by Melody Anne
“How many people are here, Jackson?” The crowd seemed to be growing.
“Ah, it seems like kind of a small gang, eh?”
“This is what you consider small?” As the two of them got up and made their way outside, Alyssa was sure that at least a hundred people were milling around.
“Yeah, normally we have half the town here,” Jackson said. “Dad likes to throw a semiannual party for all the employees of the oil plant, and then for all our neighbors and friends as well. As you’ve noticed, Sterling isn’t exactly a bustling town. We have to provide our own entertainment.” He led her to a hay bale and sat down, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in tightly against his side.
“This is pretty great, actually,” she said as the sun dipped below the tree line and they were bathed in a soft glow from the roaring fire.
“I’m finding that anywhere I’m with you is pretty great,” he replied, tipping her head back so he could give her another kiss—this one a little longer than the one she’d received inside the barn.
“All right, Jackson, quit smooching and let me say hello to Alyssa.”
Alyssa turned to find Spence standing in front of them. The man was tall, maybe an inch taller than Jackson, and had shoulders like a linebacker. He had green eyes that were sure to star in more than a few women’s fantasies, and a smile that surely set people at ease.
As Alyssa glanced in turn at all four brothers, she was amazed they weren’t related by blood. Each one was stunning in his own right, had the same crooked smile, and boasted eyes whose sparkle was unmatched by anything she’d seen before.
She felt painfully shy all of a sudden. She’d seen Spence only a few times before, and she had to admit that he intimidated her just a bit.
“Yeah, Spence would love to steal you away, but I have game,” Jackson said with a smile.
“I don’t know. I’m pretty charming when I want to be,” Spence said with a wink that had Alyssa blushing. “When’s the baby due?” he asked, and she looked down. Her stomach was really beginning to stick out.
She blushed again as she looked up. “In about three months,” she said, praying the good doctor wouldn’t ask about the father.
“Congrats, Alyssa. It’s about time I got to be an uncle.”
And that was the end of it. Whew!
Spence talked with Jackson for several more minutes, and Alyssa was awed by the way all of Jackson’s family had accepted her immediately. They all knew she’d been in Sterling for four months without Jackson. They all knew she had to have been pregnant with someone else’s child. It made more sense than that it was Jackson’s.
They didn’t know about her night with Jackson just under six months ago. She was actually a bit offended that he thought her so easy that she would sleep with him and another man within a couple of weeks of each other. Of course, he hadn’t known her at all then. But he knew her now. Why hadn’t he put the pieces together? Why hadn’t he questioned her?
When Jackson went over to collect more food and drink for the two of them, Alyssa felt the last walls of resistance fall away when he first approached one of the neighbors, who was holding a newborn baby.
Jackson beamed as the woman handed over the infant, who was wrapped in a pink blanket, and then Alyssa watched as he admired the child. His strong arm looked so massive cradling the baby as he grinned at something the woman said.
When a man approached the two of them, Jackson held out his free hand and Alyssa could see that he was offering his congratulations. And when he handed the baby back, her heart melted because the look in his eyes reflected disappointment.
Jackson was made to be a father. If their child was a girl, she’d be his little princess. If it was a boy, he’d be his best friend. It was time that Alyssa told him the truth. She wouldn’t make any more excuses.
He’s had a bad day at work.
I’m not feeling well and need to sleep.
I’ve worked a double and my feet are killing me.
The lovemaking is perfect and I’m warm in his arms. I don’t want to ruin the moment.
Excuses! Alyssa had sworn she wouldn’t make them. She had failed both herself and Jackson. A week passed and the right opportunity never presented itself. It seemed her resolve at the bonfire had quickly been forgotten. Yes, Alyssa knew she was betraying a lack of spine by not telling Jackson the truth, but it wasn’t as if she could just blurt the words out.
She dreaded his reaction. How would he feel about her once he knew? Would he consider her the worst of liars? Would he be so angry that he wanted nothing more to do with her? So she made up excuses, telling herself that she was waiting for just the right moment, though she knew there had been plenty of good moments. And she’d chickened out each time.
Tonight. She would do it tonight. Just as soon as her shift was over, she would tell him that they needed to sit down and talk. It was the right thing to do, after all. It was easy to spout off to others about courage. Facing problems in one’s own life wasn’t at all simple. Alyssa knew that only too well. No matter how much fear she had of telling him, she was going to do it.
As the sultry July night came to a close, she was surprised that Jackson hadn’t shown up at the door. Something must have come up, because he usually was there at work to make sure she got home safely. Her apartment was now ready. She should move into it, but when she’d told Jackson, he’d said they would get her moved soon, and then he’d changed the topic the next couple of times she’d spoken of it. The truth was, she didn’t want to leave yet.
When the bell on the saloon door chimed and Cam walked in, she gave him a smile and went over to greet him. “You’re here late, Cam. Is everything okay?”
“Can we talk, Alyssa?” The frown marring his normally cheerful face had her instantly worried.
