Little Cowgirl Needs a Mom (13 page)

Jenny suddenly felt everything crashing down. Evan had to hate her now.

“We still need to find proof,” Alex said.

She shook her head. “Todd's too clever to get caught. Besides, if I go back to San Antonio he'll leave you all alone.”

“And he'll prey on someone else,” the deputy said. “I've learned more about Newsome. He's made the rounds for jobs. After the A Bar A turned him down, he went out to the Merrick Ranch. But the Merricks keep close tabs on the men who work for them.” The deputy looked at Evan. “But Newsome does have a job. He works at the Roadhouse Club.”

Jenny couldn't believe it. “They hired him?”

The deputy said, “I'm not sure how well you know the Roadhouse's reputation, but the place has been rumored to be connected to prostitution, drug trafficking. The past few months, there's been a federal undercover investigation. That's how I learned about Newsome's job as a dishwasher/bouncer. But your stepbrother's employment satisfied his parole officer.”

Allison walked over to her friend. “You should have come to us when he first started making trouble.”

The deputy said, “We'll do everything we can to protect you, Jenny. I don't think any of the rest of you are in danger since it seems Newsome found another game at the Roadhouse. From what I hear, he's running a credit-card scam.”

“Can't you pick him up for that?” Jenny asked.

“We need proof, and since the feds are involved, we have to follow their lead,” the deputy said. “It does seem your stepbrother is playing with a heavy hitter, the owner, Cesar Sanchez. That's who the feds want to get their hands on.” He glanced around at the group. “One thing that is imperative is that we keep this information to ourselves for now. We can't let on to Newsome.”

“Oh, God, I'm sorry, Alex, Allison,” Jenny said, shaking all over. “I never meant to endanger your family.”

“What about you, Jenny?” Allison began, looking angry. “You're family, too, and you need the most protection.”

“That's why I have to leave. If I'm not around maybe he'll stay away from the people I care about.”

The deputy spoke again. “I doubt that now. Newsome is in a brand-new ball game. We're hoping we get something on him so he'll go back to prison.”

Jenny swallowed. “How can I help?”

Reynolds glanced at Alex. “Stay so we can protect you, and maybe your stepbrother will slip up.”

Jenny wanted to feel relieved, hearing that maybe she'd be free of Todd. She stole another glance at Evan. But it was already too late, she'd probably lose the most important thing in her life. The man she loved.

T
HE
last thing Evan wanted to do was leave Jenny alone at her apartment. They had to act normal so Newsome wouldn't become suspicious, but he wasn't going anywhere.

Jenny wasn't going to like that, but too bad. He wasn't about to let anything happen to her. And why not have Newsome think there was something going on between them? Maybe the guy would keep his distance.

After everyone left and he sent Gracie home with Matt, Evan knew that next he had to deal with Jenny's stubborn independence. After he locked the door and punched in the security code he followed her upstairs.

“I told you, Evan, I don't want you involved in my problems. If something were to happen to you…” She closed her eyes. “You need to think about Gracie.”

“I
am
thinking about my daughter. I don't want scum like Newsome out there preying on innocent people. That's why he needs to be stopped—for good.”

Jenny couldn't say any more as she turned away. All she knew was she had to keep her distance from Evan Rafferty. She couldn't let him see her true feelings. That was her only protection.

“What did he do to you?” Evan asked as he came up behind her.

She shook her head. “I don't want to talk about him. It's in the past.”

“Not anymore.” He frowned at her, his fists clenched. “Did he touch you? I'll kill him if he laid one finger on you.”

She swung around to face him. “No!” she breathed. “Not that way. He pushed me around a few times, but I learned quickly to stay out of his way.”

“What about your mother?” he asked. “Why didn't she help you? You're her daughter, for Christ's sake.”

“She did as much as she could. But it didn't help with her marriage, either. She wanted to keep the family together.”

“Dammit, Jenny. You shouldn't have to live like that, then or now.”

He drew her into his arms and Jenny found she was too weak to resist this man. It was nice to lean on someone else…for a little while.

“I left. I worked for a scholarship and went away to college. I decided then that I wouldn't go back to that house.”

“We'll get Newsome out of your life.” His arms tightened around her, and she could almost believe him. “I promise.”

She'd heard promises before. Did he mean they would be together? Suddenly, reality hit when a ringing sound caused her to jump. She took out her cell phone.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Hey, sis. Did you have a nice evening with your friends?”

Hearing her brother's voice, she swallowed back the fear. Was he watching her?

“I take it Mr. Wonderful is there with you now. Is he spending the night? How cozy.”

