by B. J Daniels
“Billie Dee, I’ll wait as long as it takes,” he said behind her.
She nodded, fighting tears. “I want to marry you, you know I do.”
“I do,” he said, putting his arms around her. “But you want your daughter at the wedding. I told you. I’ll wait.”
“But can I?” She turned to look at his handsome face. He was the most patient man she’d ever known, the kindest, the most generous. “I feel awful making you wait. Making us both wait.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “It isn’t as if we’re not together in every other way.”
She smiled up at him through her tears. He wiped one away with his thumb. “I love you so much.”
“I love you.” He kissed her. It felt like a promise, one she planned to take him up on.
From inside the saloon, Billie Dee heard Ashley Jo let out a startled cry, then the sound of happy laughter. She wondered what that was about.
* * *
GIGI THREW HER arms around her best friend, laughing at AJ’s surprise at finding her standing in the Stagecoach Saloon. “Come on, you knew I’d have to come up here.”
“I didn’t. I know how stubborn you can be.” She pulled back to look at Gigi. “I’ve missed you so much. I was afraid when I told you what I’d done, you’d never talk to me again.”
“So is she here?” Gigi whispered and looked down the hallway.
“She is. Can’t you smell the gumbo cooking?”
Gigi laughed. “I couldn’t believe it when I came through the front door. I’m not sure I’m ready to meet her.”
“Whatever you want, I’m just glad you’re here.”
“That gumbo smells so good,” Gigi said, looking down the hallway to the kitchen again.
“I can get you a bowl. Or you can come back to the kitchen. We don’t have to tell Billie Dee yet—if that’s what you want.”
Gigi hesitated, but only for a moment. The smell of the gumbo was like a lasso dragging her toward the kitchen. Her curiosity tugged at her.
“Maybe I’ll just meet her, one cook to another.” She realized she was trembling. She’d wondered about the woman who’d given her birth and given her up.
Her mother had assured her that her birth mother had wanted her. But Gigi figured all adoptive mothers said that. According to AJ, it was true that she’d been loved. That her mother hadn’t wanted to give her up. She’d said Billie Dee had been forced to give her up. But forced by whom?
“Not today. I want to get a motel and freshen up. Maybe we could talk later?”
AJ looked disappointed for a moment but quickly hid it. “Absolutely. We have a lot of catching up.” She hugged her tightly. “I’m so glad you came to Montana. You won’t be sorry.”
Gigi hoped she was right.
* * *
DREY HUNG UP at the sound of the woman’s sleepy voice, recalling that Jet had an alibi for the other morning. According to the sheriff, he’d been with a woman who swore Jet had been with her the whole time. Apparently he was still with her. Or was this a new one?
Settling in to wait, she told herself that Jet and his friend couldn’t spend all their time in the hotel. Within thirty minutes she realized that she should have brought something to drink and eat. Her first mistake. Also, she was going to have to use the bathroom at some point. Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea.
But as she was doubting herself, she saw Jet come out the front door of the hotel. He stopped on the front steps and looked around.
Drey quickly slid down to hide behind the steering wheel. She didn’t think he would notice the SUV because there were so many like it around town.
He stood for a moment, then turned back to the doors he’d just exited. She realized that he was waiting for someone. Her heart began to pound. He couldn’t be waiting for Ethan, she told herself. But she knew that it wouldn’t have surprised her that much if Ethan had come through those doors—especially if the two of them were in this together.
Drey watched as Jet waited, clearly getting impatient. The doors began to open. Jet stepped to them, grabbed one of the handles and swung it wide, but it wasn’t Ethan who stepped out.
The woman was tall, slim and redheaded. She wore jeans, a blouse and sandals. Gold twinkled at her wrist, her throat, her earlobes. She smiled broadly as she took Jet’s hand and the two walked to his sports car.
Drey’s heart was in her throat. The red hair had thrown her for a moment, but the smile... She would never forget that smile or the fact that Lena loved gold jewelry. She’d borrowed one of Drey’s bracelets, a gift from Hawk, and hadn’t returned it before she’d dropped out of the university.
Jet and Lena, she thought with a curse as she sat up and watched the two wait for the valet to get their car. What did surprise her was the midsize rental-looking car that was brought around. Not Jet’s sports car.
Lena took the keys from the valet and gave him a big smile along with what must have been a handsome tip before sliding behind the wheel. Jet went around to climb into the passenger seat, but she could tell he didn’t like it.
Meanwhile, Lena had her window down and appeared to be asking for directions. She patted the valet’s hand before she pulled out, making the tires chirp. Drey thought about following them, but it would be next to impossible in a town this size not to be spotted.
Also, it appeared they were leaving the city limits as Lena turned onto the highway headed out of town. They hadn’t taken any luggage so she knew they would be back.
She sat for a moment before she started her car. Hawk didn’t want her going back to the house. But now she knew. Jet and Lena. She no longer had to wonder how Jet had known about the drugs Drey had been addicted to. One mystery solved, she thought.
