by Kathy Ivan
Swiping the button the end the call, he closed his eyes, letting the wave of exhaustion sweep over him. Talking with Jill relaxed and calmed him. Gave him a sense of peace missing from his life for a long time. Probably since the day he’d left Shiloh Springs behind in his rearview mirror.
He didn’t regret leaving. How could he, when he’d learned and grown both as a person and a reporter. But things change. Coming to Shiloh Springs, he hadn’t intended to make any life-altering decisions. It had simply been a chance to visit and recharge before starting his next assignment. Instead, he’d realized something was missing from his life and like an epiphany from on high, he knew what he needed to do, and it started and ended with Jill Monroe.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Jill wrangled Dante off the sofa and into the shower, though she wouldn’t say he’d made things easy. Her brother slept like the dead, and was grumpy as heck when he didn’t want to get up. It was like dealing with a toddler. Tough. She had a full morning of business meetings set up, between getting to the bakery for the deliveries, dealing with all the things currently on her to-do list, and making time to deal with yesterday’s debacle. Plus, she still had to deal with Rafe, tell him about Benevides’ little trip to her apartment.
There was one conversation she wasn’t looking forward to.
“Got anything to eat?” Dante walked into the kitchen and reached for one of her brightly colored coffee mugs, filling it from the carafe.
“Breakfast will be ready in five minutes. Think you’ll last that long, bottomless pit?”
“Maybe, as long as it’s something tasty.”
“Homemade cinnamon rolls with caramel icing.”
“Mmm.”
She refilled her cup, needing the extra jolt of caffeine. Most of the night had been spent tossing and turning with little sleep. The events of the prior night had played through her mind over and over, like a movie on a loop. Everything linked back to Benevides.
A brisk rap on her front door interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced at her brother. He set his cup on the table and walked to the door. Without bothering to look at the video doorbell feed, he pulled the door inward. Rafe stood on the other side, and stepped through into Jill’s apartment, removing his cowboy hat and holding it at his side.
“Morning, Dante. Jill.”
“Hey, Rafe. I was going to call you this morning. Have you talked to your dad?” Jill stood with her arms folded over her chest, and nervously bit her bottom lip.
“Not yet, why?”
“She found out who the diamond bracelet came from. Emmanuel Benevides.” Dante spat out the name, his expression twisted like it left a sour taste in his mouth. “I don’t like him nosing around my sister. Dude is bad news.”
Rafe looked between Dante and Jill, not saying a word. She could tell something was wrong and it didn’t have a thing to do with yesterday’s fun times.
“We’ll need to talk about Benevides, but that’s not why I’m here. Dusty worked the night shift last night, and called in a few minutes ago. Jill, somebody busted the front window out of your new bakery.”
“What?”
“He’s there now with the evidence team, but I thought you’d want to know. Especially after yesterday.”
With infinite care, she moved over to the couch and slid onto the cushions, trying to process what Rafe said. None of it made sense. Who’d want to wreck all the hard work she’d put into the bakery?
“Do you know how it happened?”
“I’m withholding judgment until I have more information, but from first inspection, it looks like it was deliberate. Any idea who—”
“Benevides did it.”
Dante crossed his arms over his chest, his stance antagonistic, and Jill knew he was about to do something stupid. Like go and confront Benevides. Not gonna happen, because his goons would wipe the floor with her little brother.
“You have proof, Dante? Because making wild accusations without evidence won’t do anything except rile people up unnecessarily. I have to deal with facts, things I can prove.”
“Rafe, you know who Benevides is, what he’s capable of. I bet he’s the one who messed with Jill’s tires, too. Not him personally; he’d never get his hands dirty. He’d have his hired muscle take care of things. Can’t you see, Jill did the one thing nobody’s ever had the guts to do to Benevides. She told him no.”
“Jill?” Rafe’s raised brow made her shrug. What was she supposed to say? She had told Mr. Benevides she didn’t want to see him, didn’t want his gift. Wait, that happened after the flat tires, right? Maybe he wasn’t connected after all.
