feeling confident this was one person she could trust.
“Emily, I’m so glad I caught you. I wondered if you’d go to the hospital with me. Carolyn is runnin’ a fever and had a major episode. Sully rushed her to emergency.”
“Absolutely—but where’s Josh?”
“Colin came by and took him to lunch. He said he wanted to talk to him, maybe about the case or somethin’. I tried callin’ him, but he must have his phone off in the restaurant.”
“I’m at home right now, so I can be there in just a few minutes. Don’t worry, Maggs, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Emily knew Maggie had had enough stress in her life—she didn’t need to add more.
CHAPTER 25
Sully had phoned Maggie to let her know Carolyn had been examined by an ER doctor and moved to the third floor. So, Emily and Maggie took the elevator up and an attendant at the nurse’s station directed them to her room.
The women rushed to the assigned room and found Sully sitting by his wife’s bed, holding her hand. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful as she rested.
Sully turned toward the door, looking like he’d slept in his clothes. He dragged himself to his feet and put a finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet.
“She’s sleeping,” Sully whispered, stepping close to his sister. “The doctor got her temp down and he thinks she’ll be fine with some rest. We can’t upset her or get her excited.”
“How are y’all holdin’ up?” Maggie asked him.
“Let’s step out in the hallway,” he suggested, looking over his shoulder at his sleeping wife.
The women nodded in agreement and went out into the hallway.
“This whole Lucas thing has taken a toll on all of us,” he snarled. His face softened when he looked at Maggie. “Sorry, Sis, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s been hardest on you, most of all.”
She shook her head and waved off his apology. “No, this is all my fault,” she asserted in a weak and shaky voice. “I’m the one who brought Lucas to Paradise Valley. If I hadn’t met him on that dang datin’ site, none of this would’ve happened.”
“No, Maggie,” Emily assured her, putting an arm around her shoulder. “This is not your fault. Tell her,” she said, looking at Sully.
His eyes grew big and his face flushed, as she forced him onto the hot seat.
“Tell me what?” Maggie asked.
“No, Em, it’ll just hurt her more,” Sully pleaded, shaking his head.
“If she knows the truth, I think it’ll help her see him for who he was,” she insisted, “then she can stop blaming herself.”
Maggie waited with wide, expectant eyes and a straight face, as though she was bracing for the worst.
“Maggie,” he said, gazing at the floor and then off to the right, pausing as if he was struggling to find the right words to tell her what she needed to know, without divulging the entire truth of his indiscretion.
“I’m waitin’,” she said coolly, crossing her arms as she tapped her foot.
He slowly brought his eyes to meet hers. “I hate to tell you this, Sis, but Lucas told me he only responded to your dating site profile to get to me.”
“What?” she screamed.
“Keep your voice down,” Sully ordered, glancing up and down the hallway.
“What on earth does that mean?” Maggie demanded.
“Not that he wasn’t attracted to you, but he had this resort scam planned out for months and he needed an in with someone who could influence people in this town to invest in his project. He said he saw the advantages of your being the mayor’s sister, so he chose you. I’m sorry, Maggie. It kills me to have to tell you that.”
“Y’all knew about this scam and didn’t tell me?” she sputtered.
“I only knew because that SOB made it a point to tell me so he could blackmail me. It was after he asked you to marry him and after I had already invested in the project that he told me. He said I had to help him or he would ruin you and me both.”
Maggie seethed as she stepped close to her brother and poked a finger in his chest. “And y’all think this whole mess turned out better than if you’d been honest with me?”
Sully looked past Maggie to Emily, with a pained look on his face, as if pleading for her help. She shook her head, unwilling to rescue him.
Emily knew the whole story and she watched him squirm as he attempted to skirt around