LOVE ME TENDER: Ryker Falls Series

by Vella, Wendy

  She touched his jaw absently while she thought it through. Just a light brush, and Jack doubted she even knew she was doing it, but he felt it through his entire body.

  “I don’t think I can leave it or I’ll be always wondering.”

  “Your choice is made then. Now you ring those brothers of yours, and I’ll cook my famous grilled cheese sandwiches.”

  She kissed him. “Thanks for... well just for being a sounding board, and for worrying about me and—”

  “The best sex of your life.”

  “You and that ego,” she muttered, then added, “Something like that,” as he lifted her off the bench.

  More than something, Jack thought, watching her pick up her phone. To his surprise she didn’t leave the kitchen to make the calls.

  “Hey, Leo, it’s Rory. I need to tell you something.”

  Jack got the makings for breakfast out of the fridge and found a skillet.

  “Yeah, I know, and I’m sorry I hung up on you. I just didn’t have time to talk then.”

  Leo was obviously pissed about something his sister had done and was letting her know about it in a loud voice.

  “Leo!” Rory shut her brother up. “Listen to what I’m saying and don’t interrupt.”

  There was silence on the other end as Jack dropped some butter into the hot pan. Rory went on to outline everything that they’d found in the briefcase and the belief that maybe their father had been innocent.

  More silence.

  “Leo?”

  Leo started talking in a loud voice.

  “Tell him to shut it down,” Jack said, annoyed that all her brother could do was rant at her.

  “Will you settle down, Leo.”

  Jack made the sandwiches and then the coffee while she finished the call with Leo, then rang Matt. This brother took the news without shouting. When she’d finished, Jack set it all out on the table she sat at.

  “Is Leo a hothead or upset?”

  “A bit of both.” She shrugged. “He took what happened really hard. He was head of the family, and suddenly a lot of responsibility was dumped on his shoulders. Dreams of university were shelved for all of us. He found work... we all worked,” she said, pulling the crust off her sandwich.

  “So you were thirteen, Matt fifteen, and Leo seventeen?”

  “Close enough.”

  “What about your mom, what did she do?”

  “She wasn’t equipped to cope with life after Dad went to prison. We had some money that he had put away for a rainy day. A nest egg, Mom called it, that even she didn’t know about…” her words fell away.

  “The child support money,” Jack said adding two and two.

  “Maybe, I don’t know. A large chunk of the house sale went on legal fees, then buying a place away from here.”

  “Hell of a shock.”

  “And then some. Mom didn’t work, she sat around in the house watching soaps all day and getting weaker. The day after we took her to visit Dad in prison for the first time, she said she never wanted to go there again, and she didn’t. She died the next year of a stroke.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “It’s what people say, Princess.”

  “I know,” she sighed. “It’s just that I’m still really angry with her and maybe a bit irrational.” She looked down at her plate. “She didn’t want to fight for us, and that’s hard to take when you still need your mom.”

  “Sure, but you had her for a while, and a good life.”

  “I know, and you didn’t have that.”

  “This is not about me.”

  “I know that too, but I think about what you and your brothers went through and feel bad about saying we had it tough.”

  “It was probably harder for you because you knew what you were missing. We didn’t.”

  Jack didn’t like talking about his youth. It was a painful time that made him irrational.

  “Do you remember your mother and father?”

  “Some, but not really. I’m not big on talking about them or my past.”

  “Yet you want to know everything about mine.”

  Her smile was sweet, which told him she wasn’t angry, just curious. He guessed he did owe her an abbreviated version of his history, seeing as she was being so open.

  “When Joe left to straighten out, I went off the rails big-time. I stole, drank, and pretty much imploded. Aunt Jess tried to keep me in line, and failed. I resented her and pretty much everyone else.” Picking up his coffee, he swallowed a mouthful. His throat was suddenly dry.

  “You must have missed him. Joe.”

  “I did. I had Luke, but he was busy being good and loving having Aunt Jess in his life, again which I resented. So I left town and ran wild for a few years. It’s a wonder I survived, really,” Jack said slowly. “Then Joe came back and found me, and straightened me out.”

  “I can’t imagine it was that easy.”

  He found a smile. “No, I made it hard for him, but he won in the end. Maybe I was ready for that and sick of the life I was living.”

  “I’m glad you came back, Jack.”

  “Me too.”

  They shared a look and it warmed the edges of that cold place inside Jack.

  “Your brothers told me you have a degree and are smarter than you let people realize.”

  Jack grunted, uncomfortable with the change in conversation.

  Rory crowed with laughter. “Are you blushing, Jack Trainer? This needs to be documented.”

  “Very amusing. But the truth is I like to study, and anything that can help with the business, I want to learn.”

  “Wow, that’s impressive. A lot of people don’t find their way back onto the path after they’ve veered off it.”

  “I’m a Trainer.”

  She laughed like he’d wanted her to, then they ate in silence. Right there and then there were no barriers between them and he had to say he liked it. Was this how it felt to be so close to a person that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with them?

  Well, hell!

  Chapter 34

  “Can I see Mr. Harvey, please.”

