by Stacy Finz
“Ainsley,” Jace called again.
No response. Jace was getting a bad feeling.
“Someone call for the negotiator,” he said. “The rest of you cover me. I’m going in.”
It wasn’t protocol. In fact, it was felony stupid. If Cash wasn’t back at the command post he would’ve done everything short of shooting Jace to try to stop him. But leaving Charlie to fend for herself until they got a negotiator in here wasn’t an option. Not where Jace was concerned.
“Sheriff, stand down,” one of the El Dorado deputies said.
He ignored her and crept around the periphery of the outcrop, hoping he could sneak up on Ainsley and take him into custody without incident. His heart thudded against his chest. He’d pulled off some crazy shit in his time but never when the stakes were this high.
Be okay, Charlie. Please be okay.
He caught a flash of blond through the crevasses in the rocks. Ainsley. Charlie had to be in there with him.
Don’t think about her now, just keep your eye on the target.
Jace slunk behind one of the boulders and listened hard, trying to pinpoint Ainsley’s location. All he heard was the pounding of his own pulse. There was another flash of color, this time blue.
Ainsley was on the move.
Jace snuck around the outside of the rock cluster, looking for a way to get in, undetected. It was like a cave inside, flanked by walls of granite. He was just about to slip between two rocks when he came face-to-face with Ainsley.
Jace had ditched his rifle with the team, favoring the lightness of his Glock. He raised the semiautomatic and leveled it at Ainsley’s chest. “Show your hands! Take them out of your pockets. Slowly!”
Ainsley jerked out a pistol.
“Drop it! Drop it now!” Jace shouted as he took cover behind one of the large rock formations and fingered the trigger on his own weapon.
He could hear movement behind him. The troops were converging.
“I told you to drop it, Ainsley.”
Ainsley put the barrel of the gun inside his mouth.
Ah, Jesus. Jace came out from behind the rock. “Don’t do it, Corbin. Drop the gun and we can talk. Tell me where Charlotte is.”
Ainsley’s hand shook and his trigger finger twitched. From where Jace was standing it looked like Ainsley held a Sig Sauer. It had enough firepower to get the job done if Ainsley wanted to off himself. Jace’s stomach churned. A suicidal suspect held all kinds of implications, none of them good for Charlie.
Jace came closer, taking one hand off the grip of his Glock to hold it out to Ainsley. “Don’t do this, man. Give me the gun and tell me where Charlotte is.” He was trying to keep his head while his throat closed up on him. “Where is she?”
It happened so fast Jace didn’t see it coming until the muzzle flashed. A pain seared through him and he felt himself falling backwards. In the foggy distance someone yelled, “Man down.”
Then everything went dark.
Chapter 22
Charlotte managed to dress herself for the first time since Monday. For two days she’d been lost in a world of what-ifs. If she hadn’t stayed at Dry Creek Ranch, she wouldn’t have brought terror and misery with her. If she had only left, Corbin never would’ve come.
He was in the hospital now, awaiting a bedside arraignment. According to the prosecutor, they had enough charges to lock him up for a lifetime. Even his father, the senator, had distanced himself from his son, refusing to come to the hearing. Without Charles Ainsley’s money and name, Corbin was on his own. As it turned out, the “affable” high-powered Corbin didn’t appear to have a friend in the world or any influence without Daddy.
She was truly free of him now. But at what cost?
Sawyer, Cash, and Aubrey had rallied behind her but there had to be recrimination too. How could they not blame her? The boys had been so quiet that the house felt like a morgue, everyone tiptoeing around her.
She checked the bandage on her foot and tried to move her shoulder, which she’d either pulled during her flight from Corbin or while hiding motionless for hours in the dense grove of trees. A search-and-rescue dog had ultimately found her buried under the mound of leaves. By that time, Corbin had been hauled off to the emergency room with a bullet in his arm. And Jace…she couldn’t bear to think about it.
She put on a thick pair of socks and slipped her feet into her brown leather ankle boots, testing the sole of her scraped foot. It didn’t feel too bad. Her hair was wet and instead of blowing it dry she twisted it into a thick knot and clasped it with a barrette at the back of her head.
In the bathroom mirror, her cheeks were still pale and when she turned to look over her shoulder at her reflection there was a black-and-blue mark on the back of her neck where Corbin had pressed his gun so hard against her flesh it had bruised the skin. She undid the barrette and lowered her messy bun to cover it.
Tomorrow, she planned to pack. It was safe to return to San Francisco and try to restore the life she had before Corbin. But oddly, she had no desire to go back there. That was the problem, she didn’t know where to go or who to be. Was she Charlotte Holcomb or Charlie Rogers or the woman who let Corbin Ainsley take everything from her?
What she did know was she couldn’t stay here. The ranch had become a beautiful crutch, but now she had to stand on her own two feet. And though her business was starting to take off here, living in Mill County was out of the question. Everything about the place would remind her of Jace.
And her heart would break when she needed it to heal.
“Hey, you’re up and dressed.” Jace took her into his arms. “You look good, baby.”
