Maggie Undercover (14 page)

"Yes, you will," Daniel said.

"But…" she started to protest.

He held up his hand. "No buts. We know the
school computer isn't the origin of the hacking. He routed through
the school computers from another system. Even though I doubt Blake
is our culprit, we need to be thorough and rule him out. You need
to get into Blake's home computer to check it out. With all the
people there you'll have a perfect opportunity."

She knew Daniel was right. But she didn't
have to like it. Then why was she looking forward to eating turkey
and stuffing with a bunch of strangers?

***

"Over the river and through the woods to
Jared Blake's house I go," Maggie grumbled as she pulled up in
front of his house. Numerous vehicles filled the long drive and
spilled out along the street.

Clutching the still warm pie against her to
calm her sudden case of nerves, Maggie stepped out her car. For
this occasion she'd forgone her usual jeans and tank tops for a
long skirt and sweater. A cool breeze lifted her skirt and touched
her bare thighs. She shivered not with cold but with foreboding.
What was she doing? She should turn around and leave. It was hard
enough fooling Jared and Alex. How could she bring herself to
deceive his entire family?

Though he was officially still a suspect, she
didn't need to search through his computer for proof of his
innocence. Her heart told her Jared had nothing to do with the
hacking of Reed Software. Integrity ran through him like a vein of
solid gold in granite. Honest and loyal. Strong and caring. Guarded
and gentle. The adjectives didn't do him justice. Guilt ate at her.
Did a noble end justify a deceptive means?

She should leave now before she hurt him
further. Like a picture on a holiday greeting card the house sat in
front of her, large and imposing, yet warm and welcoming. A blanket
of white covered the large lawn and dusted the evergreens lining
the property. White smoke curled from the house's chimneys,
scenting the crisp air with wood smoke. Sounds of music and
laughter filtered out. Warm yellow light spilled from the windows
beckoning her to enter.

A longing so strong it tore at her reluctant
heart frightened Maggie. She stood motionless on the front walk
staring at the house – the home that could never be hers.

Jared nursed his mother's special recipe
eggnog and watched out the window as Maggie paused on the front
walk. When his mother had told him about inviting Maggie for
dinner, he'd had his doubts about the wisdom of her joining his
family for Thanksgiving Day. His attraction to her scared him, but
the look of longing and hopelessness on her face tugged at his
heart. He knew how hard it was to be away from family during the
holidays. He regretted each year that he'd avoided coming home.
Never again. No matter what the future brought, he was home now.
And here he intended to stay.

Instead of her usual jeans, sleeveless t-top
and windbreaker, today she wore a full, ankle-length, cranberry-red
wool skirt, black ankle high boots and a long-sleeved,
cream-colored turtle neck sweater that hugged her full breasts.
She'd done her hair up in a French knot and wore a hint of makeup.
The effect transformed her from a perky, girl next-door, high
school student to a sophisticated woman.

Wind swirled through the yard stirring
mini-tornados of snow. He frowned. A cranberry-red shawl was draped
around her shoulders, but again she wore no coat. She gave a
visible shudder and clutched the box she held close to her
chest.

For a second he thought she was going to turn
and leave. Part of him hoped that she would while another part
prayed that she wouldn't. Then with obvious reluctance she started
toward the house. Jared turned to let her in, but his mother beat
him to the door.

"Welcome. You must be Maggie. I'm Rebecca
Blake, Jared's mother. Let me take your shawl. A pumpkin pie? Thank
you. With this crowd we can never have enough food. Come in. I'll
introduce you to everyone."

Maggie responded then bent to greet an
ecstatic Samson. The puppy followed them as they moved into the
house.

Jared watched and listened as his mother
ushered a bewildered Maggie into the center of the hurricane that
was his family. She nodded and smiled as his mother sang out the
names of his brothers, his sister, aunts and uncles, cousins and
significant others. To the uninitiated the large, boisterous crowd
could be overwhelming. Just as Maggie looked ready to bolt Jared
took pity on her and came to the rescue.

