Second Chances

by Denise Belinda McDonald

  “Fine, and a firefighter. Are you trying to tell me you wouldn’t—couldn’t—start a family with what you earn?”

  “I have zero interest in starting a family.”

  “Irrelevant. And let me finish. Last, Jacob wouldn’t feel threatened or uneasy if he knew what Charles did for a living. He’s much more secure of a man than that.” She put her hand back on the steering wheel, hoping he didn’t see it had started to shake.

  “Hold up. Are you telling me Jacob doesn’t know Charles is a doctor?”

  “What difference does it make?” she asked.

  “You tell me. You’re the one who didn’t tell him.”

  He had a point. But it’d never come up in conversation before. Why would she tell Jacob what her ex-fiancé did for a living? It had absolutely no relevance to their relationship.

  “Tell me this then, what do Grandma and Gramps think about you and Jacob?”

  “What’s to tell, we’re just dating.”

  “Have you told them?”

  “No,” she mumbled.

  “What? I couldn’t hear you.”

  “No, I haven’t told my parents about Jacob yet.”

  “Why not?”

  Good question. Since the plane left Billings, Montana, she had asked herself the same thing. Why had she kept their relationship from the rest of her family? That wasn’t really fair, she hadn’t not told her parents, it just never came up.

  And you’re a big ole weenie liar.

  That persistent little voice in her head mocked her as much as her nephew. Maybe she had held back for some reason. It had nothing to do with class, jobs or money. It was the little niggle of doubt in the back of her mind. Doubt that she’d latched onto the first person since her breakup with Charles. She didn’t want to be one of those women who “needed” men. Her mind flashed to one of the girls from high school. She’d dated one guy after the other—usually had the next lined up before she got rid of the pervious one. This pattern repeated for years afterward until she finally settled down with the first one to ask her to marry him. And she was miserable—but not alone.

  Zan had looked forward to her trip back to Texas for more than just seeing her family. She would have time to examine her feelings for Jacob.

  “Look, can we not talk about this right now? We’ll be home in a few minutes and the last thing I want is the whole family jumping in on my business.” She looked over at Quint. He had a smug, satisfied smile on his face.

  “Now you know how I feel.”

  ———

  Janet Walters squealed and threw her arms around Zan’s neck. “My baby. You’re home.”

  “Mom, you’re suffocating me.” Zan laughed into her mother’s shoulder.

  “Sorry, sorry.” Janet loosened her grip and let her hands slide to her daughter’s cheeks. “Let me look at you. I have missed you so much.”

  “What am I, chopped liver?” Quint asked from behind Zan.

  “You.” Janet released Zan and moved around her. “Give your Grandma a hug.” Judging by the grimace on his face, she grabbed Quint with just as much enthusiasm as she had Zan, despite his seven-inch height advantage.

  “Dang, Grandma, have you been lifting weights?” Quint teased her.

  Zan left the two and went in search of her father. “Daddy, I’m home,” she called as she walked into the den where her father spent most of his afternoons. Although he was retired from his fifty-five years in product development with one of the country’s leading electronics companies, he spent many hours on the Internet checking out the competition and the new products coming out.

  “Daddy?” She stepped into his office, but didn’t see him.

  “In here.” David Walters came out of the small walk-in closet with a sheepish grin on his face. “I was hiding your mother’s present. She’s been searching all over the house for it, though she says she’s just cleaning.” Zan’s father snorted.

  He held out his arms. Zan walked into his embrace and closed her eyes.

  “I missed you. Your mother has been driving me nuts worrying about you.” His warm hug soothed her more than his words. At that moment, she wanted to stay just like that—just her and her daddy.

  “I missed you, too.” She squeezed him tighter. “I have so much to tell you. I don’t even know where to start.”

  She didn’t say anything else. She just stood in her father’s arms.

  “Hey, guys, Grandma said to tell you lunch is ready,” Quint said, breaking into Zan’s few minutes of bliss.

