Alex gathered his courage and turned over the first envelope in his hand. It had Lacey’s address scrolled across the front in his own handwriting, and over it were large letters written in red marker, RETURN TO SENDER. It was the third letter to be returned unopened.
The second envelope contained a Christmas card from his parents. “Merry friggin’ Christmas to me,” Alex muttered as he passed the engine room door.
A sound like thunder resonated through the narrow passage. Alex turned in time to see a ball of fire shoot toward him from inside the room. It threw him against the wall. The empty corridor was suddenly filled with the sounds of running footsteps and shouting. Smoke filled his lungs. A screaming siren was accompanied by a pulsing red light. Then there was nothing but unimaginable pain…
Alex sprang into a sitting position on the bed. He used the edge of the sheet to wipe sweat and sleep from his eyes. Sunlight was streaming through a crack between his bedroom curtains. It had taken him a long time to fall asleep and all he’d gotten for his trouble was the same damned nightmare.
He looked around at the small apartment bedroom. He owned a real estate company, but had never bought his own house. No place had felt like home to him for thirteen years.
Alex rolled to his side and pressed the button on the answering machine. He listened to Lacey’s message for, probably the hundredth time. “Hi Alex, I’m calling to let you know I got home safely.” There was a pause. Had she wanted to say something and decided against it? Was she thinking about that scorching kiss, the way he had half the night?
“Have a good night,” she finished before hanging up.
“To hell with it!” Alex threw off the covers. He’d take a quick shower and buy a cup of coffee on his way to Indian Lakes. It was time to start exorcizing this woman from his blackened soul.
Chapter Four
It was nearly noon when Lacey walked to the road to collect the mail. She and the kids had gone fishing after an early breakfast. Tonight’s supper would be fresh catfish. They’d brought in six, cleaned and skinned on the boat. Now they were soaking in buttermilk. Everything else they’d caught had been thrown back into the lake for another day.
She didn’t know why she’d kept so many fish. The three of them usually ate four. The kids were growing and had big appetites. They’d split the extra one. Maybe it was due to the guilt she felt over her argument with her grandfather. Her subconscious wanted to invite him for supper. Her conscious mind wasn’t crazy about the idea.
The disparity with Granddad had started years ago and was a constant irritation. He was judgmental, opinionated, and unforgiving. She often worried about the influence he’d have over Jerrod. Clarence Carlyle wouldn’t be her first choice for a male role model for her son. Thankfully, he and Jenna tended to avoid each other. Her daughter had learned at a young age that Granddad wasn’t susceptible to female charm.
Despite her grumpy grandfather’s opinion of their lifestyle, she and the kids loved the farm. It was exactly the life Lacey had wanted for Jerrod and Jenna; fresh air, wide-open spaces, and working with the earth and animals. If they had to give it up, she didn’t know what she’d do. Perhaps she could sell off the livestock for the money to live on while she found some other kind of work. The young calves and piglets weren’t worth much yet, but she wouldn’t have a place to keep them soon anyway.
She refused to entertain the thought of marrying Alex. His motives were less than honorable. She’d already found out that his word couldn’t be trusted. Those weren’t even the most compelling reasons to keep him out of her life. The way he’d kissed her, the day before, had proved that her body still yearned for him. A man would just muck up her hectic life.
Lacey pulled a few envelopes from the roadside mailbox. She hoped for notice of an inheritance or a large sweepstakes prize. Instead, she found a bill from the electric company and another from the feed store.
Gravel crunched under slow moving tires on the road. Lacey used the envelopes to shade her eyes as she squinted in their direction. A silver BMW was approaching. “Son of a bitch,” she murmured.
Alex let the car idle beside her as he lowered the window. “I’m glad to see you have a real mailbox now. It seems, from your claim, that the post office box wasn’t very reliable.”
“Granddad checked that box every day on his way home. We never noticed anything else missing.” The pleasantness of the day had just ended. “What do you want, Alex?”
