Tempting the Dragon (19 page)

Eve tilted her head, studying him. “Did I make him sick?”

“Oh, no, baby. Never think that.” A flash of sorrow crossed Rance’s face. “He had something wrong with his heart. It had nothing to do with you.”

“It didn’t?”

“Not at all. I promise. And your daddy wouldn’t want you to feel bad, either. He knows you’ll miss him and be sad, but he’d never want you to think it was your fault.”

Despite his reassurances, Eve pushed to her elbows in an attempt to sit. “He worked too hard to take care of me. That’s why his heart gave out.” Expression troubled, Eve held Rance’s gaze. “He didn’t know I heard him, but he used to whisper to me all the time. He’d say if I died, his heart would break. He must have thought I’d died if his heart stopped working.”

Tears streamed down her heart-shaped face. “I want to see my daddy,” she wailed.

“And you will someday,” Jade interjected. “He will always be with you, watching over you and loving you.”

“That’s not enough,” the little girl sobbed. “I want him here with me, not up in heaven with Mommy.”

“You have me,” Rance rasped. “And I promise I will do my best to make sure you’re never alone.”

“That’s what Daddy said too.” Eve rubbed at her swollen eyes, still sniffling. “How do I know I can believe you?”

“Because I love you,” Rance answered.

“Where’s my backpack?” Eve asked, her voice plaintive. “Daddy gave me a letter to give you if anything happened to him and I ever saw you again.”

Jade located a small pink backpack and brought it to her. She unzipped it, and handed Rance a sealed envelope.

Hands trembling, he opened it. Withdrawing a paper, he began to read.

“What is it?” Eve asked.

“He had an attorney prepare a document granting me legal custody of you.” He handed it to Jade, clearly unable to speak again. Covering his face in his hands, he bowed his head, his shoulders shaking.

Immediately, Eve reached her thin little arms out and attempted to hug him. “I’m sorry, Papa. Don’t cry.” Looking past him, her teary gaze found Jade. “All I do is make people sad.”

“No, honey.” Jade moved closer. Giving in to impulse, she wrapped her arms around both Rance and Eve. “Your daddy loved you and so does your papa.” She read the letter. Jim had relinquished custody of his daughter to Rance. The paperwork merely awaited Rance’s signature. The little girl considered her. “How do you know?”

Wiping at his eyes, Rance turned and gave Jade a quick look of gratitude before turning back to Eve. “She knows because Jade understands love.”

“She does?”

“Yes.” Rance leaned into the hug, pulling Jade and Eve closer, though he was careful not to hurt Eve. “She’s been helping me try to find you. So has Libby over there.”

Libby smiled softly, though she still kept her distance. “Believe me, you are loved, little one. And you are not alone.”

Eve finally nodded, though her expression still seemed far too grave for one so young. “I know, but I still miss him.”

“And you always will. That will never change. And I promise, I will not leave you.” Rance exhaled, clearly trying to find the right words to soothe his little girl’s broken heart, even temporarily.

“You already did, once.” Eve sniffled.

“When?”

“You left me at the hospital. When my daddy took me out of there, he said you’d disappeared.”

“I most certainly did not disappear,” Rance told her, his tone a mixture of hurt and shock. “You’d asked me to find you a lake creature, and I went looking. Your daddy knew that.”

Apparently he’d found the right words to distract her. She nodded. “Is that why you brought the dragons to see me?”

Jade noticed she hadn’t called them
lake monsters
again.

“Yes.” Rance kissed Eve’s forehead. “You always said you wanted to see a picture of them. So I did one better. I let you see the real thing.”

“Can I see them again?”

This time when Rance glanced back at Libby, she laughed. “I imagine that can be arranged,” she said.

“Now try and get some more rest.” Gently, Rance eased Eve back, cradling her head with a pillow. “Libby’s going to take a look at you and see if you’ve gotten a lot better or a little.”

Eve’s eyes had already drifted closed. “A lot,” she mumbled. “I think a lot.”

When Rance straightened, Jade stepped away, not wanting to intrude on the small family. She crossed the room to stand next to Libby, both of them riveted on Rance and his stepdaughter.

