Return to Love (Willow Valley Book 1)

by Christine Kingsley

  She had been a little put off by the fact that Jack hadn't returned her call, instead hearing of the planning session from Lissa earlier in the afternoon. Jack was on top of things, whereas she had dropped the ball.

  Jack stood as she approached the table. He was the only man on the planning committee, and none of the other ladies had spared a second thought at snagging the seats closest to him. Apparently any rumors around town about the two of them were not enough to deter female interest in an eligible bachelor.

  Including Cassie there were six of them. Jack sat at the head of the table, Sandi Davis and Jessica Sanders, the team organizers, flanking him. Lissa and Mrs. Winters were in the next seats, leaving the other end as Cassie's only option. Cassie didn't know which was worse, sitting so far from Jack, or being opposite him so that she couldn't avoid looking at him.

  There was a chorus of greetings as she took her seat. She tentatively met Jack's eyes, unsure what she would see there. His smile was sincere, but other than that his face was a mask, hiding whatever he may be thinking.

  "Cassie, dear," Mrs. Winters began, "you certainly look lovely tonight, don't you think so Jack?"

  Cassie rolled her eyes and gave Lissa a meaningful look, but Lissa only smiled back blankly.

  "Of course she does," he replied. "As always." Sandi frowned at his response.

  "So what have I missed?" Cassie looked at Mrs. Winters. "I see you have some flyers there." Mrs. Winters was the head of the marketing committee, naturally. "They look great." Best to try distracting Mrs. Winters from Jack by focusing on herself.

  She took the bait and put on a show of modesty. "Well, I'm sure there are some improvements that could possibly be made."

  The group discussed the promotion strategy and settled all the marketing details before their meals arrived. While they were eating, Lissa referred to her agenda. "We need to finalize the teams and make sure that we can accommodate everyone logistically. Sandi, how many more teams to you expect to sign up before the deadline?"

  Sandi leaned forward excitedly, revealing a bit too much of her chest in Cassie's opinion. "Most of them are already registered, but I've been getting a couple here and there this week. I think we have around twenty-five so far. So maybe thirty by the deadline at the end of next week." She tossed her short brown hair out of her face as she looked doe-eyed at Jack.

  Jack briefly looked over at her then focused his attention on Cassie. "That's a bit more than we had expected. We've been planning for about twenty. We may have to make some major adjustments to our layout to accommodate ten more teams."

  Before Cassie could give her opinion, Sandi jumped in. "I have some ideas about that." She placed her hand on Jack's arm and smiled widely. Cassie thought she looked like a jack-o-lantern. "It's been so long since I've been to your place, though. I think I ought to come out and have a look to make sure that everything will fit. I've been team organizer for several years, you know, so I'm well-informed on how large the teams' rigs are. I could show you exactly where everything goes."

  Cassie sawed through her steak with more force than necessary, grinding her teeth while she waited for Jack's response. She could show Sandi herself exactly where to put a few things. Sandi leaned further toward Jack and for a moment Cassie was certain her breasts were going to fall out into her steak sauce. She popped a piece of steak into her mouth and chewed with vigor, eyes boring through Jack.

  "Well, uh, um. I think Cassie and I have that pretty much figured out." He glanced uncomfortably toward Sandi's hand that was tightening on his arm like the talons of a vulture.

  "Cassie doesn't realize how much space we may need. I really think we should be certain. I'll come over tomorrow afternoon and show you my thoughts."

  Cassie choked down her bite, and caught Lissa's eye. Lissa was fighting back laughter. Obviously her friend knew this was pushing her buttons, but didn't see fit as committee chair to do anything about it.

  Cassie took a drink and set her glass down a bit too forcefully. "Actually, Sandi, Jack and I have already planned to get together on Sunday to finalize our plans, so we can just take care of it then." She looked sternly at Jack, daring him to contradict her hastily made up plans.

