by Brenda Novak
Jaclyn would rather Terry not know about the firing, but now that the truth was out…“I was,” she admitted. “There was a misunderstanding. But I’ve got a new job now.”
He glanced beyond her to Cole’s truck, and his lips twisted into a sneer. “Looks like it pays a whole lot better than waitressing.”
Jaclyn’s stomach started to hurt. Maybe she’d eaten too fast. Or too much. Or maybe she felt another argument coming on. “It does. But the Navigator’s not mine.”
“Whose is it?”
Remembering his reaction the last time she mentioned Cole, Jaclyn decided to keep him out of it. “A friend’s. What are you doing here today, anyway? You weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow.”
“What’s the matter? Now that the kids are back, you afraid you’re not going to be able to run around anymore?”
“Why are you acting as though you’re doing me some kind of favor taking the children?” she asked. “You’re the one who sued for custody!”
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to let you use me to baby-sit while you go out on the town looking for another meal ticket.”
Anger made Jaclyn’s hands shake. “I’m not looking for a meal ticket,” she said. “The children are welcome to stay with me all the time. You just say the word and sign them over.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you. To cut me completely out of the picture?”
“You can’t have it both ways, Terry. Either you take them, which means I’ll have some free time, or you don’t, which means you won’t see them. It’s your decision.”
“You don’t care either way.”
“I care. I wouldn’t want them to miss their father, but you don’t seem to be too concerned about their welfare.”
“Oh yeah? Who was watching them tonight while you were out doing God knows what with the man who owns that truck?”
Jaclyn clenched her jaw against the desire to tell him to go to hell. It had already been a long day. But the last thing she needed was to poison the neighborhood against her by having a knock-down drag-out with her ex. “Keep your voice down,” she hissed. “I don’t want to wake the children or the neighbors, especially because I wasn’t doing anything with the man who owns that truck. I work for him.”
“As what? His personal call girl?”
“I do his filing, answer his phones, that sort of thing.”
“Right,” Terry scoffed. “You expect me to believe you were doing office work? This late?”
“It’s true.”
Brushing past her, he strode to Cole’s Navigator and tried to open the driver’s door, but Jaclyn had locked it. When he couldn’t get in, he whirled to face her. “Give me the keys.”
Jaclyn was holding them in her right hand. Instinctively she made a fist around them and tucked it behind her back. “No.”
“I want to know who owns this truck, dammit.”
“It’s none of your business, Terry. I’m home now. You can leave.”
“I said, give me the keys.” Grabbing her arm, he twisted, forcing her to let go of them. Then he unlocked the Navigator and checked the registration.
“I’ll be a son of a bitch. It’s Cole Perrini’s,” he said. “You’re screwing that trailer trash we went to high school with.”
“I’m not screwing anyone. And he’s not trailer trash,” she said.
Terry shoved his cowboy hat back to smirk at her. “Coulda fooled me. As I remember it, most days he didn’t even show up for school. Ran around in that beater truck of his drinkin’ and fightin’ and causin’ trouble—at least, until he knocked up Rochelle.”
The way Jaclyn remembered it, Terry and his friends had done less fighting, but they’d certainly done more drinking. “I don’t care what Cole was like in high school. It’s in the past. It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter? It doesn’t matter that he left Rochelle only a few months after she lost their baby? That she was so broken up by how he’d treated her that she tried to commit suicide? What kinda man would leave his wife on the heels of a tragedy like that?”
“We don’t know what happened. It’s none of our business, anyway.”
Terry acted as though she hadn’t spoken. “And you think he was true to her while they were married?” he went on. “Hell, no. That boy don’t know what it’s like to be true to anyone, except maybe those no-good brothers he was always fighting for.”
“You’re one to talk about fidelity,” Jaclyn said, so disgusted she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“At least I always loved you, took care of you. Cole didn’t give a shit about Rochelle.”
“You’re repeating small-town gossip,” she said. “That’s all.”
“You can think that if you want, but there ain’t no secrets in Feld.”
God, didn’t she know! Every time Terry had stepped out on her, the whole town knew—usually before she did. She’d walked through the grocery store or post office in the wake of whispers and nods, even chuckling, more times than she could count. It had been downright humiliating.
“Regardless, Cole’s cleaned up his act,” she said. “You should see him now. He got out of Feld and he’s made something of himself.”
“He has?” Terry spat on the Navigator. “Anyone can finance a damn car. Don’t let this baby fool you.”
“At least he owns something that doesn’t belong to his daddy,” she replied.
He stared at her, his jaw sagging, and for a moment Jaclyn thought she’d pushed him too far. Her nails dug into her palms as she waited for his shouted response, but when he spoke, his voice was soft, almost pained.
“I know where you’re comin’ from, Jackie. I should have fought my father, got us our own place, like you said. He’s just so…” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I love the crusty old bastard, but I hate him, too. And I want you to know that the divorce stuff and all that, well, that was more him than me. You know I’m not a bad guy. I’ve made my mistakes, but I’ve loved you since high school, and I’ll love you for the rest of our lives, if you’ll let me. That’s really why I brought the kids home early. I wanted to talk to you about putting all this behind us and starting fresh, somewhere far away from my father. That’s what you always wanted, isn’t it?”
