by Cate Beauman
“He’s been botherin’ me, Mommy. I’ve been keepin’ my distance, but he’s still causin’ trouble.”
Mrs. Hendley nodded. “That’s what happens when you lay down with the devil, child.”
“I don’t want to lay down with him anymore. I want to make somethin’ of myself.”
“You got yourself real fancy stuff—nice clothes and fine words.”
“I’m tryin’. I’m tryin’ real hard to change my sinful ways, Mommy.”
Mrs. Hendley looked from Jenny to Reagan. “What would we have to do to make it so Jenny could leave?”
Reagan suppressed a hopeful smile. “I’ve spoken with an attorney—”
“I ain’t got no money for lawyers.”
“That’s okay. I’m paying for the advice.”
Mrs. Hendley nodded.
“My attorney shared two avenues we can pursue. We can either put Jenny under my guardianship, which can take a bit of time, or we can schedule a date with the judge and ask him or her to deem Jenny an Emancipated Minor. You would have to come with us and tell the judge you agree that Jenny no longer needs to remain under your care.”
“I ain’t been takin’ care of her for a while now.”
“Yes, but my attorney thinks it would be best if we keep everything legal. It will help Jenny when she applies for college. As a single mother she’ll be able to get Pell Grants and other financial assistance.”
“Jenny’s really goin’ to college?”
“Oh, definitely.”
“I’d like to think on it some. Big decisions are always worth prayin’ on.”
“Wonderful.” She smiled. “If you don’t mind, I’ll have my attorney move forward and schedule an appointment with the judge. We’ll hike up again or call when we have a date.”
“That would be fine.” She stood. “Although the phone’s been out until I can pay up on the bill.”
Jenny got to her feet. “Mommy, would you want to hold Faith?”
She took a step back, shaking her head. “She’s still not welcome by me. You’re gonna get on out of The Gap and get you an education. That’s as Christian as I can be where that baby of yours is concerned.”
Reagan saw the flash of hurt in Jenny’s eyes. She took her hand, giving a squeeze of support. “We should probably get home before Faith’s ready for her next bottle.”
Jenny nodded. “Bye, Mommy.”
“Bye now. You come on back with a date.”
“We will. Thank you, Mrs. Hendley.” They walked out into the cool temperatures and started back down the hill with Chase.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“I think that went really well.” Better than she’d expected.
Jenny shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Your mother hurt your feelings.”
“There’s nothin’ wrong with Faith,” Jenny said in a rush of hot words.
She took Jenny’s hand again. “You’re absolutely right. Faith’s perfect; we both know it. It’s unfortunate your mother doesn’t.”
“It makes me so mad.”
“It makes me mad too, but you know what?”
“What?”
“You’re getting out of The Gap.”
She grinned. “I am, huh?”
“You bet.” She tugged Jenny against her, wrapping her close with one arm.
“We should celebrate. Let’s do makeovers and eat junk food.”
She needed to go into the clinic, just in case she had a chance to report a patient visit for the director, but today Jenny needed her more. “I think that sounds great. Chase, are you up for makeovers and junk food?”
He smiled. “I’ll let you ladies have fun with the makeup, but I’ll never turn down junk food.”
“Perfect.” She roped her arm through his, hoping that maybe for once, things might be all right. “Let’s go home.”
~~~~
Shane let himself into his hotel room, walked to his bed, and collapsed back, groaning as he rubbed at his tired eyes. Cally’s concert tour had been two non-stop weeks of insanity. The singer’s management had booked her schedule to the max, leaving little time to eat, let alone sleep.
Sighing, he pulled his phone from his jeans, opened his e-mail, and grinned. Jenny had sent him one of her daily messages: Look what you’re missing… And today she sent pictures as well. He flipped through, smiling at the photo of Faith with a pink bow secured in the few strands of blond hair on her head. He chuckled at the slightly blurry selfie of Jenny and Reagan sticking out their tongues with their eyes crossed. They both looked great with their hair curled and makeup in place.
