Do Rely on Your Protector (Jewel Family Romance Book 4) Page 9

  They finally made it home a little after two a.m. and they both wearily climbed in their beds. It was nice to be back in the familiar bedroom of the drafty trailer she’d grown up in. The memories here weren’t all bad. She and Ridge had made some good ones.

  All she had of Seth was brief memories now. Thinking back through the day made tears trickle down her face. For a few blessed hours, she’d felt like she was worth something. Valued, attractive, safe … loved. Did she really dare go there? She touched her lips which still singed from Seth’s incredible kiss. She’d been in a fairy tale, and now she was back to reality. Yet she still had her brother, her self-respect, and her faith.

  Rolling onto her knees, she poured out her heart to a God who she knew loved her regardless of her background and mistakes. Tears dropped from her eyelashes to her clasped hands as she shared her frustrations and her pains. She wasn’t ready to share any hopes or ask for anything beyond forgiveness for her own mistakes, and help for Rachel, Seth, his mom, and all of their family. She remembered to thank Him for her little home and her brother working to go down the right path. She couldn’t ask for anything for herself. She knew she wasn’t in a place to deserve it yet, maybe ever.

  Seth and his family spent several miserable weeks in Billings, taking turns doing a vigil by Rachel’s bedside when she wasn’t being treated or doing therapy. The skin grafts they’d taken from her rear and the inside of her thigh for her face and neck were supposedly healing very well. She seemed to be in pretty good spirits and talked and joked with Seth when he was visiting. At first it had been hard not to cringe when he saw her singed skin but the skin grafts were healing well. He thought she looked great, but he knew girls were much harder on themselves.

  When the family wasn’t with Rachel, they tried to occupy themselves with activities at the large rental house that Mar had found. Swimming, basketball, card games, or TV shows. There were no motorized vehicles to race and Seth was feeling very stir-crazy, yet he’d still opted to miss his race in Minnesota on the weekend. There was no way that he was he leaving until Rachel was released. Mar did find a nice gym nearby, so they spent a couple hours a day working out together, trying to schedule it at the same time that Rachel had physical therapy so she wasn’t alone in her room.

  Seth spent a lot of time trying not to think about Breeze. Was she simply working an insane number of hours and helping Ridge stay clean and get a job of his own? What if she was dating someone else or had forgotten all about him? She and Ridge had both seemed determined to pay him back the twenty grand. If he’d known that they would be so caught up on the money and that Flint was going to strike back, maybe he would’ve swallowed his pride and kept the money. It would be a lot better than Breeze thinking she needed to pay him back. He didn’t care about twenty grand, he cared about her.

  The police didn’t have much good news for his family. They’d found and detained Flint for twenty-four hours but had no conclusive evidence that he was the perpetrator. They had to release him. They also surmised that many of the Jewel family members were highly successful and in the spotlight, so they assumed a disgruntled ex-employee, a jealous competitor, a crazy fan, or any number of people might have stolen the dynamite and set the bomb.

  Isaac had heard through the grapevine that some of the older police officers who’d been around when Seth and Caleb used to terrorize Jackson Hole with fireworks, pipe bombs, and oxygen-acetylene bombs, were theorizing that maybe some of the people who’d lived in fear of the twins may have been trying to get a payback. That would’ve been ironic and somewhat funny, if Rachel hadn’t been suffering.

  After nineteen days in the burn unit, Rachel was released. She walked out of the hospital with her head held high, the left side of her face and neck covered in bandages. Reporters had somehow gotten wind of her release and were waiting. After Rachel graduated high school, she was hounded to accept modeling contracts. She’d done some modeling and become quite well-known for her beauty, but she chose to focus on her education. She’d recently graduated with her MBA from Stanford, ready to take on the world. And now this. Seth prayed the setback would be temporary while the skin grafts healed. He prayed she’d believe how beautiful she was, even if she inevitably had scars.

  “Miss Jewel! Miss Jewel!” the reporters were calling.

  The brothers formed a tight circle around Rachel, Eve, Mom, and Dad. They pushed through to their waiting vehicles. Paisley had stayed home with Mar, Cosette, and Jade, but Eve had come with them. She broke from the brothers and stormed up to the crowd of reporters being held back by security. “Yes?” she asked sweetly.

