Читать книгу She's Expecting - Barbara McMahon - Страница 11

“Hey, boss, come quick. We’ve got a problem!” Bill Frates stopped running as soon as he spotted Jackson.

Jackson frowned and rose from where he’d been sitting beside the lake. This had better be good. The men knew the unwritten rule: don’t bother the boss at twilight.

“What’s wrong?” He quickly covered the distance between himself and Bill.

“It’s the new secretary. She fell and is unconscious.”

Jackson picked up his pace. “How did she fall?” he asked. A sudden stab of fear struck him. She was all right, wasn’t she? There was nothing wrong with her baby, was there? They were a half hour or more from Julian. Did the town have a helicopter for emergency airlifts?

Bill turned and hurriedly led the way back along the lake.

“She was just walking. A bunch of us were by the lake—you know how Tim and Sonny love fishing. We were all hanging out. So when she came into view, we watched her. Then she just dropped like a rock.”

“Damn!” Jackson saw the crowd of men. He began to run.

The men parted so Jackson could get to the center of the group. Tim knelt beside her, gently shaking her shoulder and calling her name.

There on the ground lay Jackson’s new secretary. Her blond hair spread around her like a nimbus, highlighting the rusty-brown color of the ground. Her legs were bent, her arms outstretched. Her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell quickly.

Jackson swallowed hard and stooped down.

“Mandy?” He shook her gently. He glanced around. “Did she trip on something? Who saw her fall?”

“A lot of us, boss,” Tom Harmon said. “We were all watching her walk along, speculating if she’d speak to us on her way back, when she seemed to stumble, then just crumpled up. She didn’t hit hard. We didn’t see any rocks around.” The ground was strewn with a thick carpet of pine needles, which would have softened the hard-packed earth.

Jackson gently patted her cheek. “Mandy, wake up.”

Her breathing was rapid and her color pale. He didn’t know what was wrong, but whatever it was, it was worse because she was pregnant.

Slipping his arms beneath her shoulders and knees, he rose, holding her against her chest.

“Someone find Jeff and have him call for an ambulance,” Jackson said, heading toward the trailers. She didn’t weigh a thing. Was she too thin? Against one arm, he could feel the softness of the skin beneath her knees. Her head was nestled on his shoulder, her fragrance swirling around him.

Ignoring the tingling tendrils of awareness, Jackson pushed through the group and began the ascent to the trailers.

She stirred and opened her eyes, blinking a couple of times as she tried to get oriented.

“What happened?” She looked up into Jackson’s face.

“You took a tumble. Knocked yourself out, I think,” he replied.

She rubbed her forehead with one hand and struggled. “Put me down. I can walk.”

“We’ll wait for the paramedics to determine that.”

“I don’t need paramedics. I’m fine. Put me down.”

“Jeff’s calling an ambulance. You’ll be in Julian in no time.”

“I’m not going to Julian. I’m fine!” She pushed against his shoulder. “Really, Jackson, this is embarrassing. Please, put me down.”

He stopped. The group of men trailing behind him stopped. Slowly he set her on her feet, keeping his arm around her shoulders, watching for any sign of weakness.

Mandy drew a deep breath and clutched his free arm. “I do feel a bit wobbly, but that’s all. If I can just sit down, I’ll be fine. Really, no paramedics.”

He glanced at one of the men and nodded toward the office. “Catch Jeff, tell him to hold off on the ambulance for the time being.”

“Forever,” Mandy muttered, glancing around. Color rose in her face. “Good grief,” she murmured softly, “is the entire crew here?”

“I don’t know who’s here and who’s not. It doesn’t matter. Let’s get you to your trailer. Then I want some answers.”

They walked slowly, silently, to her trailer. She clung to his arm, but walked without other assistance. Behind them, the men began to disperse, until only Jackson and Mandy walked up to her steps. She dug her key from her pocket and inserted it. She opened the door, and he followed her in before she could protest.

Twice now she’d interrupted his evening routine. Did she plan to make a habit of it? He scowled. He knew she’d be trouble.

“I’m fine. Thanks for the rescue,” she said, sinking down on her sofa. She leaned back and closed her eyes, her hands resting protectively on her stomach. How was it he seemed to take all the air from the room? He towered over her and she kept her eyes closed to establish a modicum of control over the situation.

“What happened?” His voice was grim.

“I don’t know. I was taking a walk. Then the next thing I knew, you were carrying me up the hill.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “No small feat these days.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “You didn’t trip on anything?”

“No, but I have a piercing headache. I had it before I blacked out. I don’t think I hit my head on anything.”

“Altitude sickness, maybe?”

“Shouldn’t be. I walk all the time in Denver.”

“Which is several thousand feet lower in elevation. It takes a while to get acclimated to the high country.”