“You love him, don’t you?” Libby murmured. “The question is rhetorical, since I’ve been inside your head, but Rance would have to be blind not to see it.”

“Blind not to see what?” Rance asked as he moved away from a now-slumbering Eve.

“Nothing,” Jade answered, her face heating.

“Darlin’, you just blushed with your entire body.” Rance let his gaze roam over her, clearly intrigued. “Whatever you two were talking about must have been more than nothing.”

Averting her eyes, Jade shrugged. Chuckling, Libby went to inspect Eve. Both Jade and Rance fell silent as Libby passed her hands over the little girl.

“There’s nothing...” Libby let her words trail off. “Just a moment. Let me try this again.”

Just then, in a flash of insight, Jade realized this could be dangerous to Libby. If Eve had the Drakkor illness, Libby could catch it. “Maybe you shouldn’t...” she began. Libby waved her to silence.

“She’s fine.” Libby raised incredulous eyes to Rance. “No fever, her heart and blood and lungs appear normal. She’s a bit weak and has some minor digestive upset. But all in all, I’d say she’s going to be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Jade knew Rance didn’t mean to reveal such depths of hope in his voice, but the longing was there nonetheless. The sound of it made her knees go weak.

“I’m sure,” Libby answered. “Eve is going to be okay.”

Still, Rance didn’t appear convinced. “Maybe I should get her checked out at the hospital just in case.”

Shaking her head, Libby shrugged. “That’s up to you, of course. But you’d better come up with an explanation for how a supposedly fatal illness has just disappeared.”

“Good point.”

Unable to help herself, Jade hugged him, letting herself revel for a moment in the feel of his rock-hard body. “Let yourself believe. This is something that should be celebrated.”

“I agree.” Libby flashed a happy smile at the two of them. “I don’t have any champagne, but I have some fresh apple cider. Will that work?”

“Sure.”

“Great.” Bustling off to get it, Libby hummed as she disappeared into her kitchen.

Though every nerve, every fiber of her being, was overly aware of Rance standing next to her, Libby kept her attention focused on Eve. “You’re her family now,” she said softly.

“Yes, I know. I want to have some kind of service for Jim, even if it’s private. He didn’t have any other family, so I was all he had.”

She nodded, wondering if Rance had yet realized exactly how much his life was going to change. She hoped to be a part of that life, but Rance had never made any secret of his plans to leave Forestwood.

While she never could. Not as long as she was Guardian to Libby. Plus, while she had no doubt of her feelings for Rance, she wasn’t sure exactly how he felt about her. They were friends, certainly. But whether or not he felt more for her, she hadn’t a clue.

“You’re going to make a wonderful father,” Libby said, peeking her head out of the kitchen doorway, her voice soft.

“Thank you.” Raising his head, Rance smiled at her, before turning back to Jade. “You know Jade, I’ve been a fool. The two of us can do anything. Eve is going to need a mother, too. Do you think you might be up to the task?”

Stunned, Jade stared. “What do you mean?”

“I’m asking you to marry me, darlin’.” His smile widened. “You’re such a giving, generous woman. One of a kind. I think you and I would make great parents for Eve.”

He spoke like he was hiring a nanny.

Behind him, Jade saw Libby’s eyes widen. Refusing to acknowledge the awful, gut-wrenching hurt, Jade shook her head before slowly backing away. At least now she knew how he felt. “No, thank you,” she said, her tone as impersonal and polite as she could make it. “But I wish you the best of luck in your search.”

Turning around, she managed to walk to the door. Not run, as her every instinct urged her to do. But a stately and hopefully dignified walk, giving no one a clue how badly her heart was breaking. Once she’d opened the door, she managed to close it quietly rather than slam it like she really wanted to do.

Giving. Generous. One of a kind.
The words echoing in her head, she got in her car, started it and headed home. All the while refusing to even think about what had just happened. What Rance had said. How he apparently really saw her. Once she got home, she intended to head to her bedroom and lock the door. Then, and only then, would she let herself fall to pieces.

