After Tex (18 page)

“She did,” Jake said, pulling out copies of a half-dozen letters she had written asking that the repairs be done. “On more than one occasion, it seems.”

Josh ignored the copies and went to his files.
“Must not have gotten them,” he muttered as he pulled a file folder from a drawer. He opened it. There wasn't so much as a rent receipt inside. “See? Nothing.”

“How convenient. The postal service in Whispering Wind must not be what it used to be.”

Josh's gaze narrowed. “What's your interest in this, son? Why isn't Janie here herself?”

“She got tired of getting nowhere,” Jake said quietly, then leveled a gaze straight into the Realtor's eyes. “So she hired me.”

Josh bristled. “Hired you? Hired you to do what?”

“Sue you, if need be.” He regarded Josh blandly. “I'm sure it won't come to that, right, Josh?”

“You can't sue me,” Josh protested.

“Watch me,” Jake said with deadly calm. “Unless, of course, you agree to see that these repairs are started no later than this time tomorrow. Otherwise, by the time I'm done with you, Janie Morgan will own that house and have a healthy chunk of upkeep money to go right along with it.”

Josh Wilson looked stunned. “You can't be serious.”

Jake smiled, pleased with his morning's work. “Oh, but I am.”

“Where's Janie going to get money to pay a lawyer?”

“She doesn't need any. This case is on the house.”

“Why's that? The two of you got something going? She's—”

Before Josh could finish the thought, Jake had him pinned against the wall. “Don't even go there, you lousy, no-good creep. I know the games you tried to
pull with my mother to get her to work off any repairs she asked for. If you even hint that there's anything inappropriate going on between Janie Morgan and me, I will have you in court on slander charges so fast it'll make your head swim. You'll have so many legal bills, it'll make these repairs seem like pocket change.”

He released Josh and watched in satisfaction as the low-down weasel sank into the chair behind his desk, clearly shaken.

“Are we clear?” Jake asked.

“Very clear,” Josh said, the vein in his temple pulsing wildly.

“Shall we expect a contractor over there tomorrow?”

“I might not be able to get one there that fast,” Josh hedged. “Besides, it's Saturday.”

“Do your best,” Jake suggested. “You know every contractor and repairman around here. I'm sure you can manage it, if you want to badly enough.”

Outside, Jake drew in a deep breath of fresh air. He needed to clear his lungs of the stench inside that office, a mix of fear and flat-out meanness.

As he walked down the street to his own office, Janie stepped outside her beauty salon and watched him approach.

“Well?” she asked. “Did you see him?”

Jake nodded. “I'm pretty sure you can expect somebody to come by tomorrow to get started on the repairs. If nobody's there by nine, let me know.”

Relief spread over her face. “How will I ever thank you, Jake?”

“Don't thank me. That was more fun than just about anything I've done since I got my law degree.”

In fact, it had been so much fun he felt like celebrating. Rather than going inside to shuffle around a few meaningless papers to appear busy, he hopped in his car and headed straight for the ranch. Maybe he could persuade Meggie to play hooky from all her faxes and e-mails and go riding with him.

But when he reached the ranch, he discovered that Megan had already gone riding.

“She left not more than a half hour ago,” Mrs. Gomez told him. “She said she needed to clear her head. She took along a lunch. If you wait, I will fix something for you, as well. It is a lovely day for a picnic,
Sí?
”

As Jake waited impatiently, she made him a thick ham sandwich, added a small bag of chips, a can of soda and a large package of brownies.

“Megan would not take dessert,” she explained as she handed him the bag. “She is too thin. Perhaps you can get her to eat a little something sweet.”

“She turned down your brownies? They were always her favorite.”

“Still warm from the oven,” she grumbled, as if she couldn't believe it, either.

He pressed a kiss to the housekeeper's weathered cheek. “She'll have two. I'll see to it.”

“She needs someone to look after her,” Mrs. Gomez said, her expression sly.

“Have you told her that?” he asked. He could just imagine how Megan would react to such a suggestion.

“More than once.”

“And?”

“She tells me she can take care of herself, that I am being a foolish old lady, but I see what I see.”

Jake had seen it, too, this driving need Megan had to prove she could cope with everything. That had always been her way, fostered, of course, by Tex. She would collapse if she didn't slow down.

He squeezed Mrs. Gomez's hand. “Don't worry. She'll be fine.”

“She is leaving for New York tomorrow for another week. Did you know that? That assistant of hers made the arrangements today. I took the message. Tess will be brokenhearted when she hears. Her parent night at school is next week and there will be no one to go with her.”

“Does Megan know?”

“I do not believe the child has told her. I think she is afraid of asking, afraid of being turned down. She says only that it is dumb, that she does not care if Megan attends, but I can see the hurt and disappointment in Tess's eyes.”

