Secret Agent Father Page 7

  When he heard Kayla moving about in the kitchen, he knew he should go in to help. But he wanted to see Shelby. To talk to her.

  To reassure her that he’d never hurt her. He only wanted to protect her, and his son.

  Soon he heard Cody’s giggles and the clickity-click of Clyde’s toenails on the hardwood floor. Seconds later, Clyde dashed down the stairs with Cody on his heels.

  “The puppy needs to go outside,” Alex warned.

  “I know.” Cody didn’t seem to have suffered any ill effects from his nightmare as he let the dog out. The kitchen was empty, and he realized his sister must be with Brianna.

  “You’re taking really good care of Clyde,” he said to Cody, trying to strike up a conversation so his son would feel more comfortable around him.

  Cody’s smile brightened his tiny face. “Can I feed him, too?”

  “Sure. I’ll have to help you with the bag of dog food, though.” Alex lifted the thirty pound bag and carefully poured the contents into the dish Cody held. “See? We make a great team.”

  “Will I be as strong as you someday?” Cody asked, when Alex had set the bag down.

  “Absolutely. I bet you’ll even be stronger than me.” He couldn’t help wondering if Cody’s desire to be strong had anything to do with what the boy had witnessed two nights ago with Trina. But he didn’t ask. This wasn’t the time or the place. Besides, he wanted Cody to be comfortable, not afraid.

  “Where’s your aunt Shelby?” He glanced up toward the loft.

  “She’s coming. I’m hungry.”

  He glanced around the kitchen. “Well, I could try making breakfast,” he started. But just then Kayla hurried out.

  “I’ll make breakfast. Cody, do you and Brianna want to help me make French toast?”

  “Yeah!” Cody exclaimed, following Kayla and Brianna over to the cupboard where Kayla kept the powdered sugar.

  Considering they’d only arrived yesterday, it was good to see the boy was already making himself at home. Kids were often more resilient than adults gave them credit for.

  He heard Shelby coming down the stairs, so he went out to meet her. Her footsteps faltered on the stairs when she saw him. She smiled but her smile didn’t quite reach her beautiful blue eyes.

  Swallowing the lump of bitter regret in his throat, he tossed the foam ball onto the sofa and stood. He slid his hands into his front pockets to appear nonthreatening. “Good morning. Did you sleep all right?”

  “Of course.” The dark circles under her eyes belied her words and likely matched his own. “How about you?”

  “Sure.” If she could stretch the truth, so could he. “Ah, do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you for a moment, about Cody.”

  “All right.” Although she nodded, her eyes remained wary. She sat on the edge of the sofa, as if prepared to bolt.

  He regretted their argument yesterday evening and wanted to find a way to reassure her about his intentions regarding Cody. He reached over and picked up a photograph off the end table. He handed it to her. “Here. Kayla found this in the attic.”

  Shelby’s mouth dropped open as she looked at the small boy who was the mirror image of Cody, aside from the color of his hair. “Is this you?”

  “Yeah. When I was about Cody’s age.”

  “The resemblance is amazing.” She raised her gaze to his. “Is this your way of telling me you believe you’re Cody’s father?”

  Trust Shelby to get right to the point.

  “Yes. I’m convinced.” He took a seat across from her, still giving her plenty of space. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I wanted to let you know, I do want Cody in my life, but I’ll never keep Cody away from you. I’ve seen you interact with him and it’s clear how much you love him. And he loves you, too. I would never take that away from either of you. You will always be an important part of his life.”

  “I—thank you.”

  For a moment his chest tightened when her eyes shimmered with tears.

  “I’m the closest thing he has to a mother and he’s been traumatized enough. Last night, he cried out for his mother during his nightmare. I tried to explain how she’s up in heaven with God and the angels, but I don’t know if he really understands.”

  He remembered Cody’s prayers, but had thought that was just a childhood routine. “Do you really believe that?”

  She looked shocked. “Of course. Don’t you?”

