by Erin Wade
“Honey, we may have a problem. I’m going to catch a cab to McGill’s Grill. Meet me there in fifteen minutes. See if anyone follows me.”
“Was that Mark Thornton?” Jericho said.
“Yes!”
##
Mecca nodded to the server and walked to the back booth. She sat facing the door, but no one followed her into the grill. She smiled at the thought that Jericho would soon brighten the establishment with her presence.
Jericho entered the restaurant and strode to Mecca’s table. She kissed her wife on the forehead and slid into the circular booth. She inhaled deeply when her thigh contacted Mecca’s. “I hope I always affect you that way,” Mecca chirped.
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Jericho said, laughing. “Tell me what’s going on that landed you a meeting with Mark Thornton.”
Mecca shrugged. “He brought me an envelope.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Mecca suddenly realized that Jericho knew little about her government work and was only privileged to information needed to serve as her bodyguard. She debated telling Jericho about herself and the work she did for the government but decided her wife was safer knowing nothing.
“I need to talk to General Carson,” Mecca said, pulling her cell phone from her purse. She called the private line she always used to contact the general. The call went to a recorded message that wasn’t Carson’s voice. The message instructed the caller to leave a name and phone number for a return call.
“Have you ever reached a recording on General Carson’s private line?” she asked Jericho as she disconnected the call.
“No, General Carson said our business was too important to leave messages, but she’s never failed to answer when I call that number.”
“This is the number I call,” Mecca said, holding her phone so Jericho could see it. “It’s a cell phone.”
“I always call a number in her office,” Jericho said. “After hours it makes a clicking sound and forwards my call to her cell phone.”
“Call her office and ask to speak with her like you did the other day,” Mecca said.
Jericho called and the secretary answered. Jericho gave her the code required to be put through to the general. “No answer,” Jericho said. “What’s going on, Mecca?”
“I wish I knew! The speaker of the House sent Thornton to me. I think he’s fishing, trying to figure out my connection with the general.”
“What is your connection to General Carson?” Jericho asked.
“If I tell you, I’ll have to—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’ll have to kill me.” Jericho’s sharp tone startled Mecca.
“I’m not at liberty to say. You know how that works. You did it to me for five years.”
Jericho scowled. “Yes, I know, but my mission is to protect—”
“My mission,” Mecca said.
“Which tells me that you’re the most important person here,” Jericho mumbled.
“You’re the most important person to me, darling.” Mecca placed her hand over Jericho’s, wondering if the blonde was still impervious to her abilities. “Why don’t you order us a couple of glasses of Chablis?”
“Um, you know I don’t like Chablis,” Jericho said. “How about a nice Bordeaux?”
“That sounds even better.” I still can’t influence her decisions, Mecca thought. Why?
“How would you feel about a stop at our apartment before you head back to work?” Jericho wrinkled her nose and grinned impishly.
Mecca tapped a message into her cell phone and then returned it to her purse.
“Who’d you text?”
“My secretary.” Mecca returned the devilish grin. “I told her to cancel my appointments for the rest of the afternoon. You do your best work when you’re unhurried.”
“I do like to take my time.” Jericho chuckled as she tossed enough money onto the table to cover the check. “Given the time, I’m pretty impressive.”
“Faith and Kadence are having dinner with us tonight at six,” Mecca said, glancing at her watch. “You have five hours to impress me.”
Chapter 26
The four friends gathered around the dining table and discussed the day’s events. Afterward, Kadence and Jericho cleaned up the dishes, as Mecca and Faith carried coffee and dessert into the living room.
“This is the best of all worlds,” Jericho said as she passed out the coffee-filled cups. “Beautiful women, cake, and the world’s best coffee.”
As they settled into their seats, Faith told them about her visit from Willard Fram.
“He’s a scumbag,” Mecca said. “He’s an ambulance chaser and a crook. He’s constantly suing doctors for no good reason. He knows most will settle to keep their names from being dragged through court.”
