Jesse

by Cindy Stark

  He shook his head, dismissing her apology. “What did you say to them?”

  She bit her bottom lip, afraid to confess. Together, they’d built a level of trust. What if she’d just ruined it?

  Still, she didn’t have a choice. “In addition to asking to have the penalties waived, I filed amended tax returns for the past five years.”

  “You took it upon yourself to do that without mentioning it to me?”

  “Yes,” she said barely above a whisper. She took a breath and confessed the rest. “You hadn’t claimed anything for a home office, but you have one, right here. If it had worked, it would have helped you tremendously.”

  She didn’t want to ask, but she had to know. “Did I get you in trouble? Please tell me I didn’t make you owe more money.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “You didn’t think you should mention any of this to me? It’s my business after all. How did you manage to file without a signature? Did you fake mine?”

  She quickly shook her head. “No. I signed it…as business manager. I’m so sorry. I should have told you. I just didn’t want to get your hopes up, and I wanted to surprise you with good news like you did for me with Tiger Lily.” Oh, God. “Please tell me I didn’t make things worse.”

  He strode closer and shoved the notification papers toward her. She steadied her hand as she took them. Her thundering heart and his close proximity made it difficult to focus on the words. She had to reread the first sentence several times.

  Then it clicked. “Wait.” She whipped her gaze in his direction. “Have you read this?”

  He gave her a firm nod.

  His expression made no sense, and she was sure he’d misread the notice. “They’re going to refund almost ten thousand in taxes. With the recently filed amended returns, you no longer owe anything for last year, either.” She held the papers out to him with uncertainty coating her veins. “This is good news.”

  “It is,” he agreed.

  She didn’t understand him at all. She had to be missing something. “Then why aren’t you happy?”

  He snorted and closed the distance between them until she had to look up to see his face. “I am happy now that you’ve confirmed what happened. But when I first read it, I thought someone had scammed me or lied to the I.R.S. to get this money. The last thing I needed was more trouble. But you knew all along.”

  His point clicked solidly into place. “And I should have trusted you and told you.”

  He nodded his confirmation.

  “I didn’t want to get your hopes up, only to have them destroyed.” That had seemed like a damn good reason before.

  He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I get that, and I appreciate your efforts on my behalf. But, Scarlett, more than that, I need to know you trust me. Trust that I can handle whatever comes our way. I need to trust you for the same. It’s what partners do.”

  She mulled on his words and then sighed her defeat. “You’re right. I should have trusted you. I’m sorry that I didn’t.”

  She held her look of concession for all of five seconds before a smile broke through. “But seriously? Almost ten thousand? I thought maybe you’d get some, but not all.”

  The grin on his face brought tears to her eyes. “Hell yeah.”

  He pulled her to him and kissed her hard enough to melt her. “You’ve saved us. Literally saved us. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

  She gave him a playful frown. “I thought you were mad,” she accused.

  “Nah. Not really. But it did bother me that you didn’t trust me. And I did worry that it was a cruel scam.”

  “I can see that now. Trust is a big thing, and it’s important to me, too.” She studied his eyes, admiring the man more than ever. “I’ve never trusted a man before, but I do you. I want you to trust me, too.”

  He lowered his lips to hers. “I do,” he said against her mouth and then drew her into an incredible kiss.

  “We need to celebrate,” she said several moments later, her voice hoarse with desire. “I could make you a chocolate cake.”

  “Yes,” he whispered into her ear and nuzzled her neck. “You know how much I like dessert.”

  “Wait.” She pushed on his chest until she could see his face. “Which dessert are you talking about?”

  He lifted suggestive brows and scooped her into his arms.

  She laughed as he headed for the staircase. “You’re far too predictable,” she teased as she held on tightly.

  “Predictable in what I want.” A wicked glint sparked in his eye. “But maybe not in how I get it.”

  She sucked in a quick breath in anticipation of their evening.

