Authors: Roni Hall
“You have nothing to apologize for. He should be apologizing, not you.” Kevin’s voice was full of anger.
“Yes, you’re right, but I’m sorry that any of my . . .” She searched for the right words, “baggage followed me to your home.”
“If that schmuck bothers you again, you let us know.” Rick sounded angry too.
“Thank you, Rick.”
“Seriously, if he comes around again, you let us know. That guy’s not one to fool with by yourself.” Rick pursued his case. “That guy’s bad news.”
Jamie nodded in agreement but said nothing. Kevin looked at her, not saying a word. The guys excused themselves, giving them some alone time.
“Wanna walk?” Kevin asked and Jamie nodded. She got up and bussed her plate, eating nothing. He followed her outside as they headed toward the barn.
“You okay?”
“I don’t know.” Upset by the whole Derrick situation, she was unsure if there was anything she could do, at least for the moment. She could only react to what he did next and she didn’t have a clue as to what that might be. Her gut told her he was not through with her. They walked in silence.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Kevin.” She stopped walking and looked at him. “Derrick is out of my life, and that’s a fact. Why he came today I don’t know, but what we had is over.”
Kevin exhaled and his face visibly relaxed. They resumed walking and he reached for her hand which was a lifeline; he didn’t realize how much she needed his touch and his strength right now. They turned and headed back toward the ranch.
“Can we stop at the barn?” Jamie asked him.
“Sure.” They walked into the main barn and strode straight toward Jack. He must have heard her coming since he poked his large head out of the stall, nodding anxiously. Jamie stroked his neck and spoke to him softly.
“Hey, boy, how’re ya doing? Sorry I didn’t ride you today, but we’ll try to get one in tomorrow. You okay? Yes, you’re beautiful . . . or should I say handsome?” She chattered nonstop to the stallion who obviously liked the attention. He nuzzled up to her.
Kevin looked at Jack. “You mentioned before that Jack perceives the good and bad in people. You were right. He went ballistic when Derrick was here. He’s very protective of you.” He patted the horse’s tall neck. “Yep, you’re a good soul, Jack,” Kevin whispered.
Jamie was surprised at Kevin’s statement to the horse but said nothing. They both said goodnight to Jack and left the barn.
“Hey, how about you come to my place and we can find something to munch on? You didn’t eat anything tonight.”
“I’m not that hungry.”
“You need to eat something. C’mon.” He tugged at her hand. She looked at him and surrendered.
“Okay. You’re hard to say no to.”
“I’m going to remember that you said that.”
Walking to Kevin’s place hand in hand, the mood lightened. Once inside, he brought out some cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, then poured each of them some wine. As they sat at the counter, Kevin pushed the veggies toward her. She reached for one, then another as she realized she was hungrier than she thought. They talked about other things and Kevin even managed to get her laughing. With some food in her belly and wine to relax her, she felt better. They sat and talked for a while before the day’s events caught up with her.
“I need to turn in. I’m bushed.”
“You do look tired.” He stood up and walked over to her.
“Thank you for everything today. I felt safe knowing you were nearby.”
“I’ll always be here for you. You need to know that. I’m trying hard not to be in your business but know that I’m here for you.” Their eyes met. “I also want you to know that last night was important to me, but I don’t want to pressure you. You’ve got enough on your plate right now.”
“Thank you. It was important to me, too.” Standing close, she leaned in to him and he held her. Wanting to stay in his arms all night, she reluctantly pulled away. She knew she needed to be alone for some serious thinking. Heading to the door Kevin followed, walking her to her cabin.
“Good night.” He kissed her on her cheek.
“Good night, Kevin.” Before she entered her cabin, he pulled her into her arms one more time and held her close for several minutes. Feeling his strong arms around her, securing her, she relaxed and closed her eyes as they began to water. Tightening her arms around him, she whispered, “Thank you, I needed that.” She kissed him on the cheek and slipped into her cabin. As she closed the door, exhaustion hit, emotionally from Derrick and physically from her strenuous run. She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and turned down her bed. How could her life change so drastically from one day to the next?
She noticed her cell phone on her bedside stand flashing a voicemail alert. As she listened to the voicemail, Sting’s song “Every Breath You Take” played . . . with the obvious message I’ll be watching you . . . loud and clear. A chill went up Jamie’s spine. She didn’t recognize the number but it didn’t matter.
