Blake grinned. “I’m the strong, silent type.”
Rick looked away with a smirk and then looked back at Cassie. “Go on,” he said.
Ignoring his attitude, Cassie swallowed. “Well, because of his age, Rob is having trouble getting people to trust that he can make it work and he thought maybe you could help convince them that it can. He sent out word looking for you and tracked you down through Dr. Winthrop. Steve called with the news. Steve then talked to Dr. Winthrop about other couples he knew.
“If we go there to show that the place could be safe, the other couples would go. Rob feels strongly about you being there, Rick. I guess knowing who you are made him and his girlfriend feel pretty special that you took the time to help them. So you see, we’re going back to Greyson House to collect the new couples that Dr. Winthrop took in, then heading up to Rob’s place along with Steve and Lori. Sound good?”
“Almost,” Rick said flatly then looked at Blake. “You or me?”
Rick’s question understood, Blake nodded. “I’ll do it.” Sitting forward with his hands on the table, Blake looked directly at his daughter. “Your husband is going, you are not. Pack his bags, kiss him goodbye and this is the end of the conversation.” He leaned back and gestured to Rick. “You’re up.”
“That was truly inspiring,” Rick praised. He laughed at Cassie’s dropped mouth.
“Since when do you side with him? And why do you think I should stay here when I can help finish what we started? And why are you smiling?”
Her anger was building with each question. Everyone else was smiling too.
“Sass,” Rick said quietly, “you are finishing something we started.” His gaze dropped to her stomach. “The baby is due in a few weeks and if you think I’m letting you drive any distance, you’re very mistaken.” He looked at Blake. “Right, Dad?”
“What do you mean, ‘Right, Dad?’” Cassie snapped. “The baby and I are fine and I can certainly…”
“No, Cass,” Kevin said softly. “Rick’s right and you know it. Even a job as mild as driving teenagers wouldn’t be a good idea for you. Would you please, for once in your life, just do what people ask of you without an argument!” Kevin’s expression had turned to near anger. Apparently all the chances this sassy wife of Rick’s had taken had finally caught up with the easygoing Kevin Williams.
His outburst brought an uncomfortable silence among the group, but it was well understood and agreed with. Turning his back on them, Kevin walked outside. Blake and Maggie followed. Fighting the urge to run after Kevin, Cassie stared out the window.
Rick’s hand on her arm startled Cassie out of her thoughts. “I’m not going to do this,” he said quietly. “Kevin can go in my place if it means keeping you calm. I’m staying.”
His brow creased and Cassie knew he wasn’t happy. With her hand now on his arm, she squeezed. “I want you to do this. And I’m sorry if I caused you to think me unwise as far as the baby is concerned. I honestly thought it wouldn’t be a problem since it will only take about a week and we’ve got a long time until the baby gets here. You’re right though, I shouldn’t go. I just wanted to—”
“Feel useful.” Rick finished her sentence. “Cassandra, you’ve got to stop feeling like that. You contribute in your own way. Right?” As she nodded, Rick smiled. “I don’t want you ever to be in that place again anyway, not after what almost happened with Luther.” His voice had dropped to a whisper. “I still see him holding that gun on you and I keep thinking what if…”
Cassie brought her fingers to his lips. “Don’t,” she whispered. “You go help those kids and then come back and wait for yours.” Leaning forward, she kissed him quickly to draw his eyes to hers. When she had his attention, she smiled. “How come when I talked to Steve he didn’t say I couldn’t do this?”
The frown on Rick’s face disappeared and he laughed. “He knows better than to argue with you. Will you be okay without me for a week or so?”
“Sure. I’ll finish the landscaping while you’re gone.” Her smug smile was met by his two raised eyebrows, which were also accompanied by a smug smile. “Let’s go find Kevin and give him a hug.”
“You go find Kevin and give him a hug,” Rick said. “I’m going call Steve and get the rest of the story.” On his way out of the kitchen, Rick turned to his wife. “Sassy.” He paused until she looked up. “On second thought, just shake Kevin’s hand.”
