Maggie Undercover (7 page)

He sank back into the chair. Righteous
indignation? Is that what he projected? Fear is what he felt. Even
though he'd been exonerated at the time, ten years wasn't long
enough for the memories of that accusation and its impact on his
life to fade.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm merely
making an observation. There are no secrets in a small town."

Her calm attitude eased his apprehension.
Maybe if she'd been in charge when his difficulties had arisen the
outcome would have been different.

After he'd been cleared of the Campbell
girl's accusations, Harold had done his best to convince him to
continue teaching, but he'd bolted anyways. Partly to avoid the
sympathetic looks from people in town, but mostly in an attempt to
save his failing marriage.

"I wasn't trying to keep anything a
secret."

"Of course not. I just thought…wanted to…."
Grace paused and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers.
This hesitation on her part was unusual. She never stumbled for
words.

Instincts honed by ten years in the corporate
world shouted a warning. Something more than her concern about his
reputation was going on. He leaned forward. "What's going on,
Grace?"

She plopped her glasses back on her face,
busied herself with the papers on her desk and avoid meeting his
eyes. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I just thought I'd let you know
that the gossip network in town was working overtime. And warn you
to tread with care." She paused and looked at him. Worry darkened
her gray-green eyes. "I know that you never have and never will
step over the line with a student. But mud has a way of sticking
and small towns have long memories. Be careful. Don't put yourself
in a position to be hurt again."

~~~~~

CHAPTER SIX

"Ms. McCade. A minute please."

Jared's voice made Maggie pause at the door.
The first computer club meeting hadn't revealed anything new. Tired
and frustrated by her lack of progress she was eager to get home
and shed her high school persona for a few hours. She stopped and
waited as the other students filed out.

"Whatcha want?"

"I'm sorry, but after this week I won't be
able to tutor you on Saturdays. You're welcome to join my after
school sessions."

The cool, collected Mr. Blake was rattled. A
rattled suspect made mistakes. She hid her grin and shrugged.
"Whatev'. My dad is pretty good with math; he can help me catch up.
I'll stop by and drop off Alexandra's costume Saturday. Okay?"
Without giving him a chance to object she breezed out of the
room.

***

"Oh, Maggie, it's so beautiful," Alexandra
cried.

Maggie watched as the little girl whirled
around admiring herself in the hall mirror. Like rich whipped cream
the frothy material swirled around her slender body. Late afternoon
light filtered into the house's shadowy front hall, blurring lines
and creating a misty, romantic atmosphere. The puppy named Samson
by Alexandra for his big heart and strength, yipped and danced
around, nipping at the fabric.

"You're beautiful, Sweetheart." Jared's eyes
shone with love. Whatever else the man was or had done, there
wasn't any doubt he loved his daughter.

Maggie had no such memories of her childhood.
Her heart ached from a loss she thought she'd learned to live with.
Had her father ever loved her?

Jared scooped up Samson before he could
damage the costume.

Maggie couldn't believe the change in the
puppy. Bathed, groomed and fed he seemed to have grown into a
different dog in the last week. Silky, white fur shone on his now
plump body. Black ears hung alongside his long muzzle and his black
tail waved like a proud banner over his back. She thought she'd
feel a pang of loss on seeing him, but instead his happiness eased
the empty place inside her chest.

"Do you think so, Daddy?" Alexandra asked in
a tentative tone. "Grandmother and Grandfather said my mouth was
too wide, my hair too curly and my feet too big for me ever to be
beautiful like my mother."

Maggie bit her tongue to keep from speaking
her opinion of those people. Memories of harsh, drunken voices
calling her names echoed in her mind. A child's heart bruised
easily and took a long time to heal.

Jared kneeled next to his daughter and put
one hand on her shoulder. "Grandma and Grandpa Harden must be
getting old. If they can't see how beautiful you are, they need
glasses."

Alexandra giggled then threw her arms around
Jared's neck. "You're silly, Daddy. They already wear glasses."

Holding the wiggling Samson in one arm, he