“It's my business what I do.”

“Well, I'll be making it mine.”

“Just leave me alone.”

“Now is that any way to talk?”

She stole a glance at Evan. “I don't care whether you like it or not, not after you trashed my apartment and broke into the pawn shop.”

“You better stop accusing me of things you have no proof of.”

“Maybe I do have proof. Maybe I'll go to the sheriff with it, too.”

Evan didn't look happy. But before Todd could say anything else, she yelled, “Stay out of my life.” She closed her phone and discovered she was shaking. She glanced at Evan, not having to say who had been on the phone. “You okay?”

She felt everything but. “Yeah, I feel great.” She turned, walked into her bedroom and closed the door, shutting out everything she'd always wanted.

 

Hours later, Jenny still hadn't fallen asleep. She got up and went to the small window in her bedroom, feeling claustrophobic. She drew a tired breath, thinking about Evan sleeping in the other room. Just last week he'd spent the night in here with her.

She closed her eyes recalling their time together. How he'd made love to her body and her soul. How special he'd made her feel. As if she was the most precious woman in the world. A shiver went through her and she pushed it aside. She couldn't let herself get wrapped up in foolish dreams.

She had to survive this. To do what she needed to do, to have faith in law enforcement to handle her stepbrother and catch him in the act. But that might not happen, either.

If Todd was staying in Kerry Springs, harassing her and
her friends, her only choice was to leave. It was the best way to protect them.

That meant she had to leave a man she loved and a child she adored. There wasn't any other choice.

Jenny drew a shaky breath, walked across the bedroom and opened the door. She crossed the living area, opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. After a long drink, she stole a glance at Evan sleeping on the sofa. With the streetlight coming through the window, she could see the outline of his body. She ached to go to him and let him help her forget. To pretend that everything was fine.

She closed her eyes. Why did this have to happen?

She started to leave the kitchen when he spoke. “Jenny? Are you all right?”

His words brought a smile to her lips.
No, I'll never be all right again.
“I was thirsty. Sorry I woke you.”

He sat up. She saw his bare chest in the shadowed light. “I wasn't asleep.”

“That's why you should have gone home.”

He stood and came to her. She felt the familiar pull that she'd felt at their first meeting. “I want to be here.”

She had to keep him away. “Oh, Evan. You don't want to get involved in my mess. It isn't safe.”

“Not for you either,” he pointed out. “We need to protect you from him.”

“I think Todd got what he wanted, to scare me. Make sure I stay in line.”

She shook her head. “Let's talk about something else.” She leaned against the counter. “I hope you let Gracie keep coming to class.”

He shrugged. “I doubt she will if you're not there.”

She hated that. “She's pretty determined to finish her mother's quilt, so please, don't let her give up on it.”

Jenny looked up at him. Even in the dim light he could
see her eyes filled with tears. When she spoke, her voice was shaky. “She needs that closure…and so do you.”

He liked that she was worried about everyone. “I closed that chapter with Megan a long time ago. We weren't the perfect couple, not even close.” He hated talking about his failed marriage. “Maybe it was my fault, but you need two people in love to make it work. Megan and I were never in love. Gracie was the only reason we tried to stay together.” He stole a glance at her. “When I met you, I realized how lonely I'd been for years. Even then I tried to fight it. But it was impossible not to care for you.”

He didn't move toward her. “I think you care about me, too.”

Jenny felt the deep longing in her chest, but fear held her back. “No, Rafferty. Of course not. Why would I care about you? You're not handsome or appealing at all. And your daughter…she isn't precious either. Just for the record, Megan was a fool.”

When he grinned, she about lost it.

“Do you realize that you call me Rafferty when you try to put distance between us?”

“No, I call you Rafferty to make a point.” Why was he so stubborn? “I can take care of myself.”

He reached for her and pulled her against him. His warmth and strong arms felt so incredible.

“How's that working for you, Collins?” he began. “Now, listen to me. No matter what, you aren't going to run me off. I'm here for you.”

She sighed, not wanting to hope. “Neither one of us needs this complication.”

“You're wrong, Jenny, I need you,” he said those simple words, and suddenly she realized that she needed him, too.

His head dipped and he took a gentle nibble from her lip. “So stop trying to get rid of me.”

When his mouth closed over hers, her arms went around his neck. He kissed her in a way that made her believe. He was hungry and giving at the same time. He cupped her face and angled her head to give him better access and she went willingly.

Maybe they didn't have forever, but she could pretend for tonight.

