by Joni Hahn
He jerked upright. “Hope.”
Squatting beside his cockpit seat, she gasped before brushing back the hair from his forehead. “I’m right here, Rose.”
Willing his heart to slow, his gaze traveled over her pretty face, dotted with nicks and cuts. “Are you okay?”
Her smile melted away the worry thrashing his body. “Except for the minor issue that our pilot is sleeping and your royally ticked-off brother is on the phone, I’m just peachy.”
McCall glanced over at him. “The sonovabitch just woke up. Hold on.”
Nodding at McCall, Jaydan gazed into Hope’s teasing eyes. “I’ll always be there for you, Hope.”
She gave him a soft smile. “I know.”
The words were said with such sincerity and confidence it surprised him.
“Jaydan?” Gunner’s voice rang in his ear.
Shit. Gunner. He looked at the clock on the dash. He’d barely make the wedding.
He straightened in his seat. “Gunn, I got tied up but I’m on my way back to the mainland. I’ll be there in time.”
“Damn Jaydan, you said you’d be here last night.” Disappointment ran thick in his tired voice.
Guilt and shame stomped on Jaydan’s chest with heavy boots. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Hope grabbed his hand and squeezed. He glanced down at her. “I won’t miss it. I’ll be there. My job –“
“You have four hours, Jay.” The line went dead.
Leaning back his head against the seat, he shut his eyes. Dammit, he’d let them down. Again. Self-resentment rolled through his body like thunder.
Mitchell’s voice sailed through the cockpit, jerking him alert. “Rose, what’s your status?”
Glancing at his gauges, he said, “We’re less than twenty minutes out.”
“Roger that. How’s Keegan?”
He looked at Hope for answers. She spoke in a raised voice. “She’s a little banged up, Mitchell, but okay. She’s sleeping in the cabin.”
Mitchell said, “Riordan and Natalie just arrived. I haven’t told them a thing.”
Hope smiled at Jaydan, excitement lining her bright eyes.
“I’ll have to miss the reunion if I want to get to the wedding,” Jaydan said. “I’ll drop off these three and head out.”
“Roger that.” Mitchell signed off.
Hope popped him on the arm. She shook out her hand. “Jaydan Rose, after all we’ve been through, you’re not going to stick around long enough to see them reunited?”
Dylan shot up from his chair. “That’s my queue to leave.” He rushed out of the cockpit and shut the door.
“Hope, Gunner gets married in four hours. I told him I’d be there yesterday.”
“It’ll only take a few minutes, Jaydan.”
He let out a big sigh. “Without me there, you can take all the credit.”
Exasperation coated her raised voice. “I don’t want all the credit. I want you there.”
His heart lurched. “You hate me.” He said it, wishing she’d contradict him.
“No… “ she said with defiance. Pulling in her lips over her teeth, she smiled. “…not all the time.”
He grinned to himself. Damn, why’d she have to be so… Hope?
Gazing at his mouth, she leaned forward and kissed him. Once. Twice – before touching his lips with her tongue. He opened for her, her lips soft, her tongue languid as it played with his. Pressing closer, she wrapped her cool hand around his neck, her breasts pliant against his chest.
God, she tasted sweet. He knew she manipulated him, played his desire for her to get her way.
He wouldn’t budge.
Reluctant, he pulled away. “You need to buckle up. I have to land this thing.” He radioed in to D.I.R.E. for landing clearance.
With a dazed nod, she buckled in the co-pilot seat and took a deep breath. Looking over, she gave him a wide grin, like a child on Christmas morning. “I’m so excited, Jaydan.”
Hell. He’d stay.
***
Hope handed Keegan a brush, her hands visibly shaking as she accepted it.
“Your sister is right outside. Are you excited?”
She stared at Hope with wide eyes. “I’m scared, nervous and excited all at once.” Her voice softened. “I keep thinking Cyrus will show up and take me back.”
Hope clutched her free hand and squeezed it tight. “I told you, you’ll be safe here. Okay? Don’t let worry ruin your reunion with your sister.”
Keegan nodded. “I’m afraid I may smother her.”
