A Texas Ranger's Christmas Page 13

  She lowered her head to his son’s eye level. “How are you, Josh? Do you want to come in?” Blaire stood aside so they could enter. She noticed the boy took little steps, as if he were hesitant, but, to her relief, he didn’t try to pull back from his father as he shut the door.

  Without saying anything to Caige, she reached for the bag. “What do we have in here?” She sat in the middle of the floor and pulled out some toys. The pull ball was something she knew how to set up, so she put it in front of her and started playing with it.

  Josh let go of his father’s hand and sat down by her. He pulled on it and watched it move with the same intensity as before. Pleased to see his concentration, she slowly got up and moved over to the piano bench.

  He didn’t seem to notice until she played a scale at a quiet pitch so it wouldn’t startle him. His dark head turned in her direction. He sat there looking up at her with those clear blue eyes. She played it again and held her breath. Suddenly that sweet smile broke out on his face and he walked over to her.

  “Do you want to play?” She took hold of his left hand and placed it on the keys.

  He pulled away from her with strength that shouldn’t have surprised her. He didn’t want her touching him. First big mistake, but she didn’t react, just sat there. Her patience won out when a half minute later he pounded the keys with the flat of both hands. He liked doing that.

  She lifted her head to discover Caige’s attentive gaze on her. He was smiling, not only with his mouth but with his eyes. Blaire felt as if the clouds had opened up to let the sun shine through, filling those dark places that hadn’t known light for years.

  Instinct told her to move so his father could join in. While she turned off the music from the pull ball, Caige came around to sit and pulled Josh onto his lap. Together they made a cacophony of sounds. After a minute Josh stopped playing and turned his head to kiss his father half a dozen times. Every time he did that, Blaire wanted to break down in tears because the little boy was so loving.

  Except that Josh really wasn’t a little boy. He was eight years old, tall and well-built for his age. Soon he’d be moving into adolescence. If Blaire were to have the responsibility of him when Caige wasn’t home, she needed to learn a lot in a short period of time.

  With the two of them preoccupied, she hurried in the kitchen and brought out an opened box of crackers. If he could eat pancakes, she figured crackers were all right. She undid the wrapping on a new pack, then sat back down on the floor and started examining the other toys.

  There was a mini popper and a domelike game called a twinkler. Both were activated by a switch. When she pressed on the mini popper, it played music while things popped. It caught Josh’s attention.

  He wiggled from his father’s arms and came over to sit down by her. She purposely reached for a cracker and ate it. He reached for one, too. Pretty soon Caige joined them on the floor and they all played with a toy. Every once in a while Josh smiled at his daddy. After eating another cracker, he smiled at her. A true smile. It made her giddy with happiness.

  While Caige’s head was bent over the twinkler he said, “Why don’t you play something for us? A little tune.”

  Without drawing attention to herself, she eased up from the floor and went over to the piano. She started playing the first piece she’d ever learned from her piano teacher. She sang it as she played. “Here we go, up a row, to a birthday party. Dolly dear, sandman’s here. Soon you will be sleeping.” Good old John Thompson technique.

  Surprisingly, Josh got up and walked over. He started playing again. To make room for him, she moved her hands two octaves lower. She played and sang the same words again and again while he pounded. He just smiled and smiled as if they were doing the most fabulous duet in the world together.

  Caige had come over and was lounging against the harp of the piano. She caught his glance. His luminescent gray eyes had glazed over with emotion. There were moments of joy in life, and this was one of them.

  Josh never tired. She decided to change the music and started playing a tune from the film version of Snow White. He stopped long enough to look at her. Blaire started singing the words and got animated. “Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work we go. Tra la la la la, tra la la la lo, hi ho, hi ho.”

  He started playing again, but this time he pounded harder and louder. Even before Caige came around to pull him off the bench, she realized she’d put too much into it and had overstimulated him.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, anxious to put things right. They’d been getting along so beautifully.

  His dark brows knitted together. “What are you talking about?” He walked Josh back over to the toys.

  “I overexcited him.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with that. I was afraid he was going to ruin your piano. He doesn’t know boundaries. Your beautiful instrument is simply another toy to him.”

  Relief swept through her. “I was afraid I’d done something wrong.”

  He shook his head. “Every instinct of yours has been right on. He’s had a wonderful time tonight and doesn’t know when to quit.”

  She smiled. “I noticed.”

  “I need to get him to bed. Thank you for letting us drop in on you unannounced.”

  “I loved it.” Blaire wanted to ask them to stay, but this wasn’t the time. She helped put the toys in the bag and gave Josh another cracker. The two of them walked to the front door. She followed.

  Caige darted her a level glance she couldn’t read. “See you in the morning.”

  The morning. She would lie awake all night wondering if he was going to let her train for the job or not.

  “Good night, Josh.” The boy just kept on walking while he clung to his father’s hand.

  How much he computed was impossible to guess, but she had an idea it was a lot more than could be observed with the naked eye. Music had found its way into his little psyche and he’d liked it. Unless Caige told her differently, she would treat his son like any boy, yet follow his guidelines.

