Page 48 of Jonathan

“He was going to rape her.”

“She is a very brave young woman. I understand, she fought him off.”

His breath hitched, and he felt the emotions coming to the fore again. Battling them down, he forced himself to continue eating. “It’s my fault.”

“Darling…”

He shook his head, “He did all of it, kidnapped her, assaulted her and then tried to kill her, but I should not have left her at the cabin.”

“You could not have known.” Leonie leaned forward and stared at him earnestly. “We have never had anything like this happen before…”

“She came here for peace and quiet.” Picking up the glass of scotch, he swallowed too quickly and almost choked. “And was almost killed. By a goddamned ranch hand that I hired.” His hands clenched into fists. “She’s going to blame me.”

“How can she?”

Shoving out of the chair, he strode towards the hearth where a cheerful fire was burning in earnest. Everything will be back to normal tomorrow.

He had no doubt that his men had already cleaned up the mess the bastard had made, and Jack was back home recuperating. But in his heart and mind, things were still unsettled. His woman was lying in a hospital bed with a hole in her flesh, her flawless skin was going to be scarred, and he could not stand it.

Her face was still bruised where the bastard had put hands on her and he wanted to kill the son of a bitch – but that had been taken away from him. He was not her hero; he had not saved her. And had almost been too late. He felt raw and infuriated.

“Jon?”

Shaking himself from the murderous thoughts filtering through his mind, he tossed down the rest of the drink and slammed the glass down on the marble.

“I’m sorry Mother, but I just need to be alone right now. I have to be back at the hospital first thing in the morning and there are things I need to take care of.” He started to leave the room and then turned back to smile at her. “Thanks for waiting up and for the meal.”

With that, he was gone.

Leonie carefully removed the tray with the half-eaten meal and tried to still her shaking hands. She was also trying her best not to blame the girl who had put that look of anguish and pain on her son’s face.

It was unfair, considering that the woman had just been shot and could have lost her life. But she was a mother and hated to see her son hurt.

He was in love with her. All the way. Leonie had never seen him like this before. It was worse than before. Back then, he had been able to shake off the hurt and betrayal and get right back into the fray of things.

After several weeks, he had been like himself again. This time, she feared for him. If that young woman decided that she was leaving, if she decided that here was not where she belonged,Leonie knew instinctively that her son would not weather that particular storm. It would destroy him.

The unease that gripped Leonie was deepening. She couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom, the sense that something irrevocable was on the horizon.

She mechanically put away the tray, her mind racing with thoughts of Jon and the woman who had come to mean so much to him. She had seen the way he looked at her, the gentleness in his eyes that had never been there before.

As she finished cleaning up, Leonie wandered into the living room, her gaze falling on the photograph of Jon as a young boy, proudly holding up his first catch from a fishing trip.

She smiled wistfully, remembering the boy who had grown into the strong, determined man she saw today. Yet, beneath that strength lay a vulnerability that only someone who truly loved him could see.

The clock ticked on, the silence of the house enveloping her like a shroud. Leonie knew she needed to talk to the young woman, to make her understand the depth of Jon's feelings and the consequences of her decisions. But she also knew that she had to tread carefully, for one wrong word could push her away forever.

Picking up a framed photo of father and son, she passed a finger over the protective glass, holding the ornate frame carefully in both hands. It had been taken on their fishing boat. Her husband had decided that it was time to introduce their son to the world of the sea and beneath the surface.

James had been an active outdoors man and wanted that for Jon as well. They had gone scuba diving, fishing, deep sea diving, sporting events that had the hairs standing on the back of her neck.

Lowering herself on the sofa, her son had previously occupied, she felt the unbidden tears at the back of her eyes. She missed him every single day of the week. The scent, his deep, rolling laughter, the steadiness of his gray eyes and the way he used to hold her when they sleep.

She had loved him since the first day she saw him and loved him even now. He had been her first and would very likely be her only.

She had had men approaching her with the intention of starting something up – men who had been friends with her husband, business associates and men who she met during her travels, but something had held her back from going all the way.

She had allowed a few of them some liberties. One had come close to getting her into bed, but at the last minute, she realized that she could not go through with it. Besides that, she had to be careful.

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