by Pat Ballard
“I don’t know yet. I don’t know what I should do.” Nella felt her head would explode from unmade decisions. She said good-by and left her friend’s house.
As she pulled her car into the driveway of her beloved home, the sun was setting. The scattered clouds reflected beautiful purple and blue hues, with streaks of red mingled in here and there. All blended with the ocean, turning the view into her own gorgeous oil painting.
She knew instantly what her decision would be. She would keep her home, at whatever cost, for as long as she could.
Chapter 2
They’d been married for four weeks. Sam had left on a business trip two days after they were married. Jake had been totally content to stay with Nella, and didn’t seem to miss his father much at all.
Nella had never known how active a three-year-old could be. Her days were spent answering endless questions about everything in general. She read to him, she played everything from cowboys to building blocks, and, to her amazement, found she loved every minute of it.
She smiled down at the small, sleeping bundle as he lay curled in his bed. In this short time she’d lost her heart forever to this little human being. All he had to do was smile at her and she was putty in his hands. He was beginning to realize that, too, and was using it to his advantage.
When Jake woke up Nella made him breakfast and helped him dress. She had to go into town and run some errands, and she wanted to go early, while he was still fresh and rested from his night’s sleep.
She’d visited several stores before Jake started getting tired and cranky. She was basically finished with all the shopping she needed to do, so she decided to leave the rest undone and go home. She’d tried once before to shop with Jake when he wasn’t in a very good mood, and it only proved to be disastrous, so she didn’t want to push her luck today.
They were almost to her Volkswagen when Jake asked, “Can we get a yogurt, Nella?” They were passing a coffee shop that served frozen yogurt, and Jake remembered going inside the last time they were in town.
She took time to put the packages in her car first. As she closed the trunk, she glanced across the street. A man was casually leaning against a beat-up Ford pickup truck. Had he been staring at her? And did he look quickly away? Nella was accustomed to having men stare at her, but this seemed different. This man was sleazy—no other word suited him better. Just sleazy.
“Come on, Nella.” Jake was tugging at her hand.
She followed him into the shop, where they each enjoyed a cone of frozen yogurt. Nella forgot about the man across the street as Jake chatted about things they’d seen that morning. He had a hard time trying to keep the yogurt from running down and getting on his hand, and couldn’t enjoy the cone because he hated having sticky hands. Nella made a mental note to get their yogurt in cups next time. By the time they’d finished Jake was almost dozing in his chair, so she picked him up and carried him to the car.
Just as she reached for the car door handle she looked up into the bleary eyes of the sleazeball from across the street But now he was very close, and he was reaching for Jake. “Gimmie the boy, lady. I’m taking him home.”
As he touched Jake the boy cried out and grabbed Nella tightly around the neck. Nella clutched him closely to her chest and raised her knee into Sleazeball’s crotch with as much force as she could muster. He yelped in surprise and doubled over in pain.
Nella quickly shoved Jake into the Volkswagen and left the scene with screeching tires. As she turned the corner she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the man was still bent over, holding himself.
Arriving home, Nella rushed inside the house and locked the door behind her. Jake knew she was upset, so he was crying a little, but she sat him down on the couch and ran to do a double check on all the other doors and windows to see if they were locked. She knew she couldn’t become a prisoner in her own home, but she had to feel safe until she could figure out what to do next.
She sat down and held Jake closely in her lap. He lay against her and started to settle down.
Who was that jerk? Would he come back? Why did he want Jake? She was so frightened now by what could have happened back there that she was trembling all over.
Jake soon fell asleep, so she laid him gently on the couch beside her. She couldn’t even imagine what kind of wrath Sam du Cannon would have heaped upon her if she’d allowed that stranger to kidnap his son. Just the thought of those eyes burning into hers sent shudders down her spine.
She got up and went to the kitchen to get some water. As she passed the phone, she noticed she had messages on her answering machine. The first caller had hung up at the sound of the tone, but the second caller was a deep, familiar voice. “Hi, it’s Sam. I’ll be home in approximately two hours. It’s ten o’clock now.”
He must have called right after she left for town. He should be home at any moment, since it was a little past noon.
Nella started to relax. Sam would know how to handle the situation. He might even know who the man was who’d tried to snatch Jake.
Soon she heard a car in the driveway. She looked out the window. Sure enough, it was Sam’s Rolls Royce. She opened the door to wait for him.
Suddenly Sheriff Dansby’s patrol car screeched to a stop behind Sam’s car, and the sheriff jumped out of the car and ran up to Sam.
“Are they okay? Did she get the boy home okay?” Excitement made the sheriff jumble his words.
“What the hell are you talking about, man?” Sam didn’t know whether to be concerned or irritated.
Nella came from the house and approached the two men.
“Oh, there you are!” Relief flooded the sheriff’s voice. He took a couple of deep breaths to gain control.
Sheriff Dansby was an average-built man with a receding hairline. His eyes were soft blue and kindly. Nella had known him all of her life. He’d been a close friend of her father’s.
