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“Oh, relax. It’s been a long time, Jayden. Let’s go to my office.”
She followed behind Matt, wishing ten years could feel as long as it sounded and wondering how some things could change so much and others not at all.
Matt eased into his chair and kicked his feet up on the desk. “You’re going to have to deal with people like Kent now that you’re back.”
“I was hoping he might have left.”
“He did, but he’s home now doing an internship while he’s finishing law school.”
“Great. He’s a lawyer. He’ll probably try to find a way to bring me to trial. He hates me.”
Matt nodded. “Yep, he does. But that could change.”
“If it hasn’t changed in ten years, it’s not likely going to.”
“Ah, but you haven’t been here for ten years to prove anyone’s beliefs wrong.”
“It’s impossible to change the opinion of everyone.”
Matt shrugged. “Maybe, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I bet none of that is why you’re here.”
“You’re right. I’d like to know the latest on Eric’s case.”
“Jayden, I can only tell you what we’ve already told the reporters. We’re still trying to identify those bodies.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Duke Swayze did this, Matt. I know it, and so do you.”
“It doesn’t matter what we know, only what we can prove.”
She leaned forward in the chair. “What can I do? I want to help bring Eric’s murderer to justice. He lived on my property, and I feel responsible.”
Matt swung his feet to the floor. “You’re a private citizen. There’s nothing you can do but answer questions when we ask them and answer honestly. At the moment, we don’t know Eric’s dead, at least not conclusively.”
Jayden stood, fists knotted at her side. “I wouldn’t lie to the police, Matt.”
“I don’t want you to keep anything that could help the investigation to yourself so you can go off on your own private search. I know how you feel about the Militia and I know you’re probably still angry. Don’t try to get rid of it in the name of aiding Walsh’s case.”
She crossed her arms and didn’t even try to deny Matt’s statement. It was too close to the truth. “I want to work with you, not against you.”
Matt came around the desk, closer to her. “I believe that. I also know you’ve got a stubborn streak, have had since you were a kid. I want you to stay safe.”
She nodded and hurried to the door before he could see her watery eyes. “I’ll check back if I think of anything.”
She didn’t wait for Matt’s answer and didn’t slow down until she was behind the wheel of her truck. She’d forgotten what it was like to have a community of people believe taking care of you was their job, even when they thought you’d done a terrible thing.
“THIS BACKPACK IS ALMOST bigger than you. Why don’t you get another one?”
“Because I like this one,” Garrett said.
Jayden tried not to groan. After her meeting with Matt at lunch, Jeffrey had left her in charge at the clinic so he could take care of family business out of town. She hadn’t been thrilled to be left alone this soon. Naturally, after he’d been gone an hour, a farmer called, and she’d had to go help a cow give birth to what was expected to be a prize calf. Thankfully, she’d made the right calls and the cow and new calf were fine. But facing a situation she hadn’t dealt with since vet school had left her too frazzled to fight with Garrett over a backpack.
“Put it on and wear it here in the aisle while I get paper towels. Then you can decide if you still want it.”
She left the two boys and rounded the corner to the next aisle, trying to keep the tiny shopping cart with one bad wheel from veering into the shelves. The errant cart jerked to the right and bumped the hip of a girl with blond curls hanging down her back.
“Sorry.” Jayden whipped the cart on course, trying not to stare, but the profile of the girl tickled a memory for her. She’d know Amy Dubois anywhere. She dug her fingers into the plastic of the eight pack of paper towels and tossed it in her cart. The cart skittered to the side as she tried to push away without looking back.
“I know it’s you, Jayden Miller, even if you don’t say a word to me. I heard you were back, and you haven’t changed a bit.”
Jayden tried not to chew her lip as she turned around. “Hi, Amy.”
The blonde snorted. “I knew you recognized me.”
She caught herself unconsciously wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. “You’ve changed—grown up a lot—but I could still see it was you. I didn’t figure you’d have anything to say to me.”
The other girl took a step toward her. “Oh, I’ve got plenty to say to you. But this isn’t the time.”
“Aunt J., your idea worked. After Garrett saw the backpack was gonna bang him in the back of the knees all day, he picked a different one. He—” Elliot’s voice tapered off as he looked between his aunt and the woman in front of her.
Jayden glanced at him and smiled, though her lips felt tight. “That’s good. Run back and stay with him. He shouldn’t be alone in the store.”
Elliot trotted to the end of the aisle then made the corner.
Amy shook her head. “I heard you were raising your sister’s kids. Crazy, huh? Wonder what my brother would have to say about that?”
Jayden had asked herself that question before and still didn’t have an answer. She’d always imagined she and Mark held the same beliefs, but one horrible night had changed everything. Amy, she realized, was waiting for a reply.
“I don’t know. I guess I never knew your brother, at least not like I thought I did.”
“Yeah, and nobody knew you, either. My dad’s not too happy you’re back. No one is. So you better watch yourself and those kids, too. Be sure to stay clear of my family.”
The girl’s hip bumped the shopping cart again as she passed, but Jayden didn’t turn to watch her go. She sagged against the shelf next to her. A thump in the next aisle caught her attention and she left the cart behind in a mad dash to check on the boys. A small pile of backpacks and an entire box of pens lay on the floor. Elliot stood in the middle of the mess, his fists tight and his face cherry-red. Garrett stared at his brother with saucer eyes.
“What’s the matter, Elliot?” She knelt in front of him and could see his nostrils flaring, but he didn’t answer.
