Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

L emon couldn’t breathe! Dizziness enveloped her. Those black, cold eyes had haunted her. You are mine. No matter where you go, I’ll find you. The words hissed around her, squeezing her lungs. Darkness crowded the edges of her eyes.

“Lemon!” she heard Jaxson exclaim. She felt his arm around her, heard his calming voice, urging her to take a breath. A prayer raced through her head. Please, help me! She sucked in a breath. With that breath came a burst of knowledge. It filled her entire being. Just like that, she remembered everything.

“Are you okay?” Jaxson asked.

“I remember,” she sang victoriously. She looked at Jaxson, startled laughter gurgling in her throat as she pressed her hands to his cheeks. “Lexi was right. I was pining away for you. That’s why I went to the rodeo. To see if there was even the slightest chance that you felt the same way.”

“Now you have your answer,” he drawled, tenderness simmering in his compelling eyes.

“Yes, I do.” She leaned forward and kissed him full on the mouth. This time, Jaxson was the one who turned red as Knox cleared his throat.

She turned her focus to Knox, her brain synching the memories of the man she’d known before with the one sitting across from her. Knox had always been a jokester. He was kind, a good dad—the kind of dad she wished she’d had. “Thank you,” she uttered, “for believing in me.” She took in a deep, cleansing breath. “I can’t begin to describe how amazing it is to know who I am.” Laughter circled her throat as she turned to Jaxson. “I remember all those times you asked me out.” She lifted an eyebrow. “For the record, it wasn’t a hundred times.” A corner of her lip lifted in a coy smile. “Fifty, maybe, but not a hundred. I remember all the football games, the prom.” She leveled a glare at him. “I’m still ticked about you burning my designer jeans, by the way.”

A crooked grin slid over Jaxson’s lips. “You never have gotten over that.”

“When Mom realizes that the two of us are back together, she’s gonna flip … in a good way. She’s always loved you.” Lemon’s brain processed the rest as a cry wrenched her throat. “Oh, no.” Her heart slammed against her ribcage. “My mom’s dead,” she gasped, her hands going over her mouth.

Jaxson began rubbing her back. “I’m so sorry.”

Her shoulders heaved as she tried to take in air. Darkness crowded in around her.

The voices came at her from far away. “Should we call 911?” Lexi asked.

“Give her a minute,” Knox suggested. “She can work through it.”

“Stay with me,” Jaxson urged. “Breathe!” He caught hold of her chin and moved her face to his. “Lemon look at me. We’ll get through this. I won’t ever leave you. You have my word.”

She swam through the darkness, holding onto Jaxson’s promise. The fierce determination in his eyes helped restore a smidgen of calm. She was able to regulate her breathing. Tears blurred her vision. “I can’t believe she’s gone.” Her lower lip trembled, despair wrapping a tight blanket around her.

Jaxson stroked her cheek. “It’ll be okay.”

She allowed his words to penetrate into her heart for one small second before her brain worked through the rest. “No!” she blurted, “it won’t be okay.” Her windpipe closed off. She coughed to clear it, struggling to get the words out. “My mother’s death wasn’t an accident. Wesley killed her!”

“Tell us everything that happened,” Jaxson said calmly.

Her body was shaking like a leaf. She balled her hands, biting down on her lower lip. He slid a protective arm around her shoulders. She glanced at Lexi who offered an encouraging smile. Lemon reached over and caught hold of Lexi’s hand, squeezing it. “You’ve always been such a good friend to me.”

Tears rose in Lexi’s eyes. “As you’ve been to me.”

Lemon sucked in a breath, trying to organize her thoughts so that she could tell everything that happened in a cohesive manner. She let go of Lexi’s hand, crossing her arms over her chest. “Everything that Lexi told you was correct. I cared a great deal for Braden.” Her voice caught. “For a time, I thought I loved him.” She turned to Jaxson. “But there was this tiny part of me that could never let you go.” A faint smile curved her lips. “I didn’t think it would be fair to marry Braden under those conditions. I was going to call it off, but then Braden died.” She shuddered, remembering that dark time in her life. The loss she’d felt over losing someone she’d cared about so deeply.