“After you left last night, Mr. Benevides stopped by. Said he’d heard about the problem with my car and wanted to make sure I was okay. Which seems odd, since I’ve only met the man once.” Her eyes darted to Dante, whose body seemed to slump at her words.”
“How did you meet Benevides, Jill? I tend to agree with what Dante said, he’s bad news. I can’t imagine how you’d cross paths with somebody like him.”
“She met him through me.” Rafe turned to look at Dante, and waited for him to continue. “I got into trouble. You should know up front Jill had nothing to do with my actions. Everything I did was totally my own fault and my problem. Except my stupidity brought Benevides right to her doorstep. Something I’ll never forgive myself for.”
“I know what Benevides does, though I haven’t been able to gather enough evidence to do more than raid his place. I’m guessing you got in over your head with gambling debts.”
Dante nodded. “Like I said, I was stupid. Benevides demanded the money I owed, and when I couldn’t pay, his guys beat the crap out of me. I ended up telling him my sister would bail me out.”
“Rafe, I didn’t have any choice. Benevides showed up with two men and Dante. He could barely stand on his own two feet; he’d been beaten to a pulp. I gave Mr. Benevides his pound of flesh, and Dante went into Gamblers Anonymous. This was weeks ago. Now, out of the blue, Benevides comes around? I don’t get it.”
“Sis, have you looked in the mirror? You’re beautiful. Benevides is probably besotted with you.”
“He’s right,” Rafe added with a soft smile, and Jill felt heat sweep into her cheeks. “Seems like more than a coincidence you start receiving gifts and Benevides pops up out of the blue. Didn’t you say you thought somebody was following you?”
“Sis?”
“It could have been my imagination. Remember, I didn’t actually see anybody or any sign I was being followed.”
“Rafe, I wouldn’t put it past Benevides to stalk her. If he wants something, he gets it. Oh, crud. I bet Benevides had one of his guys sabotage Jill’s tires. He’d probably planned on swooping in and coming to the rescue, like a white knight.”
“Only Dad thwarted his plans by stopping by and giving Jill a ride to the bakery. Makes sense in a kind of twisted way.”
“Alright, guys, I’m getting confused. You think Mr. Benevides is what, stalking me? That he sent me the rose, the diamonds, and set up a scenario to rescue me from distress? That’s beyond crazy.” Jill’s hands clenched into fists on her lap, because she actually could imagine him doing it.
“All questions I intend to ask Benevides. In the meantime, I need to deal with the window at the bakery. I’m heading there now; do you want to meet me there?”
“Of course. I’ve got equipment and supplies being delivered today. I’ll have to make arrangements to have the window boarded up until the glass can be replaced.”
“Let me handle that. I’ll have Liam stop by with some plywood. He’s already got the tools in his truck, and can get it boarded up faster than hiring it out.”
Jill drew in a deep breath, trying to quell the trembling in her hands as reality sank in. Somebody was out to get her.
“Thanks, I’d appreciate his help.”
Rafe grinned, and instinctively Jill relaxed under his aura of confidence and self-assurance. Rafe was a born leader, caring about everyone
in his county. When she’d been approached about signing a petition to have him removed from office, she’d vehemently defended him and his job, refusing to sign. Hopefully whoever was mean-spirited enough to try such underhanded tactics had backed down, because she hadn’t heard anything about it since. She started to ask Rafe about it when he spoke.
“I’ll meet you there, whenever you’re ready. Don’t worry, Jill, we’ll get things sorted out. I’ll deal with Benevides, and let him know you’re not to be bothered.”
“Rafe, I want—”
“Dante, you’ll stay out of this. Men like Emmanuel Benevides won’t back down from you. I’m not trying to be mean or hurt your feelings, but he already had you hurt once. Benevides and I’ve had dealings in the past, and he knows I won’t be intimidated. I don’t have a problem tossing him in a cell if he tries anything. I hope I get enough evidence soon so I can arrest him. I really want put him in a cage for a long time.”
