Maggie Undercover (19 page)

It was better this way. Her future was in
L.A. opening her own security firm, not in some backwater little
town in the middle of a frozen nowheresville. Why then did she feel
like she'd lost something more valuable than warm sunlit beaches or
even her career?

The first rays of dawn lightened the sky
before she fell into a troubled sleep.

***

"Maggie, wake up!"

Like an icicle through a snowdrift Alex's
excited voice pierced Maggie's head. She blinked. White winter
sunshine streamed into Alex's bedroom. Maggie groaned and tried to
pull the comforter over her head.

"Get up." Alex dragged the covers away.
"We're going sledding. Hurry."

Cool air seeped beneath the sweats Maggie
wore. She shivered and curled into a ball.

"Maggie," Alex repeated.

"Go get ready Alex. I'll get Maggie up."

Jared's husky voice roused Maggie quicker
than a bucket of ice water. Eyes open, she bolted up to face
him.

Arms crossed over his broad chest he leaned
against the doorjamb and stared at her. The look in his eyes, part
anger, part amusement, part something she couldn't name, left her
unsettled.

"I can't go sledding with you."

"Why not?"

"Because of everything that's happened. It
wouldn't feel right."

He straightened, his arms fell to his sides
and his eyes darkened. "Alex has her heart set on your going
sledding with us. I won't let you disappoint her."

Guilt made it difficult for her to hold his
gaze. "I don't have anything to wear."

"Look in my sister's closet. Since she moved
to Florida she keeps her winter stuff here. There should be a
snowmobile suit and some boots you can wear. Be downstairs in
fifteen minutes or I'm coming up to get you."

Stubborn pride kept her motionless for a few
minutes. She never responded well to ultimatums. Then a surge of
hope had her scrambling to get ready. The more time she spent with
Jared the more opportunity she'd have to earn his forgiveness.

She paused as she tugged on one tight boot.
Did she want Jared's forgiveness? And if she got it what would she
do then? Jared's life was here in Council Falls, teaching. She had
her life planned out in L.A., owning her own security firm. Maybe
it was better if he continued to hate her.

The sound of Jared's footsteps on the stairs
made her shelve her thoughts. Holding one boot she limped out into
the hall as he came to the top of the stairs.

"Good. You're ready. Let's go."

His cool tone made her question her decision
to go along. Then she glanced at his eyes and wondered if she had a
choice.

As she got into his SUV, she noted the plowed
drive and her car, a snow-covered stain of red, now parked in front
of the house. "Looks like your morning's been put to good use."

"Aside from a few scrapes and dents, it
doesn't seem like there's any damage to your car. But you should
have it checked out by your mechanic."

"Thanks. Jared?" She touched his arm. Pain
stabbed her when he jerked away.

"What?"

"Truce? For today? For Alex? In spite of
everything I want you to know I care about her. No matter what, I'd
never deliberately hurt her." She held his hard, searching gaze,
hiding nothing of the confused feelings inside her until he gave a
brief nod.

"Truce."

Aside from Alex's excited chatter the rest of
the trip passed in a comfortable silence.

Colorful dots against pristine white, people
crowded the sled hill on the outskirts of town. Maggie breathed in
the aromas of hot chocolate, coffee and hot dogs filling the crisp,
clean air. The cold stung her nose and cheeks, and not even the
snow mobile suit and fur lined boots kept her from shivering.

Over her initial protests, the three of them
climbed aboard the Blake's toboggan. Once sandwiched between Jared
and Alex Maggie forgot to be cold. Of course, she told herself,
being properly dressed for the weather accounted for the warmth
flooding her body, not the heat radiating from where his strong
chest braced her back, or where his arms wrapped around her waist
resting just below her breasts, or the burning were his spread
thighs cradled her buttocks.

Then he used his feet to propel them down the
hill and she forgot everything in the sudden thrill of flying. The
world rushed by in a blur of white.

Her cries of delight joined with Alex's
screams and Jared's shouts. Again and again they flew down the
steep hill until they were all breathless from laughter and
trudging back up.

