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Jennifer comes home to Georgia, divorced. The last thing she expects is loving again. |
| “I'm glad you made a friend.” Chloe sat in the passenger's seat, staring out the window. She'd been quiet since they left the diner. “Yeah, I guess. Probably not a good idea though. I doubt I'll see much of her once we get back to Atlanta.” Jennifer sighed. “Are you excited about the party?” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. A bunch of hicks and a loser band. It should be a blast.” Great. We’re back to where we started. “At least you'll know a few people there.” “Look, I don't want to talk about the damn party or the people you think I should be hanging out with. I like my old friends just fine. And I'm not sure your precious Skylar would be a good influence. She's apparently into older men, and she thinks you should take the police chief, when you're already married.” Jennifer pulled up in front of the house and shut the truck off. “Chloe, I-” She jumped from the truck before Jennifer could figure out what had happened. She sat there for a few minutes, wondering if she’d done the right thing in moving her daughter from everything she'd ever known. You had to do it. There wasn't a choice. She got out of the truck and collected the shopping bags. As she came into the house, Chloe was crying on Julie's shoulder. She looked at Jennifer with an unspoken question in her eyes. Jennifer shrugged. Chloe's shoulders tensed and she turned around. When she spotted Jennifer, she ran up the stairs. The slam of her door seemed to echo through the house. “What happened?” “I have no clue. Everything was fine until Skylar and Brandon started talking about some kid named Jason. She flipped a script. She even cussed me out in the truck. Mom, I don't know what to do anymore. Maybe I should take her back to Atlanta.” She shook her head. “Absolutely not. You let me and your grandmother talk to her.” Jennifer put Chloe's bags on the stairs and walked to her room. She tossed her dress on the chair by the door and fell across her bed. A pounding on her door woke up her up. She glanced at the clock, and realized she'd been asleep for over an hour. She sat up and called for the visitor to come in. Chloe opened the door and stuck her head in. “There's someone here to see Pa.” “Okay.” “Are you getting up?” Jennifer stood up and righted her clothes. “Did Pa need me for something?” Chloe rolled her eyes. “I don't know. I can't find him, or anyone else.” Her tone made Jennifer realize she was still mad at her. She smoothed her hair into a ponytail and walked to the door. “Okay, I'll talk to him. Go check in the barn. That's usually where you'll find Pa if he's not inside.” Chloe jumped back as Jennifer got near her. “The man's on the porch.” Jennifer groaned as she jogged to the front door. Of course Chloe hadn't invited the visitor in. She was used to the city, where you didn't talk to strangers. She pasted a smile on her face and swung the heavy oak door open. The man turned around with a smile. He frowned as he saw her. “Come on in. My daughter has gone to get my grandfather. Would you like a drink while you wait?” The man shook his head and sauntered into the house like he owned it. He looked around with a predatory gleam to his eyes. Jennifer felt relief that Chloe hadn't brought the man into the house without someone supervising him. Something about him felt off, not that Jennifer could figure out what. “I hope the child makes it fast. I have other business to attend to.” Jennifer raised an eyebrow as she showed him into the living room. She stood at the door with her hands in her pockets as he walked around, looking at the family photos. He ran a hand over the piano before stopping to examine the large painting placed over the mantle. She heard footsteps behind her and glanced back to see Pa coming. She sighed in relief when she noticed Scott, Ma and Julie on his heels. “Afternoon sir. I'm Ed Matthews. What can I do for ya?” The man walked over and shook Pa's hand. “I'd like to have a word with you in private, if that would be okay.” He shot a pointed look at the group of people standing behind Pa. Scott moved to Pa's side and glared at the man. “I can't do that. Whatever you got to say to me can be said in front of my family.” The visitor gritted his teeth, causing a muscle to jump in his cheek. Jennifer's discomfort went up a notch. I wish Jordan were here. “Very well then. My name's Phillip Argen. I'm a real estate agent from Atlanta. Here's my card.” He passed Pa a shiny white card with a prominent agency embroidered on the front. “Shall we have a seat?” The man moved to the couch as if he were hosting them and waited for everyone to be seated. Pa chose his favorite easy chair and Ma perched on the arm. Julie and Scott sat on the sofa across from Phillip and waited. “I have a client who's interested in purchasing a successful horse ranch. After doing some research on the internet, I found your place and realized it would be perfect.” Pa frowned. “My land ain't up for sell.” The man smiled. “I understand you haven't thought of it, but I'm sure