“He’s in a better place.” He cringed at the platitude. How many times had he heard it after his mother passed? And it never made him feel better.
Her chin dropped. “I can tell you’re a man with a mission.”
Bailey’s heart crashed into his fluttery stomach. He wasn’t here to hug Jaz or imagine kissing her again. Not when they could lose the ranch and derail Tess’s dreams.
He extended his hand to her. The crinkled envelope looked like he’d been sitting on it for days. “I didn’t find a will, but I found this.”
Jaz read the short note. “A niece? We’ll need to do some research.”
It was nearly time for him to be at work.
He slapped the hat on his thigh and she whipped toward him. “I’ve got to head out.”
She glanced between the letter and his face. “Can you meet later? No, that won’t work.” She picked up her smart phone. “How about tomorrow afternoon?”
“Sure.”
She held the offensive letter toward him, but he shook his head. If he took it home, Tess might find it, and she had enough worries to occupy her mind.
“Keep it.”
“I can check out this…” She glanced at the note. “Honey Campbell, too.”
“Thanks again.”
As he wove his way out of the library, he realized the knot that had twisted his innards since he found the letter had loosened. Had talking to Jaz about the problem really changed anything?
He looked forward to spending more time with her, but it was dangerous. Not just because she might remember him, but because his heart felt too much around her.
And she would be leaving while he had to stay.
5
The next day, Jaz took her morning run and then wheeled her old bicycle out of the garage. She didn’t blame Bailey for not getting the car fixed. After all, his dad died the day he planned to work on it, and since then he’d been worrying about the inheritance issues.
Back in the library, Jaz took up her regular post at a computer. She clicked through to her email inbox and could hardly believe her eyes.
Jaz tilted the computer monitor and reread the message from one of her UT softball teammates.
OMG. You’re back in Austin? Can you still swing a bat? I might have something for you with the Longhorns.
Her heart skipped wildly. Practicing with the high school team reminded her that softball could be her home. With a bat in her hand, she felt right and welcome.
A job with the UT softball program? It was more than she had ever imagined for herself.
Nothing was certain, though. The pay could be horrible. Or it could be a volunteer position, and that wouldn’t pay the rent.
After asking her friend for details, Jaz concentrated on the job search. She finished up her third application to law firms in Austin. Sally’s voice pitched in the unmistakable way of flirting women everywhere. Jaz hit the submit button before standing to stretch and turning to face the front of the library.
A lanky cowboy strolled in her direction. The crown of his head retained the impression of the hat he held in one hand. Light brown hair curled around the back of his ears. Deep-water blue eyes stared at her.
Jaz ignored her acrobatic heart and gestured toward the chair next to where she’d been working all morning. Bailey ducked his chin toward her seat.
Her eyebrows winged upward. “How could I forget I was in Texas, land of the last gentleman?”
Pink tinted Bailey’s tanned cheeks. Was he remembering how he’d mentioned being a gentleman Thursday before she kissed him?
After she sat, he stood over her. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. Drew inspired me to act right as much as my dad.”
Sudden stinging in her nose made Jaz blink.
Bailey sat in the chair she’d pointed out, and set his cowboy hat on one of his knees. “Drew was an amazing brother. I tried to be just like him for Tess.”
Jaz’s mind spun, trying to place this man. He would have been several years ahead of her in school, but certainly someone with eyes like his, never mind the broad shoulders, couldn’t have been overlooked. Even if she hadn’t been all that interested in boys back then.
Or now.
“Little sis has done well. She got her hospitality degree and wants to convert the ranch into some sort of resort.” Pride glowed from his eyes, and his chin rose when he talked about his sister. Jaz recalled Drew looking the same way at her.
A twist in her chest made her rub the spot over her heart. Bailey’s gaze followed her gesture, and his face reddened.
She fought to hide a grin. He tugged on one ear and stared toward his boots. That’s when it hit her.
“I remember now.”
His head snapped up. Dread washed across his handsome features.
