***Drew***
Drew woke the next morning with Jordan still wrapped in his arms. He watched her sleeping, thinking that he was a married man. It was going to take some getting used to, but deep inside, he knew that it was right, that he and Jordan would grow old together. He grinned when he realized that Alex had gotten his way and wondered if his son had known something he hadn’t.
Life was still complicated, but one thing he knew: Jordan was his, and he planned to keep her forever. He’d tell her that soon, break through that last little resistance she still had, but for now, he couldn’t have been happier. They had an ugly task ahead of them, but he had no doubt that Serendipity would work its magic, and Jordan’s father would be sent on his way, never to return.
When Jordan finally opened her eyes, he grinned at her and asked, “What would you like for breakfast on your first day as a married woman?”
Jordan pretended to think about it. “Eggs benedict sounds good,” she said.
“I knew you were a little spoiled rich girl,” he said. “You’re going to have to settle for eggs and bacon.”
Jordan pretended to be horrified. “No eggs benedict? How will I ever survive?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m afraid we’re just not that fancy around here, but I do have something that might take your mind off those eggs,” he said, running his finger down her chest between her breasts.
He traced a circle around her nipple, which hardened, and when she gasped, he grinned. “See, you’ve forgotten about them already,” he said, lowering his mouth to hers.
Breakfast was eggs and bacon, and Jordan cooked while he watched, then he cleaned up. They shared a very cramped shower that led to another trip to bed, then finally managed to make it out of the cabin. When they got to the barn, Alex was moping around in one of the stalls, half-heartedly cleaning it.
“There you are,” Drew said when he saw him. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“I’ve been right here; there’s nothing to do since you two are all lovey-dovey,” he said, a hard edge to his voice.
Jordan looked over at him. “I think I’ll go check on Justice,” she said, then disappeared through the back door.
Drew walked over to the stall and looked over the slats. “I know this must all be a big shock to you, and it can’t be easy since we just started getting close, but it’s not going to change anything,” he said.
“What do you mean? I can’t even go home. Nick said I have to stay with Jake and Marley until this is all over,” Alex shot at him.
“But that’s only temporary,” Drew said.
“Just like I’ll be when Mom gets home,” Alex said.
“Alex,” Drew said, waiting for his son to look at him. “You will always have a home with me.” When he didn’t get an answer, he asked, “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Alex said, his bottom lip trembling, then he flung himself into Drew’s arms.
He was shocked at first, but then he felt a warmth spread through him, different from what he felt for Jordan, but equally strong, and he knew that he’d found a different kind of love.
“How about we go for a ride?” he asked when Alex pulled away from him, clearly embarrassed. “We might be able to find a few fish out there, and I think it’s time I told you about what’s happening.”
Alex nodded, and a smile spread across his face. “Okay, that sounds good, but will you tell me what’s really going on?”
“Yes, you’re not a child, and I won’t treat you that way, but you have to promise me that you’ll stay far away from all this,” Drew said, wondering if he was making a mistake.
They rode off into the mountains together after making Jordan promise to spend the day with Marley. Along the way, they met up with several men Nick had sent out to set up a patrol on the perimeter of Serendipity. It was a precaution he hated to see him take, but they all knew that Jordan’s father presented a serious threat. He’d have to find out what Nick’s plan was eventually, but right now, his son needed him more, and that felt good.
When they got back to the cabin, they found Jordan in the kitchen, with a hot frying pan on the stove. “I’m getting tired of eating fish; we’re going to have to start freezing some of these,” she said, holding out her hand for the fish.
Drew had that dizzy feeling again, followed by a huge burst of love for the woman who was willing to eat fish every night for dinner for them. “Come fall, we’ll go hunting, and we’ll see what you say then,” he said, scooping her into his arms and kissing her.
“Gross, you two cannot do that in front of me,” Alex wailed, but Drew could see the smile under his grimace.
“Then you’d better leave the room because I’m about to do it again. Jordan and I have an agreement,” he said, throwing the fish into the sink and pulling her even closer.
“I’m out of here,” Alex said. “Call me when dinner is ready.”
***Jordan***
Days passed, and there was no show from her father, but it was never far from her mind, whether she was out riding with Drew and Alex or cooking them dinner. They’d slipped into a comfortable rhythm, waking and eating together, then off to the barn for a day of work before going home for dinner. No one spoke of the constant threat, but Jordan knew that Drew was always on his guard.
Even when he slept, the slightest noise would wake him, and the only time she knew he was completely relaxed were those precious few moments after they’d made love when he was floating on a cloud of pleasure. She did her best not to mention her father, but he was there with them, a spirit looming over them and their happiness. They didn’t talk about love, were too scared to voice what they felt, both sure that it would jinx their happiness. Alex played along with them, but he was just as tense, snapping at Drew sometimes, then looking shocked with himself.
One night, a week after they’d been married, they sat down to dinner at the little table on the porch just as the sun was going down. Quiet had fallen over Serendipity, and as they sat eating, Jordan felt a sense of peace wash over her. Even with the specter of her father looming over them, life wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. Drew’s confidence had spread to her, and she was beginning to think that she was being given the life she’d always dreamed of.
