“No need to leave,” Douglas said icily. “Jake was just telling us all about you before you came in.”
“Well…” And probably because she didn’t know what else to do, Jessie shrugged. “That’s nice.”
“Nice, my foot.” Willa gave her husband a scolding glance. “Jake hasn’t told us anything other than that the two of you recently met. That hardly qualifies as ‘all about you.’ I thought maybe you could fill us in where he left off.”
But Jake didn’t get a chance to run interference for Jessie. Outside, he heard the dogs barking, and he quickly crossed the room to the window. Barreling up the road was an oversize black luxury car, and the Dobermans were in hot pursuit.
Jessie joined him at the window. “Someone you know?” she asked in a frantic whisper.
“No.” He didn’t take the time to soothe the terrified expression that took control of her. He made eye contact with his sister. “We have a problem. Take Jessie and Ellen to my office, and lock the door. Then call the security company and ask them why they didn’t respond to a breach at the gate.”
The three had already started to move, when the phone rang. Without taking his eyes off the approaching car, Jake snatched it up. “McClendon.”
“Call off your dogs,” the man snarled. “This is Abel Markham and we need to talk.”
Markham. He was absolutely the last person Jake expected to see this morning. “How’d you get through the gate?”
“It was wide open.” The car came to a screeching stop in front of the house. “Now call off those dogs.” And with that order, he hung up.
“It’s Markham,” Jake relayed. “He wants to talk.”
“I must have forgotten to close the gate when I drove through,” Willa volunteered. “Sorry.”
The lapse in security didn’t please Jake, but he’d deal with that later. Right now he had a more urgent problem on his hands. Curiosity alone was enough to prompt him to see Markham. But this was about more that just plain curiosity. Maybe this was the first step in getting some answers about who’d fired those shots.
Jake turned to Jessie. It didn’t take a mind reader to know she didn’t want to be left alone with Willa and Douglas. The alternative was going with him. If Markham was behind the plot, then Jake didn’t think it was a good idea for them to be in the same room. Especially if Jessie didn’t have anything to do with the scheme. And if she did have something to do with it, well, it was pretty obvious that her conspirator now wanted her dead. So it was best if she stayed put.
“I won’t be long,” he said.
“But what if—”
He shook his head, cutting her off. “Markham’s not going to do anything stupid with this many witnesses around.” But he wasn’t nearly as confident as he hoped he sounded. The truth was, he didn’t know what was about to happen. But one thing was for sure: he planned to be armed.
“I’m coming with you,” Douglas insisted.
Jake didn’t waste time trying to talk him out of it. He stopped by the hall closet, took a gun from the top shelf and slipped it into the back waist of his jeans. “Just a precaution,” he told Douglas when he noted the renewed look of concern in his eyes.
The moment Jake stepped outside, he signaled the dogs. As they’d been trained to do, they immediately stopped barking and eased away from the car. However, they didn’t leave. They came onto the porch and stood like vigilant sentries next to Douglas and him.
Markham stepped out from the car. He was alone and obviously furious. He stomped up the steps, his meaty hands clenched in fists at his side, his polished shoes smacking against the limestone. His face was flushed, making the tiny broken veins on his nose even more noticeable.
“What the hell are you trying to do to me?” Markham bellowed.
“Beat you in an election?” Jake could tell that wasn’t the answer his political opponent wanted to hear. “Why are you here?”
The man stopped a few inches away. He was so close, Jake could smell his breath. Coffee laced with whiskey. “You know why. You set the cops on me. They called last night to talk to me about some shots that you say were fired at you.”
Evidently, Markham hadn’t heard the cop’s latest theory about the botched robbery. Jake wouldn’t mention it to his guest. He would let Markham stew a little longer.
“The police think you had something to do with that?” Douglas asked.
“No! Hell, no! They’re just acting on McClendon’s word. Or maybe yours. Well, I’m here to tell you both to call them off. I won’t have my good name dragged through the mud by some little pissants like you.”
