Fascinated, Nicky looked again at the picture of Jack. “What happened between you and J.T. after he moved to the ranch?”
“Not much.” Brent inhaled deeply. “J.T. adored Jack, and I certainly couldnʼt expect him to neglect him to favor me. After all, I did have a great home and a loving family, while Jack had nothing. So, as the two of them kept getting closer, I just stopped going to the ranch.”
Nickyʼs gaze shifted back to Brent, noticing the sudden hardness of his face and the way his lips had pressed into a thin line. Thatʼs when a thought crept abruptly into her mind…a thought so deplorable and unacceptable it threatened to knock her off her feet. Brent had reasons to resent J.T. and Jack. He had reasons to sneak onto his ranch that night, as heʼd admitted doing many times before. Reasons to want J.T. dead. Reasons to let Jack take the blame.
Nicky shook her head, trying to get that horrible idea off her mind. No way! It was absurd. She would never believe, even for a minute, that Brent could do something like that.
He frowned at her troubled expression. “Are you all right?” When she didnʼt answer, he poked her arm gently with a finger. “Hey. Sinclair?”
His touch seemed to jerk her to awareness, though she only gave him a blank stare. Then she shook her head again. “Sorry, I was thinking of something.”
“It must have been something awful since you got whiter than a ghost all of a sudden.”
Nicky forced a smile. She felt so mortified at her thoughts that she could barely hold his gaze. “Well, I― This whole Turner thing is playing havoc with my mind.”
Brent gave her a doubtful look but nodded. “Itʼs a brainteaser, I know. Hey, our shift is almost up. Would you like to go to The Cove for dinner? Iʼll call Sara, too.”
“Thanks, but Iʼm going out tonight.”
“Out? As in…on a date? You?”
Nicky huffed. “You know, Hayden, even tomboys can date every once in a while. Shocking, huh?”
Yes, it was. Knowing Nicky, anyway. “Whoʼs the lucky guy?”
“You donʼt know him; he just moved here last week.”
Brentʼs frown deepened. New people in Starville were a rare occurrence. Heck, Sara was probably the newest in town, and sheʼd been living there for over four years!
“His nameʼs David,” Nicky continued, more and more embarrassed by his reaction. “Heʼs the new vet. I met him through Angie.”
He nodded. Their friend, Angie OʼDonnell, owned the only veterinary clinic in Starville, but sheʼd just left for England to start a one-year internship at a major animal hospital in London. “Well, good for you. Hope you have fun.”
Nicky smiled. “Thank you.”
***
Sara was grateful for Brentʼs invitation. She was in desperate need of a lighthearted night. Maybe that would help her get Jack out of her head.
It took her barely ten minutes to arrive at The Cove. A cross between a diner, a bar, and pretty much whatever people needed it to be, it was the most popular haunt in Starville. Not to mention that it was also the only one. Sara shook her head with amused exasperation at the sight of the usual V in the sign that seemed about to fall off any minute and that Hank, the owner, had promised to fix years ago.
“Whatʼs so funny?”
She turned to Brent as he got out of his car. “I was just wondering if Hank is ever going to fix that sign.”
“Yeah, right.” He reached her and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hey, handsome.”
Sara took his arm, and they walked inside the diner. The cool air felt like a blessing compared to the hot, June mugginess outside, and she smiled, glancing around. The worn-out wooden tables were almost all taken; familiar faces were everywhere, and the sound of peopleʼs cheerful chitchat filled the air, blending with the old country song wailing from the jukebox. Yes, a carefree night at The Cove was exactly what she needed.
Unfortunately, her contentment was short-lived. As at least fifteen pairs of curious eyes fixed on her, Sara realized this wouldnʼt be the relaxing night sheʼd hoped for. Great. Apparently the news of Jackʼs return had already spread.
Brent wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Ignore them,” he whispered, leading her toward a free booth. Theyʼd just picked up menus when Charlene, the dinerʼs young waitress, showed up with a notepad in her hand.
“Hi, guys!”
Brent barely glanced at her before refocusing his attention on the menu. “Howʼs it going, Lene?”
