Another Chance (22 page)

"Annabelle, wait!  I'm sorry!  Wait!"

Jacob sped around the corner of the barn, chasing a crying Annabelle.  Wade stiffened.

"I'm sorry, I have to see what's wrong."

His long legs ate up ground and soon he dropped to a knee and caught his daughter as she flew into his arms.  Jillian wasn't sure what she should do.  On the one hand she wanted to see if the little girl was all right, but on the other she realized it really wasn't her place.  Her decision was made when Silver stepped outside.

"Silver!"

"I thought you'd changed your mind.  Have you only gotten here now?" Silver asked as she stepped closer.

"Yes.  Wade and I were on our way in when Annabelle came running from behind the barn."  Jillian gestured to where the little girl, her father, and Jacob clustered together.  "I'm not sure what's happened but she's rather upset."

Silver didn't seem the least worried.  Instead she turned to Jillian, a twist on her lips.  "You and Wade?  Just how long have you been here?"

Jillian shook her head.  "I only arrived a few minutes ago.  Wade must have seen me as he came to the fence as I was securing Hope."

"Did it ever occur to you that perhaps he was waiting on you?"

"I-Well, no, it didn't."

Had he?  She had no idea.  But the thought was intriguing.

"Come on," Silver laughed as she took Jillian's arm.  "Let's go see what the fuss is about."

She wasn't sure they should intrude but Silver left her little choice.  Jillian's skirt flapped around her ankles as she hurried to keep her friend's pace.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Parker," Jacob was saying as they approached.  "I shouldn't have made it worse."  Jacob hung his head.  "I shouldn't have said nothin'."

Wade placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.  "Son, there's no shame in what you did.  You were trying to defend your friends and I appreciate what you did for Annabelle.  As I'm sure Miss Matthews would appreciate what you did for her."

"For me?"  Jillian asked.

Three sets of eyes, two of them wet with tears, met hers.  Since he seemed so little standing there alone while Annabelle was safe in her father's arms, and since Jillian was already fond of the boy, she crouched at his side.

"What happened, Jacob?"

But it was Annabelle who spoke.

"We were playing outside.  I heard Mr. Garvey and his friends talking.  They weren't saying nice things about you.  When I told Jacob what his pa said, he got mad.  I tried to stop him."  The look she gave Jacob was almost the exact same look her father had given Jillian when she'd first met him.

"But Jacob wouldn't listen," Annabelle continued.  "He ran up to his pa, told him what he was saying about you was lies, that you are smart and you do know what you're doing.  But the more Jacob talked, the madder his pa got.  I got scared from all the screaming so I ran."

Jillian's eyes smarted.  She turned to Jacob.  It wasn't difficult to picture him standing up to his father.  But she feared, knowing what she'd seen of Steven to date, that he'd take his anger out on his son.

"I appreciate what you did, Jacob.  It was very brave.  And you, Annabelle," she looked at the girl, smiled.  "I think it's wonderful that you both think enough of me to defend me but I'd hate to think you got in trouble on my behalf."  She took Jacob's hand.  "Especially you.  You already know your father doesn't like me."

Jacob's little jaw jutted out.  "He's wrong!"

"He's entitled to his opinion, whatever it is."

"Not sure I could be so generous," Silver mumbled.

"Next time, just walk away, Jacob.  Words can't hurt me."

The problem was she feared it wasn't only words Steven was capable of.  He'd already gone to her house twice now to scare her.  There was nobody else she could think of who had his temper, his loathing of her.  And after hearing this, it certainly didn't leave any doubt in Jillian's mind.

Jacob's bottom jaw trembled.  "All right."

Touched, Jillian pressed a palm to his cheek.  "You're a wonderful boy, Jacob, and one day you'll make an even better man."

"Get your hand off my boy!

Steven's voice snapped like a whip and had the desired effect.  Jillian yanked her hand back, lost her balance and promptly landed on her behind.

