Seeking Shelter (14 page)

“Are you sure?” she whispered.

He nodded and they shuffled Katie from her arms to his. The girl didn’t even wake up. Her eyes remained closed and she snuggled against his shoulder. Jace knew this was a moment he wouldn’t soon forget. He tried to clear his throat, but the lump wouldn’t go away. There wasn’t any getting these two out of his heart, he knew that, but danged if he’d admit it. Instead, he walked to Amy’s back door across the alley before he gave himself away.

* * *

“S
HE
’
S
STILL
ASLEEP
.”
Amy came out of Katie’s room, pulling the door most of the way closed. Jace stood in the middle of her half-finished kitchen, looking around. He seemed restless, which surprised her.

She was exhausted. She hadn’t slept much last night and the ride home today had been long and tiring.

Jace stood with his back to her, his hands in his pockets. She knew somehow that if the toolbox was still down here, he’d be working. But he’d packed up most of the tools before they’d headed to Phoenix. There wasn’t much left to do. The fridge and stove would be here in another couple of days. And then what?

She knew better than to ask questions she didn’t want to hear the answer to. She knew he’d be leaving soon. There wasn’t anything keeping him here. Not her. Not Katie. Not a job to fix up a crappy kitchen. Not even his promises to Mac. He’d given her the safe deposit key. He’d told her as much as he knew about her father.

They were done, weren’t they?

Resisting the urge to slip her arms around him, she stood beside him instead. “It looks great,” she whispered.

He turned his head and pinned her with his stare. The sadness in his eyes surprised her. What had he been thinking? “Thanks. I hope it works for you.”

She wanted to ask him to stay. But Lynne knew they were back. Hank had surely heard the roar of the bike. Amy’s eyes burned. She didn’t want to go back to how it had been. But what else could they do?

Jace headed toward the stairs. The word was out before she could catch it. “Wait.”

His hand on the rail, he paused. But he didn’t turn around. “Be careful, Amy,” he said softly.

“I think it’s too late for that.” She walked over to him, leaning against the opposite wall, not touching him, but aching to do so. The idea of him leaving tonight was incomprehensible, but she knew he wasn’t staying.

He smiled. He released the rail and turned toward her. They were only inches apart. She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

“You know I have to go.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

This time he laughed, the sound warming her. “Yeah. I’m surprised Hank isn’t already here with his shotgun.”

A thought occurred to her. “What...what do you really think my father would think of us together, Jace?” She saw the shadows in his eyes. She reached up, touching his rough jaw. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to leave Mac out of this. He would have loved you and Katie. I think maybe he gave me the money and the key hoping I might somehow find you.” Jace leaned closer. “I want to believe he’d approve.” And then his lips were on hers, and there were no more words, no more questions. Just a sense of rightness. She wanted him to be right.

“Mama?” Katie’s voice shattered the mood. Amy tried to jerk away from Jace, but he wouldn’t let her go.

“She’s going to have to get used to us,” he whispered, then stepped back and jogged up the stairs without another word.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“M
AMA
?” K
ATIE
STOOD
in the new doorway, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Where’d Mr. Jace go?”

Amy worked to gather her kiss-scattered thoughts. “Oh, uh, to the B and B.”

“Is he coming back?”

“Not tonight. No.” She turned around, and after flicking off the new light switch, put a hand on Katie’s shoulder to guide her back to bed.

“Why not?” Her daughter sounded upset.

Amy stopped and knelt down in front of her. “What’s up, sweetie?”

“Nothing.” Katie pouted.

God, Amy hated that answer. “It’s not nothing. Tell me.”

“Jace said I was getting my wish,” she whined.

Amy’s heart sank. She really, really hoped this wasn’t about the conversation she’d had with Katie before the trip, but she was afraid it was. “What wish?” The phone conversation he’d had with Lynne came clearly to mind.
No.
Amy stifled a groan.

“My wish that you’d get me a daddy.” Katie looked up expectantly.