She pressed closer and saw him grimace. “Sorry, sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He lifted his shirt. At the last minute, Corbin had turned his pistol from himself onto Jace. The impact of the gunshot against Jace’s bullet-proof vest had left a purple bruise that was well on its way to turning a sickly yellow. “See, much better.”
“What about your head? How’s that?” The velocity of the bullet had knocked Jace backwards and he’d hit his head on a rock. He was lucky he’d only received a mild concussion.
“Still hard as ever.” He tapped the side of his noggin with his fist, then kissed her on the side of her neck. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“You do?” She hadn’t told him she was leaving yet and had hoped to do it this morning, right after breakfast, before she made up excuses to herself to stay on a few more days.
“It’s in the living room. You ready?”
“I suppose.” The truth was she wasn’t so big on surprises. She’d had enough to last her for a while. But Jace was obviously excited about this one and she didn’t want to disappoint him.
He led her down the silent hallway. The quiet was eerie and she wondered where Travis and Grady went. To the coffee shop for waffles with one of Jace’s cousins, perhaps, then off to school. For the past two nights they’d broken protocol and Jace had slept in her bed, holding her until she fell asleep. Neither one of the boys had said anything, accepting the sleeping arrangements as standard operating procedure.
They’d been so sweet, even bringing her breakfast in bed one morning while Jace was out checking on the cattle.
Her heart twisted. After tomorrow she wouldn’t hear them running down these halls at breakneck speed, yelling at the top of their lungs. Or see their shining faces first thing after school. She’d promised to make Grady a quilt with the logos of all his favorite baseball teams. Charlotte would send it to him, she promised herself. Wherever she was, she’d make the blanket and pop it in the mail.
“Close your eyes,” Jace told her. “I’ll lead you the rest of the way.”
“Well? Can I look now?” she asked after Jace had guided her into the living room.
“Yep.”
She opened her eyes slowly.
Morning light filled the room, dappling the wooden floor with sunshine. And sitting on the big leather and kilim sofa sat Allison. Charlotte blinked twice just to make sure her sister wasn’t a mirage.
Charlotte’s throat clogged and her eyes filled.
But it was Allison who was up on her feet, flinging herself into Charlotte’s arms, first. “Charlotte. My God, Charlotte.”
They hadn’t spoken a word in months but their love for each other had never waned.
“Mom and Dad?” Charlotte sniffled.
“They’re missing you like crazy. They wanted to come but…we’ve all been so worried, Charlotte. Sick with fear that that awful man brainwashed you.”
In a way, Corbin had. He’d convinced her that cruelty was what passion looked like. And that controlling someone was the same as devotion. And anger was love, the true kind.
“Not anymore, Al.” But how had she let it happen in the first place?
“Jace told me what that man did. Oh, Charlotte, I’m so sorry.”
They went for a walk, just the two of them, and Charlotte told Allison the whole story: Meredith and her foundation, how Charlotte ran away, the baby, the miscarriage, Jace, his sons, and Dry Creek Ranch.
Allison cried with her as they stared out over the land.
“It’s beautiful here.” She rested her foot on the bottom rail of the fence and watched the horses graze in the field, then turned to study Charlotte’s face. “And Jace… he seems like a good man. When he called he only gave me the barest of details. The cousin…Sawyer…told me on the ride from the airport that you’ve been living here. Are you two—?”
Charlotte looked away, afraid her sister could read her every emotion.
“Charlie?” It had been a long time since Allison had used Charlotte’s childhood nickname, not since they were girls. “Is there something going on with you and the sheriff?”
“I babysat his children, Travis and Grady. In return, he let me stay here…helped me file a restraining order against Corbin.” At least that’s how it started.
“It seems to me like more. The way you were holding on to each other when you first came into the living room. The way he looked at you afterward.”
Charlotte squeezed back tears. “There can’t be more.”
“But there is, isn’t there?”
“Oh, Al.” Charlotte tilted her head back. “What’s wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with me?” She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand.
Allison cradled Charlotte in her arms. “Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re the sweetest, kindest person I know.”
No, she wasn’t. Because for the last six months she’d lain in her bed at night, hoping that Corbin Ainsley would die.
“You knew, Allison. Right from the get-go, you knew what kind of man Corbin was. Why couldn’t I see it? Why was I so blind?”
“Because you wanted to believe. We all want to believe in love, Charlotte. That’s how we’re built.”
“Can you ever forgive me? Can we ever go back to being the family we were before Corbin came into my life?”
Allison looped her arm through Charlotte’s. “There’s nothing to forgive. If anything, I wish I would’ve been there for you more. I feel like I let you down, Char. That you were in trouble and I let my frustration with you pull me away. Instead of giving up, I should’ve come to San Francisco and demanded that you leave him.”
Charlotte wiped a tear away. “There was nothing more you could’ve done. What’s important is that I have you back in my life and I’ll never let you go again.” She wrapped her arms around her sister. “I love you, Al.”
“I love you, Charlie.”
They stood there a long time, holding each other, hugging. Having her family back meant everything to Charlotte.
“Come see my workshop,” she finally said, wanting so much to share with Allison the magical world she’d been living in, thanks to the Daltons.