“Noted.”

“You’re a liability here, Mandy Parkerson. Not only to the job, but to yourself. What if you’d been injured? How long would it take an ambulance to get here?

You’re risking your own safety and that of your baby. You’ll have to leave. We’ll pay you for the week.”

She flew to her feet and glared at him, her hands clenching into fists on her hips. “Now just a minute here, Jackson Witt. You can’t fire me for falling on my own time. I’m not hurt. Thank you for your concern, but I was hired to work for your company, and if you fire me for some trumped-up, bogus reason I’ll sue you up one side and down the other!”

“A cheap price to pay—at least I’ll know you and your baby are safe. It’s too dangerous here for someone in your condition. I don’t want anyone hurt. If you won’t think about yourself, at least consider your child!” He glared at her for a long moment, then spun around and left.

Mandy slowly sank back onto the sofa, her knees weak as wet spaghetti. What had that been about? It almost sounded as if he cared about her safety. Or was it only to minimize any liability to his precious construction site?

“Jackson, what’s going on? Is she all right?” Jeff hurried over from the office, his face creased with worry.

Jackson nodded. “She fell. I think she fainted. It’s not uncommon in pregnant women. And we’re at a higher elevation from Denver. I think she overextended herself. She claims she’s fine, but she’s history. Get rid of her, Jeff. You hired her, you fire her. She’s a danger to herself and that baby.” He strode off, angry with the woman for taking risks. Angry that he even cared.

The ache that took hold wouldn’t let go. Sara had never taken risks. She’d been careful her entire life—especially so when pregnant with Sammy.

And in the end, it hadn’t mattered. It hadn’t been enough.

But to deliberately take a risk when a child was involved was unacceptable. He wouldn’t be a party to it!

Jeff knocked on the trailer door. Mandy answered immediately.

“Hi, Jeff, come in.” Stepping back, she smiled wryly. “I guess you heard.”

“I came to see if you’re all right.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what happened. One minute I’m walking along, the next…” The next she knew she’d been swept into the strongest pair of arms she’d ever felt. Jackson had carried her up the incline from the lake as if she’d weighed nothing.

She could still feel the strength of his arms, the muscles of his chest. She couldn’t ever remember anyone so strong, anyone who handled her so gently.

The special male scent that radiated from his skin seemed to linger and cause all sorts of reactions, just as it had in the office earlier. The heat that had enveloped her when she realized he was carrying her made her act silly. Once in the safety of her trailer, she had lashed out in retaliation—and made an idiot of herself in the process. He’d only been watching out for her safety. There was nothing personal in his concern; he probably felt that way with all his employees.

She swallowed and sat down again, knees definitely wobbly. Should she listen to his advice? Leave when she’d just arrived—without even proving how competent she was? She couldn’t do that. She had too much riding on this job.

“Guess I tried too much. Jackson suggested I’m suffering from altitude sickness. Can I use the phone in the office to call my doctor? Just to check in?”

“I can take you to the hospital in Julian,” Jeff said instantly.

“Maybe, but first I’ll check in with my regular obstetrician. I’ve heard of pregnant women fainting—although it’s never happened to me before. Maybe Jackson is right and it’s just a reaction to the higher altitude. Which means I’ll have to take it easy until I get used to being at this elevation. But I need to get some exercise. I can’t just sit at a desk all day.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to run you into town to be checked by a doctor?”

“Let me check in with mine first.”

Jeff escorted her to the office, which was miraculously empty. Thankfully, Mandy sat behind her desk, glad she didn’t have to face Jackson again so soon. She dialed the phone and spoke to the answering service, leaving her number. Hanging up, she looked at Jeff.

“They’ll track the doctor down for me. I’ll just wait here until she calls back. Don’t let me keep you from anything. I’m feeling fine, truly. I’m not going to keel over. Even my headache is fading.”

“I’ll sit with you. Maybe Jackson was right. Maybe this is too much to expect of a pregnant woman,” Jeff said thoughtfully.

“Don’t you start! We’ll find out what happened and see it doesn’t happen again. I need this job, Jeff. Please don’t fire me.” She hated having to plead to keep her job, but she could understand how, after this, they were uncertain she could last.

He looked uneasy. “I don’t know if this will work, Mandy.”

“It will.” She wished she felt as confident as she had the day before. Had she placed the doubt in Jeff’s mind? She needed his support!

He settled in behind his desk, leaning back in his chair, his feet on the desk as they waited for the doctor’s call. “Are you going back to Denver when the baby comes, or are you originally from somewhere else?” he asked.

“I have no family and no ties to Denver.” Especially after Marc’s final rejection. “I might check out Julian over the next few weeks and see if I like it. I can settle anywhere. And won’t you need secretarial help again in the spring?”

