Jackson’s Jewel ad-5 Read online

  “Coffee?” Emerald nodded and Carly filled her mug. “What will you ladies have this morning? If you don’t want breakfast, there’s fresh apple, lemon meringue and peach pie as well as oatmeal and chocolate chunk cookies.”

  Erin groaned. “I gotta start watching what I eat.”

  Carly’s mouth dropped open. “Whatever for? You never have, so why start now?”

  The other woman laughed. Emerald sat back and enjoyed the byplay between them. They reminded her of her and her sisters. A pang of envy flashed through her, followed swiftly by sorrow. She missed her sisters. Used to working with them every day, it was hard to not be able to see them or talk to them.

  “I’m starting to put on some weight.”

  Carly scowled. “So what? You can handle a few extra pounds with your height.”

  Erin’s eyes twinkled. “I’m going to be putting on a lot more pounds in the next six months.”

  The coffeepot hit the table with a thud. “Do you mean? You’re…” Carly stared at Erin, who nodded. Carly squealed and the next thing Emerald knew, both women were standing up in the diner, jumping up and down, clutching at each other. Erin had mentioned yesterday that she was pregnant. Emerald hadn’t realized that not many other people knew about it yet. But from Carly’s reaction, this was obviously news to her.

  “You ladies disturbing the peace?” Emerald glanced over at the deep male voice to find a uniformed deputy scowling at them. As she watched, he took off his mirrored sunglasses and hooked them in the front of his uniform shirt. Damn, he was big. His large hands were propped on his waist, emphasizing the leanness of it. His brown hair was cut short and his blue eyes were shrewd as he sized her up. He looked vaguely familiar although she knew she’d never met him.

  Carly released Erin and jumped at the man, who caught her easily in his arms. Nathan. This had to be the brother she hadn’t met yet. “Erin is pregnant.” A huge grin split his face, making him look rather handsome and reminding her even more of Jackson. Emerald blinked.

  “Is that so? Congratulations.” He shifted his wife easily to one side, still hanging on to her as he hugged his sister with his free arm.

  “You already knew,” his sister accused as she hugged him back.

  Nathan shrugged, totally unrepentant. “I just came from Jackson’s. I promised to act surprised.”

  The women laughed and Nathan released his wife when another customer called out to her. “I’ll be back.” Carly grabbed her coffeepot and hurried off.

  “You got time for a coffee, Nathan?” Erin scooted back into her seat.

  “Sure.” He sat down next to his sister, pinning Emerald to her seat with his laser stare.

  “Hi, I’m Emerald.” She held out her hand and found it engulfed by his. He didn’t hold it for long, but still she was nervous. He knew something. She could feel it in her bones.

  “Nathan Connors.” He picked up his sister’s coffee and took a sip, never taking his gaze off her. The tension mounted around them.

  Erin stared from one to the other. “What’s going on?”

  Nathan’s eyes bored into her. “Are you going to tell her or will I?”

  Emerald closed her eyes and sighed. She really didn’t want to do this in public. “This might not be the best place to do this.”

  He shook his head. “It’s the best place. There’s been a slight change of plans.”

  Her stomach clenched and the small amount of coffee she’d drunk began to stir in her belly. She swallowed hard, but before she could ask any questions, Erin’s husband strode up to the table.

  Abel nodded to her and then smiled at his wife before returning his attention to Nathan. “It’s parked right out front. I’ll be waiting outside.” He leaned over and planted a quick kiss on his wife’s lips before heading out again. He called out and waved to a few folks as he left.

  “What was that all about?” Erin demanded. “What the heck is going on?”

  Emerald licked her suddenly dry lips. “This has to do with me, I’m afraid.” Squaring her shoulders, she faced the woman she was beginning to think of as a friend. “I lied to you about my last name and about why I’m really here.”

  Bewilderment flashed across Erin’s face, quickly followed by anger and disappointment. “I see,” she said slowly.