“You trained a dog. Some guys were giving you a hard time.”
A crowd of teenagers circling the thin guy with a pimply face. The yellow lab cowered behind his skinny legs. His fists were clenched, and blood trickled from his nose.
Drew shoved the largest guy in the mob back a step. “Go through me to touch him again.”
A murmur of curses shuddered through the group, but when the big guy backed off, the rest of them followed. Jaz glowed with pride over her brother’s actions.
“Drew was driving us to the dentist. I’d walked over from the middle school.” Her mind returned slowly from that distant time. “He was a junior, I think.”
Bailey swallowed hard, scanning the room like he needed an emergency exit. She put her hand on his knee, and he froze.
“I can see why you would consider Drew heroic. He rescued me dozens of times.”
Bailey’s gaze flickered to hers. Her heart sped during the short stare-down. When he shifted his focus to her hand—still on his knee—lava rushed into Jaz’s face. She pulled her hand away.
“Not the best first impression, huh?”
Jaz furrowed her brows. Was he serious? “What makes you say that?”
“I couldn’t protect myself from those guys.”
Jaz shifted closer and gripped his forearm. The muscle twitched beneath her fingers. “Seriously? Those guys were jerks. Drew hated bullies.”
A flush crept up Bailey’s neck and tinted his ears pink. “I usually succeeded in my plan to be invisible. But I was proud of my class project.” He shook his head.
She squeezed his arm. She should let go, but something in his posture wouldn’t let her do it. No one should think they had to be invisible.
“Drew stood up for me a million times, and it wasn’t because I couldn’t protect myself. He couldn’t stand to see me…” A clog in her throat stopped her words. Jaz blinked, but the moisture popped into her eyes anyway. If anyone was weak, it had to be her.
Rough fingers closed over hers, sandwiching her hand in soothing warmth. Compassion stretched from Bailey’s gaze to hers. Her embarrassment fled, steamrolled by attraction.
He saw her like Drew did, and he understood how important Drew had been.
“Mostly it was my dad.” Where had those words come from?
Bailey rubbed circles on the back of her hand. A current of electric awareness bolted straight to her chest.
“There was this piano recital. I had this fluffy dress on.” She scowled at the memory. “I did alright on my piece, but afterward I chased Drew around the parking lot and fell into a pothole. I ripped the stupid dress, and my dad was furious.”
“Why can’t you ever act like a lady?” He’d jerked her arm so hard it brought tears to her eyes.
“Drew was your hero.”
Bailey’s husky words pulled her away from the worst moment of her childhood. She blinked at him, reorienting into the present.
“I’m sorry you had to lose him.”
Jaz stacked her other hand on his and gripped like she was hanging from a cliff. Something she’d never experienced wove a thread through their locked gazes.
Her lips trembled into a smile. “Our hero. And I want to be just like him.”
<
br /> Bailey licked his lips. Jaz’s attention shifted to his mouth. That brief kiss the other night had been sweet. Would he be tentative if she kissed him again? Or would he free the desire she saw in those haunted eyes?
She blinked and drew back. Their hands slid apart, but her temperature skyrocketed into the realm of hot-August-afternoon.
“You’re helping me.” Bailey’s voice sounded strained.
Had he been affected by their touch? Jaz peeked at him, but his wide-eyed look was as wild as it had been from the moment she’d remembered him.
That wasn’t why he was here. “What did you find out about a will?” She needed to get back on track.
He shook his head. “Dad swore he’d taken care of things, but I can’t find a will.”
She pursed her lips. “A safe? A family attorney?”
Broad shoulders shrugged. “Safe was a bust. There was nothing in the files about an attorney.”
“What about the adoption issue?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t found anything about that either.”
If they could prove his biological father stopped the adoption, the court might rule in favor of estoppel. “Let me do some more digging for statutes and cases supporting equitable adoption.”
“If we can’t prove they planned to adopt us?”
