The Unsung Hero (26 page)

When he threw her another furious glance,
Jenna dug in her heels and prepared to do battle. Good Lord! Did he
think she had gone into the arrangement blindly? Even if she had,
the Garrisons' attorney, Ron Brewster, would have enlightened her
in no time flat! Over and over he had stressed that they wanted
someone who fully understood what she was getting into. And she had
spent months and months preparing herself not to feel the way she
did right now.

So what had happened?

She brushed aside the disturbing voice as
quickly as she did Neil's accusations. "Of course I did," she told
him tautly. "I didn't let myself think of it as my baby—it was
their baby. All I did was give Robbie a temporary home."

"Robbie? The baby was a boy?"

Her chin held high against his accusing
voice, she nodded.

"How old, Jenna? How old is he?"

"He's three years old," she said quietly.

Neil dropped into a chair. He sat there, his
hands propped on his knees, his forehead supported by his
fingertips. When he finally looked across at her, his eyes had lost
some of their fierce glitter, but his voice was bitter and
flat.

"Damn it, Jenna, I can't believe it! A
stranger! You had a stranger's baby!"

"They weren't strangers, Neil. Not from the
minute I saw them, and especially not after I met them."

"And that's supposed to make a difference?"
Anger hardened his features. "You got all cute and cozy with the
husband and that makes it all right?"

Jenna could hardly believe his outburst. "I
didn't sleep with him," she said sharply. "Artificial insemination
is about as cold and sterile as you can get! You're an attorney.
You should know how it works!"

"I know all I care to know, and believe me,
you just took the words right out of my mouth. 'Cold and sterile'
is exactly the way I see this whole thing! How much did they pay
you?" he demanded.

"Very little!" she shot back hotly. "I was
off work for less than six weeks and I accepted only what I lost
out on salary. And the fee didn't even play a part in why I did it!
Just the other night you were spouting off about wanting a home and
a family, but you 're the one who's cold and unfeeling! Is it so
hard to understand that someone else has that very same need?"

His eyes remained locked with hers endlessly.
Then finally he shoved an agitated hand through his hair. "All
right, you've made your point. But we're getting married in less
than six weeks, and besides, I can think of a dozen reasons right
off the top of my head— moral, ethical and legal—-why this
shouldn't be a proving ground for childless couples."

"I'm not saying it's the answer for
everyone." Her tone was quiet as her anger began to abate. "But it
was right for them, and it was right for me, and I'm not sorry I
did it." She hesitated. "Only I have to see Robbie again."

His eyes locked with hers, probing,
questioning— and still angry.

"I'm not sure I can explain exactly why," she
said with a feeling of helplessness. "I only know that it's
something I have to do." She swallowed uneasily before forcing
herself to go on. "And then—then you and I can go on with our lives
together."

The harsh, grating breath he drew was the
only sound in the room. "I think you're asking for trouble, Jenna.
I'm not even sure I should let you do this—"

She shook her head quickly. "You can't stop
me, Neil." Her voice was very quiet, yet there was an unmistakable
ring of finality to it. "No one can." She paused. "Please, try to
understand—"

"I don't understand," he cut in abruptly.
"And even if I could, I think you picked one hell of a time to go
running off! In case you've forgotten, we're getting married six
weeks from Saturday!" He whirled around and headed for the front
door. "If it's not too much trouble—" he threw the clipped words
over his shoulder "—give me a call when you get back."

With that, he walked out on her for the
second time that week. Silently Jenna made her way over to a chair
and sank into the cushions. It was, she realized shakily, perhaps
a good thing that she was leaving for a few days.

It would give her some time to think about
Neil--something she realized she desperately needed to do.

CHAPTER THREE

The drive north
filled one of the longest days of Jenna's life.
Anxious to arrive in Plains City, she'd felt the long hours stretch
out endlessly, particularly the last half-hour after Waco. Her
muscles were cramped and aching from the hours spent in the
driver's seat, and her frame of mind nosedived even farther when a
fan belt broke just outside of Abilene and there was a two-hour
wait trying to find a service station willing to repair it. And the
matter wasn't improved any when her little Toyota became testier
yet and she had a flat tire a mere half-hour after she'd finally
gotten started again. Tired and frustrated, she finally arrived
well after ten o'clock. She pulled into the first motel she saw and
crawled into bed, exhausted.

