A lopsided grin tilted his lips. “That certainly sounds good to me. Especially the; I love you part.” He pulled her around into his arms and held her close. “And I never dreamed I could love anyone as much as I love you, Jordan. When we get married, I can’t imagine anythin’ makin’ my life more complete.”
“Really?” she laughed softly. “How about a couple of kids?”
He held her back and looked at her. “Kids? You want us to have kids?”
She nodded. “At least two. I was an only child and I always wanted a sister or a brother, so I don’t want to raise an only child.”
Wolf lifted her and swung her around, causing her to burst into happy giggles. “Well, I’m certainly lookin’ forward to gettin’ to work on startin’ that family. Maybe we should send Clay and Sue plane tickets and get them here tomorrow.”
Jordan leaned into his chest as he lowered her feet back to the floor. “I wouldn’t argue with that. Do you think they would come that fast?”
He chuckled and led her to the door and out onto the porch. “I actually talked to Clay earlier this afternoon, on the phone, and they will be here the first of next week. Do you think we can bring a weddin’ together that fast?”
Her face burst into a huge smile. “What can’t be planned, we can do without. I’ll talk to Brother Tommy first thing in the morning and make sure He’ll be available. Anyone else who wants to fit our wedding into their schedule are welcome, those who can’t will just miss it. That’s the way I feel about it. Is that alright with you?”
He opened the driver’s side door on her truck and blocked Bhrandii’s attempt to jump in. Jordan slipped past him and into the seat.
Bhrandii looked up at Wolf for a minute, then turned and followed closely by Emma, trotted back up to the porch. Emma sat down at the bottom of the steps, and whined. After only a second, she looked back over her shoulder at Wolf, then stood and lifted her front feet one at a time up onto the bottom step. Wiggling and scrambling, her little bottom moving back and forth with the effort, she managed to get her hind feet up as well and then moved on to the next step. By the time Wolf had walked around to the passenger side, opened the door and got in, she was almost up to the porch.
Jordan made no move to start the truck until the puppy had finished her climb and was settling down next to Bhrandii. “I don’t guess I’ll ever get used to that. It’s just amazing, but you do need to let her learn some things by herself.”
He shrugged. “I guess you’re right. Maybe I should start by lettin’ you housebreak her the old fashioned way.”
“Oh no you don’t!” She exclaimed. “Start with anything but that.”
He chuckled dryly. “I’m only tryin’ to make life easier on her. She’s such a smart little thang. It doesn’t take but just the simplest thoughts to show her what she needs to know. Can you imagine how smart pups from her and Bhrandii will be?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
With Feather, Jordan and Mary planning, the plans for a simple wedding fell into place with relative ease, and much faster than Jordan could have imagined. Clay and Sue were to arrive at Jacksonville International Airport on Tuesday , so the wedding was scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Jordan and Feather had planned to spend Friday in Gainesville looking for a dress for Jordan to wear. She was adamant that she didn’t want a formal wedding gown, just something simple and maybe an ivory or even some pastel color.
Jordan and Feather had just finished morning chores and returned to the house when the phone rang. To Jordan’s dismay, it was the local vet, calling Feather in for a quick interview concerning a job she had applied for. Dr. Jim told her it was just a formality, that he’d already made up his mind and wanted Feather to start work that day.
Somewhat disappointed, Jordan couldn’t stand in the way of her getting the job, but didn’t hesitate to tell him that Feather was committed to helping her get ready for the wedding the next Wednesday and could only work part of the day. He laughed and assured her that he would see that Feather had that time off, especially since his he and his wife were both planning to attend the wedding.
Reluctantly Feather dressed and left the house only after being convinced by Jordan that she would go on shopping alone. “If I can’t find something I like, we’ll go to Valdosta or Jacksonville tomorrow.” Jordan assured her as Feather left the house, bubbling with excitement.
Feather was looking forward to having this job. She’d heard good things about Dr. Jim and would be glad to have her own source of income.
The trip into the bigger town only took about forty-five minutes, but after looking at all the bigger stores before lunchtime, Jordan was tired and disappointed that she hadn’t found a dress she would be willing to wear. Deciding to check the stores in the mall, she headed first to the food court and grabbed a salad. Looking around for a place to sit, she was surprised to see Mel Jenkins, her banking officer walking across the food court, a huge smile lighting his handsome face.
“Jordan,” he greeted her enthusiastically. “What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing down here?”
She returned his smile. “I’m shopping, Mel, what are you doing down here. Did the bank burn down?” She saw a spark of delight in his eyes at her teasing.
“Nothing as permanent as that,” he replied. “I just left a meeting at our bank headquarters down the street. I’m so glad to run into you. Where are you sitting?”
She shrugged, glancing around at the tables. Spotting an empty one she nodded her head toward it. “There if I’m fast enough.”
He nodded. “Go grab it. Is it alright if I join you?” he called to her as she rushed to claim the table. She nodded as she sat her salad on the table just in time to claim it from a pair of men who had intended to take it for themselves.
“Sorry,” she spoke softly.
They returned her smile and hurried toward another table that was being vacated.