  He scrutinized her for a moment, then leaned back in his chair and smiled lazily. Damn it if he didn't see right through her, straight down to her jealousy of the overly enthusiastic woman hanging on him. He nodded slowly. "We can just take care of it then." She slightly relaxed her tense shoulders, but stiffened again almost immediately at the next words out of his mouth. "Can you come over about four?" The question was directed at Sandi.

  She bobbed her head, reminding Cassie of one of those dashboard dolls. "I'll be there with bells on," she breathed. Hopefully that wouldn't be all she'd have on.

  "Well that sounds perfect," Lissa chimed in. "Cassie can report back to me on Monday morning." She grinned angelically as Cassie narrowed her eyes and pointed her knife subtly in Lissa's direction. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Mrs. Winters smiling as well. The old gossip had been watching the entire exchange like a hawk.

  "Yes, please do report back, dear," she said. "We need to know exactly what you three figure out." Cassie ignored the undertones and resumed her meal, chastising herself for putting her emotions on display. As if there weren't enough rumors circulating already, she had to fuel the fire with the ringleader herself. She stayed mostly quiet for the rest of the meeting, only answering questions directed at herself, and tried her best to avoid looking at Jack and Sandi. He was obviously enjoying making her squirm, and while he didn't overtly encourage her, he did nothing to prevent Sandi from throwing herself at him for the remainder of the evening. And why should he? She had made it clear that she wouldn't pursue a relationship with him, so he had every right. But the idea of that woman crawling all over him made her physically ill.

  The night couldn't end soon enough. As soon as business was finished, she opened her wallet and stood, prepared to dart from the restaurant, but Jack was quick to jump in.

  "It's my treat ladies, ladies."

  Sandi all but purred. Cassie slapped some bills on the table and glared at Jack. "Thank you, but no. As you well know, I can take care of myself." She told the others goodbye and hurried from the table, but Lissa called out behind her.

  "I'll be right there. I need to talk to you for just a minute."

  "Fine." She stalked out the door and to her car. She knew she had put on quite a display, but she couldn't really feel too badly. Sandi had pushed her buttons whether she meant to or not. She kicked at the gravel with her pink cowboy boots and paced the lot, waiting on Lissa to hurry up.

  "Well, that was entertaining." She came up behind her and leaned against Cassie's car.

  "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Cassie snapped. "Did you just want to laugh at my expense or do you actually have something you need to say?"

  Lissa held her hands up. "Hey, don't get all up in arms. You know as well as I do that what happened tonight was far more serious than you'd like to believe."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You are crazy about that man and are fighting it tooth and nail." Cassie opened her mouth to protest, but Lissa cut her off. "Don't even try to deny it. We've been friends for far too long and I can see straight through you."

  "It will never work," she said dismissively, trying her hardest not to let Lissa's words get to her.

  "How do you know if you kill it before it has a chance to even get started?"

  "Now you just sound like him."

  Lissa shrugged her shoulders and looked at the twinkling night sky. "Then maybe you should start listening."

  "How can you of all people encourage something like this? Even if I do have some semblance of feelings for him, and I'm not saying I do--"

  "A blind person could have seen the heat between the two of you tonight."

  "There's more at stake here than missing out on some great sex. It's not just about the chemistry that we may or may not h
ave."

  "You definitely have it."

  Cassie threw her hands up. "Yes, we do, but you're missing the point. I can't allow myself to get involved with him. It puts everything at risk. He came with me to see Mom the other day and she about blew it all herself."

  "That's why this is so ridiculous, Cassie. You're keeping a secret for a sister that couldn't care less about her family. And all because of some misguided promise to your mother. She didn't even know what she was asking you to do. In fact, I'd venture to say that if she realized what you were losing now, she wouldn't hold you to it."

