Always Remember (22 page)

Nate brushed his knuckles across her cheek. He felt sixteen again, randy as hell.
Jessie.
She’d always been able to turn his dials without even trying.

Nate felt her press closer and silently, he cursed the barrier of clothes that kept them from connecting physically. As she raised her face and touched her mouth to his, her passion-filled gaze never left his. Yeah, maybe he should go with his instincts, scoop her into his arms, carry her back to the house, and spend the night loving her. Ignore Sara and Hale and whatever they were up to.

Voices drifted closer, grew louder. He felt Jessie’s lips tense beneath the pressure of his. Pulling back he studied the expression on her face. Dismay, sorrow, regret. Something heavy and uncomfortable lodged in his stomach. “What’s going on?”

She gave a tug on his arm. “Let’s just go, okay?”

Nate felt his jaw clench. “Tell me.”

“Please, Nate.” She tugged at him again.

Sara’s desperate voice cut through the semi-darkness of the stable. “It’s not just my fault.”

Hale’s angry voice followed. “Well, hell, Sara. I thought you’d taken precautions.”

“I did. I don’t know how this could have happened.”

“You don’t know how you got pregnant? Didn’t your dad explain the birds and bees to you?”

Nate’s passion for the woman tugging on his arm drained away in an instant, replaced by a churning in his belly, a numbness in his heart. One look at Jessie’s face and he knew.

She’d lied to him, tried to hide the truth.

Betrayed him.

For the second time in his life.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“You knew.”

Wincing at the accusation in Nate’s voice, Jessie removed her hands from his chest and looked away from the fury in his eyes, the cruel twist of his lips, the tight fists at his side. It was happening all over again, caught in another lie, this one worse than the first because this time, she’d made a conscious decision to withhold the truth from him.

Yet even when her legs twitched with the desire to run, she refused to back away. “Yes. She told me. The other day at the park. She came looking for advice, Nate. I couldn’t very well turn my back on her.”

“You could’ve told me.”

The coldness in his voice sent fear rushing through her body and she started to tremble. They’d been so close to regaining what they’d lost. Why had she been so stupid? She should have known this would happen. But why did it have to happen now?

“I wanted to tell you, Nate, but she asked me to keep silent. She needed a chance to talk to—”

“Hale. The little bastard. I trusted him.”

Nate pushed past her, his long strides carrying him the length of the aisle so quickly, Jessie had to run to catch up to him. She caught him by the arm and dragged him around, refusing to let him go. “Wait. What are you going to do?”

Hatred radiated from his eyes. His hands balled up into fists. “I’m gonna kill him.”

“Nate, no. He’s the father of her baby. Let them work it out first.”

He sneered down at her. “Get out of here, Jess.”

She stood up to him, unafraid of his temper. “I’m staying.”

“Fine.” He spat out the word, turned on his heel, then turned quickly back. Jabbing his finger into his own chest, he said, “She’s
my
daughter, Jess.
Mine.
So don’t you interfere, understand?”

“Dad?”

Jessie looked away from the fierceness and pain in Nate’s eyes, toward Sara and Hale. They stood at the end of the corridor, for all appearances together, yet obviously apart. Across the distance, she could see Sara trembling, feel how much the girl wanted Hale’s support, knew from the tone of their conversation that she wasn’t likely to get it.

“Pack your stuff and get off my ranch,” Nate ordered the younger man, his voice vibrating with barely controlled anger, his movements stiff and unnatural. He reached Hale, grabbed him by the shirtfront and hauled him forward till they stood nose to nose. “I oughta beat the crap out of you, boy.”

“Dad!”

Sara attempted to push her way between the two men. With a sweep of his arm, Hale pressed her back a safe distance away. Nate’s hold on the boy’s shirtfront tightened. “Don’t touch her.”

“Dad, you’re hurting him.”

He turned his head, his eyes a ferocious blue storm. “Sara. Get to the house. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Doesn’t concern me? Dad, I’m almost eighteen. In this province that means I can do anything I want without your permission.”

“Not while you’re under my roof, little girl. If you don’t like my rules, you know the way—”

“Nate.” Jessie jumped into the fray and tugged at his jacket. “Don’t say something you’ll regret later.”