“Nella, you were fantastic back there.” He’d managed to catch his breath. “I saw the whole thing from the hardware store. When you kneed that jerk in the crotch, I couldn’t believe it. But I ran and cuffed him while he was still on his knees. Would you like a job as a deputy?”
“Would someone mind telling me what is going on?” Impatience, and a growing anger at being in the dark about a seemingly intense situation, brought a heightened color to Sam’s face.
“You don’t know, then?” Sheriff Dansby asked the obvious question, and then continued to explain.
“Well, that weasel was waiting on Nella when she started to get in her car. He tried to grab your little boy, but she hung onto your son for dear life and landed her knee right in the ole boy’s balls and bent him double. Then she jumped in that car of hers and tore out of town like a bat outa hell. I grabbed the skunk while he was down and cuffed him. After some coaxing, he told me your in-laws had paid him to kidnap the boy and bring him to them. He’s still in jail if you want to file charges against him, and them.”
“No!” The explosive sound came from Sam. Nella was amazed at the calm fury on his face.
“You let the man go. But you write an extensive report on what happened and keep it on file. My in-laws will hang themselves if given enough rope. They’re just that stupid. Thank you for your help, Sheriff,” he said, and turned and went into the house.
Sheriff Dansby shrugged his shoulders and asked Nella, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, Harmon, and thanks for checking on me.” She reached out and touched his arm as she spoke.
“Nella—” he hesitated, obviously wanting to ask her something, but not sure if he should or not.
“Go ahead, Harmon. What do you want to know?”
“Well, it’s none of my business, but why did you marry this stranger? Did you meet him somewhere else? Did—?” Nella stopped him.
“Harmon, I’m okay. Don’t worry about me. You know my father taught me to be a survivor. I will survive, Harmon. I will survive.” He didn’t like the sad note in her voice that she almost manage
d to conceal.
Nella kissed his concerned cheek. Then she, too, turned and went inside.
Sam was sitting on the couch beside Jake when she entered the room. He had one of the child’s small hands in his. Raw concern made his face pale.
“I’m leaving for Hawaii in three days, and I want you and Jake to go with me.”
“But—” she was about to protest when he stopped her.
“No arguments, Nella.” His voice was determined and final. My in-laws will not stop at anything until they get what they want, and they want Jake. So until this blows over, I want you and Jake with me on every trip I make.”
“Sam, I don’t think—” Again she tried to protest, but again she was cut short.
“Just pack, Nella. Just pack.” Suddenly his voice sounded tired.
Later in her room, she admitted to herself she and Jake would be safer being with Sam for a while, but she couldn’t even imagine how hard it was going to be to travel with him all the time.
She stopped in the middle of what she was doing. Would they share one hotel room? One bed? How on earth would Sam work all of this out?
This was not at all what she’d envisioned when she agreed to the marriage. She never dreamed she’d have to leave her home and travel with Sam. Now what? Should she just call the whole thing off before it went any further?
But what about Jake?
Suddenly she knew she’d already gone too far. In these short weeks, Jake’s best interests had become much more important to her than her own. Groaning inwardly, she finished the packing.
The flight to Honolulu was uneventful, and now in the luxurious hotel suite Nella smiled as she unpacked Jake’s and her clothes. Sam had taken Jake to walk on the beach so Nella could have some time to get things in order. At least that’s the excuse he’d given to get Jake to himself for a while.
They were in a big, beautiful suite that contained a living space, a kitchenette, and three bedrooms. The furniture was solid mahogany, and there was enough space for three more people.
And she’d worried that they’d be in a single motel room! She should have known Sam du Cannon would only settle for the best.
Nella made up her mind to enjoy every moment of this. This was the type of luxury most people only dreamed of, and never got to actually experience. Well, her chance was here and she meant to enjoy it! She planned to see as much of Honolulu as possible, and maybe even some of the surrounding islands.
In a little while she heard Sam and Jake returning. As soon as Sam opened the door, Jake ran to her.
“Nella, look what I founded.” He was clutching several small shells in his hands. “I brought them to you. Do you like them?”
“Oh, I love them. They’re beautiful.” Nella knelt in front of the child and made a big deal over the gift he’d brought her. He beamed with pleasure that his gift was so well received.
Nella looked up and caught Sam watching the exchange between her and Jake with a concerned expression on his face.
Later, as Jake napped, Sam sat in a recliner reading the paper and Nella settled down at the dining room table to paint her nails. She was intent on what she was doing and didn’t know how long Sam had been standing by her, watching her, when she looked up into his face. He wore the same concerned look that she had seen earlier.
“I hope I haven’t made a big mistake in bringing you and Jake together.” He pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Why do you say that?” Nella blew on her nails to dry them faster.
“Nella, when he’s with you, you’re the only thing he’s interested in, and when he’s not with you, he talks about you constantly. He seems to adore you, and I’ve watched you with him. In this short time you seem to love him more than his mother ever appeared to.”
“Well, I don’t profess to be a psychologist, but I think it’s perfectly normal for a child his age to need a mother figure around, and after having lost his mom, he’d just naturally hold on to someone a little harder than normal. There may be a subconscious fear that I’ll leave him, too.”
