Rewarding Redemption Read online

  Jenny didn’t know how else to be around people.

  She had too much to work through to fight the suggestion with any tact. Jenny stood and followed Rosie down the steps. Avoiding Jason’s eyes, Jenny moved beside Rosie, pasting a fake smile on her lips. She was too tired for this. And the women she joined were confident in their company and accepted for who they were.

  Jenny was a Caracus and wouldn’t be accepted for who she was.

  Although, Rosie was one, too and she slid right into Michael’s arms like there was no doubt where she belonged.

  Rosie pulled out her phone, the glow of the screen softening the angles of her face. She looked up and smiled. “The rest of the girls won’t be here until tomorrow morning, like we planned. Lisa’s going to get Mary after the movies with Ian, and Sara Beth should be back pretty soon from work.” She took the group in with a glance, encompassing them all with her warm tone. “Where is everyone staying tonight?”

  Jenny glanced uncomfortably at Jason. She didn’t have anywhere. Certainly, not with her car impounded and spending her time fighting with Jason instead of looking for a place to stay. Embarrassed to admit her hopes, Jenny wanted to stay with Jason again, but the contention between them nullified that idea.

  Nate spoke up. “We were going to stay over at Dawson’s place, but if there’re problems this way, we might camp closer.”

  “Stay here. We have extra guest rooms.” Rosie entwined her arms with Michael who nodded as she spoke.

  The three women glanced at Nate and the dark haired beauty with the braid nodded. “Thank you, Hannah and Ruby and I would love to.” She ignored Nate’s glare.

  “The boys and I will camp past your barn, if that’s alright.” Nate nodded his head.

  Rosie didn’t press but turned to Jenny. Her silence waited expectantly.

  After a second, everyone’s eyes focused on Jenny. She cleared her throat. “Thank you, I will.” How could she say no with those big blue eyes staring at her? Especially when they looked so much like Dad’s? The dad she remembered when her mom was alive – not the one who ran her off and then sent people to chase her for the better part of her life.

  Longing ached deep in her chest.

  Michael clapped Nate on the shoulder and nodded toward Jason. “No point splitting everyone up when we’re meeting here again in the morning. I would hate to have anyone split from the group.” He returned his hand to Rosie’s. “Breakfast will be at eight. You’re welcome to use the restrooms in the barn or even to stay in there, if that’d be more comfortable, Nate. Jason, I assume you’re staying inside since you didn’t bring anything with you? You can borrow a change of clothes.”

  And with that, they were guests of the Rourke Ranch – faster than Jenny imagined possible.

  How in the heck was Jenny going to escape to go after the treasure alone, if she couldn’t get out of the house for the night?

  After the groups split apart to go their separate ways for the evening, Jenny reclaimed the box from the Redbirds’ along with her backpack and followed Michael, Rosie, Jason, and the three women into the expansive rancher-style home.

  The house seemed to be set up with a perimeter of rooms around the central core of the home. Down a side hallway, Michael showed three rooms with bathrooms to the women who exclaimed excitedly over a shower and mattresses.

  Jenny could relate. Sheets and hot water were luxuries a woman missed quickly when living on the road. If she weren’t so nervous about finding the treasure, she might try to make friends with anyone there. But as it were, she didn’t think she could speak without crying or yawning.

  At the end of the hall, Rosie moved to stand beside another door. Michael passed her, turning down another hall. She glanced at him, her whisper louder than she probably intended. “Michael, I think Jenny should stay here.”

  He turned, his whisper carrying as well. “Jenny doesn’t know us, Rosie. She knows Mendez. Let’s keep them near each other in case she needs anything.”

  Uncomfortable with the comments, Jenny stared at the wainscoting on the lower part of the wall. The dark wood shined warmly in the orange glow of the lantern-like lights.

  Michael stopped between two doors. “These rooms adjoin. Since they’re by each other, which is a good thing, you can talk easily if you need to. Should you need anything, don’t hesitate to grab us. I’m sure you’d like to get to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. We’ll see you in the morning.” He nodded at them in turn and drew Rosie along with him further down the hall.

  Jenny moved into the door closest to her, ignoring Jason as she pushed through with her arms full. She was too tired and if she wanted to be honest with herself, she was confused and more than a little scared, too.

  Being on her own, she never answered anyone, or did what anyone else wanted. She did as she pleased. But now, even though she wasn’t ready, she had to go after a treasure she wasn’t sure she was ready to fight for, with sisters she wasn’t ready to meet, with a man she didn’t want to fall for.

  Overwhelmed at the amount of expectations mounting against her, Jenny squeezed her eyes shut. Then, she opened them again.

  If she hurried, maybe she could get into the bathroom before Jason.

