Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

The second Jen’s feet hit dry land, the surrounding crowd broke out in more raucous applause, the people of Brandywood hooting and hollering. Dan approached with blankets for them, and Jen looked away from Jason’s shoulder toward the bank of the lake. One member of the camera crew was still on shore, his camera trained on them. Her eyes flitted to the big screens. She and Jason were in focus on them.

They’d captured that on camera?

She glanced at the microphone still strapped to her sweater. It was live!

Oh my God. When she had talked to Peter and explained why she wouldn’t get on the boat at the last minute, she’d never expected this. She hadn’t even known if Jason would show up. Then she’d seen him wading into that lake . . . she gave him a sidelong glance. What type of crazy person jumped into a mountain lake at the end of December?

She shook with cold, her jeans freezing her. Thank goodness she’d followed Jason’s lead and taken her shoes off.

Dan wrapped the blankets around them both, and the view from Peter’s boat split the screen. Peter’s face came into view. “Well, folks!” Peter said a big grin on his face. His voice boomed from the speakers set up near the screens. “I don’t think I could have made this more exciting if I tried. Nothing like a little trouble in paradise to bring that drama, huh, folks? As for the winners of the Brandywood Baking Competition sponsored by This Charmed Life and Happy Home Channel , I think these two lovebirds have already won, don’t you agree? But sadly, Miss Jen Klein came to me earlier this afternoon and requested to withdraw from the competition.”

A collective murmur of shock and disapproval broke out from the crowd. Someone near them booed loudly, and a quick glance revealed Millie Price standing with her group of girlfriends, hands cupped around her mouth. Jen’s face warmed.

The camera panned over their stunned expressions for a few more seconds, then cut back to Peter’s show on the boat. “Why did you withdraw?” Jason asked in a low tone, his teeth chattering.

“One of us had to be on the boat to win,” Jen explained, still aware her voice was being picked up by the mic. “When I couldn’t get in touch with you to tell you not to worry about coming out here, I realized I’d rather risk the prize money than ever make you think I’d ask something like that of you.”

The screen showed Peter beaming at the camera. “And that’s among the many reasons Jen Klein deserves to win this show—because let’s be honest, folks, she carried that team with baking.”

The crowd laughed.

Peter lifted his hands to ask for silence and then said, “So I’ve decided to reject her forfeit. And I have it on good authority that if you want any of the delicious treats she made for the show, you’ll have to go no farther than Main Street in Brandywood because she’s opening her own bakery next year! Jen, when do you start taking orders?”

Jen stared at the screen, blinking with shock.

She’d won.

$25,000.

. . . and . . . what?

“We’ll keep you up to date, Peter,” Jason said smoothly, answering the question for her.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of the baking competition . . . Jen and Jason!” Peter’s voice rang out.

Jen covered her mouth. As the crowd cheered and music played, Jen turned to Jason, who shivered beside her, his arms still tight around her waist. “I won?” Her voice shook. “Oh my God, I’m freezing. I can’t feel my legs.”

Jason kissed her once again, and the cheers grew louder.

This all felt so surreal. Like someone else’s life.

But she’d earned the prize, hadn’t she?

And Peter had just told everyone about her bakery.

Jen pulled away from Jason, setting her cheek on his chest, her excitement making her want to jump, but the cold she felt made her knees wobble. Despite the cold, Jason held her steadily.

Jason was here. He’d come down here anyway and jumped like a crazy man into that lake, even though he was afraid of water.

That spoke volumes. As the show on Peter’s boat continued, the camera guy came over and put his camera down. “Here, I can take the mic off you now.” He looked sheepish. “I’ll have to put it back on you later when we interview you. Just meet us back here at seven.”

He reached into the blanket, then lifted the back of her sweater and pulled the battery pack off, then unclipped the cord. He gave them a nod, then left them there.

Jason pulled her closer. “Thank God I didn’t say anything about what I’m going to do to you as soon as I get you alone,” he teased. “Though it might be a while. My balls have retreated into my stomach.”

She laughed, her face warming, and checked to make sure Dan had stepped far enough away that he couldn’t hear. “If you don’t mind driving me back home real fast, we can go get out of these wet clothes and then come back.”

They stooped to put their shoes on. Leaving Jason with the blanket, she went over to Dan. “I think we’re going to go back to the house and change.”

Dan shook his head. “You’re both nuts, you realize that?”

“You’re not going to kill him, right?” Jen gave him a laughing look, despite her worry. Dan and Warren had a way of holding on to grudges that sometimes got the worst of them.

Dan lifted his gaze over Jen toward Jason. He raised his chin. “No. We had a friendly talk once. I made it clear the way you deserve to be treated.”