Jaclyn squeezed her eyes closed. She’d downright pleaded for Terry to take her away from his parents’ ranch more times than she could count. She’d always believed that if they had just struck out on their own, they might have had a chance. But Terry hadn’t been strong enough then. And she doubted he was strong enough now. In either case, it was too late. As much as she wished they could get back together for the children’s sake, something had changed inside her. She didn’t know if she’d ever even want to marry again, to leave herself so vulnerable to another’s misntakes and decisions….
Even if she did get married again, it wouldn’t be to Terry. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It’s too late.”
Head bowed, he spat in the dirt and adjusted his hat to sit lower on his brow. “Then, do me one favor,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“Don’t get involved with the likes of Cole Perrini. He’s bad news, Jackie, probably more than you know.”
“There’s nothing going on between me and Cole,” she replied. “I work for him. That’s it.”
With a nod, he indicated the Navigator. “I suppose that’s a company car, and that you get off at midnight every day?”
“I worked late on a project, my battery died, and Cole didn’t have any cables. He was nice enough to lend me his vehicle so I could get home tonight.”
Terry studied her, looking skeptical. “Just don’t let him do you too many favors. You might not like what he expects in return.”
He turned and left, and Jaclyn stood in the drive staring after him until the sound of his engine died away. Cole might have his problems, but they were personal problems that had nothing to do with professional relationships. What he’d done to Rochelle had nothing to do with
her. How he treated his love interests had nothing to do with her, either, because she wasn’t one of them.
Taking a long look at his Navigator, she tried telling herself that once more, more forcibly: I have no romantic interest in Cole Perrini. He might be as handsome as the devil, and as charismatic, too, but I’m not interested in any man. At least, right now.
But there was still a small rebellious voice in the back of her mind that called her a liar and dared put forth the thought that she wasn’t interested in any man but him.
She might have pondered that notion, weighed it for veracity, but out of the corner of her eye she saw a curtain move in the bedroom window of Mr. Alder’s house. Had he been watching her? Had he heard her and Terry’s whole argument?
If he was awake, he probably had. The night was warm and all his windows were open.
“Just my luck,” she grumbled, wincing at how bad some of Terry’s comments had made her look. Then, exhausted, she headed into the house.
CHAPTER SIX
“WHERE’S DADDY?”
Jaclyn blinked, struggling to reach full consciousness. It was light outside, but the alarm hadn’t gone off yet. What had awakened Alex so early?
“He went home,” she mumbled.
“What?”
“He went home,” she clarified, trying not to slur her words this time. “Did you have fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s?”
Alex stood at the side of her bed, scowling, his sandy-colored hair mussed, and didn’t respond.
“Aren’t you going to answer me?” she asked, shoving both pillows behind her back and propping herself up so she could see him better. “Come give me a hug, sweetheart. I missed you. A lot happened while you were gone that I want to tell you about.”
Such a statement would normally have elicited a storm of enthusiastic and curious questions. Today her son merely stuck his lip out farther.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Is Daddy coming back?”
Jaclyn hesitated. After her and Terry’s conversation the night before, she wasn’t sure if he was going to continue to take the children as regularly as he had in the past. “I’m sure he’ll be back sometime, but I don’t know when. We haven’t discussed it yet.”
“What does that mean?” Alex demanded.
“Just that we need to coordinate our schedules.”
“No, it doesn’t. It means you and Daddy aren’t getting back together.”
Jaclyn caught her breath. Evidently Alex hadn’t been asking when he was going to see his father again. He was talking about something else entirely. “Did someone say we were going to reconcile?” she asked.
“That’s why we came back early. Daddy said it was time we were a family again.”
“I’m sorry he told you that,” she murmured. “I wish we could’ve remained a family, too.”
“Then, why did we leave? Why can’t we just go back?”
Was it only last night that she’d thought her life was getting easier? She’d never given Terry any indication that she’d changed her mind about the divorce, so why would he suddenly assume she’d take him back? “Because there are some issues between Mommy and Daddy that can’t be resolved.”
“He told me he’s sorry for whatever it is you’re mad about.”
Mackenzie and Alyssa appeared at the door, rubbing their eyes and yawning. “I heard Daddy say it, too, Mommy,” Mackenzie volunteered.
Jaclyn held her arms out to her daughters, and they came forward to give her a hug. Fortunately they were too young to hold a grudge. Alex was the one who worried Jaclyn. At ten, he was old enough to understand what the Wentworths were telling him but not emotionally mature enough to qualify it.
“I’m not angry at Daddy anymore,” she said. “I just can’t live with him.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Alex insisted.
“I’m sorry, honey. Come here.” Jaclyn slid over, trying to entice her son to join them in the comfortable bed, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Grandpa said if you really loved us, you’d move back home,” he said.
What wouldn’t Burt say to make her look bad? Jaclyn wanted to tell Alex that if their grandfather really loved them, he’d stop filling their ears with things that were only going to hurt them—but she refused to say it. She wouldn’t use her children as emotional pawns the way Burt and Terry did.
