“I’m sorry.” Jordan hoped those two heartfelt words were enough.
“You want coffee?” Courtney opened the door a little wider and walked away.
“Is that a good idea for you?” He had no idea what the rules were for a pregnant woman, but coffee only upset his stomach when he was already nauseous.
“Probably not. It’s not for me,” she said. “I’m having water, and we’ll see if I keep that down.”
“Coffee sounds good.” He closed the door behind him and took off his hat.
“Have a seat.” She motioned toward the table.
Jordan took her up on the offer, figuring a little goodwill on his part would go a long way toward figuring out what their next steps were going to be.
A few minutes later, she joined him at the table and handed over a fresh cup of steaming brew. He thanked her and took the first sip, enjoying the burn on his throat.
“What family business has you back in town?” she asked.
“Everyone’s concerned about the Hacker. I came so we’d have extra eyes around the ranch.” He denied the part of him that said he’d hoped to run into her again.
The reason for his timing seemed to dawn on her as she rocked her head. “Right. Breanna was found at Rushing Creek as were the heifers.”
“There was no sign of struggle, and the jerk got past increased security, which doesn’t sit well.” Jordan took another sip as guilt took a shot at him. He felt the blow square in his chest. That old, familiar voice resurfaced. He should’ve stuck around when he was home a few weeks ago. He might’ve been the difference. Now, because of his absence, a woman had been killed on the family’s property, land that was sacred to them.
“You guys own so much acreage. It would be impossible to cover every inch with a person—or a camera, for that matter. The creek itself is how long?” Some of her color was returning to her cheeks. With her hair pulled off her face she was even more beautiful than he remembered, and that realization caused a second shot to his chest.
“Twenty-seven miles,” he supplied.
“I spent so many summers playing around that creek. I hate what happened there, and I can only imagine what Breanna’s family has been through.” The sympathy in her voice softened her intensity a few notches. “Zach wants all hands on deck to lock this jerk away for his lifetime.”
Was that her explanation as to why she didn’t want to tell Zach about the pregnancy yet? She didn’t want to disappoint her boss?
“Hear me out on this, Jordan. Okay?” Her eyes pleaded.
He nodded.
“I’m serious. Don’t give me that nod you do when you’re only half listening,” she warned.
His hands went up, palms out, in the surrender position.
“What if I don’t work? What if I take leave? What if I’m the reason someone dies?” Her voice rose, along with her blood pressure, based on the heat crawling up her neck.
“What if something happens to you or the baby because of the case? Zach would never forgive himself.” He may as well lay his cards on the table.
When she hesitated, he added, “This is Zach. You can ask him to keep the news under wraps. I’m not talking about taking an ad out in the paper or renting a billboard—”
“Yes, you are. No secret stays quiet for long in this town.” She made a good point.
“There are a few people I trust. Zach is one of them. He wouldn’t even tell me if you asked him not to,” he countered. “He wouldn’t like being put in the position, but he would honor your wishes.”
“I see your argument. Here’s mine. I know my body, and I’m used to exercising. I have no problem consulting an OB about what’s right and what’s not right to do during the pregnancy. But if my doctor gives a thumbs-up to working and maintaining physical activity, you should know I plan to take that advice. As long as there’s no risk to the child, I’ll keep working at full capacity until it creates an unhealthy environment for the baby or I can’t anymore.” Her hands fisted, and he figured she probably didn’t even realize it.
It was easy to see that she’d dug her heels in. There was no denying she’d thought this through the minute she realized it was a possibility, and he couldn’t blame her when he really thought about her argument. If the shoe were on the other foot and a doctor told him it was safe to continue work on the ranch until the baby was born, he’d take the same stance.
An argument could be made that her work inherently put her in danger, but it was early in the pregnancy. He made a note to ask one of his sisters-in-law how she would deal with the situation. Jordan almost laughed out loud. His brother Deacon had married a strong-willed Fort Worth detective. Leah Cordon wouldn’t back off her job unless she’d been forced. The same was true of Courtney.
“For now, promise me you won’t tell Zach or anyone else about the pregnancy. I hear it’s bad luck to talk about it before the second trimester anyway.” Her eyes pleaded, and Jordan was reminded how easy it had been for her to get her way.
“And you’ll make the announcement if the doctor says to?” He needed that much from her.
“I’d say happily, but I don’t want to lie.” Her shoulders slumped forward. “I just never thought this would happen to me.”
“An unplanned pregnancy?” he asked.
“Any pregnancy. I was never that girl who dreamed about her wedding day or clipped out pictures of flowing white dresses,” she admitted.
“You aren’t exactly a tomboy, either.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to point it out.
“True. I liked some girly stuff. But parenthood? Jordan, come on. Are you seriously telling me you’re ready for that commitment?” It was a fair question.
“What does the answer matter? It’s here. This is what we have to deal with. It won’t do any good to wish the situation would go away and that wouldn’t be fair to the kid anyway.” His honest answer seemed to deflate her shoulders a little more. A stab of guilt niggled at him. He could’ve put it more delicately. Damn, he could be a bull in a china shop without even trying.
“Promise me we won’t be like my parents.”
Those words struck like a physical blow.
