Loving the Texas Lawman

by Sands, Charlene

  When Jack returned, he leaned a shoulder against the wall facing her and folded his arms across his middle. She could’ve used a hug from him, but that wasn’t happening and she understood why. She had come to town weeks ago and messed up his life.

  “You do know that phone call had nothing to do with Beau’s accident, right?” Jack asked.

  “That’s what your father told me. It’s true, right?”

  “Yes, Jillian,” Jack said. “Nathan Rivers is the clumsiest darn kid. He shouldn’t be riding his bike on the streets of Hope Wells.”

  “So then, the fire, you being attacked, the break-in at the corporate office, it all points to me.”

  “We don’t know it’s directly related to you.”

  “But, it’s very possible.”

  Jack nodded, his red-rimmed eyes giving away the truth. He believed it too. Anyone with powers of deduction would come to the same conclusion.

  “I’m so sorry about Beau, Jack. I know it’s my fault. I know nothing about kids, or raising them. I’ve been nothing but a jinx to you and I want you to know that I’m very sorry, about everything.”

  Her tears were gone now. She had her head on straight for the first time since she’d arrived in Hope Wells. And her mind was made up. She wasn’t going to impose anymore bad karma on Jack or Beau. If she was in danger of any sort, that was her problem, not his. He shouldn’t have to pay for her mistakes.

  God, she loved him too much for that.

  The town had been right, all those years ago. Jack Walker was too fine a man to shine her shoes. She’d never been enough for him. She wasn’t good for him now. Or for Beau. She’d failed on all levels and she wasn’t going to give herself a break. This was all on her.

  Jack glanced away. He couldn’t stand to look at her. He couldn’t forgive her. Who could blame him?

  “I should go,” she said quietly.

  He turned to finally face her, searching her eyes for a moment. “I’ll have Monty stay with you tonight at the house. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  Still, no hug.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Jack shook his head. “You’re scared.”

  She was. For many reasons and she forced herself to be brave. “A little.”

  “Monty will drive you home and stay the night, Jillian. Grant me that much peace.”

  “Oh, uh…”

  He’d thrown her off with that, but she’d do anything to breach the gap in his trust. If he wanted Monty to stay at the house, she’d agree.

  “Okay, sure. Please give Beau a kiss for me when he wakes up. Goodbye, Jack.” She lifted up on tiptoes and brushed a soft kiss to the rough stubble on his cheek. The faint scent of musky aftershave wafted up to her nose, consuming her and reminding her of all that she’d lost tonight.

  “Goodnight,” he said, turning his back on her to enter Beau’s room.

  *

  Monty was packing a gun and he’d made no bones about telling her she was under his protection and not to worry about a thing. He’d be sleeping in the room next door. He was an old softie at heart when it came to family but, boy, she wouldn’t have wanted to come up against him in his old lawman days. He had a reputation for being tough, a no-holds-barred kind of man.

  “Have a good night’s sleep,” he said, shortly after they’d arrived at Jack’s house. “If your phone rings again, come and get me, got that?”

  “Don’t worry, I will.” She was grateful to have him here. She didn’t want to face the night by herself. “And thank you.”

  He gave her a nod and sauntered away.

  But, she actually wasn’t going to sleep right away and a tinge of guilt stabbed at her. In the master bedroom she shared with Jack, she opened her laptop and made a reservation for a flight out first thing tomorrow morning. She needed to go home and the sooner the better. She had employees to console, an office to repair, a business to run and… a heart to mend.

  Like that was even possible. Jack Walker was her husband in the eyes of the law, but he was much more than that to her. He was the best man she’d ever known. He was the love of her life and someone that deserved much more than she’d given him.

  So, with her mind made up and well after Monty shut off his bedroom light, Jillian quietly pulled out her suitcase from the closet and tossed it on the bed. Slowly, with care and under dim light, she began packing her belongings.

  Not a minute later, Monty opened her door without knocking, took a look at her suitcase and shook his head. “You’re making a liar outta me, Jillie. I told my son you wouldn’t run.”

