He’d tried several times to catch Jared and Jake long enough to talk privately with them, but there’d been too much commotion. He’d just have to wait until the time was right. As if the time would ever be right to hurt Jessica, he thought miserably. Her brilliant smile lit the room as she kissed and hugged each member of her family, including Myrna and Carlton, and wished them a Merry Christmas. The sound of Christmas songs filled the house, and the delicious smell of food cooking permeated the air.
There were toasts at dinner. Silly toasts, insulting toasts, heartfelt toasts. Jessica sat at the opposite end of the table, laughing and eating, teasing and talking. He wanted to remember her like this, every detail, no matter how small.
“So, Dylan—” Carlton interrupted his thoughts “—how’s the project coming along?”
“Fine.” Dylan forced his attention to the elderly man, thinking he looked paler than he had earlier. “Other than a short in the wiring I still haven’t found, the church is finished. So is part of the hotel.”
Jessica handed a nearly empty bowl of stuffing to Jared. “You have to see Dylan’s blueprints. They’re wonderful.”
“There’s talk in town the city might revoke your permits, dear,” Myrna said, waving her fork. “There’s been some complaints about minors working out here.”
Even on Christmas patience had its limits, Jessica thought with a sigh. She’d known it had been too much to hope for when the day had nearly passed and Myrna hadn’t started in once.
Determined not to let Myrna get another word in, Jessica quickly said, “By the way, I’m taking everyone to the church after dinner. I thought we’d light some candles and sing carols.”
Remembering the candlelight they’d made love to the night before, Jessica glanced at Dylan. She felt her heart skip a beat at the dark intensity that shone in his eyes as he held her gaze.
“Oh, Jessica, what a beautiful idea!” Annie said, then looked at Jared. “We should have waited and been married there.”
Jared leaned over and kissed his wife. “I waited four years for you. I wasn’t waiting one more day.”
“That leaves you, Jessica,” Jake said. “Anybody you’d like us to round up and herd in for you?”
Jessica half expected Dylan to bolt from the room at Jake’s comment. To her surprise, he didn’t look away. If anything, his gaze only grew more intense. “I’ll do my own herding, thank you very much,” she said coolly, drawing her attention back to her brother.
“Hey, don’t forget about me,” Emma said indignantly. “I wanna get married, too.”
They all laughed then, and the dishes were soon gathered up. While everyone else piled into the kitchen, Carlton excused himself and went upstairs to rest. Myrna complained the doctors had overmedicated him, which was why he moved so slowly, but Jessica suspected there was a problem much greater than Myrna was willing to face. Jessica also knew that Carlton’s illness embarrassed the man. He’d been a high-powered in-control executive his entire life. A man who’d raised his only daughter alone, showering her with gifts. He’d given her everything but himself.
Like Dylan’s parents, she thought sadly, drying the last dish and putting it in the cupboard.
Jessica glanced at her brothers and Dylan. Their heads were bowed intently over the kitchen table; they were discussing the “easy” instructions for assembling an outdoor playhouse for Emma. A warmth spread through her at the sight of Dylan conversing so easily with her family. But then, she felt warm every time she looked at Dylan, or even thought about him, for that matter.
“Jess, can we go see the church now?” Emma asked.
“Sure, sweetie.” Jessica hugged her younger sister. She’d come to the Stone family late in their lives, but they loved her as if she’d been there from the first.
“You boys ‘bout ready?” Jessica asked.
Dylan glanced up from the table and saw the loving exchange between Jessica and Emma. That was how she’d be with her own children, he knew. Gentle and loving. He’d missed that in his life, but he never knew how much until today.
Some things a person was better off not knowing. He’d never again be able to think of Christmas or candles—or even cookies—without seeing her face and remembering how it had felt to hold her in his arms.
But he knew what he had to do, and it could be put off no longer.
“I thought I’d take a minute and show Jake and Jared the blueprints,” Dylan said, glancing at Jared.
