CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sunday dawned bright and warm, a brief reprieve from the cooler weather that would be settling in for the duration later in the week. Cassie arrived at the ranch early in the morning, ready for a full day. They had a lot to accomplish before the cook-off next Saturday, and she was determined to knock the majority of it out by day's end.
She also had decided today was the day she was going to tell Jack about Sarah. Her heart hammered in her chest at the thought but she knew that she was getting in too deep, and if she didn't tell him soon, she'd be so far gone that she may never recover from his rejection.
Reflecting back on their conversation from their date on Friday, she longed to believe him when he said that nothing could change his mind about her. If only that were true. He had no idea just what a blow she was about to deliver. Just the thought of his reaction was enough to have her frozen in her tracks as she made her way to the back pasture.
"Morning, sunshine." Jack's voice startled her. He came up behind her and nuzzled her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She closed her eyes, and sank back into him, relishing the moment. She was afraid that by the end of the day, this feeling of being in his arms may be reduced to a distant memory.
On impulse, she spun in his arms, and pulled his head down to her, kissing him with all the passion that her raging emotions had stirred up. She clung to him tightly, as if her life depended on it. And in a way, it did. She didn't think she'd ever get over losing Jack.
"Wow. If this is what you're like in the mornings, we need to arrange for you to be here when I wake up more often." He winked at her, but his expression turned serious when he looked at her more carefully. "Everything okay?"
She nodded quickly. "I just wanted you to know how happy I am to be with you. You've completely changed my life since you've been back."
That brought a smile to his mouth. "That's good to hear, because the feeling is mutual." He started to bring his lips back to hers, when a loud whistle had them jumping apart.
"Whew, if you two don't turn it down, I'm going to break into a sweat just watching you." Lissa fanned herself with exaggerated motions as she made her way across the field to them. "We have work to do here, folks."
Jack laughed. "I thought you'd be happy to see your matchmaking efforts come to fruition."
"Oh, I am, believe you me. But we have too much to do today, and a finite amount of daylight, so let's get cracking."
Over the course of the next few hours, committee members and volunteers alike showed up at the Martin Ranch to put the finishing touches on the cook-off plans. They marked off where the tents would go, worked on decorations, and had a last-minute marketing meeting. By the end of the day, all that was left was for the actual delivery of the tents, stage, tables, bounce houses and other various rental items. Those would arrive on Friday night, and the company they were renting from would set it all up themselves. They would all meet up again early Saturday for any final touches that were necessary. With the number of volunteers that had been recruited, it should come together seamlessly.
Cassie was looking over the various playlists that the bands had submitted when Lissa approached her. She glanced around furtively, and seeing Jack over by the main house discussing something with his father, she turned to Cassie with her hands spread. "Well? Have you told him? I'm assuming not, but the way your eye is twitching."
"My eye is not twitching," she protested with a laugh that quickly faded. "But, no, I haven't."
Lissa sighed in exasperation. "How long do you plan on drawing this out?"
"I'm going to tell him tonight, after everybody leaves. I've barely been able to hold it together today." Thankfully they had been so busy that she hadn't had too much time to dwell on it. But every time Jack had caught her eye and smiled today, her heart had dropped to her stomach. She looked for him now and found him standing near the guest house, talking and gesturing with Tom about something. "God, Lissa, what am I going to do if he never wants to speak to me again?"
"Well, that's highly unlikely considering you're the mother of his child. You two will be seeing each other for at least the next sixteen years, regardless of the outcome."
Her mouth went dry. How had she not thought about that? She'd been so concerned with losing him, that she'd failed to think about how their lives would be different once he knew Sarah was his. She knew he wouldn't try to take her away, but he'd want to see her as much as possible, of that she was certain. "How am I going to face him regularly and not be able to be with him? I don't know if I can deal with that." She looked at Lissa in despair.
"Dramatic much? Jeez, Cass, you are just borrowing trouble. I, for one, have already told you that it will all work out. You are the one who insists on everything being a worst case scenario."
"I can't help it. I just have this sinking feeling every time I think about it that I'm not going to get my happy ending with Jack. I don't see how."
Lissa opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of Cassie's phone. She pulled it from her pocket and saw that it was Emily.
"Hey, Emily, everything okay at home?"
"No, actually, and I'm really sorry to interrupt because I know you're super busy, but--" Emily's voice cut in and out, crackling through the phone. Reception out here on the ranch was terrible.
"What did you say? Is something wrong with Sarah?"
"I said she's been getting sick. I think she may have that stomach bug that has been going around."
"Tell her I'll be right there." She ended the call and turned back to Lissa. "Sarah is sick and I've got to go." She looked over to where Jack was still discussing something with Tom, then back at Lissa, who was eying her skeptically. "Can you please give my apologies to Jack?"
"You're going to cut out of here without even saying goodbye?" She looked at Cassie like the coward that she was.
"Sarah needs me. Please don't lecture me. I can't deal with everything else now. I will, I promise, but now is not the time."
"It's never going to be the time," Lissa muttered under her breath.
