The Son He Never Knew

When he noticed the blood pooling around Dalton’s head, images of war zipped through Chase’s brain. Fallen comrades, chaos and confusion. Death and destruction. A fatal error he’d made that couldn’t be rectified…

Chase again forced the memories away as he walked to his long-time nemesis, crouched down, pressed his fingertips against Dalton’s neck and fortunately for Jess, found a pulse.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” she asked in a tone strangely absent of emotion.

“He’s alive but unconscious,” he assured her, although right then he wasn’t sure of anything.

When he heard the wail of sirens, Chase immediately went to Jess, knelt and took her by the shoulders. “Are you okay?” he asked, even though he could tell she wasn’t from the undeniable shock in her eyes.

“It was an accident,” she muttered as her gaze slid away. “No one’s fault.”

Chase couldn’t imagine Jess would intentionally injure her ex-husband, but he wasn’t fool enough to deny anything was possible when it came to volatile relationships. “Look at me, Jess.” Once he finally had her attention, he added, “When the paramedics get here, don’t say anything about what happened.”

“But I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t talk about it,” he cautioned again. “You have to remember who you’re dealing with here, even if it was an accident.”

Realization dawned in her expression. “Edwin,” she said in a whisper.

“Yeah. Your ex-father-in-law could make this tough on you. And anything you tell me could be used against you in court if it comes to that.”

Her eyes went wide with terror. “Court?”

Before Chase had a chance to reassure her, the sound of gurney wheels echoing through the foyer interrupted his train of thought. He straightened and met the EMTs as soon as they entered the room. “He’s still alive,” he told a fifty-something paramedic named Joe. “But it looks like he has a pretty serious head injury.”

“We’ll take it from here,” Joe said before he and his partner went to work on Dalton.

Chase helped Jess to her feet and guided her down the hall to the formal dining room he found nearby. After he had her seated in a chair at the polished mahogany table, he asked, “Where’s your son?”

“Upstairs.”

Chase wondered exactly what the boy had witnessed during the last few minutes. “I want you to stay right here while I go check on him.”

She nodded like she needed complete guidance. Chase understood that all too well.

He strode back into the great room in time to find the crew loading Dalton onto the stretcher, but he didn’t stop to check on his status. Instead, he took the stairs two at a time. When he reached the top landing, he discovered Danny Wainwright, dressed in a pair of race-car pajamas, standing against the wall with his gaze focused on the hardwood floor.

After Danny finally looked up, Chase was amazed over how much he resembled Jess, with the exception of his blond hair. Fortunately he couldn’t see a scrap of Dalton in him, but he did see the same vacant stare his mother had exhibited a few moments ago.

More recollections of another time, another foreign place and another child intruded into Chase’s thoughts. He had to get a grip on the present and stay out of the past for both Jess and her son’s sake.

Chase swept his cowboy hat from his head and kept a safe distance. “Hey, Danny. I’m Deputy Reed, a friend of your mom’s.”

The boy blinked but remained silent.

He decided tackling Danny’s immediate worry might help. “The paramedics are taking your dad to the hospital, so he’s in good hands.”

Still no response, and Chase wasn’t real sure how to proceed. “Do you want to go see your mom?”

This time Danny shook his head, which fueled Chase’s concerns. If the kid had witnessed Jess injuring Dalton, inadvertent or not, he could have a damn hard time forgiving his mother. He wasn’t too keen on leaving the boy alone, but he didn’t want to push him, either. “Why don’t you wait in your room and I’ll have your mother come up to talk to you.”

Without any reply or hesitation, the boy headed down the hall and walked through a door to his right. Chase followed behind and entered a bedroom decked out in dark blue walls and baseball memorabilia. A typical kid’s room that reminded him of his own when he’d been about Danny’s age, only he’d been more inclined to collect football souvenirs.

When Danny curled up on the bed facing the wall, Chase felt the need to say something else, to offer some words of comfort, but he had no real experience dealing with childhood trauma. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with your mom, okay?”

