Southern Romantic-Suspense Boxed Set (Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel Book 0) Page 25

  The doctor turned to the nurse. “Michelle, get some ice chips.” He looked at Jordan. “Her throat is raw from the breathing tube and lack of liquid.”

  Jaynee was grateful for the doctor’s understanding, but cautiously turned her head back to Jordan. She wanted to tell him something, but she couldn’t remember what it was.

  How had she ended up here? Jordan had said a shooting. What had happened?

  Jordan had come home, and he was furious. He’d yelled at her, and he never yelled. She’d been waiting for him to come home. There was something very important. What was it? She was so frustrated that she couldn’t remember; she knew it was important.

  They’d made love. It’d been so long, she remembered. She’d gotten up after Jordan had fallen asleep. He always went to bed early. He had to get up before the break of dawn. She remembered walking downstairs.

  Jordan took the Styrofoam cup of ice chips from the nurse and placed a small piece in Jaynee’s mouth. It felt good. She opened her mouth for another, embarrassed that Jordan was waiting on her. She always took care of him; he never had to assist her. But here he was, this big strong man, delicately placing ice chips in her mouth. Red rimmed his beautiful blue eyes, and dark circles surrounded them; she ached to comfort him. But she was too weak even to turn her head and could feel the drowsiness threatening to take her away again.

  Oh, God, she remembered ... “Lorraine,” she garbled under her breath. “Where’s Lorraine?” It was all she could get out. The darkness overtook her, and she felt herself plummet under the thick wool again. She couldn’t find her way out from under the layer of darkness that descended on her.

  Jordan stood as he watched Jaynee slip away again. “Why would she want Lorraine?”

  He thought back to the night of the accident. Lorraine had dropped him off after he turned her down. Drunk or not, he knew there was only one woman for him. Had she returned? Had she been angry with Jaynee? Brian had said there was a woman with Jaynee. Could Lorraine have wanted to hurt her? No, it wasn’t possible. He’d known Lorraine his entire life. He knew how she felt about him, but he only cared for her as a friend. Maybe it was wrong to have her working for him, relying on her so much. But murder? Never. He couldn’t believe it.

  Jordan looked at his mother. “Mom, can you stay with Jaynee again? I have to speak with the detectives. They’re downstairs.” And make a phone call, Jordan decided. But he needed to hear everything Brian had to say first.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Five years ago ...

  The rest of Jaynee’s birthday passed in a blur. Jordan and she had driven separately so they could take her family to breakfast and then afterward, drop them off at the airport. Tears and smiles overflowed as each of her family members hugged and kissed them before they left.

  She was glad Jordan had arranged this. It wouldn’t have been right to exclude her family from her wedding. Her relationship with her mother was sketchy, but she was trying, and Jaynee was her only child after all. Jaynee had always tried to make allowances for her mother. It really wasn’t her fault. Her mother had endured a terrible childhood and didn’t know how to deal with the stresses of life. Although Jaynee had never been like her mother, she tried to understand.

  Jaynee had suffered one nightmare after another, and yet she still awoke every day with a positive outlook, always believing there was good in the world. It was just a matter of finding it, and she had. Jordan was her reward for being faithful no matter what life threw at her and for her unceasing nightly prayers.

  She fiddled with the cross at her neck. It was simple and beautiful. She didn’t need fancy things. She hoped she could get that through to Jordan. She didn’t want him always lavishing her with fancy gifts. The cross was a good start; it was perfect. She needed to explain she liked simple things. It wasn’t because she didn’t have jewelry that she didn’t wear any. The truth of the matter was she didn’t like jewelry. A necklace and ring were the extent of what she wore.

  The drive to the house was long without Jordan, but she had to get used to it. After tomorrow, he’d return to work. Was the honeymoon over? The thought depressed her. She’d have to make sure that never happened.

  Her cell phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. “Miss me already?” she said into the mouthpiece.

  “Yes, of course, but that’s not the reason I called. Do you want to get the artwork for the bedroom? I know a terrific gallery in Pineville, which is on our way home.”