after hearing my client's offer, you'll be more than happy to accept it.” “Money doesn't make a matter to me. This ranch has been in my family for five generations. I plan to keep it that way.” “Sir, surely you could start a new tradition. Three million dollars isn't the type of offer you turn away.” Pa stood up and put his hands on his overall straps. “Mister, I suggest you leave now and tell your client and anyone else that this place ain't for sell.” Phillip stood up too. “I can see you need a few days to think it over. How about I come back Sunday?” Pa turned to his wife. “Ma, get my gun out of the cabinet. I think this man needs a lil' encouragement to leave.” Phillip's eyes widened as Ma left the room. “How dare you threaten me. I can have you arrested.” Pa shrugged. “Go ahead and try. We'll see who gets put behind bars first.” Ma came back in with a shotgun and passed it to Pa. He cocked the hammer and waited. Phillip's mouth flapped open and closed a few times before he straightened his shoulders and marched towards the front door. As he reached for the handle, he glared towards the living room. “This was the wrong choice. I'll be seeing you again soon.” The door slammed behind him. Pa uncocked the gun and passed it to Scott as he slumped into the chair. Jennifer rushed to his side in concern. “Pa, are you okay?” He nodded. “Been a while since my temper got that worked up. Took a bit outta me.” Jennifer put a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should go lay down for a while.” Pa scowled at her. “I got enough people worrying about me youngin'. Don't you start too. I'll be fine in a few minutes.” Jennifer wanted to argue but she worried it might be too much so she held her tongue. She walked out to the porch and took a seat on the wicker chair. She leaned her head back against the cushion and closed her eyes. As if she didn't have enough to deal with, now she had to worry about her grandfather's health. What if he decides to sell the ranch? Where will we go? “Mom?” She opened her eyes to see Chloe standing at the steps, her arms wrapped around the white pillar. “Yeah baby?” Please don't let her freak out again. “I didn't like that man.” Jennifer twitched her nose. “Me either.” “He made me feel weird. And he was a liar.” Jennifer shook her head. “You don't know that baby.” Chloe sat in the swing and pressed a few buttons on her phone. “Don't be mad, but I ease dropped on the conversation. I know it was wrong but none of you would have let me in there.” Jennifer sighed. “It's okay. I would have done the same thing. And I guess it concerns you to. If Pa decides to sell, we may be moving back to Atlanta.” Chloe shook her head. “I know I've been acting like a brat, but I'm not ready to leave just yet.” “Me either. I forgot how much I love it here. It's so much slower than the city. I've been going at top speed for so long, I didn't realize how tired I was until we got here.” “Pa can't sell to that man.” “If that's what he wants to do, there's not much we can say.” Chloe stamped her foot. “No, you don't get it. That man wasn't who he said he was.” Jennifer sat up and stared at her daughter, wide eyed. “How do you know that?” “I thought it was weird that he made a six hour drive for a place that isn't that popular. I did a search like he claimed to do, and this ranch came up as the thirtieth search result. So, I checked out the agency. They have profiles of each of the agents. When I checked his name, I found this.” She passed the phone to Jennifer. While Jennifer looked at the screen, she pushed the swing into a slow motion. “That doesn't look like the same guy.” Chloe shrugged. “I agree. That man was pudgy and he had mean eyes. I thought about telling him his comb over did a horrible job of hiding that huge bald spot at the back of his head, but I remembered my manners. I didn't want you to get mad at me for being rude.” Jennifer couldn't help but laugh. It sounded like something she would have thought of when she was that age. “I'm glad you didn't say anything. He didn't look like the type of man to handle criticism very well. He got pretty mad at Pa for turning him down.” She handed the phone back to Chloe. “I wonder what he really wanted.” Chloe sighed. She put her head back and stared at the ceiling fan. “As much as I hate to say this, I think you need to call Chief Taylor. He needs to know there's a fraud in town. The man may be pulling that scam with everyone. I'd hate to see someone fall for it.” “I'll get his number from Ma.” “Do you think we need to tell Pa?” Jennifer played with her hair as she thought about it. “No. He's upset enough as it is.” She stood up and started to walk into the house. She paused and turned towards Chloe. “Thanks for the help baby. I'm glad I have such a smart daughter.” Chloe stood up and shrugged. “Well I know how illiterate you can be when it comes to the internet, so I figured I had to do something. This is their home, and mine for now. It's part of my heritage and I'll be danged if some old fart takes it away before I get a chance to ride Spirit.” She followed Jennifer to the door. “Mom?” Jennifer turned around. “Yeah?” Chloe