But what were they after? They thought she was taking the drugs. She didn’t feel as worried about staying in the house. Wouldn’t they be surprised when they realized she was onto them?
* * *
GIGI HAD A restless night after AJ left. They’d talked until the wee hours. This morning, she knew what she had to do. She had to at least see her birth mother. She’d come all this way. She couldn’t pretend it had been only to see AJ, although it was wonderful being around her friend.
“I thought I’d stop by the saloon again,” she’d told AJ over the phone.
“You picked a great day. Billie Dee is making her Texas chili. Come to the back entrance because we don’t open for a few hours.”
Driving over, she couldn’t help being nervous. She was finally going to lay eyes on the woman who shared her genes. While her adoptive parents had been everything she could have asked for, she had still yearned for someone who looked like her.
When people in the family talked about getting traits from various grandparents, she had wondered about her own biological family and what traits she might have gotten from them. She’d always thought she would never know.
After parking, she climbed out of the car. Someone was singing. She remembered what AJ had told her as she stopped to listen. It had to be Billie Dee. She had a wonderful voice. The song was an old one, the kind her nanny used to sing to her.
Gigi tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. She hesitated for a moment, not sure she could do this. But the music seemed to pull her. Following the sound, she walked to the back door of the saloon. As she pushed the door open, she instantly became lured by the wonderful kitchen scents.
Just inside the door, she stopped. Standing at the stove was a large woman singing and stirring a huge pot of what smelled like chili. Billie Dee? The woman was just winding up her song.
Out of the corner of her eye, Gigi saw an older, handsome cowboy sitting at the small table off to the side. He seemed startled to see her.
AJ came noisily down the stairs, all grins. Gigi had a moment where she wanted to turn and run.
“Billie Dee?” her friend s
aid, grabbing Gigi’s hand as if she’d seen her need to escape. “I want you to meet a friend of mine.”
Billie Dee turned from the stove, Gigi locked eyes with the woman. Blue eyes—eyes the same color and shape as her own. The cook froze, those blue eyes widened. The large spoon in her hand dropped to the floor at her feet. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could, she fainted.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
DREY SAW THE next morning that she had six calls from Hawk and four voice mail messages. She listened to the first and last message. She texted him to say she was fine, then showered, dressed and headed back to the hotel where Jet and Lena were staying. She’d seen Lena talking to the valet and was curious what she’d asked him.
Parking down the street, she saw that the same valet was on duty who’d been there yesterday evening. She reached for her door handle as her cell phone rang. It was Hawk. She pushed Disregard and stepped into the street. He wouldn’t like what she was doing, but she had to take her life back and she felt as if this was a start. Her phone went off again. This time it was a text.
I can see you.
She stared at the text startled for a moment until she saw it was from Hawk. She looked up and spotted his pickup parked down the block.
What r u doing here?
Obviously the same thing you are.
Drey looked down the street in his direction.
I think we should have coffee in the café since we’re both here.
She started to pass. Then—
I have a plan.
She did love a man with a plan especially since right now she didn’t have one.
Drey texted back. I love a plan.
She crossed the street and caught the valet before he could park one of the guests’ cars. “That woman, the redhead, who you got her car for yesterday evening. Was she by any chance asking for directions?”
He was a little younger than Drey and quite cute up close. He didn’t seem surprised by the question. “Wanted to know if there were places to eat in any of the towns around here.”
“Are there?”
He laughed. “Not much for miles. But I told them about the cafés in Grass Range. You looking for a good place to eat?”
“Right now I’m going to have a coffee at the hotel restaurant, but you seem to be the person to ask when I get ready for my next meal.”
He smiled at that and gave her a wink. “I’ll steer you in the right direction.”
“I bet you would.” She looked up to find Hawk watching the exchange. He didn’t look happy.
* * *
BILLIE DEE BLINKED as she came to. For a moment she thought she was seeing double. She looked from Gigi to Ashley Jo and back again. She saw Henry looking worried behind them. “How did I—”
“I carried you upstairs. You’re in Ashley Jo’s apartment over the saloon,” Henry said. “I was afraid you might have hit your head on the stove.”
She tried to sit up on the couch where she lay.
“Easy,” he said, quickly moving to her.
Henry was right. She felt light-headed as she sat up.
Billie Dee stared at the young woman with Ashley Jo, feeling faint again.
“Why don’t we all sit down?” Henry suggested.
She watched Ashley Jo and the other woman take a chair in front of the couch. Ashley Jo glanced at her friend. The young woman, who was the spitting image of Ashley Jo, nodded slowly.
“Billie Dee, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t sure how to spring this on you,” Ashley Jo said.
“What is going on?” Billie Dee asked.
“Where do I start?” Ashley Jo said.
Her friend groaned. “AJ—”
“This isn’t easy for me either, Gigi.”
“Maybe you could introduce us to your friend,” Henry suggested.
“This is Georgia ‘Gigi’ Buchanan. We met in boarding school. We were roommates. The first time we saw each other, we were shocked how much we looked alike. We even almost share the same birthday. What are the chances of that? On top of that we are so much alike.”