Danny didn’t respond, didn’t even shrug his shoulders to acknowledge the suggestion. With any luck, reuniting him with Jess would be the key to his comfort. Then again, maybe not, but Chase felt he had no choice in the matter.

As he sprinted back down the stairs, Chase heard the sound of an all-too-familiar voice coming from somewhere in the house. A booming voice that belonged to his father, the sheriff. No surprise that Buck would have been summoned, considering the nature of the crime. Correction. Accident. Chase refused to believe anything else until proof landed in front of his nose. Even then he’d have a hard time buying Jess flying into a homicidal rage.

He made his way back to the dining room where he’d left Jess and arrived just in time to hear his dad say, “You’re going to have to give me more details than that.”

Furious over Buck’s tone, Chase stepped inside the opening, hands fisted at his sides. “Can I have a word with you?”

Buck turned to him and scowled. “I’m taking Jess’s statement, son, so you’ll need to wait a minute.”

Chase was tempted to remind his father that he should call him by his proper name, not son. “It’s important.”

Buck forked his fingers through his silver hair and sighed. “Fine,” he said before turning to Jess. “Don’t go anywhere.”

As soon as Buck joined him at the front door out of Jess’s earshot, Chase turned his fury on his father. “What in the hell are you doing?”

“My job, exactly what you should be doing, too. She told me you hadn’t questioned her about Dalton’s injuries.”

“She said it was an accident and that’s all I needed to know.”

Buck hooked his thumbs in his pockets and stared him down like he was thirteen, not thirty-one. “Doesn’t matter what she said, boy. You have to get all the facts to put into the report.”

Chase pointed in the direction of the dining room. “That’s Jess in there, Dad. The same girl who used to come with her folks to our house for Sunday dinner and dominoes.”

“Yeah, and you’re too close to the situation. That’s why I called in Barkley to assist me. He should be here in about five minutes.”

That only increased Chase’s wrath. “Barkley can’t find his way out of a feed sack. He’ll arrest Jess first and ask questions later.”

Buck raised a brow. “Any reason why you think Jess should be arrested?”

He reflected on Danny’s reaction and decided to keep his mouth shut for now. “Like I said, she claims it was an accident, and I have no reason to believe it wasn’t.”

“You know the procedure,” Buck said. “I still have to take an official statement.”

“Then do it in the morning after she’s had some time to recover.”

“That’s not the way it works, son.”

“Make it work, Dad. Right now she needs to rest.”

“She can’t stay here, Chase. We’ll need to gather evidence in case Dalton dies during the night.”

On one hand, he didn’t give a rat’s ass if Dalton died. On the other, he had to consider what that might mean for Jess. “She can stay with me tonight and I’ll have her at the department first thing in the morning.”

“She can get a room at the motel.”

He had no intention of sticking Jess in some seedy, pay-by-the-hour dive on the outskirts of town. “She’s in shock and so is her kid. She needs to be in a place where she’s comfortable.”

Chase could see Buck’s frustration beginning to build. “And you think that’s with you? Best I recall, she hasn’t come around once since you’ve been home.”

Understandable why they’d been avoiding each other, but he’d be damned if he let his father in on a ten-year-old secret. “She’s been busy getting rid of Dalton.”

Chase realized how questionable that sounded when Buck said, “Maybe that’s what she did tonight, got rid of him once and for all.”

He couldn’t quite understand why his father was bent on treating Jess like some black widow lying in wait to off her former husband. Buck might be one of the good guys, but he could be an obsessed hard-ass when it came to the job. If serving as sheriff for thirty some odd years did that to a man, Chase wanted no part of it, even if that’s exactly what was expected of him.

“Tell you what, Sheriff,” he said. “If you’ll stop jumping to conclusions, then I’ll have Jess to you bright and early. But if you’re not going to stick to the innocent until proven guilty clause, then I’ll be damned if I’m going to continue to work for you.”

Chase could see the cogs spinning fast in Buck’s head. Placid had suffered a deputy shortage for years, and there sure as hell wasn’t a long line waiting to sign on. If he up and resigned, he’d leave his dad high and dry and working longer hours again, which sure wouldn’t set well with the missus.

