by Barbara Gee
She felt his chest rise and fall as he took in and released a long breath. “I think I’ve probably known all along what I had to do. I just didn’t want to acknowledge it, because then I’d have to act.”
“So you’re going to report it?”
“Yeah. I have to. When you started talking about grandkids and legacies, I had a come to Jesus moment and realized I need to buck up and do it. I don’t want my own kids to live under a cloud of deception. I don’t want them to suffer because I didn’t have the balls to do the right thing. I’ll talk to my parents first, so they know what’s coming. Dad will have to accept the consequences of what he did, and I’ll help Mom get through it, somehow. And if Doug finds out there are other families affected, they have my prayers, but in the end, I can’t accept responsibility for them.”
Jolene sat up and turned to face him, curling one leg up on the bench. “I’m not surprised, Boone. I can’t see you living with such a big secret the rest of your life. That’s not you.”
“No. My dad was the one good at keeping dark secrets. Me? Not so much. But telling my mom is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
“I know. I’m so sorry. I’ll go to Chicago with you, if it’ll help. Just so you have some support if you need it. When do you think you’ll do it?”
He shrugged. “I guess it kinda depends on whether everything is okay with Doug. If the cops can’t find him, I’m going to have to give them more information. At that point, all it takes is for one person to leak it. Then the timing is no longer in my control, and I’ll have to get home to Chicago fast to beat the news.”
“But if he’s okay and you can do it on your own timeline?”
“Then I’d like to wait until the Wild’s season is over. If the story breaks, it’ll be a huge distraction. Reporters will be swarming all over the place, and the guys need to focus on winning, not on a sensational ‘switched at birth’ story.”
Jolene nodded. “I think waiting would be the wise thing to do.”
“I’ll tell the Desmonds before that, though. I’m pretty sure I can trust them to keep it quiet until I’m ready for it to come out. But not tonight. Tonight I just want to meet them incognito and see how it goes. Try to wrap my head around the fact that they’re my actual parents.” He exhaled heavily, staring at the ground. “I hope I can act normal.”
“I’ll be right there with you. If I see you’re getting emotional, I’ll direct the attention away from you. Or at least I’ll try to.” She laughed softly. “I might have a little trouble with the emotional stuff myself.”
He looked at her, his eyes showing regret. “I know you feel bad for keeping this from them. But I will tell them at some point. You have my word on that.”
“I know you will.” She picked up her phone. “So I guess I’ll tell Libby we can both make it.” She held her thumbs above the keypad and raised a brow at him. “Last chance to change your mind.”
“Meeting Virgil and Kay is why I came to the ranch in the first place,” Boone said. “Let’s do it.”
She tapped out the text and hit send. “Done. Now I’ve got to get going, I have five minutes until my next session.”
He frowned. “I didn’t mean to make your whole lunch hour about me. I wanted to ask why you had such a bad day yesterday.”
“I’ll tell you about it when you come for PT at five—if I can keep Izzy at bay.”
“Hopefully since she came in early, she’ll leave before then.” Boone stood and pulled her to her feet. “Thanks, Jo. I’ve never had a friend quite like you.”
She looked up at him, aware of his closeness and the fact that he was still holding on to the hand he’d used to pull her up.
“I like being your friend,” she said simply, her eyes warm. “I’ll see you at five.” She pulled away and walked quickly to a side door of the gym.
It was true, she did like being his friend. That didn’t mean she’d stopped wanting more, though. Despite her efforts to protect herself, she was steadily losing more and more of her heart to Boone Kendall. Circumstances were bringing them closer, and she didn’t see that changing for a while. With that closeness came more feelings that she was powerless to stop. She could only hope her heart would survive it.
