Trouble in High Heels

Chapter Twenty-one

Underneath her jeans, T-shirt, rain cloak, and hat, Lori broke into a cold sweat as she approached the barn. Rain pelted relentlessly against her vinyl raincoat. Armed with a lantern, flashlight, first-aid kit, and cell phone that would be intermittently useless due to lack of coverage, she wished she could just have a one-minute conversation with Jackson.

Just one minute and her heart rate would settle down, her breathing would slow, and she would believe that she could do what she needed to do. She hadn’t ridden a horse alone in years.

Lanterns flickered nearby as two of the camp counselors searched for the little boy. Standing outside the barn, Lori closed her eyes and imagined Jackson ’s voice. “You can do anything you want. Anything.”

Taking a deep breath, Lori stepped inside the barn.

Virginia and another camp counselor, Mrs. Aliff, greeted her. “Try the north pasture first,” Virginia said.

Lori nodded and walked toward Lady’s stall. “Hey, Lady, I’m counting on you.” she whispered.

Mrs. Aliff came to stand beside her. “We hope you can find him. He’s a pistol, but he means so much to everyone. His parents, the other children.” The woman sniffed back tears. “He loves running games, races, tag, and hide and seek.”

Pushing her own anxiety aside for a moment, Lori covered the counselor’s hand with hers. “I know he likes to run. He ran circles around me this afternoon,” she said and mustered a smile. “I think he’s tough enough that he’ll still be running circles tomorrow.”

“I hope so.”

“Lady and I will do our best,” Lori said, feeling her nerves rise inside her again. Hauling the saddle from the tack room, she strapped it on, followed by the bridle, murmuring to the horse all along. All too aware of the horse’s size and strength, she led Lady out of the barn and prepared to mount.

Swallowing over the ball of nerves in her throat that refused to go away, she fought the urge to run. Her body still wrapped in cold sweat, she fought the urge to panic, to splinter into a million tiny, useless pieces.

“Are you okay?” Virginia asked from behind her.

“I’m good,” she lied, determined to make it the truth. Placing her left foot in the stirrup, she swung herself into the saddle and slid her other foot into a stirrup. For a second, the ground began to waver and swim. Light-headed, she gulped in deep breaths of air. She couldn’t pass out. She couldn’t. She had to do this.

No time to waste, she told herself and nudged the horse into a walk. Clinging for her life, she took it slow and moved north or, for her, right. The rain continued without abating, with the wind slapping moisture on her face every few moments. It was messy and miserable, and Lori could only imagine how frightened Reese must be.

The unpleasantness distracted her from her fear, and she urged Lady into a trot. “Not too fast,” she said in a soothing tone. “I don’t want you to slip, but let’s not poke.” Then she began to yell. “Reese! Reese!”

Two hours later, riding Lady was the least of her discomfort. Her throat hurt from yelling, and she was certain not one inch of her was dry. Worse yet, she didn’t know where she was, and there was no sign of Reese.

“Okay, let’s turn around and try a different direction,” she said to the well-mannered mare. “If you were an eight-year-old boy, where would you go in the middle of a torrential downpour?”

Lady gave a nod and snort as if she knew better than to wander out in this kind of weather.

“You are definitely due some serious apples after this,” Lori said and began to call for Reese.

An hour and a half later, she didn’t know whether to keep looking or head back to the barn. Out of sheer frustration, she called out, “Hide and seek, Reese. You’re it. Can you find me?” She repeated it for over twenty minutes. Her voice grew husky, breaking on every other word, and she paused and swallowed a sip from her water bottle.

She began to yell again but heard a faint sound. Rain splattered loudly on her drooping hat and vinyl raincoat. “Reese?” she croaked. “Reese?”

She heard another sound, high-pitched but indecipherable. Her pulse picked up. “Reese?”

“One, two, three on you,” a voice called. “You are it!”

Lori’s heart nearly exploded in her chest as she turned Lady toward the sound of his voice. “Reese, where are you? Come here.”

“You are it,” he called, his voice closer.

