Chapter Nine
Cameron hadn’t been sure what Lauren’s reaction would be when he proposed to her. Or rather when he had insisted they get married. He had figured she would be shocked.
And she was.
He had also expected her to need some time to think about it.
And she had.
But what he hadn’t counted on was that her thinking time would last through the night. She hadn’t even brought it up when Patrick had awakened around two in the morning, and Cameron and she had ended up in the nursery together. Lauren had rocked the baby back to sleep while she hummed to him. What she hadn’t done was given Cameron an answer. Or for that matter, she hadn’t even talked that much to him. Granted it was an ungodly hour, but still he’d expected something—including a flat-out no answer.
Now it was causing his own round of thinking time as he sat in the family room with his third cup of coffee and went through the latest emails about the investigation. Cameron had been certain that Lauren would jump on the idea since it might be necessary to stop Evelyn’s claim to custody. Even a dirty judge would have trouble explaining why he would deny custody to a married couple and then hand the baby over to a grandmother with a criminal record.
Of course, nothing they did might be enough to stop Evelyn, who seemed hell-bent on raising her grandson. Since she’d done such a bad job raising Trace, Cameron didn’t want the woman to have a second chance to screw up another child’s life. Especially when that child was Gilly’s son.
He downloaded the next round of emails, scowling at the one that caught his eye. It was from Sergeant Welker, SAPD. It was an account by an informant that Welker identified only as a “credible source,” who basically repeated what Welker had already told them. Evelyn was gearing up for a fight. Maybe that wouldn’t include another attack, but just in case Evelyn did have that on her agenda, Cameron had added even more to their security measures.
Gabriel and he had posted hands on the old trails that coiled around the ranch. It wasn’t foolproof since gunmen could still go through the woods to get to them, but there was no way they could watch every acre of land. Cameron could only hope that if thugs did get near the house, then the other hands and reserve deputies would see them and stop them.
The next email didn’t cause Cameron’s scowl to fade. It was from Jameson, who was now handling the so-called evidence Julia had given them. The Rangers’ computer guys had gotten into the files without a hitch, and it did indeed appear that Duane was keeping a second set of books, but it could be something that Julia had set up to incriminate the man. It was going to take time to unravel everything, and time wasn’t something that was on their side.
Cameron had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The feeling eased up a lot, though, when he heard the chatter. Baby talk. He’d seen both boys when they’d gotten up about an hour earlier, but Lauren, Jodi and the nannies had whisked them away for baths and breakfast. That was probably like therapy for them and a good way to get their minds off the danger that seemed to be skulking right up to their doorsteps. That potential danger was the reason Gabriel was working in his home office. Jameson would be returning soon, too, after he finished up some things in Dallas.
The chatter got louder, and Cameron expected to see all the women, including Lauren, come into the room. But it was only Lauren. She had a baby on each hip, and she was smiling. Really smiling.
Her happiness faded some, though, when her attention landed on his face. Probably because of his somber expression after reading those emails. Cameron quickly tried to fix that, though. He put his laptop and coffee aside and got to his feet.
“Nothing new on the investigation,” Cameron told her right off, and he went to them.
They were a welcome sight, that was for sure. Both boys had obviously had their baths and been fed because they looked ready to do some serious playing. They were squirming to get down—probably because there were some plastic toy blocks on the coffee table.
However, the squirming shifted to a different direction when Isaac reached out for Cameron. He took the boy, brushing a kiss on the top of his head, but Patrick must have wanted a part of that because he reached for Cameron, too. Cameron quickly found his arms filled with babies. Patrick gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek while Isaac bopped Cameron on the nose.
Lauren laughed.
It was silky and soft, but it faded, though, just as the smile had done.
Lauren picked up two of the blocks and handed both of the boys one. Of course they went straight in their mouths, but it would keep them occupied for a couple of seconds while he chatted with Lauren.
“In case you missed it last night, I did bring up the subject of marriage,” Cameron reminded her.
