The Son He Never Knew. KRISTI GOLD

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      Buck took on a look of reluctant submission. “Okay, you bring her home and have her in my office no later than 8:00 a.m. And have her boy there, too. Maybe between the two of them, we can shed some light on this thing.”

      As far as Chase was concerned, having Danny put through the wringer was entirely up to Jess, at least for now. “Fine. You can go. I’ll handle it from here.”

      “I’ll go outside to wait for Barkley until you leave with Jess.” Buck turned toward the door then stopped and pointed at Chase. “8:00 a.m. sharp or I’ll come down to the cabin and get her myself.”

      “I’ll have her there, Sheriff.” And he would, right on time. He didn’t sleep much these days anyway. Too much on his mind. Too many nightmares to count.

      After his dad had finally left the immediate premises, Chase made his way to the dining room, only to find it deserted. Jess would’ve had to walk past him to go up the stairs, which made him wonder if she’d headed out the back door. With that major dilemma in mind, he strode to the back of the house and came upon a rear staircase adjacent to the top-of-the-line kitchen. Hopefully that had been her escape route, if in fact she felt the need to escape.

      He opted to give Jess the benefit of the doubt and headed to the second floor. As suspected, he discovered her in Danny’s room, perched on the edge of the bed, sifting her hands through her son’s hair.

      Chase paused a moment to take in the subtle alterations in Jess’s appearance. She’d cut her long auburn hair to her shoulders and she wore the kind of loose-fitting clothes designed to hide her figure. At five-foot-three, she’d always been small in stature but tough as barbwire. But the most noticeable change could be found in her light amber eyes when she leveled her gaze on him. The former outgoing cheerleader, who could talk the bark off a tree, looked lost and defeated. He damned Dalton Wainwright for that. Damned him for sucking the life out of Jess. Damned himself for staying away from her because of his own guilt.

      Chase remained in the doorway and in a low tone said, “Pack a bag for you and your son. You’re going to stay with me for a few days.”

      “Why?”

      “According to procedure, you have to leave the premises until you give your statement. And even if you could stay, do you really think that’s a good idea?” He nodded toward Danny.

      “No,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I don’t want to put you out, Chase. I can call around and find somewhere to stay. Maybe with Sam and Savannah or Matt and Rachel.”

      He prepared to shoot down her protest with logic. “First of all, Savannah and Sam are in Hawaii and won’t be back for a couple of days. Secondly, I figure Rachel’s on her way to the hospital to see about Dalton by now.” Blood ties trumped friendship any day of the week, even if Rachel and Jess had been friends for years and Rachel’s brother was about as sorry as they came.

      “As far as the rest of the town goes,” he continued, “do you want this getting out any sooner than it has to?”

      She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

      “Then it’s settled,” he said. “I’ll wait downstairs while you get your things together.”

      She twisted the ruby ring that once belonged to her grandmother round and round her right ring finger, a habit she’d developed long ago. “I appreciate your hospitality, but we’ll only stay until I can make other arrangements.”

      Funny, they spoke to each other like they were strangers. Like they’d met for the first time tonight when in reality they’d known each other for a lifetime. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to, but we’ll work it out tomorrow.”

      Before she could make up another excuse to refuse the offer, Chase walked out of the room and went back downstairs to wait.

      He needed to hear the truth from Jess, but he also feared what that truth might be. Feared that he would have to testify against her if she’d attacked Dalton for whatever reason. Justified or not, her cold-blooded father-in-law would see to it that she paid dearly, and he had the political pull and financial means to do it.

      When Chase had signed up for the job, both as a soldier and deputy sheriff, he’d sworn to uphold the law. But experience had taught him sometimes justice could be bought by the highest bidder. This was one of those situations.

      Regardless, he vowed to stand by Jess, come hell or high water. After what he’d done to her all those years ago, it was the least he could do for her now.

      ALONE WITH HER CHILD in Chase’s sparsely furnished guestroom, Jess claimed a space next to Danny on the twin bed. She pulled the covers over his thin shoulders and whisked a kiss across his cheek. And when he turned away from her, she felt her heart shatter one painful fissure at a time.

      Still, she rested her face on the pillow, hoping that he found a measure of comfort in her presence. But since the moment they’d arrived at Chase’s house, he’d refused to look at her, refused to speak a word. She couldn’t really blame him after what he’d endured, both tonight and throughout his nine years on earth.

      She smiled at the slight curl at the nape of his neck, remembered how she’d been terrified to hold him after he was born and then soon found it hard to put him down. She recalled his baby-soft smell, how little time it had taken to bond with him. He’d been such a joy from the beginning, the brightest part of her day.

      Jess’s life had been littered with what-ifs and regrets, of foolish decisions she’d wished she could take back, but having her son had never been one of them. She should have left Dalton a long time ago, when Danny had been too young to understand the ongoing battle between his mother and father. Before Dalton had begun to demean both son and wife.

      Her precious baby, who’d been quick with a grin and fast on his feet, had become withdrawn and doubted himself, just as she had since the day she’d married Dalton Wainwright. Yet over the past two months since the divorce, he’d begun to smile more often, talk more freely and even his grades had improved. Now this horrible, horrible incident could scar him beyond repair.

      Jess leaned over to see if Danny was sleeping, only to determine he still seemed wide awake. “Do you want some water?” she asked.

      He shook his head no.

      “Do you want me to stay in here with you tonight?”

      Again, another negative response.

      She couldn’t blame him for his anger. After all, what had happened tonight had been entirely her fault, and he was going to suffer the brunt of her decisions for years, if not forever. Mothers were supposed to protect their children, and she’d failed miserably.

      Jess was torn between staying a little longer with Danny and having a serious talk with Chase. She didn’t dare discuss all the details with him. She wouldn’t involve him more than she already had. But she could attempt to reestablish their friendship that had been damaged a decade ago, thanks to another error in judgment. That could be asking too much, but she had to try. Like it or not, she needed Chase’s support more than she ever had before.

      She pressed a kiss against his cheek. “It’s going to be all right, honey. Everything’s going to be fine. I’ll take care of you.”

      If only she could believe her assertions. СКАЧАТЬ