“Stay out of this, Jess. Sara, get to the house.”

Hale grabbed Nate by the front of his coat. “You might be her father, but I swear, if you harm her—”

Hale’s words strangled in his throat as Nate tightened his hold on the boy’s collar. Sara jumped forward and tugged at her dad’s unyielding grip. “Dad! Don’t!”

“Get her out of here, Jess. Now.”

Wiggling between Sara and Nate, Jessie eased the girl back and tried to stay calm. “Go. Do as he says. I’ll stay.”

“Oh, God, what have I done?”

She gave Sara a gentle push. “Go, sweetie. It’ll be okay. I’ll come up to the house with your dad.”

“I can’t leave.” Sara tried to push past her, but Jessie caught her arm.

“If you stay, you’ll only make the situation worse. Trust me, Sara, please.” Jessie gathered the sobbing girl into her arms and urged her down the aisle. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie. I’ll talk to your dad. I promise, it’ll be okay.”

Sara pushed free of her arms and ran out of the stable. Jessie watched her leave, pity for the girl and her unborn child filling her heart. What would happen now? Was there enough love to save Nate and his daughter’s relationship? And what about Hale?

Squaring her shoulders, she retraced her steps and captured Nate by the arm, drawing his attention. She kept her voice calm and cool. “Let him go.”

His hold tightened around Hale’s throat. Jessie placed her hand over his, felt the coldness of his fingers, and realized just how angry he was by the trembling of his arm beneath hers.

“I said, get out.” He was snarling like a wolf caught in a trap. There was so much pain inside of him. How had it all come to this?

She shored up her resolve. “I’m not leaving until you let Hale go.”

Something passed between them, something dark and ugly and heartbreaking. No matter what happened between Nate and Sara and Hale, Jessie feared her chance of gaining Nate’s love was gone forever. He was so angry. How would he react when she told him about the baby she’d given away?

Beneath her hand, she felt his fingers ease, then slip away from Hale’s throat. The boy stumbled back, coughing and gasping for air. Jessie slipped between them and faced Nate. “Hale, you better leave.”

“What about Sara?” the boy choked out.

Nate lunged forward, collided with Jessie, forcing him to drop his angry stance and catch her before she fell. He gripped her by the upper arms, crushing her against him as he snarled at Hale. “If I catch you near her, boy, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Hale retorted with his own threat. “And if I hear that you’ve done her any harm, I’ll be back.”

The soft tread of Hale’s footsteps along the floor echoed in the sudden silence. Nate released her, shoved away from her, then raked his fingers through his hair as he glared at her.

“Afraid he couldn’t defend himself?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft.

Inwardly she cringed. “No. I was afraid you’d get hurt.”

A bark of laughter escaped him as he slammed the hat back on his head. “Lady, when I was done with him, I’d have swept the kid into the manure pile.”

She shrugged and started up the aisle, conscious of his presence as he followed her out of the stable and across the yard to the main house. Before she’d gotten half way across the yard, he caught her by the arm and dragged her around. She stumbled and fell against him. His arms came around her automatically and he held her close.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I promised Sara I’d be there when you talked to her.”

“Did you know they were meeting? Is that what tonight was all about?”

Jessie lifted her hand and brushed her fingers against the new growth of whiskers on his chin. “You know that’s not true.”

“Do I?” He caught her by the wrist, pushed her hand away, and released her so quickly she stumbled. “Leave me alone. Leave
us
alone.”

He stormed toward the house and Jessie knew he’d never look at her again with that special light in his eyes.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Arms wrapped around her knees, Sara sat in her dad’s favorite chair and waited. Visions of her dad grasping Hale around the neck and Hale not fighting back swam through her thoughts. She covered her head with her hands, rocked back and forth, and willed the tears away.

Please, don’t let him kill Hale.

Later...she could cry later, after it was all over. But she wouldn’t cry in front of her dad, wouldn’t let him see how scared she was of the unexpected pregnancy, how fearful she was of losing Hale. She’d stand up to him and not let him see her shame or her fear of being tossed out on her ear. All this because she’d fallen in love with Hale.

