Crimes of the Heart (29 page)

Cold, stark dawning hit him. There wasn’t a damn thing he could do or say that would convince her otherwise. And why should it? For he’d never acted as if he wanted anything more than his bloodthirsty revenge. In the end, he realized, even though his goal was within his grasp, he’d lost everything that was near and dear to him. A hollow ache behind his rib cage pulsed to life as he said quietly, “I guess you could never be sure of me.”

***

In the glow of the lantern, and the accompanying snorts and whinnies of the stables horses, Devon, shirtless, stuck the pitchfork under a soiled clump of hay, and then easily tossed it into the awaiting wheelbarrow. Sweat dripped down his forehead and into his eyes, but he refused to stop in order to swipe it away. He had to keep moving or surely his heart would explode from the excruciating pain of losing the woman he loved.

Years ago, after leaving Jewel, he never imagined he’d ever experience this agony again. How wrong he’d been. The second time hurt even more than the first. He had no idea how he’d survive this time; he’d never known until now when he’d loved and been loved he’d had it all. All the realist’s dreams had come true.

***

In the early hours of the morning, as darkness still clung to the sky, Jewel, sat curled up in Devon’s chair behind his desk. All the tears had been spent and cold, hard reality had set in, opening her dreamer eyes. Now, she stared at the offensive stuffed bag.

Somewhere outside Devon had retreated long ago, leaving her to wallow in self-pity. She sighed, wondering how to find the words to break the news to Sean. Her middle dipped at how devastated he’d be, but how could she subject him to the gossip, name calling, and pointed fingers surely to come out of the revelation?

“Well, you got what you wanted, didn’t you?” she asked herself, interrupting the throbbing silence pressing in on her. “You’re no one’s burden any more. But how much does it matter that I save my pride?” The long, lonely days and nights stretched out in front of her and an emptiness filled her soul. Closing her eyes, she whispered, “I’ll love you until the day I die, Devon Marshall.”

Gulping hard, she shifted. A strange rustling sound came from inside his coat. Tentatively, she opened her eyes, and then reached in the deep pocket. Her fingers touched stiff paper, snagging it. “Why haven’t I felt this before now?”

The part of her that questioned her invading his privacy also brought up the horrible consequences of the event from this morning after reading her mother’s letter.

Debating, her curiosity won out, thinking nothing could equal the devastation she’d found earlier. Slowly, she extracted the surprisingly heavy bundle. She frowned once she caught a glimpse of the red construction paper.

With infinite care, she untied the silk ribbon, and then began to read.

***

His burning and quivering muscles forced Devon to put down the pitchfork, grab up his shirt, and then leave the shelter of the stables. The first pearly gray streaks of light sliced across the sky. Steam rose from his heated body as the morning chill touched his bare flesh.

With each dreaded step, he walked to the house, hoping beyond hope she slept and he could just take a long, hot shower to prepare himself for the coming ordeal.

The eerie quiet of the kitchen followed him down the hall, dogging his heels as if to pound it into his head that in a few hours, after Jewel and Sean left, it would always feel like this. The light coming from his study had him halting in mid-stride. His heart jumped in his chest. He clamped his eyes shut, muttering under his breath, “Please, don’t let her still be awake. I don’t think I could take it now.”

When he rounded the corner, his worst fear was confirmed. Still in his jacket, she sat with her head bent over some papers he couldn’t quite see around her bulging purse. So far, she hadn’t noticed his presence, and he even thought he could back out. But just the sight of her stopped him cold.

His heart clutched, squeezing so tight; he knew this may very well be one of the last times he ever saw the woman he loved with everything he had inside him. For long moments, he stood staring at the most beautiful vision in the world.

Suddenly, she jerked her head up. A combination of wonder, awe, and love suffused her features. “Devon, why didn’t you ever tell me these things?”

Frowning, he walked closer, wondering what had brought about the change in her. Hope pumped in his blood. When he caught a glimpse of what she’d been reading, he froze in his tracks.

