Jackson sat forward. “Erin’s all right, isn’t she?” He remembered that she’d almost passed out in the kitchen yesterday morning. It was amazing to think that that had happened only twenty-four hours ago. So much had changed in his life since then.
“What’s going on? Is Erin okay?” Nathan eased upward from his chair.
“Erin’s fine.” Abel motioned Nathan back to his seat. “If I tell you, you have to promise not to say a word about it. Not to Carly or to Erin. She wants to tell you herself.”
Nathan nodded, concern plain on his face.
“We’re going to have a baby.” A huge grin split Abel’s face. Nathan just stared at him in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Abel laughed. “She’s pregnant.”
“A baby.” A slow smile curved Nathan’s lips. “I’m going to be an uncle.” He jumped up and offered his hand. “Congratulations, man. Damn, I hope she tells Carly today or I may not be able to hide it from her.”
Abel grinned as he pumped Nathan’s hand. “I’ll make sure she calls Carly later today.”
It took a few more minutes for the men to remember that Jackson had called them there for a specific reason. By then the coffee was ready, so Jackson poured up three mugs and carried them back to the table.
“You know I’ve got a new housekeeper,” he began again.
“You already said that once, brother. We know it’s a shock, but you gotta get over it.” Nathan saluted Jackson with his mug before taking a sip of his coffee.
“What you don’t know is who she is or why she’s here.” Jackson saw the spark of interest in both men’s eyes as he began to outline the basics of what Emerald had told him, including the truth about her name.
Abel’s eyes widened at one point and he whistled. “I remember The Family Jewel. That was what they were called. My mom had a couple of their records. They’re probably still over at the house.”
Nathan sat forward, his blue eyes narrowing as Jackson continued. “You sure she’s telling you the truth and not yanking your chain? You don’t know this woman at all and she already admitted to lying about her name.”
Leave it to Nathan to be cynical and logical. Jackson understood his brother’s concern. Heck, he had concerns himself, but deep down in his gut, he knew that Emerald wasn’t lying to him. “She’s running and she’s scared.”
Nathan nodded and pulled a notebook out of his pocket and began to scribble notes. “What did she tell you? Any suspects or leads?”
Jackson yanked the sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Nathan. He took it, scanned it quickly and paused occasionally to jot more notes into his notebook. When he was done, he handed the note to Abel. When Abel was finished with it, he folded it. “Can I keep this for today? I’ll want to do some searches online and check with some folks I know in New York.”
Jackson nodded and the knot in his gut began to loosen. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I find out anything.”
“She shouldn’t have gone to town.” Nathan tucked away his notebook and drained the last of his coffee, plunking the mug back on the table.
“Why? No one knows she’s here.” Jackson hadn’t thought there would be any danger in Emerald going into town with Erin.
“And you want to keep it that way. She’s a stranger, Jackson. She’s going to stand out like a sore thumb and it won’t matter what last name she’s using, her first name is so distinctive. If anyone asks about her, all the locals will be able to point in this direction.”
“Damn.” Jackson jumped up and headed toward the door. “I gotta go get her.”
“Wait.” Nathan was hard on his heels. “You go in there like that and folks are really going to suspect something is up. Let me handle this.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “We need a plan.”
Abel drank down the last of his coffee and rose from the table. “Got anything in mind?”
Nathan scrubbed his hand across his jaw. Jackson could practically see the wheels in his mind turning. “What we need is a very public scene in which Emerald quits working for you and leaves town.”
“I don’t want her to leave.” Jackson’s chest tightened at the mere thought.
Nathan shook his head and Jackson realized that he was being totally irrational. “She won’t really be leaving.”
His brother was staring at him strangely and Jackson knew Nathan suspected there was more to the story than he’d told them. Too bad. He wasn’t about to talk about the instant attraction he’d felt to Emerald the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
“We just want folks to remember that she left and if we do it right, that’s what will happen.” Nathan crossed his arms and glared at his brother. “Then we’ll all come back to the farm and figure out where to go from there.”
“It’s a stupid plan.” Jackson just wanted to jump in his truck, find Emerald and bring her back to the farm.
“No,” his brother countered. “It’s a good plan and, at the moment, it’s the only one we’ve got.”
Jackson wanted to object, but deep in his gut he knew his brother was right. That didn’t mean he had to like it though. His muscles were tight, his body coiled for action, but all he could do was stay here at the house and wait.
Nathan turned to Abel. “You drive Emerald’s car to town. When we find her, I can clue her and Erin in on what’s going on. She can quit publicly and be seen driving away in her car. I can follow her back here and she can hide the vehicle in the barn until this is over. Unless it’s a rental, and then we can just return it and be done with it.”
“I don’t think it’s a rental. Let me see if her keys are in her room.” Jackson felt like an intruder as he pushed open the door to Emerald’s room. It smelled like her. Some kind of light floral scent that lingered in the air. He breathed deep as he checked the top of her dresser and the nightstand. The bed was made, but he could see the slight indentation in the pillow where her head had lain. Unable to resist, he picked up the pillow and sniffed. His cock stirred. Jackson swore and tossed the pillow back onto the bed. He paused and straightened it, smoothing his hand over the soft fabric before turning and stalking back out the door.
“She must have her keys on her.”
“No problem.” Abel took his empty mug to the counter and laid it in the sink. “I can hotwire it.”
Nathan laughed. “I didn’t hear you say that. I’m going to go sit in my car and pretend you have keys and permission to take that vehicle.”
“If you arrest me, I’m going to tell Erin it was all your idea anyway. I’m just a helpful bystander.” Abel hustled out the door.
“I know it’s hard, but it’s best if you stay here.” Nathan put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “And if you ever need to talk about this…”
Jackson nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the knotted muscles. “Thanks, man. I appreciate this. All of it.”
“That’s what brothers are for.” Nathan slapped his brother on the back and then headed out.
Jackson followed him, not surprised that Abel was already sitting in the car with it running. The large man looked squashed behind the wheel of the smaller car, and in spite of the seriousness of the situation, Jackson couldn’t resist the chuckle that bubbled up inside him.
“Never say that I wouldn’t do anything for you,” Abel griped as he rolled down the car window.
Jackson leaned against the car. “I really appreciate this.”
Abel became serious immediately. “It’s no problem. I’ll start digging for information as soon as I get home, starting with the investigator she hired. You said that she knew him before this started?”