She knew Allison would eventually circle around to the topic of Jace again. But Charlotte needed time to sort out the confusion of the last few days. Hell, the last year.
They crossed the field through a bed of wild poppies to the old barn. She slid open the door and watched Allison take it all in.
“Wow,” Allison said in awe. She stared up at the rafters, then gazed around the building, letting her eyes linger on Charlotte’s sewing station. “This is freaking fantastic.” She rubbed her arms. “A little chilly though.”
Charlotte turned on the space heater Jace had lent her from the house. “I’ve sold most of my merchandise.”
“What about this sofa and chair?” Allison ran her hands over the slipcover admiringly. “This is so you, Charlotte. It’s fantastic.” Her lips curved, showing off her dimples, and a warmth flowed through Charlotte like sunshine.
Jace had given her back her little sister. What a precious gift it was.
“It’s sold and getting picked up on Friday,” Charlotte said and had to look away. The couch held too many memories of that first time with Jace.
Jace.
He’d done this for her. He’d reunited Charlotte with her sister, then gone off to the office, even though he was supposed to be taking the week to recuperate, so the Holcomb sisters could have time and space to catch up. And catch up, they did.
She and Allison spent the entire day together, talking and making plans. In the ranch house’s enormous kitchen, they made tea while Charlotte worked up the nerve to call her parents.
“They only want to hear your voice,” Allison said. “Let them know you’re okay.”
The call was emotional and for a long time Charlotte and her mother just sobbed. When she hung up it was with the promise that they would all be together soon and Charlotte would tell them everything.
That evening, after Jace and the boys got home, they grilled, treating Allison to the ranch’s homegrown beef. Because it was still too cool to eat outside, Charlotte set the dining room table as if they were having an indoor picnic. Allison made a floral arrangement from wildflowers they had picked earlier. The cheery colors helped dispel the somber mood.
After dinner, Grady asked Al to sign his cast. With everything that had happened, they’d had to postpone his doctor’s appointment. Allison signed it with her usual flourish, drawing a border of flowers around her name.
The boys went off to do their homework. And when the last dish was dried and put away, Allison excused herself, feigning exhaustion so Charlotte and Jace could have the rest of the evening together.
“You have a good visit with your sister?” Jace came up behind her, caught her around the waist, and tenderly kissed the bruise on the back of her neck.
“It was wonderful.” She turned around, reached up to bring down his face and kissed him softly on the lips. “Thank you. It was the best surprise anyone could’ve given me. I missed her so much, Jace. My parents too.” She buried her face in his chest so he wouldn’t see her crying.
He caressed her back, giving her the time she needed to pull herself together.
“How was work?” she asked, her mouth muffled against his chambray shirt.
Jace lifted her face, his blue eyes shining. “According to Tiffany, getting shot has done wonders for my poll numbers. Her only regret is that it didn’t happen closer to the June primary.”
He was making a joke but Charlotte didn’t find it funny.
“You could’ve been killed,” she said. “That’s the horror I take to bed with me every night. God, Jace.”
He held her close, sifting his fingers through her hair. “But I wasn’t, Charlie. I have too much to live for.”
And just like that her heart melted. Leaving him, leaving here, made it difficult to breathe. But staying…She had to be on her own. She had to figure out why she’d been complicit in her own tragic story.
“Could we go for a walk?
” she asked him. “There are things I’d like to talk about.”
They hiked across the field with no direction in mind, winding up at the big cattle barn. The sun was setting over the hills, painting red and purple streaks across the sky. Somewhere, out in the distance, a cow bawled.
“I’m leaving on Friday,” she blurted in the most artless way imaginable after rehearsing it a dozen times in her head. But this was Jace. Plain-speaking Jace, and there would be no way of sugarcoating it with him. “I need to spend time with my folks. I need to reboot.”
He leaned against the barn, folded one leg at the knee, and planted the sole of his cowboy boot against the wall. “Okay. Have you booked a flight yet? I can take you to the airport.”
“I’m driving with Allison.” She held his gaze, her bottom lip quivering.
She saw when it suddenly hit him. The light went out in his blue eyes and there was an imperceptible twitch in his right cheek.
“What are you saying, Charlie? Ah, Christ.” He pushed off the wall and walked a few feet away with his back to her. “I’m in love with you. I think I fell for you that first time in the kitchen when you sewed Grady’s shirt.” His voice was low, as if he was still working it out in his head. He slowly turned to face her. “I realize you’re not ready. I know that, Charlie. But why can’t you stay? Why can’t we go on like we have been? You can build your business and when you’re ready…and if you decide I’m the one …” He trailed off and turned again to stare off into the distance. “Ah, Jesus.”
She went to him and twined her arms around his neck. “I love you, Jace. My heart is so full that sometimes I think it’ll burst. Just explode in my chest. But I have to go. It’s not that I’m not ready yet, it’s that I don’t know if I’ll ever be. I can’t move on until I heal and I can’t heal until I figure out who I am and why I let myself be a human punching bag for love. Until I do that I’m no good to anyone.”