  Nothing much could shock her after the fright she had today, but having Monty at her bedroom door did surprise her. How did he hear her? “I’m not running. I have a business in shambles in Los Angeles. I need to get back there.”

  “Bullfeathers.”

  The old guy was dear to her heart, and she didn’t want to argue the point, but she had to make him see what she was doing was for the best. She continued packing up her bag, rearranging clothes to make them fit. “I’m no good for Jack. I’ve been nothing but trouble since the first day I came back. It’s killing me to l-leave, Monty.” Her voice cracked. She’d been doing fine, feeling noble about her decision, until Monty opened her door and wrecked her with the disappointment on his face. “I’m not good at this. I can’t pretend anymore. I’m not a wife or a mother.”

  “You’re both, but you’re being too dang stubborn to see it, Jillian.”

  “I’m not.” She glanced at him and shook her head hard, denying his words, even as she so desperately wanted to believe them.

  “Jack loves you. So does the boy, even if they don’t know it yet.”

  Oh, how much she wished that were true. But it just plain wasn’t. Jack had never told her his feelings. And they’d had plenty of intimate moments when he could have. As far as Beau was concerned, he’d forget about her quickly. He had Jack and Monty, and Maddie and Trey for that matter. A new ready-made family was waiting for him. She was glad about that. Beau was a special little boy and deserved their love.

  “No,” she said. She turned away from the old man, from the pain and disapproval in his eyes. She couldn’t bear to see him hurting. As she set a pair of pants neatly into her suitcase, her eyes blurred. The well had filled up again. “Please, Monty, I don’t want to cry anymore.”

  His dark brown, age-wrinkled eyes softened. “Alright, Jillie. Have it your way.”

  She bit her lip and put her head down, nodding until she heard the sound of her door clicking shut.

  Then the waterworks began anew.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jack had been warned the house would be empty when he brought Beau home this afternoon. He knew this day would come, but he really hadn’t thought his marriage to Jillian would only last a little more than a week. He’d been hard on her and now she was gone. She’d blamed herself for Beau’s injuries and he hadn’t stopped her or made her feel better about it. He’d blamed her too. Yet, he was torn up inside, his gut burning thinking she might be headed into a dangerous situation. An unknown, threatening caller, the fire and a break-in at her main office along with the fact that someone had gone to extremes to attack him, all seemed to send a message that Jillian could be next.

  Jack had dreamt of this day for months now, the day he brought Beau home, for good. He thought it’d be the happiest day of his life. He thought nothing could ruin this homecoming. He’d been wrong. He was worried about Jillian. And consumed about her being alone or frightened or hurt.

  He couldn’t let Beau see his concern. The boy deserved more. It was a fine line he walked today.

  “And this will be your bedroom, Beau,” Jack said, leading the boy into the room Monty had slept in last night. “We can fix it up anyway you want.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep, really.”

  Sheer joy rained on Beau’s black-and-blued face as he ran over to the bed and threw himself on it. “Oh, boy!”

  His excitement pulled at J
ack’s heart. It was hard to see him covered in bandages, his arms and legs banged up, but Beau didn’t seem to notice any of that. He was looking around the room in awe, his eyes twinkling.

  Finally, Beau was his son. The paperwork had arrived last night.

  “I get to stay here with you, forever and ever?” Beau asked.

  Jack smiled. It was the first thing the child had asked after Jack told him the news of the adoption this morning at the hospital. He supposed the boy needed reassurances and he’d repeat it to him a thousand times if it meant easing Beau’s mind. “Yep, forever and ever. I’m your father now. You can call me Daddy.”

  Beau bounded off the bed and ran full speed into his body, hugging him around the waist. “Thank you.”

  Jack placed his hands on Beau’s shoulders, gripping him carefully, but possessively. “Hey, b-buddy.” Choked up, he fell to his knees, unable to say more and held onto the boy for a long-drawn-out minute.