Buck took on a look of reluctant submission. “Okay, you bring her home and have her in my office no later than 8:00 a.m. And have her boy there, too. Maybe between the two of them, we can shed some light on this thing.”

As far as Chase was concerned, having Danny put through the wringer was entirely up to Jess, at least for now. “Fine. You can go. I’ll handle it from here.”

“I’ll go outside to wait for Barkley until you leave with Jess.” Buck turned toward the door then stopped and pointed at Chase. “8:00 a.m. sharp or I’ll come down to the cabin and get her myself.”

“I’ll have her there, Sheriff.” And he would, right on time. He didn’t sleep much these days anyway. Too much on his mind. Too many nightmares to count.

After his dad had finally left the immediate premises, Chase made his way to the dining room, only to find it deserted. Jess would’ve had to walk past him to go up the stairs, which made him wonder if she’d headed out the back door. With that major dilemma in mind, he strode to the back of the house and came upon a rear staircase adjacent to the top-of-the-line kitchen. Hopefully that had been her escape route, if in fact she felt the need to escape.

He opted to give Jess the benefit of the doubt and headed to the second floor. As suspected, he discovered her in Danny’s room, perched on the edge of the bed, sifting her hands through her son’s hair.

Chase paused a moment to take in the subtle alterations in Jess’s appearance. She’d cut her long auburn hair to her shoulders and she wore the kind of loose-fitting clothes designed to hide her figure. At five-foot-three, she’d always been small in stature but tough as barbwire. But the most noticeable change could be found in her light amber eyes when she leveled her gaze on him. The former outgoing cheerleader, who could talk the bark off a tree, looked lost and defeated. He damned Dalton Wainwright for that. Damned him for sucking the life out of Jess. Damned himself for staying away from her because of his own guilt.

Chase remained in the doorway and in a low tone said, “Pack a bag for you and your son. You’re going to stay with me for a few days.”

“Why?”

“According to procedure, you have to leave the premises until you give your statement. And even if you could stay, do you really think that’s a good idea?” He nodded toward Danny.

“No,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I don’t want to put you out, Chase. I can call around and find somewhere to stay. Maybe with Sam and Savannah or Matt and Rachel.”

He prepared to shoot down her protest with logic. “First of all, Savannah and Sam are in Hawaii and won’t be back for a couple of days. Secondly, I figure Rachel’s on her way to the hospital to see about Dalton by now.” Blood ties trumped friendship any day of the week, even if Rachel and Jess had been friends for years and Rachel’s brother was about as sorry as they came.

“As far as the rest of the town goes,” he continued, “do you want this getting out any sooner than it has to?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

“Then it’s settled,” he said. “I’ll wait downstairs while you get your things together.”

She twisted the ruby ring that once belonged to her grandmother round and round her right ring finger, a habit she’d developed long ago. “I appreciate your hospitality, but we’ll only stay until I can make other arrangements.”

Funny, they spoke to each other like they were strangers. Like they’d met for the first time tonight when in reality they’d known each other for a lifetime. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to, but we’ll work it out tomorrow.”

Before she could make up another excuse to refuse the offer, Chase walked out of the room and went back downstairs to wait.

He needed to hear the truth from Jess, but he also feared what that truth might be. Feared that he would have to testify against her if she’d attacked Dalton for whatever reason. Justified or not, her cold-blooded father-in-law would see to it that she paid dearly, and he had the political pull and financial means to do it.

When Chase had signed up for the job, both as a soldier and deputy sheriff, he’d sworn to uphold the law. But experience had taught him sometimes justice could be bought by the highest bidder. This was one of those situations.

Regardless, he vowed to stand by Jess, come hell or high water. After what he’d done to her all those years ago, it was the least he could do for her now.

ALONE WITH HER CHILD in Chase’s sparsely furnished guestroom, Jess claimed a space next to Danny on the twin bed. She pulled the covers over his thin shoulders and whisked a kiss across his cheek. And when he turned away from her, she felt her heart shatter one painful fissure at a time.

