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Jennifer comes home to Georgia, divorced. The last thing she expects is loving again. |
| Jordan stood next to Pa, discussing what they'd found. The main gate to the pin had been taken down. From what each of the other men had said, the damage spanned over a half mile. It had taken time to remove that many planks. Time, or extra help. He turned and studied the party guests. It was hard to tell who'd left and it would be pointless to try and figure out had been missing. There were too many people for everyone to stay accounted for every second of the night. He swore under his breath. First the fire, and now this. Someone had a grudge against Pa. Nothing would stop him from finding out who and making them pay for it. He heard Pa ranting next to him. Pushing the fury from his mind, he turned towards the old man. Scott had a hand on his arm, trying to soothe him. Pa jerked away. “I'm a grown man. Don't start telling me what to do.” Scott held up his hands in defense. “I wouldn't think of it Pa. But Jennifer's coming. She looks worried. If she sees you getting worked up, she's going to start getting upset. Something's going on with her but she won't say what. I don't think it would be good for her to get stressed about you right now.” Pa sighed. “You're right.” Jordan studied him. Now that the fight was out of him, he looked tired, and old. He swayed to the left. Scott grabbed his arm and supported him as Jennifer walked up to them. “Any idea what happened? There's fence down all over the place.” Jordan swore under his breath. “Same up here. The gate's missing too. But we don't know who did it.” Jennifer glanced at Jordan before her eyes slid away. She studied Pa. “You okay?” He nodded. “Just a bit wore out baby doll. Nothing to fret about.” He tried to shrug away. All he managed was a slight move of his arms. The color drained from his face, leaving him pale and ghostly in the moonlight. He scowled at everyone. “Quit looking at me like that.” He turned to Jordan. “Son, it looks like that lil lady's wanting to be alone with you. So get. I ain't gonna kick out.” Jordan wanted to argue but the stubborn tilt of Pa's head told him it would be pointless. It was the same look Jennifer got. He shook his head and smiled. He walked over to Jennifer and put an arm around her waist to lead her away. They stopped around the front of the house, near the corral. Jennifer climbed up to the top rail and sat down. Jordan leaned on the wooden slat, his hands inches from her long legs. “So whoever did this will get away with it, won't they?” Jordan gritted his teeth. She made him sound incompetent. “Unless we get a lucky break, there's no evidence that can lead us to the culprit. I'm still waiting on the results from the fire. They might be in tomorrow. Seems like the lab had a delay.” “Jordan, I overheard something tonight. It didn't sound good. But I don't know if it's true or not.” Jordan twirled his thumbs. “Well tell me what it is, and I'll check it out.” He heard Jennifer sigh. Whatever she was about to say, it had her worried. He turned towards her and took one of her hands. He gave it a quick squeeze before rubbing the soft flesh of her palm with his callused finger. She trembled under his touch. “That ranch hand Allen was talking to some other guy out in the field tonight. They didn't seem bothered by what had happened with the horses. Allen told the guy that Pa's in debt with the bank. Bad. If he doesn't pay soon, they're going to take the ranch.” Jordan cussed as he jerked his hat off his head. “No one has said anything to me about this. You know I'd do my best to help if they had. I have a bit of money saved up. Maybe I can slip to the bank without him knowing.” He sensed Jennifer's eyes on him. She stared at him, her mouth open. “You'd do that for us?” “Without question. Jennifer, your family saved me. This place is like home to me too.” Jennifer slid off the rail. When her feet hit the dirt, she stepped close and put her hand on Jordan's cheek. He stared into her eyes, getting lost in their depths. “Thank you.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed her mouth against his. He groaned, and pulled her closer as he deepened the kiss. Their mouths melded together, their duels locked in a duel. Jordan felt Jennifer's body strain against his, trying to get as close as possible. He put his hands on both sides of her head, holding her still as he deepened the kiss. He needed the taste of her as much as he needed his next breath of air. She moaned into his mouth. His cock hardened, begging for release. He felt like he'd had a constant hard-on since the day he'd pulled Jennifer over. Tonight was the point of no return. “I want you Jordan.” He pulled his mouth away, breathing hard as he stared down at her. He was sure his aroused brain made him hear those words. “Repeat that.” She smiled and slid her hand down her body so she could cup his erection through the thin fabric of his pants. “I want you.” He groaned as he renewed his assault on her mouth. “When?” Jennifer tried to step back. He held her close, the hard length of him nestled against her leg. “How about tonight? After the party's over.” “That's too long to wait.” She tossed her hair. “I guess you could always try to find someone else.” “Don't even think you're getting away that easy.” Jennifer smiled. “Let's get back to the party before someone comes looking for us.” He growled as he stole another kiss. “I think I'm going to demand everyone leave so I can have my deputies process