Page 65 of Never Fall Again

As soon as she heard the door close, Landry turned to Cal. “Why did you want to check the house?”

“We can’t be too careful.”

Landry couldn’t stop the shiver that ran through her. Even though there was no reason to suspect that the gun-wielding man on the playground tonight had been there for Eliza, the nagging voice in her mind that she’d been the target refused to be silent.

“Do you think—” The bathroom door opened, and Eliza ran out. “Fastest hand washing in history, sweet girl.” Landry’s admonishment carried no real heat, and Eliza’s smile told Cal that she knew she wasn’t really in trouble.

Eliza grabbed her bag. She poured the contents on the kitchen table and eagerly sorted through the candy, ignoring anything that looked remotely healthy or educational.

Landry gave her ten minutes, then called a halt to the post-game analysis. “Bath time. Bedtime.”

Eliza obeyed, albeit in slow motion. Cal knew this tactic. Abby was a professional slug at bedtime. A trip to the kitchen for a glass of water could take fifteen minutes.

Thirty minutes later, bath time was over, teeth had been brushed, and Eliza came back into the living room to tell him good night. She gave him a hug and went to bed without any fuss.

Landry returned to the living room and flopped into a recliner. “She almost fell asleep in the bath. She should conk out soon.”

Cal pointed to the pile of candy on the table. “Think she’d notice if I snagged a Snickers?”

“I was planning to take a Milky Way, but I forgot to get it before I sat down. Now I don’t think it’s worth it.”

“Allow me.” Cal went to the table, sorted through the candy, and returned to the living room with three fun-sized Milky Ways for Landry and one Snickers for himself.

“Want something to drink?” she asked.

“Nah. I’m good.”

Landry unwrapped one candy bar and glanced toward Eliza’s room before saying, “Do you think he was after my baby?”

“I don’t know. Do you want to tell me why you think he might have been?”

She ate two of the three candy bars before she responded. “Do I want to? No. Nothing personal. I avoid talking about it in general.” She tucked her feet under her legs and leaned toward him. “But you probably should know the whole story. I think I need some outside eyes to tell me if I messed up—well, worse than I already know I did.”

Cal braced for her revelation, but she surprised him when she continued. “But not tonight. I need sunshine and fresh air for that conversation.”

“That doesn’t give me a warm, fuzzy feeling.”

“It isn’t a warm, fuzzy story.” Landry folded one of the wrappers into a precise square. “For tonight, what you need to know is that my husband’s family made it clear they didn’t believe I was a fit mother and they would be better able to care for Eliza.”

Cal lurched to his feet at her words. He went back to the table and returned with another Snickers. Rather than resuming his seat, he paced back and forth behind the sofa. “You have to be kidding me.”

“I wish I was.” Landry’s sad smile nearly broke him. “When I left, I did my best to hide my whereabouts. I changed my name back to my maiden name and changed Eliza’s as well. I kept my head down, broke all ties to that area, and worked to establish myself. I was newly widowed with no employment history and no proof that I could provide for my child when I left. But now I have a successful business and a steady income. My child is healthy and happy.”

Cal rested his hands on the back of the sofa. “Your child is amazing. As are you.”

“Thank you. She is, for sure.” She set the folded candy wrapper on the small table beside her chair. “Before Eliza started school, I checked with three different attorneys. All agreed that at this point, no judge in the land would let anyone take her from me. They said I had more than proven my competence.”

“You’re so much more than competent.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you, but his side of the family has money, influence, and a track record of totally disregarding the truth. With that said, I’ve never believed they would stoop to doing anything undeniably illegal. Unethical? Sure. But illegal? No.”

“So does that mean you think they’re behind this? Or not? I’m not sure what you’re saying.”

“I’m not saying anything.” Landry threw up her hands. “I just know that since we came out of isolation, we’ve had two major incidents.” She clambered to her feet and faced him across the sofa. “And don’t you dare tell me I’m imagining it. If you didn’t think there was any chance we could be at risk, you wouldn’t have cleared the house.”

Cal’s own annoyance bled through as he replied. “I don’t know anything either. I have nothing to base my concerns on beyond the very little you’ve shared about Eliza’s father, his family, and what brought you to Gossamer Falls. But I’d rather be dead wrong than be wrong and you and Eliza wind up dead.”

Landry balled her hands into fists and looked at the ceiling. “Why is this happening?”

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