* * * * *
In Rick’s arms Cassie prepared to say goodbye.
“One more for luck,” he whispered, stealing another kiss. “You have any messages for anyone back there?”
“Just you,” she answered, trying to keep her voice in check. “Call me.”
“Every day,” Rick assured. “This is a quick one, babe, I’ll be back in a week. And then I’ve got to start officially earning a living again, don’t I?” Cassie nodded, but didn’t answer. Kissing her forehead Rick walked to where Blake stood. “Take good care of her or I’ll kill you,” he said, smiling.
“No need to threaten me.” Blake also smiled. “I know how to keep her in line and I will. Maggie and I will look after her, don’t worry.”
“Don’t waste your breath,” Rick said. Reluctantly, he joined Kevin waiting in the truck. As he slid behind the wheel Rick gave one wink to Cassie then drove away.
* * * * *
Conversation lacked as Rick and Kevin traveled toward Greyson House. Both hoped never to set foot in that house again and yet, because they knew Cassie would willed it, they were returning to the place of their mutual nightmare. A smile appeared briefly on Rick’s face. That girl could charm.
It was dusk when they pulled in front of the old Victorian. A girl who heard the car looked out an upstairs window, bringing the memory of Cassie’s nightly ritual to Rick. A moment later Steve walked outside.
“Where’s you-know-who?” Steve grinned.
“Drop dead.” Rick grinned back then turned when he heard a sound behind him. It was Lori sneaking up on him. “Hey, you,” Rick said in a tone which implied he had known she was there all along.
“How’s our little mama?” Lori asked, hugging him.
Rick laughed. “Not so little.” Then he smiled, almost to himself. “And just as—”
“Sassy as ever,” Steve finished, winking at Lori. Rick looked quickly at his friend’s face and then nodded.
“You’re right about that,” Kevin grumbled, walking toward the house.
There was no need for elaboration. They all knew Cassie well. One by one they followed Kevin inside.
Rob, the boy Rick had helped, was waiting for them in the dining room and stood as soon as he saw Rick.
“Mr. Jarrett,” he said quietly, “we’re so grateful to you for this.”
Rick shook Rob’s hand quickly and scanned the room. There were several young men and women. Most of the young women were at least a few months pregnant. A smile tried to gain control of Rick’s face as he remembered Cassie’s remark about wearing a tent. Not letting his thoughts reflect back to Rob, Rick shrugged.
“You’re doing the good thing here, son,” he said lightly. “Have you been filled in on what we’re doing?” Rob nodded, and so did Rick as he gestured toward the others. “Tell them we’ll leave early so get some sleep.” Not waiting for an answer, Rick turned to Steve. “Do we have enough vehicles?”
Steve nodded and pointed toward the door. “Yep, all gassed and ready to go.”
Outside, Rick opened the hood of his truck and began checking the engine. The few noises from wiggling motor parts masked the fact that he was no longer alone. Almost scared into pulling his gun, Rick heard a voice behind him.
“You’re the guy who saved Erica, aren’t you? I saw you on the news once! Wow, imagine being saved by a guy who was on television!”
Turning slowly, Rick recognized the face that belonged to the voice. The girl having twins—Amy. She still thought of Cassie as Erica. Dr. Winthrop must have thought it best to protect Cassie’s ident
ity.
“Yeah, I’m the guy who saved Erica,” Rick said softly. “How are you, Amy?”
“Great!” she exclaimed. “How’s Erica, have you seen her? I ask Dr. Winthrop all the time, but he says he doesn’t know where she went to live, do you? Would you tell her ‘Hi’ for me if you see her?”
Rick’s perplexed expression seemed to make Amy think she angered him and she quickly bowed her head. He waited to for her to speak, but when she didn’t, he turned back to the truck. After another minute, he heard her voice.
“Um, did Erica ever ask you for your autograph?”
Again Rick turned around to look at the girl. “No, Amy,” he answered, trying not to laugh. “She never did. Why?”