Jared nodded in understanding. “You go ahead, sis. We’ll be along in a minute.”
With a grin, she tossed a towel onto the counter. “All right, but you’re all in big trouble if I have to come back here for you.” Savannah and Annie seconded Jessica’s statement, then they all headed for the church with Myrna fussing about how difficult it was to walk in the dirt with high heels.
Dylan watched from the kitchen window until the women were out of sight, then explained about the fire in the saloon and his suspicions about its origin.
“It’s sounding too familiar,” Jake said with a frown. “I lost my barn in a fire a few months back, then Jared’s office blew up. They weren’t accidents, and something tells me this isn’t, either.”
“What about those kids?” Jared asked. “You think one of them might’ve done it?”
Dylan shook his head. “I don’t want to believe that, but I’m not ruling out anyone yet.”
“That does it, then,” Jake said firmly. “That girl is going back to town. She’s not safe here.”
“I already tried that argument.” Dylan leaned against the counter. “She wouldn’t have any part of it.”
“That girl is too damn stubborn for her own good,” Jared said with annoyance. “Thank God I talked you into coming here and keeping an eye on her. I don’t know what we’d do without you, pal.”
“That’s what I have to talk to you about.” Dylan sighed and dragged his hands through his hair. “I can’t keep lying to Jessica. I’m going to tell her the truth in the morning.”
“I think I’d rather hear it now.”
Dylan froze, then turned slowly at the sound of the too-familiar voice. She stood in the doorway, her eyes burning into his as she waited for his answer.
Eleven
“I needed matches,” she said and moved slowly into the room, never taking her eyes off Dylan. His expression was rigid, his jaw like granite as he watched her approach.
Jared was the first to move. “Jess, let me explain—”
“I want Dylan to explain,” she said flatly. “Every little detail, Mr. Grant, starting with how you know my brothers.”
A muscle jumped in Dylan’s temple. He never let go of her gaze. “Jared and I met in South America on an oil project where I was the structural engineer.”
South America. She should have known. It had been right in front of her all the time. Idiot. She was such a fool.
Pride held her chin up and kept her legs from folding under her as she stood in front of Dylan. She wouldn’t let him see her pain. He didn’t deserve to see it. “South America is hardly the next block. You must be pretty good friends for you to come all the way to the States and baby-sit me.”
Jake rose from his chair. “Jessie, it wasn’t—”
“Be quiet, Jake,” Jessica said quietly, and the cold precision of her words stopped him. He sat back down and sighed. She folded her arms. “Go on, Dylan.”
Dylan’s mouth thinned. “Jared and Jake were worried about you. They didn’t think it was safe for you out here alone.”
“So Jared called you,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “A big strong trustworthy man. Someone they could count on to keep an eye on me and file weekly reports. I’d love to know what you included in those reports, Mr. Grant. I’m sure they’d be fascinating reading.”
His eyes darkened with anger, but she didn’t care. She was quickly shifting from a state of numbness to slow-burning fury.
“My God, this is so funny.” She forced a dry laugh. “
Jared’s performance when I introduced you was worthy of an Academy Award. And Jake inviting you to his house, pretending to interrogate you because he cared about me. And you, Dylan, all that nonsense about room and board when you knew you’d take the job, anyway.”
“Jessie,” Jared said, “don’t be mad at Dylan. He was just doing me a favor.”
“A favor?” Her eyes sharpened as she stared furiously at her brothers. “Making a fool of me, interfering in my life, lying to me, that’s a favor?”
Jared stared at the floor, while Jake twirled his Stetson in his hand. Neither one would look at her. Except for Dylan. His gaze nearly burned a hole through her.
She put her hands on her hips and moved closer to him. “And wasn’t it a hoot when I accused you of being afraid of my brothers?”
Jared glanced up. “Why would you accuse him of that?”
She smiled. “Yes, Dylan. Why would I?”
