Renegade: A Taggart Brothers Novel (24 page)

“Can I help you with something?”

Kari rubbed her hands on her jeans, then stood. “Actually, I came for a couple of reasons.”

When she didn’t immediately continue, Jace said, “Okay.”

“First, I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?” Jace couldn’t think of anything he’d done to deserve Kari’s approval. When he remembered the way he’d lost his temper and nearly broken Phillip’s nose—right there in front of Kari and Lily—he winced.

Kari’s chin tilted and she forcefully stated, “I want to thank you for punching my dad.”

Jace couldn’t help a burst of ironic laughter. Whatever he’d expected her to say,
that
wasn’t it. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Maybe,” Kari said. “But I’m glad you did. It’s what I wanted to do.”

She looked down at her toes, seeming to mull something over in her mind. “Are you busy?” Before he could answer, she hurriedly added, “I mean, I know you’re probably busy, but . . . could I talk to you for a second?”

“Sure.” Jace gestured to the house. “But it’s getting chilly out here. Why don’t you come in where it’s warm.”

Her relief was apparent, making Jace wonder how long
she’d been waiting. With a storm front moving in, the temperatures had dropped about twenty degrees in the last couple of hours.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as he opened the door.

Kari stepped into the hall, glancing suspiciously over her shoulder. “That depends on what you’re offering. I don’t think I could face another casserole.”

Jace chuckled. “How about a hamburger?”

She looked like he’d proposed a filet mignon after a weeklong fast.

“I’d love a hamburger.”

Jace led her through to the kitchen.

“Does your mom know you’re here?”

Kari shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Mind if I let her know?”

“I guess not.”

Removing his phone from his pocket, Jace quickly texted Bronte—realizing that it was the first time he’d done so in several days. When Bronte hadn’t responded to his overtures earlier in the week, he’d told himself that he wouldn’t bug her until she reached out to him. Now, he was relieved to have an excuse.

Kari my place. Wants 2 talk. I’ll make her burger then bring home.

The response was almost immediate.

Thank you! Been worried.

There was no personal addition to her text, but Jace refused to worry about that now. At least the silence between them had been broken.

Shrugging out of his jacket, he hung it and his hat on the hook by the back door. Then he checked the refrigerator.

As usual, there weren’t a lot of choices there, but a package of beef patties had been left on a plate to defrost. He
had buns and condiments galore, lettuce, and most of a tomato. After placing the burgers in a frying pan, he rounded up a bag of chips and grabbed some corn from the freezer.

Sensing that Kari didn’t want to talk about anything serious until the cooking was done, Jace asked her about school and her friends. Since he knew so many people in the valley, he was subtly trying to determine if she was hanging out with a fairly responsible crowd. So far, he could tell that she’d collected a pretty good group.

“If you or your friends would ever like to go riding, let me know. There’s a path heading into the mountains above Elam’s cabin. It’s a fairly easy ride. There’s a clearing toward the top with an artesian spring where you can get an icy-cold drink of pure water and have a picnic lunch. Then, on the way back, there’s a watering hole in the creek where you could cool off. It’s not too deep, but it’s still fun.”

“Really?” Kari’s burger hung in midair. “I know you said I could do that before, but . . . You’d really let us do that?”

“Sure. Why not? We might not have Starbucks and a subway, but there are some great things to do, especially in the summer.”

She set her nearly finished burger down on the plate. “Did my mom tell you that?”

Jace frowned. “Tell me what?”

“About the Starbucks and the subway?”

He shook his head. “I’m not following. I don’t remember your mother saying anything about that.”

Kari pushed her plate away. “My mom wanted to bring us here ever since we were little. But every time she brought up the subject, my dad would say that any place without a Starbucks and a subway wasn’t worth seeing.”

“No. She didn’t tell me that.”

Kari twisted her glass, watching the milk make cloudy designs against the sides. “When we came here, I gave her a hard time. I kept thinking that if Dad didn’t like it . . . why should I?”

Jace knew better than to comment. He merely nodded to show he’d heard.

“I was pretty wrong, huh?”