  Blaire watched them walk along the pathway until she couldn’t see them anymore. When she shut and locked the door, she was so wound up with excess energy, she did something for herself she hadn’t done in years; she sat down at the piano.

  Without conscious thought she began playing “The Little Shepherd” from Debussy’s Children’s Corner. The plaintive motif suited her mood, reminding her of Josh, who was like a sweet lamb needing shepherding.

  It all started coming back. Mistakes didn’t matter. Too many years of practice had inscribed the music in her head. Soon she was going through a whole repertoire of pieces she used to teach her students.

  Because of Josh, a window had opened, letting in a long-forgotten breeze. Before long, she was playing everything from Brahms to Beethoven. Her thoughts were on the concerto she and Caige had listened to in the truck.

  She turned to Grieg and played his “Wedding Day at Troldhaugen.” The music had been locked in her heart for too long. After playing the last notes, she discovered tears of release streaming down her face. They’d been falling a long time because her top was soaked.

  To her shock it was after midnight. Recognizing she’d turned a corner in her life, she turned out the lights and went up to bed, eager for the day to come. She’d be seeing Caige again.

  AFTER PUTTING JOSH TO BED, Caige went into his den and got online to order tickets for the Nutcracker for Friday night. Blaire’s fabulous musical talent was obvious and he was looking forward to going to the ballet with her. But something else had happened tonight that put him in awe of her. It was the way she’d handled Josh with such amazing sensitivity.

  As he’d watched the two of them at the piano, he could tell they were both loving it in their own ways, as if they were kindred spirits relating on a level known only to them. It was a magical moment, one he’d never forget.

  Once he’d sent off emails to Mac and Ernie updating them on today’s events, he got ready for bed, but sleep didn’t come for
a while.

  Until he’d gone to her town house tonight, he didn’t honestly know what he would tell her in the morning. But as the evening had progressed, an idea had come to him he felt could work. While they were up in the trees the next day taking samples, he broached the subject with her.

  “Did you have plans for Friday night?” he called to her.

  “No,” she answered back from the tree next to him. The two trees didn’t look like they had the same problem, but something was wrong with both of them.

  “That’s good because I got us tickets for the ballet.”

  “Oh, thank you! I can’t wait to see it!”

  “I’m excited, too. It’s been a long time for me.”

  She hadn’t done a lot of talking since they’d left the office. He knew she was waiting for him to say something about Josh. He put the sample in the bag and jumped to the ground. After slipping it in the ice chest, he walked over to the base of her tree and looked up.

  “I had a talk with Elly this morning.”

  Blaire’s hands stilled on the branch, letting him know he had her full attention.

  “Christmas is only nine days away. She’s leaving for her sister’s on Monday. That gives us the rest of this week for you to be her shadow.”

  “Oh, Caige—you’re sure?” The excitement in her voice lit him up like a firecracker. She scrambled down to the joint in the tree. Her eyes looked like hot blue stars. After she dropped to the ground with her saw and sample, it took all his willpower not to pick her up and crush her in his arms.

  “As sure as I can be about anything.” He put her things away, having needed something to do with his hands so he wouldn’t grab her. “I put in a call to Stan and explained what was going on with us. He’s willing to let today be your last day so you’ll have the rest of the week to observe Elly’s routine with Josh. We’re supposed to go into the office after lunch and he’ll talk to us.” He picked up the ice chest and they started walking toward the truck.

  She followed behind him. “Did he seem upset?”

  “No. He knows we’re trying to solve your case. I told him we were a team.” That was the way Caige had to look at it if this was going to work.

  “Stan’s a good man.”

  Caige was driving today. On the way to their next appointment he told her what was on his mind. “I’d like to try an experiment with Josh that means you wouldn’t have to give up your town house.”

  A puzzled look entered her eyes.

  “If he spent some time at your place this week and got used to it, then you and I could go back and forth as necessary without his world falling apart. I believe the piano was a bigger hit with him than you realize. I’d love him to be more exposed to it.”

  “You mean you’d let him sleep over with me sometimes?”

  “Only if I had to be out of town and it was necessary. Sometimes you’ll be taking him to school and picking him up. It might be convenient for you to sleep at your house when you wanted, or sleep at mine. We could store a few toys at both places. Elly didn’t have a home, but you do. It would allow you to keep your life intact, yet expand the walls of Josh’s world.”

  And maybe Caige would be able to handle their close association without breaking all the rules.

  “It’s a wonderful idea, but only if Josh is comfortable with it. Please don’t worry. I can always rent my town house.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t have to come to that.” Caige had other plans in mind for the future. “One of the things I’m hoping you can do is get him to ride on the bus again. Something upset him and he hasn’t wanted to ride it ever since.”

  “Would it help if I went on the bus with him? I could stay at his school and then ride it home with him.”

  “We’ll talk to his teacher about it. After this week he won’t be going to school again until after New Year’s, so it’s a ways away yet. In fact, it’s all tentative, depending on how you feel after spending the rest of the week with him.”

  “I already know how I’ll feel. It’s Josh who has to get used to me.” She made a betraying motion with her hands. “What if he doesn’t, Caige?”