"Give her a break, Mom. Come on, Maggie sit
over here." He led her to a chair in a relatively quiet corner by
the fireplace. "What would you like to drink?"

"A Scot - soft drink on the rocks, please."
She sank into the chair. Samson plopped down at her feet and gazed
up at her with adoring eyes. She stroked his head.

"Relax, they don't bite." He couldn't help
chuckling at her panicked look.

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Dad, take care of Maggie here. I
think our family is about to send her away screaming."

"I never scream. And I never run away." She
glared up at him. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Blake.

"Pleased to meet you Maggie. Jared's told us
a lot about you. Call me Dave."

His dad's words made Jared freeze. He hadn't
told his dad a thing. What was going on here? Had his father
guessed at the feelings he had for Maggie? How? What would he say
to her? And how would she answer?

He strained to hear, but laughter and voices
drowned out Maggie's answer. He wanted to go back and demand an
explanation. Now wasn't the time, but later he'd have to confront
his dad. He continued into the kitchen.

After dinner with everyone stuffed with
turkey, stuffing and pie, the noise level dropped several decibels
and Maggie could think again.

Though a sexist division of labor, it had
felt right to join the women as they cleared the table and did up
the dishes. As had being a part of the conversations that moved
like a wave around the crowded dinner table. Opinions bounced back
and forth. Discussions escalated into shouts then dissolved into
laughter with no hurt feelings left behind.

Being with Jared's family was like a ride at
Disney Land, fun, exhilarating and exhausting. She needed to catch
her breath and regain her perspective. She excused herself from the
group of women relaxing in the front parlor with tea and cookies
and made her way to the bathroom.

She passed the men congregated in the large
family room off the kitchen watching whatever football game was on.
The occasional shout of triumphant or groan of defeat was the only
sound. The children, along with Samson now that the chance of food
was over, had disappeared up into Alex's room to play video games.
Their teasing banter and laughter drifted down the stairs.

She stared without seeing into the bathroom
mirror. She liked these people. No one made distinctions based on
her supposed age. They treated her as an equal. For long periods of
time she found herself forgetting who she was pretending to be and
enjoying the day.

Jared's three brothers were handsome and
charming. Within minutes of meeting her they accepted her as one of
their own. At first his sister regarded her with some suspicion,
but her good hearted nature soon revealed itself and Maggie found
herself being treated like a long lost sibling. And Jared's parents
– they were what she'd always dreamed parents should be. His father
was strong and fair, supportive but not judgmental. And his mother
was a doll – sweet and loving, protective of her brood but willing
to accept their choices.

Soon her investigation would come to a head.
She believed she knew the true culprit, but because of his
relationship to Jared she had to make sure Jared's name was clean.
When she left town, she didn't want there to be a trace of doubt
about his innocence. To do that she had to get into his computer.
She'd thought about trying to get into his computer the day after
Halloween, but Mrs. Larkins' sharp eyes had stopped her.

She peeked her head out of the bathroom. The
hallway was clear. At the end of it was Jared's office. The door
was closed. She slipped done the hall and eased the door open. No
one saw her. Breathing a sigh of relief she stepped into the room
and closed the door.

She paused to look around Jared's inner
sanctum. Lit by the glow of the computer monitor sitting on his
desk and the moonlight reflecting off the snowy yard into the room,
the room lay in ghostly shadows. Paneled in rich, dark wood the
walls were lined with well-stocked bookshelves. A massive desk and
high backed leather chair dominated the center of the room. Behind
the desk French doors opened onto a small private courtyard. In one
corner two wingback chairs invited a person to sit and read in cozy
comfort. The room mirrored Jared's personality, reserved and
masculine, but its warmth and peacefulness reached out to her.

"You looking for a place to hide, too?"

She strangled a scream as Jared swiveled
around in his chair and looked at her.

"I didn't see you there," she managed to
squeak over the thudding of her heart.

