“What are you talking about? You ruined things with Michael. You quit your job.” Genuine surprise colored his voice plus a fair amount of high-handed ignorance.
“Michael did not make me happy. Montgomery Industries did not make me happy.” She angled her face toward him, keeping her arms wrapped around her legs. “Logan Wilde offered me a job. Although after what just happened, I’m sure it’s been retracted.”
“You’re going to quit on me?” Shock and disappointment in equal measures flashed over his face.
“I already did!” Frustration injected anger into her voice.
“I’ve groomed you from birth to take over Montgomery Industries. It’s your destiny.”
Jessica stared at her father. “The insults and lack of respect were part of the grooming process?”
Her father’s mouth tightened, and his face grew sullen but determined, like a child desperate to hang on to another child’s toy. “Business is cutthroat. Twice as bad for a woman. You needed to toughen up.”
“I needed love and understanding.” One of her hands splayed over her left hip as if protecting it. “You should have been my father first and then my boss. You were never so hard on Caroline.”
“Caroline is a beautiful girl, but that’s all she’ll ever be. An accessory. You are brilliant, Jessica. I didn’t want you to fall into the same traps laid for Caroline.”
The compliment spun Jessica’s head. Had she heard him correctly? “What do you mean?”
“You are as pretty as Caroline in your own way, but I couldn’t allow you to waste your gifts for numbers and business on pageants and cotillions. Your instincts are honestly better than mine. Surely you realized you’d take over someday.”
“You threatened to promote Eric.”
He made a scoffing sound. “Please. You’re the only one qualified for the job. He’s an idiot who likes to kiss butt.”
“Then, why do you keep him around?”
“I have a fragile ego. I need butt kissers,” he said with a shot of self-depreciation. “That’s something you’ve never done, is it?”
“This is insane,” she whispered mostly to her herself, and then a little louder, she said, “You’re insane.”
Instead of taking it as an insult, her father shrugged and offered a toothy, capped smile. “I’ve been called worse. Much worse. Now, are you coming back? You’re the only one I trust, Jessica.”
The problem was she didn’t trust her father. Even though everything he’d said registered as the truth, she didn’t trust him. Maybe, just maybe, they could mend their father-daughter relationship, but not if she went back to work for him at Montgomery Industries. And she wanted to mend their relationship. Hearing Logan talk about his family, she knew she didn’t want to sever the ties that bound her to her past. He was her only link to her ma-maw.
“Were you embarrassed by Ma-maw?”
Her father’s fake smile disappeared, and he looked his age despite the Botox. “I embarrassed her. She told me I’d forgotten my roots and lost hold of what’s real. She hated our house, the pool, the luxuries, the way we lived.”
“I loved going to see her every summer.” She picked at the ripped knee of her jeans.
“I know.” In a quiet voice, he said, “She wanted to keep you instead of letting me send you to boarding school.”
“I overheard you arguing. I thought about hitchhiking to Georgia, but then she was gone. So quick.”
Her father reached for her hand and held it tight. It brought back memories of when she was four or five and walking along the beach, their hands clasped and swinging, laughing with a shared sense of humor. Somewhere along the way, his ambition, and hers too, had weakened the bond, but maybe hadn’t destroyed it.
“I love Logan Wilde, Father. He’s a good man. The best kind of man. I’m going to stay in Falcon with him. If he’ll forgive me.”
“I want you back in Richmond, Jessica.”
“That’s not to happen.”
Her father’s jaw set and his eyes grew harsh—his fight-to-the-death look. At one time, the look would have intimidated her, but no more.
“I’ve got more in common with Ma-maw than our crazy red hair. Falcon fits me. I’ve found peace in the woods with Logan, and I’m going to build something with him that lasts.” Deep down, doubts swirled and threatened to swamp her. But, even now, she was afraid he would exploit any hint of weakness in order to manipulate her back to Richmond.