She kept in touch with only one of her foster parents, but they weren’t close. She had two friends from the building department and one longtime friend from high school. They all had busy lives and wouldn’t miss her as much as she’d miss them. Maybe she could start over in Julian. Find a niche for herself and her baby.

She’d long been used to knowing she was alone in the world. Having a job to look forward to in the spring would help pass the long winter months.

Jeff smiled. “You thinking about coming back when we start up again?”

“Maybe.”

“And the baby?”

She looked around the office. “I think a playpen would fit in here by my desk. How long will you take to finish the project?”

“End of next summer should do it, if we keep on schedule and the winter doesn’t last forever. Sorry, Mandy, girl, Jackson would never allow a baby on the site. It’s too dangerous.”

“Not in the office.”

“It’ll never happen, Mandy. I’d back him on that decision. In fact, I need to know you’ll be safe now, or I’ll change my position on your staying.”

“I’m fine.” Frustration was building. She wished she’d never gone on that blasted walk!

The phone rang.

Ten minutes later Mandy hung up, feeling hugely relieved.

“The doctor said it sounds like altitude sickness. I’m to take things easy and drink a lot of fluids. If anything else happens, then I’m to see a local doctor immediately. I was planning to set up an appointment anyway, so I’ll do that first thing in the morning.”

“You’re sure?” Jeff asked. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

She nodded, warmed by his concern.

Hadn’t Jackson also been concerned?

The warmth she felt around Jackson had nothing to do with concern.

“I was so excited to have someone competent come out, I guess I didn’t think things through all the way,” Jeff said slowly.

“Don’t even start thinking that way. I’m competent and capable. I’m not sick. Today was an anomaly. I can do the work, Jeff. I’ve burned my bridges behind me. If you fire me, where would I go?” She prayed this tactic might work with softhearted Jeff. It never would with hard-as-nails Jackson Witt.

“Anyway, I think Jackson overreacted,” she said.

“Understandable.”

“Why?” Did Jeff hold insight into his partner, something that, if shared, would enable her to better understand the man? To better deal with him? Could Jeff help her find a way to work around Jackson’s antagonism and be allowed to remain?

“His wife and child were killed a few years ago. It eats at him that he wasn’t there to save them. He probably feels he can at least make sure your baby is properly taken care of. And face it, Mandy, a construction site isn’t the safest place in the world. I should have thought through the situation more before hiring you. But we need help as much as you need the job!”

She was stunned by the information about Jackson’s family. How tragic! She tried to imagine a loss of that magnitude. Protectively, her hands covered her stomach. The worst fear of any parent was to lose a child. And he’d lost both wife and child?

“How were they killed?”

“Random shooting at an elementary school. Sara was a teacher there, and Sammy had just started kindergarten.” Jeff’s voice was heavy with grief.

“Oh, Lord.” Mandy swallowed, unexpected compassion and sympathy for Jackson suddenly blooming. No wonder he was such a hard man—he’d have to be to survive such a devastating loss. “How awful!”

She wanted to weep—for the loss, for the man who must have been so devastated, so angry at fate to lose his family in such a senseless manner.

Jeff looked out the window, toward the skeleton of the lodge. “He’s never been the same. He and Sara grew up together. Don’t think he ever dated anyone else. And they doted on their little boy.” Jeff shook his head sadly. “Tragic time.”

He turned and looked at Mandy. “That’s one reason he drives himself now—to forget, I think. If work is all-consuming, there’s no time for memories.”

“How long ago did it happen?” Her throat ached with unshed tears. Her heart went out to the man. His attitude could be excused, explained. Maybe he felt genuine concern for her and her pregnancy.

“Three years ago this month. It happened over in Fort Collins. That’s where I had my company. Jackson was my foreman at the time. Afterward, he had us push for bigger jobs, remote sites, shorter time schedules. He became my partner. His ideas are great, and we’re doing better than ever—but I miss that town. I don’t reckon Jackson will ever go back. He hasn’t seen his folks since the funeral. Or Sara’s parents. We all lived in Fort Collins.”

“I am so sorry,” Mandy said. “What happened to the gunman?”

“He turned the gun on himself before the cops could stop him. Which makes it even harder, I think—no one around to blame. Come on, I’ll walk you back to your trailer. You feeling up to it?”

“Yes.”

But there was something she needed to get straight.

“But this fainting doesn’t matter to my position here. I’m not traipsing around the construction site, so I’m not in danger. Please, talk to Jackson. I’ll promise to do whatever you ask.”

Jeff studied her for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll see what he says come Friday. We’re partners, Mandy. And I set a lot of store by his thinking. If we can’t bring him around by Friday, then I think I’ll have to go along with his decision.”