"Sorry if I startled you. My family can be a
bit overwhelming. Come on in and sit down." With the drink in his
hand he motioned toward the chairs.

"I'll leave. I didn't mean to disturb
you."

"Oh, little Mad Maggie, you'll never know
just how much you disturb me," he murmured.

"What?" She couldn't have heard him
right.

"Nothing. Just thinking aloud. You're not
disturbing me. Sit down."

He put his almost full glass of wine down on
the desk. She hid her smile and settled in the chair furthest from
where he sat. When he got up and sat in the other chair her smile
faltered. His knees brushed against hers.

He wasn't drunk. She knew drunk when she saw
it. But his resistance was lowered. Warning bells rang in her mind.
She should leave. Fascinated by this vulnerable side of Jared, she
ignored them.

The smell of leather, paper and wine wrapped
around her.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at her
over his steepled fingers. She recognized the movement as his way
of stopping to give himself time to consider a problem before
acting. He did it often in class when confronted by a difficult
student.

She wasn't blind or overly modest. She knew
he found her attractive, but he'd always conducted himself with
dignity and respect for his status as her teacher. And as much as
she wanted more from him she respected him for it. So why was she
letting the fact that she disturbed him excite her?

"So why didn't you go with your parents for
Thanksgiving?"

His question threw her for a minute then she
recovered and started in with her explanations about the party and
study date.

Before she got halfway through he stopped
her.

"Those are your excuses. What's the real
reason?" He leaned forward. "Are you having trouble at home?"

She stiffened. "Are you doing double duty as
a guidance counselor now?" What she'd seen as interest in her as a
person, a woman, was his concern about one of his students. She
should be relieved that her deception wasn't going to hurt him,
instead unreasoned anger colored her question with sarcasm.

"Oh, Maggie. You are a puzzle. No. Don't
leave. I apologize. You're right. I'm not a counselor. Your reason
for not spending the holiday with your parents is none of my
business. I just want you to know that I care about you. More than
I probably should. But that's my problem not yours. I've always
cared too much about my students. Try not to care too deeply about
things or people. It hurts."

His word echoed her thoughts. Anger faded
into guilt. He might deny his attraction to her, but it was there.
It showed in his eyes. She could hear it in his voice. And it was
tearing him apart inside. She touched his knee with her hand. "I'm
sorry I snapped at you. But you're wrong, caring may hurt, but
refusing to let yourself feel leaves you dead inside."

"Are you dead inside, Maggie?"

His gentle, questioning look made her want to
tell him about her childhood, about the investigation and her
deception. To reveal to him the woman she kept hidden inside even
when she wasn't pretending to be a high school student, to let his
understanding comfort her. But she knew the minute he learned the
truth he'd turn from her in justifiable anger.

Even if he didn't blow the whistle on their
charade, he'd cut her out of his life. She'd never see him or Alex
again. The thought was like a knife in her heart. She wasn't ready.
She might never be ready to say good-bye to them.

Her fear of losing them reaffirmed her belief
that it was better to remain apart and alone. You couldn't miss
what you'd never had. But now that she'd had a taste of what they
could offer she was reluctant to reveal the truth.

And if you don't tell him, if you let his
attraction to you grow and develop, what will he feel about
himself?

"For a long time I was. Daniel and Jeanne
aren't my real parents."

"Yes, I know. You're adopted. It's in your
file."

What could she tell him that when this was
over he might understand what she'd done? She could excuse her lies
and her deception, but what could she say to justify making him
relive a nightmare?

Nothing. Still she had to try and explain who
she was.

"I've been with Daniel since my real mother
died when I was just sixteen." Unable to contain the words, she
told him about growing up with drunks, about her rebellion and how
Daniel saved her. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she dredged up
memories.

"He kept me off the streets, out of jail and
showed me how to turn my life around. He's my friend, my savior,
and my mentor. He's been more of a dad to me than my real father
ever was. I love him and he loves me, but try as we do we're not a
family." She kept Jeanne's name out of her explanation.