"I'll get Shane, just in case," Silver whispered and fled toward the barn.

Jillian scrambled to her feet.  Wade rose to his.  "Button, go inside.  Take Jacob with you."

"But, Papa!"

It was hard not to like a man who'd take the time to reassure his daughter.  Wade gave Annabelle a quick embrace, kissed her head.  "There's nothing to worry about.  I'll be in before long."

"Go with her, Jacob," Jillian said.  The little boy looked torn; his eyes darted from Jillian to his tight-lipped father to a simmering Wade.  "If you don't go she'll only worry about you."

Jacob cast a furtive look at his father, swallowed hard at his father's cold glare and ran to join his friend.  In a sign of solidarity, Wade stepped to Jillian's side.  It didn't stop Garvey from stepping nearly toe-to-toe with her.

"You leave my son alone," Garvey warned.

His breath was as hot as his words, only his words didn't smell of whiskey.  Jillian knew he was trying to intimidate her and though her legs trembled, she held her ground.  Beside her Wade tensed, but she spoke before he could.

"All I did was talk to Jacob."

"I saw your hand on him, don't you ever touch him again, you hear me?"

"I didn't hurt him and you know it."  Jillian raised her chin when Steven's face went red.  "He was defending me and I was thanking him."

Steven's eyes narrowed to slivers.  "I don't want him defending you."

"Then stop telling everyone how awful I am and maybe your son won't feel the need to."

Garvey's chest swelled as he drew a fast breath.  He pointed a thick finger at her, barely missing her face.  "You shut your mouth."

"That's enough."  Wade pushed between them.

Dusk was upon them.  Only the thinnest wisps of clouds stretched across the horizon.  The air crackled with tension.  Hearing people running toward her, Jillian turned.  Shane led the group, followed by Scott and Silver.  Jillian stepped from behind Wade as Scott and Shane flanked him.  She took her place next to Silver.

"Come on, Parker, you can't possibly defend her, she killed your cow."

"No, she didn't.  She saved my calf."

"That's the biggest cock and bull story I've ever heard!  What the hell did she do to make you believe that?"  Steven sneered as his eyes crept over Jillian.  The result left her feeling soiled.

"Never mind, I bet I know.  You only have to look at who she keeps company with," he jerked his head toward Silver, "to know what she did for you.  Or to you."

All three men moved as one but it was Wade who wound up chest to chest with Garvey.  Fear flooded Jillian.  This wasn't good.  Not good at all.  Every man standing had their hands coiled into fists.  Violence was in the air.  She tasted it with each inhale.

"You son of a bitch," Wade growled.  "Get off my land."

But Garvey didn't seem intimidated in the least.  He simply smiled, crossed his arms over his chest in a stance of superiority.

"Did I hit a nerve, Parker?  You been so lonely since that wife of yours died that you're willing to dip your pecker in just about anything?"

Jillian recoiled as though slapped.  Silver grabbed her hand.

"Ignore him," she whispered.

But that was impossible.  She was used to not being respected for her skills but she'd never been called a whore before.

"Get your family together and get off my land or I'll do it for you."

Garvey's body went rigid and his arms came down.  "I'll leave when I'm good and ready."

"You're ready now," Shane said.  His voice was cold as the six-gun he carried in his holster.

"You need the sheriff to fight your battles, Wade?"

Wade threw his arms out, effectively holding back Scott and Shane.  "Nope, I surely don't.  Either you leave of your own accord or I'll be more than happy to toss you off myself."

"She must really be something," Garvey leered, "to have you so hot and bothered."

"Don't hit him, Wade!" Jillian cried when Wade's fist came up.  She couldn't believe what she was seeing.  Wade was poised for a fight; Steven had blood in his eye.  Nothing good was going to come of this.

"Yeah, don't hit me, Wade," Steven mocked.

"It would hardly be a fair fight," Wade answered in a calm voice that belied his stance.   "Taking on a man who hides in the dark disparaging women?  Hardly seems right to take on a coward such as that."

