Jace: The Pride of the Double Deuce (12 page)

They had to hurry to get dressed again and he had to smile. Maybe they’d have to book a longer flight just so they’d have time. He was waiting at the door to disembark when Holly came toward him from the back of the plane.

He was so in love with her. There was nothing about her that he could find that bothered him. She was beautiful, sexy, and extremely smart. And she was all his. As soon as she was close enough, and much to the amusement of the staff, he pulled her to him and kissed her.

Palmer was at the gate when they entered the terminal. He was as excited as a kid when Holly came running to him, and they hugged and cried and hugged some more before they finally remembered him. Palmer hugged him as well and Jace enjoyed it. It was something the man had done since they’d met. He was beginning to look forward to it more and more.

Palmer asked about their trip and how he’d enjoyed New York. Jace had never been and was glad for the time to explore it a little. They’d done some sightseeing, and Holly had taken him to the grand lady to see out over the bay just before they left.

“I’d never live there, but I can see the appeal of visiting it a few times a year.” Palmer agreed with him. “They didn’t have much in the way of ranches where we were.”

“No. They really don’t. But Central Park is beautiful. Especially in the fall when the trees change.” He sat down, and Jace had to remind himself that even though the plane was to leave soon, it would not leave without its owner.

“I have to talk to you about a few things. I’d like for you to do a couple of things for me when I’m gone.” Jace said he’d do anything for him. “Good. I have a problem with the mill. They’re not turning over their records, and I’m going to have to have my attorneys come in and take care of it. The problem is they’re going to need a quiet place to work. Can you and Holly see your way to letting them work at the house? They won’t be a bother to you.”

“It’s your house.” He shook his head and Jace nodded. “It is. We’re only staying there until our home is finished. Which, by the way, I wanted to talk to you about. Did you make some adjustments?”

“Just a few. I might have added a room or so, nothing all that much.” According to the blueprints, he’d added nearly four thousand square feet to just the upper levels. Then there was the garage, as well as the extended dining room. “You’ll fill those rooms soon enough, I hope.”

He and Holly hadn’t talked about children. Jace knew that she wanted them, but not how many or how soon. To him it would be wonderful to see her swollen with a child now, but she was very busy. And it was her body to choose when they had a child.

Changing the subject, he asked what the second thing was. “I’m hoping that things will be pretty close to being done at the ranch. So until then, I’m helping my brothers out. We have to go to the auction house soon too. Three weeks.”

“I’d very much like to go with you. Just for the enjoyment of it. I’ve never been to a livestock auction before.” Jace told him it was fine with him. “The second thing. I have a banker coming in the day after tomorrow. He’s new to the area and I’d very much like for you to show him around. The house that he has purchased is ready for him to move into. I think he has his things coming in a week or so. But if you could show him the town, where to shop and how much you do around here, that would be great.”

“I can do it in the morning. I don’t have anything going until after noon. Then you have me set up in your offices after that.” Holly looked at him with a wink as she continued. “I do need to make sure that I keep my husband to be in funds.”

He blushed, felt his face heat right up, and growled low at her. Palmer thought it was funny but stood up to get going. After hugs all around, he stepped outside, only to turn back and look at them.

“That man, Hardgrave, has he given you any more trouble?” Jace realized that keeping the incident that had happened at the house from Palmer was wrong, but the man had enough to worry about with the audits at the mill and the bank issues. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him, and he seems to be all right.”

“Nothing going on. He’s not contacted me at all.” Which was true, he’d not contacted him at all. Jace hated to lie to Palmer by omission, but he and Holly had agreed it was for the best, for now. Besides, Mason and his brothers were keeping a close eye on the man.

“Good. I’ve been looking into some things about him. I’ll tell you about them when I get back.” As he made his way to his waiting plane, Jace wrapped his arm around Holly and pulled her close. She waved at her father for several minutes after they both knew it as no longer possible for him to see her.

They took the limo back to the ranch. It was there and his truck wasn’t. As they pulled into the drive of their home, he got out and just stared at what had been done while they’d been gone for three days.

“Goodness.” He helped Holly out, and they both stared at the house. “Dad must have hired more men to get this far along. And I’m not sure, but I think he’s added more to the house.”

“That would be me.” As he took her to the side yard and around to the left of the house, the building that was having glass put in was nearly finished. She didn’t say a word to him as she moved closer to the green house and went inside. Mason came up to stand beside him.

