BROKEN (16 page)

“My only reason for wanting this property is to keep it out of Wilkinson’s hands so he can’t ruin the Buchanan ranch.
 
I
would
also like to incorporate it into the Buchanan holdings
so there is no chance it will ever be sold to Wilkinson
.”

Tom Sinclair exchanged glances with his wife.
 
“I’m afraid we don’t understand.
 
You intend to
give
it to Jessie?”

Mitch grinned.
 
“I guess word hasn’t spread this far north.
 
I’m crazy about Jessie, and yes
,
I intend to make a gift of it.
 
If anything ever happens to me, I want to make sure she
is
financially secure.”
 

Beside him, Hank was bobbing his head up and down as if to assure the Sinclairs of Mitch’s sincerity.

“Well then,
” Tom said, “
I think my wife will agree that if you can match Jud’s offer, you’ve got yourself a ranch.”

This was the moment Mitch had been waiting for.
 
“I’m afraid I can’t match it, Mr. Sinclair.”
 
All three sets of eyes turned to him.
 
“No, I don’t think I can match it,” he said slowly, savoring the moment, “but I do think I can top it.”

There was an audible sigh of relief from Hank, but the Sinclairs seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation.
 
Mitch pulled out two documents and laid them on the table
,
then waited in silence while Tom and his wife examined the papers.
 
When they were through, Becky was teary-eyed but obviously very happy
,
and Tom had to clear his throat a few times before he spoke.

“I’m not sure why you’re doing this,
 
but Becky and I are extremely grateful for the generous offer.”

Hank looked at all of them as if they’d lost their minds.
 
“I don’t suppose one of you would care to explain it to me since I seem to be the only one still left in the dark.”

Mitch picked up one of the documents.
 
“This is an offer for the exact amount Wilkinson gave them plus one dollar.
 
I didn’t want him to be able to argue that
since
he
made the offer first
,
it should have been accepted.
 
By adding one dollar to the price, I have the highest offer.”
 
He plucked the other document off the table.

“This is a part of my past that now represents the Sinclair’s future.
 
Since we never knew where our next assignment would take us, my brother and I purchased a few condos.
 
We…I mean
,
I now
own three condos. 
This,” he said, handing the document back to Tom, “is the Deed to the condo in Miami Beach.”

Becky clutched her husband’s hand.
 
“Our Wendy lives just outside Miami Beach.
 
You have no idea how happy you’ve made us.”

“I think I do.”

“I still don’t understand,” Tom said.
 
“Why are you doing this when we were fully prepared to accept the same amount Jud offered?”

Mitch shrugged. 
“A couple of reasons, I guess.
 
I
have
decided to stay here permanently
,
and putting down roots means I don’t need the condos.
 
Maybe it’s because I’m so happy with Jessie that I jumped at the opportunity to pass that
happiness
on to someone else.
 
At any rate, the condo in Florida will mean much more to you than it ever did to me.”

Tom stood up and shook Mitch’s hand.
 
“I’ll get started on the paperwork right away.
 
It’s going to take us some time to get packed up and decide what stays and what goes.
 
How soon will you need us out of here?”

“I’m only concerned with taking ownership right away and making sure Wilkinson knows it.
 
You stay as long as you need to
. 
I’m in no hurry to take over.”

Mitch was feeling rather proud of himself as they drove back to the ranch.
 
“Do you think Jessie will have any problem with me buying the Sinclair ranch?”

“Not as long as you tell her why you did it before she jumps to the conclusion you’re moving there yourself.”

“She’s still afraid I’m going to leave, isn’t she?”

“She has no reason not to.
 
She still thinks you’re Adam, remember?”
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                         
***

“I take it you haven’t told him yet,” Liz Stewart said in a reproachful tone.

Jessie let out a little squeak of surprise when Liz poured the gooey gel on her abdomen.
 
“I’m scared,” she admitted.

“Scared of what, that he’ll leave you?”

“No…maybe, but that’s not it.
 
You said yourself it was extremely rare for the tubes to grow back together after a vasectomy.
 
What if he doesn’t believe it’s his baby?”

Liz adjusted the controls on the ultra sound machine.
 
“Does he have any reason to think you could have been with anyone else?”

“No!
 
Good lord, Adam
Kincaid
is all any woman could handle.”

“That good, huh?”

Jessie giggled.
 
“Beyond good, beyond fantastic, beyond anything in this world.”

