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Jennifer comes home to Georgia, divorced. The last thing she expects is loving again. |
| Jennifer clutched the steering wheel with both hands. “Why did I have to tempt fate?” The black car behind her had been following her since she'd pulled out of the ranch. She doubted it meant anything. This was the only road into town. Yet her stomach twisted with nerves as she slowed down to twenty miles an hour and the car stayed behind her instead of passing. She sped back up, and the car did the same. It inched closer. She tensed as she waited for impact. The car swooped past her and she breathed a sigh of relief. “You need to quit over reacting.” The road curved as it approached the bridge. The car stayed by her side instead of pulling ahead. Her stomach dipped. She slowed down again. So did the car. A horn honked as it rounded the curve and headed straight for them. The car next to her swerved over, nearly clipping her front bumper. She jerked the wheel. Her tires went off the road and she lost traction. Jennifer screamed as she tried to regain control of the truck before it slammed into a large oak tree. Brakes squealed as she stopped. The car sped off. She leaned forward, trying to get a license plate number to give to Jordan. The car didn't have one. Her hands shook as she searched through her purse for her cell phone. She needed to talk to Jordan. He had a way of calming her down. Her search came up empty. She frowned as she tried to remember the last time she'd had it. Groaning, she put the truck back into gear and headed into town. She'd have to wait until she got back to the ranch before she could talk to him. “Quit acting like this. You're a grown woman. You don't need a man to take care of you.” Jennifer crossed the bridge and slowed as she reached the city limits. As she drove down Main Street, she searched the parked cars, hoping to spot the one who had almost caused her to wreck. Although most of the parking spaces were full, she couldn't find the blacked out Crown Victorian. She shook her head. “See, you were overreacting. The driver was probably on a cell phone and wasn't paying attention.” She parked in front of the small brick building which housed the vet's office and got out. She pressed the button for her alarm, cringing as the beep caused heads to turn. She felt a bit silly for locking her truck, but she figured it would help ease some of her paranoia. The lobby of the veterinarian practice was crowded. The smell of animals and antiseptic caused her stomach to roil. She battled a wave of nausea as she approached the receptionist's desk. “Can I help you?” “I'd like to speak with Dr. Landon please.” The receptionist shook her head. “I'm sorry but he's with a patient right now. His day's pretty booked. It'll be a while before he can handle any personal business. But if you'd like to leave a message, I'll see that he tries to handle it after we close.” Jennifer gripped the granite counter. “This isn't a personal call. I'm Jennifer Matthews. My grandparents own The Bar M. We have a situation with our horses and need Dr. Landon to make a house call. Soon, if he can work it in.” The receptionist's eyes widened. “I'm sorry. I just assumed-” she let the sentence drop as she turned to her computer. A few seconds later, she picked up the desk phone and pressed three buttons. Jennifer waited impatiently as the woman filled the doctor in. She put the phone back down and turned back to the computer. “Dr. Landon asked me to clear his schedule and turn all his patients over to his partner. It'll take about a half hour before he arrives. You can expect him to be there within the next hour.” Jennifer smiled with relief. “Thank you so much.” The woman nodded in farewell and Jennifer left the office. She chose to walk down the sidewalk to the insurance agency, which was three buildings down. As she stepped into the cool reception area, the strong aroma of industrial air freshener hit her. She wrinkled her nose at the overpowering scent. “Come on in. What can I do for you?” Jennifer turned towards the group of desks on her left and smiled at a short, bald headed man. “I'd like to take out an insurance policy on my grandfather's ranch.” The man gestured for her to join him at a cluttered desk. “What sort of coverage are you looking for?” “Full coverage. We've been having some complications at the ranch and I'm afraid it's the doing of someone who's hoping to scare us off. I'm worried the person might take more drastic measures, since it's a known fact that my grandfather is having financial issues right now.” “Oh dear. It is a shame what greed can do. But don't you worry young lady cause we're going to take good care of you.” *** A half hour later, Jennifer got back into her truck, feeling better. Any more problems caused at the ranch would be covered under their new policy. They would have to pay a deductible but in the over-all scheme of things, that five hundred dollars would be better than the thousands spent on repairs. She stopped at the feed store for new horse food, before rushing back to the ranch. She was eager to share her news with her grandparents. She hoped it would help relieve some of the stress from Pa. The vet's truck was going down the driveway as she pulled in. She followed at a slow pace, careful to keep back far enough that a stray rock wouldn't damage her windshield. Jordan opened her door as she parked the truck. He glanced from the vet, who was getting out of his own truck to Jennifer. She tilted her head to the side as she watched him frown. “You okay?” “Yeah. Just don't like seeing you and the doc pull up at the same time.” Jennifer laughed. “Jealous?” He pulled her to him. “And if I am?” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him. “You don't have to be. Although I kinda like it.” Jordan put his arms around her back and ground his hips into hers. “Well I don't. Having to fight off other men to keep my woman doesn't appeal to me.” “No other man has a chance.” “Good.” Jordan kissed her again, parting her lips with his tongue. She moaned as she shoved her hands into his hair, causing his Stetson to fall off. She squirmed against him as tension started to build between her thighs. “Jordan, let's sneak away for a bit.” Jordan kissed her forehead as he pulled back. “I wish we could darlin' but I need to hang around here until we figure out what's going on with the horses.” Jennifer sighed. “You're right. Damn it. When I find out who's doing all of this, I'm giving them a good kick in the ass. All of this mess is seriously cutting into my sex life.” “My my, someone's getting greedy. I promise to satisfy your addiction tonight.” Jennifer dropped her hands to her sides and stepped away. “We need to get around other people, before I attack you now.” Jordan held her hand as they walked towards the barn. The sound of raised voices caused them to speed up. They halted by the feed room and Jennifer looked around. “What's going on?” Pa looked at her and shook his head. “Someone's fooled with the feed.” “They've been poisoned?” The vet held up both hands. “Everyone calm down. It's not life threatening. I'm going to run some tests on the feed to see what chemical has been used. Until then, I want you to let them eat grass and hay.” Pa balled his hands into fists. “The barn is off limits to everyone. I'm putting a padlock on the feed room and the hayloft. Anyone caught in here without my permission will be arrested.” Jennifer stepped forward. “I bought new feed Pa. It's in the back of my truck.” The vet looked up. “Does anyone else know?” “No one except y'all.” “Good. We're going to hide that. I'm going to keep this food in here. Don't let anyone know we're onto it being contaminated. I have a small hunting camera at home. I'm going to bring it back and set it up in here. Maybe we'll be able to catch whoever did this.” Jordan nodded. “That's a good idea Doc.” He held Jennifer's hand as they walked outside. She chewed on her lower lip, her eyes bright with worry. He didn't blame her. Someone would pay for all the trouble they were causing. If he could catch them first. “We never did get to talk about what happened in Savannah.” Jordan rubbed his temple. A headache had crept up on him the second day there and it still hadn't left. “There's not much to tell. There weren't any usable prints on the letter and they still haven't processed the cigarette butt from the fire.” “I thought they’d have that done by now. It never takes this long on TV.” “Well they would have, if they hadn't misplaced it. It took me five hours to convince them that they even had the damn thing.” Jennifer sighed. “Do you think it'll stop before it's too late?” “Yes. Even if it means stepping down from the police department and keeping watch over the ranch twenty four, seven.” She squeezed his hand. “You can’t do that. You love your job.” He shrugged. “I love you more. I can't stand by and watch you and your family lose the ranch.” “We'll figure something out. Maybe that camera will give us some answers.” Jordan nodded. “Maybe. Are you and Chloe still interested in going to the rodeo this weekend? The preliminaries are tomorrow night.” “I don't know. Do you think it would be smart?” “Sitting around worrying isn't doing much good. I think Chloe needs it. And so do we.” Jennifer smiled. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes. He'd like to think they were caused from missing him, but he knew better. Just because he'd tossed and turned, wanting to get back so she could be in his arms, didn't mean she felt the same way. “I've got to get back to work. I just wanted to come out here and see you and Chloe. I'll come by after I get off, if you want me to.” Jennifer pressed her soft body against him. “Of course. I still have to welcome you back properly.” His cock hardened instantly. It amazed him that she had that sort of power over him. He hadn't been this easy to arouse since he was a teenager. “I can't wait. I'll call your phone in a while.” Jennifer's brow puckered. “You can't. I don't know where it is. I've looked everywhere. I was trying to find it earlier so I could tell you about the car.” Jordan tensed. “What car?” “A car followed me to town after I left here. I got nervous because it wouldn't pass, even when I slowed down. But then it did. I ran off the road so the driver didn't hit me.” Jordan swore. His heart picked up speed. “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?” She shook her head. He pushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “I got it under control before I had a wreck. There wasn't a license plate and I didn't see the vehicle once I got to town.” “Shit. I'll put out an APB. What kind of car was it?” “Black. Crown Victoria. The windows were all tinted, even the front. I couldn't see the driver.” Jordan's hand shook as he pulled out a notebook and wrote the information down. “Look, I know this is going to make you mad, but please don't leave again without someone with you.” Jennifer frowned at him. “Why? I overreacted. It was just a careless driver. Probably talking on their cell phone.” Jordan squeezed her hand. “It's for my peace of mind. With all the problems around here, I don't want to worry that you'll be in danger if this person steps up his intimidation.” She nodded. “Okay. You be careful too.” He caressed her face as he stepped towards her. “Always. I have too much to lose.” Even though he knew he needed to get back to town, he couldn't resist taking Jennifer's mouth for one last kiss. Her lips parted and he groaned as he shoved his tongue into her mouth. He flicked his tongue against her own, enjoying the way she responded with such eagerness. His pants grew tight. He jerked away, and tried to get his breathing under control. “I have to get out of here before I forget I'm on duty.” Jennifer winked. “I'll be waiting for you to get off.” |
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