Chapter 11

Jake finished grooming the horse he’d worked with that day and headed to the house. Not taking time for breakfast had his stomach feeling like it was gnawing on his backbone.

But then something was always gnawing inside him these days. Anger, hurt, regret—those seemed to be constants in his life now. He still didn’t understand why Teddy had turned her back on him. She’d tossed him aside like yesterday’s news.

It hurt and he wished it would stop. He’d never known this kind of hurt and he wanted it to go away. It colored his every waking moment and troubled his sleep, and he wasn’t sure he could go on like this indefinitely.

He wished he could just put her out of his mind, stop thinking about her. But he knew that wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t want to hate her or forget her. He wanted her back. Crazy as some might think that was, it was all he wanted.

Just as he exited the barn, he saw the cars pull up. When the first car stopped and Teddy climbed out, it stopped him dead in his tracks. When he saw the man who got out of the second car, he saw red. How dare Manning show up at his home?

He was in motion before he realized it, his fist clenched as tight as his jaw. “Get off my land,” he barked at Manning.

“Jake, no!” Teddy ran up in front of him.

He sidestepped and kept heading toward Manning who had his hands raised. “Please, I don’t mean any harm.”

“Get. The. Hell. Off. My. Land.”

“Jake!” Teddy grabbed his arm.

He shook her off. “No! You’ve got no say in this. No say in a damn thing that I can see, so shut the hell up.”

“Jake please!”

“Jake!” Jed’s voice caused an immediate silence.

Jake turned his head to see Jed marching toward him with Mik and Jesse two steps behind.

“What’s going on here?” Jed asked.

“It’s my fault,” Teddy answered in a rush. “I asked him to come with me.” She looked at Mik. “You were right. I had it all wrong. I know that now. He gave me something of Deidre’s. I know who’s responsible.”

“And he’s here because?” Jesse asked.

“Because he’s just as much a victim as the rest of you,” Teddy said. “Look, I know I haven’t earned the right to be here after what I did, but please, just listen to what we have to say and then I’ll leave if you want. Just please, please hear me out.”

She looked at Jake. “Please.”

Part of him wanted to scoop her into his arms, the way she was standing there looking so pitiful and scared. Another part wanted to rail at her, curse her for the way she treated him and the lack of trust she’d given him and his family.

Mik ended his need to decide by stepping up. “Fine. Let’s all go inside, and we’ll hear what you have to say.”

No one said another word as they fell in line behind Mik when she turned and headed inside. Once they were all seated at the table, Mik looked at Teddy. “Okay, let’s have it.”

Teddy told them everything she’d learned from holding the pendant. “He’s as much a victim as Alex,” she said at last. “And I think we need him to prove that Deidre is not only behind all the things that have happened but that she’s a sociopath and completely insane.

“And,” she added and looked at Mik. “We need Ellie Marsh or her brother.”

“What for?”

“To get through to Alex.”

“What the hell?” Jake blurted.

“They’re different,” Teddy replied. “They’re Fae and they have abilities we don’t have. If they can get through to Alex maybe they can bring her out of the coma. And once she’s back, she can contact Dalton’s father and maybe he can point us to something we can use to bring Deidre down.”

Jake didn’t really want to entertain the suggestion, but he knew it was because he was still hurt and mad at her. “So you want us to get in bed with the Manning’s?”

Teddy looked at him for a long time. “Jake, I know I hurt you and you have every right to be mad at me. To hate me. I know I can’t make you understand. I don’t even understand it myself. I just—I just needed someone to blame for what happened to Alex. Alex and I—well, no offense Mik, but it’s always been me and her. You were always so busy taking care of us and the farm and being the responsible one that Alex and I had to depend on each other. Someone took that away from me and it knocked my world off its axis. I just—I just didn't know how to function.

“I knew somewhere inside that I was wrong, but I couldn’t stop it. I had to be mad, or the grief was going to kill me, so I blamed Jesse.” She looked at Jesse. “I’m so sorry, Jesse. I know you’re not the kind of man who could do that and I will be sorry for the way I acted till my dying breath. I’m begging you to forgive me.”

She looked around at everyone at the table. “All of you. What I did was horrible and if you can’t forgive me, I’ll understand but I beg you to give me another chance.”

With that, she looked at Jake. “Especially you. I love you Jake. And if you’ll give me a second chance I’ll prove that to you.”

Jake could feel her emotions and knew she was speaking true, from the heart, but his anger was still simmering, and he couldn’t let her pain eclipse his own. Not yet. He jumped up and stomped outside.

A few moments later, he heard the door and then footsteps behind him.

“I’m sorry,” Teddy said softly. “And I do love you. If you don’t believe me, then take a look. I’ll never put up walls between us again.”

He turned and looked at her and the moment their eyes met he was hit with the force of her emotions. She’d spoken the truth. There was nothing barring him from feeling everything that was inside her and what was there was damn near overwhelming. It obliterated the last of his anger.

“Teddy, I’d never hurt you. You have to know that. I wasn’t defending Jesse just because he’s my brother but because I know he’d never do anything like that.”

“I know. And I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I’m so sorry, Jake.”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing, honey. We all make mistakes, and we move past them.”

“This was a pretty big one.”

“Yeah, it was a whopper, but it doesn’t stop me loving you and wanting to have a life with you.”

“I’m a sorry wagon to hitch your horse to, Jake. I have nothing. No home, no business and about, let’s see—fifty-three dollars to my name.”

“I don’t give a hoot in hell about any of that. I just want you, Teddy. Marry me. We’ll make it a double wedding. Me and you and Jed and Mik. Or we can elope, or we can plan a big old wedding with all the fancy froufrou you want. Just marry me.”

“Really?” She could hardly believe she was hearing him say the words.

“Seriously? What happened to no walls, honey? You know it’s true.”

She suddenly smiled at him. “There’s nothing I want more, Jake. Nothing. I want to marry you more than anything in the world, but before we can plan on that we have to find a way to wake Alex and put Deidre Manning behind bars where she belongs. For what she did to all of us. She has to pay.”

“Deal. On one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You move in with me—into the lake house. I know we won’t be legally married but I’m already yours Teddy. Let’s make a stand. Right here and right now. You own my heart and I promise I’ll never stray or hurt you or lie to you. And I’ll love you with everything I have as long as there’s breath in my body. Come live with me until we can say our I do’s”

“Well,” she said and smiled. “You know I already said yes to that.”

“Yeah but that was then.”

“And this is now. I can’t believe you’re willing to forgive me so easily, but I am so grateful, and I’ll do anything to make you see that I mean that.”

“Hmmm, well I can think of one way you could show a little appreciation.”

“Yeah? What’d you have in mind, cowboy?”

“Just love me honey.”

“Always.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

Teddy smiled at him. “I was kinda hoping you’d hold me to a whole lot.”

Jake scooped her up and swung her around, hearing her laugh and feeling the happiness that radiated off her. He knew they’d have some hard times ahead and maybe not everything would work out just like they wished, but they’d have the love of family and each other. And with all that love, there had to be hope that in the end, there was such a thing as happily ever after.