He flipped to the next picture and his smile faded, turning into a long steaming breath as he looked at Faith laying between Jenny and Reagan on Jenny’s bed, the three of them smiling for the camera. His heart ached; he was missing them like crazy. His days and nights were pure madness, yet he thought of them constantly. But it was Reagan who haunted him most, making sleep nearly impossible. Every time he closed his eyes she was there, staring into his gaze, smiling sweetly as she had when he lay inside her their last night together in The Gap.
Swallowing, he studied the beautiful woman, longing to run his fingers through her shiny hair and feel her soft lips give against his. His gaze slid over the silver and sapphire bracelet secured around her wrist, slightly relieved that she still wore the jewelry he’d given her. In the weeks he’d been gone, she’d made no attempt to contact him—no calls, texts, or e-mails. He checked his watch and dialed Chase’s number.
“This is Rider.”
“Hey, it’s Shane.”
“Hey man, how’s Madrid?”
“Fucking brutal.”
“Ah, the good old days.”
He smiled. “You bored yet?”
“I don’t know if ‘bored’ is the right word. Ethan’s keeping me busy, and Reagan, Jenny, and Faith are definitely entertaining, but I have to admit this duty sucks.”
“It takes some getting used to.” He heard the laughter in the background. “Sounds like there’s some fun going on out there.”
“We’re going to play some apple game, which I’ve been assured is a hell of a time. Reagan and Jenny are throwing sundaes together for us first. We’re celebrating.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Jenny’s mother agreed to a court date so Jenny and the baby can leave with Reagan when her contract is up.”
A weight lifted off his shoulders. “That’s amazing.”
“They’re certainly happy about it.”
“Is everything else good?”
“Yeah, pretty uneventful.”
Jenny and Reagan hooted again in the background. “Any more problems with Terry?”
“No. It poured fucking buckets here for the past few days, so today’s the first time we were actually able to get out of the cabin. We hiked up to Jenny’s house. The one thing this place has going for it is its views.”
Reagan’s sexy legs flashed in his mind. “There are definitely some good ones.”
“Did you want to talk to Reagan?”
He never wanted to stop talking to Reagan, so it was better not to start. “Nah. Let the ladies have their fun.”
“Here you go, Chase. You said you wanted big,” Reagan said on a laugh.
Chase chuckled. “Jesus. Thanks. My sundae’s here, man.”
Shane clenched his jaw as he heard Reagan’s voice and the easy way she spoke to his coworker. “I’ll let you go then.”
“Talk to you later.”
“Yeah.” He hung up, scrubbing his hands over his face. Things were good in The Gap. They were happy, celebrating…and he wasn’t there. He looked at Jenny’s message again. Look what you’re missing…
He was well aware that he was missing out on everything.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Reagan sat at her desk in the clinic, scanning data on one of the places under her consideration for relocation. With an upcoming court date in place for Jenny’s anticipated emancipation, she
’d spent the last few days researching nursing schools all over the country. She wanted to narrow down her options to three to talk over with Jenny and share with the judge. Luckily her profession afforded her and the girls the opportunity to move anywhere they chose, but she had yet to look into employment for herself. The idea of responding to STAT calls and Code Blues was as overwhelming as securing a new home in a new state with two people depending on her.
The phone rang at her side, and she absently picked it up as she bookmarked the University of Iowa’s College of Nursing page. “Black Bear Gap Clinic. This is Doctor Rosner.”
“Get out,” someone hissed in her ear, as they did at least three times a day and on occasion in the middle of the night.
She slammed down the phone, her heart beating faster as she blinked in the dim light, realizing she’d lost track of time and that the sun had set. “Damn,” she whispered, closing her laptop as she looked over her shoulder toward the porch light on at the cabin. Ever since she’d realized she was being followed, she’d kept her hours at the clinic short, making certain she was never alone after dusk.