"Just please." Lissa nodded reluctantly and Cassie gave her a quick squeeze before turning to head to her car. "Thank you," she called over her shoulder.
* * *
Jack saw Cassie jogging toward the front of the house and cut his father off mid-sentence. They had been discussing his plans for the guest house, and his recent idea of putting in a pool. He could just see Sarah laughing and splashing around with Cassie, and the idea had him excited until he saw Cassie jetting away. "Hold that thought, Dad."
He started to follow her but was intercepted by Lissa out of nowhere. "Hey, Jack." Her smile was too forced and didn't match her eyes, which had a hard look in them. "Cassie wanted me to tell you that she had to go. Emily called and said Sarah is sick. I'm sure she'll call you later."
He looked at Lissa then, lifted his eyes to where Cassie had disappeared around the corner of the house. "I'll go with her. Maybe she needs my help." He started to move around Lissa, but she grabbed his arm like a vise.
"No, we need you here. There are a few final plans to confirm, and it is your property, after all."
Jack hesitated. She was right. The final approval did come from him. Surely if it were serious, she would say so. "You're sure she doesn't need me?"
Lissa pursed her lips. "She's been taking care of Sarah for two years without you. I think she can manage a stomach virus." Her tone was off and when Jack looked back to her, she wouldn't meet his gaze.
"What's going on, Lissa? Is Sarah really sick?"
Her eyes widened and she turned to face him. "Yes, of course. I mean, Cassie wouldn't lie about that." The emphasis was on the last word.
This conversation was getting stranger and stranger.
"What aren't you saying?"
"Nothing." She looked away again.
"Lissa, look at me. I know something is up, but I don't have the faintest idea what it's about. Do I need to be worried? Ca
ssie's been acting strangely about Sarah for some time now. Is she okay? She's not seriously ill, is she?" He gripped her arms as the idea took hold.
"Yes, she's fine, it's nothing like that." He was relieved and dropped his hands, but then thought about her words.
"That's good, but there is something, though." The look in her eyes said enough, and he knew he was right that he'd missing something for a while. "I feel like there's something important you aren't telling me."
"Damn her," Lissa muttered. "Look, Jack, it's not my place to say anything, no matter what I may think about it. Cassie will talk to you when she's ready. I've already said too much."
"You've not said anything at all."
She shook her head. "Just never mind. Please. Pretend we never had this conversation." She started to turn away, but he grabbed her arm again.
"Lissa," he said warningly.
"Please, Jack. Don't push this." The desperation in her voice had him letting go, but his mind was racing as she walked away.
What the hell was going on? Something to do with Sarah, of that much he was certain. He went inside to get a beer and sat down on a bar stool in the kitchen to think it through. As he played back the various interactions he'd had with Cassie over the past month regarding Sarah, he tried to figure out what could be going on.
What if Sarah really was sick, more than just a virus, and Cassie just didn't want anyone to know? He considered that for a moment, then dismissed it. He'd been around her enough to know that wasn't the case. Plus Lissa had been pretty convincing that Sarah was fine. It was something else.
His mind trailed back to the first day he'd seen Sarah playing in the bakery. How surprised he'd been that Cassie had a daughter, and then his shock at finding out that she was adopted.
He'd thought it was odd that Cassie would adopt a child at that point in her life. He still thought so, though they'd never talked about it. She'd never let them talk about it, he realized. He replayed every interaction he'd had with Sarah after that, trying to remember why things always felt off.
Part of it was Cassie's behavior. She was always on edge when he was around Sarah. From the day he'd taken her riding on Ebony and the day he'd helped out at the bakery, straight up to their date on Friday when she’d rushed out of the house before he could even say hello to Sarah. She'd also been so insistent that night that he not get too close to Sarah until she knew where their relationship was going. It was almost as if she didn't want him around her child. Why was that?
Something was pulling at his brain, but it was just out of reach. His words from that first encounter came back to him.
Is she yours? She has your exact shade of hair.
The look in her eyes was seared into his memory. He hadn't recognized it at the time, but now that he'd seen it enough he could put a name to it. Fear. His words had struck fear in her. Is she yours?
He sat up straight. That was it. It had to be. Cassie didn't adopt Sarah. Sarah was her daughter. Her biological daughter.
He hesitated for a moment over that, not quite certain. It didn't quite make sense because how did nobody else in town know that? They weren't all keeping a giant secret from him. People would have known if she was pregnant. Wouldn't they? There were no secrets in Willow Valley, he knew that first hand.
Who could he ask that would know? Someone with the inside scoop. Lissa crossed his mind, but he immediately dismissed the idea. She had just made it abundantly clear that she wasn't spilling the beans. Which only confirmed for Jack that there was, in fact, a secret they were keeping from him.
He had another thought, but it didn't sit well with him. He knew now that Cassie had a secret, but how far was he willing to go to discover it? He was pretty sure that she wouldn't tell him if he confronted her about it. She was overly protective when it came to talking about Sarah. There was one person he could ask, but going behind Cassie's back like this felt wrong. She would take it as a betrayal.
