Alex took a deep breath and looked down at her. The tight bulge in his pants revealed his intention and frustration.
“I’m being as patient with you as I know how, Lacey,” he whispered. “But sooner or later, I’m liable to go very caveman on you. There’s only so much I can take.”
Lacey had just closed the door behind him when Jerrod called out. “Do we have anything to eat?”
“Help yourself to some leftover cornbread and honey. Jenna came home sick and I need to see to her.”
After taking several minutes to calm her nerves, Lacey leaned against the doorframe to Jenna’s bedroom. “Perhaps I should give you a nice big dose of castor oil before you go to sleep.”
“Mom, no, really. That would only make me feel worse.”
“You’re no sicker than I am. What is up in that devious little mind of yours?”
Jenna sat up and pretended to pick lint from her comforter to keep from making eye contact. “I just wanted you and Alex to get back together. I thought if I could get him over here, the two of you might…talk…and maybe kiss…and hug…and stuff like that.”
“You shouldn’t be thinking about stuff like that.” Lacey went to her daughter’s bedside and turned on her little lamp.
“Honey, please don’t do this.” Lacey sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hand down Jenna’s braid. “Alex isn’t part of my life anymore. Maybe, he never will be.”
“But he’s part of mine, isn’t he, Mom? How long am I supposed to pretend I don’t know?”
Lacey sprang from the bed and closed the door. She turned back to Jenna. Trying to keep her voice even, she asked, “What is it that you think you know, sweetheart?”
“Mom, please don’t treat me like an infant,” Jenna pouted. “I see the way you and Alex look at each other. The letters Granddad brought yesterday proved I was right. Alex is my dad.”
“You read the letters?”
“Of course not! But I did read the envelopes. There were dozens of them. They were dated from July to November of the year we were born. I did the math.”
Jenna had always been a smart girl. Lacey knew she could no longer deny the truth. “Does your brother know?”
“Not yet. I wanted you to tell us both.”
“I’m sorry, Jenna.” Shame washed over Lacey like cold water. “I’ve made some big mistakes. Please don’t say anything to Jerrod yet. You know how he tends to fly off the handle. I have to think about how I can break this to him gently.”
“What about Alex? He doesn’t know yet, does he?”
“No, and that’s going to be even harder. Just give me a little time.” Lacey leaned over and kissed Jenna’s cheek then turned to leave.
“Mom,” Jenna said as she wiggled back under the covers, “were Jerrod and I one of your big mistakes?”
Lacey gasped and had to hold back tears. “No, baby. You two were a wonderful surprise.”
“I hope Alex thinks so too,” Jenna said in a sleepy voice.
Chapter Nineteen
Lacey tightened the lids on the jars of preserves. She’d barely slept for two nights in a row. She’d lain awake at night trying to decide what to do about her dilemma.
Alex would be furious, and she wouldn’t blame him. He might even leave again, and that would break her heart as much as the first time. The other thing that worried her was that Jerrod would feel betrayed. She’d have to face his distrust and disdain every day for as long as he lived at home. What kind of relationship would they have, once he was grown? Would it be like the one she shared with her grandfather? She stood to lose both of the most important men in her life.
After the hours of internal deliberation, Lacey decided to meet with Alex privately. Once he was over the shock-if he got over it-she’d ask him to help her talk to Jerrod. Maybe it was the coward’s way out, but she couldn’t handle it alone, not this time.
After telling Jerrod she’d be in town for a little while, Lacey started up her old truck and drove straight to Osceola Lane. A wide space at the side of Alex’s house had been covered with gravel and surrounded by a low rail fence for parking. Alex’s BMW was the only car there. He must have closed the office for lunch, thank heavens. She didn’t need an audience for this conversation.
At the bottom of the porch steps, a new sign had been made for his business. It was an old-fashioned standing sign that better suited the style of the old Victorian house. He was making an effort to fit in with the community.
The front door swung open before she could reach it. Alex stood wearing business casual slacks, an open collared dress shirt, and a smile. “I’m glad to see you’re not avoiding me. I guess you just couldn’t resist me anymore, right?”
