“I’d love to go with you.” Just the thought of getting Meg alone in a dark, tight space made him grow hard. “Just name the day, and we’ll do it.”
They hadn’t gone far on the way back when Meg let out a delighted squeal. She bent down and picked up a plain-looking stone, dusting it off when she stood. She held it up for Jake’s inspection, and he looked at her with a raised brow.
“It’s a geode.” When he shook his head, she explained, “It’s essentially a rock cavity with an internal crystal formation or concentric banding. Some have hollow cavities with quartz crystals, and some of them are solid, those are called nodules. No two are the same, so it’s always a surprise to open them to see what’s inside.”
A simple rock had her shaking with enthusiasm? “So what’s in this one?”
“That’s the fun. You can’t tell by looking at the outside. You have to crack it open or use a rock saw.” She reached for his hand and pulled him down the trail headed back to the cabin. “C’mon. Let’s go open this one.”
He trotted along beside her, and soon they were back at the cabin where he sat down at the picnic table while she went inside. She came back out carrying a sock and a small hammer with a pick on one side. She placed the geode in the sock and set it on the ground on top of a flat rock, then she took the rock hammer and gave the sock a solid whack. When she reached inside the sock and pulled out the geode, Jake thought it was still intact, but she held it out and opened it as if it were an egg. He took one half from her and stared at the quartz crystals that jutted from the center of the stone.
“Oh, look. That’s so cool.”
She sat beside him. “My grandfather showed me my first one when I was only three. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Jake admired the stone. “I can see why. It’s beautiful.”
“I’ve spent a lot of time wandering around these rocks with him, and I love this place. I want to fulfill their dream of having a home here.”
Looking directly into her violet blue eyes, Jake said, “It’s wonderful that you’re going to build the classrooms.”
“Not just that. I’m going to build a house here, too. Just like my grandparents wanted. I’m not sure about any details, but I know this is where I want to live.”
Jake couldn’t suppress his grin. “That’s the best news I’ve had all day.” He leaned over and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. “Are you ready to eat? All of a sudden, I’m starving.”
A little later, he didn’t think he’d ever tasted anything better than cold fried chicken. He was sure it had more to do with the company than with the food. Everything tasted better when he was with Meg. She took a sip of her water and glanced out the window.
“If we hurry, we can watch the sunset.”
Jake finished his food and nodded, tucking the trash into the bag. He helped Meg clean up then they wandered back outside and sat down at the picnic table. While he straddled the bench, Meg sat in the vee of his legs. He pulled her tight against his chest and wrapped his arms around her to ward off the slight chill now that the sun was going down. The warmth of his breath brushed the nape of her neck.
Goosebumps rose on her arms, and she sank back even deeper against him, sighing. Before them, with the huge mesas as a backdrop, the brilliant reds, pinks, and golds of the sunset streaked across the deepening blue sky. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Jake’s hold tightened, and he pressed soft kisses to her neck. “Mmm hmm, beautiful.”
She turned her head to look at his face. “I was talking about the sunset.”
He took advantage of her position and kissed her mouth. “Right. The sunset.” Sliding his hand upward to cup the back of her head, he kissed her slowly, moving his lips over hers. “There’s a bed inside, right?” he murmured.
Meg nodded. “I think the sheets are still in my car.”
Jake pulled back to look into her eyes. He laughed. “I was really just hoping for a softer place than the picnic table. You don’t have to worry about making the bed, sweetheart.”
Meg felt the heat of her blush. “Oh. Right.” She grinned up at him and then turned more thoughtful. “I’ll have to remember to make the bed when I come back tonight.”
Jake loosened his grip and stared down at her. “I’d rather you stay at my place tonight. In fact, I’d like it if you stayed with me until this mess with the estate gets settled.”
“I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head. “Meg, I’m not letting you stay out here all by yourself.”
She pulled out of his arms and stood to face him. “You’re not letting me stay here? Funny, I don’t remember asking your permission.”
“Would you stop and think about this for a second? A single woman out here alone, no reliable phone…” Jake blew out an exasperated breath and got up from his seat, too. “You told me there were two strange men out here today. I get sick when I think about what could have happened.”
Meg waved the comment off. “Those two were just here because of that ass, Monty Anderson. They didn’t even know I’d be around.”
It was getting darker by the minute now that the sun had gone down, and she shivered a little as the cooler night air washed over her skin. Jake took a step forward and took hold of her hands.
“Who the hell is Monty Anderson?”
Right. They hadn’t gotten around to talking about the problem with the estate. “He’s the one who filed the petition against my grandfather’s estate. He’s trying to block the transfer of the deed, and I can’t make any changes to the property until the court dismisses it. That’s why I couldn’t promise you anything about the horse refuge. I can’t even apply for building permits.” She shook her head. “I made myself pretty clear today when I spoke to him that he—or anyone one hired by him—was not to enter the property.”
“Why would he do that? I don’t know details, but it was pretty clear that John expected you to have the property.”
“He did. He left everything to me.”
“And what were they surveying? It doesn’t make sense.”