  For the shortest span of time, they’d been a family by all standards; Jack, Beau, and Jillian. It had seemed perfect, the trio of them skipping off into the sunset. But that wasn’t to be. Somehow, he’d have to break the news to Beau in a very tactful way, that he wouldn’t be seeing Jillian too much anymore. She’d be back, the note Monty had delivered to him, had said as much. But she didn’t say when, or if she’d be coming back to the house. There was finality in her tone, a brush off, in the nicest of ways, claiming that he and Beau belonged together.

  Without her, was written between the lines.

  After he’d read the note, he’d been hollowed out inside. She had never been part of his plan. She had never been a factor in the future Jack had wanted for himself and Beau. But even knowing that, repeating it in his head a dozen times didn’t really help. And the last line she’d written in her note had hurt him the most.

  It’s the way it was always meant to be.

  Love, Jillian.

  Of course she’d come back. She had a new store to oversee. She had to get it off the ground before she moved on. She wasn’t coming back for him. Just like, she hadn’t come back to Hope Wells initially for him. She’d come to keep her company from going under.

  He’d been dumped by a woman he’d known would abandon him at the first sign of trouble. It shouldn’t come as a shock. He should’ve expected it. Now, that part of his heart was closed up good and tight. His mother and then Jolene and now Jillian had all left him. His track record with women was abysmal. It was time to take himself out of the game.

  But niggling doubts played out in his head.

  You pushed her out.

  You didn’t give her a chance.

  You were harder on her than you’ve been on anyone else.

  Was it true?

  He didn’t know, but Jillian was still his legal wife and her safety was his responsibility. Thirty minutes later, while Beau rested on the sofa watching a cartoon on the Disney channel, Jack dialed the number the LAPD officer had given him and Officer Wright answered on the first ring. “I was just about to call you, Sheriff Walker.”

  His heart stopped, panic welling inside. “Do you have news about the case?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. We have three suspects in custody for the break-in and we’re developing a timeline now, regarding your attack and the fire. I think we’ve got a solid case.”

  “Who are they?”

  “We picked up Juan Carlo Vasquez, younger brother of Enrique. He’s a loose cannon, out for revenge for his brother’s imprisonment. We’ve had our eye on him for drug trafficking, and he got a little sloppy last night. Left us enough evidence to make the arrest. He’s not talking, but his henchmen are, and we’ve tied them all to the break-in.”

  “And Jillian’s safe?”

  “Yes, sir. In fact, your wife’s right here. We’re taking her statement. We’ve had someone watching her since she arrived back in California this morning.”

  Jack blew out a deep breath. “I’d like to speak to her.”

  “Sure, I’ll put her on the phone. Mrs. Walker, it’s your husband.”

  There was a slight pause and then Jillian said, “Hello Jack. How’s Beau?”

  “I brought him home a little while ago. He’s happy to be here and feeling much better.”

  “Thank goodness. I’ve been thinking about him all day.”

  “How are you holding up?” he asked, the conversation stiff, stilted.

  “Better, now that they’ve made some arrests. I think it’s over.” She sounded beat, her voice flat.

  He was kicking himself inside, wanting to tell her he missed her. Wanting to tell her to come home to her family. Nothing seemed right without her. But he couldn’t. It wasn’t a matter of pride. It was more. She’d walked out on him twice now. What kind of fool would he be, if he begged her to come home? Their marriage had always been temporary, a fake, a fraud.

  “Uh, well, they’re waiting for me, Jack. I’d better go.” Was he imagining the longing in her voice?

  “Yeah, okay. I’m glad you’re safe, Jillian. But still, be careful.”

  “I will. Uh, Jack?”

  “What?”

  She paused for a few seconds and he held his breath. “Nothing. Good-bye.”

  When the call ended he ran a hand down his face. At least Jillian was safe. But she wouldn’t be coming home to him and his heart was breaking. There was no sense denying it anymore. He’d fallen deeply in love with Jillian Lane Walker, his wife, and now he’d have to live with the pain for the rest of his life.

  “Daddy?” The little boy stared up at him and took his hand. “You look sad.”