  He wasn’t immune to the anxiety in her voice. “It was iffy with Elly and the two other housekeepers before her, but eventually things worked out. I can tell you one thing. He loved the music last night. That’s something none of the others could give him. You got to him in a way no one has before.”

  “Don’t they have music at his school?” Her earnestness reached out to him.

  He pulled up to the house where they had their next appointment and turned off the motor. “Some.” Caige turned to look at her. She was such a raving beauty, he ached to touch that face and kiss her for a long, long time.

  “But there’s only one Blaire Koslov. Terrific as Mrs. Wright is, she doesn’t look like you, talk like you, play like you or have your personality. When you started singing ‘Hi Ho’ in a voice that sounded exactly like one of those endearing dwarves, my son’s eyes danced. He was enchanted.

  “And so was I,” Caige drawled. “I’d like the enchantment to go on and on. It’s clear to me Josh has already accepted you on some level. Things are going to work out. I know something else, too.” His voice hardened. “I’m going to find out what happened to your husband. I swear it.”

  Blaire took a deep breath and reached for his hand, clinging to it with all her might. He looked down. No gesture had ever had the power to move him the way that did.

  Chapter Nine

  On Friday morning Caige went into headquarters for a strategy meeting with Mac and Ernie. They’d planned to meet in Mac’s office. When Caige walked in and saw the coffee and doughnuts, it surprised him. Normally his boss didn’t provide goodies unless there was a special reason. Caige poured himself some brew while he waited.

  His two mentors were like family, always ready to help, always prepared to lay down their lives for a brother if necessary. Because of Blaire, both men knew this case was different from all the others. They saw right through him, but, like the good men they were, they kept the comments down and concentrated on the business at hand.

  The situation at home had altered so drastically, Caige felt as he had when he was a young rookie on the Austin Police Force. Back then he’d leave for work without a worry to distract him from the task at hand. Blaire was the reason for the euphoria infecting him. They’d known each other only two weeks, yet he couldn’t seem to remember his life without her now.

  Already there were changes. She’d driven with him to take Josh to school all three mornings. His son smiled at her more and more. Little by little they were making progress. Knowing Blaire was there to take over made Elly happier, too. As far as Caige could tell, the women got along as if they’d known each other for ages. Josh was the common thread bonding the two of them.

  Tonight Caige would be taking Blaire to the ballet. He was counting the hours. Elly had agreed to babysit one last time. Caige dared to believe his life had entered a shining new era that could become his reality. All he had to do was find Nate Farley, dead or alive.

  Mac finally came into the office, followed by Ernie, who shut the door. Caige had been waiting long enough to have eaten a second doughnut. They looked at him with that secret kind of smile that meant something was up.

  “What?”

  Mac patted him on the shoulder. “Once again you’re the man of the hour.” Both men sat down.

  “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “The book’s been officially closed on the Danny Dunn murder case.”

  “Without you, it might never have been solved,” Ernie declared. “Congratulations. Word has it you’ll be receiving another commendation from the governor. That makes quite a few so far.”

  Caige put the mug down so hard, he spilled his coffee. “You’re conning me, right?” He reached for a napkin to clean up the mess.

  “You want chapter and verse, I guess.” Mac grinned. “Using your tips that we passed on to t
he police investigating the case, it turns out Farley was right. Dunn had a lover, but his name was Charlie Beck. Dunn was at Ron Seeward’s house the night Charlie showed up with a gun, accusing him of having an affair with Ron.

  “There was a fight and several shots were fired, one killing Dunn. Since the three of them had been living on illegal gambling winnings from the racetrack in Manor, Ron didn’t want to be involved in any of it. He looked the other way when Charlie dumped the body on the golf course.”

  This kind of news blew Caige’s mind.

  “The police entered Charlie Beck’s apartment with a warrant and found the gun. The ballistics matched. Beck broke down and ratted on Ron Seeward. The police got a warrant to search Seeward’s place and found evidence that it had been the crime scene.

  “Beck was arrested for murder. Seeward’s been arrested for impeding a criminal investigation, tampering with a crime scene and withholding evidence. The list goes on. Both men were charged with racketeering. The police have a full confession from them that will bring more arrests.”

  Mac leaned forward, munching on his second doughnut. “It was you who attacked the Farley case and was running down leads in the first two hours. The news that you cracked the Dunn murder will be plastered all over the media by morning. That’s great work, my boy.”

  The news should have been gratifying to Caige, but his good mood had vanished. “Except that the wrong case has been wrapped up,” he bit out. “There’s still nothing leading me directly to Farley. I want the chance to interrogate both men. They know plenty they’re not telling.”

  “Why don’t you do that as soon as our meeting is over? Right now let’s see what you’ve come up with so far. What about the tip from that Mel at the shooting gallery in Burnet?”

  “I’ve thought about it. He identified Farley from the photo, but Farley was with a brunette driving a BMW, and he was using the name Rick. I’m not sure we can count on testimony like that when it was more than five years ago. I’m not ruling it out, but it’s not proof.”