  He had vague recollections of going to church as a child, but that was long ago, before his father had started to drink. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

  She appeared troubled by his response. “I plan to continue to raise Cody as a Christian.” It wasn’t a question, and the way she angled her chin made it a gauntlet she’d thrown between them.

  He wasn’t sure what exactly that entailed, but he figured having Cody brought up with church beliefs couldn’t hurt him. “That’s fine.”

  Her shoulders relaxed a bit and he could tell she’d been prepared for an argument. “Cody’s asking questions about where he’s going to live. I know right now the focus needs to be on keeping him safe, but eventually we’ll need to make some plans. He needs stability. Cody deserves to have answers, not more evasions.”

  “I know.” He honestly wasn’t trying to avoid the future, but there were more important things to worry about at the moment. “Does Stephan have any parental rights to Cody that I need to know about?”

  “No. Trina didn’t list him as Cody’s father. And she had Cody before they were married. I’m certain he never formally adopted him.”

  The news should have been reassuring. But he couldn’t completely get rid of a sense of panic. There was nothing standing in the way of him being Cody’s father. What sort of father would he be? He wished he knew. “All right. We’ll figure something out. Right now, the priority is to keep you both safe. I’m hoping to talk to Cody later today, if that’s all right with you.”

  She hesitated and then nodded. “Yes. It’s fine.”

  He glanced toward the kitchen where Kayla and the kids were having breakfast. “Let’s get something to eat, shall we?”

  In the kitchen, Kayla was in command, wearing a plain white apron tied around her waist as she manned the stove. The griddle sizzled as she cooked another batch of French toast. For a split second, Alex could easily picture Shelby standing there, making breakfast for him and Cody. The thought jarred him.

  Where had that bizarre image sprung from?

  He’d never looked for any type of permanent relationship before because in his experience, even those women who claimed they didn’t want kids wanted more than he was willing to give. So why was he even thinking about it now? Especially with a woman like Shelby? A woman whose picture was likely in the dictionary as a definition of home and family.

  She believed in God. Raising Cody as a Christian.

  He didn’t know the first thing about being a father. And he knew even less about how to raise a child to be religious. Who was he trying to kid? Being an uncle to Brianna wasn’t the same as being a full-time father.

  “Good morning,” Kayla greeted them. “Grab a plate and help yourself.”

  “Thanks.” Shelby poured a cup of coffee, and then turned to him, holding out the pot with a questioning gaze. He swallowed hard and nodded, holding out his empty cup for a refill.

  Knocked off balance by the domesticity, he took a hasty sip and scalded his tongue. Served him right for imagining the impossible.

  Forcing himself to use his left hand, he ate several slices of French toast, chuckling a bit when he noticed the powdered sugar smiles on Cody’s and Brianna’s faces.

  “Kayla, I need to buy some clothes for us,” Shelby said as she finished her meal. “Is there a place nearby you can recommend?”

  Alex frowned, remembering that she mentioned yesterday how they didn’t bring anything with them. “Do you have cash?”

  She flushed with embarrassment and averte
d her gaze. “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “Shelby, I don’t want you to use your credit or debit cards,” he told her sternly. “Anyone with a little access could easily track you here.”

  She paled and glanced at his sister. “I didn’t think of that. Kayla, would you be willing to loan me some money?”

  Alex grit his teeth at the way she was avoiding him. Why was she acting like he was some sort of piranha? He pulled out his wallet and pulled out some cash, wishing he had more to give her as he tossed the money on the table in front of her. “Here. I have plenty. Let me know if you need more.”

  “That’s too much,” she protested, staring at the bills as if they might bite.

  He slid a glance at Cody, who was earnestly talking to Brianna between mouthfuls of food. “Apparently, I have a few years of child support to make up for.”

  Her brows drew together in a hurt frown, and he wondered what he’d said to cause that reaction. Whatever the problem, she reluctantly picked up the money and stuffed it in the front pocket of her jeans.

