Table of Contents
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Acknowledgments
About the Author
STUBBORN TRUTH
A Novel
Jeanne Arnold
Also by Jeanne Arnold
Stubborn
Just as Stubborn
Stubborn Truth is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, brands and dialogues in this book are either of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 Jeanne Arnold
www.jeannearnoldbooks.com
Cover design by Jeanne Arnold
First Edition
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
Produced in the United States of America
Dedicated to my mom.
Stubborn Truth is the third novel in the Stubborn series. To find out more about the series visit www.jeannearnoldbooks.com.
One
“Do you know where your father is?” I asked Gabriel Halden’s face in my phone.
“Squattin’ on his spurs, I hope. Why?” he responded.
“Because I think I just saw him. Why would he be in Chicago?” Whoever it was looked exactly like Mr. Halden. He had the same towering stance, the long strides that were unmistakable in every Halden male.
“He’s not in Chicago,” he replied. “You’re still having nightmares about him too?”
“No. And I’m not making this up. I just watched him walk into the terminal. There’s no way, right?”
Gabe’s voice mocked me from a thousand miles away. “The lieutenant doesn’t ride anywhere with plain folk, Av’ry. God help us all if he cloned himself.” He tightened in for a close up of my face. “You look like the cheese fell off your cracker.”
I was being held prisoner by severe weather at Union Station in Chicago.
“This winter storm is seriously depressing. Why did it pick this week to cover the entire Midwest? I just want to get to North Dakota and be with you. I’m sick and tired of waiting, Gabe.”
“How do you think I feel? You want a list of what I’m gonna do to you when I find you?”
“I’m trying to concentrate. You’re not helping me.”
“You must be seeing things,” he replied. “What do you gotta concentrate on?”
FaceTime had become our lifeline. Since Gabe bought a phone, we were able to stay connected during our separation. Most of the time he was reading a book on the side or drifting off during one of his fevers. Occasionally he would do something that thoroughly shocked me. I went to bed with his dreamy eyes on my pillow and woke to his voice—and lately his coughing—for six never-ending weeks.
“I’m not going to make it. They could call me to board any minute and the bathroom is under construction,” I said. “There’s a line a mile long.”
“Maybe you could look for a fire hydrant.”
I would have rolled my eyes, but he was too far away. The act would have had zero effect on him.
“This place is a madhouse. The people smell bad,” I whispered as I scratched my neck. “My skin is crawling.”
“Tell me again why you want to return to the land of unruly roughnecks? You ever hear of the Viking scourge?”
“I can’t wait to get to the big wide open and suck up all the clean air.”
“The big wide open is iced up and stinks like diesel, Av’ry. It’s as blustery and crowded as Chicago.” Gabe’s face drew in tight and I thought I saw his eyelashes catching snowflakes. He didn’t look like he was recovering from a knockdown illness or the loss of his mother. He looked incredible. “You’re aware that the bus is the preferred mode of transportation for serial killers and America’s most wanted criminals.”
The PA system cracked. “Avery Ross—report to the Greyhound security counter—Avery Ross.”
I sprung out of my seat and spun around. Then I sat right back down to allow my nerves to settle.
“Did you hear that? They just called me on the loudspeaker. What should I do?”
“Panic,” he drawled. “Or you could see what they want.”
I held the phone at eye level. “Is this a joke? Did you send me something?”
“No. Did you lose something?” He sounded out of breath. “Flash somebody on accident? That’s illegal in most states.”
“I should go see.”
“Yeah, go see. I’ll watch your bags,” he said.
“You want me to leave my phone on my bags so you can watch them from three states away?”
“That’d be a dumbass move, Av’ry.”
I slid the phone in my pocket and ignored his teasing. I pushed my suitcase into an empty space on the wall of the Great Hall, fully comprehending where luggage got its name.
“I’m Avery Ross. Is someone looking for me?” I pulled my wallet out of my pocket and displayed my license for the woman behind the window.
She stared at my ID as if she was memorizing my address. Appearing satisfied, she glanced up and shook her head. Then she said, “Not that I’m aware of…Miss Ross.”
I twisted my ponytail and drew my gaze over the faces of dozens of strangers, conscious that someone might be watching.
“You there?” Gabe’s voice came from my pocket.
“That was kind of disturbing. They weren’t looking for me.”
“Maybe you should watch your back. Ya never know,” his sharp accent filled my ears. A chill ran a path around my neck, and then a force prodded me to look up.
Gabe wasn’t in the phone. He sauntered toward me wearing his leather jacket with the collar up, appearing both tall and dashing like a modern-day, cowboy-prince. Over a shoulder he carried his brother Eli’s guitar and a bulky duffle. He had his cowboy hat in his hand, and when he reached me, he set it on my head.
Oh. My. God. Gabe.
“Howdy, Av’ry,” he drawled.