  She placed her items on the dresser top, digging through a side pocket for her toothbrush and baking soda. She never was able to afford toothpaste, and soda was extremely cheap. The gritty powder got the job done, and that’s all she needed. She had transferred the contents from a cardboard box into a small plastic travel container which seemed like forever ago.

  Jenny sighed.

  The plush comforter called to her from the queen-sized mattress. Multiple pillows piled on the headboard and she glanced longingly at the puffy contours of the bed. Get your teeth brushed, go to the bathroom, and get in bed. In a matter of minutes, she could be sleeping.

  In just minutes. Even if only for a couple hours. Coming up with a plan to go after the treasure alone would require more on her part than just jumping from the window and escaping. She needed to rest so she could plan accordingly.

  She pushed the bathroom door open, the edge bumping into another door. She glanced around the corner and froze. Jason opened the opposite door at the same time, but he didn’t have a shirt on above his jeans.

  No shirt and with muscles like that… what was Jenny supposed to do? She couldn’t think as fatigue and longing controlled her. She stared at the line between his pec muscles, afraid to look up or down.

  She clutched the dinged up plastic case to her chest.

  “Looks like we had the same plan.” Jason’s rough voice broke her concentration on his chest and she glanced at his eyes, heat flooding her face and neck.

  “To use the bathroom?” She lifted an eyebrow.

  “Yes, but to get in here fast to avoid each other.” His blunt answer startled her.

  She lowered her hands. “Um, I’m not…”

  He shook his head and moved further into the bathroom, half-closing his door. He turned to the sink. “Don’t lie to me, Jenny.” He washed his hands, foaming the white bar of soap between his hands. After he created a formidable lather, he scrubbed the white bubbles onto his face, rinsing after a moment.

  Jenny was transfixed. She’d never seen the muscles of a man’s back ripple with movement before.

  He met her gaze in the mirror. His lips barely moving as he murmured, “Are you still mad at me?”

  Distracted by his partial state of undress, Jenny didn’t think her answer through. “I don’t know. It’s not like we’re dating or even friends, so why does it matter? What do I have to really be mad about, right?” Hopefully, he couldn’t tell how much she lied. Why did it matter? Because anything concerning him mattered and she couldn’t explain why, which made her madder than anything he could have done.

  Her feelings were hers, she should know why she felt something, or didn’t. She should understand where her emotions lie. She should be able to control them.

  Jason dried h
is hands on the sandy brown towel hanging from a wooden loop on the wall. He turned toward her, stepping close enough she could smell the fresh soap on his skin. “I don’t want to fight with you. We had a real date, as far as I’m concerned. If I had my way, I would’ve taken you on our first date when we were kids instead of waiting so long.”

  He reached up, twisting a chunk of her hair between his fingers. “We could’ve run away together, instead of being all alone, for so long, apart.”

  The last two days had been filled with more firsts than ever in her life. He was the catalyst. He who wanted to be with her, make her feel less alone, understand her loneliness – rarer than gold and worth so much more.

  Jenny’s insides smoldered and like he knew exactly what to do, Jason lowered his head, his eyes closing.

  She pushed closer, her own eyelids dropping.

  Their lips collided, melding and molding together.

  She dropped her toothbrush and container, ignoring the soft thud on the bathroom rug as they landed. Jenny raised her hands, her fingertips pressed to the strong warmth of Jason’s chest.

  His arms wrapped around her back and pulled her against him, the heat surrounding her as their kiss deepened.

  Jenny moaned, sinking further into the connection.

  Jason broke away, his eyes hooded and his breathing jagged. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to take advantage of…” He waved his hands between the rooms, staring into her eyes. His chest rose and fell. “Get some rest. We’ll start early.”

  And then he was gone.

  Where did he go so fast? Why couldn’t Jenny catch her breath? Had she been more affected by their kiss than him?

  His door clicked shut and Jenny still couldn’t focus as a wave of sadness washed over her.

  Leaving him to get the treasure was going to be hard. He promised so much with his lips locked on hers. And she hadn’t denied him.

  She washed her face and brushed her teeth as if in slow motion. Her fingers tingled at the memory of his bare skin under hers.

  Back in her room, she moved restlessly over the carpet. Maybe the box Thomas had shoved into her arms would have something to occupy her suddenly very-awake mind.

  She pulled her pack from the top and set it on the floor. Opening the dented cardboard flaps, Jenny blinked at the faded red and blue duffel bag she ran away from home with. She touched the nylon handle, remembering.

  Oh, she tried running fast while carrying that stupid thing. The clunk against her shin and knee with every step had made her cry out in frustration. Even switching sides every few steps bit didn’t help much. At one point, she considered tossing the entire thing in Clearwater Creek as she passed.

  Under the bag, someone had placed a folded, clean pair of small, torn jeans. The only pants she escaped with.

