“Don’t touch the damned bed.” His words were chilling in their starkness.
Consuelo backed up another step. “Si, I understand. I will do as you say.”
“I’ll be back in about twenty minutes,” he said as he left.
Consuelo began her cleaning. Right before he was due back, she couldn’t help approaching the big four poster. It was true what he’d said. The bed smelled fresher than the rest of the room. Stepping closer she frowned. There was a sprinkling of rust-colored smears on the bottom sheet. It looked like dried blood. She hoped Mr. JD hadn’t done anything to hurt himself. Sighing, she turned away and gave the room one last inspection. It was clean and smelled nice. No one would ever guess it’d been a madman’s den.
In the house, JD used the master suite to shower. It once had belonged to his father. Now it was JD’s. But he rarely used it. Leanne had appropriated the massive suite when she’d stayed on the ranch before their doomed wedding. He’d regularly screwed her in his father’s bed. Doing so was his own peculiar revenge against the old man. JD’s father had ruined more women than he could count. He’d taken them right under his wife’s nose, in this very bed.
Not that Helene cared. She’d enjoyed her fair share of adultery. She’d never cared for the old man, one way or another. But she’d been decorative and cunning when she was a young woman. JD’s father had fallen for her trap. He’d married her and set her up into the life to which she desired to become accustomed. It was a fair trade on both sides.
Or so JD had always thought. Now he wasn’t so sure. After Sunny… well he couldn’t work up any interest in women. Not even women of the temporary sort. He knew Consuelo probably thought he was insane. There’d been a few times over the last months when he’d been convinced of it himself. He should have let her change the freaking sheets. He should have. But after Sunny left, the bed linen was the only thing he’d had left of her. Her scent still lingered on the pillows. Her blood marked his ultimate possession of her sweet body. It was all he had. All that kept him from truly falling into madness.
He’d driven her away. It had been intentional. The things she made him feel were too wild. Too deep. And much too fragile. He knew, in his heart, that if she’d stayed he would have destroyed her in the end. Because he was just like his father. He looked like the old man’s twin. And his business associates, claimed he acted like him too. JD would never risk caring for a woman. Because his father hadn’t just reserved his beatings for JD. The old man had liked to hit his women. A lot.
JD couldn’t count the times when, as a kid, he’d called 911 for some down-on-her-luck hooker who was willing to let his father use her for a punching bag. If the price was right. There’d been a few lawsuits. All of which had been settled. But it was still there. The taint of brutality.
The past several months proved JD was more like his dad than he’d ever care to admit. And he already admitted a lot. No, it was better to keep his sexual forays short and clinical. That way there was no chance of a woman getting under his skin. No chance of his ever again reverting into the wild animal he’d been with Sunny. He’d hurt her. And he’d never forgive himself. And it all stemmed from the fact that he’d let her matter. She wasn’t just an anonymous female body.
She was important. She’d always been important. Ever since they’d met on the beach, she’d been different. Sunny was the woman he’d never been able to forget. Now, after tasting the sweetness of her passion, he knew she was far more to him than a mere sexual conquest. She mattered.
That’s why he was in the master suite shower trying to scrape off three months’ worth of beard. She was the reason he’d spent those same months in an alcohol-induced fog. She was the reason he couldn’t let the maid change the damn sheets. She was his whole world.
And even though she must hate him now, he wanted to see her. He wanted to just see the woman. He knew it could be no more than that. He was sure they would both pretend they were no more than passing acquaintances. By now, she’d be glad nothing had come of their brief time together. When most women realized JD wasn’t interested in more than a few nights, they moved on. Sunny must have done the same. She might even have found a romantic interest elsewhere. His teeth clenched at the thought of her with another man.
He knew she wasn’t pregnant. She’d have called him, if that was the case. The first month after she’d left, he’d jumped every time the phone had rung. Even though he’d tried to reach her. When he hadn’t heard from Sunny, he tried to feel relieved. After all, it was his fault she’d been put at risk. He was the idiot who’d lost his head and not given a thought to protecting her. It was the single time, since he’d become sexually active at thirteen, that he’d not used a condom. When she’d refused to answer his barrage of phone calls, he hadn’t been relieved. He’d mourned the loss of a potential child. Sunny’s child.
JD stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and strode out into the bedroom.
“Mmmm, you’ve let your hair grow out,” Leanne drawled. She eyed his wet torso. “I like it. You look like a pirate.” She patted the spot beside her on the bed. “Why don’t you come over and let me show you how to rape and pillage?”
“Get out,” he ignored her. He went over to the closet. He pulled down a shirt and a pair of jeans.
“You don’t act very happy to see me.” Leanne pouted. She thrust her silicone enhanced breasts out as far as they’d go. “It’s been three months, JD. We need to get the wedding back on track. There’s only a couple of free weekends left at the club for the reception.”
“We’re not getting married.” JD let the towel fall.
“Oh, I see,” she purred. “You’re just trying to tease me. Listen sweets, you don’t need to do that. I’m already primed and ready for you.” She opened her legs as wide as the narrow skirt she wore would allow. “Come over here and get you some,” she invited in a husky seductive voice.
Without sparing her a single glance, JD jammed his legs into the jeans. He slid his arms into the shirt. “Get out.”
“I guess all the gossip about you is true.”
“I’m not interested.” He snagged a pair of boots from the bottom of the closet.
“They say you went around the bend, over that little hick girl from the coast. You know, the one who crashed your mama’s big party? She’s a whore, for sure. I knew it the first time I got a good look at those heels she was wearing. A man would need to watch his wallet real close when that little bitch was around. It was obvious she was cheap too. I mean her country-come-to-town manners alone would give her away. But I sure did like that necklace she had on. I wonder who she stole it from?”
“Get out,” he snarled. He stamped his feet down into his boots.
“Oooh, did I strike a nerve?” She simpered. “Guess all that dirty gossip is true, huh?”
JD was on his way out the door when her malicious voice stopped him.
“Guess you don’t want to know what all your mama and me have found out about sweet little Sunny, huh?”
“Leave her alone, Leanne.”
“Or you’ll do what?” The blonde on bed twirled one of her hair extensions with a finger.
“Just leave her alone.”
“Well, all’s I can say is you’re in for a big surprise this afternoon.”
“What are you up to?” His eyes narrowed dangerously.
“You’ll see.” The woman got up and walked towards him. When she was close enough, she leaned heavily into his body. Her huge breasts mashed against his chest. Her hand snaked down to trace the length of his fly. “We were good together, JD. You know we were. We both know what we want. And we’re not afraid to take it. Don’t forget that.”
JD watched her stroll out into the hall. He wondered, not for the first time, why he’d ever gotten involved with the woman. He pounded down the stairs to find Consuelo. If anybody knew what his mother and Leanne had planned, it would be the housekeeper.
Coming into the bright industrial
kitchen, he saw her chopping a variety of vegetables at the stainless steel counter that ran all the way around the big room. A radio was set on a chirpy Mexican station.
“Consuelo?” he called.
“Si?” she turned. “Oh, Mr. JD you look muy, muy better. The hair, it is too long. And you are still too flaco. But you start to look like your old self. Are you hungry? I could fix you some lunch.”
“Are preparing for a social event for this afternoon?” He was suspicious after talking to his former fiancée.
“Si, of course. Your mama, she is hosting a tea for some ladies from the country club. I am working on the little finger sandwiches now.”
“Did you know about Miss Murphy coming back?”
“Si, I was so happy when Mrs. Helene told me to buy the tickets. It is a good sign, no? Your mother will get to know her grandchild. We will get to see Miss Sunny. It is good, no?”
JD didn’t answer.
Later That Afternoon
Sunny was very quiet when Sam picked them up at the airport. She was well aware he could have pawned the chore off on an employee. Or he could have sent the limo. The fact that he hadn’t done either was unsettling. She wanted to have as little to do with the McIntyre brothers as possible on this trip. She’d made her mind up to tell JD about the baby. So she’d need to speak with him privately. At least for a few minutes. Just long enough to tell him and assure him she would not need his financial support. But other than that, she planned to stick close to Billy.
JD deserved the chance to get to know his grandmother and uncles. If they wanted to spend time with him, she was more than agreeable. Especially since JD wasn’t seeking any kind of legal custody. Sunny could afford to be generous with Billy. And when the baby came, she would bring the little one out here too.
“How was your trip?” Sam asked.
“Fine, it was fine,” she answered, but didn’t elaborate.
“We rode on a plane,” Billy added from the back seat of the Jeep.
“I bet you enjoyed that. Was it your first time flying?” Sam asked his nephew. They began talking about airplanes.
Sunny was confused. She found it strange that JD’s brother used a beat-up Jeep. The thing was almost as old as her little car. And it wasn’t in much better shape. She was proud of her cheap, battered vehicle. It’d taken several years to save up enough money to buy it. Honestly, she’d have thought a billionaire like Sam would drive something nicer. But then she didn’t know JD’s brother. And she didn’t want to.
“I owe you an apology,” the man said.
She looked over at him. He was wearing faded, ripped jeans, a straw hat that looked like it came from Walmart, and a tee-shirt that proclaimed: Mama Tried. He was as tall and broad as his brother, and they shared the same perfect masculine features, but there the resemblance ended. Where JD was dark and powerful, Sam’s hair was sun-streaked and he was laid back.
“I thought you were after his money,” he admitted
“I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t go getting all prickly on me. It was an honest mistake. Women like JD… and they like his money.”
“I don’t want to have this conversation.” Sunny blocked him.
“You see, JD well…, you got to admit he looks like something off the cover of GQ. So when you combine that with a little bit of money… you got the makings of a real bad train wreck where women are concerned.”
“A little bit of money?” If he was so intent on making her talk, she would. She’d let him know just what she thought of his big brother and their money.
“OK, so it’s more than a little bit. But the point is, JD’s been burned a few times. So when you showed up with the boy, I just naturally assumed you were interested in a big payoff.”
“What changed your mind? I’m assuming that’s what this apology is all about. You’ve changed your mind about me.”
“Yeah, I have. The way JD jump-started when I told him you were coming back to the ranch was all I needed.”
“Do you always speak in confusing circles?” Sunny asked. Though in reality she wanted to know all about JD’s jump-starting.
“Nah, I’m pretty plainspoken as a rule.”
“Really?” she commented with no small amount of skepticism.
“Yeah, really. Let me lay it out for you. JD’s been acting like a lunatic for the last three months. It started about the time you left. He’s been drinking like a fish. And smoking, he’s been smoking. He hasn’t done that since we were in college. But the weirdest part is the way he’s been holed up in his place.”
“Holed up?”
“Yeah, he’s been moping in the dark inside that little house of his for three months. I’m pretty sure he’s just been sitting and brooding. I mean there’s no TV out there. As far as I know, JD hasn’t even booted up his laptop. He’s grown this bushy beard. I don’t know. It’s crazy. He threw a glass of Scotch at me. Me, can you believe it?”
“Maybe he just wants some solitude?”
“No, he was grieving. I think he was grieving for you.”
“That’s not possible,” she told him.
“Why?”
“He sent me away. It was his idea that I leave.”
“Do you know why?” Sam asked. “Did you have an argument or something?”
Sunny shook her head. “No.”
She knew why JD had rejected her. Or at least she thought she did. Having a woman tell you she loved you when you just wanted sex with no strings would make a man back off. Especially a man like JD.
No more was said. It was a relief. Just facing JD was going to be hard enough. Sunny didn’t need the added heartbreak of everyone knowing what had transpired between them.
As Sam pulled the Jeep into the circular drive, she noticed a host of other vehicles parked nearby. There was a very nice selection of BMWs and other fancy cars of that ilk. It looked like Helene was throwing another party. Sunny looked down at her crumpled clothing. Now she wished she’d taken Maude Evelyn’s advice and worn something nicer. She hated the idea of walking into a gathering of the Dallas elite in what she was wearing. But there was no help for it.
She got out of the Jeep and waited for Sam and Billy. Together they mounted the steps that led up to the house. As she had one time before, Consuelo opened the door for them. Billy shouted his happy greeting and ran into the housekeeper’s arms. The Latina looked over his head at Sunny.
“Hola, Miss Sunny, it’s so nice to have you back. You’re just in time for Mrs. Helene’s tea party. She said to bring you right in.”
Sunny looked down at the boy, wondering what she should do. She couldn’t very well refuse to attend her hostess’s party. But what was she to do with Billy?
“Don’t worry about the boy,” Sam said in his trademark laconic way. “I’ll take him down to the barn and show him around.”
“Yay!” Billy screamed.
It seemed her fate was sealed. She would attend a fancy society tea party in Capris and a tank top. At least they were fairly new. Sunny resigned herself and followed the housekeeper out to the pool.
Ladies in summery dresses lounged at tables that had been arranged around the perimeter of the natural-looking pool. A casual observer might think it was a pond except for the charming jets of spray erupting continually from its center. When Sunny saw that Helene sat at a table with Leanne Simmons and one empty chair she knew she was doomed.
How was she supposed to sit there and make polite conversation with JD’s lover? For all she knew they might be married by now. So Sunny might be sharing a table with his wife, while she herself carried the man’s baby. It was not a good start to this visit.
“Elizabeth, Elizabeth come join us.” Helene waved her over.
Nobody had called Sunny, Elizabeth since she’d attended Vacation Bible School at the Baptist Church when she’d been six-years-old. She did her best to paste a smile on her face and sat in the empty chair.
“It’s Sunny. My name is Sunny,” she correc
ted the older woman with a smile.
Helene made a moue with her lips. She shared a look with Leanne before she answered the newcomer. “Sunny’s just a nickname and so very plebian. And the way you’re dressed just adds to that impression. So inappropriate my dear, at the very least you could have worn a skirt. We don’t want to give the others any more reason to form strange ideas about you. Now do we? So I prefer calling you Elizabeth. You don’t mind, do you dear?”
Leanne snorted into her drink. It was clear more was going on than met the eye. Before Sunny could answer Helene that she did indeed mind, the hostess was calling out again.
“Oh, good. It’s JD. Come over here, darling and say hello to our guest.” The woman turned again to Sunny. She trilled, “You remember my son JD, don’t you Elizabeth?”
Awkward did not describe the situation. Painful came close. But catastrophic was much more accurate. Sunny knew she’d have to see him. She was prepared for that. What she was not prepared for was the way she was being blindsided almost at the moment of her arrival. Sunny swallowed hard. She forced herself to look up at him. His gaunt face surprised her. And the haunting emptiness of his eyes made her ache with despair. Was JD ill? Was that why he’d secluded himself as Sam said he’d done?
“Miss Murphy,” he said and bowed his head with perfect courtesy.
“Mr. McIntyre,” she responded in kind.
To all the world they looked like two polite strangers greeting each other.
“I thought ya’ll were old friends.” There was a distinctly malicious sound to Leanne’s words. “Why be so formal?”
The question hung in the air between them. Neither ventured to answer. Sunny took a long sip of her iced tea. The movement made her sea glass necklace jingle as the colorful stones rubbed together.
“I see you’re wearing that cute piece of jewelry again. I do so wish you’d sell it to me,” Leanne said with an arch look in her heavily made-up eyes.
“I’m sorry I can’t. It’s sentimental to me.” Sunny said. As she looked around the pool, she realized every eye was trained on her. It was as if they all knew something was about to happen. Something bad.
Searching for Sea Glass: BEST-SELLING AUTHOR (Sea Glass Secrets Book 1) Page 20