“If Megan can't change her plans, I'll go with Tess,” he promised. “She won't be alone.”

“Why would she be alone at parents night?” an unfamiliar voice inquired from the doorway.

Staring past him, Mrs. Gomez turned pale. Jake pivoted slowly to face a woman with Tess's huge eyes, a thick mane of strawberry blond hair and jeans so tight it was a wonder she could breathe.

“Don't mind me,” she said. “The door was open, so I just came on in.” She gestured toward the suitcase at her feet. “I figured I'd be welcome in my own baby girl's home.”

Jake stepped forward. “So you're Tess's mother.”

“Flo Olson in the flesh,” she said. “And if anyone's going with my girl to that parent thing at school, it'll be me. It'll be just the right thing to show that her mama is back.”

“I don't think so,” Jake said softly. “Nor will you be staying here. Not in this house and, if you're wise, not in this town.”

“Now why would that be?” she asked, clearly undaunted.

“Mrs. Gomez, do you have those papers I left here?” Jake asked.

The housekeeper nodded and reached into a drawer. She handed them to Jake, who passed them on to Tess's mother.

She took them reluctantly. “What're these?” she asked, without bothering to open them.

“Copies of a restraining order forbidding you to get anywhere near Tess,” Jake said. “As soon as I call the sheriff and let him know where he can find you, you'll be formally served with them.”

The woman stared at him incredulously. “You can't do this. I'm her mama. You can't keep me from spending time with my own flesh and blood.”

“You gave up all rights to that title when you signed her over to Tex.”

“I was under—what do you call it?—duress. I wasn't in my right mind, what with Tex pressuring me and all.”

“Sorry,” Jake said. “There are witnesses who will say that you brought Tess here out of the blue, that you knew exactly what you were doing when you signed those papers, and that you did it not just willingly, but eagerly.”

“Who will say that? Her?” she demanded, gesturing toward Mrs. Gomez. “Of course, she'd say whatever Tex wanted. He was paying her.”

“Not just Mrs. Gomez,” Jake corrected mildly. “Tess. The judge will listen to her.”

“She's a kid. It was a very traumatic time for her.”

“I'm astonished that you recognize that, since you walked away without a backward glance,” he said. “Not so much as a postcard in all these months, as I understand it. Not until you'd heard about Tex's death, of course, and figured there might be something in it for you.”

He picked up her suitcase, tucked his other hand under her elbow and steered her toward the door. She stumbled a little in her high heels, but Jake never slowed. “It's time for you to go. I don't want you anywhere near here when Tess gets home from school.”

She scowled up at him, but she backed down. “I'll go now, but I'll be back. You can count on that. And I will see my daughter. You can take that to the bank, too. A girl belongs with her mama.”

“You should have thought of that before you abandoned her,” Jake said.

Outside, Jake noted the car waiting for her with the motor running and a man lounging behind the wheel. If Tess had been here, would they have grabbed her and tried to hold her for ransom? It was a sure bet they weren't here because of any sudden onset of motherly concern. Jake wouldn't have been surprised by any stunt the woman pulled. That meant someone was going to have to keep close tabs on Tess without
her being aware of it. He didn't want her scared to death.

As soon as the car had driven off, he went back into the kitchen where Mrs. Gomez waited, looking mad enough to tear the woman apart with her bare hands.

“You do not need to say it,” she said. “I will go into town and pick Tess up after school. She should not be alone on the bus.”

“And I'll call the school and make sure they know that Tess is not to be allowed to leave with anyone other than you, me or Megan. I'll touch base with Bryce, too, and let him know the tag number on that car. Then I'll ride out and find Megan. She's going to have to cancel that trip to New York.”

Mrs. Gomez looked worried. “But her work,” she protested. “How can she?”

“Right now, Tess has to be our number one priority,” he said firmly. He just prayed that Megan would see it that way, too.

“T
ess is okay, isn't she?” Megan demanded when Jake found her and broke the news about their visitor. Alarmed by the thought of Flo Olson being anywhere near Tess, she jumped to her feet and started toward her horse. “We've got to go. We should pick her up at school right now.”

“Mrs. Gomez has gone,” Jake reassured her, taking her hand firmly in his. “And I've spoken to the principal and her teacher. Tess won't be allowed to leave with anyone except one of us. We can eat our lunch before we go back.”

Megan sighed, her panic easing. “I was hoping that woman had changed her mind. It's been a couple of weeks since she called. I thought she'd gotten the message after you talked to her. Maybe she gets it now that you've told her about the restraining order.”

“I'd been hoping that she'd never show up in the first place, but obviously she was just taking her time getting here from wherever she's been the last few months. I doubt that a mere restraining order will intimidate her, not with all those dollar signs gleaming in her eyes.”

“Does Bryce know?”

“I called him before I saddled up and rode out looking for you. Everything's covered for now.”

