Trouble Me: A Rosewood Novel (31 page)

Rob bent down and gave Hayley a kiss. “You be good, sweetheart. And help Grammy and Poppy tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.” He’d be on duty until nine o’clock that evening, so Hayley would be sleeping at his parents’, something she did whenever he had an evening shift.

“I will. Bye, Daddy.”

As Rob straightened to watch Hayley go, he heard Christy Harrison loudly tell Eugene to go and sit in the car. She was going to drive him to the hospital, but she had something to say to his teacher first.

“Is Eugene’s pediatrician unable to see him?” Jade asked.

Christy’s voice dripped with scorn as she whipped off her glasses to stare contemptuously at Jade. “My son needs to go to the emergency room. He should have been taken there directly. This is yet another area where
you have clearly been negligent. When I talk to Ted Guerra, I intend to see that he does something about it. This time it won’t be a question of removing Eugene from your class but of your being dismissed—”

“Just a second.” Rob wasn’t going to remain silent while Christy Harrison lashed out at Jade. “Jade was terrific when Eugene got stung and did everything that was required for the stings. Moreover, she stayed by his side throughout, right up until the bus pulled into the parking lot. If he’d shown the slightest indication that he was having a reaction, she’d have seen it. By the way, you’re probably unaware of this, but the reason Eugene was stung in the first place is because he disobeyed Jade. Instead of lining up with the rest of the class, he remained by one of the apple trees. You see, he’d spotted a special apple in one of its upper branches and wanted to pick it for you.”

As he’d offered his defense of Jade, Christy’s face paled. By the time he’d finished, it had gone bright red. If possible, her eyes narrowed further, to a knife’s edge, and when she replied, it was in a tone that was equally cutting.

“I must say I’m surprised to hear you of all people stand up for her. Especially considering what my mother-in-law told me about the night of your wife’s death. Is it true? Were you really arresting Jade at the Den while your wife lay dying?” Her cold, mean eyes flicked from him to Jade, and she smiled. “The ER doctors at the hospital will be very interested to hear about the so-called care my son received from you. So will my lawyer. You can tell Ted Guerra that he’ll be hearing from him.”

The silence was shattered by the slamming of Christy Harrison’s car door. The engine came to life with a roar and then the car was peeling out of the parking lot.

And still Rob could feel the fury pouring out of him. The meddlesome bitches, he thought, seething. Damn
Nonie Harrison and her daughter-in–law for gossiping about Becky’s death.

“Is it true?”

He turned at Jade’s question, only belatedly realizing that, while Christy’s comment might have infuriated him, its effect on Jade would be as destructive as a bomb blast.

When he hesitated, she asked again, and this time her voice shook.

“Yes, it’s true.” If he’d ever wondered if Jade had somehow been aware of the circumstances surrounding Becky’s death, he had his answer in the anguished stammer of her reply.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry. I knew she’d died a while back, but … I had no idea.…” Her words faded away as their gazes met.

Jade stared into the pain-filled depth of Rob’s blue eyes and saw in them something she’d seen time and time again—each time she looked in a mirror. The horror of what she’d just learned increased a hundredfold. “You blame me for her death,” she whispered.

“No—”

But Rob’s denial took a fraction of a second too long. And it took only that infinitesimal amount of time for Stygian darkness to invade her soul.

“Yes, you do. And all I can say is how sorry I am to have played any role in your and Hayley’s loss. But you know what? You’re just going to have to find someone else to blame. I’m full up with the guilt I’m already hauling around.”

There were days, particularly during October, when the anniversary of her parents’ deaths neared, when Jade was haunted by the memory of her dad lying critically injured in the hospital after the plane he’d been flying crashed, his body badly broken, inside and out.

Even though years had passed, Jade still wondered if
her dad might have survived his injuries if only she’d been able to swallow her cry of pain and loss when she heard him whisper her mom’s name. It had been her cry that told him his wife had not survived the plane crash.

If not for her, Dad might be alive today. And she wouldn’t have to live with the thought that she had triggered the embolism that killed him.

It was no easier living with the knowledge that her mom had died thinking of her as a disappointment. No matter how much Jade tried to be a decent person, she’d never be able to change her mother’s opinion of her.

So, no, she couldn’t bear the impossibly heavy guilt of thinking that she was the reason why Hayley was without her mother’s love …

Or that, because of her, Rob had lost the woman he adored.

Oh God, she thought, shuddering, no longer able to contemplate the horrible role assigned to her. With lips that felt oddly frozen, she addressed him, careful not to meet his gaze. “I’ve got to go inside and talk with Ted Guerra.”

As she fled into the school building, she wondered how long it would take before she could handle this new pain.

She feared it might be forever.

I
T HAD
been a quiet night in Warburg. The calls that had come via dispatch were all routine: An elderly man had slipped while stepping into the bath, and his wife was terrified he’d broken his back; a family had mistakenly set off their security system and no one could remember the code or password; a couple had left their garage open and had returned from work to find their top-of-the-line Italian racing bikes gone.

The only incident that even ranked as serious involved the elderly man, but the EMS arrived at the couple’s home within seconds of Rob, and the paramedics immediately set to work, lifting the man out of the tub while Rob calmed his distraught wife. Not even that kept him from thinking about Jade for very long.

His shift over, Rob found himself heading toward Piper Road rather than in the direction of his own place.

Even as he turned into the drive for Rosewood Farm, he knew there were a half dozen good reasons not to seek Jade out. The reasons could have numbered into the hundreds, every one of them excellent, and he would have ignored them too.

