Sealed with Trust, page 2
He instinctively slowed down when he saw several police vehicles off to the side of the highway. Something was going on. They were setting up a tent while buzzards circled overhead. The situation piqued his interest, but he kept going. Brenda was waiting. She wanted him to have another heart-to-heart talk with Jason.
When he came up behind another SUV, he decided to pass. There was no one coming the other way, so he moved over to go around it. But as he drove by, he did a double take when he glimpsed the driver.
Wait a minute, was that Maggie Stevenson? He lightly tapped the horn to get her attention. She turned and scowled at him, until recognition dawned in her eyes.
He smiled and waved, but she didn’t return the gesture. Instead, she hit the gas, leaping ahead of him. A car was coming toward him, forcing him to return to his lane behind Maggie.
Her cold-shoulder reaction bothered him. They’d dated nonstop for three months between deployments. One night they’d gotten carried away, making it the best night of his life, followed by the one he regretted the most. He’d known that he loved her and planned to make things right, but he had urgently been called out to another deployment. That was how it happened sometimes with the SEAL teams. He’d promised Maggie he’d call when he was back stateside, but unfortunately, that hadn’t happened for almost six months. When he’d finally gotten back on US soil, he’d called only to find out she was Maggie Chandler now because she’d recently gotten married.
Married. Despite what he’d thought they’d shared.
Fast-forward nine years to now. She was the one who’d found someone else while he’d been gone, so why had she looked so angry with him? Irritated, he followed her all the way into town.
To a small ranch house located on the other side of the city from where his sister lived.
He drove slowly past her house, wondering if he should get out and approach, when she got out of the car, slammed the door, and stalked down the driveway to the street. He hit the brake, stopping the car.
Maggie marched up to the vehicle, glaring at him as he lowered the window. “What are you doing? Why are you following me?”
“Nice to see y’all, too, Mags.”
Her brown eyes flashed with anger. “Don’t call me that. Just tell me what you’re doing here.”
Romeo let out a whine as if he didn’t understand why she was yelling at him. Frankly, Dallas couldn’t quite figure out what had gotten her so riled up either. “Easy, Romeo, it’s okay.”
For the first time, Maggie seemed to notice the dog. Her features relaxed just a bit before her gaze turned back to him. “Well?”
“If you must know, I’m heading to my sister’s place. When I saw you on the highway, I thought it would be nice to stop and say hey.”
She narrowed her gaze. “After nine years of being who knows where, you just decided to follow me? To say hello? Do you think I’m stupid? I’m not buying your act.”
“It’s not an act.” Dallas wasn’t the type to get mad easily, but he felt his temper start to slip. “You don’t want to talk, fine. I wasn’t trying to follow or stalk you. I was just being neighborly.”
“Neighborly?” Her face paled to the point he feared she might fall over. “You live here now?”
She looked appalled at the possibility. He couldn’t figure out why she was acting so strangely. He was the one who’d been heartbroken. She was the one who’d moved on to someone else. He instinctively looked at her left hand; she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Which didn’t mean much.
“Dallas, are you living here in Fredericksburg?” she asked again.
“Not exactly, but lately I’ve been in town more often than not. I’ve been helping my sister, Brenda. She’s having some trouble with her son, Jason.”
“Yes, I know Brenda and Jason, that’s nice of you to help them out.” She took a step back and forced a smile. To his eye, it looked more like a grimace. Suddenly she seemed nicer. “Well, it was great to catch up with you, Dallas. I’m sorry you caught me at a bad time, I—uh, need to get inside.”
Before he could offer to meet her at a time that was more convenient, the front door of the small ranch house banged open, and a young girl came running outside. She wore a pink shirt, worn jean shorts, and flip-flops in deference to the heat. She had long, blond hair, pulled back in a ponytail, the same color and style as Maggie’s. Which made sense when the girl shouted, “Mom! Nanna says to hurry up. Your spaghetti is getting cold!”