She gave a weary look to the phone and rushed to her feet. Since the night of their hike to the Hendley’s, she’d been barraged by creepy calls. The messages varied to some degree, but they all had the same theme: She wasn’t welcome here. She was as eager to go as they were to see her gone, but that wasn’t an option at this point.
Grabbing her keys, she did a visual check of the safe and turned off the remaining lights, chastising herself for not paying attention to the clock. She closed the closet and whirled, screaming when a loud bang echoed off the waiting room window. Her breath heaved as she crept slowly toward the noise, whimpering and jumping again when a shadow passed in front of her office window.
She hurried into the pediatric exam room and shut the door, jamming a chair under the knob and picked up the phone, dialing the cabin.
“Hello?”
Fisting her hand, she swallowed, fighting to school her breathing. “Hey, Chase, it’s Reagan. I uh—I didn’t realize how dark it’s gotten. I didn’t bring a flashlight. Do you think maybe you could peek your head out the front door and wait for me?”
“No problem. Dinner’s just about ready. I tried that beef stew from the pile of recipes Shane got from Sophie.”
The thought of eating sickened her already shuddering stomach. “Mmm. Sounds good. I—I just need to grab my laptop.”
“I’ll be waiting for you. I have the door open right now.”
“Okay, great.” She hung up, hesitating before she moved the chair out of the way, afraid of what might be on the other side. Rushing into her office she yanked the laptop off her desk, not bothering to grab the charger, and bolted out the door. She sent Chase a wave and locked up, then walked quickly, her eyes darting about in the dark.
“Take your time,” Chase called.
Not on your life. “I don’t mind hurrying. Dinner sounds delicious.” She dashed up the steps and walked inside.
Chase closed the door, turned, and frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Definitely.” She smiled brightly, toeing off her shoes.
“You’re pale.”
She was sweating too and doing everything in her power to hold back the need to shake. “I feel great.”
He held her gaze, his eyes narrowing as he studied her, then shrugged. “You’re the doctor.”
“I am.” She moved to the windows, yanking the curtains closed, certain that the man in the leather jacket was watching her every move. “It’s really chilly out there tonight. This should help keep in the heat.”
Chase stared at her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Mmm.” She nodded. “Absolutely.” She wanted to tell him about the terrifying phone calls and quiet taps against her bedroom windows in the middle of the night and tonight’s loud bang at the clinic. She yearned to spill her guts about the endless intimidation tactics but smiled instead. She was so close to securing Jenny and Faith’s future outside of The Gap. She wasn’t about to start mentioning anything to Chase now with their court date less than a week away and the director constantly breathing down her neck. Soon she would tell Chase everything, but not until she held the legal documents in her hand that guaranteed Jenny and Faith were leaving with her. “I’m going to—”
“You’ve gotta see this.” Jenny came down from the loft with Faith in her arms, wearing a smooth tinfoil crown on her head while Faith wore pink and black pajamas and her cat-ear headband.
Halloween. She’d forgotten.
“Come look at this.” Jenny yanked on Reagan’s wrist, dragging her upstairs to the computer. “Look what I found.” She bounced on her feet.
Reagan winced even as Jenny supported the baby’s neck and Faith laughed. “Why don’t you give me Faith?”
Jenny handed over the baby and sat down, wiggling the mouse. “It’s him. It’s Shane.”
Reagan leaned closer to the monitor, looking at the paparazzi shots of Cally Carlisle with Shane at her side. In one frame he wore jeans and a black polo as he opened the main hotel door for the singer. In the next he stood inches from her in a black suit with an earpiece in place and his wrist close to his open mouth as if he spoke into some sort of device while Cally signed autographs from the safety of the metal barriers separating her from her fans. Finally, he climbed the stairs of Cally’s private plane, his eyes shielded by sunglasses, his tough build accentuated by jeans and a brown bomber jacket.
“Isn’t this cool? Shane Harper, our Shane, is all over the internet standing next to Cally Carlisle.”
Her heart hurt as she studied his striking face in the first two paparazzi shots. “It’s pretty neat.”
