Genesis: A Harte's Peak Prequel (15 page)

The sight of her snapped him to attention.

She stood, wearing a green top that hugged her beautiful form and set off those green eyes.

“Sorry, must have overslept. What time is it?”

“It's nine o'clock. I would have brought him over sooner, but I took Lexi in to school late, and I thought you wouldn't mind.”

Nine o'clock.
Good grief, had he turned into a banker overnight? He hadn't slept until nine o'clock since before he'd enlisted.

“May I come in?” Maggie asked.

Chief had walked right past as if he owned the place. Not good.

“Of course,” Jack said and turned his head in the direction of a slamming car door. Black sedan, clearly a rental car.

No. It couldn't be, not now. But there was no denying that his past and present had just collided before his eyes. Tiny lines were now etched deeper along her dark brown eyes, her formerly long dark hair was now cut short. Still, he would have recognized her anywhere. A smiling Kimberly Craig walked towards him and Maggie.

“You can take that look right off your face, Jack Butler. I told you I wouldn't give up on this.” Kimberly had an overnight bag with her, which meant she planned on staying.

Just after getting a good night's sleep, the last thing he needed. The living, breathing reminder of his greatest failure had come to visit. “Kim—what are you doing here?” He stammered.

“Really? This is how you greet an old friend? I'm Kimberly Craig.” She faced Maggie and stuck a hand out.

“I'm sorry. This is Maggie, my neighbor.” He introduced the two as thoughts formed and competed for attention, all of them amounting to what Maggie would think. Would she believe he and Kim were an item, or even worse, would Kim tell Maggie what he'd done? He didn't want the look in Maggie's eyes to change when she knew. Not when she tended to gaze at him as if he were one of the greatest men she'd ever met. No need to tell her yet just how wrong she was about him.

“I was married to Jack's partner,” Kimberly said, neglecting to mention why she was no longer married to him. For now, he could live with that.

“I'll let you two catch up.” Maggie left before he had a chance to think of some excuse to keep her around. And he wanted to keep her with him. She calmed him somehow, centered him. Probably because only she managed to get his mind on other things.

The door closed, and he faced Kim, who threw her arms around him and then pulled back to stare into his eyes. “I'm worried about you.”

“You shouldn't be. We went over this.” He felt his jaw tighten.

Kim took in her surroundings and then threw him a disgusted look. “No couch, no table. One stool. Well, at least I can see you don't plan on staying here for long.”

“That was the plan.” He would need caffeine, so he headed toward the coffeemaker.

Chief chose that moment to make his presence known, pushing at his dog bowl with his nose.

“A dog? You have a dog?” Kimberly's eyes widened.

More like the dog has me.
“I don't have a dog.”

“Well, you could have fooled me.” Kimberly bent down to pet the attention-getter. “He looks hungry.”

“It's a trick. Maggie's daughter feeds him before she goes to school. Anyway, it's temporary. I'm keeping him until we find the owner.”

“I'm glad. You need to come back to Virginia.”

“Nothing like getting right to the point.” Jack ran a hand through his hair.

“You needed a break, and I get that. Everyone does. But it's been long enough, and running away won't solve anything.”

Jack set out coffee mugs and poured the coffee. “Is that what everyone thinks? That I'm running away?”

Kim took a seat on his stool. “No one is saying that. The official word is that you've taken some time off. We all expect you to be back. You and I both know it's not uncommon to take time off after a—”

“Shooting?” He finished the sentence.

She shut her eyes. “It wasn't your fault, so why can't you forgive yourself?”

He had half a dozen reasons, none of which he wanted to go over with Kimberly, of all people. He'd been the one to call her, to meet her at the hospital and hold her when they'd both received the devastating news. Apparently, somehow, he was supposed to forget her body nearly convulsing with sobs.

All because he'd hesitated. Hesitated when he should have taken the shot, because by the time he did the damage had already been done.

He'd managed to break out in a sweat, the drops rolling down his back, and all because of Kimberly. And the memories she'd brought with her.

“I don't want to talk about this.” What he wanted to hear about were the girls. Robert's pride and joy.