  “We want a comment from Miss Jewel,” a reporter told her.

  “I’m Miss Jewel.” Eve put her hands on her thin hips, looking feistier than Seth had ever seen her. “What kind of comment would you like?”

  Seth smiled.

  “The other Miss Jewel,” a snide blonde said.

  Seth opened the door and escorted his mom inside the vehicle. “Go get my girl,” Mom said.

  “I’m on it.”

  He hurried back to Eve. “Let’s go, sis.”

  “They want a comment.” Eve gave him a placid smile and whirled back to the reporters. “Here’s your comment. If Flint Brooks ever touches another person in my family, I will personally make sure he never walks again.”

  She turned and stormed to the vehicle, slid in, and slammed the door. Seth’s face felt frozen. He wanted to take down Brooks, but you couldn’t just threaten a man in front of a swarm of shark-like reporters.

  “Mr. Jewel, Mr. Jewel,” they were screaming in his face. “Do you share your sister’s aptitude for violence toward Mr. Brooks? What would you like to do to Flint Brooks, sir? Is Flint Brooks responsible for the bombing?”

  Seth pivoted and hurried to the SUV, climbing into the front passenger side and slamming the door. “Drive, bro,” he muttered to Caleb.

  Caleb put the car into gear, but said, “I’d rather hear Eve threaten Flint some more.”

  Seth glanced back at his youngest sibling. Tears were tracing down her face. Mom sat on one side of her and Rachel on the other.

  “Thanks, sis,” Rachel murmured.

  “I hope it takes the media pressure off of you,” Eve said, squeezing her hand.

  “It was perfect.”

  Nobody said anything else. Caleb couldn’t seem to wipe the grin off his face.

  Seth flew with his family to his parents’ home in Stowe, Vermont. After a couple of days, Rachel pulled each of them aside and told them to go back to their lives. She had enough attention with Mom and Dad fawning over her and, though she loved them being there, she knew they had things to do and places to be.

  Seth hugged her and left the next day for a race in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a fun race and it would keep him ready for the X Games coming up in Minneapolis in July.

  They were almost to event time when a group of men strode past Seth and his pit crew. “Good luck tonight, Jewel,” a loud, ugly voice yelled.

  Seth’s head darted up. He usually ignored fans and idiots before a race, but he knew that voice. He pushed past his guys and saw Flint Brooks walking away. Flint turned back and gave him a mocking thumb up. Several of Seth’s crew grabbed him from behind.

  “Calm down,” Mike, his crew chief, begged him. “He’s not worth it.”

  “I hope Breeze doesn’t have an unfortunate accident like your sister,” Flint called before turning and running out a tunnel that led outside.

  Seth wrenched his arms free and sprinted after him. He could hear his men screaming behind him, but he didn’t care. Flint had just threatened Breeze. He’d probably done it to goad Seth and either get him to throw the race or maybe to fight Flint again and get in trouble. Whatever Flint’s motivation, it was working. Seth pounded down the tunnel and back out into the warm night air. Groups of people were milling around, but he couldn’t see Flint. Where had he gone?

  He dodged around people trying to find him.

 
“Seth!” Mike reached him and tugged at his arm. “Let it go. It’s race time.”

  Seth searched around some more, but couldn’t find Flint anywhere. He let Mike tug him back inside, but his head wasn’t on the race. He had to get to Breeze. The race ended with him finishing third and disappointing a whole slew of people. The only people happy with him were probably the gamblers who’d bet on him losing. He didn’t care.

  He called Caleb.

  “Where are you?” he demanded.

  “Back in Colorado. I had practice this morning. Why?”

  “Tell Dad to up his security and spread the word to the rest of the family. I just saw Flint and he threatened Breeze. Are you up for a trip to Idaho?”

  “Sure.”

  He’d researched exactly where Breeze lived and the fastest route to get there. “I’ll call you back with the details.”

  “You got it.”