  Her dad gave her a quick peck on the cheek then released her.

  “How are you, son?” David asked Quint.

  “Doing good, Gramps.” The two men embraced, neither embarrassed nor uncomfortable to show affection toward one another.

  “Wyoming agreeing with you?”

  “Yes, sir. I love it out there.” He looked down at his feet, then back up again. He had a strange look on his face. He looked guilty; like he felt bad he enjoyed it so much. “Working with the horses is better than I thought it would be.”

  “Good, good. That’s what matters.” He clasped Quint on the shoulder and Zan thought that even if Jeffery didn’t understand why his son wanted to move halfway across the country at least her dad, Quint’s grandfather, had given him his endorsement.

  “We better get out there before Mom comes looking for us. You know how she gets when we’re late to lunch.”

  The four sat at the table and Quint kept his grandparents entertained with all his new adventures on the ranch. He only made the vaguest mention of his immediate boss—Jacob.

  A pang of guilt washed over Zan for the second time that day. She hadn’t told her parents about him. A man she was dating and she never made one mention of him to her family. Only Quint and Aunt Bonnie knew and that was from sheer proximity. Would she have confided in her nephew, who was more like a brother to her, otherwise? Twice, Quint gave her pointed looks when he mentioned Jacob’s name.

  Why hadn’t her aunt said anything? The woman almost single-handedly kept the gossip wires humming between Paintbrush and Sheridan.

  Zan needed to tell her parents. Later that day she was supposed to go see Mackenzie and her family. The next few days leading up to Christmas were filled with plans to visit party after party, catching up with family and friends. The only opportunity to tell them was after lunch.

  A knot in her stomach loosened when she would have thought just the opposite. Maybe that was a good sign.

  ———

  “Mom, Dad, can I talk to you both?” Zan asked after Quint left to go see his parents. He took Zan’s rental car and promised to be back in time for Zan’s visit with her friends.

  “Sure, honey. Is something wrong?”

  “No. I just wanted to catch you up with life back in Wyoming.” She motioned her parents to sit on the couch in the den. She took her father’s club chair across from them.

  “That man’s not still giving you trouble is he?” her father asked.

  A quick shudder racked through her at the mention of Dale. She shook her head, not about to open that up for discussion. “No, Daddy. That’s not what I want to talk about.” She cleared her suddenly dry throat. “I, ah, I met a man. His name is Jacob.”

  Her father nodded and a smile curled the corner of her mother’s mouth, but neither said a word.

  “He’s the ranch foreman where Quint works.”

  “I wondered how Quint found a job so fast.” Her father rubbed his chin and nodded again.

  “Go on,” was all her mother said.

  “Well, we’ve uh, been seeing each other for a couple of months now.” Her parents just stared and the knot returned to her stomach. Her words rushed on. “He’s wonderful, Mom. He’s stronger than any man I’ve ever met. I don’t mean brute strength, although he does have that as well. He was great when I really needed a friend.

  “He has a great sense of humor. One night he asked me out to dinner and I got soaked. He took off his raincoat and stood
out in the rain until he was just as wet.” She smiled with the remembrance.

  “Why did you wait so long to tell us about him?” her mother asked.

  Zan ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know. We kind of pushed each other’s buttons at first. The first couple of times together we ended up arguing. But then the night of the accident when he was so kind and gentle he…” She slapped her hand over her mouth.

  “Suzanne Marie Walters. What accident?” Her father leaned forward from his seat. His elbows on his knees, his hands clasped so tightly in front of him, his knuckles whitened.

  “I, uh, my car ran off the road into a ditch. I was on my way to meet Jacob.” Her face heated. “When I didn’t show, he came looking for me. The doctor said I had a mild concussion and Jacob stayed awake all night to look after me.” Her face grew even hotter when she remembered what happened that morning. The first time they made love.

  “Why didn’t you tell us about it, Zan?” Her father stood and the tremor in his voice stilled her thoughts.

  “I didn’t want to worry you. Look. I’m fine, Daddy.”