the scene.” She arched an eyebrow. “Wouldn't that mean you'd be stuck out there too?” His smug smile faded. “Actually, yeah it would. I'll figure something out.” They walked back to the party, arm in arm. Jennifer felt Jordan tense as they passed the missing gate. He gritted his teeth and stomped. “This shouldn't have happened. It's all my fault.” Jennifer stumbled. She regained her balance and stopped to glare at him. “What do you mean by that? I thought you said you didn't know who did it.” He began to pace back and forth. “I don't.” “Then what's going on? Jordan, tell me the truth. Did you have something to do with this?” He whirled around to glare at her. “You should know me better than that. Why would you even ask something so outrageous?” She hugged herself against a cool breeze that drifted by. “I thought I did know you better. But you're words, and your defensiveness worry me. And you sound guilty as hell.” Jordan stopped pacing. He watched her for a long moment before coming over and rubbing his hands up and down her arms. “You're cold.” He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad. You're right to wonder, with the way I made it sound. I didn't do this, but I feel responsible. I'm a freaking cop. I should have been watching out for people up to no good. Instead, I've been busy lusting after you.” Jennifer smiled. “I like that. But you've also helped my daughter, and me. You are a great man Jordan and no one will blame you for this happening. You aren't supposed to be on duty tonight.” “You're right. About all of it. But it still irks me. Think about it. We know most of the people here. Do you know how hard it will be for me to arrest and prosecute someone I consider a friend?” Her smile faded. “I couldn't imagine. I'm sorry.” He brushed a quick kiss to her cheek. “Don't worry about it. Let's go check on Pa.” Jordan held out his arm and Jennifer gripped it against her side as they walked over to the food tables, where Pa was standing with a man Jennifer didn't recognize. Her eyes narrowed. Pa and Scott were trying to field the man's rapid fire questions. “Damn weasel.” She saw Jordan looking around. “Who are you talking about?” “That guy's a reporter.” Jordan looked down at her. “How do you know that?” “Years of experience dealing with them. Come on.” She picked up her pace as she rushed to Pa's aid. She knew how dangerous it was to let her grandfather talk to the press. They had a way of twisting words, giving them the best spin for their audience, regardless of whether it was the truth. Pa's eyes lit up as she stopped in front of them. She held out her hand to the rat looking man. “Hi, I'm Jennifer Matthews.” The man smiled, revealing slightly crooked teeth. His eyes crinkled into slits as he looked her up and down. His greasy palm held hers longer than was necessary. She pulled free. Jordan's arm fell over her shoulder. She knew he was staking a claim. For once, the possessive attitude didn't bother her. “Mason Byrd. I run the Collinsville Gazette. Have you read it? It's pretty good, if I do say so myself.” He gave her a conceited grin as his eyes roamed her body once more. She straightened her shoulders. She wet her lips and tried to give him a sexy smile, without encouraging his attentions. “Sorry. I tend to stick to the bigger newspapers. Much more news. But I'll be sure to check it out.” His eyes lingered on her breasts. “I'm sure you won't be disappointed.” Jennifer doubted that but she kept it to herself. She had a plan and she needed to be charming for it to work. Insulting him wouldn't give her a break. “So, is it safe to assume that you'll be writing about the biggest social event of the month?” His brow furrowed for a brief minute. She sensed his hesitation. He didn't care about the party; just the incident with the horses. “Oh this party. Yes, it'll be front page news.” She raised an eyebrow. “Really? There must not be much going on if a simple party garners that much attention. Then again, I'm sure you'll be including more than the who's with who and what they were wearing, right?” He pulled at his tacky necktie as he flushed red. Jennifer had him on the spot and he knew it. “As a matter of fact, I was just talking with your grandfather about doing a story on the stampede. The party will be mentioned of course.” Jordan tightened his hold on Jennifer's shoulders. “Why would you write a story about that? It's no one's business, besides the family.” Mason huffed. “When over a hundred people are nearly run down by a pack of horses, while attending a party, the public deserves to know the truth about their near deaths.” Jordan growled. “I dare you to try and report something like that. I will arrest you for slander. No one was even injured, let alone almost killed.” The reporter's head rose. “The first amendment says I have the right to print anything I please. Perhaps I should include a part about how the local police chief is threatening to arrest me for fake charges.” “Perhaps I should interrogate you for accessory. You seem pretty disappointed that there weren't any casualties. Maybe you think this is a great way to pull that newspaper out of the slump. Successful horse ranch to blame for injuries to party guests. That would definitely sale.” “Fine. I'll leave out the part about people were endangered.” Jordan nodded. Jennifer stepped forward, her hand on her hip in what she hoped was a sexy pose. “Perhaps you'd allow me to write the article. I'll keep most of it about the horses and what happened. I could find out more information than you