Lacey followed him into the house. It was obvious that business had started in the new office. The desks were cluttered with pens, paper clips, mail, messages and file folders. Large rolled up plans were stacked in a rolling cart by the filing cabinets. Magazines littered the side tables in the sitting area. The trash baskets were half full. She was lucky to catch him alone this time, but she’d remember to call ahead before coming by again.
“I don’t know how you could move an entire company in less than two weeks. How do you plan to get business in such a small town?” Lacey asked.
“This isn’t my whole company,” Alex chuckled. “It’s more like a command center for my satellite offices. They do the real work. I just oversee the paperwork and bookkeeping and such. I can do that from anywhere, and I’ve decided to do it from here. I still have to travel to the other offices occasionally, but this is home base.”
“How many satellite offices do you have?” Lacey was awestruck.
“Let’s see.” He counted on his fingers. “There are three in Florida, three in Georgia, one in South Carolina, one in North Carolina, and two in Virginia, ten all together.”
“How many people do you employ?” Her voice was embarrassingly breathy.
“I don’t really know. Each office has its own payroll account for office staff, agents, construction workers, developers, and so on. There’s probably a report, somewhere around here, for that.”
“Shit, Alex,” Lacey squeaked, “you must be like a millionaire.”
Alex’s eyes twinkled when he grinned. “Cool, huh? Would you like to go upstairs and see my etchings?” He pulled her close and nibbled at the side of her neck.
“You don’t draw.” Lacey giggled.
“Oh, is that what etchings are?” He nipped her ear. “I could start, with the right redheaded model.”
She squirmed in his arms. “You can’t afford me,” she said in a hoity-toity tone.
“I’m a wealthy man.” He gently cupped her breast. “But you would have to pose nude.”
Lacey’s next giggle caught in her throat when she heard the back door open and a woman’s voice rang out, “Alex, where are you? I saw a truck in the drive. Are you with a client?”
They jumped apart as Donna Sullivan stepped through the kitchen door with two grocery bags. It was midday, but her makeup was heavily applied and her bleached hair was teased to an unbelievable height. She teetered on stiletto heels, showing miles of bare legs below her tight miniskirt.
“Well, Lacey Carlyle.” Her heavy southern accent put Lacey in mind of Blanche from “A Streetcar Named Desire”. “I run across your kids every now and then, but I hardly ever see you. Are you thinking of buying a new place? I had to pick up some cream. I just cannot make myself drink coffee black the way Alex does. I also got some diet soda. Can I offer you one?”
Donna certainly seemed at home in Alex’s house.
“No thanks, I was just leaving. I have tons of things to do. I’ll leave you two alone. See you later.” Much later, she promised herself.
Alex followed her to the door. “You never said why you came by.”
“Just visiting.” She didn’t bother to face him as she walked out the door. “I’ve really got to get going, but I’ll talk to you later.”
****
/> Alex ran back to Donna, grabbed her up and swung her around. “She’s jealous! She’s absolutely, positively, unequivocally jealous! She wants me whether she admits it or not.” He smacked a big kiss on her heavily rouged cheek.
“Well, go after her, you idiot, I mean…boss.” She smacked him away playfully.
“No way. She’s been giving me hell lately. I’m going to let her stew for a while.”
****
Lacey stopped at the dollar store for a few cleaning products. She ran by the local grocery for some basic staples, and then checked out a couple of books from the library. Still, her blood pressure was high. She tried to cool her anger by driving around, but continued to grumble, cuss and bang her fist against the steering wheel.
How could Alex kiss her the way he had, and say the things he did, then spend his time, doing who knows what, with Donna Sullivan, her complete opposite? Did he really expect the three of them to sit down and have coffee together? Their relationship would be from an arm’s distance, or more, from now on. She wasn’t anyone’s fool.
By the time she turned into the Double J, it was a quarter to three. Jenna was standing on the front porch, looking out across the pasture. She parked the truck. Jenna ran toward her with an expression of relief. She’d left the kids alone for over four hours. The longest she’d ever allowed. They were probably worried the truck had broken down.