His eyes narrowed. “Jessica,” he said tightly, “let me talk to you alone.”
“Alone?” She threw her arms out. “Whyever would we need to be alone? Surely anything you have to say you can say in front of my brothers. There’re no secrets between you guys.”
Dylan had known this was going to be difficult, but he’d never even come close to realizing how difficult. In spite of Jessica’s cool demeanor, he saw the hurt in her eyes, the anger. He didn’t blame her. She’d told him once how much she hated lies, and now she’d caught him sitting smack-dab in the middle of one.
He shot a look at Jared, who nodded in understanding, then stood and faced his sister. “Jess, we can talk later and sort through this. Jake and I will go on down to the church. You and Dylan can join us after you’ve chewed this for a while.”
She opened her mouth to argue, then shut it again.
Jake jammed his hat on his head, hesitated, then shuffled out the back door when Jessica glared at him. Jared cast one long worried look at Dylan, then sighed deeply and followed his brother.
When she turned back to him with her arms folded protectively in front of her, Dylan felt his insides twist. He watched her square her shoulders and look him in the eye.
“I trusted you,” she said without emotion.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“Stop agreeing with me, dammit!”
She swung around, pacing away, then back again. “I asked myself why a man with your qualifications would want a job for such low pay. I even questioned your little slipup when you mentioned Venezuela. But what should really have tipped me off was the fact that Jared and Jake weren’t coming around here like I’d expected. They didn’t need to. They already had an undercover agent doing their dirty work. I doubt they know exactly how undercover you got, do they?”
His control slipped. He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. “What happened between you and me is nobody’s business but ours. It has nothing to do with your brothers.”
“It’s just so hysterical.” She tried to pull away, but he held her tight. “I mean, your coming here to protect me, and you end up in my bed. ‘Course, there was protection there, too, so you really have nothing to feel guilty about, Dylan. You did your job.”
“Dammit, Jessica. Don’t minimize or make light of our making love.”
Anger ruled her words now. Anger and hurt. She might regret them later, but there was so much she’d regret, what was one more thing? “Is that what you call it? Making love?” She stared defiantly at him. “There are other expressions more appropriate, you know.”
His hands tightened painfully on her shoulders. “Stop it. You’re special to me. You know that. You have to know that.”
“I don’t know anything,” she said. “Like how you could do this to me.”
“Jessica—” he softened his hold “—I never meant to hurt you. I tried my damnedest to keep my hands off you.”
“That’s what all that guilt was about,” she said, wondering how she could stand here and face him when her heart was shattering into a thousand pieces. “Breaking my brothers’ trust. It had nothing to do with caring about me.”
He pulled her closer. “That’s not true. You know it’s not.”
She hated the moisture she felt burn her eyes. But not as much as she hated the reaction her body still had to his closeness. A lie. Everything had been one big lie. “Why couldn’t you have been honest before things went too far?”
“And what would you have done if I’d told you?”
“Exactly what I’m going to do now.” She pulled out of his grasp, then lifted her chin and looked him in the eyes. “You’re fired.”
His eyes narrowed. “What about Makeshift? You can’t let the project fall apart because I lied to you.”
She was the only thing falling apart at the moment. But she wouldn’t let him know that. “The church is finished, and enough of the hotel is done for the review committee to get a clear picture of what I want to do here. We’ll proceed as before, as soon as I find another foreman to take your place.” She’d intended her words to be a verbal blow, and from the murderous expression on Dylan’s face, she’d succeeded. Strange, she thought, but she felt no satisfaction, only an empty black feeling inside her chest.
He started to move toward her again, but she put up a hand and stepped back. “I mean it, Dylan. I can’t work with someone I don’t trust. I’m going to join my family now, and I’d appreciate it if you were gone by the time I got back.”