In the fun, she forgot the tension between
them.

Afterwards she washed down sweet, sticky
donuts with the hot coffee Jared presented to her in a large
thermos, while he shared another thermos of hot chocolate with
Alex. His remembering her preference for a strong brew warmed the
chill in Maggie's heart.

Throughout the day, despite her doubts and
fears, Jared treated her as he always had, with consideration and
respect. If his attitude was a bit more reserved, who was she to
complain?

The day passed in a blur of snow and
laughter, ending too soon. Despite the cold still biting at her
nose and toes and the ache in her muscles, Maggie knew she'd miss
this, the warm contentment of a day spent with the people you
loved.

The thought startled and depressed her. What
good did it do her to love Jared and Alex? In one way or another
everyone she'd ever loved had abandoned her.

Halfway home it started to snow again. Alex
slept in the backseat as Jared pulled his SUV in front of Maggie's
house.

"Thank you for a wonderful day. I never knew
freezing my butt off could be so much fun." Aside from a few simple
comments they hadn't spoken to each other all day.

"I did it for Alex. I don't want her to know
what's going on. When this is over, as far as she's concerned you
and your family just moved away."

"She won't understand if I just disappear.
She'll expect to hear from me."

"I'm sure you'll think of a good excuse.
You're a master at telling lies."

Maggie couldn't control the cold shaft of
pain his words caused or the hot anger that bubbled to the surface.
"There's lying and then there's lying to yourself," she shot
back.

He ignored her dig and held out his hand.
"Give me the keys to your car. I'll have the mechanic check it out
and bring it by later."

Maggie bristled at his high handedness.
"That's not necessary. I'm sure it'll be fine to drive it here
today. I'll have it looked at on Monday."

"This isn't open for discussion. The
arrangements have been made. Give me the keys. Go inside and get
together your files. I'll be back in an hour to go over them with
you."

Hard and cold as the ice covering the skating
pond by the sled hill he demanded her compliance.

"I don't think…"

"That's right, don't think. Just do as I say
or I'll call Jackson Reed and the investigation stops right
now."

"That's blackmail."

"Call it whatever you want. I'm either in
charge or it ends."

"You can't do this. Sterling Securities has a
lot of time and money invested in this investigation. So does Reed
Software. If we don't solve this case our reputation in the
industry will suffer. My reputation will suffer."

"Why should I care about your reputation? Did
you stop to consider mine? That's my offer. Take it or leave it.
The decision is up to you." He reached across her and opened the
door. "If I don't hear from you I'll be back in an hour."

Angered by his attitude she slid out of the
car and watched as he drove away.

Where was the Jared she'd come to know?
Though always strong and reserved, there was a gentleness and
caring about him that drew her from the beginning. Now all that
remained was a cold-eyed, dictatorial stranger.

She stomped into the empty house. Neither
Daniel nor Jeanne were home. What good was a family, even a pretend
one if they were never there when you needed them?

She should contact Daniel and advise him of
what had happened, but she couldn't bring herself to pick up the
phone. He'd left her in charge and she'd failed him.

Though he hadn't said anything she'd known he
sensed that something was happening between her and Jared. He'd
tried to warn her, but confident she could handle herself she
hadn't listened.

Tears stung the back of her eyes. After years
of being in charge she felt helpless to control her life, her
future. Putting them in Jared's angry hands frightened her. Though
he had his own reason for wanting to expose the true hacker was it
stronger than his need to punish her?

She wanted to bail on the whole situation,
but knew she couldn't. Without the coup of solving the hacking of
Reed Software her dream of opening her own computer security firm
would dissolve. Nor could she abandon Sterling Securities'
responsibility to Reed Software.

Her head ached from lack of sleep and worry.
She didn't have a choice. As hard as it was for her, she had to
trust Jared. Trust her instinct that told her he would do the right
thing.