“Coming, Laney.” The fake smile seemed frozen in place. “I really have to go. Bye, Dallas.” She lightly ran toward her daughter, urging the girl toward the house.
“Who was that man, Mom?” he heard Laney ask. “Did you have to arrest him or something?”
“Oh, no, he’s not a criminal. Just an old friend.” Maggie opened the front door and nearly pushed the girl inside. Then she turned to look back at him for a long moment before she followed Laney inside, the door banging shut behind her.
Romeo let out a short bark as if asking what on earth was taking so long.
“Okay, boy. I hear you.” He rolled up the window and put the car in gear. It seemed Maggie might have some role within the police department, considering her daughter’s question about arresting him.
Had she come from the police scene he’d passed along the way? It seemed likely. He hadn’t seen a badge or gun, so maybe she had some other role. Or she was off duty.
Yet as he drove through town to get to his sister’s house, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d really seen a flash of fear and apprehension in Maggie’s dark brown eyes.
And if so, why?
Chapter Two
Dallas Hoffman was in town. The revelation on the heels of stumbling across Tate’s dead body was too much for her shocked brain to process. She hoped she hadn’t given herself away, but there was no denying she had been caught completely off guard by seeing him.
“Mom? Is something wrong?”
She turned her attention to Laney. “No, sweetie. I’m fine. Tell me about your day.”
“Me and Jane went swimming at Jane’s house. It was a lot of fun,” Laney said. “I wish we had a pool.”
“We can’t afford one, Laney,” she murmured absently, taking a bite of her mother’s spaghetti. Truthfully, she had been saving money for a new place, possibly one with a pool. But that wasn’t pertinent. She hadn’t told her mother or Laney the news about Tate. Maybe she was being cowardly, but she thought it would be better to give Laney the news in the morning rather than before bedtime.
It wasn’t as if she’d have to leave early to get to work anyway.
Walking around without her badge and gun made her feel naked. Especially not having the badge. She owned a backup piece, after all, this was Texas. Almost everyone carried or owned a gun, even in this small tourist town.
Including her mother. Not that Sarah had ever used the shotgun against another human being. But she had killed her fair share of snakes.
Maggie ate without tasting her mother’s delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. Laney went on about their swimming afternoon, but she couldn’t remember any of those details either. Laney ran outside to ride her bike while she helped her mother with the dishes.
“Maggie, what’s wrong? You’re completely distracted.”
She froze in the act of putting a clean plate in the fridge, taking two steps to the side to reach for the cupboard instead. “Oh, I uh, yeah. Sorry.”
“Trouble at work?” her mother asked.
She almost barked out a laugh, although the situation was anything but humorous. “Yeah, you could say that.” She turned and went back to drying dishes. “Mom, I don’t want to tell Laney until tomorrow morning, but Tate is dead. He’s been murdered.”
“What?” Her mother’s eyes widened in shock. “How? When?”
“I don’t know. I happened to find his body lying about sixty feet off Highway 16. I don’t think he was out there for more than a few hours, but he was shot in the head, so it’s being treated as a homicide. My boss took my badge and gun until I can be cleared as a suspect.”
“Oh, Maggie. I’m so sorry.” Her sweet mother quickly dried her hands and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. “That’s so awful. First losing Tate, then being forced off work. Surely your boss knows you’re innocent.”
“I hope so.” For a moment, she felt like a young girl again, being comforted by her mother’s embrace. She basked in her mother’s support for a moment, then she stepped back and resumed drying dishes. “But guess who had an argument with Tate just last night over his desire to have Laney come to live with him throughout the school year?”
“That’s not motive for murder,” her mother protested.
Maggie knew from experience that people had been murdered for less. Then again, usually not in Fredericksburg, Texas. “Maybe not, but it doesn’t look good. I’m hoping they’ll soon find evidence that will clear me.”
“What are you going to tell Laney?”
