Stepdad Surprise Read online

  “How do you launch them?”

  It was a pretty complex explanation, and Coop frowned as he tried to figure out how to explain it to someone without an electrical background. “Basically, they’re all wired in a sequence. I press different keys—commands, I guess—and different batches of mortars go off.” An idea came to him. “You’ve got Wednesday off, right, because of the holiday? I was hoping you’d hang out with me that day— Do you want to help me set up?”

  She smiled. “Sure!” Then she blushed slightly. “I mean, we don’t have any other plans,” she said casually. Too casually. As if she were trying to hide her excitement.

  “Awesome!” He didn’t bother trying to contain his excitement. “That would make my day perfect: good food, good friends, good times…and you.”

  She made that noise again—half-scoff, half-giggle—and his grin grew at her embarrassment.

  At that moment, the baby cooed happily and reached for Coop. Since she was currently standing upright, balancing herself on those cute, stubby legs of hers, he was afraid she might tumble forward. He held his hands out for the baby in a “come and get me” pose.

  She did.

  Right there, under the aspen tree and on top of Aunt Bobbi’s red-and-white checkered quilt, Kalli Jo took her first steps. Into his arms.

  Well, it was really more of a stagger. She leaned forward, towards him, and her legs had to hurry to catch up. She took three steps and fell into his lap.

  Coop let out a shaky breath, a sort of awed laugh, and lifted the baby to her feet again, looking over to see how Jackie felt about this little miracle.

  Two silent tears were tracking down Jackie’s cheeks, but she was smiling. Turning glistening eyes to him, her smile wobbled. “That doesn’t seem fair,” she whispered.

  Immediately, his stomach clenched. Her daughter had walked to him for the first time, not her. “I’m sorry,” he hurried to assure her. “It probably doesn’t count. I mean, you’re her mother— Let’s try it again.”

  “No, no!” She lifted a hand and laughed shakily. “I mean, yes, come to Mama, ladybug.” As they both watched the baby trying to gain her balance upright once more, Jackie exhaled heavily. “I meant that it doesn’t seem fair that she went and did something that amazing today of all days.”

  Well, now he was thoroughly confused. Was today special for some reason? He tried to remember the date. It was only a few days ‘til the big Fourth of July party, right? He should know, he was just chatting with Andrew about the fireworks set-up… Coop’s brain worked frantically, but he couldn’t figure out what was important about today. Finally, he shrugged.

  “I give up. Why is it important that she walked today?”

  Jackie was holding her daughter’s hands and trying to encourage her to take some steps. “Because I’m always going to remember today for that.” She looked up and met his eyes. “And not because it was the day I told you I loved you for the first time.”

  The world seemed to be holding its breath while Coop stared, wide-eyed at Jackie.

  She loves me.

  It was everything Coop had hoped for these last few weeks—for her to realize he was different, he loved her for her, and for her to see she was worthy of love. And now—today!—she’d given him the most wonderful gift of all. Even cooler than Kalli walking into his arms.

  Just then, the baby took a few steps—holding on to her mama—and landed, giggling, in Jackie’s lap.

  Coop exhaled hugely, and met Jackie’s eyes, grinning. “Thank you,” he said simply. “Thank you for making this the best day ever.”

  She smiled in return, and Coop knew.

  Whatever it took, he was going to marry Jackie Novak.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  When Jackie returned from walking her client to the door of the spa, Angela waved her over from the reception area. Wondering if it meant another delay in the schedule, Jackie changed directions and headed over to where the manager was chatting with Karen.

  “What’s up?” Jackie asked as she joined the ladies. “Is my three o’clock still on the schedule?”

  Angela grinned. “You know Cameron Baker never misses an appointment! She’ll be here. I just wanted to let you know that you got a call during your last appointment. He didn’t leave a name, but said he’d call back.”

  Jackie’s brows rose. “He?” she confirmed.

  When Angela nodded, Jackie felt herself grin. Who else would it be, other than Cooper? Why would he be calling her, and why wouldn’t he leave his name? It had to be something about tomorrow’s Fourth of July celebration and the all-day date they had planned.

