by Lisa Jackson
“Do you?” she asked.
“Every last one.” His jaw was set, his lips a thin line of determination, and Beth was swept away as the memory of making love to him flashed into her mind.
She remembered the heat, the raw passion that seemed to surge through his blood, the way he’d made their mating an urgent, savage event that still, even three years later, sucked the breath from her lungs. She glanced away and cleared her throat. “Then I guess that makes you a hero,” she said sarcastically.
His eyes narrowed and he reached across the table, knocking over the catsup bottle as he grabbed her arm. “Let’s get one thing straight, okay? I am not a hero. Got it?”
“Oh, that’s not what I heard,” Sarah, the heavyset waitress with a crown of frizzy curls, interrupted as she refilled Jenner’s coffee cup. “The way I heard it, you saved your brother’s little kid, and if it wasn’t for you, the Rocking M would’ve lost all its livestock. Without you, Dani Stewart might not have made it. That girl has had a string of bad luck, let me tell you—not like her sister at all—but she lucked out this time.”
Irritation pinched the corners of Jenner’s mouth and the fingers of steel that had tightened over Beth’s arm loosened their grip. “You’ve been talking to Max,” he said as he let go.
“No way. Heard it from the fire chief, himself. Fred has breakfast here every morning and he thinks you saved lives. Course he’s cussin’ you, too, ’cause you and Max got in the way. Max wouldn’t do what he was told, and you, you nearly ended up dyin’ just to save some horses.”
Jenner glowered up at the waitress. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
Sarah shrugged a hefty shoulder. “Whatever you say.” She righted the bottle of catsup as she eyed Cody. “This your boy?” Beth’s heart nearly stopped until she realized the woman was speaking to her.
“Uh, yes. Cody.” She whispered in her son’s ear, “Say hello.”
“’Lo,” Cody replied, staring warily at the friendly waitress.
“He’s sure a looker.” Sarah grinned at him and reached into her pocket. She found a mint and set in on the table in front of Cody. “You’re gonna break your share of hearts, son, believe you me.”
“Thank you,” Beth said, feeling a lump form in her throat. Jenner hadn’t said a word, just leaned back against the seat and watched the exchange.
“Is there anything else I can get you?”
“Not for me,” Beth said.
“Thanks, anyway, Sarah,” Jenner drawled.
Sarah’s gaze sharpened just a tad. “Is it true what I’ve been hearin’ around here—that your pa might’ve been murdered?”
“Looks that way,” Jenner admitted with a scowl.
“Good Lord A‘mighty. Why, no one’s been murdered in Rimrock before—I mean, unless you count Elvin Green runnin’ down Indian Joe ten years ago, but that was just an accident, I guess.”
“That’s the way I heard it.”
“Anyway, I don’t s’pose they have any idea who’s behind it.”
“Not that I know,” Jenner said, wishing the nosy waitress would just disappear and leave him alone. He wasn’t going to confide that Rex Stone had at first come up with the brainstorm that someone in the family might be responsible. He seemed to have given up on that ludicrous assumption, and if he had any other suspects, he hadn’t shared his suspicions with Jenner.
Sarah moved closer to the table and whispered, “I hear your family’s offering a reward.”
“A what?” Jenner’s head snapped up and he saw a gleam of greed in the waitress’s gaze.
“Twenty-five thousand dollars for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for your dad’s death and the fire at the ranch.”
“I don’t know a thing about it.”
“Heard it this mornin’. Two deputies were talkin’ about it while eatin’ breakfast.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Jenner said, hoping to hide the fact that he was furious. It was all he could do to remain at the table. Why hadn’t anyone told him? Then he remembered. Mavis and Virginia had been at a meeting with Rex Stone last night. They must’ve made the decision at that time and never bothered to tell him—not that they had the chance, really, considering the conversation. But Max hadn’t said a word this morning. It looked as if his family was still trying to protect him—keep him calm so that he could heal—or they were holding out on him. Either way, he was going to find out the truth. His jaw clamped so hard it hurt.