He had to know though. If they were going to move forward in their relationship, he had to know the truth. Before he could second guess himself, he pulled out his phone and looked up the number he needed. After being directed to the right extension, he took a deep breath, pushing down his doubts against his better judgment as the man answered his call.
"Dr. Givins? This is Jack Martin, Cassie Powell's friend. She's busy today, but I told her I'd take care of something for her." He winced at the lie. "Can I come by this afternoon to see Caroline?"
* * *
Jack hesitated outside the door to Caroline's room. He knew he shouldn't be going behind Cassie's back like this, but he had to know.
He'd made excuses to his father and left him in charge of all final decisions, asking him to defer to Lissa's opinion if he was unsure about anything, then he'd gone out the front before Lissa could realize he'd left. He felt bad leaving his father there when he was still under strict doctor's orders to take it easy, but he was certain Tom wouldn't push himself past his limits.
Now he stood here at Caroline's door, unsure of what he was going to say. He nodded at a nurse as she walked past, eying him curiously. If he didn't go on in, the staff was going to start getting uneasy at him lurking. He gathered his courage and pushed the door open. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust from the bright fluorescent lighting in the hall to the dimly lit room.
"Who's there?" Caroline asked, drawing her eyes from the flickering television to squint in his direction.
Jack closed the door gently behind him and stepped forward into the lamplight. "Hello, Caroline, it's me, Jack Martin."
He saw a small smile play across her face and thought that she may recognize him after all. Even though she had last time, he hadn't been sure if she would today. "Of course it is. Come over here so I can get a better look at you." She patted the blanket next to her on the bed, but he pulled a chair up instead. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
What was he supposed to say? Demand that she tell him if Sarah was Cassie's daughter? Somehow he knew that wouldn't go over well. He needed to ease into it. With the right finesse, he was sure he could get her talking. He felt guilt well up in his chest yet again, and for a minute thought he couldn't go through with it. It seemed so wrong.
But then he recalled the image he'd imagined of Cassie and Sarah in his future pool. In his home. Their home. If they were going to make a life together, he had to know the truth.
He figured he'd better start out slowly and make sure she was lucid before asking her questions that could impact his life. He needed to know that what she said was accurate. "I just wanted to come for a visit. The other day I was thinking about when we were all kids, and wanted to share some old memories with you."
His stomach turned at the ease with which the lie rolled off his lips. That wasn't how he was, and he was about to call the whole thing off when he a framed picture on her nightstand drew his attention. He hadn't noticed it when he'd been there the last time. Caroline began recalling stories of years past when neighborhood kids had been around the house non-stop. Jack had spent his days after school at Mrs. Pettigrew's house, so he'd always been part of the neighborhood crew, even though he'd lived out on the ranch. It's how he had become so close to the Powell family.
As Caroline got caught up in retelling the memories, Jack reached for the faded photo. Smiling up at him were two towheaded girls, looking as alike as twins except that the older one was missing her front teeth. Their arms were wrapped around each other as they appeared to laugh at something the photographer had said. Long blond hair tumbled down both of their backs. Amanda and Cassie had always looked more alike than different, despite the two-year age gap. It was incredible how two sisters could look so similar, yet their personalities were like night and day.
Staring at the picture, Jack felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. He didn't need to ask Caroline any of his questions now. This photograph told him everything he needed to know. He stared at Cassie's three-year-old face, and all he saw staring back was Sarah. The
re was no denying it, she was Cassie made over. He sat the photo down and tried to listen to Caroline tell her stories, but he couldn't focus.
Her next words caught his attention, though. "I spoke to Amanda the other day." Her eyes looked glassy as she continued, and he wasn't sure anymore if she was aware of what she was saying, or if she was living in a memory. "She was surprised to find out you were home."
Jack patted her on the hand. "I haven't spoken to Amanda in years, but I hope she's doing well."
Caroline hummed and closed her eyes, leaning back on her pillow. The visit seemed to have worn her out. "She never did realize what she walked away from with you." He waited for another minute, wondering if she'd say anything else, but all he heard was the evening out of her breath as she drifted off to sleep.
Jack swallowed against the lump in his throat. He longed to ask Caroline why Cassie had lied about Sarah, but he had missed his chance. He felt bad enough for even being there. At least he hadn't completely gone behind Cassie's back. He hadn't pried any information from anyone. Disgusted with himself, he pushed up from his chair, and placing it back quietly, he exited the room.
He needed to get back to town and go see Cassie. But first he had to figure out what to do with his newfound knowledge.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Cassie had just gotten Sarah back to sleep for what she hoped was the last time when she heard a knock at the door. She pulled Sarah's door shut so as not to wake her but left it open a crack so she could hear if she woke up sick again. It had been a rough evening for the poor thing. Hurrying to the door before whoever it was could knock again, she opened it without checking first and was surprised to find Jack standing there with flowers in one hand and a bag of takeout in the other.
She smiled gratefully at him, and opened the door wider, stepping back for him to enter. She raised a finger to her lips. "I just got Sarah back to sleep."
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