CHAPTER 21
At three thirty, Andi Jansen called Jolene to let her know she’d just left Kim Landry’s office. She reported that the psychologist had been extremely helpful, and she was meeting with her again tomorrow. Andi had also signed up to help at the equestrian building the next day, taking care of the horses. Since her presence only seemed to irritate Charlie, she’d decided to do something different for the day, and not worry about checking up on him between his activities. Kim had suggested that a little distance might do them both good, and since Andi loved horses, volunteering there had seemed a good option.
Jolene made sure Andi knew she was available to talk whenever needed. The girl was hurting and scared, and Jolene wanted to be there for her if she could help at all. Charlie was a handful, but Jolene knew Andi wasn’t about to give up on him. In spite of his denial, her Charlie was still in there somewhere, and Jolene admired the girl for staying the course.
* * *
When Boone reported to the PT room at five, all of Jolene’s assistants had already gone for the day. She asked right away if he’d heard anything from Doug, and he shook his head.
“He still hasn’t been in touch. I called the police department an hour ago for an update. Talked to the officer I spoke with earlier. He said he found where Doug’s staying, and he stopped by. Doug didn’t answer the door, so he got the supervisor to open the room. He said there was nothing to make him suspicious about any foul play. The room was tidy and Doug’s stuff was still there. The officer said he’d send someone by this evening, to see if Doug came back. That’s all they can do, for now.”
“It’s a good sign that his room is still in good shape. I just wish he’d call you. He has to know you’re worried.”
“Yeah. If I haven’t heard from him by tomorrow, I might have to tell the whole story to the Ashland police in order to get them to search for him.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“Me, too. But right now I want to talk about you. What happened yesterday that got you down?”
Jolene appreciated the fact that he genuinely cared about her one bad day, when he had much bigger issues of his own to worry about. She told him about Charlie and how his attitude had started her day off badly, and then how Andi’s visit and her quiet despair had caused her further concern.
“I can’t get the two of them out of my head,” Jolene said as she watched him work the rowing machine. “It’s just that Andi loves him so much, and I have to believe he still loves her, he’s just too bitter to let it show. I think he’s so sure she’ll end up leaving him that he hides how he feels, thinking it’ll hurt less and not be such a big blow to his pride that way. But if he’d just open up to her, I think they could work through the hurt and suffering.”
“I can see where he’s coming from, though,” Boone admitted. “Charlie’s a big, strong guy. My guess is he was always a star athlete, someone who was given a lot of accolades because of his physical abilities. That’s something I can relate to. When he lost his legs, that whole part of his identity was instantly gone. Instead of being the strongest in the pack, he now sees himself as the weakest, and lashing out at those who care the most is his way of coping. He’s hurting, so he wants others to hurt with him.”
Jolene nodded thoughtfully. “That makes a lot of sense. So how do we get him to agree to get the help he needs?”
“I don’t know for sure. He’s pretty gung-ho over at the rink, and is doing great with his sled. Maybe I’ll suggest he join a team close to where he lives, so he can keep up with hockey when he leaves here. If he’s open to it, I’ll offer to help him find a good team. And maybe if I spend some extra time with him he’ll open up to me a little bit. He’s only here for another five days, but it’
s worth a shot.”
“You’re a good man, Boone,” Jolene said, her heart feeling even more mushy toward him than usual.
“He really does show some promise. I don’t think it’s out of the question that he could get on a wounded warrior team somewhere and work his way up.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Jolene put her hands on her hips. “Next subject. Tonight’s dinner. How are you feeling? Nervous? Nauseous?”
“Not nauseous. At least, not yet. Plenty nervous, though. I honestly don’t know what to expect. I don’t want to end up a sobbing mess. They’ll think I’m a freak.”
Jolene chuckled. “Somehow, I can’t picture you as a sobbing mess.”
He smiled. “I have managed to perfect my stone-face over the years. Hopefully it won’t desert me. I just want to sit back and observe them. See what they’re like.”
Jolene motioned him over to the cable machine for more chest and shoulder work. “Make sure you’re good and hungry. Kay is an amazing cook, and she loves nothing better than feeding someone with a hearty appetite.”
