Page 72 of Caught By A Cowboy

“Yeah,” Jace pipes up, and when I spot another nervous glance that he makes toward Jamie, I quickly take his arm and drag him into the kitchen.

“You promised me that you had nothing to do with Billy going missing.” I let him see how mad the thought of him lying makes me.

“And I didn’t.”

“Then why in the hell are you and your…whoever he is, looking so worried?” His face drops and he looks away from me.

“Look me in the eyes, Jace Sullivan, if you're about to lie to me. Be a man and look me in the eye while you do it.”

“I ain’t gonna lie to ya,” he assures me, taking my hips in his hands and holding me in front of him.

“I hadnothingto do with it but I do know that no one’s gonna find Billy alive. He’s dead.”

I slam my hand over my mouth in shock.

“Don't go getting yourself worked up over it, like I said it wasn’t me, and Jamie gives me his word that it wasn’t him either. I believe him. The trouble is–”

“The trouble is what?” I stare back at him fiercely.

“Hedidhave a hand in cleaning up the aftermath,” he admits, scratching at his stubble and looking uneasy.

“Why? If he had nothing to do with it, why get involved,” I question him, none of this makes sense.

“Because it was Eli who found him, and you know how he gets, he was panicking. He was sure he was the last person Billy spoke to and when he’d called him earlier that day, he’d said he knew something about my mom. Eli went to the house to find out what that something was, Billy was dead. Then he came here and–”

“He came here!?” Now, I’m the one panicking.

“Baby, calm down. It was the day your parents came to town. I told him I couldn’t help and suggested he try Jamie or Sawyer. They’re the ones who know people.”

“People? People who what? Hide bodies?” I snap and when I feel a sharp kick to my ribs, I grab the kitchen counter to steady myself.

“Mads, are you alright?” His hands move up to cradle my bump and I give him a reassuring nod when I see how concerned he looks.

“I’m fine, it’s just a kick, and these days they can really hurt.” I straighten myself back up because we are not dropping this subject.

“He can sense you getting wound up,” he warns me and when the look I give him tells him to quit it, he holds up his hands in defense.

“Look, these people know what they're doing. We call ‘em cleaners, and they do their job. We don’t know who killed Billy but we do know that whoever it was, was trying to hide something about my mom. Why else would they have killed him?”

“Something like the fact she was lying about who your father was? Jace, can you really trust your uncle? What if he killedBilly?” I don’t want to say it, I don’t even want to think it but I can’t come up with a better motive.

“Nah, he swore it wasn’t him, and he’s got no reason to lie to me. Besides, if he wanted him dead, it would have been me who he asked to kill him.”

I look up at the father of my child and wonder how the hell this has become my life. I’ve known for a while now that Jace is no average guy, but sometimes, on days like this, reality really takes the wheel.

“Don’t look at me like that, please. You asked me to be honest with you, always. This is me doing that. You have to understand that there are gonna be times when you won’t like what you hear.” He looks at me sadly, and I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him because he’s right.

“I’m sorry, I just?—”

“I need you not to worry about this, not now, when you should be relaxed and taking things steady. Hale can launch whatever investigation she wants, she has nothing on me.” He tugs me in close and wraps me in his arms.

“Just promise you won’t leave us,” I whisper, I can’t stand to think about him being in jail.

“Never.” He kisses me softly.

JACE

SIX WEEKS LATER

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