“Might happen sooner than you think,” Dante muttered softly. So soft, Jill almost missed it. Did her brother know something the sheriff didn’t?
Rafe left, and Jill grabbed her purse and keys. Dante argued he wanted to go with her, but Jill shooed him away, telling him he needed to get to work. Frank was depending on him. He’d reluctantly agreed after she promised to call if she needed him.
She ended up parking in front of the coffee shop across the street from the bakery, because all the spots directly in front of it were occupied. Ms. Patti’s white Escalade took up two spaces, and Douglas’ red Ford truck took up the space beside it. The sheriff’s cruiser sat front and center, and she watched Dusty walk out through the front door.
“Good morning, Dusty.”
He looked up at her greeting and gave her a weary smile. “Morning, Jill. Sorry you have to deal with this mess. Techs are almost finished.”
“Any idea what caused the damage? Like a rock flew off the road and hit the glass?”
Dusty studied her without saying a word, and she tried reading him. They’d become friends when he’d moved to Shiloh Springs, and discovered he was a pleasant, easygoing man with a quick smile. He took his job seriously, and most people in the town trusted him. This morning he looked tired, and she remembered Rafe saying Dusty had worked the night shift. He probably hadn’t been home yet.
“Don’t think so, Jill. We’ll know more when we’ve had a chance to examine the evidence, but on first glance, it looks like somebody took a baseball bat to it. Thing shattered into a million pieces. The metal framework around the casing is bent all to heck, which makes me lean toward a bat or maybe a tire iron.”
“Why would anybody smash my window?”
Dusty reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “We aren’t sure when this happened. Might’ve been teenagers out causing trouble. Doesn’t happen a lot, but once it a blue moon, kids get antsy. We had a bunch of mailboxes knocked down by hooligans driving up and down the street with baseball bats, smashing them for fun. Might be the same ones.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yeah. Some kids like to run a little wild on the weekends. But I’m spit-balling here. Rafe has the crime scene tech guys all over this. We’ll figure out who did it.”
“I understand. Thanks for getting things handled so quickly, Dusty. Go home and get some rest.”
“That’s the plan.”
She headed for the front door, watched people milling around inside through the glass front door. Guess it’s a good thing they didn’t break that, too.
“Jill, honey, are you okay?” Ms. Patti rushed over, enveloping her in a hug. The scent of her perfume wafted around her, as familiar as the smell of fresh-baked cookies with its vanilla undertones. An almost immediate sense of peace welled up inside her.
“I’m fine. Trying to figure out who’d do something like this.”
“Don’t worry. My son will find the culprit and throw the book at him. Stuff we can fix or replace. I’m happy you weren’t here when this happened.”
“Me, too. I came as soon as Rafe told me. It’s too late to have the deliveries delayed. We can make them drive around the back, and come in the entrance in the alley, while we deal with getting everything cleared away.”
“Liam and Douglas already headed to the hardware store to get plywood to cover the hole. They should be back any minute.”
Even as she spoke, Liam and Douglas carried a huge piece of wood onto the sidewalk and leaned it against the wall. She watched them move in synchronization, lifting the heavy panel and screwing it into place. In no time, the gaping hole was covered, shrouding the interior in dim light. Enough lights shone from the light fixtures to see clearly, but it wasn’t the same cheerful, homey atmosphere Jill loved.
The crime techs left soon after that, and Ms. Patti followed, citing an appointment she couldn’t cancel, and Jill shooed her out the door. Afterward, a whirlwind of people seemed to rotate through the bakery nonstop, and she found herself swept off her feet with deliveries, supplies, and equipment. Directing the delivery people where each thing went kept her occupied and her mind off everything that happened over the last several days.
It was midafternoon before she finally stopped and looked around at what she’d gotten achieved despite the early morning disruption. She had one more delivery coming. She smiled. This particular delivery was one she’d been anticipating ever since she’d chosen the name of the shop. Today, Harper was bringing the bakery’s sign.
