by Clay, Verna
She nodded and then placed her lips where her hand had been, kissing him repeatedly. He gently grasped her shoulders and turned her onto her back. Rising above her, he gazed into her shadowed face and lowered his lips to her sweet ones. Tenderly, he kissed her and said just before losing himself to passion once again, "Marry me."
* * *
Ann heard the bed squeak when Jackson rolled out of it. It was just after daylight. She watched him walk naked from the room and then heard the shower turn on.
Turning over, she stared at sunshine spreading its cheery light into her bedroom. The storm had passed and blue sky peeked atop the pines. Reaching for Jackson's pillow, she hugged it to her chest and buried her face in it. She couldn't help but smile like a Cheshire cat. Jackson was everything a woman could ever want. He was kind and handsome and loving and sexy and he had asked her to marry him. Without waiting for her reply, he had made passionate love to her again. He hadn't said he loved her, but that was okay. He'd probably just been caught up in the moment. But still, he'd asked her to marry him, and that was something she'd cherish for the rest of her life.
She heard the door open and still had her face buried in his pillow. She felt the bed lower when he sat on it, and then he caressed her bare shoulder. He said, "Annie, look at me."
She took a deep breath and rolled over. He laughed, "My Levis are soaked. I'm going to put them on and make a dash for the house. It's either that or run there butt naked."
"Do you want me to go and bring you some clothes back?"
"No. You stay in bed and rest." His eyes turned smoky. "You had a busy night."
Ann blushed and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Honey, if I kiss your lips, I'll climb back in bed with you. I have a ranch to run and you're way too tempting." He sat back up and searched her face. Running his finger down her arm, he repeated words that sent her heart galloping. "Marry me."
Tears pooled in Annie's eyes—could this be her happily-ever-after?
"Why are you crying? I'm not that awful, am I?
She shook her head. "Jackson, you don't have to marry me because we…you know, spent the night together."
"Is that what you think? I'm trying to make an honest woman of you?" he chuckled.
Annie slid her gaze away from his.
He grazed the back of his fingers down her cheek. "Look at me, Annie." Holding her gaze, he said, "You have been a fire in my bones since our first dance five years ago. When I found out you were looking for work, I was determined you would work for me. You are the sunshine in my days. I've wanted to touch you so many times, but I didn't want to scare you away." He glanced out the window. "Last night with Pritzy is just about the stupidest thing I've ever done. Nothing happened between us. In fact, I'd already decided to send her home when you walked in. I had been feeling frustrated about the situation with my money being stolen, and when she showed up on my doorstep, I…well, like I said, I made a stupid mistake." He lifted her hand and kissed it and then sighed, "I better put those wet Levis on and make a run for it."
After he left, Ann fell back to sleep for a couple of hours and then awoke with new purpose. She loved Jackson, and even though he hadn't said he loved her, maybe they had a fighting chance. After spending the night together, she knew he had deep feelings for her. Maybe she could garner enough courage to go for what she wanted—Jackson. Of course, guilt over stealing his money kept her hesitant about accepting. Should she confess? Her gut feeling was yes, but her mind told her no. She would suffer guilt if it meant keeping Jacob and Julie safe. Also, if she confessed, she would have to come clean about her ability to hack computers. Even though she'd often wished she'd never taken that first computer class, her ability had served her well in resolving her dead husband's shenanigans.
Chapter 15: Hogtied
"What! Are you shitin' me? You married her? You hogtied yourself to a thief?"
Despite his frustration with Alligator, Jackson grinned at hearing his friend use cowboy terminology with a New York accent.
"Yep. I married her so you can just keep your mouth shut about the missing money. A man can't testify against his wife. And anyway, we don't know for certain she took the money."
A string of profanities blared over Jackson's cell phone and he lifted it away from his ear. "Are you finished?" he finally asked.
"You've got it bad, buddy. It's your funeral," Alligator ended his tirade.
"Yeah, well, I'm crazy about her—always have been."