can, and it'd be perfect to have a member of the family write the article. That would give you more sales.” Mason did his repeated once-over. Jennifer followed suit. His sandy blonde hair was a typical pretty boy shag, and he had a strong jawline. He was a bit handsome, if one liked the try-too-hard-to-be-pretty type. He stood five inches above her own 5'8 height. She tried not to squirm as his green eyes seemed to undress her. He smacked his lips. “I don't want to seem rude, but I don't allow freelancing. Nor do I deal with amateur writers for such an important piece. Now, if you'd like to come by my office one day next week, I'm sure we could work out something to help you get a start in the press.” Jennifer grinned. She loved the feeling of power that suddenly pumped through her. The man had no idea who she was. She couldn't wait to put the pompous jerk in his place. She hoped Jordan would also be impressed by what she would reveal. No one around knew of her city life or her career. She hadn't wanted to cause a stir with her family. “What makes you think I'm an amateur?” He gave her a get-real look. “Well, I wasn't implying that you don't have talent. Just that I doubt you have experience.” She raised an eyebrow. “Do you?” Another smug grin. He breathed on his nails and polished them on his black suit jacket. “As a matter of fact, I do. I started my own magazine when I attended the University of Georgia, in Atlanta. It made a pretty good profit. I handled most of the stories myself and published eight issues within two years.” Jennifer pretended to be impressed. “Wow. That's interesting. I went there too. Perhaps I had the chance to read it. What was the name?” He shifted his feet. “Well, they discontinued the production after I graduated.” She gave him a fake sympathetic smile. “That's too bad. It must suck having all your hard work go down the drain. I mean, starting your own magazine is something to be proud of. And here I was, proud of having a masters in journalism, with four years of experience writing for the college paper, and yearbook. Oh and the copy I wrote for the television and radio stations. I'm sure you know though that they pretty much use the same stuff.” The man nodded. “That is pretty good.” She laughed. “That's not all actually. For the last ten years, I've been employed as a writer and senior editor for The Times-Georgia. I also have two books published, though I used a pen name for them. It didn't seem appealing to have everyone knowing of my success.” The reporter's mouth opened and closed without sound a few times. Then he looked around the small group before clearing his throat. “Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to write this one piece. You will have to follow my terms.” She half-listened as he explained his expectations. A few minutes later, he dismissed himself and walked away. She caught Jordan nod to her family out of the corner of her eye before he pulled her away. Craig caught up with them just as Jordan turned to her, pride shining in his eyes. “Hey boss. We've taken photos of all the damaged fence, and we found the gate. Still no tools. Do you want us to tape off all the areas?” He looked down at Jennifer. “Duty calls. I'll talk to you later okay?” Jennifer nodded and smiled. “Don't work too hard.” He put a hand on her cheek and tilted her head so he could brush his lips over hers. He kissed her cheek and nibbled her ear. “Don't worry. I'll have plenty of energy to take care of you tonight.” He spun on his heel and walked off before Jennifer could respond. Jennifer watched his long legged stride eat up the distance to the fence. She took her eyes off him and looked around, hoping to see Chloe. Skylar hurried up to her, a tall lanky boy on her heels. Jennifer smiled at the goofy look on the teen's face; a smile of sheer amazement. Not that she blamed him. He probably thought he was the luckiest person in the world, with Skylar as his date. Her face was devoid of all makeup except lip gloss and she wore her black hair piled on top of her head. A few strands of curls fell around her glowing face. She grinned like she'd won a million dollars. “Hey Mrs. Matthews, you look hot. This is David, Brandon's best friend.” Jennifer smiled a greeting at the boy. He nodded in response. “You look beautiful Skylar.” She shrugged. “Thanks. Hey, Chloe wanted me to give you a message.” Jennifer frowned. “Okay, what is it?” “Promise not to shoot the messenger?” She nodded. “I promise. Now, what is it?” “Chloe went horseback riding.” Jennifer sighed. “Okay. That's fine. It's been a long night. She probably needs the quiet.” Skylar shifted her feet, suddenly seeming uncomfortable. Jennifer's scalp prickled. She wasn't going to like what came next. “What else, Skylar?” She sighed. “Jason said he was going with her. He told me he wanted to apologize for something that happened earlier. I didn't have time to ask Chloe before she left.” Jennifer groaned. She knew what it meant. Her daughter was just like her. Willing to see the goodness in everyone, despite how bad they treated her. If she didn't learn to cut her losses early on, she'd live a life of heartbreak. Chloe was strong though, a lot stronger than Jennifer. She'd be okay. Anger started to burn through her. “I can't believe she'd go with him without permission. She knows how I feel about that boy.” Skylar dropped her eyes to the ground. “She didn't. Go without asking, I mean.” Jennifer frowned. “Then who told her she could go?” “Chief Taylor.” |
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