She nodded, her optimism slipping. She had hoped to count on Jeff to argue on her behalf. “I understand.” And she did. If the shoe had been on the other foot, would she want an employee who proved to be a liability?

“If you want to go for a walk tomorrow, tell me. I’ll go with you,” Jeff said as he stopped by her door.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“But just a gentle ramble, no trying out for the Olympics.”

Mandy laughed. “I wasn’t!”

He nodded and gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. Mandy let herself out of the office, relieved that her doctor had not seemed concerned. But fainting wasn’t something she wanted to repeat.

Was there a certain wisdom in Jackson’s wanting her to leave?

After a hot shower and a quick meal, Mandy sat on the sofa in her living area for a long time, her mind wandering to the revelations Jeff had made, trying to assimilate the horror of the tragedy with Jackson and his family. No wonder the man was as hard as nails, she thought again. He’d have to be to survive such a loss.

It gave her a different view of her boss, maybe one she could figure out how to tap into. She not only had to prove she would be a valuable member of the team, but also that she was in no danger. Today’s fainting spell had not helped. Maybe she should have him talk directly to her doctor. Would that reassure him?

Wasn’t anything ever easy? she wondered with a sigh as she rose to wash her plate and utensils. It sure hadn’t been so far.

The primrose-yellow dress Mandy donned the next morning was soft and feminine. She stared at herself in the mirror, suddenly struck by her image. Maybe she was her own worst enemy. No wonder Jackson doubted her abilities, her suitability at the construction site and her safety. She looked as if she were heading out for a tea party or something. Her own style in clothes was working against her.

Quickly she changed into a dark, hunter-green dress that seemed more businesslike, and tied her hair back, trying to look as competent as she could. There was only so much she could do with her hair. She frowned at her reflection, deciding she still looked too soft for a construction site.

She needed to go into town and get some jeans and flannel shirts. Her own jeans were in storage in Denver. Not that they’d fit, anyway, these days. Maybe she’d even get some boots. If she dressed like everyone else on the site, then maybe Jackson wouldn’t even notice she was different.

Saturday she’d make the trip to Julian to see about expanding her wardrobe. Until then, she had only her skill and experience on the job going for her. It would have to hold her.

Neither Jackson nor Jeff were in the office when Mandy entered. She gave a sigh of relief. She had plenty to do. They’d undoubtedly have more tasks when they returned.

She liked working alone. Otherwise, she was self-conscious with Jackson staring at her, listening to her phone conversations, judging her with his critical attitude. Or distracting her by just sitting in his chair!

She had completed the calls Jackson had requested she handle, and was once again plunged into matching invoices and purchase orders. There was a discrepancy with one vendor—Andrews Tool and Die. Curious, she pulled out the folder on the company. It was thick, showing years of a business relationship with the firm.

Further research turned up other discrepancies. The cost overruns and extra billings added up to a tidy sum over a period of several months.

Did Jeff and Jackson know this? She noted scrawled initials in the corners of the invoices. Obviously Pete had obtained approvals to pay. From whom?

When Jackson entered the office some time later, Mandy forgot about business, seeing only the man who had lost his family so tragically. She immediately wanted to extend her sympathies, but one glance at his dark expression, and she wisely kept her mouth shut.

In fact, she suddenly wondered how he’d react if he discovered Jeff had been talking about him. Today was Thursday, not an auspicious time to take a chance. She had only today and tomorrow to prove herself. Making him angry wouldn’t be a smart move.

She reached for the phone when it rang. It was her doctor, checking on her again. She spoke briefly, and when she hung up, Jackson was studying her.

“My doctor. I talked with her last night and she wanted to see how I was doing today. I’m fine. She said to just take it slow adjusting to the higher altitude. Which won’t be a problem. I know what to look for now, and it won’t happen again!”

He gave nothing away in those dark eyes, just nodded once and returned to the site drawing he was marking.

When the phone rang again, Mandy snatched it up, grateful for the interruption. Would anything change his mind?

“Mr. Norris calling for Mr. Witt,” a smooth voice on the other end said.

Mandy held up the phone. “A Mr. Norris for you.”

Jackson took the call.

Mandy half listened to the one-sided conversation. It was hard to get the gist from his yes and no and that-would-be-fine comments. When he hung up, he glanced over at her.

“Norris is the liaison between our firm and Windhaven’s board. He’ll be out next week to check on our progress.”

She nodded, a small bud of hope blossoming. Was Jackson telling her because she’d be here next week and needed to know? He must be, otherwise why bother clarifying the situation?

He turned back to the clipboard he had brought into the office, and jotted some notes on a sheet of paper. Mandy watched him, wondering how he had felt when first informed of his son’s death. Of the wanton killing of his wife—especially when he’d loved her since they were kids.