  "You can't know that." But Cassie's heart squeezed painfully. How she wished that she could be free of these secrets. Free to explore what she may have with Jack. But that was asking for the impossible. "And even if I decided to tell him, then what? That would ruin anything we could have anyway. Do you really think he would care about me at all if he found out I've kept his daughter from him for the past two years?" She choked back a sob. These were thoughts she hadn't dared voice aloud before.

  Lissa put her arms around her and held her tightly. "You'll never know if you don't try."

  Cassie shook her head vehemently. "No. I can't go back on my word to my mother."

  Lissa pulled back and looked at her sadly. "I wish I could make you see things clearly, but apparently you're going to have to realize it on your own. I just hope by then it's not too late."

  She walked back into the restaurant and left Cassie standing there. She was still standing there staring at nothing when they all began making their way out the door a few minutes later, laughing at something Jack had said. She hurried and jumped in her car, then sped out of the parking lot, not bothering to look back. She couldn't bear one more look at Lissa's disapproving face or the confusion in Jack's eyes. What a mess. How was she ever going to get out of it now? The problem was, no matter who she hurt in the process, she was in a position to lose either way.

  CHAPTER TEN

  At exactly thirty minutes to four on Sunday, Jack followed the trail of dust with his eyes as two cars made their way down the dirt drive toward the ranch house. He had been out back working on improvements to the guest house when he heard the sound of a vehicle and had come up to see who was early for their meeting. He laughed as Sandi and Cassie climbed from their respective cars and grimaced at each other. It seemed as if they had each arrived early in hopes they'd have some time alone with him before the other got there.

  He felt a slight twinge of guilt at pitting the two of them against each other this way but pushed it away before he could feel too badly. Sandi wasn't an idiot, and it was obvious to everyone in town that he and Cassie had a thing for each other, so if she insisted on throwing herself at him when he'd done nothing to encourage it, then that wasn't his fault.

  On the other hand, this may be just what Cassie needed to stop pushing him away. A little harmless rivalry never hurt anybody. He was hoping that by the end of the day, Cassie would come to her senses and be ready to take a step forward. He was tiring of the back and forth dance between them, but knew that whatever had her running scared must be serious, so he determined to be patient with her.

  "Ladies," he said, tipping his hat as he approached them. "How are you on this lovely afternoon?"

  "I'm so excited to be here," Sandi gushed. "I think you're going to love my ideas."

  Jack glanced at Cassie and was surprised to see a friendly smile on her face as she spoke to Sandi. "Great. Let's get started." She turned to him and met his eyes, giving him a sincere smile as well, a look of apology in her eyes. That was unexpected. He'd thought she would still be angry at him after the way he'd set this up. She was full of surprises.

  He smiled back, and just stared at her for a moment. She was so beautiful. She was wearing the pink cowboy boots again that he'd noticed Friday night, this time with form-fitting jeans and a loosely flowing shirt that didn't quite hide her curves. She'd let her blond waves fall freely down her back today.

  His attention was brought back sharply to Sandi as she cleared her throat pointedly and linked arms with him, turning away from Cassie. "Lead the way, cowboy."

  He bit his lip to keep his amusement off his face and saw Cassie clap a hand over her mouth to hide her broad grin as well. Sandi really was too much.

  He led them around to the pasture, asking Sandi for updates about how many entrants they'd reached. She clung to his arm and looked up at him while they talked, blinking with the big doe-eyed look he was starting to recognize. Cassie trailed behind them, making notes on her clipboard, apparently unaffected by Sandi's attention. She must have known he was trying to make her jealous and refused to play along. His plan was backfiring in a big way, but he didn't mind. She seemed happy and at ease again, and that was enough for him for now.

  * * *

  Cassie inwardly rolled her eyes as Sandi pressed herself against Jack, hanging on him as if she may lose her balance if she tried to walk on her own two feet. It really was funny, if she let herself see it for what it was. Jack was obviously not interested in Sandi, but she couldn't seem to take a hint, so Cassie just stayed back and watched the show. She'd decided before coming over that if she wasn't going to be with Jack then she didn't have the right to act jealous either.

