Their Child?

by Christine Rimmer

  Chase was concerned with her being with Marianne? Couldn’t he tell from the way she’d cared for Abby that the girls would come first, foremost and always? Why hadn’t Chase told her he’d called Loretta? He’d acted as if he hadn’t known anything about Eric. What was going on?

  Seeing that Loretta was looking upset, Jillian went to her and put her arm around her. “It’s okay. No harm done. You were just telling the truth.”

  “And he didn’t tell you that he called me?”

  “No, he didn’t.”

  As soon as Jillian returned home, she was going to find out why.

  Chapter Thirteen

  In front of his computer, Chase studied the job offer from the Food and Drug Administration for a second time. A year ago, he might have considered it and moved to Arkansas for a position doing research in his field and a competitive salary. Now, however, Arkansas just wasn’t where he wanted to be. It wasn’t the vineyard. He wouldn’t even think about uprooting Marianne again. Besides, Jillian and Abby were starting to love Willow Creek as much as he did.

  He missed Jillian.

  On Friday, his mother had offered Jillian her car to drive to the airport and then return on her own. Independent woman that she was, Jillian had liked the idea.

  Chase had to smile. Damn independent.

  However, the smile faded when he considered how quiet Jillian had been since her return this afternoon and throughout dinner. Her reunion with the girls had been ecstatic. Afterward, though, something troubled him about her demeanor. When he’d taken her in his arms to kiss her, she’d pulled away. Something was going on in that head of hers and he needed to find out what it was. Maybe her party had been such a success she was worrying about starting all over here.

  He couldn’t believe how much he’d missed her while she was gone. He couldn’t believe his happiness was tied up with hers so intricately.

  He was about to shut down the computer when he heard a vehicle on the gravel outside. He knew the sound of Stan’s truck. It had a particular growl that he always recognized.

  A few minutes later, his uncle came through the tasting room, then entered Chase’s office. Chase was still puzzled about things Ralph had told him concerning Stan. He just hadn’t figured out the best way to approach his uncle.

  “I didn’t expect to see you back here tonight,” Chase said.

  “I remembered something I wanted to enter into the computer. If I wait until tomorrow, I might forget where I put the receipts.” Stan laughed but Chase didn’t see a real mirth in his eyes. His uncle looked uneasy.

  Standing, Chase turned the swivel chair toward Stan. “It’s all yours. I’m going to put the girls to bed.”

  “Is Jillian back?”

  “Yes, she got in this afternoon.”

  “I guess you two will have a reunion of sorts tonight.” Stan’s smile was sly.

  All day, all weekend, Chase had looked forward to tonight.

  “I’m just hoping Jillian has realized her decision to stay and marry me is the right one,” Chase said honestly.

  “I don’t see why she wouldn’t want to stay. Willow Creek is one of the most perfect spots on this planet, and I’ve seen a few.”

  His uncle had seen a tour of duty in the service and had traveled then.

  “Yes, it is,” Chase agreed. “It’s going to be a wonderful place to raise children.”

  “Jillian still might not want to share a house with Eleanor, though. That new development going up over on White Rock Road could be just the place for you.”

  Chase had seen the elegant houses under construction there, but that wouldn’t be the same as living on the vineyard. “I spoke to Mother about possibly buying a piece of property here. We could build a house and be within shouting distance.”

  “I suppose that’s an option,” Stan mumbled, sitting down at the computer.

  “I think there’s apple pie in the kitchen,” Chase offered, hoping Stan would come over to the house and they could have a meaningful conversation.

  Stan patted his waistline, which was thicker than it used to be. “Nah. The doc says I have to watch what I eat.”

  Chase had never known his uncle to count calories or watch his cholesterol, but maybe he was turning over a new leaf. Stan was preoccupied now. Chase would ask his mother to invite him to dinner on Sunday. Then perhaps his uncle would confide what was bothering him.

