Chapter 16
JACE
“ I don’t see what the harm in telling people is, you had the doctor confirm it,” I tell her as she makes one final check over the barn before everyone starts to arrive. I got to give her her dues, she’s made the place look incredible. She’s still a little pissed at me because I wouldn’t let her do much of it herself, but I did put up myself and four bunkhouse boys for her to boss around so she can’t complain.
“Most people don’t tell anyone else until they reach the end of the first trimester. A lot can go wrong,” she explains as she repositions the pumpkins on the display by the punchbowl.
“Nothin’s gonna go wrong, as long as you listen to me,” I grit the words through my teeth, taking the box full of jam jars that she’s attempting to move herself, out of her hands and giving her a look of warning.
“They’re not even heavy,” she argues.
“Oh, yeah, and I guess that step ladder I caught you trying to climb earlier wasn’t high either. I swear you're purposely trying to give me a heart attack.” I shake my head and place the box down on the table that she points toward.
“Now, why would I want to do that? You’d be no good to me in a hospital bed.” She gets that seductive look in her eyes as she steps toward me and sits herself up on the table beside the boxes.
“You know half the town probably thinks you're pregnant anyway? They’ll assume it’s the reason we got engaged,” I point out, passing her the jam jars, one by one, so she can place a tealight inside it and lay them out.
“I know, I just want to keep it between us a little while longer. I still have to tell my parents and Mom still isn't talking to me.” It’s been three weeks since Maddison called her family to let them know she was okay. Of course, they tried hard to try and convince her to go back home but she held her own and explained her reasons for not going through with the wedding. She’s called them every Sunday since and her mother still refuses to come to the phone.
“You know you're not gonna be able to hide it for long, soon you're gonna have a cute, little bump to show off and the whole town is gonna know that you’re mine.” I place my hand over her stomach for what has to be the hundredth time today, she’s not showing yet, but it won’t be long. Settled deep inside her perfect, little body is a baby that is mine and I can’t wait until it decides to show itself to the world.
“You say that as if I’m ashamed of the fact I’m pregnant. That’s not the case.” She places her hand over mine and smiles as she looks down. “I just want to get past this first hurdle, then we can tell my parents and the whole town if you want to.”
“Boss, where do you want this sign to…” Carter cuts himself off when he catches us, and Maddison blushes as she quickly drops her hand and steps away from me.
“Just over there by the raffle table. Daphne says we can’t have a dance without one.” She smiles cheerily at him.
“People will be arriving soon and I have to get ready.” She kisses me before dashing off toward the house.
“Walk, don’t run!” I call after her, rolling my eyes and feeling my blood pressure soar.
“Is she okay?” Carter asks once he’s finished propping up the hand-painted sign by the table.
“She’s fine, why wouldn’t she be?” I snap at him.
“I don’t know, but you seem to be treating her like she’s made of glass, that stomach flu she had still hasn’t passed, and–”
“Alright, alright. I get it. She’s just fragile right now, okay? Don’t complicate things.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” He sure ain’t buying what I tell him as he makes his way out, no doubt to get ready for this dance himself.
“Place is looking good.” Sawyer passes him at the door, before dumping a crate of booze on the nearest table. “Looks like your girl’s got a real eye for this kinda shit.” He goes to light a cigarette and I snatch it from his mouth.
“No smokin’ in here,” I warn him.
“What ya talkin’ about?” He stares back at me as if I got a screw loose.
“I just don’t want anyone smokin’ in here, okay?”
“And why not?”
“Because it’s a fuckin’ barn, Sawyer, it’s a fire risk. You should know that we’re volunteer firefighters.” Jesus, why is everyone on my case today?
“Among other things.” He looks at me cleverly. “C’mon Jace, this is bull shit, you’ve always smoked in the barns and stables. All the boys do too.”
“Well, not tonight.” I break his cigarette in half and head out to help him unload the rest of the supplies.
“This place looks amazing.” Isabel Kelley is bouncing with excitement when she and the mayor arrive. Eli nods at me and when his eyes wander over to Maddison, I don’t like the way he looks her over. The skirt she’s wearing is far too short, those cowgirl boots she's got on are far too sexy and the shirt she has tied up around her ribs shows off her midriff. It’s times like this that I really wish she was showing, showing every man in this damn town who thinks they can look at her that she’s already been claimed.
“Ain’t my girl a genius?” I slide my hand around her hips to pull her closer, and when my hand naturally settles on her stomach, she side-eyes me.
“Honestly, the place looks incredible. I love the lights and the pumpkin patch, you’ve thought of everything.” Isabel sings her praises as she looks around.
“I had a lot of help.” Maddison looks up at me and smiles, and when Isabel and Eli get called away by Jean, her smile turns to stone.
“Will you stop touching me like that? You’re gonna give it away. Daphne has already told me I look peaky,” she whisper-yells at me.
“You look phenomenal.” I look over her shoulder and check out her ass in that denim skirt.
“You don’t think Tabitha from the surgery has blabbed, do you?” She chews on her thumb.
“She can’t, patient confidentiality, remember?”