  The longer the afternoon wore on, the more uncomfortable Jack seemed to become. At one point, he shot her a pleading look, and she just smiled back innocently, as if she had no idea what was going on. The look he gave her could have melted steel, and she couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out.

  Sandi looked sharply at her. "Something funny?"

  Cassie coughed and looked away, fighting a grin. "Oh, just remembering a joke someone told the other day. She gestured with her hand for Sandi to continue her path around the pasture. This whole meeting was pointless. She and Jack had made a contingency plan for if more than the expected number of contestants were to enter, but who was she to deny Sandi her feeling of importance?

  Cassie looked back down at her clipboard and made a couple notations about decor, thinking about how she was going to get a chance to talk to Jack with Sandi hanging on his every breath. She'd had time to think about their situation over the weekend, and she wanted to clear the air between them. Jack was such an old friend, and things needed to be set right. Just as she'd feared, the romantic element between them had put their friendship on a precarious ledge, and no matter what else was going on, she didn't want to lose him completely.

  Her heart screamed out that she if she couldn't have all of him, then it wasn't worth it, but her mind knew better. She may not be able to have everything she'd hoped and dreamed of, but at least she could maintain some level of friendship with this man. Even if she had to keep him at arm's length.

  After an hour of the same discussions regarding the cook-off, Cassie grew tired of the game and was just ready to have a moment alone with Jack to apologize for the way she'd behaved the other night. It didn't appear that Sandi was ready to leave, though.

  She caught Jack's eye and gave him a meaningful look. He responded by turning to Sandi. "I think we've accomplished all we set out to do today. Thank you so much for stopping by." The look of shock on Sandi's face at his dismissal was priceless. What had she expected, that he'd invite her to stay for dinner? Judging by her disappointment, Cassie thought maybe she did. If the rumors around town weren't enough to dissuade her, surely Jack's indifference to her advances had been.

  Cassie just shook her head in wonder. "I think I'm going to run up to the house and make a phone call real fast," she said, thinking that maybe he could get rid of Sandi more easily if Cassie weren't right there. She smothered another laugh when Jack looked like a deer caught in headlights, his expression begging her not to leave him alone with her. You're on your own, cowboy. She pressed her lips together and gave him a wink and headed inside, through the back door leading into the kitchen.

  It was unusually quiet, except for the ballgame playing on the large television. Where was Tom? She was surp
rised not to see him tinkering with something or other, or at least not cheering on his favorite team. She remembered how growing up he was always busy doing something. Whether out in the fields, in the garage, or watching a game, Tom always kept himself occupied. Was he not home? That couldn't be right because she'd seen his truck outside. A half-full glass of soda sat on the table in the family room. Maybe he'd gone to the restroom.

  She pulled out her phone and called Lissa to check on Sarah. Emily had been overloaded with homework, and Lissa had been more than happy to volunteer for babysitting duties. Cassie smiled ruefully. That woman was never going to give up. Matchmaking was in her genes.

  After confirming that everything was fine on the home front, Cassie made her way down the long hallway to freshen up in the restroom before heading back outside, wondering why Tom still hadn't reappeared.

  She felt a sudden inexplicable apprehension as she approached the door to the restroom, seeing that it was left cracked open.

  "Tom?" she called, knocking lightly on the door. No answer. She pushed the door open slowly, then stopped dead as her vision blurred and the room seemed to spin. She heard a ringing in her ears, and it took her a moment to realize that it wasn't a ring after all, but the sound of her own screams.

  Because lying on the floor in front of her was Tom, blood pooling around his lifeless body.

  * * *

  Jack sat in the hard plastic chair of the emergency room, tapping his feet impatiently as he waited for the doctor to tell them they could go back to see his father. He stilled as Cassie placed her hand on his leg and realized he'd been making the whole row of chairs shake with his nervous leg-bouncing. He rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair, making it stand on end, and leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs.