The Lawman's Apache Moon (Texas Lawmen Book 2)

by Debra Holt

  He stepped into the living room and stood still. He listened. The house was quiet. Too quiet. She wasn’t there. His senses had become attuned to her presence. That meant she had to be at the shop. He cursed himself for not stopping there first. Jace did not hesitate. He was back out the door and in a matter of minutes; the jeep was headed down the drive and toward the city.

  Jace came to a halt at the back door of the shop. He strode through the doorway and did not stop until he reached the bottom stair that led to the upstairs offices. His eyes swung over the shop below and did not find the person he sought. However, several pairs of eyes looked up in startled surprise at his sudden entrance. Electricians installing the last iron chandelier paused on their ladders, as did the nurserymen who were setting out the greenery in the alcoves. Jace did not linger but took the steps two at a time.

  Conversation stopped when he entered the office… without knocking. Carrie, Zoe, and a couple of other people he had never met looked up from the conference table at his entrance. No Angie. Jace registered that fact along with the fact that Zoe’s eyes had the look of a frightened doe caught in headlights. Carrie looked at the two people across from her and murmured something. They took their pads and pens and retreated.

  “Hello, Jace. If you’re looking for Angie, she’s not here.”

  “I can see that, Carrie.” His voice was clipped and he would apologize for any rudeness later, but he was about at the end of his patience. “Where is she? At the plaza with her sketchbook?”

  “No.” Carrie’s reply stopped him from turning and heading off to the plaza to continue his search. Instead, his eyes were upon her when she delivered the next bit of news. “She’s in New York.”

  It took several moments for the words to become coherent in his mind. She wasn’t just down the block. Angie was thousands of miles away. This hit him like an unexpected punch to his gut. His eyes narrowed and his jaw grew more rigid, but those were the only outward reactions to the news.

  “I see.” Jace managed to make the words sound intelligible. “And when will she return?”

  “Not for some time.” Carrie’s eyes looked over to Zoe, but the other girl was still frozen in place. She would be of no help. Carrie brought her eyes back to meet his… a shade of sympathy in their depths and that put his mind on alert. “She probably won’t be back until the opening.”

  Angie’s gone. That realization resounded like a mantra in his brain. He had not said another word but turned and walked to the door. He paused long enough to drop the bouquet of roses onto the table next to the door. He wouldn’t need them any longer. His feet took him to the jeep, and the jeep took him back to the house. He stopped at the bottom of the staircase. Then he looked up. He couldn’t bring himself to go any further. For once in his life, he did not have a clue what to do next. The day he had never allowed himself to dwell upon had come… and gone. Just like Angie.

  Jace turned toward the patio. He first had to pass through the kitchen. He was halfway across it when his eyes caught a bit of light. That was when he noticed the white envelope. His name was visible on the front of it, but it was what lay on top of the envelope that drew him to move closer. The wedding band he had placed on Angie’s hand now guarded the contents of the envelope. He took a breath, but it felt like a knife was lodged inside his ribs. Jace stood for several seconds. It had to be true. Angie was gone from this house, this city… from his life.

  The round metal felt cold in his fingers. With the other hand, he reached for the envelope. These would be her final words to him. As much as he wanted to read them… to see if there lay any hope for him in their contents… he could not open it at that moment.

  Jace retraced his steps to a chair in the living room. He dropped into it and let his eyes close for a while. He had to get his breathing and mind under control. When he opened them, the painting mocked him from its place above the fireplace. The next vision was the sight of Angie’s face when she had seen it the first time… when he had brought her home for the first time. Home. This was not to be a home again for a long time. That thought hit him with all the clarity of a sledgehammer. Without Angie, it was only a house.

  The shadows lengthened across the room. Finally, Jace reached and switched on the lamp beside his chair. The envelope opened and he withdrew the single sheet of pale lavender paper. Did he imagine it or did a hint of her scent escape from the envelope also? It only made him steel his senses all the more. His eyes fell to her words.

  Jace… After today, I’m sure you will agree with me that it is time for me to remove myself from this lie. It was wrong to continue as long as we did. I take many memories with me. I hope your family can forgive my intrusion into their lives. They are good people and it pains me that I may have caused them any harm. It is time I go back to being who I am… the “city girl” that you always said I was. Thank you for sharing your home and the beauty of your land with me. I shall never forget any of it.

  Angie

  P.S. I leave the legalities of ending the marriage to your capable hands. Your attorney can forward any necessary paperwork for my signature at his convenience. Carrie can supply my address.

  Jace read and reread it a half dozen more times. What had he expected or hoped? Her words only punctuated the fact that she had left. And she expected him to complete the final chapter… the divorce.

  She had thanked him ever so nicely for the memories. It might as well have been a gracious note left for a host… not the man she had shared intimate caresses and incredible soul-searing kisses with. He could have sworn she had felt what he had on the mountain. His heart had been lain out for her to see, and yet she turned away from it. That was the bottom line. He had finally found the inspiration for his life. She had bewitched him with one look that first moment when she stepped from the car. Angie Lord had moved right into his heart with all her smiles and tears and sweet kisses. Jace had never put up much of a struggle.

