Only You (25 page)

One reporter wandered over and rapped his knuckles against JD’s side window.

“I’ve got nothing to say.” JD started the engine and fluttered the gas.

“You’re JD Cooper, aren’t you? What are you doing hanging out with a has-been like Gould?”

“I’m not hanging out. I’m leaving.” He put the truck in first, but shifted back to neutral when the reporter’s words sank in. He rolled the window down an inch. “What do you mean, has-been?”

The reporter grinned. “Tit for tat. What’s going on in there? Why is Gould in this neck of the woods?”

“He’s having a press conference any minute. You’ll find out then.”

“So, you’re a friend of his?” The jean-clad man scribbled in his notebook.

“No,” JD growled.

The reporter narrowed his gaze. “His last two pictures bombed, and he’s looking for investors for the next big hit. No one’s buying. The insiders say he’s been hitting the bottle pretty heavy. A feel-good piece would go a long way to improve his public image right now.”

“Hell.” JD slid down in his seat. Would the public view Gould and Maggie’s reunion as feel-good or would they ridicule them?

“I hear he’s got a young chick in there. If he’s knocked up another one, Gould’s old lady will probably kick him out, finally, and he can’t afford for that to happen. If that’s your friend in there, tell her Gould’s wife is one tough bitch. She’ll make your friend’s life a living hell. You tell me what’s going on, I’ll make your friend sound like she’s Dorothy in Oz. And hey, maybe I won’t dig for the reason why you dropped out of sight a few years ago. I’m sure there’s a juicy story somewhere there, too.”

“This is how you make a living? Look, I don’t care how you decimate Gould, but you go after my friend, I promise I’ll hunt you down.”

The reporter hooted. “Man, this is great stuff.”

Disgusted with both the reporter and himself, JD pulled out of the parking spot and gunned it down the street. He’d never felt so helpless in his life. How was he supposed to help Maggie if she didn’t want his help? But damned if he was going to let her get sucked into the cesspool her father lived in.

He needed to go home and figure out his next move. No chance in hell he was going to let Maggie go so easily.

“Going somewhere?” Ethan asked when he strolled into JD’s bedroom.

“Damn straight.” JD chucked a couple of T-shirts into the half packed bag. He went into the bathroom and scooped all his stuff into a shaving kit. “I should never have let Maggie go to LA with that rat bastard. It’s only been three days, and I’m going nuts thinking about her out there by herself.”

Ethan snorted. “Like you had a choice.”

Ethan, Claire and Sammie had arrived soon after Maggie told him to get lost. Ethan had advised him to cool it and to hope Maggie came around on her own. But Gould hadn’t wasted any time hitting on Claire, and when she told Ethan about the creep inappropriately grabbing her, Ethan had gone ballistic and had, in his own way, targeted Gould. They now had a detailed report on Gould’s finances (he was broke, and his wife, Willy, was paying his bills), an intimate look inside his marriage (they resided in the same house but, other than meeting certain social obligations, had little to do with each other).

But having all that information hadn’t brought Maggie home from LA, and he was damned if he was going to sit on his butt, waiting for her to return. So far the press had focused more on Gould than her. JD couldn’t help smiling. He wondered how she liked the references to “the wholesome cowgirl.”

“Maggie’s not going to like that you’re interfering in her life,” Ethan warned.

“Too bad.” He zipped up the small overnight bag and faced his brother. “I can’t explain how I feel except to say I know it’s wrong to leave her on her own right now. If I’ve got it wrong, and she doesn’t want me there, okay. But she needs to know I care enough to make that effort. I’m not going to give up that easy. Maggie’s worth fighting for.”

“I’ve never seen you like this. For the last few years, you’ve let life roll over you.”

“That’s because I’ve never felt like this before.” He checked his watch. “Gotta go. I can’t miss that flight.”

“Call me from LA,” Ethan shouted after him.

After a two hour flight and another couple hours stuck in traffic, he strolled into the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills. Claire had told him Maggie was staying in a suite. He wondered who was paying for it.

He bypassed the front desk and headed for the elevator. When he’d explained his intentions to Claire, she’d given him Maggie’s room number. While he waited for the elevator to arrive, he ran different scenarios in his head: Maggie was overjoyed to see him and they made wild, passionate love and flew home. She was still upset with him and called him an overbearing bastard. And the worst—Maggie had another man with her in the suite.

The elevator doors pinged open. Paralyzed, JD stared at the empty elevator until an older, distinguished man brushed past him, and, once inside, turned to raise his eyebrow as if to ask if JD was getting on. JD stumbled into the elevator.

He loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt. Maggie was so beautiful and so vivacious, so alive, it was entirely possible men were tripping all over themselves to get to her. Hadn’t Jesse and Clay lined up to date her? And they were his friends. He should have insisted on accompanying her to LA.

“Are you okay?” The older man intruded into his whirling thoughts. “You look like you’re going to be sick.” He moved to the far corner as he spoke.

“I’m fine. I think. I messed up with my girl,” he blurted out. Maggie was
his
. Period. He wouldn’t let anyone take her away from him.

“Ah. It happens.” The man smiled. “Thank God women are such forgiving creatures.”

JD glanced at him, trying not to look as if he were pleading. “You think?”

“I know. Excuse me. My floor.” He pointed at the open door.

JD moved to one side to let the man off, then rode up to the correct floor. It took forever for Maggie to answer the door, but he didn’t give up because he refused to believe he’d flown all the way here and Maggie wasn’t in her room. Finally, she jerked the door open.

