Chapter Thirty One
The doorbell rang, and Caroline ran to answer it. Nancy smiled and hugged her as she entered.
“How do you feel?” she asked. “You did such a wonderful job with Thomas’ funeral.”
“Thank you. Did your son come with you?” she asked. “I’m sure the men will help if you want any of the heavy furniture.”
“I only have a few more items,” Nancy assured her. “It won’t take me too long.”
“Take your time. I’ll miss you,” she said. “Do you need any help?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Nancy said, walking into her former bedroom. “There might be a few items I want from the pool house. Do you mind if I check?”
“Of course not,” Caroline replied. “Feel free to take whatever you want,” she encouraged. “I only want the kitchen table. It’ll remind me of home. I’m heading back to the pool house to grab a few things, and then I’ll check on you.”
Caroline returned to her room, gathering her purse and phone. She entered the living room and sat down, dialing Jameson’s number.
It went straight to voicemail. Disappointment filled her. She needed to hear his voice. Caroline needed to apologize, but she didn’t want to do it over a voicemail. Deciding to leave a message, she waited for the beep.
“Hi, Jameson. It’s me, Caroline. I called to ask if you might meet me.
I’m waiting on Nancy to finish packing her things, and I plan to drive to the ranch.
Rebecca let Mac and Spider know. Can we talk?
I understand if you don’t want to. I said a lot of hurtful things, but I didn’t mean them.
I hope to see you soon.” She disconnected the call and sighed.
The patio door opened, and Nancy walked inside, staring at her. Why did chills run down her spine?
“Did you finish already?” Caroline exclaimed. “I assumed you planned to pack for a couple of hours.
“No. I only came to get one thing,” Nancy said, as her lip curled into a snarl. “I’m retrieving my son’s property.”
“The women went to check on her today,” Garrett said as he stared at the grey clouds forming in the sky. “Do you want to tell me about it, or do you plan to remain in a foul mood all day. Damn, even your horse senses it.”
Jameson pulled the brim of his hat low over his face. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“Oh, I see. It’s all right for you to give me shit about how I treated Riley, but I can’t ask anything about you and Caroline?” Garrett said, poking the bear.
“I’ve done everything I can. She’s made up her mind,” Jameson said flatly.
“Brother, I know you’re hurting,” Garrett said, glancing at him. “Caroline just lost her dad. Riley said she never returned to counseling after Terry, the old counselor. I'm sure she has a ton of pent-up feelings.”
“She said I reminded her of James. I can’t change who I am. No matter what I do, she’ll always know me as the son of the man who put her through hell,” Jameson said, moving his horse farther down to wrangle a stray cow.
Garrett followed him. “You can’t expect her to forget it in mere weeks.
It doesn’t seem quite fair to expect her to heal in such a short amount of time.
You saw Rebecca when she returned. How many times did Julio sit in his office and cry over listening to Rebecca’s nightmares?
What about when they failed to find Megan?
It about killed them both for months. Yet you expect Caroline to forget the past six years and get over the death of Thomas.
In a way, she trusted you to tell you the truth.
You can’t mend a fence if you don’t know it’s broken. ”
“Did you take up an advisory course or something?” Jameson snarled. “Caroline made her choice. I’m only respecting it.”
Garrett shook his head. “She said things she didn’t mean after a long, stressful day of burying her father. Riley said she’s really torn up about it. Caroline mentioned driving out here.”
“She’d better not without her escort,” Jameson growled. “Who’s there?”
Chuckling, Garrett reminded him. “Let’s see. If Julio’s working on the other side of the pasture, and we’re here. It only leaves Mac and Spider.”
“Shit. I don’t like the way Spider’s always staring at her,” Jameson bit out.
“You know how to remedy it,” his friend advised. “We’re almost done with the herd.”
“She knows where I’m at if she wants to talk,” Jameson said firmly. “I’m not chasing any woman.”
“I used to feel the same way, brother. Next thing I know, I’m riding Stormy down Main Street at a dead run to beg Riley for another chance. Best decision I ever made.”
“Please don’t break out in song and dance. Everyone gags when they see you two love birds coming,” Jameson said, giving his partner shit.
“Check on her,” Garrett encouraged. “It’ll make you feel better.”
“What the hell?” Jameson explained as he saw Rebecca riding toward Julio at a dead run. “Do you think something’s wrong?”
“I imagine we’ll know in a minute,” Garrett said, watching the couple.
A minute later, Rebecca took off, and Julio whistled over the last of the herd, capturing their attention.
“We have to go,” Julio yelled to them. “Delaney went into labor early. Someone needs to cover Mac.”
Both men kicked their horses into a gallop, racing toward Julio.
“Spider’s there. Have Mac leave, and I’ll join him,” Garrett suggested. “You’ll need to meet Mac at the hospital,” he said to Julio. “He’s more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.”
Julio turned to Jameson. “The cowboys can finish up the herd. I’ll take Matthew with me. Can you staff the office for a while?”
“Will do,” Jameson said, turning his horse in the opposite direction.
He sat up the night before, wondering if he hurt more than he helped Caroline.
The sound of her crying nearly broke him, but she already shredded his heart in two.
He struggled to keep from pulling her into his arms and holding her all night, soothing away all the pain.
His chest ached as he recalled her calling to him, begging for him to return.
Something low churned in his gut, making him want to abandon his duties and go to her.
The farmhouse came into sight over the hill, and he steered the horse toward the barn.
His phone beeped, indicating a message. He pressed the code and listened to Caroline’s sorrowful voice as she asked him to talk.
Jameson heard the pain behind the words.
Before he made it to the barn, he decided to see if she showed up at the ranch.
If she did, he’d listen to her. After all, love didn’t disappear overnight.
He opened the barn door, led his horse in, and cared for the animal.
As he walked out, he saw Matthew getting into Julio’s truck as they sped off toward the hospital.
He said a silent prayer for Delaney and her unborn child.
She wanted a home birth with Dr. Greene.
Since the baby came early, he guessed her options changed.
Entering the farmhouse, he poured a glass of lemonade and grabbed the roster for the evening shift.
Rebecca rushed in, scanning the room. “Jameson, did Caroline call you?”
“Yeah,” he said, glancing at her. Rebecca rarely appeared unruffled. “What’s up?”
“Something about the paperwork Nancy gave to Caroline from her lawyer bugged me. I asked one of my contacts to review it. He contacted me concerning Nancy. As he researched the claims she made concerning the taxes, he discovered her maiden name. It matches Cain’s. He’s her son.”
Jameson bolted for the door as Rebecca yelled for him to take her truck. He sped out of the driveway as his heart raced in his chest. Grabbing his phone, he called Spider’s number. The phone rang and went to voicemail.
“Damn it,” he yelled as he pressed the gas down harder. He needed to get to Caroline. The hair on the back of his neck rose the same as it did the day his father betrayed him. Only this time, it meant Caroline was in danger.