Dangerous Legacy (12 page)

Therefore, she had to figure out who was causing all the trouble and threatening their very lives. She simply had to. Because, one way or another, she was going to make sure her little boy got to know his real father the way he deserved to.

A shiver shot up her spine. She rapidly checked over both shoulders, seeing no problem. Was there one, or was she merely a victim of her own wayward imagination?

She hurried to match Flint’s longer stride as he carried Mark into the sanctuary. “Let’s sit in the corner over there,” she said, touching his arm lightly and pointing. “We can see all the doors and nobody can get behind us.”

“Now you’re thinking sensibly,” he said.

Maggie saw no reason to tell him she was keyed up. They all were, and for their own good. A complacent animal was easy prey. Clueless people were, too. They had to be on edge to keep their wits sharp and their senses honed.

Settling herself in the pew, she waited until Flint had placed Mark between them, then said, “I’ve changed my mind. I want you to teach me to shoot.”

He arched an eyebrow. “What brought that on?”

“Rabbits,” Maggie said, seeing him stifle a grin.

“Rabbits? Okay...”

“Think about it. They have no natural defenses except to run and hide from predators. I’m tired of being like them. I want some teeth and claws of my own so I can fight back.”

“I’m not sure that’s the right attitude. Aggression can get you into trouble.”

“So can freezing like a deer caught in a car’s headlights.”

“Speaking of that, how’s your latest patient?”

“Fine. Don’t try to change the subject.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. When do you want these lessons?”

She leaned closer to speak over Mark’s head while he busied himself pretending to read the Sunday bulletin. “Soon as possible.” She eyed the boy. “I’m going to let Mom keep taking care of him for a while, so now would be a good time.”

“How about this evening?”

It suddenly occurred to Maggie that she’d invited the love of her life to visit her at home while she was alone. Not the smartest thing she’d ever done. It was, however, the best opportunity for her to practice shooting, so she agreed.

“Fine. After we eat at Mom’s I’ll go on home to do my chores and you can drop by. Any time before dark will be fine. I have a .38 revolver that was Dad’s. I’ve never shot it. He tried to teach me before he got so sick, but I was too afraid.”

“If you find you’re still scared, we’ll have to do something else to help you feel safe, like maybe get you a Taser,” Flint said. “Nobody should try to handle a gun unless they’re confident and capable.”

“I’ve changed a lot since I was a kid,” Maggie countered. “There is nothing I can’t do once I set my mind to it.”

Flint looked down at the well-behaved child between them and smiled. “I believe you.”

TWELVE

T
he leisure time Flint shared with his son and the women flew by. If he’d had his choice, Maggie would not have insisted on going home alone. She stubbornly rejected the idea of letting him accompany her even though her own mother urged it.

“All I’m going to do is my usual chores, just like every other day. Wolfie will warn me if there’s a problem.”

“And chase off a dangerous pack of wolves?” Faye asked.

“If necessary. Flint never did find any sign of predators when Wolfie got hurt, so there’s a good chance there never were any. Everybody knows a trapper like Elwood can make animal noises better than most animals can. I sure wouldn’t put it past him to do it to scare me. Or to try to stir up trouble.”

“That would explain the boot prints I found,” Flint said. “Is he likely to have doctored your dog for you?”

Maggie said, “No” without hesitation. “But Robbie might have.” She made a silly face. “And, no, I did not put him up to tying Wolfie to a tree so one of the Witherspoons could shoot a Crawford, okay?”

“I never really thought you did. I was just...”

“Mad at me. I know. You had good reason.” She paused, checking to make sure her son was playing with the dog instead of listening. “But try to see it from my side. You left Serenity without a word and I didn’t hear from you afterward. Why should I have tried to find you to tell you about Mark?”

Scowling, Flint looked first at Faye, then back to Maggie. “I left you a note. And I wrote letters, at least in the beginning.”

“You never.”

“Ask your mother.”

Both of them faced Faye, whose cheeks and nose had turned the color of a bad sunburn. “It wasn’t my doing.”

“Mother!”

Teary-eyed and wringing her hands, Faye tried to explain. “You know how your father could be. He was as hateful as the rest of my kin—and he’d only married into our feud. Everybody kept insisting that you were better off without Flint. After a while I guess I started to believe it.”

“Why didn’t you
tell
me?”

“You and Mark filled a terrible void in my life after Frank died, and I knew if I fessed up you were liable to leave me all alone.”

“I don’t believe this.” Looking stunned, Maggie turned to Flint. “I’m so sorry. I thought you were glad to be rid of me.”

“You couldn’t have
asked
me?”

“How? I knew you’d joined the service, but that was all. I didn’t even know which branch at first.”

“Bess and Ira did. You could have approached them.”

“With a baby in my arms? That would have gone over like a lead balloon. Besides, what makes you think they’d have told me?”

“Bess would have, at least back then. Now I’m not so sure. Ira has turned into a mean old cuss since I’ve been gone. And she tends to back him up, even if he’s wrong.”