"Though I can't see it taking more than one punch," Scott added.

"Bastards," Steven snarled.

Wade leaned forward, his eyes locked on Steven's.  "But at least we're manly bastards."

The fist came fast and hard and the crack of it against Wade's jaw had his head whipping to the side.

"No!" Jillian screamed.

"Did you see that, Sheriff?" Wade asked, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.  "He threw the first punch."

Shane rolled back on his heels, his palm rested softly on his revolver.  "I saw it."

"Good," Wade said, then he barreled into Steven and the two went down in a blur of fists.

By the time everyone had left, Wade's face had been wiped of blood and Annabelle lay sleeping, it was late.  And he was exhausted.  His jaw throbbed, his knuckles were raw and his fingers hurt when he flexed them.  There were more bumps and bruises but nothing he couldn't live with.

Goddamn Steven, Wade thought.  The man just couldn't keep his mouth shut.  Wade might not be able to prove it, but he suspected Steven was behind Liam's change of heart.  And then to attack Jillian tonight…

What Steven had said was vile, and worse, a pack of lies.  Jillian didn't deserve what had happened tonight.  And since it had taken place on his land, he felt partly responsible.

Wade shook his head.  If that argument didn't ring completely true in his own mind was it any wonder that James and Scott had given him knowing looks when he'd said where he was going and why.

At first he thought she was asleep.  No lights shone from her windows.  Both the barn and house looked tucked in for the night.  But then movement on the porch caught his eye and he realized she was sitting outside in the dark.  It didn't take a brilliant man to figure out why she wasn't inside asleep.

He tied Whiskey to the post, patted the animal's neck and sat next to Jillian.

"You're going to catch a chill.  I can go inside and fetch your shawl."

"I'm not cold."  She sat with her hands firmly clasped around her bent knees, her cheek resting on them.  She looked as exhausted as he felt.  "Has everyone left?"

"All but the usual miscreants," he smiled because her mood seemed as dark as the shadows that darkened her yard.

"I'm sorry.  Had I known..."

"Then you wouldn't have come, and I'm not sorry you did."  He took off his jacket, placed it around her shoulders.  "Jillian there's only one person to blame for tonight and that's Steven."

"It's not how everyone else will see it," she said, sitting upright and drawing his jacket closer.

Seeing her in his clothes, looking pretty and vulnerable, knocked him speechless.  It took a moment to find his tongue.

"I don't care about everyone else.  I care about you."

He hadn't meant to say the words but realized they were true nonetheless.  Maybe he'd tried not to, but he did care about her.  He remembered the look of her after her wagon had lost its wheel.  How his gut had clenched thinking she'd been hurt or violated.  It had been the same feeling that had grabbed him by the throat tonight when Steven had gotten too close to her.  He'd have done anything to keep her safe.  Hell, he thought, he had, hadn't he?  He flexed his hand again, felt the stiffness from the fight.

He hadn't gone out of his head for a woman since Amy.  Heck, he didn't think he'd ever gotten so out of control for her.  Being with Amy, if not her mother, had been easy.  There'd been no obstacles, no hardships, just an easy slide into love and then marriage.

Not that he was thinking either of those about Jillian, he thought with a jolt.  He swallowed back something that tasted like denial.  No, he wasn't thinking that about Jillian, he simply realized that he'd never been this...volatile around Amy.  And with Jillian's sad green eyes latched onto his, with her softness a breath away, with her kiss still fresh in his mind, he felt volatile.

"Why?" she whispered.

Why what?  But then he remembered what he'd said before his mind had veered off course.

"Because you're smart, pretty.  You're tough.  Not many women would have stood up to Steven the way you did."

"My legs were shaking so badly, I could almost hear my knees rattling."

"I'd never have guessed."

"Comes from living in a man's world, I suppose.  I don't dare show weakness, it's only one more thing they can use against me."