  “Did Bonnie know?” her mother asked, then waved her hand. “Of course not. Otherwise, she’d have told us.”

  Zan and her mother stood. The older woman took her daughter into her arms. Her father grumbled and paced the floor next to the fireplace.

  “David, calm down. It couldn’t have been too bad if Bonnie didn’t know. You can’t keep stuff like that a secret in a small town.”

  Zan released a pent up breath. Her slip of the tongue almost did her in, but in the end, she dodged a bullet.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jacob stormed around his house. Zan had only been gone half a day, but he already missed her. How was he going to get through the next eight days without her? He even missed Clyde. After much discussion, Zan had left the puppy with her aunt. Bonnie and Gene would be home during the day, unlike himself, and Gene swore he would have the dog housebroken by the time she returned from her trip.

  Jacob flopped down on the couch for the tenth time, then got back up. He needed to get out of the house. He drove in to town hoping to take his mind off Zan Walters.

  With his coat pulled closed and his head bent, he braved the snow blowing about and crossed the street to the diner. As usual, Missy was behind the counter. What he wasn’t expecting to see was Cade Holstrom and her holding hands. The pair separated and Missy’s cheeks burned bright when she saw Jacob watching them.

  “Coffee, Jacob?” She carried the full pot down to his end of the counter.

  He turned the coffee cup in front of him over so she could fill it up. “Yeah, thanks.”

  “What can I get for you today?” She set the pot down and pulled out a pad and pencil from her apron pocket, although he knew she had never once forgotten an order.

  “I’ll just have a piece of Clara’s pie. Whatever’s hot.”

  “You’re in luck. She just baked an apple pie. I’ll get you a slice.”

  “Thanks.” He took his hat off, set it on the stool next to him and wrapped his hands around the coffee cup to ward off the chill. After taking a couple of sips, he looked up to find Cade staring at him. “What?”

  “I’m just trying to figure out what you did to rile my brother up so much this time. He’s been ranting and raving about you for days.”

  Great, just what Jacob needed.

  “I didn’t do anything. You brother needs to get a life.”

  Cade snorted out a laugh. “Can’t argue with you there. The way he acts, you’d think the world was built for his pleasure.”

  Jacob raised his eyebrows. Was there dissention in Holstromville? “What makes you say that?” Jacob’s curiosity was too much to let that comment go.

  Cade gave him an incredulous look. “Have you ever met the man? My older brother?” Cade smiled. “Apparently he’s fixated on Zan. He can’t understand why she would pick you, of all people, over him. The man is an ass,” Cade said and shook his head. “You know, Dale’s out to get you. He’s hell bent.”

  “I don’t know why.”

  The younger man picked up his hat from the stool and fidgeted with it. “That’s exactly why.”

  Jacob stared at him. “Come again.”

  “You are a natural with animals; you’re one of the best riders in the county. Probably the entire state. And I have never heard you brag or spout how great you are. You do your work, never complain.

  “My brother has everything. Has always had everything handed to him from day one. You, well, you know what your life was like growing up.”

  “Yeah.” Where is this going?

  “Yet, you never seemed to let it get you down. You had all the friends you could want. People liked you for you. Not your name, your money or your connections.”

  “Until Trisha.” Things fell into place. He’d never tried to compete with Dale. Hell, he’d never considered himself to be anywhere near an equal.

  “Right. He took something from you because he could.” Cade let out a long breath. “Then comes Zan. She gets in his face and under his skin.

  “And she’s yours.”

  Jacob tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. He lowered his gaze back to the one Holstrom he could—would—call a friend. He nodded slowly. “Thanks for the warning, Cade.”

  “Zan’s a nice woman, Jacob. I would hate to see my brother ruin what the two of you have.”

  Missy set the warm pie in front of Jacob. When he looked up at her, she winked then went back to stand across the counter from Cade. The two spoke in low muted voices and all but ignored him.

  Jacob tried to absorb what Cade had said.

