Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (50 page)

She looked at the colossal tree, stunned by its massive trunk and protruding roots, then back at him. “Wow. Itʼs huge.”

“J.T. was crazy about this tree,” Jack explained with a soft smile. “This is where we used to come and talk all the time. Itʼs right under this tree that he asked me to become his son—and itʼs here that I finally signed the adoption papers. ‘
Nobody can keep a manʼs secrets better than his land, secure and steady like the roots of a tree
,ʼ he used to say. If thereʼs any place J.T. would have entrusted with his secrets, this has to be it.”

“I donʼt understand.”

Jack shrugged. “
Secure and steady like the roots of a tree,
” he recited again.

It took Sara a few seconds to grasp what he was saying, and the instant she did, her eyes widened. “You think J.T. might have…
buried
his journal?”

“Itʼs crazy, I know. But J.T. wasnʼt into technology, and it only makes sense that he would rely on his land more than a computer.”

Saraʼs gaze flicked from the tree to him. Enthusiasm filled his eyes. And fear. Because he knew that if he was wrong and the journal wasnʼt there, then he had no idea where else it could be.

Drawing a deep breath, Jack pulled his hand away and kissed her lips. “Wait here, Iʼll be right back.”

She nodded with uncertainty as he walked to a small tool shed a few feet away. Unable to stand still, she stepped toward the tree, still in awe at how colossal it was. She studied its gigantic roots sticking out of the ground. Touched, almost with reverence, the thick branches, the enormous trunk. Then she gasped. “Jack, I think I found something!” she shrieked as he walked out of the shed holding a rusty shovel in his hand.

He frowned. “What is it?”

“It looks like…a crack.”

“A crack?” Jack looked confused. “Sweetheart, cracks are normal in tree trunks.”

“I know, but this one is weird. Come look at it.”

Jack walked toward her with a sigh. “Just remind me how much I love you when―” He broke off, his gaze fixed on the spot she was indicating. “Oh, my God. Sara, I think you found what we’re looking for.”

Her heart raced with anticipation. “I told you!”

He pressed a quick kiss on her lips, then slid his arm inside the crack. “Letʼs see if I can reach it.”

“Be careful,” Sara murmured, shuddering at the thought of all the horrible creatures that might be hiding in that deep, dark hole. She nearly screamed her relief when Jack winked at her and pulled out his arm. “Got it.”

She stared at the metallic object in his hand. “A box?”

Jack nodded. “Iʼm almost scared to open it, so Iʼm going to do it real fast,” he said with a boyish grin, making her smile.

She peered over his shoulder as he slid the lid open…and her jaw dropped. “Itʼs the journal!”

“J.T.ʼs journal,” Jack confirmed, his eyes shimmering with excitement as he cautiously thumbed through the pages. Sara watched him in silence and didnʼt even say a word when he stopped on a page and read to himself. After another couple of minutes, though, her patience started running out. “What does it say?”

Jack swallowed hard and passed her the journal. Sara gave him a puzzled look but didnʼt comment as he sat under the tree, his knees against his chest, his head buried in his arms.

Clearing her throat, she started reading out loud. “
August 20
^th
. What a horrible day this has been! Jack and I had yet another fight because of the ranch, and it was devastating, as usual.
” She slanted him a quick glance before continuing. “
He doesnʼt want me to leave it to him, because he says heʼs not my son and Iʼm not his father. I know he doesnʼt really mean it, but I hate hearing those words from him. Words no father should ever hear from his son. Because I
am
his father, whether he wants to admit it or not! I couldnʼt care less who the hell brought him into this world. Heʼs
my
son.
” Sara stopped, trying to push back the tears welling in her eyes. “Honey…”

Jack shook his head. “Keep reading.”

“
Iʼll talk to him tonight after he gets back home, and I swear to God, Iʼm going to put some sense in that stubborn head of his once and for all.
” A sad smile curved Jackʼs lips at those words, but she forced herself to continue. “
Speaking of stubborn heads, Max came to the ranch after Jack left. He was nervous and wanted to talk about the reason he needed all that money from me. Heaven forgive me, but I wanted to strangle him after what he told me! Sometimes I wonder why the hell I always get myself into such predicaments. But thereʼs a limit to what I can handle,  and tonight I crossed it. I told Max that I canʼt keep a secret like that, and neither should he. Weʼll be meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the matter again, and Iʼm hoping to convince him to talk to the police…or I will.
” Sara dragged her eyes off the page and gave Jack a dismayed look. “The journal ends here.”

