by Reina Torres
And of course, Jake noticed.
“Are your feet sore?”
She heard the concern in his voice. “No. It’s just easier with my mom.”
She didn’t even have to look at him to know that his expression had changed a little, adding curiosity to his confusion.
“Does your mom have something against designer footwear?”
She managed a laugh. “It’s not about what I’m wearing, although I’m sure I’ll hear about that too. But as for the rest of it, you’ll see.” Hildie bit into her bottom lip and let it go a moment later. “Just remember you’re my ride back into town so you can’t just run away and leave me there to fend for myself.”
The hesitation in his voice turned her head.
“Why would I do that? Together we faced a man with a gun. I doubt your mother could make me run.”
“I’ll remind you of that later.” She didn’t say anything else as they turned down the long driveway to her parents’ house. “This is going to be interesting.”
He laughed, and she wished that he would hold onto that thought.
Jake parked at the front of the paved walkway, and she took a few steadying breaths as he made his way around the front of his SUV to open her door. She knew her mother was watching. And she knew her mother’s eyes were as sharp as her embroidery needles. There was no way she was going to miss the silver Texas Rangers logo on the passenger door of the SUV.
When she stepped down from the SUV, she didn’t know what to do with her hands. She wanted to reach out to touch him, but it seemed odd at the moment. If she touched him, she’d likely use him as a human shield and that wasn’t the impression she wanted to leave with him either. So, she lifted her chin and straightened her posture to the same one she’d used at the numerous pageants that her mother had entered her in. Hildie walked up the stairs to the porch and then to the door.
She knew full well that her parents were waiting just out of sight. With one last breath, she reached out and pressed the doorbell.
When the door opened on the Faraday residence, Jake was ready to smile and greet Hildie’s parents, have some pleasant conversation and then the dinner that they’d smelled from the driveway. Mouthwatering, and if he wasn’t mistaken grilled steaks.
What happened was another thing all together. The door swung open and almost as one, Hildie’s parents looked at their daughter and then turned to see the badge that he still had hooked to his belt.
He’d started to offer his hand toward her father when Hildie’s mother burst into tears.
“Oh my dear Lord in Heaven, Hildegard!” Out of thin air she produced a handkerchief and hung her head into the dainty white square. Her gazed snapped up and focused on her daughter’s nonplussed expression. “Did the neighbors see you?”
Jake wanted to remind her that the nearest neighbors were so far away that they’d have to have a drone to see what was on their doorstep, but her mother didn’t give him the chance.
“Don’t just stand there, come inside!”
Hildie was yanked inside before Jake could stop it, leaving him to hustle inside before Mrs. Faraday swung the door shut.
“Harold? Don’t just stand there staring, call Calvin!”
Mrs. Faraday walked her daughter past her father, almost dragging Hildie along.
Jake fought down the smile that came to his lips. He’d made fun of Hildie changing her shoes in the car. Now he understood.
At the entry to what looked like the formal living room, her mother stopped and swiveled around. “Harold, the phone?”
Her husband was left standing near the door. “Why should I call Calvin, dear?”
Dropping Hildie’s hand, Mrs. Faraday reached up and covered Hildie’s ears.
“Because she’s going to need a L-A-W-Y-E-R.”
“I can hear, mother. And I can spell.”
Dropping her hands from Hildie’s ears, she pointed at her husband who was still standing near the door with the newspaper in his hand. “She gets that from your side of the family.”
Mr. Faraday smiled. “She was always a smart one, our Hildie.”
“Hildegard!”
Hildie blew out a breath. “If you two want to keep arguing, I’m going to take Jake into the kitchen and fix him a plate. He’s been working all day.”
He didn’t know what to expect, but he had a feeling whatever was about to happen would be something to remember.
And he was right.
“Jake? Did you say his name was Jake, dear?”
Hildie nodded and smiled at her mother. “Jake McGowan, Texas Ranger, I would like to introduce my mother, Georgia May Faraday.”
The hanky dropped from Mrs. Faraday’s fingers, and Hildie managed to grab it out of thin air.
“Well, it’s so nice to meet you, Jake McGowan, Texas Ranger.” Mrs. Faraday held out her hand and he took it, giving her a gentle shake in greeting. “So, I take it you’re not here to arrest my daughter?”
Before Jake could answer, Hildie’s father pitched in. “He brought her here, Georgie. I doubt he brought her here to arrest her in front of us.”
Color rose in Mrs. Faraday’s face, and her tone was clipped when she spoke back to her husband. “How was I supposed to know that? We’ve never known anyone who was arrested before!”
Mr. Faraday tilted his head a little to the side. “What about your cousin… Chester? Wasn’t he arrested for drunk and disorderly at his own bar?”
The gasp from Hildie’s mom was probably heard several counties over, and the look she gave her husband would have knocked out another man. “Really, Harold? You’re going to air the family’s dirty laundry in front of Hildegard’s gentleman?”
Harold folded his paper and set it down on the table in the foyer. Walking over to Jake, he held out his hand. “Son,” he shook his head, “maybe you should have left the badge in the vehicle. But if you go heeled, best keep it tucked somewhere safe, ‘fore my wife decides to shoot more than her mouth off.”