 

The next morning Jenny awoke and found herself alone. She sat up on the sofa and glanced around the apartment, but there was no sign of Evan. It saddened her. He'd already broken his promise.

She ran her hand over her hair and walked into the kitchen. Coffee was made. Okay, that was a nice gesture. There was also a note.

Her heart skipped a beat. Why did this man keep giving her hope? Hope for a future together. Last night they'd made love again, and afterward, he held her during the early hours of the morning.

She went to the phone and made the call to her school principal, Marge Burns, in San Antonio. She let her know that she couldn't take the summer-school position, but still wanted her regular job back for the fall session. Marge was fine with the change in plans.

After she hung up, guilt hit her. Okay, so she was still covering her bases in case everything fell apart. She
couldn't expect Evan to offer her anything permanent. But this time, she wasn't settling for anything less.

 

An hour later, Evan drove Gracie to school. He wasn't taking any chances with Newsome out there. He needed to get back to Jenny. He could still feel the imprint of her body against his. He'd never felt such closeness with anyone before. She'd trusted him and fallen asleep in his arms. He pushed aside his doubts about himself, his insecurities about trying another relationship. About trusting someone again. He knew these same feelings were hard for Jenny, too.

He climbed out of the truck, kissed Gracie goodbye and watched until she went inside. He glanced around the parking lot, but didn't see anyone suspicious. He spotted Alex Casali's truck as he dropped off Cherry.

Evan went over to him and Alex asked, “Hey, how'd it go last night?”

“It was quiet,” Evan said. “No sign of Newsome.”

Alex studied him for a second. “It's good you were there for Jenny.”

Evan wasn't sure he was ready to talk about this, but he'd thought about nothing else. “I'd like to be there more, but I'm not exactly in a perfect place right now.” He still was in debt. “I'm not sure I can ask someone to take on a ready-made family.”

Alex pushed his hat back and leaned against his truck.

“I've learned the past few years that with the right woman things just seem to work out. That is, if you love her.”

Evan thought about the joy and happiness Jenny brought to him. “That's the easy part.”

“What's the hard part?”

“Offering her a future. I have plans, but I'm not even close to reaching them.”

Casali glanced off, and then back at him. “I'm always looking for a good, solid investment, and I hear Texas hill-country wine is just that. The thing is, though, I would need someone with expertise in the business. I would need a partner.”

 

Two days later, on Saturday, Jenny moved around the class area at the shop trying to act as if everything was normal. But Todd's threats still had her on edge. Why did he have to ruin this for her? Okay, she'd talked about leaving, but, as of late, she wanted to make a home here. Permanently. In the one place that had ever felt like home.

Her thoughts turned to Evan. Finally she'd found what she'd been looking for, and yet, it was slipping through her fingers. She was high-risk now. When he'd returned the other morning, she let him know that he couldn't hang around her. He had to think about Gracie.

He wasn't happy about the idea, but finally he'd agreed to go along with it since Alex had hired around-the-clock security.

“Jenny,” a tiny voice called to her.

She quickly came back to the present and the class as she glanced down at Gracie. “What, sweetie?”

The girl held up her sewn blocks of fabric. “How did I do?”

Jenny put on a smile and examined the stitches. “This is great. You've really improved.”

Gracie smiled proudly. “I've been practicing at home. Daddy took out Mommy's sewing machine and helped me.”

“Well, it shows.” Jenny wasn't surprised. Evan had been
growing closer to his daughter the past month. That was the best thing to happen out of this.

Looking at the clock, she saw it was nearly three o'clock. Her heart swelled as she watched the students working closely with their mentors. She'd enjoyed this class so much and she would miss it.

“You should be proud of this class.”

Jenny turned around to see Lily Perry, who'd come to the class today, filling in for her mother, Beth Staley. “Coming from a principal that means a lot, thank you.”

“This project has turned out to be a great idea. I believe there will be a long waiting list for the class next year.”

“The volunteers have been wonderful.”

“It's you the girls relate to. I wish I had your enthusiasm in my school.” Lily smiled. “You wouldn't think about taking a position at the elementary level, would you?”

Jenny couldn't have been more surprised. “You're kidding, right?”

Lily raised an eyebrow. “If you're interested, call my office and we'll talk.” She walked away.

Jenny cursed Todd again. She wanted this life, in this town. For the first time she'd let herself get involved, get attached to people: the Casalis, the Raffertys, even her job at the shop and the girls in her class. There were so many things she'd miss if she had to leave.

She thought about Evan and their night together. Her heart took a tumble and her breathing grew difficult. She wanted a lifetime of those nights in his arms. Did she dare to go after her dream?