by Barb Han
Early on, he’d been more attentive. There’d been a lot more shine on their relationship. The fact that he’d been the main topic of conversation hadn’t bothered her in the beginning. She’d chalked it up to the fact that he was more of a talker than her instead of what became obvious to her later. He was self-absorbed. Jamison could be a charmer when he wanted to be, and especially when the relationship was new.
But that part of her life was moving into the past now. Renee took in a deep breath as she looked down at her daughter, the future. The little girl was happily cooing and talking the language Renee was certain only other babies understood.
Being here at the ranch with Cash and her daughter, her crazy, mixed-up world had righted itself. Even if it was for only a short time, she’d take it and then figure out how to make more of it. This was the feeling she wanted her daughter to grow up surrounded by. This felt a lot like unconditional acceptance...love?
Renee wasn’t kidding about Margaret offering the job. The crazy part was that Renee was actually considering taking her up on it. Her boss had been understanding when Renee had spoken to her after the police. She’d asked for a few days and Rikki had agreed to them. But she wasn’t known for being flexible with time off and having a baby was shifting Renee’s priorities. She needed a steady job but she also wanted the flexibility to be with her daughter when she needed.
For now, her thoughts couldn’t go in the direction of having anything more with Cash. Logic said they’d known each other only a short time. Her heart tried to argue differently because she’d taken it slow with Jamison and look where that had ended up. They’d been together for years and still hadn’t made the marriage leap, a thought she was thankful for now.
Renee’s cell dinged. She moved to her purse and checked the screen. Her battery was getting low. She needed to charge it.
The text caused her pulse to skyrocket.
Hey. Are you okay?
It was from Jamison. Why would he reach out to her while on his babymoon? Not that she believed any of it.
Should she respond? Technically, he was a suspect. Cash had said that Jamison’s alibi was weak. Nothing in her wanted to have been in a relationship with someone who could want to hurt her, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that he might want to take her daughter away. Kidnapping her newly adopted child ranked right up there with one of the worst offenses she could think of.
A thought struck her as odd. He asked about her and didn’t mention Abby.
Cash walked into the room. She blinked up at him. His expression morphed to concern the second he looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
She held her phone up, palm out. “Jamison just reached out to me.”
Cash brought her plate of food and handed over her coffee mug that he’d been balancing. “What did he say?”
“He asked if I’m okay.”
Cash grunted. “He’s letting you know that he’s aware of your situation and trying to come off like he cares.”
“The only person Jamison King cares about is himself.” Shouldn’t he be worried about his pregnant girlfriend? The fact that he’d landed squarely in the middle of a kidnapping investigation was most likely stressful for Yolanda. The fact the woman had had an affair with Jamison while he was still living with Renee didn’t exactly rank high in her book, but he should still be focusing on her and not on Renee. “I’m not answering it.”
“Maybe you should.” He put his hand up to stop her from arguing. “Hear me out before you decide.”
She nodded but he was walking into scary territory.
“I’d like to set up a meeting. Colton would be involved and you’d be nowhere near the scene. He’s set up a sting before. That way, we could draw him out so he can be picked up for questioning.” The way he put it made it sound like the risks would be nonexistent and she had no doubt Cash wouldn’t put her in an unsafe environment.
“If he’s behind the attempt, I’m still trying to figure out how he knew where I was moving and the fact that I’d adopted Abby. I kept that information close to my chest.”
“Did he ever know your password to your laptop or your phone?” He quirked a brow.
“No.” Well. Hold on a minute. She thought about the time he’d said he needed to check her inbox for a message from his mother’s doctor. “Now that you mention it, I’m realizing that he did ask for my password a while back. But that was a long time ago. He said he needed to check my inbox because he’d given my email by mistake to the doctor’s office where his mother was a patient. He asked them to send a referral. I can’t remember how long ago it was. That whole time period toward the end is fuzzy. It was a year ago, maybe?” She shook her head to jog her memory. “I guess I forgot about him asking because I immediately changed my password that night.”
Cash’s eyebrow formed a perfect arch. “You didn’t trust him?”
“Not after I found him checking my calendar early in our relationship and then questioning me about where I’d been and who I’d gone somewhere with.” More red flags that Jamison was a jerk.
“Controlling men often install spy apps. All he would’ve needed was a window of opportunity to infect your system.” Cash’s lips formed a thin line.
She should have suspected him more. She’d been too trusting and he’d become way too possessive. His mother’s illness had changed him, amplified his bad qualities. Made him more self-absorbed. And angry. If he caught anyone talking to her at the office longer than he thought was appropriate, he’d fly off the handle with her later.
“Installing spyware would’ve been easy enough to do.” She bit back a curse as she thought back to the few times that he seemed to slip. Looking back, there’d been the time when she’d told him that she was meeting one of the consultants for lunch and he’d dismissively told her that he knew that already. He’d saved his slipup by convincing her that she’d told him that morning, which was odd. She’d specifically remembered telling him that she’d been planning to meet with Rikki.