  She didn’t want to stop; she just wanted to return home. “Sure, whatever you want.”

  “You don’t sound enthused,” he teased.

  “I am ... it’ll be beautiful. I’m just tired.” She stifled a yawn midsentence proving her point.

  “We don’t have to.”

  “Really, Jordan, this is the best time. Everything is so out of the way here. In Florida, everything was literally ten minutes away. Let’s go now so we don’t have to worry about it next weekend. I hate to shop.” She frowned even though he couldn’t see her expression.

  Jordan let out a chuckle. “Well, that’s a first, a woman who doesn’t like to shop. I always knew you were unique. Okay, follow me; we’ll make it snappy. We’ll even order pizza, so we don’t have to waste my last vacation day cooking. How does that sound? I love you, see you soon.” He hung up.

  The question was rhetorical. She was beginning to get used to his decision making. It was actually somewhat nice. For the first time in her life, she didn’t need to worry about anything.

  They managed to find several beautifully framed prints that would go perfectly in the bedroom. Jordan told her to shop for additional items she thought would complement their sanctuary at her leisure. He was evidently ready to return home also.

  It was only three when they returned home, a benefit she realized of getting up earlier than she was accustomed.

  Jordan hung all the frames, and he’d been correct, as always, the room was beautiful. Jaynee found herself feeling completely at home in her new quarters. They spent the remainder of the afternoon playing in the backyard with Boomer.

  It was just turning dusk when their backyard filled with an incredible sound. At first, it was one lone chirp, promptly followed by millions echoing the same buzzing and clicking hum. She tilted her head at the resonance echo in the surrounding woods.

  Jordan gestured his head to the woods that served as the backdrop of their backyard. “Cicadas,” he said, apparently noticing her preoccupation. “The sound of summer in North Carolina,” he continued, a warm smile lighting up his face. “Do you like it?”

  She nodded. “It’s beautiful, so peaceful. All I ever heard in Florida, where I lived anyway, were trucks and sirens.”

  He pulled her into his arms. “It’s why I chose the country. Charlotte can be very distracting.”

  It was getting cooler; his arms felt nice around her. Jordan escorted her inside, and they snuggled on the couch and watched classic movies. She found they agreed on the same genres, except in the case of war movies ... she could never quite get into the battle scenes. But then, Jordan paused on a romantic comedy she loved even before she could get the words out that it was one of her favorites.

  Underneath his cop demeanor, Jordan was a wonderfully romantic and sensitive man.

  The next morning arrived too quickly, probably because Jaynee had been dreading it.

  She vaguely remembered Jordan kissing her goodbye. But then she woke up, cold and alone, in their king-sized bed. She’d become familiar with waking up with his arms wrapped around her. Now she was going to have to get accustomed to him not being there.

  She glanced at the clock; it wasn’t even seven yet. Jordan had been trying to wake her earlier and earlier every morning; it looked as if he’d succeeded. She wrestled with the idea of trying to fall back asleep. After all, what reason did she have to get out of bed? There was no grandmother across the street, no classes to attend, no work schedule to keep, and worse, no Jordan.

  Ridiculous,
she wasn’t needy. She couldn’t have become so absorbed by Jordan that she couldn’t find something else to fill her time. If she made an effort to get up early, it would give her more time on the weekends with him, she argued with herself, and that made her resolve. She’d get out of bed and start her new life in North Carolina. She would investigate the area, heading one direction today and another tomorrow. Only one main road connected the two nearby cities. She had two options — head toward Albemarle or Charlotte.

  Jaynee made her way downstairs; she could hear Boomer in the garage, anxious for her to set him free. She stood back as he barreled through the doorway. Boomer took one look at her, then dashed around the house as if looking for something or someone. When he came back, he gave her a look like ... Who are you, and why are you here without my master? She bent down and ruffled his ears. It was all it took; his confusion melted away. He was suddenly interested in playing with her. Boomer ran to the patio door, so she let him outside to the fenced-in area of their property.

