by Elsie Davis
“I was on a rescue,” he ground out, his frustration evident. “It’s kind of hard to stop and answer your phone when you’re pulling a victim out of a vehicle and they’re fighting for their life.”
True. But what about before the 9-1-1 call? “I get what you do is important, but it doesn’t give you the right to not understand other people have priorities also.”
“The fundraiser? Event planning? Your priorities can hardly compare with my own. My son and my patients are my priorities, and you’re trying to interfere with both.”
“I happen to enjoy what I’m doing, and I’m sorry you don’t put much value to it. At this point, I think the rescue squad would disagree with you since what I’m doing will raise the money they need for the equipment. Equipment that will save lives. Isn’t that what’s important to you? Saving lives? Didn’t you take an oath to that effect? I would think it puts our motives on the same playing field. We just do our jobs in different ways.”
Jake seemed taken aback at her reprimand, but she didn’t care. This wasn’t about him. Or at least, she didn’t want it to be about him. She needed to stay focused.
Jake ran his hands through his hair and let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it the way I did. It’s been a long, hard day and I come home and see my son playing with you, and I know what that means for me tonight. And I know what it means when you leave next weekend. All I want is to save my son from having to deal with another woman walking out of his life.” He sounded worn out.
Gemma’s irritation vanished, and in its place, concern filled her heart. She had to try and help Kyle and Jake. “His mother didn’t walk out of his life. By the sounds of it, she was never in it. And just because I’m going back to Syracuse doesn’t mean I’ll never see him again. We can still be friends. He can call me, and I can visit when I come back this way. It doesn’t have to be the end. Quit selling him short on the positive influences he can have in his life.”
“What is it you need my approval on?” Jake ignored everything she said, but it wasn’t as if she expected some magical light to go off in his head.
“The poster proofs.” Resignation laced her voice. “I’ve got them in the Jeep. Come take a look, and I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Fine.” One simple word packed with a whole lot of power. Jake looked exhausted and more than anything, she wanted to help. But you couldn’t help someone if they didn’t want it.
“Fine.” She repeated his words before calling for Brody.
While Jake reviewed the posters, Gemma opened the passenger door and let Brody in the front seat. She went around the vehicle and slid into the driver’s seat, picking up the release form and handing it to Jake. “Sign here, and I’ll leave.” She pointed to the line at the bottom of the paper marked with a big X.
He picked up the pen and signed without hesitation. “Use any poster you see fit.”
Her gaze slid back to Kyle and Tom, the boy’s crestfallen face twisting her heart in anguish. Not even the satisfaction of getting in the last word with Jake was enough to make her hurt his son.
Gemma got back out of the Jeep, ignoring Jake’s disapproving frown. She crossed the yard to where Kyle stood, kneeling to his level to give him a hug. “I had fun playing with you. It’s time for me to go, though. Remember, I told you after your daddy signed his approval on the posters, I had to get them to the print shop.”
“Oh, I wemember. We can play a diffwent day.” Kyle’s sweet smile returned.
“Of course.” She ruffled the boy’s hair and placed a kiss on his forehead.
“See you later, Tom.” She lifted her hand in farewell.
Waltzing right past Jake without another word, she slid into the Jeep again, this time putting the vehicle into reverse and leaving. She didn’t want to give Jake the chance to see how much he’d hurt her.
Chapter Twelve
For Gemma, five a.m. on Saturday was normally taboo for her to be awake. She’d signed on for this crazy mess, and she’d see it through, although she hadn’t counted on butting heads with Jake every step of the way. Their truce had ended, and after last night’s departure, she wasn’t in much of a mood to run into him again this morning, but it couldn’t be helped. The rescue squad had to pull together as a team and get the posters hung.
She powered on her phone to check for a message from the printing company, letting out a huge sigh of relief when she read the confirmation. Now all she had to do was pick them up, distribute them to the guys and go over the territory plan for coverage.
Gemma made her way to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee. Chad, of course, was long up and out the door, more than likely down at the barn. The horses got a lot of TLC from Chad, proof he’d changed from the man who once ran away from responsibility.
Ten minutes later than the designated time, she pulled into the firehouse parking lot. Loaded with cars and men, it looked as if a car show had come to Hallbrook. The guys stood around in small groups drinking coffee while they waited on her.
“Must be nice to be able to sleep in,” one of the young guys called out when she exited the Jeep.
“I wouldn’t know. I had to pick up the posters this morning while you were probably still in bed.” Gemma laughed, the comeback proof she could roll with the group. She loved the good-natured group of guys and the easy way in which they accepted her into the folds of the community.
Several minutes of banter passed back and forth before Gemma stepped up to take the lead. “Time to get to business, guys. First, I want to thank every one of you for sacrificing your Saturday to come help. I’m sure you have tons of other stuff you’d rather be doing, but as you know, this is for a worthy cause, one I already know you’re committed to. If we pull together, we can knock this out, and you can get back to your families.”
“What’s the plan?” Captain James asked.
“I think if we spread out into groups of two, we can fan out and cover large territories.
I marked out ten sections to make sure we don’t cross over each other.”
“I want you as a partner,” the young guy spoke up again, grinning like the devil.