They shared a laugh.
“Are you ready?” Jaydan stood at the open cabin door, Dylan beside him. “I really need to get a move on.”
Taking a deep breath, Keegan handed the brush to Hope. “Will you go out with me?”
Hope smiled, excitement taking flight in her stomach like a rabble of butterflies.
She linked her arm through Keegan’s. “Let’s do this.”
Walking to the cabin door, Keegan shook uncontrollably. Hope tightened her arm alongside her. “Lean against me, okay?”
Stepping out on the landing, Hope looked for the welcoming committee. Riordan and Natalie stood beside Mitchell Jacobs and another woman, who held his hand. Hope waved, exhilaration swirling in her stomach. Keegan sobbed aloud.
Leading her down the steps with care, Hope kept Keegan’s body tight against her side while the poor woman held a white-knuckled grip on the railing. Keegan stopped midway down, a hand over her eyes.
“I can’t see, I’m crying so hard.”
Hope laughed through her own tears. “I’m afraid I’m no help either.” They made it down a few more steps.
Keegan stopped again and called to her sister. “Na-“ she cleared her throat. “Natty-baby.”
Hope heard the gasp in the desert stillness, the yelp of disbelief, before running footsteps. Darn it, if she didn’t stop crying she’d miss everything.
Natalie rushed up the three remaining steps, Riordan behind her. Tears trailed down her cheeks, her eyes wide with incredulity. “Keegy-baby?”
Nodding, Keegan threw herself at Natalie, nearly knocking them both to the ground. Smiling, Riordan caught them, their tears of laughter echoing off the outbuildings in the light of dawn.
Hope didn’t realize she’d sobbed aloud until Jaydan came up behind her. “Don’t go trying to steal their thunder.”
Laughing, she punched him on the chest. Pain shot through her knuckles. Would she ever learn not to do that?
“Are you two responsible for this?” Riordan spoke over the sister’s heads.
The women turned to stare at them.
Jaydan nodded at Hope. “Your sister and her DNA tracker. I only tagged along as the muscle.” He pointed his thumb at Dylan standing a step behind him. “And this one. Dylan McCall…” Jaydan pointed at Riordan. “Riordan St. James. You two have a lot to talk about.”
Mitchell yelled at Jaydan. “Don’t you have a wedding to get to, Rose?”
“Shit. Yes.” With a quick grin, he said, “I gotta get to Texas, Saint. I’ll see you in a few days.”
He rushed up the steps without a backward glance.
Hope watched him ascend, sadness enveloping her like a scratchy blanket. She missed him already.
“You coming, Hope?” Riordan said, as he escorted the women off the steps.
Dylan stopped beside her, backpack slung over his shoulder. “Let’s go Powers. They need to block my signal before Cyrus finds me.”
“Oh, shoot. My bag.” She ran up the steps just in time to stop Jaydan from pulling up the stairs. “I forgot my bag.”
She ducked under his arm and stopped short. Her things were scattered all over the cabin. It would take time to pick them up.
“Dammit, Hope. I need to go.”
She rushed to the seat that held her bag. “Well, excuse me for wanting to loan Keegan my things.”
“Hope.” Jaydan practically yelled it. “I. Don’t. Have. Time. For. This.”
Stuffing clothes in her bag, she waved off his tirade. “Fine. Go then. Who’s stopping you?”
What was a few minutes? Dammit…
Storming to the cabin door, Jaydan pulled up the stairs and slammed it shut. Whipping around, her mouth fell open.
With a lethal, narrow-eyed glower in her direction, he walked straight to the cockpit.
She gulped. It looked like she was headed to Texas.
Chapter 11
Hope sulked the entire flight to Texas – until she realized why Jaydan had given her the silent treatment.
It had nothing to do with the fact that she didn’t get her things off the airplane in time. Or, that she’d eaten the last muffin he had stashed on the plane.
He was going home to his family. To Booker.
It had nothing to do with her.
Sure, Hope. They probably have some beachfront property in the Texas Hill Country, too.
The wheels hit the runway with a rough bounce before Jaydan pulled the plane to an easy stop in front of a hangar painted like a barn.
