Slade's Secret Son (5 page)

“We’ll take a roundabout route, make certain we’re not being tailed,” Slade said as they pulled out of their parking space.

Lisa nodded and began giving directions. Once they were satisfied they weren’t being followed, she guided him to Grady’s residence. It was in one of the more exclusive areas on the outskirts of Seattle. A high iron fence encircled his estate and there was a tall iron gate across the driveway. The gate was closed and locked, barring their entrance, and the house beyond was dark.

Slade pressed the button on the intercom housed in a box on his side of the drive. He got no response. “Looks like he’s not home. So what are his favorite hangouts?”

Lisa shifted into a more straightened position in an effort to focus her tired mind. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest. “I’m too tired to go looking for him tonight,” she confessed. Her stomach growled and she added, “And I’m hungry.”

Mentally, Slade kicked himself for not remembering that she was still recovering from being shot. “We’ll call it a day.”

A short while later, against Lisa’s wishes, Slade had checked them into one of the best hotels in Seattle.

“You’re exhausted. I want a place with room service
and a great kitchen. And I can afford it,” he’d said, refusing to listen to any argument from her.

Lisa was aware that oil had been struck on the Logan ranch years ago and that Slade’s widowed mother had insisted on her three sons sharing in the newfound wealth.

As they rode up in the mirrored, expensively carpeted elevator, the unpleasant thought that his family might think she’d gotten pregnant to get her hands on some of Slade’s wealth crossed her mind. Her chin tightened. If the accusation that she was gold digger was made, she’d point out that if that had been her reason, she wouldn’t have gone off on her own and tried to raise the child by herself. Still, the thought of meeting his mother under these circumstances made her uneasy.
But that hurdle is in the future, so just concentrate on the present
, she ordered herself.

Entering the room, Slade waited until the bellhop had gone, then said, “I tried to get us a suite but they were all booked.”

Her gaze traveled around the beautifully furnished room. There were two queen-size beds. “At least one of us won’t be sleeping in a chair. I’ll take the bed closest to the wall. You can sleep in the other one.”

Slade nodded his acceptance. But deep inside, he found himself regretting sleeping alone. Until she’d walked back into his life, he hadn’t realized how much he’d missed intimate female companionship. Since she’d left, no other woman had caught his interest. He’d told himself it was better that way. Women only complicated a man’s life. But seeing Lisa again, he could not deny that the physical attraction he’d felt toward her was as strong as ever. Determinedly ignoring the igniting embers of desire, he picked up the room service menu and handed it to her. “What do you want to eat?”

Lisa experienced a stab of hurt that he’d accepted the line she’d drawn so easily.
It’s what I want
, she reminded herself curtly. Taking the menu, she perused it, told him she wanted the baked chicken, then headed into the bathroom for a hot shower.

The water revived her a little. And she noted that she’d managed to survive her fall to the ground with no noticeable bruising.

“Nice place,” she murmured as she finished drying herself and pulled on the heavy terry-cloth robe provided by the hotel. “Very nice place.” The thought that it would be perfect for a romantic getaway crossed her mind. Immediately she shoved it out. Letting “romance” and “Slade” mingle together in the same space was not only foolish but stupid.

Leaving the bathroom, she discovered that dinner hadn’t arrived. A glance at the clock told her that her family should have arrived at the Logan ranch. “I want to call your mother’s place and make certain my family arrived safely.”

“I was just waiting for you to get out of the shower,” Slade replied, already punching in the number. When the phone began to ring, he handed the receiver to Lisa.

A woman answered.

“This is Lisa, I’d like to speak to my mother,” Lisa said after the initial polite exchange of hellos.

“This is Katrina,” the woman on the other end identified herself. “Just a second.”

Lisa heard Katrina asking someone to tell Helen that her daughter was calling, then Katrina came back on the line. There was laughter in her voice as she said, “I’ve got someone here who wants to say hello.”

Andy’s babble sounded from the other end of the line
and Lisa’s heart filled with joy. “Are you having a good time?” she asked.

Andy’s response was a jumble, but she could hear the excitement in his voice and knew he was all right.

“Your mother’s here,” Katrina’s voice again came over the line. “But I just have to tell you what a darling son you have. He’s already stolen everyone’s heart.”

Lisa was glad for Andy’s sake that he was a hit with the family, but she was concerned about her mother and aunt. “How is everything?” she asked as soon as Helen took over the receiver.

