Jake's Return

by Liana Laverentz

  Rebecca didn't look the least bit intimidated. Ignoring her completely dry heckler, she warmed up again and let fly.

  Close, but not close enough. The crowd groaned in commiseration while the sheriff hooted. Apparently, according to the hand-written poster board beside the dunking booth that announced who would be there at what time of day—the sheriff's half hour was almost up and he hadn't been dunked yet.

  Jake's fingers itched for a ball as Rebecca lined up her third and last shot. Sutter's deep, confident drawl challenged her over the heads of the crowd, but she ignored him, frowning in obvious concentration.

  The ball missed the clown's nose by a mile.

  The crowd groaned again, this time in disappointment. Grinning like a monkey, Sutter started to leave the platform. Rebecca checked her watch and ordered him to stay put. He still had two minutes to go.

  Clearly more than willing to continue the game, the sheriff played to the crowd and stayed put. Rebecca handed a dollar to the dunking booth attendant and bought three more tries.

  Sutter started heckling again. Rebecca turned to face him, cast him a surprisingly smug smile, then whipped back around, threw the ball and hit the target head on.

  Jake couldn't tell who was more surprised—himself, the crowd, or the soaked sheriff—who'd gone down so fast he hadn't been able to land on his feet in the chest-high water. In response to all the laughter and ribbing, he slicked his hair back, climbed back onto the platform—then grinned widely and continued his heckling. Calling Rebecca's dead on shot a lucky throw, he challenged her to dunk him again.

  She did, not once but twice, earning the approval of everyone in the crowd, including Jake, and, much to his annoyance, Sheriff Sutter. As the crowd wandered off and the soaked sheriff stepped down to make way for the tax collector, Jake felt as he always had at these family-oriented things—like an outsider looking in. When Sutter smiled warmly at Rebecca and moved to shake her hand in congratulations, Jake turned and walked away, unable to stand his feelings of isolation.

  But neither could he bring himself to leave the festival. He hadn't seen Katie yet.

  A few minutes later he spotted her at the bean bag toss booth with her little friend Jenna. Neither girl was looking his way, so Jake used a nearby tree for cover as he watched his daughter from afar, and drank in the details of the beautiful child he and Rebecca had created that night in Pittsburgh.

  She threw like her mama, dead on, and Jake wondered if she played ball, wondered if Rebecca had developed such good aim practicing throws with her daughter. God knew she'd never thrown balls as a kid. Neither had he. He'd been too busy throwing punches.

  Katie threw again, and regret ripped through Jake at the idea that if he hadn't been such a coward, it could have been him throwing balls with his daughter in the evenings instead of Rebecca, or better yet, the three of them, playing ball together. Being a family.

  Katie's turn at the bean bag toss ended, and as she collected her prize, a small stuffed panda bear and twin to the one Jenna carried, Jake debated whether to keep following Katie or go home and get some sleep. God knew he hadn't gotten any the night before. Without making any conscious decision, he found himself tailing Katie to another booth, then another, and another, until she and Jenna skipped up to the funnel cakes concession stand—where Rebecca was now working—side by side with Sheriff Sutter.

  Jake couldn't miss the love shining in Rebecca's eyes when she spotted Katie. Laughing, she admired Katie's prize and showed it to Sutter, who smiled warmly at the two girls, then apparently offered to treat them to funnel cakes. He reached into his wallet, took out some money and handed it to Rebecca, then turned and handed each of the girls a funnel cake. They beamed their thanks at him and dug in.

  Suddenly Jake noticed Sutter's and Rebecca's white T-shirts matched. The bright red lettering on each read Re-Elect Sutter for Sheriff.

  Never mind he'd already seen the same shirt on a couple dozen other people at the festival, seeing it on Rebecca did something strange to Jake's insides. This was worse than his darkest moments in prison, where he'd imagined Rebecca living in luxury with that creep Kane. Instead, while he'd been off doing time, she'd been right here in Warner, raising their child and getting chummy with the local law. How chummy Jake had no idea, but if the look in Sutter's eyes was any indication, the good sheriff wouldn't say no to a little mattress dancing with the town's library director.