“I’ll just stay here.”
She made the offer with solid sincerity. She could sleep on a plane.
“Is there a convenience store or something nearby where I can get some food?”
Unbuckling, he stopped to stare at her. “Take a look around. Does it look like there’s a convenience store nearby?” He went to the back of the plane.
Standing up, Hope gazed out the windshield. Nothing but rural farmland for as far as the eye could see.
Pulling up her phone, she asked the voice attendant where the nearest convenience store was located.
Twenty point four miles. Dammit.
“Let’s go.” Jaydan stood in the doorway, duffle bag in hand. He disappeared from sight.
Worried he may just leave her stranded in the middle of nowhere, she ran to the cabin and grabbed her packed tote bag. Throwing it over her shoulder, she followed him down the steps.
“Hot damn.” Jaydan smiled for the first time in hours as he stared at the old, black pickup truck sitting beside the runway.
“What is it?”
Ushering her to the passenger door, he opened it. “My old truck. I used to drive it in high school.”
Although it was clean, the truck had seen better days. The gray bench seat was worn, its dashboard cracked in a couple of spots.
He started it up. The truck rumbled, its muffler overshadowing the blast of the country music blaring from the dash. He gazed over at her with complete and utter arrogance.
“Hold on, baby. This could get a little wild.”
Peeling out in place, dirt and gravel kicked up in a thick cloud of utter mischief. Hope grabbed the handle above her window and braced herself. Jaydan shot down the gravel lane and out of the gate, never stopping as he whipped onto a paved road. He sped down the deserted street like demons were on his heels.
He gave a rebel yell. She couldn’t contain her smile.
“You’re such a redneck, Rose.”
His cocky grin made her laugh. “You’re damned straight. And proud of it.”
They traveled for miles, Jaydan humming to the Gary Allen song on the radio. The landscape passed in a blur, one field blending into the next, with cattle and horses scattered intermittently.
Driving over a rise, the scenery changed. Cars and trucks lined either side of the road for at least a quarter mile. Jaydan slowed to turn into another gravel drive. More vehicles were parked along the path, with people walking toward a huge oak tree beside a white rock house. An arch adorned with ivory and coral flowers stood beneath the heavy limbs, hundreds of chairs arranged in rows before it. People mingled together, dressed in everything from cocktail wear to jeans. It proved to be quite a crowd.
Skidding to a stop, Jaydan made his way around the truck to help her out. Taking her by the elbow, he ushered her inside the house. Several men in tuxedos stood in the front room, pacing and looking nervous. She spotted Booker in the background, clad in a full tuxedo, arms crossed over his chest as he stared out a side window.
Jaydan’s voice held a note of humor. “I’m looking for the groom. He ran off with my woman.”
All of the men whipped around. Huge grins split their faces before two of them rushed over to him. They had to be Jaydan’s brothers, with the same raven hair, chocolate eyes and dark, good looks.
Dropping his bag, Jaydan took them both in a hug. They huddled there for a long moment, sobs coming from within. Tears sprang to her eyes for the second time that day, her happiness for Jaydan filling her with elation.
He deserved this reunion with his family, deserved this kind of love. After all, he’d just given the same thing to Natalie and Keegan.
Pulling away, the two brothers swiped at their noses as they gave Jaydan a critical inspection.
“Damn. Look at you,” one of them said. “You’re freakin’ ripped.”
The other one said, “Hey, Superman called. He wants his costume back.”
Hope smiled to herself. If they only knew how close they were to the truth.
“Hope.” Jaydan held out his hand to her.
Swallowing hard, all eyes were on her now. She knew she looked a mess, wearing the same torn clothes from the island, her face nicked from the chandelier glass.
She told herself it didn’t matter. She’d never see these people again. Somehow, that didn’t make her feel any better.
Ushering her forward, Jaydan nodded to his right. “Hope, this is my little brother, Austin. The loser on the left is the groom, my brother Gunner.”
Gunner stared at her with shy, pleasant surprise, while Austin gave her a totally male onceover. Jaydan seemed to fall somewhere in between.
