27. Maverick

27

Maverick

I held Rebecca close in my arms, pulling her nearer, and we made love twice that night. I was happy—deeply content—with my wife. She loved making love as much as I did. My chin rested on her head, and my hand drifted down to her tummy, feeling the baby move.

I wrapped both hands around her belly, then lowered my head and whispered to our baby. I told her how much I loved her, that she could always count on me, and that she could talk to me about anything. I lay my head on Rebecca's stomach, savoring the feeling of our baby moving inside her.

When I woke up, it was still dark, and Rebecca was fast asleep. I pulled her closer, then heard a noise outside. That must have been what woke me. I was about to wake Shane, but when I opened the door, he was already there.

My fist flew toward his face out of reflex, but he ducked just in time.

"Someone's outside," he whispered.

"I know," I murmured. "I'll put Matthew in bed with Rebecca, and we'll check it out."

We saw a figure carrying a burning piece of wood, clearly intending to set the house on fire. He wasn't very good at his job—making enough noise to wake the whole neighborhood.

"That bastard's trying to burn the house down with us in it," Shane muttered. I shook my head and opened the door.

That's when we saw the man stumble and fall. "This guy was going to burn you alive while you slept," Steel said, stepping forward. He grabbed the burning piece of wood and shoved it into a pile of dirt. "Who is this guy?"

"That's the lawyer," Shane said. "Do you think he went to Ruth's place?"

"Call her," I said. We could hear her phone ringing down the street.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Where are you?" Shane asked.

"I'm at your house. Where are you?" she asked back.

"I'm in the yard." I saw her running toward Shane, who immediately wrapped his arms around her.

"That man broke into my house," Ruth said, her voice shaking. "I hid in the attic. I was so scared, I grabbed my bike and came straight here. Who is he?"

"He's the lawyer who paid for the stolen babies. He's supposed to be in jail right now. I wonder who let him out."

"We're about to find out," I said, watching as the man began to stir. "The police are on their way," I lied. "How did you get out of jail?"

"I'm going to let you guys handle this," Steel said, stepping back. "I didn't see anything."

The lawyer sneered. "If you think this is just a small-town operation, you're wrong. This is bigger than you can imagine. I've sold more babies than you'll ever know."

"If you're so rich from it, why are you here trying to burn down the house yourself? Why not hire someone?" I asked.

"Because I need to make sure it's done right this time."

"This time?" I pressed. "When was the last time?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he taunted.

"Shane, can you take Ruth inside? I've got some more questions for this guy," I said.

"Come with me, sweetheart," Shane said to Ruth. "You can rest upstairs, and I'll help Maverick ask questions when I'm done."

I grinned as Shane led Ruth inside. Then I turned back to the lawyer—the man who had stolen and sold babies—and used him as a punching bag until Shane returned.

"What are you doing?" Shane demanded.

"Asking questions," I replied.

"Bring him into the shed. We've got all kinds of tools in there," Shane suggested.

An hour later, we had all the information we needed—and it was all recorded. I stared at Shane in shock. "What do we do now?"

"Throw him in the back of the truck," Shane said. "I'll take care of him. I don't want anyone knowing this guy even showed up here. This stays between you and me. We won't tell anyone else."

"What about Ruth?" I asked.

"We'll tell her he went back to jail. This man murdered Rebecca and Ruth's family. He doesn't deserve to live."

"Okay, let's put him in my truck," Shane said.

"No, put him in my truck," Steel interjected. "You two will debate it all day." He threw the man over his shoulder, dumped him into the back of his truck, got in, and drove off.

"What do you think he'll do with him?" Shane asked, watching Steel disappear down the road.

"I think he'll end up behind bars where he'll never see the light of day," Maverick said. "How about a cup of coffee?"

"I'm more than ready for coffee, and I could definitely go for some breakfast burritos. How about you?"

"Yep, especially with fried potatoes in them," I agreed.

"Me too! I love fried potatoes. I'll peel the potatoes, and you can start the sausage," Shane said.

We were busy cooking breakfast when Rebecca and Matthew walked in.

"Dada," Matthew called out.

"I love hearing him say that." I took Matthew from Rebecca, kissing her before settling him on my hip. I was already thinking we might need a nap together later.

"Let me take over the sausage, and you can feed Matthew," Rebecca said with a smile. She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me again. "I love you, Maverick Allen. You make me so happy."

"Sweetheart, I love you too," I replied. She smiled, nodded, and turned back to the stove. I watched her as she took out the eggs and began beating them. I couldn't believe how lucky I was—falling head over heels for an Amish woman who wasn't shy about showing her love, even with my brother in the room.

Rebecca pulled Matthew's breakfast from the fridge and heated it. She would never feed him anything from a jar or can—she didn't believe it was healthy.

She grinned as she set the baby's food in front of me. "Matthew, look what Daddy's got. Yum, yum! Open up for the airplane to land." I moved the spoon toward him, mimicking the sound of a plane.

Matthew laughed so hard, food ended up everywhere. "Here it comes again," I said, flying the imaginary plane back into his mouth.

Shane burst into laughter. "Mama used to do the same thing with Logan and Cooper when they were babies. You must've picked it up from her."

"I must have," I said, trying to remember more, but Matthew wasn't done playing. He smacked his hand on the high chair tray.

"Oh no, you don't," Rebecca said, giving him a look. He lowered his head and glanced at me sheepishly. I flew the spoon back into his mouth with a grin.

Ruth walked in, just as we put the food on the table.

"Ruth, I didn't realize you were here," Rebecca said, jumping up to grab another plate. She set it in front of Ruth before sitting back down. "Why are you here?"

"A man broke into my house, so I hid in the attic. When he finally left, I grabbed my bike and came straight here," Ruth explained.

"You rode your bike all the way here in the middle of the night? That was so dangerous! What if he had seen you?" Rebecca asked, her face full of concern.

"He did come here," Ruth said.

"What do you mean he came here?"

"It was the lawyer. He was trying to kill me."

"Where is he now?" Rebecca asked, her voice tense.

"He's locked up. No one has to worry about him anymore. Steel took care of it—he's behind bars for good."

"Thank goodness," Rebecca said, exhaling in relief. "That's terrifying. What was he doing here?"

"He probably got our address from court records, but there's no need to worry now. Steel made sure everything's handled," I assured her.