He jerked to a stop when he saw Jo and their eyes met. No point in either of them pretending they hadn’t seen or recognized each other. “Jo?” His voice seemed pitched higher than usual.
What to say? Bah, forget the niceties and cut to the chase. “Who is she?”
Panic crossed his face. “Who is who?”
Oh, seriously. What kind of an idiot did he take her for? Jo raised her eyebrows and jabbed her thumb over her shoulder.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “She’s still there.”
Strange words. But Jo needed to know. “Who is she?”
Zach’s eyes focused on hers and he stepped closer, hands outspread. “Jo, it’s not what you think.”
How could he possibly know what she was thinking? She hadn’t a clue, herself. “That’s not answering my question.”
“That’s Yvette, a girl I used to date. We broke things off months ago.” His eyes pleaded for understanding.
“So that’s why you’re meeting her in Wynnton. Because you broke up.” That made some kind of sense in what universe? But Jo’s heart had sunk down to her toes. Why, oh why, did she keep fantasizing about this man who was clearly not worth her efforts?
“She…” He licked his lips. “She had something she wanted to talk about.”
Jo raised her eyebrows. So tell me what, buddy. Not that it will help.
He glanced past Jo then focused on her face again. “I told her to leave, but she’s still there.”
Genius. He’d noticed.
“Listen, are my parents here, too? Mom said you were going to Coeur d’Alene with her to get Dad?”
She nodded. “They’re in the washrooms.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. Even looked like he might be praying. Probably a good idea, although too late.
“I take it your parents never met your girlfriend.” Couldn’t help the emphasis on that last word. If that was the kind of female he was interested in, obviously he’d been toying with Jo out of boredom. The two women couldn’t possibly have been more opposite. Jo hoped.
“No. And now’s not a good time. Honestly, Jo, you have to believe me.”
Believe what? Why the desperation? Something was going on, but she didn’t trust him. She searched his face for clues.
A car door shut behind her. Jo swiveled on the path and marched toward the parking lot, no longer interested in the river. She could feel Zach at her heels. Could feel some sort of impending doom.
“Zachary!” Steve’s voice.
“Hey, Dad. Good to see you.”
Didn’t sound like it to Jo. She glanced up as the woman unfolded from the Mustang, a look of interest on her face, as she seemed to notice Zach’s parents for the first time. Then her eyes found Jo’s and narrowed. Like she had anything to worry about.
Rosemary took in the girl’s stance and frowned. Hadn’t she noticed her when the car pulled in? Or maybe she’d been convinced it was someone else’s vehicle after all.
The girl slinked toward them. “Zachary. Someone I should meet?” She cut between Jo and Zach, turning her back on Jo as she reached for Zach’s arm and snuggled against him.
Jo debated ramming the girl’s artificially tanned elbow with her cast. Accidentally, of course. But Yvette shifted out of easy reach before Jo could wrestle her conscience down.
Zach disengaged her hand from his arm. “Yvette, go back to Coeur d’Alene. You’re not part of my life. There’s no one here for you to meet.”
Yeah, take that.
They stood in the space between Rosemary’s car and the Mustang, an awkward group, nobody sure what to do or say next, curiosity alive on every face except for Zach’s.
Yvette smiled sweetly at Rosemary. “You’re Zach’s mother?”
Rosemary nodded cautiously.
“Then you’ll be interested to know that Zach and I are expecting a baby.”
Chapter 25
Seconds had never moved slower. Zach had time to register the expressions on everyone’s face: the triumph on Yvette’s as she linked arms with him, the shock on his dad’s, and the disappointment on his mom’s. He wasn’t prepared for the blazing hatred on Jo’s.
“She’s lying.” Zach shook Yvette’s hand away. The words were meant for everyone, yet no one but Jo. He took a step closer to her, but she pivoted and strode down the trail toward the river. “You have to believe me. I never had sex with Yvette.” Jo kept going, so Zach raised his voice. “Never once.”
He stared after her helplessly, not daring to leave Yvette alone with his parents, even to follow Jo. She hated him anyway. Had from the beginning. She’d never done a thing to encourage him. Not really.