“You have no idea how jealous Palmer is because you thought of this.” Jace asked him why. “Because she has wanted a greenhouse of her own since she was sixteen, apparently. And on top of that, you do know that the day after tomorrow is her birthday?”

“I sort of knew.” Mason grinned at him as he continued. “I did. She mentioned to me that she’d not get to have dinner with her dad on her birthday, that I’d have to fill in. I was going to talk to Aunt Georgie about making her dinner.”

“I did. She’s gotten a list of her favorite foods from Palmer’s cook. I guess we’re going to have to dress up.” Jace frowned at Mason when he laughed before continuing. “Aunt Georgie said that Holly’s the first female besides her in the house in over twenty years, and we will make it special for her. Oh. Before I forget to tell you, I have a line on four hundred head of cattle; fifty of them are calves.”

“Where?” He told him about the ranch that was going belly up in the next state over, and all they had to do was go and get them. Or they could send them by rail.

“Do you know of a railway system we can use?” Jace knew that he meant Palmer’s, and he told him he’d ask. “Good. It will save us having to bring them back on horseback, and we might not lose as many that way. I’d be willing to pay for it if you go in on it with me.”

“I can do that.” Holly was still in the green house when they came to an agreement on a couple of other things. Sharing the ranch hands as well as the barn was going to help them out. Jace and Mason were having a much larger operation put up, but it would cover both their herds. Time and money would be saved by both of their ranches, not to mention there would be no problems with putting up extra fencing to keep them separate.

Working both ranches together was going to be a good fit for all of them. Holly kissed him and thanked him for the house, and then they went into their home. Christ, Jace thought, they’d be able to move in at this rate in a few days, not weeks.

Chapter 12

Jeff decided that he’d have to go and see Holly. His mother was already in town and staying at the best hotel he could get her. She was upset about how the food was not up to par according to her, but she’d tolerate it. Jeff just wanted this whole thing finished.

The petty cash box was nearly empty. All the money, every penny of it, was accounted for, but he would be years paying it back. His mother was very demanding, and he was getting very upset with it. And if she told one more person she was there for his wedding, he might have to hit her.

As he was leaving her hotel, she stopped him with a smack of her cane against the floor. He turned, not ever sure, even at thirty-five, whether she was going to hit him with it or something worse. Jeff stood there while she walked to him.

There were several things about his mother that he’d noticed when she’d arrived this morning. Her hair had been done. He’d been aware of that, but it was the way she had dressed. Everything she had on, including the new cane she sported, screamed money to him, as if she’d just won the lotto and was spending it all on herself. He was almost afraid to ask her about it, but when she was standing next to him, he couldn’t help himself.

“I have been saving. As I’ve put into your head year after year for you to do. You’d be surprised at what a little each week can add up to.” He asked her how much did hers add up to. “Never you mind. Let’s just say that I have more than enough to take care of myself should you and your new wife decide to shove me in a nursing home. Ungrateful as that would be.”

She asked him where he was going in such a hurry. “I’m going to talk to Holly. We have some things to work out. She’s never said she’d marry me despite all the things I’ve paid for in order for you to come here.”

“I’ll not have you blaming me for your shortcomings, Jeffery. I have nothing to do with how you spend your money. If I were living with you, I’d have you on a budget and make you stick to it. No more going out to eat and buying new suits every week.” She told him she was going with him. “So, you’ll need to have a car brought around. That nice limo would do nicely again. I so enjoyed riding—”

“There will not be any more limo rides, Mother. And there is no way for me to be on a budget with what little I have. I haven’t bought a suit in over four years, and I couldn’t even tell you the last time I was out to eat.” She stamped the cane down again, and he felt his mouth snap shut.

“Now you listen here, young man. I will not have you talking to me as if I am some street walker you might hire out for twenty minutes. I am your mother. And you will do well to remember that.” He nodded to her, feeling not for the first time today that he wanted to hit her. “Now, get the limo for me. I demand that you treat me with the respect that I deserve, or I shall not stay for this wedding.”

He said nothing to her. There would be no point. There would be no limo, and if she did follow through on her threat and go home, he’d be just as happy as the day he’d moved out. There was something wrong with her, he decided. And he had had enough of her making him do things that he didn’t want. He had the man out front call them a cab. Mother would either get in it or not. Right now, he really didn’t care.