He swallowed hard as warmth crawled up his neck and into his cheeks. He’d memorized every word in every card he’d created; he’d poured his heart and soul out to her, assuming she’d never see them.

“I didn’t think you’d believe me, not after I’d left you,” he whispered as his throat closed.

She gave him an angelic smile, sending warmth to his icy core. “But, don’t you see, I never knew how much you loved
me
, wanted me before that. You should have told me all this in the beginning, then I would have gone with you.”

Something jolted inside him. “Do you mean that, dollface? All I have to do is tell you that my thoughts are never far away from you? That riches don’t compare to not having you in my aching arms at night?”

Rising, she nodded.

“That I don’t feel whole when I’m away from you?”

She came around the desk.

“That with you any dream we hope for will come true, if only we believe enough.”

Again she nodded as she closed the gap between them. “And you regretted leaving me.”

“Every second of every day,” he said fiercely, holding his arms open for her. She went into them. Gathering her soft, yielding body to his, he pressed his lips to her floral-scented hair, saying, “And my life has no meaning without you in it, dollface? I forgive you for loving me so much you had to let me go after my dreams, but most of all I forgive myself for hurting both of us, for not believing enough in us and
our
dreams.”

She shook as the tears came. Pulling back, he framed her face between his palms. With infinite tenderness, he trailed kisses over her forehead, eyes, and cheeks, tasting the salty moisture, and then finally he captured her sweet lips in a gentle embrace.

Running his tongue along the seam of her lips, he parted them for his admittance. She welcomed him eagerly and he drank the heady taste of her. After several minutes, he reluctantly pulled away slightly, taking in ragged breaths.

Staring down at her, he said, “There’s a couple of things we’ve got to get straight, dollface.”

Smiling, she dropped her gaze to his lips. “Can’t it wait?”

Heat curled low in his abdomen. He dragged himself away from giving into his yearnings for the moment. “Five minutes and the questions will be all over, all right?”

“Go ahead then.” She caressed his bare chest.

Sucking in a breath at the sharp stab of passion that sliced through him at the gesture, he forced himself to ask, “Does this mean you’re staying? That you believe you could never be a burden to me because you’re my heart?”

“Yes to both. And do you know, really know, that we’re not that different after all?”

“Yes,” he choked out. “No matter where we came from, we feel the same deep down, we have the same hopes and wishes, and our love can never be denied.” Tilting her chin up so now he could look into her violet eyes, he said, “As much as we both don’t want to deal with it, we have to decide what to do with the money.”

A mask seemed to drop over her face, turning her features into stone. “You decide; I don’t want any part of it.”

He blew out a breath, and then quickly seized upon an idea. “Let’s donate it to someplace or some people… Hey, didn’t Sean say that you two adopt families for Christmas with the swear jar money?” When she beamed up at him, he continued, “Well, how about including this with it?”

Flinging her arms around his neck, she hugged him tight. “I love you, Devon Marshall. Because of you there’s going to be a lot of happy families this year.”

“Not as happy as us, dollface, not as happy as us.”

She stiffened in his arms, and then pulled back. With a troubled expression she looked up at him. “What about your father’s good name? You deserve the revenge if only for that, for you, Sean, and the baby.”

“Once upon a time I thought it did matter, but I realized that the people who
really
knew my dad knew he couldn’t do something like that.”

“And the rest?”

“Their opinions don’t count. I know the truth and I hope you understand that someday Sean and,” he caressed her stomach, “the rest to come, will be told, but I don’t have to even any scores. It’s not important any more. We are, that’s all that matters to me right now is my family. Without you I’ve got nothing.”

Renewed tears shone in her eyes. At his moan, she said, “Sorry, my hormones are acting overtime.”

That made him chuckle. She giggled and he lifted her in his arms. “To bed, Mrs. Marshall.”

Suddenly, Devon heard footsteps overhead, and then padding down the stairs. “Mom, where are you?”

Putting her back on her feet, Devon answered, “We’re in here.”

