Jared did not miss the fact that she said she’d fallen in love with the kid and not the man. Well, that certainly explained a lot.
“Of course, it doesn’t end there. I wasn’t stupid only one time. Two years ago, I started seeing one of the guests here at the ranch. It’d been a long time since I’d gone out with a man, so when he asked, I was desperate for company. I’ve spent all my time working, focusing only on the money-making aspect of this place, and I was lonely. His daughter, Maddie… Well, you can imagine how that went. She was the cutest thing. Six years old and so full of laughter and life. Again, I managed to get too close, started to care too much. There were issues between Ben and his ex-wife, things that definitely affected their daughter and needed to be addressed. He lived in Oklahoma, and we tried to make a go of things for a little while, but it didn’t work. Once again, I’d let myself get too close to Maddie, and then next thing I knew, I was nursing a broken heart.”
It sounded to Jared like Hope didn’t fall in love with the single dads she’d dated, but she definitely fell in love with the kids. It made perfect sense because she couldn’t have any of her own.
“Does any of that make sense?” Hope asked, twisting in his arms so she could face him. “It’s not that I don’t like Derrick, but I can’t deal with more heartbreak. It’ll be bad enough when you break my heart…”
Jared swallowed hard. He stared into Hope’s eyes, desperate to believe what she was telling him.
“I won’t,” he whispered, cupping the back of her head and sliding his finger over her cheek.
And that was the truth.
“YOU CAN’T MAKE that promise,” Hope countered. She wanted to believe him, but she knew there was no way Jared could say that with any kind of certainty. No one knew what the future held for them.
Jared leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers, his lips warm and smooth. God, she loved his mouth.
“But I can promise to do my best not to.”
Hope pulled back slightly, peering into Jared’s face. For once, she wished she knew what was going through his head. Was he starting to think long term like she was? How could that even be a possibility? They hadn’t known each other for long. A month and a half. She didn’t believe in love at first sight. However, after meeting Jared, she certainly believed in lust at first sight, and yes, she was desperately, madly in lust with this man.
She smiled. “I like you far more than I’ve let on.” A whole lot more. “And I don’t want this to end between us.” She chuckled, unable to help herself. “And not only because the sex is freaking incredible, either.”
Jared grinned, a sexy smirk that made her body heat all over again.
“But I need us to take things slow. I’ll agree to spend some time with Derrick while y’all are here, and I want to spend time with the two of you. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m terrified. And I still can’t tell you that I’m ready for anything more than … this.”
He nodded, surprisingly. Hope half expected him to try to reassure her. The fact that he didn’t made her feel a little better.
“On top of that, you have your ex-wife to deal with.”
Jared’s eyes closed and he exhaled sharply.
“Did something else happen?”
“She’s stalking us,” he told her.
Stalking? That was a harsh word for the mother of his child. Then again, the mother of his child had given up her parental rights. Hope couldn’t imagine ever doing that. Not for the reasons Jared had given her. No man, no amount of money would ever be worth her child.
“What’d she do?”
“We were leaving town. I had to stop for gas. She showed up there. I thought for a minute she was going to tell Derrick who she was. She would’ve completely waylaid the kid. He wouldn’t know what to think. That’s what scares me the most.”
“Do you think she’d try to take him?”
Jared’s eyes widened, and Hope saw honest-to-God terror reflected there. Apparently he hadn’t considered that.
“Do you think she would follow you here?” Hope questioned.
He didn’t answer that question, either.
“Maybe we should tell my sisters what’s going on. And my dad. I’ll make sure Grant and Lane know, too, when they get back. That way everyone can be on the lookout in case she does.”
Jared nodded, but he was still unusually quiet.
“Should you call the police?” she asked, concerned.
Jared pulled her closer, kissed the top of her head. “No. I’ll take care of it.”
Hope snuggled closer to him, letting him know she was there. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. The man smelled so good. She knew her sheets would smell like him for days to come. She only wished it was because he was in her bed for days to come.
If she wasn’t careful, Hope knew that in lust would quickly morph into something much deeper, much stronger.
Much scarier.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“I THOUGHT YOU didn’t know how to ride a horse,” Hope teased Derrick, who was riding in front of her.
“I didn’t say that,” he told her, giggling.
“You didn’t, did you?”
She kept one arm loosely wrapped around him, the other holding the reins while Ambrosia slowly walked down the hill that would lead them back toward the house. The trail ride had started a few hours ago, heading out into the gently rolling hills and to the creek that bisected the property. There were at least twenty guests in total, along with ten wranglers, and they’d all stopped for a picnic lunch, then loaded up and were heading back in.
On the way out, Derrick had ridden with Jared, on the gelding walking alongside Hope’s horse. However, when they were packing up the lunch, Derrick had asked if he could ride with her. No way could she say no to that, even though her stomach was tied in knots. Jared had given her a sympathetic look, but she’d brushed it off, pretending she wasn’t affected by it.
