Читать книгу Lone Star Hero - Jolene Navarro - Страница 14

Chapter Five

Jake pulled his black Silverado to the front of Vickie’s trailer. He grinned as he leaned over the steering wheel. Who would have thought Vickie Maria Lawson would choose to live in the old worker’s house.

Two decades had passed since his mother had taken the job as the Lawsons’ housekeeper. The rent-free trailer had been one of the benefits. Coming from a tiny, one-room house in the crowded border-town of Eagle Pass, this single-wide trailer felt huge. For the first time he’d had his own room, his own bed.

Stepping out of his truck, Jake heard music blaring from the narrow trailer. The tune sounded like something from their high school days.

On the first step, the worn wood gave and dangerously shifted under his weight. That needed to be fixed. He jotted the note in his mind.

He wondered why she moved in here instead of her parents’ house. The big house, as they called it growing up, could easily fit five families.

He remembered his first trip to the big house. Looking over from his old home, he had once thought the trailer a mansion. A grin followed a chuckle. The Lawson home had awed him with the massive rooms, winding staircases and endless hallways, making him feel he had fallen down the rabbit’s hole into Alice’s Wonderland.

He remembered the moment the oldest daughter, Miss Victoria Lawson, entered the grand room. Struck dumb would be an understatement.

Until the next week, anyway, when he found her in the old barn behind his trailer, sitting in the dirt, wearing a ratty T-shirt. She was feeding three abandoned lambs, laughing as they climbed over her, fighting for the bottle she held.

He smiled. Her laughter from that day would be forever branded in his memory.

The other night he had tried to explain to his mother how Vickie had helped him. She had done so much for him that summer. She had saved him from falling into a deep, dark hole of despair.

She now lived in his old house. If he hadn’t believed before, he absolutely knew God enjoyed a sweet bit of irony.

With a deep inhale, he moved forward. They were no longer kids hiding from their mothers or teenagers trying to figure out life. Maybe this time they could get it right.

The music covered his knock. Jake could smell freshly baked cookies as he eased open her unlocked door. He would need to talk to her about that safety issue, mental note number two.

Pausing in the door frame, Jake leaned his right shoulder against the edge, crossing his arms. He couldn’t stop the smile from growing as he watched Vickie jump around while singing into a whisk. Her high ponytail swung with each movement.

Leaping to the side, her bare feet landed hard on the worn carpet, rattling the thin walls. His grin grew. She had always hated wearing shoes, much to her mother’s horror.

Vickie spun around and screamed. One hand over her chest and breathing hard, she threw the whisk at him.

Laughing, he ducked and the silver utensil went sailing out the open door.

“Jake Torres! That’s not funny. You scared me to death.”

“You left your door unlocked, but please don’t stop on my account.” Closing the door, he moved farther into her living room. He paused and surveyed the small space. “Wow, the trailer looks the same as it did when I lived here, but I don’t remember it being so small.”

Vickie walked to the counter and turned the volume down. “Yeah, well, you realize you’re, like, one hundred times bigger now?” She tried to suppress a giggle. “Back then I was taller than you.”

He savored the sound he’d been denied for so many years. “We were ten.” He tapped his knuckles on the old counter that separated the galley kitchen from the living area. “I can’t believe your dad still has this old thing with the original furniture.”

“I’m saving up my money to buy us a house. No reason to waste it on furniture when this works.”

He slowly looked over the small living space remembering when this little house had made him feel safe for the first time ever.

A family portrait of Vickie and Tommy with the kids hung on the wall giving Jake a kick in the gut and bringing him back to the present.

Vickie had moved to the other side of the Formica counter and started cleaning. “Daddy had a contract to haul it off when I first moved back.” She looked up at him with a gleam in her eye. “My mother just about had a heart attack when I announced I wanted the trailer.”

“But your dad gave it to you, anyway.”

“Of course. He offered to buy me a new house, but I wanted this one.”

“Why?” Jake couldn’t keep the skepticism out of his voice.

“Believe it or not, some of my favorite memories with my best friend happened here.”

He shot one eyebrow up and stared at her. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” She swatted him with the dishrag. “Besides, I need to know I can do this on my own. Not Daddy or Tommy, but me. I need to do this. I pay rent and everything.” Her stubborn chin lifted and she looked him in the eye.

He definitely understood wanting to prove yourself, but she might be going a bit overboard. “So the steps falling in on you or the kids are part of your plan for independence?”

“I noticed they rocked a bit. I thought it was just because they’re old.” She hesitated. “Can you show me how to fix them?”

“Vickie, I’ve been known to build and repair whole houses. I think I can manage your steps.” He leaned his elbows on the yellow-tinted counter. “It’s because they’re so old, they probably need to be replaced. I can get it done in less than a day.”

“No, I can do it. Just tell me what to buy. On second thought, don’t bother. I’m sure I can find instructions online and Dannie at Bergmann’s Lumberyard can help me.”

“Vickie, don’t be stubborn. I can give you a list of supplies and one day next week when we’re both off I can show you how to build steps. I think Seth should help. Where is he, anyway?”

