Want You Back Read online

  She decided to wait. Jake felt the same way she did; she knew it in her soul. Maybe he would bring up the subject first. For now they had shopping to do. Maybe, she decided gracefully, he could still run the restaurant, just from another location.

  Jake had already ordered the tables and chairs for the main dining room and the two other, smaller eating areas. Jenny felt a pang of disappointment when he told her that, though it faded when he outlined the things he wanted to find on this shopping trip. What he needed and what she coveted were the same. He wanted decorative, personal items to add the right touch to the place, to make dining at Malvoran House a personal, intimate experience. She wanted beautiful, personal items to turn the place into a warm, inviting home.

  Ater had three antique stores, on Main Street to catch what little tourist trade might come through town. Jenny did the books for two of them. The third was owned by Miz Owens, a scatterbrained white- haired lady who was considered odd because she played Gregorian chants and burned candles and incense all day. Her shop Jenny saved for last, as it was her favorite.

  The interior of her store looked eclectic, to say the least. Jenny, who for the past two years had tucked her non-conformist soul into a conformist mold, loved it because of that.

  “Jenny!” Arms open wide, Miz Owens toddled toward them, wrapping Jenny in a cinnamon-scented embrace. Today, Jenny noted with amused approval, she wore a bright sari in electric blue and red.

  “This is Jake Durham.” Introducing them, Jenny watched for Jake’s reaction. Howard had adamantly refused to set foot in the small shop, preferring to drive into Jefferson to visit the larger, more attractive antique stores.

  “You,” Miz Owens said simply. Then, with a welcoming smile she hugged him.

  Jake grinned. “Me.”

  “Jenny’s other half.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Jake nodded. “My other half also,” he replied.

  The two exchanged a long look. Then, apparently satisfied, Miz Owens patted Jake’s arm and turned to Jenny.

  “You two look around. If you see anything that tickles your fancy, holler. I need to go get my crystal ball.”

  “Crystal ball?”

  Laughing, Jenny stepped close and gave him a quick hug. “You should be honored. It’s not often she wants to tell someone’s fortune.”

  “Tell my. . .” For a moment, Jake looked alarmed. Then he relaxed, hugging her back. “You don’t believe in that stuff, do you?”

  For his benefit, Jenny smiled mysteriously. “You might be surprised,” she told him, then strolled away to look at what the shop had to offer. She decided not to tell him what Miz Owens had told her the last time she’d told Jenny’s fortune. How uncannily accurate it turned out to be, though time had passed before it came true. Or how much it had hurt her. When she’d hesitantly shared it with Howard, he had dismissed the idea so scornfully that she soon forgot all about it.

  Until today. Today she remembered every word Miz Owens had said. No doubt Miz Owens did too. Jenny couldn’t help but wonder what the elderly lady would tell Jake.

  Shopping. She’d come here to buy things. And this place was crammed full of them.

  She found a lovely mahogany secretary, two weathered picture frames, an ornate mahogany mirror, two lamps, and an odd-looking, antique porcelain cat that appealed to her. Because the shop was long and narrow, with three cluttered aisles, she couldn’t see Jake as she stacked her choices on the counter. He would have to help with the secretary, as it was too heavy for her to move.

  From the back of the store, she heard Miz Owens’s laugh and the low murmur of Jake’s deep voice, though she couldn’t make out the words. Curious, Jenny headed back there, stepping around several boxes of piled treasures.

  “Ah, there you are, dear.” Miz Owens smiled serenely. “Would you like a cup of tea? It’s a special blend, straight from the Orient. I combine the tea leaves to make it myself.”

  Jake raised his cup, one corner of his mouth quirking in a heart-tugging smile. “It’s really good.”

  “Sure.” Jenny shrugged, waiting until Miz Owens had vanished into the back before leaning down to whisper to Jake.

  “Has she told your fortune yet?” He winked, pointing at the crystal ball in the center of the table. “Not yet But I’m sure she will.”

  A chill skittered down Jenny’s spine as Miz Owens returned with a steaming cup of tea and looked directly at her.