She took a breath before she spoke, thankful she’d asked him about that comment. “Jace meant you were getting your wish to stay at Lisa’s house, which apparently I don’t let you do enough.” She hoped that would distract Katie, but knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“Oh.” The crestfallen look on her daughter’s face twisted Amy’s heart. Katie turned and, dragging her feet, she headed back to bed. “Grown-ups suck,” she whispered.

“What was that?” Amy didn’t want to fight with her tonight, but couldn’t let her go to bed upset, either.

Katie turned around and crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest. She didn’t say anything, but the glare she sent Amy was surprising. The disappointment was deep.

And the worst part? Amy understood. Painfully. At one time, she’d wanted her dad as badly as Katie wanted a father right now.

Glancing at the stairs, Amy heard Jace’s words echo. Did they really dare get used to him being around?

Or was he still the leaving kind?

Footsteps overhead broke into her thoughts. What the heck?

“Mr. Jace!” Before Amy could stop her, Katie ran for the stairs. Her tiny feet slapped on the bare wood. “He came back.”

“Katie.” Amy ran after her, heart pounding. The back door was closed, but there was a light on in the front of the store, by the coffee bar. She didn’t remember turning it on.

Amy caught up with Katie halfway down the aisle and grabbed her arm. “Stop. I don’t think it’s Jace,” she whispered. “Go back downstairs. Now.”

“Mama?” Katie’s eyes grew wide and she stared at Amy. “Oh...” She headed to the stairs as she was told. “I’ll call Mr. Jace,” she whispered, then ran down to the apartment.

Amy let her go, palming her cell phone in case she had to dial 9-1-1. Squaring her shoulders, she headed slowly down the aisle to see who was in her store.

* * *

J
ACE
GOT
AWAY
from Amy as quickly as he could. If he didn’t, he would have carried her into the bedroom, and probably shocked the hell out of Katie.

And given this town more to gossip about. Despite the heat in his blood, he couldn’t do that to Amy.

But staying there wasn’t an option if he intended to stick to that decision. So he started walking. He’d left his bike over at Lynne’s house. He didn’t want to fire up the engine and wake the whole town all over again. It would be safe there until tomorrow.

Besides, walking might help burn off some of this ache. At least he hoped it would.

He crossed the street and headed through the park. Up ahead, every light in the B and B was still on. Something wasn’t right.

Jace cautiously approached, walking up the slight hill. Lights flooded the yard and the front door stood wide open. He looked in the windows, but he didn’t see anyone. No guests. No Hank. What the hell?

“Hank? Hello,” Jace called as he stepped into the kitchen. No answer. There was no one in the hall, the front room or the dining room, either. Jace took a deep breath before hurrying up the stairs.

Once there, Jace found more lights and empty rooms. Even Hank’s bedroom door stood ajar. Jace walked in, a little curious and a lot confused. Across the room, a window was open, the breeze fluttering the curtains. There was no screen in the frame.

Cursing, Jace hurried over to it. He breathed a sigh of relief when he looked down at the ground and saw nothing but lawn furniture and the hammock.

Where was Hank? Jace turned to leave, then stopped. Looking out the window, he could see the park and most of Main Street. Amy’s store was straight across the square. The lights in the front were on. What was she doing in the shop? Was she as keyed up as he was?

Suddenly, two silhouettes moved in front of the shade. Amy and...what the hell was Hank doing over there this time of night? If he was berating her for their trip—

Hank’s shadow lifted his cane, then stumbled and fell.

Jace had never run so fast. He slid down the stairs, pounded through the kitchen and sprinted across the park. He knew the front door of the store was locked, so he didn’t even bother to try it. He headed straight to the back door, but it was locked, too.

He pounded on the wood. “Amy!” Damned flimsy locks and old doors. He’d never been more thankful. He was poised to slam his booted foot next to the latch when he heard the lock turn. It wasn’t Amy, but Katie who peered around the door.