Amy’s hands were behind her back during her conversation and now they slowly came forward, revealing a piece of paper and a pen. Defying her earlier exuberance, the girl now seemed shy. “Um, I wondered if you would sign this,” she asked holding up the paper.
Every muscle in Rick’s body tightened. This was not the kind of request he was used to, but seeing the hope in this little pregnant girl’s eyes softened him. He reached for the paper and for the first time in his life, he signed an autograph. When he handed it back to Amy, he found himself smiling at her excitement. He’d been careful to just sign his first name—“Best wishes—Rick.”
True to her nature, Amy was so flustered she forgot to thank him and ran inside the house. Still smiling, Rick turned back to the truck engine. A moment later he heard another voice.
“Gee, Mr. Jarrett, can we have your autograph too?”
Rick closed his eyes and groaned. Besides his wife, there were two people he would never want to know about the autograph and they were now standing behind him. Kevin and Lori. With no choice but to turn around, he remained silent while they laughed as though he wasn’t even there. Once they calmed down, Rick found the humor in the situation and they all laughed.
When the laughter ended Rick closed the hood of the truck and returned their looks of humor with fake irritation. “Excuse me, but I’m going to call Erica,” he said, deliberately bumping into both of them as he passed. “I want to know why she never asked for my autograph.”
Kevin and Lori’s laughter resumed and could still be heard as Rick disappeared inside.
* * * * *
As instructed, Rob assembled the group of expectant parents in the dining room early the next morning. They were quiet, but the looks on their faces indicated they were more than ready to start a new life. Joining them for the trip would be Rick, Steve, Lori and Dr. Winthrop. Kevin had been called on another assignment and wouldn’t be joining them, after all.
“I thought we were taking only couples upstate,” Rick whispered to Lori, pointing to Amy. “I was under the impression that little girl was alone.”
Lori nodded. “You’re right, she is alone, but one of the couples who came up from the Arizona house knew her so she decided to tag along.”
Rick nodded, then caught the look of mischief in Steve’s eyes. He knew Lori had told him about the autograph. Steve didn’t say anything, but he knew Rick knew. That was enough.
“You know,” Rick commented. “I told Cassie to stay home because I didn’t want her traveling, so are these girls going to be all right?”
As Kevin walked up, he answered Rick’s question. “That’s why you’re taking the extra time to make this trip. If the travel time isn’t too long each day, the stress level will be low for them. And none of these girls are due any time soon. Also, Dr. Winthrop will be close.”
Lori smiled at Rick. “Cassie’s getting pretty big, I hear.”
“I wonder where you heard that?” Rick glared at Kevin. Turning to the group of kids, he said, “Okay, listen up! We drive nice and slow and we’ll make several stops so you girls can rest a bit. Any questions?” He waited and received no remarks. With one look at the sea of faces, Rick turned to lead them toward their new home in the quaint little town of Seldon, California.
The three-day event was uneventful. The drivers maintained safe speeds and distances and the majority of the trip was quiet. There was too much angst on the first part of the trip to talk much. By the morning of the second day, Rob had confided to Rick that he was a little scared of what he was starting, but Rick’s confident assurance that Rob’s Ranch would do well seemed to calm the boy.
As the third day came to an end, the vehicles pulled into the driveway of the house Rob and his girlfriend had secured.
The building instantly reminded Rick of Greyson House since it was near the ocean and had a similar style of architecture.
Rob’s girlfriend was outside to greet them. Rick smiled to himself when he saw she held an infant. I’ll do that soon. Stepping out of the truck, Rob reintroduced the girl to Rick and he learned her name was Sami. After a shy greeting she disappeared into the house along with the other women. The men remained to unload the vehicles.
It had been a long slow journey and the hour was late, but Rick was anxious about not being able to talk much to Cassie for the past three days. Finding Rob, he learned where a private room with a phone was and headed straight for it. After a half ring, Rick heard Cassie’s voice.
“Mmm, hi,” she said on cue.
“Hi yourself,” Rick said, smiling broadly. “How you doin’?”
“Better now. How you doin’?”
“Better too. Now, tell me, what have you been up to?” He braced himself.
