The Sheriff's Pregnant Wife. Patricia Thayer

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      Due to the stroke, Sally’s smile was crooked, but she was obviously pleased. “Doc…doctor said o…okay.”

      “That’s great news,” Claire said and looked at her daughter. “The facility has special vans and attendants that can take her where she wants to go.”

      “Who’s taking who where?”

      All three women turned to the door and found Reed. He was dressed in a pair of faded jeans and a burgundy polo shirt.

      “Hi, Reed,” Claire said and went to him. “The doctor said your mother can come to Leah’s wedding. Isn’t that great?”

      He grinned. “Yes, it’s great.” He crossed the room and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Maybe we should get you a new dress.”

      Sally frowned and shook her head.

      “Oh, Sally, you shouldn’t turn him down,” Paige said.

      Her eyes locked with Reed’s, and once again, she was transported back in time to when they were sixteen. He’d driven her to Durango to look for a dress for the prom. She was going with another boy. That had been when he confessed about his feelings for her. He wanted more than friendship.

      “We should go,” Claire said, breaking through her reverie. “We need to meet Leah for wedding shopping.”

      Paige patted Sally’s hand. “It was good to see you again, Sally.”

      “C…come back.”

      “I will.” Paige smiled, then looked at Reed to see he was pleased she’d come, too. She walked out of the room and he followed her.

      “Paige, thank you for coming by today. Mom loved it. I appreciated it, too.”

      “It was no trouble at all.”

      His gaze refused to release its hold. “How are you feeling?”

      Her mother had already reached the reception area and was out of earshot. “Better. This morning was a little rough. But I’m good now,” Paige said.

      He stuffed his hands into his jeans’ pockets. “You look terrific.”

      A shiver went through her. She didn’t want to analyze her reaction to the compliment. “I should go.”

      “Oh, I got the name of the doctor.” He pulled a card out of his pocket. “KimberlyYork. Jodi said she’s the best.”

      Paige glanced down the hall again to make sure her mother was out of earshot. The business card actually belonged to Reed with his private phone number. The doctor’s number was written on the back. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll call and make an appointment.”

      “If you need someone to drive you let me know.”

      His offer was so thoughtful she suddenly had the urge to cry. She had to leave. “Thank you, again. I better go.”

      When she made her way to the reception area, she found her mother talking with a thin man seated in a wheelchair. He was bent over, with sparse white hair that stood out around his head. His face was weathered and lined with age. She blinked and studied the man closely. It had to be…old Billy Hutchinson.

      Memories came flooding back to her. All the trouble he’d caused the Larkin family. And worse. Billy’s manipulation had change the course of her and Reed’s life. It was wrong, no matter if the cause had been a good one. But most of all, she’d always regret the lie…and losing Reed.

      She approached them. “Mother…”

      Claire turned and smiled. “There you are. Billy, you remember my middle daughter, Paige. She works in Denver now. She’s a lawyer.”

      Paige swallowed her nervousness. It had been a long time since she’d seen or talked to this man. She wasn’t eager to now. “Hello, Mr. Hutchinson.”

      “Bah, lawyers…they’re all crooks. Give ’em a chance, they steal ya blind.” He peered at her. “Why, you’re that gal who hung around with that Larkin boy.”

      Paige’s heart pounded. “That was a long time ago.”

      “Everything was a long time ago.” He waved a crippled finger at her. “You should stay away from those Larkins. They’re no good.”

      After all this time Paige didn’t want to rehash this, especially not with Reed just down the hall.

      “You shouldn’t upset yourself, Billy,” her mother said. “That’s all in the past.”

      Abruptly the man’s agitation turned to sadness. “No, we can’t change the past.” His hazel eyes filled with tears. “Can’t change a dang thing…what’s done is done.” He slumped deeper into his chair. “I didn’t mean to…” He looked pleadingly at Paige. “It was an accident.”

      “What accident?” Paige asked.

      He choked on the next word. “Mick…”

      The lawyer in her couldn’t stop asking more. “What about Mick?”

      It was as if a curtain fell as she watched Billy’s expression go blank. He stared off into space, not hearing them any longer.

      Her mother stroked the old man’s arm. “Billy has Alzheimer’s. He’s been here for the last year. There are days when he talks, then there are days when he just sits here.” Claire sighed. “Billy has talked more with you today than he has in a very long time.”

      The attendant arrived and took charge of Billy, pushing his wheelchair down the hall. Paige stared after them recalling the old man’s words. “Mom, what did Billy mean about an accident?”

      “I’m not sure,” her mother answered as they walked toward the door. “Billy rambles a lot. It could have been something that happened years ago, or recently.”

      Paige knew that Billy Hutchinson had an interest in several silver mines in the area. And it was a fact that he hadn’t always been fair about his business dealings.

      “Not only had the Hutchinson family founded Destiny, but they’ve been pretty forceful in their efforts to control it,” Claire said. “Maybe in Billy’s advanced years, he wants to atone for his sins.”

      Paige wasn’t the optimist her mother was; she knew the man was a schemer, because she had gotten talked into one of them. For ten years no one had ever known Paige’s connection to Billy. And she wanted to keep it that way. She couldn’t see the man again.

      But all the way home old Billy’s words bothered her. Was there more to his ramblings? The word “accident” kept nagging at her brain. Could Reed’s suspicions be truth? Could Billy Hutchinson know more about what really happened the night Mick Larkin disappeared than he previously admitted?

      

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