by James, Ranay
Jesse dialed the phone.
Josh was spent physically and emotionally. Watching the doc walk away without so much as a backward glance was one of the hardest things he had endured, and it had been by his own hand. He spent the last three hours in his training studio beating anything and everything he could get his hands on to relieve the hurt and anger he was feeling.
For the first time in years, he had fallen in love again, truly, deeply in love, and the woman was not fit as a mother. She was irresponsible with his child and would be the same with any future children.
God, how he prayed their having sex would not have long term repercussions. They had used protection. They were responsible adults, except the condom had broken this morning. It happened sometimes, and at the time he had not worried. Now, he was.
Again, he had miscalculated with a woman he desired. What was wrong with him that he could not see past a pretty face and a great pair of legs?
Climbing the stairs with the intention of seeking a hot shower, he passed Jesse’s door. He stopped dead at the top of the stairway hearing her on the phone.
“Yes, of course, I feel terrible, Aunt Shelly. I don’t know how to make this right.”
Make what right, Josh wondered as he stood listening, now in the doorway.
“I did not mean to hurt them, honest. I just wanted her to go away. I didn’t want my daddy to be hurt by her like my mom hurt him. He deserves better than someone like my mother.”
Her aunt had just told her not all women were of the same disposition as her mother had been, and it was grossly unfair of her to judge all her father’s female friends by the same standard.
“I lied to him, Aunt Shelly. I’m so sorry, I did. I saw him crying. It broke his heart to make her leave. I can’t imagine how Jamie feels. What should I do?” Jesse sniffed hard as her own tears fell on the mouthpiece of the phone.
Josh’s heart raced fully understanding the ramification of her confession. Just as Jamie had called it, Jesse fabricated the story in order for him to push Jamie out.
Dear God, he thought. What had he done to her?
Josh wanted to sink into the floor. “Jesse, tell Aunt Shelly good bye and hang up the phone. We need to talk.”
She obeyed, without question, just as she did in the years before her rebellion began.
“Daddy, I’m sorry.” She jumped up and ran to him throwing her arms around his waist. “I did not mean for it to hurt you or Jamie. Maybe, I did at first, but not now, I swear. I just wanted to protect you like you protect me. And I don’t want to end up like my mother. I want to be a good girl,” she sobbed.
He held her out away from him so he could see her face. “Oh, Jesse, you are a good girl, and there are several things I hope you do take from your mother. She was far from perfect, but in spite of what you may think, your mother was not all bad, Baby Girl. She was graceful, beautiful, and had a great sense of humor and loved you very much in her own way.”
“I swear, Daddy, I don’t want to walk that same path she did. I want you to be proud of me.”
Her tears were very real and they tore at Josh. He held her close and rocked her much in the same way he did when she was a child.
“And I am proud. You’re a great athlete, a good student, and do good things for the community, Jess. I will always love you and be proud of you. I’m just not proud of what you did.”
Josh was sick at heart. He had not simply pushed Jamie aside. He had forcefully shoved her away physically and emotionally. He had not let her down gently. He might as well have shoved her out of a airplane without a chute.
“Can we fix it?” Her plea was pathetic.
Josh sensed deep down Jesse realized there could possibly be no going back on this one.
“We may not be able to repair this, Honey,” he said wiping the tears away, praying to God he was wrong.
Jesse looked down at her feet ashamed of herself. “As important as it is for you to be proud of me, it is just as important I be proud of myself. I’m not proud right now, Daddy. I’ve shamed you and my family name. I’ve hurt you and I hurt her, too. I need to tell her I’m sorry. Can I call her? Please. I need to try to fix this for all of us.”
Her grief stricken face was almost more than he could take. As a father he was heartbroken and disappointed in her behavior. Nonetheless, he was proud she had the nerve to try and find a solution before too much time passed. She could never understand that this might not be a situation a simple apology could mend.
As a man, he was at a loss. He, too, had behaved in an unbecoming manner. He professed to love her and a few hours later accused her of a false wrong. If Jamie never spoke to him again, he would never, ever, blame her. And even if she did forgive him, it was no guarantee she would allow him back into her life. Her trust was hard won, and he was not sure she would give him a second shot.
He should have believed her. He should have seen the lie for what it was, thin and ridiculous. He had never seen her take a single drop of alcohol on their dates, and there had been ample opportunity. Nevertheless, he was quick to believe the worst about her. Blinded by his own bias, he placed a wedge between his heart and the one woman he felt he might be able to share the rest of his life.
“We are going to go one better than a phone call, Pumpkin. Get dressed,” he commanded. “We have some serious groveling to do.”
Chapter 24
Jamie forcefully tossed her suitcase on the bed. Killer daftly sidestepped opting for a safer perch on his pillow by the headboard. Barbara brought Killer back to her after delivering Josh his truck and offering to talk to him while she was there. Jamie told her to do whatever she felt she was big enough to do. She did not care. She was done with Sheriff Jackass.