Derrick. It had begun.
Chapter 24
Needless to say, Jamie hardly slept. She knew Derrick would try to ruin any chances she had with Kevin. He wanted her back, and Jamie felt physically sick thinking about it. She finally drifted off to sleep by five in the morning. When she awoke, there was a text message waiting for her. Without looking, she knew it was from him.
Meet me in town if you know what’s good for your cowboy. Stages Restaurant at one o’clock.
A vice tightened around her chest, making it difficult to breathe. Dreading the inevitable, she knew she had to face him. What did he mean by
what’s good for your cowboy
? She did not want Kevin to be involved in this. Filled with dread, she had to see what his plans were so she could orchestrate her opposing strategy. Jamie needed to go into town alone for that meeting, but how? Keeping to her routine, she got dressed and went to the mess hall for her tea. She needed a car and she could think of only one person.
Jamie made her tea, and then waited till the mess hall emptied.
“Consuelo, I need to go into town today alone . . . and I don’t have a car.”
“You take mine, no problem.”
“I need to keep this between you and me. I don’t want the guys to know.” She looked at Consuelo, her eyes pleading.
“Okay, Jamie. No problem. But are you okay? Are you in trouble?”
“I’m fine. Just something I need to do by myself. Thank you.” She hugged her. Consuelo retrieved her keys out of her purse and handed them to Jamie, who left quickly so she could avoid running into Kevin, Ben, or Rick. Unable to concentrate on her chores at hand, she approached Hector at 12:30.
“I need to run into town for a quick errand. I shouldn’t be too long.” She took a few steps then turned back to Hector. “I’d rather you not mention this to Kevin,” Jamie requested.
“No problem,
Señorita
.”
“Gracias.” Jamie exited the back of the barn and headed directly to Consuelo’s car. Her anger began to boil over as she drove. Pulling into the parking lot too fast, she got out, slammed the car door and strode into the Stage Restaurant with a deliberate gait. There would be no meekness here. Derrick sat at one of the back booths with a cup of coffee. Dressed in an Armani suit, he looked totally out of place in this small Western town. But his uncanny good looks were what really made him a stand out.
Jamie threw her purse loudly on the bench seat and sat down hard. Looking across the table at Derrick, her eyes were blazing hot with fury.
“Okay. I’m here. I told you it was over. You knew that long ago, so what is it that you want?”
Derrick looked at her, eyes wide with surprise. “Wow darlin’. I like this fire in your belly.” Pursing his lips he continued, “It’s simple. I want you. Yes, it’s been a while but I now realize what I had and what I lost, and I want you back.”
Jamie was speechless, she couldn’t believe her ears. “You want me back? You want us back? Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m not crazy. I came to my senses. I need you. I want you home.”
“You have no problem attracting women, you cheated on me many times. Why would you want me back?”
“Because I love you, of course; those other women didn’t mean anything, and they weren’t in the same class as you . . . you’re good for me. You make me look legit.” He waited for her response.
“Too bad you didn’t think that way long ago.”
“I know. I was stupid, I was an idiot . . . I realize that now.” His face relaxed, his dark eyes softened, and for a moment she caught a glimpse of the caring Derrick that she had first been attracted to. “Seriously, Jamie, think about it. The club is about to open. I can run the business side and you could run the social part. You’re such a people person . . . so kind and beautiful. You’d do great. We could work together, as a team. We used to have fun together, remember?” He reached for her hand.
Jamie looked in his eyes; she did remember. They did have good times, they had fun together . . . but that was ages ago. He changed and she’d tried to get him back but he’d retreated farther and farther into a dark world. She had seen a side of him that was ugly and mean; despicable and cruel not only to her but others. Desperately, she had hoped he would return to his old self, but it was too late for her. She’d never go back.
“Derrick, I’m happy for you and the club opening. I really am, and I’m sure it will be a success, but I can’t be a part of that. You and I are over, we can’t go back.” Looking at him, she offered a kind smile. “I do wish you well, I do.”
“What do you mean we can’t go back? I never quit on you, and I’m not about to now. Sure, it got a little rough the last year, but we can fix that.” She pulled her hand away from his and shook her head in disbelief.
