Chapter Nine
Jake
For the next week, I split my time between my usual work and helping Ande bring things down from the attic and get her house arranged for the kids. Ian followed at my heels every chance he had, and he'd developed the habit of kicking his little boots off at the door just like the rest of us did. Both of those kids had won my heart over entirely, and my Dad and brothers weren't far behind. Dad even held baby Janna in the evenings after dinner so Ande and I could clean up. Sam and Nate were supposed to take turns helping clean up, but I always volunteered. The extra moments with Ande were worth washing dishes.
I should know better than torture myself like this. Ande had no interest in me beyond employer and possibly friend. Her whole life was dedicated to making things good for her kids, and I could find no fault with that. She was lucky to have them, and they were lucky to have her. I couldn't imagine her walking away from her kids the way our mom had done.
None of that stopped me from dreaming about her, hungering for her touch, and breathing in her scent every time she came near enough. I should leave well enough alone and keep my distance, like Dad said, but I had this compulsion to torture myself with what I couldn't have.
My phone rang as she and I finished up the dishes, and a glance at the screen showed Manny calling me back. "Yeah." I headed outside, out of earshot. "Have any luck?"
He gave his typical grunt. "Of course. You doubted me?"
I chuckled. "Of course not. Tell me."
"Your girl is a widow now. Officials are searching for her to notify her." The smile in his tone would have made me doubt the words if they came from any other man. Manny liked killing assholes, though, so I had no doubt he was pleased.
"He didn't wanna sign, huh?"
"No. In fact, he threw down on me and threatened me if I didn't tell him where she was. Said he had a score to settle with that bitch. I didn't need to hear any more." A car door closed in the background and cut off the other noise filtering through his phone. "Fucker should have known better. She's free and clear now."
A weight the size of Dad's prize bull lifted off my shoulders. Ande and her kids were safe. They didn't have to spend their lives in hiding. "Thanks Manny. I owe you one."
"Right. Until the next time you need a favor and decide to remind me you think you saved my life." He laughed. "Take care, Jake, and reach out whenever you have time." The line went dead.
Now, how the hell was I going to handle this. Would the authorities be able to find Ande here in order to notify her? Should I tell her and admit to being complicit in murder? Or just let her wait and continue as things were? I stared up at the evening sky, wishing Gramma were here so I could talk to her. She never failed to have the answers I needed.
Deep in thought, I went out to the old watering trough Gramma had converted into an herb and flower bed years back. I always felt her presence strongest there. She had passed many evening hours sitting in the rocker Dad pulled out there for her, breaking beans or mending clothes. It was where us boys sat at her feet and listened to the stories of our ancestors and this land.
My thoughts went back to Ande. In the rest of the world, people hesitated to deal out justice as it was needed. Here, we had a different code. A man who beat his wife and kids needed to be put down. Ande might not see it that way, though. My calling in a favor and having a criminal friend take care of her problem might horrify her. No matter how much the man scared her and had hurt her, he was still the father of her kids. I couldn't bring myself to be sorry he was dead though. It meant Ande, Ian, and little Janna were safe from him. That was the only important thing.
A faint sound reached my ears and I turned. "Is everything okay, Jake? I worried when you didn't come back in." She stood there with the twilight accenting her perfect features and making her skin glow.
"Everything is good. Just about as good as it can get." I patted the rocker beside me. "Have a seat. My Gramma had Dad bring this out here from the porch maybe twenty years ago. Us boys sat here with her many evenings. It's where I always come when I miss her."
"Your Gramma must have been a special woman." She sat, and before I could stop myself, I slipped my arm around her shoulders.
If Ande noticed, or minded, she gave no indication. "She was. Without her, Dad could never have managed to run the place and take care of us too. She didn't have to step in when our mother left, but she just did. Put her own life on hold for us."
The breeze picked up a little and Ande leaned into my side. "I'm glad she was here for you. Do you know what happened with your mom?"
"No. She was just here one day, and gone the next. Dad reported her missing and the police investigated. They even half-assed accused him of doing something to her."
"Oh, God! Really? I don't know your father well, but I know him well enough to say without a doubt he's not that kind of man." The horror in her tone expressed my own feelings on the subject.
"I guess it's just standard procedure. Anyway, they never found any evidence, so eventually they dropped it. We all just assumed she was tired of the responsibilities that came with a family and took off. There isn't any other explanation." The subject always made my chest hurt, a reminder of the old pain and confusion. How could a mother just turn her back on her kids when they needed her? Ande would never do something so selfish.
"I'm sorry. That wasn't fair to you guys. I can't imagine just walking away from Ian and Janna. Ever." Her arm slipped across my chest in a half hug.
This woman. Damn. She took my breath away. Scared to death she would run, I gently touched her chin, tipping her head up. She met my gaze, lips slightly parted, and I gave in to the magnetism that drew me to her. My mouth brushed across hers, and even though every part of me screamed to claim her fully then and there, I backed off almost immediately.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She must think I was abusing my position as her boss.
"I'm glad you did. I wanted you to." She sounded breathless.
"No. No matter how much I want to, I won't take advantage of you." Some days I hated Dad for instilling principles in us as we grew up. Like right now. If he hadn't, I could give in to my impulses now.
Ande nodded and looked down. "I understand. I'll leave you to your privacy. I'm sorry for interrupting." She stood and nearly bolted back into the house.
What the hell? Why did I feel like I just crushed her feelings? Surely she couldn't be mad at me for protecting her from myself? Yet again, I wished for Gramma's wisdom. I sighed and sat back, looking up at the stars as they became brighter and more appeared with the deepening darkness.