School was out for the Christmas break. She was not teaching a crash course in between semesters and was free to leave town. The school had already granted her request for a two-year leave of absence while on her fellowship in England with the museum. All obligations there were secured. The museum had secured all her work visas, and she was going to be living initially with the museum curator and his wife until she could get her bearings and find an affordable flat.
She impulsively decided to sell her house and contacted the Realtor she had used when she bought the house initially. There was already a sign in the yard. It made her a little sad, but it was just a house.
The only thing pressing was her agreement to guest lecture for a seminar at Cambridge after the first of the year.
She made two more calls to her assistant and the head of maintenance facilities to arrange for them to pack and store her meager personal belongings and office contents while she was away. She saw no reason to return to the United States once the seminar obligations were accomplished. She would have the crates shipped to England as soon as she obtained a more permanent address.
She had received an invitation from Trey to come enjoy Miami if she desired. Initially, she declined the offer of spending Christmas in Florida. However, she was a woman and reserved the right to change her mind, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She would fly to England from Miami.
Killer jumped off the bed coming back with his leash in his mouth. If she was going so was he. After looking up the requirements of bring a dog into the U.K., she figured it was doable. All his shots were current, and she had all the documentation handy. Fortunately, all her travel papers were in order. She would not have to have him shipped over later.
Screw Josh and screw the investigation, she thought as she tossed five tank tops and three pairs of shorts into the case.
They could just do without her, she vowed, tossing in her flip-flops, bathing suit, and sun visor.
He had gotten all the services she was going to give him both personally and professionally.
Never again she vowed, tossing in a couple of books she had just never found time to read. Ironic, she thought, considering her age.
Whoever was killing all these women was obviously not after her. There
had not been a single instance over the last month where she was even remotely in danger.
By all accounts Derek’s dad was begging for the judge to have mercy on his son. Derek’s threats of his daddy legally pounding the crap out of the university and Josh were not coming to fruition. Someone had captured it all on tape and had turned the evidence over to the local authorities. The fact someone had taped the incident bothered her, yet she understood video was everywhere these days. At least she had not ended up on YouTube. At least not that she knew of.
Taylor’s charges had been lessened, and he was getting probation considering he called 911 after he saw the real scoop, gladly making statements to the police. She did not feel he was a threat to her.
Derek was another matter.
If he ever managed to be released from house arrest, he could well be a threat. Josh seemed to understand her concern and was keeping her informed on his whereabouts. Currently, Derek was home in Dallas under mandated house arrest. The judge released him with the extracted promise his father was to keep his son on a tight leash.
“Stinking, rotten, no good men and their devil’s spawn,” she mumbled as she tossed her makeup and toiletries in with little care. Killer was sitting dutifully on the bed, leash at his feet, shaking his tiny body sending the bell on his collar tinkling. “See if another hairy beast gets into my bed as easily.”
Killer barked once as if he took the comment personally.
“Not you. You keep my feet warm, so at least you serve a useful purpose.”
Stopping for a moment, she was thinking about Josh. She conceded he was a very handsome, hairy beast, and would be a hard act for any mere mortal man to follow. He was, simply put, an Adonis in a rugged Texan, manly sort of way. It was beside the point. What wasn’t beside the point was the fact he had treated her with disdain, convicting her of a crime she did not commit. She was not about to put up with such behavior no matter how handsome the face.
“No good deed goes unpunished, Killer,” she advised, scratching her canine companion behind the ears. “Remember, think about it the next time you are going to fetch some man’s slippers for him. Just say no, boy.” Killer whined, lifting one foot off the bed as if to give her a high five.
“Maybe quick and dirty casual sex is just what I need?”
Killer growled.
“No?” She paused, thoughtfully looking at her tiny companion. “You’re right. Not my style.”
She had had very few physical relationships in her adult life. She was not totally inexperienced, but she was not free with her body either. Her first was a very hot fling with a young, sexy Roman legionnaire in 210 A.D. It had only been lust driven by youth and the excitement of the forbidden. Josh went way beyond lust.
She was 3,263 years old, and she was not going to let him be the catalyst for her tossing her morality out the window. She was not about to become sluttish, not at this stage of her life.
She packed two dress suits for her professional obligations and enough casual wear for several days. She would buy what she needed once she got there if her hasty packing proved woefully inadequate. A week or two in Miami seemed just the thing as she changed her flight plans on the airline's ticketing website.
Checking in online she had just enough time to get to the airport for her connecting flight to Dallas and then nonstop to Miami. Remembering that Tray owned a condo on South Beach, she decided she would like to catch up with him while she was down there on holiday. There could never be anything romantic between them. Nonetheless, he was great company, and it would hack Josh off royally if he ever came to his senses. Not that she cared.
Serves him right, she mumbled.
She picked up Trey’s card, dialed but only got his answering service. She left a message for him to call her on her cell if he got the message before the week was out. Giving the service the name of the hotel she reserved for the duration of her stay, she put Trey out of her mind. He would either meet her or not; either way she was fine with or without his company.
