Page 66 of A Convenient Heart
One of the deputies put his hand on Morris when the man would’ve lunged for Jack.
“I can verify Mr. Easton’s story,” Danna said. “With witnesses, your boss would’ve known his accusation of cheating wouldn’t hold water with a judge.”
So he’d sent this hired muscle.
Merritt shivered again, and Jack’s eyes skittered to her and then away. He shrugged out of his coat and held it out in front of him as if he needed her permission to give it to her.
As if they were strangers.
She looked at him, emotion overflowing in her eyes, and then turned to offer him her back.
There was only a beat of hesitation before he put it over her shoulders.
His familiar warmth and scent enveloped her, and she sent a prayer winging heavenward.Please let Jack have come back to stay.
Danna continued. “Seems like you’ve assaulted and made threats against Mr. Easton, one of the esteemed residents of my town.”
Merritt felt Jack go still at those words.
Danna had claimed him as a resident of Calvin.
“It’s time for you to leave,” Danna said evenly. “Don’t ever come back.”
* * *
Jack stood on the boardwalk with the woman he loved beside him, cold air cutting through his shirt. They remained side by side and watched Danna and her men escort Morris away.
…one of the esteemed residents of my town.
A curious numbness had stolen over him at her words.
Now, Merritt’s hand slipped into his, the warmth of her palm welcome as she linked their fingers together.
And everything rushed back. He felt all of it. The overwhelming relief that Morris hadn’t hurt her. That Jack had arrived in time. That Nick had been present and that Danna had come…
“How’d you get inside?” Merritt asked quietly.
He could hear the echo of muffled voices inside, knew that she must need to return to the dance hall. People were waiting on her.
But he couldn’t make himself let go of her hand so she could walk back inside.
“I met up with your cousin on my way into town.”
“Which one?”
“Nick. We were heading for the dance hall when we saw Morris burst inside. Nick knew about the window, and I didn’t particularly want to get shot.”
She tipped her head to the side, and he could only let himself glance at her for a beat. There was too much pain and joy wrapped up in this moment, and nothing was resolved between them.
“The second-story window,” she said.
“That’s the one. The kids were up there—it took two of the boys to pry it open. Once I made it through the window, they told me you’d sent them.”
“Surely you didn’t scale the side of a building.”
He chuckled a little. “It’s been years since I’ve climbed a tree, so no. But Nick has his horse trained incredibly well. He put the horse up on the boardwalk, and from the saddle, Nick was able to boost me to the windowsill.”
There’d been a terrifying moment when Jack had been hanging by his fingertips from the sill as Nick’s horse clomped out from underneath him. He’d been afraid he wouldn’t have the strength to pull himself up into the window, but he’d heard a scream from inside, and the next thing he knew, his shoulders were in the window, and Paul was gripping the back of his trousers to pull him all the way inside.