  Karen, the spa’s waxer, must’ve noticed Jackie’s happy expression, because she smiled slyly and leaned on her elbows across the reception counter. “Say, Angela…this mystery caller of Jackie’s…he didn’t happen to sound like Cooper Weston, did he?”

  Angela winked in return, then pretended to think, tapping her chin with her index finger. “Cooper, huh?”

  Even knowing they were teasing her, Jackie couldn’t help holding her breath, leaning slightly towards them, as if that would help give her the answer she was hoping for.

  But no. Angela shook her head and snapped her fingers, as if she were disappointed. “It sure didn’t sound like him, Karen. But gosh, he sure has been hanging out with our Jackie a lot, hasn’t he?”

  Both women nodded exaggeratedly, eyes wide in innocence, and turned to Jackie.

  She giggled, and knew she was blushing, but still tried for sternness when she glared at the ladies. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

  Karen laughed, and Angela rolled her eyes.

  “Honey, this is River’s End Ranch,” the manager exclaimed. “You’ve been living here for months, surely you’ve realized that who is getting married next is one of our favorite subjects!"

  Marrying?

  “N—no,” stammered Jackie. “It’s not— I mean, we’re just friends.”

  Friends who love each other.

  Maybe there was something in the water.

  Karen tapped the counter to get Angela’s attention. “I told you. When Jaclyn Hardy was in here that day, remember? I told you it was because she was setting up one of us. She is always so punctual otherwise.”

  Angela nodded thoughtfully. “That’s what Sheila said too, and then when Jaclyn said all that to our Jackie here, we put our money on her finding love next.”

  “What?” Jackie shook her head. “That’s ridiculous.”

  Only, it kinda wasn’t. It had taken the old woman—and her fairies—to nudge Jackie into accepting a date from Cooper that very evening…and it had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made.

  And right now, with Angela and Karen looking at her like that—half-knowing, half-amused—Jackie had to admit something important. These women were her friends. She hadn’t come to Riston to make friends, but somehow she had, without even trying. Somehow, she’d met people who cared enough about her to tease her about falling in love with Cooper. Somehow, she’d met a man who thought she was worth being loved.

  Somehow, she’d stopped thinking about the past and started thinking about the future. A future here at River’s End Ranch…with Cooper.

  Karen leaned forward slightly, as if imparting a secret. “Jaclyn always knows,” she whispered, then nodded firmly.

  Angela nodded too, looking so serious, Jackie had to laugh again.

  “Okay, okay! So she guessed right, when it came to me. Cooper and I— Well, listen, was it Cooper on the phone?” Maybe he wanted to change plans for tomorrow.

  But Angela shook her head. “No, he didn’t sound anything like Coop. He asked to speak to you, and when I told him you were with a client, he sounded almost frantic. I asked him if he wanted to leave a message for you—I assumed he was one of your clients and wanted to chat with you directly—and he sounded real upset. Said to tell you…” She shuffled through the slips of paper on the desk and grabbed one up to read. “He said, ‘Tell
her I’m sorry. I didn’t want to tell him, but he knows.’”

  He knows.

  Jackie’s heart began pounding.

  What?

  He…knows? Who knows? Knows what?

  That didn’t sound like a client or Cooper. “Did it—” She cleared her throat. “Did it sound like an older man, a priest?”

  She’d sent that check to Father George, and told him where she worked. But if he was calling her here, and if he sounded as frantic as Angela said, that could only mean one thing…

  Angela nodded. “He did sound a little elderly, come to think of it. Or maybe he was just upset or scared or something, because his voice was pretty shaky. What do you think he meant about telling someone? Do you know who it was? Any guesses?”

  Jackie didn’t have to guess. She knew.

  Ivan.

  It had been almost a year since she’d seen him, since she’d felt his fists…but the memory had the power to make her knees go weak. Jackie grabbed the edge of the counter with one hand, her eyes wide, not really seeing Angela’s face in front of her.

  Ivan.

  When she’d left Chicago, she’d made sure he couldn’t follow her. Had he never gone to prison?