  Jaynee stood in the large kitchen feeling misplaced. What did Jordan do with such a gigantic house? She brewed a pot of coffee, then booted up her laptop. First business of the day, she needed to decide where and when to start back to college.

  After several hours of research on the Internet, she decided it was time to go exploring. She had her phone in her pocket waiting for Jordan to call. She wanted to call him, but was concerned she’d catch him in a dreadful situation. Her imagination got the best of her, and she envisioned him in a shadowy building, gun drawn, in quest of a suspect, then his phone going off and alerting the bad guy of his whereabouts. No wonder she wanted to be a writer; her imagination was entirely too vivid.

  Hopping into her new Altima, she inhaled, luxuriating in the smell of the leather. Jordan had shown her how to use the navigation system, but she didn’t understand. So he’d made sure she understood one important feature. No matter where she was, she could hit home, and the voice would direct her home. That made her feel more at ease as she set out to explore her new city.

  She drove for miles before reaching the main road and then turned toward Charlotte. She passed a Wal-Mart — that would come in handy, and it wasn’t too far — there weren’t too many things in life you needed that you couldn’t find at Wal-Mart. Now for a coffee shop with wireless Internet, that was a necessity. She’d decided after her research that correspondence school was going to be the way to finish her degree.

  North Carolina had plenty of colleges, but the closest one was forty-five minutes away. The thought of driving almost two hours a day nauseated her. It would be nice, though, if Panera or Starbucks were nearby, heck, even McDonald’s would suffice. It would give her an opportunity to get out of the house, yet still enable her to work online.

  Upon reaching the Charlotte border, she realized that wasn’t going to happen. She located what she was searching for, but it had taken her more than half an hour to get there. So it would be a wireless card then, and she’d have to find somewhere comfortable to study. She was sure Jordan wouldn’t care; he probably already had the service for his company anyway.

  Her cell phone rang, startling her. She peered down at the number and smiled. “Hey,” she said.

  “Hello, my bride. Did you miss me this morning?” he drawled. She could hear the smile in his voice.

  She lowered her guard. “Yes! It was awful. I was so cold without you. But you’ll be happy to know I woke up before seven.”

  “That’s good. Maybe I won’t have to be so persuasive on the weekends.” His voice dripped with seduction. How did he do that?

  She tried to imitate his seductive tone. “Oh, I don’t mind. I rather enjoy your methods of coercion.” Unfortunately, she didn’t have that great southern drawl he did, so she was sure she fell short of sounding alluring.

  He sighed into the phone. “You sidetracked me, Jaynee. I called you for a reason.” His voice lost its seductive tone; actually, he sounded anxious, so maybe it worked a little. “Oh, I remember. I just finished work and was wondering if you would like to meet for lunch and then perhaps swing by my office afterward?”

  She hadn’t realized the time. She’d forgotten that he got off at one o’clock only to report to his construction business. “That would be wonderful. I’m actually exploring the area and was just thinking I needed to eat.”

  “Where are you?” He sounded excited to see her too.

  “Um, I’m not sure,” she mumbled, looking around at her surroundings.

  “Jaynee,” he teased, his tone taking on a sarcastic edge. “Just look at your navigation system.”

  She glanced down at the monitor. “Oh ... right ... .I’m on Highway 74 approaching Harris Boulevard.”

  “Excellent! I’m about five minutes from you. There’s a shopping center on your right with a great Mexican restaurant. You mentioned you liked southwestern food, so I’ll just meet you there.” He hung up.

  He obviously remembered everything she told him. She thought his decisive character should irritate her, but somehow she felt awed and strangely comforted by his authoritative nature. He wasn’t overpowering and never seemed severe. He just knew what he wanted and reacted to his wants.

  She saw the restaurant he must have been referring to and pulled in the parking lot. She debated whether to go inside or to wait outside until he arrived. Turning off the ignition, she remained inside the car, since she wasn’t familiar with the area.

  When his truck pulled in next to her, she couldn’t help but leap out. She had missed him in these few short hours.