“Everyone is being very gracious,” Helen replied.

“Are you being honest with me?” Lisa demanded. “I don’t want you staying where you’re uncomfortable.”

“No. Really. And they have all accepted Andy into the fold without any reservations.” Her voice softened. “He’s finally yawning like crazy. Maybe now that he’s heard your voice, I can get him to bed.”

“Give him a hug for me,” Lisa said. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Slade motioning that he wanted to talk. “I’m putting Slade on the line. I love you, and give Aunt Ester a hug for me, too.”

Handing the phone over to Slade, she heard him ask to speak to Andy and watched as the grim lines of his face softened. When he finished talking to his son, he asked to speak to his mother.

“Are you making our guests comfortable?” he asked bluntly.

Lisa heard the indignant “Of course” from where she stood.

The grimness had returned to Slade’s face. “What I really meant was, is Morning Hawk behaving herself?”

Lisa knew Morning Hawk was Slade’s great-grandmother. She also knew that the elderly Apache
made Slade uneasy at times. She was, he’d said once, unpredictable and overly blunt. When Slade’s expression relaxed somewhat, Lisa guessed that his mother had assured him that Morning Hawk was behaving herself and for her family’s sake, Lisa was glad.

Next, Slade asked to speak to Jess, his younger brother, who, Lisa knew, ran the ranch for his mother.

From Slade’s side of the conversation, she gathered that Jess had set up the protective perimeter. Knowing her family was safe, she stretched out on the bed and allowed herself to relax.

When Slade hung up, she turned on the television. She was too tired to make small talk and, for a short while at least, she didn’t want to think about who was trying to kill her.

“Think I’ll wash up, too,” Slade said, heading into the bathroom.

Lisa tried to ignore his presence by concentrating on the movie on the TV screen, but, in her tired state, her eyelids grew heavier and closed over her eyes. The sound of the shower took precedence over all other noises in the room and her inner vision was filled with the image of her and Slade bathing together. Her jaw firmed in self-directed irritation. Opening her eyes, she pushed the image from her mind. She’d never thought of herself as the affair type. And she wasn’t, really. Slade had been the only man she’d ever shared a bed with. And she hadn’t planned on doing that. But the attraction had been too strong.

A bitter smile curled up one corner of her mouth. Besides, she’d been certain she could break down the barriers he’d kept around his heart and that one day he’d marry her. By the time she accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to succeed, Andy was on the way.

In the shower, his voice masked by the running water, Slade cursed under his breath. He’d known she was wearing nothing under the terry-cloth robe and had needed no imagination to picture her without it. He remembered every inch of her in vivid detail. Why couldn’t she be more practical and accept the fact that physically they were a great match and not demand any more?

Returning to the room, a question that had been on his mind insisted on being asked. “Since you didn’t want a life with me, why didn’t you get an abortion?”

Lisa opened her eyes and met his gaze. “I didn’t want a life with you
and your ghost
,” she corrected. “And I still don’t,” she added pointedly. “As for the abortion, from the moment I discovered I was pregnant, my baby was a real person to me. And, maybe, I wanted a piece of you that Claudette didn’t possess.” Mentally she kicked herself. She hadn’t meant to be so open about her feelings, but she’d been holding too much inside for too long and in her tired state, it was escaping. She sat up, her shoulders squared with pride. “I realize that given the choice you would have preferred that he’d never been born.”

Slade’s gaze leveled on her. “No. I wouldn’t have wanted that. What I would have wanted, was to have known the truth from the beginning so that I could have been there when he was born.”

“I did what I thought was best,” she returned through clenched teeth.

Slade grimaced as if angry with himself. “Sorry, I don’t want to argue with you. I understand why you did what you did.” His tone took on a terse plea. “But now that I know about Andy, I want to be a full-time father. I’m asking you to give our marriage a chance to work.”

“Marriage should be built on a foundation of love.”

His jaw hardened. “Very successful ones are built on a foundation of friendship and respect. And, we already know we’re physically compatible. I just want you to think about it.”

In her mind’s eye, Lisa could see Claudette standing beside him, her arm curled possessively around his. “No. I’ll marry you and I’ll allow Andy’s name to be changed to Logan, and I’ll sign all the papers necessary to make him legally your son, but I will never consider ours a real marriage and I won’t stay married to you after all the legalities have been completed.”