He cut his hair. He kept a little sideburn action going and some length up top. He looked particularly model-like. I hadn’t been able to see the detail in the phone.
“You’re here?”
“Glad you’re still quick as a hiccup.” He found my face under the rim of his hat. He was chewing grape-flavored gum and smelled exactly like Gabe. “You miss me?”
I shoved his hat into his hands.
“Yes…but…uh…wait here.” I held my breath and sprinted to the bathroom, fully intending to budge into the line. It was more important than leaping into my boyfriend’s arms, wrapping my legs around his waist, and kissing him until neither of us could breathe.
He had to understand.
I was lightning fast and gave myself an extra fifteen seconds for an emergency makeover to pull my hair out of my ponytail and shake it around my shoulders. I checked my breath and examined my teeth. Then I skipped out of the restroom and into the lobby. I was so excited. I was going to touch Gabe. I was going to devour him.
He was gone.
“We gotta board now,” he spoke into the phone.
“What do you mean we have to board?” I asked the face in the screen. “You don’t have a ticket. I thought you came to take me away from this horrible place. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming
to Chicago?”
“You want me to leave? You didn’t even say hello.”
“I don’t like surprises,” I said half joking.
“Aw, the hell you do too. You love when I show up and you least expect it.” He coughed into the phone. “You’re going the wrong way.”
I looked up as he slid his hand around my neck and yanked me into his chest from behind. I turned in his grip. He cocked an eyebrow. “You smell like a chili dog,” he drawled.
I ran my hands into his jacket and squeezed his ribs. He had a book in his waistband. I filled with an unexpected mix of relief, anxiety, and excitement. I hadn’t yet prepared myself for the rush of feelings seeing him in person would bring. I thought I had another day.
“How did you even get here?” He obviously wasn’t where he said he was all along.
“I jogged,” he said with a straight face. “It’s time we finish this god-awful streak with a bang.”
I stood on my tiptoes and moved my hands up to his shoulders to cup his face. “Hello,” I whispered. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”
I didn’t care if he was getting over the flu. His lips were right there, imploring me to taste them. His hand ran down the back of my head and stopped. Instead, he tugged my bag off his shoulder and dropped it onto my arm. Then with his free hand, he ran his thumb over my cheek and into my sweatshirt collar to pull it down and reveal my itchy neck. His touch sent my insides spinning.
“Patience. Now giddy up.”
“You’re riding the bus with me?”
“No bus,” he said and jerked the handle of my suitcase out of its sleeve, tipped it forward and hauled off in the direction of the Amtrak terminal.
* * *
I followed Gabe through the Empire Builder. I didn’t take my eyes off his back. “Did you get us seats together? How did you manage Amtrak tickets? North Dakota is the hardest place to get to.”
“I traded in our tickets to paradise for these suckers. Have you already forgotten you chose going home over a beach vacation with me?”
The elation inside me was getting hard to cap. I was going to sit next to Gabe for almost twenty-four hours straight. I would have his full attention. I would be able to kiss him whenever I wanted, tell him about everything I planned to do in Williston. Plan our future.
Gabe stepped aside and allowed me to slide to the window. He sat down beside me and set his guitar at my feet. The aisle would accommodate his long legs.
Neither of us made eye contact. I was afraid if I looked directly at him, I might attack him.
I studied the passenger car and tried to ignore what he dared to do with his hand. I thought about the first time I traveled alone on a train. I hadn’t known who the Haldens were. Less than a year later, I was profoundly attached to one. So much had changed in my life in such a short time. So much had changed in both of our lives.
When I risked a look, Gabe was wearing his glasses. My heart sputtered in my chest, unsure if it should race or stop beating.
His face appeared thinner, his jaw sharper. There was little sign of his brush with death at Thanksgiving. All of the bruises healed on his face and neck. He looked perfect.
“You still have a cough.”
“You wanna take my temperature?”
“What are the glasses for?”
“You,” he said mocking my obvious infatuation with his eyewear.
I left my gaze on his mouth as he licked his bottom lip. Then I wondered which one of us was going to pounce first. I wasn’t sure what he was planning to do in a train full of passengers. I desperately wanted him to get it started. I was aching to feel his lips on mine. Everyone we knew was thousands of miles away in every direction. No one could ruin our reunion.
I slid down in my seat and gave him my own look. He placed his glasses back in his pocket, shed his jacket, and set it on my lap. He curled sideways and worked his hand under the jacket so he could circle my waist with his arm. His lips hovered at the brink of a kiss and sparked an electric buzz between our breaths.
“You’re really here,” I said just before he moved in and kissed me. His hand found its way under my sweatshirt and his fingers glided across my ribs, stirring up a sensation in my stomach that I missed. When my torso shuddered in response, he smiled into the kiss. I melted into the seat as his other hand gripped my face.
His kiss was deliberately deep—and persisted. He never needed words to tell me how much he loved me.
