Never Say Never (23 page)

She got to her feet. “No, you’re not. You’re suggesting that I’ve got a thing for my employer. You also don’t believe me about the hood who was hanging outside of the bakery. I’m beginning to think you’re a sad excuse for Lassiter’s law.”

Angrily, she turned her back to him, and started putting the cookies on a flat tray. She waited to hear Dustin come to her rescue, but he didn’t. Wrath built inside her.

“I knew there had to be something hidden behind that sweet exterior of yours, Jill. You’ve got a feisty mouth on you.”

“I’ve got a real feisty mouth on me when I know that a baby’s in danger and the sheriff’s too lazy to look farther than his best friend’s kitchen to find the guilty party.”

“Whoa, you two are going at this the wrong way. Marsh, damn it, ask the questions you want answers to, and…”

Jill whirled on Dustin. “I’ll answer nothing else. That is not my baby. I did not steal her, I did not have her, I am not a woman with a ticking biological clock.”

“Are you pregnant?”

Staring at Dustin, Jill could feel her mouth hang open. “Pregnant? What makes you ask that?”

He shrugged, infuriating her.

“Because my ex showed up one day? You really are frightened some woman’s going to rope you in again, aren’t you?” She knew that Nina’s pregnancy had been the reason he’d gotten married because he had told her himself. She had basically thrown herself at him the other night. No doubt his very manly boots were shaking that he might find himself the recipient of another trip to the altar.

“You’re the last man on earth I’d set my sights on, Dustin Reed,” she told him. “You’re mean. You’re moody. You haven’t got anything going for you except a nice family. You aren’t anything like the man I’d want for myself.”

Suddenly, to her extreme mortification, she burst into tears. The last few hours spent worrying about her future had taken their toll. To find out that she apparently was on everybody’s suspect list was demoralizing.

“Aw, Jill, don’t do that,” he said.

“Why not? Because it’s a true expression of emotion? Because you’re too macho to have a good cry as much as you’d like to? Because it’s embarrassing?”

Over his shoulder, Marsh handed her a tissue, which she accepted, jerking it from his hand. Dustin hadn’t bothered to answer her question. Backing away, she tore her gaze away from Dustin, before hurrying up the stairs.

“What a couple of jackasses we are,” Dustin said.

“That got way out of hand,” Marsh agreed.

“It didn’t get us anywhere, either, except on Jill’s bad side.” He looked sorrowfully at the defrosting roast. “I’d better take the family out to dinner tonight, if I know what’s good for me.”

“Damn it,” Marsh said, getting to his feet. “She’s telling the truth.”

“I told you.”

“But she didn’t answer your question about being pregnant.”

“No, and she shouldn’t. It isn’t any of my damn business. It’s just that if she’s pregnant, she couldn’t possibly have recently given birth. I want badly to know the answer, so I didn’t ask it right. Truth is, it doesn’t matter whether she is or isn’t.”

“You going to tell her she has to go?”

“No. I’m going to hell with the devil on this one. Maxine can drag all the accusations into court she likes. Jill stays, if I haven’t made her so mad she can’t stand to see my face.”

“You better watch that temper of hers. I think you’re going to be in big trouble with Jill for a while.” He picked up a gingerbread man, but didn’t bite into it. “I wish that guy would surface so I could nail him.”

“Could be he’s gone into hiding, too.”

Marsh straightened. “Or he followed the Benchleys. Knew where they were going.”

Dustin sighed. “Get to work, buddy. So far, all you’ve managed to do is piss off my housekeeper and me.”

“Well.” Marsh sighed heavily. “Guess it’s time for me to go, then. The weather report said the roads were going to start freezing again around twilight.”

“Watch the porch when you leave; there’s still some slick spots from the last freeze. I don’t want to take your sorry butt to the hospital when you slip off the steps.”

“I’ll let you know if I find anything else out.”

Marsh walked outside as Dustin watched from the door. He was steamed with his friend, though he wasn’t going to talk about it. Their friendship had taken a major hit with his attitude toward Jill. Of course, Dustin knew he had no one to blame for his own asinine behavior.

