“As soon as I finish my research. It should be a few more days.”
“Let me know, and we’ll meet you at the airport.”
“I will. And, Mom, thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I love you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Just promise me that you’ll think about Maggie’s future. She needs a father.”
“I know that.”
Her mother was silent for a moment before she spoke again. “I hope you know that I only want what’s best for you because I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mom. I’ll talk to you later.”
Gwen ended the call and laid the phone beside her on the table, then scrubbed her hands over her face in an effort to relieve the anxiety talking with her mother always provoked. The curtain over the door moved, and Dean called out from the other side, “Gwen, may I come in?”
She glanced back at the phone with wide eyes. How long had he been standing there? Had he heard her speak about Maggie or Rick? She shifted on the table and crossed her arms over her stomach.
“Come in, Dean.”
He pulled back the curtain before he stepped into the room. A sad look shadowed his dark eyes, making them stand out in his pale face. His gaze traveled over her before he inhaled. She tried to determine if he had heard her conversation or not, but couldn’t tell. He held her gaze for a few seconds before she glanced down.
“I was just talking with my mother.”
“And how is she?” he asked.
“She was concerned about what’s happened today.”
He slipped his hands in his pockets and took a step closer. “I suppose that means she’s upset that I’m here with you.”
Gwen shook her head. “Dean, please...”
“It’s okay, Gwen. I understand how she feels about me, and I don’t blame her. But neither you nor your mother have anything to fear from me. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy. I wouldn’t do anything to interfere with that.”
She blinked back the tears that filled her eyes and smiled. “I believe you, Dean. No matter what your problems were, you never lied to me.”
He took a step closer. “No, I never did, and I’m not going to start now. I’ve been talking with Ben, and we’re both concerned about the attempts on your life today. We think you need to go home while Ben searches for this guy. When he’s caught, you can come back and finish your research.”
Her eyes widened. “I can’t do that. I’m on a schedule to get this project under way. I can’t wait while the police look for a murderer they may never find.” She shook her head. “No, I’m going to finish my job, and then I’ll leave.”
“Gwen, listen to me,” he said. “You’re still in danger. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She eased off the table and walked over to face him. “Thank you, but I have a job to do. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
He glared at her and raked his hand through his hair. “I’m not going to let you do this.”
Her mouth gaped open and she shook her head. “Are you serious? Do you really think you can order me around? We aren’t married anymore. I don’t have to listen to you.”
He couldn’t have looked more shocked if she’d slapped him, and she immediately regretted her harsh words. His shoulders sagged and he nodded. “I know I don’t have any right to control what you do, especially after what I just overheard.”
Panic ripped through her, and it was all she could do not to run for the door. She clasped her hands together and tried to keep them from shaking. “What did you hear?”
He jammed his hands in his pockets again and rocked back on his heels. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I walked up just as you were saying something about a guy named Rick. Are you involved with him?”
She breathed a sigh of relief. If that was all he’d heard, then he still didn’t know about Maggie. Gwen nodded. “No. My mother wishes I was, though. He and I work together, and we date some. He’s a good man, and I enjoy spending time with him.”
Dean’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I see,” he said. “I realize you have another life now, and I’d like for you to be able to return to it safely.” They stared at each other, neither speaking for a few seconds, and then he sighed and rubbed his hand across his eyes. “So, if you won’t go home, how about this? Stay at my dude ranch until you’re through with your assignment. I’ll have one of my employees accompany you to all the locations you want to visit. That way I’ll know you’re being protected.”
She frowned. “You want me to stay at your ranch? I can’t do that.”
“Why not? I have other guests there. You’ll have your own room with a private bath, and you can have as little to do with me as you want. I promise I’ll leave you alone.”
“I’m not worried about being around you. Our marriage ended years ago, and we both know we can never get back what we once had. I’m just afraid it will be uncomfortable for us.”
He smiled. “Then we’ll have to make sure to keep things pleasant between us. No rehashing what can’t be changed. Just an attempt to be friends. What do you say?”
She thought about it for a moment. It really would make her feel safer if she had someone to accompany her on her research trips. And she had to admit she was curious about the life Dean had made for himself. If she did this, she would have to be careful, though, and guard against letting any word or action give away the secret she’d kept hidden.
Finally, she smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Dean. I’d like to stay at your dude ranch.”
A big smile pulled at his lips. “Good. I promise you won’t regret it.”
Gwen’s stomach clenched at his words, and she almost groaned. Something told her Dean was mistaken. She had just made a decision that she might regret for the rest of her life.
An hour later Dean stood in the doorway of Gwen’s motel room and smiled at the sight of her on her knees, looking under the bed. He tried to push the memory of earlier times like this from his mind, but it was no use. He chuckled, and she glanced up at where he leaned against the doorjamb, his arms crossed.
“Are you sure you have everything?” he asked, a smirk pulling at his lips.
She pushed herself to her feet, brushed her hands against the knees of her jeans and glared at him. “You’re not going to bring that up again, are you?”
He smiled and straightened. “I can’t help remembering how no matter where we went, you always managed to leave something behind. Do you recall the time you left your makeup case in the bathroom of that St. Louis hotel, and you made me drive two hundred miles back to get it?”
She arched an eyebrow and shrugged. “Only because it was cheaper to pay for the gas to go back than to replace everything that was in that bag.”
“So you said.” He smiled again. “But I didn’t mind.”
She started to reply, but the expression on her face suddenly changed to one of uncertainty. With a sigh, she sat down on the bed. Her chin dropped to her chest and she shook her head. “I can’t do this, Dean,” she said.
He walked over and stared down at her. “Can’t do what?”
“I can’t go with you if you’re going to bring up the past all the time. I’ve moved on, and I don’t want to look back at what we once had.”