  “I might want to tell your fortune too, dear.” She set the cup down carefully in front of Jenny and smiled. “It’s been a while for you, hasn’t it?”

  Jenny thought back, wondering why she felt so strange and uncomfortable. Miz Owens had read her palm and looked into her crystal ball for her before and it hadn’t bothered her at all, until the words had been said. But then it had been right after Jake left, a time when she desperately needed reassurance. She’d gotten it too, though not what she’d wanted or expected.

  Two years ago Miz Owens had told her Jake would come back. Naturally, Jenny had scoffed and, if she remembered correctly, told Miz Owens she highly doubted that, and that he wouldn’t be welcome if he did return.

  She’d been lying to herself even then.

  Jake touched her hand, bringing her back to the present. Miz Owens took a seat in front of him and laid her hands lovingly on the smooth surface of the crystal ball. In seconds, her face relaxed into the peaceful expression of someone meditating or in a light trance.

  Leaning forward, Jake watched intently.

  Again Jenny felt a chill skitter up her spine.

  “There has been danger.” Miz Owens’ voice sounded lower, rougher. “Great danger. It still lurks around the corner. And sorrow, at things lost and never regained. Yet hope lingers as well, hope for a future once more attainable. You will be called upon, called upon to tell the truth. You must do so, but be careful of how you do it. Therein lies the danger.”

  Jenny glanced at Jake to see what he made of this. It made no sense to her. Still watching the old woman like a hawk, Jake said nothing. Somehow, he understood Miz Owens’s words, words that were only nonsense to Jenny.

  “You will have to choose,” Miz Owens intoned. “Again. What you do will affect others. You have much to give, but give wisely. Think carefully before you make your choice, because in this life, in this time there will not be any more chances.”

  The sound of a clock chiming from the front of the shop was the only sound then. Jenny could hear her heart beating, strong and steady while she waited for Jake’s reaction. He sat like a statue, motionless, staring at Miz Owens as if she had attacked him in some way.

  Slowly, Miz Owens opened her eyes. “Goodness.”

  She sagged back against the chair. “That was exhausting. I’m afraid I won’t be able to do yours, Jenny. Maybe you could come back some other time.” All Jenny could think of was how badly she wanted to get out of there. Yet she felt herself nod, and she managed a weak smile.

  Jake uncoiled himself from the chair and stood. He held out his hand formally for Miz Owens to shake. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” Miz Owens beamed. “Now let’s ring up your purchases so you can be on your way.” Watching as Jake paid for the stuff she’d chosen, then carried the heavy secretary to the Jeep, Jenny wondered about Miz Owens’s prediction. Would they turn out to be as accurate as her own fortune from two years ago had been? Would this danger she’d spoken of manifest itself now, or somewhere down the road?

  For a third time Jenny felt a distinct chill. Shaking her head at her own foolishness, she told herself not to worry about it. Jake certainly wasn’t Once the Jeep had been loaded, he smiled and kissed Miz Owens’s wrinkled cheek.

  Yet he was uncharacteristically quiet on the drive back to town. Thinking, she guessed, about the strange words he’d been told were his fortune.

  Danger. If Jake were still a policeman here in Ater, Jenny could see how that might apply. But surely being a restaurant owner was one of the least dangerous of prof
essions. Right down there next to CPA.

  She wondered if this had something to do with the mysterious events he claimed he couldn’t tell her about yet. The events that had taken him away from here, two years ago. Miz Owens had said he must tell the truth. Maybe that meant he needed to tell Jenny the true story about what had happened to him on the night before their wedding.

  Thinking about secrets, Jenny remembered her earlier vow to tell Jake how she felt about him. More than anything, she wanted to express the love in her heart, but one glance at his furrowed brow told her now would not be the right time.

  They pulled up in front of Malvoran House. Without a word, Jake climbed out of the Jeep and began unloading their purchases. Jenny watched him for half a minute, then climbed out herself to help him.