His eyes were like black ice as he stared at her, then he turned and stalked out of the room. She blinked, refusing to give in to tears now. Everyone was waiting for her at the church, and she still needed what strength she could muster to face her brothers. She’d have the time and the privacy later to give in to the pain slicing through her.
She drew a slow fortifying breath and swallowed hard. It was Christmas, after all. The most special day of the year.
* * *
“How could you—either of you—do such a thing?”
Savannah stood over Jake, her eyes narrowed as she frowned at her husband. Holding the same posture, Annie stood over Jared. The men shifted uncomfortably in the church pew, their expressions repentant. Jessica sat in the pew in front of them, refusing even to look at her siblings.
“She’s twenty-seven years old,” Savannah said. “An intelligent, responsible, resourceful woman who is capable of handling her own affairs.”
Jessica flinched at Savannah’s choice of words, but kept her back stiffly to her brothers. The candles on the altar had been lit, and the room glowed with a warm soft light. The fingers she’d laced in her lap were ice-cold.
At least she’d managed to get rid of Myrna before the fireworks had begun, Jessica thought. She’d asked her stepmother to go back for more candles and to check on Carlton. Emma needed to use the bathroom and had gone along.
“It was for Jessie’s own good,” Jared protested. “You both know what happened to Jake and me. Someone out there wants Stone Creek and is willing to do anything to get it.”
“Nobody likes to be lied to,” Savannah said. “I seem to recall a misunderstanding at our first meeting. You were furious I lied about being Emma’s mother, instead of her aunt.”
“This is different.” Jake folded his arms.
“Different?” Jessica had been quiet long enough. She turned and faced her brothers. “How like a man to arrange the rules to suit himself,” she said angrily. “A favor, I believe you called it. One friend doing a good deed for another.”
“He is a friend,” Jared declared.
“And I’m just your sister, right?” she said quietly.
Both Jake and Jared stared at their feet.
Jessica felt as if she were being turned inside out. She’d thought that Dylan cared for her, she’d even hoped that...
She squeezed her eyes shut. It didn’t matter now what she’d hoped.
“Look, Jess,” Jake said, “let’s all go back to th
e hotel and straighten this out. You know the truth now and there’s no harm done. Just talk to Dylan.”
No harm done? A bubble of hysteria threatened to burst inside her. No harm done? She’d fallen in love with a lie, and the betrayal was like a knife in her heart.
“There’s nothing to go back and talk about,” she said, suddenly exhausted. “I fired him and asked him to leave.”
Jared shook his head. “Aw, Jess, you can’t—”
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Don’t tell me what I can’t, Jared Stone. Any foreman should be able to read Dylan’s blueprints. I’m going to put an ad in the paper tomorrow and find another man right away.”
Even as she said the words she felt the ache in her chest sharpen. There’d never be another man like Dylan.
“Jess,” Jared said softly, and leaned closer to his sister. “Please don’t be mad. Jake and I couldn’t let you come out here by yourself. What if something happened to you? How would we get along without you?”
His words were spoken with such tenderness, such sincerity, that Jessica’s anger eased. She couldn’t imagine anything happening to one of them, either. She’d been through that pain after Jonathan’s and her parents’ deaths. The thought of ever going through that again was more than she could bear.
“We love you, Jessie,” Jake said, coming closer. “I’m sorry if we hurt you.”
They were her brothers. They would always be there for her, as she would always be there for them. No matter what.
A tear slipped down her cheek. She sighed heavily, then slowly reached her hands out to them. Jared took one hand, Jake the other. “I love you, too,” she said softly. “I don’t forgive either one of you yet, but I do love you.”
And as she listened to the sound of Dylan’s motorcycle tear out of town, her heart tightened painfully and she silently said goodbye.
* * *
“Don’t cry, Meggie,” Lucas said gently. “He’ll be back.”
Meggie’s shoulders trembled as she held her hands to her face. “Oh, Lucas, how could he leave like that?”
“Well, she did throw him out,” Lucas said.
Texas Pride Page 14