Jaz shook her head. “You lived with him for decades. Both you and your sister took his name. Texas courts are favorable to equitable adoption.”
“And Honey Campbell?” His lips curled as he said the name, like he’d bitten a moldy grape.
“Resident of Colorado. Current driver’s license but doesn’t own any property.”
“Except the ranch.”
Jaz grabbed his fingers. “No. You and Tess are his children, and that claim supersedes anything Honey Campbell might have.”
“But she’s related by blood.”
Jaz nodded, the knot in her stomach tightening. “Twice divorced. Never takes the husband’s name, but she does take as much money as possible.” Women like that disgusted Jaz. She had firsthand experience being used, and she’d never do it to someone else. Especially not through something as special and binding as marriage.
He lurched to his feet, fumbling with his hat. “I’ve got to get to work.”
Jaz stood. “I’ll see if I can find some cases of equitable adoption. A will would solve everything.”
Bailey’s jaw clenched. “I’ve got Tess looking as she’s going through Mom’s things.” He started to turn, then locked gazes with her again. “I’ll get your car fixed tonight, too.”
“No rush. My mom’s letting me borrow hers for the interview I have tomorrow.”
“You have an interview?” His eyes widened and darkened.
“For the Travis County District Attorney.” It wasn’t her first choice, but it would get her out from under her father’s roof.
“In Austin. Of course.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I will get the car fixed.”
“I know.”
“It’s the least I can do to repay you—”
“Friends help each other. Or maybe I’m just being neighborly.” She tried to grin as she threw his words back at him.
They shared a long look. His gorgeous eyes were a stormy sea of emotion. She curled her fingers into fists because they ached to reach out and wipe that expression away.
He nodded again and about-faced. His broad shoulders swaggered as he walked away. She scanned him from head to toe in a way neither neighborly nor indicative of friendship.
With a shake of her head, she returned to the computer. The attraction served no purpose. Bailey was fighting to keep his ranch, and she was pushing to escape Sweet Grove at the earliest possible moment.
They walked diverging paths, and that truth soured her stomach.
6
Jazlyn’s days fell into a pattern: mornings at the library and afternoons on the softball field. One day she waded through an interview for a job she didn’t want, tense as she wove through Austin traffic in her mother’s car.
On Friday morning, after her mom headed to Ernie’s to do some bookkeeping, Jaz pilfered through the box of Drew’s items, fighting tears when she touched his face in a photo of four soldiers in BDU’s. His squad. She could barely look at the medal he’d won, an insignificant memorandum of a life he’d spent for others. She shoved everything to the back of her closet.
Finally, it was time to don the Shorthorns jersey. She tossed a change of clothes into her backpack. Certain Elise would give her a ride home and feeling too dependent on her parents, Jaz hopped on her bike.
At the school, a crowd of parents filled the bleachers, and Jaz was proud of the way the girls played. They won by a run.
Afterward, Jaz and Elise changed in the locker room. Once the girls left, it echoed with a forsaken air. She’d spent four years changing into and out of uniforms and PE clothes in this place.
And now you’re back at twenty-eight.
The thought depressed her.
Elise drove beside her as Jaz pedaled the few blocks to the church.
“Afraid I’m going to bolt?”
Elise shook her head. “Sticking close so someone else doesn’t claim you.”
Jaz laughed and jumped the curb while Elise stopped to check for cross traffic on First Street. By the time Elise parked, Jaz had the bike rolled into the rack beside the steps.
Inside, they followed the sound of raised voices to the fellowship area which doubled as an auditorium for youth church. A dozen people milled around while two guys argued over placement of a dartboard.
Jaz scanned the room, counting four dartboards. Kristina smiled at the sight of them and scurried over. Several people raised their hands or called out greetings to Elise.
“Did you win?” Kristina stopped in front of Elise.
Elise nodded and hugged Jaz’s arm. “Thanks to brilliant batting instruction.”