“I know.”

“My God, Jack. Do you think Max killed J.T. to stop him from revealing his secret to the authorities?”

He shrugged. “I donʼt know, but that would explain why he assaulted me with such fury the night of my accident. Although it does seem a little unreal that an idiot like Lacrod could actually pull something like this and get away with it for so many years. Not to mention he wasnʼt the one who made that threatening call.”

“Maybe…he was helping someone else?” Sara suggested in a low voice, that thought so horrible she shuddered all over.

“Maybe.” Jack buried his face in both hands again. “Or maybe Iʼm just losing my mind. I know I am. Why the hell didnʼt J.T. write more about it?” He cursed, mostly to himself. “Iʼm back to square one. All this time, all these months, I thought this would be it―I thought that finding the journal found finally give me the answers I needed.”

“Honey…”

Jack raised his gaze to her. “I donʼt give a fuck about revenge anymore. But, dammit, Sara, I need the truth!” He smashed a fist on the dirt beside him.

Putting the journal down, she kneeled beside him and hugged him in a tight embrace. “Honey, you have to show this journal to Brent and Nicky,” she whispered, stroking his back.

“I know. I will.”

“Today?”

“No way.” He shook his head. “I want some more time alone with you before bringing reality back into our life.”

“Jack, please, you have to tell them. Itʼs too important.”

He looked at her for a long moment before drawing a deep sigh. “All right. Iʼll tell them today.”

“Thank you.” Sara flashed him a relieved smile. “And Iʼm telling them about our baby, too.”

“Fine. But weʼre not telling anyone else for now,” he warned her as she tried to kiss him. “And I want you by my side at all times until this nightmare is over.”

“Try to stop me.”

“Iʼm serious, Sara. I need you to promise me you wonʼt go anywhere without me, unless Brent or Nicky is with you.”

Sara nodded. “I promise. Now, can you just shut up and kiss me?”

Jack couldnʼt help grinning as he bent his head. “Try to stop me.”

***

“
Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!
”

Jack and Sara burst out laughing as Nicky jumped up and down and hugged them both. “You guys got back together? Seriously?”

“Pretty seriously, yes,” Sara confirmed. “I mean, we havenʼt set a date or anything, yet, but―”

“
Ohmygooooosh!
” Nickyʼs eyes became enormous. “Brent, these two are getting married!”

He grinned as she sat back down beside him in their favorite booth at The Cove. “I can hear, Einstein. And, if you donʼt lower your voice, the whole of Starville will, too.”

Jack shook his head. “Go ahead, Hayden, brag away. I know youʼre dying to say that you were right and Iʼm an idiot.”

“As if we didnʼt know that already,” he grumbled. Too bad his chuckle ruined the effect. “By the way, Jack, you and Sara are coming to my parents’ tomorrow night, right?”

He frowned. “Isnʼt the ranch open to the public on Thanksgiving?”

“Only in the morning, and only the corn maze. My mom has always been adamant about Thanksgiving being a family holiday, so we usually stay open until lunch and have our celebration at night. I know sheʼd be thrilled to have you over.”

Jack exchanged a look with Sara. She nodded and smiled at Brent. “We would love to come, thank you.” It was true. She had so many wonderful memories of the night they’d spent at the ranch. The night she and Jack had probably conceived their baby. At that thought, she twisted her hands nervously over her stomach. “You guys, Iʼm sorry I didnʼt tell you about the baby before,” she apologized, embarrassed. “I just…wasnʼt ready, I guess. I wanted Jack to know first.”

Nicky put a hand on her arm. “Itʼs okay, hon. I mean, of course Iʼll never forgive you and everything, but there are still a few months until the baby comes, and thereʼs so much to do. We need to go shopping for the nursery and baby clothes, and then Iʼll throw you the most awesome baby shower ever!”

She laughed at her friendʼs enthusiasm and the horrified expressions on Brent’s and Jackʼs faces. “Something tells me weʼd better do it without the boys, though. And speaking of pregnancy, I have to use the restroom again.”

“Iʼll go with you.”

As soon as they walked away, Brent leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest, and looked straight into Jackʼs eyes. “Tell me youʼre sure about what youʼre doing.”