He dropped her hand, and she tucked them both under her legs. Incredulity oozed off him, and he gestured around them. “You’re telling me you would be happy out here? Living in a rundown farmhouse? Riding around in an old beat-up truck?”
Jessica followed the path of her father’s hand. A whisper of a breeze rustled the multihued leaves left on the trees, the fields were waist-high golden seas of grass, and the old farmhouse felt lived in and loved. Unselfishly, Logan had shared his memories and stories with her.
“I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
He pushed off the steps and staggered before he caught his balance. His bravado and aggression couldn’t slow time. Her father was aging. His gut was more pronounced and the skin over his hands seemed thinner, the veins more prominent.
“You’ll end up popping out a couple of redneck rug rats and never realize your potential.”
Children. The thought was sobering, scary, exhilarating. “If we have kids, I’ll have a really understanding boss. You know, if Caroline and Mitch lose the election, he’ll need a job.”
Her father drummed his fingers on his arms. “Mitch is not as smart as you are.”
Jessica shook her head, wondering if he was laying on the compliments out of desperation. “He’s charming and smooth. Everything we”—she waggled her finger between them—“are not. He’d make an outstanding CEO with a little training and a supportive board.”
Jessica could almost see the seed she planted break ground in her father’s fertile mind. “Maybe, maybe,” he said to himself, rubbing his chin. His gaze lifted to her. “What are you going to do?”
She swallowed and chafed her arms. “I’m going to ask Logan to forgive me, and officially accept his offer. First though, I’m going to a football game. Want to come?”
* * *
If her heart didn’t feel like it was being crushed like a junkyard car, she might have enjoyed watching her father navigate Falcon society.
Miss Esmeralda quizzed him on his reading habits and put on her not-impressed face when he admitted he didn’t read on a regular basis. Surprisingly, her father followed the action on the field.
“I didn’t know you liked football.”
“I played in high school.” At her noise of surprise, he patted her on the knee and grinned. “I grew up in south Georgia, sweetheart. Everyone either played or wanted to play.”
The picture she’d held of her father for so many years distorted into something softer around the edges but as yet indistinct.
To her the game was flashes of colors and noise as the boys battled up and down the field. Her attention was on Logan. This was the most important game of the season, but instead of his usual frenetic energy on the sideline, he stood still, not showing his usual passion. Never once did he look over his shoulder to find her in the crowd. She missed the smile he’d always aimed at her.
Anxiety snaked through the crowd. Two minutes left and Falcon was down by ten points. Two scores. Hope leaked out of the cracking optimism that had surrounded the stadium at the start of the game.
The team marched down the field, scoring a touchdown with less than a minute to play. Everything was riding on the onside kick. The Falcons needed the ball back. Hope flared bright when the ball left the kicker’s foot but was stamped out when the other team landed on it.
Thirty seconds left on the clock. Jessica moved to the rails, her hands clasped in pseudo-prayer. Miracles happened in games all the time, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many true-life movies based on them.
N
o omnipotent hand fumbled the ball in Falcon’s direction. The game ended with the Falcons losing. People milled, the disappointment palpable. It was the last game of the season for the Falcons, and the mood was one of endings. Not a positive portent.
Jessica watched Logan jog ahead of the team, leading them off the field and into shadows. She jumped when Lilliana’s arm looped through hers. “You’ve been awfully quiet. I guess that’s your dad?”
“Yep. We’ve actually worked through some stuff, but things with Logan”—Jessica shook her head—“I need to talk to him. Will you do me a huge favor? Could you put my father up for the night?”
Lilliana’s gaze narrowed, but she nodded. “I’ll try to restrain myself from poisoning his coffee in the morning. I don’t have a car though. I walked over.”
“No worries, he has a driver.” Jessica gave her friend a hard hug and practically shoved her toward her father for introductions. “Lilliana is putting together the sweetest little bed and breakfast. I know you’ll love it.” She saw her father’s mouth open, but she whirled away before he could mount an argument, joining the streams of people flowing down the stadium steps.