She smiled at them both. “Sorry to crash your wedding. We had a job that ran late.”
Gunner shook his head at Jaydan. “Mom’s going to be pissed. You said you weren’t bringing a date.”
Ignoring the comment, Jaydan said, “Where is Mom?”
“Right here.”
Squealing, she rushed to Jaydan, her arms outstretched. Scooping her up, he twirled her around before setting her down with a kiss on the cheek.
“You look beautiful, Mom.”
She really did look beautiful, with her dark hair piled high on her head, a floor-length gown of pale peach floating around her. Her smile faltered when she held him at arm’s length.
“You’re not taking steroids are you, J.J.?”
With a shake of his head, Jaydan gave a half laugh. “No, Mom. I have to stay fit. It’s part of my job.”
Her shrewd gaze landed on Hope. “Well, hi. I’m Penny, Jaydan’s mother. Are you the date he isn’t bringing?”
“Mom…” Jaydan warned, in a good-natured tone.
Laughing, Hope said, “No, I’m Hope, the… co-worker that didn’t give him time to drop me off before flying out.”
Penny glanced back and forth between them. “Uh, huh.”
Booker’s voice boomed in the happy room like a clap of thunder. “It’s just like you to make everyone wait and worry, isn’t it, Jaydan?”
She felt Jaydan stiffen, her own gasp lodged in her throat. Glaring at Booker, she told herself to remain calm. The man had always been an abusive asshole. She couldn’t expect anything less than insults from someone like him.
However, the logic didn’t keep her from speaking her mind. “Do you have any idea what your stepson does for a living? Or, don’t you give a shit?”
With an arm in front of her, Jaydan spoke with a low note of warning. “Hope…”
Booker’s bushy eyebrows rose into his receding hairline. His cheeks burned behind his auburn moustache. “You’ve got quite a mouth on you, little lady. I’d watch it if I were you.”
“Or what?” Jaydan’s voice rang like a steel-edged sword against an anvil.
“For your information,” she said, “Jaydan rescued a woman –“
“Hope.”
She ignored Jaydan’s warning. “ - that was kidnapped from
her family over twenty years ago, and reunited her with her sister.”
Jaydan glared down at her. “Hope, that’s enough.”
Lifting her chin, she never took her eyes from Jaydan’s face. “I’m sure her family would think it was worth the delay.” Her gaze went to Booker’s stunned face. “But then again, the world revolves around you, doesn’t it?”
Gunner and Austin ducked their heads, while Penny smiled at Hope, brows high on her head. Tension radiated off Jaydan like the flames of a wildfire, his shoulders stiff and hard.
He didn’t want to ruin Gunner’s wedding day.
She’d done it for him.
Booker studied Jaydan with keen interest, his eyes razor sharp. “Jaydan,” he said, hands in pockets. “Make sure she gets to the wedding.” Walking away, he left the house out a side door.
Taking a deep breath, Hope had to get out of there. She’d done enough damage for one day. Jaydan would never forgive her.
Hiking her tote bag onto her shoulder, she said, “I’m sorry, Gunner. I didn’t mean to ruin your wedding day.” She pointed a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m going now, but wanted to wish you all the best.”
She could call her father’s private pilot and have him pick her up. Luke wouldn’t be happy but, in this case, she thought he’d prefer her alive rather than dead.
Jaydan’s grip on her bicep tightened. “You’re not going anywhere.”
A child’s scream of temper came from the back of the house.
Penny sighed aloud. “I’ve got to go. That Issy is a mess today.”
Gunner frowned at his mother. “What’s the problem?”
“Your daughter pulled out all of the pins in her hair and won’t let anyone fix it.”
“What happened to Cindy?” he said. “Did she leave?”
Penny nodded. “She left after she finished all of the girls’ hair. She wanted to get home in time to get dressed and come back. She didn’t want to miss the ceremony.”
Hope pursed her lips. Maybe she could make up for the scene she’d just caused.
“Do you mind if I give it a try?”
Jaydan whipped around to look at her, his eyes wide.
She said, “I’m no professional but I think I could do something.” Anything to get out of here.