Faded Cotton (Erotic Romance)

by Lara Sweety

  Jake didn’t see the color drain out of Laurel’s face, but he did see her wavering. “What Laurel, what is it?”

  “I remember.” The silence was deafening.

  “I remember where the car came from. I know which one you’re talking about.” Laurel’s voice was hard as she recalled the chain of events, staring at the table. “When Jahn and I were first married, we ran around with a lot of people we had gone to high school with. We would still all see each other on weekends, and in the summer, when the full-time college crowd was home.”

  “It was really late one night. Adam was little, maybe three or four. Angie James came to us with a problem. She’d been partying somewhere. Her rich college boyfriend had wrecked his hotrod Camaro, and was afraid his father would freak, they’d run into a ditch or something. They asked if they could store it here until it all blew over. Then he would get it fixed. Jahn is the one who showed them where to put it that night and that was the last I heard of it. That must be the car.”

  “This is too close for comfort to be coincidental. Let’s put it to rest, Jake. I’m pretty sure that is the only vehicle I can’t account for down there.” Laurel stopped and drew a sharp breath looking up at Jen. “Jen, did Arnie Laughlin have another nickname or middle name?”

  “Reese. Why?” Jen looked at her blankly.

  “Shit, shit, SHIT!!” Laurel pounded the table with her fists. “Oh, lord,” Laurel buried her face in her hands, took a deep breath and shoved her hair away from her face. “Reesey. That was her nickname for the boyfriend. Reesey. That’s what she called him.” Laurel covered her mouth and shock spread over her face as she stared at Jen. “All these years....”

  Jen was stunned, tears running silently down her face.

  “Oh, my gosh. Jen, I’m so sorry, I had no idea. Do you think...?” Laurel was sick to her stomach thinking that maybe the truth had been under her nose for so long.

  Robert chimed in. “It makes sense. Steve had a particular interest in the junk yard, but never would say why. I guess he was trying to find out if his dad’s wrecked classic was still there.”

  “Ben, how do we prove the black paint is from Jen’s parents’ car?” Jake addressed the evidence at hand.

  Ben breathed out hard. “Well, we sample it and match it to make and model and year, first, if at all possible. Jen is there anything in evidence on your parent’s case? A sample of their car or their car’s paint or piece of it. Anything? Is the car still around? I’m sorry, Jen, I have to ask.”

  Jen nodded. Tears were streaming down her face. Adam’s arms reached around her to hold her and she buried her face in his shoulder. “It was a hotrod as well, an old Malibu. They’d been to a classic, and hotrod rally. It’s probably still in my aunt’s garage, if she’s alive. She kept it after having somebody gut the interior to get rid of the...or at least that is what I heard.” She was trembling as her voice trailed off.

  Adam shook his head, “No more.” The group nodded in agreement, as he drew her to stand. They took a couple steps away before her knees buckled and as she cried out in anguish. He swept her up and carried her up the stairs. Her mind flooded with pictures of her parents laying in their caskets at their funeral. She’d been seven years old, just seven.

  Laurel tried to dry her own eyes. “Oh dear Lord, please forgive me, I had no way of knowing. I could have laid that pain to rest years ago. Oh, how awful.” Reassurances came from the group. No one was going to blame her for something she didn’t know about and wouldn’t have ever piece together, had it not been for recent events.

  “Jen is thirty, and Adam’s twenty-eight right?” Ben wanted to make sure the math was right or at least close. Laurel nodded.

  Brian put his arm around Shannon’s shoulders to give her a pat. She was visibly upset at having revealed such an importance piece of evidence. Jess noted their interaction with a blank stare. The emotionally and physically exhausted group disbanded for showers and sleep without another word.

  Jake sat next to Laurel. She was drained. Completely beside herself, Laurel sat stunned. Jake rubbed her back and tried to comfort her. Laurel chewed her lower lip, her head on his shoulder, for a long time before she broke the silence.