“I wouldn’t go that far. Everyone gets nervous when they experience something new. I can’t imagine that it was easy to pack up everything and come to Utah. Especially so close to the end of the school year.”

“Yeah. I was pissed.” When she looked up, it was easy for Jace to see the remorse in her eyes. “Why would my dad let that creep do that to my sister?”

Her change of subject was so abrupt that Jace nearly missed its significance. But he took the time to think about his answer carefully. “Your father . . . has a serious drug problem,” he countered instead.

Kari scowled. “It’s pretty obvious, huh? I think my mom tried to shield us as much as she could, but it’s not hard to see what’s going on when you walk in on your dad and he’s stoned. Even the other day, I could see he was starting to tweak. He wouldn’t have made it another twenty minutes without a fix. But that’s not an excuse for what he let happen to Lily. It’s not like he’s stupid. Geez, the minute Lily told him what was going on, he should have done what you did to him. He should have run up to Jeremy and hit him in the face.”

Clearly, Jace wasn’t going to live that event down anytime soon.

“You’re right. He should have done something. Right then. Right there.” Jace proceeded as carefully as he could. “Your father loves you both—”

“He loves his drugs more!” Kari interrupted forcefully.

Jace dipped his head, conceding to her point. “But that doesn’t mean he can’t change.”

“Get clean, you mean.”

“That would be a start.” He sighed. “I’m not an expert on any of this. I know that addiction is incredibly complicated—and there are no easy answers on how to overcome it. I wouldn’t presume to tell you how you should think or feel about the way your dad has . . . let you down.”

Kari’s eyes grew bright with unshed tears.

Jace leaned forward to rest his weight on his forearms.
“But there is something that maybe I can speak about with some certainty. And that’s what it means to be a man.”

She blinked up at him and somewhere, deep inside of her, he could see the scared girl hidden behind her teenage bravado.

“A man takes care of his loved ones. He doesn’t hurt women and he doesn’t hurt children. He fights like hell to keep them safe and if something or someone threatens their well-being, he does everything he can to protect them. If he somehow screws up, a real man admits his mistake and makes things right.”

As much as he hated to even speak of the prick, Jace forced himself to say, “Maybe one day, your dad will find a way to get clean and get better.”

“And man up?”

“Yeah,” Jace said softly. “I think you deserve that much, don’t you?”

She nodded, a tear plunging down her cheek.

“Just don’t judge every male you meet too harshly, okay? Some of us are trying our best to be among the good guys. If you’ve got a boy that needs vetting, my brothers and I would be happy to stand in as your welcoming committee.”

She offered him a laugh that was half sob.

“Thanks, Jace.”

He gestured to her plate. “Still hungry?”

“No. I think I’d like to go home now, if that’s okay.”

“Sure. I’ll take you back in the truck. It’s getting too cold out there for a walk.”

He started to stand, but she stopped him with, “Before we go, there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about.”

He relaxed into his chair again. “Okay, shoot.”

“I kinda gave you a hard time when you and my mom . . . when . . .” She took a deep gulp of air, then hurried on, “I want you to know I don’t mind anymore.” She briefly met his gaze. “I figure anyone who would stand up for my sister like that can’t be that bad of a guy to have around the house.”

Jace felt his cheeks flush. “Well, I . . . uh . . .” He cleared his throat. “I appreciate that.”

“Anyway, I think you should start coming by,” she said softly. So softly, that Jace nearly missed the words. “I think my mom needs you right now. P.D. and Helen have been great, and my grandma is so cool, but . . .” Kari lifted her shoulders and released them again. “I think she needs you. Maybe when you drop me off, you could . . . talk to her?”

“I don’t know if—”

“Lily won’t know. She’s in bed by eight and she sleeps like a log. Annie goes to sleep about the same time. Promise me you’ll think about it?”

Sighing, Jace reluctantly offered, “I’ll think about it.”

But he couldn’t deny the way his heart started beating harder in his chest.

