“Hello, honey.” Sapphire’s soft voice carried across the miles. “How are things there?” She’d seemed hesitant when he told her about his week in Kansas, but she’d agreed with him when he said he felt obligated to do it.
“Going well. People are nice.”
His mom laughed. “Thanks for the detailed update.”
He grinned. “I’ll fill you in when I get home Sunday. I’m taking lots of pictures, like you asked.”
“Thanks. I’m just…curious. You can understand that.” Her voice came out sad and breathy.
“I do, Mom.” He didn’t know how to bring up the subject of the scrapbook.
“Any surprises?”
Jackson thought of the document with the bank account numbers, but his mother wouldn’t be interested in that. “The house is on a lake. I didn’t expect that.”
“You know how much your dad loved to be out on the ocean.” Her voice caught on the last words. “I always pictured him living near the water somewhere.”
Jackson scraped the toe of his boot in a dry patch of the lawn. “Yeah. He sure has it here.” Would his mother ever want to come to Red Creek? See the business and house that Jackson now owned a stake in? He gazed out over the lake. Lots of lakefront here. If he could take a portion for himself, build a little house… Hell, what was he thinking? Setting down roots was not in the future for him.
“Mom?” He had to ask her about the scrapbook.
“Yes, honey?”
“Did you know about the post office box in Kansas City?”
She stayed silent for a while. “I did. I’m guessing you found your dad’s stash?”
“Yeah, he put it all in a scrapbook.”
“Really? He never mentioned that.”
Jackson snorted. Probably the only way the old man could keep his four boys’ lives straight. “I haven’t looked at it yet.”
“You should.” Sapphire hummed softly. “He was still your dad, no matter who else called him dad, too.”
Her words hit a nerve deep in his heart while they generated thoughts in his head.
“Honey, I’m sorry, I have to go. I’m in the middle of a class of fourth graders, and you can imagine…”
He laughed. “I sure can. Love you, Mom. See you soon.”
“I love you too, honey. Call anytime. Take care of yourself.” She ended the call.
Jackson slipped into the driver’s seat of the company pickup. How the hell did he know if he was taking care of himself or not?
Walking through the front door of the office, he nodded to Abby and headed down the hall.
“Mr. Walker.” Her sing-song voice stopped him.
“Yes, Mrs. Hollister?” He turned, giving her a smirk. She was one of his favorite people in town. Her and Vic and Elaine and Cubby and his wife Sherry, and Marliss and Lou. And jeez, Rori. Last night…holy hell. The woman had already become an obsession.
“I have those bank reports you wanted.” She stood and spread papers along the high counter. “I printed them out because I know how you hate that computering stuff.” She winked.
He nodded. “Much appreciated, ma’am.”
Abby blushed a little, then pointed to a number. “This amount was deducted from the general fund account.” Moving to the next paper, she pointed to the same amount. “And again the next month.” She pointed to the next paper. “Here again.” Frowning, she looked up at him. “I checked back a few years, and the same day every month, this amount, or one just a bit smaller, went out every month. Dusty categorized it as General Miscellaneous Reserve.” After glancing behind her, she turned and leaned toward Jackson. “Which means jack shit.”
He laughed, surprised at her honesty. “That’s what I was thinking, too.” He didn’t want Abby to continue to look into this, or to say anything to anyone. “I know what it was for, so we’re good.” Jackson gathered up all the papers, folded them, and shoved them in his back pocket, along with the other papers Rori had printed out for him. Pretty soon, he’d be carrying around a frickin’ briefcase full of them. That visual made him half nauseous.
“Okay.” She didn’t sound completely certain. “But if you want me to do more looking, I’ll be glad to.”
“Thanks. I got this. We’re all set.”
“You’re welcome.” She held up a small pink paper. “And guess what? You’ve had your first phone call.” Handing it over, she smiled. “Rori has that information you were looking for, but didn’t want me to call and interrupt you at home.”