“God, I missed this,” he panted. “I hope I don’t get you sick.”
“Don’t worry. I never get sick. But I’m a real mess,” I told him breathlessly. He brushed his thumb over my lip. “I haven’t had a shower or used deodorant in two days.”
“I don’t care. I got all better for you.” He nuzzled his nose into my neck.
I loved his mood. He was on fire. “I can’t believe you’re here. Does anyone know?”
Gabe set his head against his seat and stared me down with his striking hazels. “I told Mona Deliah. Man, that girl is a hoot. When she heard you were moving to North Dakota, she damn near had a coronary.”
“I want to hear more about Memphis and Christmas with Deliah.” I rested my ear on his chest and played with his hand under the jacket. He had the nicest hands. Perfect for playing guitar.
“I told you everything I did already. I got sick. I got new books.”
“What about Caleb?”
“What about him?” Gabe tipped his chin and tightened his eyes. “He’s not big on books unless they got naked people on the covers.”
“That’s not what I meant. We had sort of a bizarre conversation. I think he thought maybe we eloped. He didn’t sound like himself at all.”
“You should’ve lied,” Gabe said.
“Maybe he guessed we were going to fake out my parents. I told him what happened to your Mustang in the ice storm and how you had to get the transmission fixed. I said that I took a bus home by myself and then you got too sick to come to New York so you stayed with a friend from school and then drove back to Memphis to stay with Deliah. I told him everything. But he wouldn’t tell me where he was.”
I traced a circle over his heart with my finger.
“Why do you talk to him? He’s pissed as shit. He’s gonna stay away until he gets bored, and then he’ll come back to mess with us. He quit oil. He’s done with the lieutenant.”
“And you’re not? Did you really have a change of heart after what happened at the cabin?”
“Oil’s all I know. I got ninety days left on that contract. I gotta finish or the lieutenant will stick it to me. I can’t fight him, but I can avoid him. I’ll be done with him and HalRem and North Dakota after that.”
“Have you talked to your father at all? Can you get your truck back? Are you going to rent one?”
“I’ll borrow Meggie’s. I can’t rent one. I have to be twenty-five.”
“You rented a car in Memphis, didn’t you?”
“I swiped Lane’s expired driver’s license and forged his signature. They know me out there. It’s not an option.”
“Can I see it?” I held out my hand, and he lifted his butt off the seat to slide a hand into his back pocket. I opened his warm wallet and ran a finger over the old driver’s license. Lane had his hair slicked back in the photo. “You and Lane could be twins if he was still your age.”
“He’s got more freckles.”
I handed back the wallet. “Does your father know Caleb’s not in the army?”
Gabe grunted.
“Okay. I had to ask.” I rested my head against the window. “So what do you want to do with your life?”
He slid a finger behind my ear and played with my hair. “What is this? It looks different,” he asked. Neither of us could take our eyes or hands off the other for more than a minute.
“I got highlights. My friend Janie did it.”
“I like it.”
“You’re avoiding my question.”
“You want my plan? I left my Mustan
g in Memphis. Tessa has a storage unit behind her bar. I’m going back as soon as the snow melts.”
“What about school? Don’t you want to take classes together when you finish your contract? I’m signing up right away.”
He curled his hand around my thigh underneath the jacket. I grabbed his wrist as I felt my face turn red.
“Gabe,” I said through my teeth. “Not here.”
He silenced my scolding with his mouth and pressed me against the window.
“Ain’t he the kinda kid your mom warned you about?” The Texas accent cut through the air.
I froze. Gabe’s forehead creased.
“That sounded like Caleb,” I said into his lips.
He tucked his head into my chest and took a few seconds to answer. “Nope,” he muttered. “Close.”
“Close? Lane is here? I knew it. I was sure I saw somebody that looked like your father in the terminal.”
Gabe shook his head and coughed into my shoulder.
The voice spoke again behind us. “Wouldn’t y’all be more comfy doin’ it in a roomette?”
I pushed up on Gabe. He looked up and then tucked his head again. “That’s not Lane. Who is it?” I whispered.
“Uncle Dud,” Gabe replied, still not addressing the voice. He continued to hide like a child. “Jud Halden.”
“You have an uncle? A Halden uncle?”
Gabe held my legs. “My dad’s younger brother. You only met my aunt at my cousin’s wedding. He was off being a bachelor. He doesn’t do weddings.”
“Oh jeez,” I inhaled as I spoke. “He doesn’t sound like your father. He sounds like Caleb.”
Gabe stood abruptly and leaned over my seat.
“You’re tailing me? What the hell for?” he demanded.
“Well, well, lookie here. Lover boy came up for air.”
“Av’ry, this is Judson,” Gabe said.
“We’ve howdied, but we haven’t shook,” said the man, extending a hand over the seat. Gabe prodded me to get up.
Stubborn Truth (The Stubborn Series Book 3) Page 1