by C. C. Coburn
“It really doesn’t matter now. Look, I forgive you for over–reacting and I’ve apologized for any wrong–doing, so can we act like adults and put it all behind us and move on from here? Make tomorrow the first day of the rest of our lives together.”
“Excuse me, I think I’m going to be violently ill,” Beth told him and turned to the sink. She splashed water on her face to keep her from bringing up her dinner, then regretted she’d turned her back on JJ when she felt his hand slide up the back of her neck.
She spun around. “Get out!” she growled, and this time, propelled by fury and a deep abiding repugnance for JJ and what he was suggesting, managed to shove him hard enough to get him out of her kitchen and on his way to the front door. JJ was caught sufficiently enough off balance for her to keep on shoving him. The only problem Beth could see looming was shoving him and opening the door at the same time was going to prove a little difficult.
JJ halted at the door and turned towards her. “Beth I realize this might be a little sudden for you, but I’m willing to wait for you to come to your senses. I’ll come back in the morning and bring the rest of my things.”
Beth couldn’t believe her ears. “The rest of your things? What things?”
“My clothes of course. I brought a couple of suitcases with me and left them in the garage.”
“You what? ” she exploded. “JJ, what part of I don’t want you anywhere near me again in this lifetime do you not understand?” she yelled as she pulled open the door and pushed him out. “You are the most despicable, low–life, jerk I’ve ever met,” she hissed. “Don’t ever come near me or my children again, do you hear me?”
“You can’t stop me! They’re my children too.”
“How do you know?”
“What?”
“How do you know they’re yours?”
JJ’s face crumpled. “What are you saying? That you had an affair? Had several affairs. You’re joking aren’t you?”
Beth simply crossed her arms and leaned against her doorjamb.
“You are joking, aren’t you?” he implored.
Beth shrugged.
“Well if they aren’t mine, then I’ll stop child support.”
“JJ, you haven’t paid child support in over six months. So go ahead, make my day.”
Beth expected JJ to start calling her any number of names that were usually on the tip of his tongue, when it was apparent he wasn’t going to get his own way. But this time he turned to her and smiled.
“Look, I’m really sorry about that, honeybuns. Suzie has been bleeding me dry. In fact, I was hoping you might be able to loan me a bit, just till next week of course.”
“What?” Beth exploded. Was she really once married to this idiot? “I really don’t believe you, JJ. You would have to be the lowest form of slime on this earth. Get out of my face! Get out of my life! And if you ever come round here again without an invitation, then I won’t be responsible for the consequences!” she yelled.
“Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “You’ve attracted a crowd.”
Beth looked beyond JJ. Sure enough, a few late night passers–by had stopped to watch the show, including that elderly couple with the poodle who last saw her naked at her front door.
“Yes, hello!” she waggled her fingers at them. Beth really couldn’t give a fig what the nosy neighbors thought of her. If her ex insisted on harassing her, then he was going to be the one who came off worst for it.
“Get out, JJ, and don’t ever come back, or you’ll regret it!” she yelled at him, then slammed the door in his face.
Beth flipped her deadbolt across so that no–one, even with a key would be able to gain entry and then leaned back against the door and caught her breath. As much as she hated to admit it, JJ’s visit had rattled her. Badly. If he had a key to her kitchen back door—she’d changed all the locks after he’d left—but now she wondered what else he had access too.
She felt vulnerable and hated it. She didn’t want to be there right then, didn’t want to wake up and find JJ standing at the end of her bed. Or worse, crawling into it. Maybe she should call up Tilly and ask if Chris could come stay the night? She discounted that idea almost immediately. Tilly and Chris were making real progress now that she’d confronted him. They were probably making love all night long to make up for lost time, so it wouldn’t be fair to disturb them.
She heard a sound from the direction of the kitchen. The back door! She’d forgotten to lock it. Racing down the hallway, she made it into her kitchen just as JJ walked in again. This time Beth was having nothing of it. She picked up the saucepan she’d left lying on the table and advanced on JJ.
He held up his arms to fend her off. “Wait! I have to tell you something.”
“Not interested. Get out!”
“Please Beth, I need money or I’ll be killed.”
“And if you don’t get out of this house, you’ll be killed all the sooner!” she bellowed.
“No, really!” JJ’s eyes were wide with desperation and Beth noticed his hands and voice were trembling with real fear. What was he up to?
“I… I’ve run up a lot of gambling debts and I need the kids’ insurance policy to pay them off.”
“You’ve got to be joking! It’s your debt, pay it with your own money. You’ve got enough squirreled away in about a dozen accounts.”
“It’s all gone. Every last penny. I mean it Beth, I’m in real trouble here.”
JJ had gambled away his entire savings? How could anyone be so stupid? Oh, yeah, this was JJ she was talking to!
“Then sell your condo.”
“I have. It wasn’t enough. They said if I don’t pay up they’ll come after you and the kids.”
Beth’s knees almost crumpled under her. “What? ”
“They’ll stop at nothing, Beth. Please I need your help!”
Beth could see the telltale sign of one of JJ’s stress nosebleeds starting. She reached for a dishtowel and handed it to him before he bled all over her floor.