Slade considered trying to change her mind, but she would always want more than he was willing to give. “If that’s the way you want it, then that’s how it will be.”

Lisa’s stomach knotted and she realized she’d hoped he would give her some reason to believe that if she agreed to try to make their marriage work, he might allow her past the barriers and into his heart.

He wouldn’t let you in before
, a small voice chided her.
You were an idiot to even consider the possibility he’d change even for his son’s sake
.

To her relief, the food arrived at that moment.

Almost too tired to eat, Lisa didn’t even try to make conversation. She ate, then crawled under the covers and went to sleep.

Slade continued to sit in his chair. Watching her as she slept, he felt an emptiness and knew that if he let down his guard, she could fill the void within him. He forced the image of his late wife to the forefront of his mind. The pain was stronger than the emptiness. Pulling his gaze away from Lisa, he, too, went to bed.

S
lade woke early the next morning. Seeing Lisa snuggled into her covers with her face nearly buried in her pillow brought back a fresh flood of memories of waking with her. Before he was in need of a cold shower, he rose and dressed.

Lisa had been feigning sleep. Opening her eyes just a crack as he rose, she felt her whole body flame at the sight of him. She was well aware that he preferred to sleep in the nude, but this morning he was wearing jockey shorts. She guessed this bit of modesty was out of courtesy to her. But in her mind’s eye she visualized him without them and the heat became even hotter. The temptation to give in to his wishes and to be a wife to him blossomed into life.
He’ll never feel anything deeper than lust for you
. She pushed the thought from her mind.

She waited until he’d gone into the bathroom, then rose and hurriedly dressed. The sooner they were out of this room the better. Even after all she’d been through with
him, the lust he evoked in her was close to overwhelming.

“Thought we’d get some breakfast from a fast-food place on our way to Grady’s,” she said when Slade came back into the room. “I’d like to catch him before he heads out to his office.”

For a long moment Slade stood, his gaze traveling over her, and Lisa saw that morning lust look in his eyes. Then his expression became shuttered. “Right,” he said, and continued past her to retrieve his holstered gun.

The realization that if he’d touched her, there was a strong possibility her resistance would have crumbled and she would have gone into his arms shook her to the core.
Don’t you dare weaken
, she ordered herself, and continued on into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.

A short while later she and Slade were back at Grady’s house. Slade pressed the intercom button but again received no response.

“Nobody’s home,” a male voice called.

Lisa looked to the sidewalk and saw a man with a Great Dane on a leash, obviously out for a morning stroll. Climbing out of the car, she gave him her best smile. “We’re looking for Mr. Grady.”

Slade had climbed out of the car and the man’s gaze shifted to him. “You don’t look like local law enforcement,” he said, coming closer for a better view of the badge Slade was wearing. “Texas Ranger.” He shook his head. “I’m not surprised. So what’d he do down there?”

“He’s not wanted for anything. We just need to talk to him,” Slade said in an easy drawl.

“Well, you’re too late. He got himself into another
traffic accident about two months ago. This time, he managed to kill himself. Good riddance, if you ask me.”

Slade extended his hand to the man. “Thanks for the information.”

The man accepted the handshake, nodded to Lisa, then continued on down the street.

“That takes care of Grady,” Lisa said, opening the back passenger door and tossing the file onto the seat.

“So which case do you want to look into next?” Slade asked.

“Rachel Miller.” Lisa pulled the woman’s file out of the box, closed the door and climbed into the front seat. “The more I think about it, the more she seems like a likely candidate to go off the deep end. She was very high-strung.”

Slade drove to the address she gave him. It was a split-level home in one of the more upscale suburbs. The large front lawn was beautifully manicured and the gardens were full of flowers. “This place has taken on a new life,” Lisa remarked, recalling how the lawn had been in desperate need of a mowing and the gardens had been inundated with weeds on her first trip here. “The place used to look as depressed as its owner was. Maybe she moved.”

“Don’t let your guard down just because the scenery is prettier,” Slade ordered.

Lisa frowned at herself for being distracted by the change in the place. Still, she was ready to wager that Rachel Miller didn’t live here anymore.
And I would have lost that wager
, she admitted when their knock was answered by the small brunette. It was the same Rachel Miller but different. She was all smiles and there was an expression of honest welcome on her face.

“Miss Gray,” the woman gushed, recognizing Lisa immediately. “It’s so good to see you again.”

