Jared: Red, Hot, & Blue, Book 4 (8 page)

She couldn’t deny the attraction between them was there from the very beginning, regardless of their business dealings. She believed him when he said he hadn’t signed the consent form because she’d slept with him, but because it was good for the town.

Mandy had finally stopped beating herself up about all that had happened between them after the first week back in LA. After that, she started to enjoy the idea of being Jared’s city girl, as he called her. How crazy was that? A horseman from Pigeon Hollow and a television producer from LA. They were taking the term long-distance relationship to a whole new level.

Of course, Jared’s nightly phone calls helped bridge that long distance. His smooth southern voice could, and did, do things to her that most men couldn’t accomplish with their entire body. Not to say that she wasn’t looking forward to enjoying his whole body too. She definitely was.

The rest of the production crew had flown with her, and were currently divided among a few rented minivans, along with their equipment. They’d go directly to the Hideaway to get settled in, but Mandy had claimed she had errands to run so she could be alone in the car and go directly to Jared.

The phone rang and, speak of the devil, Jared’s name came on the screen.

“Hi.” She smiled uncontrollably just hearing his voice. Damn, she was in big trouble.

“Hey, darlin’. You close?”

“Just outside of town.”

“Good. Come straight to me, darlin’. I’ll be waiting to welcome you back.”

She laughed, but there was nothing funny about the desire welling deep inside her. “I’m sure you will be. Are you home?”

“I’m at the diner with Bobby, but I’ll be leaving shortly. I’ll be home before you get there.” She recognized the deep timber of his voice. It was a tone she was convinced he reserved only for her. Mandy liked that a lot.

“Okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She wanted to hear that voice in person and not through a cell phone.

“Mmm. I can’t wait.” She disconnected the call and slammed the accelerator. What was the good of renting a car with a nice big engine if you didn’t use it?

She sped down the highway and didn’t slow until she was turning onto Main Street, smiling as she took in the familiar sights. It was nice to know some things didn’t change.

In front of the diner was a Gordon Equine truck parked next to Bobby’s official deputy sheriff’s car. It looked like she wasn’t going to have to drive all the way to the farm alone after all. She could hop in Jared’s truck with him, and maybe even give him a little surprise while he drove.

It was lunchtime, so there was an uncharacteristic amount of traffic and no parking spaces in front of the diner. Mandy was forced to drive farther until she finally found a spot. She turned off the engine, got out and locked the door behind her, but it was an effort to restrain herself from simply abandoning the car and sprinting to the diner.

As it was, she was so focused on the single-minded goal of reaching Jared that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking. As if out of nowhere, the chubby, ponytail-wearing waitress from the diner and a trashily dressed woman with a bad bleach job smacked directly into her. Mandy stumbled.

“Oh, you’re back. Good. Sue Ann has something to tell you.” Misty moved to the side and her over-processed friend stepped forward.

“So, I hear you’re after Jared Gordon.”

“You heard wrong, sweetheart. I’m not after him at all. He’s already mine.” Why did Mandy feel like she was back in middle school? Worse, why was she letting these women get to her so badly she was acting like she was?

Mandy went to push past them, but they blocked her path.

Sue Ann grabbed her arm. “Maybe you’ll change your mind when you hear this.”

She shook off the hold. “Doubtful. Now excuse me.”

Mandy walked away and felt the girl smack her hard on the shoulder before she spun her around. But it wasn’t the physical blow that nearly brought Mandy to her knees. It was what Jared’s ex-girlfriend told her that made the whole world tilt.

Jared finished the last bite of his hamburger and glanced over at the counter. As tempting as the pies in the diner’s glass display case looked, he knew Mama had baked a fresh blackberry pie that morning. That was worth waiting for, no question. Besides that, he was sitting right in the window with the sun beating on his back. It was hot, a/c or not. The diner was more crowded than usual so he and Bobby had been forced to take the only table available, even though it was up against the front window.

The real reason he was in a hurry to get out of here, the only reason that mattered, was that Mandy had flown in today. She said she would drive directly to the farm when he’d talked to her just a few minutes ago.

His heart raced at the thought of seeing her again. Phone sex with her was great, but it was not the real thing.