  The thought of Rebecca and Katie living with another man, of Katie being raised by another man, especially a small-town cop like the kind that had run him out of town, like the kind that had ruled his days and nights in Wyoming, curdled Jake's stomach.

  Jake wasn't sure how long he stood there, staring, but long enough to snag Sutter's attention. Sutter's eyes narrowed sharply as he spotted Jake, but a band of customers arrived to interrupt Sutter's cold stare. Jake knew he should leave, but couldn't pull himself away from the sight of Rebecca, laughing and smiling as she took money and handed out funnel cakes, seemingly oblivious to the amount of body contact she was having with Sutter. The booth was small, and Sutter no lightweight. At least six-two and two-ten, he practically dwarfed Rebecca as they maneuvered around the booth, bumping hips and arms and exchanging small smiles of.

  What? Polite apology? Sexual awareness?

  Jake ground his molars at the thought. Rebecca didn't look like she was sexually aware of the tall lawman sharing the booth with her, but Sutter looked plenty aware of her. Jake's fists clenched at his sides just as Rebecca looked up, right into his eyes. Hers widened in surprise, and then she seemed to pale. Sutter touched her arm and said something to her, which drew her gaze from Jake's to his. She looked up at Sutter and shook her head. He shot Jake a hard look, his expression leaving no mistake as to his meaning. Sutter cared about Rebecca, and didn't like the idea of Jake bothering her.

  Apparently Rebecca hadn't told Sutter about Katie. Then again, maybe she had.

  Jake turned away in disgust and walked off, unwilling to risk any kind of confrontation over something he still needed to come to terms with himself. He'd seen what he'd come to see. Seen more than enough. It was time to move on.

  * * * *

  Rebecca watched Jake leave, her heart still caught in her throat. She'd been so surprised to see him. To look up and find him watching her. The worst part of it had been his expression. He'd looked so hurt, so angry, and so very, very alone. She could only imagine what went through his mind, seeing her work side by side with Bob, wearing her Re-Elect Sutter shirt. She wondered why he'd come, then wished she were free to go after him.

  "You okay, Rebecca?"

  She looked up at Bob, knew the concern in his deep brown eyes was genuine. They'd been friends since the week she'd moved back to Warner. He'd stopped by to introduce himself and made her feel welcome on the spot. Not to mention safe. Since then, they'd sat next to each other often at community events, and had had some dealings with each other over vandalism at the library. But he'd never asked her out.

  Suddenly, Rebecca was glad he hadn't.

  "Fine. Just thinking, that's all."

  "Anything I can help with?"

  "No.” She smiled to soften the refusal. “But thanks for asking."

  "I take it you were surprised to see Donovan here."

  "I was. I...” she looked up at Bob, and wondered how much he knew about her relationship with Jake. He'd only lived in Warner the past six years, but gossip was gossip, and with Jake back...

  "Has he been bothering you? I know he lives right behind you and Katie."

  "No. Of course not.” Rebecca swallowed, wondering what to say. “Bob, Jake and I are ... we're friends."

  His eyes narrowed sharply. “Are you sure that's a good idea?"

  "We grew up together. At one time we were ... close."

  Bob's surprise deepened. “I see.” He studied her face for a long moment. Tonelessly he added, “And you're hoping to recapture that ... closeness now that he's back in town."

  "I d
idn't say that."

  "You don't have to. It's written all over your face."

  Rebecca didn't know what to say. So she said nothing and hoped she wasn't blushing.

  Bob looked away, planted his large fists on his hips, then sighed heavily. “Be careful, Rebecca. I know you think you know what you're doing, but..."

  "He's innocent, Bob. I know it. I'd stake my life on it."

  He looked down at her, his expression unreadable. “I believe you would. But his rap sheet tells a different story. I can't ignore it, Rebecca, for you or for anyone else. It's my job to keep men like Donovan in line. I hope you understand."

  "Jake's not going to give you any trouble. He's leaving Warner as soon as he sells his house."

  "Is that what he's telling you?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "From the looks of things, he wasn't too happy about seeing you with me."

  "He doesn't trust the law, Bob. It hasn't treated him well."

  "It's not my badge he has a problem with, although I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm a cop."