“This Anderson guy tried to feed me a line about environmental concerns, but he was totally blowing smoke. He’s up to something.”
“Exactly why you shouldn’t be out here alone.”
Well, hell. She’d walked right into that one.
Jake’s phone rang. He ignored it.
“You going to get that?”
“Whoever it is can wait. This can’t.” He pulled her closer and leaned down so their lips were almost touching. “I can’t stand the idea of you being out here by yourself. But more than that, I hate the thought of you not being at my place. With me.” He closed the space between them and pressed his mouth to hers, sliding his hands up her arms and cupping her face. His phone rang again. Swearing, he pulled away.
“You’d better answer. It might be important.”
Nodding, he dragged the phone from his belt. “Jake Matthews.” His tone was harsh and impatient.
Meg watched as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. His tone softened, and the look on his face changed to concern. She stepped back to go inside, but Jake grabbed her hand before she could get too far.
“Where are you now?” He pinched his eyes shut. “Okay, I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. Try to keep her calm until I get there.” He snapped the phone shut, and at Meg’s questioning look, he shook his head. “Don Holmes has a mare down. She isn’t due for another couple of weeks, but he thinks she’s gone into labor. If it was any other emergency I’d have Carl, my backup, take it, but this is one of Desi’s foals. I have to go.”
“Of course. Just give me a minute to lock everything up.”
Jake followed her into the darkened cabin and helped her close the windows and pick up the bags from their dinner. She locked the door, and together, they headed back into town.
They swung by the house first to drop Meg off, and Jake grabbed his bag from the clinic. He gave her a quick, hard kiss and then sped away. The re
ntal car was gone, leaving her to assume they’d gone to town for dinner after all. She let herself in the front door to find the only light in the place came from the kitchen where the phone was ringing. She hesitated, not sure if she should answer, but the answering machine picked up.
A man’s voice boomed over the speaker. “Jake? It’s Danny at The Branding Iron. Man, pick up if you’re there. There’s a tall, blond gal here that’s had too much to drink, and she said you would drive her home.”
Great. He had to be talking about Kristen. She picked up. “This is Jake’s phone.”
“Thank God. Is Jake around?”
“No. He had to go out on a call. Can I help you?”
“I sure as hell hope so. I’m the bouncer down at The Branding Iron, and we have a little problem.”
“Is it Kristen?”
“I think that’s what she said her name was. Anyway, she’s three sheets to the wind, and there’s no way she can drive. She said she was staying with Jake. When will he be back?”
“I’m not sure.” Meg chewed on her bottom lip. “I can come pick her up.”
“Awesome. Can you make it fast? I’ve already had to break up two fights because of her.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Chapter Thirteen
There was quite a crowd at The Branding Iron. Meg guessed between the live music and the extra tourists from the Summer Festival, the local honky-tonk was especially busy. Her skin crawled as she made her way through the throng of people, forcing herself not to cringe when she noticed several men giving her lecherous looks. Kristen sat at the bar with a small group of male admirers. The other woman didn’t appear to be in any distress at the moment. Probably another attempt to get Jake’s attention. Sighing, she walked to the bar.
One of the men had just whispered something in Kristen’s ear, and she threw her head back, laughing. Meg waved to get her attention, and the instant Kristen saw her, her laughter turned to a frown. “Where’s Jake?”
“He’s out on an emergency call. Are you ready to go?”
“Go? Now? My new friends and I are just getting acquainted. I can’t go now.” She pouted.
Meg’s patience was wearing thin. “That’s not what you told the bouncer. Say goodnight and let’s go.”
One of her new ‘friends’ stood and sidled up to Meg. “Hey, darlin’. There’s no need to leave so soon. We could have a good time. Sit down here and let us buy you a drink.”
Meg reeled at the stench of alcohol coming off the guy. “No thanks. And I think she’s had enough. Come on, Kristen.”
One of the other men stood then. “Aw, come on. We’ll make sure she gets home, no big deal.”
“It doesn’t sound like either one of you are in any shape to get yourselves home, let alone anyone else.” She reached for Kristen’s arm. “You can ride with me, and we’ll leave the rental here ’til morning.”
Something in Meg’s voice must have gotten through to her. Kristen slinked off the bar stool and swayed unsteadily until she got her balance and trying, unsuccessfully Meg thought, to sashay across the floor. “Fine. There’s no need to get snippy.”
God help her. Meg grasped Kristen’s upper arm, steadying her as they walked back through the bar. The two men grumbled something about the women leaving together, but they went back to their drinks and soon spotted other women to work on.
Out in the parking lot, Kristen pointed to where she’d left the car. “I’m fine to drive. I’ll just follow you back to Jake’s.”
Meg held her hand out to Kristen. “Give me the keys.”
“I said I’m fine. I only had a couple.”
“I don’t want to stand out here arguing.”
Clearly, Kristen wanted to do just that, but then appeared to think better of it when she realized Meg was serious. Finally, she dug around in her purse and pulled out the keys to the rental car. Meg took them and ushered her to the station wagon.
“What the hell is this? I’m not riding in your rust bucket.”