  “There’s a large discount department store in town.” Kayla piled her own plate full of food and sat down with them. “I’d offer to go, but I have a leak under the kitchen sink that needs to be fixed.”

  Alex raised a brow. “I’ll take a look at the leaky pipe, Kay.”

  His sister’s gaze dropped to his injured hand and he tensed when she shook her head.

  “I’ve learned to do a lot of things since my husband died, including fixing minor plumbing problems. Maybe you should take Shelby and Cody to the store so they don’t get lost.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Shelby protested.

  “I’m not an invalid.” He didn’t bother hiding his annoyance. “I’ll fix the leaky pipe, and then we’ll all go to the store together.”

  There was a long pause before she finally relented. “If you insist. I guess I could pick up a few things, myself.” Kayla finished eating as Shelby stood and began clearing the dishes. “Leave them, Shelby. Would you mind going out with the kids to bring in more firewood from the woodpile?”

  “Sure, after I finish with the dishes.” Shelby cleared off the rest of the dishes, neatly stacking them next to the sink, until Kayla stopped her.

  “Please? I hate bringing in the firewood and Brianna loves to do it,” Kayla said. “I’m sure Cody will get a kick out of helping, too. They could use a break from being indoors, give them a chance to play in the snow. If you’d supervise, I’d be grateful.”

  “All right then.” Shelby finished clearing the dishes and then took the kids and the puppy into the great room, so they could put their coats and boots on.

  Alex stayed where he was for a minute, wrestling his frustration under control. How was he going to get back into the field if he couldn’t fix a leaky pipe? “I’m not helpless,” he told Kayla.

  Kayla finished her food and took her plate to the sink, her back stiff. She filled the sink full of warm soapy water and began scrubbing. There was a distinctive dripping sound as water fell into a bucket beneath the sink. “I never said you were. But if you slip and hurt your hand worse…”

  “Kay.” He stood and crossed over to her, turning her shoulders so that she faced him, ignoring the sudsy water that dripped to the floor. “If I can reinjure my hand by fixing a leaky pipe, my career is over.”

  “So what? Would that be the worst thing in the world?” she burst out in exasperation. “Alex, you have a son now, a responsibility—” Her voice cut off and she sighed.

  “Kayla,” he began, but she quickly interrupted.

  “I promised myself I wouldn’t harp, but Alex, be reasonable. You know as well as I do your career isn’t conducive to raising a family. And now that you know about Cody, you can’t simply abandon him. He needs you.”

  “Give me some credit, Kay. I know I have a son and believe me, he is my primary concern. But don’t you see? To keep him safe, I need to finish this case. And the only way to get back to work is to strengthen my left hand.”

  She let out a heavy sigh. “Can’t your partner, that coast guard guy, handle the case? You’ve already been stabbed. You’re lucky to be alive. Isn’t that enough?”

  “No, Rafe can’t finish this case alone. He needs me. And I need to be able to close this case.” And afterward? He didn’t even want to think about what might happen then. What would he do? How would he find a way to keep drugs off the streets? And how would he learn to be a father to Cody?

  Kayla rolled her eyes in disgust. “Fine. Go ahead and put your life on the line, then. Cody’s already lost his mother, who cares if he loses his father, too?”

  Please bless my other dad.

  Cody’s prayer reverberated through his mind. But he steeled his resolve. He couldn’t give up the case. Not now. Not until they’d brought the mastermind behind the drug smuggling operation to justice.

  “Go help Shelby with the firewood,” Kayla said in a resigned tone. She clearly didn’t want to discuss the matter any further. “I’m sure the kids will be no help, since they’ll be covered in snow.”

  Before he could move, Shelby burst through the doorway, her eyes wide with alarm.

  “Alex! I need you to come outside right away.” Her hands were shaking and her face was chalk white.

  “What’s wrong?” He crossed over to her in two steps.

  “I found footprints and a tiny pile of cigarette butts in the snow behind the woodpile. I—I think someone was out here, watching us.”