When she heard the front door open, she’d looked up smiling, expecting to see her friend. Instead, Lucas walked in scowling, and pointed toward the blocked window.
“Why didn’t you call me? I had to hear about this from my brother.”
“Which one?”
“Liam. Don’t change the subject. The minute you found out, you should have called me.”
“Lucas, you’re working. I wasn’t about to disrupt your day with something that’s been handled. Rafe is dealing with figuring out who did this. Your dad and Liam boarded up the window early this morning.”
Lucas pulled her close, as if compelled to touch her, feel her, convince himself she wasn’t hurt. “Jill, you don’t know how terrified I felt when Liam called. If anything happened to you, I don’t think I could handle it. I can’t lose you again.”
“You’re not going to lose me, I promise. They’re pretty sure it was teens out late causing mischief. Really, I’m fine.”
He shook his head and softly cupped her face in his hands. Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her. Shock and desire warred deep inside her, and she gave in to temptation, returning the kiss. Her lips parted under the urgent demand of his. It seemed like an eternity since Lucas had kissed her, and with every brush of his lips against hers, she felt like she’d found her way home again.
“I told myself to wait, to court you, make you realize you wanted me as much as I want you,” he whispered. “But the second Liam said you were in danger, nothing else mattered except getting to you. Holding you. Keeping you safe.”
“I’m not in danger, Lucas,” she protested. “A broken window isn’t the end of the world.”
“It isn’t only the broken window. When were you going to tell me about all the other stuff? The rose left at your doorstep? The bracelet? Even the flat tires. I had to find out about everything from somebody else. You should have told me.”
I guess whatever one Boudreau knows, the rest do, too.
“I only started putting the pieces together last night.”
“Jill, we talked last night. Why didn’t you tell me then?”
She drew in a long breath before answering him, debating exactly what to tell him, and decided on the truth. “Last night, it seemed like we’d stepped back in time. We talked like we used to, when we were a couple. Revisiting old memories, things we did together. I…I didn’t want to ruin it.”
Lucas rested his forehead against hers, and she closed her eyes, wishing he’d pull her into his arms again. Kiss her like he never wanted to stop. Wh
y was life so unfair, giving her everything she thought she wanted—a new job, one she’d craved and dreamed about forever, and yet not let her have the man she’d loved for her whole life?
As if he’d read her mind, his lips captured hers again, sending need coursing through her. This kiss was unbridled, passionate, and she melted into his embrace. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she responded, pouring all of her unrequited love into their shared kiss.
She ignored the niggling of doubt in her head, wanting to share and yet keep this moment forever. Wrap it in cotton-wool and store it, like a golden treasure she’d take out and cherish when she was alone. And she would be alone. This wouldn’t last because Lucas would return to DFW, and she couldn’t be, wouldn’t be, his part-time girlfriend. Somebody he spent time with when he came to Shiloh Springs to visit family. Her heart would wither and die. She had too much self-respect to accept anything less than his whole heart.
“Lucas, I…” She trailed off when he pulled her against him, and she could feel the slight tremble of his body against hers.
“We need to talk. There’s so much I need to tell you.”
Before she could answer, the front door opened and Harper walked through, clad in overall shorts, a bright red T-shirt, and a pair of steel-toed boots. Jill eased out of Lucas’s embrace, hoping her friend didn’t notice how flustered she was. “Jill, what happened?”
“Long story, I’ll fill you in later.”
Harper looked at Lucas, and gave him a cheeky grin. “Hello.”
“Hi.”
“Lucas, this is my friend, Harper. We work together at the insurance company. I mean worked. It’s still hard to realize I’m not there anymore. Harper Westbrook, this is Lucas Boudreau.”
“Nice to meet you, Lucas. Jill’s mentioned you a time or two.” The look she shot Jill said that Harper would have a ton of questions once they were alone. Not that she was sure she had many answers. Her head felt like she’d been riding a Tilt-A-Whirl at top speed, and it kept getting faster.
“Mr. Boudreau, would you mind giving me a hand? I brought the sign for the back wall of the bakery.”