“Well,” Cassie answered casually. “So far I’ve been interviewing maids and butlers, unpacking our Ming collection, learning about your Renegade Rick days and ordering furniture. I hope you like Early American.”
“Wait a minute. Back up. What do you mean learning about my Renegade Rick days?”
Cassie sighed. Apparently she had said the wrong thing. “It’s nothing. Martin took me out to dinner the other night and the subject came up. Tell me, did you really tell an appellate judge he could have been the missing link if he hadn’t evolved through his—”
“Cassandra!”
Her laughter rang in Rick’s ears and he couldn’t help but smile. It had been a long time since he’d thought of that incident.
“How are things up there?” she asked breaking the silence. “Is everyone safe and sound?”
“Everyone’s fine,” he assured her. “They’re all in pairs, I feel like Noah.”
Again his ears were filled with Cassie’s laughter, then brief silence until she said one word. “Hey…”
“No,” Rick said immediately. “We are not naming our son Noah.”
“You know me too well.” She giggled.
A few moments of silence passed. “You’re wrong there, Sass,” he said seriously. “I don’t know you well enough and that’s the problem. And that’s why after I’m done here, I’m retiring from this business. I want us to know each other and I sure as hell want this baby to know his father.”
“Rick…”
“No arguments, please?” he asked nicely but firmly. “Do you have any idea how hypocritical I feel being up here helping these kids have safe families when I’ve left you behind?”
Now Cassie was silent a moment before answering. “Yeah, I know how you feel, but I’m glad you’re there helping. And you should be too, so enough with the guilt, okay, Mr. Jarrett?”
A forced smile made her voice sound light and Rick accepted her attempt.
“Look, it’s late,” he said. “You get some sleep and so will I. I’ll call you in the morning. I love you.”
“I love you,” Cassie answered comfortably.
As promised, Rick did call Cassie the next morning. His observation of what needed to be done told her he would be gone longer than the original week. Now it looked more like two weeks.
Rob had forgotten key elements in his planning for a safe community, such as the need for a trained medical staff as well as protection against what had happened at Greyson House. Lori and Dr. Winthrop could help secure physicians, but the protection fell
under the jurisdiction of Rick and Steve.
While Dr. Winthrop and Lori had spent much of the past four days in town obtaining supplies, Rick and Steve set to work giving instruction on dealing with any enemy to the young parents-to-be. Rick made calls and arranged for a gun to be supplied. No one was happy about giving a weapon to young people, so it was agreed that only Rob, his father and one of the physicians would have access to it. And the gun would only be used in cases of extreme emergency, without firing it if at all possible.
After a week, the residents of Rob’s Ranch were beginning to show signs of improvement and Rick felt that as long as Steve and Lori would stay a while longer, he could return home within a few days. The thought of heading back to his own pregnant lady soon was the only thing that kept him from screaming every time he had to repeat a simple instruction.
Rick’s daily calls relayed progress, yet a few trouble spots were keeping them busy. And though he wanted to leave sooner, Cassie convinced him that he was needed there more than at home for the moment.
She missed him, of course, but she also needed to know that the young people could and would be safe once the instructors left. “Three more days,” Rick had said to Cassie when he called the previous night. And as always, he would call her in the morning.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hey, sleepy girl, wake up.” A voice invaded Cassie’s dreams. She tried to ignore it. “Open your eyes, Cassiopeia.” The voice was accompanied by a soft shake. The next sentence told Cassie it was her father invading her sleep. “Cassandra, wake up or I’ll get the ice cubes.”
That had always been enough of an alarm clock for Cassie. Instantly she opened her eyes and looked at Blake sitting beside her. The room’s darkness told her it was early.
“What?” she asked, somewhat annoyed. She knew there wasn’t anything wrong, otherwise Blake wouldn’t have been teasing her with the ice cubes remark. “What time is it?”
“Four-twenty in the morning,” Blake said softly. “I’m sorry to wake you up, but I wanted to let you know what we’re doing so you wouldn’t be worried when you woke up and couldn’t find us.”
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