She was upset when she saw the cab, but she didn’t berate him in front of the hotel. He knew that she’d save that for later, when there were more people around. That was the way she did things. It was the best way to make him want to crawl into a hole, as far as she was concerned. Make him feel like a bigger failure in front of strangers.

They made the drive over to Holly’s house in silence. Jeff was glad for the quiet. It gave him time to work on what he was going to say to Holly. She was going to be hard to convince. Maybe he’d not be able to do it at all, but he did think that having Mother with him was going to help. Not that she could convince her to marry him. No, Jeff wasn’t counting on that. But perhaps if Holly could convince his mother that she was already happy with someone else, she’d give up on the idea and he’d be off the hook.

“Why she’d want to marry someone like you is beyond me. You’re nothing but a lazy no good piece of crap.” He glanced up at the man driving the cab and wondered if he could hear her too. He was pretty sure he could when the man’s eyes widened as his mother continued. “I don’t even know why I brought you into this world, and didn’t let you be a mess on the sheets when your father did this to me.”

He’d never asked about his father. Never. And he’d been curious about him too. But his mother never brought him up, and Jeff was afraid to find out that…well, he’d always speculated that she’d murdered him. Or he’d been a one night stand. The one and only time he’d seen his birth certificate was how he’d found out that his father wasn’t listed on it. Jeff had also found out his birthday, as well as the year he’d been born. Birthdays had not been a big deal for him as they had been for his mother.

She had expected cake and candles. Gifts with bows and ribbons. Same at Christmas. His gift, she’d always told him, was that she’d brought him into the world, had raised him, and now he was required to care for her. Even at five he’d known that wasn’t really the way it should have been.

“Are you listening to me, Jeffery?” He hadn’t been but told her he had been. “This woman you’re marrying. Does she have any idea what sort of person you are? How you care for your poor mother? Making her suffer in this nasty vehicle while she rides around in luxury? You should have prepared for me to have the finer things, Jeffery. It is your responsibility.”

Jeff didn’t answer her, mortified that the cabbie was now listening in on their conversation. The man was eyeing his mother like she was a horrible person, which the more and more he thought about it, Jeff knew that she was. And she was never going to change.

The cab pulled up in front of the Snow home and Jeff got out to help his mother out. He was actually afraid that the cabbie would have said something to her, and Jeff had no time for her sobbing right now. He’d gotten enough of that this morning when she’d arrived.

As he paid the cab driver, he grabbed Jeff’s hand. Jeff started to jerk back from him, but the man was very strong. When he pulled on his arm, for some reason Jeff leaned into the cab to see what he wanted.

“Run. You don’t need someone that negative in your life. She’s…well, no mother should talk to or about her son that way. Run, boy. Run while you still can.” Jeff wanted to take his advice, even looked longingly at the woods behind the Snow home to wonder how far he’d get if he did just that. But he only smiled at the man and told him it was his mother, nonetheless.

His mother was at the door pressing on the doorbell like it was going to give her a present if she did it long enough. As he got to the door, the butler opened it up and looked ready to snap at her when he saw him.

“Mr. Hardgrave. Mr. Snow is not in residence. I didn’t know we were to expect you.” He looked down his nose at his mother and completely ignored her. “Is there something that you require?”

“Is Holly at home? I’d like to talk to her about something. And to introduce her to my mother.” The man looked shocked for a few seconds, then recovered quickly. The butler asked them to come inside.

“She’s in the office conducting business. I shall see if she can come to see to you.” Jeff nodded and stood where he’d been left. But his mother moved into the house as if she owned it. Jeff followed her, trying to get her to come back to him.

“Like they’re going to care if I look around. People with this kind of money expect people to gawk at their things. Touch them too. I bet they have the better stuff upstairs locked away.”

“Actually, this is as good as it gets. And as you weren’t invited here, I would suggest that you keep your opinions to yourself.” Jeff looked at Holly, who was dressed in a pair of sweats and an old tee-shirt. She glared at his mother, then looked at him before she continued. “We weren’t expecting you, Jeff. What do you need?”

“I came to talk to you.” He looked toward where he’d been taken previously to talk to her father, and she moved toward the room. “I’m really sorry about not calling. I had meant to, but my mother showed up.”

“You invited me to your wedding.” He flushed, now sure that this was a horrible idea. “You’d think you’d have more balls than you have. Just tell her. I’m not getting any younger.”

“Tell me what?” Holly sat on the large sofa, and he took the chair across from her. She looked up and smiled when the butler brought in tea and little cookies.

