Chapter Twenty-Two
Jinx strolled into the tool barn.
He got a text from his sister saying she needed him immediately.
“Ilene, I thought you were meeting up with your friends? What’s the trouble?” He headed to the back of the barn and stopped mid-stride. It wasn’t his sister staring back at him. “Justice? Ilene asked me to meet her here.”
Justice narrowed her gaze. “She asked me to meet her here too. She said she needed help.”
Now what was his sister up to? He had a feeling he knew.
He heard a rustling noise, and then the barn doors slammed shut, and the clanking of a lock could be heard. He tried to pull them open, but they were locked from the outside. “Ilene? This isn’t funny. Open the doors.”
His cell buzzed and he read the text message from Ilene…
The doors won’t open until you and Justice have made up. I.
He was preparing a stern reply when Justice said, “Looks like she has a romantic bone in her body.” Sitting on a silver platter was a bottle of wine, two glasses, a bowl of chocolate, and another filled with strawberries. “There’s also a note.”
“Of course,” Jinx groaned.
“I won’t unlock this door until you two realize you’re made for each other. Love, Ilene,” Justice read the note aloud.
“Great.” He pounded on the door. “Ilene, open the door.”
“I must say, she has a flair for dramatics. She certainly fits in with this family.” Justice put the note back on the platter and grabbed a strawberry and bit into the sweet, juicy fruit.
“She has crossed a line,” Jinx muttered as he continued to pound.
“She won’t open them. She has your stubborn pride.”
He swiped off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. “I could probably use a tool and break the door down.”
“Or we could just do this the easy route and do what she’s asking. It’s not an unfair request.”
Jinx sighed. “Is it possible?”
“Well, we have wine so it’s a good start.” Justice opened the bottle and didn’t bother with the glasses. She took a long drink and handed it to him.
He started to refuse the offer, but then thought he could use a bit of something to ease the tension in him. He took a long guzzle then handed it back. “I might as well get comfortable I suppose.” He dropped down on the floor and leaned against a beam.
Justice seemed to hesitate before she took his lead and sat close enough so they could talk but not close enough that he could touch her. She had pulled the tray over to keep eating the strawberries. “I visited with Lanah earlier.”
Jinx took in her appearance. She appeared a bit disheveled. “Yeah?”
“She explained everything regarding the baby.” She bit into a strawberry and a drop of juice ran down her chin. He had a craving to lick it away, but she quickly wiped it with her hand.
“Although what she did was wrong, I feel a bit sorry for her. She has a rough road ahead of her.” He bent his knees and draped his arms over them.
“She said you offered to help with the baby. That’s generous of you.”
He shrugged. “Rigs had us all duped. We should learn to forgive.”
“Is that a message to me?” She lifted a brow.
“If the shoe fits.” He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t look at her because all he wanted to do was hold her tight.
“I was hurt,” she said softly.
Then he couldn’t hold back any longer. He settled his gaze on her. “I have a confession. I knew about the cancer. Doc Lafferty let it slip and he swore me to secrecy. I wanted more than anything to tell you but that wasn’t my place.”
She shook her head in frustration. “Anything else you’re keeping secret?”
“No. That’s all. You have every right to be angry with me. I did wrong but…”
“You needed the money?”
He nodded. “I did, but I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“I’ve taken some time to work through my thoughts. I’m no longer angry.”
“Disappointed?”
“I guess in some ways I am. I know how convincing my father can be. You were right, he would have asked someone else. There is something I’m grateful for. You knew I had been involved with Kent and you never judged me.”
He journeyed his gaze over her, wanting her always to be the image she saw first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. “We all make mistakes and the things that don’t kill us will only teach us a valuable lesson. My Ma always said never judge someone else’s circumstances and just live your life.”
“What do you want, Jinx?”
“You,” he said without hesitation. “I’m hoping you’ll give me a second chance. I won’t be perfect. Our life won’t be perfect. But I can promise I’ll be here for you, every day. I’ll strive to make you the happiest woman in Sagebrush Pine. I love you and I can promise I’m dedicated to making my life with you.”
She pushed up from the floor and went over, crawling into his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder. In that moment, he had his entire world in his arms.
“I love you, Jinx. We can start afresh.”
He threaded his fingers in her hair. “You’ll never regret this.”
“I’m sure I won’t.” She lifted her head and connected their gazes. “We have a house.”
“We do?” That was news to him.
“Actually, it was a gift from Kent.”
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
“A wedding present. A house. But I couldn’t accept it. So, I bought another house. I want us to make it home. Together.”
He cupped her cheeks. “Wherever you are that’s my home.”
They came together for a kiss that ignited love to last a lifetime.
“Shall we tell Ilene we made up?” he asked.
“I think we should stay here all night. I like being here, just the two of us.”
He chuckled. “I like the way you think.”
Not the end but only the beginning.