She shielded her eyes against the bright
glare of the sun when she stepped out of her motel room the next
morning, looking up and down the main thoroughfare of the sleepy
little town. There was a market, a hardware store, a feed supply
store, a barber shop and a cafe.

It was in the direction of the caf6 that
Jenna guided her footsteps. She had awakened ravenous, since she'd
been too tired the previous night even to bother searching for a
place to eat. Stepping inside, she glanced around the
matchbox-sized interior. There was room for perhaps half a dozen
people at the small counter, and three well-worn booths lined the
wall. The fragrant smells wafting from the kitchen sent hunger
pangs growling anew in Jenna's stomach.

She sat down on one of the stools near the
counter, waiting her turn while a threesome in one of the booths
was being served. She looked up when the waitress, dressed in a
crisp blue uniform and jaunty cap, approached her.

"Hi." Fresh-faced and open, the woman flashed
a wide smile. "What can I get you?"

Jenna smiled back and eyed the hand-lettered
menu before making a quick choice. "How about coffee and a cinnamon
roll to start with?"

"Comin' right up."

Her eyes widened when the waitress placed a
Texas-sized roll in front of her and a cup of fresh hot coffee.
Pulling the warm, fragrant roll apart with her fingers, she
savored the spicy taste of the cinnamon and gooey icing, resisting
the impulse to lick her fingers.

"More coffee?" The waitress returned a few
minutes later with the carafe in her hand. Jenna placed her hand
over her cup and shook her head quickly. "How about another
roll?"

"No, thanks." Jenna smiled and indicated her
stomach. "It was delicious, but I couldn't take even one more
bite."

"Not many people can handle more than one of
Herb's cinnamon rolls." She grinned. "Fact is, he makes the best
rolls in town."

Jenna nodded politely and commented, "It's so
quiet here; it's hard to believe that Abilene is less than thirty
miles away."

"It's not always like this," the waitress
said with a wink. "After dark things tend to liven up a bit. You
know how some men are about dropping in for a few beers after
work—" She shook her curly head and grinned. "They talk about women
being no better than a bunch of cacklin' hens when they get
together, but I'll never believe it."

The waitress took advantage of the lull in
customers and returned the coffee carafe to the hot plate, then
came back to Jenna. The look she gave her was amicable but
inquisitive. "You stayin' at the motel across the street?"

Jenna nodded.

"Just passing through, I'll bet."

"Yes and no. Actually, I hope to be staying a
few days." She hesitated, but couldn't help responding to the
woman's friendliness. "I'm here to see the Garrisons—the Ward
Garrisons. Do you know them?"

"Not personally." The woman shook her head,
and a shadow passed swiftly over her face. "Don't see much of him
anymore since... well, that's beside the point." She eyed Jenna
curiously. "Are you a friend of the family?"

"A friend of the family?" For some reason the
term sent an unexpected pain shooting through her heart. On blood
ties alone, she was practically a member of the family. She
resisted the impulse to laugh hysterically. Instead she gathered
herself quickly under control and nodded. "Megan and I... were
good friends some time ago. But I'm afraid I've lost the address
after all these years." She tipped her head to the side and smiled
encouragingly. "I don't suppose you happen to know where they
live?"

The waitress shook her head apologetically.
"Sorry—no. Wait a minute!" She snapped her fingers, already
heading toward the kitchen. "I'll bet Herb knows. He's lived here
forever."

"Take the first road to the left heading
north out of town. Turn left again at the first intersection," she
announced, bustling through the double doors a moment later. "It's
the house at the end of the gravel road. Only one there, so you
can't miss it."