Swinging the lantern around, she spotted a tiny figure huddled under a large tree. “Come here, sweetie,” she called. “Come here and let me take you home.”

Reese began to cry, and the sound wrenched at her. Lori slid off the horse and raced toward the child, pulling Lady behind her. Reese cowered under the tree, sobbing. “One, two, three. You are it.”

“Come here, sweetie. Let me take you home.”

Reese continued to wail.

At a loss, Lori put her arms around him and held him. “You’re okay. Wet, but okay. Don’t you want a ride with Lady? She’s very nice. She likes little boys. She wants to take us home.”

“Ride?” he echoed, sniffing as he stared at the horse.

Lori nodded. “You bet. Let’s go home.”

After she got both of them on the horse, Lori tucked Reese’s squirmy, wet little body under her raincoat and let Lady lead the way.

Jackson had been awakened by the phone call two hours ago. He’d been dead asleep, but it had taken only a moment for his heart to stop in his chest when Maria explained why she was calling so early.

Jackson had been in his car within two minutes. Driving through the constant downpour, he took his SUV off-road when the lanes were flooded. Rain shimmered down his windshield faster than the wipers could push it aside. Despite the vehicles he saw abandoned and the signs warning of flash floods, he drove on. He almost stalled out once but maneuvered out of the deepest waters. Sheer luck.

All he could think about was Lori. Although Maria and Geoffrey had been barricaded from returning to the ranch by flooded roads, Maria had learned that Lori had been looking for one of the campers for hours. Now Virginia feared that Lori was lost, too.

Jackson ’s stomach churned with remorse. He should have been there with her instead of focusing on this real-estate development deal. His pride had been mortally wounded when she’d insisted she didn’t want her family to know she’d married him. Determined to make her proud of him, he’d worked night and day to pull this deal together.

She’d been the biggest headache of his life, and now she was the biggest heartache. His hands clammy as he clenched the steering wheel, he held on to a scrap of hope that her training had come back to her.

Lord help him, though, the woman was vulnerable. Her father had kept her wrapped in a cocoon, unprepared for life, let alone riding around on a horse in the middle of the night looking for a lost child.

Turning on the road to the ranch, he stepped on the gas. He would be there soon. The ranch was just three miles away. Just three miles. He saw the shiny puddle, or was it a lake stretching across the road? Swearing, he slowed. He didn’t have time for this. Damn this rain. Damn the flooded roads. Damn it all.

Jackson swerved, but the engine gulped too much water and stalled. He tried to restart the SUV. It coughed and sputtered and died. Thumping his fist against the steering wheel, he swore again. Getting out of the car, he pushed it to the side of the road and started running. Two and a half miles to go. He had to get to Lori.

Twenty-five minutes later, he jogged toward the barn. He’d spent the last mile alternately praying and swearing. The chorus of voices and whistles he heard gave him hope. Brushing the rain from his face, he sped up his pace and ran to the far side of the barn that led into the paddock.

He stopped dead in his tracks. A small figure, covered in a hooded raincoat, rode Lady, the large, gentle mare, and held a small child peeking out from the raincoat. “One, two, three, I see you,” the child called. “You are it.”

The small group of people let out yells of praise. A volunteer stepped forward, reached up to the child, a boy, and carried him down off the horse.

“Lori, you’re drenched,” Virginia said.

The small woman on the horse was Lori. His heart racing, he ran to the horse’s side and held out his arms.

“I tried to call you,” she said in a croaky voice.

Lifting her foot from one stirrup, she slid down into his arms. “Sorry I’m so wet,” she whispered, shivering.

Jackson held her close, so relieved that she was safe.

“She’s been out in that rain for hours,” Virginia said. “We should get her inside.”

Jackson picked Lori up and headed for the house. “I’m so wet,” Lori said.

“We’ll get you dry,” he said.

She lifted her hands to his face. “You’re wet, too. What happened?”

“Another story,” he said, still worried about her.

She coughed. “My throat hurts. I yelled and yelled and yelled,” she whispered.

“You did good,” he said. “You rescued that little boy. You’re a hero.”