  Seth hung up feeling marginally better. His family would be safe,. He and Caleb would go protect Breeze and Ridge. He let himself smile. He’d get to see Breeze again. That was the best news he’d had in a long while. If only he knew how she’d receive him.

  Chapter Ten

  Breeze had rearranged her schedule temporarily to work the breakfast and lunch shifts and then drive pizza delivery for another restaurant at nights. But she had the night off and was anticipating just being home with Ridge. She thought through the scarce food they had, wondering what she could come up with for dinner. Ridge worked seven to five, and the commute to Logan was forty-five minutes each way so he had almost as long of days as she did. She wished she could at least make a nice meal for the two of them. She barely had time to get to the grocery store with working both jobs, and she was loath to dip into the money they were saving to pay back Seth. It was a small fund stored under her bed, but it was growing.

  Ridge had been true to his word and hadn’t touched alcohol or drugs for over three weeks now. Breeze prayed he’d stay strong. She knew he was hoping for the chance to go work for Seth if he stayed clean for a month, but with everything hanging over them with Flint, the explosion, and Rachel being hurt she doubted Ridge would be brave enough to approach Seth. Maybe he’d come to them? A girl could hope.

  She and Mar had been texting off and on so she knew Rachel was doing pretty well and everyone but Eve and Paisley had gone back to their own homes. She found out that Seth had gone back to racing. Mar was so funny, and Breeze loved hearing from her, but her idol hadn’t said anything personal about her perfect brother-in-law, the man Breeze couldn’t seem to forget about. Mar wasn’t giving Breeze false hope where Seth was concerned, and that was probably for the best.

  She shoved her car into park and popped open the door. It squeaked like a rusty hinge. She wearily stood and stretched.

  “Breeze,” a male voice breathed out.

  Breeze jumped and whirled to face the threat. Two large men eased out of the shadows of the porch overhang and into the soft pool of light from the one exterior light that was still working.

  Breeze leaned against the car, her legs suddenly weak. “Seth?” She couldn’t believe it. He’d come for her? She knew she wasn’t the right woman for him and she hated that she hadn’t earned his money back yet, only eight-hundred and fifty in the fund from the last count, but her heart still leapt within her and threatened to burst out of her chest. He looked incredible. Could she fling herself into his arms and beg him never to leave again? It had been a miserable three weeks.

  He and Caleb eased closer. Caleb seemed unusually serious and his eyes were darting around the shadows. He looked almost … nervous. It didn’t suit him.

  “What are you doing here?” Breeze asked, brushing her hand uncomfortably down her white blouse. She probably smelled like bacon again. She hadn’t wasted any of the beautiful perfume Cosette had given her, but now wished she was wearing it. Had he really come for her?

  “We need to talk somewhere …” Seth’s gaze flitted around, brushing over her sagging front porch that Ridge had tried to reinforce but was mostly held up with extra tin that they’d found at the dump and duct tape. Plenty of duct tape. “Safe?”

  Breeze’s face burned. He was seeing exactly where she’d come from. Whatever he needed to talk about, she doubted he’d stay long. Had the great Seth Jewel ever seen a dump like this? He’d certainly never slept in a home where the cold wind whistled through the windows in the winter and the hot sun made it reek like burned plastic in the winter. She tilted her chin up. They might not have much, but the porch was swept clean, the toilet scrubbed, the raggedy carpet vacuumed, and the weeds mowed.

  “I’m not going in there,” Caleb insisted, glancing at her dilapidated, outdated, sad little home. Her spine stiffened. “We’d be sitting ducks,” Caleb continued. “I would like some lights on, though, and you can leave your car here so it looks like you’re home.” He actually smiled and drawled out, “Decoy. The plan’s percolating now. Keys?” he asked Breeze.

  Breeze pulled her keys out of her purse and tossed them to him, wondering what plan he was talking about and hoping she wasn’t the decoy.

  Caleb caught the keys and hurried toward the sagging porch. He opened the door quickly and turned on the lights in the kitchen, bedrooms, and living area, and then she heard their old tv blaring. He shut the door and locked it. The blinds were drawn so it was impossible to tell that she wasn’t in there.

