She Can Run by Leigh Melinda

Author:Leigh, Melinda [Leigh, Melinda]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Published: 2011-11-28T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

“It’ll be fun.” Jack rose from the table, crossed the sunny kitchen, and emptied the coffee pot into his mug. It was only his second cup this morning, so Beth must have consumed three-quarters of the pot already. He glanced at the digital clock on the microwave’s black keypad. Seven a.m. She’d already fed the horses. His glanced at the kitchen sink. No sign she’d fed herself. No surprise.

Beth pressed the fingertips of one hand to her forehead and rubbed them in a circle. Again. “It’s not that I don’t think it’ll be fun. But they’re your family. I don’t want to intrude.”

“Headache?”

Beth’s hand froze. “Just a little. It’s OK.”

Jack didn’t comment. She was the world’s worst liar. If her skin got any paler or the circles under her eyes any darker, she’d be able to pass for a vampire. She’d been working on the bookkeeping late every night and rising early to care for the horses. Pushing herself was taking its toll, especially since it had only been five days since she’d fallen. Pain shadowed her face, and she’d lost weight from a frame that couldn’t spare an ounce.

Although Jack had framed his invitation to Quinn’s house as a social affair, in truth he wanted his cousin to check on Beth’s recovery. Nothing short of duct tape and chloroform would get her back to the hospital, but someone needed to take a look at her, if only for Jack’s peace of mind. She ignored his suggestions to slow down and rest. “It’s only a barbecue. It’d be good for Ben and Katie to be with other kids.”

“I don’t know, Jack.” Beth bit her lower lip, a gesture he tried like hell not to find sexy. Not working, despite her battered state.

“Come on, Beth.” He persisted, counting on the fact that she was too tired to argue with him. “They don’t bite. Well, not anymore. Mark went through a biting stage when he was little. He mostly bit Steven, though, who deserved it. So, I’m not sure it counts. Besides, the kids deserve to have some fun, don’t they?”

After Ben’s revelation at the hospital, Jack understood why she was reluctant to take the children out in public, but they’d be safe at his cousin’s house. Of course, he couldn’t use that argument, because he wasn’t supposed to know they were in danger.

Tangled webs and all the shit that went along with them were giving him a headache.

As he expected, she relented. Jack felt a twinge of guilt, which he shook off. He was doing the right thing. So why did he feel like such a prick?

That afternoon, Jack turned the SUV into the long driveway of Quinn’s yellow and white farmhouse. A mix of clover, grass, and weeds flanked the gravel on both sides. Parking behind Quinn’s minivan, he went to the rear of the vehicle to release Henry while Beth and the kids climbed out. Ben handed him the cane that he’d stowed in the back seat. Baskets and pots of bright flowers hung on the porch.

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