“Come on, Jace, in this town? Are you really relying on that?” Her expression proves she’s unconvinced.
“Tabitha won’t have told anyone, she’s professional. Don’t stress, it’s not good for the baby.” My hand goes to touch her there again, but she swats it away.
“Will you stop?” This time she’s smiling like she can’t help it, and it makes me want to throw her over my shoulder and take her somewhere more private.
“Maddison, where did you get this bunting from?” Alice Walker calls over to her, and she quickly kisses me on the cheek before she charges off to be sociable. I spend the best part of half an hour resting against one of the beams and watching the woman who’s carrying my child work the room. Folk seem to naturally warm to her, she’s bursting with positive energy despite the fact that she’s been feeling rotten the past few weeks. And all I’ve been able to do is hold back her hair and feel helpless. I hate the fact she’s had to suffer the sickness and add to that how tired she’s been, I don’t know how she’s managed to be so creative and throw this together.
“Well, she’s a better decorator than she is a cook. Girl did good.” Grayson comes to stand beside me, looking at the same scene I am.
“She did, didn’t she?” I smile.
“When’s she due?” he asks.
“Due, what?” I spin my head around defensively.
“To drop that baby she’s havin’.” He smiles knowingly as he watches her.
“I don’t know what?—”
“Come on, I may be old, but I ain’t a fool.”
“How d’ya guess.” I sigh when I realize there ain’t no use in pretending.
“I don’t know…the fact she can’t seem to keep anything down, how you practically have an aneurysm every time she picks something up, and I don’t know if you realize it, but you’re walking around this place like you finally discovered what Garth Brooks has been singing about,” he chuckles.
“She’s only seven weeks, she don’t want no one knowing yet, so–”
“Your secret’s safe with me, son.” He pats me on the back.
“You think I’ll be good at it?” I ask him before he can move on. Grayson has known me my whole life, he was best friends with my father, and for that reason, I’ll always value his opinion.
“Why you askin’ me? I got no kids.”
“I wouldn’t say that, you’ve raised a few boys to be men in that bunkhouse over the years,” I remind him
“I think you’ll be just fine, especially if you're anything like ya old man.” He slaps my shoulder before moving on, and when Maddison bounces back over to me and wraps her arms around my neck, I can feel the excitement emanating from her.
“Everyone is loving this, Jace. The band is great too. Isn’t the band great?” She can barely keep still
“The band’s great,” I agree, not giving a shit about the band or what anyone thinks, all that matters is how happy she looks right now.
“Alice has asked me if I’d help decorate the hall for her grandaughter’s party next month, and Daphne wants me to do a Thanksgiving display in the salon.”
“That's great, darlin’, but don’t you think you're taking on a little much? I don’t want you over–”
“Oh, Jace, I’m pregnant, not ill,” she whispers, “I had a lot of fun doing this and I can work it around my jobs here.”
“I don’t want you worrying about your jobs here. I want you to do what makes ya happy.” I snatch her up in my arms and pull her even closer.
“Well, funny you should say that. There is one thing that would make me very happy.” She goes all coy, the way she always does when she gets too shy to ask for something.
“Hit me.” I shake my head.
“Can we dance? I know you said we couldn’t but look, the other guys are doing it.” I glance over to the dance floor and see my workforce letting me down, even Grayson seems to be taking one for the team by dancing with Jean.
“Princess, I’d do anything for ya, but that…” Suddenly, I notice that everyone goes still, the band stops playing and all eyes are on the door behind me. I turn around and see a woman, in her late twenties, standing all by herself in the entrance. She’s wearing jeans and a tank top beneath her leather jacket, her hair is long and dark, and she doesn’t seem at all overwhelmed by the fact she’s got the attention of the whole room.
“And you are?” Eleanor Chambers steps forward and asks the question that’s on everyone’s minds.
“Hey y’all, name’s Riley. Sheriff Riley Hale.” She earns herself a few shocked gasps but stands proud, and I can’t help admiring her for it.
Eleanor looks outraged as her son steps forward and offers his hand.
“Pleased to meet ya, chief. I didn’t think you were arriving until Monday, if I’d known ya were already here I’d have made an effort to welcome ya.”
“Deputy Chambers, I presume?” She takes his hand and shakes it.
“You can just call me Hayden, everyone else does,” he tells her.
“Well, Hayden, I heard there was a dance, and I figured it would be a good opportunity to get to know everyone.” Her eyes move to settle on Eli’s and when they shift to Sawyer’s and then to mine, I get a real unnerving feeling in my gut.
“Here, let me introduce you to some folk.” Hayden guides her into the crowd as the band starts to play again, and I can tell by the way he looks over at me as she shakes hands with the Walkers that she’s put him on edge too.
“She seems nice.” Maddison rests her head on my shoulders as she watches our new sheriff make nice. “Now, how about that dance?”
“Sorry, darlin’, I need to steal your man.” Sawyer marches toward us, grabbing my arm and dragging me outside. He waits until there's some distance between us and the door before he turns to look at me.
“Jace. We got a fuckin’ problem.”