Chase’s tight hug and the feel of his hand as he smoothed her hair was heartbreakingly dear and familiar. She couldn’t make her fingers release him but at last, he pried her fists free of his coat and stepped back.
Jessie felt ripped in two. The next few moments were a blur as her brother said goodbye. Far too quickly, the marked police car was driving away, leaving Jessie, Luke and their parents standing alone by the gravesite.
I hate the Kerrigans, she thought fiercely, fists clenched, as she stared after the police car taking her brother away.
Wolf Creek, Montana
Late summer, 15 years later
“Zach Kerrigan is back in town.”
Jessie McCloud froze, all her attention focused on the voices of the women in the next grocery aisle.
“I know. Stacey saw him buying gas at Keeler’s Truck Stop two days ago. She said he hasn’t changed, in fact, he looks better than he did in high school. She was almost hyperventilating while she was telling me.”
Feminine laughter floated over the shelves. Jessie stood motionless in the cereal aisle, clutching a forgotten box of granola mix.
“And he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but she didn’t have a chance to ask him whether he was involved with anyone.”
“I hope not,” the first speaker said. “But one of us should find out. Why don’t you…” The voice faded, the two women obviously moving away down the aisle.
Zach’s home. Jessie felt shell-shocked. When did he come back? How long has he been here? She’d been out of town herself for the last two and a half weeks, visiting a college friend in Wyoming, but she’d spoken to her parents several times while she was gone. Her mother hadn’t said a word about Zach’s return to Wolf Creek.
“Mommy? Can we buy this cereal?”
The little-boy treble, followed by a tug on her khaki shorts, broke the spell that held Jessie and she looked down. Her three-year-old son, Rowdy, clutched a box of cereal against his middle with one arm while his right hand gripped the hem of her shorts. She forced a smile. “Sorry, Rowdy. What did you ask me?”
“Can we get this one?” He released her to grasp the box with two hands and hold it up for her inspection. The bright colors of a superhero’s costumed body splashed across the front panel.
“Sorry, kiddo.” Jessie shook her head. “That’s about ninety-five percent sugar and five percent wheat. Let’s try this one.”
Rowdy scowled, clearly disappointed. “But Mom, this is what all the superheroes eat.”
“And just how do you know, young man? Have you been watching cartoons with Uncle Chase and Uncle Luke again?”
“Yup.” The little boy grinned, his face lighting with mischief.
He looked so much like his father in that moment that Jessie’s heart clenched. The twinkle in his dark gold eyes, so unlike the color of her own blue ones, was infectious. Her smile wobbled as she ruffled Rowdy’s mop of hair, her fingers lingering on the silky strands of ebony hazed with subtle highlights that echoed her own auburn mane. “I’m going to have a talk with your uncles,” she warned. “They know you’re not supposed to watch television.”
“We only watch the good stuff,” Rowdy assured her.
“Hmm,” Jessie murmured. Her brothers were convinced she was too strict with her son and had taken it upon themselves to expose him to the “good stuff” they thought all little boys should know, including cartoons, with a special emphasis on Spider-Man, the Road Runner and Sponge-Bob SquarePants.
“Can we go to Uncle Luke and Aunt Rachel’s house tonight?”
“Not tonight,” Jessie murmured. Her brother Luke had recently married Zach Kerrigan’s sister, Rachel, and Rowdy had immediately extended his adoration of Luke to include his new aunt. After the initial shock of learning her brother had fallen in love with Lonnie Kerrigan’s cousin, Jessie had reluctantly been won over when Chase gave the couple his blessing. She still had reservations about whether Luke had betrayed Chase by marrying a Kerrigan, but was growing to like Rachel more each day. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Rowdy bounced down the aisle ahead of the grocery cart, jumping from one tile square to the next like a miniature human pogo stick.
Behind him, Jessie dropped the granola into the nearly full grocery cart, her mind whirling as she followed her son. Maybe Zach was only in town to visit his mother and would soon be gone. If so, their paths might not cross. Wolf Creek was a small town but perhaps if she was careful, she could avoid running into him.
But what if he were home to stay?
The possibility seemed unlikely. The Zach she’d known for one brief night four years ago had thrived on dangerous military assignments in foreign countries. It was difficult to imagine he could change so dramatically that he’d willingly settle for a quieter life in Wolf Creek. She’d been convinced he wouldn’t return but now that he had, she was faced with a huge dilemma. When she’d learned she was pregnant with Rowdy four years earlier, she’d had good reasons for not telling Zach. Those reasons still existed. She could have left Wolf Creek and reduced the likelihood of seeing Zach again but she’d taken a calculated risk and returned home to build a life after law school.
It appeared her luck may have just run out.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to reconsider John Sanchez’s offer to join his law firm in Kalispell.
The mountain town was separated from Wolf Creek by nearly the full width of Montana. Surely she and Rowdy would be safe there?
But she hated the idea of leaving her family and her home. Besides, wouldn’t her running away be one more victory for the Kerrigans?
No, she resolved in the checkout line. She wouldn’t panic. Before she made any decisions, she had to find out how long Zach planned to stay. It couldn’t be too hard for her and Rowdy to simply maintain a low profile and avoid him.
Once Rowdy was tucked into bed that evening, Jessie thumbed the mute button on the television control, leaving the screen lit with a travelogue, and dialed Luke’s phone number.
Her brother’s wife answered on the second ring.
The two chatted for several minutes about Luke, Rowdy and a legal case Jessie was working on before she found an opening.
“I heard a rumor in town today that your brother, Zach, has come home,” Jessie said casually.
“Yes.” Rachel’s voice brightened, affection pouring over the line. “He was at the house when I returned from Denver. Didn’t I tell you? I guess that by the time Luke and I got home from our honeymoon, having Zach back was old news.” Her voice sobered. “I’m so glad he’s here, Jessie. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable leaving Mom alone to deal with Harlan and Lonnie while we were in Hawaii if he hadn’t been.”
“It sounds as if the timing of his return couldn’t have been better. He’s been back in Wolf Creek how long—a few weeks?”
“Yes, almost three and a half, actually. There’s so much work to do at the ranch that he’s been staying close to home. Do you know Zach, Jessie?” Rachel asked. “He probably finished high school and left town before you were a freshman.”
“I think he graduated several years before I did,” she said, avoiding answering Rachel’s question. Jessie doubted there was a female in her age bracket who didn’t know who Zach Kerrigan was.
“You’ll have to come over for dinner one night this week and meet him,” Rachel said with enthusiasm. “I’ll see if I can drag Zach away from work for a few hours. What day would be best for you and Rowdy?”
“I’m not sure.” Never, she thought. “I