“That big, mean man said something to him,” Garrett volunteered.
“What man?”
“He just left.”
She raced to the front of the store and peered through the large windows. In the parking lot, Amy stood by a huge new dual-wheel truck. The man beside her had a grip on her arm and was nearly lifting her off the ground. He released her suddenly and walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle while Amy crawled into the passenger’s seat. Jayden knew the man’s face, but not his name. It didn’t matter. He was Militia. That was enough to know.
Back in the school-supply aisle, Elliot had calmed down and was on his knees gathering pens and placing them back, while his brother stacked the backpacks.
“What did the man say to you, Elliot?”
The boy shook his head.
“You can tell me. It’ll be okay.”
He dropped the last pen in the box before looking up at her. “It doesn’t matter what he said and it won’t ever be okay.”
She knelt and hugged him. “You’re right. It won’t ever be okay for anyone to not be nice to you, because you’re a good person and that’s all that matters. There are people in this world who are simply narrow-minded. Do you know what that means?”
“Yeah, stupid.”
She smiled. “Good enough. Now, what if we go to Ray’s Fish House to eat?”
Elliot brightened. “Really?”
“Yes, is that strange?”
“Mom didn’t like us to eat out during the week, only on special occasions.”
“Well, we’re buying Garrett this backpack, and I think that’s a special occasion, don’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, a new backpack is super-special.”
“Can I get shrimp and frog legs?” Garrett asked, pulling her toward the front of the store.
Both boys bounced up and down while she paid, and she wondered if they might run to the restaurant rather than wait and ride in the car with her. On her way out the door she glanced at the empty parking spot where the white truck had been. Idiots, all of them, but now that she was here she might get the opportunity to put some Militia members in their place. The idea put a smile on her face.
She was still smiling when she slid into a seat at the family restaurant. She lifted her hand to wave at one of their neighbors then flipped through the menu, trying to decide what she wanted while she and Garrett waited for Elliot to return from the bathroom.
“Look who I found.” Elliot made a running slide into the chair across from her and it wobbled onto two legs.
“Elliot, be careful!” Jayden half rose from her seat.
A hand gripped the boy’s chair to keep it from toppling over. The deep blue eyes of Luke Taylor settled on her, and she felt her skin tingle. She nearly frowned but caught herself. She didn’t want the boys to see her agitation.
“Coach was about to get an order to go, but I told him he should eat with us.”
“If that’s okay?” Luke towered above her and she wished she didn’t like the sound of his voice quite so much.
She glanced at the boys, who were thoroughly excited at the idea of eating with the baseball coach.
“It’s fine if you want to.”
He nodded, still pinning her with a look she couldn’t quite read. His eyes seemed to lighten and he smiled. Unable to stop, she smiled back. She could’ve kicked herself for giving in to his charm. His yellow shirt was rolled up at the sleeves and the collar was unbuttoned as if he’d recently pulled loose a tie. The shirt stretched across his chest when he moved, and he seemed to take over their table with his presence.
“Coach Taylor’s a lawyer,” Elliot announced as Luke settled into a chair.
“Yes, I know.”
Elliot launched into a discussion of baseball, which he clearly deemed much more important than being a lawyer. Having his coach sit at the table and give him his undivided attention turned the boy into a chatterbox. Throughout their meal they discussed the teams they would play and whether or not they would do well against them. Not that she minded. It kept her from having to join in and also gave her plenty of time to study the man who made her angry and nervous at the same time. She wasn’t oblivious to the interested looks they got from the other diners, either.
“We’re through. Can we go play the games?”
Discouraged, Jayden glanced to the machines across the room. And she thought she’d get away without having a conversation with Luke. She nodded and began digging in her purse for coins, but before she could produce any Luke had pulled several dollars from his pocket.
“Let me, mine’s easier to get to.”
She dropped her purse between her feet and didn’t argue. The boys raced away, and her stomach instantly tightened.
“Thanks for letting me eat with you.”
She wiped her hands on a napkin. “The boys enjoyed it. They like you.”
“Why do I feel like there’s a lecture coming about being a role model and how if I get this Swayze guy off I won’t be a good one?”
She didn’t like it that he could already read her so well. “Let’s not discuss your job right now.”
Luke nodded. “So, we’ll discuss something else.”
“Right. How’s your horse?”
He smiled. “Thor’s fine, and hopefully I’ve gotten a latch on the gate he can’t get open.”
“That’s good.”
She fell silent and wondered what to say next.
“How’s being home compared to…where you were?”
She turned back to Luke. “Very different. I was working in Beverly Hills the past two years.”
“I guess this was a change. Vet to the stars, huh?”
“Actually, we were.”
He paused with the glass of iced tea halfway to his mouth. “You’re joking.”
“Nope. More than half of our clients were in the film or music industry, and quite a few were famous.”
“No cows and horses for you to deal with there.”
“That’s right, and I don’t mind telling you it’s been an adjustment.”
Luke focused his attention on Garrett and Elliot for a few seconds and she studied his profile, the way his lashes curled long and thick and his lips were smooth and not too full.
He faced her, and she tried to look away but she knew he’d caught her staring.
“I’ll bet the job hasn’t been the only difficult situation since you’ve been back.”
She pushed away the remnants of the fried catfish she couldn’t eat. “It’s been very hard, but they’re special kids. I hadn’t expected to be a parent this soon, though.”
“You could have let someone else do the job or sent the boys back to foster care.”