  SIX

  “Show me,” Alex commanded. Shelby didn’t bother to argue, quickly leading the way outside, clenching her teeth together to keep them from chattering.

  “Right here,” she said, pointing to a small area a few feet behind the woodpile, between two rather large oak trees. It wasn’t exactly the same place she’d seen the light, but it was close. “I know you’re going to think I’m crazy but I found them because of the smell.”

  He sent her a questioning look. “There’s only a couple of cigarette butts here.”

  She lifted a shoulder, helplessly. “I still smelled them.”

  This wasn’t the time, or the place to explain how the slightest scent of cigarette smoke made her gag, ever since she’d been attacked by the shipyard by some man who’d reeked of cigarettes.

  Sometimes, she could still smell the stench of stale cigarette smoke in her dreams. Today when she’d gotten close to the woodpile, she thought she was imagining things.

  But then she found footprints. And cigarette butts.

  Alex approached the area, crouched down and looked at the telltale evidence preserved in the snow, his expression intent. He glanced up at her when the kids came running outside to get another armload of firewood.

  “Shelby, get the kids back inside the house. Now.”

  She understood his concern and turned, pasting a smile on her face. “Cody, Brianna. It’s time to go inside.”

  “No! We don’t wanna go in!” Cody’s tone was belligerent.

  “Cody, don’t argue,” she said in a sharp, no-nonsense tone. The one she used to make him understand she was not kidding. “Inside the house. Now.”

  For a moment he stared at her defiantly, but when she kept her expression seriously stern, he grudgingly complied. Brianna followed without a protest.

  “Take Clyde with you,” Shelby added. She was thankful when Kayla met the kids at the door, to help with their wet clothes. Alex’s sister cast a worried glance in their direction, but Shelby didn’t know how to reassure her.

  What if Cody’s bad man had found them? The idea that she might have put Kayla and Brianna in danger by coming here made her feel sick to her stomach.

  Fighting to control the panic that threatened to overwhelm her, she turned back to Alex. He was working as if she weren’t there, following the path of boot-prints as they wove their way through the trees, toward the back of the far side of the house. The opposite side from where the shed was.

  He stopped in another clearing and looked
up at the house. She followed his gaze, trying to gauge the layout of the upper story. She hoped it was one of the empty rooms, and not hers or Cody’s.

  The wind kicked up, dark clouds swirling overhead, bringing a threat of more snow. The sky turned an eerie gray-green. She shivered, from cold and fear.

  “Come inside,” Alex said in a low tone as he headed toward the front door.

  The house was blessedly warm and they could hear Kayla’s voice in the kitchen as she entertained the kids. Sounded like she was trying to find dry clothes for Cody to wear.

  Alex swiftly shed his outer gear and went straight up the stairs to the second story living quarters. Full of curious dread, she followed him.

  He stood in Cody’s room, gazing out the patio doors. When she came up beside him, she could easily see the indentations in the snow where the cigarette smoker had stood and watched the house.

  Watched Cody.

  Shelby glanced at Alex as he abruptly swung away from the window. He muttered something unintelligible under his breath and reached for his phone.

  “Rafe? I need backup, ASAP.”

  She imagined his coast guard contact had readily agreed because Alex listened and then said, “Get in touch with Holden first, ask what’s going on with Trina’s murder investigation and then get here as fast as you can,” before snapping his phone shut.

  “Do we really need him to come here?” she asked, wishing they could handle this on their own, without involving anyone else. “Can’t we all just leave?”

  Alex scowled and shook his head. “I can’t be responsible for keeping everyone safe. I haven’t been officially cleared to return to duty. I should have turned you and Cody over to Rafe from the beginning.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t.”

  He pinned her with a narrow gaze. “Really? Because I got the distinct impression last night that you couldn’t get away from me fast enough. It’s obvious you don’t trust me.”

  “I trust you.” She was surprised to realize it was true. Despite her irrational fear last night, when she’d felt crowded and let her haunted memories of the past get the better of her, she did trust Alex. Far more than she trusted anyone else.