A second later, the cruiser pulled down the lane. A piece of paper flew off the car and onto the ground where it blew toward the porch in the wintry wind. Dustin turned to go inside before halting. He thought for several seconds, his skin tightening from the cold.

Not from the cold. Some strange sensation pulled him back outside. Reaching down to pick up the piece of paper, Dustin told himself it was good to retrieve it so it wouldn’t blow into the area where some of his stock might get it. He’d cut open far too many a good steer that had died without seeming cause, only to find a bottle cap or six-ring plastic some idiot had thrown out a car window and that had then wound up inside his cattle.

He told himself he was being cautious even as he unfolded the small piece of blue-lined, white paper. The kind any school kid might use for class work. The writing was round and uncertain, as though written by a teenager who hadn’t quite crossed the threshold into adulthood.

Dear Mr. Reed, Please protect Holly. Curtis Lynch is going to steal her.

Chapter Fourteen

Dustin stared at the piece of paper. “Curtis Lynch?” he muttered to himself. The wind picked up, blasting chilly breezes against him, but he didn’t move. It wasn’t a family name he knew. Dissatisfied, he thrust the paper into his jacket pocket and went inside to leave a message for Marsh to call him.

After Dustin hung up the phone, he knew he could no longer avoid talking to Jill. He walked up the stairs and knocked on her door. There was no answer. He tapped softly again, but when she didn’t open the door, he got worried. Slowly, he turned the knob.

Only Jill’s nicely rounded, denim-covered rear end was visible from the doorway as she knelt inside the closet: Though that sight definitely got his attention, he was more interested in what the rest of her was doing, engaging in a task that looked suspiciously like packing.

“What are you doing?” he demanded.

She shrieked and whirled to glare at him. “What are
you
doing in my room?”

He took a deep breath and reminded himself that he’d come to get himself off the hot seat and that she had every right to be mad at him. “I came to apologize for what happened downstairs.”

“I should think so! Do you think everything your friend thinks, particularly that I’m a baby-napper of some kind, and a liar—or do you just imagine I’m after you?”

“Neither. I didn’t butt in when Marsh was talking to you because I knew you could handle him. I thought it would be more convincing if I let you do your own talking. Apparently, you didn’t need me to intervene because Marsh believes you wholeheartedly.”

“Great.” She smiled sarcastically. “Now if only I could convince you that you’re not quite the catch you seem to think you are.” Angrily, she tossed a pair of shoes into the case.

He held his hands up in surrender. “Jill, I heard you throwing up the day your folks came out. It worried me.”

“But you kissed me anyway, even thinking I might be pregnant?” Her expression was questioning.

He wasn’t going to admit that he was attracted her, enough so that it didn’t matter whether she’d be buying booties in a few months or not. “Well, kissing wasn’t going to get you pregnant, if you weren’t already.”

“No, it’s not.” She lowered her gaze. “I’m not pregnant.”

He couldn’t explain the enormous relief that filled him, so he reverted to the attitude he knew best. “Good. Then I won’t have to pay you for maternity leave.”

Her head snapped up. There were fireworks in her eyes. “Dustin Reed, you’re somewhat of an ass.”

A chuckle escaped him. He did like this lady’s spunk. “Yeah, well. Would you care to be seen in public with an ass? I figured Marsh and I have about thrown you out of the mood to cook, and I have a suspicion Mother’s not feeling too well, so we might as well eat out tonight.”

“That sounds like an appealing peace offering, although I’m not ready to let you off the hook completely,” she said. “But what about Holly?”

“What about her?”

“Well, should she be out? Where anybody can see her?”

Dustin thought about the note in his pocket. After a moment, he handed it to Jill. She read it, her eyes widening.

“When did you find this?”

“A few minutes ago. It was stuck under the windshield wiper on Marsh’s cruiser.”

“Sadie’s been here, then! Not too long ago.”