She nodded, then dodged his gaze. On a heavy sigh, Lauren dropped down into the chair next to the sofa. “When I was a teenager, I used to plan our wedding,” she said. “You knew that, of course.”
He did. He’d heard her talking to Ivy about it. It’d scared the heck out of him, too, because Lauren had been just seventeen. If her father had caught wind of it, he probably would have fired Cameron, punched him or both. Back then, marriage hadn’t even been on his radar, but he had been attracted to Lauren. Wisely, he’d held back on the attraction, though, until she had turned eighteen. They’d had just a couple of short weeks together before the night that changed everything.
“Old water, old bridge,” she added in a mumble.
Cameron wished that hadn’t felt like a slap. Or a lie. It might be old baggage, but the attraction was still just as strong and new as it had been when she’d discussed marrying him with her sister.
As he’d predicted, the boys started to squirm, and he stood them on the floor next to the coffee table so they could reach the rest of the blocks.
“I just thought it would be easier to fight Evelyn if we had a united front,” Cameron told her.
Lauren didn’t argue with that. In fact, she didn’t say anything for several long moments. “I agree. We should get married.”
Cameron snapped toward Lauren and stared at her. She didn’t look convinced this was the right thing to do, but then, Cameron wasn’t so sure it would work, either. Right now they didn’t have a lot of ammunition to fight custody with anyone. Not with the DNA results not in yet, and he wasn’t going to allow either boy to be placed into foster care.
“I talked this over with Gabriel,” Lauren added.
Cameron hadn’t figured anything else she could say would surprise him, but that sure did. “And?”
Lauren lifted her shoulder, and without missing a beat, she caught Isaac when he wobbled and nearly fell. She steadied the baby before she looked at Cameron. “He understands.”
Yeah, but that was a whole different thing than approving of it. He was reasonably sure that Gabriel no longer held any resentment for Cameron’s screwup ten years ago, but he would still want to protect his sister. Lauren’s husband had only been dead a year and a half, and Gabriel probably thought it was too soon for her to get married.
And it might be.
But their options were limited here.
“Anyway, I can get started,” she went on. She stood, rubbing her hands along the sides of her jeans. “I mean, I can call the courthouse and see about putting a rush on a license.”
“I’ve already done that. Just in case you said yes. I know the clerks who work there, and one of them can bring it over this morning. The justice of the peace can come out, as well, and marry us.”
She dragged in a long breath, nodded again. “You’ve been busy.”
“I wanted to save time. My guess is that Evelyn will be visiting her judge friend today if she hasn’t already.”
Cameron hadn’t expected this to be a romantic moment. After all, they were devising a plan to save the children they both loved, but Lauren looked as if she was bracing herself for a huge disaster. Not exactly a way to stroke his ego. Especially after that hot kiss that’d happened just yesterday.
Lauren finally looked him straight in the eyes. “If this marriage arrangement goes south,” she said, “please promise me that you won’t try to keep either of the boys from me.”
“Of course. You’ll make the same promise to me?”
“Yes.” She stood and fluttered her fingers to the back of the house. “I’ll tell the others. Any idea how soon you can get the clerk and justice of the peace out here?”
He took out his phone. “ASAP.”
“Good.” She took another of those long breaths and repeated it before she scooped up the babies.
Cameron was about to tell her to leave them while she did whatever it was she needed to do, but his phone rang before he could do that. When he saw the name on the screen, he decided it was a call he should take.
Duane.
He showed her the screen, and Lauren put the boys back on the floor. No doubt so she could listen.
“Duane knows the accusations Julia made against him?” she asked.
“He knows. Jameson called him last night.” Which meant this probably wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. Still, Cameron wanted to know what the man had to say about those files.
He didn’t put the call on speaker in case Duane started cursing. Even though the boys were too young to understand it, Cameron still didn’t want them hearing it. However, he held out the phone between Lauren and him so that she could lean in and listen. She moved to the sofa next to him.