He threw cash for his meal on the table and was about to tell Bobby he was out of here when Bobby leaned forward, looking out the window. “Is Mandy meeting you here or at the farm?”

“She said the farm. Why? Is she here?” Jared twisted in his seat, straining to see outside with the glare.

Bobby let out a breath. “Yeah, with Sue Ann.”

“Oh shit.” Jared launched himself away from the table, sending the chair flying behind him.

He was out the door and on the sidewalk for what seemed like forever before Bobby caught up with him. Jared strode forward to the group of three women comprised of Mandy, Sue Ann and Misty. The look on Mandy’s face didn’t bode well.

“Mandy, darlin’.” He reached out to touch her.

She looked down at his hand, slowly shook her head, and backed away from him. Jared took a step forward and grabbed her by both shoulders.

“Let go of me, Jared.” She closed her eyes, as if she couldn’t bear to look at him.

“No. I don’t know what Sue Ann told you, but you have to give me a chance to defend myself.” Shit, that had sounded like he was guilty of something, which he was pretty sure he wasn’t. God only knew what the hell Sue Ann had told her.

Mandy was breathing hard enough to hyperventilate. “Bobby, make him take his hands off of me
now
.”

Bobby was beside him suddenly. “Jared.”

“No.” Jared shook his head.

He felt Bobby’s hand on his shoulder. A gentle warning, he supposed. Wasn’t this laughable? His best friend protecting his own girlfriend from him. As if he could ever hurt Mandy. He shook his head again at the ridiculous idea and dropped his hands from her shoulders. With one last hurt-filled look, Mandy turned and got into her car, peeling out into traffic as she drove away.

Jared turned on Sue Ann. “What the hell did you tell her?”

Sue Ann shrugged. “Nothing but the truth.”

He stepped closer and glared down at the girl he actually used to think was attractive. “And what warped version of the
truth
was that?”

“I’m late.”

“No. That’s impossible. You know we used birth control every single time.” Jared enunciated every word to prove his point. His stomach clenched and his lunch threatened to work its way back up his throat.

“Birth control fails.” He longed to wipe the smug expression off her face.

“You said you were on the pill
and
I used a condom every single fucking time. Don’t you dare lie and tell me you’re pregnant by me.” Then a thought struck him, clear as day. “Who else have you been screwing, Sue Ann?”

Maybe Sue Ann was telling the truth. She may well be pregnant, but it sure as hell wasn’t by him. She blanched and he was sure he’d hit on the truth, but she still denied it.

He stopped listening to her claims and excuses. “Fine. Say whatever you want. We’ll go to the doc for a paternity test today. Right fucking now, Sue Ann.” He grabbed her arm roughly, and Bobby was beside him again. “Back off, Bobby. Leave me and the supposed mother of my child alone until I can get the doc to prove she’s a liar.”

Sue Ann dug her heels into the sidewalk. “No, we can’t go to the doc. I mean I’m sure those tests can hurt the baby. I refuse to have one.”

Just then, Misty piped in. “Sue Ann, hadn’t you better take the pregnancy test you bought at the drugstore first? You’re only like a day late.”

“What?” Jared’s eyes opened wide and he squeezed her arm harder.

Bobby’s hand covered his. “Jared. Enough.”

He released her and watched his handprint on her arm turn from white to red.

“You don’t even know if you’re pregnant and you’re telling my girlfriend about it.” He shook his head with disgust. “I’m embarrassed I even let you get me angry, Sue Ann, because you are nothing but pitiful. God help the man that ends up with you.”

He spun on his heel and strode to his truck, fumbling in his jeans pocket for the keys.

Once again, Bobby was beside him. “Where you going, Jared?”

“To the Hideaway. I hope to hell she went there and not the airport.”

“I’ll drive. Give me your keys.”

“The hell you will.”

“Jared, give me the damn keys. You’re so angry you’re shaking. Neither you nor Mandy should be driving right now. Since I can’t do anything about her, I’m doing something about you.”

Jared huffed out a breath and slapped the keys in Bobby’s outstretched hands. “Fine. But hurry up.”

Bobby scowled. “I’m a deputy sheriff. I can’t go speeding down Main Street, even if I am in your truck.”