“Grandpa is wrong,” she said firmly. “He’s getting old, and sometimes he gets a little confused.”
“You always say that. I told him, too.”
“What was his response?”
“He choked on something and got all red in the face.”
“And Grandma had to smack him on the back,” Mackenzie added.
Jaclyn bit her cheeks to hide a fleeting smile.
“Then he left the room and didn’t come back,” Alex added.
The urge to smile disappeared when she saw the hurt and resentment in her son’s hazel eyes. “Listen to me, Alex. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t have fought so hard to take you with me when I left.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have taken us. Maybe you should have just left us there!” he cried, and stomped away.
Jaclyn felt tears prick the back of her eyelids, felt one roll across her temple and into her hair. She wanted her son to be happy again, as he was before the divorce. Sometimes she blamed herself as much as Terry for destroying that, but when she considered her options, she knew too much had happened to go back.
“Mommy, why you crying?” Alyssa asked, her brows knitting worriedly above her wide blue eyes.
Jaclyn forced a smile and kissed her round cheek. “I’m okay, baby. It’s just that I love you kids so much.”
“I love you, too,” she said, slipping her small arms around Jaclyn’s neck.
Mackenzie shoved her light brown hair out of her eyes and snuggled closer. “So do I,” she whispered.
Jaclyn enjoyed a whole five minutes with the warmth of their little bodies pressed close to her own. Then the alarm went off.
COLE WAS IN HIS OFFICE when Jaclyn arrived at work, but he heard her out front talking to Rick. She was explaining why she’d taken the Navigator home. Rick recommended an auto-parts store, not far from the office, where she could buy a battery at lunchtime. Then the conversation turned to how impressed Rick was with the files.
Cole fidgeted with his pen and thought about going out to greet Jackie. He’d been half listening for her since 7:45, feeling an odd sort of anticipation. But he doubted he would have dashed out front to say hello if she was any other employee, so he closed his door to keep from being distracted again, and finished signing the payroll checks.
Fifteen minutes later, Cole pinched the bridge of his nose and swiveled away from the letter he’d been writing on his computer. He could no longer hear what Jackie and Rick were saying, but the hum of their voices filtered into the room and made it impossible for him to concentrate. When Jaclyn laughed, he felt he was missing something. When Rick laughed, he grew irritable. Rick and Chad and half the construction crew could have been standing out front, shouting at the top of their lungs, and it wouldn’t have affected his ability to work. But add one Jaclyn Wentworth to the office and suddenly he couldn’t think of a blasted thing, except her smile and whether or not she found herself attracted to Rick and whether or not he should go out and say good morning…
Damn. Evidently, I was stupid for hiring her.
Jaclyn’s laugh reached him again, and Cole frowned. What was so darn funny? Rick wasn’t exactly a comedian. He rarely flirted, had a formidable temper, could be downright cynical…and charming as hell, if he wanted to be.
Shuffling through the papers on his desk, Cole quickly gathered a handful of items he could discuss with his brother and strode out of the room. Jaclyn was his friend, his secretary. There were plenty of other women in the world. Rick didn’t need to turn his attention on the only girl Cole had ever idolized. Ten years might have passed since Feld, but Cole felt a littl
e proprietary toward Jaclyn all the same.
When he reached the front office, he tried to slow his step but seemed to charge into the room, anyway. Both Jaclyn and Rick looked up.
“Good morning,” Jaclyn said, welcoming him with a smile that hit him like a knockout punch.
He nodded and said hello, but couldn’t manage a smile. He was too troubled by his reaction to her and the fact that ten years suddenly seemed like nothing. “I have a few things I need to discuss with you,” he said to Rick, instantly regretting the terseness in his voice because it lent his words too much gravity.
Rick shot a glance at Jackie, then blinked at him. “You want me to come into your office?” he asked in surprise.
Cole knew Rick was wondering what they had to talk about that Jackie couldn’t hear—Cole was wondering the same thing. But he couldn’t very well explain that he’d actually intended to join them, to casually become part of their conversation so he could talk and laugh with Jackie, too. Because he’d screwed it up. There hadn’t been anything casual about his sudden appearance or his brisk manner.
“If you’ve got a minute,” he said, managing to temper his voice this time.
“Sure.” Rick scooted his chair back and stood. “Jaclyn, I’ll be right back. Would you mind picking up the phones while I’m gone?”
“Sure thing.”
Cole led the way to his office, wondering what the hell he was going to say once Rick closed the door behind them. The papers he held in his hand were actually business items they’d discussed before, sometimes more than once. He had nothing new and certainly nothing secret to go over with his brother. And he feared Rick would see right through him—Rick possessed an uncanny ability to do exactly that—if he didn’t come up with something legitimate, fast.
“What is it?” Rick asked, leaning against the wall near the door once they were safely ensconced in his office.
Cole hadn’t decided what he was going to say, at least consciously, so what came out of his mouth surprised him. “I want you to tell me what’s going on with you.”