“Pretty good.” She flipped back the silky golden curls that came down to her hips. “I just came back from an audition in Dallas, and this time I think I nailed it!”
Sara blew out a sigh of relief. Charlene didnʼt seem to care about Jackʼs return. Maybe she could still have her carefree night, after all. “Wow, congratulations! Is it for that new soap opera?”
“Yep.” Charleneʼs big blue eyes filled with enthusiasm. “Iʼm so excited, guys! If I pass the next audition in Austin, Iʼll get the part and finally go to Hollywood! Isnʼt that wonderful?”
Clearly not impressed, Brent shrugged and kept reading the menu. Sara kicked him under the table, then, satisfied with his painful grunt, turned back to the waitress.
“Thatʼs awesome, Charlene! Iʼve got my fingers crossed for you.”
“Thanks, honey. Can I get your orders?”
“About time.” Brent shifted his legs to the side just before Sara aimed another kick at his shin. He gave her a smug grin, then turned to Charlene. “Iʼll have a cheeseburger and a beer.”
She huffed in exasperation. “How can you possibly study the menu for fifteen minutes only to end up ordering your usual?”
“What can I say, hon, Iʼm full of surprises.”
“Youʼre full of something else, too,” the waitress retorted, shaking her head.
Sara bit back a chuckle. “Iʼll have a chicken salad with my beer, thanks.”
Charlene wrote the orders down and was about to leave when Lucy, Hankʼs wife, materialized by their table. “Sara, darling! Iʼve been so worried about you! Are you all right?”
Here we go! Sara rolled her eyes and turned toward the older woman with a resigned smile. “Iʼm fine, Lucy, thank you.”
“You must have been so scared!”
She shook her head. “Just a little.”
Charlene shot them a curious look. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Havenʼt you heard?” a man sitting at a table behind theirs chimed in. “Our little Sara got herself a big adventure last night.”
Brent glared at him. “Eat your meal, Kyle.”
“What happened?”
Sara sighed at Charleneʼs question, knowing there was no stopping the gossip machine once it started. “I saw an awful accident on the way home last night, so I called an ambulance. Thatʼs all.”
“Thatʼs all, she says,” another man scoffed from a few tables away, and Brent turned around to slant a threatening look in his direction.
“Mind your own business, Bob.”
“Turnerʼs return is my business.”
“Bob is right, Brent,” Lucy intervened, her hands resting on her generous hips. “Itʼs everybodyʼs business.”
He drew a heavy breath, summoning the patience to keep calm. He was about to reply when a muffled thud coming from behind the table stopped him. Everybody turned simultaneously toward Charlene, who seemed to have collapsed on a chair and looked whiter than a ghost.
“T-Turner? You mean…Jack?” she muttered, splaying a shaky hand on her stomach. “Jack is back?”
Sara frowned. What the—?
Before she could say anything, Kyle interjected again. “Sara rescued him on Carriage Road last night. Apparently he had an accident with his motorcycle.”
“I-I was in Dallas for a couple of days for the audition… I didnʼt know,” Charlene babbled, almost in shock.
Lucy wrapped a motherly arm around her shoulders. “Itʼs all right, dear. Heʼs still at the hospital right now, and Doc
says itʼll be a couple of days before he can get out. Besides, Brent wonʼt let anything bad happen. Right, Brent?”
He sighed at the hopeful look she gave him. “Nothing bad is going to happen, no. Look, why donʼt yʼall just calm down? The manʼs been gone for ten years, for Godʼs sake.”
“As far as Iʼm concerned, he could disappear for another fifty and weʼd all be happy! Why did he have to come back, anyway?”
Saraʼs bewildered gaze moved to Katie, the woman who had asked the last question. What the heck was going on? The whole situation was simply dumbfounding. She felt as if she were watching the second half of a movie after missing the first part, as if everybody else were part of something she was not. Sheʼd never felt so estranged and out of place before.
Brent shot her a worried look before turning toward the woman. “I donʼt know why he came back,” he said patiently. “Nobody knows yet, and Iʼm afraid weʼll have to wait until Jack can tell us himself. But remember, heʼs a free man—he can come and go wherever he pleases, and thereʼs nothing anybody can do about it.”