  They passed each other, both silent, their arms full of boxes and bags. Already the crickets had come out, which meant darkness couldn’t be too far behind.

  When everything had finally been carried into the foyer, Jenny knew it was time for her to go home. Though she wanted more than anything to help him, she thought Jake needed time alone to wrestle with whatever demons tormented him. Gathering up her purse and the small, metal picture frame she’d bought for herself, she went to find Jake to say goodbye.

  She found him in the kitchen, arms taut as he leaned on the counter with his head down. So deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice her approach, Jake looked like a man in turmoil. Jenny hated to disturb him, but she refused to sneak out without telling him.

  “Jake, I—”

  “I’ll walk you to your car.” Taking her arm, he escorted her out the door. Silently, they walked down the sidewalk. Though still humid, the night air had cooled. The crickets warred with the locusts, created a loud chorus.

  When they reached her car, Jenny went to open the door. Jake placed his hand on her arm to stop her.

  “Don’t go.” The gaze he turned on her was full of pain. “You know, Miz Owens was right about one thing. I need to tell you the truth. Jenny, I can’t father children. I’m sterile.”

  Chapter Nine

  Whatever she’d been expecting Jake to say, it wasn’t this. Stunned, Jenny could only stare.

  “What I’m trying to tell you”—averting his gaze, he stared at the brightly lit front window of Malvoran House—“is that you and I could never have children of our own.”

  Jenny thought of all the news documentaries she’d seen about the hundreds of unwanted children in foreign orphanages. “That doesn’t matter.” She swallowed, then decided to go ahead and tell him what she’d been wanting to tell him all day. “Jake, I love you. More than ever.”

  Before she’d even finished, he was shaking his head. “You deserve children, Jen. A houseful of them. It’s always been your dream.”

  Despite herself, Jenny’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Jake. You have always been my dream. Having children together would have been a wonderful addition to that dream. But, if we decide we want children, we can always adopt.”

  He turned to her, his handsome face alight with love and hope. She reached for him, her heart singing.

  One second before he touched his lips to hers, the side window of her car, exactly where she’d been standing seconds earlier, shattered.

  Jenny screamed.

  “Get down.” Pushing her to the ground at the same time that he barked the order, Jake knew two things. One, someone from the drug cartel had escaped capture and two, they’d finally found him.

  Even though they’d sent in an eradication team, the DEA had warned him that he would be blamed. They hadn’t needed to, because Jake had already been well aware of that fact. Two years undercover gave a man good instincts for certain things, and these people were particularly vicious. He’d known they’d come after him, known they’d kill him if they could. He’d even had to stay in a safe house until he’d testified and they’d been sentenced to prison.

  Ater, Texas seemed as safe as anywhere else. Though he’d first come to Ater as part of his job, it hadn’t panned out and he’d been pulled, relocated in the middle of the night with no say in the matter. Though it had been the night before his wedding, he had a job, an obligation, and did as he’d been ordered. He’d figured it’d be a quick in and out. He’d been wrong.

  Two years later and he was finally free. No one in the cartel knew of his brief ties here, no one knew about Jenny. He’d hoped it would stay that way. Obviously, things had changed. Now, before anything else, he had to protect her.

  “What happened?” she whispered.

  Damn. He should have told her. Would have told her, once he’d known for sure that things had been wrapped up. His contact had said they were close to getting the last few men.

  Foolishly .Jake had let himself be lulled into security by the unexpected happiness he’d found in Ater. He’d let his guard down. There was no excuse for that. Men died that way. But Jenny didn’t deserve to die because of his former job.

  “Someone shot at us.” His voice terse, Jake kept a heavy hand on her shoulder to ensure that she stayed down. Explanations would have to come later. Now he could only concentrate on getting them out of there alive.

  Though it was dark, the decorative streetlight he’d had placed out front provided too much light for them to make it back to the house safely. Besides, then they’d be sitting ducks. No, he preferred to fight this battle on his own terms, in his own time, once he knew Jenny was safe and sound.

  Their only hope would be Jenny’s car.