“She’s riding with me,” Jake spoke up, much to her surprise.
“I’m not sure that’s such a brainy idea, all things considered,” Gemma retorted as she recalled the stinging reprimand Jake had delivered last night.
“Woohoo. Did you hear that? Little lady just turned down the Doc.” The young guy stepped forward and took a stack of posters from her hands. “It’s you and me then, darlin’.”
“Don’t go getting any ideas, Seth. She’s still riding with me. We have a few things to discuss, and she needs my help with some of the other donations. Gemma, we need to cover the Hallbrook territory, so make sure it’s our section.”
Gemma stared at him, unsure what he was talking about. Not to mention he was being bossy. Talking hadn’t gotten them anywhere so far, but if it had to do with the fundraiser, she was willing. She would never let her pride stand in the way of success.
“He’s probably right. Sorry, Seth, but thanks for the offer.” Her new friend’s grin widened.
“No worries. You just let me know if he ain’t treating you right.” The man was friendly, bold, and kind of cute. Just a little young for what she had in mind. At twenty-four, if and when she agreed to go on a date, it would be with someone a whole lot more mature and settled.
“Gotcha.” No reason to pounce on his ego in front of all the other guys. She handed out the posters and the maps, divided everyone up, assigned their territories, then waited for everyone to pull out of the lot. Left alone with Jake, she faced him.
“What is it you want to talk about? I thought you made your feelings perfectly clear last night.”
“I’ve had a chance to think, and I realize there’s some truth to what you said. I was exhausted, but it’s no excuse for my rudeness. I apologize. I know you’re trying to help, and I hope you’ll let me make it up to you.”
&
nbsp; “How do you propose to do that?” Staying mad at him when he was acting cordial would be impossible. Mostly because she respected what he was trying to do, even if he was going about it the wrong way.
“I thought if we hung the posters together in town, I could introduce you to a few people along the way. Women. Specifically, women who might be willing to bake cookies, cakes, and pies, or make jelly. We can auction it all off at the fundraiser.”
“Hmmm. Sounds like a good plan. Apology accepted.” She smiled to prove her words. “Where to first?” She didn’t have it in her to stay mad at him anyway.
“Let’s hit up all the local businesses with posters for their windows, starting with Sally over at the diner. I’m sure she’ll be willing to help us out.”
Jake parked the truck, and they walked along the sidewalk, tacking posters on a couple of light poles as they walked to the diner.
The bells jingled when Jake pushed the door open. Several people turned to check out the newcomers. Some went right back to what they were doing, others watching with interest as they made their way to the counter. Gemma hid a smile of satisfaction at the jealousy written on some of the women’s faces.
“Christina, is Sally out back?” Jake asked the smiling young girl behind the counter. Jake had mentioned she was Sally’s granddaughter the last time they were here. Tattoos and piercings didn’t go with the country image of the diner, but the girl was pleasant enough.
She adjusted her apron and cast a questioning glance at Gemma. “She is. I’ll let her know you’re out here. Can I get you a cup of coffee while you wait?”
“Sorry. We’re in a hurry,” Gemma spoke up.
“Yes. That would be great.” Jake chimed in at the same time.
“Yes, please,” Jake clarified, when Christina waited for them to sort out their answer.
The girl poured two cups and left through the swinging door into the kitchen area.
“We’re in a hurry, you know. We can’t stop and chit chat at every location or we’ll be at this all day.” Gemma crossed her arms in front, letting out a deep breath of air.
“We’re also asking for a favor. So, we spend some time to show we care. It won’t be this long at every stop. Sally’s an excellent person to help spread the word. If we want donations, we need to go about this the right way. This isn’t the city.”
“Which clearly means your way.”
“Exactly. My dad agreed to watch Kyle all day, so I’m all yours.”
The way he said the words made her heart do a flip flop. “Okay, your way it is.” If it meant spending the whole day with Jake, she was in. Apparently, her heart wasn’t getting the message he wasn’t looking for anything more than to help the fundraiser cause.
“Hey, Jake,” Sally called out as she came through the half-swinging door and made her way over to where they sat. A jovial, pretty woman in her sixties, and someone who’d definitely enjoyed years of her own good cooking and had the waistline to prove it.
“Hey there. This is Gemma Watson, Chad Andrews’ daughter. She’s organizing a fundraiser for the Hallbrook Rescue Squad. Gemma, this is Sally Little.”
Gemma had to smile at the irony. The woman reminded her of Aunt Bee on the Andy Griffith Show.
“Chad’s daughter, you say? I’ve been hearing about you. Came as quite a surprise to everyone in town. Course they’re all trying to figure out who your momma is, not to mention trying to decide if she’s the object of his newly announced quest.”
Gemma, of course, had been wondering the same thing about Chad’s proclaimed love interest ever since he made the announcement. The rumor mill hadn’t figured any of it out yet, and she wasn’t about to help them along. Keep the old gossips guessing.
“Her name’s Amy Watson. She lives in Syracuse.”
“Oh. Well, that explains why I don’t know her. You look familiar though, maybe it’s just ‘cause you’re Chad Andrews’ daughter. So, what can I do for you? Anything to help a good cause, and of course, Chad. I’m all in.”