  She opened the bag to find a stack of three books and a picture were all which remained of her meager belongings.

  Jenny carefully lifted the picture from its resting place. The Caracus “family” stared back at her. Her father, her mom, uncles, some cousins, Joaquin Mendez and his wife and a boy who stared at the child-Jenny where she stood beside her mom.

  Jason. Even then he watched over her. She traced his face, so young and troubled. She ached for the man he would become as he tried escaping the life he had.

  The Caracus gang had been over thirty strong at the start. Devlyn didn’t start out leading a gang. He’d gotten in with a rowdy bunch of men and whipped them into a gang he controlled. Devlyn loved power.

  But in the picture, the bond couldn’t be clearer as Jenny noticed the narrowed hard eyes of the men and the shrunken tired eyes of the women. The children’s eyes were sad, secretive – something only a survivor would recognize.

  If Jason really cared about Jenny, if she wanted to believe he did, then she would have to find the treasure, claim her box, and give him the rest. If he came back after she had nothing to give him – no treasure, nothing – then they might have a chance.

  She glanced through the books, softly running her fingers over the leather cover of her mother’s Bible, then over the canvas covering of a family recipe book, and the smooth leather of an unmarked book. Absently, she replaced everything in the box.

  She didn’t need to wait for Mary. Rosie gave her the information she needed. Jenny couldn’t believe how simple the answer was. She didn’t really care how much Mary knew. By the time Mary got there, Jenny could be back with the letter. None the wiser.

  The chest Devlyn had placed the letter in hadn’t been huge. Jenny could run to the treasure first, get the box and run back. She could act like she never left.

  She reclosed the cardboard box on memories she didn’t need resurfacing for a few hours.

  If Jenny waited, she might not get to keep anything from the find.

  If she went now and then returned, her chances improved drastically and keeping everything she wanted – including Jason.

  Where was the confusion there?

  Chapter 20

  Jason

  Jason closed the bathroom door and pivoted to lean his back against the wall. Hanging his head, he controlled his breathing, hands clenched at his side.

  Ending their kiss and walking away far surpassed any difficult thing he had ever done in his life.

  Ever.

  Breaking away from Jenny had been his choice. Walking away from the intimacy they both craved had been his choice.

  Not what he wanted, but definitely what she needed.

  He leaned his head backward to rest on the wall, hands splayed over the ridges in the wainscoting.

  The water ran in the bathroom. She was still in there.

  Jason turned, pushing his shoulder to the doorjamb and his eyes closed. He could go back in there, finish what he started or he could get in bed and picture how it might have gone. Only one would put a damper on how he and Jenny might proceed in the future.

  On the other hand, she responded to his touch and he couldn’t help but let her excitement spur his hope.

  Yes, he would go back. He would kiss her and tell her he loved her – that he always loved her, beg her to stay with him.

  He reached for the door handle, intent, determined. But what did he have to give her? More of a life as a drifter. He didn’t have a stable home life because of his job. He couldn’t even guarantee they would see each other every day or even every week.

  A chair set up by the window drew him over. Yanking out his phone, he tapped on his email icon. In his drafts, he kept a resignation letter ready to send – more as a dream than anything. But he never felt so warranted, so definite about quitting his job as he did right then.

  If he quit his job, he could spend time with Jenny whether she wanted to travel or settle down. He could do whatever she wanted. He would have the option to be whatever she wanted.

  The question of whether she wanted him in her life or not didn’t bug him. Her fingers on his chest and the pressure she applied as they kissed told him he had more of a chance than he originally hoped.

  He had considered resigning with the slimmest chance of finding her. Having her in his arms was almost like a guarantee and he could live with that.

  Plus, he’d been looking for a reason to quit for a while now.

  Without another thought, he hit send on the email. His boss would get the resignation at four in the morning when he got to the office.

  Resolute, Jason lowered the phone to his lap. He couldn’t back down, not when he was so close to making a lasting connection with Jenny.

  A nagging question repeated in the back of his mind. What if things didn’t work out?

  Oh, well, he couldn’t look back on his life and say he could’ve tried harder to be with Jenny, to be happy. No, he wanted to look back, no matter what, and be able to say he did everything he could – even sacrificed his job and pension.

  Jenny was his dream. The thought of her was a comfort all his life.

  Everything else would fall into place around that.


  The phone vibrated in his hand, startling him from his thoughts.

  The screen flashed in the dark of the room.

  Bear Claw.

  Jason didn’t speak when he lifted the phone to his ear. He didn’t need to.

  Bear Claw’s gravelly voice grated on Jason’s nerves. “Mendez, you’re close, man, you’re so close.” He paused, his breathing husky and shallowed. “But I’m closer.”

  Laughter burst from Jason. “If you’re so close, stop calling me and collect the treasure by now, for hell’s sake.”