He spent the morning fine-tuning the plans with his foreman. Then he drove to the Town Hall and verified the zoning clearances before stopping on the off-chance of catching the mayor.
“Hey, Trudy. You’re looking particularly lovely today.” He leaned on the receptionist’s counter and grinned at his mother’s best friend. “Is the big man available?”
She giggled, her ample bosom jiggling under a Hawaiian-styled caftan. She pushed red-rimmed glasses up her nose and peered through the bifocal lenses at an ancient computer. “You’re just in time. Better make it quick, he has a meeting with Ocean and Fisheries in half an hour.” She raised a pencil-thin eyebrow.
Jake nodded and tapped the counter. “Yes, ma’am. I promise not to make him late.” He strode toward the closed door leading to the mayor’s office. “See you at Sunday dinner.”
“You bet your bottom,” she chirped. “I’m making my famous strawberry cream pie for dessert.”
He groaned. “You’re going to make me fat if you keep feeding me like that.”
She snorted. “I have to, I’ve tasted your cooking.”
“Hey,” he protested, hand on the door knob. “I thought you liked my cooking.”
She shook her head and tsked. “You might be able to fool that honey-child of yours, but Mona spilled the beans. She brings meals over and all you need to do is reheat them. Good thing too, little Janey needs her strength.”
Jake smiled, though his earlier humor had disappeared. “She’ll be happy to see you, she knows who spoils her.”
“She’s easy to spoil. You have a beautiful little girl. Just like her mother.”
He opened the door, anxious to escape his demons. “I better get in there. Thanks, Trudy.”
The mayor looked up from the file he’d been reading as Trudy called out, “Jacob Samuels is here to see you.”
Jake quirked his brow. “Got a minute?”
Trace stood and held out his hand in greeting. “For you, anytime. What brings you into town on a Thursday? I heard business has been good lately.”
Jake shook his friend’s hand and took a seat, appreciative of the soft leather upholstery. “Can’t complain. That’s why I stopped by, actually. I was hoping you could tell me who the owners of the new health spa are. I have a few questions for them but can’t seem to get past their legal team.”
Trace unhooked the single button holding his steel gray suit jacket fastened and resumed his chair. He closed the thick manila file, rested his hand with its heavy gold band on top and shook his head, his mouth wry. “We go back a long way, but even for you I can’t reveal a private organization until they want it acknowledged.”
Frustration drove Jake to the edge of his seat. “What’s with the cloak and dagger attitude? Anyone could be forgiven for thinking you have a vested interest in getting this passed with as little fanfare as possible.” Guilt flashed in the other man’s blue eyes. Jake gripped the arms of the chair, his fingers digging furrows into the leather. “That’s it, isn’t it? Tell me what’s going on,” he demanded.
Trace shoved his chair back and strode to the floor-to-ceiling bank of windows overlooking the manicured front lawn of the Town Hall. A giant chestnut tree provided shade for the picnic table that sat beneath. A couple of teenagers were taking advantage of the space now, butts planted on the tabletop, feet resting on the bench as they tapped away on their cell phones.
“Did you realize it’s been fifteen years since our graduation?” he said, hands twisting behind his back.
Jake frowned. Where was he going with this?
He joined Trace at the window and gazed at the young couple outside. He and Annie had been like that; happy as long as they were together. The soft glow of memories accompanied the lingering ache of loss. Childhood sweethearts and married at just eighteen. None of that mattered, though—they’d been crazy in love. She’d wanted to start a family right away, but it had taken eight years and countless specialist visits to make it happen. She’d named Jane after her mother, and they’d assumed the worst was behind them.
They’d assumed wrong.
“What does that have to do with the health spa?” Jacob growled, angry the past he kept carefully buried was creeping to the surface. Trace turned a sympathetic gaze on him, which didn’t help.
“We used to be close, you, me, Mona and Annie. Life was simpler back then.” Trace sighed. “Sally owns the land. She blames our divorce on Mona and now she’s determined to ruin your family. I tried to talk her out of it, but…,” he shrugged, “you know how she can be.”
