Bones Of Contention: The McKinnon Legends - The American Men Book 3 (20 page)

One lady who Josh dated briefly, Jesse knew to be very devout in her faith. She had told her she was bi-polar, harboring fantasies of walking naked down the interstate and becoming an exotic dancer. Her father never got another date with her.

Another woman Jesse told she was a vampire and would be more than happy to convert her if she wanted to live forever. Her dad never got another date with that particular witch either.

She had chased off the entire bunch before Jamie by lying and making herself look bad. This time it was not Jesse looking bad. It was the Doc and Barbara, and she had gone too far. Yet, she did not know how to repair or undo the damage.

She had no idea when she impulsively concocted the plan how deeply it was going to hurt her father. Otherwise, she never would have done it. He had locked himself away in his studio, beating the living hell out of his punching bag. She peeked in at one point to tell him Barbara was on the phone, only to see him on his knees on the practice mats covered in sweat and tears. She gently closed the door not knowing what else to do. She had never seen her father cry before today. She had never heard him say he was in love with anyone before today, either.

She was just beginning to see how different Dr. Gillman actually was for her dad. Now, that she was older, she was also beginning to understand what love was really all about between a man and a woman.

She had never thought of him in terms of his being anything other than a father. She could see him now as a man, someone capable of loving her as his child and loving a woman as his wife and companion. These conditions were not mutually exclusive. He would love her regardless of the woman in his life. Until now, she was incapable of seeing it in such a light. For the first time, she saw the bigger picture.

Jamie was not so bad, Jesse conceded. She was not full of herself like all the other women her father had brought home. She was not a perfect plastic Barbie doll like all the rest who would pat her on the head like a favored pet in order to get into the good graces of her father who was like a prize stud for them. Jamie had not done that, only offering to go shopping with her after Amy and her mom decided to go without her. Amy said her mom wanted to make it a special Mother-Daughter day and she and Amy could go shopping some other time. Jesse was hurt and lashed out at Jamie for it.

Dr. Gillman actually seemed to like Jesse for herself. The day was not so bad; it was actually fun. Until recently, she had not actually missed her mother, but lately, she wished she had someone to talk to about girl things. She loved her father deeply, but he just did not understand how she was feeling. Jamie was easy to talk to. Jesse figured she had screwed that up as well.

Her Aunt Shelly would know what to do.

Even without her Aunt’s advice, she knew what she had to do. She was Jessica Leigh McKinnon, and a McKinnon always upheld the family honor. She had failed. She had failed herself and she had failed her family name. Now, she had to try to make it right.

Jesse dialed the phone.

Josh was spent physically and emotionally. Watching the doc walk away without so much as a backward glance was one of the hardest things he had endured, and it had been by his own hand. He spent the last three hours in his training studio beating anything and everything he could get his hands on to relieve the hurt and anger he was feeling.

For the first time in years, he had fallen in love again, truly, deeply in love, and the woman was not fit as a mother. She was irresponsible with his child and would be the same with any future children.

God, how he prayed their having sex would not have long term repercussions. They had used protection. They were responsible adults, except the condom had broken this morning. It happened sometimes, and at the time he had not worried. Now, he was.

Again, he had miscalculated with a woman he desired. What was wrong with him that he could not see past a pretty face and a great pair of legs?

Climbing the stairs with the intention of seeking a hot shower, he passed Jesse’s door. He stopped dead at the top of the stairway hearing her on the phone.

“Yes, of course, I feel terrible, Aunt Shelly. I don’t know how to make this right.”

Make what right, Josh wondered as he stood listening, now in the doorway.

“I did not mean to hurt them, honest. I just wanted her to go away. I didn’t want my daddy to be hurt by her like my mom hurt him. He deserves better than someone like my mother.”

Her aunt had just told her not all women were of the same disposition as her mother had been, and it was grossly unfair of her to judge all her father’s female friends by the same standard.