He needed to see her, couldn’t stop picturing her horrified expression or the raw pain that dulled the brilliance of her eyes. Jade was so adept at presenting a carefree attitude, and there was such a remarkable energy and vitality about her, that one forgot she’d suffered a great deal in her life. As he’d learned today,
hidden behind her freewheeling demeanor were unhealed wounds.

His car’s headlights picked up a flash of red, and he made out the shape of Jade’s Porsche. He slowed and then stopped in front of a cottage with a columned porch. Lights shone through the curtained windows.

He got out of his car and rapped on the door.

Footsteps sounded and the door swung open with Jade already speaking, her speech obviously prepared. “Will you quit it? I’m fine, really. You don’t have to—” Seeing him on her porch stopped the sentence midstream. “Oh,” she finished hollowly.

“You open your front door like that? You didn’t even look to see who it was.” Even if he hadn’t just come off duty, he’d have been appalled at the lack of caution she displayed.

“Of course not.” She folded her arms around her middle, as if hugging herself. “I thought you were Margot. What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you. You should take a minute to see who’s on the other side of the door before opening it. Warburg’s not without crime.”

“Right,” she snapped. “Next time I’ll look and definitely
not
open the door.” She eyed him suspiciously. “How did you know this was where I live?”

He raised a brow. “I used observational skills honed from years on the force. Your Porsche is parked outside. Are you going to let me come in?”

“Why don’t you use your excellent observational skills to figure that one out too?” She paused and then said, “In case you’re unsure, I’ll give you a hint. The word starts with an
N
and ends with an
O
.”

He bit back a smile, vastly relieved that she was acting all piss and vinegar toward him. He wanted her to be the strong, dynamic woman he was coming to admire.

“Too bad, because we need to talk.” He stepped over
the threshold and brushed past her, ignoring her growl of frustration. A quick glance was sufficient for him to take in the funky charm of the interior. Its playfulness and airiness suited Jade’s character. The light colors and clean lines of the furniture did too. “You have a nice house.”

“Owen and Jordan did the renovation. It’s a great place to hang out and be alone,” she said, stressing the last.

She might be acting all defiant, but her expression was shadowed. He didn’t like the idea of her here, forlorn. In that, he apparently wasn’t alone. If Jade had gone so far as to prepare speeches when she opened the front door, her sisters must have waged quite a campaign.

“Are you okay?”

“Sure.” Her chin rose a notch, but the show of bravado failed. It only made it easier for him to see her drawn features and red-rimmed eyes.

As if she guessed that he wasn’t falling for it, she redoubled her attempt. “Of course I’m fine. Why shouldn’t I be? It’s been a
great
day. And now that we’ve got that straightened out, will you please go on your merry way—”

“What Christy Harrison said today was way out of line. Moreover, it wasn’t true.”

“Funny, I distinctly remember you confirming what she said. Your wife died the night you were arresting me at the Den.”

“Yes, but I don’t blame you for it. Not anymore.”

A slow shake of her head was all she needed to express her disbelief.

How to get her to understand what he’d never consciously acknowledged but now knew to be true? Impulsively, he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the long off-white sofa. He sat down, bringing her with him.

“Hey, buster, who do you think you are? I specifically
didn’t
invite you to sit down—”

“A gross breach of politeness, but I’m willing to overlook it. I need you to listen, and I’m hoping to have better luck if you’re sitting. You certainly didn’t seem inclined to when you were standing and glaring at me.”

“I can sit and glare. And I can ignore too.”

“I’ve already noticed you’re multitalented,” he replied, unfazed by her dirty look. Jade could give as good as she got. But so could he.

“Listen to me, damn it. Yes, there was a time, whenever I thought of how Becky died, that I couldn’t help remembering you and that if you hadn’t been stupid enough to step your underage foot inside the Den, I wouldn’t have had to drag you down to the station and waste my evening dealing with you. I blamed you for a good long time, Jade. It was wrong of me, and stupid too. Because if I were to hold you responsible, then I would also have to blame my father, my uncle, and even my brother Scott for having influenced me in deciding to become a cop. Because if I hadn’t been a cop, I wouldn’t have been anywhere near that goddamned bar on the night Becky died.

“But when I was grieving for Becky, you were an easy target to rail against: a smart-ass adolescent. The thing is, I probably wouldn’t have needed you as a scapegoat if I wasn’t feeling so incredibly guilty myself. I never suspected that Becky was suffering from something more serious than a nasty stomach flu. I should have made her go see a doctor, but it never occurred to me that her body was fighting for its life.”

Rob was sitting close enough to Jade to feel her recoil, then begin to shake as she listened to his explanation. But he was convinced it was better to state things baldly if they were to have any hope of settling the question between them. If they were to have any hope of a future
together. And suddenly he knew that he very much wanted Jade Radcliffe in his life.

He reached out and cupped her chin with his hand, drawing her head around so that he could look at her, impossibly moved when he saw the tears filling her eyes. “Don’t cry,” he said softly.

“I can’t help it,” she replied in a raw voice. “Your wife, Hayley’s
mom
, is gone because of—”

“A cruel turn of events. A twist of fate. Becky’s death was meaningless and senseless. It shouldn’t have happened. But holding you responsible doesn’t change any of that. And now that I know you, there’s no way I could ever blame you for it.”

“What?” she said, clearly startled.

“It’s true. For the first time in a long time, I feel something—something good. I’d forgotten how much I love life. And the reason I’m remembering is you, Jade.”

Awe made her heart strangely heavy. Her gaze locked with Rob’s. He’d lost so much, yet instead of despising her for the inadvertent role she’d played in his loss, he was saying that she’d given him something. The notion boggled the mind, yet the light in his brilliant eyes never wavered.