maggie
along.

She knew it shouldn't matter, but his
reluctance to include her in their outing hurt.

He gave in without enthusiasm. "We'll have to
take my SUV though. We won't get many pumpkins in your
convertible."

"And we want really big ones. They make the
best Jack-O'-lanterns. That's what you call a carved pumpkin."
Alexandra grabbed Maggie hand. "Come on. Let's go before they're
all gone."

Jared watched Alexandra drag a laughing
Maggie across the church parking lot to her sporty little
convertible. Woman and child, the two of them stood together,
blonde heads bent toward each other, smiling and laughing.
Alexandra in her gaudy pink and purple outfit looked like a
brightly colored butterfly, while Maggie's tailored suit the color
of burnt cinnamon, made her seem like a bird of prey, regal and
full of danger.

The girl was dangerous – to his peace of
mind. She stirred needs in him he believed died along with his
marriage – needs a girl almost half his age couldn't fill.

Twenty minutes later Jared was pulling on his
shoes when Maggie's car roared into the driveway. He looked out the
window and saw her and Alexandra headed toward the house.

Her hair again caught up in a ponytail,
Maggie wore jeans and another sleeveless tank top, this one a
bright pumpkin orange with green trim. The material outlined her
breasts and made him swallow against the sudden dryness in his
throat. He coughed and made a mental note to remind her to bring a
jacket and to make sure she wore it – closed.