“I had a run-in with him,” Kadence huffed. “The little weasel.”
“What are you going to do?” Mecca asked.
“I declined his offer, but I’m going to see Daniel Devon,” Faith said.
Jericho glanced at Kadence. “Are you going with her?”
“I’m a grown woman,” Faith argued. “I can take care of myself.”
“You know he’s your father,” Jericho said.
“Yes,” Faith whispered.
“You are Mariam Reynolds. Tom Reynolds’s wife and mother of three daughters,” Jericho continued. “Heiress to the vast Devon Oil fortune.”
Faith nodded. “I figured that out when you used my DNA to prove that poor woman’s body was the deceased Mariam Reynolds.”
“Devon may know where Mariam’s daughters are,” Jericho said. “The trip to Texas may reunite you with your father and your daughters. It seems odd that, out of all the lawyers in New York, they would select you for this job.”
Mecca frowned. “This may be a trap. If Tom is trying to get control of the Devon fortune, there must be a reason.
Kadence squeezed Faith’s hand.
“I don’t want the inheritance,” Faith said. “But I don’t want some slime bucket like Fram getting his grubby hands on any of it. If the girls are still alive, they should inherit the money.”
Faith leaned against Kadence. “I have all I want right here. I’ll always be Faith Pride.”
“We should call it a night,” Kadence said as she got to her feet. “I have early surgery in the morning.”
“Thank you for dinner,” Faith added. “As always, it was excellent.”
Jericho closed the door behind them and leaned against it. “I feel sorry for Kadence,” she said. “I’d go crazy if I were separated from you. After falling asleep in your arms, I never want to fall asleep alone again.”
“My sentiments exactly.” Mecca smiled as she caught Jericho’s hand and led her toward their bedroom.
##
Faith sighed as she rested her head on Kadence’s shoulder. “I love you, Faith,” she whispered, stroking her wife’s soft, dark hair.
Faith snuggled closer. “You’re all I need to be happy, darling. No matter who I am, you complete me.”
“Just promise me you’ll come back.”
“I promise,” Faith whispered. “I have no idea what kind of relationship Tom and Mariam had, but I do know I love you with all my heart. I couldn’t stay away from you if I wanted to.”
“Good to know.” Kadence hugged her tighter. “What can I do to make this easier for you?”
Faith straddled her wife. “You could show me what I’ll be missing.”
Kadence grinned. “Mmm. I’d be delighted to do that.”
Chapter 27
Faith watched out the window as the plane’s engines roared to slow the decent to DFW airport, located between Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. She was surprised that the airport was surrounded by so many lakes.
She collected her luggage from the baggage claim area and caught a shuttle to the car rental office. She breathed a sigh of relief as she drove through the airport toll gate. She entered Daniel Devon’s ranch address into the
GPS system and headed west.
Devon Ranch was located between Cresson and Benbrook, about two hours from the airport. She had scheduled an early arrival so she could reach her destination before dark.
The flat Texas landscape, with its scrub oaks and scraggly cedars, was vastly different from New York, but Faith felt at ease in Texas, almost at home.
When she was within twenty miles of Devon Ranch, her GPS took her from the main highway onto a worn, narrow, blacktop road. She warily eyed the bar ditch running alongside the road and hoped she didn’t meet another car.
Seconds later, a loud bang sent her vehicle careening out of control, and she fought the steering wheel to keep her car upright as it skidded toward the ditch. She yanked the wheel hard to the left as the auto slid sideways into the trench.
Her hands shook as she turned off the engine. She pushed the door open with her feet, struggling to get out of the tilted car. She breathed a sigh of relief when her feet touched solid ground.
Faith assessed the damage to the car and noted that the right front tire had blown out. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, groaning when she realized she had no service in the middle of nowhere. She debated going back or walking the ten miles her GPS had shown was needed to reach Devon Ranch. I wish Kadence were with me, she thought.