Meg should have guessed the Falcon wouldn’t be up to Kristen’s standards. “This car runs better than most brand new ones, and it’s as safe as a tank. Get in.”
Kristen reluctantly poured herself into the seat and leaned back on the headrest.
It didn’t take Meg long to get through town and out to Jake’s. She had the passenger door open when his pickup pulled into the drive. He jumped out and was at Meg’s side in two steps, his concern for her obvious. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Can you give me a hand? She passed out halfway through town.”
She reached in to help Kristen out, and Jake swore. “What the hell?”
“Kristen decided to tie one on in town, and the bouncer called here to see if you could give her a ride. I’m not so sure someone didn’t slip something in her drink.”
Kristen chose that moment to treat them to a rather un-ladylike snore.
“Jesus. Hold the door. I’ll get her.” Jake eased her out of the seat then carried her to the house. Meg went with him to the guest room and folded back the blankets so he could place Kristen on the bed before he checked her pulse and pupils. “She’s gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow, but she’ll be fine.”
Meg went to the foot of the bed and removed Kristen’s sandals, then pulled the blanket over her. She shut off the light and tugged Jake through the door, closing it behind them. Pulling him along until they reached his bedroom, she urged him inside and closed the door.
“Are you sure she wasn’t drugged?” Her voice shook, and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. “You hear about that kind of thing happening all the time.”
Jake’s deep brown eyes pinned her to the wall. “Now do you see why I don’t like the idea of you staying by yourself? Do you understand what kind of shit you’re opening yourself up to being all alone out there?” His voice grew louder and started to shake as well. “Hell, we’re not talking about being in a barroom full of people, you’re talking about being alone, miles away from anyone who could help you. I know you think I’m being too possessive with you about this, but dammit, Meg—”
“What is with you?” Her hackles were up now. If Jake wanted a fight, she’d give him one. “This is not about me. I only went to the bar tonight to pick up Kristen. It’s not like I went there looking for trouble.”
“You don’t have to look for it. There are some fucking sick people out there, Meg. Believe me, I know.” He ran shaking fingers through his hair. His eyes still held hers.
The intensity of his gaze made her take a step back. His jaw was set, pain etched across his face. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”
He blew out a breath and turned away from her, hands on his hips, head down. When he turned back around, his eyes were dark, and his voice was so low she had to strain to hear him.
“There was a girl. Carolyn. We were in veterinary school together.”
His ex-girlfriend. The one Kristen had talked about. Did she really want to hear this? Yes, she wanted to know what had put that tortured look on his face. “Go on.”
“She was a free spirit. Independent and fearless.” He raised his hand to brush the bangs off her forehead. “Like you.”
“You cared about her?”
His gave her a wry smile. “Yeah.”
“What happened?”
“It was finals week. We’d planned to go out after our last exams, but her classes got out before mine, so she decided to go without me. She called to tell me her plans, and I asked her to wait, but she said some friends were going with her and I shouldn’t worry.” His fist clenched at his side. “Her friends ended up going to a party, and she stayed at the bar by herself.”
Meg waited for him to continue. The anguished look in his eyes told her that this was tearing him apart.
“Two men approached her and invited themselves to sit at her table. She was naturally outgoing and friendly and, by all accounts, they were having a good time. The bartender remembered h
er leaving with them. What he didn’t know was that they’d spiked her drink and had basically kidnapped her.”
“My God.” The flesh on her arms crawled.
“They took her to a motel where they planned to do God knows what. She had a reaction to whatever they had slipped in her drink, and they got scared. The assholes scrambled, leaving her alone in a crappy motel room. Thankfully, she was able to call for help. She woke up in the hospital the next morning with no idea where she was or how she’d gotten there.
“I’d been frantic all night looking for her. Her sister called me from the hospital to let me know what happened. When I got there, her sister said Carolyn didn’t want to see me. Hell, who could blame her?”
“What do you mean?”
“I should have been there to protect her.”
“Jake, it wasn’t your fault.”
“She never should have been alone in that place.”
“It was her decision to make.”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I wasn’t there to save her.”
She tipped her head, studied him. “Why would you think you had to save her? What is it that makes you feel responsible for everyone?”
Jake’s eyes focused on Meg’s beautiful face. Of course she didn’t know. He didn’t like to talk about that time in his family’s life, but he’d opened the door now and knew Meg wouldn’t let it go. He ran both hands through his hair.
“Jake?”
“It’s who I am, Meg. It’s who I’ve always been. I’ve always taken care of…everything.”
“Your mom mentioned that you helped raise your sister. What did she mean?”
“Long story.”
“Not going anywhere.”
Okay, fine. He clasped her hand in his and pulled her close. “My folks wanted a big family. I think they would have had ten kids if they’d been able. My brother was born nine months and ten minutes after their wedding.” He coughed out a laugh. “Anyway, it took five years for me to come along and another six went by before they had Jenny. Four years later, during her last pregnancy, mom was diagnosed with cervical cancer.”
Her Desert Treasure (Entangled Ignite) Page 13