“He’s with my dad in the horse barns. They should be back any moment.” She cleaned the same spot she had already wiped several times. With a heavy sigh, she brought her gaze back up to his. “I’m not sure Seth wants to go to the football thing. I’m kind of making him.” She turned away and opened the worn cabinet, gathering two tall glasses in one hand.

The clinking of the ice hitting glass filled the silence. Vickie pulled a pitcher of lemonade from the green refrigerator. She finally started talking again while she focused on pouring the drinks. “Tommy could be...well, not the most encouraging person at the best of times. But when it came to Seth he was...”

She wouldn’t look him in the eye as she passed the full glass over to him.

“Remember, I know Tommy.” He covered her hand with his, holding her in place until she met his gaze. “Don’t make excuses for him.”

Pulling her hand back, she shook her head. “I just don’t want Seth to get hurt.”

“No worries there. Between Pastor John, Rhody and me it’s more about fellowship and having fun.” He grinned as he swirled the glass, watching the liquid form a tornado with the ice. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re guys, so it gets competitive, but the egos stay home. Seth’ll be fine. It’s flag, so no tackling or hitting.” Jake took a sip of his drink. “Now, what about those cookies cooling by the stove?”

“What cookies?” She blocked his line of vision and held the spatula up like a weapon. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on, you’re killin’ me.” He knew they would still be warm and gooey. “You know how much I love cookies straight from the oven. I’ll let you build the steps all by yourself, and I’ll just watch from a distance. Please?”

Squinting, Vickie told herself not to look into his eyes. Whenever he’d managed to make eye contact, she’d never been good at telling him no. “These are for Ashley’s horse club.” She turned with a sigh and slid one on the stainless-steel spatula. Holding it from him, she glared. “Just one?”

He nodded. “Just one, promise.”

She watched him take the chocolate chip cookie. His smile warmed her heart in a way no one else ever could.

He closed his eyes and softly moaned as every morsel disappeared. His jaw worked slowly as her gaze followed the movement of his throat.

He looked back at her. “That tasted amazing.” He stood and moved next to her in the small kitchen. Reaching across the stove put him right in her space. “What about one...”

She popped the back of his hand with the spatula. “You promised.”

He gave a sigh and stepped back as if he had made a great sacrifice. “Yes, I did.”

“I used your mother’s recipe.” Feeling awkward, she moved to the sink and dumped her ice down the drain. “We ate a great deal of her cookies at this counter or in the barn when you managed to steal some.”

Chuckling, Jake nodded. “She refuses to make them for me anymore. Not until I give her grandchildren. Parental emotional blackmail at it’s worst.”

“Why don’t you?”

“What?” He blinked.

Whatever. She knew better. Today she was in the mood to push him. He’s the one that left her and then never got married. “Start a family of your own? You’d make an awesome father.”

He shrugged, intensely focused on his drink. “Never felt right. I was on the move with the marines, and then focused on my law-enforcement career. Now working with the church keeps me busy and there seems to be a great deal of kids without fathers in their lives.”

Well, that put her in her place, since her own kids were pretty much fatherless. She started stacking the cookies in an airtight container.

She stopped and turned to the radio. A giddy feeling made her heart bubble. “Jake, it’s our song!”

His brows shot up in a question. “I didn’t know we had a song.”

Hands on her hips she shook her head at his cluelessness. “As chair of the prom committee, I selected the song for the king and queen dance. I knew we had received the most votes.” A sad smile formed. “I picked it for us.”

His forehead wrinkled. “You danced it with Tommy.”

“’Cause you never showed up.” She pointed the spatula at him. “You had the most votes. You were voted king. Because you weren’t there I had to dance with Tommy.”

He dared raise his eyebrows and give her a stunned look. “I didn’t show up? I waited for two hours under the bridge. You told me you would meet me at Second Crossing Bridge. I was so worried I finally went to your house. Your mother took great pleasure in telling me you went with Tommy. What did you expect me to do?”

“Mother surprised me with Tommy and a limo.” She turned away from him and looked out the window. She had been such a coward. She needed to stop blaming her choices on her mother. “I didn’t tell her I was meeting you. She never told me you came by the house. It should’ve been our dance.” The last sentence dropped to a whisper, her chest tight. Silence and sadness surrounded her. The ticking of the old clock erased the years.

She felt the warmth of his presence as he moved closer to her. He stopped two steps away from where she stood.

“We could dance it now.” His voice low.

She looked over her shoulder. The half grin eased the hardness of his face and the pain in her chest.

“Miss Victoria Lawson, may I have this dance?”

She turned toward him. He stood so gallant, hand out to her, waiting. One heartbeat, two, she hesitated. With a deep sigh, she made a step forward and put her hand in his.

One quick turn and he had them out of the kitchen and in the living room. An arm placed at her waist gently guided her through the small gap. His strong hand intertwined with her fingers. He led her in a tight circle around the old coffee table.

She closed her eyes and the dingy trailer slipped away. A million tiny white lights filled the new space in her vision. The soft material of her long gown swirled around her legs.

