Crimes of the Heart (25 page)

“Oh, yes, that would be wonderful.” As the priest rose, the cat meowed, and then gingerly walked across the desk to Father Tom. “Well, fella, would you like to come along?” After another meow, he scooped up the feline and scratched him behind the ear.

Devon shook his head, saying, “It looks like you’ve made a new friend, Father. Care to try to name him for us? He’s kind of picky when it comes to some of them we’ve tried.”

“Is that right? Let’s see now. Hmm…Smoky?”

The cat protested with two sharp meows. “Looks like that one doesn’t work either,” Devon said, guiding the priest into the dark hallway once again. The noise level rose as he drew nearer the living room. Mingled voices and ghoulish cries rang out interspersed on occasion with laughter. “Sounds like we’ve got a house full already.”

“Yes, isn’t it wonderful? Too bad your mother couldn’t be here. She loves parties.”

Loves?
Stilling as the word sank in, Devon turned to the older man. With a hand gripping his heart, he asked, “You mean
loved
don’t you, Father?”

“Oh no, just last week the retirement home threw an anniversary party for her neighbors. They’ve been married fifty-three years and still act like newlyweds. Why Beatrice had a hand in all the planning and she even made some of the food, too. Did her a world of good, it did. I haven’t seen her so alive in months.”

A frisson of awareness traveled the length of Devon’s spine. He shivered as a part of him cried out for his mother. “She’s capable of remembering how to cook? The director never said a word about it when I called to check in the other day.”

Father Tom reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “No, son, she has her moments. They’re few and far between lately, but they’re there, especially when she talks about you.”

At that startling news, Devon took a step in retreat. “No, it can’t be. I thought she was lost,” he whispered hoarsely, the reality of it racing through his mind.

Kind, pebble-like blue eyes pinned Devon. “Not to you she isn’t. Give her another chance, son. You may just be surprised.”

Glancing around the crowded room, Jewel smiled at the turnout. This Halloween party seemed to be the most attended and successful so far. She spotted Tessa waving to her from the fortune teller table.

“Wonderful party, Jewel. Even better than last year.” Miss Peach, dressed as Little Bo Peep, beamed at Jewel as she laid a detaining hand on Jewel’s arm. Her lovely round face and twinkling brown eyes belied her advancing age.

“Thanks. Have you found some partners for the scavenger hunt? We’ll get that started in a few minutes, so you might want to hurry.”

Her fourth grade teacher raised her delicately shaped eyebrows and rushed away, saying, “Oh, my.”

Weeding her way through the throng of costumed people, Jewel nearly plowed into Gil. “Sorry about that.” She smiled up at the tall lawyer, contemplating a way to sidestep him. When he refused to budge, she eyed the pristine New York Yankee baseball uniform he wore which contrasted sharply with his disheveled salt and pepper hair.

“I’m going out of town tomorrow morning, but if you’re free Monday, Jewel, why don’t you stop by the office. I found something of yours.”

Frowning, she shook her head. “You must be mistaken. I haven’t been there in ages and I’m sure I never left anything when I was.”

His gravelly chuckle matched his voice. “No, no, not that. It’s a letter addressed to you. My secretary, bless her, remembered it when she read your wedding announcement in the paper. She dug it out the other day. We’ve been keeping it safe for years.”

A quiver shot through her. Who could have sent a letter to Gil to hold onto for her all this time? “Years?”

He patted her shoulder fondly, saying, “Your mother attached it to her will. She wanted you to have it after you married.” Lifting his hand to wave to someone, he said, “I see Devon over there. Let me go say hello before the hunt begins.” As he left, he tossed out, “Don’t forget to stop by.”

“As if I could,” she said, shaking inwardly at the knowledge that her mother had bestowed a precious link to her. Butterflies swirled in her middle. She couldn’t be sure if it was due to nerves, the baby, or a combination of both.

“Over here, Jewel,” Tessa sang out over the din of the partygoers.

A few seconds later, she stood beside a seated Tessa. The red hair, teased to an abnormal height, danced wildly as her friend moved her head. Several bangles on her wrist clanged as Tessa flicked her hand to the opposite chair. “Pleaze be seated for Mizz Tezza’s reading.”