She stared into the distance, her voice going recollective. “Wesley stayed by my side every step of the way, helping me through the grief. I was grateful to have someone. Mom’s Alzheimer’s was getting worse. I moved her into my condo and hired an at-home nurse to look after her. Still, it became too much. In the end, I put her in a care center.” She took in a quick breath, pressing on. “Mine and Shade’s business took off.” She chuckled softly. “It’s crazy how you can reach every pinnacle that the world deems important and still feel hollow on the inside.”

“No, not necessarily,” Knox said, giving her an astute look. “Money never could buy happiness.”

“No, it can’t,” she said with conviction. “I was miserable. I started spending more time in Nashville. Wesley assumed it was because of him.” Her voice trailed off. “But it wasn’t. I was searching for something, trying to find home.”

“Why didn’t you come to me earlier?” Jaxson asked.

She barked out a short laugh. “And join the ranks of your entourage? No thanks.”

He rolled his eyes. “You and I both know that the women were my way of dealing with losing you.”

“I didn’t know that,” she retorted, then shook her head, realizing she was getting off track.

“Tell us about the night of the accident,” Knox prodded gently.

Her heart began to pound. She tightened her hand, her nails digging into her palm. “As Lexi said, Wesley was always hanging around.” She chuckled dryly. “I knew he had a thing for me. It was easy to go out with him as a fallback. He’s handsome, charming, suave.” She glanced at Jaxson and noticed that his jaw had gone hard. “If I can come to terms with Jumbo Chest Barbie,” she retorted, “then you can deal with me initially being attracted to Wesley’s good looks.”

Jaxson sputtered out a startled laugh. “You don’t mince words, do ya?”

“No, she doesn’t,” Lexi said admiringly. “Wesley is super handsome, but looks will only take a man so far.”

“I never had any intention of ending up with Wesley,” Lemon stated. “Shame on me for letting it go as far as it did.” A shiver ran down her spine. She sloughed it off. “I started trying to put distance between me and Wesley. That didn’t go over well. Wesley lashed out. We had a big blowup about it. I had the feeling of being followed but thought I must be imagining things.” Fear clutched her stomach in a tight grip. “Out of the blue, Wesley showed up at my condo in LA. He apologized profusely, telling me that he was fine with us not having a relationship. He claimed that he didn’t want to lose me as a friend.”

“Yeah right,” Lexi scoffed.

“Things settled back to normal. The entire time Wesley had been friends with me he also kept in close touch with my partner Shade. Shade wants to start a children’s clothing line and has been trying to talk me into it. Wesley offered to invest. He invited Shade and me to his estate in Florida so we could discuss the possibilities. It was supposed to be a combination work and leisure trip. One of Shade’s kids got sick at the last minute, so I had to go alone. My flight got in early.” A harsh laugh rose in Lemon’s throat. “How often does that happen? It was a first for me. Rather than calling Wesley to let him know, I drove out to his place.”

“You rented a car at the airport?” Jaxson asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, I wanted to have my own transportation. That way, I could come and go as I pleased. When I got to his house, there was a car parked in the circle driveway. I left my luggage in the trunk and went to the door. I heard voices, people arguing. I peered through the sidelights and saw Wesley and a dark-haired woman at the top of the staircase.” Her throat constricted as she coughed to clear it. “The woman was crying. Wesley was clutching her arm. I stood there, unsure what to do.” She took in a short breath before rushing on. “I placed my hand on the door handle. It was unlocked. I pushed the door open slightly. I caught the word pregnant . The girl was panicked, distraught. I can’t remember exactly what she said, but it was something about her loving him. She accused him of breaking her trust.” Lemon clenched her jaw. “I should’ve left right then and there, but my feet were frozen to the floor. She was a beautiful girl. So young. Sixteen or seventeen, maybe.