Zach glared at Yvette’s mocking face. “I don’t know why you’re doing this to me. You know I thought I loved you.” He turned to his parents. “I told you that. Told you I wanted to marry her, that I wouldn’t dishonor her before our wedding, no matter how much she pressured me.”
To his relief, Mom nodded, albeit cautiously. Dad, however, looked downright gray. The poor man was barely off his hospital bed and Yvette’s shocking tale wasn’t doing him any good. Zach crossed the asphalt and slid his arm around his father. “Dad, let me get you back in the car. I’ll explain everything when we’re home. For now, please just believe that she’s lying.” Without turning to see Yvette’s response, Zach all but carried Dad to the passenger side of the car while his mom hurried ahead and opened the door.
“I believe you, son,” Mom whispered as she pulled the seatbelt around his dad. “You coming home now?”
Zach nodded, aware of Yvette’s presence…and Jo’s absence.
Mom straightened. “Zachary, you need to talk to Josephine. This impasse between the two of you is ridiculous.”
She must have been reading his mind. Zach closed his eyes. “She hates me. She did before. Why would that change now?”
“Men,” Mom muttered and shut the passenger door with a little extra force. “I need to get your father home. Where did Jo go?”
Zach jutted his chin toward the river. There weren’t too many ways this day could get worse, unless he followed her and she blistered his ears off again.
Mom rounded the trunk of the car and glanced through the windows at Dad, who leaned against the headrest with his eyes closed. She looked at Zach and pursed her lips. “You find Jo and bring her home. Your father is all done in.” She reached for the driver’s side door handle.
“You’re the one who offered her the ride.” He heard the panic in his voice. “You can’t leave her with me. She won’t get in my car.” Yvette’s car remained parked a few spaces down. Without her in it. That meant she was still behind him somewhere. No way did he need to be left here alone with those two women.
His mother pulled her hand away from him. “Look at your dad. My first priority is getting him home. You find Jo and talk to her. Pray. I don’t understand what all is going on, but if you say you didn’t sleep with that…that female, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. I do remember the vows you took in high school, and I’ve always known you to be a boy—a man—of your word.”
She opened the car door, settled herself, and slid down the window. “I’ll see you at home.” The car purred to life and began to back away.
Why couldn’t he say no to his mother? He turned to deal with the problems that faced him, but the parking lot was empty. Zach smashed his fist against the Mustang’s hood. Didn’t take a genius to figure out Yvette had targeted Jo.
Oh, God. Are you there? I’ve screwed up, big time. I thought I’d backed away before I’d gotten burned, but the flames reached farther than I guessed. Please help me. He thought for a moment about his mom’s words and some of the things Gabe had said. Once it had given him great peace and joy to be right with God. Help me find my way back.
**
Jo stared down at the river rapids but couldn’t see a thing through the burning tears that blurred her vision. Her arm ached, her head throbbed, and her lim
bs trembled, both from the speed at which she’d run the forest trail and from fury.
How had she ever fallen for this stupid guy? She should follow her mom’s advice and go back to California. Possibly she should also become a nun or something. Just block off her heart so no man could ever break down the walls.
Yeah, nice try. Too late. In all Sierra’s casual talk on men over the years, her friend had failed to mention how much heartbreak there could be. She’d been smart enough not to let things get this far. Just far enough to flirt with a guy like Zach.
The thought mocked Jo. This far, indeed. Hadn’t she been fighting it tooth and nail the whole time she’d known Zachary Nemesek? He wasn’t right for her. He just wasn’t. Evidence aplenty, and this escapade only proved it. He had no redeeming qualities. Other than great parents. And Gabe. Gabe wouldn’t have an imbecile for a best friend, would he? But…
Footsteps crunched on the path behind Jo and she stiffened. Four options. Well, no. It couldn’t be Steve. With any luck, it would be Rosemary. They’d cry together about what a wretch her son had turned out to be and then go home. Zach would leave for Coeur d’Alene to raise his baby with that floozy, and Jo could recover. Sure, he said he was innocent, but who made stuff like that up?