Chapter 19

S
taring after Jade, Rance scratched his head. Genuinely puzzled and hurt, he eyed Libby. “What’s wrong with her?” he asked, still feeling fairly confident he could fix things once he understood exactly what had happened. “I know she cares about me. And about Eve. I guess Jade doesn’t believe in marriage? Is that why she has an ex-fiance?”

Rather than answer him, Libby only eyed him, her unsympathetic expression completely at odds with her usually warm personality. “You don’t get it, do you?” she finally asked. “Think about what you just said, then tell me you don’t understand Jade’s reaction.”

He did as she’d asked. After all, he’d been happily married before and he thought he had a good understanding about women. Violet had never been one for flowery words, but he knew all women weren’t the same. Jade’s down to earth attitude had clued him in on what he believed she’d want to hear.

“I complimented her. Called her generous and giving. Both are true.” Though he didn’t want to face the rest of it, he knew he had to. “And then I asked her to become my wife. That alone should tell her how I feel about her.”

“Really?” Libby shook her head. “Do you really think so?”

“Judging from your tone, I take it you don’t agree with me?”

Libby muttered something under her breath that sounded like, “Men,” and busied herself cleaning up the apple cider glasses.

When she returned from the kitchen, her usual pleasant expression had returned to her face. “You and Eve are welcome to stay as long as you need. I don’t see any reason she should live in a hotel, but of course that’s up to you.”

Still feeling shell-shocked, he nodded. “Thanks. I’d kind of figured I’d buy a place here. Now, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. I thought Jade...”

“You thought Jade what?”

Embarrassed, he lifted one shoulder in a hopefully casual shrug. “I thought she cared about me.”

“I’m sure she does. And about Eve, too. As you said so eloquently, Jade is a giving and generous person.”

Was that a trace of mockery he heard in Libby’s voice?

“Why is that such a bad thing?” he asked, suddenly fed up with all the innuendo swirling around. “She’s your Guardian. You know how valuable those traits are.”

“It’s hard to believe you’re a famous reporter.” This time, Libby didn’t bother to hide her disgust. “Tell me, were those two words honestly the best way to declare your feelings for Jade?”

“I’m better with pictures.” He spread his hands. “Not so great with words.”

“Obviously. Now tell me, do you love Jade?”

Love.
He frowned. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned love. He’d just assumed Jade understood how he felt. Why else would he ask her to marry him, to share his life and Eve’s?

But then again, why would she know how he felt? With dawning horror, he realized what he’d done. He’d gone away and never called her. Worse, since he’d been back, he’d kept reiterating he wouldn’t be staying. He’d done nothing, absolutely nothing, to show her how he felt.

Eve moaned, distracting him. He hurried over to her and felt her forehead, worried the fever might be returning. She felt all right, at least as far as he could tell. And she still slept. Maybe she’d just had a bad dream.

Relieved, he looked up to find Libby watching him. “You have a lot on your plate,” she said. “Why don’t you take a moment or two and deal with Eve. Think this through. Then, if you’re really sure you want Jade, you’re going to have to fight for her.”

* * *

Jade knew she shouldn’t expect Rance to come after her. Clearly, after what he’d said to her, he’d only asked her to marry him so he could have a nursemaid and helper for Eve. She’d proven herself a great Guardian with Libby, after all. Too bad he couldn’t see she was so much more than that.

She let herself mourn. Grieve, actually, since she’d lost someone she’d love forever. She couldn’t remain friends—she’d never understood how some women could go from passionately in love to simple friendship. Her feelings ran way too deep for that. As far as she was concerned, she never wanted to see Rance Sleighter again.

He called. She didn’t answer. She deleted every message he left without listening to his meaningless words. Once, she would have given everything to have him pursue her. Now it was too little, too late and for all the wrong reasons.

Over the next weeks, she went on with her life and got her wish. She got up, went to work, came home. She read the thick books Amber had kept from her, and took detailed notes. Once, the role of Guardian had been taken much more seriously. Libby had been regarded as a creature, a nonhuman entity, despite her ability to shape-shift in the same manner as the Burnetts.