“I’m not sure.” Laney would be upset, but possibly not heartbroken. Tate’s fault for not spending more time with her. The child that was legally, but not biologically, his daughter. Texas state law didn’t care who had sired the child, if the baby was born while you were married, you were legally deemed the child’s parents.
But Tate, of course, knew the truth. And he’d proposed marriage, promising to love and cherish her and her unborn child.
A promise that had quickly eroded into bitterness followed by a series of affairs.
Her mind flashed back to Dallas. She hadn’t seen him in the nine years since they’d spent the summer together.
Since the night they’d created Laney.
Up until now, she’d convinced herself she’d never see him again. That the issue of his being Laney’s biological father didn’t matter. She’d tried to get in touch with Dallas when she’d found out she was pregnant, only he was in some faraway country without access to phone or internet. Leaving her with two choices, either have Laney out of wedlock, bringing shame on her pastor father’s reputation, or accept Tate’s offer to marry him. She’d cared about Tate and had thought that would be enough to make things work.
She couldn’t have been more wrong.
Still, she’d never anticipated seeing Dallas again. She knew his sister, Brenda, but they’d never been close friends. She wasn’t sure if Brenda even knew about how close she and Dallas had once been. Brenda had been married and going through her own medical issues at the time.
Now Dallas was back. And knew where she lived.
Did he deserve to know the truth?
No, the better question was if Laney deserved to know her real father.
She didn’t want to admit the answer was a resounding yes.
Ironic to realize Laney lost one father today but soon may have another father step in to take his place.
The thought of Dallas becoming involved in Laney’s life filled her with dread. She didn’t want to share custody. The way Tate had backed out of his responsibilities hadn’t bothered her in the least. She preferred spending time, especially her weekends off work, with Laney.
“Don’t stress, Maggie,” her mother urged. “They’ll clear your name and get you back to work in no time.”
“I hope so.” She quickly finished drying the dishes, then went outside to watch Laney. Her mother didn’t know the truth about Dallas. Her parents had assumed she and Tate had gotten carried away and had married accordingly. Deep down, she was glad her pastor father hadn’t known the truth before he’d abruptly died of a heart attack three years after Laney had been born.
“Look, Mom, no hands!” Laney lifted her hands off the handlebars as she cruised past on her bicycle.
“Be careful,” she called, stifling a sigh. Times like these, she wondered if Laney got her daredevil persona from Dallas.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a black car rolling slowly down the street toward Laney. Their house was located on the outskirts of town and normally didn’t get a lot of traffic. Which was why it had been obvious that Dallas had followed her.
The house next door was empty, the owners renting it out as a vacation property. No one with any brains wanted to come to Texas in August, the hottest month of the year.
She instinctively tracked the car’s movements. At first, she wondered if the driver was looking for the address of the rental property next door. Then she noticed the driver’s side window go down, revealing the barrel of a gun. It was pointed toward her, not at Laney, but she could only think of her daughter.
“Laney! Stay back! Go back!” She pulled her weapon and hit the ground just as the sharp report of gunfire rang out.
She returned fire, mentally braced for the impact of a bullet. But the pain didn’t come. Instead, the car picked up speed and took off.
A stunning realization hit hard. Someone had just tried to kill her.
“Mags! Laney!” Dallas had been walking toward Maggie’s house when the near shooting event unfolded right in front of his eyes. He’d been too far away to do much more than fire his Sig Sauer at the black car to scare them off. And it worked as the driver hit the gas and the black car leaped forward. Dallas wanted to fire again, but his first concern was for Mags and Laney.
His initial anger over what he’d learned from Brenda about how Maggie had been pregnant before her marriage had instantly faded in the face of danger. He ran with Romeo at his side to where Mags was kneeling beside her daughter, who’d tumbled off the bicycle.
Our daughter, he mentally corrected himself. There was no doubt in his mind that Laney was his daughter. Something Mags had purposefully kept a secret from him.
“What are you doing here?” Mags snapped when she saw him.