“Good. What do we do next?”

“We keep a close eye on Tess.” He kept his gaze fixed intently on Megan.

“Of course.”

“That means it would be best if you didn't go to New York next week,” he explained quietly.

The suggestion stunned her, though it shouldn't have. Megan sank down on a sun-drenched boulder beside the creek. She knew Jake was right, that she had no business being away from the ranch while there was any danger to Tess. Tex's lectures on duty and obligation resounded in her head.

But what about the tapings, Dean's threats to cancel the syndication agreement? What about her career?

She sighed heavily. It should have been no choice at all—parental responsibilities versus a mere job—but she was so new to being a parent, so unprepared for it. Even so, she knew she couldn't leave Tess. That terrible sensation of being overwhelmed—also new to her—came back with a vengeance.

“I know the timing's lousy,” Jake said, sitting down beside her. “If it would help, I could move out to the ranch so you could go.”

She whirled on him. “Oh, you'd just love that, wouldn't you? It would give you a foot in the door. Next thing I know you'd be claiming the house and Tess.”

He regarded her with silent censure.

Megan closed her eyes. “I'm sorry. I know that wasn't fair. You were just trying to help.” Hating her
unfamiliar sense of vulnerability, she regarded Jake beseechingly. “What am I supposed to do? It's all closing in on me.”

“I've offered one solution, but you didn't like it.”

“Moving everything here,” she said wearily, staring at the creek. This had always been her special place. It had brought her solace, but there was none for her here today, not even with Jake by her side offering his strength.

“Setting up your headquarters in Whispering Wind would be an option,” Jake said. “It could be a temporary move, just until things settle down a bit. Once the facilities are fixed up, they'd become a moneymaker. There are a lot of film companies coming into Wyoming to shoot movies these days. This could become another adjunct to your media empire.”

He made it sound so reasonable. Finally, resigned, she lifted her gaze to meet his. “As soon as Tess is home, will you take me out to see those warehouses again?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

“Don't gloat,” she warned.

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

“Sure you would. Just don't do it so I can see it.”

He sketched a cross on his chest, then reached for the package of brownies and waved one under her nose. “Eat,” he instructed. “There's nothing that can improve a lousy day like chocolate.”

She'd resisted the brownies earlier, hadn't even touched her lunch, but she grabbed one now. Jake was right. Chocolate could make up for a lot. Of course, considering the way things were going, she wouldn't
be able to fit into a single thing in her closet if she ate enough to keep her spirits up every day.

When she and Jake got back to the house, Megan discovered that Tess and Mrs. Gomez had arrived only moments before. Tess had gone straight upstairs and locked herself in her room.

“She is thinking that is the only way to keep her mother out,” Mrs. Gomez explained. “I could not reason with her. She would not even come into the kitchen for her usual snack. I have never seen her like this. It worries me.”

Jake offered to talk to her, but Megan shook her head. “I'll go.”

For the second time in a few brief weeks, she was knocking on Tess's door, pleading to be let in, wondering what she should say once she was admitted.

Was Tess as conflicted as Megan would have been years ago if Sarah O'Rourke had come back into her life? She had dreamed of that happening, wanted it fiercely for months, but eventually anger and then resignation had taken the place of the yearning. All the good times she'd had with her mother—baking cookies; raking fall leaves, then jumping into the piles; hot chocolate on Christmas Eve while they listened to carols—all of those memories faded and were replaced by emptiness.

Surely Tess had good memories, too, memories that were still fresh after only a few months of separation.

“Sweetie, please, talk to me.”

“Go away,” Tess said, her voice raspy from crying. “You can't protect me. You won't even be here.
I know you're going back to New York. You have those tapings again.”

“I will be here,” Megan corrected. “And we need to talk about this, about what you really want to do.”

“You're staying?” Tess queried, her tone less defiant. “What about your show?”

“I'm going to call New York as soon as you and I talk. I'll make other arrangements to do the tapings.”

“Call now,” Tess ordered, clearly not trusting the promise.

“Why now?”

“So I'll know it's a done deal.”

Oh, Tess,
Megan thought.
What have we all done to you?
Even Tex, who'd welcomed her into his home, made her a part of his life, had abandoned her in the end. She didn't trust the word of any grown-up. Megan honestly couldn't blame her.

“Are you gonna call or not?” Tess demanded. “If you're not, just say so and I'll go back to watching TV.”

Megan smiled at the imperial tone. “I'll call. Want me to do it on my cell phone right outside your door so you can eavesdrop?”

The door opened a crack. Tess stared out at her with red-rimmed eyes. “You would do that?”

“If it would make you feel better, yes. I want you to know that when I give you my word, I'll keep it.” She was determined to make up for too many broken promises—in both their lives.

Tess seemed to be considering the idea. “Okay. Do it,” she said finally.