“JD!”

She must have been in the shower, because her hair was wet, and she had wrapped a short, white robe around her that showed way too much leg. He bit back his knee-jerk reaction to scold her for opening the door with next to nothing on. He was pretty sure she was naked under the robe. The image fed his galloping, out of control hard-on.

“Maggie.” Great, he turned up tongue-tied and breathless. He stepped into the room and crowded her backward until he could close the door behind him.

“I’m sorry, Maggie. For everything. I’m sorry it took me so long to trust you. I’m sorry I was scared when you said you were pregnant. A part of me knew I loved you, but everything was locked up tight inside, and I . . . I couldn’t think straight. I knew in my gut you weren’t lying about me being Blueberry’s father.

“I’ve come to take you home,” he rushed on before she could throw him out. “I tried to propose to you that last night, but you didn’t give me a chance, so I decided to come here and . . .” His voice died as he watched tears flood her eyes.

He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “Hush, baby. Please don’t say no right away. Give me a chance to prove how much I love you.”

“And Bl . . . Bl . . . Blueberry?”

“Of course, and Blueberry. I already love our child so much.”

JD breathed easier when she nestled into his arms and sighed.

“I’m not entirely blameless,” she murmured into his shirt. “I’m sorry I used you to get pregnant. I saw what I wanted and I took it.” She glanced up at him and smiled. “Took you. But if I had told you my plan, you’d never have made love to me.”

“I wouldn’t say
never
.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Can you forgive me for being a jerk, Maggie? If you want, we can take things slowly, like we discussed. I’m prepared to wait for you.”

Maggie took a minute to catch her breath, then gently pushed him away. She wanted to stay plastered against his warm body for, oh, the rest of her life. He smelled so wonderful. Like a cool, fresh breeze, and underneath, there was the faintest hint of horse, a smell she’d always loved.

“Maybe that’s part of our problem. We take these giant steps, like me getting pregnant, then we both get scared and scurry off to our own miserable little corners,” she said.

He crossed his arms, leaning back against the door. “Maybe it was like that for me in the beginning, but I swear I’m not afraid anymore. But I promise to give you all the time you need to figure out what it is you want. One thing I won’t budge on, though, is having an active part in Blueberry’s life.”

She smiled, relieved to hear JD was ready to have another child. Maybe they did have a chance to work things out. “Thank you for coming to LA. Truth is, I was feeling kind of lost.”

“Me, too. You’re my anchor. Not one thing felt right about my life when you left. I’ve never been so miserable. I want us to go home. It’s where we belong. Together.”

She wiped away a tear. “Damned tears.” Her voice trembled. “I’m afraid pregnancy has turned me into a crybaby. You’ll have to be patient with me. I want to go home, too,” she continued. “I can’t believe how much I miss Cooper Creek and everyone there, and I’ve only been gone a few days. But I need another day or so with Darren and his wife, Willie.” She paused. “I was trying to figure out what she is to me. My stepmother?”

“I guess.”

“Will you spend the day with us tomorrow? I’d like you to get to know them better.”

“If that’s what you want.” He straightened away from the door jamb. “I should go. It’s getting late, and you need your sleep.”

Disappointment curled inside her as she watched him reach for the door. She needed him more than she needed sleep, but then again, JD was only trying to give her what he thought she wanted.

“About Darren.” JD stopped at the door. “When I left your house the other day, a reporter approached me. He talked about Darren, hoping I’d tell him who you were. He said—”

“Go on.” She braced herself. She needed to know Darren’s true motivation.

“He’s having a hard time finding a backer for his next film, and the reporter said Darren needed good press. I’m sorry, Maggie. You deserve better. I don’t want you to expect too much from him.”

She frowned at her fingernails, embarrassed that all she was to her father was an opportunity. Willie assured her there was more to Darren than his quest to be famous, but so far his behavior hadn’t put him in the best light. “You’ve got to hand it to him. A father meeting his adult daughter for the first time is a good story.”

“True.”

“I hadn’t quite figured out what he was after. I was afraid it was money. I suppose there are worse things than wanting to show off your daughter to the world.”

“He found good people to adopt you. They might not be the most warm-hearted folks in the world, but they weren’t abusive. And there’s the trust fund,” JD pointed out.

“Actually, it was Willie who made sure I was taken care of. But thanks for trying to make him look good. Willy says Darren’s a very needy person,” she continued. “He craves constant approval. It must be terrible to live that way.”

“From what you’ve told me, Willy sounds like quite a woman. Don’t know why she’s still married to Gould.”

“Because she loves him, I suppose. And she likes being Mrs. Darren Gould.”

“She set up your trust fund?”

“Yes. My biological mother died in a drunk-driving accident a couple months after giving birth to me. I think I was Darren’s first ‘indiscretion,’ or at least the first time he got caught.”

“It sounds like you and Willy are doing okay.”

“She’s spent more time with me than Darren has. I know he was busy with interviews and meetings, but it would have been nice to get to know him a bit more. Willy says that’s Darren: always restless and on the move. She warned me not to expect much from him.” She smiled at the memory. “I liked that she was so straightforward. I told her I don’t care that Darren’s a movie star. I want to get to know my father.”

She thought about that for a minute. “Maybe I care a bit. It’s hard not to. All those people suddenly interested in you. But I said I wasn’t interested in doing anymore interviews, and she said she’d take care of it, and she did. I think she was relieved.”