A moment later, Sean, grinning from ear to ear and with the cat on his heels, launched himself at his mother. Jewel hugged him tight, saying, “Oh, I missed you.”

“Me, too. Don’t ever do that again, promise.”

“Promise.” Kissing the top of his head, she caught Devon staring at her. His heart overflowed with love for the two people who loved him in spite of everything he’d done to them. “Can we tell him about you-know-who?”

“Sure, why not?”

Sean backed up, looking first from his mother, to Devon, and then back again. “What?”

Jewel explained, “We’re going to have a baby, honey. How would you like a little brother or sister?”

He jumped up and down. “Cool. Oh, man, wait until I tell Kev. This is the greatest. It’s even better than I dreamed.”

Ruffling his son’s hair, he went to Jewel’s side. Devon hugged her to him. “I think he likes the idea.”

“Hey,” Sean cried out, “look at that.”

Swiveling around, Devon, along with Jewel and Sean, stared wide-eyed as they watched the cat take its paw and punch several keys on Devon’s laptop. Somehow he’d managed to turn the thing on, and a beep sounded.

Rounding the desk, Sean peered over the cat’s shoulder. He squinted, and then said, “Uh oh, I think he just got online and sent something. Here, let me see…” Sean fiddled with the screen, saying, “I guess we found the perfect name for him, Dad.”

“What’s that?”

A wide grin split his son’s face. “Hacker.”

When the cat meowed only once, Devon said, “Well, I guess that settles that. Hacker, it is.” He turned to Jewel, asking, “Can we live with that one?”

She snuggled close. “I don’t think we have a choice.”

“Man, he just emailed China!” Sean began to laugh uproariously.

Devon followed suit and soon Jewel joined in. When he finally calmed down enough, he turned his full attention to his wife. Staring into her sparkling eyes and beaming face, he sucked in a sharp breath. “God, I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”

“No regrets. No what ifs or what might have beens. From here on in we look forward to whatever the future has in store for us, right?”

“No problem.”

At that she jerked back slightly, a puzzled look covering her features. “I’m shocked, Mr. I Don’t Have A Future, is actually agreeing to look ahead.”

Shooting her a grin, he brushed aside the stray strands clinging to her silky cheek. Love flowered in his heart and spilled over to fill every empty space in his soul where once only hate, bitterness, and revenge had resided. “Well, Mrs. Marshall, don’t sound so surprised; I forgot for a long time, but now I know we always had a forever kind of love.”

The End

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Laurie LeClair writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Laurie’s habit of daydreaming has gotten her into a few scrapes and launched her to take up her dream of writing. Finally, she can put all those stories in her head to rest as she brings them to life on the page. Laurie considers herself a New Texan (New England born and raised and now living in Texas). She lives in Central Texas with her husband, Jim.

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The Heart Series:

Secrets Of The Heart – Book 1

Crimes Of The Heart – Book 2

Lies Of The Heart – Book 3

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Once Upon A Romance Series:

If The Shoes Fits
– Book 1

Waking Sleeping Beauty
– Book 2

Taming McGruff
– Book 3

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Coming soon:

The Long Journey Home

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Coming Soon:

The Bounty Hunter Series:

Murphy’s Law – Book 1

Here’s an excerpt from Lies Of The Heart Book 3 in the Heart Series.

CHAPTER 1

“Ah, geez, he’s even more gorgeous than he was ten years ago,” Tessa Warfield muttered under her breath as she snuck a peek at Chance Deveraux through the grimy window. He stood at the long bar. In the mirrored reflection in front of him, she got more than just a mere impression.
Tall, dark, lean. To die for.

His grandfather’s pub seemed to hum with activity while she remained outside shivering in the cold, dark November night. The prospect of entering the room full of animosity kept her rooted to the spot.

Alone at the bar, with his head down now, dejection and despair seemed to cling to Chance like a second skin. Tessa’s heart squeezed with sadness. She ought to march right in there and tell him so. But she held back even though his grandfather’s lawyer requested her to be here tonight.