She met his gaze from beneath the hood of her raincoat and smiled. “Me? A hero?”

His heart turned inside out. “Yeah, baby. You.”

“Don’t tell Virginia, but I was afraid I was going to throw up right before I mounted Lady.”

“But you did it anyway.”

“Yeah, I kept pretending that you were there talking to me. You kept saying, you can do anything you want.”

“I would have given anything to do this for you,” he said.

“I rode a horse again,” she whispered as if she still couldn’t quite believe it. “All by myself.” She cleared her throat and winced. “My throat hurts.”

“Be quiet,” he said and carried her up the stairs into the house. He took her directly into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. He helped her strip off her clothes and dried her wet, shivering body with a towel before he ushered her into the tub.

She sighed as she relaxed in the warm water. “I could go to sleep right this minute.”

“Not yet,” he said. “I just want to get you warmed up.”

Lori felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience. So weary she could barely stay awake, she felt herself drowning in Jackson ’s tenderness.

“Am I dreaming this?” she asked him, the warm water surrounding her, his concerned gaze latched on to her. “Are you really being this nice to me?”

He chuckled. “I guess.”

She sighed. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you?” she asked. “I want you around even if you’re fussing at me.”

“Is that so?” he asked, his lips lifting in a half smile. He pushed a wet strand of hair from her cheek. “Why is that?”

Dizzy from stress, she shook her head. “I don’t know. I just know I want to be with you all the time,” she confessed. “Twenty-four seven. I’m crazy, aren’t I?” She paused, wondering if she should have said all that. “I’m so tired. I must be half-dreaming.”

“You’ve earned it, sweetheart,” he said. “Time for bed.” He coaxed her from the tub and dried her again, wrapping her in a big fluffy towel. He carried her to her room, and Maria appeared with a nightgown.

Everything blurred together after that.

“I’m sorry for every bad thing I’ve said to you,” Maria said, her eyes wide with regret.

“’s okay,” Lori said as she snuggled under the covers.

“Go to sleep,” Jackson said, and she felt his lips on her forehead.

Drifting off, she whispered, “Love you…”

Or did she?

When she woke up the following afternoon, she immediately looked for Jackson. “Jackson?”

Maria gently squeezed her arm. “He had to go back to Dallas, but he promised he’ll be back soon. How are you feeling, sweetie?”

Disappointed that Jackson had left, she closed her eyes. “My throat hurts,” she said in a husky voice.

“ Virginia has some medicine that will make you feel better,” Maria said. “I’ll go get her.”

Lori shook her head. “No, not now.”

“Why not?”

Lori just shook her head. It required too much energy to do more at the moment. She drifted off again.

Sometime later, she awakened again. Her room was dark and Maria was curled up on a chair beside her bed. “Is Reese okay?” she asked.

“Reese is fine,” Maria said. “Here, drink some water.”

Lori lifted her head and sipped the cool water through a straw. “Why is it dark?” she asked in her croaky voice.

Maria laughed. “Because it’s midnight.”

Lori shook her head. “So late. Where’s Jackson?”

“He’s gone to Dallas, but he’ll be back soon. He’s called several times to check on you.”

Lori sighed and closed her eyes.

“Drink some more before you go back to sleep,” Maria coaxed.

Lori lifted her head and took several sips. “Did I dream that you apologized for being mean to me?”

A long silence passed. “No,” Maria said. “You didn’t dream it. I was very worried about you. You spent too much time in the rain. When I heard Virginia had sent you out to look for Reese, I was afraid you wouldn’t survive.”

“I’m stronger than I look,” Lori said.

Maria laughed softly. “Yes, you are. Now you should take some of the medicine Virginia has for your throat.”

Lori shook her head.

“You must take it. It will make you better,” Maria said in a stern voice.

Woozy, but mostly cognizant, Lori recounted the days since her last period. She was late. “I need you to get something from the drugstore for me.”

“No problem,” Maria said. “I will stay with you, and Geoffrey will get it.”

Lori shook her head again. “No. You. I need a pregnancy test.”

“Dios,” Maria said.

“Yeah. I could use His help, too,” Lori said and closed her eyes.

