The Morning-After Proposal

“The flight.”

“I don’t mind. I’d rather pay your way.”

“I appreciate your generosity, but I don’t want to be indebted to you. Not anymore than I already am.” She could only imagine what her mother’s burial had cost. But she would find a way to reimburse him for that, too. Even if it took years.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Dylan.”

“Yeah. But I’ll see you tonight, too,” he said, ending the call as roughly as it had begun.

Stonewalled, JJ hugged the phone, the empty dial tone, to her chest. He’d done it again. He’d gotten in the last word, the last romantic thought.

He would see her tonight.

In the fantasy of his mind.

Three

At bedtime, Dylan went half-mad. He wasn’t tired. Fresh from the shower, he was as wired as a tail-on-fire tomcat, stalking the motel room in his sweats.

He dragged a hand through his damp hair. Eight months, he thought. Eight-search-for-Julia months since he’d been with anyone.

He hadn’t deliberately deprived himself. He’d gotten so caught up in her, so consumed in finding her that nothing else mattered.

And now he was suffering for it.

Dylan cursed, using the harshest word that came to mind. He hated feeling this way. If he could purge her from his blood, he would. He didn’t like being enthralled by a woman. This wasn’t his idea of fun.

And neither was taking her to the cemetery.

But he owed her that much. Hell, he owed her more than that. He owed her the truth.

So tell her, he thought. Tell her why the hit man was hired.

And risk losing her this soon? No way. No damn way. He needed more time.

He glanced at the clock and decided to call his cousin. Aaron could blow this for Dylan. Aaron knew too much. But so did everyone else who was involved in the case.

He cursed again, then took action, dialing Aaron’s number. His cousin answered on the third ring.

“I found her,” Dylan said, right after Aaron voiced the customary hello.

“Dylan?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“You found Julia?”

“Yes. She’s at a horse refuge in Nevada. But she’s coming home with me to see her mother’s grave.”

“Damn. You finally found her. Did you call the FBI?”

“No.” He frowned at the phone. Here it comes.

“Why the hell not?”

“Because she isn’t in danger anymore.”

“They’ll still need to talk to her. They’ll want her to testify.”

“I know.” Dylan was testifying, too. “But I don’t see the point in rushing things. They haven’t even set a trial date.”

“You just don’t want Julia to hear all of the facts. But we keep telling you that what happened to Miriam wasn’t your fault.”

By “we” Aaron meant Dylan’s family. But they were biased. They would never let him take the rap for his mistake. “Don’t patronize me. Let me handle this on my own.”

“And keep information from Julia? You’re treading on dangerous ground.”

“It’s my ground. So stay off of it.”

Aaron lit into him. “I always thought you were a jerk. Even when you were a kid.”

“I’m not a kid anymore. And if I’m a jerk, so are you. You got married for revenge.”

“I love my wife,” came the defensive reply.

“And I want Julia. So if you ruin this for me, I’ll beat you to a pulp.”

“Screw you, Dylan.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He paused, stalked the room again, hit a snag with the cord and nearly dropped the phone.

“Promise me you’ll call the feds,” Aaron said. “Promise me you’ll do the right thing.”

“Fine. I’ll call them.” But he would do it on his own time, at his own pace. Not that he was going to admit that to Aaron.

“Good,” his cousin said. “This isn’t something to play around.”

Dylan’s heart tensed. “I wish I didn’t want her.”

“I guess it’s too late for that. So when is she coming home with you?”

“Tomorrow,” he responded, too damn anxious to see her again.

The moment JJ saw Dylan’s ranch, the horse farm he owned, she struggled with her emotions. The kidnapping site was just miles away.

Was her mother’s grave close by, too? Had Dylan chosen a resting place near his home?

If only her mom were still alive. If only they could work past the destruction.