“I’m sorry about that, too,” Maggie said, “but at least his failings brought you back.”

“There is that.” Flint smiled. “Romans 8:28?”

“Yes. ‘All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.’” Making a face, Maggie gathered up her purse and called to Mark. “Come on, honey. Time to go.”

Flint put out a hand. “Hold it. I thought you were going to leave him here.”

“That was when I thought I could trust my own mother,” Maggie replied. She smiled at him. “Why don’t you just follow us home and spend the rest of the day? I’m sure we can work out a way to practice gun handling safely. After all, I’ll have to keep the gun in an accessible place as soon as I’m sure of myself.”

He helped her on with her jacket, then did the same for his son. Such simple kindnesses, yet they made him feel so good, almost as if he were part of a real family. That was the kind of closeness that had been missing in his life ever since he was a kid. Great-grandparents Bess and Ira had given him a home, yes, but they had never made him feel as if he belonged. Although that was probably at least partially due to their disappointment in both his mother and grandmother, it didn’t make up for the emotional alienation.

Perhaps that was what had drawn him to Maggie so strongly. She had a loving heart, the kind that had led her to care for helpless animals when she could have made a lot more money doing just about anything else.

He followed as Maggie led the way to the door. Mark was in her arms, waving goodbye. Faye just stood there with both hands clamped over her mouth as if trying to hold back sobs. Yes, he felt sorry for the older woman. Anybody would. But there was more to his feelings than that. Hiding the truth just to have her own way had cost Faye dearly, and she was now paying for those lies.

And she wasn’t the only one. The pain and astonishment in Maggie’s expression when she’d learned about his letters had proven her innocence without a doubt. Too bad he had accused her of lying about his efforts to contact her when
she
was the one who had been lied to.

Flint followed her and Mark out onto the porch and slipped his arm around her shoulders when she seemed to falter. “Are you okay?”

Maggie shook her head. “No. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again.” Her lower lip was quivering.

Flint tightened his hold and she turned into his embrace, holding their son as the third side of the triangle.

Mark instinctively put his little arms around his parents’ necks. “Don’t cry, Mama.”

When she didn’t answer, Flint began to stroke her silky hair, meaning only to comfort and belatedly realizing how much he’d wanted to touch her ever since the first moment he saw her again.

This embrace was different from the temporary closeness they’d shared after her accident. This was all of them together. His family. There might never be a legal binding, but that wouldn’t change his certainty that the three of them belonged together.

They always had.

* * *

Maggie was torn between the knowledge that her heavenly Father expected her to forgive Faye and a terrible sense of betrayal. All this time she’d been blaming Flint for deserting her and he hadn’t done so. Little wonder he’d been so angry when he first saw Mark.

Laying her cheek against Flint’s shoulder, she fought to regain her self-control. It did no good to keep telling herself to pull away when this was exactly where she wanted to be. In his arms. Close enough to pretend they had never been estranged or belonged to extended families that hated each other.
Ha!
That would be the day.

Now that she knew what had happened between Ira and Elwood all those years ago, she couldn’t see any solution short of moving away and changing her name. Come to think of it, that wasn’t such a bad idea.

She eased back to look up at Flint and almost came undone again when she saw the glint of unshed tears in his emerald eyes. The poor man was suffering and it was all her fault.

Instead of commiserating, she decided to try to lighten the mood by sharing her random thoughts. “I think I’d like to be Maggie Gilhooley. How does that sound?”

He frowned. “What?”

“When we change our names and escape from this crazy town,” Maggie explained. Eyes widening, she went on. “No. Mulrooney. That sounds better with Maggie. Maggie Mulrooney. What do you think?”

“I think you’ve had a rough day and maybe OD’d on pizza.” He shifted to stand beside her and ushered her to her truck. “Get in. I’ll follow you home.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.” The snap decision was so right it made her heart swell. “First you need to take the booster seat out of my truck and put it in yours so Mark can ride with you.”

“Really?”

The child cheered. “Yeah!”

“Okay, if you say so,” Flint agreed. “Give me a second to stow the laptop and move the rest of my gear to make room.”

As Maggie stood by with their son, she sensed a growing peace. Much of her world was in upheaval, yet she had just taken the first step toward making things right. There was no way to go back and change the past, of course, but she could begin to foster healing.

“There. All set,” Flint said, straightening and holding out his arms. “Ready, Mark?”

“Yeah. Can I blow the siren?”

“How about just the lights for now? We can save the siren for a better time.”

His little mouth puckered, but he conceded. “Oh, okay.”

Maggie had to smile at the exchange. It looked as if Mark had met his match. So had Flint. They were so alike it was amazing. And equally stubborn. Not that Mark had inherited any traits like that from her.

The boy was seated and buckled in before she turned toward her truck. And froze. A noisy International pickup was cruising by in the street. It was red. And rusty.