Kimberly talked about how they'd adjusted, Alison seeing a therapist and Amber taking horseback riding lessons, which had turned out to be therapeutic, as well. None of which, by the way, would have been required if Robert were still alive. But Kimberly refused to bring up that point. “They'd love to see their Uncle Jack again,” Kimberly said with a smile.

That would be because they didn't know, and according to the official release by the department, maybe they never would. Some things were just not fit for print.

“Yeah,” Jack said, taking a gulp of his coffee.

“Do you have to work today?” Kimberly asked.

“I'll get Ryan to cover for me. He owes me.”

“Great, because I have a dozen questions for you. Starting with who that beautiful woman is, and don't try to tell me she's just your neighbor.”

Being grilled about what he didn't even want to admit to himself was only one step below talking about Robert. “Come to think of it, maybe I should go to work.”

Kimberly laughed. “I'm not letting you get away with that. OK, I promise I'll go easy with the questions.”

Great, an entire day ahead of him with Kimberly by his side. He'd have to take her for a hike, let her see the beauty of the Sierras, show her pristine Pinecrest Lake that drew visitors from all over the state. Anything to keep her from talking.

 

****

 

The mystery of Jack Butler had begun to unravel itself by a single, solitary thread named Kimberly.

She'd been married to Jack's partner, but no longer. Maybe Jack was the reason they were no longer married. Except Jack didn't look like the kind of man who would break up a marriage—as if she knew what that kind of man looked like. But he wouldn't look like Jack.

If she'd had to pinpoint it, Maggie would guess that Kimberly had a good decade on Jack. Then again, some men liked older women. But now it made sense, because she could never believe that he'd be single.

Although Kimberly had said they were old friends. Then again, she and Jack were friends, and only her heart knew that her feelings had grown beyond friendship. A reminder that she had to get a grip.

A couple of hours later, Maggie heard Jack's truck start up and drive off. Probably because she'd been listening for it. Time to get busy, and get your mind off what you can't have.

Please God, help me get this man out of my mind and heart. I realize You want me to be alone now and focus on my daughter. I'm sorry about my wandering heart. I'll try to do better.

For the rest of the afternoon, Maggie cleaned like a woman on a mission. Like a woman who cared what people thought about her housekeeping habits.
I'm starting to scare myself.

As soon as Lexi got home from school, she laid the truth out like a peace offering. “It's up to you, Lexi. I don't want to stop you if you want to go to the festival with your grandparents. Why don't you call them right now? Something tells me they're expecting a call.”

“Seriously? You want me to call them?” Lexi stared. “What happened to you?”

Had she been that horrible? “What happened is that God has been working on my heart for some time now. And though I'm still a work in progress, it seems as if at least the entrance has been remodeled.”

Lexi continued to stare. “Is that supposed to make any sense?”

“It's a metaphor!” Maggie declared and then turned on the vacuum cleaner.

By the time Lexi returned, the living room had undergone a metamorphosis. Maggie had uncluttered and found a place in her closet for all the paperback romance novels that she tended to leave all around the house in every nook and cranny so she'd always have something to read.

“It looks nice in here,” Lexi said in a conciliatory tone. “Kind of like clean.”

“Thanks.” Maggie nodded in appreciation. A sense of accomplishment coursed through her. Too bad she couldn't freeze-frame the moment. Unfortunately, by tomorrow she'd need to start all over again.

“I'm going to the festival,” Lexi said. “This weekend.”

“I'll bet they're happy,” Maggie said. “They miss you.”

“You sure this is OK? Grandpa didn't believe me. He said I should ask you to be sure, and I said it was your idea. Then he said—well, never mind.”

Yeah, never mind. Richard didn't usually have compliments to hand out for Maggie, but she'd been the bigger person. And, hopefully, God was smiling. “It's OK with me as long as it's what you want.”

“It sounds like fun, but I will miss Chief.” Lexi shrugged as she opened the fridge and grabbed a juice box.

“Oh, thanks, honey, you'll miss a dog over your own mother?” Maggie rumpled Lexi's hair as she passed by on her way to her bedroom.

The doorbell rang, and Maggie opened it to find Kimberly and Jack. She definitely hadn't expected this, although she had hoped. At least her house was ready for company.

