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“No, I won’t.”
“Why not?” he demanded, irritation filling him. What was wrong with her? Didn’t she think his family was good enough? That thought was laughable. The Maitlands were sought out by everyone.
“Because I don’t have anything to wear.”
CHAPTER TWO
JAKE STARED AT HER. He’d expected fear, or something just as serious, to be the reason for her reluctance. But fashion?
Suddenly he felt as if he’d been hibernating for the past six months. Camille had been wearing maternity clothes she’d purchased just before he’d brought her to Texas. She hadn’t had a lot, but never once had she complained.
Since she’d had the baby, she’d continued to wear some of her maternity shirts. He’d noticed a pair of slacks that he supposed she’d worn before her pregnancy. But her wardrobe was definitely limited.
“Why didn’t you say something?” he demanded, frowning fiercely.
Her eyes rounded in surprise. “I haven’t had a great need for a cocktail dress, Jake.”
“But you’ve needed other things, haven’t you? My sisters go shopping all the time. You haven’t had anything new in six months.” He should have thought of this before.
“Jake, contrary to popular belief, a woman doesn’t have to shop every day to be happy. Besides, your sister Abby brought me a catalog when I was in the hospital and I ordered some nursing—some things. And one of the nurses helped me pick out what I’d need for the baby.”
He shook his head. “I’m calling my sister Anna. She’ll get you a dress for tomorrow night. And I’ll get you some catalogs so you can order regular clothes.”
The spark of interest in her eyes told him she liked his idea. The pleasure he derived from doing something for her alarmed him. It was just his job, after all.
Then she frowned. “Can you access my bank account? I don’t have any money with me.”
“I’ll take care of it. You can pay me back when all this is over.”
A wistful look filled her eyes. “Will it ever be over? It’s crazy that I’ve been in hiding so long.”
“Yeah, it’ll be over. We’ve got evidence against Vince now, thanks to some of the clues you gave us. And he’ll face charges from the hostage episode at the clinic day care in April. All we have to do is find him. He’s gone underground, but he won’t have the patience to stay there.”
In fact, though Jake would never have agreed to use Camille as bait, that was exactly what was happening. Eckart was desperate to find his ex-wife and had trailed her to Texas. Jake was certain someone had passed on the information to Eckart and wondered if the leak had been instigated by his superiors in the FBI.
“Are you sure?”
He frowned, wondering if she’d read his mind. “Sure about what?”
“I mean, will the government advance you money?”
“Yeah.” The government…or his mother. How strange to have met a woman who was unaware of his family’s wealth. He’d vowed never to marry after he’d discovered his first love was coolly calculating his inheritance. Between that and his family’s social prominence, she’d intended to cut a large swath through Texas society.
“Can you call Abby? I don’t know Anna and—”
“Abby stays pretty busy with her practice.”
“I know that.”
She should, Jake thought, since Abby had delivered the baby—Jamie, he finally acknowledged. “Anna plans weddings. She’ll know where to get a dress quickly.”
He reached for the phone, and as he’d expected, his sister immediately agreed to help. He handed the phone to Camille so she could discuss color and style.
“Jake?”
He whirled around to see what Camille needed. “Yeah?”
“Anna wants to bring some dresses out here. Is that okay?”
They were staying on Garrett Lord’s ranch in a cabin remotely situated from the main house. Jake didn’t want to risk Eckart following his sister out here in the hopes of finding Camille.
He took the phone. “Anna, can’t we do this differently? Take a dress to Mom’s and Camille can change when we get there.”
“But it might not fit, Jake. Since she just had a baby, she’s not sure of her size.”
“She’s wearing pants she wore before the baby— I mean, before she was pregnant. So the same size should do.”
Camille tugged on his sleeve. “Jake, I—”
“Well, you are,” he told her, anxious for this conversation to be over.
“Yes, but—on top I’m—I’m bigger.”
Her cheeks were flushed, but Jake figured they were pale compared to his face. Damn, he didn’t want to think about her breasts. But it was all he could think about now.
“Anna, bring the dresses to the main ranch house and we’ll meet you there.” He pressed the phone closer to his ear. “And don’t tell anyone what you’re doing.”
“Of course not. But does Camille need anything else? I might as well pick up other things while I’m shopping for her.”
Anna sounded amused, which irritated Jake all the more. He handed the phone to Camille with a gusty sigh. “Anna wants to know if you need anything else.”
“Can we afford—”
“Yes, whatever!” He didn’t want any more talk about Camille’s body or her wardrobe.
Camille began a discussion with Anna, but a thin wail stopped her almost at once. “Oh, Jamie—”
“I’ll get him. Finish up with Anna.”
He fled the room. He’d much rather deal with a newborn baby than continue this conversation.
The baby was kicking his legs and waving his arms, his face puckering as he yelled. Jake sighed. He was learning how insistent a newborn could be. The first thing to do was check his diaper. Jake knew that much.
After changing him, Jake eased his big hand under the baby’s body and lifted him to his shoulder. “Now, listen, Jamie, Mom’s kind of busy, so you need to stop that yelling.”
Much to Jake’s surprise, the baby quietened. For a minute. Then little whimpers began to build. Panic filled Jake. What was he supposed to do? He drew a deep breath, determined not to be bested by a seven-pound infant. Even if he was a cute one. He cradled Jamie in his arms, then tucked the baby’s small fist into his tiny mouth, hoping he could fool the baby into believing he was being fed.