“Your name’s already been dragged through the mud,” Jake calmly reminded him. “Between the big payoffs from the special-interest groups and your questionable campaign funds, you’ve got mud all over your name. That’s why I’m running against you. And that’s the reason I’ll win. The days of good-old-boy politics are over.”
“They’re not over and neither is this.” He jammed his finger against Jake’s chest. “If you mention my name in the same breath as you do this shooting, then I’ll sue you for every penny you’ve got.”
Jake knocked Markham’s hand away, but it was Douglas who answered. “Maybe we should sue you when you bring up that woman that they found dead on Jake’s property last year. Every chance you get, you remind the media about Christy Mendoza’s death, and you know Jake didn’t have a thing to do with that. It was an accident.”
Markham smiled. “I don’t know that. How do I know my worthy opponent isn’t into hurting women? Everybody knows he practically killed his wife when he talked her into having that baby. Of course, his daddy’s will made it hard for him to pass up all that money. A man who’d want a kid just to collect a trust fund—”
“Careful.” Jake’s voice dropped. “You don’t want to go there, Markham. Ever. This visit is over. If you’re still here in thirty seconds, the dogs will consider you an intruder and attack.” He turned and started back inside. He didn’t get far.
Jessie was in the foyer, and from the wary look on her face, Jake realized she’d heard at least part of the conversation. Definitely the last part. And that was something he hadn’t wanted her to hear.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, her voice brittle.
“Fine. Markham was just leaving.”
Jake followed Jessie’s suddenly fixed gaze to the man on the porch. A malicious smile shoved up the corner of Markham’s thin mouth when he gave Jessie a long, lingering look. And with that smile still in place, Abel Markham strolled back to his car.
Chapter Six
Jessie stood in the living room and watched as Jake said goodbye to Willa and Douglas. He’d been borderline rude in insisting they leave. Still, she didn’t blame him. The morning hadn’t gotten off to a good start with their visit and then Markham’s arrival. Combined with the awful night they’d had, Jake had probably reached his limit.
She certainly had.
The pretend kiss hadn’t helped. It had done funny things to her body. Jessie tried to blame those funny things on the pregnancy, but it wasn’t her condition causing it. This was some kind of spooky attraction to a man she shouldn’t be attracted to in any way, shape or form. There was just one problem. She didn’t know how to make it stop.
“Are you all right?” Jake asked, walking toward her.
Only then did Jessie realize she’d been staring at him. And there was certainly a lot of him to stare at. He was every bit the cowboy. Jeans, worn white in places she wished weren’t so obvious, particularly around the zipper area. Boots, scuffed on the toes. A blue cotton shirt that showed nearly every muscle the man had.
“I just have a headache,” she answered while she quickly tried to regroup. He already believed she was a possible criminal. Best not to let him think she was stupid, as well. “So Markham’s the man that you believe is behind this?”
“It’s a strong possibility.” He caught her hand and led her to a comfortable, overstuffed chair. “Did y
ou recognize his voice?”
“No. He wasn’t one of the men at the warehouse.” She felt a dizzy spell coming on. Or some kind of spell. Unfortunately, whenever she was near Jake, her body seemed to malfunction. It didn’t help when he put his hand on the back of her neck. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to help you get rid of that headache.” He began to massage her stiff neck muscles. Jessie sighed before she could stop herself.
“About Markham,” Jake continued. “No weird feelings about him being connected to what happened?”
“No. Not really.” But there was no way Jessie could pass up the opportunity Markham had given her to ask about Christy’s death. “I heard him mention the woman who died here at the ranch. Since she worked at the cantina, maybe he’s trying to connect you with her death. And mine. The authorities would probably dig hard if two of Ray’s employees ended up dead and both were somehow connected to you.”
“But then we’re back to why would Markham go through the trouble of having you inseminated?”