“AJ,” Gigi said again, “we’re nothing alike.”
Ashley Jo laughed at that. “We’re like sisters. Don’t let her kid you.”
“AJ...” Gigi prodded.
Billie Dee couldn’t take her eyes off the young woman.
“I’m getting to it. Gigi lost her parents last year. It’s been really hard on her and I wanted to do something nice for her. I knew she was adopted—”
At the word adopted, Billie Dee felt herself start.
“I decided to find her birth mother for her.” She rushed on. “Even though she swore she wasn’t interested. I thought if I found the woman, I could get to know her and see if she was someone my best friend in the world would want to meet.”
Billie Dee felt her eyes widen, then tear over. “Ashley Jo? What did you do?”
“I was the one who sent in Gigi’s DNA sample. I was the one who tracked you down. Once I got to know you, I had to tell Gigi. The two of you have so much in common.”
She felt her heart swell to near bursting. “Are you telling me...”
“Gigi is your daughter.”
Billie Dee began to cry. “I never thought I’d ever get to meet you. But the moment I saw you...”
“You have to understand,” Gigi said, clearly fighting her own emotions. “I had two wonderful parents.”
“I knew that would be the case. I made sure of it,” Billie Dee said. “I was told they were amazing people.”
“I just can’t understand how you could have ever given up your child,” Gigi said.
“AJ, why don’t we leave these two alone to talk?” Henry said. “Is it okay for me to call you AJ?”
“All my friends do,” Ashley Jo said.
Gigi waited until they left. “I have to know why you gave me up. I’m assuming you were young.”
Billie Dee nodded. “Young and in love. Unfortunately, I was also naive.” She patted the couch next to her. “Won’t you come sit by me?”
Gigi hesitated but only for a moment.
“I fell in love with an older man who I thought was separated from his wife. He lied about that. I didn’t find out until I realized I was pregnant...” She swallowed. “He told me that his wife couldn’t have children and that he was going to take my child and raise it as their own. He said that if I fought him, he would have me put away somewhere. This man was very powerful and used to getting his own way. I never doubted that he could do what he said.”
“This was my biological father?”
“He still is a very powerful man. He’s not evil. He’s just used to getting his own way.”
Gigi sighed. “So how did you...”
“I went to my church pastor and asked for help. Fortunately, he knew someone. I had a doctor certify that I’d miscarried the baby and another friend who got me out of town. I knew that I couldn’t keep you, as much as I wanted to. I had friends who told me your father didn’t believe I’d miscarried and was looking for me. When I gave birth, my pastor had a couple waiting to adopt you. He assured me that they would be the kind of parents I would want for my daughter.”
“They were,” Gigi said. “You’re not going to tell me who my father is, are you?”
Billie Dee shook her head. “No good could come of it. You have to know, I was heartbroken giving you up. I loved you so much. I’ve thought about you every day since and prayed that one day...” She had to stop; she was so choked up with tears. Wiping her eyes, she said, “I’m so glad Ashley Jo tracked me down. You look like I did at your age.”
“I have to be truthful with you. I don’t know what I want from you—if anything,” Gigi said.
“It’s all right. I’d love to know all about you. But I won’t push. Just getting to see you, tell
you that I loved you and wanted you, that’s more than I could hope for.”
Ashley Jo appeared in the doorway with a bowl of chili. “Gigi, you have got to try this.”
* * *
“THAT VALET WAS flirting with you,” Hawk said as he opened the front door of the hotel for her and followed her in.
“You think?”
He hated that he sounded jealous. Hell, he was. “Let’s talk in the café.”
Hawk led her to a booth in the restaurant where they would be able to see the lobby. After what had almost happened yesterday, he still felt shaken. That he’d cared about Drey all these years, had never been able to get her out of his mind, had been one thing.
Being thrown together with her like this... She looked so beautiful. His heart ached at the thought that he might not ever get to kiss her again. He found himself wishing he’d done what his sister had suggested and ridden into Drey’s wedding on his horse and carried her off. But he hadn’t. And he feared he would always regret it.
Now all he could do was try to keep her safe until... Until what? He ground his teeth at the thought of Ethan Baxter. Drey was married and he’d let it happen because of his stupid stubbornness and pride. He mentally kicked himself because now he had no idea how to get her back. Ethan Baxter wasn’t the only hurdle.
“So we both had the same idea it seems about spying on Jet,” Drey said after they’d ordered.
“Great minds. Drey, we’re going to have to talk about what happened yesterday.”
She shook her head. “It was just a moment of weakness.”
“Was that all it was? It sure didn’t feel like—”
“Hawk, can we please not talk about it?”
“All right. For now. But we will talk about it once this is over. You have to know how I feel and how sorry I am for everything.”
She looked away for a moment as their coffees were served. “I don’t think I’ve ever been in this restaurant before,” she said after the waitress left them alone again.
Hawk took a sip of his coffee, telling himself this wasn’t the time. But the memory of her in his arms was killing him. He’d screwed up in the past. He was determined that if there was any way to get this woman back...