  This was it, everything that she wanted, everything she’d been so afraid she couldn’t have. Suddenly, it appeared her dreams might come true after all.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The wintry winds tore at Scarlett’s coat and hair as she carried a load of firewood to the porch and then went to retrieve another. Luckily, Jesse was with Merle in Cody looking for ATV parts now that they had a little money, instead of out checking cattle in the winter pasture.

  Still, the weather was beastly, and a roaring fire would keep them toasty.

  As she strode across the frozen ground, fluffy, light snowflakes swirled in the air in a dance as old as time. The morning had been warmer, but a storm had arrived and a light layer of snow frosted the prairie. The guys should be on their way back by now and would hopefully be home for dinner before the snow stuck to the roads.

  When she finished with the wood, she checked on the animals for the evening before heading back inside. The moment she opened the door, the shrill ringing of the phone grabbed her.

  Instinct urged her to hurry to the phone in the office to answer before the caller hung up. It could only be one person. Lydia. No one else ever called. Well, Jesse might, but he hadn’t so far. She checked the caller’s name before she picked up, and she was right.

  “Hey Lydia.”

  “Scarlett. Jesus. Where the hell have you been?”

  “In the barn.” The frantic fear in her friend’s voice turned her blood cold. “What happened?”

  “Merle and Jesse were in an accident.”

  Her breath whooshed from her lungs like someone had punched her. “What? Are they okay?”

  “I don’t know. A friend of mine likes to listen to the police scanner. She heard a call come in, an accident on Highway Nine, said that the truck belonged to Merle. I’ve tried calling him, but no answer.”

  “No.” Her heart squeezed with fear, and she dropped into Jesse’s chair. This couldn’t happen.

  “After I couldn’t reach you, I left and headed toward Cody. No time to turn around now to come back and get you. They’ll be somewhere on that road, so I’ll drive until I find them. Hopefully, he’ll call first and let me know they’re okay.”

  Scarlett forced horrible images out of her head. “What can I do?” She’d lose her mind if she had to sit by helplessly and wait.

  “Get in Jesse’s truck and follow behind me. If the truck is off the road or the engine damaged, we’ll need a way to get it home. I sure as hell don’t want to pay for a tow truck all the way to our house.” She blew out a nervous breath. “I can’t even consider that they might not be okay.”

  “Me, either” she agreed without hesitation. “I’ll leave now. Which way do I go?”

  “Head out to the main road where you’ll turn left. Stay on that route, and you’ll find us.”

  “Got it. See you soon.” She grabbed the keys hanging near the front door and headed for Jesse’s truck. Not much of the day was left to light the world and the cold chill in the air was nothing compared to the icy fear plowing through her veins.

  It wasn’t until she was behind the wheel that she realized she hadn’t driven since that horrific day with Hank. Here it was, another awful day.

  That one had ultimately ended okay. This one would as well. She couldn’t believe otherwise.

 
Resolved to hold it together, she started the engine and headed out the driveway turning toward Cody. A slight skiff of snow covered the road, making her nervous. She needed to know what conditions she’d deal with, so she tested the brakes by applying extra pressure. The truck stopped perfectly fine indicating roads weren’t frozen over just yet.

  Reassured, she accelerated, keeping her speed reasonable.

  After a few miles, she wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and gripped the steering wheel tighter. The roads had gotten considerably slicker and snowflakes had thickened, adding to her anxieties. She passed a few farmhouses with lights on, but most of the road was dark and quiet.

  She constantly battled to keep her fears from overtaking her sanity. She needed to see Jesse, needed to know he wasn’t hurt. On a road this deserted, it could take a long time for emergency help to reach them. What if something serious happened? What if help hadn’t arrived in time?

  After nearly ten miles without seeing any of their vehicles, Scarlett’s nerves had frayed beyond reason. Where on earth were they? What if they were all bloody and hurting by now? Anything could have happened, and she had no way to know. Damn it. She should have asked Jesse for a cheap cell phone. Service in the area wasn’t great, but eventually, she might have gained some information, at least from Lydia.