  “If I live through this damn roller coaster ride, without derailing, I want a real vacation, Jake. I’ve never been to the beach because I made plans to go there. I want to go to the beach, ya know? Find sea shells, read Hemmingway, I’ve never read Hemmingway, get a tan, watch the dolphins, go deep sea fishing, get drunk, go to a Kenny concert, dance, get drunk, walk barefoot in the sand—can I have a real vacation, Jake?”

  “Yes, sweetheart, you can have a real vacation.” He chuckled, but wondered how much more she could take. She was tough, but how tough, he didn’t know.

  __________________________

  Adam laid Jen down in his old room and crawled in next to her on the bed, curling his body to her tight curve. She had drawn herself up in a ball, attempting to shield herself from further pain. He held her as she shook, sobbing in racking breaths that tore through her body.

  She was close to complete exhaustion when she pulled his arms even tighter around her. He put his lips to her ear. “It’s okay, baby, it’s okay. I’m here. I’ll take care of you. I’ll always take care of you.” She believed him. Sometime after midnight, she fell asleep in his arms.

  Jake covered Adam’s night watch and the guys split up to sleep elsewhere, leaving Adam to help Jen work through her pain.

  __________________________

  The next morning, Ben, Brian, and Robert worked together to extract the car from the junk yard and take it to the shop at the cabin to lock it up. Ben took samples and sent them to the lab with armed escort.

  Ben arranged for the Malibu to be removed from Jen’s aunt’s garage. Her aunt was glad to be rid of the junk. She was even happier with the cash to retrieve it and keep her quiet, courtesy of Jen. The $500 would buy a bit of alcohol and slots for her at the casino. Additional witnesses were along for the ride. Cameras were firing like crazy to certify the location it was retrieved from. Ben made sure everything was well documented.

  The car was taken to a crime lab under the watchful eye of one of Ben’s fellow investigators, to be gone over with a fine-toothed comb looking for samples of DNA, paint, and chrome. Hopefully, the samples from the red paint smeared down the side would match the Camaro. It was a shot in the dark after all the time that had passed. It would be a stretch to find what they needed.

  The top of the Malibu was shoved in and a good part of the car body badly mangled and covered with rust, but obvious evidence from what it had run into, was still there. He’d know soon enough if it was a match.

  With the pieces of the puzzle coming together, the link between the Laughlin’s, Laurel, and Jen, was becoming clearer. Arrests would be another matter, and it would take some pressure in high places to get it done, Ben knew. He would have to question Angie James, and then things could get dangerous.

  Chapter 29

  Laurel was washing produce in the sink for Seth. She needed to get her house back to herself, but it was nice to have such a wonderful guy to cook for her. Still, she felt a little claustrophobic crammed in with all those people for two weeks.

  A trip to town had been a great breather until she ran into Gerry Smythe. He had snorted at her with disgust, seeing her entourage. He’d followed her out of the farm store and walked by her truck, spitting. He had smelled of chew and sweat. It had made her stomach churn. Her thoughts were interrupted when Jake came breezing into the kitchen off the deck.

  “Where have you been?” Jake demanded.

  “I went to the store.” Laurel had indeed been to the store, actually, several stores in town.

  “Sweetheart, I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation here. You can’t run off and do whatever the hell you want until I tell you it’s all clear. Got it?” Jake was trying to hold his temper.

  Seth threw up his hands. “She said it would be all ri
ght. We had people follow us; you were gone!” Seth looked at him a little disgusted. He didn’t want to be caught in the middle between the two, and he walked out of the kitchen.

  “I didn’t say it was okay or that you could go anywhere, Laurel. That will be the last time, do you understand? You talk to me first,” Jake demanded loudly.

  Seeing Laurel bristle, the remaining crew quickly dispersed to leave Jake and Laurel toe-to-toe in front of the kitchen sink.

  “Jake LeGrande, if you think you can walk into my house and order me around, telling me when and where I can go, you have another thing coming. I’m a grown woman. I don’t recall begging you to drag me around in the name of protection. I don’t need a condom on my life. I can damn well take care of myself, and have been doing it quite well, without a man, for the last six years. I’ll go to the store if I damn well please!”