“Mr. Jace! I knew you’d come back.”

“Where’s your mom?”

Katie pointed toward the store and Jace stepped inside. “Go on back downstairs.” He nudged Katie toward the stairs.

“But—”

“Don’t argue.” He regretted the harshness in his voice the minute he saw her pout, but he couldn’t put her at risk. “Go on,” he said more softly.

Stepping into the store, he saw Hank sprawled on the floor, with Amy kneeling beside him. Jace might have let the relief he felt at finding Amy safe take hold, if it weren’t for the reek of alcohol that hung in the air.

Hank was soused. Flat-out, stinking drunk. The sour scent of a pickled drunk brought back too many painful memories. Jace tried to shove those images away, though they lurked at the edge of his mind, threatening to pull him under. He wasn’t sure which ones bothered him most—those of sobering up Mac, or of sobering up himself.

Amy hovered beside Hank, looking scared and uncertain. She shouldn’t have to deal with this. And for the first time, Jace was glad she hadn’t known her father.

Jace was still breathing hard when he hunkered down beside the two of them. “Hey, old man.”

“Jace? Whatchoo doin’ here?” Hank stared at them, his eyes heavy lidded. He blinked several times, as if trying to find his bearings. With a deep groan, he tried to sit up. “How’d I get here?” His words were slurred, but there was a hint of sobriety in his eyes.

Amy shrugged.

“You have a reason for this? Or is getting drunk normal?” Jace glanced over at Amy. Was this what she’d grown up with? He didn’t think so, if the shock on her pale face was any indication.

“I ain’t had a drink in nearly twenty years,” Hank said.

“So, you decided to start again tonight?” Must be one hell of a reason.

Hank actually had the presence of mind to look chagrinned. “You don’t know nothin’, boy,” he groused, attempting to stand. Before he fell on his face and busted something, Jace shot to his feet and wound his arm around the other man’s waist.

“I know plenty. Been there, done that....” He wasn’t going into any more detail, though his mind was a Technicolor memory show.

Hank looked up at Jace with a grimace. “You gonna tell Amy?”

“I think she knows.”

Hank looked over at Amy as if just seeing her, and his face flushed. “Oh.” He didn’t say any more. He started moving, and with Jace’s help stumbled a few steps to flop down in one of the bistro chairs. The wood groaned in protest.

Hank looked ready to doze off, and Jace wanted to let him. But that wasn’t an option. Amy had to open for business in a few hours.

Before their trip, Hank had been in the store. Jace had heard him and Amy talking, but she hadn’t said anything about it. She’d been upset, he’d known that. Had Hank given her grief about her involvement with him? Hank’s opinion mattered to Amy, which made Jace dread what the old man might have said tonight.

“We sold the ranch,” Hank whispered, his voice dissolving into an alcohol-laced sob. “Maddie’s house.”

“What?” Amy stepped forward.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “We got an offer. A good one. It’s done now.” His big shoulders shook with his grief.

Jace was confused. Wasn’t that the goal? “Why is that a bad thing?”

Something told him this wasn’t going to be good. Not good at all.

* * *

A
MY
HADN
’
T
SEEN
H
ANK
since before they’d left for Phoenix. It had been only two days, but it felt like years...and he looked years older. Now he sat here in her store, drunk and shattered. She’d never seen him like this before.

“Hank?” She stepped over to her old friend. He sighed and looked past her. He started to get up, but Jace stopped him.

“You’re not going anywhere just yet.”

“I know that,” he shouted. “Just get the damned papers.”

Amy and Jace turned around and saw a pile of crumpled papers on the floor where Hank had fallen. Amy picked them up and tried to straighten them.

At first it didn’t register. “An offer?” she repeated. “From the sheriff?” The papers made it seem real. Too real.

“His uncle, Eustace. You remember him?” Hank cleared his throat. “It’s a good deal, girl.” He paused. “Too bad it’s from that bastard.”