“I don’t know. Maybe some psychological ploy to get to you. And maybe your vials really were destroyed at Cryogen. Perhaps Markham had the kidnappers mention your name so I’d go to the cops with it.”
Of course, that didn’t explain why Markham would want her dead.
“Speaking of the cops, they called this morning,” he calmly stated. “They think those shots fired at us yesterday were all a mistake. A robbery took place nearby.”
Jessie let that sink in. It didn’t sink in well. “So they’re not really going to investigate it?”
His fingers stilled. “They didn’t say that specifically, but I got the impression such an investigation wouldn’t be a top priority.”
“And my kidnapping?”
“They stopped by the warehouse where you told them you were held. Nothing. It was empty and apparently hasn’t been used in years. The cops said they would continue to look into it.” He started the massage again. A little lower, though. He worked his fingers inside the collar of her shirt.
Jessie shook her head in frustration. “But you don’t really think they will, because I’m just a cocktail waitress with a far-fetched story?”
“They didn’t say that.”
“No, but that’s what they’re thinking.” It made her want to phone the police and tell them everything. Of course, it probably wouldn’t do any good. She truly didn’t know anything that would lead them to the person behind this plan to kill her.
“My security people came up with some information on Dr. Radelman,” he continued. “He just started a six-month project in South America. He can’t even be reached by phone.”
She blew out a long breath. “Well, that’s convenient. I guess his boss figures I’ll be dead before then.”
“But apparently Dr. Radelman still has a house here in San Antonio. He’s not married. No family nearby. It’s also for sale. So that means the house will be empty.”
That got her attention. “And?”
“I thought I might like to have a look around it. Tonight.”
Jessie angled her head and looked back at him. This wasn’t some empty gesture on his part. A guy like Jake didn’t go prowling around a stranger’s house unless he had reason to think he’d find something. “Are you starting to believe what I told you?”
“Maybe. Some parts of it, anyway.”
But he still didn’t trust her. Jessie heard that loud and clear. It was just as well. She didn’t trust him, either.
It did drive home a point, though—she desperately needed someone on her side. She needed a friend, and there was only one person who fit that bill. Just as soon as she could get a few minutes to herself, she would call Byron.
Jake walked around the front of her chair and dropped down onto the leather ottoman only a few inches from her knees. The new position put them nearly face-to-face. And eye-to-eye. Since Jessie didn’t care for that, she decided to get his baby blues to focus on something else.
“Say, while you’re down there, I have a cramp in the arch of my right foot. Why don’t you put those magic fingers to good use?”
He didn’t hesitate. Jake pulled her foot into his lap, put her strappy sandal aside and got to work. Jessie leaned her head back on the chair and smiled before she could stop herself. “I think you missed your calling, McClendon. You should have been a masseur.”
“I’ll keep that in mind if the political career doesn’t work out.” His fingers continued to circle her arch. “By the way, have you given any thought to the baby?”
She tensed up again. Great. Why had he brought up the baby now? “It’s hard not to think about it.”
He made a sound of agreement. Paused. And then repeated the sound. “Will you actually carry it to term?”
“Of course.”
Jessie hadn’t even considered an alternative. And wouldn’t. It was odd. Aside from Christy and Byron, there was no one she’d felt truly connected to. But there was a connection with this child. And it was already so incredibly strong, so permanent, so real that it seemed as if this tiny, precious life had always been there. There were no limits to that kind of love. And no limits to what she would do to protect her baby.
“But what about the circumstances of the conception?” he asked.
That wasn’t idle curiosity in his voice. Nor was it the question of a man trying to work out the details of the sinister plan that had thrown them together. There was genuine concern in his eyes.
“Call it my personal convictions—whatever. I’ll have this child.”
“And afterward? After it’s born?”
Jessie took a deep breath. “I haven’t thought beyond that. I never planned to have kids. Heck, I never even wanted to get married.”
“Why not?”