Jason came up behind her. “And I completely agree with you. But if I don’t get into some new pants, there’s a good chance you’ll have to take me to the hospital for hypothermia instead.”

“We’ll get that city boy trained up real good soon.” Dan winked at her, hesitating as he started to turn away. He smiled. “Congrats on the win, little sis. We all knew you had it in you. I’m gonna go help Mom and Dad with Colby. Make sure they don’t let him have too much sugar.”

Releasing Jason, Jen took a few steps toward her brother and hugged him. “Love you, big brother. You really are the best uncle in the world. And Colby’s lucky to have you.”

Dan squeezed her wordlessly and ducked his chin. He didn’t have to say anything for her to know how much the words meant to him.

As she went back to Jason, he lifted a brow. “What about me? I get no best uncle credit?”

Jen scrunched her nose. “You know, when you put it that way, it makes it sort of weird.” Then she laughed, interlacing her fingers with his. “Should we go?”

“The faster, the better.”

They hurried through the crowd, and Jen’s legs ached from the cold. Moving helped, but she could only imagine how uncomfortable Jason must be. As they approached the boat launch, they saw a few men hanging around Jason’s car. She gave him a wide-eyed look. “Did you leave your car on the launch?”

“We already called the tow truck," one man said, standing in front of the driver’s side door.

“Man, you people are tow-happy in this town,” Jason muttered.

“How do you think we fund all the parades?” Jen quipped and then gave the man a pleading look. “Please. I know he wasn’t supposed to park here, but can you let it slide for now?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the man said, shaking his head. Then he sighed. “I guess. But this isn’t a parking spot, you hear? How are the boats supposed to get out of the water if someone just leaves their car sitting here?”

Jason thanked them, and they hurried into his car. Jen loosened her snow boots as she sat, legs still out, then removed them. “There’s mud caked on the bottoms of my shoes,” she said, holding them up as she put her feet into the car and closed the door.

Leaning over, Jason took the shoes from her and set them on the floor in the back of the car. “It doesn’t matter. If I’m moving to Brandywood, I don’t know how practical this car will be. I almost skidded off the road ten times while racing over here.”

Moving to Brandywood?

She gaped at him, her jaw dropping. “What do you mean moving?”

“Uh, long story. But it’s what I was dealing with when I got your phone call.”

“I have time to hear the story now.” She crossed her arms. “And is that why you were late?”

He backed the car away from the launch, then began the slow trek through the snowy parking lot. “I didn’t get your message until like four thirty. It’sbeen a really long day of phone calls. I found out over Christmas that some illegal activity’s been going on in my family’s company, and I spent a good portion of the day talking to the FBI and the board of Cavanaugh Metals. The CEO has been fired, and they hired me as a liaison as we file for bankruptcy.”

“Wait, what?” Jen’s eyes widened. He'd never talked about this part of his life with her. “I’m not sure I’m following.”

Jason glanced over at her, the dimple in his cheek showing as the corner of his lips turned up in a smile. “I’ll try to see if I can summarize, but it’s all a shit show.” He cleared his throat, his eyes returning to the road. “A few years ago, my grandfather sold over half the company to a larger company called Powell Enterprises. Against my advice. My grandfather retired as CEO, and a man named Bill Powell became president of the company and then hired another man, Chad Duncan, heir to Duncan Motors, as CEO.”

“You don’t have to go that much in detail.” She got the feeling Jason wasn’t the best at putting things in simple terms.

Jason drew a sharp breath and then said quickly, “Okay so, Powell and Duncan arranged with Duncan to sell steel to Duncan Motors for a lower value than it was worth. But Cavanaugh Metal’s profit statements didn’t reflect that. They fudged the numbers so it looked as though Duncan paid the appropriate price to inflate revenues and not alarm shareholders. A year ago, there was also a lawsuit that factors into the why of it all, but that’s probably more detail than necessary.”

Jen studied his profile. “Are you okay, though? What does it mean for you? You should talk to my dad. He might help you.” Given the seriousness of his words, he seemed calm.

“I’ll be fine. Cavanaugh Metals won’t. At least, it’s not likely they’ll survive. But I have some thoughts on that. And I did, actually. That was part of the reason I came back to Brandywood.”

He’d talked to her father? “How long have you been back in town?” The weeks without him had felt unusually long. So much had happened since then.

“Just a few days. Since Christmas. I’m probably going back to Chicago again soon, but I plan on selling my place and buying something over here. In fact, there are a whole lot of buildings around here, especially on the outskirts of town, that look like they could use an investor. Who knows. I might even salvage some portion of Cavanaugh Metals and make a smaller, leaner workforce down here. And if not, I think I’m ready to move on from that business. With Peter Yardley bringing this town to national attention, I might be right on time to get in here before everyone else does.”