He looked at the note. Data on those numbers has come in. Call or stop by. Spinning on his heel, he strode to the door. “Thanks. I’ll be back.”
“Take your time.” Another sing-song answer.
Was the whole town talking about them? He stepped out into the hot midafternoon sun, the humid air making his dark green cotton button-down hot as an oven as he checked for traffic and cut across the street. If there was a rush hour here, he’d bet it consisted of seven, maybe eight, cars at the most.
He pushed open the glass door of Cyber Wise and the cool air hit him as a buzzer went off overhead.
“Be right there.” Rori’s voice carried from the back of the building.
Wandering past the rows of computers, he shook his head. How did he and Rori, two such opposite people, end up having sexual chemistry that exploded like rodeo fireworks?
She stepped into the room, and all Jackson could see was that beautiful face lit with a glowing smile. The little makeup she’d drawn on made him more than half-hard down below, and her usual jeans, logo T-shirt, and high-top tennis shoes gave him wild ideas about locking up the store and taking her upstairs.
He advanced on her and she shook her head. “Oh, no you don’t.” She held up one finger. “It’s business hours. We can’t just—”
Jackson pulled her against him, nibbled on the tip of that one tempting finger, and pressed his lips on hers, swallowing her last words, tasting coffee on her tongue. He could kiss her for hours. “Don’t you have a Closed sign?” He licked a path along her lips.
She sighed and rubbed closer to him. “I do, but I have a customer coming in this afternoon.”
“I’d offer to make it a fast one, but that’s not what a woman wants to hear.”
She raised her brows and smiled.
“Or does she?” He cupped the side of her breast.
“Let me show you what Kiwi found first.” She backed away a step, gestured for him to follow, then turned and walked to the back of the store.
“I always picture him green and fuzzy.” He followed, walking a little crooked due to the swelling cock pressing hard against his jeans.
She sat at a chair next to a huge table full of electronics and typed on a laptop. “The guy is pretty fuzzy, but definitely not green.” She turned the computer toward him.
He leaned both hands on the table, looking at the monitor. “What is this?” The same name appeared over and over.
“This is the person who opened and closed these accounts.” She pulled a face.
Shaking his head, he straightened, his hands fisting at his sides. “This has got to be some kind of a mistake.”
Chapter Eight
Rori turned the laptop back toward her, scrolling through the file her friend Kiwi had sent that morning. Each one of the accounts on Dusty’s list had been created by his attorney, the town’s attorney, Stanley Benner.
Jackson’s face grew pale. “What the fuck does that mean?”
She sat back in her chair. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Benner.” She’d been working on that question all morning. Another thing that seemed too convenient to be a coincidence was the close proximity of the date of Theresa’s private investigator’s invoice and the fact that Dusty had named the file after his wife. Was that part of this mystery? It had to be. “But Benner’s out of town until Friday.”
His gaze shot to hers.
“I checked when I got this list.” If Benner had been in town this morning, she would have gotten i
n touch with Jackson even if she’d had to drive out to his house and barge her way in. They hadn’t exchanged phone numbers. The thought gave Rori an empty feeling in her stomach.
He paced the room, back and forth a few times, then pulled out his phone. “I could call him, but I want to see his face when I confront him with this.” His words came out clipped, his jaw tight. Dialing, he looked at her then put the phone to his ear. “This is Jackson Walker. I’d like to make an appointment with Mr. Benner.” He paused. “Yes, this is urgent, but no, I don’t want to do this over the phone.”
A few minutes later, he hung up. “Friday, one in the afternoon. He flies in that morning.” Jackson paced again. “It’s going to drive me crazy, imagining what Benner and Dusty were doing.” He pulled out a stack of folded papers from his back pocket and sat on the corner of the table. “Here’s what Abby found.” Jackson showed her the money going out of Dusty’s account, then frowned at her. “What was this? Were they into something illegal together? Was Benner scamming Dad?”