She started to say nothing about her childhood. That’s what she had always done when people asked, but it didn’t work this time. Jessie wanted him to hear the ugly truth—maybe that would put some emotional distance back between them. This odd sort of closeness wasn’t something she wanted to feel.
“My father was a worthless excuse for a human being who used to beat my mother just to prove to her how much he loved her. I decided when I was a kid that I didn’t want any man to have that kind of control over me. Besides, I can have this child on my own. I have a little money put aside and I’ll do what’s necessary.”
“Just like that?” His eyes skimmed over her. “You’ve made up your mind about this baby so soon? You only found out for sure that you were pregnant yesterday.”
That seemed a lifetime ago. She’d aged a dozen years overnight.
“My decision has nothing to do with how much time has passed.” Her breath caught, when he rubbed a sensitive spot on her foot. “It’s a decision of the heart. Not very rational, I know. Still, it’s the only decision I can live with.”
When the massage abruptly stopped, Jessie lifted her head. He was staring at her. “Have you felt the baby move?”
“I think it’s too soon for that. The only thing I feel is a sort of pressure in my lower abdomen.” She slid her hand over the spot. “It doesn’t hurt or anything. I’m just aware of it.”
“Here—?” He reached out and placed his hand over hers. It was probably a mistake, but she looked at him again. Their gazes met. Held. That unwavering, almost pleading look in his eyes caused her breath to stall in her throat. Slowly, she pulled back her hand, leaving only his warm palm on her stomach. He kept it there a second, then two, before he eased it away.
“Water,” Jessie finally managed to say. “I’d like a glass of water.” She had already started to get to her feet, but Jake simply put his hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll get it.” He rose and went to the bar. Silently, he stood there for a moment, his back to her, before he opened a bottle of water and poured it into a glass.
Something had just happened. Jessie was sure of it. But what? And did she want to know? No, she finally decided. After looking at Jake’s still un
easy expression, she knew she definitely wanted him to keep his thoughts to himself.
IT WAS HIS CHILD.
Jake knew it. He just didn’t know how he knew it.
God. A baby. His baby. He handed Jessie her water and quickly walked back to the window. He couldn’t face her yet. He had to steady his heart first.
He’d accused her of lying, of trying to con him. Maybe she was, but if so the con didn’t extend to the child she carried. No, that part of her story was real.
The baby was real.
He braced his hands on the bar and took a deep breath. He had to get out of there, away from her. He needed some time to think. “I have to go out for a while. Errands. I’ll probably be gone most of the afternoon. Tomorrow, I’d like to have a doctor examine you.” He waited for Jessie to object. She didn’t. She didn’t say anything. “You can trust this man. I’ve known him for years.”
“Good.” Her voice was soft and small.
Did she sense something was wrong? He hoped not.
“The doctor will want a medical history,” Jake continued. His grip tightened on the bar. “You should probably tell him you were inseminated and how they did the procedure.” He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Did they do all of this in that warehouse?”
“Yes.” She cleared her throat and repeated the response to give it some sound. “But they’d fixed up a section to look more like a cell. Padded walls. Locks. They kept a guard posted outside the door at all times.”
That wasn’t the easiest description for him to hear. “Did you ever try to escape?”
“Of course. Several times. Once I even braided my hair and tried to use it to put the guard in a choke hold. It didn’t work. He just backhanded me and then cut off my hair.”
Jake cursed under his breath. Such violent beginnings for the conception of his child. If she was telling the truth, then it was almost as if she’d been raped.
“Anyway, I did escape the day I heard them say they were going to, um, kill me,” Jessie continued. She stumbled over her words. “They gave me a shot, and I pretended it hit me fast. I was woozy, but I guess they thought I was completely out of it. For whatever reason, they didn’t lock the door, so I got out of there as fast as I could. I hid in a Dumpster for a while. That’s when I saw the newspaper that said you’d be at the Riverwalk Hotel.”
His Child Page 7
