Jennifer comes home to Georgia, divorced. The last thing she expects is loving again. |
Jennifer sat on the front porch, a warm cup of coffee in her hands. Her stomach roiled at the strong smell, but she needed the fortification. She felt chilled to the bone. It'd been three days since she came home from the hospital. Jordan had been to the ranch almost thirty times. He did his best to avoid her every time. Jean still hadn't been found and now she felt like she was coming down with the flu. It had to be her nerves causing her to be so nauseous and light headed. A truck bounced along the potholes in the driveway. She squinted through the curtain of rain to identify the vehicle. Her heart sped up when she recognized the hunter green paint. She put her mug down and smoothed a hand over her hair. Chloe stepped onto the porch. Her face brightened when she saw Jordan getting out of his truck. “Morning Jordan.” He nodded at Jennifer. He turned a smile to Chloe. “Hey Chloe. How are you feeling?” She bobbed her head towards Jennifer. “A lot better than Momma. Can you talk her into going to the doctor? She's being too stubborn to listen to any of us.” Concern flashed on Jordan's face before he masked it. “Well she's a grown woman. I'm sure she'll know when she needs to seek medical advice.” Jennifer's shoulders stiffened. “As a matter of fact, I have an appointment this afternoon.” Jordan smiled at Chloe. “See, she'll be fine.” Chloe frowned. “You look tired.” He took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “I've been putting in a lot of hours trying to track down Jean. He still hasn't turned up.” Chloe ran down the steps and threw her arms around Jordan's waist. He stood still for a minute before folding his hands around her back. Jennifer felt a knot form in her chest. Things had turned out so wrong. For all of them. It wasn't fair for Chloe to have gotten so attached to him, only to have him change his mind about a relationship. The sadness turned to anger. She wanted to hit something; hit him. Chloe looked up at him, tears clinging to her lashes. “I hope you find him soon Jordan. I miss having you around.” Jordan's eyes met Jennifer's for a brief minute. He grimaced. Jennifer would have swore it was pain, if she didn't know better. Jordan returned his attention to Chloe. “Hey, I'll always be here for you. All you have to do is call, okay? No matter what it's for.” She nodded, but didn't seem convinced. She stepped away and rubbed her hands over her face. She climbed up the steps and sat down in Jennifer's lap. “Momma, you have to fix things.” Jennifer whispered back, “I wish I could baby. But I don't think he wants that. He's mad at me.” “Why?” Jennifer sighed. “He thinks I kept my father's stolen money.” Chloe's face brightened. “But you didn't. Tell him. I'm sure he'll be happy.” She jumped up and pulled Jennifer to her feet. She walked to the edge of the porch. A wave of dizziness hit her and she had to grab onto the porch railing to keep from falling. Jordan was about to climb into his truck. She forced herself to ignore her body's weakness and rushed after him. “Jordan, wait.” He froze at the truck door. After a long minute, he turned to face her. “Yeah?” Now or never Jennifer. “I didn't take my father's money.” Jordan's lips turned up in a cruel smile. “I suppose you're going to say the drugs made you say that?” She shook her head. “No, the money I have isn't his. It belongs to Pa's great-grandpa. It's our money.” Jordan shrugged. “What's your point?” Jennifer sighed. “You didn't want to have a relationship with me because you thought I'd stolen money. But I didn't. So there's no reason we can't be together.” Jordan shook his head. “Jennifer, regardless of who the cash belonged to, you took it. You used it, thinking it belonged to other people. Finding out it didn't isn't a good enough reason for me to forgive that. I'm a cop. I have to live by the law. I won't arrest you but I can't be with you. I'm sorry. I wish it would have worked out.” Jennifer grabbed his arm. “Jordan, you can't do this. You made me fall in love with you, even though I didn't want to. You made Chloe think you would be around for her, that everything would be okay.” His face turned stony. He jerked his arm away. “I meant what I said to Chloe. Just because you and I won't be together doesn't mean I won't still treat her like a daughter. I have to go.” He jumped into his truck and hit the gas. Gravel flew as he turned towards the driveway. Jennifer stood where she was. She didn't care if rocks hit her. It would be nothing compared to the pain she suffered. |