“You useless piece of crap, JJ. What the hell have you got the kids and me into? You’re involved with loan sharks? Surely even you couldn’t be that stupid!”
She had a thought. “Was that earlier nonsense about wanting to move back in and play happy families again a ploy to get me to give you money?”
“No, of course not!” JJ answered too soon.
“Yeah, it was. Plus, if you’ve sold the condo, then you don’t have anywhere to live do you? Where’s Suzie? Waiting in the car for you to give the signal so she can crawl back into my bed?”
“Suzie left me.”
Beth crossed her arms. “Oh, so she finally grew a brain?”
“Don’t be such a smart–mouth,” he chided her and reached for another dishtowel before Beth had a chance to hand him a roll of kitchen paper instead. Now two of her pretty dishtowels were going straight to the trash, courtesy of JJ!
“I’ll smart–mouth you all I want. This is my home in case you’ve forgotten.”
JJ finished with wiping his nose and looked up at her. Beth didn’t like the way he was looking at her one bit. She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around herself for protection. She’d never been afraid of JJ before, but now she felt distinctly uneasy. Just what the hell kind of people had he been hanging out with to lose all that money? And as for the threats against his life? Surely that sort of thing didn’t happen in Denver, Colorado? JJ was just doing his usual drama queen act and trying to gain her sympathy. The nosebleed was a dead giveaway.
On the other hand, what did she know about crime in Denver? Nothing at all. Maybe there really were people out there who sucked you dry and then threatened to kill you or your family if you didn’t cough up more? It didn’t just happen on TV.
“I’ve got a deal for you,” JJ offered.
“I’ve got one for you,” Beth countered. “You walk out that door and don’t come back and I won’t call the cops.”
JJ continued as if she hadn’t ev
en spoken. “I’ll give up all custody rights to the kids if you’ll give me the deeds to the house.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll give up all my rights to the kids, I promise never to even see them again if you’ll give me the deeds to the house,” he said and without waiting for an answer headed towards her study, Beth assumed, in search of the deeds.
Lucky she’d deposited them in the bank with all her other important papers. Beth had had enough. She picked up the pan again and held it aloft. “Get out, JJ! Get out of my home and my life, forever!”
JJ must’ve realized he’d pushed her too far. He held his hands aloft in a gesture of surrender. “Look, be reasonable, we can work this out, Beth. It’s a good deal.”
“Get out!”
“Tell you what, I’ll give you tonight to think on it and I’ll be back in the morning for the deeds, okay?”
One thing Beth could always rely on with JJ—the only thing!—was that he would try to completely ride roughshod over anything she said, and think he could get away with it. She stalked to the front door, flipped the deadbolt and opened it.
“Get out, JJ, before I kill you with my bare hands!” she roared and waved the pan at him. Her arm was getting tired from holding it aloft. It was one of those iron–based French jobs and they were darned heavy, but she was determined not to falter until JJ was out the door. Or she’d hit him with it!
“I’m going, I’m going.” JJ backed towards the opened door and paused.
Beth swung at him and missed but only because he’d managed to duck through the door a hairsbreadth in front of the pan. She slammed the door shut, locked the deadbolt into place. Then raced into the kitchen and rammed the deadbolt to the back door into place. She stuffed a chair under its handle for good measure then leaned against it for support while she caught her breath.
The phone rang and Beth snatched it up before the ringing woke any of the children. It was a wonder her yelling hadn’t woken them. She felt bad about that, but JJ had a way of upsetting her so much that all she could do was yell. Of course if she owned a .44 Magnum, then she wouldn’t have to worry about yelling anymore.
“What?” she demanded, breathless with anger and a certain amount of fear and half expecting it was JJ trying to weasel his way back into her house again.
“Beth? Are you alright?”
Beth exhaled a sign of relief at the reassuring sound of Gabe’s voice. “Thank goodness it’s you,” she said before thinking.
“What’s wrong?” Gabe’s voice held concern and she hadn’t meant to upset him or alert him to any problems.
“Nothing. I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Nothing wrong at all. I’m fine. Really. Everything’s just fine here. How about you?”
“Beth, you’re rambling. What’s going on?”
“Nothing anymore. I took care of it.”
“Darlin’, I hate to point out the obvious but you’re not making any sense.”
Beth sank into the kitchen chair and resisted the urge to shove her knuckles into her mouth to prevent her from screaming. They’ll come after you and the kids. JJ’s words haunted her.
“Beth?”
“JJ was here. We had a fight. He’s gone now, so I’ll be fine in a couple of minutes.”
“You don’t sound fine. What happened?”
“He… he had a key. I changed the locks after he left last year, but the lousy slime had a copy of the kids’ house keys made. I don’t like the idea of him being able to get into my house.”
“I’m coming down. I can be there in just over an hour.”
“No! Really, Gabe, I’m fine. He’s gone now and I’m pretty sure he won’t be back tonight. And anyway, aren’t you waiting on one of your mares to give birth?”
“I can get one of the neighbors to come over and watch her for me.”
“Gabe, she’s your prize mare. Don’t you dare leave her with someone else!”