Liz shook her head, but there was a smile on her lips.
 
“You have it bad, kiddo.
 
I’d ask if he knows how much you love him but anyone with eyes could see that.
 
Does he feel the same?”

“Yes, he does.
 
I’m so happy, Liz.
 
If only I could tell him about the baby…”
 
Jessie’s voice trailed off as the sound of the baby’s heartbeat filtered through the machine’s speakers.
 
“Is it supposed to beat that fast?”

“Yes, that’s perfectly normal at five weeks.
 
Your baby has a nice strong heartbeat and is developing just as he should be.”

“He?”

Liz reached for a dry cloth to wipe the gel off Jessie’s abdomen.
 
“Just a figure of speech, it’s a little too early to tell.
 
He or she is healthy.
 
There shouldn’t be any complications as long as you continue to take care of yourself.
 
Or do I have Adam to thank for the return of your own good health?”

“He’s become very militant about my eating habits.
 
He lets me do all the cooking, but won’t let me go riding around the ranch on my own anymore
,
and he’s very adamant that I not over exert myself.
 
I can’t imagine how he
would
behave if he knew I was pregnant.”
 

Assuming he didn’t leave skid marks as he tore out of driveway, she thought dismally.

Liz peeled off the latex gloves she’d worn and tossed them in the waste bin.
 
“You’ll be showing soon.
 
Don’t you think it would be wiser to tell him before he figures it out himself?”

Jessie sat up and pulled the gown over her knees.
 
“I will, soon, I promise.”

Liz looked at her for a moment.
 
“Something else is bothering you, isn’t it?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Look Jess, I’ve known you since you were toddling around in training pants.
 
You’ve never balked at facing anything dead on regardless of how scared you were.
 
So what is it that’s really keeping you from telling Adam about the baby?”

“I’m not sure,” she said earnestly.
 
“He’s just so different now than he used to be.
 
I know this sounds weird, but sometimes it seems like he’s not really Adam, like he’s somebody else entirely.”

Liz arched a brow, obviously amused by what she’d said.
 
“Invasion of the body snatchers, something like that?”

“Oh, I told you it sounds strange.”

“People do change, believe it or not.
 
Maybe his brother’s death affected him more than you know.
 
Facing our own mortality can be a scary thing, Jess, and Adam got a lot closer than most.
 
Isn’t it possible he considered what he was giving up by not being with you and decided saving the world wasn’t as important as saving your relationship?”

As much as
Jessie
wanted to believe it, she just couldn’t.
 
“I can see the new
Kincaid
coming to that conclusion, but not the old one.
 
You didn’t know him, Liz.
 
No one knew him like I did, not even his brother.
 
Being a Special Ops agent meant more to him than breathing.
 
The
Kincaid
I knew wouldn’t have stopped because of his brother’s death, it would only have given him a
greater
reason to keep on rescuing people.
 
He would have felt he owed it to Mitch to save more lives, to make up for the ones that were lost, you know?”

“You’re not telling him about the baby because he chose you over being a Special Ops agent?”

“No, it’s a lot of things.
 
He’s so good to me, so kind and caring, and the way he looks at me sometimes just makes my knees go weak.
 
He’s always helping out at the ranch and has even called a truce with Del.
 
And a few weeks ago, he bought the Sinclair ranch so Jud couldn’t get his hands on it.
 
But he didn’t just match Jud’s offer, he actually threw in a condo in Miami Beach so Tom and Becky could be near Wendy.
 
And I mean, literally.
 
He actually
gave
it to them.”

“Oh
,
my God,” Liz feigned a look of horror.
 
“How could you even live with a monster like that?”

Jessie let out a heavy sigh.
 
“Don’t you think I know what it sounds like?
 
We’re perfect together, Liz.
 
We hardly ever argue and if we do, it’s over practically before it starts.
 
The dark moods that used to come and go, the restlessness, it doesn’t exist anymore.”

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, but it’s not
Kincaid
.”

“You know what I think?
 
I think you should thank your lucky stars that all the changes have been good ones and stop using it as an excuse not to tell him.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell him.”

“When, Jessie?”

“Soon.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                      
***

I know Jessie wants to have kids someday.
 
Ultimately, I suppose that’s what will force me to leave her.
 
She should have children, she
would
be a great mother, and sometimes when I look at her
,
I almost wish I could father those children.
 
Almost.
 
But in my heart I know I wouldn’t be there for her or for them.