When Alex’s phone rang, shattering the silence, Drew shot him a dirty look and opened his mouth to scold him, but then Alex said, “That’s my mom.”
Drew closed his mouth, looked over at Jordan, then asked, “Aren’t you going to answer it?”
He got slowly to his feet and went inside; he picked the phone up and said, “Hi, Mom,” his voice devoid of emotion.
Jordan felt bad for him, felt bad that for a child of only twelve, he’d had to face so many obstacles. She saw her concern mirrored on Drew’s face and reached out to touch his arm. “He’ll be okay,” she said.
Drew nodded. “I know, but I still feel guilty. It’s going to take a long time for that to wear off.”
There was a long silence in the living room while Alex listened to his mother. “I’m fine Mom, I promise. We’ve been fishing and stuff,” he said. “No, nothing strange has been going on up here.”
That caught Jordan’s attention, and she listened a little more closely. “I’m fine, Mom, nobody has threatened me.”
After another long silence, Alex said, “Mom, are you there?” She heard him sigh and asked, “Who’s there with you, Mom? Do you have a new boyfriend?”
Jordan couldn’t hear what the woman said, but Alex held the phone away from his ear, then started for the door. She heard him say, “Okay, okay,” and then he came out the door.
He walked over and held the phone out to Drew. “She wants to talk to you,” he said, practically throwing the phone at him. “She seemed fine one second, then she made a funny noise, and I heard a man in the background.”
Drew took the phone from him, a scowl on his face, but after a few minutes, his face relaxed. But then the scowl was back. “Sharon, I can’t le
ave Serendipity right now; you’ll have to come here,” he said.
Jordan felt a flare of jealousy, suppressed it, and let frustration take its place as she watched Drew listening to Alex’s mother. “Look, now just isn’t a good time. Can’t this wait? School doesn’t start for a long time. If you need money, just say so,” he said.
He listened again, making a face she didn’t like, then said, “Fine, but this better not take too long. I have to be home before dark.”
Jordan’s heart dropped, and a wave of disappointment washed over her, but she wasn’t sure why. She trusted Drew, knew that for right now, he was committed to their marriage, but she still had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Then she realized that it wasn’t Drew she didn’t trust; it was the sudden meeting with a woman who’d sworn to never speak to him again.
Drew handed the phone back to Alex. “She wants to talk to me about Alex staying here for the winter. She doesn’t want to wait to have this conversation; she has a job offer that she has to take soon, or she will lose it,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face.
“I’m sorry, Dad, I tried to tell her that you were really busy,” Alex said, looking guilty.
Drew managed a smile for Alex, then said, “It’s okay, son. I’ll just have to go. I’d love to have you here this winter if you want to stay.”
Alex’s face brightened. “Do you mean it? I can stay with you this winter?”
“That’s the idea, but I think we’re going to need a bigger cabin,” Drew said, grinning at them both. “What do you think?”
They lost themselves in planning their new cabin, but the meeting the next day wasn’t far from Jordan’s mind. Something about it was still bothering her, but she knew that Drew had to go, couldn’t risk the woman getting angry and changing her mind. But when they went to bed that night, and it was still on her mind, she couldn’t stop herself from sharing her fears with Drew.
“Something about this meeting with Sharon worries me, Drew,” she said when they were cuddled together in the little bed.
Drew sighed with pleasure and settled her a little closer. “You’re not jealous, are you?” he asked, looking down at her with raised eyebrows.
“I was a little at first; it’s going to take some getting used to being married to a man who attracts women the way you do,” she answered honestly.
Drew grinned at her. “You are the only woman for me, Jordan.”
She thought sure he was going to tell her that he loved her, but instead, he said, “You’re still not satisfied.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful out there,” she said, wishing she was brave enough to tell him that she loved him.
Chapter Twenty
***Drew***
Jordan didn’t repeat her concern the next morning as she told him goodbye, but he could feel the tension in her body when he hugged her. It followed him down the trail to Nick’s house, where he picked up his truck to drive to town. When he took Gideon to the barn, he found Nick mucking stalls and mumbling under his breath about ungrateful daughters.
“You look like you’re having a lot of fun,” he said, scaring Nick, who swung the pitchfork up.
Drew burst out laughing. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
Nick put down the pitchfork. “To what do I owe this visit? As you can see, I’m terribly busy.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t keep you long; I was just going to drop Gideon off while I go into town. Sharon called, and she wants to talk about me keeping Alex for the winter,” he said, trying not to laugh at the picture Nick made scooping manure out of the stall.
He stopped and looked over at Drew, a frown on his face. “Now?”
Drew shrugged. “She got a job offer, and I guess they need an answer right away.”
Nick was silent for a second. “Something doesn’t fit. As far as I know, the only job Sharon ever had in Leadville was cleaning motel rooms. I don’t think she even graduated,” he said.
“Well, she went to Denver to go to school; maybe she was going online or something,” Drew said. “I don’t see that I have any choice; she said now or never.”