picked her up with the other and turned her toward the mirror.
"Then they need new prescriptions. Just look at yourself."

A solemn little girl stared into the mirror.
The reflection showed two images, a man and a child, one tall and
dark, the other small and light, but the warm brown eyes that
looked out were the same.

He nuzzled the shiny ringlets circling
Alexandra's face. "Actresses pay big bucks to get curly blonde hair
like yours." His hand engulfed one of her tiny, slipper-clad feet.
"Big feet? Who are they kidding? And your mouth is just the right
size for your face. It's perfect for giving your dad a big
kiss."

Alexandra laughed and gave him a juicy kiss
on his cheek. "Put me down. I have to kiss Maggie, too." She
wiggled in his arms until he set her on her feet.

She wrapped her arms around Maggie's neck.
"Thank you, Maggie. I love my costume."

Alexandra's kiss was like an electric shock
to Maggie's heart. Long buried feelings jolted to life. Shaking in
reaction, she jerked away.

Alexandra didn't seem to notice Maggie's
recoil, but Jared cast her an assessing look.

"Do I really look like a beautiful princess?"
Turning to and fro Alexandra studied herself in the mirror.

"Yes, you do."

"Will you come Trick or Treating with me and
Dad?"

"Yes."

"No."

Maggie and Jared spoke together.

"I'm sure Ms. McCade has other plans for
Halloween."

"No, I don't. I've never been out Trick or
Treating before."

"Never?" Alexandra sounded horrified. "Why
not?"

Maggie hesitated. She couldn't tell this
innocent little girl the real reason – a mother too drunk to take
her out in a neighborhood where whores and drug dealers conducted
business in broad daylight – so she just shrugged. "Just never
seemed to work out, but I'd love to go out with you. If it's okay
with your dad." Afraid her eyes would reveal too much to Jared's
keen sight, she kept her gaze on Alexandra.

"Oh, say yes, Daddy, please. It'll be fun.
Maggie has to wear a costume. You, too."

Maggie allowed herself a peek at his face. He
struggled to contain his irritation as he caved in to his
daughter's enthusiasm.

"All right."

Guilt at using his love for his daughter
against him soured Maggie's success. She disliked this part of her
job. She much preferred the cold, impersonal computer part.
Computers had no feelings to hurt, no hearts to break. For the
first time since she'd started working in the private security
business she found herself hoping that her research was wrong, that
her prime suspect was innocent.

"Can I go show Lisa and Bobby my costume?"
Alexandra asked.

"Yes, but try not to get it dirty." Jared put
the puppy down.

"Come on, Samson."

After the door slammed shut behind them, he
turned to Maggie. "Thank you again for taking the time and effort.
You did a marvelous job. As you can tell Alexandra is
thrilled."

The little girl looked like a mythical being,
fragile and without substance as she raced across the yard, filmy
material floating around her. The sight tugged at Maggie. She
looked away. She couldn't afford to let Alexandra become important
to her. "No problem. Let me know if she needs a new one before the
big day."

"What?" He looked out the window and groaned.
"You may be right. At this rate I don't think that costume's going
to last until Halloween. She'll want to wear it non-stop."

"Don't worry. I made it tough." Like iron
filings to a magnet, the love in his eyes drew Maggie's gaze. When
she was young what she wouldn't have done to have her father look
at her that way. "Alexandra's lucky to have such a loving
father."

A tinge of red touched his cheeks. "I'll be
the lucky one if she doesn't want to wear it to bed."

At the word bed it was her turn for warmth to
flood into her cheeks. Thoughts of fatherly love evaporated in the
sudden heat. She'd like to be the one to get lucky - with Jared
Blake – in bed.

Unwanted images invaded her mind. Dark skin
against light. Male against female. Unwanted desire curled in her
belly. Two bodies tangled together becoming one. Unwanted moisture
gathered between her thighs and pooled in her mouth. She inhaled
sharply and started to choke.

"Are you all right?"

She jumped at the sound of his voice behind
her. For a second his strong, warm hand touched her shoulder then
as if burned he jerked it away. She missed the brief heat, and
despite knowing she shouldn't, longed for more.

"Yeah. I'm okay," she sputtered. Her throat
felt raw from more than spit down the wrong pipe.

"Did you want to skip this session?"

Damn! He sounded way too hopeful. "N-no. No,