Still, she rested her face on the pillow, hoping that he found a measure of comfort in her presence. But since the moment they’d arrived at Chase’s house, he’d refused to look at her, refused to speak a word. She couldn’t really blame him after what he’d endured, both tonight and throughout his nine years on earth.

She smiled at the slight curl at the nape of his neck, remembered how she’d been terrified to hold him after he was born and then soon found it hard to put him down. She recalled his baby-soft smell, how little time it had taken to bond with him. He’d been such a joy from the beginning, the brightest part of her day.

Jess’s life had been littered with what-ifs and regrets, of foolish decisions she’d wished she could take back, but having her son had never been one of them. She should have left Dalton a long time ago, when Danny had been too young to understand the ongoing battle between his mother and father. Before Dalton had begun to demean both son and wife.

Her precious baby, who’d been quick with a grin and fast on his feet, had become withdrawn and doubted himself, just as she had since the day she’d married Dalton Wainwright. Yet over the past two months since the divorce, he’d begun to smile more often, talk more freely and even his grades had improved. Now this horrible, horrible incident could scar him beyond repair.

Jess leaned over to see if Danny was sleeping, only to determine he still seemed wide awake. “Do you want some water?” she asked.

He shook his head no.

“Do you want me to stay in here with you tonight?”

Again, another negative response.

She couldn’t blame him for his anger. After all, what had happened tonight had been entirely her fault, and he was going to suffer the brunt of her decisions for years, if not forever. Mothers were supposed to protect their children, and she’d failed miserably.

Jess was torn between staying a little longer with Danny and having a serious talk with Chase. She didn’t dare discuss all the details with him. She wouldn’t involve him more than she already had. But she could attempt to reestablish their friendship that had been damaged a decade ago, thanks to another error in judgment. That could be asking too much, but she had to try. Like it or not, she needed Chase’s support more than she ever had before.

She pressed a kiss against his cheek. “It’s going to be all right, honey. Everything’s going to be fine. I’ll take care of you.”

If only she could believe her assertions. As it now stood, if Dalton didn’t survive his injuries, nothing would ever be fine again. Danny might never be fine again.

But for now, it might be best if Danny wasn’t talking, at least until Jess could come up with a plan. Otherwise, her beloved son’s words could destroy them both.

CHAPTER TWO

SEATED AT THE SMALL DINING TABLE, Chase glanced up from the mug of coffee when he heard the sound of footsteps. Jess approached him slowly, and considering the way her shoulders sagged, the fatigue in her eyes, she looked liked she’d been ambushed.

He shoved the chair across from him with his boot. “Sit before you drop in your tracks.”

After she slid onto the seat, Jess crossed her arms around her middle like she was cold. He’d made a point to turn up the heat soon after they’d walked in the door even though he’d felt like his skin had caught fire.

Chase lifted his mug. “Want a cup?”

“No, thank you.” She eyed his gun resting on the table where he’d unloaded it a few moments before.

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder toward the guest room. “How’s he doing?”

“As well as can be expected, I guess. He’s not saying much but I’m sure he’s still in shock. I know I am.”

Chase really wanted to ask Jess how Dalton’s injuries had come about. She could either clear things up, or incriminate herself. He wasn’t willing to take that chance because he’d be damned if he’d speak one word against her.

“You look like you could use some sleep,” he said when she yawned.

Jess folded her hands together and rested them on top of the pine table. “I’m not sure I could sleep if I wanted to. Every time I close my eyes, I see these awful images.”

Chase could seriously relate to that scenario. He couldn’t remember a time in the past few years when he drifted peacefully off to sleep. Couldn’t remember the last time he had any real peace.

“If you decide to try and rest, you can take my room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

She brought her attention back to him. “I’m not going to put you out of your bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

No point in arguing with Jess. He’d learned that a long time ago. But he’d also learned how to skirt her objections. “You sure you don’t want some coffee? Maybe a beer? I’m fresh out of whiskey but I could sneak into the main house and see if Dad still has that seventy-year-old-bottle that belonged to my great-grandpa.”

Jess shuddered. “I can’t even stand the smell of whiskey, much less drink it. I have Dalton to thank for that.”