Complying, Jewel plopped gratefully onto the cushion. “Geez, you’re really playing the Gypsy bit to the hilt, aren’t you?”

Ignoring her, Tessa gazed into the large crystal ball in the center of the round table, then said, “I zee many changez for you ahead.”

“No kidding. Even a five-year-old could have guessed that much,” Jewel muttered under her breath, considering how Devon had rushed back in her life and swept it into a frenzy. Thinking of her husband had her searching around the packed bodies. “Ah, there he is.” She frowned at how bewildered and shell-shocked he seemed. “It must be all the people,” she guessed, watching as many of their neighbors and townspeople shook his hand and slapped him on the back.

“You muzt help Mizz Tezza.” Her friend pulled her attention away from Devon for a moment. The color drained from her face as she gazed into the clear ball. “Great heartache iz in store for you in zee coming days.”

A frisson of fear slid through her middle. “Hey, cut that out, will ya?”

Troubled eyes found hers and Jewel grew concerned. Sobering and losing her fake accent, Tessa exclaimed, “I swear, Jewel, I saw something. You were crying.”

A chill seized her and she shivered. The fun had suddenly gone out of the game. “I hope you don’t tell all your clients bad news, or you’ll ruin my party,” she made light of it, trying to brush aside the cloud that had descended.

Tessa reached a hand across the table and covered Jewel’s cold one. “Hang in there, girlfriend. It’s like the dark before the light. You just have to have faith, that’s all. Devon will be tested beyond anything else he’s ever been and…so will you. But, if you believe, really believe, he’ll find the right way for all of you.”

Her gibberish began to make sense. It must be Devon’s plans for revenge that would test them all. Hadn’t it already? Hadn’t it made them do things and say things they wouldn’t normally have done? Then she realized it was drama queen Tessa talking. It had to be Tessa’s overactive imagination conjuring up the dire warning. “You’re just saying this cause you know me and my situation.”

An impish grin split the redhead’s face, washing away the mask of doom. “Of course. But I do have some Gypsy in my blood. I confess I read the testing and believing part in a book once. Cool, wasn’t it?”

“Not.” She rose, figuring she’d had enough of her friend for the moment.

“Hey, where you going? I haven’t practiced everything on you yet.”

Smiling weakly, she said, “Not on me you’re not.”

Tessa gave her a sour look. “Send your hubby over then. I can look into his future.”

“I’ll pass that along to him. But for now I’m going to go enjoy my party, Tessa.” As she walked away a part of her still held onto the sense of foreboding.

When she found Devon an instant later she couldn’t shake the uneasiness gripping her. “Hey, handsome,” she called softly, drinking in his lean, muscular body and rugged good looks. At the sound of her voice, he caught her gaze and sent her a heart-stopping grin.

“Dollface.” He skirted a two man operated dinosaur and closed the gap between them. His expression still held a hint of dazed wonder, his dark eyes slightly unfocused.

“Are you all right?”

His smile widened as he stared down at her. Something deep and unfathomable shifted in the depths of his darkening green eyes. Suddenly his stark features softened. “I’m fine now.” Cupping her cheek, he caressed his work-roughened thumb along her skin. “I’m glad you’re in my life,” he murmured, and then gently kissed her forehead. She sucked in a breath.

Bemused, she mumbled, “Tessa wants to read your future in her crystal ball.”

His rich, deep chuckle sent tingles from her head to her toes. “Well, Scarlett, I happen to know from experience that a man has to make peace with his past before he can ever hope for a future with the ones he loves.”

Gulping hard, she wondered if once he extracted his revenge if he would even want to be with the two people who loved him more than anything else in the world.

***

The next afternoon, Jewel strolled through the stables, inhaling the wonderful mingled scents of horse, leather, and hay. A sweet rush of memories flooded her, memories of her many encounters with Devon here in this building. The recalled anticipation from long ago days fluttered in her middle. Devon always had a way of making her feel alive and womanly. He still possessed that same devastating ability.

A pang of loneliness shot through her; Devon and Sean had left after the cleaning crew he’d hired had departed. “Where could they be?”

