pump my gas,” she said.
His smile was slightly mocking. “The best of both worlds?”
“I don’t see why those things have to be mutual y exclusive. I want what’s right, but I’m stil a woman and I enjoy being treated like one.”
“Does your boyfriend perform those little courtesies?”
She blinked at him. “What boyfriend?”
The boyfriend who meant Hunter didn’t have to worry about whether or not he was attracted to her. “At the airport, you said you were involved with someone.”
She looked away. “Oh, right.”
He didn’t think it said much for the relationship that she could forget this boyfriend so easily. But that was her problem. “Are you two planning on getting married someday?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
What was so invasive about that question? He’d asked her much worse. But she had a point. He was wandering off topic. “Fine. If you had to name your father’s greatest fault, what would it be?” he asked, forcing his attention back where it belonged.
She answered without even having to think about it. “He was too preoccupied with his work. His church and the people in it were everything to him. But he was good to us.”
Hunter wondered if Irene would tel him the same thing.
“Was there any life insurance?”
“My father had a smal policy, but my mother’s never tried to col ect on it.”
“Why not?”
“We were hoping he wasn’t…gone forever, of course.”
We… That was interesting. It’d been difficult to pay the mortgage, yet Irene hadn’t tried to prove that her missing husband was dead so she could col ect on his life insurance. Had she truly been hoping for his return? Or did she fear that going after the money would spark an investigation by the insurance company?
If wife number two was to blame, money wasn’t the motive or she would’ve applied for the insurance. And he doubted she would’ve kept Barker’s daughter.
So maybe Barker’s death had been triggered by anger or jealousy…. “Any chance that either your father or Irene could’ve been having an affair?”
“No.”
That was it. No hesitation. Only one word. “How do you know?”
“Irene turned a few heads. She stil does. She tried to be the perfect pastor’s wife, but simple and demure isn’t part of her personality. Wait til you meet her—you’l understand.
Ever since I’ve known her, she’s styled her hair big, worn lots of makeup, loved tight-fitting, brightly colored clothing and shown too much cleavage.” She smiled affectionately.
“When we were growing up, she wasn’t close to anyone except us. She was new, and we lived away from town, on a farm.”
“No one in particular singled her out?”
“Just the ladies who’d hoped to marry my dad. They found fault with her constantly.”
“What about neighbors?” he asked. “Could your mother have had a relationship with someone who lived nearby?”
“If you’d met the neighbors you wouldn’t even ask,” she said with a laugh. “Besides, they mostly socialized with my father. They’d known him for years. And, as I mentioned, they didn’t real y approve of Irene.” Madeline twisted a lock of her hair. “I don’t remember her having even one close girlfriend, to be honest with you.”
Even when she wasn’t nibbling on her lip, something about her fascinated Hunter. But acknowledging that made him feel as if he was flirting with disaster, so he looked away. “Sounds like she was pretty isolated.”
“I think she was just relieved to be able to feed and clothe her children. Chances were she would’ve lost them to the state if my father hadn’t come along.”
A thirty-two-year-old woman struggling to hold her family together would probably marry almost anyone who could provide some security. Obviously, Irene Montgomery needed Barker—but did she love him? “What about your father?” he asked.
“What about him?”
“Could he have been having an affair?”
“My father was a
His smile was slightly mocking. “The best of both worlds?”
“I don’t see why those things have to be mutual y exclusive. I want what’s right, but I’m stil a woman and I enjoy being treated like one.”
“Does your boyfriend perform those little courtesies?”
She blinked at him. “What boyfriend?”
The boyfriend who meant Hunter didn’t have to worry about whether or not he was attracted to her. “At the airport, you said you were involved with someone.”
She looked away. “Oh, right.”
He didn’t think it said much for the relationship that she could forget this boyfriend so easily. But that was her problem. “Are you two planning on getting married someday?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
What was so invasive about that question? He’d asked her much worse. But she had a point. He was wandering off topic. “Fine. If you had to name your father’s greatest fault, what would it be?” he asked, forcing his attention back where it belonged.
She answered without even having to think about it. “He was too preoccupied with his work. His church and the people in it were everything to him. But he was good to us.”
Hunter wondered if Irene would tel him the same thing.
“Was there any life insurance?”
“My father had a smal policy, but my mother’s never tried to col ect on it.”
“Why not?”
“We were hoping he wasn’t…gone forever, of course.”
We… That was interesting. It’d been difficult to pay the mortgage, yet Irene hadn’t tried to prove that her missing husband was dead so she could col ect on his life insurance. Had she truly been hoping for his return? Or did she fear that going after the money would spark an investigation by the insurance company?
If wife number two was to blame, money wasn’t the motive or she would’ve applied for the insurance. And he doubted she would’ve kept Barker’s daughter.
So maybe Barker’s death had been triggered by anger or jealousy…. “Any chance that either your father or Irene could’ve been having an affair?”
“No.”
That was it. No hesitation. Only one word. “How do you know?”
“Irene turned a few heads. She stil does. She tried to be the perfect pastor’s wife, but simple and demure isn’t part of her personality. Wait til you meet her—you’l understand.
Ever since I’ve known her, she’s styled her hair big, worn lots of makeup, loved tight-fitting, brightly colored clothing and shown too much cleavage.” She smiled affectionately.
“When we were growing up, she wasn’t close to anyone except us. She was new, and we lived away from town, on a farm.”
“No one in particular singled her out?”
“Just the ladies who’d hoped to marry my dad. They found fault with her constantly.”
“What about neighbors?” he asked. “Could your mother have had a relationship with someone who lived nearby?”
“If you’d met the neighbors you wouldn’t even ask,” she said with a laugh. “Besides, they mostly socialized with my father. They’d known him for years. And, as I mentioned, they didn’t real y approve of Irene.” Madeline twisted a lock of her hair. “I don’t remember her having even one close girlfriend, to be honest with you.”
Even when she wasn’t nibbling on her lip, something about her fascinated Hunter. But acknowledging that made him feel as if he was flirting with disaster, so he looked away. “Sounds like she was pretty isolated.”
“I think she was just relieved to be able to feed and clothe her children. Chances were she would’ve lost them to the state if my father hadn’t come along.”
A thirty-two-year-old woman struggling to hold her family together would probably marry almost anyone who could provide some security. Obviously, Irene Montgomery needed Barker—but did she love him? “What about your father?” he asked.
“What about him?”
“Could he have been having an affair?”
“My father was a
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