minute. I don’t want anyone upsetting her.” She pointedly stabbed him with her gaze. The door he’d used to come into the house was through the mudroom, which she could close off so Kaitlyn wouldn’t see the busted door.
“I’d like to talk with Juanita, but I’ll make sure Kaitlyn doesn’t know why I’m here.”
“I appreciate that. She doesn’t understand why her daddy was gone for so long and then last week we had a funeral for him.” The sound of the garage door going up rumbled through the house. Melora wearily shoved herself to her feet. “Juanita and Kaitlyn are home.”
He followed her into the kitchen. “I noticed your daughter was at the funeral.”
Yes, and Melora had noticed he had been there, too, with the other Texas Ranger, Anderson Michaels, who’d come to the Alamo Planning Committee in October. Another committee she was on. Axle had wanted her to project the right image to the world, and she’d never complained because she liked making a difference and helping where she could. In fact, she still tried to maintain as normal a schedule as possible although she’d buried her husband two days ago.
She threw him a glance. “Kaitlyn needed some closure with her father.” She hoped instead of Kaitlyn getting distressed because her father hadn’t come home that her daughter’s nightmares would stop since she’d gotten to say goodbye to her daddy at the funeral.
The knob on the door to the garage turned. Melora fortified herself with a deep breath and faced her daughter who raced into the room with Juanita trailing at a more sedate pace.
“Mommy, you’re home.” Kaitlyn threw her arms around Melora’s legs. “I had a great time at Cara’s.”
While her housekeeper made her way toward her suite off a back hallway, Melora hugged Kaitlyn. “I’m so glad. We’ll have to have Cara over here soon.”
“Tomorrow?” Her daughter bent back and looked up expectedly.
Melora forced a chuckle that fell flat. “We’ll see.”
Kaitlyn leaned around Melora, peering at Daniel Riley. “Who are you?”
He crossed the kitchen, a smile lighting his gray eyes as though they were pieces of silver. “I’m a friend of your mother’s.”
Her daughter tilted her head and studied the Texas Ranger. “How come I’ve never seen you?”
His shoulders lifted in a shrug. “That’s going to change today. I’m Daniel.”
She tapped her chest. “I’m Kaitlyn.”
“I thought so. Your mother talks about you a lot.”
Kaitlyn beamed. “Yeah, she tells me all the time I’m her pride and joy.”
“I can see why.”
“Have ya met Patches yet?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“He’s hiding. He does that all the time with someone new.” Kaitlyn stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Don’t worry. He’ll get used to you. Then he won’t leave you alone.”
Melora moved forward to break up the little bonding session. She wanted the Texas Ranger out of her house as soon as possible. “Speaking of Patches, aren’t you supposed to feed him, young lady?”
“Yeah.” Kaitlyn turned her full attention back to Daniel. “Would ya like to help? I’ll hold Patches while you pat him.”
“Hon, he needs to leave.”
Daniel shot Melora a look that said their conversation wasn’t over. “Yeah, I’m sorry I have to go. But I’m sure I’ll see you again, Kaitlyn.”
“Great! I’ll show you Patches then.” Her child hurried toward the utility room where Patches’s food was kept.
Once Kaitlyn was out of the kitchen, Daniel said, “I’d like to talk to Juanita before I leave.”
Melora peered toward where her daughter had disappeared. She needed to get rid of the man as fast as possible in case someone was watching the house. “Fine. I’ll take you back to her suite. After that, I’d like you to go. I don’t want Kaitlyn to know anything about today.”
“Don’t you want to find out who murdered your husband? Who broke into your house? It’s possible there’s a connection.”
While he studied her, she struggled to remain as calm as possible. “Of course. But I don’t see a connection. And I have to think of my daughter’s emotional well-being.” And her physical well-being. What if Kaitlyn had been here when the man had broken in? Both sets of intruders had frightened her, but the last one seemed more sinister—desperate almost, as though time was running out. Chills encased her in a cold sweat. Her heartbeat sped up. She didn’t know how long she could keep up the pretense that everything was all right. This facade she had to put on weighed heavily on her.
“I shouldn’t be long.”
Melora swept her arm across her front, indicating the hallway Juanita disappeared down, then started forward. “Her room is back here.”
The hair on her nape tingled under the Ranger’s hard gaze. He wasn’t going to let this investigation die until he’d turned over every clue he could get. Fear mingled with her frustration. She hadn’t wanted to say anything to Uncle Tyler about what had happened two years ago. She didn’t want him worrying or worse—trying to do something about it and getting hurt. He’d taken her in after her parents died when she was nine. He was all the family she had except for Kaitlyn.
Melora stopped in front of a closed door and knocked. Her housekeeper answered, peering first at her then Daniel, wariness in her dark eyes. Although she knew about the break-in after Axle had vanished, Melora hadn’t told her about the threat. And Juanita had never questioned why Melora hadn’t reported the break-in to the sheriff. Juanita was an American citizen, but she was leery of law enforcement. Some of her family had been deported back to Mexico.
“This is Daniel Riley with the Texas Rangers. He has a few questions for you. We had an intruder today, and Ranger Riley managed to chase the man away but didn’t catch him.”
Juanita’s attention remained focused on Melora for a few seconds. “I don’t know anything about a break-in.”
Touching her arm, Melora gave her housekeeper a reassuring look. “I know.” She bit back the words, “Humor him and he’ll leave.”
“May I come in?” Daniel asked, nodding toward the sitting area visible behind Juanita.
“I was getting ready to leave. I have to get dinner ready.” The housekeeper blocked the entrance into her suite. “I don’t understand what you think I know. I wasn’t here.” She shifted her gaze to Melora. “Was anything taken? Nothing was bothered in my room.”
“No, not that I can tell.”
“Who left first, you or Mrs. Hudson this afternoon?” Daniel asked, scrutinizing the housekeeper.
“I did with Kaitlyn. I had a few errands to run before the play date.”
“What errands?”
“Pharmacy and dry cleaners.” Juanita glanced at Melora.
“Did you talk to anyone?” Daniel shifted to hamper Juanita’s view of Melora.
“Just the cashiers.”
“Did you notice a white Honda Accord parked in this area when you left?”
Juanita tilted her head to the side and thought for a moment. “No.”
“No one unusual around?”
Juanita shook her head.
Daniel withdrew a business card. “If you can think of anything that might help us find the man who broke in here, please contact me.”
Pocketing