Killer hopped into his airline approved carrier, favorite toy in mouth as she picked up her keys and suitcase. Heading out the door, she dutifully locked it behind her right after setting the alarm. She changed the code. If Josh tried to get in, he was in for a surprise.
Davis, her devoted guard for the night, quickly got out of his truck as he saw her making her way to her SUV with bag and dog in hand.
“Here, let me help you, Dr. Gillman, and where are you going? Does Josh know you're leaving?” Davis fired the questions.
He did not like this at all and neither would Josh. He knew from Barbara the Doc and Josh had a fight, or more like a one-sided misunderstanding, but he would bet Josh still cared for her. Davis had known Josh a lot of years, but never knew of Josh allowing a woman to stay the weekend with him or teaching random women self-defense. This one had to be different than the rest of the women his friend had dated in the past.
He would come around, Davis felt sure, because Josh was primetime in love, which was about as obvious as the fact Doc Bonz was leaving.
Jamie wanted to scream.
Josh no longer mattered and had absolutely no say in her life any longer if he ever really did. She gave him his shot at his very own Fairy Princess, literally, and he blew it. She did not have time for his family issues, nor was she inclined to take the kind of verbal abuse he had doled out earlier. If she were so inclined, she would go back to the Fairy Court.
“No, Josh doesn’t know, Davis, and furthermore, it is none of his damn business that I am going to the airport. Feel free to follow me as far as airport security. After that, all of you can just stay the hell away from me,” she warned as she slammed the door and put the SUV into reverse. Davis had to run a very yellow light just to keep up with her. He dreaded making the call to Josh.
Mr. Owens beat Davis to it.
Chapter 25
Josh was still a half hour out of town when his phone vibrated on his hip. It was Jamie’s neighbor. He was very surprised, knowing instinctively this could not be good news.
“Sheriff? This is Tom Owens, Jamie’s neighbor.”
Josh acknowledged the older man, his gut twisting into knots.
“Listen, Son, I like you in spite of myself,” Mr. Owens confessed, “but Doc deserves a good man to take care of her, give her babies, mow the grass, and paint that house of hers. I don’t know what you said or did, but if I were you, I’d go after her and apologize.”
“What are you saying, Tom?” Josh had a sinking feeling he was not going to like the next words out of Mr. Owens’s mouth.
“Now, Sheriff, can I assume Jamie has her suitcase packed and is backing out of her driveway as we speak because of you?” He was not going to drop the bomb just yet that there was a fresh ‘For Sale’ sign in the yard.
Mr. Owens had been around the block a time or two. It was not a stretch in his mind that the sheriff was probably being daft and had put his foot square into his mouth where Jamie was concerned.
“She is a big girl, Tom. She has Davis with her and I won’t chase after her,” Josh said defensively all the while wondering what she was up to with her latest revolt and realizing chasing after her was exactly what he was doing.
“No, Sheriff, Davis is not with her. She left him behind eating her dust.”
Josh tightened his death grip on the steering wheel. Where in the hell did she think she was going? She was angry with him and hurt because of Jesse’s and his actions and that he could fully understand. Now, as a result, she could well be placing herself into danger leaving town without benefit of escort. If she were hurt in the process, it was entirely his and Jesse’s fault for pushing her outside the boundaries of safety. It did not matter she made the decisions all on her own. He and Jesse had been the catalysts.
“Let me give you some fatherly advice. You might just want to rethink your position, Josh. Personally, I’d do whatever it takes to make up with that girl. Women like her and my Eloise are the best thing a guy
like you and me will ever hope to have giving us a second look.”
Tom figured Josh needed to do more than eat a little crow. Josh probably needed to eat a bus load of crow at this juncture. He probably also needed to buy Jamie a really, really nice piece of jewelry accompanied with a heartfelt apology to get that girl back judging from her reaction earlier.
She was deeply wounded.
Furthermore, he had not lived as long as he had not to know being wounded was always way worse on the bonds of a relationship than fightin’ mad could ever be.
Mr. Owens knew something Josh said or had done had to be the reason behind Jamie’s very hurried trip out of town and rash decision to sell her home. He knew it was none of his business, but still felt it was his duty to butt in where Josh probably felt he did not belong.
Tom looked over at Eloise, his wife of forty-eight years. He still loved her madly. He also knew emphatically if forty-nine years ago a nosy neighbor had not given him some frank and unsolicited advice, he too would probably have missed out on the best thing to ever walk into his life.
Josh might not appreciate his unsolicited advice at the moment, but he will, Tom thought, when he is bouncing his grandchildren on his knees with Jamie by his side.
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Josh snapped back.
“Well, you just do that, Sheriff, but keep in mind while you are waffling back and forth over something which should be a very easy decision, she is boarding a flight to Dallas and then to God knows where. Are you prepared to let that fine, decent woman walk?”
Josh did not think for a single moment she was leaving Lubbock for good. She had just bought a house and was too devoted to her classes and career to just up and leave at a moment’s notice. She was just leaving to blow off steam and to put some distance between them. Both were justified. He was a jerk and Jesse had behaved horribly.