“That must have been a shock to you.” The worst of the three remaining possibilities. The woman with the sweet, biting tone.
“No, why?” Lying through her teeth, but Jo wasn’t about to give Yvette any satisfaction.
She came up beside Jo and leaned on the railing at the edge of the viewpoint, bosom bulging over her crossed arms. She glanced over at Jo, finely plucked eyebrows raised.
Jo wanted to claw the superior smirk right off her face but managed to maintain control. No point in dignifying the situation with conversation. There was nothing to talk about. Jo turned for the parking lot. If she was at the viewpoint, then Jo wouldn’t be.
“Just so you know, he’s not that great a guy.”
Jo froze two steps down the trail, her back to the city girl.
“He basically told me to get out of his life. Guess that means I’ll be aborting the embryo, since I can’t really raise a child on my own. You can have him. He’s old news.”
Jo’s mind didn’t know which part of that to latch onto. Zach said Yvette was lying, but why would she hold the facade over his head when she’d failed to get her way? Jo chose to focus on the other. “Don’t want him, so it doesn’t matter.” Liar.
Yvette laughed. “Yeah, right.”
Jo’s ears burned. Was she really that transparent?
In the distant parking lot, a car engine started. Her ears perked. Sounded like Rosemary’s. Jo broke into a jog, intent on getting away from Yvette and to her ride, but even as she did so, the gears shifted and the motor’s sound dwindled. Must have been someone else, but who? Zach? No, his car sounded different.
Panicking, Jo picked up speed. She broke into the parking lot to see Zach leaning against the Mustang, hands clasped on its roof. Praying? Nice try. Didn’t he think it was a little late for that? Jo tore her gaze away and took in the asphalt space. Only the black Mustang and the red Corvette remained.
Rosemary had abandoned her.
**
A sharp intake of breath pierced Zach’s prayer and he glanced up.
Jo, eyes wide, trembled at the edge of the parking lot, with Yvette nowhere to be seen.
He tried to smile, tried to mask the writhing turmoil inside. “There you are! Dad was at the limit of what he could handle, so Mom headed home and asked me to bring you.”
Rosemary wouldn’t do this to her. She must have pulled around the other side of the parking lot. Only there wasn’t another side.
A distance behind her, Yvette appeared on the trail. From the smirk on her face, the girls had had a little chat. What he really didn’t need was for all three of them to get into it some more.
“Jo? You ready? Let’s get going.”
She hesitated.
Zach pulled the passenger door open. “Please.”
Jo cast another desperate look around the parking lot then hurried forward.
He felt her pain. She wanted to spend the next hour with him as much as he wanted to spend it with her. Perhaps less. Because his heart kicked up a notch at her nearness, and it was clearly apparent that hers did nothing of the sort by the scowl she cast his way. Still, she jumped into the car and he shut the door behind her. As Yvette hit the asphalt, Zach yanked the driver’s door open and climbed in.
“See you, Zach!” Yvette called out with a wave. “I’ll be in touch.”
Over his dead body. He started the car and backed out of the parking spot, then squealed onto the highway.
Silence reigned in the car. Better than recriminations, maybe, but it wasn’t a pleasant quiet. He glanced at Jo. She’d turned to stare out the window, her back to him as completely as possible with her seatbelt on. Her narrow shoulders slumped. And trembled.
Crying? His gut clenched. He wasn’t prepared to deal with that. He was ready for yelling. He could argue with feisty, but this?
“Jo?” He cleared his throat.
She stiffened but didn’t turn.
“Jo, I’m sorry.”
A sniffle. “It’s true, then.”
“What? No! Yvette lied through her teeth.”
“Then what’re you sorry for?” Bitterness laced her words.
Where to start? “I’m sorry you ever had to meet her. I’m sorry you heard her accusations.”
Jo shifted. “She must have based them on something.”
“Desperation.”
She shot a furious look at him.