“Wow, he really did upset you, I can hear it in your voice still.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. I just want you to take care of your mare and her baby. I’ll be okay. Really.” Once I’ve checked all the locks again.
“Then how about you and the kids come up here? You can stay for the weekend. I’m sure the kids would get a kick out of seeing the new foal.”
“That’s a pun, right?”
“Excuse me?”
“The kids will get a kick out of the new foal.”
Gabe laughed. “Sorry, hadn’t meant it to be. Look, I’d feel better if you were all here with me tonight and if I can’t get down there, then the solution is for you to come up here. How about it?”
Beth couldn’t think of any good reason to stay in Denver for the weekend. JJ telling her the loan sharks would come after her and the kids had her blood turning to ice. She didn’t feel safe in her own home anymore. “Okay, thanks. I think I will.”
“I’ll have some beds made up for the kids so we can put them right into them as soon as you get here.”
“How can I refuse? Um, you better give me directions though.”
Thirty minutes later, armed with detailed directions on where to turn off for Gabe’s ranch and with the children packed into the car, Beth was reversing out of her driveway.
The evening air was brisk and Beth wound the window down and breathed in the mountain air in an effort to keep herself alert as she headed up the interstate. The twins and Molly were fast asleep in the back seat and Jack had made a valiant effort to stay awake for the journey but had succumbed just on the outskirts of Denver, before they started climbing the range. She could hear Applebee snoring loudly from his spot in the rear of her wagon.
Since traffic was light, even though it was a Friday night, Beth assumed most people had headed up to the mountains earlier that evening. She reached the turnoff from the interstate just over an hour after leaving home. Gabe’s directions had been so detailed and easy to follow that, twenty minutes later, she was turning off the county road to his ranch.
An exhilarating sense of anticipation filled her at the thought of seeing Gabe again…
Beth picked out Gabe with her headlights, waiting on his porch steps. He was down them and opening her door almost before she’d come to a standstill.
“Are you okay?” he asked, checking her over as if expecting injuries after her fight with JJ.
“I’m fine, just tired. Nothing a hot shower and a warm drink won’t fix.”
Gabe introduced his ranch hands, Mo and Rick, who unpacked the car and took their bags into the house. Gabe reached into the car and carried Molly up the steps, the boys following sleepily behind. He led them through the house and into a wing off the family room. Mo and Rick said their good nights and headed for their bunkhouse out by the barn.
Molly rolled over and curled herself into a ball once Gabe had put her on the bed and Beth pulled the covers over her. Jack took the bed opposite while Gabe showed the twins to another room. Neither of them wasted any time in climbing into their beds. Beth smiled as Ben stuck his thumb in his mouth and was asleep almost instantly. All her kids were good sleepers and she was grateful for that.
“You can have my room,” Gabe told her.
“Only if you’re in it,” she said with a grin.
“You wish,” he said and kissed the tip of her nose.
Beth noticed a couch made up in what looked like Gabe’s study as they walked along the hallway. “This will do me,” she said. “I’ll be closer to the children if any of them wake up.”
“Is that likely?”
“No, but this is a strange house and I don’t want them to be frightened. Don’t tell me you thought you’d fit in here?” she asked, incredulous as she sat on the couch and pulled off her shoes. “Your feet would hang over the end by about a foot at least.”
“Not quite.” Gabe grinned. “Is there anything I can get you? There are clean towels in the bathroom.”
“Thanks, I’ll take a shower and hit the hay, if that’s okay.
How’s your foal by the way?”
“Not yet arrived, but I’m going out there now. It might be a long night.”
Gabe left her then and headed out into the dark night.
“Have you been to see the new foal yet?” Beth asked her children as she joined them for breakfast.
“Sure have! He’s so skinny!” Jack said.
“And he’s got really, really long legs!” Mikey joined in.
“Yeah, and his mommy’s real pretty too, like you,” Molly told her.
Beth wasn’t sure being compared to a large brown horse who’d just given birth was such a great thing, but she guessed Molly was caught up in the wonder of the moment. “That’s nice, honey,” she said as she bent to kiss her daughter’s head.
“We’ve got a full day planned out already and these guys,” Gabe indicated Mikey, Ben and Molly, “are ready to roll.”
Less than two hours later they were saddled up and heading for one of Gabe’s favorite picnic spots on the ranch.
Gabe had one of his neighbors, who ran a dude ranch, bring over a couple of docile horses for the children to learn to ride on. Jack got one of Gabe’s old geldings that was slow to frighten and Beth was on Bella, one of his newly pregnant mares. She’d ridden a fair bit during high school but hadn’t been on a horse since and was a little concerned at first. But once Gabe had given her a leg up, Beth was surprised how comfortable she felt in the saddle and how easily the old commands came back to her.
Jack, Mikey and Ben listened intently to Gabe and watched as he performed a few simple maneuvers and then hoisted them up onto their mounts to practice what he’d taught them. All her boys took to riding like they’d been born to it. Satisfied the children could handle their mounts, Gabe pulled his stallion, Raj, up beside Molly who was seated on the railing watching her brothers learn to ride and said, “How about you come with me, little darlin’?”
Molly reached out to Gabe with total trust and he positioned her in front of him on the saddle.