  “Give me your keys,” he whispered.

  Without a word of protest, she dropped them in his outstretched hand.

  “When I say ‘go,’ I want you to get in the car. And for God’s sake”—he dropped a kiss on the top of her head—“stay down.”

  Bless her. Though she shot him a questioning look, she merely nodded.

  The silence seemed ominous, though Jake knew the gunman watched, waiting for another shot

  Still crouching, Jake wrenched the car door open. “Go!” With a shove, he helped Jenny in. He jammed the key in the ignition, praying it would start the first time.

  Another shot shattered the rear window. Jake wondered if any of Jenny’s neighbors had called the police.

  The car roared to life. Jake slammed it into gear and took off down the driveway, knowing the shooter would try for the tires.

  Somehow, they made it into the street, rolling over the curb with a thump. Praying he wasn’t heading the wrong way, towards the threat, Jake yanked the wheel to the left. Keeping the headlights off, he took off in the direction of the interstate. Any moment now, he expected to see a vehicle behind them, indicating they were being followed.

  “Can I get up now?” Jenny asked from the passenger side floor.

  Once more glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing nothing, Jake nodded. “Sure.”

  “Thank goodness.” Slowly, Jenny pushed herself up on the seat, running a hand through her disheveled, fiery mane of hair. Her eyes looked huge, like glittering emeralds, and she was so pale he could count her freckles.

  She’d never looked more beautiful or more infinitely precious to him.

  “I love you,” he told her simply, wanting to have the words said before anything else happened. “I always have, even when I had to go away. I’ve never stopped loving you, Jen.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded. “Me either, Jake.” Voice raw, she trembled with fear. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”

  Grim, he took one hand off the wheel and laid it over hers. “I’ll get you out of this, Jenny I promise you that.”

  Again she nodded, shooting a darting glance over her shoulder. “How can you see without headlights? What if—”

  “I’ll turn them on as soon as I get to the highway.” With the street lights on the highway, he’d be better able to see if someone followed them.

  When Jenny swallowed, it was an audible thing, more of a gulp. His heart went out to her, knowing she’d never expected some
thing like this.

  “Do you know why this is happening to us?” Though she phrased it like a question, her tone told him she believed he did.

  Once more he glanced at her. He’d tried to shield her, bowing to the code of secrecy. It was a code each man who went undercover lived by, for to break it could put lives in danger. So he hadn’t told Jenny.

  But now she was involved directly, something he had never intended. The man who meant to kill him would not hesitate to kill her as well.

  “Yes.” Behind him he thought he detected a flash of metal in the light from one of the farmhouses they’d passed. “I promise to tell you, as soon as I make sure we’re not being followed.”

  “Fair enough.”

  They zoomed through the silent darkness, not once passing another car. The way small towns shut down at dark had been the most difficult thing for Jake to adapt to. Now he was glad of it.

  One more turn and the entrance ramp to the brightly lit freeway loomed ahead. Jake took the corner fast, tires screeching on the pavement. They merged into the light traffic, crossing lanes as they gradually picked up speed.

  To his immense relief, no one entered the freeway after them.

  “Looks like we lost them.” For now he added silently.

  Jenny didn’t reply. She simply watched him, her expression determined. Before the night was over, Jake knew she meant to have her answers.

  After they had driven for close to two hours, the freeway signs showed they were nearing Dallas. Good. A big city would be much easier to get lost in than any small town.

  It was late and exhaustion made his vision blur. Still pale, Jenny had dark circles under her eyes. They needed to stop for the night and rest and plan.

  He chose a large hotel in Garland, exiting the freeway and again making sure they weren’t being followed.

  Once in the room, he handed Jenny a can of cola and popped the top on his own. Under the circumstances, he would have much preferred an ice-cold beer.

  Green eyes wary, Jenny sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting. In her cotton sundress, she looked nothing like the severely dressed businesswoman she’d pretended to be. The color had begun to come back to her face, and she’d twisted her hair up in some kind of bun.