The sucking noises were a dead giveaway. The kid wanted to eat. Jake was proud of himself for correctly assessing the situation, but he knew he didn’t have the equipment for a successful resolution. Which, of course, brought his mind back to Camille’s breasts.
Man, he needed some distance from his two captives! He left the nursery and returned to the living area, where Camille was on the phone.
It didn’t take Jamie long to realize that his fist wasn’t providing satisfaction. Just as Jake came into the room, the baby let out another wail.
“Oh, Anna,” Camille said when she saw him, “thank you so much, but I have to feed the baby now. Oh. Yes, of course.”
She handed the phone to Jake. He transferred the baby to her arms, surprised by his reluctance to give up the warm bundle. Then he spoke to Anna.
“So we get to meet the mystery woman now?” Anna asked softly.
“Yeah, Mom insisted. But it’s important that no one talk about her, especially to that pest Chelsea. Too many people know about Camille already.” In the past year his family had been besieged by Chelsea Markum, a television reporter for a gossip show called Tattle Today TV. There was no way he wanted her to do a news item on Camille being guarded by the Maitlands’ youngest son.
“You know we wouldn’t tell her anything,” Anna protested indignantly.
“I know, Anna, but this is a matter of life and death.” He turned to stare at Camille, who’d begun nursing Jamie. Her eyes were shuttered, but her lips had tightened with fierce protectiveness. He regretted his words. But damn it, he’d only spoken the truth.
Anna made her promises and then asked him to bring Camille to Garrett’s at four that afternoon.
“You can take care of it by then?”
“Good heavens, Jake, that’s six hours away. I’m not going to hand sew the clothes, just buy them.”
“Yeah, okay.”
When he’d hung up the phone, he turned to Camille. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I know.”
“I’ll keep you safe.”
“Yes.” She looked at her child, running her hand up and down his back in a soothing motion. Then, for the first time, she asked Jake about his care of her. “Jake, why did we come here alone? Why don’t you have a partner?”
This was the question he’d dreaded. He sat beside her. “Because I think someone is leaking information to Vince.”
“Someone with the FBI?” she asked, sounding shocked.
“Maybe. You never told Vince you were pregnant, but he found out before you were even showing.”
“Yes,” she said, frowning. “I wondered how, but—but I guessed that he’d tailed me to the doctor’s office.”
“Maybe, but I was tailing you, and I didn’t see anyone else.”
“You were? Why? I had already agreed to cooperate.”
“I know, but we thought you might need a little protection.”
“I had already asked for protection,” she protested indignantly, “and was denied!”
“I know, but my partner and I figured we’d offer a little extra, just in case. Nothing official.” He didn’t look at her. He didn’t want her to know that her gentle beauty had already been tugging at his heart way back then.
He could feel her gaze on him, but he kept staring at his hands clasped between his knees.
“At least here I have people I can trust—my family, our friends the Lords.”
“I hate the fact that I’m putting your entire family in danger!” Camille exclaimed. “Maybe I should just leave.”
“You’re not going anywhere. And my family’s not in danger. Neither are you.”
“But, Jake—”
“Enough! You need to think about the baby—Jamie. We’ve got to keep Jamie safe.”
Her arms tightened on her little son, causing him to whimper in protest.
“Easy, there, you don’t want to squeeze the stuffing out of him,” Jake cautioned, grinning.
“No, no, I don’t.” She looked at the baby, then at Jake. “I have to change sides. I’ll go to the bedroom.”
He nodded, standing. As she left the room, he called, “Take a nap after you put Jamie back in his bed. You’ll need your strength to deal with Anna this afternoon.”
Camille paused and stared at him. “She sounded very nice on the phone.”
“Oh, she’s nice. But she’s a whirlwind. She’ll wear you out.”
Camille gave him a faint smile and disappeared.
Jake picked up the phone again. This time he called Max Jamison. “Max, Anna is bringing some things to the ranch house at four today. Could you tail her, make sure no one else is doing the same thing? And plan on staying until she leaves? Great. I’ll see you then.”
While Max kept an eye on the ladies, Jake could drive into Austin and contact his boss from a pay phone. He suspected whoever was feeding Vince his information was keeping track of calls, too. Jake didn’t want to lead Vince to the ranch.
Until the man was caught and placed behind bars, Jake couldn’t distance himself from Camille.
Like a punch to the gut, the thought of Camille leaving, taking Jamie and disappearing from his life made Jake catch his breath. What was wrong with him? Of course she’d leave. Probably go back to Washington, D.C.
Where he lived.
When he’d left home, he’d sought power. His rounds with his father had left him feeling weak. He’d needed the discipline of the FBI, the authority…and the validation of being the good guy. Those early years, he’d felt he’d made the right decision. But he’d matured, and now he wasn’t so sure.
He’d missed his family, his home, Texas. In particular, he’d missed his mother. While Megan Maitland was still young in spirit, still strong, she was getting older.
When he’d brought Camille to Texas, he’d noticed the wrinkles at the corners of his mother’s eyes for the first time. And, for the first time, he’d thought about the future.
About leaving the FBI.
IN SPITE OF HERSELF, Camille began to grow excited about new clothes. She hated the maternity clothes she’d worn for so long. When she and Jake had disappeared in the middle of the night, she’d only been allowed one bag.
Jake had promised that her parents’ house—now hers—and her belongings would be safe, but she had to travel light.
Since her social life had been nil, dressing hadn’t been a problem. She’d worn the five outfits until she could no longer stand the sight of them. She’d also included in her suitcase a couple of pairs of slacks and blouses from her pre-pregnancy days, but the blouses still didn’t fit.