  Rory looked around the bank. It had been modernized since she was last in here. The walls were beige, and there were small screens playing the latest investment and banking opportunities. Three tellers now, and it was a place that invited you to sit in one of the comfortable chairs and wait. Rory was anything but comfortable right at that moment.

  “Mr. Harvey will see you now.”

  “I don’t know what to ask him, Jack.” Rory felt panic slither down her spine.

  “We discussed this, Princess. You know what to say. He may not give you any answers, but it’s worth a shot surely?”

  “Right, I know,” Rory said, clenching the fingers Jack held out to her. She didn’t care who saw them holding hands right at that moment. He was here and solid and comforting, so she was holding on to him. “And thanks again, Jack. You didn’t have to come here with me.”

  “You kidding me? It’s my day off and I get to play detective.”

  Geoff Harvey was waiting for them at the door to his office, his usual smile in place.

  “Hi Rory, Jack. What brings you into my bank? Not going for a house loan, are you?” As these words were followed with a wink, Rory dropped Jack’s hand like it was on fire.

  “No. Jack and I are just friends, and he’s helping me with some stuff.”

  “Of course. You both come on in and take seats and tell me what I can do for you.”

  “This may seem a bit strange, Mr. Harvey, but you said when I arrived that if I had questions to come to you.”

  “Of course I did, and I meant it. I’m sorry if my girls have been a bit off with you. I had a talk with them, so hopefully that’s settled down now.”

  It always amazed Rory that this nice man could have such a bitchy wife and daughter.

  “Thanks. I want to talk about what happened to my father.”

&nbs
p; The man’s smile didn’t slip, to his credit.

  “It was a hard time for everyone, Rory. Jackson was my friend, as he was to many people, and of course the mayor.”

  “He didn’t have that many friends,” Rory felt she needed to clarify. “I know what my father was and that he wasn’t the easiest of people to spend time with, Mr. Harvey.”

  “I still counted him as a friend.”

  “Thanks, that means a lot.”

  “Now, what did you want to know?”

  “I found his briefcase and some of the things inside started me thinking about everything that happened. Can you tell me what you remember from that time, Mr. Harvey.”

  “I’m not sure what more I can tell you, but I’ll try. Your father was charged with looking after the school fundraising money. The banking and bookwork, as he was a thorough record taker.”

  “Yes, he was.” Rory nodded for Mr. Harvey to continue.

  “June and Jackson were signatories on the account, and when it was discovered the money was missing, the finger was pointed at both of them. Jackson denied vehemently that he knew where the money had gone, as did June.

  “I hadn’t realized the account had two signatories.”

  “The committee insisted in case one of them was ill or had an accident.”

  “Of course, please go on,” Rory said. Jack hadn’t said a word, but she knew that big brain of his was taking in everything.

  “The bank did an internal investigation to look into the possibility that the account had been hacked, but that wasn’t the case so we contacted the police.”

  “That must have been hard as your wife was involved?” Jack said.

  “Very, but it had to be done,” Mr. Harvey shook his head. “June vowed she was innocent, as did Jackson, but the townsfolk were sure it had to be one of them and demanded the police get involved. Computers’ were seized and after several weeks of investigating the money was found in another account, one that linked back to your father’s IP address, Rory.”

  “Did anyone else have access to Jackson Haldane’s computer, Mr. Harvey?” Jack asked.

  “June, of course, but no one else from memory. It was a terrible time for my wife and one she doesn’t need to remember. June worked for Jackson for years and it was heartbreaking to have her trust in him broken, and it took some time for her to recover. I’d be grateful if you didn’t question her over the incident.”

  “Of course.”

  “The investigators were thorough and it was determined that Jackson was behind the theft. I can’t tell you any more than that, I’m sorry.

  “He believed he was innocent right up until the day he died.”

  The pity in Mr. Harvey’s face made her teeth clench. Rory didn’t want pity, she wanted answers.

  “I’m not sure it’s healthy for you to put yourself through all this, Rory. No good can come of it.”

  “I know that you’re likely right, Mr. Harvey, but Dad always vowed his innocence, and that never changed right till he took his last breath.”

  Mr. Harvey leaned over and rested his hand on the one Rory had clenched on the desk.

  “I’m so sorry you went through this, Rory.”

  “Thanks.” Rory swallowed down the tears. Mr. Harvey had been one of the few who were kind to her and her siblings when everything went down with their father.

  “Is there anything else you found in the briefcase you want to discuss?”

  “No, most of it is just diaries and books he wrote in, but thanks, Mr. Harvey.” She stood, and Jack followed; then she was hugged hard by her father’s old friend.

  “Take care, Rory. Jack,” Mr. Harvey shook his hand.

  “That didn’t turn up much,” Rory said as they left the bank. “The only person who could have done this is June Harvey, and she was cleared of any involvement. Plus, I can’t see what reason she’d have to set my father up. They worked together for years, and I don’t remember Dad saying anything bad about....” Rory’s words fell away as she thought about how close June and her father had been.

  “Jack, do you think?”

  “It’s a possibility,” he said, taking the leap with her. “But a big one. Geoff Harvey is a good guy. Not sure why she’d have an affair with your father.”