“Things were not good with us for the last two years! It was hell. We’re not good together. Start over with someone new. Let’s end this on a friendly note.” She wanted him to come to his senses.
“True, it seemed a bit troublesome at the end but we can fix that. We can start over.” He didn’t get it.
“No. We cannot fix it. We cannot start over. It’s done. Any good feelings I had for you are long gone and they’re not coming back. It’s over. I can’t say it any simpler than that.” Jamie grabbed her purse, getting ready to leave.
His facial muscles turned to stone and his eyes went black. The kind Derrick had vanished, and the evil one was resurfacing. “You don’t get it, do you? You don’t have a choice in this. You’re coming back to New York with me.” He put his hand on her arm firmly this time.
“What do you mean I don’t have a choice? Last time I looked, this was America and yes, I do have a choice.” His craziness was starting to scare her. She shook off his touch and started to get up from her seat.
“The only choice you have is whether or not you want your cowboy to get hurt.” He looked at her dead serious across the table, then leaned back and watched her.
Her legs gave way and she fell back into her seat, not sure she’d heard him correctly. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
Jamie went silent as her throat closed, cutting off her breath. She knew Derrick had a crazed, evil side that had developed over the past couple of years, and now reared its ugly head once again. “What are you talking about?” she asked, trying to hide her fear.
“You come back with me, or your boyfriend could have an accident.” He leered as the words oozed out of his mouth.
She couldn’t believe what she heard. This was evil talk even for Derrick, but it made sense. He knew she wouldn’t even consider his request if it were threats against her, but if he threatened someone she cared for . . . that was a different story.
At a loss for words, she needed to process what he’d said. Was he serious about this? Physically striking her in the heat of an argument was bad enough, but would he actually plan and carry out harm against Kevin? She needed to think. He’d caught her off guard and he knew it. Oh how she wished she could wipe that foul grin off his face with a sledgehammer. Never had she felt such hatred for another living creature in her life as she did for him at this moment. Without a second thought he would harm another human being so he could have his way; he was pure evil.
Derrick watched her as her mind raced. “I feel kind today. I’m going to give you some time to think about this, but don’t take too long. I would hate for something to happen to your handsome cowboy. And don’t even think of talking to anyone about this. I’m watching you. One wrong move and cowboy Kev could get hurt. He sure does have a nice big cabin, doesn’t he?”
Jamie glared at him. If looks could kill, she would gladly do it now and never mind the consequences. Grabbing her purse, she stood up and left without a word. She could not speak; she did not know what to say or think.
“I’ll be in touch.” He spoke in a playful tone as she left.
Jamie stormed out of the restaurant to her car and drove off, but within a block she had to pull over. The road disappeared as her eyes filled, but these were not tears for Derrick, her eyes welled with hot anger at herself and her sense of helplessness. What was she going to do? She had to think this out by herself. Was he serious? Was he capable of carrying this out and hurting someone? Her gut told her yes. Jamie opened the car door and vomited into the street.
Back at the ranch, Jamie returned the car keys to Consuelo. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked as Jamie turned to go.
The obvious concern in her voice caused Jamie to bite her lip. How she wished she could fall into Consuelo’s arms, pour out her troubles and have her solve everything with her magic wand but this wasn’t a fairy tale. It was a nightmare, Jamie’s nightmare, and she was so fearful of the ending. She needed a clear head to think, think of a solution, some way out of this mess.
Faking a smile, she nodded, left Consuelo and went directly to her cabin. As she opened the door, she froze. Her CD player was on, playing Sting’s song again,
Every Breath You Take
. Had Derrick been here? She didn’t think so; he was a striking figure and would not have gone unnoticed. He had someone put the CD on in her room, he had someone on the inside. She was being watched . . . she felt like an actor in a bad movie. Who knows who, or how many, were on his payroll. He could buy anyone if they were weak. He really had gone to the dark side. If Derrick wanted something, there was no stopping him, and he did not play by the rules or the law. He had mentioned this more than once.
Jamie stood motionless in her cabin, unnerved by the words of the song. Suddenly a booming voice outside jolted her from her thoughts.
“FIRE! FIRE!”