  "What are you talking about?"

  Bob looked into her eyes, searching for something Rebecca had no idea how to give him. Finally, with another heartfelt sigh, he smiled and said, “Forget it. Occupational hazard, second guessing everyone I meet. Let's see how it plays."

  * * * *

  Jake woke up at twilight. He lifted his head from the red and white star-patterned quilt Rebecca had made, the quilt that still smelled faintly of strawberries, and thought he heard a vehicle pull in at her place. Funny, how quickly he'd tuned into the sound of her little Focus coming and going. But this didn't sound like a five-year-old Focus in need of a tune-up at all.

  Curiosity drew him off the bed and into the back bedroom from which he could see Rebecca's apartment. Normally he avoided the back rooms for that very reason, but there was something strangely familiar about the low rumbling of the engine in her driveway.

  A police cruiser. No wonder he recognized the sound. Jake's mouth tightened into a grim line as he spotted the rear fender of a cop car poking out from behind the six-foot hedge that separated his yard from Rebecca's pool. She'd apparently gotten a ride home from the festival with her good buddy Sutter.

  Jake turned away from the window, unwilling to sink to spying on Rebecca. He wondered if Sutter was the reason she'd been unavailable for dinner last night. Then wondered what she'd have to say about the sheriff on Tuesday night.

  If he could wait that long.

  * * * *

  "You haven't been the same since you saw Donovan at the festival, Rebecca."

  Rebecca looked over at Bob. He stared out the front window of the cruiser, at the swimming pool where Jake had learned he was Katie's father. Had it been only yesterday?

  Why had he come to the festival? To see her? To see Katie?

  "I know. I just didn't expect him to show up there. Jake's never been family oriented. I know I invited him to come—"

  "You invited him there?"

  "Well, yes. Sort of."

  "What do you mean, sort of?"

  Rebecca hesitated. “It's complicated."

  Bob turned off the ignition and settled deeper into his seat, then stretched one arm out on the seat back between them. “I'm off duty. I've got all night."

  Rebecca smiled, touched by the offer. But Katie was over at Aunt Martha's, waiting to be picked up, and Rebecca needed a shower. She felt hot and sticky and ached all over. Not to mention smelling like a gallon of funnel-cake grease. Bob had to be feeling and smelling the same. “I didn't accept your offer of a ride home so I could dump my personal problems on you."

  "I'm a good listener."

  "I know. I just don't feel it would be right to talk to you about Jake."

  "Because I'm a cop?"

  She shook her head. “Because Jake is Jake."

  Bob looked out the front window again, then back at Rebecca. “I hope you know what you're doing, Rebecca."

  She couldn't help her wry smile. “Actually, I haven't got a clue."

  He swung his head around, eyes narrowed. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?"

  He looked more than a little concerned. Rebecca shook her head, painfully aware of how little he had to worry about. “He doesn't want anything to do with me, Bob. He never has."

  "Wrong on both counts. Didn't you notice the way he looks at you? He wants you, Rebecca. And unless I miss my guess, after today, he's either going to make his move or get the hell out of town."

  "How can you say that?"

  "Easy. I'm a man.” His smile was self-deprecating when he added quietly, “Something I haven't been successful at getting you to notice. Now I think I know why."

  Rebecca was glad Bob couldn't see her flush of embarrassment. Bob was attracted to her? And she'd never picked up on it. Lord, she was in worse shape than she thought. Robert Sutter was a very attractive man. “I'm sorry, Bob. I had no idea."

  "I'll survive. Just know I'm here for you if you need me."

  He made no move to touch her, to make her feel awkward in any way. “You're a good friend, Bob."

  "Be careful, Rebecca. I'd hate to see you get hurt."

  She nodded. “Thanks. And thanks for the ride.” Aunt Martha and Katie had left hours earlier in Rebecca's Focus.

  "Thanks for staying late to help me clean up. And thanks for filling in for the no-shows at the last minute. Especially after putting your own time in at the cotton candy booth. I never could have handled that funnel cake booth alone for three hours."

  She smiled. “Glad to be of help. See you around."

  His answering smile was both a promise and a warning. “Count on it."