“Get in and I’ll take you up to the house.” He reached over and opened the passenger side door. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“You could have called,” Lacey said.
Alex ignored her statement. “Hey, I like your brand.” He leaned into the steering wheel for a better view of the oval wooden sign above the gate. It had two capital Js overlapping in the center and a scalloped pattern on the border. It was burned into the wood, not painted. “What does it stand for?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Lacey slid into the car seat feeling like one of her catfish: caught, skinned, gutted, and waiting to be fried. It was best to get it over with. The kids were in the barn doing chores. She had a little time to sit down with him and explain. Two mischievous children were not part of his weekend plans. They would probably be the deal breaker. Yes, she wanted to break the deal. No, she didn’t want to give up her farm.
Alex rolled to a stop when the house came into view. “I know this house,” he said, surprised. “Mark Garvey lived here when we were kids. I used to sleep over with him all the time. His mom made the best peanut butter cookies in the world. I wonder what happened to good old Mark and his folks.”
She wondered if Alex had noticed how rundown the house had gotten after all these years. She didn’t have the resources Mr. Garvey had. Most of her money and energy went into the livestock and garden. Those were the things that fed her family and paid the bills.
“Mark moved to Atlanta, got married and had two kids,” she told him. “His parents sold the place to move closer to them.”
“Can you imagine that—Mark, a family man? He probably has an SUV with a big sloppy dog hanging out the window. I can see him now, driving the little monsters to soccer practice and ballet lessons.” Chuckling, he turned to Lacey. “You know, my brother Travis has two little girls. He’s such a dope over them, but he always was a loser.”
Lacey jumped out of the car leaving the door hanging open. She stomped across the lawn and up the steps to her front porch. She remembered Travis. He was a couple of years older than Alex. He wasn’t as athletic or quite as good-looking, but he wasn’t a loser. Being a good dad certainly didn’t make him a loser. Who did Alex think he was, saying such a thing?
Alex closed both car doors and bounded up the steps behind her. She stopped and turned so suddenly, he ran into her. Why did he have to smell so good, feel so solid?
“Is there a reason you’re here, Alex?”
“Yeah.” He hesitated for a moment. “I wanted to talk to you about the wedding.”
“There isn’t going to be a wedding.”
“Yes there is.”
“You don’t know anything about me or the life I have here.”
A spark ignited in Alex’s eyes. Lacey couldn’t tell if it was lust or anger, but she feared it was both. She’d never seen that expression on his face before, but something told her to run. Before she could open the screen door, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against his chest.
“I know you, Lacey. And I know when those little wheels are turning in your head. You aren’t going to run me off, and I’m not going to let you weasel your way out of this again. I’m not a kid and I don’t have stars in my eyes anymore. You are going to belong to me if you want this farm to belong to you.”
Belong to him? Lacey was barely able to gasp before his mouth crashed down on hers. In seconds, the hard punishing kiss turned passionate. She hadn’t been kissed like this in…ever. She suddenly realized she was giving him his way.
She should be angry, fighting, not melting like butter against his hard muscled chest. She tore her mouth away.
“What gives you the right to kiss me like that?” she demanded.
The spark in his eyes had grown into a raging fire. “You owe me a lot more than a few kisses and it’s about time I started collecting. You’d better get used to the idea.”
Lacey pushed her hands against his chest, but he didn’t budge. “You’d actually force yourself on me? What kind of man have you become?”
“When the time comes, I won’t have to force you. We both know it,” he growled. “I’m not the only one who’s grown up now.”
When he kissed her again, Lacey wasn’t sure if she was struggling to get away or get closer to him. She was consumed by heat inside and out. Neither of them heard the bottom step creak.
****
“You’d better let my mom go right now, mister, or I’ll pound a hole in your head.”
Alex spun around to find a gangly young boy three feet from his back. First, he saw the stubborn scowl under a mass of curly, sun streaked, dark auburn hair. Then he noticed the hammer the boy was bouncing in his right hand. Damn, this kid was serious.