threw her arms around her waist. Jennifer stood still for a brief moment before enclosing her daughter in her arms. She put her head on Chloe's head and clenched her eyes closed t keep the tears from falling. “I love you. And I'm sorry I got angry with you earlier.” Jennifer sniffled. “It's okay. I know you're going through a lot too. I don't blame you for being angry.” She pulled back and looked down at her daughter. “I hope you know you can tell me anything. No matter what it is.” Chloe nodded. “I know. Sometimes, it's just hard. Especially when I know it's something you don't want t hear.” Jennifer found Pa in the kitchen, talking to the ranch foreman, Joe. He had a glass of sweet tea and a piece of pie, half eaten, sitting in front of him on the table. She felt relieved to see some color had returned to his cheeks. She brushed a kiss along his brow. “Where's Ma?” “She's out back, working in her flower bed. I think she's waiting on you. Said she had something important to talk to you about.” “Great. I'll see you in a bit.” She walked through the laundry room and out the back door. “I'm over here. Why don't you help an old lady out and I'll tell ya what ya want to know.” Jennifer grabbed a knee mat and a pair of gloves. She placed it a few feet from Ma and knelt down. “I want you to know I could get put in the doghouse for telling you what I'm about to tell ya, so you have to promise not to go telling Chloe I told ya.” Jennifer shook her head. “Ma, there's a lot of telling in that sentence. How about if you don't hurry up and tell me what she told you, I'm gonna tell Pa that you're trying to marry me off. Then he'll tell you a thing or two about telling people things.” Ma huffed. “Well I see how interested you are in getting my help. And I ain't tried marrying you off; yet. But don't push me. Now, the reason Chloe got upset is the party. Before y'all left, a boy asked her to a dance. She said she'd come home early to ask you about it, but you didn't give her a chance, because you'd told her y'all were moving.” Jennifer groaned. “I remember that. She'd been so excited, but I figured it was because it was the last day of school.” “Yep. She got upset because you didn't ask her if she was okay with the move and that she didn't have any warning. When she told the boy she couldn't go with him, he told her that he didn't care because he'd found a girl who's mom wasn't a controlling bitch.” “That little creep. I should go back to Atlanta and kick his ass.” Ma laughed. “Chloe took care of it herself. She broke his nose. When she got home that day, she heard you yelling at Rick on the phone.” Jennifer dropped the shovel. She felt a panic attack coming on. She remembered that conversation. “Ma, how much of it did she hear?” Ma glanced at her in concern. “Just that you were moving and warning him not to come here starting anything. She said you told him all you wanted was his signature on the divorce papers and for him to still be her dad.” Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief as she fought against the darkness trying to pull her under. “Ma, if she'd come in five minutes earlier, she would have heard me cussing him for sending his girlfriend to my house to get some of his stuff. Do you think she knows about him cheating on me?” Ma shook her head. “No, I don't.” “I shouldn't have moved here. I thought it was the right thing to do. I was trying to take charge of my own life, but it seemed to cause more problems. I can't stand the thought of losing Chloe.” Jennifer sat back on her haunches and removed her gloves. She heard giggling over her head and looked up. Chloe had her French doors open. She gulped and looked at Ma, close to hysteria. Ma waved her hand through the air. “Don't worry. She didn't hear anything.” “Ma, I need Jordan's number.” Ma gave her a smug smile. “Thinking of getting a date with Mr. Sexy huh?” “Not exactly. I need to talk to him about something important.” “Get me a pen from inside and I'll write it down for you.” Jennifer stood up too quick. Dizziness hit her at the same time as the nausea. She groaned as she placed a hand to her stomach. Crap. I forgot my medicine. “You know what? I'll just drive into town and catch him.” Ma winked. “You want a few minutes along with him, huh? Not that I blame you.” Jennifer rolled her eyes and started towards the back door when she heard a sexy voice filtering out of the open kitchen window. She looked back at her grandma. “What did you do? You promised no match-making.” Ma raised her hands in innocence. “Hey, this isn't my doing.” “I wonder why he's here?” She heard him ask Pa about her and whimpered. Ma raised an eyebrow. “Guess that answers that question. Jennifer, close your mouth before a bird flies in and makes a nest.” Jennifer clamped her teeth together. “What do you think he wants?” “If you don't go inside, I'll call him out here so he can tell you in front of me.” She scrambled to the door. Her reflection caught her attention and she shoved her hands into her hair to try and fluff the limp strands out. Ma snickered behind her. Irritated with herself, she shoved the door open and ran inside. She slammed into