I'm fine. I need the extra help." She added a pleading note.

"Very well. Did you do the exercise problems
I gave you last week?"

Grace was right, Jared thought as he headed
toward the desk in the front window. Tutoring Ms. McCade in his
home was a bad idea. He should have cancelled this session. Not
because of the gossip it might cause. Gossip and rumor was the
downside of living in a small town where everyone knew everyone
else's business. He'd weathered that storm before. It had changed
the course of his life, but he'd come through it disillusioned but
in the end a stronger person. The feelings this young woman stirred
scared him in a different way.

It wasn't her ripe young body that sparked
his interest. Not even during his first year of teaching when he'd
been twenty-two years old had any of the physically adult teenaged
girls triggered the male/female response within him like Maggie
McCade did. He sensed a maturity in her that most young people and
many adults lacked. The way she broke through Alexandra's
protective shell with instinctive ease and touched the scared
little girl with compassion created a new kind of storm inside him.
One he couldn't - wouldn't let blow him off course.

"Mr. Blake? Can we get started? I have
cheerleading practice this afternoon."

Her voice startled him out of his musings.
She looked up at him from where she sat at the table placed in the
front window. It was too cool to sit outside today.

Sunlight streaming in the window bathed her
in a golden glow. Today her thick blonde mane fell loose around her
shoulders. She'd slipped off the light windbreaker she wore against
the crisp October air to reveal another skintight, barely-there
tank top. Silky strands of her hair disappeared against the yellow
top. The sleek material clung to her full breasts leaving little to
his imagination.

He should be thrilled she found him so
uninteresting that she thought he was white bread – plain, bland
and boring. So why did he feel the urge to change her assessment of
him?

He swallowed the lump in his throat and sank
into the seat next to her. She shifted toward him and their knees
brushed.

Shocked by the way the innocent touch
rocketed heat to his groin, he jerked away.

She lifted her wide blue eyes to his. Though
her expression was guileless, he sensed that the touch was not
accidental. An almost undetectable but satisfied smile hovered on
her red lips.

Warning alarms sounded. But his protective
instincts warred with a more primitive part of his anatomy.

With determined effort he forced his
attention to Algebraic equations.

***

Jared squeezed himself into one of the
miniature desks in Alexandra's third grade classroom and watched in
sympathetic amusement as the other parents did the same. The room
smelled of chalk and crayons, hamsters and kids. He breathed deep,
letting himself remember when he'd fit into one of these very
desks.

Mrs. Olsen had been his teacher then and now
she was Alexandra's. Though she had to be nearing sixty, the woman
appeared ageless. In his mind she was still the young woman he'd
had his first crush on at the age of nine.

"Why couldn't they hold this meeting in a
room with full-sized seating?" one large woman grumbled.

With some grousing, a few muttered curses,
and the sound of desks being scraped across the tile floor, a dozen
women and he settled down and turned their attention to Mrs.
Olsen.

"Welcome. I'm so glad you've all volunteered
to help with my class' theatrical production of Sleeping
Beauty."

So that's where Alexandra's fascination with
Sleeping Beauty came from. She'd told him the class would be doing
a play, but hadn't mentioned which one.

"I'd like to introduce the woman who'll be
directing the play, Ms. Lacy Moran. She's the owner of the local
bookstore. She'll tell you more about what she needs from you to
make the play a success."

Lacy Moran didn't need an introduction. A
benefit, as well as a drawback of living in a small town was that
everyone knew everyone else. Lacy's store was one of the centers of
activity in town. Only a complete hermit would be unaware of whom
she was.

For a short time after he'd returned to town,
he'd thought about asking the lovely Ms. Moran out for dinner. But
without even seeming to do so she'd gently and expertly turned away
his tentative advances. For whatever reason Ms. Moran wasn't
interested in male companionship. She saved all her attention for
the children of the town. And they loved her. The Pied Piper of
Council Falls she drew them.