  “Like hell you will. All these people didn’t come here, to put their lives on the line, so you could make a mockery out of it.” Jake was steaming.

  “Steve Laughlin is dead. Now, either he or his father’s hired thugs started that fire and messed with my brakes. We figured out who killed Jen’s parents. It’s over, right? I’m not sure why everyone is still here, anyway.”

  “You don’t know a damn thing. There is more to it than that. It doesn’t stop there.” Jake had lowered his voice.

  “Jake, you owe me an explanation. What in the hell is going on here?” Laurel was wringing her hand in a dishtowel, her lips pursed.

  “I told you, it’s classified. If I tell you the details, it will put your life in even greater danger.” Jakes frustration was showing in the tightness of his jaw.

  “Jake! Damn it, I’m not a child.” Laurel yelled.

  Jake was in a hard spot. He decided keeping Miss Stubborn safe was the spot he wanted to be in, regardless of the cost. The arrests were about to be made anyway, things were pulling together. He was about to do something he’d never done. He had grabbed a grocery list pad of paper, off the fridge, and wrote furiously, minimizing the details.

  I could lose everything by telling you this.

  My rank, my job, my pension, even be prosecuted.

  I’m working special detail to try to bring down a specific Admiral.

  Sting operation from very high up.

  This guy is working to rid the Navy of certain people who don’t fit his mold.

  This person of interest is pressuring me to ‘clean-up’.

  Pressure, rape, torture, anything to get rid of the ones on his list.

  Morrison is part of the sting operation, bait.

  I just put my life, my career, my future, all on the line just to keep your stubborn ass safe, now do you know how much I love you?

  __________________________

  Jess found her, that afternoon, in a stall in the barn, rubbing on one of Big’s babies; a colt, that was stout, strong, and good natured just like his sire. Jess watched her handle the baby with ease, a firm but gentle touch, not dominating, but friendly. She scratched all the foal’s itchy spots and gained his trust, rubbing his face, ears, chest, back, belly, and ticklish spots.

  Shannon looked cute in boots, cut off jean shorts, and a pink tank top. Her thick wavy, sandy-blonde hair was pulled back in a heap at her neck with wayward strands framing her face. Sexy.

  He thought about her growing up, the tomboy always following him around doing whatever he wanted to, rarely asking to do something she wanted to do. She was in between her father and mother in height, with a fit, strong frame that had helped her pitch really well. He’d watched her ride and knew she had several trophies in her room. He was proud that she was about to finish her nursing degree and he knew she would make a good nurse. She will make an incredible mom.

  At that thought, he had to do a double take at himself, shaking his head. It wasn’t just her as a mother that had entered his thoughts, but her as the mother of his children, his wife. His wife, in his bed, always. Was it possible?

  “Hi, Jess!” Shannon roused him from his thoughts.

  “Hey! How’s it going? Kinda crazy back there, huh?” Jess thumbed at the house.

  “Yeah, Mom’s been on her own so long now, she’s pretty independent.” Shannon continued to rub down the baby’s legs, getting him used to her.

  “Well, Dad has been Navy so long, I’m not sure he can handle someone with a mind of their own.” They both chuckled at the thought of the sparring couple.

  Shannon came out of the stall she was in and went to the next to work with another foal. “When is the last time you rode, Jess? Want to go?”

  “Sounds good, but I think Adam and Jen took off with the two geldings that were in the old barn, and the other two are down at the cabin’s lean-to.”

  “Huh, figures. Well, how ‘bout a swim? I think the swimming hole is still in good shape, and it’s so cotton-pickin’ hot. There should be a four-wheeler in the other barn or we can walk, either way. I’m kinda hairy anyway.” She stepped out of the stall dusting off the shed foal hair that was sticking to her. Jess chuckled at the hair flying around her. It seemed as soon as she dusted it off, it stuck right back to her.