Slade glanced at Lisa questioningly.

Catching the exchange, Rachel laughed. “I’ll admit we parted under less friendly circumstances, but I owe everything to Miss Gray.” She made a large waving gesture with her arm to indicate their surroundings. Her expression becoming sympathetic, she returned her attention to Lisa. “I was so sorry to read about you getting shot.”

“Thanks.” Lisa was having a hard time getting used to the new Rachel Miller and couldn’t help wondering if this was an act. But it didn’t look or feel like an act.

“Oh, my manners,” Rachel admonished herself. “Please, come in. Can I offer you some coffee?”

“No, thanks,” Lisa replied for both herself and Slade as they stepped inside. In the hall, there was a huge mirror on the wall and a bouquet of flowers on the table beneath it. And there was a light and airy feel to the house. The last time she’d been here, the curtains had all been drawn and there had been no mirror.

Rachel led the way into the living room. When they were all seated, she regarded Lisa with a puzzled look. “I’m glad to see you so that I can thank you, but why are you here?”

“We think that Lisa wasn’t shot by accident. We think she might have been the target,” Slade said bluntly.

For a moment Rachel said nothing, then her smile returned. “And you thought I might be responsible.”

“You were very upset with me,” Lisa reminded her.

Rachel nodded. “You’re right. I was.” Her expression became one of gratitude. “But I’m not angry with you any longer. I owe this whole new life to you.” Excitement spread over her features. “I’ve been on television.” She named several of the most popular talk shows and
two morning news shows. “They all wanted to do something to warn people about plastic surgery…you know, how to really be careful about choosing a doctor and not expecting too much.” Her smile broadened. “And next week, I’m going in for some reconstructive surgery by the very best plastic surgeon in the country. He does all the Hollywood stars. And it’s not even going to cost me anything. It’s going to be one of those before-and-after bits.”

With a laugh of pure pleasure, Rachel added, “I’ve even got a booking agent. He specializes in people with unique situations. I’ll bet he could find spots for a female detective. Do you want his name and number?”

“Thanks, but no thanks.” Lisa mentally crossed Rachel off her list of suspects.

The woman shrugged and turned her attention to Slade. “I’m sure he could find spots for you.”

Lisa scowled. The woman was practically drooling. “Thanks, but no thanks for him, as well,” she answered for Slade. Irked by this flash of jealously, she rose. “We need to be going.”

Following her lead, Slade rose, also. “We appreciate your time.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” Rachel assured him, her voice near a purr as she rose and accompanied them to the door.

Again Lisa experienced a jab of jealousy. The temptation to inform Rachel Miller that Slade was her fiancé suddenly surfaced.
Claiming Slade for my own would be an act of lunacy
, she conceded to herself.
He belongs to Claudette and his fear of losing a woman he loves is going to keep him committed to her
. The flash of jealousy quelled, she nodded a final goodbye to Rachel and exited the house.

“And another suspect cleared,” Slade said as they returned to the car. “So who do we check into next?”

Lisa turned in her seat and pulled a file from the box. “I was working on this one when I was shot.”

Distracted by his view of her slacks-clad bottom, so nicely rounded and inviting to the touch, Slade barely realized she was talking.

“Henry Ogden.” Lisa turned, slid back into her seat and opened the folder. “He’s the bridegroom who wanted his fiancée investigated.”

Silently cursing her stubbornness and his inability to stop lusting after her, Slade jerked his mind back to business.

“If Isabelle Montgomery found out I was looking into her past and she did have something to hide, she might have wanted me out of the picture.”

Slade paged through the notes in the folder. “There doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious in here.”

“No. But that’s just a surface check…education, names and addresses of close family members, job history, any past police record, the kind of stuff you can find with a computer or telephone. In addition, he’d requested a full month’s surveillance and a more in-depth look into her family history with short bios on her mother, father and their parents. I was just getting ready to start on all of that when I got shot and the case got put on hold. At least, as far as I know it did. Could be he found another investigator to take over. I suggested Amy Jacob and her father. We’ve worked together occasionally. But when they came to visit me in the hospital, they said he hadn’t called.”

“So who do we go see first…the client or the fiancée?”

“The client. My work is supposed to be confidential.
If Isabelle Montgomery doesn’t know she was being investigated, I don’t want her finding out from me.”