He shook his head. “There are rain splatters on the paper, so it’s been there for a while. I don’t think Marsh saw it when he drove out here. They might have seen him checking out their house and put it on his car in a hurry before he left.”

“So Sadie and her mother are too frightened to visit the police station.”

“That would be my guess.”

“And this Curtis knows the baby is here.” The expression on Jill’s face was heartbroken. “I was so careful not to be followed. I must not be as good at high-speed getaways as I thought I was.”

Dustin crossed his arms. It wasn’t necessary for Jill to take the blame for some punk’s determined pursuit of Holly. “He could have found out she was here any other number of ways.”

She sank back on her heels. “No, he couldn’t have. No one knows I’m working here. Sadie wouldn’t have told, even if he tried to beat it out of her. I should never have gone into town. Now I’ve put that sweet baby in danger.”

“Of course I don’t agree with you, but I will say that them leaving town isn’t a good sign.”

“It does seem very desperate. Obviously something’s scared them. I think Holly and I should just stay in tonight.”

Dustin nodded, although he hated what his problems were doing to Jill’s life. Basically, she was a prisoner in his house. He didn’t like that idea at all. Meeting her eyes, he tried another tack. “I feel like you deserve a night out though. It’s the least I can do for you.”

Sudden electricity hummed to life between them. Jill’s soft lips parted as she considered his suggestion. Then she shook her head, pulling her gaze from his.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Thank you, anyway.”

He felt relieved by her polite turn-down. The minute he uttered the words, he’d known he was making a mistake. They couldn’t afford any time alone together, not when they had so many strikes against them.

“How about a bucket of fried chicken, then?” he asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “With some mashed potatoes and salad?”

“That gets my vote. Ask your mother if chicken suits her, although I have a feeling she’ll be just as glad not to have a mess in the kitchen tonight.”

“You noticed she doesn’t seem quite herself?” Dustin wondered if Jill’s worry for his mother went past the housekeeper-employer relationship. They did seem to get along very well. That in itself was a comfort to him because he knew Jill would take care of Eunice in the event she fell or became ill. With Nina, there had always been a stiff distance between her and his mother. Two opposite sides, battle lines drawn sometime when he hadn’t even realized it.

“I’m not sure if she isn’t herself, or if it’s something else,” Jill said thoughtfully. “I know I’ve been ready to jump out of my skin ever since I saw that awful man.”

“It doesn’t help that we have another winter storm rolling in,” Dustin told her. “Are you sure you don’t want to get out before the roads get icy?”

Jill stood and crossed to the window. Looking at the landscape, she said, “I’m just as happy to stay indoors where it’s warm.”

And safe.
It was unspoken, but Jill was right. None of them had been able to relax, Maxine’s unfortunate visit having added to the air of tension. He cleared his throat.

“Jill, I’m sure you heard some of what was said between Maxine Copeland and me this morning.”

“Mostly Maxine,” she murmured, not looking at him.

“I don’t want you to worry about anything where she’s concerned. She is a very confused and unhappy person who wants everyone around her to be miserable, too.”

She met his gaze. “You’re not letting me go?”

“I’m too much of an ass for that, remember? Way too selfish,” he assured her. “You’re the only housekeeper who will stay on with us, anyway.”

Although she smiled slightly, he could tell Maxine’s words had found their mark. He wanted to reassure Jill, but if he said what he really wanted to, he risked stirring up the uneasiness between them. She had to have heard Marsh call her a bed warmer. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he hoped she would become that.

“I’m going to speak to Mother, then I’ll be off to get the chicken,” he said gruffly. “Let me know if there’s anything you want from the grocery store since we’re looking for bad weather.”

“All right.” Their gazes touched, and as crystal blue eyes met dark ones, a flash of wary communication passed between them. She’d ceased packing her suitcase for the moment, but he sensed she hadn’t enjoyed the day’s events. For Jill to cry, her feelings had to have been pretty hurt. Reluctantly, he turned in the doorway, uncertain as to what to say.