“I want to ride a horse every day, but Dad won’t wet me.”
“Well,” Hope said, glancing over at Jared briefly, “I’m guessing you have to go to school, right?”
Derrick nodded.
“How do you ride a horse when you’re at school?”
“I couwd ride a horse to school,” he said, somewhat logically.
“True. But what if it was raining?”
Derrick seemed to think about that for a few minutes.
“So, what are you gonna dress up as tonight at the Halloween party?” she asked the little boy.
“A cowboy,” Derrick said adamantly. “A reaw one.”
“You’re gonna wear your cowboy hat?”
“Yup. What’re you gonna dress up as?”
Hope considered that for a moment. “A cowgirl.”
“Do you have a hat?”
“Of course I do,” she told him. She’d gone without the hat today because it was so nice out, the sun not too bright.
“Is it pink?”
Hope chuckled. “No, it’s not pink. Why? Does your dad have a pink hat?”
Derrick giggled uncontrollably.
Hope tightened her grip on the little boy as she laughed, too. She glanced over to find Jared staring at them. He hadn’t said anything, seemingly content to let her have this time with Derrick. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but Hope had taken to the little boy, and she couldn’t deny that. He was easy to talk to and fun to be with. A lot like his father.
By the time they reached the house, Derrick was leaning against her, obviously exhausted. Hope waited for Jared to come over and take him from her. As he was doing so, Hope looked up at the house to see what was going on, and that was when Hope spotted her.
“Uh … Jared.”
He looked up at her, a question in his eyes.
She nodded toward the house. “Is that
… her?”
Jared’s eyes slowly scanned the area in front of the house. The growl that emerged from him was the confirmation she was hoping not to get.
“I’ll take care of this,” she told him, tugging slightly on the reins so that Ambrosia would move forward.
“Hope…”
She didn’t look back at him. This was her ranch. It wasn’t like she was doing something she shouldn’t. Sable was not invited as a guest; therefore she needed to leave. Hope stopped in front of the woman, keeping Ambrosia directly in the woman’s view of Jared.
“Hi. Can I help you?” she said sweetly.
“No. Thanks, though.”
Hope cleared her throat, waiting for the woman to meet her gaze. “Can I help you with something?”
The woman’s eyes narrowed. “I said no. I’m looking for someone.”
“Well, you won’t find them here,” Hope told her. “This is private property. And you’re”—Hope lowered her voice slightly—“trespassing.”
That got the woman’s attention, and she finally looked at Hope. Really looked at her.
“Oh, how interesting. You’re the mistress.”
Hope smiled. And you’re the bitch. Of course, she held the words on her tongue, not willing to stoop to this woman’s level. Hope glanced around, looking for the nearest wrangler.
“Hey, Rusty!” When he looked her way, Hope nodded for him to come over. “This woman is clearly lost. She needs to be escorted off the property.”
“I’m not leaving without my son!” Sable yelled, damn near at the top of her lungs. “That man kidnapped him! Took him from me!”
Of course, that accusation gave Rusty pause, his eyes jerking toward Hope.
“Call the sheriff,” Hope ordered him. “We’re done here.”
Hope dismounted, coming to stand in front of Sable while passing Ambrosia’s reins off to Dallas Caldwell, another one of their wranglers.
“That’s a pretty serious allegation,” Hope told Sable, urging her toward the house. “I think it’s best we take this inside.”
The instant they turned toward the house, Hope stopped moving. In front of her was a line of men and women, all standing there, all watching. And they hadn’t come out of the house to rubberneck it, either. These were some very unhappy people.
“Sable, are you lost?” Gerald Walker—Jared’s father—asked. Alongside him stood Jared’s brothers, Kaden and Keegan, along with the youngest, Wesley.
Yeah, this hadn’t turned out the way Sable had hoped, apparently.
Hope knew not to get in the middle of this.
“You know exactly why I’m here, Gerald,” Sable snapped.
“I do,” he said, sounding oddly calm. “And just like before, Jared’s not interested in whatever it is you want.”
“I want my son.”
Travis stepped out from behind Gerald, looking as menacing as Hope had ever seen him.
He looked angry enough that she took another step back.
“Is that really what you’re after?” Travis asked. “Because I happen to have some information here that says otherwise.”
Hope watched as he pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket. He kept his eyes on Sable as he slowly unfolded it.
This time, Sable’s eyes widened.
“I think it’s time we talk,” Travis told her.
Sable’s eyes were wide, but she didn’t try to fight him when Travis urged her up toward the guest parking area.
“Do you know what that’s about?” Keegan asked her.
Hope glanced around, realizing everyone was still there. She shook her head. “Don’t have a clue.”
And she didn’t really care. The only thing she wanted to do was go find Jared and Derrick. So she could make sure they were all right. She knew they weren’t in any danger, but still, the protective instinct was one she couldn’t shake off.