  Caleb walked back and handed her the keys. “Meet you in the truck for a planning sesh.” He strode away but turned back to say, “Good to see you again Breeze.” Then he disappeared into the darkness and Breeze could hear his footsteps pounding on the dirt. She wondered why they’d parked their vehicle so far away.

  She and Seth faced each other. His eyes trailed over her, leaving heat in their wake. She’d missed him so much, his smile, his zest for life, his warm hands holding her close. Had this incredible man really kissed her, or was that all a fanciful dream?

  “How have you been?” he asked.

  Breeze swallowed hard, trying to swallow down the desire for him but failing. She wished he’d said she looked good or he missed her, though neither were probably true. “Busy. You?”

  His blue eyes darkened, looking dangerous and mysterious. “Mostly just watching Rachel.”

  “How is she?” She felt awful that hadn’t been her first question. He didn’t know she’d heard updates from Mar. How she wished she was part of his family and had the right to be there to watch and, somehow, help Rachel.

  “She’s okay, at least she’s acting pretty tough.” He shrugged. “She told us all to get back to real life, that she was fine, but … I worry, that she’s putting on a show you know?”

  “I can imagine. She’s so perfectly beautiful. It will be hard for her to adjust to those scars.”

  “That’s what I worry about too.”

  A silence fell between them and Breeze was thinking about when she’d left him three weeks earlier. Nothing had changed, and since he’d brought Caleb along for whatever this “talk” entailed, she couldn’t imagine it involved romance of any kind. Looking at her ramshackle trailer in the middle of nowhere, she felt their blatant differences even stronger. Yet still her heart hoped that he would throw all that aside and declare his undying devotion. She rolled her eyes at herself.

  Seth stepped closer, and just like that Breeze’s heart thumped out of control again, and she prayed for a kiss, a touch, some tender words. She’d take any crumbs he was willing to toss her. Her pride was a washed-up shop rag at this point, but this was Seth Jewel. She missed him. If she could swallow her pride completely, she’d admit that she loved him.

  His gaze swept over her carefully. “How have you really been?” he asked.

  “Pretty miserable,” she admitted.

  “Because you’ve been working too much or …”

  She bit at her lip, not sure if she was keeping herself from smiling or crying. “Or …?”

  He smiled and brushed her long hair over her shoulder. Hi
s voice got low and husky, his blue eyes tender. “Have you been missing me as much as I’ve been missing you?”

  Breeze’s stomach bubbled with a delicious warmth. He’d missed her. He did care. “Is that why you’re here?” she asked, hoping, praying.

  “I’ve been wanting to come but … no, that’s not the reason.” Seth pulled back slightly, and Breeze’s hopes withered away like an un-watered tomato plant.

  The old, beat-up truck Ridge had built from spare parts rumbled off the main highway and up the dirt road that led to their trailer. Breeze focused on her brother jumping out of the truck and not how bad it hurt that Seth hadn’t come for her. She didn’t know what she’d expected anyway. She’d been the one to leave, and simply remembering the gorgeous home that had burned to the ground, compared to this pathetic spot she called home, reaffirmed the distance between them. At least he had missed her, but he was probably so busy with his success and all the women who followed him around that it couldn’t be anything close to how much she’d missed him.

  “Breeze!” Ridge hollered. He paused and his eyes widened. “Seth?” His dark eyes lit up. “I’m so glad you’re here. You’ve heard?”

  Seth nodded slightly and asked, “What have you heard?”

  “My friend Johnny keeps in touch with Flint’s brother. Flint’s bragging about how he got away with hurting Rachel and now …” He swallowed hard and his gaze went over Breeze. “He’s coming after Breeze.”

  She shivered and looked back at Seth. He nodded in confirmation. “He came through the pits before my race in Jacksonville. Told me he hoped you didn’t have an ‘unfortunate accident’ like my sister.”

  Her stomach felt like she’d swallowed a cup of bleach. Flint was coming. Would he try to hurt her personally or just blow up her house like he’d blown up the Jewel’s mansion? She glanced at her little trailer home. It wasn’t much. It was nothing compared to Seth’s parents’ beautiful home, but they took the best care of it they could, and it was all that she and Ridge had.