Amy moved back beside Hank and pressed the papers flat on the tabletop. The legalese blurred and tears welled in her eyes. She blinked quickly, trying to clear her vision. “It’s legit?”

Hank simply nodded.

He would understand the emotions rolling through her, she knew. He’d lived there, too. She knew why he’d started drinking. Too bad she didn’t have the same escape. It would be tempting right now.

Images from the past assaulted her. Shadowy images of her grandfather. Of her mother. Of the hours they’d spent in the big hacienda kitchen. Happy times. But also memories of the loneliness of a little girl living out in the desert with only a few horses, a dog and a bunch of cowhands for playmates. Of her mother’s fading into the illness she couldn’t beat. Of leaving the only home she’d ever known. Of Matt’s betrayal and all he’d destroyed.

The world seemed to spin and Amy looked at Jace. His frown told her he didn’t understand what was going on. She didn’t know how to make him understand, or if she even wanted him to. She trembled, and Jace’s hands gripped her shoulders. He guided her into the chair opposite Hank.

“I can’t do it, girl.” The old cowboy slumped in his chair, his sobs returning.

“Can’t do what?” Dread rocked through her.

“I can’t face that house again.”

“But you’ve been taking care of it since Mom died.”

“I can’t take it apart. I just can’t do it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s just like she left it.”

“Everything’s still there?” Amy shot to her feet. “I thought you’d cleaned it out years ago.”

“I meant to. Every time I go out there, it’s like visiting her. Getting rid of everything would be... I can’t.”

“But, Hank...you promised you’d do that.” She sounded as whiney as Katie right now. But Amy felt like a little girl all over again.

“I tried, damn it.” Hank slammed a fist on the table and Jace stepped closer.

Amy put a hand on Jace’s arm to make him stay put. His strength under her palm was reassuring. “You tried? How did you try?”

Hank got slowly to his feet, lurching forward, startling her. Jace wouldn’t let her hold him back anymore. He pushed her aside and grasped Hank’s shirtfront.

“What aren’t you saying, old man?”

“Nothing that’s your business.” Hank shoved at Jace’s fists, but to no avail. “It’s bad enough I had to clean up your mess.” He glared at Amy. “I can’t do it for my Maddie.”

“My mess?” Amy’s voice quavered. What was he talking about?

Jace shook Hank. “Answer her.”

“You want him to know? Fine.” Hank was angry now, angrier than she’d ever seen him. “I know who Katie’s father is. Why do you think he sends those checks every month?” He pulled away from Jace and faced her. “I made sure his football career didn’t last another day.”

Amy gasped. Oh, God. What had Hank done? She couldn’t bring herself to ask. She didn’t have to.

“I’ve still got some buddies in Phoenix. They paid him a visit.” Hank stumbled toward her, but Jace stepped between them.

“Oh, Hank.” Amy tried to blink away her tears. “What did you do?”

He actually laughed. “The knees are the first to go with those gridiron boys, you know.”

Amy wanted to scream, wanted to flail at him. How could he have been so stupid? But she was frozen where she stood.

“Get the hell out of here,” Jace said.

She watched with unfocused eyes as Hank made his way to the shop door. Jace unlocked it and nearly shoved him into the street.

Amy had no idea what happened next until she felt Jace’s arms enfold her. And then she did exactly what she’d sworn to never do. She turned in his arms and leaned on him.

* * *

L
ATER
,
AFTER
H
ANK
was sleeping it off in his room, Jace started to walk again. This time away from Amy and her store. Away from all the insanity. He stood at the edge of town staring out, not sure what he was looking for. He’d left L.A. thinking he’d return in a few days. That was a couple of weeks ago. The man he’d been then was very different from the one standing here now.

All around him, the desert was filled with life...and punctuated by death. The terrain fascinated him. All he’d ever seen of it before was from TV or books. He’d expected the Sahara, not this hilly, vibrant environment. He’d never expected the wildlife, the plant life, the people.