She didn’t doubt he’d be successful wherever he went. He was smart and charming when he wanted to be.

But that he wanted to come here made her heart melt. “Just to be clear. You’re planning to buy here because of me, too, right? For Colby and me? Not just for the wonderful investment opportunities?”

He looked across at her and she saw love in his eyes. “Yes, Jen. The time away from you both was the worst kind of torture. I love you. I love you both. You and Colby are my home.”

Relief. That’s what I feel beyond anything else right now.

Still, one last thing worried her. “What about your ex-wife and the baby?” She didn’t want to admit that it was hard to think about that, but it was. Her heart gave a sad dip. “I love you, Jason. But I could never ask you to be away from your baby.”

“Turns out, I’m not the only one who found something to like in Brandywood.” Jason sighed. “When Amanda came here a few weeks ago, she really fell in love with the town. And her family was already giving her hell about having a baby on her own. Her father is Bill Powell.”

Jen arched a brow. “The shady guy involved in your grandfather’s company?”

“The one and the same. And with the news breaking about his involvement with the Cavanaugh Metals scandal, it’s been a media circus for Amanda’s family. Amanda doesn’t want the stress of it all to affect her pregnancy, so she’s decided to move to the area to ride out the storm. She’s planning on coming down to hunt for a place after Christmas. So at least for the time being, she and the baby will be close by.”

His ex-wife was moving here, too?

Jen couldn’t picture that. Or how that would work. “And you all are—”

“Completely and totally done. We signed the divorce paperwork while I was back in town. The whole thing should have been a lot faster, but she got a bit carried away with the inheritance question and sending a PI after me.”

Celebrating his divorce seemed strange, but she couldn’t help the relief his words brought her. “You swear it?”

Jason chuckled. “I swear. And I’m going to do my best to never lie to you about anything again if it helps. By omission or not. In fact, you’ll be so sick of hearing the truth from me you’re going to probably wish I would lie to you. Fortunately, you’re a superb cook so you never have to hear me tell you how much I don’t like something you made.”

“Um, you can fib to spare my feelings about food. You’re also welcome to use the phrase ‘you’re absolutely beautiful’ to any question I have about my appearance in any circumstance. Like when I was pregnant with Colby, I had serious cankles—”

“But you are absolutely beautiful in every circumstance.” As they exited the lake area, Jason pulled over to the side of the road. He shifted into neutral and pulled up the parking brake. “Don’t mind me. I’m going to take off my pants.”

She laughed as he wiggled out of his soaked corduroys. Then it didn’t seem like a half-bad idea, and she joined him, taking off her own pants. “When they pull us over for fleeing from a tow truck, they can drag us pants-less into jail.” Her thighs were ice cold, her skin feeling unnatural. She reached over and playfully flicked his bare thigh. “If you hurry, I can guarantee a steamy shower will be waiting for us.”

Jason unlatched her seat belt, then pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. His eyes settled on her lips, then he dipped his mouth to hers. God, she’d missed this. The taste of him, the way their mouths fitted together so perfectly, how quickly he made her melt into a puddle that just wanted more of him. He groaned, then pushed her back. “You know, I’m fully committed to continuing our visits of all the best side-of-the-road locations for hot car sex. But first, I want to make sure I’m not dreaming and heard you say you love me back in that lake. Because it was freezing. And I’m not sure my brain didn’t stop working.”

His words made her own desire for him lurch, and her heart ache for him. Whatever tough exterior he’d shown, asking her to tell him she loved him showed a vulnerable side. He craved to hear it just as much as she’d needed it. Her lips curved over his, delicately, intimately, so featherlight tingles rushed up her arms. “I love you, Jason Cavanaugh. I love you . . .” She kissed his forehead. “I love you . . .” She kissed both of his closed eyelids. “And I don’t know that I can stop loving you.”

His warm breath mixed with hers as they kissed again. “Dammit, woman, I’m serious about not being able to restrain myself.” His eyes glinted as he shifted his hips so she was pressed against his hardened length. “Although it feels like you want me, too.”

She smiled, her lips brushing his jaw and neck. “Did you ever stop to think that the fact that my underwear is wet might be because your boxers were just in a lake, and I’m sitting against you?”

He gave her a mischievous grin, then pushed himself past the fabric of her underwear and between her legs. As he slid against her wetness and inside her, she let out an electrified moan, sinking her mouth onto his collarbone. “You want to stick with that story?”

She shook her head, kissing his jaw. Lifting her face, she met his eyes and shook her head slowly. “Welcome home.”