“Jack is back,” Charlene muttered, still in disbelief. “I wonder what he wants?”
Bob shook his head grimly. “Trouble, I tell ya. He wants trouble.”
Chapter 7
Sara tossed and turned all night, unable to stop thinking about what had happened at The Cove. While she could understand that Jack must have been quite the black sheep in a small, tranquil town like Starville, the hostility that everyone felt toward him seemed a little exaggerated, to say the least.
She didnʼt fall asleep until dawn, with the result that she slept the whole morning and still felt exhausted when she got up. It was late in the afternoon by the time she finally managed to go to the hospital. She hadnʼt written a word all day, but she didnʼt care. She wasnʼt in the mood for writing, anyway. All she could think about was Jack.
Upon reaching his room, she was disappointed to find the door closed. Maybe he was asleep? She knocked lightly but jumped back in shock when the sheriff swung the door open, the usual sulky frown displayed on his hard face.
Sara had met Max Lacrod many times before, as she often picked Nicky up at the police department at the end of her shifts, so she was used to his irritable attitude and rude manners. No surprises there. This time, though, the sheriff looked even grumpier than usual. Livid, even.
“Well, well, look whoʼs here―our little heroine in person!”
The manʼs voice, reeking sarcasm, immediately put her on the defensive. “Iʼm not a heroine, Sheriff, and I did nothing special. Nothing that anybody else wouldnʼt have done in my place, I would hope. Now, if you donʼt mind, Iʼm here to see Jack.”
“Heʼs not here,” Doc chimed in grimly, peering over the sheriffʼs frame.
Sara automatically peeked inside the room, and noticing the empty bed, gave the doctor a confused look. “But…I thought he wasnʼt supposed to be released for another day or so.”
“He wasnʼt released,” Max Lacrod interjected, a disgusted expression on his face. “As usual, the coward chose to run off instead. If weʼre lucky, heʼs out of town by now.”
Sara felt so disoriented that it took a few moments for the manʼs harsh words to sink in. Her heart dropped the instant the realization hit her. Jack was gone? Sheʼd never see him again?
Doc stepped out of the room and wrapped a gentle arm around her shoulders, glaring at Max. “Letʼs go, dear. Iʼll walk you out.”
“I donʼt get it, Doc. Why would Jack leave like that?”
He shook his head. “Donʼt try to figure him out, Sara, heʼs a complicated man. Heʼs always been.”
“But―”
“Go home, dear. Donʼt think about him anymore. For your own good,” he said firmly as he walked her out the door.
Sara got into her car and started the engine robotically, a million confused thoughts raging in her head. It didnʼt make sense. Sheʼd seen Jack the day before, and heʼd expressed no intention of leaving. Why had he bolted like that?
The drive home felt like an eternity, and she sighed with relief when she pulled up her driveway. Sheʼd felt so anxious the whole time she drove on the narrow country road, almost as if she expected Jack to appear magically in front of her car as he had two nights before. Only two nights, she mused in disbelief. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Sara got out of her car and walked to the mailbox. Among the usual dozens of ads and coupons, there was an official-looking envelope, and she turned it around to check the return address. It was from the community college where she worked, she noticed with a frown. How strange. Sheʼd been teaching there for the last four years, and theyʼd never sent her a letter before. Ripping the envelope open as she went up the porch steps, she quickly scanned its contents. A curse slipped out of her mouth. Could things go any worse today?
“You lied to me.”
Sara let out a terrified scream at the deep voice that had spoken from behind her. The keys and the mail she was holding fell to the ground, but she barely noticed. Knowing exactly whose voice that was, she turned around immediately, a hand flattened on her wild-pounding heart.
“Jack,” she whispered with a smile, unable to believe her eyes. She had to be dreaming. He couldnʼt possibly be there… Could he?
Sara slowly bent down to pick up her keys, her gaze never leaving him. He was even taller and more impressive than she remembered. And, if possible, even more handsome, despite the grim expression on his face.