Hanging on to the moment, she took in all the details of the night they should have experienced. “Why didn’t you come to the dance?” she whispered, afraid to break the mood but needing to know the answer.

“I did.” His voice low and hoarse. “You were dancing with Tommy.” Another turn as the music faded. “I figured you’d made your choice.”

It was her fault? “I think Mama might have known I was going with you and set it up to make sure I went with Tommy, instead. I thought I would ditch him and find you.” They stood face-to-face in the current reality, no music to transport here to another time. “When you didn’t show, I thought you had given up on me.”

He pressed his forehead against the top of hers.

Vickie remained still, listening to him breathe. Afraid, she kept her eyes closed, head down. “Do you ever wonder where we would be today if I had stood up to my mother and gone with you?”

Jake’s strong hands cupped her jaw and brought her gaze up to meet his dark chocolate eyes. “We were so young.” He gave her his best half grin. “And maybe a bit dumb. I don’t know what would have happened.”

She leaned forward and closed her eyes. “You left town, and I was so impatient and couldn’t wait to start my family. Now I’m a full-fledged, messed-up adult with two kids to raise. We can’t get this right, can we?”

Jake held her face in his large hands, tilting her head up. He studied her eyes with the most forceful look she had ever seen in him. Her throat went dry as he moved in closer. His stare now focused on her lips. She stopped breathing, his head lowered. His breath, sweet from the lemonade caressed her skin.

Ashley threw the front door open and burst into the room. “Mommy! Mommy!”

Jake jumped back and coughed.

Vickie couldn’t stop the giggle that sprang from her wrecked nerves. She blinked a couple of times to refocus.

“What is it, sweetheart?” She wrapped her arms around Ashley’s shoulders as her daughter collided into her. Determined to settle her stomach down, Vickie forced a smile.

“Papa Jack’s favorite mare had its foal last night and we got to see it and touch it. It has a blond coat, like me. She is so pretty. I’m so in love with her.”

“I imagine she fell in love with you, too.” She stroked her daughter’s hair back from her face.

“I think she did. She tried following me out. Her legs are so long.” Ashley turned and faced Jake, now sitting on a bar stool at the counter. “Hello, Officer Torres.”

Seth followed a bit slower and much to Vickie’s surprise, he almost wore a smile, reminding her of the boy she used to know. “Hey, Seth, so did you enjoy the horses, too?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, Papa Jack said he can start teaching me to rope. If it’s all right with you.”

Her father walked in behind the kids with a concerned look on his face. “Vickie, why didn’t you tell me the steps were about to collapse?”

“Daddy, they’re not that bad, and I’m taking care of it.”

Crossing the small room, Jackson Walker Lawson, the fourth, called J.W. by everyone but his daughter and grandchildren, shook Jake’s hand.

“Crazy, stubborn girl. I should have come over earlier to make sure it was livable.”

“It’s livable, Daddy. It just needs a little work.” She waved a hand toward Jake without looking at him. There was no way she could make eye contact with him now and not fall apart. “Jake has offered to teach Seth and me to build steps.” She turned to Seth. “Doesn’t that sound fun, building something with our own hands?”

He shrugged again. “I guess.”

Jake stood. “Hey, Seth, are you ready to play some football?”

Seth shoved his hands in his pockets and dropped his head. “I don’t know. I’m not very good. The whole throwing or catching the ball thing seems to be too hard for me.”

Jake stood. “Hey, me, too.”

Seth shot him a classic teenager skeptical glare. “Really?”

“Yeah, that’s why I like chasing down the guys with the football.”

Confusion shadowed his eyes. “If you don’t have the ball, why bother playing?”

Vickie bit her lip. That sounded every bit like Tommy’s glorious words of self-righteous wisdom.

Jake’s jaw went hard. “Football is a team sport, Seth. You don’t have a real game without protectors and defenders.”

J.W. walked over to Seth and patted his back. “Don’t worry about what your dad said, son. You’re almost twelve and growing fast. At your age I could barely walk without tripping.” He gave Vickie and Ashley a hug. “I’m heading out. Call me if you need anything. Love you.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “Love you, too, Daddy.”

“See you later, Jake.”

“Sir.” Jake gave him a nod. After the door closed, her childhood friend stood with his hands in his pockets, keeping his gaze on Seth. “Well, I guess we’ll head out. I should have him back between four and four-thirty.”

“I’ll come pick him up, no need for you to drive all the way out here. What time is it over?”

“We’re usually done before four, but it’s pretty informal, so he can leave whenever you get there.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

They stood there like idiots not wanting to leave but not having any reason to stay.

“Are we going or not?” Insolence laced Seth’s voice.

“Seth!” Embarrassed at his attitude, Vickie sent an apologetic glance to Jake.

“It’s okay.” Jake patted the sullen teen on the back. “I’m ready for some football.” With a wink to Vickie, he followed Seth out the door.

That wink made her feel things she needed to pack away with her homecoming mums. She wanted to be independent. She needed to be independent. Instead, he made her consider giving it all up to hide in his arms. Coming home, she would have never guessed Jake Torres would be the biggest threat to her sanity and heart.