“You should pass that on to Caleb. It may help her case when they look at what her intentions were.”
“I will. So to clarify, she was working alone?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s over. I’m not sure that my brain can quite process that yet.”
“I’ll find a way to convince you of it. Starting now.” He lowered his head and sought her mouth.
Tingles ran through her body, zinging as his lips kissed hers, and fizzing everywhere he touched as he worked his way along her jaw to her earlobe and back to her mouth.
In the days and weeks to follow Willa knew she would relive the most harrowing moments but with Jax beside her, they would get past the fear. But how long was Jax going to be around? Reluctantly she pulled back from the kiss. She had to know.
“Jax, what will you do at the end of this week when location shooting finishes?”
“That depends. Tell me why you hate guns so much.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because, depending on her husband’s job, a soldier’s wife comes into contact with them.”
“Is that a proposal?” God, she hoped it was. A proposal would mean she and Jax had come full circle back to where they were meant to be. She had no idea how it could work between them but it was a start.
“Take it as an expression of interest. I’m testing the waters. You’ll know when I ask you for real; there won’t be any doubt about my intentions.”
Jax had a plan, that much was clear.
“Just how do you see our marriage working? I’ve never been keen on long-distance relationships.”
“Neither have I, and I don’t propose to start now.”
“So tell me—”
“What gave you such a distaste for guns?”
“I’ll tell you, only can it wait until we’re somewhere quiet?” Opening up to Jax about Jenna’s death would be too painful in front of others. She felt the sting of tears even now. Blinking them away, she turned her back and surreptitiously wiped her cheeks.
“I have to find out how the stuntman is. I can’t believe I didn’t ask straight away.” She picked up a bottle of water and drank half of it down in one go before replacing the cap. “Come with me?”
“Anywhere.”
Chapter Twenty
Jax’s heart ached for Willa. She was curled up on the swing seat, her head in his lap and her cheeks wet with tears as she finished telling him about her sister.
“The coroner pronounced her death a terrible accident. The boys were charged under the firearms act but it doesn’t bring Jenna back.”
He stroked her forehead and pushed the swing gently with his feet. “I’m sorry, babe.”
Understanding why Willa hated guns, why she would always struggle with that aspect of being a soldier’s wife, made his decision simple. “You asked me what I plan to do after location filming ends. I think—”
“Willa, we’re home. Where are you, darling?” Her mother’s voice was muffled inside the house but it brought Willa upright.
She rubbed her hands over her cheeks, scrubbing away her tears. “We’re out the back.”
Moments later, the outdoor lights clicked on and her parents appeared on the back veranda and peered into the dark garden. Her father switched on the lights over the barbeque.
Jax drew Willa to her feet and placed an arm around her shoulders. He had to begin as he meant to go on with her father because loving Willa meant they would be seeing her parents regularly.
“Mrs. Raynolds, how’s your sister?”
“On the mend, thank you. Such a fright we had. And how’s your mother?”
“Well, and due home tomorrow, as a matter of fact. Mr. Raynolds, how are you?” Willa’s parents were dear to her. Jax held out his hand, hoping for the best, expecting the worst. It didn’t matter now that her father had been the reason they’d lost ten years together. What mattered was mending bridges.
Shoulders slumped, her father looked at his extended hand and his chin quivered as though he struggled to hold his emotions in check. “I don’t think you’ll want to shake my hand—Jackson. Not when you know—” He drew in an audible breath that sounded ragged and defeated.
“Dad?”
Jax allowed his hand to drop and waited. Was it possible her father regretted his part in their separation?
Her father met his daughter’s gaze and the light revealed his eyes glistening. With visible effort, he stood straight. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “I’m sorry. I overheard you planning to leave together after that barbeque all those years ago and wrote a note to send Jackson on his way—without you. You had so much talent and the whole world before you and I couldn’t stand the thought of you giving up your chance without knowing what you had. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now— I don’t expect you can forgive me.”
“Oh, Dad, I do forgive you.” Willa moved into her father’s embrace.
“Mr. Raynolds, for Willa’s sake, so do I.” Anger and regret had no place in this moment as they put the past firmly where it belonged. Once more Jax held out his hand.
Willa turned to look at him and mouthed, “Thank you”.
Her father clasped his hand and shook it. “Call me Quinn. Thank you for keeping my daughter safe.”
Mrs. Raynolds smiled, that generous smile she’d always given Jax, and gave him a hug. “If he’s Quinn, call me Beatrice. It’s definitely wine time. Come and give me a hand, Willa.”
Mother and daughter made their way inside and Willa’s father shoved his hands into his pockets and moved to the outdoor setting. He took a seat facing the house and indicated Jax take the one opposite.
“We heard on the morning updates about the hijacking of a small plane. That woman was Willa’s friend and she tried to harm my daughter. And then this afternoon as we were waiting in the departure lounge, there was the story about a terrible dust storm that overtook a helicopter and a stunt rider while the star hung from a line. It’s not the sort of news a parent wants to hear about their only child.”
“Willa is fine. She got a fright and she’ll probably be less keen to do all her own stunts now but you can’t stop her living life the way she wants.”