“Be sure to show Benner Theresa’s private eye invoice, see if—”
“Uh uh.” He folded the papers and stuck them in his pocket. “You’re comin’ with me.”
“To see Benner?” She hadn’t expected that.
He took her hands and pulled her out of the chair. “Yeah, to see Benner.” He nodded toward the front door. “But first to turn that Closed sign, then to get hauled upstairs for a few hours.”
Rori couldn’t resist those sweet eyes, those full, sensual lips that she could almost feel on her nipples and on the soft spots between her legs. Pulses of heat beat down low, spiraling a muzzy compliance through her whole body. Glancing at the time on the laptop, she nodded. “I’ve got an hour and a half before—”
Jackson tugged her with him to the front door, flipped the sign while she set the locks and turned off the lights.
“You’re gonna get me in trouble, cowboy.” This time, she pulled him along with her to the back of the building and up the steps to her apartment.
“I didn’t mention it, but trouble is my middle name.” He said it so seriously, she stopped mid-stairway and turned to look at him.
The grin on his face needed kissing so badly, she ran the rest of the way up the steps, hauling her willing bronc rider with her.
****
Four hours later, Rori stood at the front door of Cyber Wise and said goodbye to her customers, an older farm couple who were looking for a new computer system. She’d had lunch with the wife, Grace, a few times, and they’d bonded quickly.
The woman waited inside until her husband walked out the front door. “Rori, please don’t take this the wrong way, but you look tired. Is everything okay?”
Rori wasn’t so much tired as she was afterglowing. The last hours had been torturous, trying to concentrate on computers when all her mind could focus on was the wild, amazing sex she and Jackson had had up in her bedroom. And on the couch. And in the kitchen.
“I haven’t been getting enough sleep.” Two hours earlier, when Grace had called from outside the locked front door, Rori had wrestled into her clothes while showing Jackson where the back door and outside exit were. Now, she was ready for a nap. Up all night with him the night before, worn out by their afternoon delight.
“I’ve heard you’re getting to know Jackson Walker.” Grace smiled, but Rori knew she was looking for some inside information.
Rori could feel her face heat. “I work for his company.”
“That’s not really an answer.” She looked outside where her husband waited patiently for her in the hot sun. “I’ve got to run, but don’t you worry about me spreading gossip.” Grace winked at her. “I’m just happy you’re having some fun, finally.”
“Thanks.” She liked the woman, but dreaded the weeks and months after Jackson left Red Creek when Grace and everyone else in town would be looking at Rori with pity in their eyes. “I’ll call you when the computers are ready to be installed.”
Grace left the building and walked down the street with her husband.
Rori missed her own folks. They’d be back from vacation soon to start getting prepared for the school year, and she’d make a trip to KC to visit them. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast and as she reached to lock the door, she spotted Jackson jogging across the street.
Where the hell did that man get his energy? She quickly flipped the Closed sign and turned off the lights, laughing when his jog turned into a full-out run.
She stepped back out of the way as he pushed in through the door. “You wouldn’t lock me out, would ya, darlin’?”
Rori scanned the street to make sure they weren’t being watched, then stepped up to him for a kiss. Short and sweet, it still made her want to haul him upstairs with her. They hadn’t tried out her shower yet…
“Grab your swimsuit. Let’s go to my place and get out on the lake.” The sparkle in his eyes had her envisioning a younger, less cynical Jackson.”
“You know how to drive a boat?” She set her hands on her hips and raised one eyebrow.
“I grew up a block from the ocean. Yes, I know how to ‘drive’ a boat.” He opened the door. “I’ll get the truck and pick you up—”
“Out back.” She shuffled him out of the building. “Pick me up out back in five minutes.”
He looked confused, then nodded. Rori locked up and ran up the stairs, trying to remember where she’d stored her swimsuits. Had she offended Jackson, asking to be picked up out back? Better that than out front, where half the town would witness it. She and Jackson would already be a hot topic around the bars and the restaurant. No sense adding more gasoline to that conflagration of gossip.
