Chapter 29
Twenty-Nine
Brayden followed Jack out the French doors that led to Kate’s thousand-acre backyard. It occurred to him that there were a lot of places to hide a body out there, but then he recalled how Maggie had come for him earlier and had faith she’d do it again, if it came to that…
For a long time, they only walked. Brayden wondered if Jack was taking him far enough from the house that the gunshot wouldn’t be audible. And then he snorted under his breath at the direction his thoughts were taking.
“Care to share the joke?” Jack asked.
“I was wondering if you’re taking me far enough from the house that they won’t hear the gunshot.”
Jack chuckled. “You figured out my plan.” They walked past an A-frame log cabin, a smaller version of the main house, as they headed toward a thicket of trees. “That’s the bunkhouse Reid built before we all came last Christmas for their wedding.”
“Wow. It’s huge.”
“There’re a lot of us.”
“I’m starting to realize that.”
“Do you have a big family?”
“Nope. It was just me, my mom and my grandfather. He died when I was thirteen, and I lost her recently.”
“I heard that. I’m really sorry.”
“Thanks.”
“I understand you have a way with horses.”
“So I’m told. That comes right from my gramps. He taught me everything I know.”
“Maggie has loved horses since she was a little girl. Begged and pleaded with us for lessons for years before we finally relented. She was such a tiny little thing. I had nightmares about her being crushed by a falling horse. But Maggie, being Maggie, was completely fearless. She jumped up on that first horse like it was no big deal and took off like she’d been riding all her life.
The instructor had to run after her because she was supposed to walk before she ran, but by the time he caught up to her, it was already too late. ”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“Not only is she fearless, she has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known. Her mother and I were very concerned about her taking the job at Matthews House, because we knew it would be tough on her when things don’t go as planned.”
“It has been. She cares so much about the women and kids she works with.”
“I know,” Jack said with a sigh. “If Maggie cares about you, you’re a lucky guy.”
“I’ve never felt luckier in my entire life than I have since I met her.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes. Sir.”
Jack stopped walking and turned to face Brayden. His intense gray eyes reminded Brayden of Jill when she was in what Maggie and Kate called lawyer mode. “Do you love my daughter?”
Brayden thought of the way Maggie had fought for him earlier.
He could give her no less than she’d given him, which was everything.
“I love her more than anything in this world, even my horse. When you get to know me better, you’ll understand there’s no higher honor I could give to Maggie than to put her before my horse.
She’s the most incredible person I’ve ever met.
I want nothing more than to marry her and make a life with her. ”
Jack nodded, seeming pleased by Brayden’s answer. “And you’re a convicted felon.”
Brayden looked him in the eye. “I am, sir. I mean Jack. Sir. I was convicted of a felony as a juvenile. I served time in juvenile detention and five years of probation afterward. I’ve been trying to get my record expunged, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
“Hmm.” Jack took off walking again.
Brayden followed, trying to ascertain what that “hmm” had meant.
Was Jack going to tell him to stay the hell away from his daughter?
Because Brayden wasn’t sure he could do that, not after learning earlier that she loved him, too.
Before he’d known that for sure, he’d thought he could leave and not look back. Now everything had changed once again.
This day reminded him of four others that had changed his entire life forever—when his grandfather died, when he’d assaulted Clive, when his mother died and when he’d met Maggie and had been immediately attracted to her.
“I want you to know that I don’t regret what I did to my stepfather. I regret the pain it caused my mother, but I’d do it again if the circumstances were the same.” Maybe he was a fool to say such a thing to Maggie’s father, but it was the truth.
“When I first heard about the stuff online, I’ll admit I freaked out.”
“I can understand why.”
“My freak-out switch is set sort of low where my kids are concerned. I’d like to think I’ve gotten better about rolling with the highs and lows of fatherhood, but when one of my kids is in trouble, I act first and think second.
” Jack glanced over at him. “Did Maggie tell you about what happened when Kate and Reid were first together?”
“I’ve heard the highlights.”
“Then you know he was my good friend from college, and when I heard he’d taken up with my eighteen-year-old daughter… Well, you can imagine I didn’t handle that well.”
“Who would?”
“I made a lot of assumptions during that time, only to find out later that I’d been wrong about most of it.