They tracked Henry down at his office. “I’m glad to see you back on your feet,” he said, rising from his desk and rounding it to shake hands with Lisa. Then, extending his hand to Slade, he grinned. “You her bodyguard?”

“Something like that.”

It was clear from the change in Henry’s expression that he’d been joking about the bodyguard business. His gaze swung back to Lisa. “I thought the papers said you were shot by accident. That it was that hood that was the real target.”

“Could be the police were wrong about that,” Slade said.

Henry’s gaze returned to him and fixed on Slade’s badge. “You’re a Texas Ranger. I’ve always wanted to meet one of you guys. But how’d you get involved?”

“He’s an old friend,” Lisa said, finding it impossible to refer to Slade as her fiancé. Even “friend” didn’t taste right on her tongue. He was a brain-muddler. That was what he was! Realizing that Slade had garnered all of her thoughts again, she curtly jerked her mind back to the reason they were there. “We’re interested in knowing what the current situation is with your fiancée.”

Henry shrugged. “It’s over. She’s gone.”

“Gone?” Lisa’s tone coaxed him to elaborate.

“Isabelle wanted to set the wedding date. I wanted to put it off until you could finish your investigation. I felt pressured so I told my best friend about hiring you. He told his girlfriend who just happens to not like Isabelle and she couldn’t wait to tell her. Isabelle called me and asked if it was true. I decided not to lie and told her that it was. The next thing I knew, I got a special delivery
package with my ring in it and a note with one word—
goodbye
.”

Henry motioned for them to be seated, then headed back around his desk and seated himself. “I thought about it and decided she had a right to get mad. I gave her a day to cool off, then went to her place to see if we could patch things up. Her roommate said she’d used her vacation time for the two week notification to quit her job and gone back home to Ohio.”

“When was that?”

Henry frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then said, “It was just before you were shot. I was going to call you and tell you that I didn’t need your services any longer, but I was sort of curious about why she ran so I figured I’d let you continue the investigation when you were well. Now, I’m not interested any longer. She’s part of my past and I figure it’s best to keep it that way.”

“You haven’t tried to contact her?” Lisa asked, noting that the man didn’t look all that broken-hearted.

“No. Clearly she has something to hide. That makes her unsuitable wife material. Like I said, at first I was curious about what had caused her to run, but I’ve lost interest. Just send me a bill for services rendered. As far as I’m concerned, hiring you was well worth the price.”

Thanking Henry for his time, Lisa and Slade left.

“Looks like this Isabelle Montgomery is a very likely suspect,” Slade said as they drove away.

Lisa scowled cynically. “And if she isn’t the one after me, she’s lucky to be rid of that man. He’d got the staying power of a snowman in July.” Glancing through the Ogden folder, she found what she was looking for and began punching in a number on her cell phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“Her mother lives in Dayton. Figured I’d start there.
If she didn’t actually go
home
, then her mother should know where to find her.”

When a woman answered, Lisa introduced herself as someone from the personnel office of the company where Isabelle had worked in Seattle, and asked if she could speak to her.

“I’m her mother. Isabelle is out of town, but I’m expecting her back late tonight,” the woman on the other end informed her. “Can I help you?”

Lisa said she was calling about a problem with Isabelle’s last paycheck. “It’s nothing serious,” she assured the woman, then adding that she’d call back the next day, she ended the call. “Looks like she did move back home, but she’s been out of town lately. It’s beginning to look more and more like she could be the one we’re after.” Frowning thoughtfully, she added, “Only, Margaret Montgomery didn’t seem the least bit worried about someone trying to contact her daughter.”

“So maybe she doesn’t know her daughter has anything to hide.”

Lisa nodded in agreement.

“Next stop, Dayton, Ohio,” Slade said. “Which way to the airport?”

Lisa considered protesting about the amount of money Slade was spending to help her find her would-be killer, but bit back the words. He would only give her an indulgent look and tell her that he was doing his duty by her. Besides, she wanted to find her pursuer as quickly as possible so she could be with her son again.

A while later, as the plane taxied down the runway, Lisa sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. Slade had called Detective Overson from the airport to find out if the police had discovered anything about the car and driver who’d tried to run her down. Overson informed
him that they’d found the car abandoned in a lot on the west side of town. It had been reported stolen the day before the incident by an elderly couple. The only discernable fingerprints on the steering wheel belonged to the elderly woman. In a couple of places the prints were badly smudged and the police hypothesized that whoever had stolen the car had worn gloves.