  Jordan jumped down from his truck, dressed in jeans and a polo shirt, gorgeous as always. He must change out of his uniform at the station. With his long strides, he was in front of her in seconds. He picked her up as if she weighed nothing and pulled her face up to meet his. “God, how I missed you.” He kissed her, then lowered her feet back down to the pavement. “It was maddening leaving you this morning. I almost called in sick.”

  A surge of pleasure soared through her, so it wasn’t just her. She couldn’t contain the smile that spread across her face. “Good. I missed you too.” Her eyebrows shot up as she took in his face. She reached up and touched the side of his jaw. “What happened? I liked the beard. Not that you don’t look good clean shaven, but wow ... it’s kind of a shocker.”

  “I know, right? I was getting used to it. But it’s not permissible as an officer.” He lowered his head toward her, caressing his smooth face up the line of her jaw. “But there are benefits.”

  Her heart pounded wildly; she wondered if he would ever cease to affect her like this. He reached for her hand and pulled her gently to the restaurant.

  They sat across from each other. His shoulders were too wide to sit next to him in a booth. Besides, she liked looking at him and in return, him looking at her.

  He held her hand across the table, stroking the back of it seductively. “So, what did you do today?” His voice was nonchalant but interested.

  “Well, I decided every college in this area is too far to drive to, so I did some research and found several distance-learning schools that look promising. What do you think?”

  “I think that’s a great idea; that’s what I did. I received my undergrad through an external degree program, and I’m still deciding what to do for my graduate degree.”

  She cocked her head and smiled at him. “You didn’t tell me you had your Bachelor’s degree?” Of course, there were plenty of things she didn’t know about him, she realized.

  He pointed to himself. “Remember ... not a dumb hick?”

  “Stop doing that.” She slapped his hand with her free hand. “I told you before, I’ve never even for a second thought you weren’t intelligent. And I like your southern accent, very much so ... it was the first thing I fell for.”

  He took hold of her other hand and smiled that crooked grin she loved. “Really ... what was the second?”

  She guessed he’d forgotten the conversation about college.


  “Your eyes, but it’s a very close match. Heck, I guess there isn’t much I didn’t fall for. But that was just at first sight. Most of all, I fell for you — your personality, your generous nature.” She squeezed his hand.

  “My eyes?” He huffed in disbelief. “They’re boring compared to yours.”

  She shook her head wildly in protest. “Oh no, they’re not. They’re strong and compelling like you. And then there are your shoulders and chest — I think I’d better stop. We are in a public place.” She giggled. She couldn’t help it. The man drove her wild just looking at him, or rather, the way he looked at her, as though he wanted to gobble her up right here.

  “Jaynee, you’re making me blush, and we may not make it to my office if you don’t stop.” His eyes widened with anticipation.

  “Is that a threat?” She attempted a seductive tone again. It seemed to work the first time.

  “No, darlin’, it’s a promise,” he retorted. And she couldn’t tell if that meant he wouldn’t go in if she asked him.

  “A promise?” she asked in the sweetest voice she could muster.

  “If you don’t want me to go, I won’t. They can manage without me another day.”

  She sucked in a breath. “But would that disrupt Saturday?” She could hear the defeat in her voice. She sounded pathetic. What would he think of her?

  He shook his head. “Jaynee, I own the business. No one tells me when to come and go.”

  She decided to change the subject. She wouldn’t push him to make any decisions he didn’t want to, and she didn’t want him to think she was needy. “So, tell me about your degree. What did you major in?”

  He turned her hand in his and played with her wedding ring. “Criminal justice. The police department doesn’t mind me taking time off, and they even paid for my courses, because it’s the same field. But I’m probably going to get my master’s degree in business, since it looks as though that is the best move at this point in my career.” He shrugged as though it weren’t important. “I like being a cop, but it’s getting old.” He’d been staring down at her hand, but he looked up, and his eyes were bright. “What I really want is to be a detective, maybe even enter SWAT.”