“I see you’ve learned that lesson earlier than I did. Beatrice trusted you to keep Willa safe and I should have too.”
Relief coursed through Jax that Willa’s father was chatting man to man. If he could apologise for his actions, albeit belatedly, Jax could own up to his own shortcomings. “It’s hard not to with Willa. I tried once to make her choose my way. I was wrong, but I was full of my own importance. Now—”
“What do you want now, Jackson?”
“My friends call me Jax.”
Quinn nodded and offered a smile. “So, do you want different things now, Jax?”
“Yes, and no. Wanting Willa will never change but I know better than to give her an impossible choice.”
“She chose you last time. What makes you think she won’t again?”
“Why would I put what I want above what she wants? Willa has a wonderful career, and she’s a brilliant actress. Supporting her is the most important thing I can do.”
A pair of arms slid around his chest and Willa’s lips moved against his ear. “Wrong, Jax. The most important thing you can do is to love me.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Willa rested her head on Jax’s shoulder and looked up at the myriad stars in the sky. Out here by the river, they appeared bigger and brighter than in town, as though she could reach out and pluck them from the heavens.
“How long can you stay?” Certain of her own feelings, she turned her face up to catch his reaction.
“Here with you? Forever.”
She trailed a hand down his chest and snuggled closer. “Sounds heavenly.”
“It will be.”
Willa pushed up on one elbow. Firelight flickered over his face and she examined it closely. “That sounds like a promise. Or are you teasing me?”
Her heart stopped, and then thundered like a herd of brumbies racing across a plain.
He pulled an envelope from his pocket and presented it to her. She turned it over in her hands. It was addressed to someone in the Army but more than that she couldn’t read. The flap was unsealed. “What’s this?”
“Your choice. Read it.”
Fingers trembling, she drew the paper from the envelope and opened it. Bending close to the fire she struggled to read the contents.
Jax leaned closer and read it aloud. Several phrases stood out amongst the formal language:
Request a transfer . . . willing to accept . . . America . . . prepared to resign.
The letter trembled in her fingers as she met his gaze. “How is this my choice? I don’t understand.”
“Marry me, Willa. I have so much to make up to you and I don’t want to wait a moment longer. Say yes and I’ll send this tomorrow. If the army can’t accommodate my request for transfer stateside, I’ll resign.
“I once gave you a choice that was no choice really. I was in love with you but I didn’t love you as you deserve or I would never have made that arrogant ultimatum.”
“But, Jax, the army is your life.”
“Was. You’re the most important person to me, and wherever you are, that’s where I want to be. I love you, Willa. What do you say?”
For answer, she launched herself at him, carrying him onto his back and kissing him soundly.
When she finally lifted her head to draw breath, Jax opened his eyes. Reflected in their green depths were the stars in the heavens and the flames of the campfire. And his love. The forever kind.
“Post it, fax it, email a million copies.”
“I take it that’s a yes then?”
“Yes. I love you, Jax.”
The End
About the Author
Born and raised in Toowoomba, Susanne is an Australian author of contemporary and suspense romances set in exciting and often exotic locations, and rural romance set in Australia. She adores travel with her husband, both at home and overseas, and weaves stories around the settings and people she encounters.
Her heroes have to be pretty special to live up to her real life hero. He saved her life then married her.
Susanne is a member of the RWA and was a finalist in their 2011 Emerald Award. She placed third in the 2015 Pan Macmillan short story competition with Chez Romeo. Mentoring aspiring writers, and working as a freelance editor keeps her off the street! She loves connecting with readers and fellow writers.
More Books by Susanne Bellamy
Long Way Home (Hearts of the Outback Book 3)
https://www.amazon.com.au/d/ebook/Long-Way-Home-Hearts-Outback-Book-3/B01GX4NP1C
Heartbreak Homestead (Hearts of the Outback Book 2) amzn.to/1nqc9hc
Just One Kiss- (Hearts of the Outback Book 1) bit.ly/1Oq3KAX
Second Chance Love (Amazon Australia store) amzn.to/1FEJyx4
Second Chance Love (A Bindarra Creek Romance) bit.ly/1O5ngaN
Second Chance Café – Four Short Stories by Susanne Bellamy, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, Noelle Clark and Abbie Jackson bit.ly/1QlViZl
Sunny with a Chance of Romance amzn.to/1Cmy9jM
One Night in Tuscany amzn.to/1dKLyX6
One Night in Sorrento amzn.to/1brE2Jp
Winning the Heiress' Heart (The Emerald Quest) amzn.to/1B9TVUJ
A Season To Remember: Four Short Stories For Christmas – a book by Susanne Bellamy, Elizabeth Ellen Carter, Noelle Clark and Eva Scott
bit.ly/1ynJsTZ
Engaging The Enemy amzn.to/1wrYGHQ
White Ginger amzn.to/MiDjVr
You can find Susanne at the following:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanne.bellamy.7
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SusanneBellamy
Website: http://www.susannebellamy.com/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/susannebellamy/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6869630.Susanne_Bellamy
Winds of Change (Hearts of the Outback Book 4) Page 15