  “No.” Rory shook her head. “I don’t think it’s her because that would mean Patrick—”

  “Keep it in your head for now.”

  “What if the child was born out of Ryker? How will we find it when dad’s name is not on the birth certificate?”

  “It makes things hard.”

  “The woman could also have been married, we don’t know otherwise. This is an impossible task. A needle in a haystack.”

  “Also a possibility, and yes it is a tough task, but we have to at least try. What we need is a year the child was born, at least that would be a starting point. We need to go through everything in that briefcase and the attic again. There may have been something you missed.”

  Rory stopped in the street, gripping Jack’s fingers tight.

  “What?”

  “What if I never find it? I don’t want to always call it... it.”

  “All possible, Princess. How about we call it Morgan, or Tony? Something unisex like that?”

  “You are not actually making a joke about this?” She glared at him.

  “You said you didn’t want to call it, it anymore. I’m just trying to help.”

  Like her, he was dressed in worn jeans and a jacket. His hat was pulled low, and a black scarf wrapped several times around his neck. Hot, Rory thought, extremely hot and sexy.

  “You’re trying to make me laugh and it’s not going to work.”

  “Jessie is also unisex. In fact, I’ve known both a boy and a girl with that name.”

  “Idiot.”

  “Jack, just the man I needed.”

  “Hey, Mrs. L,” he said as the woman came out of her shop a few doors down.

  “I have more spray paint.”

  “Aww come on, Mrs. L. I told you I’m not creative.”

  “You’ve done well with my stars.”

  “Hello.”

  Mrs. L’s lips tightened as Rory spoke.

  “Play nice or I’m leaving,” Jack said to the elderly woman.

  The lips tilted upward, and Rory wanted to laugh. It looked more like a grimace than a smile.

  “What do you want him to do?” she asked as they moved to stand before her shop.

  “She’s too tight to pay for someone to paint her window, so I’m doing it. Every time I pass, she hands me a can of paint.”

  Rory studied the window.

  “The stars look good, and the display inside is amazing, but I think you need a frame.”

  “Bring out your cans, Mrs. L,” Jack said, and the woman hurried away.

  “Maybe holly,” Rory said. “Around the edges, and berries.”

  “Here you go.” Mrs. L came back carrying a box.

  Rory picked up the green. Behind her, Jack stood back with Mrs. L.

  “You think she knows what she’s doing?”

  “My guess is yes.”

  Rory ignored the conversation going on behind her. She was good at this kind of thing. Anything that involved creating was her thing. She’d taken art classes for years, and had helped the vet she worked at do their window designs.

  “She’s good,” Mrs. L said twenty minutes later.

  “Maybe you should be nicer to her now?” Jack replied, and Rory realized she’d given up on trying to stop him from championing her. In fact, she could admit to herself that she liked it.

  Mrs. L had to go back inside, but Rory knew that Jack didn’t move.

  “It’s cold. You go inside if you want, Jack.”

  “You calling me soft, Princess?”

  “A bit.”

  “Just finish the job, Picasso.”

  She used a rag to get rid of his stars.

  “Hey!”

  “You can put them back here.” Rory pointed to a
place on the window.

  “Looks good, keep up the work, Rory.”

  “Will do, thanks, Mr. Harvey.”

  The bank manager moved on.

  “I need this done to my window, Rory. Can I be next?” Maggs, who was passing, asked.

  “No.”

  “Meanie.”

  Finally, she was done, and stretched her shoulders. She stood back beside Jack to look.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  “I think if you get tired of fixing up animals, this could be a vocation, Princess. That’s good work right here.”

  “It was fun.”

  “Mrs. L, get your butt out here and look at your window!”

  “Oh....” Mrs. L pressed her hands to her mouth. “Aurora May, it’s wonderful.”

  Rory smiled.

  “I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to go at you like I did, I can see that now.”

  “So because she painted your window, suddenly you forgive her?”

  “Jack,” Rory said. “It’s okay.”

  “No, he’s right.” Mrs. L shook her head and the reindeer antlers tinkled. “I was blinded by what had happened and the others who were angry. You doing this made me see that you’re not your father, and a nice person. Jack’s right to be angry.”

  “How could I stay angry with you?” Jack wrapped an arm around the woman’s shoulders and kissed her cheek.

  “Such a sweet boy.” Mrs. L patted his cheek. “Now will you come inside and select a Christmas decoration please, Aurora May? I want to give you something.”

  “Rory,” she said. “And you don’t have to do that, I enjoyed decorating your window.”

  “Please,” Mrs. L said, hurrying back inside as another customer arrived.

  “She wants you to have one, Princess. Don’t disappoint her.” He nudged her into the shop, and to be honest Rory didn’t put up much of a fight.

  “Tell me you didn’t just sigh?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “I heard it, Princess. It’s all the twinkling lights and Christmas stuff, isn’t it? You’re just like Bailey, she goes all gooey when she sees this stuff.”

  “I am not gooey.”

  “Buy some decorations. We’ll put up a tree, and you can sigh in private.”