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“She’s bridal shopping with Wynette today, so I’ve got the place to myself. Have a chair.”
Grace took the rocker by the fireplace, perching on the edge like a bird paused in flight. “So how have things been with her here? I was hoping . . . You know.”
“I know what you were hoping.” Cooper sat facing her. “But nothing’s going to happen. Jess is a great woman, but the timing’s all wrong. Right now, I need to focus a hundred percent on being a father.”
“So let me guess,” Grace said. “This is about Trevor. You don’t want him to see her as a threat, so you’re keeping your distance. Right?”
“Right. After what his mother did to him, he’s still hurting—and he’s scared it might happen again. I can’t let him think I might abandon him for some woman.”
“But I know Jess. She loves kids. That’s why she works with them. She would never ask you to give up your son.”
“I know that. The trouble is, Trevor doesn’t. And Jess doesn’t care to get involved either. She has issues of her own. You lived with her for almost a year. Did she ever tell you that she used to work for the FBI?”
“What?” Grace’s eyebrows shot up behind her John Lennon glasses. “No, she never mentioned her past. But I had an incident last year with my principal, who was threatening my career if I didn’t sleep with him. Jess lent me this tiny cassette recorder and told me exactly how to use it. I got his threats on tape, and he never bothered me again. I wondered back then how she knew what to do. But I never asked her, and she never told me. So how did you find out?”
“I did some checking online. But that was about all I learned.”
“You know how Jess would hate it if she knew. She’s such a private person.”
“I know. And part of me feels like a jerk. But I want to understand her, Grace. I want to know why she left the FBI and why she’d take a job in a nowhere place like Branding Iron. And, damn it, I want to know why I had that flash of déjà vu the first time I saw her.”
“Actually, brother, most of that is none of your business.”
“Not even if I care about her?”
“Do you care? Or is that just your journalist’s curiosity talking?” Grace stood. “You need to do some soul-searching before you dig any deeper. Jess is one of the finest people I know. If you do anything to hurt her, you’ll answer to me.”
She touched his shoulder to show she wasn’t really angry, then walked out the door. A moment later, Cooper heard the sound of her car starting. He walked back to his office and sat down at his desk, but he found it impossible to focus on his work. Grace was right. He needed to question his own motives before he dug any deeper into Jess’s history. If he cared for her and wanted to protect her—and he did—it might be best to back off and let her keep her secrets.
But what if he loved her? What if he wanted more than that single searing kiss? What if, in spite of everything, he wanted forever?
Would that justify probing into her past?
* * *
Now that most of the brass fittings were attached to the sleigh, it was time to work on the seats. There were two of these—a bench in front for the driver, and a larger seat, shaped like an armchair, with a curved back, to fit inside the bed of the sleigh. Before they could be installed, the quilted upholstery, which had come in a box as part of the kit, would have to be fitted and tacked into place. The runners had been left for last, simply because it was easier to work on the sleigh bed without them.
The cotton velveteen fabric, once bright red, had faded to a deep rose color. It had come all in one large piece, with a paper pattern that had to be pinned into place for cutting. This was going to be a real challenge because there was only enough cloth to be cut once—no mistakes allowed. Once it was cut, it would be backed with a layer of cotton batting and fastened to the seat frame with decorative brass tacks.
“This is going to be hard!” Maggie said as she helped Trevor spread the cloth on the flatbed of the hay wagon.
“But if we do it right, it’ll look good,” Trevor said. “Once it’s pinned, we can hold it in place while Abner does the cutting.”
They were so intent on their work that, at first, they didn’t notice when the door creaked open and someone walked into the barn. Trevor glanced around to see a tall boy standing nearby. It was Skip McCoy, who’d pretended to be his friend, gotten him into trouble, then ridden off on his bike and left him in Abner’s barn.
Trevor was tempted to ignore Skip, or to put him in his place with a cutting remark. But then he saw the two little girls with him. They appeared to be about three and four years old, their blond hair mussed and their play clothes rumpled. Their faces were tear-streaked, their eyes swollen from crying.
It was Abner who spoke first. “I know you,” he said. “You’re Ed and Ruth’s boy. And these must be your little sisters. Is there something we can do for you?”
Strain showed in Skip’s face. “Could we just stay here for a while? My stepdad’s drinking, and my mom told me to take the girls and go somewhere. But it’s cold, and we don’t have anywhere to go except here.”
“Sure, it’s fine.” Abner had been sitting but he pushed to his feet. “Can I get you something to eat?”
“Thanks, but we’re all right,” Skip said. “We just needed to get out of the cold for a while.” None of them, Trevor noticed, were wearing coats.
Skip sat down on a hay bale. The little girls clung to his side. “I’m worried about my mom,” he said. “Ed gets mean when he’s drinking, and he’s hurt her before, but she won’t leave him. I’m not big enough to protect her now, but I’ve been working out. I want to get strong enough to fight him, and then he’ll never hurt her again.”
“Do you want me to call the sheriff?” Abner asked.