“Why did you have the Texas Rangers come after me?” Duane said without a greeting. Unlike his other conversation with Cameron and Julia, this one did not have a respectful tone to it. “You know anything Julia said about me would be a lie.”
“She had computer files,” Cameron reminded the man.
“Files that she concocted to make me look guilty.” And yes, Duane peppered that with some profanity. “If she gets me out of the way, she has an easier path to getting her brother’s company. I can’t believe she convinced you that what she found was real.”
“She didn’t convince us,” Lauren said. “But it had to be investigated. That’s why Jameson was called in. If the files are bogus, then he’ll figure that out.”
Duane made a sharp sound of disagreement. “Innocent people get railroaded all the time. In fact, there are plenty who believe Travis Canton was wrongfully convicted of murdering your parents.”
That caused the skin to crawl on the back of Cameron’s neck, and Lauren didn’t seem to fare much better. She clamped her teeth over her bottom lip for a moment, as if trying to keep her composure. Despite the sudden bad turn of mood in the air, the boys thankfully didn’t seem to pick up on it. They continued to play with the blocks, banging them against the hardwood floor.
“Why would you bring up Travis?” Cameron demanded from Duane.
“Because it’s true. Travis never confessed. Heck, he doesn’t even remember if he’s guilty. You didn’t lock him up that night when you found him drunk, and that made him an easy patsy for someone who needed a scapegoat.”
All of that had been in the newspapers, so it wasn’t surprising that Duane would know those details. What Cameron wanted to know was why this man was even interested in the old murders.
“How long ago did you file the lawsuit against Lauren and Patrick?” Cameron asked.
Duane hesitated, maybe because he realized he’d just spilled something he shouldn’t. “Are you accusing me of something?”
“Just asking a very simple question.”
Of course, it wasn’t that simple. Cameron wanted to know if the lawsuit was somehow tied to the threatening letters they’d been receiving. Lauren, included. Maybe Duane was trying to intimidate her or send her running by making her believe her parents’ “real” killer was going to come after Patrick and her.
“About six months ago,” Duane finally answered. Definitely not a trace of friendliness in his voice. “Why?”
“Because shortly after that, Lauren started getting death threats. Did you have something to do with that?”
“No!” No hesitation that time. “Hell, I called you to try to clear up the lies Julia told, and now you accuse me of this?”
“I’m not accusing. Again, I’m just asking a simple question.”
“No,” Duane repeated, though it sounded as if he’d spoken through clenched teeth. “I didn’t threaten Lauren. And I didn’t do any creative bookkeeping so I could steal money from the company. I sure as hell didn’t hire any gunmen to go after Lauren.”
Well, Cameron had gotten his answers, but he wasn’t sure if they were the truth or not. There was no way Duane would just confess his wrongdoing, since it could land him in jail. Especially if Jameson could connect any missing funds to the bank accounts of those hired thugs who’d been killed at the ranch. That would be a charge of conspiracy to commit murder and would give Duane plenty of time behind bars.
“Why did you really call?” Cameron pressed.
He expected Duane to shout out his innocence again. He didn’t. “Evelyn Waters called me first thing this morning.”
Judging from the way Lauren’s eyes widened, that surprised her as much as it did Cameron. “What did she want?”
“To invest in my legal fund to fight Lauren. In exchange, she’ll want a piece of the company once I reclaim it.”
Hell. Evelyn was really on the offensive, and Cameron thought he knew why she’d gone about it at this angle. Maybe Evelyn thought she could cause Lauren to go broke with a long legal battle. Or maybe just wear Lauren down. It wasn’t going to work. Cameron didn’t come from money, but Lauren did. And the Becketts would join forces to make sure she had whatever funds she needed. Plus, she could always tap into her trust fund.
“A word of advice about Evelyn,” Cameron warned the man. “She could be looking to use you as a patsy. If she breaks the law again, and it sounds as if she’s very close to doing that, then she’ll want someone to take the fall for her. She could have you in her sights for that.”