  Oh dear Lord.

  Her body began to shake when she realized the implications. Kalli! Kalli wasn’t safe anymore. River’s End Ranch wasn’t safe anymore.

  Not if Ivan knew where they were.

  In the silence, the phone’s sudden ring was jarring. Angela jumped slightly, and Jackie made a little noise between a gasp and a scream. She slammed her free hand over her mouth, and stared at the phone.

  Angela stared at it too. “Should I…?” Then she shook herself, as if remembering it was her job, and picked up. “Hello?” Her eyes went to Jackie’s, but she spoke into the phone. “Just a moment please.”

  She placed her hand over the phone, and held it towards Jackie. “It’s for you,” she said quietly.

  Jackie glanced at Karen, who was looking extremely concerned, and back to the phone. That little device had the power to tear down everything she’d built, including her plans for the future.

  Her hands were shaking so badly she had to use both of them to take the phone from Angela. When she lifted it to her ear, it took her two tries to answer.

  “H—” She cleared her throat. “Hello?”

  The voice on the other end was gravelly and harsh, just like she remembered in her nightmares.

  “You got any idea how long I’ve been looking for you, Trish— Oh, I’m sorry,” Ivan corrected with false sweetness. “Jackie. That’s what you’re calling yourself these days, ain’t it?”

  Oh God, Oh God, Oh God. Jackie’s hand dropped to the counter once more, the only thing holding her up, now that her knees had gone all wobbly.

  “How did you get this number?” she managed to ask.

  Ivan snorted. “It’s on the website, idiot. River’s End Ranch,” he said in a falsely sweet voice. “That’s where you’re hiding these days, yeah? I just looked up the spa number, it ain’t rocket science.”

  Not only did he know the city and state where she’d run, but he also knew where she was staying and where she was working too? How’d he find all that out?

  The answer slammed into her all at once. Father George. He knew where she’d gone, but she hadn’t told anyone where she was working until she sent him that letter, then he’d written back.

  Ivan’s cruel chuckle confirmed it. “Shocked you speechless, did I? It’s about time you knew your place. After that dirty trick you pulled, ratting me out to the cops— Oh yeah, I knew it was you. Can’t believe you’d betray me like that, after everything I did for you all those years. I let you keep the kid, didn’t I? How is your precious little bundle of joy?”

  Kalli Jo! The only thing keeping Jackie from sinking to the ground in a puddle of fear was Karen, who’d come up behind her and placed her hand on Jackie’s back, supporting her.

  My baby. My baby is in danger.

  It took everything in Jackie’s power not to toss the phone down and run for the Kids’ Korral, to scoop up her daughter. She had a little money saved, enough to afford a bus ticket to Spokane, maybe even to Seattle. She and Kalli could go and start over…again.

  But she needed to know how Ivan found her, so he wouldn’t do it again.

  Ignoring his question, she forced herself to ask, “How’d you know we were here?”

  “After I skipped bail, I tracked down a nurse who remembered the priest visiting you. You ain’t the type to call priests in for confession, so I figured he’d know where you went. Took me awhile to figure out who he was, but when I did, I made him talk.”

  Jackie didn’t think she could get any colder than she already was, but when she heard that about Father George, her blood felt icy.

  “What did you do?” she asked in a shocked whisper.

  Ivan snorted again. “He’s alive, don’t worry. Last week, I just had to rough him up a little—okay, a lot—before he told me where you went. But he’s getting top-notch medical attention, and should be able to talk again once they fix his jaw. Probably.”

  Before Jackie could even process the evilness required to beat a priest, and knowing that evil lived inside a man she once thought loved her, Ivan continued.

  “That dirty trick you played on me, Trisha? It means the Brotherhood cut me loose. I’m a liability to them, now that the cops know me and are looking for me. The warrants they had on me before ain’t nothing compared to what I have now. You took away my life and my purpose, Trish. I’m going to make you pay for every bit of it.”

  It was the threat—the threat she’d been expecting—which made Jackie straighten in determination. For years, he’d threatened and hurt her, but now she had Kalli Jo. She wasn’t going to let this monster near her daughter.