“Hey, how about a refill, Sarah?” At a table on the other side of the entrance, Cyrus Kellogg held up his empty coffee cup. He caught Jenner’s attention and gave a sketchy wave. “Glad to see ya up and around, McKee. Helluva thing, that fire.”
Jenner nodded to the weathered rancher who owned the spread just north of the Rocking M. Cyrus, smoking a cigarette, was seated with three other men from around the area. One was Ned Jansen, who once owned the old copper mine in the hills surrounding the town. Jenner’s father, Jonah, had bought the mine for a song a few years back when Ned had needed the cash to pay back alimony to his two ex-wives. The mine was rumored to be worthless, but Jonah had taken a chance and eventually found a mother lode. Wouldn’t you know? The old man had been blessed—or cursed—with the Midas touch.
Len Marchant sat with his back to Jenner. A short, lively man, Len, too, had done business with Jonah. Once the town baker, Len had sold out at a loss to Jonah, who had remodeled and converted the old bakery into a mini-mall that now supported five small shops. The third man was Otis Purcell, a rancher with a mean streak whose single claim to fame was that he raised wolf pups and, to Jenner’s knowledge, had never been swindled by Jonah McKee. That alone was some kind of record.
“Come on, let’s go,” Jenner said. He realized that he’d run out of conversation with Beth and didn’t like the sidelong glances cast in his direction from the other patrons. The Shady Grove was half-filled with customers looking for a simple, cheap meal. Most of the people tucked into the booths and seated at the tables were ranchers and townspeople Jenner had known most of his life. But there were a few strangers, as well. His gut clutched into a tight knot as his thoughts ran in a new and frightening path. What if Rex Stone was right? What if Jonah had been murdered? And what if whoever was behind the murder and the arson at the stables wasn’t satisfied? What if he wanted to do more damage? What if, instead of holding a grudge against Jonah, the psycho behind the crimes wanted to get back at Max...or Jenner?
He sliced a look at Cody innocently sipping his shake. Beth was dabbing at the corners of his little face with a cloth, completely unaware of any danger.
Using the crutches for support, Jenner climbed to his feet just as Beth gathered Cody into her arms. What if the kid really was his and whoever was gunning for the McKees found out about him? Jenner’s throat turned to dust. Cody could unwittingly become a target—as could Beth.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and for the first time in his life, Jenner McKee felt vulnerable.
Beth expected Jenner to take her back to his apartment where she’d parked her car. When he’d insisted on driving his truck earlier, she’d argued, remembering how his pickup had careered down the street the night before. Eventually, after extracting a promise from Jenner that he’d be careful, she’d given in, and they’d survived, though the ride to the Shady Grove had been a little harrowing as Jenner had been forced to work gas, clutch and brake with his right leg. She hadn’t complained, only held on to the armrest in a death grip with her other arm tightly wrapped around Cody. The toddler had only laughed when the truck had lurched into slow-moving traffic.
“I thought you might want to meet my grandmother,” Jenner explained as he drove north and passed the city limits.
“That’s not necessary.”
“Sure it is, Beth,” he said, looking over Cody’s head to capture her in his cynical gaze before turning his attention back to the road. “You started this, so you’re going to play it out.”
&n
bsp; “We started this,” she said, unable to hold her tongue a minute longer. “You and I both. I’m sick of women always having to take the blame as well as the responsibility for their kids.” She wanted to add that without men there would be no children, but she managed to swallow her words for Cody’s sake. She never wanted him to hear anything that might suggest that he was unwanted or that she considered him a mistake. Because that wasn’t true. She loved him more than life itself, and if given the choice again, she would gladly go through the pregnancy alone and accept the hard choices that followed. Smiling, she grabbed one of his chubby hands in hers.
“We go to Grandma’s?” Cody asked, all innocence and smiles.
That was a tough one. “Not to Grandma Harriet’s, honey. We’re going to Mr. McKee’s—”
“Jenner.”
“Jenner’s ranch.”
“I see horses?”
“You bet you will,” Jenner said.