“I lied to him, Aunt Shelly. I’m so sorry, I did. I saw him crying. It broke his heart to make her leave. I can’t imagine how Jamie feels. What should I do?” Jesse sniffed hard as her own tears fell on the mouthpiece of the phone.

Josh’s heart raced fully understanding the ramification of her confession. Just as Jamie had called it, Jesse fabricated the story in order for him to push Jamie out.

Dear God, he thought. What had he done to her?

Josh wanted to sink into the floor. “Jesse, tell Aunt Shelly good bye and hang up the phone. We need to talk.”

She obeyed, without question, just as she did in the years before her rebellion began.

“Daddy, I’m sorry.” She jumped up and ran to him throwing her arms around his waist. “I did not mean for it to hurt you or Jamie. Maybe, I did at first, but not now, I swear. I just wanted to protect you like you protect me. And I don’t want to end up like my mother. I want to be a good girl,” she sobbed.

He held her out away from him so he could see her face. “Oh, Jesse, you are a good girl, and there are several things I hope you do take from your mother. She was far from perfect, but in spite of what you may think, your mother was not all bad, Baby Girl. She was graceful, beautiful, and had a great sense of humor and loved you very much in her own way.”

“I swear, Daddy, I don’t want to walk that same path she did. I want you to be proud of me.”

Her tears were very real and they tore at Josh. He held her close and rocked her much in the same way he did when she was a child.

“And I am proud. You’re a great athlete, a good student, and do good things for the community, Jess. I will always love you and be proud of you. I’m just not proud of what you did.”

Josh was sick at heart. He had not simply pushed Jamie aside. He had forcefully shoved her away physically and emotionally. He had not let her down gently. He might as well have shoved her out of a airplane without a chute.

“Can we fix it?” Her plea was pathetic.

Josh sensed deep down Jesse realized there could possibly be no going back on this one.

“We may not be able to repair this, Honey,” he said wiping the tears away, praying to God he was wrong.

Jesse looked down at her feet ashamed of herself. “As important as it is for you to be proud of me, it is just as important I be proud of myself. I’m not proud right now, Daddy. I’ve shamed you and my family name. I’ve hurt you and I hurt her, too. I need to tell her I’m sorry. Can I call her? Please. I need to try to fix this for all of us.”

Her grief stricken face was almost more than he could take. As a father he was heartbroken and disappointed in her behavior. Nonetheless, he was proud she had the nerve to try and find a solution before too much time passed. She could never understand that this might not be a situation a simple apology could mend.

As a man, he was at a loss. He, too, had behaved in an unbecoming manner. He professed to love her and a few hours later accused her of a false wrong. If Jamie never spoke to him again, he would never, ever, blame her. And even if she did forgive him, it was no guarantee she would allow him back into her life. Her trust was hard won, and he was not sure she would give him a second shot.

He should have believed her. He should have seen the lie for what it was, thin and ridiculous. He had never seen her take a single drop of alcohol on their dates, and there had been ample opportunity. Nevertheless, he was quick to believe the worst about her. Blinded by his own bias, he placed a wedge between his heart and the one woman he felt he might be able to share the rest of his life.

“We are going to go one better than a phone call, Pumpkin. Get dressed,” he commanded. “We have some serious groveling to do.”

Jamie forcefully tossed her suitcase on the bed. Killer daftly sidestepped opting for a safer perch on his pillow by the headboard. Barbara brought Killer back to her after delivering Josh his truck and offering to talk to him while she was there. Jamie told her to do whatever she felt she was big enough to do. She did not care. She was done with Sheriff Jackass.

School was out for the Christmas break. She was not teaching a crash course in between semesters and was free to leave town. The school had already granted her request for a two-year leave of absence while on her fellowship in England with the museum. All obligations there were secured. The museum had secured all her work visas, and she was going to be living initially with the museum curator and his wife until she could get her bearings and find an affordable flat.

She impulsively decided to sell her house and contacted the Realtor she had used when she bought the house initially. There was already a sign in the yard. It made her a little sad, but it was just a house.