  Briefly, she met Angela’s eyes, then Karen’s. They were both staring at her with so much concern, she knew these women—her friends—would help her. They were already lending her their strength.

  So her voice sounded stronger when she asked Ivan, “What are you going to do?”

  He chuckled evilly. “I’m on my way to beautiful Idaho, of course. I’m going to track you down—no matter where you run—and I’ll hurt you the way you hurt me.”

  It wasn’t until she heard the click and dial tone that Jackie realized he’d hung up. He’d said something so monumentally horrible, then hung up. In a daze, she handed the phone back to Angela.

  “Jackie, honey?” Karen asked. “Is everything— Well, no, everything’s obviously not okay. What can we do to help?”

  Wide-eyed, Jackie stared at the other woman. What could they do to help? What could anyone do? Ivan was on his way here, and he would hurt her—hurt Kalli. Jackie couldn’t allow that, she couldn’t. She needed to take her baby and run.

  “Jackie?” Angela prompted.

  “I have to go!” Jackie blurted out. “I’m sorry, I have to—to go check on Kalli.” She whirled back to Angela. “I’m so sorry, but I can’t see Cameron today. Please— I’m so sorry. Please cancel for me, let her reschedule—.” She wouldn’t be here to cover any more massages. “No, I—Oh, I don’t know. I have to go get my baby!”

  Jackie barely waited for Angela’s nod before she headed for the door. But it was Karen who stopped her.

  “Jackie, honey,” she called softly. “Whatever is going on, remember that you have friends here. All of us, not just Angela and me.” She gestured, while Jackie watched wide-eyed. “Cooper, and everyone here at the ranch, we’ll help you. You’ve got friends, honey, remember that.”

  Jackie nodded, near frantic with worry, before bolting out the door for the Kids’ Korral. Luckily, Belle didn’t ask any questions when she signed Kalli out so early, and she didn’t make small talk either. Maybe she saw the tears threatening to spill from Jackie’s eyes, or maybe she sensed her terror. Either way, she just helped pack Kalli up and sent her home with her mama, no questions asked.

  Jackie managed
to keep her tears from falling until she was safe in her room with Kalli. Even then, she tried not to make too much noise, or let her daughter know how scared she was as she cried. But every time Kalli practiced taking a step, and every time she babbled adorably, and every time she picked up the ball Cooper had bought her two weeks ago, Jackie’s chest tightened in fear. This was her precious little miracle, and Ivan was going to hurt her, unless Jackie ran.

  It wasn’t until she’d finished packing up all their things—after months living here, they still only had two duffle bags and a large trash bag full of stuff—that Jackie calmed down enough to think logically. She called down to the front desk, and Dina told her the next bus through wasn’t until tomorrow morning, and the holiday made the schedule uncertain.

  The holiday. In the frantic last few hours, Jackie had completely forgotten about tomorrow being the Fourth of July. Would anything be open? Would she and Kalli be able to leave? Would the celebration make things more difficult?

  Thinking of the celebration dragged her thoughts in the direction she’d been avoiding since Ivan’s call: Cooper. After all they’d shared, after all she felt for him, she owed it to him to tell him she was leaving. He’d try to talk her out of it, because he was a good man, but she couldn’t let him be hurt too.

  Still, she needed to talk to him before she left. But since she couldn’t leave before tomorrow anyway, Jackie forced herself to slow down. She made Kalli some oatmeal for dinner, although she herself was too drained—from terror and grief and worry—to eat anything herself. Then she curled up with her daughter in the big bed and tried not to think about what would happen tomorrow.

  She would have to leave River’s End Ranch, and the man she’d come to love.

  CHAPTER NINE

  The sun was barely up and Coop was already down at the boat house, pulling bins of fireworks out of the back of his truck and lugging them down to the shore. He had the protective mat laid out down on the farthest dock already, but he wasn’t going to take the explosives out there for another few hours. No need to set anything up until the sun burned the dew out of the air, or he’d risk screwing up the fuses.