  Chapter Seven

  Tuesday night Katie opened the door with a big smile that nailed Jake right in the heart. “Hi. Mom's still getting dressed. Can I get you some iced tea?"

  "Sure. Thanks.” Jake stepped into the apartment and surveyed it with fresh eyes. He now recognized the battered Raggedy Ann doll as Katie's. The drawings on the fridge were his daughter's as well, not gifts from the children Rebecca read stories to on Thursday afternoons at the library, as he'd first thought.

  "Hi, Jake. Sorry I'm late. I got tied up at work."

  Rebecca entered the room looking cool and beautiful in navy blue shorts and a navy and white scoop-necked T-shirt. Her smile was polite, her eyes wary. Jake sipped his tea and wondered what else she had to be nervous about. If she could keep a secret like Katie from him, what else was she capable of hiding? A cozy relationship with the Sheriff?

  "No problem,” he said, inclining his head coolly.

  Rebecca's smile slipped. Jake wondered again why he'd agreed to this farce of a dinner. This wasn't about getting to know his daughter and both he and Rebecca knew it. She'd had eight years to tell him he was a father, and after what he'd seen yesterday, neither she nor Katie needed him around to play the role of family man. Not with Sutter waiting in the wings.

  "Well,” Rebecca said with an obviously forced smile, “Dinner will be ready in a jif. Katie, would you finish setting the table?” She brushed past Jake, leaving the faint scent of strawberries in her wake. Jake closed his eyes and swore silently as his body responded like it always did. Whatever else they did or didn't have between them, they would always have this. He would never be able to be in a room with her without wanting her.

  Somehow Jake managed to down some barbequed chicken, baked beans and corn on the cob. He even managed to laugh a couple of times, thanks to Katie's lively stories about her trip to Erie. But after about ten minutes of after dinner conversation, Rebecca excused Katie to go and change into her bathing suit, leaving them alone.

  Jake stood to help gather the dirty dishes and wondered if this was supposed to be his opening to ask whatever questions he might have. He followed Rebecca to the kitchen counter and watched her fill the sink with sudsy water. As she reached to turn off the water, her shirt neckline shifted, exposing a familiar-looking silver heart on a si
lver chain. Jake blinked, then looked again.

  It was the heart he'd given her on her sixteenth birthday. The night before he'd left for the army. The night he'd run from her for the very first time.

  The night he'd kissed her for the very first time.

  "So,” he asked with a calm he didn't even come close to feeling. “What happens now?"

  She looked up, clearly startled by his voice, or maybe his directness. “I'm ... I'm not really sure."

  Great. “Why did you wait so long to tell me about her?” Might as well take the bull by the horns.

  "Ready, Mom. I got the towels. Three of them.” Katie emerged from a bedroom in a pink and black bathing suit and carrying three big green bath towels.

  "Thank you.” Rebecca smiled and slid the last of the dishes into the soapy water. “But I'm not sure Jake plans to stay for a swim.” She scanned his black t-shirt and faded denims and lifted a questioning eyebrow.

  He shrugged. “It was either this or cut-offs."'

  "Cut-offs would have been fine. We're pretty casual around here. You're welcome to go home and change."

  Was she inviting him to return for more stalling, or just to swim? Didn't matter. He remembered how she'd looked in her white bathing suit, and found himself nodding. “Thanks."

  Rebecca left the dishes to soak and he followed them down to the pool, where Katie wasted no time jumping in. Rebecca stood at the deep end of the small, rectangular pool, her arms tightly crossed beneath her breasts, her attention focused on Katie. She looked as tense as could be, and Jake decided to wait until they were truly alone again to ask any more questions. He wanted her undivided attention for the answers. Saying he'd be back in a few, he took off.

  Rebecca watched him round the hedge, knowing she was in trouble. Jake had given her no clue as to his thoughts during dinner, but his eyes, oh, they'd told her plenty. He was hurting and confused, and trying very hard not to be angry with her, when he had every right to be.

  She'd known this wouldn't be easy, not with Katie around, but she'd hoped they could at least discuss their daughter quietly, rationally. It didn't seem likely, given the unmistakable edge in Jake's voice every time he brought it up.