It was then that it hit him…Holly was out of his league. He’d never realized it before. It had never even occurred to him that there was a class difference with her. She had never been anything but polite to him. Even when she’d been giving him the brush off, she’d been nice but firm. Then there was the other day, when he’d come to her at the site. This entire thing was a mistake.

He took the tea cup from her and tried to hold it as still as he could. They were so delicate and small that all he could do was put his fingers on the handle and not through it. As he sipped it, not even bothering with the sugar or lemons that were offered, he thought that even her tea was more aristocratic than he was.

His mother complained about the tea. It was too hot. The cookies were making a mess of her dress. Through it all, Holly was polite to her as well, when he could see that she wasn’t happy about their visit. Standing up after setting his cup down, he came to a decision. Probably the first one he’d come to all by himself his entire life.

“We’re leaving. I’m sorry to have bothered you.” The butler came into the room, and Holly stood up. She looked confused, but he was sure that once he explained to her what was going on, she’d understand. But before he could say a word, his mother hit the butler in the back of the head with her cane.

“Mother?” He stood, stunned beyond belief that she’d do such a thing. As he moved forward to help the man up, she hit him twice more, causing blood to pool beneath his head.

“Don’t.” He looked at his mother again when she spoke, and she had a gun pointed at Holly. Jeff felt dizzy with what was going on. He started to speak again, not even sure what he’d say when his mother spoke again. “Get her coat and purse. Good heavens, Jeffery, do I have to do everything for you? You do know how to fuck her, don’t you? When you get the wedding pronounced, you’ll have to consummate things. Or will I have to show you how to do that too?”

“Mother, we shouldn’t have come here. You were wrong to force me into marrying Holly. She has someone in her life and it’s not me. I understand that now and—”

“Shut up.” He closed his mouth and moved toward Holly. “You touch her and I will shoot you both. This wedding is going to take place. I have plans, and they do not include me going back to that hovel that you bought for me. And the money too. This place is very nice. I’ll live here with the two of you.”

“Hello?” Both he and his mother turned to Holly. “You might want to consider the fact that you just killed a man. And that this is going to get you both in prison for a long time. I’m not going to marry you, nor will I be having you live in this house.”

His mother shot her. Just pointed the gun at Holly and shot her in the shoulder. As she fell, he heard her head hit hard on the table, and then she landed hard on the floor as well. She just lay there, not moving, and Jeff felt his entire life and everything in him freeze up. Then his mother slapped him in the face and told him to help her. Jeff was so terrified that he did as he was told without saying a word. As he lowered Holly to the couch, blood already staining the front of her tee-shirt, she spoke to him quietly.

“She’s nuts.” He nodded, the tears in his eyes making it hard to see. “Jeff, this isn’t you. You have to make her stop before she kills me.”

“She’s my mother. I don’t…I have no idea how to stop her.” He didn’t either. It was hard enough just to tell stand up to her on the phone. In person was impossible. “I’m such a pussy.”

He was too. More than that, he’d let Holly down. Mr. Snow was going to fire him and he’d never be able to pay back the money he’d borrowed. As he stood up, his mother pointed the gun at him.

“Are you going to shoot me, Mother? Kill me and leave me to bleed out on the floor?” She told him to pick up Holly and bring her with him. They were headed to the kitchen when he thought of the help in there. But the room was empty too. Jeff wasn’t sure if they’d run when the gun went off or had never been there. But she led them to the garage like she knew just where it was.

Jeff was instructed to put Holly in the back seat. He did so, but ran back into the house to get her a blanket and pillow. He also snagged the cell phone lying on the table and wrapped it in the soft padding of the bloodied pillow. Jeff covered Holly up and then bumped her with the pillow. She looked at him, then nodded with just the smallest movement of her head.

“Now, we’re all going to the justice of the peace across the state. If I hear one word from you, I’ll kill you. I’m sure you have enough cash in that purse of yours to get me away.” His mother looked at him as she held the gun pointed at him. “If you give me any more of your whininess, I’m going to end you now like I should have all those years ago. You are the most ungrateful child…why would a mother even want people to know they had a child such as you?”

“Mother, we can’t do this.” The gun hit him in the head, and he felt his belly lurch up from the pain. She told him to shut up and drive. He put the car in gear after opening the garage door and moved out slowly. He just hoped that Holly was able to get in touch with someone before it was too late for them both.