“I’m not worried about Evelyn,” Duane insisted the moment Cameron had finished. “Julia’s the snake in all of this. You’d better hope she doesn’t team up with Evelyn. With Evelyn’s seemingly unlimited supply of cash and Julia’s desperation, it could be an unholy alliance.”
Yeah, one that could have already happened. Evelyn could have given Julia the cash to pay those gunmen. That way, if Evelyn managed to kill both Lauren and him, she’d have a better shot at getting her hands on the baby.
“If Julia’s the snake you think she is,” Lauren said, “then we need proof to stop her. Do you have anything we can use? Something more than just her owing money to a loan shark.”
“That should be enough,” Duane snapped. But then he huffed. “I’ll look and see what I can find. I have some incentive now that Julia’s set the dogs on me with those fake files.”
Cameron jumped right on that. “If they’re truly fake, then figure out a way to prove that. The Rangers are looking into it, of course, but they could use your help.”
He wasn’t so sure of that. In fact, Jameson might not want any interference from a suspect, but it could keep Duane busy. Of course, if Duane was behind the attacks, then this was all just a ruse anyway. The man could have called them just to keep the focus on those files rather than the fact that someone was trying to kill them.
“Find something to put Julia behind bars,” Cameron repeated to Duane, and he ended the call.
During the conversation, Cameron had glanced at Lauren a few times while also keeping an eye on the boys, but he really looked at her now. There were no tears in her eyes, but he saw that this was taking a serious toll on her. It was the same for him, too.
“Marrying you might not help,” she said, her voice a whisper.
“It might not.” Cameron had thought about all angles of this, and there was one angle that he needed to mention. “If we’re married and one of us dies, then the other one would have a legal claim to the boys. We’d need to do guardianship paperwork, of course. And wills.”
Hell, that caused Lauren to go way too pale, and he reached for her, pulling her into his arms. The embrace didn’t last, though. Isaac lost his balance again, and Lauren bolted from the sofa. This time she didn’t get to him in time, and the baby fell. He didn’t hit hard, but it was enough to cause him to start crying. The commotion must have upset Patrick because he started to cry, as well.
Lauren scooped up both boys, kissing them, and Cameron went to her to help. He didn’t get far, though, because his phone rang again. The sound of it only caused the babies to cry even louder. Lauren motioned for him to take the call while she took the babies in the direction of the kitchen.
Cameron figured this might be Duane calling back, but it wasn’t a name or number he recognized. He pushed the answer button and hoped it wasn’t someone from the press wanting a story. There’d already been a couple of those calls, and he didn’t want another. Especially since he had “wedding” arrangements to make.
“Deputy Doran,” he answered.
But the caller didn’t say anything, and it put a knot in his stomach. Was this another hired gun?
“What do you want?” Cameron snapped.
“Uh, I’m Maria Black,” the caller finally said.
He mentally repeated the name, and it rang a bell, but Cameron couldn’t make the connection of why it seemed familiar.
“I was a nurse at the hospital where your sister, Gilly Doran, had her son,” the woman added several moments later.
Bingo. Now he remembered. He’d spoken to her briefly after learning Gilly was dead. Other than her name, Cameron couldn’t recall anything else about her. But just the fact that she had gotten in touch with him piqued his interest.
“Is something wrong?” he asked. Because it was possible that Evelyn was harassing her in some way.
“Yes.” Her voice cracked, and it sounded as if she was crying. “I think someone’s trying to kill me.”
That was not what Cameron wanted to hear. “You need to go to the cops now. Where are you?”
“I’m on my way to the Blue River Sheriff’s Office right now, and I need to see you. Lauren, too. God, I’m so sorry, Deputy Doran.”
The knot in his stomach got worse. “Sorry for what?”
The sound of her sob was loud and clear. “I wouldn’t have done it, but your sister begged me to help her. She was dying, and she begged me to do it. Please forgive me. I’m the one who switched the babies.”