  Jack snapped to attention quickly and lifted Beau into his arms, so they were eye to eye. To hear Beau call him Daddy for the first time brightened his mood. “Nah, I’m not sad at all. I’m happy you’re here, son. Hey, you want to get some ice cream?”

  “Sure! Can we ask Jillian to come too?”

  His stomach dipped. “Oh, uh, maybe next time, Beau. Jillian had to go back to California for a while.”

  “But she’s coming home soon, right?”

  “I don’t know, buddy. Maybe. Hey, after ice cream let’s go shopping at the Super Shop and get those new things for your bedroom. Would you like that?”

  Beau nodded and hugged him around the neck, squeezing tight. Jack brushed a kiss to the top of his head and they walked out of the house.

  An hour later at the store, an ice cream smudged Beau picked out a football themed bedspread from the shelf and Jack already had the sheets in the shopping cart. “Hey, buddy, this lamp is pretty cool.” It had a football base that lit up as a nightlight. Jack didn’t hesitate to put it into the cart. “Almost done, then we can go home and set all this stuff up.”

  “I can’t wait,” Beau said, bouncing a bit in the seat of the shopping cart. “Hey, look, there’s Raul from my school!”

  Beau waved at the boy and his mother walked over with three children trailing behind her. “Hi, do you know Raul?”

  “He’s in my class at school,” Beau said.

  “Oh, nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

  “Beau.”

  She looked up at Jack and then at Beau. “I’m Raul’s mom, Christy. And these are my other two, Mary Ellen and Josh.” The other kids glanced up shyly. The girl, probably four years old, was wearing a cast on her arm, decorated with penned flowers and stickers.

  “I’m Jack Walker. I don’t think we’ve ever met. Nice meeting you all.”

  “Same here, sheriff.” She smiled, apparently recognizing him. He was wearing street clothes, but he’d made news lately, thanks to Jillian and just about everyone in town knew what he looked like now. “I suspect we might be seeing you again, I’m the room mother for Raul and Beau’s class. What happened to Beau?” she asked, noting his bandages.

  “Ah, well, Beau had a bicycle accident the other day. But he’s healing up real good.”

  “So sorry, Beau.” Then she nodded in the direction of her daughter. “Mary Ellen broke
her wrist falling out of a tree last week. I swear, I only had my back turned for three seconds and before I knew it, the little monkey had climbed up our old oak. Next thing I know, she’d fallen to the ground, holding her wrist.” She shrugged. “It all happened so fast. It’s hard to watch ’em every second. Even when you do, they manage to find a way to get hurt.”

  Jack blinked, her words sucker-punching him in the gut.

  “You know what I mean?” she was asking.

  Jack nodded, his mind racing. The woman had hit a nerve. And woken him up. “Yeah, I do know what you mean.”

  “Well, I’ve gotta get this crew home. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again, Beau. Bye for now.”

  “Yeah, good-bye,” Jack said numbly.

  Beau waved to his friend as Jack pushed the shopping cart to the checkout line, his heart pumping hard and fast. He hadn’t been fair to Jillian. He’d acted like an idiot. He’d been furious at her for not taking better care of Beau, knowing all the while it was killing her.

  He’d seen enough through his years as sheriff, to know that accidents happened all the time to kids. They were simply, accidents. Why had he held her to a higher standard, than he held himself? Why hadn’t he been more forgiving? She cared about Beau. She hadn’t been careless with the boy and Jack had been unduly cruel to her.

  She hadn’t walked out on him.

  Dear God. He’d shoved her away.

  And now he had to find a way to fix this mess.

  Before it was too late.

  *

  “This is such a mess,” Jillian told Tessa, the next morning. The police had finally given her the okay to go into her offices, after having retrieved all the evidence they needed. “It’s going to take a whole week to get this place up and running again.” She glanced around and everywhere her eyes touched found broken glass, computer parts, files cut to shreds. Leather chairs had been slashed, paintings destroyed. It was such an invasion, such a personal attack to her livelihood, that she couldn’t stop trembling. “Good thing we have all our files backed up.”