She locked the damaged vehicle and began the trek to the ranch. In the morning she’d send a tow truck for the car. She was glad she’d worn her comfortable boots, but her feet were starting to hurt in spite of them. She pulled her long hair off her neck and tied it up with a scarf. The merciless heat sent perspiration running down her face.
She spotted a massive rock entrance, the kind that heralded so many Texas ranches, but there was no house in sight. “Crawford Ranch” was emblazoned in the stone arch over the heavy metal gate. She was deliberating whether she should crawl through the space between the fence and gate when a black SUV appeared on the horizon.
Faith hustled to get out of the way when the automatic gate swung open as the SUV approached. She waved her arms above her head, hoping to slow the fast-approaching vehicle.
The SUV rolled to a stop, kicking up a cloud of red dust behind it. A stunning woman dressed in jeans and a denim shirt opened her door and stepped out. “What in the world is a little thing like you doing out here all alone?”
“I . . . my car . . . the tire blew out,” Faith stammered.
“Hop in,” the woman instructed. “I’m on my way to pick up my girls from school. It’s about an hour’s drive, so I don’t have time to dally. Unless you want to continue walking.”
“No, no, I’d welcome a ride.” Even if it is in the wrong direction, Faith thought.
Faith buckled her seatbelt as the vehicle moved forward. “I’m Stacy Crawford,” the woman said.
“Faith Pride.”
“I’m not trying to pry, Faith, but what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“I’m trying to contact Daniel Devon.”
Stacy narrowed her eyes and glanced at Faith. “What do you want with Daniel?”
“I . . . um, it’s private business,” Faith answered.
Stacy nodded. “Where are you from?”
“New York.”
“Yeah, I thought so,” Stacy huffed. “You don’t see many of those Gucci jeans around here.”
“They were a gift,” Faith said, suddenly feeling she should explain the extravagant apparel.
As Stacy waited to pull onto the main highway. She surveyed Faith. The smaller woman was beautiful. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, making her look like a teenager. Tendrils of black hair curled their way down both sides of her face, giving her an impish, yet angelic, look. Even hot and sweaty, Faith Pride was the kind of woman dreams were made of.
“You’re lucky you got here before it became too hot,” Stacy said once they were moving again.
“It must be ninety degrees,” Faith whined.
“Next week it’ll hit ninety-five.” Stacy smiled. “This is the last day of school, so the girls will live in the pool for the next three months. Do you swim, Faith?”
“I do.” Faith wasn’t certain how she knew it, but she was positive she was a good swimmer.
“Does Daniel know you’re coming?”
“Not exactly,” Faith mumbled.
“You may have made a trip for nothing,” Stacy informed her. “I think he’s in the Middle East somewhere.”
“I’ll have to check into a hotel and wait for his return,” Faith replied.
“Good luck with that. This is graduation weekend. I doubt you’ll find a room available within fifty miles.”
Faith bit her bottom lip as she tried to decide what to do. They drove a long way in silence. Finally, Stacy pulled into the pick-up line at the girls’ private school.
“Your daughters go to school here?” Faith wasn’t certain how she knew the highly ranked private school, but she was impressed that Stacy was making certain her daughters got the best education money could buy.
“Yes. There they are.” Stacy proudly gestured toward three laughing blondes dressed in school uniforms.
“They’re beautiful,” Faith whispered. “They look so happy.”
“I think they are,” Stacy said with a smile as she rolled down her window. “At least I hope they are. Everyone in the back, girls. We have company riding shotgun.”
The silence in the SUV was shattered as three giggling girls, all talking at once, climbed into the vehicle.
“Mom, is this one of your movie star friends?” Kimi asked, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
Stacy grinned at Faith. “She’s certainly pretty enough to be, but she’s a stranger I picked up on the side of the road.”
Everyone laughed as the girls wanted to know more about the dark-haired beauty their mother had befriended. Faith explained what had happened and joined in their laughter.