"Crazy about someone doesn't mean you have to marry them. My motto—sleep with them, don't marry them. As a matter-of-fact, I haven't heard you say you love her."
"I don't do love. My dad cured me of that. He was crazy in love with my mother and turned into a drunk after she left. When she died, he just withered away and died, too. Nope, I adore Annie, but I'm not turning into a sap."
"If you ask me, it's too late for that."
"I didn't ask you. So, are you gonna leave what you know about Annie alone? Let me get to the bottom of what happened in my own time?"
"I'll think about it."
"Alligator, I swear, if you don't leave this alone…"
"What? You'll come to New York and stomp me with your boots?"
"It will end our friendship." Before his friend could reply, Jackson hung up. Walking from the portico and back into the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, he navigated the hub of slot machines and gaming tables to the elevator and rode to the Tower Suite on the twenty-eighth floor. Sliding his keycard and stepping into the room, he grinned at the sight of Annie wearing an oversized white terry cloth robe and standing in front of a huge glass window with incredible views. She turned and her smile melted his heart. He opened his arms and waited. She ran and launched herself into them. Nipping her ear, he said, "Good morning, Mrs. Martinez."
* * *
Ann relaxed with Sarah on her back porch. The twins were down for a nap and the two of them enjoyed a moment of quiet on a lovely summer day.
Sarah sipped her lemonade and shook her head. "I think it's awesome that you and Jackson are married."
Ann grinned, "I think it's pretty awesome, myself. He's a wonderful husband. Sometimes I want to pinch myself to see if I'll wake up."
Sarah swirled the ice cubes in her glass. "I have a confession to make."
Ann looked questioningly at her.
"Sage and I have been playing matchmaker with you and Jackson ever since you moved here."
"What?! I thought you were trying to get him and Dixie together."
Sarah laughed, "That was just a ploy to make you jealous. We were afraid, however, that because you're so sweet, you'd actually try to get them together. Which, I might add, you did when you invited her to lunch. Sage and I about went crazy trying to rethink our strategy. Don't get me wrong, Dixie's a great gal, but you're the only one Jackson has eyes for. The man turns into goo whenever you're around."
"Well, I know he cares about me, but…" She sighed, "He's never told me he loves me. Maybe I was stupid to marry him, but I decided to just go for what I want, and I want him. Actually, I think I have enough love for both of us. We've been very happy."
"Has he told you much about his childhood?"
"Not too much. He doesn't seem to want to talk about it."
"From what Sage has told me, his mother ran off when he was in grade school. This is a small town and gossip travels. I guess his dad was a fine, upstanding man, but after his wife left, he started drinking and became the town drunk."
"Oh, goodness, he never shared that."
"Sage said Jackson told him his mother came around occasionally, and when she did, his father would beg her to come home, but she'd always refuse, which sent his father into a worse spiral. When Jackson was a teen, his mom died of cancer and that was the final blow for his dad. He shut himself away and drank himself to death within a matter of months. After that, Jackson lived in foster homes."
Ann glanced across the pasture at the distant hills. "Thank you for telling me. I und
erstand now how difficult it must be for him to love unconditionally."
Sarah sipped her lemonade again. "Hey, I haven't told you the latest on Miles. He's settled in the cottage and said he's getting lots of work done, but he has upcoming deadlines. Because of that, he's looking for an assistant. He said he needs someone two hours a day to help with emails and other correspondence and general day-to-day business. Are you interested?"
Ann gave her friend a surprised look. "As tempting as it sounds, I have my hands full at the Triple T. Besides that, I want to spend every minute I can with Jackson." Sipping her lemonade, she thought about their previous night of passion and blushed profusely.
Sarah smiled knowingly, "I can relate to that. So, who do you think would be good for the job?"
Ann tapped the side of her glass. When the answer popped into her head, she said, "Tooty!"