  “No, you don’t see,” Nathan cut in. He leaned against the back of the seat and rested his hands on his belly. The pose was deceptively relaxed. Emerald could see his eyes were continually moving around the diner, assessing the patrons.

  He was obviously leaving the telling of her story up to her. She didn’t know whether to be grateful or pissed off. He’d dropped this little bomb and was now leaving it up to her to pick up the pieces. Sighing, she knew she had two choices. She could either just get up and go, knowing that she’d have to pack her things and leave the farm or she’d have to explain.

  She closed her eyes on a flash of pain. She should have known that it was all working out too easily. And, truthfully, what right did she have to drag these people into her problems? They were nice folks. Good people and they didn’t need the ugliness that had invaded her life invading theirs.

  “This was a mistake. I’m sorry.” She pushed away from the table and grabbed her purse. “I can’t stay here.” She could see surprise flash on Nathan’s face, while Erin just looked concerned. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me.”

  Nathan surged from his seat and stared down at her. “So you’re just leaving your position as housekeeper with no notice at all?” His voice wasn’t loud, but still it carried, filling the diner. Emerald could sense the other patrons watching them.

  “Yes.” She didn’t know what else to say. Really, there was nothing else to say. She knew now that she had to leave. She was better off not involving innocent people in her problems. Her heart began to throb painfully at the thought of leaving Jackson, but she ignored it. She’d only met the man yesterday. She refused to believe that he could mean so much to her in such a short span of time.

  “Well then, your car is waiting out front for you. Don’t let us stop you if you want to leave.” Nathan’s voice was cold and, Emerald freely admitted, intimidating.

  She whirled on her heel and stalked toward the door with her head held high. She would not cry. She wouldn’t, she promised herself, blinking back tears. She heard people whispering behind her, but ignored it. This town would forget all about her and by tomorrow she’d be old news.

  She managed to get out through the door and, sure enough, her car was there. She had no idea how that had happened as the keys were in her purse, but she didn’t question it, not when she needed the transportation. A large hand fell onto her shoulder and she whirled around, gasping as she knocked it away.

  Nathan stood behind her with Erin right next to him. “Are you okay, Emerald? I don’t understand what’s going on.” Emerald couldn’t bear the concern in Erin’s eyes. She’d lied to this woman and still it seemed she cared.

  “I’m fine.”

  “We’ll follow you back to the farm.” Nathan’s authoritative voice cut through her misery. It dawned on her then that he was a local cop. She couldn’t blame him for wanting a known liar off his brother’s property. Was it illegal that she’d given them a false name? She hadn’t signed any documents or anything.

  Still, it stung to be treated like a criminal. “Afraid I’ll steal the family silver on my way out the door?”

  Erin gasped, but Emerald was past caring. Her mind was already scrambling. Where would she go? What would she do with little to no money? She’d have to risk going to an ATM and then hightail it to another state. She didn’t have much choice with a maniac on her trail.

  Sliding into her car, she dug in her purse for her keys and shoved them in the ignition.

  She didn’t even check her rearview mirror as she drove. She knew that Nathan was probably following her in his police cruiser. And wasn’t that embarrassing. She was being run out of town by the local cops.

  Sh
e laughed, the sound rough and loud in the confines of her small car. She bit her lip to keep from crying at the pain that filled her. It wasn’t fair what was happening to her, but no one ever said that life was fair. She’d have to suck it up and do what needed doing.

  She braked at a stop sign and just sat there, contemplating just turning left instead of right. She had her purse. There was no need for her to really return to the farm. She could buy what she needed and send for her things in a few days when she was settled. Her laptop was the only thing of value that she truly needed, but she could do without it for now. It wasn’t as if she was doing much work these days.

  Her palms were sweaty, so she wiped them on the folds of her skirt. Left or right. Her mind said left, but her hands went back on the wheel and turned right. She wanted to see Jackson one more time, to at least get the opportunity to say goodbye and thank him for his offer of help. She could understand why his brother wouldn’t want her here. He was a cop, and she’d not only lied, she’d brought a heap of trouble with her too. People took care of their own. She understood that.