"Thanks so much. I'll just be on my way,
then." Jenna smiled gratefully and paid for her breakfast. Glancing
back, she saw the waitress gazing after her with an odd look in her
eyes. Jenna sent a little wave over her shoulder as she exited the
tiny caf6.

She quickly walked across the street to where
her car was parked in front of her motel room. She inserted the key
in the lock, but suddenly she stopped, one hand poised on the dark
blue roof as her mother's words from yesterday came back to her.
How would Megan feel about her dropping in without any warning? It
could be quite a shock, she suddenly realized. For a moment she
hesitated, temptation almost overruling reason in this instance.
Then, with a sigh, she turned and trudged the few steps to her
room.

Inside, she sat down on the double bed and
reached for the phone. The Garrisons' phone number popped into her
head without conscious thought, and for a moment she sat stunned.
Why was it that she remembered it after all this time? Was it
because she hadn't wanted to forget? Her hand gripped the receiver
as she recalled the last time she'd telephoned, to let them know
her labor had started. Once again she could hear Megan's ecstatic
voice coming over the wire.

"Oh, Jenna, I can't believe it! It's finally
about to happen! A baby—our very own baby! We'll be there as soon
as we can."

The memory was both poignant and sweet, and
Jenna took a deep, shuddering breath to force back the odd
sensation gripping her heart. She punched out the number with
steady hands, aware of a faint flutter in her chest as she eased
back on the bed and waited.

The phone rang once, twice and then again.
Jenna felt her heart beating crazily.

"Hello?"

She couldn't prevent a note of breathless
excitement from entering her voice. "Megan?" She sat forward on
the edge of the bed, her body taut as a bowstring. "Is that you,
Megan?"

There was a long silence, and then a female
voice demanded, "Who is this?"

Recoiling from the sharp
tone, she shifted uneasily as she realized it wasn't Megan who had
answered. "I... my name is Jenna Bradford." She heard a soft gasp
but paid no mind. Her tone was cautious but hopeful as she spoke to
the woman on the other end of the line. "I've just driven all the
way from Galveston and I was calling to see if I might be able to
see—''
Robbie
. She
stopped the word from slipping off her tongue just in time.
"Megan," she finished hastily. A little puzzled by the awkward
silence that followed, she bit her lip. "I'm sorry...I must have
dialed the wrong number."

"No. No, this is the right number."

The admission came readily enough, but there
was something in the tone... it was brusque, even a little hostile.
Jenna's words were polite but guarded. "If I have the right number,
then who are you?"

Again there was a long empty silence before
the unknown woman spoke. "Eileen. Eileen Swenson." She seemed to
hesitate. "I'm Ward's sister."

Ward's sister. No wonder the surprise at her
name. "Then you know who I am," she said softly.

"Yes—yes, I do. And I think I know why you're
here."

There was no denying the challenging note in
Eileen Swenson's voice. If this was any indication of how Megan or
Ward would feel... She could only pray it wasn't. She prickled a
little but said politely, "If it's not too much trouble, could you
put either Megan or Ward on the phone?''

There was a seemingly endless silence.
"Megan's dead," the woman finally said quietly.

Dead...Megan was dead. Her mind reeled. It
didn't seem possible. She'd never known her, not really. Was it
possible to mourn someone's death without ever really knowing that
person? But certainly Jenna knew all she needed to know. Megan was
a warm, vital woman whose capacity for love went far beyond any
ordinary measure, if indeed love could be measured. A dozen
questions tumbled around in her brain. How had Megan died? And
when? She couldn't suppress a burning feel of resentment against
Ward for not letting her know, even while the rational part of her
argued there was no need for her to know.

But suddenly she remembered Robbie. Megan was
gone, but did that change anything? Her reason for being here?
No.

"I'm sorry," Jenna said softly. "When...
?"

Eileen Swenson had no trouble understanding.
"About a year and a half ago."

She twirled the cord around her finger and
thought a moment. "Mrs. Swenson, I'd still like to talk to
Ward—"

"He isn't here."

Jenna took a deep breath. "Then could you
give him a message for me?''

"I'm sorry. I—I don't know when I'll see him
again."