“We need some baked items to auction off. Would you be willing to make a few pies to donate? I had some of your peach pie the other day and almost had to order a whole one to take back to the house. Absolute perfection.”
“Flattery works, and I’d love to.” Sally laughed and nodded her head. “Girl, you came to the right place. I can cook up some peach pies all right, but I can also auction off lunch baskets with small cards to let the bidder come here and order a picnic lunch to put in it. Fresh for an outing with their sweetheart.”
“That sounds wonderful. Thank you so much.” It was a fantastic idea. Maybe she’d bid on one herself and use it before she left town, that is if Jake would agree to go with her. It would give the gossipmongers fuel for weeks.
“No problem. I’ll put the word out and see who I can get to sign on and join me.
When do you need everything by?” Sally smoothed out her apron and glanced around the diner.
“I’d prefer to pick everything up the day before Thanksgiving, so I can make the auction tickets and figure out what was donated.”
“Not a problem. You stop by at seven on Wednesday night, and I’ll make sure everyone gets the stuff to me before then. I have lots of refrigerator and freezer space to store it.”
“Thank you. That’s wonderful.” She’d have to remember to thank Jake later for the great idea.
“Anything for Chad Andrews and his little girl.” She wasn’t Chad’s little girl anymore, but she wouldn’t look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth and correct the woman.
“Thanks, Sally.” Jake pulled out his wallet as he stood to leave.
“Coffee’s on me.” Sally grabbed two to-go cups and filled them.
“Thank you. Mind if I put a couple of these in the window?” He indicated the posters and then tossed a couple of dollars on the counter as a tip.
“Go right ahead. Anything to help.”
“Thanks. See you later.” Jake picked up his stack, pulling the tape dispenser from his jacket pocket before making his way to the front window.
“It was wonderful to meet you, Sally.”
“Same to you, my dear. You tell your daddy I’m wanting to know why he kept you a secret all this time. You seem to have a good head on your shoulders, and you’re definitely a looker. I bet he’s right proud of you.”
Gemma shrugged, unsure of how to answer. She lifted her hand to wave farewell. “Thanks,” she mumbled on her way out.
She headed outside to wait for Jake, the other stack of posters cradled against her chest. Within minutes he joined her out front.
“That went well. Thanks for introducing us.” Gemma smiled up at him, using a hand to shield her eyes against the bright sunlight.
“No problem.”
“It was an amazing idea, by the way. Thanks.”
“It’s not a big deal. I know a lot of folks here, you don’t. No reason I can’t help out any way I can, considering everything you’re giving up to see this through.” He stopped walking and turned back to face her.
“Out of curiosity, why didn’t you tell her you lived here before and who your mother is?”
She shrugged. “I figure if Chad wants them to know his business, he’ll tell them. He’s kept quiet all these years, so I figure he must have his reasons. And I have yet to find out what those reasons are myself.”
“Okay. Fair enough.”
“Do you know who she is?” Gemma wondered but wasn’t sure.
“No, and it’s not my place to ask.”
“Amy Sanders.” She wanted to show Jake that she trusted him.
His gaze intensified. “I didn’t know her, and you didn’t have to tell me.”
“I know, but I wanted to.”
“Okay. Your secret is safe with me.” The twinkle in his eyes warmed her heart, adding yet another thread to the complexity of their attraction.
“Thanks. You can be a nice guy when you want to be. You ought to try it more often.” She grinned at him,
bumping her shoulder into his.
“Don’t tell anyone. I enjoy my privacy.” Jake’s smile belied his words, but Gemma was of the mind his words were closer to the truth.
“I’ve noticed. Where to next?”
“We keep putting up posters on the light poles, and the library would be the next place to stop. They have a bulletin board for announcements inside. Mrs. Jenkins keeps a tight rein on who can post what, but I bet she’ll approve our cause.”
“The old Mrs. Jenkins who was the librarian way back when?” She didn’t want to be recognized and the “old book lady” as Gemma used to call her, might be one of the few people who might make the connection.
“One and the same from what I hear. She’s an institution in her own right.”
“You can say that again. It may not go well if Mrs. Jenkins remembers me.”
“What did you ever do to get on her bad side?”
“I lost a book.”
“You don’t say.” He glanced at her, mock horror on his face.
“I still think Jenny Thompson stole it from me to get me in trouble after I stood up to her. She was making fun of my friend Katie.” It was ancient history, and there had been no reason to mention it, but the words were out before she had time to think it over.
“And who’s Katie?”
“She was my best friend when I lived here. We’re still friends. She’ll be at the fundraiser, and you can meet her.”
“I look forward to meeting someone who could command your protection at all costs.”
Gemma chuckled. “Clearly, you never got on Mrs. Jenkin’s bad side.”
“Can’t say as I did. I treasured every book, and she knew it.” The teasing light in his eyes made Jake seem all too real. Fun. And more than a little charming.
“Schmoozer.”
“Guilty. So, what happened?”
“I just don’t like bullies.” She’d never discussed this with anyone before. Never let anyone get this close to seeing the real her.