“He always did like his booze.” And women. Chase had heard from friends that the demon had been scouring the bars and cheating on Jess for years.

When Jess continued to stare blankly across the room, Chase scraped his mind for some way to lift her spirits as much as possible. “Do you want to call your folks?”

Her gaze snapped to his. “No. They just left two days ago on a cruise with Gary, Becca and the kids for the holidays. I don’t see any reason to bother them while they’re on their first real vacation in years.”

Chase could think of one reason—giving her family advance notice in case Jess wound up in jail. “Fine. Is there anyone else I can call for you?”

She drummed her fingertips on the table, a purely nervous gesture. “Yes. I need you to call the hospital and find out how Dalton’s doing.”

He’d like to think she wanted to know because of Danny, but he wondered if there might be more to it. Either she still cared for the jerk, or she felt responsible for his wounds. Maybe both. “I could call but I won’t get anywhere. The hospital won’t release any information unless you’re a family member or the family gives permission. I doubt that holds true for either of us.”

She rubbed her temples like she had one hell of a headache. “You’re right. I’d just hate to read about it in the paper if something happens to him.”

More than likely the event would be front page news no matter what the outcome. “I have Rachel’s cell number. I can try to reach her.”

Jess didn’t look too keen on that idea. “I wouldn’t want to disturb her.”

He fished the phone from his pocket and hit the speed dial. “She’s probably on her way to Jackson, if she’d not already there.”

After two rings, Rachel answered with a harried “Hello.”

“Hey, Rachel, it’s Chase. Are you at the hospital?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

At least she didn’t sound too distraught, a good thing. “I answered the call.”

“Of course you did. I keep forgetting you’re a deputy now.”

Sometimes Chase wished he wasn’t. Tonight happened to be one of those times. “How’s your brother doing?” He tried to sound concerned but his tone was noticeably dry.

“He’s undergoing tests right now and he’s still unconscious,” Rachel said. “Do you have any idea what happened?”

He had a few, but none he cared to share. “Jess says it was an accident, but that’s all I know.”

“Where is Jess now? I tried to call the home number and her cell but I didn’t get any answer.”

“She’s here with me. Do you want to speak with her?”

“I’d like that. I’m worried about her.”

Jess waved him away when he tried to hand her the phone. “Just talk to her for a minute,” he said. “She’s one of your best friends and she’s concerned.”

After a brief hesitation, Jess reluctantly took the cell and murmured a soft “Hello.”

Chase waited and watched while Jess spoke with Rachel. She sounded meek, very un-Jess-like, but he could understand why she might. While he put away his gun in the locked cabinet in the corner, he listened as Jess repeated the accident scenario without any details. And after a few brief questions about Dalton’s condition, she ended the conversation.

“At least he’s still alive,” she said as she handed him back the phone.

He could tell she found little relief in Dalton’s status. “If he makes it through the night, he’ll probably be okay.”

“And if that’s not the case?” she asked. “What happens then?”

Nothing good. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. “Let’s just worry about that if and when the time comes. Right now you need some sleep.”

“I’ve already told you I can’t sleep.” Her irritable tone said otherwise.

“You can try.” He pushed away from the cabinet and returned to the table. “I’ll show you to my room.”

“I told you I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“You’ll be closer to Danny if you’re in my room.”

That seemed to get her attention. “I guess that would probably be better.”

Jess took her time coming to her feet while he picked up her bag from the floor in the den. She slowly and silently followed behind him as he made his way down the hall and paused outside the guestroom.

“Do you think I can hear Danny if he calls me?” she asked.

“You’ll be right next door,” he said as he pointed out his bedroom.

After a slight hesitation, she entered the area and looked around before her gaze settled on the king-size bed.

He nodded toward the closed door to his right. “The bathroom’s through there. After you’re done, I need to take a quick shower.”

She took the bag from him and clutched it like a life-line. “Is this the only bathroom?”

“The only one with a shower,” he said. “There’s a half-bath next to the laundry room. I’ve just started framing out two more bedrooms and another bath at the back of the house.”

“Why?” she asked, catching him off guard.