“Dead sure.”

“You canʼt hurt her again, Jack. I wonʼt let you.”

“I wonʼt. I never wanted to let her go in the first place, Brent. Leaving her nearly killed me.”

Brent gave him a long stare. “I donʼt get it, man. When you told me that you were going back to Chicago without Sara, I knew there was something going on, but I figured you knew what you were doing, so I kept my mouth shut. But then Max died and everything finally started going back to normal, and you still disappeared for months!”

“I know. But thereʼs something you donʼt know.” Jack swallowed hard and leaned forward across the table. “Max was the one who assaulted me the night I returned to Starville six months ago.”

Brentʼs mouth opened and closed a few times. “Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure, yes. I never saw his face, but I know it was his car that ran me off the road before I lost consciousness. Not that it means anything, of course. Itʼs no secret that Max hated me, but that doesnʼt make him the murderer.”

“It doesnʼt make him innocent, either.”

“I know, but… Brent, do you believe Max is the killer?”

His friendʼs brows pulled together. “Are we being honest here?”

“It would help if we were.”

“Then no, I donʼt.”

“Why not?”

“The most obvious reason? He had good alibis for each murder,” Brent answered, his voice almost a whisper. “The night J.T. was killed, he was at home with Layla and Charlene, and when Charlene died, he was at
The Cove playing cards with Hank, Doc, and my dad.”

“I forgot about that.”

“Not to mention Carrie. The night she was murdered, Max was having a pizza at his house with Layla. Unless everybody is lying, including my dad and the pizza guy, thereʼs no way he can be the killer.”

Jack took in a deep breath. “Thereʼs more than that, Brent. I know now that Max was the one who took J.T.’s money before he was killed, and passed it on to Charlene.” He explained everything he had discovered, from the deposits made to Charleneʼs account to the journal heʼd found with Sara. By the time he finished, Brentʼs face had turned a few shades paler.

“Holy shit, Jack. This is insane.”

“And itʼs not even the worst part. The day Max died, I received a phone call.”

Brentʼs eyes narrowed. “From whom?”

“I donʼt know, the voice was electronically modified―but it freaked me out. Whoever it was, they knew about Saraʼs
accident
in Dallas and also that she was out shopping with David and Nicky as we spoke.”

“Dammit. What did they say?”

“It was not so much what they said as what they implied…warning me that Sara should be more careful, that it was a good thing she was with her friends because anything could have happened to her otherwise. They said she would never be safe as long as she was with me.”

Brent slumped in his seat, his mouth flattened into a hard line. “Did you tell Sara?”

“Only yesterday. It was stupid of me, I know,” Jack added at his glare. “Honestly, though, at first I thought it was just Max messing with me again; but then Sara told me he died before seven p.m.”

His friend nodded. “Between five-thirty and six p.m., according to the autopsy.”

“Yeah, well, I got the call after seven. Unless Max rang me up from the dead, he was not the one who made it.”

Mumbling a curse, Brent rubbed a hand over his face. The silence stretched before he finally said, “It was a while ago, but I can try to trace the call.”

Jack lifted one shoulder. “The number came up as private, so it was probably made from a pay phone.”

“Itʼs worth a shot, though, right?”

“Hell, yeah.”

***

“Iʼm so happy you guys came!”

Sara smiled at Martha Hayden as she hugged her. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“Itʼs our pleasure, dear. I was thrilled when Brent told me you and Jack were back together.” She turned to her husband. “Richard, have you heard from Brent, by the way?”

“Heʼs going to be a little late,” Nicky answered for him. “He had some paperwork to finish at the office, and heʼs also waiting for an important phone call. He asked me to tell you that heʼll be here as soon as he can.”

“Oh, well. Letʼs have a drink while we wait for him,” Richard suggested with a shrug, leading them toward the backyard. “Nicky, have I showed you my new canvas?”

“Not yet, but Iʼll be more than happy to see it.”

“Iʼd better go check on our dinner, then,” Martha said with a wink.

Taking a seat with Jack in one of the loungers, Sara breathed in the fresh winter air and looked around with wonder. Even in November, with the trees almost bare of their leaves and the grass browning, the Haydensʼ ranch was as beautiful as ever. Maybe one day she and Jack would be able to restore J.T.’s property next door. Now that she knew how much it meant to him, she promised herself she would do anything to make that happen.