  He thought Dale had a crush on Zan. That wasn’t altogether surprising. She was a beautiful woman. Any man would be lucky to have her, he told himself. What he hadn’t understood was why Dale had acted the way he did with Trisha when they were younger. Sure the man had somehow convinced her to leave, had offered her something that turned the tide to make her leave—a fat check. Not that Jacob cared now; he’d admitted he never had feelings for her.

  Now was a different story. How far would Dale go to break him and Zan up?

  Jacob shook his head. How far had he already gone? In his gut, he knew Dale was responsible for the flat tire the day at the ranch and running her off the road.

  He looked down to find his plate empty. Damn, he hadn’t tasted a single bite of the pie. His stomach was as sour as his mood. He shoved the plate away and motioned for Missy.

  “Can I get a piece to go and the check?”

  “Sure thing.”

  When she brought the wrapped piece of pie and the check, he paid, leaving her a nice tip for Christmas, then he headed to the sheriff’s office.

  Sheriff Reese sat behind the receptionist’s desk with a huge scowl on his face. He looked up when the door closed. “Danged woman had to up and leave me in the lurch.”

  “She had a baby, Sheriff. It’s not like you didn’t know what was coming.” Jacob couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Yeah, well…” His voice trailed off as a stack of papers shifted and fell to the floor. A string of curses filled the room and Jacob was thankful that Darcy wasn’t around to hear any of it. Had she not already gone into labor, the obscenities flowing from the sheriff’s mouth would have surely shocked her to deliver.

  “What’s that I smell? You been over to the diner?”

  “Yep. I brought you a piece of pie.” Jacob held up the sack. “It’s still hot.”

  The sheriff looked from the papers littering the floor to the sack and back. “My office is clean.” He stood and snagged the sack from Jacob. “Come on back, son.”

  They situated themselves on opposite sides of the desk and the sheriff lit into the pie. Neither spoke as he scarfed it down. Reese leaned back in the chair and patted his stomach. “Good pie. Now, what can I do you for?”

  “What have you found out about Zan’s accident?”

  “There’s not a lot
to tell you, son. You know we searched all his properties. No surprise there were no damaged trucks. BMV registrations didn’t help. Half the trucks we did find were registered to old hands who left it with them for one reason or another. Hell, he has one of Manny’s trucks he’d won in a card game.

  “This is ridiculous” Jacob ran his hands through his hair. “She challenged him at the festival and later that night she’s run off the road.”

  “No one in town saw anything to back up what’s happened to her.”

  “You believe her don’t you?” Frustration didn’t being to describe all the motions running through him.

  “Of course.” Reese let out a deep breath and shook his head. “I don’t think folks would lie over something like this, but you gotta remember this is a small town. Half of which work for his daddy in one fashion or another. And his buddies back up his story every time. I have zero proof.

  “I could send it off to the state, get them boys to come up here and help a little, but with Suzanne requesting me to let it go, there’s not much to look into.”

  “What?” Jacob jumped to his feet, his face burned hot. “When the hell did she do that?”

  “A few days ago.”

  “Why?” Jacob wasn’t sure if he was madder that she asked Reese not to pursue it, or that she didn’t bother to tell him.

  “Said she just didn’t want to stir up any more trouble. I’d guess she had a run in with one of them. She seemed pretty jumpy.”

  “Damn, I can’t believe she didn’t tell me.”

  “Seeing how you just reacted… Jacob, you can’t lose your cool when you’re dealing with pricks like the Holstroms.” Reese leaned forward and put his elbows on his desk. “I know she’s scared. I could see it in her eyes. But she wants to let it go so maybe there will be peace.

  “We’ve looked into it all that we can. Unless we get something else, it’s gonna sit.”

  “Just fucking great.”

  “Maybe that boy will realize how lucky he got and leave her alone.”

  “I doubt that. I ran into Cade at the diner and he told me he thinks Dale’s fixated on Zan. He won’t stop, Reese.”