  A few minutes later, Chase was letting himself into the house. His mother was making herself a cup of tea. “Jillian’s giving them a bath. Did you hear them squealing the whole way over to the winery?”

  Marianne and Abby loved to splash in the bathtub. “No, but I hear them now. I’ll go up and see if I can get wet, too.”

  When he reached the bathroom, he found the girls pouring water over each other’s heads with tiny pastel colored tugboats.

  He grinned as he stepped into the bathroom. “It doesn’t sound like anyone’s having fun in here.”

  Marianne rattled off a string of everything she’d been doing since supper. She was talking so much more now since Abby had arrived.

  Jillian was sitting on the side of the tub holding a towel. “Come on, you two. You’re going to shrivel up if you stay in there much longer. Whoever can dress in their pj’s the fastest can choose the book we read tonight.”

  Jillian was good at making up games so the girls could learn or be coaxed without an argument. Now they each wanted to scramble out of the tub first.

  He took a fluffy green towel and held it out to Marianne. “Need some help?”

  “We can always use help,” Jillian said but kept her gaze averted. He was going to find out what was troubling her as soon as the girls were settled.

  While Buff also listened intently to the story with Abby and Marianne, Chase read to them from a Raggedy Ann book. After he gave them giant hugs and sloppy kisses, after Jillian had whispered a last goodnight, they stepped out into the hall.

  When Jillian would have gone toward the stairs, Chase caught her arm. “Let’s go to my room.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’d like some privacy because we need to talk. But your bedroom—”

  “Are you afraid of me, Jillian?”

  She looked startled. “No.”

  “Do you think I understand the meaning of the word ‘no’?”

  At that, her gaze finally met his as she caught his meaning. Her cheeks flushed. “I suppose you do.”

  Closing the gap between them, he lifted her chin. “There’s no supposing about it. If you want to talk, we’ll talk. I have a sofa in there as well as a bed.”

  She looked at his closed bedroom door. “All right,” she acquiesced softly.

  As he entered the room, he switched on the dresser light but the soft yellow glow didn’t reach the sofa on the other side of the room. His furniture was a heavy dark pine. The drapes and bed cover were patterned in wine and navy. He didn’t think Jillian had ever been in his bedroom. Now she followed him to the long sofa, and he lit the small table lamp in that area, too. She was wearing pale yellow sweatpants tonight and a white T-shirt. He caught the scent of spring and flowers and Jillian. She must have showered and changed after supper before she gave the girls a bath.

  “What happened in Florida?” he asked wanting to get to the root of the problem right away. “Did the party go well?”

  They hadn’t really talked about Senator Grayson’s daughter’s party. The girls had been chattering through dinner about everything they’d done while Jillian was away.

  “The party went very well. Senator Grayson wanted me to plan a fund-raiser for him.”

  Chase tensed. “Are you going to?”

  “It would be a little difficult if I’m living here. Kara’s going to do it. I told him he’d be pleased with her.”

  She squared her shoulders a bit and raised her chin, signaling to Chase that the party wasn’t what she wanted to talk about. “I want to know why you called Loretta Carmichael.”

  So Lo
retta had talked to Jillian about his call. That wasn’t totally unexpected. “I called her to find out if I could trust you with Marianne.”

  “I see. Were you afraid I’d run off with her?”

  “I didn’t know what you’d do, Jillian. You were a stranger. My P.I. had given me a basic report on you, but that wasn’t enough. If you were going to be spending time with my daughter, I needed to know more.” He realized he still thought of Marianne as his daughter no matter what the DNA test had said, and he felt just as connected to Abby now, too.

  “You knew about Eric before I told you,” she accused him.

  He shifted closer to her, stretching his arm along the back of the sofa. “Yes, I did. Loretta filled me in, and I was glad she did. It explained a lot, especially why you wouldn’t talk about your marriage.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you knew?”

  He looked straight into her eyes and told her the truth. “Because I wanted you to trust me enough to confide in me, especially after I learned about your husband’s affair. I knew how painful that had been for you and I didn’t want to force the information from you. I wanted you to tell me freely.”