  Swiping at her eyes with the heel of her hand, she sniffed back her tears. “Stop that. You’re no worse off than you were two days ago.” Except she felt worse off. Jackson had touched something deep inside her and now there would be no opportunity to explore that. Not that she was sure she even would have, but now she’d never find out.

  Shaking her head, Emerald sighed. She was really losing it. She had a stalker after her, she was being run out of town by the local law and she was worried about a nonexistent relationship with a man she’d just met.

  By the time the farmhouse came into view, she had herself back under control. Her early years in the limelight had taught her how to bury her feelings in front of others. Drawing on that training now, she took a deep breath and blanked all emotion from her face. With any luck, Jackson would be working out in the orchards and she wouldn’t have to deal with him. God, she was being perverse. She wanted to see him and yet she didn’t.

  The choice was taken out of her hands as Jackson was waiting on the back steps when she pulled up. He was wiping some grease off his hands, a large red toolbox sitting next to his feet. Emerald drank in the sight of him as the police cruiser pulled in behind her, followed by Erin’s truck.

  Sighing, she wondered if she should even bother turning off her car. In the end, the need to conserve gas made her shut off the ignition. The silence was almost deafening. “You can do this,” she muttered as she got out of the car and headed toward the door. She kept her eyes on the door, ignoring Jackson.

  “Emerald?”

  She almost stumbled as he spoke her name. He reached out his hand to steady her, but she jerked away. She could hear the underlying concern in his voice and suddenly she wanted to turn back the clock to last night, to experience the closeness they’d shared. This time she wouldn’t let him stop without making love to her. No! She shook herself. It was better that it hadn’t happened. She was sure that, if it had, those memories would haunt her forever.

  Her hand was on the screen door and she tugged, but it wouldn’t open. She could feel Jackson’s large body behind hers. Looking up, she could see his hand planted firmly on the door, keeping it shut. She should never have come back here. She should have taken her opportunity when she’d had the chance and just left.

  “Will someone tell me just what the heck is going on?” Erin stomped up the steps and stood beside Emerald.

  She sensed Jackson’s stillness behind her. “Just what the hell happened in town?” She could feel the vibration of his chest against her back, he was standing so close to her.

  “I’m just doing what I should have done last night. I’m leaving.” Her voice sounded rough to her own ears. She cleared her throat, knowing she had to get through this quickly. “I’ll just pack my things and go.”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he growled. His muscled forearm wrapped around her waist and he shifted her so she was standing to one side. Yanking the door open, he practically pulled her inside.

  She could hear everyone else piling in behind them. She wanted to yell and scream and cry. Instead, she pushed his arm away from her and sent up a prayer of gratitude when he released her. Turning, she cocked an eyebrow at him, ignoring Nathan, Erin and Abel as they ranged around the room.

  His brows were drawn together in anger as he stared at his brother. “What happened?”

  Nathan leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his ankles. “Slight change of plan. Emerald decided that she was leaving instead of talking, but we accomplished what we set out to do. Everyone who was at the diner knows she quit without notice, and better still, they saw me following her out of town.”

  “Good.” Jackson’s reply made her heart ache. She was so sure that he’d felt something for her beyond lust, that they had some connection. It was hard to realize that it was all on her side. “Don’t worry.” He laid his hand on the small of her back. “It’s all for the best.”

  She swallowed back her bitter reply. “I’m sure it is. I’ll just pack and be gone in five minutes.”

  He gripped her shoulders, practically forcing her to look at him. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “Anywhere but here.” She shot Nathan a glare before returning her gaze to Jackson. “Which I’m sure will make some people very happy.”

  “You’re not going anywhere.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand what’s going on. You just said that you’re glad that I quit and I’m leaving.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Ah, Jackson.” Nathan’s smooth tones interrupted them. They both turned and scowled at him. “She doesn’t know about the plan.”