  Up ahead, she spotted headlights at the entrance to a farmhouse, another poor soul waiting for her to pass so that they, too, could traverse this treacherous night. As she passed the truck, an eerie chill crept over her. The truck looked similar enough to Hank’s to resuscitate the horrors of her previous life. That was all she needed on top of her current worries. But she’d received Marie’s email that morning confirming he’d been home.

  When, she wondered, would she ever be free of him?

  The truck pulled out behind her, and she wished the occupants well on this snowiest of nights. God willing, they’d all make it home safe and sound. Especially Jesse and Merle.

  In the distance, flickers of blue and red flashed on the horizon and her stomach clenched. Emergency vehicles. Usually present when someone was hurt.

  Knowing better but unable to help herself, she pressed harder on the gas. The tires slipped a little, forcing her to ease up again. Her heart warred with her head, both vying to control the situation. She needed to be there, with Jesse, now.

  Without warning, Jesse’s truck lurched forward with a sudden jerk. It took her several panicked seconds to realize the truck she’d passed had crept up behind her and had—

  The sound of metal screeching against metal ripped through the quiet night as the truck hit her again. Full-blown fear exploded inside her as the back end of Jesse’s Dodge turned and the whole truck slid sideways down the road.

  Dear God. Hank. It had to be. He’d found her. Alone. On a snowy, winter night, where he’d assured the odds would be in his favor. He must have left after Marie checked on him, but how could he have known she’d be here?

  Despite the panic raging like wildfire through her, Scarlett resisted slamming the brakes and instead turned the wheel into the slide to regain control of the truck. She straightened it on the road, grateful she still traveled in a forward direction. God help her.

  Hank’s black beast bore down on her again, and she knew she had to do something, or this evening would end badly. Praying she could engage his basic instincts, she gave a quick tap to the brakes. Not enough to cause her to lose control, but Hank immediately reacted as she’d hoped and the headlights on his truck turned away from her, circling before coming to a stop.

  “Yes,” she hissed at her small victory and focused on the road ahead.

  He wouldn’t give it up. No way. But now she had a head start, and she knew what was behind her. She also knew Jesse kept a pistol in his glove box. She’d use it if she had to.

  This time would not end like the last one.

  Hank’s headlights bore down on her again. With her heart racing, she pressed harder on the gas. Her rear-end fishtailed, forcing her to reduce her speed and twisting her stomach into tighter knots. Obviously, Hank’s tires were better than Jesse’s. He’d probably held off replacing them to save money.

  Sweat built between her hands and the steering wheel, and she gripped it tighter to compensate. She needed to hold the road until she could reach those emergency vehicles ahead. Five minutes. Max.

  Bam.

  The collision jerked her head and caused the truck to slide to the left. “Son of a bitch,” she yelled but managed to keep control.

  Then, before he hit her again, she felt it, the slight loss of steering as the truck slid on ice, then more. She tried to turn into it to regain control, but no go. The side of the road raced toward her at an alarming rate, and she closed her eyes as she careened toward the ditch. She sent a silent prayer of thanks that Tiger Lily wasn’t with her this time.

  Metal crunched as the truck jerked to a stop. The seatbelt cut into her neck as the airbag exploded in her face.

  Silence descended for an explicably long moment as she fought to fill her lungs. Still in the throes of panic, she dropped sideways on the seat and fumbled to open the glove box. Before she could wrap her fingers around the pistol, the truck door flew open, letting in a rush of frosty air. She whipped her gaze around, hatred fueling her actions. She kicked at him as she grabbed for the weapon that would save her.

  Before she could latch on, Hank gripped her ankles, bruising her, and jerked her toward him.

  Terror infused her as she lay flat on the seat before him. She would have kicked again, but he’d nestled his body between her legs, leaving her far too vulnerable.

  “Let me go!” She fought to sit up, to gain a more protective position, but he shoved her backward.