Her smile died under his glacial stare. Rage was flashing in his eyes, making them glitter in the moonlight, and—oh boy!—he looked furious! Unable to hold his hostile gaze any longer, she focused her attention on the clothes he was wearing in place of the hospital gown—a pair of faded jeans and a black T-shirt that clung to his broad chest. A small white patch had replaced the bandage on his forehead. A black bag was slung over his right shoulder, and he held the strap with his thumb, using the other hand to lean against the rail as he slowly went up the steps. His lean, muscular body, along with the fury blazing in his green eyes, reminded her of a panther poised to leap on its prey.
Sara swallowed hard at the realization that she was obviously the target of his anger.
“You lied to me,” Jack repeated once he stood in front of her.
“W-what?”
“Donʼt play dumb with me, Sara. I know everything. I know what happened ten years ago, and I know you lied to me.”
The sharp tone of his words made her take an instinctive step back. For the first time since sheʼd met him, she almost feared him. “Did you…get your memory back?”
Jack shook his head with a sarcastic grin. “I didnʼt need to. Your nice, considerate sheriff took care of informing me about everything. Such a kind person he is, and—oh!—so concerned with protecting his precious little town from this brutal killer here.”
Lacrod! I should have known. “Look, I know youʼre upset, and you have every right to be. But, please, try to put yourself in my shoes. What was I supposed to do?”
“Tell me the truth,” he replied laconically.
“Sure!” She raised her arms in exasperation. “A few hours from your terrible accident and after the serious head trauma you sustained, I was supposed to tell you that youʼd been accused of murdering your own adoptive father and that you spent nearly three years in jail because of it!”
A muscle pulsed in Jackʼs tightened jaw. “It would have been better than hearing it from Lacrod.”
Ouch. Sara sighed. “Iʼm sorry, Jack. Really. I didnʼt know he would spit his venom at you so soon,” she apologized contritely. But, man, the way he kept staring at her in silence was making her extremely uncomfortable. What had happened to the confused, shy, sweet man sheʼd met at the hospital?
“Look, I really didnʼt know anything about your story until two days ago,” she felt the need to specify. “Doc told me about it at the hospital, so I didnʼt know―”
“ʼCourse you didnʼt. Otherwise, why would you have helped a worthles
s ex-con like me, huh?”
Sara saw red. “Donʼt be ridiculous! Your past wouldnʼt have made any difference, and you know it!”
Jack inhaled a sharp breath but didnʼt reply and kept silent for what seemed like an eternity to her. “It doesnʼt matter,” he finally muttered, his voice so low that she wasnʼt sure heʼd actually said anything. “Not anymore. Thanks again for all of your help, Sara. I owe you.”
In a daze, Sara watched him turn around and slowly climb down the porch steps.
“Jack, wait!” she heard herself shout before she could put her thoughts together. She just couldnʼt let him go, not like this. She would never forgive herself.
He stopped, but when he turned around, his beautiful eyes were so blank that she felt her heart ache. “You canʼt leave with your leg like that,” she said tentatively. “You donʼt even have a place to stay. Maybe…you could stay here tonight.”
Jack frowned and stared at her as though sheʼd lost her mind. “Why, Sara? Why do you want to help me?”
“I donʼt know,” she admitted with a ragged breath. It was true. She didnʼt have the slightest idea why the thought of letting him go seemed so unacceptable to her. All she knew was that she was exhausted, and that, at least for tonight, she needed to know that he was safe. “Just stay. Please.”
Jack remained on the step. He pushed a hand through his hair, cursing as his fingers met the wound. “You sure?”
Sara nodded. “We both need to rest tonight. Tomorrow weʼll worry about everything else.”
He looked at her, then her house, then her again, as if pondering her suggestion. Finally, he took a deep breath. “Okay. Iʼll stay tonight…unless thereʼs a Mr. Milano who might object.”
She felt a gigantic weight being lifted from her shoulders but tried to hide it behind a smile. “That would be my dad. And considering I havenʼt heard from him since I was five, I guess the answer is no.”
Jack gave her another penetrating look but didnʼt comment. Afraid heʼd change his mind, Sara went down the porch steps and slid an arm around his waist to help him climb back up. And, boy, he felt good. His body was so warm and solid against hers that, once again, she couldnʼt help wondering what the heck she was getting herself into.
Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) Page 5