A Family Kind of Gal (28 page)
Read A Family Kind of Gal Online
Authors: Lisa Jackson
“What's going on?” she demanded.
“It's simple. I came to Bittersweet to tell you that you don't own the house, that Santini Brothers do. They bought Philip out to cover his gambling debts.”
Pain burned through her soul.
“So I'm tossed out? Me and the children?”
“Nope.” He tore the deed and note in half, then half again. “It's forgiven.”
“What?”
“The debt. It's been taken care of.”
“How?”
“My father's had a change of heart,” he said, still shredding the documents and letting the small confetti-like pieces fall to the floor.
“You paid him.”
He didn't answer.
“You didn't have to, you know. I would have taken care of it.” She should have been offended but found the gesture somehow comforting. Maybe their relationship wasn't for naught. “I'll pay you back.”
“Don't worry about it.”
“I said I'll pay you.”
“Drop it, Tiffany. You and the kids, you're part of the family.”
“Don't lie to me, Jay. It belittles us both. I never have nor will I ever be part of the Santini clan. That was your father's choice. Not mine.”
His jaw worked. “I said, things have changed.”
She didn't believe him, but changed the subject to the worry that had been gnawing at her for the past hour. “You're leaving, aren't you?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“In the morning.”
“Nice, Jay.” She couldn't hide her disappointment. How would she live without him? These past few weeks had been glorious torments, a kind of bittersweet pleasure that she would miss. As she would miss him. She looked at him and wondered if she'd ever be blessed with his smile again, ever feel his lips on hers, ever quiver at his touch.
Oh, foolish, foolish woman. Pull yourself together. He doesn't care about you. Never has. Never will. Your love for him is a joke.
“And when were you going to tell me about the deed?” she demanded, chasing away her painful thought of love or the lack of it. “Or were you going to wait until Carlo decided to evict me?”
“That's not happening.” He was firm.
“Isn't it? Then why all the secrecy? Why didn't you tell me the truth?” she demanded, walking closer to him, stopping only when the toes of her sandals brushed the tips of his boots.
His jaw slid to the side, and he stared at her with an intensity that stole the breath from her lungs. “Why?” he countered. “You want the truth?”
“Absolutely.”
His mouth tightened at the corners, and his eyes took on the color of midnight. “Because, lady, from the moment I set my eyes on you again, I knew that I was lost.”
“âLost'?” What was he saying? The room was suddenly hot. Way too hot.
“That's right, Tiffany.” He pushed his head forward, bending so that his nose was a hair's breadth from hers, so close that his clean male scent enveloped her. “The second you climbed out of your car the first day I was here, it was all over for me.”
“IâI don't understand.”
“I'm trying to tell you that I fell in love with you, dammit.”
“In love with me?” Could she believe it? No way. Her insipid heart took flight.
“That's right.”
For a heartbeat there was silence. Hot, condemning silence. She swallowed hard.
Love? J.D. loved her?
“I don't know what to say.”
He straightened, and a look of weary defeat gathered in his eyes. “You don't have to say anything, Tiff.” Shaking his head he started past her, but she reached out and grabbed the crook of his elbow.
“Wait.”
Beneath her fingers, his muscles tensed. He looked at her over one muscular shoulder with eyes that reflected a pain that tore at his very soul. “For what?”
“Me,” she whispered, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. “Wait for me.”
He closed his eyes.
“I love you, too, Jay.” Tears spilled over at the admission. “Iâ¦I have for a long, long time.”
For a second he didn't move, and then his eyes flew open, he grabbed her and kissed her hard on the lips. Her arms wound around his neck and his circled her waist. They clung to each other as if they'd been separated for years, star-crossed lovers who had at last rediscovered each other.
When finally his head lifted from hers, he cracked a smile. “So?”
“So marry me, Santini,” she said with a low chuckle. “Make an honest woman of me.”
“I don't know if that's possible.”
Tossing her head back, she giggled. “Try me.”
“All right. You're on. We'll drive to Portland tomorrow, find a justice of the peace and be married in the afternoon.”
“No way. I did the quickie marriage before. This time we're going all out. My son's going to give me away. My daughter's going to be the flower girl and my sisters...” She surprised herself. “My sisters will be there.”
“What about your father?”
A cloud crossed Tiffany's mind, and her heart squeezed in the same painful manner it had for all of her lonely life, but she decided it was time for a new beginning. Time to bury all her pain. “He'll be invited. To be a guest, nothing more. If he shows up, fine.”
“And if he doesn't?”
“His loss.”
J.D. placed a kiss on her forehead. “Are you sure about this?” he asked.
“As sure as of anything I've ever done.”
“We still could lose the house. Dad might not approve.”
“Then we'll move, won't we?” She felt light-headed, freed of the blackness that had shrouded her for so long. “But what about your job?”
“Already quit.” He regarded her with twinkling eyes. “You know, I think there're some ambulances down here just dying to be chased.”
“No doubt.”
“Besides which, I'm not destitute, you know.”
“No?”
“No. But we do have one more obstacle to overcome.”
“What's that?”
“I want to adopt the kids.”
“But you're already their uncle.”
“I know.” A dimple showed in his cheek. “But when they're ready, I want them to think of me as their father.”
“Do you think that'll happen?” she asked skeptically.
He twirled her off her feet. “Haven't I been telling you all along that anything's possible?”
“That you have, J.D.,” she admitted.