Reading, Jade understood why Libby had kept to herself, why she felt so alone. What had started as a self-defense mechanism had become habit. Not once had any of Jade’s ancestors appeared to realize how isolated Libby had become.

She also found it interesting that the books hadn’t mentioned anything about the necklace and the need to pass it on to one’s successor. Which made Jade wonder if Libby had been the one who’d initiated that tradition.

Another sunrise, another sunset. Jade changed into wolf with her family and hunted the woods. On Saturday, she went to town with Amber and Emerald and ate at Mother Earth’s Café. She visited Di, who now appeared hugely pregnant, making Jade think the baby still was growing way too fast. Through all of this, Jade never saw any sign of Rance or his rental car. She couldn’t help but wonder where he might be and if he was hiding for some reason.

Or worse, if he’d left town all together.

Finally, when she called Libby to suggest they have dinner together and Libby told her she thought it was best if Jade continued to stay away for a little while longer, she put the pieces together.

Rance and Eve were staying at Libby’s. Stunned, Jade sank down on her front porch swing and wondered why she felt so betrayed.

The bright riot of autumn color had just about come to an end. Dead and dying leaves swirled in the north wind. Her necklace felt unusually heavy around her neck, the purple stone radiated heat. Which reminded her of the one person she no longer wanted to think about at all.

She stood, looking around at her beloved home, and knew what she had to do. Before she could talk herself out of it, she got in her SUV and drove to the lake, a spot directly across from the place where Libby’s house sat. Walking out to the edge of a cliff, she took the necklace from around her neck, trying to study the purple stone with a dispassionate gaze. For the first time she realized the color exactly matched Libby’s amethyst eyes. This made her feel a twinge of sadness, which she pushed away. Nothing would deter her from what she now felt she had to do.

Taking a deep breath, she flung the necklace as far as she could, watching as it hit the water with a satisfying plop. She waited, curious to see if anything else would happen, but nothing did. The lake didn’t foam or bubble up; Libby or another dragon creature didn’t rise out of the water. And she didn’t fall down dead. In fact, she didn’t feel much different. Maybe a little bit lighter, but that was all.

One thing she knew for certain—Libby would never be able to enter her head again now that the necklace was gone.

So she got back in her car and drove home.

Her cell phone rang as she turned onto her street.

“It’s time.” Auntie Em sounded worried rather than excited. “The doctor wants to induce labor. I’m doing everything I can to get him to hold off.”

“It hasn’t been long enough,” Jade protested.

“I know. But all along these pregnancies have been weird. All of the babies have had some kind of accelerated growth.”

“Are they all ready to deliver?”

“Yes.” Em swallowed with an audible gulp. “Can you get a hold of your Fae friend?”

While Jade wouldn’t go so far as to call Breena a friend, she understood the urgency in the request. Breena had told them the babies needed to be woken or there’d be disastrous consequences. “Yes. I’ll get her and send her to the hospital right away.”

At least since Jade had the charmed crystal bell to ring, contacting her had become much simpler than running off to the woods and jumping into the portal.

When Jade rang the bell, this time the tinkling sound reminded her of Breena’s laughter. A heartbeat later, the Fae queen stood in front of Jade, her blue eyes twinkling. “You rang?” she said, before dissolving into peals of laughter.

Jade smiled along with her. She really thought she and Breena would eventually reach a tacit understanding. In time, the two might actually be able to be friends, but as ruler of a race of magical beings, Breena had a lot to deal with. Meanwhile, so did Jade.

“The babies are about to be born,” Jade told her. “We need you to wake them before they are delivered.”

“Of course.” She looked around the interior of Jade’s SUV with interest. “How fast can you make this thing go?”

* * *

Libby thoroughly enjoyed having Rance and Eve for company. No longer alone, she found she had a skill for entertaining a young child while at the same time teaching valuable skills. She taught Eve basic food prep skills, nothing too complicated or dangerous, but the little girl could now make a sandwich with a plastic spreader for her mayo with ease. This pleased her so immensely she’d taken to insisting she be the one to prepare lunch every single day.

Eve’s strength had grown over time and Libby judged she’d soon be back to 100 percent.