“Why are you here in Texas?” Lindsey asked.
“I’m an attorney, and I need to speak with Daniel Devon.”
The silence in the car was embarrassing. “He’s a crotchety old man,” Lindsey grumbled, doing her best to scare Faith away from a meeting with her grandfather. “Why would you want to talk to him?”
“Just business,” Faith quipped, eager to change the subject.
“We’re pretty sure he eats small children,” Mary added.
“Perhaps you should all go to the meeting with me,” Faith said with a grin. “He sounds dangerous.”
“Enough about Daniel Devon,” Stacy said. “Faith, why don’t you join us for dinner? We’re grilling outside by the pool, so we can watch the girls swim while I cook.”
“I’d love that,” Faith said. “But I really need to see about getting my car fixed and finding a place to stay.”
“Stay with us, please,” Kimi pleaded.
“I don’t think—”
“What a great idea, Kimi. You should spend the night,” Stacy said. “We have extra guest rooms. In the morning I can pull your car to the barn with my tractor. It’s no problem at all to change a tire. I’m sure your rental car has a spare.”
As if the matter was settled, the girls went on to discussing other things. They stopped by Faith’s car and picked up her luggage and laptop.
The girls showed Faith to her room, arguing over who got to carry her luggage. “Let’s ask Mom if we can swim while y’all barbeque,” Lindsey suggested.
“I’ll ask her.” Kimi scurried ahead of the others and skidded into the kitchen, where Stacy was removing a brisket from marinating in a Tupperware container. “Mommy, Mommy, may we swim while you and Miss Faith barbeque?”
Stacy raised a questioning eyebrow at Faith. “I’d love to watch them cavort in the water,” Faith said.
“We’re going to the grill, girls. Get your suits on and join us.”
“Aww, do we have to wear swimsuits?” Mary asked.
“In front of company?”—Stacy feigned shock—“Of course, you do.”
“But Mommy—”
“No buts about it,” Stacy said, doing her best not to smile. “Put on swimsuits now.”
The girls skittered off down the hall, their giggles and chattering echoing behind them.
“You’re a great mom,” Faith said. “They’re terrific kids.”
“Yes, they are, but I don’t deserve all the credit.”
“Of course, there’s a father in the picture,” Faith concluded.
“No, just me. It’s a long story.”
Stacy changed the subject. “I see you’re married. I bet your husband wasn’t happy about you leaving New York for Texas. I’m surprised he didn’t come with you.”
“Um, my spouse is a doctor and couldn’t leave the hospital,” Faith explained. I wonder if she’d let me stay here if she knew I’m a lesbian.
“Doctors are a dedicated bunch, thank heavens.”
“Yes, they are.” Faith looked around the kitchen. “What can I do to help?”
“You can be the sommelier for the night. There’s wine chilling in the fridge. The wine opener is in the drawer on your right and glasses in the cabinet behind you.
Faith chuckled and began performing her assigned duties. Stacy finished mixing her basting sauce and placed everything on a tray. “Lead the way,” Faith said. “I’ll bring up the rear with refreshments.”
The evening was filled with laughter and discussion of plans the girls had for the summer. All three were very musical and had signed up for the Casa Mañana Summer Theater.
“I think Lindsey will get the lead in the musical this year,” Stacy whispered to Faith. “She’s really good. Look at Kimi. She can hardly keep her eyes open.”
“Go get ready for bed, girls,” Stacy instructed. “I’ll be in to read to you when you’re ready.”
“Do you read to them every night?” Faith asked gathering dishes and following Stacy inside.
“Yes. It’s a tradition we started when they first . . . were young.”
“Are you their birth mother?”
“How is that any of your business?” Stacy snapped.
“I just sensed it in you, not the children. I sense you might be afraid of losing them.”
“I would die if I lost them,” Stacy admitted. “They are my life. I love them more than any mother ever could.”