“I knew I should have drove.” Jared shook his head.

The trip to the motel seemed to take forever, although Jared knew it was only a few miles. When they finally arrived, he saw the place was packed with vans and people unloading them. The crew for the show. Jared took their presence as a good sign. No matter how hurt she was, Mandy was in charge of the production of this show. She wouldn’t leave town, if only because of that.

His anger at Sue Ann blossomed all over again as he knocked on the door of the unit where Mandy’s car was parked.

Some young thing that he’d never seen before opened the door a crack. “Yes?”

For the first time, he wondered if he had the wrong door. “Is Mandy Morris in this room?”

“Who are you?”

Jared’s instincts told him Mandy was hiding inside. He pushed his palm against the door, only to find the chain was engaged.

He leaned into the crack. “Mandy. Please, darlin’. Talk to me.”

With Bobby standing directly behind him, he knew he couldn’t break the door in to get to Mandy, as tempting as it was.

The girl guarding the door looked away from him and into the room then turned back to him. “Excuse me for a minute.”

The door slammed in his face and Jared ran his hand over his mouth and chin with frustration. He felt Bobby’s hand on his shoulder.

Jared set his jaw. “Bobby, if you say I told you so about Sue Ann one more time, I’ll clock you. Deputy or not.”

Bobby stepped around him. “Well, I’d like to see you try, but what I was going to say was this. She’ll listen. It just might take a bit of time. In the meantime don’t you go doing any thing crazy.”

Jared listened, and although he didn’t like what he heard, Bobby was right. He had to keep his cool here. Mandy was strung so tightly, Jared always knew that if she ever snapped it would be really bad. He’d assumed her work would be the thing to throw her over the edge eventually, but it seemed Sue Ann had gotten to her first.

The door opened fully and the girl walked out, eyeing him the entire time. Jared didn’t wait for an invitation and shot inside. One look at Mandy confirmed his suspicion. She’d cracked and it was bad.

She sat in the room’s only chair. Head buried in her arms while she hugged her knees. He couldn’t see her face, but he heard her sniffle as she rocked herself.

His heart broke. He bent and scooped her up in his arms, sitting in the chair with her in his lap. He kissed her hair and gently rocked her. “Shh. Don’t cry.”

Her soft sniffles turned into all-out heaving, gasping sobs. She always did tend to be contrary, and now was no different. He shook his head, held her tighter and let her cry until she was all cried out. Since she was never one to do anything halfway, that took a while.

He knew she was finished when she raised her head and one tiny fist smashed into his arm. “You bastard.”

That nearly made him smile. He’d take anger over tears any day. Luckily, he’d stopped himself from actually smiling at her, because that would have probably earned him more than just a punch in the arm.

“I’m going to tell you the God’s honest truth, and if you don’t want to believe me, Bobby is right outside. He’ll back me up. I admit to being a stupid idiot who used to sleep with Sue Ann, but I ended it before you ever came to this town and turned my life upside down.” At her frown, he added, “I meant that last part in a good way.”

“But she said she’s—”

“She lied. If she’s even pregnant, which is up for debate, there is no way in hell it’s mine because I used protection every single time. I’ll do anything you want. DNA tests. Lie detector. Whatever. I won’t let her or anything else take you away from me.”

Her face crumpled, but she threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. He figured it was a good thing, until she pulled back and looked fiercely at him.

“But, Jared, really. Her? Her roots are so far past a touch up, her hair is practically two-tone. She’s wearing sparkly blue eye shadow and a tube top. How in the world could the same man be attracted to both her and me? We might as well be from different planets.”

“You’re telling me.” He snorted.

She held her hands out in an I’m-waiting-for-an-answer gesture.

He finally gave in. She wanted an explanation, then he’d give her one. “All right. I’m gonna tell you something about how men see women. There are women we’re attracted to for a night or two because they’re easy. Then there are those we’re interested in for the long haul, because those are the keepers.”

She considered that for a moment. “Which one am I?”

Jared laughed out loud. He knew there was only one answer she wanted to hear. Luckily, it happened to be the truth. “Darlin’, there ain’t nothing easy about you. You’re the hardest damn woman I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”