COURTNEY WAITED FOR a response from Jordan. She studied his expression, and it was unreadable. “I should probably get back to work.”
“I will love and care for any child that belongs to me but I’m more concerned about you right now. Promise me you’ll take it easy?”
“I ride around in an SUV most of my shift. My other responsibility is talking to people. How bad can it get?” Coming back to her hometown had been meant to shield her from the harsher crimes in Dallas. But then no one knew for certain the Jacobstown Hacker had remained in town. He could’ve easily moved on. A little voice reminded her the odds of that happening were slim to none. That same voice insisted Jordan looked even better than she remembered, but that was probably heightened hormones and the fact that he was the father of her child. It was biology at work and nothing more.
Jordan stood, and she walked him to the door. He reached out and touched her arm as he stood a foot away from her. Suddenly, heat rushed through her body, and her skin sizzled with electric impulse. She instantly recoiled. If this was what she had to look forward to for the next seven or eight months, she was in for a real treat.
A few seconds of silence passed between them before Jordan spoke. “Be careful out there.”
“Of course.” She realized that her hand had come up to touch her belly when his gaze stopped there.
Jordan turned and walked out the door. It was like the moon covering the sun, eclipsing her in total darkness.
COURTNEY HAD HAD a day for the record books. First off, it was cold outside. She didn’t do cold. This was Texas, land of eternal sunshine, and her blood was too thin for temperatures hovering above freezing.
Winds howled and tree branches snapped as pea-size hail dinged the hood of her SUV. It was getting late, but she didn’t care. She exited the vehicle and turned on her flashlight. A hunch had led her to Rushing Creek. She’d received permission to be on the Kent property and had checked in with Isaac at the guard shack.
It was the kind of eerie night that felt like early fall, around Halloween. Clouds covered the moon, making it almost pitch-black outside.
A branch snapped behind her. Courtney spun around, weapon drawn and held along with her flashlight. What made the sound? An animal?
Courtney took a few steps toward the direction of the sound. The trees were thick in this part of the land, making it a perfect place to hide. Was someone tracking her? The hairs on the back of her neck pricked.
A blast of frigid wind sent a shiver racing up her arms and down her back. Icy tendrils wrapped their long, lean fingers around her spine. Another crack sound sent her whirling to the left. Thoughts of a wild animal stalking her crossed her mind. Part of the reason she’d left Jacobstown was to get away from the country. It struck her as odd that this was the place she’d wanted to come back to.
Her cell buzzed. She didn’t have a free hand, so she ignored it. Her radio was close to her ear and it had gone quiet. This was a good time to get the hell out of the woods. She’d call for backup if she could identify a threat. But then, she already knew the closest deputy was at least twenty minutes away. Courtney had grown up on the Kent property, having been friends with Amber and Amy in their teenage years.
What did it say that she hadn’t contacted either one since returning home? Courtney tried to lie to herself and say it was because they were busy with lives of their own, but there was so much more to it. She’d gone behind everyone’s backs when she had a fling with Jordan. It had been a wild seven days, and she’d gone out of her way since to avoid seeing her old friends. Besides, they’d barely kept up on social media. High school friends were just that. And Courtney didn’t feel like she belonged in Jacobstown any more than she felt like she belonged in Dallas. It was strange to want to be part of something but always feel like the outsider looking in. Had it been that way her whole life?
Courtney backtracked, taking one step at a time and keeping watch where she’d heard the last branch snap. If wildlife was out there, and she knew it was, it wasn’t getting her today. Slowly and cautiously, she eased one foot at a time. Her boots were heavy, but they kept her toes from freezing.
Wind whipped her hair, causing her ponytail to swish around and slap her in the face. She wished she’d pulled on a hat, because her ears felt like they were frostbitten already. It would also keep the ends of her hair out of her eyes.
This wasn’t the time for a bout of nausea, but it happened anyway. Her stomach churned, and she thought about the fish tacos she’d eaten for dinner—she’d known even then that eating them could come back to haunt her. She’d chalked her craving up to stress but questioned the reason now. Was it the pregnancy?
And then she heard a voice. She froze, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She turned off her flashlight. Thoughts that never would have plagued her before the ambush in Dallas surfaced. An image of Breanna flashed in Courtney’s mind, too.
Blood pumping, Courtney took another step backward. Her backside hit something hard. She sucked in a burst of air as she felt around, half expecting a blow to the head to follow. When none came and she felt the rough bark of a tree, she released the breath she’d been holding. She tried by sheer force of will to stop her hands from shaking.
Leaning against the tree in order to stay upright on rubbery legs, Courtney held back the urge to vomit. Bile rose in her throat, burning a hot trail as she palmed her service weapon. The Glock’s metal was cold against her ungloved hand. She stood frozen, perfectly still for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the next sound.
A voice came over the radio, breaking the silence. The image of the young guy in Carolina-blue basketball shorts came to mind. As did the picture of Reggie Barstock shared by Zach McWilliams.
Another wave of nausea struck, harder this time. Courtney couldn’t stop herself from folding forward and emptying the contents of her stomach. The taste of burning tacos lit her throat on fire. She had a feeling this would be the last time she could stomach tacos, which was unfortunate, because she loved them.
This time, when she came up for air, she saw someone dart behind a tree.