“Of course. Let me grab my purse and you can walk me out.” She turned and walked to the back room, overtaken by a sudden impulse to stall. She didn’t know if she wanted to hear whatever Camden was about to say. The man surely was a bust at poker, because right now his face told her that she was about to hear something unpleasant.
With hormones sending her emotions all over the place, she wasn’t up for bad news. The courage thing again. She’d rather keep her head in the sand than face real-world demons. But she couldn’t hide forever. She grabbed her purse, plastered a false smile onto her face, and walked back out front, where she found Camden leaning against the bar.
“What’s wrong, Cam?”
She was now determined to face whatever news he was bringing, and if it was bad, she’d decided she’d rather just hear it and get it over with.
“This really should wait until the morning, Alyssa, but we’ve never been too formal with our attorney-client relationship . . .”
Her stomach tightened. She hadn’t wanted to get her hopes up, but she had. Not that long ago, he’d told her things were looking as if they were moving in her favor. From his expression, however, it appeared he’d been wrong.
“Just tell me, Cam. I don’t want to drag it out,” she said, straightening her shoulders and preparing herself for the blow.
“The money is gone, Alyssa. I’m so sorry. Your ex-manager was found yesterday in his prison cell . . . dead, and the funds that were frozen have been confiscated by the government. It seems he was much more of a crook than we knew, and the big guys are taking their money first. The man was too weak to face his accusers, too weak to spend his time behind bars. He decided to end it before a judgment could be brought against him.”
Even though this was what Alyssa had expected him to say, hearing the words made her knees go to jelly and she had to fight to stay on her feet.
She’d known she wasn’t going to get the full amount back, but she’d been hoping for something, just enough to get by while the baby was little. Yes, she knew that Jackson was wealthy—beyond wealthy, actually. But that was his money. That the two of them had shared a night together that had left her pregnant didn’t m
ean he should now be responsible of taking care of her and a baby. Well, technically it did, but still . . .
She was enrolled to start community college in the fall, finally finding a passion in life. She was going to be a music teacher. Playing piano gave her joy beyond any other pastime, and they had a hard time finding music teachers in Sterling, so she already had an internship at the middle school while she was finishing her degree.
Looking at Cam, she felt terrible. This was Jackson’s brother, and he was so good to her, as was Jackson and the rest of his family. She should have already told Jackson that he was going to be a father. Now that the case was lost, would he think she was telling him because she wanted his money? Oh, the web of lies was finally ensnaring her and she was terrified of the consequences.
“Thanks for not making me wait, Cam. I appreciate it,” Alyssa said. She was surprised by how strong her tone was, by how well she was managing to remain standing.
“I really am sorry, Alyssa. I’ll keep checking into things over the next few months, but at this point, I’d have to say the odds of any of the women he’s ripped off getting even a dime back are slim. This man . . . if he can even be called that . . . was a real piece of work.”
Cam was shaking his head as he spoke to her, trying to catch her eye. Alyssa wouldn’t look at him. She was too afraid she’d fall apart if he was too sympathetic, and she absolutely didn’t want that to happen.
“Does Jackson know?”
“Of course not. Although he’s my brother, you’re my client, Alyssa. I certainly wouldn’t speak to him about your business,” he replied, sounding offended that she even needed to ask.
“I wasn’t implying that,” she said. But what else could she have been saying?
“Sorry. I know that. It was just one of those questions,” Cam said, and patted her on the shoulder.
Just that little bit of movement nearly undid her. She had to get away.
“Thanks again for not making me wait to find out. I really should get back to Jackson’s house now, though,” she said, trying to act nonchalant. She hoped she was pulling it off.
“I almost forgot to tell you—Jackson asked me to stop by. He got called away to an emergency business meeting in Alaska. He may be gone for a few days,” Cam told her as he walked her to her car. “That’s why I came here in the first place.”
“Oh, thanks,” she said as she opened her car door. What else was there to say? She’d just received devastating news, and now she was heading back to Jackson’s house, where she’d be all alone.
“I’ll follow you home,” Camden told her, and the way he said it let her know it wasn’t an offer. She could refuse him, but he was going to do it no matter what.
“Thanks. You know I’ve been there a few times already, right?” she tried to joke, but her tone made it fall flat.
“Yeah. Still, I’ll feel better if I follow you.”
“If you want to waste your time . . .” She let her words fall away as she pulled her car door shut, then started the engine.
The car took several minutes to warm up, and it took every encouraging thing she could think of not to break into tears. This wasn’t the end of the world. It was just one more minor setback in a long list of setbacks. She’d get through it, and one day she’d look back and wonder why she’d let it affect her so much.
As she put her car into drive and began the journey down the long, winding road to Jackson’s house, the first tear blurred her vision. She never saw the deer leap out in front of her small car.
“Alyssa!” Cam jumped out of his truck and slid down the steep embankment into the ditch, screaming Alyssa’s name while rushing to her car. It was resting upside down, one wheel spinning eerily and making a screeching sound.
When she didn’t answer, he pulled out his phone in a panic, kicking himself for waiting even thirty seconds before calling the ambulance. The call made, he wrenched open her door. “Alyssa! Are you okay?”