Sally.
As in Sally Michaels, Trace’s ex-wife and master manipulator. Thanks to that damn contract he’d signed, Jake had climbed into bed with a snake.
Chapter 9
Jake rubbed the back of his neck and tried to come up with a way out of this mess. Mona would be heartbroken if she lost the restaurant. She’d put everything she had into making the place a success, so she could give her daughter chances she’d never had. “Isn’t this a conflict of interest, or something?”
Trace shook his head, his mouth grim. “We were divorced before she snuck behind my back and had the land signed into her name. It’s legal, all right.” He gripped Jake’s arm. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I want you and Mona to know I’ll do whatever I can to stop this insanity, but you should be prepared for the worst. With Sally’s daddy getting dementia the way he did, she now controls the family reins—in other words, there’s nothing standing in her way.”
“We’ll see about that.” Jake strode toward the door, anger roiling in his gut. How had the day gone so wrong? He’d started out his morning full of excitement. This job would’ve been the one to cement his business on the island, allowing him more time with Jane. Now, he’d be lucky not to get embroiled in a legal battle with Sally Michaels and a war with his sister. Mona knew how important this was to him, she would fight him tooth and nail over giving it up, but they were family, he had no choice. It was funny in a sad kind of way the roads the four of them had traveled since high school. One had become a single mother and restaurant owner, another a politician, himself as a carpenter, and… Annie.
He turned and raised a hand in farewell. “I’ll keep in touch. I’d appreciate if you returned the favor.”
“Of course,” Trace said. He hesitated, “Tell your sister I was asking about her.”
Jake nodded and left the room, waving at Trudy on his way out the door. He’d never agreed with Mona’s insistence on keeping Sam’s paternity a secret. Trace deserved to know he had a child. Frankly, it was a mystery how she’d kept it from him this long; Samantha was the spitting image of her daddy. The longer Mona put it off, the more she jeopardized her relationship with her daughter. And speaking of daughters… He owed his girl an apology. He’d been unnecessarily harsh with her the night before and hadn’t even acknowledged her accomplishment at learning the rudiments of chess. He needed to exercise better control of his emotions around Josie. She was trying, he had to give credit where it was due. Jane had seemed happier the last couple of weeks. He’d come home more than once to the sweet sound of her laughter filling the once cold house.
The one he’d bought for Annie.
She’d always dreamed of a house on a hill overlooking the sea and he’d done everything in his power to give her that dream. But it had cost him in ways he couldn’t have foreseen.
When the booming economy slumped, he worked longer hours and was forced to place a second mortgage on the house. It caused numerous arguments. Annie felt abandoned and he’d been overwhelmed. He regretted it now, but it was too late. All he could do was pick up the pieces of their lives and try his damnedest to make it right.
He got into his pickup, parked in the shade of the big old chestnut tree, and glanced at the box on the floor. Good, still sleeping. His foreman had hounded him for weeks to take one of the nine puppies his Retriever had given birth to. Jake had put him off, the extra responsibility involved with training a young dog more
than he wanted to handle on top of everything else, but then he’d overheard Thomas’s plans to put the young pup down because he was the runt of the litter and no one wanted him. Jake couldn’t let that happen, so he told the man to bring the animal to work and he’d take him. Thomas’s grin had said it all—gullible much?
“What are we going to call you? Mischief maybe? Sampson? Apollo?” The pup stared up at him with timid chocolate brown eyes, then, as though he couldn’t help himself, his mouth opened on a jaw-cracking yawn, revealing a row of prickly baby teeth and a pink tongue. Jacob smiled. “Energetic little critter, aren’t you? Hope that black mouth means you’re a smart one. Jane’s going to be a pushover where you’re concerned, so I’m counting on you to follow the rules, got it?” The pup tipped his head, ears cocked forward to catch every word. He gave a little whining-yelp, turned a couple of circles in the box, and curled into a furry golden ball.
“Not much of a talker, huh?”