“The girl threatened to go to the press, to expose him.” Lemon’s eyes darted around the room as her hand encircled her neck. “Wesley has political aspirations.” She hesitated, dreading telling the rest, but knowing she had to get it all out. “Wesley started screaming, calling the girl horrible names. He was so vicious, heartless. He slapped her jaw. She lost her footing and fell down the stairs.” Her voice quivered, the horror of the event overtaking her. “That’s when Wesley realized I was there. That I’d seen the whole thing.”

“I had no idea,” Lexi said. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

Lemon stared into the distance. “I got in the car and drove away as fast as I could. I just kept driving. Wesley kept calling my phone. I ignored it. Then, I received a call from a number I didn’t recognize. I answered. It was Wesley.” She swallowed hard. “He told me to come back so we could talk. He said that the girl, Jacklyn, was lying—that she was trying to pass her baby off as his. He said that her fall was an accident. He begged me to give him a chance to explain. He said I was the most important thing in the world to him, and that he couldn’t fathom the thought of losing me. When I refused to come back, he got belligerent. He said that if I didn’t come back that he’d take care of my mom like he did Braden. He said he had people who could do it at the snap of a finger. He told me that I could run but I couldn’t hide. He said he owned me. That I’d always be his.” Tears rose in her eyes, her words getting choked. “I was in such a state that I just kept driving. I should’ve called the police.” Regret clutched her stomach. “But I was too afraid.” She turned to Jaxson. “All I could think was to go home, maybe figure out a way to talk to you—get your advice.” She hesitated. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I had nowhere else to go.

“It started raining cats and dogs. My tire went flat. I pulled over to the side of the road.” Emotion lodged a hard ball in Lemon’s throat. She coughed to force it back down. “As I was trying to figure out what to do, I got a call from the care center, telling me that my mom had fallen … that she was dead.” Her voice broke. “Two hours after Wesley made that threat, my mom was dead.” She rubbed a hand across her forehead. “I’m not sure what happened then. I have no memory of losing my purse or my phone, only of seeing your headlights.” Her blood ran cold as a new thought occurred to her. “I have to leave.”

She moved to stand, but Jaxson caught her arm. “Wait!” he urged.

“I have to!” Her mind was on fire. Her breath came faster and faster, making her feel like she’d hyperventilate. “If Wesley can get to my mom that fast, then he can get to all of you.” Her eyes flitted around the room before settling on Jaxson. Oh, how she loved him! He’d always been there taking up residence in her heart, the lost love that she could never forget. As much as she wanted to build a life with him, she couldn’t. “I can’t let anything happen to you or your family.”

“It won’t!” Jaxson shot back, a fierce determination flashing in his eyes.

“No, it certainly won’t,” Knox growled.

She looked between the two men, a fragment of hope flickering in her breast. They were so calm, so confident—the kind of men who didn’t know the meaning of backing down from a fight. “What can we do?”

Knox steeled his jaw. “For starters, we can get in touch with Ramsey and get his take on the situation. Then, we’ll go to the station and have a nice, long talk with Chief Blankenship.”

“What can Ramsey do?” Lemon asked dubiously, trying to remember what she knew about Jaxson’s younger brother. She’d heard that he went into the military, but she hadn’t kept up with his profession.

A smile moved over Jaxson’s lips. “Ramsey’s a retired Navy SEAL and a security expert. He eats lowlifes like Wesley Livingston for breakfast. In other words, you couldn’t have picked a better family to come to for help.”

She touched his jaw, tenderness welling inside her. “I came to you,” she said softly.

A cocky grin overtook Jaxson’s lips. “Yeah, you did.” He winked. “About time you had enough sense to come home and claim your prize.”

She clucked her tongue. “You really are a hotshot cowboy.”

“Yes, he is,” Lexi laughed.

“My hotshot cowboy,” Lemon added. Despite all the turmoil in her life, she was glad she’d gotten one thing right. She’d finally come home to Jaxson, where she belonged. She hoped with all her heart that she’d never have to be separated from him again.