Chapter Twenty-One
Jinx polished the saddle with a vigor that originated from his anger at himself. Two weeks had gone by and Justice still wanted nothing to do with him.
“Are you going to tell me what you did?”
He looked over at Ilene who was helping him polish the saddles. Since she’d come to live at the ranch she’d been enjoying working and learning the ropes. She seemed a lot happier, except right now her frown monopolized her features.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he grumbled.
“I’m almost sixteen, not six. And I’m not stupid.” She pierced him with her perceptive blue eyes.
He paused in his polishing. “I screwed up. Your brother has the tendency to do that with the women in his life.”
“Really? That’s something new,” she said sarcastically.
“Keep polishing. You missed a spot.” He pointed out an area of the saddle.
“Whatever you did must not have been too bad. Otherwise, we would have been kicked out and homeless.”
“We wouldn’t be homeless. I wouldn’t let that happen, but I know how happy you are here.” He hung the saddle back on its designated hook.
“I love it here. And I love Justice. Don’t screw this up, Jinx.” She worked hard on the leather.
“They call them mistakes for a reason.” He dragged off his gloves and tossed them onto the work table. “Justice cares for you too. No matter what you’ll always have a relationship with her.”
“You two won’t get a divorce, right?”
He wanted to assure her that he and Justice would find a way past the issue, but he had little hope. He’d betrayed her and he saw the hurt he’d caused her. There was no excuse for what he did. He should have told her the truth from the very beginning.
“Don’t worry about that, Ilene.” He checked his watch. “Don’t you have plans with your friends?”
Her eyes lit and some of the worry melted away. “I do. Can you finish the saddle?”
“Sure. Go on and be careful. Be home by nine.”
“Nine? What about eleven?” she droned. Instead of arguing she relinquished. “Fine. See you later.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and took off out of the barn in a near skip.
If only he shared his sister’s enthusiasm.
*****
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.” Lanah stared down into her coffee as she stirred the contents. “It wasn’t easy reaching out to you, but I know it’s the right thing to do.”
When Justice received Lanah's call, her first instinct was to find an excuse not to meet. Yet, Lanah had been dragged into a situation outside of her control. “I don’t have much time.”
Lanah nodded and laid the spoon aside. “I had no clue that Rigs was dangerous, at least not until the moment that he decided I either help him or my family was in danger.”
“That meant lying and saying that you’re pregnant by Jinx?” Although Justice could see an ounce of remorse in the woman, she wouldn’t get away with pretending this was an innocent act on her part.
The dark circles under her eyes became starker. “I did lie about the baby being Jinx’s.”
“But you are pregnant?”
With a tight nod, her shoulders slumped. “Yes. I wish Jinx was the father, but he’s not. When I told Rigs, he blew up. Refused to acknowledge that he could be the father. I’ve never seen anyone so angry.” Her chest heaved. “I swear he did a complete flip.”
“That’s when he devised the plan to say Jinx was the father?” Justice started to sip her coffee but she couldn’t stomach it.
“I feared for my life. It doesn’t make what I did right, but I had my baby to think about too.”
In a way, Justice could understand. To protect her family, she would do whatever she must. “I’m sorry we were all deceived by Rigs.”
Lanah pushed her coffee cup away. “I needed to air my truth.” She grabbed her purse and pulled it over her shoulder. “Again, thank you for listening.”
Justice had no idea what she could say. She could see that Lanah would have to face that her child’s father had been a cruel, heartless man.
Pushing back her chair, Lanah stood and started to step away, but she stopped and turned back to Justice. “I know it’s none of my business, but Jinx is a good man. They’re hard to find these days. Even though he isn’t the father, he’s offered to help in any way he can.” She laid her palm against her still-flat stomach.
Long after Lanah left, Justice sat at the table in the coffee shop staring through the window, barely registering the hustle and bustle of activity. Her mind and heart were in battle. She cared for Jinx—loved him—but he’d betrayed her.
Her phone rang, and she saw that it was Ilene. She clicked ‘talk’. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything is fine.”
“Aren’t you with your friends?”
“Plans changed. I need your help with something. Can you meet me at the tool barn?”
“Sure. I can be there in twenty minutes.”
They clicked off and Justice reached into her wallet and laid a bill on the table.
She felt Ilene wanted to speak about the issue with Jinx. That morning she’d asked Justice if she and Jinx were fighting. Justice didn’t want to lie to Ilene because she was an intelligent girl, but there were some things that needed to stay private. Justice had no clue what would happen with Jinx and her, but she needed to reassure Ilene that she’d always have a place in Justice’s life.