“Yes.” She looked away from him, not wanting to see his face again.
“The barn is gone, but they should be able to keep it from spreading.” Nathan glanced around. “Why don’t you both come on outside? We’ll sort this all out after you’ve both been to the hospital.” Nathan tried to help, but Jackson wouldn’t release his hold on her.
Staggering to the porch, he dropped into one of the chairs. One of the deputies brought them a blanket and Jackson wrapped it around her. She hadn’t even realized she’d been shivering. “Your poor face.” He feathered his fingers over her cheeks.
“It doesn’t matter.” She burrowed closer to him, desperate for his heat. “I thought he’d killed you.” Her teeth were chattering now. “I couldn’t have borne that.”
“He tried, but I don’t kill easy.” Holding her close in his arms, they both watched the barn burn as the volunteer firefighters worked to keep it from spreading. Not two minutes later, the first drop of rain hit the ground and then another. The skies suddenly opened up and began to send a steady shower to the ground. The summer heat wave was over as suddenly as it had begun. The parched dirt began to soak up the moisture. Emerald shivered. Summer was over.
When the ambulance arrived, Jackson carried her to the back and climbed inside with her still tight in his embrace.
Chapter Nineteen
It was a very different scene a few days later when Emerald got out of her car and stared at the blackened remains of the barn. Her life had changed irrevocably, but the world still moved on.
Jackson had stayed with her the first night, but then she’d felt him pulling away from her. He’d only had to stay overnight for observation and the next morning he was gone, citing his need to be back on the farm. She understood it, truly she did. It was September and the harvest was now in full swing. Jackson was working day and night trying to pick up the pieces of his life.
The authorities had interviewed them both separately and the police back in New York had found all kinds of evidence of Derek’s obsession with her in his apartment. She’d demanded all the details, needing to know in order to cope with her ordeal.
Her parents and sisters had descended on the hospital the next day, creating quite a stir in Meadows. They were all staying at the B&B in town until she was well enough to leave.
Her mother had cried and hugged her; her father had stared at her with a sad look in his eyes that had her bursting into tears. He’d gathered her into his strong arms, telling her everything was all right even as he admonished her for not telling them about the stalker. Her sisters hovered, showering her with love and attention.
Her family had met Nathan, Carly, Erin and Abel, but Jackson was conspicuous by his absence. She made excuses, but she could see the questions in her parents’ and sisters’ eyes. Thankfully, none of them asked any. She wasn’t sure she’d have any answers.
Emerald was grateful that her car had been parked in the newer barn or it would have gone up in flames, and that Erin had been kind enough to collect it and drive it into town. Her new friend had figured that she might want her own transportation and Erin had been right.
This was one trip that Emerald insisted on making alone. She was hoping to see Jackson for herself and talk to him. She loved him and wanted to stay. But after what happened, she wasn’t sure how he felt. He’d been injured and almost killed, his home damaged, lost his barn, had his livelihood threatened and had been forced to almost kill a man. All for a woman he’d met only a few weeks before. She wouldn’t blame him if he couldn’t wait to see the last of her.
That’s why she was here.
She straightened her sundress, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles, and started toward the house. The screen door pushed open and Jackson stepped out. She stopped, just drinking in the sight of him. From the tip of his scuffed boots to the tips of his reddish-brown hair, he appeared even more ruggedly handsome than she remembered. He was wearing faded blue jeans and a T-shirt, which was his normal work wear, but he made it look incredible.
His sky-blue eyes narrowed as he examined her from head to toe. Her body tingled, her nipples tightened. If she’d been wearing panties, they would have been damp, but she was naked beneath the dress. It had a built-in bra and that was good enough. She had plans. She only hoped Jackson would cooperate.
Her heart was pounding, her palms sweating as she took a few steps closer to the house. It was ridiculous to feel nervous all of a sudden, but she was. These next few moments were crucial to the rest of her life.
“How are you feeling?” She shivered as his voice washed over her like a gentle caress.
She licked her dry lips. “I’m good. How about you?”
He stood there as still as a statue, his wide shoulders straining the seams of his shirt and the soft fabric of his jeans molded to the thick muscles in his thighs. “I’m fine.” His face showed no emotion as he continued to watch her.
“Do you have a minute to talk?” How polite they were. Watching them, you’d never know that they’d had hot, sweaty sex many times before. They were acting like strangers who’d just met.
“Sure.” He motioned her toward the porch swing.
Emerald wiped her hands on her skirt as she strode forward. Ever the gentleman, Jackson seated her first. He towered over her for a moment before lowering himself to the bench seat beside her.
She slid off her low-heeled sandals and pushed gently. The swing began to sway. With his eyes, Jackson tracked her bare feet and up her calves until they disappeared beneath the hem of her dress.
“What will happen with the barn?” There was a large blank space where the structure had stood.
“I’ll rebuild something smaller and more efficient. The old barn was too big and not very economical anyway.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal.
“Will your insurance cover it and all the equipment inside?” She knew he’d lost a tractor in the blaze and that kind of thing cost big money. She clenched her hands in her lap. The monetary aspect of things had worried her while she’d been laid up in hospital.
His lips thinned, and she could see the muscles in his jaw twitching as he clenched it tight. “Money is not a problem.” He glanced at his watch. “Is there anything else? I have to get back to work.”
Emerald’s stomach jerked. This was not going as she’d planned and now he was angry with her. Sighing, she took a deep breath and plunged forward. “What about us?”
His booted foot came down heavy on the porch as he stopped the swing from moving. He stared off into the distance, not looking at her. “What about us?”
A light breeze brushed her skin and teased the ends of her hair. A crow cried out as it pitched low in the air before swooping upward again. A bee buzzed as it went from flower to flower in the planter on the edge of the porch. Emerald wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re going to pretend that nothing happened between us.”
Jackson swore and dragged his hands through his hair before swiveling on the swing to face her. “Damn it, Emerald. What do you want me to say? It was great. It was fun. But we both know that you have a life back in New York and the only reason you’re here is because of your stalker. That threat is gone now, so I guess it’s time for you to go home.”
Anger bubbled and boiled inside her. How dare he try to reduce what they’d shared together. “So it was fun, was it?”
“Yes, it was. Did you think it was more?” For the first time ever, she couldn’t get a read on Jackson. It was as if he’d closed himself off from her. She wasn’t having it.
“Silly of me if I did, isn’t it? If it was fun.” She put all the emphasis on the last word. “Then we should finish what we started in the bedroom the night of the barn fire.” With righteous fury guiding her, her fingers went to the buttons at the front of her dress and began sliding them from their holes. If it was a good time he wanted, she’d give him one he’d never forget.