Rance, on the other hand, was restless. He spent a lot of time outside with his camera, photographing the sunrise, the sunset, the lake and the trees. Libby wondered if he missed Jade and if he had any intention of going after her, but she didn’t want to butt in where she wasn’t wanted.

The truth of the matter was, Libby missed Jade, too. But she couldn’t invite her over while Rance stayed here. If she’d owned a car and knew how to drive, Libby would have gone and visited. She guessed she could order a cab like she had when she’d called the family meeting, but that would mean explaining to Jade what she was doing and why. She knew Jade would view this as a betrayal, as if Libby needed to choose sides—either Jade or Rance.

Libby loved them both. She’d lived long enough to understand if she was patient, things would eventually work out.

So in the end, she did nothing. Kind of like Rance, who looked more and more miserable every passing day.

Finally, one morning when she went downstairs to make breakfast and found Rance sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her, she realized he’d reached a decision.

“You made coffee,” she exclaimed, pretending not to notice anything out of the ordinary. “Thank you for that.”

“Once you’ve gotten a cup, we need to talk,” he responded.

“Okay.” She took her time adding cream and sugar, before carrying her mug over to the table and taking a sip. “What’s up?”

“How is Jade doing?” he asked, his casual tone at odds with his intense expression.

“Okay, I guess.” She carefully shrugged.

“She won’t answer my calls. I’ve shown up at the house twice, and the second time, Amber threatened to call the police. She told me I’m not welcome.”

“I can’t say I blame them,” Libby told him.

His eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“You hurt her. Badly. I’m guessing you want to apologize so you can assuage your guilt.”

“Not at all.” He swore. “I need to convince her I love her.”

She snorted. “Do you? You could have fooled me.”

His frown told her he didn’t appreciate her comment, but she’d had enough. “Rance, one thing I’ve come to know about you is if you want something, you go after it. If you really wanted Jade, you’d have found a way to get to her.”

“I...” Then he closed his mouth and she knew he realized she was right.

“Fine.” He placed his hands on the table. “What are you suggesting I do? She won’t see me or talk to me. I can’t become her stalker.”

Libby said nothing, letting him work it out himself.

“Will you help me?” he finally asked. “At least get her to agree to meet me.”

“I haven’t really talked to her much lately.”

He swore. “I’ve come between you. Believe me, that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.”

“You didn’t, I promise. Okay, maybe only a little. But Jade needed some alone time to figure things out.” She looked down at her hands. “Burnetts don’t stay Guardians forever, you know.”

“You’re not thinking of cutting her loose, are you? That would destroy her.”

Since she hadn’t truly decided herself, she couldn’t give him an answer. “All good things eventually come to an end,” she said. “I’d like to give Jade the freedom to have her own life.”

Forcing a smile, she looked up. “Meanwhile, you have your own path to follow.”

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I think the time has come for me and Eve to move on,” he told her.

Concerned, she made an effort not to frown. She would never have pegged him as a quitter. “Where are you thinking of going?”

He looked up from his own coffee and met her gaze. “I’d like to buy a place here in town. Nothing fancy, a simple house with a couple of bedrooms and a garage. I know I can’t afford lake view, but I’d like to live as close to the lake as possible.”

This time, she didn’t even attempt to hide her blazing grin. “I knew you wouldn’t give up so easily,” she exclaimed. “I’ll help you in any way I can. I hope once you find your own place, you and Eve will visit often.”

“Of course we will.” And then he surprised her and gave her a hug. “We consider you family, you know. Eve has no grandparents and I’d be honored if you’d consider filling that spot for her.”

Delighted, she hugged him back. “Of course I will. You have no idea how happy that’s made me. Now go on. I’ll watch Eve while you begin your house search. I think one of the Burnett family is a Realtor.”

Something flickered in his eyes at the mention of the name. “All right. But I’d prefer to work with a Realtor other than a Burnett. Can you tell me where another real estate office is?”

“Of course.” She gave him directions, shooing him out the door before Eve woke up. Then she got busy making some homemade cinnamon rolls for her granddaughter.