Mel couldn’t believe his luck. He’d heard the news of Jordan’s impending wedding and it had settled in his mind like a dark stain, slowly spreading and eating away at his insides. He’d always believed with everything in him that she would eventually see how much he cared for her and they would finally get together. It was that hope that had kept him in the small bank in little po-dunk Lake City when he knew he could have easily gone on to bigger and better things if he’d only moved to a larger, more progressive city. When he learned that she was going to marry a deputy sheriff, he’d been in a major rage for a while. It wasn’t until the president of the bank called him to warn him that he needed to treat his fellow employees with more respect, or he might need to look for work elsewhere that Mel managed to pull himself together, at least, to some degree.
All of a sudden, he thought he had a chance to let Jordan see how much he had come to care for her. Just the two of them! Well, okay, it’s really not just the two of them. The mall was crowded with shoppers, but at that table, it would be just Jordan and him. It doesn’t take him but a few seconds to get his lunch and then he hurried over to the table where she was sitting, already beginning to eat her salad.
As Mel placed his lunch on the table, Jordan looked up and caught the smile on his face. She felt a tingle of warning race along her nerves and it surprised her. She glanced around the food court but didn’t see anyone she knew. She swallowed the bite she’d been chewing as Mel took his seat.
The proprietary look she saw in his eyes as he looked at her was new. She didn’t like it.
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to have run into you today,” he said, one of his hands reaching out to cover one of hers.
Jordan all but snatched her hand away. Her heartbeat accelerated.
Mel continued to smile. “Sorry,” he managed to apologize.
She shook her head, causing the long braid on the back of her shoulders to dance.
“I don’t like being touched, Mel,” she stated firmly. “Not by people I’m not really close to.”
He chuckled. “I
’ve always thought we were pretty close, Jordan. You’ve trusted me with your investments and the rest of your financial concerns for years now.”
She felt like a hand was closing around her throat, but managed to push the panic away. “That’s business. It doesn’t require touching.”
He shrugged. “Fine. I guess I just assumed there might be room for something personal between us.”
Jordan’s appetite vanished. She pushed her chair back and stood up. “You assumed wrong.” She was surprised and extremely relieved that her voice sounded so strong and carried such a note of conviction. None of the panic she’d struggled to throw off remained. “I’ve just come through a very difficult situation that involved a man who assumed I was interested in him. I’m interested in one man…….” She would have continued speaking but a strong arm slipped around her waist and a familiar chest pressed gently against her shoulders.
“And that one man intends to keep it that way.” Wolf’s voice gave her such comfort she almost slumped in relief.
Mel looked up at the tall, dark man with his arm so possessively around Jordan’s waist. This must be the man she was planning to marry.
“I’m Daniel Chetan, Jordan’s future husband,” Wolf said, extending his hand across the table toward the seated banker.
Mel pushed his chair back and stood up. Grudgingly he shook hands with the dark man. “Mel Jenkins. I’ve been Jordan’s financial adviser for several years.” Then he resumed his seat, not willing to relinquish either his lunch or his lunch companion.
Jordan swallowed. Maybe she had over reacted to Mel having touched her. It could have just been a friendly gesture. She certainly didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He’d always treated her with respect and he’d been a helpful banker.
She turned her head to look at Wolf and her heart melted. She was surprised to see him here. He was grinning down into her eyes. “Feather called me this mornin’ and told me about her job interview. I’ve chased you all over Gainesville, tryin’ to catch up with you. Did you leave your cell phone at home?”
She frowned. “No. It’s in my purse. Have you been calling me?”
He nodded, then leaned in to place a quick kiss on her lips. “Don’t worry about it, now. I’ve found you and that’s what’s important.” He pulled her chair back up against her legs. “Sit back down and eat your lunch.”
Jordan had almost forgotten about Mel Jenkins sitting across the table and settled back into the seat Wolf was holding for her. He pulled out the chair beside hers and sat down, his eyes moving from her face to study the man across the table. He had seen Jordan snatch her hand away from Jenkins hand and had felt her panic from across the food court. Now he sensed a roiling, dark, anger directed at him from the same man. He smiled and used the arm he’d casually draped across the back of Jordan’s chair to lift her long braid and finger it possessively.
“My fiancée is a beautiful woman, don’t you think, Mel?” he asked his voice soft, but cold.
Mel nodded. “Yes, she is.”
“I’m probably the luckiest man alive,” Wolf’s drawl continued. “When I first saw her I couldn’t believe she could ever feel the way she made me feel.” His shadowy eyebrows arched questioningly. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
Mel shrugged. “I really don’t know.” His response came out stilted and chilled.
Jordan looked from one man to the other, feeling the icy tension stretching between them for maybe the first time. Wolf dropped her braid and began to rub her back gently, but now she felt the tautness in his whole body.
“You can believe it,” Wolf assured him. “I walked around the back of my horse trailer and she was standin’ there, and,” he snapped his fingers for emphasis. “I was in love. Just that fast, I knew that if she ever gave any indication that she felt the same way, I’d do whatever it took to make her happy,” his voice dropped a note and his eyes bored into Mel Jenkins, “and to keep her safe.”
Jenkins frowned, but remained quiet.