“You could get a lawyer,” Nick said.
“Let me try it this way first, and then if I have to, I will,” Drew said. “We’ve got enough going on now without adding more.”
Nick thought about that for a second, then nodded. “I guess you’re right, but be careful. Jordan’s dad may not make a direct strike; he’s smarter than that.”
“Jordan said almost the same thing, but I just can’t see how Sharon could have gotten mixed up in this,” Drew said, brushing off the feeling that he might be wrong.
“Let me know when you get back,” Nick said, shaking his head. “I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right with this meeting.”
“You are turning into a worrywart,” Drew said, handing Gideon over to a groomer. “I’ll be back later this afternoon, and maybe we can celebrate.”
“I hope so,” Nick said.
It felt good to be driving again, Drew thought when he drove away from Nick’s. It had been a long time since he’d been to town and he decided as he pulled onto Main Street that he’d do a little shopping before he headed back to Serendipity. He’d never been big on giving gifts, but he was thinking about a new fishing pole for Alex and something sparkly for Jordan, like a real wedding ring. Thanks to his success, money was not a problem, and for the first time in his life, he was going to enjoy spending what he’d worked so hard to earn.
He noticed that he was too early for his meeting with Sharon just as he was passing a jewelry store, so he pulled in and parked. Sitting in the truck looking at the displays in the window, he absorbed the reality of just how much his life had changed in only a few weeks. He’d gone from being the footloose and fancy-free playboy that Jordan accused him of being to a father and husband, and he’d never been happier in his life.
When he came out of the store, a little velvet box in his pocket, he couldn’t wait to give it to Jordan and couldn’t help but imagine exactly how she’d thank him. Grinning because he’d turned into a romantic, he headed for the tea shop where he was supposed to meet Sharon. She’d chosen the place, and he wasn’t looking forward to trying to sit in one of the little chairs sipping some awful concoction from dainty cups.
Sharon was waiting for him in a corner even though the place was deserted. She smiled and waved him over, but he could see that she was nervous, so he reined in his annoyance and smiled back. When she gestured to the chair across from her, he sat down carefully, hearing it creak and groan under his weight.
Feeling completely off-balance, he perched precariously on the chair and hoped that she’d get right to the point. “How are you, Drew?” she asked, pouring tea into his cup and holding out a plate of little sandwiches.
He took two, thinking that it would take ten to fill him up and set them on his plate. “I’m fine, Sharon,” he said, hoping that a short answer would help her get to the point.
“I’m sorry about the way I left Alex with you, but, well, it’s been hard,” she said.
Drew didn’t want to get into a big discussion about the past but wasn’t sure how to move her on, so he picked up one of the sandwiches and took a bite. Sharon’s eyes got big as she watched him chew, then his mouth started burning, and his throat began to close up. Choking on the bite, he spit it on the floor, grabbed his tea, and drained the cup.
Sharon scooted her chair back, and stared at him, fear in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I didn’t want to do this, Drew, but he made me. He said that he’d hurt Alex if I didn’t do it. I’m sorry,” she said, then his head began to get fuzzy, and everything went dark.
***Jordan***
Jordan turned and paced back through the kitchen and into the living room, then turned and walked back again. Drew should have been home hours ago, and she was beginning to get really worried. The feeling that something was wrong had been creeping up on her all afternoon, and
she was just trying to decide how to sound the alarm when there was a knock on the door.
She flew to the door and threw it open, prepared to throw herself into Drew’s arm, but found Nick standing there instead. “From the look on your face, I know that he’s not here,” he said.
Jordan shook her head. “I thought you were him,” she said. “Something’s gone wrong.”
Nick nodded. “I warned him not to go to that meeting. When he didn’t show up this afternoon, I went looking for him, and the last place he was seen was in a little tea house on Main Street. Someone said they saw him stagger to his truck, and a woman helping him into the passenger seat; she drove them out of town and up into the mountains.”
Jordan’s heart sank. “It’s got to be my father. He’s behind it, I just know it,” she said, anger and fear racing through her blood. “We have to find him.”
“But why take Drew when he wants you?” Nick said.
“I know how my father thinks, and he knows that I’d never let him hurt Drew. He’s going to offer to set him free if I’ll go with him,” she said.
Just then, the satellite phone on the desk began to ring; she looked at Nick, who said, “Pick it up but hold it out so I can hear.”
Just as she picked up the phone, Alex came out of his bedroom; her first instinct was to shoo him back, but instead, she let him stay. It was his father, and he wasn’t a little boy. “Hello,” she said, her voice shaking.
“How nice to finally talk to you, Jordan; it’s so difficult to get a hold of you up here,” her father said. “I won’t waste your time with small talk. I’ve come back to give you one more chance to come home with me willingly, but this time, I’ve given you a little incentive.”
“What have to done to Drew?” she asked.
“Nothing yet,” her father said. “But if I don’t see you at the old mill in ten minutes, I’m going to start chopping pieces of him off, one by one, starting with the part you love best, you little slut.”
Mountain Wolf Playboy (Daddy Wolves 0f The Wild Series Book 3) Page 12