The Arabian she stood before nuzzled her hand, making her giggle. “Oh, you’re an affectionate one, aren’t you?” Smiling, she rubbed his neck. A part of her remained sad for the many months ahead when she wouldn’t be able to ride. The other half overruled; she’d forgo any momentary pleasure for the sake of her unborn child.

Underlying everything she did today, restlessness prevailed. She couldn’t wait until Monday morning when she could find out what her mother had written to her.

“What do you think it could be?” she asked the horse, knowing no answer would come until the next day. She sighed wearily, wondering if the hum in her blood had more to do with hope, dread, or excitement.

A loud bang from outdoors brought her up short. “Maybe that’s them now.”

A few seconds later, on the way to the house, she slowed her steps. There near the side entrance was the beginning of Devon and Sean’s secret project. Until today, at their request, she hadn’t ventured back here. Drawing close, she took in the slab of concrete and building materials nearby. Her breath caught in the back of her throat when a breeze whipped a portion of the tarp away from the large panes of glass. “It can’t be.”

Sean’s excited voice called for her. “Mom, where are you? We’ve got a surprise.” Before she could answer, he appeared in the bank of kitchen windows and beamed from ear to ear when he spotted her.

A well of love washed over her at the sight of her son
.

How did I get so lucky?

Her thoughts immediately rushed to the baby growing inside her, Devon’s baby, and another wave of joy gripped her so fiercely she had to blink back the tears. “Oh gripes, hormones,” she complained good-naturedly, grasping the back door handle. “Is it true, are you and your dad building a greenhouse for me?”

Sean greeted her by grabbing her hand in his small one. “Mom, you’re not supposed to know that. For dad’s sake pretend you didn’t see anything, all right?”

She nodded, too overcome to utter a word. Her two guys were joining ranks to give her her long time dream of a greenhouse and growing flowers year round. Her heart overflowed with the precious gift they were making for her.

“Come on, dad’s outside with the surprise, well, part of it. It’s cool.” He tugged her through the kitchen, down the long hall, then out the front door. He flung out his arm, yelling, “Ta dah!”

Devon, clad in black jeans and shirt, leaned against a brand new black SUV. “Hey, dollface, want to go for a ride with our son and me?”

His devilish grin was only part of what contributed to her muddled brain. “What about the Corvette?”

Shrugging carelessly, he said, “I sold it. I figured we needed something all of us could travel in.” He held up a hand, saying, “I know you have the blue bomber, but, call me crazy, I don’t want my family riding in that death trap.”

Swallowing hard, she looked from the shiny automobile to Devon. Wonder overtook her as he held her gaze. “But you loved that car.”

“I love you two more,” he said hoarsely.

The simple declaration robbed her of speech. A wealth of meaning and understanding passed between them. With everything he had he was trying. Damn, but she loved this man.

“Hey, Mom, the coolest part is dad also bought a beat up 1970 SS 454 Chevelle we’re gonna rebuild together. Kev, too. Isn’t that the greatest?”

Without taking her eyes from her dear husband, she choked out to her son, “No, your dad’s the greatest.” She paused for a moment to collect herself, and then said to Devon, “It’s the same one as your first car, isn’t it?”

Something crossed over Devon’s features. Desire, she figured, as a tugging sensation echoed in her abdomen. “Yeah,” he said roughly. “The same.” The unspoken part of his answer reverberated through her head.
The same one we made love in that last time twelve years ago before we snuck into the barn and Cyrus found us.

Gulping hard, she almost missed Sean’s next words.

“Come on, Mom, we got to hurry, visiting hours don’t last all day.”

Shaking her head, she asked, “Visiting hours?”

Devon cleared his throat. “I thought it was about time Sean met his grandmother.”

Tenderness bubbled up inside of Jewel for her husband. This more than anything showed her how much he’d do to settle the past and try to find forgiveness in his heart. With all she learned today, and all he’d done, for the first time she truly believed they could have a future together.

“So, how about it, would you like to come with us?” The quiver that threaded his voice pierced the softest part of her soul.

Going to Devon, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her tight. She welcomed the warmth and solid strength of her husband. On tip-toe she kissed his jaw, and then said, “I’d love to go see Bea with you.”

“Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, shaking slightly.

“Hey, Dad, does grandma like candy?”

Jewel twisted in Devon’s arms as she looked over her shoulder to Sean.