Kristina giggled and Jaz shook her head. “I can tell by my recent pay raise how much you mean that.”
The three of them laughed and melded into the crowd. A man closer to thirty-five led the small group. He offered up a few game options. Did they want to do Cricket or 301? The three electronic boards would keep the score automatically and either game could be selected from their menu, but the fourth board would require teams to self-monitor and keep score.
“We don’t have enough for even teams,” Elise said.
Kristina and another girl volunteered to sit out or be scorekeeper, if needed.
Pencils filled the silence as everyone wrote their game choice on a slip of paper.
A cheery voice called, “We’re not late, are we?”
Jaz finished by crossing her T and glanced up at the new arrival. Her heart jackhammered at the sight of Bailey standing behind the perky blonde woman. She chattered with the leader, who handed them slips of paper and explained what was happening.
Bailey stood ramrod straight, and his jaw jerked as if he was gritting his teeth. Jaz willed him to look her way. When he did, she was unprepared for the softening of his lips and smoldering in his eyes.
Her breath caught in her throat. Elise glanced at her and then toward the door. A huge grin split her face. Kristina glanced between Jaz and Elise, eyes wide.
“Do we get to choose our partners?” Elise called out.
“Sure.” The leader was collecting folded slips of paper.
“With shoulders like that, Bailey’s a good choice.” Elise raised her eyebrows, challenge implied.
Jaz shrugged. “Said he hasn’t played since college, so it’s your funeral.”
“Well, then, I’ll leave him for you.”
“Wait. I thought you wanted to be my partner.” Jaz narrowed her eyes.
“Kristina’s my best friend.” Elise slid her arm around Kristina’s elbow and tugged her toward the leader.
“Great,” Kristina grumbled.
Bailey, hat in hand, seemed glued in place. Two guys flirted outrageously with his sister. J
az started toward them.
“Maybe I should be Bailey’s partner.” Tess sounded sad, but Jaz could see she didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
Fighting the yawning pit swallowing her stomach, Jaz turned to the two men. “I need a partner.” Jaz stuck her hand out. “Jaz Rolle.”
The shorter guy, whose black hair curled up on the ends, grasped her hand. His name got lost behind Tess’s exclamation.
“Oh! Well, Jaz is Bailey’s partner. So, which of you wants to lose first?” Tess poked each of the male shoulders, casting a sly glance at her brother.
Jaz blinked. She’d been out-maneuvered twice in two minutes. Her experience in the dating game was showing like torn underwear. “I didn’t know if you’d show,” she said.
Bailey set his hat on the nearest table and smoothed his hand through his light brown hair. It was damp, as if recently washed, and the usual ring wasn’t present.
A dance inside her chest made Jaz reach for a chair to steady herself.
“Looks like you get the handicap.” One corner of his full mouth curled up.
Jaz gripped the back of the chair to keep from falling over. His grin had enough sex appeal to stop traffic. Spots dotted her vision. “How do you know I’m not the handicap?” Her voice sounded light, not breathless. Thank goodness.
“I’ve watched you swing a bat and throw a softball.” His gaze flitted to her mouth. “And you wouldn’t sign up for any sport you weren’t good at.”
“Sport? Are darts a sport?”
The leader whistled and waved them over. Bailey matched her steps like they were on parade grounds. Jaz tried to listen as the rules for Cricket were explained amidst groans from several people. Good thing she knew the game, because with the heat of Bailey’s arm pressing against hers, she couldn’t concentrate on anything else.
Thankfully, they moved apart during the actual game. Which they won. He hit the bullseye to increase their score, and she closed out the numbers.
The high five they exchanged shot tingles through her fingers, up her arms, and into her heart. She really shouldn’t be so attracted to him.
After the leader muttered a short prayer of thanks, Jaz grabbed a plate of snacks and a pop and headed toward the doors. The cool evening air relieved the tension building between her ears.
Love's Lingering Doubts (Love's Texas Homecoming Boo 1; First Street Church #9) Page 5