the solid wall of his hard chest. His hands clamped around her arms to keep her from stumbling backwards. She pushed him away and looked up. He smiled down at her and she swooned towards him again. “You okay?” She pulled herself together and nodded. “You knocked the breath out of me.” He laughed. “Sorry. I think that's the first time I've made a woman breathless. It's usually weak knees that get them.” “What do you want?” He raised an eyebrow. She realized how rude she sounded and winced. “Sorry. It's been one of those days.” Jordan shrugged. “It's okay. I seem to make you uncomfortable.” “That's ridiculous.” He took a step towards her. “Is it?” She tried to step around him. “How about we go into the kitchen?” He reached behind him and shut the door. She frowned. Her heart raced. “I think it's better to stay in here for this.” Jennifer felt her stomach dip. Is he going to kiss me? Am I going to stop him? He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. Curiosity caused her to look down. He twisted two brown bottles so that the label faced up. Her hand reached out to snatch them away. He pulled them from her grasp. “How did you get those? You didn't tell anyone about them, did you?” “Nobody knows I have them, except Ashleigh, who gave them to me. She got them from Annie. What are they for?” Jennifer tried to grab them again. He held them over his head. Jennifer put her hands on her hips. “It's none of your business. Now give them here.” He shook his head. “No. Are you sick?” “Jordan, give me the damn bottles.” “Tell me why you need them.” Jennifer jumped up to try and get them out of his hand. She couldn't reach. She shoved her hair out of her eyes and huffed. “If you want to know so bad, why didn't you ask Ashleigh.” She thought about kicking him in the leg, but she didn't want to hurt him. “Why did she even give them to you? I asked her and Annie to keep quiet about needing medicine. Isn't it against the law for a person to have someone else's medicine without their permission?” “There's always circumstances, such as this when it's okay. Annie was going to bring these to you when she closed. She ran into Ashleigh and started asking a bunch of questions. Ashleigh ended up with them after they talked.” Jennifer rolled her eyes. “Still doesn't explain how you got them.” He smiled. “I pulled Ashleigh over for speeding. When she told me she had t bring these to you and get back in time to take Brandon to the movies, I volunteered to make the trip for her. She threatened to beat me up if I told anyone.” She couldn't help but laugh. That sounded like Ashleigh. “Well thank you.” He shrugged. “Jennifer, I'm not trying to be nosy. I'm concerned. I'd hate to have something happen to you.” She sighed. “Look, it's nothing serious. That's why I don't want anyone knowing. Everyone would worry for nothing.” “Okay, well I know you're taking medicine and I'm going to worry until I find out what it's for.” “You're not going to give up are you?” He shook his head. She threw her hands into the air. “Fine. One's for an ulcer, and the other is for depression.” A frown settled between Jordan's eyebrows as he passed the bottles over. “That's why you came back here isn't it? To hide out while you're getting better?” Jennifer shrugged. “Partly. My life was spiraling out of control. I couldn't take it anymore.” “So your condition, is it serious?” Jennifer saw the concern in his eyes. She gasped and put her hand against his chest. “It's not that bad. The ulcers haven't gone away because I've been so stressed. And I don't have severe depression. It's more like anxiety attacks. I've never thought of committing suicide or anything like that.” She saw color began to return to his cheeks. She wanted to kick herself in the butt. How could I have forgotten what he went through with his mom? “Promise me you'll come to me if things get bad? I'll help you through it.” She forced a smile. “I promise. Thank you for bringing these to me. And for caring.” He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “How could I not care? You were my best friend. I wouldn't have made it through everything without your help.” Jennifer saw him lowering his head. He was going to kiss her. She couldn't force herself to move away. Calm down. He's just going to brush his lips across yours. Like when we were kids. His mouth settled over hers, tender and with little pressure. She relaxed and waited for him to pull away. She felt his hands wrap around her and bring her against his body. Her mouth parted on a sigh. His tongue slipped between her lips, lightly exploring. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed closer. Jordan moaned as he deepened the kiss. It lit a spark in a dark recess of Jennifer's body. She felt on fire. One of his hands drifted down her arm to settle at her waist. He shoved the other into her hair and forced her head back. She wiggled against him, trying to ease the pressure building between her legs. Kissing Rick had never been like this and it frightened her, as much as it excited her. She felt Jordan walking backwards, pulling her with him. Their mouths never separated. He stopped and spun them around. She felt the cool metal of the washing machine brushing her calves before he lifted her by the waist and deposited her on top. He settled between her legs. Jennifer crossed her ankles behind his back, holding him to her. She rubbed against the evidence of his desire. Jordan's fingers found the hem of her shirt and he began to lift it up. She froze and pulled away. “What's wrong?” She stared into his glazed eyes, unable to form words. She placed a finger against her pulsing lips. “I can't do this.” He frowned. “Do what?” She shook her head and tried to squirm away. He kept her pinned against him. “I can't have sex with you.” Jordan's hands fell from her and he stepped away. He walked to the other side of the laundry room while she jumped down and righted her clothes. She found a clean towel folded on top of the dryer. Retrieving her medicine from the floor, she wrapped them up and tucked the fabric under her arm. “Jordan, look-” He spun around and glared at her. “I can't believe you think that. Yes I want you, but I would never try to act on it where someone could catch us. I have more respect than that.” Jennifer ducked her head. “I'm sorry. I just assumed-” She let the sentence die off. Jordan snorted. “That I'm some bastard after a quick lay.” “No. I know you're a good guy, and I don't doubt that if you did have sex with me, you'd expect a relationship to go with it. The problem is, I can't give you that. Any of it. My life's complicated enough as it is.” She watched him jerk off his Stetson and shove his hands through his wavy brown hair. The strands stood on end. “It seems you've forgotten something about me. When I want something, I don't give up. Ever since I saw you yesterday, I can't stop thinking about you. We started something fifteen years ago and apparently the chemistry's still there. You can hide behind your sickness, your divorce, or your family but I won't go away. I'll be waiting for you to realize we deserve to give this a shot.” Jennifer couldn't think of a response. She walked towards the door leading to the hallway. “You may want to fix your hair before we go out. Otherwise, everyone's going to know what we were doing.” Jennifer reached up and touched the disheveled strands. She put the towel between her knees and smoothed her hair into a simple ponytail. She leaned her head back and looked at him. “How's it look now?” He smirked. “Better. But your lips are swollen. It looks like you've been making out in a closet.” His hand reached around her and twisted the door knob. She stumbled into the kitchen. “Well, well, what have we here? Aren't you two a little old to be hiding in the closet?” Jennifer's face flamed as she spotted Chloe sitting at the bar. Betsy beamed at them, as if proud to see they were together. “Pa, you know how it is. Women just can't resist me.” He winked at Jennifer as he walked around her and took a seat at the table. Chloe tapped her foot. “What were you two doing?” Jordan gave her an innocent look. “We were having an argument. I forgot how difficult your mom could be. You know, she even called me an idiot because I told her the door opened out, instead of in. So, I proved my point. I guess it's a good thing she didn't land on her face. That would have taken away some of my gloating.” Chloe glanced to Jennifer. She shrugged. “What can I say. I don't like to be wrong.” The teenager's eyes narrowed. “What else were you arguing about?” Jordan thanked Betsy for the coffee and took a sip. “Jennifer doesn't think she should have to pay her ticket, since we're old friends. I told her it doesn't matter because the law's the law and I won't bend it for anyone.” Chloe's mouth dropped open. “Momma, I can't believe you'd think you should get out of it.” Jennifer groaned. She was going to make Jordan pay for this. “I didn't say I should get out of it. I just asked if he could drop it to a warning, since I didn't know the light was broken.” Chloe looked back at Jordan. “Chief, I promise you she'll pay the ticket, and donate a little extra to your department. It's the least she could do for insulting you.” He gave the teenager a sheepish smile. “Well thank you Miss Chloe. But don't be too hard on her. She's just not used to the small town life anymore.” “Momma, did you ask the chief to come by so you could talk to him about that thing?” Jennifer frowned as she tried to figure out what Chloe was talking about. A few seconds later, it dawned on her. “I did, but I haven't had time to discuss it with him. Maybe you should join us and tell him yourself.” Jordan frowned. “What's going on?” Chloe slid off the bar stool and walked towards the hallway. “It's private. You could say it's a legal question we have. Do you have time to discuss it?” He stood up and joined Chloe at the door. “Sure.” Jennifer followed them to Pa's study and shut the door. “What's going on?” Chloe told him about the fraudulent real estate agent, and her discovery. Jordan listened and took notes. “I'm glad you had the sense to check into this Chloe. This sounds like a serious matter and I assure you, I'll get to the bottom of it.” |
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