Page 5 of The Convict Gets His Girl

"It's just a lingering infection from a tick I picked up at work," Jewel said softly, holding her teenager close. "I'll be fine. It's just taking longer than expected to find solutions that will reverse the damage."

"That's why you've been seeing the specialist in Dallas?" she asked hesitantly. Jewel's lips pursed as she nodded. Her cousin must've spilled that information in the past few months. If Jewel got caught in the city and couldn't get home, she had her cousin and his wife on standby to get Destini after school.

"Let me run you a bath," Destini said, pulling away. "It always makes you feel better."

Jewel grabbed Destini's hand, making her stop. She stared up at her beautiful, vivacious daughter who looked so much like her father.

Jewel's eyes teared up again, and she smiled. "I'm excited about your summer camp, Nini. I'm proud of you."

Destini's hazel eyes softened, and she patted Jewel's hand. "Thanks, Mom. I'm really excited. Want me to make your mushroom hot chocolate too?"

Jewel nodded and leaned back against the couch. "Yeah, that'd be great. I'll just stay in for an hour, then we can watch a movie together?"

Destini brightened. "And order pizza?"

Jewel grinned. "Sure." But Destini was already pumping her hand in the air, screaming yes as she took the stairs two at a time to start the bath.

While she soaked, Jewel called her other cousin in Crimson Creek to ask her if her boss truly could fire her or keep her restricted to the offices because of insurance. As a lawyer, Goldie would look into it and get back to her.

Then she'd called Gemma and spilled everything. Gemma had listened, then quietly said, "You know the solution is to finally move up here, right? We won't cancel your fucking insurance or keep you from doing your job. Lyme doesn't work like that. You'd think a clinic as big as that one would know that."

Jewel had snorted and relaxed, ending the call and sipping her drink as she contemplated what to do. Summer was going to start in a week, then Destini would have that camp. She only got excited these days about NASA and science. It wasn't healthy to have such a singular obsession, surely.

Moving to Crimson Creek would mean leaving behind the prestige of her current position, but wasn't her health worth more than any title? And Destini, vibrant and ambitious—perhaps a new environment could bring them closer, repair the fractures that had begun to split their bond, since Jewel had been trying to get her to stop stressing about NASA and go enjoy life.

Destini had turned her down on so many outings this past year, choosing to stay inside and study instead of going to the mall or the botanical gardens, one of their favorite places to relax.

Not for the first time, her mind wandered to the conversation last fall that had started this wall between the two of them. Destini had wanted to go to a dance, but the chaperones were all the dads. She'd asked again about her father, and Jewel had admitted that her dad was a good man but didn't know about her. Destini had gotten mad, raging at her for keeping them apart.

It wasn't the first time one of them had slammed the bedroom door, and it wouldn't be the last.

She finished her drink and let out a long, determined exhale. The decision seemed to crystalize with the cooling of the bathwater, and as she pulled the plug, watching the soapy whirlpool swirl down the drain, Jewel felt a sense of resolve.

If they moved to Crimson Creek, Destini would have a chance to know her father… and Jewel would have the chance to find out which of the two Williams' brothers actually gave her daughter her brilliant mind and beautiful eyes.

Jewel rose from the bath, wrapping herself in a towel, her spirit not as frayed as before. She was determined to talk to Destini about moving tonight, before she lost her nerve. Crimson Creek wasn't just a destination; it was a beacon of hope, a chance to heal and rebuild.

ChapterThree

Summer

As Chase dismounted the horse, his muscles ached from the ride from the hunting cabin. It had been almost a year since he was released from prison, but returning to his childhood home every other day still brought a sense of unease. The memories of his past mistakes weighed heavily on him as the sun set over the familiar horizon.

He'd worked his ass off in prison to get his degree, obsessively learning everything he could about accounting, stocks, investments, and computers. He'd done in-depth book studies for years before he'd transferred to a low-security facility that allowed him to pursue his accounting degree.

Yet here he was, just another ranch hand, according to his parents. He'd had such hopes and dreams as a teenager, before the accident when his life had gone to shit.

He led Gladys to the barn to brush her down. At least Hunter trusted him enough to give him some responsibility. A stab of guilt made his stomach clench because honestly, Huntershouldn'ttrust him. Not after what he'd done the summer before he'd gone to prison, and again that Thanksgiving and Christmas. The past few months had slowly confirmed that suspicion, and it was eating him alive inside.

Jewel's steps echoed in the barn as she made her way to the first stall, her voice a gentle melody as she cooed to the foal inside. The sweet scent of hay and manure permeated the air. He leaned against the wall of an empty stall in the middle of the row, waiting and watching her with bated breath.

When she stepped up to the stall and peered inside to look for the foal he'd moved earlier, he grinned and said, "Fancy meeting you here."

Her gasp echoed in the dim light, her eyes growing wider. It was approaching midnight, and she had dropped by earlier with her older sister Gemma and their dad, Henry. Gemma was completing her veterinarian observation hours under Henry's supervision. Jewel most likely joined to observe the process, as she had just finished her first semester of vet school.

Only Jewel had opted to go down to College Station's A&M campus instead of the much closer UT Denton like Gemma. Now she was home for a week on Christmas break, and he was desperate to talk with her.

"I don't want to talk to you," she whispered furiously, her eyebrows turning down in a scowl as she walked off.

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