Jenny whirled in her chair. “Pretty neat? It’s way more awesome than that. I’m gonna e-mail him right now.”
The phone rang, and Reagan automatically tensed.
“Jenny, it’s for you,” Chase called. “It’s your sister.”
Reagan pressed her lips together, releasing a quiet breath through her nose, trying her best to relax. She was home now. She was safe in the cabin.
“I’ll be right back. Oh.” She paused and turned, grabbing another tinfoil crown, securing it on Reagan’s head. “There. Now you’re ready for our Netflix ghoul fest. I made the cookies too.”
She didn’t know if her nerves could handle the ghoul fest Jenny had planned for the three of them after Faith headed off to bed. “I can’t wait.”
“It’s gonna be awesome.” Jenny dashed off for the phone.
Reagan glanced at Shane’s handsome face once more on the screen and closed her eyes, longing for him. Then she turned away. “Should we help Chase with the table, sweetie?” She took the baby’s hand in hers, kissing Faith’s fingers.
Faith blinked up at her and smiled.
“Aw, you sure know how to make a girl feel better.”
Faith cooed.
Chuckling, she kissed the baby’s forehead. “Let’s go be helpers.” She walked down to the dining area, snagging the spoons Chase set in the center of the table. “I’ll take care of this.”
“You have your color back.”
She smiled. “I really am fine, but thanks for your concern.”
“Is Faith having stew too?” He smiled at the baby.
She shook her head. “Afraid not. She still has a couple more months of just formula ahead of her.”
He grimaced. “Bummer.”
Chase worked constantly and was serious more than he wasn’t, but on occasion his sense of humor shined through. She grinned. “Luckily she doesn’t seem to mind.”
“I would. Have you smelled that stuff?” He shuddered.
Reagan laughed.
He touched his finger to Faith’s chin. “She’s a beautiful baby.”
“She really is. She looks just like her mom.”
“Reagan, I need to talk to you.” Jenny hurried in, taking Reagan’s hand. “Sorry, Chase, I really need to talk to Reagan.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he said as he set the bowls on placemats.
Jenny pulled Reagan down the hall, the excitement of the last few minutes clearly gone.
“What’s the matter?” Whatever it was, she knew she wasn’t going to like it.
Jenny shut them in her room, and Reagan hurried over to the curtains, closing them with a snap.
“Reagan.” Jenny leaned back against the door. “My sister just called.”
“I know.”
“She’s sayin’ some stuff—really awful stuff.”
She sat on Jenny’s bed, preparing herself for the next blow. “Like what?”
Jenny puffed out a long breath. “Well, lot’s of people are talkin’ about some girl in New York—Mable or something like that.”
Her stomach clutched as her past came back to haunt her for the second time in less than a week.
“They’re saying you did somethin’ wrong and killed her, and that’s why you left and came here.”
She rushed to her feet, certain she was going to vomit. “I didn’t—I need to—”
Jenny gripped her arm before she could bolt out the door. “There’s more, Reagan.” Jenny held her gaze, her eyes full of apology. “Shirley said some of Henry’s kids are tellin’ folks you had their daddy burnt to a crisp because you didn’t want anyone findin’ out you were wrong about the black lung stuff too. They’re thinkin’ you’re tryin’ to cover up that the doctor in Lexington is right.”
She shook her head, trying to take it all in. “What?”
“That’s what they’re sayin’. Lot’s of people are belivin’ it, and they’re pretty mad.”
She walked back to Jenny’s bed and sat slowly as her world completely fell apart. Someone had done their homework and effectively turned the tables on their deception, further cementing her as the lying bad guy. “I wanted Henry to have an autopsy so we could prove that he did have progressive massive fibrosis. I wanted his family to receive proper compensation.”
“I know that.” Jenny sat next to her. “I know the truth, Reagan.”
Every day something new and disastrous seemed to happen. Doctor Schlibenburg, Terry, Henry, the man in the leather jacket, the constant stream of phone calls. What was next? “I don’t even have the authority to order a cremation; only next of kin can do that.”