“I ride one?”
Beth cleared her throat. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea—”
“Of course you can. Got a little pony that would be perfect.”
Beth shot Jenner a warning glance silently telling him to back off, but if he noticed her aggravation, he ignored it and reached into the glove compartment for a pair of aviator sunglasses. He slipped them over his nose and now he seemed more remote than ever, the dark shades hiding his eyes, his mouth set in a harsh, uncompromising line.
He seemed to be getting the hang of driving with only one leg. He managed to work the clutch smoothly enough and the old Dodge hummed over the county road that rose along the contour of the hill, but always followed the winding path of Wildcat Creek as it slashed through the land a hundred feet below. Beth rolled down the window, smelled the dust and dry grass and felt the sun warm her shoulder as the wind streamed through her hair.
How many times had she ridden this very road, listening to the radio, laughing and thinking of Jenner McKee? All those years ago, she’d never met him, but he’d been a local legend, a rebel son rebuffing his father by turning his nose up at the old man’s money and striking out on his own.
She ran her fingers along the edge of the window that peaked up from the door. Yes, she’d dreamed about him, never daring to guess that someday she’d run into him, that she’d let him buy her a couple of glasses of wine and she’d end up sleeping with him and bearing his son. She chanced a look at her boy, but he’d fallen asleep in the warm cab of the truck and was blissfully unaware of the reasons she’d been forced back to Rimrock.
Jenner pulled off at a narrow spot in the road where the old guardrail had been hit and given way completely. A new piece had been fitted between two posts right at a sharp curve, nearly a hundred feet above the canyon. Beth didn’t have to be told that this was where Jonah McKee had lost his life.
He stopped the truck and killed the engine. Cody stirred but didn’t open his eyes, not even when Jenner opened the cab door and hopped to the ground. Using the pickup for support, he edged around the truck, leaned a jean-clad hip against the fender and gazed down the cliff face to the swift waters of the creek.
Beth eased out of the truck and joined him. The sun was warm against her crown, the hood of the old Dodge hot and grimy with dust and dead insects.
“I haven’t been here,” Jenner said, “not since it happened.” He rubbed the back of his neck impatiently and his brow furrowed above the frames of his sunglasses. “You know, I was never close to the old man. In fact, I professed to hate his guts. I did everything I could to irritate the hell out of him.” He kicked at some loose gravel and the stones rolled off the shoulder and past a few dry blades of grass to tumble freely into the canyon. “I didn’t like the way he treated people, especially me and my sister. Max—” Jenner shrugged “—he was Dad’s favorite, and for years Max turned a blind eye on what the old man was doing. But he found out. Damn, did he find out.” Jenner turned his gaze up to the cloudless sky as if he could discover the answers to his questions in the vast heavens. “Even though my father was a liar and a cheat, even though he manipulated people, he didn’t deserve to die. Not like this.”
She didn’t know what to say. Did he want comfort? Or was he talking not so much to her as to himself? She reached forward, her fingers touching his bare arm where he’d rolled up his sleeve.
He didn’t move, just glanced down at her small white hand resting against the bronzed skin and gold hair of his forearm. He lifted his head, and from behind his dark glasses, he stared straight at her, causing the pulse at her throat to throb. For a second, she thought he might draw her into his arms, might kiss her until the breath left her body, might hold her so close she could feel every hard contour of his muscles.
Her throat worked. His lips flattened and he turned away. “Come on. We’re wastin’ time.”
By the time they reached the ranch it was early afternoon. Trucks and cars, most covered in a haze of dust, were parked in the yard, and ranch hands could be seen working with the livestock.
Jenner guided his pickup into a vacant spot near the ga-rage. As he climbed out of the cab, he waved to a few of the men and stared at the rubble and ash still piled where Beth assumed the stables had once stood. Yellow tape, announcing a crime scene, was stretched around the charred concrete and blackened debris, while the odors of dust and ash mingled in the breeze with those of cattle and bleached grass.