“You know me. I’m always hungry.”
She smiled. “True. But seriously, Boone, you don’t need to worry about whether you’ll like them. You will, I guarantee it. And when the time is right, you’ll be proud to call them your parents. Or your second parents, or birth parents, whatever it is you’ll call them.”
“Think you could swing by and get me on your way? I’d rather not show up alone.”
Jolene folded her arms and watched as he effortlessly worked the fly cables, muscles rippling everywhere. “I’ll do whatever I possibly can to make it go smoothly for you. I’ll pick you up, I’ll introduce you, and I’ll stay by your side the whole evening. Even though Libby and Maddy will pick up on that and tease me about it later,” she added.
“I’ll owe you one,” he said gratefully.
“Are you kidding?” she asked, laughing. “After the many hours of spectacular hockey you’ve given me over the last two seasons, you’ll never be in my debt. In the meantime, let’s wrap this up. Neither of us is concentrating anyway.”
“True, but I don’t want to sit and do nothing for two hours. The waiting will drive me nuts. Can we go for a run?”
Jolene tilted her head and checked her watch. “Hmm, I guess we can do that. No more than three miles though. That’s the most I think you should do, plus I’ll need time to go home and get ready.”
“Better than nothing,” Boone said. They walked toward the exit doors and he slid her a cocky glance. “Think you’ll be able to keep up?”
“I know I can, because we’re going to keep it slow and steady. No sprints for you yet, Number 15.”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
***
Even with the run, Boone had forty-five minutes to kill after he showered and dressed. He tried to call Doug again, but this time he didn’t even get a voicemail. It just cut off. Tossing his phone on the bed, he paced around the small cabin, considering his options. He could call the cop and give him the low down over the phone, or he could fly down there and do it in person, which would probably have the greatest effect. For Doug’s sake, that was probably the way to go.
He turned on his iPad and settled down at the small table by the window, looking for available flights, just in case. When his phone buzzed over on the bed he quickly crossed the room and grabbed it. The number displayed on the screen wasn’t familiar, but he answered anyway.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Boone.”
Boone exhaled and dropped to the bed, his hands actually shaking. “Doug, where the heck have you been? Haven’t you gotten any of my messages? I had to resort to calling the cops down there to have them look for you!”
“Crap. I had to get rid of my phone right after the last time we texted, and this was the first chance I had to buy a burner phone. Sorry, man, but things have gotten dicey. I had to abandon my hotel room, I couldn’t even go back for my stuff. All I had was my computer and my phone, but I’m pretty sure my phone was being tracked, so I wiped it and threw it in the river. But I need you to call the police off, because for all I know one or more of them are on the bad guy’s payroll. He doesn’t leave much to chance.”
Boone’s tried to absorb everything the man was saying. “Woah, slow down, Doug. What are you talking about? Where are you right now?”
“I’m in Dallas. I had to get to a big city so I could blend in. I tried hiding out in a town closer to Ashland, but I’m pretty sure the desk clerk at the motel gave me up, so I had to split.”
“Start at the beginning for me. Why did you have to leave Ashland?”
Doug barked out a laugh. “Oh, believe me, Boone, that’s nowhere close to the beginning. I have a long, sordid story for you, my friend, but I can’t take time to tell it right now. I just wanted to call and warn you that we’re dealing with some real bad dudes. The guy who’s blackmailing your dad has some impressive techies on his payroll. I broke this thing wide open two days ago, but I left some tracks and now I’m literally scared for my life. I don’t think they’re looking for you yet, but it’s probably only a matter of time before they connect us.”
Boone gripped his phone so tight his fingers began to cramp. “You’ve got to give me more than that, Doug.”
“I will, I promise. But it’s going to be in electronic form. I’ve got everything documented, but I need to get it organized and make a bunch of notes before I send it.”