The only thing pressing was her agreement to guest lecture for a seminar at Cambridge after the first of the year.

She made two more calls to her assistant and the head of maintenance facilities to arrange for them to pack and store her meager personal belongings and office contents while she was away. She saw no reason to return to the United States once the seminar obligations were accomplished. She would have the crates shipped to England as soon as she obtained a more permanent address.

She had received an invitation from Trey to come enjoy Miami if she desired. Initially, she declined the offer of spending Christmas in Florida. However, she was a woman and reserved the right to change her mind, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She would fly to England from Miami.

Killer jumped off the bed coming back with his leash in his mouth. If she was going so was he. After looking up the requirements of bring a dog into the U.K., she figured it was doable. All his shots were current, and she had all the documentation handy. Fortunately, all her travel papers were in order. She would not have to have him shipped over later.

Screw Josh and screw the investigation, she thought as she tossed five tank tops and three pairs of shorts into the case.

They could just do without her, she vowed, tossing in her flip-flops, bathing suit, and sun visor.

He had gotten all the services she was going to give him both personally and professionally.

Never again she vowed, tossing in a couple of books she had just never found time to read. Ironic, she thought, considering her age.

Whoever was killing all these women was obviously not after her. There had not been a single instance over the last month where she was even remotely in danger.

By all accounts Derek’s dad was begging for the judge to have mercy on his son. Derek’s threats of his daddy legally pounding the crap out of the university and Josh were not coming to fruition. Someone had captured it all on tape and had turned the evidence over to the local authorities. The fact someone had taped the incident bothered her, yet she understood video was everywhere these days. At least she had not ended up on YouTube. At least not that she knew of.

Taylor’s charges had been lessened, and he was getting probation considering he called 911 after he saw the real scoop, gladly making statements to the police. She did not feel he was a threat to her.

Derek was another matter.

If he ever managed to be released from house arrest, he could well be a threat. Josh seemed to understand her concern and was keeping her informed on his whereabouts. Currently, Derek was home in Dallas under mandated house arrest. The judge released him with the extracted promise his father was to keep his son on a tight leash.

“Stinking, rotten, no good men and their devil’s spawn,” she mumbled as she tossed her makeup and toiletries in with little care. Killer was sitting dutifully on the bed, leash at his feet, shaking his tiny body sending the bell on his collar tinkling. “See if another hairy beast gets into my bed as easily.”

Killer barked once as if he took the comment personally.

“Not you. You keep my feet warm, so at least you serve a useful purpose.”

Stopping for a moment, she was thinking about Josh. She conceded he was a very handsome, hairy beast, and would be a hard act for any mere mortal man to follow. He was, simply put, an Adonis in a rugged Texan, manly sort of way. It was beside the point. What wasn’t beside the point was the fact he had treated her with disdain, convicting her of a crime she did not commit. She was not about to put up with such behavior no matter how handsome the face.

“No good deed goes unpunished, Killer,” she advised, scratching her canine companion behind the ears. “Remember, think about it the next time you are going to fetch some man’s slippers for him. Just say no, boy.” Killer whined, lifting one foot off the bed as if to give her a high five.

“Maybe quick and dirty casual sex is just what I need?”

Killer growled.

“No?” She paused, thoughtfully looking at her tiny companion. “You’re right. Not my style.”

She had had very few physical relationships in her adult life. She was not totally inexperienced, but she was not free with her body either. Her first was a very hot fling with a young, sexy Roman legionnaire in 210 A.D. It had only been lust driven by youth and the excitement of the forbidden. Josh went way beyond lust.

She was 3,263 years old, and she was not going to let him be the catalyst for her tossing her morality out the window. She was not about to become sluttish, not at this stage of her life.

She packed two dress suits for her professional obligations and enough casual wear for several days. She would buy what she needed once she got there if her hasty packing proved woefully inadequate. A week or two in Miami seemed just the thing as she changed her flight plans on the airline's ticketing website.