He’d made a joke about her being so busy that she was forgetting what she told him and what she didn’t. Considering all the stress she’d been under trying to organize the move to Katy Gulch, she’d believed him.
How long had he known about her plans to adopt Abby? How long had he realized she was leaving him before she’d mentioned it? A hollow feeling expanded in her chest.
“I need to get Colton on the line.” Cash’s cell was already in hand but he seemed to be waiting for her to give a nod of approval. His thoughtfulness was foreign territory and she wanted to tread lightly. Her heart seemed to have other ideas when it fluttered wildly against her ribs. Cash was strong and considerate. He never seemed to feel the need to throw his weight around or force someone to do or say something they didn’t want to.
“The guy from the lot was paid to bring his friends and scare me.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Why?”
“It could’ve been to throw the investigation off track.” He’d said that before.
“The second attempt was very public,” she said.
“Which could send a message that he can reach you anytime and in any place.” He made good points—points that she hadn’t thought about.
Cash’s cell buzzed while still in his hand. He checked the screen and looked up. “It’s Colton. He wants us to come to his office. Yolanda is in a fight with Jamison and just recanted her babymoon statement.”
Chapter Seventeen
There was no way that Cash was going to ask Renee to leave Abby at the ranch, even though he thought it was the safest idea. She was determined to protect her daughter at all costs and would never leave her that long. He couldn’t blame her.
“How long will it take to get her ready?” he asked.
“I just need a minute to put on real clothes.” With that, Renee was up and rummaging through her weekend bag. She glanced at Abby and then him. H
is damn heart skipped a few beats, and he knew he was in deep water. He’d been in trouble from the minute he set eyes on her and figured he was just beginning to see the depths of where that was taking him.
Renee stepped out of the bathroom in a summer dress that bared the skin of her shoulders. Cash hadn’t realized just how sexy shoulders could be until he’d seen her exposed. He tamped down his attraction and helped pack up a few supplies for Abby.
Within five minutes, the three of them were inside his vehicle and on their way down the country road leading to town.
“The car seems to put Abby at ease,” he noticed. The ride to Colton’s office had put the babbling baby to sleep. It had been the same with the twins.
“I love learning these little things about her.” Renee smiled and more of that annoying warmth settled over him. There was a wistfulness to her tone and Cash realized that it most likely had to do with the possibility of losing the little girl who had already won Renee’s heart. If the abduction attempt had been orchestrated by Kipp McGee or was somehow tied to Ms. Hubert, the possibility couldn’t be ignored. But this case was looking more personal.
Cash realized he’d white-knuckled the steering wheel as he pulled into a parking spot at his brother’s office. Renee was out of the passenger door before he could get around to her side, so he held open the back door as she unlocked the carrier from its base.
Cash leaned in and took the bag from the floorboard. He shouldered the strap and closed the door behind them.
Walking into the building, he caught their reflection in the glass door. Renee with Abby and him looking about as domestic as they come, a diaper bag over his right shoulder. It was like a lightning strike that packed a punch straight to the chest when he realized they made a damn fine-looking family.
She’d been clear on where she stood and he respected her position. Since those thoughts were about as productive as trying to get milk from a turnip, he shoved them aside.
Was he attracted to Renee? The answer to that question was a hard yes. To say the possibility of a relationship was complicated was an understatement.
His momentary shock at the realization they looked like a family was mirrored in his brother’s expression the second the three of them walked into Colton’s office.
“Good morning.” Colton did a great job of hiding his thoughts but Cash knew his brother too well to let anything slide.
“Morning,” Cash grumbled before pulling his brother into a hug. After Renee greeted Colton, he got right down to business.
“Ms. Tran is in the interview room, waiting. She got here ten minutes ago and has done nothing but pace the floor ever since.” Colton shot a sympathetic look toward Renee. “Have you seen her in her present condition?”
Renee blinked. “Do you mean pregnant?”
Colton nodded.
“No.”
“Is that something you’re ready to—”
“The way my relationship with Jamison ended wasn’t good, but I’m not in love with him.” And then she added quietly, “I’m not certain that I ever was and any feelings I might have had died a long time ago.”
Cash set his personal feelings aside and tried not to be too transparent about how happy those words made him. They made no difference to the case and that was all he needed to focus on. But Colton needed to know about the text she’d received earlier and he hadn’t had a chance to bring his brother up-to-date yet. He glanced at Renee and their gazes locked for a second longer than they should’ve.
Colton caught the look between them.
“Jamison reached out to me this morning on my phone, asking if I was okay,” she said.
“Text or phone call?” Colton asked.
“Text.” Her gaze darted to her purse. “My phone is in here if you can grab it.” She looked to Cash.
Without hesitating, he reached into her handbag and produced the cell, handing it over to his brother.