  Clay Morgan’s words now flew back to haunt him, the words he had used when Jace had found him sitting in that bar back in Texas. The woman he loved had just left him, too. Jace had poured a gallon of coffee into his friend, put his hat on his head, and loaded him into the SUV. He had planned to take him back to Clay’s ranch. But Clay told him to hightail it for the New Mexico state line. Jace had looked at him like he was crazy. Clay had simply said “someday you’ll understand what I’m talking about.” Well, Clay had been right after all. He had gone after the love of his life and now they were living the “happily ever after.”

  Jace had missed that chance. It was clear Angie wanted nothing to do with an “ever after.” Not with him. He certainly wasn’t the type of man to beg for anything in his life. She was right to leave him. Angelina Lord was back in the life she knew. The bright lights and fashion runways of New York and Europe were the home she had made for herself. His world was far different. As different as east was to west… and all the miles in between were as deep as the Grand Canyon. Tomorrow would come sooner rather than later… and then another day after that. Jace had never been a man to look back. He would not begin now.

  Chapter Seventeen

  If Angie thought she would have a moment to catch her breath once the plane landed in New York City, she was in for a rude shock. From the moment she stepped across her office threshold, the phones had not ceased. The flow of paper on her desk escalated to resemble confetti at the Macy’s parade. Staff and vendors rushed in and out needing “just a few minutes” of her time.

  They were a little over two months away from fall fashion week. Angie had wonderful assistants but her time away from the office had definitely gone longer than anticipated so now she had to hit the ground running… which was a good thing. It put the energy back into her step and kept her mind focused on work. It was the late hours of the night that other thoughts intruded.

  Two weeks had passed since her return from New Mexico. Carrie and Zoe had reported the shop was right on schedule. If it continued, and the designs came off t
he cutting room floor in the anticipated time frame, the new shop would open in six weeks. Angie had planned to launch its opening the month after fall fashion week. With the internet commonplace in everyone’s lives and the economy in its state at the moment, many designers were actually launching lines and participating in fashion week via online. The world of fashion continually adjusted for the state of events.

  She had both hoped for and dreaded at the same time, receiving other news from the pair. Angie would never ask, but Carrie had supplied the only bit of personal news that first week. Jace had come blazing into the office looking for Angie, noting he seemed a “bit upset” when she told him that Angie had left for New York, and they had not seen him since. Angie puzzled over the news. What was “upset”? And if he had been all that upset, why hadn’t he tried to contact her?

  She knew better than to pursue that by asking Carrie for clarification. It was obvious Jace had been surprised by her abrupt departure. But he probably realized that she had just made it easier for him. If truth be told, he was probably relieved to have her out of his life. These thoughts always brought her down from the day’s highs and she would end the evening alone… seated on the patio high above the lights of Manhattan.

  When Angie looked up at the night sky, she could not see stars. The glare from all the neon signs and offices in the glass towers blocked the full brilliance of the night sky. When the full moon rose, Angie was deep in an exhausted sleep. She found that by working from sunup to sundown at a frenetic pace provided the sleep that would keep other memories at bay when her guard was down late at night. Even then, dreams came and went… brilliant colored mists, soft Indian chants, and silver eyes searing into her soul. When she woke, she would walk into a pristine and cold kitchen. Neither the smell of fresh coffee nor a good morning note had been left for “sleeping beauty”. It was the little things that would get to her, but she replaced them with Starbucks and morning memos from her secretary. Life would be normal… one day. Angie held on to that belief. She had to.

  Her sketchpad lay open on the worktable before her. Angie straightened for a moment, stretching the muscles of her shoulders and back. There was something about the line of the skirt that was just not pleasing her. She studied it while taking another sip of lemonade beside her. The ringtone of her phone caused her brows to knit. She had assigned tones to her special friends and those she wanted to identify before picking up the call. That way she could ignore certain callers. She really had not needed to go to that length. There had not been any attempts by a certain person… Jace… since she returned from New Mexico. That was just another sign he was glad to be rid of her. A smile crossed her face though as she recognized the light tone. The smile turned into a grin as she answered.

  “Hello, stranger! Don’t tell me the honeymoon is over?”

  “The honeymoon will never be over if I have anything to say about it.” Kaitlyn’s voice sounded happy as a new bride’s should be.

  “How are you? I’ve missed you. I would have called, but I didn’t want to interrupt anything,” Angie gushed in her pleasure. It was so good to hear her friend’s voice after so long. She had missed her more than she realized.

  “Silly… if you were interrupting anything, I wouldn’t have answered the phone.” Kaitlyn’s laughing rejoinder brought Angie’s own giggles.

  Her friend was so happy. Angie felt a twinge of envy, but she swept it aside. She held the phone to her ear as she moved to stand next to one of the ceiling to floor windows giving her a view of a gray Sunday afternoon. Rain had threatened off and on during the day. She had stayed in with her sketchpad as her only company.

  “I won’t ask how Clay is. I can imagine.” Angie spoke up. “So how is everything else in the great state of Texas?”