Forced to slow to the mob’s pace, she rocked on her tiptoes, impatient and jittery. Finally, she exited the shoot and sprinted toward the pavilion. Another crowd awaited. Mothers, fathers, and girlfriends waited outside for the team meeting to conclude.
The players were the first to emerge. The crowd thinned as clumps of people moved toward the parking lot. Every time the door opened, her heart jolted.
Darcy joined her. “Waiting on Logan?”
Jessica nodded. Alec Grayson walked out, nodded in their direction, but didn’t offer a greeting. Soon it was only Darcy and Jessica waiting.
Dalt pushed open the doors with the keys in his hand. Avery bounded to Darcy, who dropped to a crouch to rub the dog and give him a kiss on top of his furry head.
“Robbie, where’s Logan?” Darcy shot a glance at Jessica.
“He took a two-minute shower and left before the team meeting. Hardly said a word before, during, or after the game.”
Darcy pinned Jessica with inquisitive blue eyes. Jessica took a step back, her words muffled by the hand she pressed against her mouth. “My father showed up and ruined things. No, it’s my fault. I should have told him everything weeks ago. What should I do?”
Darcy and Dalt locked eyes, communicating without words. Finally, Dalt said, “I didn’t trust Darcy and let her go when I should have told her everything. Caused us both heartache. You should go after him. Be honest.”
She had always found Robbie Dalton to be taciturn and intimidating, but a heat flared behind his eyes whenever he looked at his wife. The man understood love and loss.
“Would you mind giving me a ride?”
Dalt jerked his head toward the parking lot and walked away. Avery trotted at his heels, snapping at low flying moths.
Darcy offered a grimace-smile. “Come on then.”
“I love Logan.” Jessica bit the inside of her mouth.
Darcy’s smile eased. “I know. And he loves you.”
“What if he can’t forgive me?”
Darcy cocked her head. “Maybe he won’t, but you’ve got to try, don’t you?”
It was not the resounding affirmation she was seeking. She climbed in the backseat of the big black truck with Avery. The minutes it took to reach Logan’s house felt like a lifetime. The truck’s headlights brushed over the deserted house.
Dalt pulled to a stop. He and Darcy shifted in tandem to look into the backseat. Jessica tapped a fisted hand over her mouth. Where could Logan be? Had he wandered out into the woods in the dark? No, his truck was gone.
The obvious choice was Adaline’s, but a different place flashed in her head. She could almost see the old blue and white truck backed up to the ridge, and Logan spread out in the truck bed, seeking solace from the stars, the trees, the wind. Alone and lonely. “He’s up on a ridge overlooking the valley. The road comes off to the right a few miles out of town.”
“I know it.” Robbie reversed the truck and headed back to the main road.
Bare trees and a thick carpet of leaves framed the washed-out path. Branches scraped along the side of the truck. Her stomach heaved from a combination of being carsick and nerves. She was clammy and shaking by the time the headlights cut over the top of the rise, highlighting Logan’s truck sitting close to the edge of the ridge.
Logan emerged from the shadows and into the light, shielding his eyes with a hand. Blowing out a deep breath, Jessica cracked the truck door open. The overhead light blinked on. Darcy touched Jessica’s arm. “You want us to wait?”
She didn’t relish witnesses to the possible skewering of her heart. Anyway, Logan was nothing if not a gentleman. He would drive her back to Lilliana’s even if he told her he never wanted to see her again.
“No. Everything will be fine,” Jessica said.
Everyone in the truck, probably Avery included, recognized the trite response as a hopeful prediction and not a certainty. Jessica hopped from the running board to land in soggy, decomposing leaves.
Pressing hot palms over the back of her jeans, she walked toward him through the river of light provided by Dalt’s truck. When she was still twenty feet from Logan, Dalt executed a turn to head back down the ridge. She blinked, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Unlike the night they’d made love, thick clouds obscured the moon and stars.