“I guess you heard what happened out at her place about six weeks ago?” Wolf didn’t want one speck of doubt to linger in Jenkins. “The man who murdered Jordan’s first husband tracked her down. He was insane with hate. A real nut case! I guess he figured she needed to die for testifyin’ against him in court, or maybe for not returning his obsession.” Wolf shook his head negatively and continued. “I suspect he had other plans as well, but,…..here we are today. He survived that night, but just barely. I still can’t believe my bullet missed his heart.” He managed a blasé shrug. “I think the sights on my gun must have gotten nudged just a hair, while we were fightin’.” A smile split his lips and he pulled Jordan toward him so her shoulder rested against his broad chest. His blue eyes caressed her face. “But we don’t have to worry about him escapin’ prison again, do we Sugar?”
Her head shook from side to side. “No, I don’t think that’ll happen again with him in a wheelchair.”
Wolf’s attention returned to Jenkins face. “This woman doesn’t have to ever worry about perverts and freaks threatenin’ her again. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. But durin’ that time when we worked together to protect her, a miracle happened. I discovered that Jordan shared my feelin’s. We belong together, now.”
Jordan had come to realize why Wolf was taking such a direct path while talking to Mel. Somehow, he’d sensed the way she’d reacted earlier. She looked up at this beautiful man who was going to be her husband and knew he’d felt her fear. She didn’t know if it came from his gift, or if they had just developed a bond that strong. She didn’t really care. He had felt her fear and she was glad. She turned and looked at Mel.
“I’ve learned a lot since David was murdered. I’ve taken some self-defense classes, I’ve taken shooting classes and have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and I do, but I think the most important lesson I’ve learned is to pay attention to that little feeling I get that warns me before things get really bad. I can’t explain it, but I felt that little warning when you put your hand on mine earlier, Mel.”
Mel pushed his unfinished lunch aside and stood up. “Fine, Jordan. I’ll admit I thought maybe something could develop between us, but I can see now I was wrong. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
Wolf chuckled and looked up at the man, his icy-blue eyes sparkling with chilling humor. “She’s a pistol, ain’t she?”
Jenkins picked up his lunch and deposited it in the nearest trash receptacle and disappeared into the crowd.
The couple watched his body meld in with the myriad shoppers wondering the mall.
“I guess I’ll have to move my finances to a different bank,” Jordan sighed softly.
Wolf chuckled. “Just tell the bank president that you want a different financial manager. You don’t have to give him a reason. As one of their clients, they’ll be glad to accommodate you.”
Then he turned and looked at Jordan. “Were you gettin’ ready to leave, when I got here?”
She smiled at him. “No, I was getting ready to tell him what I just told him, and it’s easier to drop kick someone if I’m standing up.”
“Mmmm mmuh,” Wolf murmured close to her ear. “I like it when you get physical.”
Jordan’s smile became a sultry laugh. “How many days until we get married?”
“Too many,” he replied quickly. He glanced at her half eaten salad. “Aren’t you going to eat that?”
She shook her head. “No. What are you doing down here anyway?” She shoved the remains of the salad over to him and he began eating it.
“I woke up this morning feelin’ funny, so I called in and took the day off. When I went to the barn, Bhrandii was feelin’ strange, too, so I called Feather and found out you’d come here shoppin’ alone, so here I am.” He pointed to the vegetables in the bowl in front of him. “You should have finished this, it’s a good salad.”
“How did you know to come here?” Her eyes sparked with suspicion. “How did you know I was in t
he food court, in the mall, right then?”
“Baby, I can track a fly through a mile of black pepper. Hey,” Wolf pointed across the mall using his chin. “Isn’t that the preacher’s wife?”
She followed his chin and sure enough, Andrea, the preacher’s wife was waving at them as she paid for her lunch. Then she collected it and started over to join them.
Before she arrived, Jordan hooked a finger under his chin and pulled his face around until he was looking at her. “We aren’t finished with that conversation, and you know what I’m thinking, right?”
He nodded.
“Am I right?” She was beginning to suspect his gift had allowed him to locate her, but she needed to hear it from his mouth.
“In a way,” he admitted. “Maybe I can explain it later.”
She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek quickly. “Darn right you will.” Then she turned at smiled at Andrea. “Pull out a chair and join us. Is Brother Tommy with you?”
Andrea nodded, placing one covered tray in front of her and another one on the table beside her. “He’ll be along eventually. He ran into one of his fishing buddies and you know how that goes.” She looked at Wolf and smiled. “How are you, Daniel?”
“Fine,” he responded. “Spendin’ the rest of the day with my intended. Thin’s don’t get much better than that, do they?”
“I suppose not,” she agreed laughing softly. “Just a few more days before you two make that big commitment. Are you excited?” Immediately she regretted using the last word.
Wolf nodded his head solemnly, not wanting to embarrass her as he might have been tempted to do. She was a very nice lady and he respected her. “Yes, ma’am. Jordan and I are goin’ to look for her a dress to wear for the big event.”
Andrea scolded, casting a teasing glance at Jordan. “He’s helping you shop for your wedding dress? He’s not supposed to see it before the wedding!”
Another Chance Page 18