  “No,” he said in a calm voice that chilled her. “Not ever again. You’ll either be with me or be dead like your boyfriend.”

  Had he caused Merle and Jesse’s accident, too? She choked on bile that rose in her throat. “He’s not dead,” she croaked. She couldn’t accept that.

  A gleeful smiled played on his lips. “You thought you could hide. You should have known better.”

  She shivered. “How did you find me?”

  “Took me a while. I’ll give you that. But I knew that bitch Marie had something to do with it. In the end, my persistence paid off. I remembered she had a sister, so I paid a couple of visits to this area.”

  A couple? The thought that he’d been around more than once and she hadn’t known left her ill.

  “You almost got away with it. I’d decided it would be my last visit when I knocked on her sister’s door. They did a pretty good job convincing me…until I noticed four coffee cups and three people. Then it became obvious you were hiding in the kitchen and your boyfriend was blocking the path. I wasn’t stupid enough to take them all on at once. This way works much better.”

  She wished he would have come after her that day. He would have figured out she wasn’t in the kitchen and would have checked the barn. She could have blown him away then and spared her friends the danger.

  He placed the heel of his palm against her core. “This belongs to me. Any motherfucker who touches it has to die.” He pressed harder until she cried out.

  “No. I’m not yours. I never will be again.” She had to find a way to get that gun. It was her only hope.

  “Did you fuck him like a whore?” His voice wasn’t so controlled now. Anger rolled off him in waves, leaving her trembling.

  If she told the truth, he might kill her on the spot, and she intended to live. If he’d taken Jesse from her, he wouldn’t be able to run far enough to escape her wrath. “No, I only worked for him.”

  He slapped her across the face. Her ears rang as the sting of it silenced her.

  “Don’t lie to me. I’ll be able to smell him on you, you know. If I do and you’ve lied…” A sick grin crossed his lips.

  What the hell had happened to him? He’d been cruel when she’d lived with him, but she’d never witnessed the crazed man
iac that stood before her.

  “I’m not lying,” she whispered, certain he wouldn’t be able to smell anything.

  He buried his nose against her crotch and sniffed deeply.

  Taking advantage of the opportunity, she reached for the glove box, but her fingers barely grazed the edge.

  “You’re lucky this time,” he said as he straightened. “But you still have other crimes to pay for.”

  Was he beyond reasoning? “I honored our marriage vows. But you’d hurt me, and I couldn’t stay.”

  “I only gave you what you deserved. Just like I’m going to now.” He jerked her from the truck and shoved her to the cold ground below. She landed hard on her knees, sending a shock of pain rifling through her.

  He gripped her hair and jerked her head back. Snowflakes rained down on her face. “You haven’t been gone so long that you’ve forgotten how this goes.”

  Horror surrounded her like a lethal mist. She couldn’t do this. Not again. She’d promised herself, not ever again. “I’m sorry, Hank. I didn’t mean to hurt you by leaving.”

  “Ah, hell.” His laughter rang out through the frigid night. “You didn’t hurt me. You couldn’t hurt me if you tried.” The look in his eye turned deadly. “You pissed me off.”

  Sent him into a psychotic rage was more like it.

  He tugged harder on her hair until she winced. “This isn’t going to go well for you, either way. But you can do what I say like an obedient wife, or I will kill your boyfriend.”

  What? Hope sparked bright in her heart. “I thought you said he was dead.”

  A flash of uncertainty crossed his face but then was gone a second later. He’d screwed up, and she’d caught it. He wasn’t as infallible as he liked to think.

  “He has to die, Scarlett. You can lie all you want, but I know he touched you. He defiled what was mine. The question is, do you want him to die painfully or quick?” He unbuttoned his jeans and lowered his zipper. “The choice is yours.”

  She had no choice. Her only hope was to buy more time, to pray that someone would come along like Marie had before. But the likelihood of that in this desolate area was slim, even on a good day.