Grumbling under his breath, the man walked on and out of the foyer into a room that looked like a formal dining area.
“Harold!” Hildie’s mother looked torn. She wanted to go after her husband, most likely to read him some kind of riot act and yet, Jake could tell that she was curious about him.
Jake cleared his throat. “Ma’am, would you like us to help set the table?”
Too late, he saw the pinched skin at the bridge of Hildie’s nose.
“The table is already set, young man. Hildegard will show you the way.”
With that, she turned her head and followed her husband out of the room.
He looked over at Hildie. “Did I put my foot in it?”
Her shoulders shaking with laughter, she bobbed her head back and forth. “Kind of, but I think you have her all tied up in knots. She’s a little off kilter tonight.”
Jake held out his hand, and she walked closer to put her hand in his. “They don’t seem too bad.”
The look she gave him was telling. “I think it’s because my mother was already composing the email to her family in her head. The one telling them that I was hauled off to jail.”
He looked down at the badge he had clipped to his belt. “Sorry. I guess I should have left it in the car. I’m just used to wearing-”
She touched her fingers to his lips and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. My mom was looking out the window before we even got out. She saw the silver star on the passenger door. Don’t doubt that. My mom was born with this need to find a place for everything and to put everything in its place. I’m afraid that I never did a good job of fitting into the picture in her head.
“While I wasn’t expecting her to think I was being arrested, I did expect some kind of drama.” She looked up at him and touched her free hand to his chest. “I’m just glad you didn’t turn tail and run.”
He covered her hand with his and shifted it over an inch so it was right over his heart.
“I’ve worked in law enforceme
nt for almost a decade, Hill. I’ve faced down guys high on PCP. Drunk bikers. I’ve even seen a woman come at me with a machete already dripping with blood. I was not going to run from your mother.”
The look she gave him was telling.
“Okay,” he gave in a little. “I would have walked. Briskly. But I would have waited until you were in the car to drive away.”
Laughing silently, she rose up on her toes, and he met her halfway for a kiss.
When she leaned back, her eyes opened slowly and she sighed. “My hero.”
Someone cleared their throat, and Jake felt his heart hammer in his chest. Turning, he saw Hildie’s father standing in the open doorway. “You’re lucky it’s me who saw that, Ranger Jake. If it had been my wife, we’d be callin’ up the judge to officiate your vows before dessert. You two best come in the kitchen and grab a plate.” He looked at Hildie with a big grin. “You know how hungry your mama gets when she’s worked herself up.”
“Thanks, Dad. We’ll be in, in just a minute.”
Her father walked away, and it was then that Jake noticed the ties at the back of his waist for an apron. Hildie sighed and took her hand away from his chest, but she didn’t let go of the hand she was holding. “He’s right, you know. No more kissing until we’re safely away from here, or you’ll end up sending wedding notices come morning.”
He followed Hildie through the formal dining room and into the kitchen. The space was full of warm woods and modern appliances that said the kitchen was likely the center of activity in the house. Once in the room, he helped Hildie’s father set out the platters of grilled vegetables and steaks and found himself seated across from Hildie with her mother at his right. Still, as they bowed their heads for grace, he snuck a glance across the way at Hildie.
He knew that she’d been joking about the Justice of the Peace being called, but even if it had been a real threat, he wasn’t all that worried about it. If things continued the way they were between them, he was going to find himself getting down on one knee before her sooner rather than later.
Jake knew he was already teetering on the edge of love with her, and he wasn’t trying to fight the pull of gravity. He was ready to fall… for her.
Chapter 7
If Hildie thought that meeting her parents would deter Jake from coming around, she was happily mistaken. Before that day at the courthouse, the evenings she didn’t spend with Sloane and Vicente were spent at her apartment or at the Community Center, but since the dinner at her parents’ house, Jake had made himself a constant presence in her life.
It wasn’t just his decision though. She was doing her part to reach out to him, too.
And for the first time in her life, things felt… right.
Full.
The problem was, she kept looking for the bump in the road.
Working with women at the center, there were so many stories of how things started out great. How their boyfriend or husband was amazing… at the beginning. And they were all shocked when that first comment came. Or the first slap. The first punch.
Hildie knew, at least she thought she did, that Jake wasn’t like that. Jake wouldn’t be ‘that guy.’
But how many times had she heard the words from a battered woman sitting in a counseling group or an intake interview. “He was amazing until…”
And it was killing her.
But every time she got a text or a call from him, or she would see him after work or on a weekend, there would be that rush of energy. A smile that wouldn’t stop. A bubbly feeling in her chest. Being around him silenced the worries, but when she was alone again, the doubts would creep in.
Maybe that was why she agreed to anything he wanted to do if she could manage to fit it into her schedule.
“Hey.”
Hildie turned and looked at Sloane, who was sitting on what amounted to a throne of pillows and blankets. “Hey yourself. You look…”
“Huge?” Sloane rubbed her hand over her rounded belly and sighed. “Beached whale worthy?”
“Stop it.” Hildie waved a hand at her friend and Sloane caught it easily.
“Want to feel the baby kicking?”