“Who was that guy in the car?” he shot back. “Why was he pointing a gun at you?”
“Gun?” Laney echoed. “Who are you anyway?” The girl rubbed her scraped knee and turned toward Mags. “Mom, what’s happening?”
Mags sent him a laser glare that could have fried him on the spot. He belatedly realized he should have chosen his words more carefully, but he wasn’t used to being around kids. “There’s nothing to worry about, Laney,” she assured the girl. “This is Dallas Hoffman, remember, you saw him earlier? He’s an old friend. How are you? It looks like you skinned your knee.”
“Mom, was that one of the bad guys you arrested?” Laney persisted. Her dear tomboy daughter didn’t seem to care that she was bleeding. “Is that why he came after you?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
Laney scowled, then looked again at Dallas, then down at the dog. The lab was sitting beside Dallas, his nose working the air. Dallas had trained with Romeo for months now, turning him into a great scent-tracking K9.
“I’m Dallas, and this is my partner, Romeo.” Dallas stroked the lab’s head, then put his hand on Laney’s arm. “Romeo, this is Laney.” Then he did the same thing to Mags. “Romeo, this is Maggie. Friends, Romeo. Friends.”
“He’s pretty,” Laney said, reaching over to pet him.
Dallas took the leash off so Romeo could play. The dog wiggled and wagged his tail with enthusiasm, trying to lick Laney’s face. His daughter laughed, the sound beautiful to his ear.
Laney was adorable, smart, and spunky. His earlier anger swelled in his chest, threatening to choke him. He wanted to snap at Mags but battled the urge back. He didn’t want to ruin this first meeting with his daughter.
His. Daughter.
Laney was enthralled with Romeo. She stood and idly rubbed her skinned knee, then ran into the yard, laughing when Romeo followed her.
“Who fired the shot?” Mags asked in a low voice. “You or the driver?”
“Me.” He slid the Sig back into the holster. “I saw the gun and fired at the vehicle to draw their attention away from you.”
Instead of thanking him, she scowled. “What were you thinking? You could have hit Laney.”
“I’m a SEAL, I hit what I aim at,” he drawled. “Our daughter was safe.”
She froze, her mouth opening and closing like a trapped blue gill. He waited for her to tell him the truth, but she didn’t. She stood and took several steps, putting distance between them. “Excuse me, I need to call this in.”
“Hold on. Isn’t it time to tell me the truth?” He didn’t care if he sounded annoyed. He had a right to be upset. “I’m right, aren’t I? You were pregnant when you got married. Laney is my daughter.”
“Legally, she’s Tate’s daughter.” Mags glanced over to where Laney and Romeo were playing. “You may be her biological father, but you forfeited that right when you left. I tried to call and talk to you, but I was told you were unavailable.” She exaggerated the emphasis on the last word. “When I specifically asked how long you’d be unavailable, I was told indefinitely.”
He couldn’t help but wince. Imagining a pregnant Mags trying to find him only to be told those things was heartrending. If he’d known . . . no, there was nothing he could have done. Being a SEAL meant going on covert ops that no one could know anything about.
Not his sister, his parents when they’d been alive, or Mags.
Not anyone.
“Look, I’m sorry, but—”
“No buts,” she interjected. “I was pregnant and alone, my father the pastor of our church. I did what I thought was best. Tate offered to marry me, and I accepted. It helped salvage my father’s reputation, and that was important to me.”
Reputation? More important than his knowing about his daughter? Dallas had to bite back a snarky response. He didn’t care about her father’s reputation, not when he’d lost eight years of his daughter’s life.
Eight years!
He was about to say more, but Mags was making the call. “This is Detective Chandler. I’d like to report an attempted shooting incident that just took place outside my home.”
He couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but it was interesting to hear Mags identify herself as a detective. He’d known she was a cop and was suddenly ridiculously proud of the way she’d moved up the ranks to being a detective.