While I was thinking that my old friend had taken advantage of my daughter, I missed the fact that she was truly in love with him.
I wasn’t the reason they split the first time they were together, but I certainly didn’t help by failing to see the complete picture.
“She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her since they’ve been back together. Would I have chosen a man twenty-eight years older for her? Hell no. Can I deny that he loves her with his whole heart? Absolutely no question in my mind about that.”
After another period of silence, Jack said, “After hearing your full story, I understand why you did what you did. I don’t like that you did it, but I get why you did it.” He stopped and turned toward Brayden again. “Do I need to worry about my daughter’s safety with you?”
“God, no. I’d never…” The thought of anything or anyone hurting Maggie killed him. “No, you don’t need to worry about her safety. I give you my word on that.”
“And her big, open, trusting heart will be safe with you, too?”
“Yes, sir. You have my word on that, too.”
Jack nodded, seeming satisfied. “Well,” he said, “that saves me a bullet.”
Maggie was dying the entire time they were gone. She stood with her nose pressed to the window facing the direction they’d taken, intently watching, hoping her father wasn’t being too hard on Brayden. He’d already had a rough enough day without Jack piling on.
Her nerves were stretched to their absolute limit. When she thought about the way she’d begged him to stay, told him how much she loved him…
She sighed deeply.
“It’s going to be all right,” Jill said when she joined Maggie at the window.
“You sound awfully sure of that.”
“It will be. He loves you. That’s obvious to all of us. You fought for him, and now he’s going to fight for you.”
“He was going to leave before.”
“Because he thought that was best for you, not because it was what he wanted.”
Maggie glanced at her sister. “When did you get so smart about these things?”
“As the oldest and wisest, I’ve always been smart about all things, as you surely know by now.”
Maggie laughed and leaned into her sister’s loving embrace, the way she had all her life.
She simply couldn’t imagine a world without Jill and Kate supporting and loving her.
Sure, they’d fought like sisters did growing up, but after their mother’s accident, they’d come together to survive it.
Having them close by again was such a joy to her.
“You don’t think Dad would actually run him off, do you?” Maggie asked.
“Nah. He’s just making sure Brayden is worthy of you.”
“He is.”
“We know that, but Dad needs to see it for himself. It’s what he does.”
“It was a lot more fun when he was doing it to you and Kate.”
Jill laughed. “I’m sure it was.” She gave Maggie an extra squeeze. “Let’s go play with Poppy. She’ll keep your mind off it.”
Not even her beloved niece could distract Maggie. “You go ahead. I’m going to stay here.”
“Keep breathing, Mags.”
“I’m trying.”
While she waited, she read texts from her mom, Andi and Eric, all of whom had seen Kate’s post about Brayden and were sending love and support to Maggie.
Can’t wait to meet this guy, Eric said. Kate and Jill say he’s cool, but I need to see for myself before I decide if he’s good enough for you.
Maggie smiled as she realized that Eric was just like their dad in that way, even though they weren’t biologically related. Nurture trumped biology when it came to her dad and Eric, who were the epitome of the expression two peas in a pod.
Hang in there, honey, Clare had written. This, too, shall pass. I heard Dad was on his way. Sending you love and best wishes for your visit with your father. Haha!
Hugs and love, Mags, Andi said. Sorry about your dad. I tried to tell him to stay home and mind his own business, but you know how he is. LOL. I’m here if you need me. Always.
Maggie put her phone back in her pocket. She would reply to the messages later. For now, all she could do was stare at the tree line and wait.
A little while later, Reid silently handed her a glass of iced tea with a lemon wedge.
“Thank you,” she said.
“I’ve been where Brayden is right now. If I got through it, he will, too.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“After me, a little old felony is nothing.”
Maggie laughed when she wouldn’t have thought it possible.
“At the end of the day, your dad just wants to be sure his girls are happy, healthy, safe and well loved. You can’t blame a guy for that.”
“Spoken like the father of a daughter.”
“I have a whole new appreciation for your dad since Poppy was born. I hope I can be half the father to her that your dad is to you and your sisters.”
“You’re going to be great.”
Reid nodded toward the window. “Here they come. Looks like Brayden still has all his limbs.”
When she saw Brayden, her heart gave a happy lurch.
“Play it cool, darlin’,” Reid said as he kissed the top of her head and left her.