She kept up a slow shuffle toward the dark outline of his truck. He stood like a cardboard cutout, not moving or speaking. Six feet away she stopped and stuck her hands into her back pockets.
“Hi.” She lilted the word with a brightness completely out of character and born of uncertainty.
“What are doing up here?” His face was still a mystery, but his tone offered enough encouragement to send her forward a few more steps.
Where to start and how to apologize? “I never set out to intentionally lie to you, even by omission. Things were so new and wonderful, I didn’t want to screw up by dropping a bombshell about your father being behind the offer. The thought of you believing that I was using you makes me feel broken inside.”
Silence. He was slipping away from her. It was no less than what she deserved. A throb that had nothing to do with the blood pumping through her heart manifested in her chest, and she rubbed the heel of her hand against it. No matter what, she would leave Falcon knowing she’d tried.
“I told my father I’m not going back to Montgomery Industries, no matter what happens with us.” She swallowed a lump of tears and cleared her throat. “I’ve always tried to fit into someone else’s mold for me. I’d never felt true acceptance. I’d never accepted myself. Until you. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. And it was the first time I’ve ever felt like this. I always assumed something was wrong with me. Until you. I love you, but I understand if you don’t love me anymore.”
More silence. She’d lost him. A tear slipped out, and a tremble quaked her body. She pressed her fingertips under her eyes to stem the gathering flood. She would try to make it to Lilliana’s before falling apart.
“Could you take me to Lilliana’s?” She tried and failed to keep the wobble out of her voice, closing her eyes and wishing she could teleport.
The rustle of leaves sounded, and heat radiated into her. He cupped her cheeks, his thumbs brushing at the defecting tears.
“Jessie.” He breathed her name before kissing the wet trails. “Do you think my love for you is so fragile, it can’t survive a little storm? Now, do you really want to go to Lilliana’s or would you rather go home?”
Home. The words resonated through her. A sob snuck out. “You still love me?”
His lips moved against her skin. “I’m not going to lie and tell you I wasn’t pissed as hell. Imagining you living with another man. . . . Add to that the fact my father orchestrated this whole thing, your father took great delight in trying to destroy us, and both of them are peckerheads—
it was a lot to take in.”
“I’m sorry, Logan.”
“I owe you an apology, too. Your father called me when everything was going down with Scott, and I’ll admit starting over somewhere was tempting enough to string him along.” He wrapped her tight to his chest and sighed. “I vowed to protect that vulnerable part of you, yet I left you at your father’s mercy. I should have stayed and supported you. I’ve been up here kicking my ass.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Father and I came to an understanding. He doesn’t have the power to hurt me anymore. You helped me take that power back. I don’t trust him, but I forgave him.” She curled her hands around his sides, aware of his pounding heart, the slight movements as he breathed in and out, the tensing of his muscles as he shifted back to look at her.
“I swear to God, I’m sending my father a thank-you note,” he said.
“Are you serious?”
“If he hadn’t interfered and decided I needed a better job, our paths would have never crossed. My life would be incomplete.”
He picked her and twirled her around. She laughed and slapped his shoulder. He set her down and kissed her nose. “I love you, Jessie Montgomery.”
His declaration washed away any lingering doubts and fear. “I love you too, Logan Wilde.” She rose on tiptoe, seeking his mouth. He turned the sweet kiss into something darkly carnal, another sort of promise altogether as he pressed her against the cab of the truck.
A raindrop hit her cheek and slid down. Against her mouth, she felt his lips turn in a smile. “Too damn cold and wet for love under the stars again.”
“Is it?” she said breathlessly, slipping a hand under his shirt.
A rumble of laughter vibrated his chest against her. “Damn, I love you smart and vulnerable and sweet, but I also love you wild and crazy and out of control.”
She opened her mouth to protest but let the breath go. He was right. She was all those things, and for the first time in her life, she was proud.
Caught Up in the Touch: Sweet Home Alabama Page 25