Footsteps clomped sharply up the wooden steps of the porch and Sara felt the spike of unshed tears in her eyes.
Don’t cry. Don’t you cry!
The screen door squeaked open and banged shut, not once, but twice. Sara leapt to her feet, hope spiraling through her. Had Hale changed his mind and decided to stand by her side through this ordeal?

“Sara!”

Knees weak, hands shaking, she forced herself not to cower away from her dad’s anger. She stopped in the shadows of the doorframe leading to the kitchen and disappointment washed away the hope. It was Jessie, not Hale, who had accompanied her dad into the house.

“Sara!”

She jumped. In the meager glow of the sink light, she saw his face. He looked mad enough to search out Diablo again. Well, she wasn’t going to be responsible for his stupidity. She squared her shoulders and stepped forward.

“Right here, Dad.”

He reached for the wall and flicked a switch. The kitchen came to life, light shining brightly into her eyes like an interrogation room on TV. She raised one hand to shield her gaze and blinked against the bright pain.

“Come here.”

Silently, she slid across the room, not daring to antagonize him more than she already had. He looked ready to put his fist through the wall. Or through her.

No, he wasn’t that kind of dad. The worst he’d do is banish her from home until after the baby was born.

Home.
Funny how she’d never really appreciated it until now. He wouldn’t really send her away.

Would he?

CHAPTER THIRTY

Jessie touched Nate’s shoulder and felt the magnitude of her betrayal in the stiffness of his bearing, the abrupt manner in which he shook off her hand, his steady refusal to even look her way. Maybe she deserved his anger for everything she’d done in the past. Maybe he was right to be furious at her for keeping Sara’s secret.

But darn it, she wasn’t leaving. She could help. She’d been in Sara’s shoes. She could share her own experience, help them understand the importance of the decision they had to make, help alleviate the pain of living with the wrong choice.

Moisture filled her eyes and she blinked it away, knowing that if she started crying, she might never stop. Later, after Nate and Sara had healed the breach between them, after they’d both made choices they could live with, only then would she allow the tears to come.

When she was out of their life, back on the road, alone again. “Nate, you have to listen to me. I can help.”

His jaw flexed, once, twice. “We don’t need your help. She’s my daughter. My responsibility.”

He looked so tired, so alone. An hour ago, they’d been locked in each other’s arms, the possibility of a new beginning within reach. “I made Sara a promise.”

His bitter bark of laughter filled the room. “So? Walk away, like you did before. Why should this promise be different from the other ones you made?”

No, she wouldn’t run and hide. She’d done plenty of that through the years. It was time, now, to face her mistakes, face up to Nate. She’d lay her heart at his feet and tell him her awful secret.

“I had a child.” Her voice cracked. She wanted to tell him it was his child, but she’d save that news for when they were alone. Sara didn’t need to know she had a half-brother or sister, at least not yet.

Before she turned away from the accusation in his eyes, she saw him grip the edge of the counter top as if he desperately needed something solid to cling to. She thought of offering him a shoulder — hers — but once she told him everything, he’d never touch her, never acknowledge her again.

“I gave up the child for adoption.”
Our child.
Somehow, she managed to stay dry-eyed even though she saw the heartbreak she felt mirrored in Nate’s stance, the bowing of his head, the slump of his shoulders. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she forced herself to continue. “You don’t know what it’s like. You can’t know what it’s like to always wonder what happened to the baby.”

How he must loath her for what she’d done, but what did it matter anymore? She’d have to face him later, when she told him the entire truth. Right now, she needed to convince Sara of the importance of the decision she was about to make.

At least she had Sara’s complete attention. The girl looked stunned, lost, confused. Did Sara understand she had found an ally?

“Sara, sweetie, this is your baby. You have to make the choice that’s right for you. Can you live with yourself, knowing that you have a child somewhere out there, always wondering if the child is well cared for? Loved? Sara, it’s the worst possible thing in the world to not know.”

“
Enough.
”

The single word lashed through the room. What else could she say to force Nate to accept her help? His hands were clenched at his sides, the knuckles of his fists white with tension as he turned his attention toward Sara.