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moved closer to the window. You drive straight out of here, cross my county line and don t look back, and
I ll pretend I never saw you.
Paulie nodded. Deal. Stay safe, Nicki baby. Tony s not going to stop looking for you, you know.
You really pissed him off.
Thanks, guys. You stay safe too.
There were a few minutes of flying mud and spinning tires during which Jack feared they d all have
to go out and give the two idiots a push. Finally the rent-a-car fishtailed its way back onto the path and
down the road.
Jack slid down the wall and sank gratefully onto the floor next to Nicki. It s over, darlin .
44 www.samhainpublishing.com
Jack
No it s not, Jack. They re right. He ll never stop looking for me. I ll be on the run for the rest of my
life. I ll have to leave here& Her voice broke.
Matt lit the kerosene lamp and the room came into view again.
I don t think he s going to have time to bother with you, Nicki. I think he ll be a little busy soon. He
grinned wide.
Jack slid his weapon back into its holster. That left his hand free to grab Nicki s. We took care of
him, Nick. Rather, Matt did. Either way, he s likely going to be locked up for a very long time.
Really? He could almost see the weight lift from her shoulders.
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. Really. Let s go home.
www.samhainpublishing.com 45
Chapter Seven
The sun hadn t been up for more than an hour, but Jack was already slumped at the kitchen table, both
hands wrapped around a now cold cup of coffee.
I have to say, this is a pretty pitiful sight.
He looked up and saw Trey standing in the kitchen doorway, looking far too chipper for Jack s taste.
Don t start with me, Trey.
You re really going to let her fly back to New York and never see her again?
That s not how we left it. We agreed we d stay in touch. Jack glanced at the clock on the stove. By
now, Nicki s plane had already taken off. His chest tightened as he pictured her speeding farther away from
him with every passing minute.
So much of yesterday had been spent recovering from the events of the night before that he felt like
they d barely had any time together. Nicki had immediately gotten in touch with her father to tell him she
was all right. The man had high blood pressure and she was afraid the stress of the last few weeks had
taken a toll on his health. She wanted to see for herself he was okay, and let him see she was fine too, so
she d found a direct flight to New York that left at oh-six-hundred this morning.
Jack had offered to get up early and drive her to the airport, but she d insisted she could take a cab. It
was probably better this way. Get the goodbyes over with in private.
Jack rubbed at the strange pain that had been in his chest since the night before.
Trey watched him closely. What s wrong with your chest?
Heartburn or something. He pushed the mug away. It s probably the coffee.
Your mother s coffee is as good as her pie, so I doubt it. Trey pulled out a chair and straddled it
backward, a stupid-looking grin on his face. What color are Nicki s eyes?
Jack frowned. What the hell kind of question is that?
Just answer it.
Deep blue, like the color of the ocean when you see it from really high up in a plane. Why?
Ha! I knew you d know. Trey broke out into a broad smile. You love her.
Jack rolled his eyes. Just because I know what color her eyes are doesn t mean I m in love with her.
Does your heartburn hurt worse every time you think about her leaving?
Jack rubbed his chest again, wondering why his discomfort was making Trey so happy. Yeah, but so
what? It s a coincidence.
Jack
Trey shook his head. You once told me I was either too stupid or too stubborn to realize I was in love
with Carly. Which one are you, Jack? Are you too stupid or too stubborn to admit you have feelings for
Nicki?
Jack s breath caught in his throat as the truth of his own words being turned back on him hit hard. He
buried his face in both hands. Both, I guess. But how is this going to work? She s a New York City girl.
She s not going to move down here to Pigeon Hollow and continue to shovel manure for my brother now
that she s not in hiding anymore.
Trey raised a brow. Go after her, Jack. Hop on a transport. You ll be there before nightfall. I m
betting after all that s happened recently, she s had enough of New York.
Who s had enough of New York? Jared wandered in the back door and joined the conversation
uninvited. He walked over to pour himself a cup of coffee.
Nicki. She flew back home to New York this morning to be with her father, Trey answered for him.
Jared took a sip and shook his head. No, she didn t. She s outside in the yard right now.
Jack sat up straight at that information. Had Nicki missed her flight? As horrible as it seemed to be
happy she d missed it, he was still glad she had. All he cared about now was making sure she didn t leave.
Before Jared or Trey could say another word, he jumped from his chair and was out the door.
Nicki leaned against the rail of the fence, watching the mare with her colt and feeling totally at ease
for the first time in a month. She d probably never been safer than at this very moment. There were still
two mysterious black-clad, military-type friends of Jack and Jimmy s on the property. Not to mention the
fact that Jared and his barn hands had proven they could also be armed and ready for anything.
Her father had called on the phone extension in the barn late last night. Tony was all over the New
York news. He d been arrested for tax evasion and racketeering. All his files and computers had been
seized. They d denied his request for bail. Tony had a heap of trouble to deal with now. Hopefully he d be
much too busy to remember her.
Even so, her father had said he d feel safer with her out of New York for a little longer, so she d
happily agreed to remain where she was. Staying on the farm was no hardship. She d come to really love it
here. Not to mention it s where Jack was.
What a difference a day made. She sighed. Now if only Jack would get out of bed so she could
surprise him. He thought she d flown back to New York.
As usual, she didn t hear Jack until he was right behind her. She smiled as he slipped his arms around
her and nuzzled her neck. She tilted her head to one side and let him kiss from her ear to her collarbone.
Groaning in pleasure, she finally managed to say, Your family s going to see us if you re not
careful. Not that she really wanted him to stop.
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Cat Johnson
I don t care. He spun her around, and she saw how serious his face had suddenly become. I m
trying to convince you not to go back to New York. To stay here and be nearer to me.
She opened her mouth to tell him she wasn t going back. In fact, her father was talking about selling
his farm in New York and retiring down here, but Jack put one finger on her lips to silence her.
Nicki, I can t promise you it will be perfect. I m away a lot, but I ll be with you every second I can if
you ll let me.
She waited, and since he seemed to be done, she finally got to tell him what she d been dying to.
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