Free On Deadly Ground by Lauren Nichols Page B

be with both of us, and it would tear her apart.”
    Jenna stirred cream and sugar into her coffee. “They lived here for a lot of years. What if they hear it from someone they still keep in touch with? This
is
the era of texting, emails and instant messaging.”
    Rachel sighed. “I guess I’ll deal with that if it happens.”
    Her dad’s job had taken her parents back to historic Williamsburg following her wedding, and Rachel’s Southern belle mom had loved returning to her roots on the James River where so much history had been made. Then two months ago, her dad had suffered a slight stroke, and Rachel had hurried to Virginia. Toward theend of her two-week visit, she’d convinced her mom to surrender her dad’s care to her aunt Chelsea for a few hours, and they’d toured an old plantation. Her mom had insisted that she’d had fun, soaking up tales of traveling tinkers and spoon-stealing union officers. But Rachel knew she’d worried constantly. The last thing she wanted to do was add to her worries.
    Reluctantly, she met Jenna’s eyes. They were the same lovely blue as the figure-skimming V-neck rib-knit top she wore with matching slacks and a tiny pearl timepiece dangling from long, thin chains. Rachel couldn’t recall a night or day when her friend didn’t look as if she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine. “I have a favor to ask.”
    “Anything. If I have it, it’s yours.”
    “I need to borrow something to wear so I can shop for my own. I think the only clothes I salvaged are sweats.”
    Jenna smiled. “My closet is your closet.” Then she asked the blessing, and Rachel added to it.
    “Thank you for giving me good friends and neighbors, Lord. Bless them, especially Jenna who’s given me a home, the firemen who worked so tirelessly … and my friend Jake who always seems to know exactly what to say and do.” She smiled at Jenna. “Amen. Now pass those wonderful scones. I’m starving.”
    At four-fifteen, Jake pulled into the Blackberry Hill Bed and Breakfast, shut off his truck and grabbed the bag beside him on the seat. A few moments later, he was standing in the foyer and handing it to Jenna. “She’s not here?”
    Jenna shook her head. “She needed to do someshopping—and she wanted to drive down to the campground to see where she stood. I offered to go along, but she wanted to do it herself.”
    He got that. The best way to handle lousy news was to face it head-on. Despite her tears last night, she had the strength to do that. “Okay, I’ll catch up with her later. I just wanted to drop those off. They’re probably the wrong size, but maybe they’ll work anyway. The salesclerk said they’d be comfortable.” He paused. “Just tell her I—”
    A car pulled in outside, and he turned to glance through the screen door. “Never mind,” he said, glad to see her red Explorer. “I’ll tell her myself.”
    Blue eyes twinkling, Jenna returned the bag, opened the door and saw him out. “Take your time.”
    Jake wasn’t sure what all that twinkling was about and he didn’t ask. He concentrated on Rachel—concentrated on keeping his head straight and their friendship just that. Risking her life to save her wedding portrait from the flames had sent an indelible message. In some ways she would always be David Patterson’s wife—and they were ways that counted to a man.
    “Hi,” she called as she left the car loaded down with packages of her own. It was cool today, but sunlight shot her thick sable shag with highlights. “What brings you to my foster home?”
    “Your feet.” He was surprised to see her sounding and acting so calm. She looked pretty in the outfit she wore—olive-green cotton slacks and a white sweater with a scooped neckline trimmed in olive-green. He nodded at her new neon-white sneakers as she ascended the steps. “But it looks like you won’t need these after all.”
    With a curious tilt of her head, she accepted the bag he offered. She smiled when she