  “What plan?” As she spoke, Jackson swore, practically drowning out her words. She was totally confused and her head was beginning to pound.

  “Sit down, sweetheart.” He herded her to a chair and she sat. She felt sweaty and too lightheaded to object. He crouched down in front of her and took her hands in his. “I’m sorry about this. I’m not quite sure what happened in town, but we had to make everyone there think that you were leaving for good.”

  “I don’t understand.” She wanted to smooth the worry lines away from Jackson’s face, but she kept her fingers clasped in her lap.

  “I put you in danger.” He tucked a stray curl over her ear, the tender action raising goose bumps on her arms. “Until Nathan pointed it out, I didn’t even stop and think that your first name and your looks are very distinctive. Anyone who saw you in town while you were shopping would remember you. It didn’t occur to me that you and my sister would go gallivanting all over town.”

  “It wasn’t all over town.” The need to defend Erin rose up inside her. “We only went the grocery store and the coffee shop.” Even as she said it, she realized that he was right. This was a small town and she was a stranger. Erin had introduced her to a few people at the grocery store and she knew she would be a source of gossip for them. It was a natural thing for them to do.

  Just because she was in a small town and her stalker didn’t know where she was for the moment didn’t mean that she was safe for good. Her stalker had already proved to be smart and resourceful.

  Jackson nodded. “Exactly. At this moment, half the county probably knows you up and quit without notice.” He gave her an almost apologetic smile. “The other half will know by suppertime.”

  She couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “I guess you’re right.”

  Nathan pushed away from the counter and strolled over to the table. “I’m sorry about how that went down. We figured you’d tell Erin what was going on and then I could let you know about our plan. You surprised me when you just got up to leave. I had to improvise.”

  “You were just going to leave?” She could see the hurt on Jackson’s face, but she didn’t back away from it.

  “Yes.” She cupped his face in her hands. “Look, I lied to you when I got here, and I brought a lot of problems into
your life. You’re good people and I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting me here.”

  “We settled this last night.” He was so close to her now, she could smell him. The scent of sweet grass, clean sweat and pure male filled her nostrils. God, she wanted to bury her face against his shoulder and just breathe. Her nipples tightened and her pussy clenched, remembering just how good he felt against her, naked flesh to naked flesh. His eyes flared and he leaned closer.

  She pushed away her growing arousal and tried to focus on the situation at hand. “No, we didn’t.” Her voice sounded unusually low and husky to her ears. Knowing there was nothing to be done about it at the moment, she plowed forward. “Not really. You have a family that loves you and I can understand if they didn’t want me anywhere near you, given my problems.”

  “Will someone tell me what’s going on right now?” Erin’s voice broke the connection between her and Jackson. It was just as well. She was becoming aroused in a roomful of people and that was totally embarrassing. Jackson covered her clenched hands with one of his and gave her a squeeze before he stood. As succinctly as possible, he outlined her situation to his sister.

  When he was done, Erin reached across the table to her. Reluctantly, Emerald unwound her white fingers and took the other woman’s hand. “You poor thing. I’m sorry for what you had to go through, but the men are right. The best thing for you to do is to stay here until you know something.”

  These people were amazing. She glanced over at Nathan, less certain of him than of the rest. He was impossible to read. He tipped his head to one side, staring at her. “If you’d turned left at that stop sign, I would have turned on the siren and hauled you back.”

  His gruff assertion made her smile, even as her eyes widened. He’d known she was thinking about running. This man would be a formidable enemy and an unshakeable friend. She was glad that he seemed to be on her side.

  “Erin and I are going to take off. I want to get started researching those names that Jackson gave us this morning.” Abel stood and peered thoughtfully at her. “I’ll also want a list of every male that you’ve come in contact with in the last six months. Everyone from the kid at the local deli to your dry cleaners. Anyone is a possible suspect.”