“What? No. Not for me, at least I don’t think so. I think she probably really is pregnant, but I have no idea who the father is. I promise you I’m telling the truth. I never had sex with her. Not once.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. Man, this was hard. He’d never really talked about this kind of stuff with a girl before. Not one he cared about. “Gabe and I made a pledge when we were in high school. A bunch of kids in our youth group did. We promised to save ourselves for our future spouse.”
At that revelation, Jo’s jaw twitched but her eyes remained focused on the road ahead.
His anger flared. “What, you want to see the results of paternity tests? Guaranteed beyond a shadow of doubt they will prove my innocence. I’ve kept my vow.”
What more could he say to her? She was set against believing him. Why this, now, when he’d just begun to sort himself out?
Chapter 26
“Whoa.” Sierra glanced out the trailer window at Zach’s departing car. “How did that happen?”
Jo glared at her. “It’s a long story. A really, really long story.”
“I’ve got time.” Sierra flopped into the loveseat.
Jo would rather forget Zach even existed. She wanted to believe him, but seriously, why would that scantily-clad woman create stories like that one? And did it matter, anyway? Jo just needed to get him out of her head, once and for all.
Did she have to give Sierra the complete low-down? Yeah. The girls had promised to be there for each other, and the weight was more than she could handle on her own. She was such a mess inside. If Sierra and Zach were meant to be together, she’d have to get used to it.
“I’m waiting.” Sierra looked at Jo expectantly. “Did you two kiss and make up?”
Nice try. Jo lowered herself into the big chair. “He’s just a jerk, anyway. It doesn’t matter.”
Sierra laughed. “Now who’s being silly? I think you really care about him.”
“I thought you did,” Jo shot back.
“And you said you weren’t jealous.” Sierra leaned forward. “He’s a really nice guy. Quite a catch. You should try harder. Meet him halfway.”
“Halfway to Coeur d’Alene? Not a chance.”
“Not what I meant, Jo. Though as cities go, it’s small and pretty nice.”
Jo glared at Sierra. “It hasn’t come up, thank you. I suppose yo
u’d ditch us all for some guy and move back to the bright lights?” The appropriate answer would be “of course not.”
Sierra winked. “For the right guy, you never know. A shot at happiness doesn’t come along every day. Now take Zach, for instance—” She pointed her pinkie at Jo as her cell phone rang. Sierra rolled her eyes, swiped it on, and said, “Hello.” A few seconds later, her face blanched and she surged to her feet. “No! Is he okay? What happened?”
There was a pause while Jo searched Sierra’s face for clues, but she turned away. Her voice broke. “No. Oh, no. He’ll never be able to live with himself.”
Claire entered the room, her eyebrows raised as she looked from Sierra to Jo. Jo shook her head and shrugged.
“Can you get a flight into Spokane? … I’ll leave right away. Call me when you have details. … Love you, Mom. See you soon.” Sierra turned slowly around as she set the cell down.
Claire wrapped her arms around her friend. “What happened?”
Sierra sagged against Claire. “My dad. He crashed the grocery truck.”
Claire and Jo exchanged glances. “How bad?” Jo asked.
“He’s been rushed to Coeur d’Alene.”
Claire frowned. “So it happened somewhere near here?”
Sierra nodded into Claire’s shoulder. “This side of Wynnton.”
There hadn’t been an accident anywhere Jo had seen. No sirens, flashing lights. Surely she’d have noticed. She blinked the thought aside. “Is he stable?”
Sierra took a long, shuddering breath. “Mom talked to him. They’re not sure if there’s internal bleeding. He’s pretty banged up.”
Claire rubbed Sierra’s back. “If you’re heading to the city tonight, you’ll need somebody. I’ll drive.”
“There’s more.” Sierra’s voice was muffled.
The girls waited.
“It was a head-on. The woman in the car wasn’t so lucky.” Sierra broke down in full-blown crying.
Jo’s heart sank. “Oh, no.” She tried to imagine the grieving family and how awful they must feel.
A Farm Fresh Romance Series 1-3 (A Farm Fresh Romance Box Set) Page 20