“Where have you been, Mom?” Jenna exclaimed. “I wanted to call, but I didn’t know where you were.”
“I told Jerrod I had to run some errands. Didn’t he tell you?” Lacey was surprised by Jenna’s obvious distress.
“Jerrod rode out just after you left.”
“What do you mean he rode out? He knows better than to leave the house when I’m gone.”
“He said he was going to check on the new calves in the east pasture, and he wanted to give Drifter a workout, but he didn’t come back for lunch.” Jenna was nearly in tears. “It’s not like him to miss a meal. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Lacey paused a moment before she spoke. “Was Jerrod upset about anything?”
“No. He seemed perfectly normal. I promise I haven’t said anything to him, just like you asked.”
Lacey hated asking Jenna to keep such a secret. It was a heavy burden on the girl to not share something so important with her twin. Now she’d have to rethink her strategy with Jerrod. He had every right to know the truth.
At this moment, though, she just wanted to find her son. And she intended to kick his scrawny butt the minute she did. “You know what? I bet Jerrod took a lunch with him. He probably snuck out to go skinny-dipping and fell asleep under a tree.”
As the minutes, and then hours ticked slowly by, Lacey itched to saddle Stardust and ride out to find Jerrod, but Jenna was silent and edgy. She couldn’t leave the girl alone. She wished her granddad hadn’t gone to his lodge meeting.
The table was set for supper and the food was getting cold on the back of the stove. Neither she nor Jenna had an appetite. Lacey finally jerked the phone from its cradle and called the sheriff.
“Lacey, darlin’, you know that boy is just goofing off somewhere,” the sheriff’s dispatcher, Gladys, said after hearing Lacey’s account of what was happening.
“He’s been gone over seven hours, Gladys. How long will it be before someone cares?”
“Honey, with Jerrod being as old as he is, we have to wait twenty-four hours to take an official report. A lot of kids run off, but then they change their mind once it gets dark or they start getting hungry.”
“He didn’t run off!” Lacey was getting angrier by the minute.
“Our cars are all tied up right now at an accident out by the highway, but I tell you what,” Gladys sighed, “I’ll send someone out to check on y’all in a few hours.”
Lacey felt dizzy, her ears were buzzing, but she had to hold herself together for her kids. “Thanks, Gladys. I’ll be sure to let everyone know how helpful the department has been…right about election time.”
She slammed the phone back into its cradle.
Chapter Twenty
Alex practically flew his BMW out to the Double J. Lacey had tried to sound calm and casual when she’d called, but he could hear the fear underlying her words. The bottom line: Jerrod was missing. He’d left at about eleven that morning and hadn’t been seen since.
Jerrod could be a boneheaded little monster, but he wasn’t irresponsible. Actually, he was the most responsible kid Alex had ever known. He wouldn’t run away. Taking care of his mother and the farm were his top priorities, not to mention his closeness to his twin sister. Hell, they had their own sign language.
Why weren’t the cops looking for him? As soon as this mess was cleared up, he intended to have an answer to that question. There were perks to being wealthy and he’d damned sure take advantage of them.
Before the car came to a stop, Lacey and Jenna jumped from the front porch without touching a step. On closer inspection, he saw they’d both been crying.
“I’ve called all the neighbors and Jerrod’s friends. No one has seen him. They’re all searching their properties, the woods in between, and the roads.” Lacey still had the cordless house phone gripped in her hand.
“The sun will be down in another hour,” Jenna cried. “Jerrod’s never been outdoors alone all night.”
Alex pried Lacey’s fingers from the phone and handed it to Jenna. “Is there a good horse we could saddle quickly?”
“I’ve already saddled Stardust. I was just waiting for you. I can’t leave Jenna alone. I can’t sit here and wait any longer.”
Alex gripped Lacey by the shoulders. “Look me in the eye. Tell me who the best tracker in the county used to be when we all went out hunting.”