Megan gently touched Tess's tear-stained cheek. “I'll be right back.”

When she returned a few minutes later with the cell phone, the door was still open a crack and Tess was sitting on the floor just inside, her knees drawn up to her chest. Megan settled into a similar position in the hallway. She drew in a deep breath and dialed her office.

“Megan O'Rourke's office,” Todd announced.

“Hi,” she said.

“Megan? Is that you?”

“Yes.”

“You sound funny. What's wrong?”

“Something's come up.”

He groaned. “Don't tell me. You can't get here Saturday. Okay, no problem. I'll change the flight to Sunday. I can fax everything to you out there on Saturday. You'll still be up to speed when you get here.”

“Todd, stop.”

“What?”

“It's not that simple.”

“Megan, I hate to tell you, but that's not simple. Anything else is disaster.”

“Then that's what we're dealing with.”

“Just tell me.”

She gave him a brief summary of what was going on, trying not to sound too dire for Tess's sake. “Bottom line, I can't leave here right now.”

“What am I supposed to tell Dean?” He sounded more plaintive than furious, which he had every right to be after all the hoops he'd jumped through to put this schedule together.

“Nothing.”

“Megan, it's not like he won't figure out something's up. I'll have to ask him to put some reruns into the schedule. He's going to hate it.”

“No reruns,” she said decisively. That would mean the end of the syndication deal for sure.

“What then?”

“I want you to get on the phone and start ordering cameras and whatever else we need. Have it delivered out here by Monday. I'll get the address for you. Put together a crew and fly them out.” She thought of Peggy's picture-perfect kitchen. Maybe they could borrow it for a week until she could get a new studio up and running. “We'll do a location shoot.”

“You can't put together a location shoot in a few days,” Todd protested, clearly horrified. “It takes weeks of planning. Micah will lose it if you drop this on her out of the blue.”

“We have days,” Megan said simply. “Micah will have to run with it. She's a pro. I expect her to rise to the occasion. This is important, Todd. Make it happen.”

“You will owe me big time if I pull this off,” he warned.

“A vacation anywhere in the world you want to go,” she promised. “All expenses paid.”

“Two weeks,” he countered.

“Done.” She chuckled. “Of course, it could be next year before you get to take it.”

“In that case, make it three weeks,” he related. “After Micah gets through with me, I may need a week of that time in a hospital.”

“We'll negotiate. I'll see you this weekend, then.”

“Yes, God help me. And I'll get back to you before the end of the day about everything else.”

“Thanks.”

“Megan, wait,” Todd said as she was about to hang up. “Are you telling Micah or am I?”

Megan knew she ought to be the one to do it, but she dreaded it. “I'll do it. Maybe I'll even enjoy telling her to pack her bags and head west.”

The call to Micah was as horrible as she'd anticipated. Even so, when Megan hung up, she felt slightly better, slightly more in control. The location shoot concept had been a stroke of brilliance. Even Micah had liked the idea, if not the timing. Megan just had to convince Peggy to go along with it. Hopefully, since her kitchen was almost a replica of the one Megan used on the show, she would be thrilled with the idea of having her home on TV.

The door to Tess's room inched open. The next thing Megan knew Tess had crawled into her lap. Her arms crept around Megan's neck.

“It's going to be okay, sweetie,” Megan murmured, rocking her. “You'll see.”

“If you're going to be here, will you go to parents night with me?” Tess asked in a small voice.

“When?”

“Next week.”

“Why didn't you say something before?”

“I figured you'd say no, or you'd be gone or something.” She shrugged. “It's not a big deal if you can't go.”

Megan looked into her eyes and saw that it was a very big deal, indeed. “I'll put it on my calendar,” she promised, and wondered why she felt like crying.
Could it be that she was actually beginning to feel just a little bit like a mom? Or was she thinking of all the parents' nights her own mother had missed?

“Hey, you guys,” Jake called from the foot of the stairs. “Everything okay up there?”

“Everything's fine,” Megan called back.

“How about a hot game of Scrabble before supper?”

Tess scrambled up. “You know too many words and you cheat. Let's play Monopoly instead.”

“Okay by me,” he agreed. “Are you in, Meggie?”

“Are you kidding? There's nothing I like better than buying property and putting big ol' hotels on it.”

She followed Tess down the stairs. At the bottom, Jake held her back as Tess ran on into the living room to set up the game board.

“Is everything really okay?” he asked quietly.

“It will be,” she said.

“Do you still want to see those warehouses this afternoon?”

“Tomorrow morning will be soon enough. Right now, let's just concentrate on Tess.”

Jake tucked a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. “You've done the right thing, darlin'. I'm proud of you.” He pressed a quick kiss against her lips.

It wasn't quite the same as having Tex here to grant his approval, Megan concluded. In some ways, it was even better.