Alex said the first thing that came to mind. “Who the hell are you?”
Lacey cleared her throat. “Alex, this is my son, Jerrod.”
Still not releasing her, Alex swung his head back to look down at Lacey. “You have a kid?”
“Well, actually…” Before she could answer, another voice came from the side of the house.
“You want me to shoot him, Jerrod?”
To his left, there stood a skinny young girl wearing a cowboy hat and glaring at him from over the barrel of a shotgun. Indian Lakes had changed. It had its own little gang right here on Lacey’s farm.
“You’d better not,” Jerrod replied. “You’d get us all in your spray. You should have brought the twenty-two. Then I would’ve gladly let you plug him.”
Lacey finally succeeded in wiggling out of Alex’s grasp. “Jenna, you put that shotgun away. Mr. Benson is my guest and you’re scaring him. I want you both to go inside and wash up for lunch.”
Alex was awestruck. “You have two kids…and they carry weapons.”
“Well, not usually,” Lacey sighed. “You know how dangerous it can be, out in the country, snakes and gators and such.”
“I do now!”
Alex followed Lacey through the house to the kitchen. He quietly sat at the end of an oblong wooden table while she put together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She was a mom. He just couldn’t get his mind wrapped around the fact. She still looked as sweet and sexy as she had thirteen years ago. She sure as hell didn’t look like someone’s mother.
Lacey removed apples and carrots from the refrigerator and began washing them. No chips or cookies, just fruit and vegetables, proof positive, she was a mom. How could this have happened?
She’d been with another man. The thought hit Alex like a bolt of lightning. She’d said that she’d never married, but she’d given herself to another man and had his children. Alex didn’t know much about kids, but the girl, Jenna, had to be nearing puberty. She was slightly shapely in an awkward way. The boy, Jerrod, was shorter, but not by much. That would mean Lacey had been involved with someone during the year he’d been stuck in the hospital. Her coldhearted betrayal was even worse than he thought. She’d thrown him over for another man.
He tried to remember all the guys he and Travis had gone to school with, and all the others in the class in between. Did any of them resemble Lacey’s kids? Hell, he could barely remember his own name, let alone his old high school buddies. Besides that, the kids looked an awful lot like her.
Was the guy still in the picture? Did Lacey still have feelings for him? Of course she did. She wasn’t the kind of girl who’d have kids with just anybody. He and Lacey had never even discussed having a family. She sure hadn’t wasted any time after he’d left, though.
He was positive Lacey had said she’d never been married.
Alex had been aware of the way people treated Lacey years ago. He remembered what Miss Dell had said to her on the day her parents were buried, and how badly it hurt her. Her grandfather was harder on her than anyone, but he was all that kept some of the old biddies from tearing her apart. She hadn’t been the bows and ruffles type they thought she should be. How had those small-minded women taken the news that she’d had a child out of wedlock, not once but twice?
His mind circled back to the thought of Lacey with another man. His blood boiled with jealousy. Did he have a right to be jealous? Hell yes! She’d promised herself to him.
Looking at her now, Alex knew he still wanted her. He wanted all she’d promised him. He wanted her heart and soul, if only for a little while. But he’d be damned before he’d admit it. Would two kids keep him from achieving his end game? He didn’t know. Kids hadn’t been part of the plan.
This was going to take a considerable amount of thought.
Chapter Five
Lacey was running on nervous energy. She kept her eyes on her task to avoid looking at Alex. He must have a hundred questions about the kids. Or more to the point, how she’d come to have them. He’d made it crystal clear in the car that he didn’t care for children. Had he felt that way when they planned to be married? It was one subject out of many that they hadn’t discussed, but should have. They’d barely been more than children themselves.
She filled two bowls with whole raw carrots and apples. Next, she wrapped the sandwiches in paper napkins to place on top. “Have you eaten? If you don’t like peanut butter, I have bologna in the fridge.”