“You were,” she answered meekly.
“I could find anything, man as well as beast. I still can. But right now, time is wasting.” He looked past her to include Jenna. “I need a good flashlight, a first aid kit, and bottled water. Most important, I need that horse.”
The women gathered all he’d asked for, plus a bag of leftover chicken and biscuits. Alex checked over the mare and within minutes he was mounted. He pulled back on Stardust’s reins to move her away from the railing. “You two stay by the phone in case anyone finds anything. I’ll call you when I’ve got Jerrod. I will find him, I promise. I’m not coming back until I do.”
****
As Alex rode away, Lacey finally felt like something was being done. Alex hadn’t talked down to her as though she were a hysterical child. He’d evaluated the situation seriously and taken charge. She hadn’t even had to ask. All she’d told him was that Jerrod was missing and he’d sprung into action. He hadn’t laid blame, tried to cajole her, or asked for anything in return. This is what it would be like to have a man in her life, a helpmate.
She prayed that daylight would hold out long enough. She prayed Alex would find her boy safe and healthy. Jerrod was her baby. He always would be. If Alex could bring her son home, she’d give him anything. The wait was excruciating.
“I should be out there too,” Lacey moaned.
“Mom, please trust Alex. I do. He’s a good man and he’ll do everything possible to bring Jerrod back safely.” Jenna looked out in the direction she’d given Alex. “He may not know about us yet, but he’s already the best dad I know.”
****
The ground was so hard and dry; there was hardly any trail to follow. It hadn’t rained in days. All Alex could track were broken sticks, beaten down weeds, and the freshest horse droppings. Not even that was reliable once he entered the outer pasture that the cattle had grazed all day.
To the west, Alex caught that single second when the sun appears to melt into the horizon. Now the sky was a shade of lavender that would quickly turn violet, purple, and then the darkest indigo. If he were looking for a grown man, he’d consider delaying the search until morning.
Jerrod was strong, fearless, and probably capable of running th
is farm single-handedly. He was also a child. Alex hadn’t ever asked his age, but he knew the kids hadn’t entered their teens. According to Jenna, they were still in middle school.
The boy was quick and agile, but he was still so small. There were a million things he could get into and not have the height or weight to get out of. Alex felt as though he’d aged a year for every hour Jerrod had been missing. He pictured Jerrod, when they’d first met. He remembered the look on his face as he bounced that hammer in his hand.
Alex tested the large flashlight.
The reasonable approach to this situation would be to ride the perimeter, and then tighten the circle until he found Jerrod, or God forbid, reached the middle. The wooded areas would be the hardest, but hopefully Jerrod would be able to answer his calls.
As he rode south, he watched for breaks in the fence that might have caused Jerrod to follow stray cattle. The fence was in excellent condition. Jerrod loved his horse too much to expect him to jump bare barbed wire.
Drifter was a good horse. If he’d been spooked and thrown Jerrod, he would have returned to the barn by now. It was past feeding time. Either Jerrod was on that horse’s back, or he’d tied him up somewhere.
Alex reached the southeast corner and turned toward the east. He cursed when a few light raindrops dotted the saddle leather between his legs. He hoped his visibility wouldn’t be more impaired than it already was. About a mile straight ahead, toward the lake, he thought he saw a flash of light. Was it lightning? He hadn’t heard thunder. Thunder and a harder rain would make it more difficult to hear far off voices. Maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. But no, there it was again, the light and no thunder. He kicked Stardust into a faster gait. The raindrops were getting fatter and much more frequent. Where was that boy?
The third time he saw the light, he knew it was coming from the edge of the lake. It had to be Jerrod. He was already riding as hard as he safely could, over unfamiliar ground. He couldn’t risk Stardust stepping into a hole and being injured.
As he reined in his horse, a second horse snorted and stomped. The noise came from a small stand of trees to the right. It was Drifter, Jerrod’s horse. Alex tied Stardust to a bush nearby. A small, clear beam of light came from over the bank.
Twice the Trouble Page 12