Still no answer. His car lights were beaming down into the ditch, shining in through her broken back window, and they gave him a clear view of her hanging upside down in her seat. Reaching inside the car, he touched her shoulder, trying to be careful not to shift her in case there was any injury to her neck.
“Alyssa, I need you to wake up!” He spoke loudly, willing her to open her eyes.
If she was lost . . . Oh, hell, his brother. Camden feared Jackson would never heal. The poor guy was finally allowing himself to live again, to care for another person. He couldn’t lose Alyssa like this. Camden wouldn’t allow it.
“Alyssa, please wake up!”
Camden nearly cried in relief when he heard a moan and saw her body twitch. He continued calling her name as he listened for sirens. He wanted to get her out of the car, but he knew better than to move her without first checking for back and neck injuries.
“Jackson?” Alyssa’s voice, sounding weak and pained, finally drifted to Cam’s ears.
“No, Alyssa, it’s me, Camden,” he replied, touching her arm gently, trying to reassure her.
“What happened?” she asked hoarsely as she began to stir.
“Try to stay still, Alyssa. You’ve been in a car accident, and I don’t want you to move.”
The blessed sound of sirens wailed in the distance.
“Oh, Cam!” she cried as full consciousness returned. “It hurts!”
“I know, Alyssa. I know. They’re almost here. Please just hold on. They will be here any second. They’ll get your neck secured and then move you,” he promised her as the sirens grew louder.
Cam didn’t dare turn toward the sound of the approaching ambulance and fire engine, but instead kept his hand placed reassuringly against her arm and continued speaking so she wouldn’t succumb to the panic he was sure she was battling.
“My head feels like it’s going to explode,” she cried, and then her body was racked with sobs.
“I know, Alyssa, but they’re here now. They’re coming,” he promised.
And sure enough, the passenger door of her car was wrenched open and a paramedic climbed in. The man asked a few questions and then quickly secured her neck against a backboard. Another paramedic joined him, and Cam moved out of their way as they pulled her carefully and efficiently from the car.
When he saw blood staining her slacks, Cam felt his gut stir again, and as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance, he couldn’t help but let go of the contents of his stomach on the side of the road. If she was losing the baby . . . No! He couldn’t think that way.
“You can follow,” the first paramedic called out to Cam before jumping into the ambulance and turning on the siren as they sped away.
Cam’s stomach heaved again. That they were traveling as fast as they were with siren and lights meant her condition couldn’t be good. How was he going to tell his brother? Before he could get into his car, Hawk Winchester and the sheriff stopped him to ask questions for their reports.
“What happened?”
“A deer jumped out. There was no way for her to avoid it, but she must have jerked her wheel at the last minute. She lost control . . .” He had to stop. He knew this was his fault. Why in the world had he told her about the case before she had to drive?
Cam felt lower than low. Alyssa had tried desperately to hide her devastation over his news, but she hadn’t fooled him for even a minute, which is why he’d followed her. The poor woman had been barely holding it together. What should he have done, though? Lie?
No. Professional ethics and the law had tied his hands. He wished he could have just reached into his pockets and given her the money that she’d lost, but he knew better than to offer it to her. Not only would she most likely have slugged him for insulting her that way, but she’d have probably refused to speak to him ever again.
Cases like hers really upset him. She was clearly a victim, and there was nothing the law could do about it. Like so many others, she’d just been unlucky in the person she’d chosen to trust. Hell, unlucky
didn’t cover it.
She was pregnant, and living with his brother. It was more than obvious that his brother was head over heels in love with Alyssa. What smart man wouldn’t fall for the woman? She was beautiful, talented, witty, and charming. She was a keeper. If Camden had felt even half a spark of passion for Alyssa, he would have chased after her—okay, he would have if she hadn’t already belonged to his brother.
Cam was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Hawk’s voice asking him if he was okay.
“I’m sorry, Hawk. I can’t think right now. I really need to get to the hospital.”
“Then go,” Hawk said.
“Thanks.” Cam turned to leave.
“You were thinking on your feet, Cam. Both Alyssa and the baby have a real chance,” Hawk said before Cam had taken more than a few steps.
“Thanks. I’ll try to remember that when I call Jackson.” Cam rushed to his truck and started it, his window down.
“She’ll make it,” Hawk said. “There’s no way fate can be so cruel to Jackson again.”
“I agree, Hawk. Jackson has been through enough.” Cam took off, already too far behind, afraid something bad had happened. He knew the hospital wouldn’t give him information, but as he made his way there, he picked up his phone, first calling Alyssa’s parents and letting them know where they could find their daughter, then . . . then calling his brother.
“Jackson, I have bad news . . .”
Her eyes now open, Alyssa tried to process the sounds around her as she was wheeled directly into an emergency room. She heard phrases such as early labor, uncontrollable bleeding, baby trauma.
No! It was way too early. The baby couldn’t come yet. They had to do something, had to stop whatever was happening.
“Alyssa, don’t panic. We’re going to do everything we can to save your baby,” someone assured her.
“It’s too early,” she cried, her voice gurgling.