Hundreds of heads of cattle had been herded into a series of pens surrounding a large barn. Calves bawled and men shouted as the animals were inoculated, their ears notched and tagged, before they were forced into a chute leading to another field.
“Cow,” Cody said, blinking and yawning as he woke up. Beth got out first, then set him on the ground.
“Many cows,” Beth corrected.
“Many cows, bulls, steers and calves. You want to see?” Jenner asked, starting to hobble toward the nearest fence.
“I don’t know...” she said, regarding the beasts with their dusty red, black, gray and ocher hides. Most of the animals were huge, some had humps at their shoulders and wicked-looking horns sprouting from their heads. Flies swarmed and the smell of manure permeated the air.
“Lighten up, Beth,” Jenner called out as he limped swiftly toward the melee and left Beth in the shade of a solitary pine tree. “The boy’s not made of glass.”
“I know, but—” But he’s all I’ve got, and if anything happened to him... She released Cody’s hand and he ran to keep up with the man on crutches. Beth felt something inside her die as she watched her son run so confidently to Jenner and reach for his hand.
Maybe Cody wasn’t made of glass, but it seemed as if her heart was.
Grasshoppers flew out of his path and flies buzzed over his head and his sneakers were dustier than they’d ever been in his short life, but there was a joy about him that brought tears to her eyes. She was losing something by introducing Cody to Jenner. Until now, she’d been everything to her son—provider, mother, friend, the sun, the moon and the stars. But Cody was gaining something—something precious—if Jenner would accept him as his son.
Something inside her seemed to tear. She blinked hard and told herself she was being a fool. Didn’t she want Cody to know his father? Didn’t she want him to feel the warmth of a father’s love—that special warmth she’d never known? Her throat was so thick she could barely breathe as she watched Jenner, balancing precariously on his crutches, lift Cody onto the third rail of the fence so he could rest his arms on the top rail and gain a better view. His little feet shifted, but Jenner’s hand, tanned and weathered, was splayed firmly against the child’s back, and Beth knew Jenner would fall himself before allowing any harm to come to Cody.
“Oh, God,” Beth whispered, “please let him be all right.”
As if in answer, Cody let out a whoop when a rangy calf drew close enough so that he could bend over the fence and pat the animal’s head.
Beth bit back a warning for him to be careful when she saw Jenn
er’s arm surround his son’s waist. Her heart twisted at the sight. Father and son. Together. A picture she thought she’d never witness.
Jenner said something and Cody laughed so loud the calf started and backed away. A few men came over and Jenner talked to them, keeping his hand on Cody all the while. More than one interested glance was cast in her direction, but she couldn’t hear their conversation over the noise of the herd.
Eventually the men went back to work and Jenner peeled a reluctant Cody from the fence. Together they walked back to the truck.
“I seen lots of cows!” Cody announced, obviously pleased with himself as he climbed into her arms and managed to smudge dirt all over her blouse.
“Did you?”
“Millions of ’em.”
Jenner chuckled, and together they headed toward the front door. “Brace yourself,” Jenner whispered to her as they reached the porch. “I’m not in good graces with my mother just now.”
“Oh, great.”
“Nor with my grandmother.”
“What are we doing here then?”
He slid her a glance. “Not getting cold feet, are ya? After all, this is your party.” He shoved open the door and stepped inside.
Sharp footsteps echoed through the rooms as Casey half ran down the hallway. “Where the hell have you been?” she said, her hazel eyes spitting fire. “Mom and Grandma are both fit to be tied...” Her voice trailed off as she realized that she wasn’t alone with her brother. “Uh... well...I didn’t mean... Damn it, I don’t care, Jenner, you’re—”
“Irresponsible and going to roast in hell. I know. Now, maybe you’d like to simmer down and meet these people. This is Beth Crandall and her son, Cody. My sister, Casey. As you probably noticed, she’s the calm one in the family.”
“Very funny,” Casey muttered, her eyebrows drawing angrily together. Somehow she managed a smile when she shook Beth’s hand. “I remember you. You were in the class ahead of me in school.”