“Mr. Good Housekeeping doesn't even have a sofa I can crash on, and I won't let him take the floor. I'm only staying one night. I hope it's not too much to ask, but can I stay with you? Or I can always rent a room at the motel in town.”

“You're not doing that.” Jack scowled.

“Why waste money? You can sleep in my bedroom, and I'll take the hideaway bed in my couch,” Maggie said.

“This is ridiculous. I can sleep on the floor,” Jack said.

“Absolutely not.” Kimberly shook her head. “Maggie, the only way I'll do this is if I take the hideaway bed.”

She didn't look like the kind of woman a person argued with, and Maggie nodded. “Would you like to come in?” She took in the knowledge that Kimberly and Jack were obviously only friends and let it settle around her heart.

“I'd love to. Jack has told me so much about this town. We went hiking today, and I got to see your spectacular lake. You're so fortunate to live in such beautiful surroundings.”

Maggie gazed at Jack, who looked as if he wanted to run again, panic written all over his face. Was it something about Maggie that made him want to run? A woman could get a complex.

He sat at her kitchen table, not participating much in the conversation except for the occasional nod, glancing down at his cellphone as though he prayed it would ring.

Kimberly talked about her daughters, and Virginia, and how much they all missed Jack. But when Lexi walked in the room and said hello, Kimberly stared and then smiled. “Jack didn't tell me you have a teenage daughter.”

Maggie didn't wonder since what he had to say would not be exactly good advertising copy for Lexi. He'd obviously been kind.

“Didn't I?” Jack looked at his cellphone again. “I forgot something. Be right back.”

He strode out the front door with purpose, a man on a mission.

“What did he forget?” Maggie asked.

“His manners?” Kimberly laughed.

Maggie laughed, too, but she got the distinct impression that Jack was as uncomfortable today as he'd been the first time she'd met him.

“Lexi, how's school? I bet you enjoy winters here, especially if you like skiing. On the other hand, it wouldn't matter much if you didn't. Take me. I'm a first class lounger when we go to the snow. If anyone is lucky enough to get me on a pair of skis, they better steer clear of me.” Kimberly apparently loved to talk, and she kept going.

Lexi alternatively smiled, stared at their guest, and soon politely excused herself.

“She's lovely,” Kimberly said.

“Thank you. I don't hear that often enough. I hate to admit it, but Lexi hasn't been on her best behavior for the past few months. In fact, she tried to break into our house because I wouldn't give her a key so she could come home right after school. That's kind of how we met Jack.”

“You're kidding.” Kimberly stared again.

Maggie passed a hand over her cheek, wondering if she had something on her face. “He thought Lexi was breaking in and he tried to stop her. That only made my daughter mad.” Funny how she could laugh about it now.

“I'm picturing it now,” Kimberly said. “Jack hasn't been around kids that much, only our daughters. But Robert used to run a program for teenagers, and that was the first time Jack got involved with some mentoring. It was part of the Marshals' outreach to the community.”

Maggie stuck on the word
marshal.
“Did you say marshal? As in U.S. Marshal?”

“Well, I'm not surprised he hasn't told you. He's not one to talk about himself. Actually, Jack is a pretty big deal in our corner of the world. Before he left, he was up for a big promotion. He and my late husband, Robert, were partners.”

Well, that explained the t-shirt. In fact, it was beginning to explain a lot—from the lack of furniture to the stern authority he'd shown with Richard.

“Did you say your late husband?” Maggie asked.

“In the line of duty.” Kimberly said, staring at her hands.

“I'm so sorry, Kimberly.”

“I don't talk about it much because I'm in a good place now. Here's the thing. Robert had a great sense of humor. In fact, he told a joke right after he'd been shot. Classic Robert. And so after the first week of bouts of constant sobbing, I could almost hear Robert's voice in my ear: ‘Apparently I really was ready to do anything to avoid remodeling the kitchen, just like you said.' You might think I'm weird, but I burst out laughing. Robert would have never let me get away with feeling sorry for myself. And so now, I make it my duty to honor him by remembering to laugh. Life is short, and soon enough we'll be together again.”