  “You need a swim, all right. I can jump in with my shorts. Grab a suit and I’ll meet you by the deck.” Jess leaned on the stall front.

  “Nah, I can swim in my undies. Let’s go!” She took off at a trot to get the four-wheeler, Jess right on her heels.

  __________________________

  Laurel’s hand covered her mouth, but she didn’t cry. The dark circles under her eyes told the story. She shook her head yes, and motioned for the pen.

  I’m so sorry. I’ll behave. I love you too.

  Jake took a deep breath and drew her into a tight embrace, then pulled her back to search her eyes, and they continued their silent conversation. His expression asked her to tell him again, and she nodded back to him. He could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

  He kissed her. Soft at first and then deep, fiery, drawing in her lip to nip it. Then he moved to run a line of kisses down her jaw and neck. She reeled as he heated her, sucking in a sharp breath. Pulling away, she wrote one more thing.

  Soon.

  He kissed her again, a sweet peck on the lips, grinned at her and pulled her up to him, tight, reaching down her backside to grab her butt and pull her hard against him. It took her by surprise. The rush was hard to deny.

  She could feel him harden against her, and she grinned mischievously at him. She giggled and pushed him away. Laurel knew if she didn’t get him to stop, they would wind up on the bathroom floor or master bedroom closet floor just like when they were kids—wherever. She didn’t want that, not just then. She wanted time to get to know him again, to make sure they could make it work. She couldn’t handle another broken heart.

  He smiled at her, grabbed a lighter out of a drawer, burned the note in the sink, and washed away the ashes.

  Chapter 30

  Siddy Creek had a few good swimming holes. One of the farm’s best was not too far from the house, but far enough for privacy. It was just deep enough, not muddy, with sandy, grassy banks and big river maples in just the right places.

  Jess hadn’t minded when Shannon had suggested a swim to get away from the tensions at the house. Shannon had always been a good listener, and he could trust her with the biggest of secrets. He needed to get a few things off his chest anyway.

  “Why do you keep staring at her, Jess?” Shannon struggled to make her question sound inquisitive instead of accusatory. She’d prepared for this moment repeatedly in her mind. She didn’t want to lose what felt like her last chance to make him see her, and she sure the hell didn’t want him hooking up with anyone else. It was time to face her worst fear: that he wouldn’t want her.

  “She’s freakin’ gorgeous. I like her, and it pisses me off that Adam won’t back off. Does he have something I don’t have?” Jess was staring intently from their position at the creek, to the other side of the field, where Adam and Jen were ridi
ng back towards the barn.

  He hoped his comments would make Shannon jealous. Confiding in Shannon was normally easy. He had talked to her like one of the guys for years. They’d been tight since they were little, so he knew his words wouldn’t shock her, but might make her think.

  “No, baby.” She had said under her breath. Adam may have been her brother, but she knew Jess was just as special and more. How could she tell him? How could she make him see she was in love with him and always had been? “Hey, last one in is a rotten egg!”

  Jess kept watching the pair riding while he stripped off his shirt and shoes. Shannon had been giving him that challenge since they were old enough to swim on their own. As hot as it was, he sure wasn’t going to miss out on a swim with his best friend. He turned and dove into the cool creek water. When he surfaced, he was within feet of Shannon already in the water, at least partially.

  “Shit! Shannon, what the hell?” He really wasn’t used to his best friend giving him a rise. Well, it had happened more than once. Well, maybe a lot, but he knew that it was going nowhere.

  “Don’t you like what you see?” Shannon stood, the water lapping at her upper thighs. She was baring more than her body, her heart was on the line, too, and she knew it. She was shaking so badly that the water moved in circles around her. Her fingertips played nervously with the surface ripples.

  Jess stared. How was it that his best friend’s body was so perfect, but unavailable. She had been a source of frustration to him for a long time. Long, wavy sandy-blonde hair, sparkling green eyes, breasts rounded and full and bouncy, a little dip to her waist above full hips, shapely thighs and a—closely trimmed pathway to where he had dreams about being. Not fair, just not fair.