When Lori awakened the next morning, a plastic bag waited in the chair where Maria had previously sat. She reached for the bottle of water on the nightstand beside her and drank half of it in no time.

She glanced at the plastic bag again, knowing what it held. She wasn’t that late, and her body hadn’t always operated like a Swiss watch when it came to her period. Her lateness could be due to stress. Getting married, falling in love, being apart from her husband, staying out all night in the rain…

Okay, enough of the procrastination. She rose from bed and felt reasonably stable. Amazing what more than twenty-four hours of sleep could do for a person. Grabbing the bag and a robe, she padded down the hall to the bathroom.

She read and followed the instructions for the test, pacing the small bathroom as she waited. When she saw the results, she took another test and waited. Same result.

“Dios,” she whispered.

It took several moments to collect herself, but she finally managed it and took a shower. Wrapping herself in the cozy terry-cloth robe, she returned to her bedroom and found Jackson waiting for her.

“Well, hello,” she said, her stomach jumping at the sight of him. Her voice still held a tinge of huskiness, but she no longer needed to whisper.

Jackson looked bone weary but gorgeous to her. Dressed in a dark business suit, he was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

“Are you okay? Maria said you had to go back to Dallas. It sounded urgent.”

“I had to take care of the SUV first. I left it on the side of the road because I couldn’t get through the temporary river in the middle of the road.”

She patted her hair dry with a towel. “Is it okay?”

He nodded. “How are you?”

“Much better.”

“You sound better. You had me worried.”

“Sorry for the scare,” she said, sitting opposite him on the bed.

“I have something to tell you,” he said.

“I have something to tell you, too,” she said.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go first.”

She felt a twisting nervousness at his ominous tone. Was he going to tell her he didn’t want to be married to her anymore? Was he going to tell her he wanted out?

He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I think I got in over my head.”

Relief rushed through her. “You need more money? That’s no prob-”

He lifted his hand and shook his head. “No. I meant I didn’t know how being married to you would affect me and how much the money part would bother me.”

The twisting nervousness returned. “You know my financial situation, so you know that in the scheme of things, it’s not a burden.”

“Maybe not to you, but it is to me,” he said.

Lori bit her lip, bracing herself. Here it came. The big dump.

“I didn’t expect to have such strong feelings for you. And I don’t want the money thing hanging over my head, so I found someone else to back the project. I’m returning your money to you.”

Lori gasped. “So fast? Does this mean you want out? Does this mean-”

“Out,” he echoed. “Hell, no. I love you. I refuse to have the money issue between us.”

Shocked at his declaration, she gaped at him, her mouth moving, but no sound came out. “Did you-did you say you love me?”

“Yeah. Joke’s on me.” He gave a dry chuckle. “It scared the life out of me when Maria called to tell me you were out riding Lady looking for that kid.” He met her gaze. “The problem is I don’t want to stick to the original bargain. I want to be a real husband to you. I want you to be my real wife. You may not be up for that.”

Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it. She took his hands in hers and held on for dear life. “What if I am? What if I love you?”

He shifted their hands so that he enclosed hers in his. “Then we need to rewrite the rules,” he said. “We go public.”

“Yes,” she said.

“You sleep with me every night,” he said.

She smiled. “Yes.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “When did it happen? When did you start loving me?”

“The day I met you. I’ve been fighting it from the beginning. I wanted to believe you were a self-centered airhead heiress, but you’re nothing like that.” He lifted one of his hands to her cheek. “Look at you pulling off a rescue operation during a flood.”

“Yeah, well, hopefully I won’t be doing that again for a long time,” she said.

“You rode Lady all by yourself. How was it?”

“It was okay after the first few minutes. I just pretended you were coaching me.”

“That’s what you told me when I carried you back to the house,” he said.

“I don’t remember much of what I said.”

“I do,” he said. “I remember you told me you loved me.”

She felt a rush of warmth. “I guess I let that cat out of the bag.”

“I’m glad you did,” he said and lifted her hands to his mouth.

Lori could hardly believe this was happening, that Jackson really loved her. “Could you tell me again, please?”