Jacob started the truck and drove the winding road up to his home, taken as always by the grandeur of his surroundings. A robin’s egg blue sky drifted into hazy clouds over the Rocky Mountains across the strait. It had been a while since he’d taken the time to just breathe in the aromatic cedar forests and the briny, bracing scent of the ocean. Even longer since he’d taken a day to enjoy it. Maybe he’d see if Jane wanted to take the puppy to the beach. Eagerness moved through his chest. They could have a picnic, spend some quality father-daughter time together. It would be like the old days, before…
He shook his head and turned up the driveway. No negative thoughts allowed. It was time he moved on. In a way, the accident had handicapped him as much as his daughter. He’d spent the past two years in a black fog of pain, so thick and impenetrable he feared he’d never escape. He was ashamed to admit he hadn’t been the support Jane needed, he’d left most of the emotional side of things for his sister to handle. And now, he felt the distance between them keenly. He glanced at the pup waking from its nap and hoped his daughter would accept the peace offering as the beginning of a new chapter for them—a chance at redemption.
Josie massaged Jane’s ankles and calves. An important part of rehabilitation was not giving the muscle mass a chance to atrophy. To that end, she’d set up a regimen of easy exercises her young charge could work on twice a day without overtaxing her strength. Except, Jane had done too many repetitions and now was suffering with a Charlie horse in her right thigh. She’d only stepped out of the weight room for a moment and had left Jane safely ensconced on the floor surrounded by a mound of pillows. She’d assumed the child would be fine. Jane’s determination to succeed could carry her far, she only needed to learn how to harness it. This was actually great news—it meant feeling was returning to the damaged tissue, but she didn’t think Jane saw it in the same light.
“I don’t want to get better if it’s going to hurt this bad.” Tears glistened on thick, dark lashes. “Make it go away,” she cried.
“Tell me a story, honey. It’ll help to get the pain off of your mind.” Josie smiled encouragingly. Poor kid, she’d been through so much already. The tendons in her leg stood out like a ridge of mountains marching across her skin
“A… a story about what?” Jane hiccupped.
Josie brushed a soft brown curl behind a delicate ear. “Whatever you like. How about a campfire tale? I’ll start and then you carry on, sound good?”
Jane nodded, tears forgotten.
The muscles under her fingers were loosening, and Josie sighed her relief. “Okay, here we go,” she said. “The Anderson family went on a long-awaited camping trip deep into the forest. They pitched a tent, set up camp and built a fire. After a big dinner of hot dogs and s’mores, the family settled around the fire to relax before bedtime. Just then they heard a strange noise, c…rick, c…rick. ‘What was that?’ cried Momma Anderson.
“Your turn.” Josie smiled at Jane’s rapt look.
“I don’t know what to do,” the little girl said.
“Just say whatever comes to mind. There’s no wrong answer here, we’re making it up as we go.”
Jane gave an uncertain nod. “‘Umm, maybe it’s an owl,’ Daddy Anderson said. He got to his feet and searched the dark woods. ‘Maybe we should go to bed now.’
‘Aw, Daddy,’ the kids cried. ‘We aren’t tired.’
C…rick, c…rick.
Everyone froze.
‘I think it’s hungry,’ the youngest Anderson boy said.
‘Yeah, and it likes little boys,’ the eldest girl replied.
‘None of that now,’ Daddy warned. ‘We’re a team, remember?’”
Jane pointed at Josie. “Your turn,” she said, her honey-brown eyes sparkling.
Josie stood and brought the wheelchair over. “Let’s get you into the bath before your dad gets home. He doesn’t want to hug a stinky girl,” she teased. She helped Jane into the chair and leaned over to release the brake.
“But what about the Andersons?” Jane asked, twisting so she could meet Josie’s gaze.
“Well…” Josie started. Just then they heard a strange sound at the front of the house.
C…rick, crick.
They froze, staring at each other with wide eyes.
“Th… That’s not funny,” Jane whispered.
She had that right.
Who was in the house and how did they get in? It didn’t matter, she needed to keep Jane safe. “Shh.” She put a finger to her lips and searched for a nearby weapon. The exercise room was well equipped, but the dumbbell was too heavy, the weights too dangerous—she didn’t want to kill whoever it was—and nothing else was handy. The strange sounds came again. Left without options, Josie picked up the lightest weight she could find, five pounds, and hid the wheelchair behind the door.
