by Joanne Rock
“She said she forgot it at a rest stop off the highway on the way there. She called from a hotel phone.” Frowning, he slid his hand to Jillian’s back, gently steering her out of the kitchen. “I’ll tell you more once you’re in bed. You need your rest.”
“Why did she call Madeline and not your father?” she asked, leading him up the stairs toward the room where she’d been sleeping the past two nights.
“I don’t know. They didn’t talk long, I guess because she was tired. But she told Maddy she’d attended a yoga retreat up there once, and she thought the meditation would be good for her after a stressful week.”
“Because of the film shoot?” Jillian couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt over that. Had the promise of outsiders descending on Paige’s home been that upsetting? “I only went ahead with booking the site when your siblings were all on board. It didn’t occur to me—”
“It’s not your fault. I’m guessing she had a falling out with my father or she would have phoned him.” Cody pushed open her bedroom door, accompanying her inside.
The ritual of it, of being in his house, of waiting for him to come home, felt intimate. As did sliding between her sheets when he lifted the blanket for her. Pleasurable shivers chased one another up and down her spine. The heated look in his blue eyes as he pulled the covers up to her chin told her that he was feeling some of those same things.
Attraction, yes. But more than that, connection.
It hadn’t been there for him the last time they’d shared a bed, but a hopeful piece of her heart clamored to know—if she lay with him again, would the bond be there this time?
She knew this wasn’t the right time to think about those things. He was exhausted from worry. And they’d both had plenty to think about before the news about Paige.
“What did your father have to say?” she asked.
“I didn’t see him after Maddy called to update me. I came straight here from the search.” Cody shook his head, the weariness evident in his voice as he sat on the edge of the mattress.
“We can talk more in the morning.” She lifted her hand to his cheek on impulse, her feelings for this man in a hopeless tangle.
The father of her child.
“Of course.” His nod was so automatic, so agreeable, she wondered again if the tenderness was for the baby’s sake.
A twinge of hurt forced her hand away, and she reminded herself she would be leaving soon. She’d already committed to her next job, to help ensure she didn’t weaken where Cody was concerned. She knew how vulnerable her heart would be to this man if she wasn’t careful.
“I need to go to Creek Spill tomorrow afternoon to review a few final details with Carson.” She swallowed hard, telling herself it would get easier one day to have a relationship with Cody. A platonic relationship. A functional, co-parenting agreement.
“I’ll drive you over there,” he offered, his fingers sifting absently through her hair, stirring a hunger for him she couldn’t imagine would ever be sated.
The passion that had been there since that first night remained, stronger than ever. But was it fair to lose herself in all that heat when she lost a piece of her heart to him every time?
That was exactly why being around him was so dangerous to her.
“There’s no need. I’m just introducing him to the assistant director. And I have a few more questions about storing equipment for the shoot.”
Cody lingered another moment, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw as he stared down into her eyes. Her breath caught. Held.
“I want to spend as much time as I can with you while we figure out what’s next for us, Jillian. Let me drive you.”
She could hardly refuse. If anything, she respected him all the more for his determination to get to know her better. To pave the way for their child’s future.
At her nod, he brushed his fingers over her curls one last time, then bade her good-night. Sensation tingled through her scalp long after he left, his touch filtering into her dreams and arousing desire she needed desperately to forget.
* * *
Cody couldn’t take his eyes off Jillian the next day as she walked around Carson’s ranch with the assistant director, Leon Wells. Her laughter floated on the breeze, her joy in simple things infectious as she pointed out patches of ordinary wildflowers or mountain views. It was hard to believe that the movie crew would be shooting at the Creek Spill Ranch as early as next week.
Weather permitting.
It seemed that the assistant director followed the weather like a meteorologist. When they’d all convened at the Creek Spill ranch house earlier this afternoon, the man had asked a dozen questions about Wyoming’s climate, and had proceeded to speculate on cloud formation and humidity levels for ten days out, apparently needing as much information as possible to get the shots he wanted.
The discussion around Carson’s kitchen table had been more interesting than Cody had anticipated. It also made him realize how long it had been since he’d set foot in his brother’s house. The rift between them had grown worse with their grandfather’s arrival, but as the weeks dragged on and Malcolm McNeill maintained a presence in Cheyenne, Cody realized he couldn’t afford to alienate more members of his family. Especially with a child on the way. He needed to think about building relationships.
Now, while Jillian walked around the yard and outbuildings with Leon Wells, Cody forced his attention away from her and turned to his twin. Carson was bent over the engine of an old pickup truck that had seen better days.
He liked to fix things. Cody had forgotten that about his brother in the years they’d lived apart. From broken televisions to failed sump pumps, Carson was drawn to all things mechanical. He’d never thrown away something that could be fixed with a replacement part bought online, a talent that made him popular among the ranch hands. Cody would bet the truck belonged to one of the local cowboys who couldn’t afford to replace it.
“You think Dad and Paige had a falling out?” Cody asked, keeping one eye on Jillian while he bent over the engine by his brother.