She pulled her one-piece out of the closet, then grabbed the two-piece too, and stuffed them, with shorts and a tank top plus flip-flops, into a big Cyber Wise branded tote bag.
Checking the back of the building, she didn’t spot any cars or pedestrians. Since when did she care who knew she and Jackson were together? Wasn’t that her reason for hooking up with him? Everyone was already talking. May as well make the best of the short time they had together.
That reminder hit her like a brick to the chest, and she rubbed the spot over her heart. “It’s not because of Jackson leaving.” Talking to herself always helped her sort out her thoughts. She grabbed her sunglasses and trudged down the steps to the back door, stepped outside, and hid herself behind her big white Cyber Wise van. “It’s because you do care what people think of you, silly girl. No matter what you tell yourself.”
She’d repeat that every time she ached thinking about him leaving. Something that’d been happening far too often for her own good.
****
Jackson gunned the double inboards on the big-ass pontoon, propelling them out onto Osprey Lake and put his arm around Rori, who sat next to him in shorts and a skimpy pink bikini top, her giant, round sunglasses covering half her face.
She rubbed her hand along his bare abs, causing lust to clench low in his gut. He took a breath. Tonight wasn’t about finding new sex positions and exploring each other’s sensual triggers. He wanted to have fun with her, show her he wasn’t in this just for the sex.
But wasn’t this week with her just about sex? True, it was, but he’d needed somebody to have fun with, to spend time with, and not just spend every minute together naked and intertwined. Although, the thought of that made him hard as a hammer.
Rori pointed to a big white bird flying across the lake. Osprey Lake was figure-eight shaped, and he’d learned that he and his brothers now owned over half the shoreline. Convenient for privacy.
His stomach rumbled. “Okay if we eat first?” He spoke into her ear as the cool air off the lake rushed by them.
“First?” She kissed his shoulder. “What do you have planned for seconds?”
He laughed. Damn, she was naughty, and he loved it. “Seconds we’ll have to figure out on the fly.” And not the one on his swimming trunks. They’d changed in the hous
e then walked down to the docks where two pontoons, three power boats, a sailboat, and kayaks, canoes, and wave runners stood lined up and ready to go. He eased back the throttle and turned them in a slow half-circle until they faced his dad’s big house on the hill. “Quite the impressive shack.”
“Yep.” She shrugged. “To me, it almost seems like Theresa needed the biggest house in the county.” She looked up at him. “Dusty just wasn’t the type. You know what I mean?”
“I do.” He cut the engine and let them drift. The place had rustic touches, which had to be Dusty’s doing, but from the outside, it looked like a house that could have been built for any rich family anywhere around the country. “He got the inside, she got the outside.”
“Exactly.” They floated silently, the only sound coming from birds on the shore. When the pontoon stopped moving completely, Jackson got up. “Lou said the boat is completely stocked.” He opened a small aft refrigerator. “Yeah. Beer, white wine, margaritas.” He looked at the plastic bottles on top of the fridge. “Red wine, vodka, gin, whiskey. This must be the party barge.”
“I guess so. Wow.” She stood beside him. “One of Marliss’ margaritas would taste like heaven right now.”
He poured the slushy drink from the plastic pitcher into a tall cup, then selected a can of beer for himself. “I’ll get the grill started.”
“Grill?” She sipped her drink, looking around at the seating areas and the pop-up changing room/head at the back. “With a potty on board, too? I could live on this boat.”
He lifted the stainless steel grill from inside one of the bench seats and hung it over the edge of the railing, clicking the ignite button until the propane caught. “If you could figure a way to get a power cord out here for those machines of yours, you’d be all set.”
“Yep.” She settled on a seat across the deck from the grill. “Add internet and cell service, and I could be Cyber Wise Ahoy.”
Jackson groaned, winking at her.
“Sorry. I’m bad at puns.”
He sat next to her and held up his beer can. “Bad at puns, good at everything else.”
Jackson: The Sons of Dusty Walker Page 8