“I haven’t had a PB&J sandwich since I left Indian Lakes.” Truthfully, he hadn’t eaten anything since lunch the day before. His stomach was suddenly reminding him. “You can hold the carrots though. Do your kids actually eat that stuff? They must be half rabbit.”
A smile tugged at Lacey’s lips. “They eat lunch in the barn on the weekends. They give the horses some of the carrots and apples.
I’ve always suspected they were half animal. Exactly what kind is yet to be determined. Depending on their moods, they can be anything from cuddly bunnies to Tasmanian devils.”
When Lacey placed two sandwiches in front of him, Alex grabbed her wrist. “Don’t you think it would have been nice to mention that you had a couple of kids?”
Lacey felt like a deer in the crosshairs. With the touch of one hand he could make her heart pound and her mouth water for his. This had to stop. But before she could say anything, they were interrupted again. “What’s going on?” Instead of wielding a hammer, Jerrod’s hands were fisted at his sides. Jenna stood behind him with a confused look.
“Well, look whose back, Annie Oakley and Hammerman.” Alex turned Lacey loose and raised his hands. “Don’t shoot, we’re just talking.”
The tension between the two males was palpable.
“Mr. Benson is the new owner of the property,” Lacey said. “I’m hoping we can reach an agreement that would allow us to stay here.”
“Hell of a way to do business, mister.” Jerrod growled.
“Watch your mouth, young man.” Lacey filled the kid’s hands with their lunches, and then led them to the back door by their collars. “Mr. Benson happens to be an old friend of mine. Go on out to the barn and I’ll be there shortly to give you your afternoon chores.”
“Maybe I ought to stay inside and keep an eye on your friend,” Jerrod suggested.
Lacey held the door open. “We’ve got grown-up things to discuss and we don’t need you underfoot.”
Jerrod stared Alex down. “I think he has a lot more than business on his mind, Mom.”
“I’m a grown woman, Jerrod. I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah I know,” Jerrod replied stubbornly, “but he already got you to kiss him like there was no tomorrow.”
“Get out right now, son, before I tan your behind.”
The twins stopped in the doorway. Jenna
nudged Jerrod’s shoulder with her own. He held his hand out, palm up. She shook her head. He tilted his chin up defiantly. She turned her face away and walked out the door.
When the back screen door slammed behind them, Lacey gave Alex a weak smile. She could feel the heat in her cheeks. Damn her redhead complexion. “I guess this is going to be a Tasmanian devil day.”
“What the hell was that?” Alex asked.
“What?” Lacey went back to finish their sandwiches.
“That little dance the two of them did before they left.”
“Oh.” Shrugging, Lacey said, “They have a kind of sign language. They’ve done that since they were toddlers.”
“What did they say?”
“I don’t know.”
Alex rolled his eyes and shook his head.
To gain a little privacy, she and Alex decided to have their lunch on the end of the dock.
Lacey studied Alex as they quietly ate their sandwiches. He looked comfortable in casual clothes. More like his old self. His feet dangled over the side in low socks and sneakers. Knee length khaki shorts revealed strong legs, lightly covered in silky dark hair. A long sleeved, striped shirt hung open over his black T-shirt. She hadn’t been kissed by a man in long time. He’d awaked feelings that had faded and been forgotten, feelings that had kept her awake most of the night.
He nudged her john-boat with his toe. “I’m surprised this old thing can still float.”
“We took it out this morning and caught a mess of catfish for supper.” Lacey was relieved to have a neutral subject to discuss.
“Any chance you’d have enough for a guest?”
Alex’s shy smile was still as hard to resist as it had ever been. “As it happens, I do.” Why had she said that? “I’m also making hushpuppies, coleslaw and green beans, fresh from the garden. I do have to warn you though, everybody works for their supper around here.”
“Just tell me what to do,” Alex offered excitedly. “I’m your slave for fresh catfish.”
Twice the Trouble Page 3