“Hard to say. One’s about as chatty as the other.”
“You’re right about that,” Cody mused, using a nearby rag to clean up connections on the battery terminal that were caked with rust. “Something’s got Paige freaked out.”
“The girls know more than they’re saying.” Carson passed him a bottle of lemon juice, barely looking up from where he was wrestling with a new timing belt.
“You think?” Cody hadn’t gotten that impression. They’d all seemed worried last night. He used the lemon juice on the terminals.
“Just a hunch. Maisie and Scarlett were deep in conversation when I stopped by Maisie’s place this morning. But they went quiet when I arrived.” Carson tugged the new belt into place and straightened, stretching his forearms from the effort. “Are you going to be okay with this film shoot?”
The question surprised him. “A bit late in the game for me to give my blessing.”
“It’s happening either way. But I guess I hoped spending time with Jillian was making you more amenable to the idea.” Carson’s gaze went to her and the assistant director, who were coming toward them.
As Cody watched Jillian, her red hair tipped with gold in the sunlight, he realized how little the film mattered in the big scheme of things. This woman was important to him. The movie, the family drama, even the rift with his grandfather—none of it mattered half as much as Jillian Ross and their child.
All he wanted was for her to stay safe, healthy and with him. Already he could imagine a future of more rodeos. More dances in dive bars. More nights spent with her in his arms.
“She’s important to me,” he confided to his brother. “So if it makes her happy, I’ll have to get on board.”
Carson’s easy smile was a sight Cody hadn’t seen in a while.
“They
have a way of changing our priorities in a hurry, don’t they?” He clapped Cody on the back just as Jillian and Leon rejoined them.
“All set?” Cody asked her, ready to take her home. To have her all to himself.
“I am.” Her eyes lingered on his, and he realized the heat that had started to burn that first night had only grown hotter.
He wanted to prepare a picnic for supper and drive her out to his favorite spot to view the stars while the weather was mild.
The assistant director, a skinny young man with wire-rimmed glasses, stepped forward, his dress shirt drenched in sweat and clinging to his shoulders in the summer heat.
“It’s been nice meeting you.” Leon shook Cody’s hand and then Carson’s, before turning back to Jillian. “And Alyssa told me you’ve got a fun assignment coming up next. Safe travels to Flagstaff, Jillian.”
Cody wondered if he’d just misheard the man.
Of course. He must have misheard. Or maybe misunderstood. Because Jillian couldn’t be going anywhere.
“Flagstaff?” Cody turned to face Jillian. Leon was already hurrying toward his white rental car. Carson had stalked off, too, his whistle fading as he headed toward the horse barn.
Jillian’s face was pale. Her lips pursed. “I was going to talk to you about that.”
His stomach fell like a stone.
“About Arizona?” he asked, his brain working overtime to fit pieces together that made no sense. “You’re pregnant.”
“I know that. But I still have a job to do, Cody. And putting my feet up for nine more months isn’t going to ensure a healthy child. If anything, I should stay active and exercise.”
He was vaguely aware of Leon’s car as the assistant director drove away from Creek Spill. Birds circled overhead, casting shadows on the grass.
“You have a higher risk for recurrence.” He’d read and reread his copies of the literature from all the doctors they’d seen. “You need to be careful. We can stack the odds in your favor with a more relaxed lifestyle. Less stress.”
Maybe he wasn’t fighting fair to remind her of those things. But damn it. She couldn’t leave. Not now.
“The baby is not at risk,” she reminded him, her voice steely.
As if that was all that mattered to him.
“But you are,” he repeated, his heart pounding. Fear chilled the sweat on his skin. How could she even consider walking away? “Jillian, why not do everything in our power to ensure you stay healthy?”
They weren’t the romantic words he wanted to give her. But she’d forced his hand. Hadn’t given him enough time to woo her. To win her forever.
“I will.” She laid a hand on his chest, her touch stirring desire despite the way things were falling apart all around them. “I promise you, I will. But I can’t stop living just because there’s a chance cancer will come back. I won’t spend my life cowering in fear of what-ifs that are out of my control.”
Something in those beautiful hazel eyes told him that her mind was made up. He felt like the ground had just given way beneath him.
“How long have you known you’re leaving?” He couldn’t catch his breath, the sense of betrayal rising right alongside the fear.
They’d only just started to really know each other. To build something on top of all that heat and passion.
“I’ve been prepared to spend the whole week here so we can come up with a plan for co-parenting—”
“Is that what this week was going to be about for you?” He thought about all the plans he’d made. The picnic under the stars. A drive up to Yellowstone to show her the sights, followed by a candlelight dinner.
None of his ideas had involved a co-parenting plan. They were all about her. Even now, he wanted to haul her into his arms and kiss her. Remind her how good they were together.
“How long have you known you’re leaving?” He repeated the question because he needed an answer.
He had to know how long she’d been plotting her getaway while he charted out a future together. A future she didn’t want any part of.
“I just committed to the assignment last night.” Her palm fell away from his chest.