Sarah considered her suggestion. "I think you're right. Tooty can always use the extra money and she's really smart. Julie said she got all A's and B's in school. She could leave Harris with me to play with the boys while she works. It's only two hours a day. That's a great idea! I think I'll call her today and see if she's interested. She doesn't know that Miles is really Maxwell Henry and she's an avid reader. I'll bet she's read all his books." Sarah laughed, "She was the one who secreted my books to Julie when they were teenagers."
Ann joined her laughter. "That's too funny!"
Chapter 16: Surprise Visit
Jackson switched off his computer. Today was his one month anniversary and Annie had been bustling around the kitchen all day. He'd asked if she wanted to celebrate by going to Sizzling Sicily, the ritziest restaurant in town, but she'd said she'd like to prepare a candlelight dinner if that was okay with him. Hell, anything Annie did was okay with him. He reconsidered—well, anything but steal from him.
Although his marriage was fulfilling, the unresolved questions about his missing money kept their relationship from being perfect. With each day, questions gnawed at his gut—did she do it? If so, why? how? An idea began to take shape.
He left his office and found Annie in the kitchen pulling a bowl from a lower shelf. She looked up and the smile lighting her face made him want to forget the theft. However, wanting to forget, and being able to, waged a continual war in his heart. He sat on a stool at the island.
"Would you like me to pour you some coffee or tea?" Annie greeted him.
"I'll get it. You finish what you're doing." He walked to the coffee pot.
Annie set the bowl in the sink and rinsed it.
Jackson said, "Honey, I've been thinking that I need to open a personal bank account for you. I don't know why it didn't occur to me before. I want you to have money for your own stuff. You know, shopping, manicures, eating with your girlfriends, that sort of thing."
With her back to him, she replied, "There's plenty of money in the household account. I don't need any more. Even the new Toyota you bought me is over-the-top."
"Annie, the car is not over-the-top. That clunker you were driving was falling apart. As for the money, I've made up my mind. Tomorrow we'll go to the bank and I'll deposit five thousand dollars into an account for you."
Annie dropped the bowl in the sink and it clanged. She still didn't turn around. "Jackson! What would I do with five thousand dollars? There's no way I'm accepting that amount of money!"
Jackson covered the distance between them and turned her around. "Baby doll, you are too cute for your own good. I haven't been able to take my eyes off your backside since I walked in. We'll talk about this later. Do you think you can put dinner on simmer so we can simmer for an hour?"
A playful smile quirked her lips. "Only an hour?"
Jackson laughed loudly and slipped his arm under her legs, picking her up and walking to the stove. "Turn it down to a slow simmer, baby."
The next day, under protest from Annie, they went to the bank and he opened an account for her. He planned his next step, and although he'd feel like a rat, Alligator's words taunted him, You hogtied yourself to a thief! A week later he followed through with his plan. After work he slipped into his office, closed the door, and turned on his computer. He was no slouch when it came to basic computer skills and within a short time he'd sabotaged his computer's start up.
After dinner, he brought Annie to his office with the excuse that he wanted to show her how to log on to the internet and call up her new bank account for online banking.
He said with exasperation. "Crap! Something's wrong with my computer. This puts a wrench in my night. I'm a novice when it comes to computers and my broker sent me some important emails. Excuse me while I get my cell phone and call him." He left the room and came back fifteen minutes later. When he stepped into his office, Annie wasn't there, but his computer showed his logon screen. She had repaired the damn thing. He silently cussed a string of profanities.
He entered the kitchen. "What happened to my computer? It seems to be working now."
"Oh, I don't know. Sometimes turning something off and then back on works wonders. That's what I did and I guess it reset something. Now you can look at your important emails."
Jackson knew she was lying and it put him in a foul mood.
"Do you still want to show me how to log on?"
"No. It can wait til later." He left the house and went to muck the barn—anything to release his anger.