“Then, for once, Tiff, trust me.”
“I do,” she promised, and he kissed her as if he would never stop.
T
wo weeks later Tiffany twirled in front of the mirror. The blue silk dress swirled around her like a cloud. “It's beautiful,” she said, turning to face her half sisters.
“Yep. Looks great.” Katie, dressed in an identical gown, agreed.
“Good.” Bliss flopped into a chair at the dressmaker's shop where she had ordered not only her wedding dress but the two bridesmaids' gowns, as well.
Tiffany felt a sense of family. She and J.D. were going to marry, her half sisters and she were discovering each other, and her kids, finally, had settled down. Under J.D.'s influence, Stephen seemed to be trying to walk the straight and narrow, and Christina was on cloud nine.
“Okay,” Bliss said, “let's get out of here. I'll buy you both a soda.”
“I think we deserve gin and tonics after this ordeal,” Katie teased as she peeled off her dress and handed it, along with the marked hem to Betty, the shop owner.
“Well, how about a glass of Chablis instead?”
“You're on!”
They changed and walked outside where the afternoon sun was glistening overhead. The streets of Bittersweet were shaded on this edge of town, the traffic slow.
“I can't believe that both of you are getting married,” Katie said with a sigh as they walked to Bliss's Mustang convertible which was parked in the shade of a giant oak tree. The top was down, and Bliss's dog, Oscar, a golden mutt of about twenty pounds, gave out an excited yip and, at Bliss's command, hopped into the back seat.
“You'll be next,” Bliss predicted as she slid behind the wheel. Katie climbed into the back and petted the dog while Tiffany took her place in the passenger seat.
“No way. I've got too much to do before I get married.”
“Such as?” With a flick of her wrist Bliss turned on the ignition. The sporty car roared to life.
“Such as finding out the story behind Ray Dean and Isaac Wells.”
“Can't you leave it to the police?” Tiffany asked as Bliss pulled out of the parking lot.
“And miss the scoop of a lifetime? No way.”
Wind breezed through their hair as they drove. Tiffany leaned back and smiled. Life was definitely improving.
“So, what've you learned about your newest tenant?” Katie asked.
“Luke? Not much. He keeps to himself.”
“I wonder why?”
“Why don't you ask him?” Tiffany asked.
“I just might.” Katie laughed, the sound tinkling and light over the growl of the engine, and Tiffany smiled as her house came into view. In a grand gesture, as an early wedding gift, her father-in-law had given her the title to the house. He had refused payment from J.D. and was desperately trying to wheedle his son back into the Santini Brothers fold. But J.D. was determined to hang his shingle in Bittersweet.
“Mommy!” Christina flew out the front door as Bliss pulled into the drive. J.D. was on her heels. His limp had all but disappeared, and his eyes glittered mischievously. Oscar hopped out of the car and washed the little girl's face with his long tongue. Christina giggled with delight.
As Tiffany climbed from her seat, J.D. held the door open for her. “Glad you're home.”
“Are you? Gee, and I thought you loved babysitting,” she teased.
“I do.”
At that moment Luke Gates's dilapidated pickup pulled into the drive. He parked and slowly stretched his way out of the cab. “Here's your chance,” Bliss said to Katie in a stage whisper, and the younger woman grinned widely.
“You're right.” She climbed out of the car. “You know me,” Katie said, straightening. “I'm not one to pass up an opportunity.”
“What's this all about?” J.D. asked.
“It's a long story.” Tiffany smiled as J.D. wrapped his arms around her, and Katie crossed the lawn toward the tall Texan. “But don't be surprised if you read about it in the
Review.
”
“Uh-oh. Katie's on to a hot story,” J.D. guessed.
“She only hopes,” Bliss said, and Tiffany sighed contentedly, glad to be a part of this scattered, but loving, family.
Someday she might even forgive her father.
Someday.
For now, her focus was on loving J.D.
* * * * *
Don't miss Katie's story in
A FAMILY KIND OF WEDDING,
 book three of Lisa Jackson's
FOREVER FAMILY
series.
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed reading about Tiffany and J.D. Santini and their special family. The next book of the Forever Family series,
A Family Kind of Wedding,
is the story of Katie Kinkaid, Tiffany and Bliss's half sister, and Luke Gates, the mysterious cowboy who has come to Bittersweet, Oregon, with an agenda of his own, an agenda that involves Katie and her son, Josh.
What Luke doesn't expect is to face a dynamo of a woman whose curiosity and natural love of life leave him questioning his own values and motives. He's not the type to fall in love with restless, redheaded Katie, but then Katie has convinced herself she will never find the right man for herâespecially not a cowboy with a clouded past. She has too much to do what with her newfound half sisters and Bittersweet's mystery of the century begging to be unraveled.
But fate has a way of intervening and along with trying to put her newfound family together, Katie has to deal with Luke and look herself in the mirror. How can this drifter, this man whose own dreams are so detrimental to her own, be the love of her life? Find out in
A Family Kind of Wedding
.
Happy Reading!
Lisa Jackson
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY
bestselling author
SUSAN MALLERY
brings you these great titles from her charming
Fool's Gold
series!
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Love. Laughter. Happily Ever After.
Available wherever ebooks are sold.
“[A] classic blend of lighthearted humor, intense emotional conflict, and a setting so real and appealing readers will want to start scoping out real estate.”
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Library Journal
on
Until We Touch