“I can unlock it with my thumbprint.” Her eyes widened. “My thumbprint.” She repeated the words again. “He could’ve used my thumbprint when I was asleep, couldn’t he? Before Abby, I slept like a rock. Now, I doubt I’ll sleep until she’s eighteen. Point being, he could’ve pressed my phone to my thumb at any time during the night to gain access to my emails.”
Cash rocked his head. He didn’t want to think about Renee being with the kind of jerk who would do something like that. In his line of work, he heard about scenarios like this more than he cared to. A jealous boyfriend or spouse could go to some pretty damn drastic lengths to keep tabs on a person. How they felt justified in doing so, Cash would never know or understand.
“A lot more about his behavior makes sense now from the past year.” Renee’s cheeks flamed when she got angry. She glanced at her daughter. She seemed to decide not to spit out the few choice words that were on the tip of her tongue.
A person like Renee came around once in a lifetime. Only an idiot would blow his chance with her if he was lucky enough to get one. And only a complete asshat would take advantage of her loyalty and devotion. Jamison King must not realize the value of those traits in a person.
“She was planning to give you a heads-up when we got the text to come here. Figured it was easy enough to tell you in person,” Cash said to his brother.
“Mr. King reaching out to you is interesting considering the timing of his very pregnant girlfriend showing up in my office.” Colton cocked his head to one side.
“I thought so, too.” Cash couldn’t agree more.
“I’m even more interested to hear what Ms. Tran has to say now.” Colton’s gaze bounced from Renee to Cash. “Shall we?”
With her lips forming a thin line, Renee nodded. If steam could come out of her ears, it probably would.
The betrayal was bad enough. Having to stand across the mirror from the evidence of it would devastate most people. Renee was strong, which didn’t mean she wasn’t suffering. Cash could see it in the tiny stress cracks around those clear blue eyes of hers.
Instinctively, he put his hand on the small of her back as they walked toward a person who she wouldn’t be able to easily shut out of her mind when she closed her eyes that night.
Being done with her ex was a good thing. The bastard deserved to be strung up by his heels and left in the hot sun a day or two. Betrayal hurt. It stuck around. It festered if left to languish. He should know.
Betrayal, Cash understood.
Colton stopped in front of the viewing room. “Will you be okay in here?”
* * *
WHETHER OR NOT Renee was okay seemed to be the question of the day. For the record, she was not okay. She might never be okay again. But it had little to do with a very pregnant Yolanda Tran and Renee’s ex.
The sad fact was she now hoped Jamison was responsible because that would mean her adoption couldn’t be revoked.
Renee settled Abby’s carrier on the seat of a chair, wedging the plastic in between the arm rests to keep her daughter’s carrier secure.
The feeling of betrayal should have overwhelmed her when she walked into the small, dimly lit room adjacent to the interview room. Yolanda was beautiful. She had long, straight silky-black hair that fell to her waist. She had a round face with dark brown eyes. She was a tiny thing except for the big belly announcing to the world that she was carrying a child.
Instead of betrayal, Renee felt closure.
The woman, who was pacing around the room, worked her hands together. Her fingers laced and then she balled a hand. It seemed like she couldn’t be still in any part of her body. The stress of being with a man like Jamison, who could be so charming until he wasn’t, was written all over her actions and especially all over her face.
The all-too-familiar stress that Renee had felt at being with a man who ignored everyone else’s feelings and thought only about himself. Yeah, Renee recognized that look in Yola
nda because she’d stared at it in the mirror once. It was the reason she’d decided to leave and start over.
Watching Yolanda was just the reminder Renee needed. Jamison was a coward and a jerk.
Although Yolanda’s morals were seriously off to have an affair with a man she knew was in a relationship, Renee felt nothing but pity for the woman who would have Jamison’s child in a matter of weeks.
“I should probably hate her,” she whispered to Cash, who stood right beside her. “I can’t.”
He studied Yolanda for a long moment. “She looks like she’s carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.”
“It was the same for me at the end and the reason I finally walked away. Makes me kind of stupid, doesn’t it?” She barely finished her sentence and he was already shaking his head.
“Caring about someone else doesn’t make you stupid. It makes you human. Making a mistake does the same thing. Besides, you would’ve left the jerk a long time ago if his mother hadn’t been sick, and he sounds like a master manipulator.” Every word of what he’d just said was true.
“It’s hard not to feel like a sucker.” Admitting it, saying the words out loud made them lose some of their power. She’d been so embarrassed that she’d let the relationship go for so long without breaking up that she’d been quiet. Then again, the only person she ever really talked to was her boss, who’d always encouraged Renee to stick it out with Jamison. Renee didn’t have the first idea why she’d listened to Rikki.
“Being loyal to someone doesn’t make you bad.” Cash turned toward her, his strong body standing within inches of her. He brought his hands up to her face and cupped her cheeks. “Your ex was the idiot. He doesn’t deserve you.” And then under his breath, he said, “If you were with me, I’d know how to treat you.”
Renee’s pulse skyrocketed and her stomach free-fell. She pushed up to her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Bringing her hands up, she dug her fingers into his shoulders.