  Her gaze lingered on his face as she seemed to sift every one of his words for their true meaning. Finally, she nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “Why did you think I had called Loretta?”

  “To gain ammunition for a custody battle.”

  “I wouldn’t have found any. You’re a good mother. You were a loyal wife.”

  Tears rose up in Jillian’s eyes, and Chase wondered if trust was always going to be an issue between them. How could they have a good marriage if it was? He and Fran had trusted each other so completely.

  Drawing Jillian into his arms, Chase tucked her into his shoulder. “I know you’re going to miss Loretta.”

  Jillian tipped her face up to his. “I’m going to miss her, but I’m ready to start a life here with you.”

  He’d been waiting for those words. He’d been counting on them. His lips found hers hungrily. He’d missed her. He’d missed her more than he’d ever imagined he would.

  When Jillian didn’t hold back, when her tongue stroked his, when her fingers laced in his hair, he took her onto his lap and began to undress her. She tugged his T-shirt from his jeans.

  After he slid her sweatpants down her hips, she kicked them off. Their getting naked took hardly any time at all. He had to have her now. Only he wanted to show her that trust wasn’t about his satisfaction. It wasn’t about only this moment. It wasn’t about desire that might fade thirty years from now.

  When she was naked on the sofa, he caressed her breasts, kissed her nipples, ran his hands down her thighs until she was restless and wanting and needy.

  “Chase,” she pleaded.

  “You’re going to like this,” he growled. The effort of keeping a lid on his own restraint was costing him.

  She opened her eyes, and her gaze met his. “I always like when you touch me.”

  “I’m going to do more than touch you.” Then he moved down her body and spread her legs apart.

  When he ducked his head to her navel, she gasped. When he moved even lower, she almost sat up. “Chase.”

  Lifting his head again, he smiled. “Relax, Jillian. Just enjoy it.”

  Her eyes were questioning, and he realized she’d never been loved in just this way before. That thought aroused him even more.

  He wanted Jillian to trust him even in this…especially in this. His fingers played in the brown curling hair at the vee of her thighs. She moved against his hand. Stroking her more intimately, he noticed her cheeks becoming flushed, her breathing becoming more shallow.

  “Give yourself up to it, Jillian. Let yourself go.”

  Between his gentle urgings, he kissed the inside of her thighs and came closer and closer to her center. When her restlessness increased, she grabbed at the sofa cushion and he knew it was time.

  With his tongue, he touched her at the most intimate place a man could touch a woman. He teased and taunted until she was whispering his name. Circling the tiny nub with his tongue, his lips enclosed it, and Jillian cried out. Her orgasm seemed to go on and on and on and Chase took great pride in that. He saw the wonder on her face, the prolonged satisfaction her body was expressing. As her climax subsided and he watched every part of her body relax, she floated back to earth.

  “Let’s see if we can make it happen again,” he murmured, rising above her, entering her with measured restraint.

  After a few moments, he started moving inside her, slowly at first, utilizing every bit of his self-control. But then self-control became a concept that no longer applied. He was thrusting deeply, her fingers were kneading his shoulders, and he was losing himself in their passion as completely as she had.

  She whispered against his neck, “It’s happening again.”

  He took them both to the peak of anticipation, the peak of erotic pleasure, and when he heard a second cry of release from Jillian, he tumbled over the mountain with her. Nothing had ever felt so absolutely right. He realized that even if Abby and Marianne weren’t in the picture, he’d want Jillian in his life.

  They slept together that night, all night, and Chase didn’t care if they had to make explanations to his mother. So be it. They were engaged.

  Engaged. He had to buy Jillian a ring. Tonight. He’d do it tonight.

  It was still before dawn when he left the bed, still thinking about how they’d made love most of the night. After a quick shower, he dressed, gave Jillian a soft kiss on her temple that didn’t awaken her and went straight to the winery.