She just wasn't sure anymore what the right
thing might be.

~~~~~

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

After paying the sitter for the still
sleeping Alex, Jared showered. Outside the streetlights lit the
growing darkness. The mechanic had come and towed Maggie's car to
his shop. She wouldn't be happy to hear it wouldn't be back until
late on Monday, if there were nothing wrong with it.

The situation suited Jared. Without a car she
couldn't leave.

Earlier he'd met with her. The whole time
they were together looking through her files they maintained
polite, cool facades, as if nothing had passed between them.

Their information matched. The hacker was
obvious. On Monday they'd call him to account and put an end to the
problem. Now that the situation was over it shouldn't matter to him
if she stayed.

He sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand
through his damp hair. He should be eager to hustle her and her
cronies out of town and out of his life. She'd disrupted the steady
flow of his world, made him question and reevaluate himself and his
life in ways that weren't comfortable. So why did the thought of
her leaving make him feel empty inside?

Maggie was right. In the past he'd responded
to the problems in his life by running away, either physically or
emotionally.

Up until the false allegation against him,
he'd lived a charmed life. The oldest son of a well-respected
family, top of his class in school, married to the beautiful
daughter of a wealthy family, he'd believed there wasn't anything
he couldn't have if he put his mind to it and worked hard. When his
perfect life crashed down around his ears he couldn't handle it.
Unwilling to face the curious looks and sympathetic whispers, he'd
packed up and left town.

Then when his marriage fell apart he'd closed
down his emotions and focused his energy on making money. Neither
action had brought him the satisfaction he found in teaching and
being a father to his daughter.

He was done running away. Council Falls was
his home. Teaching was his calling. Alex was his life.

"Daddy?"

He looked up and smiled. Alex stood in the
doorway, Samson bouncing at her heels. Sleep tousled hair
surrounded her wind burned cheeks. Chocolate rimmed her mouth.

"Come here, sweetheart. What's up?" He held
out his arms.

Forgetting her nine-year-old dignity for the
moment, she crawled into his lap. Samson yipped and jumped into her
arms. She snuggled the growing puppy to her chest and peered up at
him. A frown creased her face. She worried her lower lip with her
teeth then looked up at him. "Are you and Maggie mad at each
other?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I heard you arguing in the car. I didn't
mean to listen, but you were sort of yelling. Is Maggie
leaving?"

"Maybe."

"I don't want her to leave. I love her. Make
her stay, Daddy. Please."

Another black mark against Maggie. She'd made
Alex love her.

But was loving and losing someone such a bad
thing? He didn't doubt Maggie's affection for Alex. She'd made him
laugh and his daughter smile. She'd opened up two hearts that had
been closed and locked by pain. When she left Alex would hurt for a
while, but by loving and being loved by Maggie, she'd gain more
than she'd lose. She'd recover. But would he?

That she'd lied about her identity didn't
change whom she was inside – a vibrant woman with a lot of love to
give.

"I can't make Maggie stay if she doesn't want
to. She has her own life to live. She makes her own decisions."

"Maybe she's leaving because she thinks
you're mad at her. If she did something wrong she can say she's
sorry then you can forgive her. If you love someone you have to
forgive them, don't you? I forgave you for forgetting to be my
daddy for a long time."

Out of the mouths of babes. The truth stung.
Could he ask her to stay? Forgive her?

Or did he need to forgive himself?

No longer could he run away from his feelings
for Maggie. What he felt for her went beyond mere physical
attraction. In spite of her lies or maybe even because of them, he
loved her. He loved her bright, optimistic nature, her energy and
enthusiasm for life, her determination to do the right thing even
when she went about it the wrong way, her caring heart that she
tried to hide beneath a casual attitude.

She'd made him love her.

The question was did she love him? And was
her love strong enough for her to give up her life in L.A.? Did he
have the right to ask her to?

***

On Monday morning Jackson Reed, Jared and she
sat in Jackson's richly appointed office. In contrast to the
shadows crowding Maggie's thoughts bright sunshine streamed into
the room. After her last meeting with Jared she'd come to a
decision. Though she hesitated to go behind his back again she'd
picked up the phone and made one call. The results held promise,
but whether anything came of it was up to Jared.