“Tell you what?” he asked, leaning back and tugging her onto his lap.

“That you love me,” she said.

“Yeah. I love you. You’ve brought magic and hope into my life. You once told me that your mom called you sunbeam, and I understand why your father was so protective. I’ve never met anyone like you.” He guided her mouth to his and kissed her.

Lori sighed. She’d never felt so complete in her entire life. She could almost feel her mother and father looking down at her, smiling in approval.

A knock sounded on her door. “Lori, what are the results?” Maria asked as she burst inside. The woman’s eyes rounded. “Oops. Sorry. I didn’t know you were here.” She lifted her eyebrow in silent question to Lori. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said and left the room as quickly as she’d entered it.

Jackson shot her a look of inquiry. “Results? What was she talking about?”

“Oh.” Lori bit her lip, fumbling for a way to tell him. “You remember how I had something I needed to tell you, but you said you wanted to go first.”

“Yes,” he said, drawing out the word expectantly.

“I’m pregnant.”

He blinked. “But you said the doctor told you that you would have difficulty getting pregnant.”

“Looks like he called that one wrong,” she said and fought a sinking, anxious sensation. “Are you okay with it? We’ve never discussed having children, but-”

“You’re sure about this?” he asked.

She nodded. “I took two tests.”

His face lit up like the Fourth of July. “I thought you couldn’t make me happier than when you told me you loved me. But you just did.”

Seventeen days later, Maude, Cash, Lori, and Jackson witnessed the marriage between Geoffrey and Maria. Decked out in a tux, Geoffrey stood in front of the female minister. He shifted from foot to foot as he waited for Maria to appear.

Virginia smiled at him, and he managed a strained smile in return. He didn’t doubt what he was doing. He just bloody well wanted to get on with it. He gave a nod to Cash and Jackson. Every millisecond that passed felt like an eternity. He had the sinking feeling that perhaps Maria had changed her mind.

The possibility made him sweat even more profusely. Although the sun was beginning to set, it was still hot as blazes. Folding his hands together in front of him, he told himself to settle down. Maria had declared her love to him. Despite the fact that he was broke, and likely to remain that way, and his family would detest her, she still loved him.

At least that was what she’d told him yesterday. What if she’d reconsidered? What if she was going to leave him sweating here at the altar waiting for her? Worse, what if she showed up and told him in front of everyone that she’d decided she didn’t want to marry him?

Geoffrey swiped his hand across his damp forehead. He couldn’t stand it. He turned to the minister. “If you’ll excuse me just a moment, I will-”

A collective gasp from Lori and Virginia distracted him. Looking over his shoulder, he gasped, too. Maria rode toward him on Rowdy, just as she had the first time he’d laid eyes on her. His heart swelled at the memory.

This time she wore a strapless ivory gown of beaded lace and a lace veil on her head. Her hair shimmered over her tanned shoulders, and her beautiful skin contrasted dramatically with the ivory gown. She was everything lovely and beautiful he could have ever dreamed.

She pulled the horse to a stop in front of him, and he rushed to help her slide off. “You are a goddess,” he told her.

“Just keep telling me that,” she said and glanced over her shoulder at Cash, who led Rowdy several steps away. The minister began the ceremony, and Geoffrey treasured this moment in time, when he felt himself become more complete, stronger, and so grateful his wicked stepmother had sent him to Maria.

After they said their vows, all he could do was stare at her.

“You’re supposed to kiss me,” Maria said.

“Oh,” he said, giving himself a shake. “Sorry. You’re just so beautiful. And I’m so bloody lucky.”

She smiled and pulled him to her, pressing her mouth against his. He wrapped his arm around her, savoring every sensation. He heard a new melody playing in his head.

She broke away far too soon and motioned to Cash, who brought Rowdy toward them. “We’re riding the horse?” Geoffrey asked.

Maria gave a luscious, naughty giggle. “It will get you started on the honeymoon faster.”

Geoffrey would have vaulted a skyscraper for the look in her eyes. “Then by all means,” he said and helped her onto the horse.