Maggie's Mountain by Mya Barrett Page A

barbed wire strung tomorrow.”
    “You’re not planning to do it yourself?” His voice sounded as stern as Hale’s, though it was nowhere near as deep in timbre.
    “I’ve already had the lecture. I’m going to call Jo’s husband, Ben, so he can point me in the direction of some boys who might need a little extra spending money.”
    “There’s no need for that, Maggie. I can come out and help you.”
    What was it with men suddenly deciding they had to help her? A few years ago she couldn’t have paid enough to bring anyone out here. Now they seemed to be stumbling all over themselves.
    “Brian, really, it’s fine.”
    “Maggie, you were my best friend’s wife. Chris wouldn’t want you having to pay strangers when I could help you out. I’ll bring Eric with me; heaven knows he could do with some physical labor. I don’t know what Brenda and that husband of hers are thinking, letting him stay inside all the damn time or hang out with those skateboarding hoodlums.”
    Maggie bit her lip to keep from commenting. Brian and Brenda’s divorce hadn’t been a pleasant one. It had been even worse when, only two months after the papers were signed, Brenda had eloped with their son’s principal. Of course it had all happened around the time of Chris, and then her mother’s, deaths, so she’d only gotten pieces and bits of the gossip. Out of loyalty she’d sided with Brian. After all, he hadn’t just been Chris’s friend but he was also a state trooper, and she was a state trooper’s widow. There was an unspoken, closed ranks rule that even Maggie understood.
    “The schools are closed for a teachers’ day tomorrow, so I’ll have Eric for the long weekend,” he continued in a no nonsense way. “We’ll be over in the morning with everything. You sure you feel safe to stay there tonight?”
    She almost couldn’t hold back her sigh. “How many times am I going to have to explain that I’m fine out here?”
    “Hey, don’t jump my case. I was just asking.”
    “Sorry, I guess it’s a sore spot.”
    There was speculation in his voice when he replied. “Someone been rubbing you the wrong way, Maggie?”
    “No, nothing like that. It’s just…” She wasn’t about to try to explain the situation with Hale. “It’s a small town, Brian. You know how nosey people can be.”
    “I guess.” Though he didn’t sound convinced, he didn’t pry. “We’ll start about eight and we should be done by early afternoon. Why don’t I take you out afterward? We haven’t done that in a while.”
    Not since her birthday, eight months ago. She was reluctant to go out, though, and she refused to think it was because of Hale and the speculation he might hear. “You’re providing the manual labor. The least I could do is provide lunch.”
    “Fried chicken?” His voice sounded hopeful and she smiled.
    “And potato salad, corn on the cob, and biscuits.”
    “It’s a deal. See you tomorrow, Maggie.”
    “Tomorrow,” she agreed, and ended the call with a laugh.
    Gently, she placed the receiver back in its cradle and scanned the box in front of her again. She needed to get it tucked away. She couldn’t imagine the scandal if a curious fourteen-year-old rifled through the letters inside while she had her back turned. There would be questions and the answers wouldn’t be easy to explain. While it might behoove the Cooper name to have at least their side of the truth out, it wouldn’t do the Warricks any favors. There was no telling what they might retaliate with. Besides, all it would take was for them to claim the notes were lies, or worse, were forged, for all the ground Maggie had struggled to gain to be so muddied it would slip away.
    Then there was the fact that they could hurt Trent, who had always been so kind to her, and Cordelia, who, though she was a cool woman, had suffered heated humiliation of her own. And Hale. Heaven knew she couldn’t stomach the thought of hurting him in that way. Heaven knew she