He missed her touch already. But damn it, her hand wasn’t the only thing slipping away.
“Jillian, don’t do this. Don’t shut me out.” He reached for anything to make her stay, caught on his worst fear. “What if something happens to you? How will I raise this child by myself?” He couldn’t afford to lose her. The idea cracked open an ache inside him, one that no amount of words could soothe.
“I hope you won’t have to.” Her eyes glittered in the sunlight, and he knew she was hurting, too. “But if it came to that, I know you could.”
So that was it?
They stared at each other under the cloudless blue sky. Cody couldn’t imagine a worse pain than that. He had lost his own mother as a child. He knew exactly how big a scar it left. Anger stirred.
“I can’t believe you would choose some superficial adventures over this—the chance to be a family.” He’d thought family was more important to her than that. She’d said she envied his.
She huffed out an exasperated sigh.
“It’s not about that. We hardly know each other. We can’t force ourselves to be a family when we’re not ready. I won’t be another responsibility weighing you down.”
The gulf between them widened. And Cody didn’t have a single idea how to bridge it.
While hope dried up to nothing, he became aware of his brother running toward them.
Running?
Jillian turned toward Carson, too. He was just fifteen yards away, waving a hand over his head, flagging their attention.
“We need to get to the hospital,” he called to them, his cell phone in one hand while he pulled his keys from his jeans pocket. “Paige has been in an accident.”
Thirteen
Scarlett couldn’t catch her breath.
A panic attack was coming and she couldn’t stop it as she paced around the women’s bathroom at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, clutching her phone and waiting for word on her mother’s condition following emergency surgery. According to the report from the emergency techs who brought her in, a sudden rainstorm had created dangerous conditions on a trail where Paige had been hiking that morning, and she’d slipped down a mountainside. She had to be rescued by horseback and then airlifted to the nearest trauma center with a fractured hip and tibia.
The last few hours had been a blur, but at least they’d all made it to the hospital as fast as possible. It would have been nine hours away by car, but because Malcolm McNeill had sent his plane back to the private airfield outside Cheyenne, Scarlett and her family were able to fly. They’d been in the air for only an hour, but it had seemed endless. Brock had stayed behind to tend to some business at the White Canyon Ranch for Madeline so she could be with Paige. But all the other siblings had come.
Maisie plowed through the swinging bathroom door.
“I got your text...” She rushed over as soon as she got a look at Scarlett. “Are you okay?”
Scarlett shook her head. “I think—” she breathed faster “—I’m hyperventilating.”
Maisie squeezed her. “You’re okay.” She spoke slowly. “I want you to hold your breath, honey. Just clamp down and hold it.”
Scarlett sucked in air and tried not to breathe out, watching her sister. Keeping her eyes on Maisie, who always knew what to do. Those deep blue eyes grounded her. Helped her.
When the air rushed out again, Maisie nodded. “That’s okay. This time purse your lips. Like this.” She scrunched her lips tight. “That way you can slow the exhale, okay?”
Scarlett followed instructions. She could feel her heart rate slowing. She was calming down. Oxygen was flowing to her brain again. She nodded.
“I’m okay,” she said finally.
“Thanks for coming in. I just got in a panic thinking about that note. How am I ever going to tell everyone about it?”
She’d shown it to Maisie last night during the search for their mother. Scarlett had been ready to show it to her whole family. But once they’d learned Paige was safe, Maisie had told her it would be okay to sit on the note until they could show it to their mom. Give her a chance to respond before getting their father involved, just in case the message was something that could hurt their marriage.
“You haven’t done anything wrong.” Maisie combed her fingers through Scarlett’s hair before tugging her toward the mirror. “Come here.” She wet a paper towel.
“Dad and Cody will say I should have told them last night.” Scarlett peered into the mirror at her smeared mascara. Her eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep.
“Coulda, shoulda, woulda,” Maisie chanted as she dabbed away the mascara streaks, meeting Scarlett’s eyes in the mirror. “Doesn’t matter now. Just go out there and share it. Let them weigh in. This is not your burden alone, okay? They deserve to know so they can help figure out what to do.”
“Right.” Scarlett nodded. “How would anyone who doesn’t know our family know that I was in LA? I just keep wondering how that guy knew where to find me.”
“Your friend Lucie knew you were going. She could have told someone.” Maisie rubbed her cheek hard to get a spot off. “Logan could have heard you’d be there. And he’s the one who actually handed it to you.”
Scarlett’s heart sank. “No.”
“He’s involved with the film, too,” Maisie insisted, making perfect, logical sense. “And don’t forget the note isn’t just about Mom. Someone clearly doesn’t want Winning the West to be filmed in Cheyenne.”
But it couldn’t be Logan. That theory would make more sense if he was trying to avoid Scarlett. But based on what he’d said when he’d followed her out of the club, he hadn’t meant to break things off with her in the first place. She couldn’t deny a tiny piece of her wished those words were true. For her family’s sake, though, she wouldn’t take chances.