She spun and raced back to Flint, pointing and waving her arms. “There! Look!”

By the time he paid attention to her frantic gestures, it was too late. The truck was gone.

“Did you see that?”

“See what?”

“Elwood’s truck. It just drove by. If you hurry, maybe you can catch him.”

Flint eyed his son. “Not with Mark along. Did you see which way he was headed?”

“Downtown.”

“Okay. Stick with me. I’ll cruise that way before we head out to your place. But no car chases. Promise?”

“Promise. Do you think he’s stalking us?”

“Let’s try to find out.”

* * *

Flint took extra care traveling through town. So far, Maggie was behaving herself. If the emotional upheaval they had both experienced was affecting her as much as it was him, he’d understand if she acted a little overwrought.

They were passing the town market. Flint heard a horn honk. Maggie was waving an arm out the window, obviously trying to get his attention, so he pulled over.

Parking right behind him, she jumped down and approached at a trot, pointing. “There. That’s his truck. He’s at the market.”

“All right. You get in with Mark and lock the doors while I go see.”

“Do you know what he looks like these days?”

“Close enough. I’ve seen mug shots of the two older grandsons, and from what we’ve gathered, Elwood looks pretty wild. He has a gray beard and messy, long hair.”

“Right. I’ve heard he’s really let himself go.” She reached for his arm. “Be careful.”

“I just want to talk to him. I can’t arrest him unless I can prove he’s been poaching.”

“Prove it? How?”

“By catching him in the act or finding too much deer meat in his freezer and a pile of discarded hide and antlers like the one I found on Nine Mile Ridge recently.”

“Wait! You can’t arrest him?”

“Not without good cause. Looking dangerous isn’t a crime.”

“Well, it should be.”

Flint waited until he was certain she’d locked the truck doors, then headed for the grocery store. Judging by so few cars, there weren’t many shoppers on Sunday.

Instead of entering the store and taking a chance of creating trouble inside, he leaned against the rusty old truck and waited. The two men who soon approached were scruffy but definitely not Elwood.

Flint smiled slightly and nodded a greeting. “Evening, boys. You must be Luke and Will.”

Luke, the taller of the two, scowled beneath the brim of a dirty baseball cap. “Who’s askin’?”

“Is this your grandpa’s truck?”

“I said, who’re you?”

Continuing to smile, Flint offered his hand. “I’m surprised you don’t recognize me.”

Will started to reach out to shake. His brother elbowed to stop him. “Don’t. It’s that new game warden.”

“Right you are.” Flint looked past them. “You two alone tonight?”

“What’s it to ya?”

“Just wondering. I’d really like to talk to Elwood.”

Both young men chuckled. Will muttered, “Yeah, I bet you would.”

“There’ll be no trouble as long as you stick to the rules,” Flint said amiably. “We all want the deer population to stay healthy. That’s why Game and Fish sets limits and seasons.”

“Don’t lecture us, Crawford,” Luke said with a sneer. “Witherspoons have been huntin’ these deer woods for a lot longer than you’ve been alive.”

“True. And we’re coming up on modern gun season, so I won’t be giving you any trouble about what weapons you choose. But I do need to warn you about taking too many bucks or shooting does.”

“Meat’s meat,” Luke countered. He shouldered Flint aside to yank open the driver’s door of the old truck while Will circled to the passenger side.

Flint tried to hand Luke a business card. “Have Elwood call me, will you? I’ll be glad to drive out to wherever he’s living and meet with him any time.”

The card fluttered to the pavement. Both young men were laughing as they drove away.

Flint jogged back across the street. Maggie stepped out, waiting by the open door of his truck. “How did it go?”

“As well as can be expected.”

“That good, huh?”

He realized she was trying to joke. “Almost.”

“Did they mention me?”

“Come to think of it, no,” Flint said, thoughtful. “Are you ready to head to the sanctuary?”

“Yes. Let’s get home while we still have daylight. I’ll do chores and you can check the house for me.”

“And then teach you to shoot?”

“Yes. I’ve actually handled a rifle a few times before. My dad showed me how. But that’s no guarantee I’ll know how to stay safe with a handgun. It’s not the same thing.”

“Precisely.”

“I hope you’re duly impressed with my sensible choices,” she said. “I’d hate to think you still see me as a silly teenager.”

“You were never silly,” Flint countered. “Stubborn, hardheaded and a lot prettier than you thought, but never silly.”

“Was that a compliment?”

“It was supposed to be.”

“Good. Let’s get out of here before those guys decide to come back and cause us trouble.”

* * *

“We can’t use the lights when we’re in traffic,” Flint told Mark. “Wait till we get to your driveway and we can do it again.”

“Why?”

“Because it will confuse other drivers.”

“Why?”

“Because lights are for emergencies.”

“Why?”

Studying the child’s impish expression, Flint realized he’d been had. As soon as he chuckled, Mark covered his mouth and began to giggle.

“Do you do that to your mother, too?” Flint asked.