Jamie flew outside and saw ranch hands running toward the barn. Black smoke was billowing out of the rear of the building from the direction of Jack’s stall. Jamie’s heart stopped and she ran toward the barn. Kevin, Hector, Ben, and Rick were already there with a hose and fire extinguishers. Luckily the flames were quickly doused but there was still plenty of smoke. They were wetting all surfaces with water to make sure there were no hidden embers. Jamie ran up to Hector.
“Where’s Jack?”
“He is in the back corral. He was outside the whole time.” Jamie exhaled with relief.
“Are you okay, Hector?” Jamie asked as she put her hand on his arm.
“
Sí, sí
.” He looked at her appreciatively.
“What happened?”
Hector shrugged his shoulders, saying nothing. Trying to be useful, Jamie helped evacuate the rest of the horses then stopped to visit Jack, making sure he was okay. When she finished she went back into the barn where Kevin and a few of the hands were still raking through the ashes. Kevin looked deep in thought and Jamie didn’t want to interrupt them.
He looked up and Jamie caught his eye. “Is there anything I can do? Anything?”
“No, but thanks.” He was quick and to the point.
“Okay, but if you think of anything, please call me.” Kevin gave her a thankful nod as she walked away. It hit her how awful the fire could have been had it not been caught quickly.
Thank God Jack was not in his stall!
Jamie checked on each displaced horse, making sure they were all right. They would not be returned to the barn tonight. Once she made sure they were all settled, she checked on Jack again. He seemed very receptive to her visit, nuzzling her more than usual.
Though she was not hungry she made her way to the mess hall to be around others after what had happened. Their little world had been rocked and there was a sense of community, of family here.
Jamie made a plate but ate little. Kevin, Ben, and Rick were no shows in the mess hall, busy with all the details of the fire. Jamie sat and chatted for a while longer, then headed back to her cabin. With all the excitement, she had forgotten about her situation with Derrick and it really needed all her attention. The fire had been bad but Derrick was capable of far worse.
Jamie let herself into her cabin and sat on the bed, clueless as to what she should do. She fell back on her bed, her legs dangling over the side, and stared up at the ceiling. Next thing she knew, the room was dark. She had fallen asleep and hadn’t moved in hours. Now fully awake, she opened her cabin door and walked out onto the small porch, taking in the night air. A faint odor of smoky debris still lingered in the air. Looking toward Kevin’s cabin, she thought she saw a light on and walked in his direction. As she neared she saw him sitting on his porch in the dark.
“Kevin?” she whispered.
“Yes. I’m here. Come on up.” He motioned to a bent twig chair beside him.
“What are you doing up at this hour? Are you okay?” She took the seat and looked at him with concern.
“I guess I could ask you the same questions.”
Jamie paused. “Anything I can do?”
“No, but thank you. Just trying to figure out how the fire started . . . and organizing my thoughts for repairing the damage. It could have been far worse, so in some ways we were lucky.” Kevin spoke out loud but looked deep in thought.
She reached out and took his hand in hers and he held on tightly. Their world was getting complicated by factors outside of their control. Gazing up at the stars, feeling the soft breeze on her face and hearing the pines whispering in the wind was all so idyllic, but troubled waters were beneath it all. Jamie felt the weight of the world on her shoulders but couldn’t dare mention her Derrick issues . . . she had to protect Kevin from him.
She looked at him in the darkness. “I should go.” As she got up to leave, Kevin stood up too and she stepped closer to hold him close. They held each other for a moment then Jamie loosened her grip reluctantly.
“Get some sleep.”
“Good night.” He sighed as she walked away.
Kevin was in a pensive mood as he drove to town the next morning, the fire still on his mind. He was grateful, it could have been a disaster. Returning his full attention back to his driving, he routinely applied the brake to slow down for the decline toward the stop sign at Lee Road. Stepping on the brake, his booted foot slid the pedal all the way to the floor. By instinct, he pumped the brake with no resistance or deceleration of his speed. “What the hell!” The gravel pinging the underside of his truck increased in frequency and intensity as the old truck picked up speed on the downhill.
Shit!
Kevin kept uselessly pumping his brakes as he saw the intersection with a two lane blacktop approaching. Gathering his wits, Kevin downshifted to lower gear while he continued to pump the brakes. As the intersection neared, his peripheral vision sighted vehicles on the blacktop coming from both directions. Pulling the parking brake, he steered the truck off the road, attempting to sideswipe trees in the hopes of slowing him down.