And while she was there, maybe she would try to explain why she’d gotten a little protective there. Perhaps she should start thinking of a reason, because I love you didn’t seem like the right thing to say right now. Especially since she was having a hard time accepting it herself.
AT THE SIGHT of Sable, Jared’s first instinct had been to get Derrick away from her. The woman had a screw loose, and he knew she wasn’t thinking about Derrick’s best interests. So, instead of following Hope, insisting that she not get involved, he had slipped away with a few of the others and gone straight to the main house. He’d passed his father on the way in, informing him that there was trouble brewing outside. Jared had kindly asked him if he could step in.
It wasn’t that Jared wanted to run away, to hide, to have someone else fight his battles. That certainly wasn’t the case. However, the one thing Sable wanted right now was access to him. If he didn’t allow her to have that, then she would have no choice but to go away. Maybe not forever but for now.
Knowing that they were going to be up late into the night at the Halloween party, Jared had coerced Derrick into taking a nap. He’d been sitting in the chair by the window, overlooking the front yard, when a knock sounded on the door.
He quietly went to the door, and when he saw Hope, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Rather than invite her in, he stepped out into the hall, hoping Derrick would sleep for at least an hour.
“Hey.” He pulled her to him without another word, cupping her face and staring into her eyes. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. She didn’t say anything, simply stared back at him. When he felt a little more in control, he put his arms around her and hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“Are you okay?” she whispered. “Is Derrick okay?”
“Yeah. We’re good. He’s asleep right now. I figured he better get a nap in or he’s gonna be hell on wheels tonight.” He forced himself to take a step back. “Is Sable gone?”
Hope nodded. “Travis took her to her truck.”
Great. No telling what his cousin was going to say, but Jared figured whatever it was, Sable would be hell-bent for leather the next time he saw her. God, he wished he didn’t have to see her.
“What do I do?” Jared found himself asking her. “I can’t keep fighting her. Eventually, she’s gonna get to Derrick.”
Hope nodded, clearly understanding. “I think for now, you let all those people out there have your back. You did the right thing, not approaching her. She’s trying to get a rise out of you; that’s obvious.”
Jared knew that. But this seemed hopeless.
He glanced down to see Hope staring up at him, her eyes glittering with what looked like sympathy, but also something else. Something more powerful. He didn’t want to think too long on that. He didn’t want to think that maybe she’d given in, maybe she was willing to give this a shot rather than run away.
But damn it, why would she want to? Why would she want to have to deal with Sable’s bullshit? It could quite possibly go on forever. And worst-case scenario, Sable could take Derrick away from him. He prayed there wasn’t a judge out there who’d side with her, but he honestly didn’t know. His family had a good name; he knew that. But when it came to a mother and her child…
Hope’s cool fingers slid over his jaw, and he forced himself to look down at her, holding her gaze.
“Stop thinking so much. She’s gone for now. We’re all here to protect that little boy. She’s not gonna come back. Not tonight anyway. I’m sure your cousin’s makin’ sure she knows the wrath she’ll receive if she does.”
“But she will come back. Maybe not while we’re here—”
Hope’s fingers covered his lips, effectively silencing him.
“Not tonight. And that’s what matters.” She smiled. “I do have to go take care of a few things, but I wanted to check on you. Make sure you’d be down for dinner. And then at the party.”
&
nbsp; “Wouldn’t miss it,” he told her. “Derrick’s lookin’ forward to it.”
“So am I,” she said.
Jared noticed, for the first time, Hope didn’t look completely terrified when either of them mentioned Derrick. He took that as a good sign.
“I’ll see you tonight.”
Before she could turn away, Jared grabbed Hope’s arm and pulled her back, crushing his lips down on hers. He needed to feel her close to him. She was his anchor, the calm in the storm. He hadn’t felt this out of control in a long time.
Granted, he wasn’t sure what was making him feel that way. Sable’s bullshit…
Or the fact that he was now absolutely certain he’d fallen in love with this woman.
Chapter Thirty-Three
MERCY SAT ON one of the tables, watching the little kids wandering from one station to the next, laughing as they were given candy, as their faces were painted, as some member of the Walker family blew up balloon animals—damn, was there anything these people couldn’t do?
“A monkey! I wanna monkey!” one of the little ones hollered.
“How about a giraffe?”
“A horse!” another kid yelled.
While she watched, Mercy forced a smile, trying to pretend to be enjoying herself. She really wanted to go back home, fall into bed, and sleep for … the next week, at least. But she couldn’t do that because all of these people were sharing their love and laughter with one another while reconnecting after so much time away. Although she had to question how much time they actually spent away from each other. They seemed so familiar with everything that was going on. Which kid was whose. How old they were. How they’d spent their last birthday. And there were over a hundred of them.
Jared (Coyote Ridge) (Volume 2) Page 25