“Yes! Hello! I can’t wait to see my godbaby.”
Hildie scooted closer and let Sloane settle her hand in one place and then shift it a few inches lower.
“Oh wow.” The fluttering under her hand was a magical thing. A tickle of sensation. “So amazing.”
Sloane sighed with a bright smile lighting up her face. “Someone asked me if I got bored with the feeling of it, but I don’t think I ever will.”
Hildie felt the sensation move a little to the right, and her fingers trailed after it. A sudden pulse of feeling seemed to steal Sloane’s breath.
“That was some kick.”
Looking up at her friend, Hildie shook her head. “Does that happen often? The kicking?”
Sloane rolled her eyes. “It makes Daddy very happy. Vicente already has plans for soccer camp as soon as the baby is walking.”
Hildie smoothed her hand over Sloane’s belly and leaned closer to talk directly to the baby. “Hey now. You can practice your kicks later. Give your mom a chance to relax and enjoy the evening. Okay?”
Another well-placed kick bumped up against Hildie’s palm. With a grimace she looked back up at Sloane. “Sorry.”
“No need for sorry.” Sloane covered Hildie’s hand with her own. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad we can share these moments. You’re family, Hildie. My soul sister.”
Hildie’s eyes teared up, and something squeezed her heart. “I love you like family, Sloane. You and this baby are such a big part of my life.”
“And maybe,” Sloane lifted her gaze over Hildie’s shoulder, “just maybe you’ll give my little soccer star a friend to play with? It looks like Jake’s head over heels for you.”
Just the suggestion started her heart racing and her stomach twisting. Two opposite reactions to the same amazing thought. “It feels good. He makes me happy. And I just can’t seem to get enough of being with him.”
The words were true. Hildie was just choosing to set aside her worries. They had no place near Sloane and her growing family. A baby needed love and positive thoughts. Almost as if the baby heard her, Hildie felt the flutter of a touch against her palm.
“I’m just glad you brought him with you tonight.” Sloane gave her a wink. “I told Vicente to ask around about him.”
Hildie sat back with a gasp. “Sloane! You did not!”
“I did too!” Sloane shifted, trying to find a new comfortable place on her pile of cushions. “Sure, he’s a Texas Ranger, so I know he’s a top-notch lawman, but if he’s going to get into the pants of my dearest friend, I need to know he’s the best kind of man.”
Hildie felt like she was staring bug-eyed at her oldest and best friend, but her shock was tempered by love. “My mother would be taking notes right about now.”
Sloane stuck out her tongue at Hildie. “You know I’m doing it because I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Uh, maybe we should go back and let you two have this moment.”
The two ladies turned and saw that Vicente and Jake had returned with the second load of pillows and blankets.
Vicente shook his head and moved over to the open space beside Sloane. “Don’t let them fool you, Jake. They were probably talking about you.” He gave his wife a wink as she let out an outraged gasp.
“We were not!”
Hildie couldn’t help the tell-tale blush that stole across her cheeks, but she turned away too late. The men had seen it.
Vicente laughed out loud. “Sorry, mama. Hildie’s cheeks ratted you out.”
Hildie heard Sloane’s gasp and then the laughter that followed it.
“You can’t blame me,” Sloane sighed. “I needed some hot gossip since my doctor has me on rest. I need something to obsess over and I’m sorry, Jake, but you and my bestest friend in the whole world are my crack at the moment.�
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Jake shook out the blanket he was holding and laid it out on the grass. “I don’t know, Agent Bravo, but this woman is talking about crack. We might need a drug sniffing K9 unit to come down and investigate.”
Vicente narrowed his eyes at the other law enforcement officer. “If anyone is going to be sniffing my wife, it’s going to be-”
“All right! That’s quite enough.” Hildie got up to her feet and pointed at Vicente. “You, finish with the blankets and remember that we’re in public and your wife needs to rest. And you,” she narrowed her eyes at Jake, “you’re coming with me.”
Jake stood there for a moment, staring, until Vicente waved him off.
“Go on, now. Be good, or I’ll kick your a-” He caught the warning look from his wife and smiled, “backside.”
Jake managed not to laugh at Vicente. Agent Bravo was a complete bad ass. While Jake had been with the SAPD he’d heard stories about the local FBI Agents and there wasn’t a single person who had anything negative to say about Vicente. Respect? There was plenty of that.
And it had surprised him how low-key and normal Vicente was outside of work. Seeing the tender care he gave his wife was all Jake needed to see to know what kind of man Vicente really was. Good, down to the core.
Knowing that Hildie had spent a good deal of time with Vicente made him happy. She had good people in her life already. He just wanted to be a part of it.
Okay, a big part of it.
As Hildie walked toward the main lighted area of the roadside eatery, she navigated the potted plants and curbs with ease.
“How often have you been here?”
“A few times.” She looked over her shoulder at him and stopped to let him walk up beside her. “When Vicente met you in the parking lot, did he tell you anything about this place?”
“No. We talked about the movie, actually.” They moved side by side through the picnic tables and benches that were set into the ground at various places in the open area. “He said this is the first time they’re doing this?”
Hildie took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Yeah, this is the first time we’re showing a movie.”