*   *   *

BRONTE
gently closed the door to Lily’s room, sighing softly. Following the advice of Lily’s doctors and therapists, Bronte hadn’t tried to force her daughter to talk about the incident in Jeremy Montero’s office. Instead, she’d concentrated on giving Lily love and acceptance and comfort. But she knew her daughter was hurting, knew she was confused. More than anything, Bronte wished that there was a way to help her daughter. If there were a magical incantation she could offer, Bronte would willingly bear Lily’s pain herself.

Unfortunately, there were no easy fixes to what had occurred. Bronte could only weather her own guilt at not realizing earlier why her daughter’s personality had taken such a sudden shift—then at the way she’d reassured her over and over again that Lily would still be able to see her father on a regular basis.

Sweet heaven, if she’d only known. If she’d left Phillip years ago, if she’d recognized the depth of Lily’s depression faster, if she’d contacted a doctor earlier . . .

If . . . if . . .
if . . .

She found it a sad irony that her daughter’s first real deep breath had come after Bronte had carefully relayed the news that Phillip was in custody and would be doing some jail time over the next few years. Besides the reckless driving
charge he’d received from the local authorities, it hadn’t taken long for them to discover that he also had an outstanding bench warrant for his arrest from Boston. Her ex-husband’s lifestyle was catching up to him, with charges of fraud, embezzlement, and theft. Although Bronte had witnessed his downhill slide for years, she still had a hard time reconciling the vibrant, successful man she’d married with the gaunt mug shot she found buried in one of the rear pages of a Salt Lake City newspaper.

Jeremy Montero had fared even worse. The investigation was still in its early stage, but it was clear that Lily wasn’t his only victim. Police had raided the clinic, uncovering evidence of a child pornography ring . . . and worse.

The thought of what could have happened gave Bronte nightmares. But she did her best to paint a positive smile on her face, knowing that this was one challenge she could not fail. She would find a way to help her daughter—both of her daughters—get past Phillip’s betrayal.

The phone in her pocket chirped, causing her to jump. Glancing at the screen, she saw a text from Jace.

Jace.

The sight of his name on a text filled her with more longing than it should, but she forced herself to push the sensation aside. She already had more than she could handle on her plate. She couldn’t afford to indulge in romance.

Nevertheless, she punched the icon for the text.

On our way back.

She stared at the words for a long time, wondering what had possessed Kari to even go to the Taggarts’ ranch.

Unable to help herself, Bronte typed a response.

Thanks.

But he wasn’t finished.

Could we talk tonight?

Talk. She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to think. She wanted . . .

Sighing, Bronte realized that she wasn’t sure anymore
what
she wanted. She only knew that she couldn’t handle one more thing.

Her thumb hovered over the
N
, but then, as if unable to control her own digits, she typed instead:

Give me an hour.

Only a few minutes passed before she heard the rumble of Jace’s pickup. Bronte stood at the top of the steps, wondering if he would try to see her now—hoping he would, fearing he would. But when the door opened, only Kari walked through.

When she saw Bronte on the steps, she offered her a quick, shy smile—one that Bronte hadn’t seen in years.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, there.”

“Sorry I didn’t text to let you know where I was.”

Bronte was beginning to wonder if she’d stepped into the
Twilight Zone.
“That’s okay. Jace sent me a message.”

“Yeah, I know. He made me a burger, too. It was really good.” Kari bounced up the stairs as if she didn’t have a care in the world. When she would have passed Bronte, she paused, then leaned forward to kiss her mother on the cheek.

“He’s a good guy, you know. I told him he needed to come to the house more.”

Huh?

“Everybody else in bed?” Kari asked, continuing her climb.

“Yes. Your . . . uh . . .” Bronte was having a hard time thinking coherently. “Your grandmother turned in early and Lily fell asleep watching television.”

“I’ll be quiet so I don’t wake her up. I’m going to go to bed, too. I have a history test tomorrow.” Kari paused at the door to her room. “You should call Jace and have him keep you company. I told him to come over, but he said he’d leave it up to you.”

“I, uh . . .”

“Night, Mom.”

With that, Kari disappeared into her bedroom, leaving Bronte completely rattled.

What on earth had Jace said to Kari to bring about
this
transformation?

Weary, she crossed into her own room. If Jace were coming, she needed to shower, change her clothes . . .