“Doug—”
“I know I’m leaving you hanging,” the PI interrupted, “but if I start telling you everything on the phone it’ll take hours, and my priority is making sure I get a file sent off before they find me. I should be safe here, but I’m not taking any chances. I need you to set up a new email account, so they can’t immediately trace you if they find out I sent the file. Use a fake name to register it.”
Doug rattled off the email address he wanted to use, and Boone got up and scrambled for a pen and paper to write it down. He repeated it to make sure he had it right, and Doug promised he’d have the file sent before morning.
“I’m telling you, Boone, this guy is desperate, and he’s got some dangerous people on his payroll to protect his income stream. Probably a couple of twenty-somethings in a dark basement hacking away for him and other rich clients, and maybe a cop or two. Watch your back, buddy. I’ll be in touch.” He hung up before Boone could get any more questions in.
Feeling shell-shocked, Boone sank into a chair, trying to process what Doug had said. His life was in danger? If that was truly the case, then Boone would bet big money the baby swapping ring went further than just the Kendalls. Which meant there was very likely a boat-load of blackmail money at stake. His own dad had paid out close to three million over the last five years. Multiply that a few times over, and the stakes were indeed high.
Considering that, it was feasible Doug wasn’t exaggerating his peril. Boone sure would have appreciated another five minutes on the phone with him. Now his imagination would be running wild until he received the file Doug had promised.
Boone hunched over the table, his head in his hands. He was relieved Doug had finally reported in, but he hadn’t expected to hear that the man was actually on the run. It certainly hadn’t been his intent to put the man in danger.
He was still sitting there mulling things over when he heard a soft tap on the front door. Jolene, he realized, and his next thought was whether he could get out of dinner. Doug’s call had left him reeling, and he wasn’t sure he was up to meeting the Desmonds now.
“Hey,” she said when he opened the front door. “I’m a little early but—” she frowned, one look at his face telling her something wasn’t right. “Are you okay?” she asked anxiously, stepping inside and grabbing his arm. “What’s wrong, Boone?”
For a brief moment he considered sparing her the worry until he knew more details, but he knew she wouldn’t stand for that. She already sensed something was off, and she would insist on knowing wh
at.
“I talked to Doug a little bit ago.”
Her face lit up. “He’s okay?” she asked hopefully.
He nodded wearily. “For the time being. But he said he’s on the run. He cracked things wide open, and now he actually fears for his life. I tried to get details, but he didn’t want to talk about it over the phone. He’s in Dallas, and he’s going to find a safe place to stay while he gets all his notes and stuff organized. Then he’ll email me everything. He said he wants to make sure I have it in case something happens to him.”
“You’re serious?” Jolene asked, her eyes wide. “He really feels his life is in danger?”
“Yeah. This thing is a lot bigger than I ever expected. I’m guessing whoever is running the show is blackmailing more people than just my dad.” Boone pushed his hair back and went over to the table where his iPad was. “I need to set up a new email address for him to use. Doug seems to think I need to watch my own back, too. Which means I might have to leave the ranch, Jo. The last thing I want to do is bring trouble here.”
She gripped her upper arms, her expression anxious. “I don’t want to tell you what to do, Boone, but I do have a suggestion.”
“I’m all ears.” He typed in a fake name and the email address Doug had given him, waiting for confirmation that the account was active.
“I think you should talk to Tuck and Ryan,” Jolene said. “This is the kind of stuff they deal with all the time. They’ll know what you should do.”
He winced. “They’ll probably be furious at me for coming here under false pretenses, and putting this place at risk.”
“They won’t. When you tell them everything, they’ll understand. And if anyone can keep you and Doug safe, it’s them.”
“I don’t doubt it. I just wasn’t planning to have to bare my soul to them. Not this soon, at least.”
“I know, but they’re two of the best guys in the world. They’ll do right by you. If you want, I can arrange for us to go back to Tuck’s after dinner and you can talk to them then. I don’t want to rush you, but if Doug is right about the threat, we might not have a lot of time.”