  “Clay is marvelous. He’s off somewhere on the ranch with the new foreman. Seth and Sarah left last week for their road trip. We miss them terribly, but you should have seen the smiles on their faces as they headed down the road.”

  “Who’s doing the cooking now? I won’t get any of that good home cooking if I come back down there.”

  “What do you mean ‘if’ you come? It’s ‘when’ you come. And next time, Clay said that he will make sure you see something of Texas besides the inside of this house. How was the trip to Santa Fe? We’ve never really discussed it in our previous calls.” The last sentence caught Angie off guard.

  There were a few moments of silence on the line. Angie’s mind whirled over many descriptions but they all involved Jace. Kaitlyn was still quick as ever.

  “That good? Details, please.”

  “Everything is great with the store. We’ll open on schedule. I hope you and Clay can attend. That is if you can stand to leave your private little world of married bliss.” Angie finished on an up note.

  Kaitlyn didn’t reply right away. Angie could hear the wheels turning though.

  “Just send the invite and we’ll be there with bells on. I’m sure Clay would like to drop in on his friend Jace, too. Did you see much of him while you were there?”

  The one topic she did not want to have come up. Angie grimaced at her reflection in the glass pane in front of her. She would have to come clean on the whole story with Kaitlyn, but not at that moment.

  “I saw him some. I’ll make sure you receive the first invitation off the press. I’m excited for you to see the designs. New Mexico really inspired me.”

  “I bet it did.” Kaitlyn’s voice was more thoughtful now. “You sound a bit stressed.”

  “Well, the clock is ticking here. The clothing for fashion week must be tweaked. Not to mention the magazine layouts that we are trying to get shot right now. And I want the designs to be perfect for the Santa Fe opening. Who wouldn’t be a bit stressed?”

  “Right.”

  Angie wasn’t sure if Kaitlyn bought any of that, but she didn’t argue with her.

  “I know I probably took you away from that sketchbook of yours. We’ll talk soon. And you know I’m just a phone call away… anytime. Understood?”

  Angie smiled at the warmth she felt come across the line. “Understood. Tell that cute husband of yours hi for me.”

  Angie stood looking at the cell phone in her hand after they said goodbye. Part of her wanted to curl up on the couch with Kaitlyn on the other end, cups of hot chocolate in their hands, and spill her guts to her friend. That was what they had done in the “old days”… before fame took each of them down separate roads. However, she was glad she was alone. Kaitlyn didn’t need to hear about the mess Angie and Jace created. She could just imagine the look on her friend’s face. No… the less said about Jace, the better.

  *

  The phone had not been silent on Jace’s end either. It was later on that same Sunday, he was surprised to pick up the phone and hear the voice of his good friend, Clay Morgan.

  “Well, how goes it for the new bridegroom?” Jace reached over and cut the burner of the stove off. He had just come in from the office and was completing an omelet for himself.

  “Hey, partner.” There was a definite smile in the man’s voice. “It goes great. This marriage thing isn’t too bad. At least that’s what my wife keeps reminding me.” He finished with a laugh.

  “And you listen to everything she tells you, I’m sure,” Jace responded with a wry twist to his mouth. “You already sound henpecked.”

  “And you sound downright jealous.” Clay got him back.

  Jase grimaced. The joke was definitely on him. But Clay didn’t need to know that part.

  “So why are you calling me and not spending time with that beautiful woman you married?”

  “You crossed my mind for some reason,” Clay’s reply was offhand.

  There was no need to explain that since Kaitlyn, had gotten off the phone with Angie in New York that was pretty much all their conversation had been about. Kaitlyn was sure something was going on and it involved Jace Blackhawke.

  Clay had his orders to investigate. Kaitlyn’s orders carrie
d even more weight than any issued by his boss, the Governor of Texas. So, here he was, sitting in his study, making the call. If he opened the door to his study right now, he was positive he would find his bride not far off. “How did the trip back to Santa Fe go after the wedding? Sorry about having to ask the favor of you to take Angie back with you. Hope it wasn’t too much of a problem.”

  Jace thought for a long moment… then another one. “No problem.” His answer was brief to the extreme.

  “I see. Did you two keep in touch while she was there?”

  You could say that. Jace’s mind swept back to the waterfall and the starry night under an Apache Moon, but those were definitely not details anyone else needed to hear.

  “I had a lot of work to catch up on at the office when I got back. She kept busy, too. I heard she went back to New York.”

  Various shades of the truth. She had left him a note and her assistants had told him she was gone. It was only in the details that it could be construed as not the full facts.

  “That’s too bad. I had a feeling you two might hit it off.”

  “You’re definitely a typical married man now,” Jace responded, sliding the omelet onto a plate while he balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear. “Just because you’re enjoying marital bliss doesn’t mean the rest of us need to do the same.”

  “Ouch! Sounds like someone is a bit grumpy. Bad day?”

  “A long one. I just got home and am staring at a cheese, egg, and broccoli omelet… smothered with hot sauce, of course.”

  “I won’t tell you about the dinner that my wife cooked for me this evening then. I’ll let you go so you can eat that tasty sounding meal. It’s time for some dessert, I think.”