  At first, when Chase stepped into the building, it seemed shadowy, cavernous and empty. But then he heard the scrape of metal on concrete.

  A sixth sense kept him from shouting out. He strode to where he’d heard the sound and then he froze. Stan was on a ladder, reaching toward the top opening of the vat. In his hand was a beaker.

  “What are you doing?” Chase demanded, already afraid that he knew.

  Stan was stonily silent until he reached for the opening again and Chase was up the ladder, grabbing the beaker, and wrenching it from his uncle’s hand.

  A look at it, a whiff of it, told him it was vinegar bacteria and it would ruin the wine.

  At that moment, he wanted to throttle his uncle. He wanted to shake him and demand to know why he would ruin any part of what they’d worked so hard to bring to fruition.

  Instead he climbed down from the ladder with the beaker and said tightly, “If you don’t want me to call the police, tell me what you were doing.”

  After Stan descended the ladder, his face was belligerent.

  Restraining his anger, Chase went to the small lab and tossed the contents of the beaker down the sink. Then he ran the water to give himself more time to cool down.

  Stan had trailed him inside.

  “What in the hell were you thinking?” Chase finally asked, facing his uncle.

  When Stan didn’t respond, a moment of clarity suddenly fell into place. “You’ve been trying to sabotage the vineyard since mother asked for your help,” Chase realized. “It wasn’t an accident that wine didn’t reach clients on time, that shipments landed in the wrong place, that ads weren’t mailed by the deadlines. I cut you some slack because I thought you were just upset over losing your brother.”

  “He was your father, too,” Stan snapped.

  Chase waited.

  Stan’s face reddened as he jammed his hands in his overall pockets. “You acted as if he hadn’t given you everything. You acted like you were perfect and because he’d made one mistake, you didn’t want him in your life anymore. Do you know how much that hurt him?”

  Chase knew he had a lot to answer for where his father was concerned and the regret haunted him. But he wanted Stan to understand something, too. “Do you realize he lied to me for eighteen years? Do you understand that I lost my mother that day, that our relationship changed?”

  “Eleanor is you
r mother,” Stan said stubbornly.

  “I know she is and I told her that. And I have regrets about that, too. I wish I’d have come home and we would have worked everything out sooner. But it didn’t happen. That doesn’t explain why you’re trying to sabotage the vineyard.”

  Stan seemed to age before Chase’s eyes. His shoulders slumped and he leaned against the counter. “I love your mother. I always have. But she only had eyes for Preston. He didn’t deserve her. He never really loved her. After he died, I was hoping she’d sell this place, and she and I could have a life together. Instead, she called you!”

  Chase was absolutely stunned. He’d known Stan and his mother were friends all these years, but he’d never suspected anything else. Then, of course, he hadn’t been around and when he’d returned, his attention had soon focused on Marianne.

  “So you thought if you could cause some trouble, my mother would sell the vineyard and go off with you somewhere?”

  “I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. But I thought once she sold the vineyard, we’d have time together. She’d see that I was more right for her than Preston had ever been.”

  His anger gone now, Chase pitied his uncle. “Have you ever told Mother how you feel?”

  Looking sheepish and a bit embarrassed, Stan shook his head.

  “I think you’d better. It’s hard to love a ghost, and I think Mother’s been letting go of Dad more than you know.”

  After a stretch of silence, Stan mumbled, “Are you going to call the cops?”

  “Have you ruined any other vats of wine or is this your first try?” Chase asked wryly.

  “I haven’t touched anything else. I was hoping you’d get disgusted with the whole process and leave.”

  “What do you want, Uncle Stan?”

  The title seemed to get to his uncle and he ran his hand over his face. “I’m tired of being a hired hand, a second mate. Maybe I should just stop working here.”

  “What else would you do? Go fishing?” Chase knew his uncle needed to be busy, and he thought he had a solution. “How would you like to invest some money in the vineyard and become a partner?”