“That’s what I’m concerned about. If the time should come that you need to go, will I have done more damage to my son than if I’d just tried to fight the odds and raise him by myself?”
“In my opinion, it’s better to have known someone and loved them as much as possible and then lose them than to never know what it’s like to have known that love. Just like the old saying, ‘it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.’ Remember, I grew up without a mother, and I used to go to sleep each night fantasizing about what my mom and I would have done that day, if she could have been with me.”
The sadness in her voice and the tears in her eyes reminded Sam that her childhood had been incomplete because she didn’t have a mother around. Maybe he’d made the right decision. He surely hoped so.
Just then Jake came from the bedroom, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He smiled and went straight to Nella. She lifted him to her lap and held him closely as he wrapped his arms around her neck and laid his head on her shoulder.
Her eyes met Sam’s over the child’s head, and he smiled at her. It was the first time he’d ever looked her directly in the eyes and smiled. Her heart tried to leap up through her throat. She had a tiny premonition of trouble ahead.
Each passing day she became more and more aware of how handsome Sam du Cannon was. She reminded herself often that she needed to be thinking about anything else besides how good he looked after he’d just had a shower and his hair still lay damp and dark against his tanned forehead. Or how the muscles rippled in his arms when he lifted Jake to his lap. Or how sexy he looked when he came in at night and took off his tie and undid the first few buttons on his shirt to let a sprinkling of dark chest hair spiral from the opening.
Chapter 3
Life settled into a comfortable enough routine during the following few weeks. Nella got up at six o’clock every morning and went to the beach to swim while Sam had coffee, read the paper, and got dressed for work. By the time he was ready to leave for work Nella was back from her swim, ready to start her day in her role as super-nanny. At night, she usually fixed their evening meal in the hotel suite. Occasionally Sam worked late and she only had to worry about making food for Jake and herself. A few nights they had eaten in one of the family restaurants in the hotel.
This morning when the alarm went off, Nella woke up to an old, familiar heaviness in her lower abdomen. Cramps. She also felt blah and listless. She reset the alarm for seven o’clock. No swimming this morning. She’d just go back to sleep, and when she got up, Sam would be gone.
She smiled with the satisfaction of a well-made decision and was soon sound asleep. It seemed only moments later that the alarm went off again, and she reluctantly got up.
She needed to have a cup of coffee to get awake before Jake woke up to start his day. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, she stumbled into the kitchen/dining area.
She was in the middle of the room before she discovered Sam sitting at the table, his coffee cup half raised to his lips and the paper in front of him.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, becoming acutely aware that her hair was a mess from the previous night’s sleep, and that she hadn’t bothered to put on her robe. The nightgown she wore was black with a lacy, fitted bodice that covered approximately one third of her large breasts, then flowed in layers to the floor. But what did she care? He’d made it plain he wouldn’t be affected by her one way or the other.
“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be at work by now.”
“I’m going in later today. I thought you’d be swimming.”
There was coffee still in the pot, so she poured a cup and sat down at the table and reached for part of the paper. Normally she would have gone and put her robe on, but today she refused to retreat. Sam had said he wouldn’t be attracted to her, so it wouldn’t matter if she sat here in the nude.
“You’re just going to sit there dressed like that?” Their eyes
met across the table.
“Why not?” she asked, not wavering.
“You’re half naked.” His sweeping glance took in the part of her body above the table.
“And you’re not?” Her eyes roved casually over his shirtless torso. All he had on was slacks. His chest was covered in a dark mass of curly hair. She felt a tiny chill go up her spine, and knew her nipples were getting hard, but her gaze never left his.
“That’s different, I’m a man!” His retort was serious, and he was becoming angry.
“Oh. You’re a man, and that makes it okay. Well, it doesn’t matter, anyway. You said fat women didn’t turn you on.” She knew she was agitating him, and she realized she was enjoying it.
“Actually, what I said,” now he was tightlipped, “was that I’m not attracted to large women. I would prefer that you don’t put words in my mouth.”
Her only answer was a shrug as she lifted the coffee cup to her lips. She saw his gaze fall to her cleavage and linger there momentarily.
Suddenly he slammed his cup to the table and with an angry grunt left the room. She heard his bedroom door slam. Smiling, she picked up the paper.
Sam stood in the middle of his bedroom. What had just happened? Had he just had an argument and lost? He didn’t like this feeling at all. He was a powerful man. The people in his world didn’t have the audacity to argue with him, much less argue and win.
She was right, though. He’d told her he wouldn’t ever have to worry about being attracted to her. Then why was he standing in the middle of his bedroom, fully aroused?
Nella heard the shower being turned on in his bathroom, and hoped the water was cold. She heard Jake stirring, waking up in the other room. She put on her robe and went to his bedroom.
He lay in the middle of the full-sized bed, looking lost among all the covers. His big blue eyes watched her walk in. She loved the way he looked in the morning. She loved watching him come awake and get ready for his busy day.