“Stay here until I see what’s going on,” she murmured, waiting long enough to make sure Jane understood before edging into the hall. Her hands were slippery on the makeshift weapon and her heartbeat was so loud in her ears it was a wonder the whole house didn’t hear it. How come heroines on TV handled life and death situations with assurance? She was close to hyperventilating. Then she heard the unmistakable sounds of a puppy yipping and Jacob’s reassuring response and her insides turned to goo. He’d bought his daughter a pet.
“We’re in the exercise room,” she called, and hurried back to her charge’s side, pulse fluttering wildly. “Dad’s home,” she told Jane and smiled at the relief shining in the little girl’s eyes. No more campfire stories for a while, their nerves couldn’t take it.
Jacob rounded the door a minute later, a wiggling cardboard box in his hands. He met her gaze for a warm instant before he turned his attention to his daughter. “I brought you something,” he said. He kneeled beside her and lifted the blanket covering the box. A wet nose poked out the top, followed by chocolate brown eyes and cupped ears. A roly-poly puppy stared out at them, its golden fur falling in waves down its back.
“A puppy,” Jane cried. “You brought me a puppy.” Tears ran down her cheeks as she reached out tentative fingers to touch the dog.
Jacob looked up at Josie helplessly. “What’s wrong? Why is she crying?”
Josie’s heart squeezed. “Nothing is wrong. She’s just incredibly happy. You did a good thing here, Daddy.”
He met her gaze with gratitude and a touch of heat—or maybe she was transmitting her emotions onto him. Whatever it was, it sent her equilibrium skittering and the next thing she knew the five-pound weight she’d been holding slipped from her hand and dropped onto his arm with a dull thud.
His mouth opened in a stunned oh, the box tipped and out fell the pup, who scrambled onto his feet and scurried down the hall, like Josie wished she could do right about now. Jane screeched, and Jacob cradled his arm and scowled. “All in a day’s work, Miss Sparks?”
She heaved a giant sigh—indeed.
Chapter 10
Jake calmed his daughter as Josie rushed down the hall in hot pursuit of the runaway puppy. No
t even in the house for two minutes and the mutt was causing as much disruption as the therapist. What had happened to his mundane life?
He rubbed his arm and glanced down at the weight resting against his foot, for once grateful he had to wear heavy safety boots on the job sites. The look on Josie’s pretty face had been priceless. She’d apologized ten times over, and probably still would have been doing so if he hadn’t sent her running after the dog.
He took Jane’s hand. “What were you guys doing in the weight room?” She looked flushed. Hopefully, she wasn’t coming down sick again. Since the accident her immunity wasn’t at its best. He brushed wispy bangs off her forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”
Her reply was to lean away from his touch, her attention on the empty hallway. “I’m fine, Dad,” she said impatiently. “Where are they? What happens if he gets out?” She turned big brown eyes on him. “The road isn’t very far away, he could get hurt. Come on, let’s help Josie.” She backed the chair up with the controls and turned the wheels, preparing to slide past him just as Josie rounded the corner, a squiggling puppy in her arms.
“You found him,” Jane called, hero worship apparent in her expression. She clapped her hands and held them out to receive the pup. Jake tensed, ready to jump to the rescue if the animal was too feisty, but he needn’t have worried. Josie set the dog on her lap, then kept a calming hand on its back. Jane sat completely still, as though not sure what to do now that she held the pup.
Jake understood how she felt. He didn’t know what to do with all the emotions coursing through his body, either. Annie had insisted on a pet for Jane and he’d never understood, not seeing the sense in another responsibility when his shoulders were bowing under the pressure already. But now he got it. That little ball of fluff was going to grow with his daughter and be her confidante, playmate, and guardian. The pup had a big job in front of him but going by the light in his baby girl’s eyes, she thought he could handle it. Then she turned that gaze on him, and Jake was ready to slay dragons.
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