* * *
Ann was worried about Jackson. He hadn't been himself for several days. He'd been moody and quiet. The couple of times they'd made love had left her unfulfilled. She was at a loss as to what was troubling him. As for the bank account he'd opened for her, she had no intention of touching the money—not after she'd already helped herself to fifty thousand. Between her increasing guilt and Jackson's bad mood, she didn't feel the same closeness with him, and it broke her heart. She toyed with the idea of coming clean, but decided against it because he might feel obligated to go to the police and she couldn't risk upsetting the loan shark. She didn't know what to do.
At the beginning of October while they sat in the living room, with Ann reading a book and Jackson watching a football game, there was a knock on the front door.
"I'll get it," said Jackson. "It's probably Newt. He was going to drop some blueprints by that Sage wanted me to look at for an addition to their dorm."
Ann barely looked up from reading the Maxwell Henry novel she had purchased the day Sarah had introduced her to Dixie. The story was a page turner and she was right at the cliff hanger. She heard voices in the foyer but didn't pay attention. A few minutes later she heard footsteps and glanced up. Jackson entered the room followed by Alligator and another man she had never met. They were dressed in typical business suits that showed wrinkling, like they'd been on a long trip. Jackson had a stricken look on his face and she dropped her book in her lap. "What's wrong?"
Jackson walked to one of the book shelves and leaned against it. Alligator and the other man stepped to the center of the room. Ann looked from Alligator to Jackson and back to Alligator.
Alligator said, "Annie, I'm an FBI agent and this is agent Mahoney. We've come to escort you to New York."
Ann jerked her eyes to Jackson's and saw something that made her heart stop. He knows. That's why he's been behaving so weird. She wanted to flee the room but swallowed hard against the urge. She was caught. She said to Jackson, "How long have you known?"
He ran a hand through his hair. "Since the week it happened."
"What! Why would you marry me?"
He didn't respond.
Alligator said softly, "A husband can't testify against his wife."
Ann furrowed her brow.
Jackson looked at Alligator. "I want you to know she'll have the best attorneys money can buy. I'll spare no expense. In fact, she's not talking to you until an attorney is present."
A slight smile creased Alligator's mouth. "I think you've misunderstood our visit." He looked at Ann. "We haven't come to arrest you. We've figured out you were blackma
iled by your dead husband's loan shark and we've come to enlist your help in taking his organization down."
Jackson pushed away from the bookcase. "What!"
Alligator waved him to a chair. "Maybe we should all sit down and take this from the top."
Chapter 17: Annie's Secret
Ann grabbed some clothing and shoved it in a bag.
"Annie, this is ridiculous. I don't want you going back to the cottage. You're my wife."
She opened her underwear drawer and grabbed a handful of panties and bras. The anger she was trying to suppress found vent and her eyes flashed. "I don't intend to be your wife much longer. As soon as I've finished helping the government, I'm filing for divorce."
"Annie, please…"
"No, Jackson, don't say anything. No matter how honorable your intentions, it was wrong to lead me on. And now that I think about it, you sabotaged your computer to see if I could fix it, didn't you?" Her voice rose in volume and the guilty look on his face answered her question. Disgusted, she looped the straps of her bag over her arm, grabbed Spike off the bed, and stalked out of the bedroom.
Jackson followed and shouted as she stormed into the hallway. "How was I supposed to know the fifty thousand was stolen to protect your family?"
Ann paused, turned around, and said softly, "I will never again become a man's doormat or his charity project. My first husband used me for his own selfishness and you married me with some perverse idea of saving me. And to think that making love was only acting on your part. It makes me sick. I didn't want your pity. I wanted your love."
"Annie, it wasn't an act." He shoved his hands through his hair.
With finality, she turned and ran down the hall to the living room and out the terrace doors to the gate. She didn't stop running until she'd reached the cottage. Inside, she set Spike on the couch, threw her bag on the floor, and then ran and launched herself across her bed, sobbing uncontrollably.
Hours later she stared at shadows on the ceiling. She'd crawled under her covers not even removing her clothing. Although weary, her mind refused to rest and memories paraded across her consciousness.
