Love Beyond Reason(53)
"Billy!" Katherine exclaimed and clutched Jace's arm.
"Luckily, he and I had just stepped out of the trailer to check on that pick-up he's been working on."
When Katherine shivered, he drew her against him. "I've got a great crew, Katherine," he said proudly. "They all dropped what they were doing and reached for fire extinguishers. Others grabbed shovels and started digging trenches around the fire. They reacted like pros."
"They have an excellent boss," she murmured against his throat.
He pulled away from her slightly and looked deeply into the moisture-laden eyes. "You certainly were in a hurry when you got here. What was the rush?" he teased, though his expression was serious.
"I had to find you," she admitted without qualm. "I had to see you, to tell you. I'm sorry, Jace. For everything. I've been such a fool." The tears ran unchecked now. "When I thought you might be... Well, nothing mattered anymore. Nothing. Not even ... what I mean is ... I love you, no matter what you—"
He didn't let her finish. He cut off her words by lowering his mouth onto hers. She was oblivious to the dirt and grime that covered every visible part of his flesh. She disregarded the acrid smell of smoke that permeated his clothes and hair. All she cared about was the warmth with which he kissed her.
The kiss lacked some of the sensuous passion of others they had shared, but this wasn't a time for passion. This was the time for commitment, and Jace's mouth, clinging to hers, formed a covenant between them.
"Katherine, Katherine, I love you. How could you ever have doubted that? Doubted me?"
"Just stupid, I guess." She smiled up at him.
He chucked her under the chin and said grimly, "As much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I've got a bitch of a job waiting for me. Go home and don't use all the hot water. I may need a bath when I get home." He grinned. "And don't wait up for me. I may be here quite a while."
"I'll be up," she whispered just before she kissed him and reluctantly climbed back into the car.
* * *
"Jace?"
"Hmm?"
"Tell me about Lacey."
Jace opened one eye and cocked it toward Katherine. They were lying on the wide bed. The mid-morning sun was filtering through the shuttered windows onto their nakedness. Jace was stretched out on his back, one knee raised. Katherine was lying on her stomach, supporting herself on her elbows as she leisurely perused her husband.
He had returned home sometime after midnight, exhausted and dirty and hungry. While he showered, she fixed him a tall sandwich which he practically swallowed whole before collapsing onto the bed and falling into a deep slumber.
Katherine had tried to pick up Allison, but Happy insisted that the couple spend the day together uninterrupted. Jace needed his rest after the trauma of the fire and didn't need to be disturbed by any of Allison's fussy spells, infrequent as they were. Katherine was delighted with the prospect of having a day to spend alone with Jace and offered no arguments to Happy's proposal that Allison stay with her.
Jace had awakened only an hour ago and hadn't disappointed her. He reached for her immediately and they had made love with tender passion.
Now he stretched both arms above his head and clasped his hands underneath it. "Lacey. Lacey," he scoffed. "I don't know where to start. She was beautiful, the boss's daughter. She came on to me, an ambitious young man who was feeling his oats, and I married her. She played it just right. There was no hanky-panky allowed during our courtship. Imagine my surprise on our wedding night to discover that others had pioneered the way for me. Maybe that's why I was so surprised to learn that my second wife was a virgin." He reached over and kissed Katherine on the nose. She immediately nuzzled it in the hair on his chest.
"Anyway, Lacey was a spoiled brat, somewhat like Peter, I suppose. She was, and still is, bent on destruction. She had one affair after another. After each one she begged my forgiveness during tearful scenes when she threatened suicide amid self-deprecations. I finally got fed up and told Willoughby that in order for me to continue working for him, I'd have to secure a divorce. He handled it. In all humility, I was too valuable for him to let go. And he knew what Lacey was like. His version of love is an inexhaustible checking account. I think deep down, he feels responsible for what he's created."
"What happened when you went to Longview?"
"Jealous?" he asked.
"Damn right," she answered.
He laughed, but became serious when he resumed. "Well, as you no doubt noticed the day you caught us in the trailer, Lacey refuses to accept the fact that we're not married. It doesn't matter to her except to the extent that I'm no longer her captive. She's got plenty of men to keep her company," he said without rancor. "And the fact of the matter is, she's a lousy lover. Her sensuality is all for show. She's to be pitied."
He shifted his weight. "On with the story," he sighed. "She went to this bar in Longview and got into trouble by trying to pick up someone else's boyfriend. When the other woman won out, she became depressed, checked into a motel, took a bottle of sleeping pills, and called me. My initial reaction was to tell her to go to hell, but I couldn't. I don't know," – he shook his head – "maybe it's my allegiance to Willoughby, but I just couldn't ignore her. It was two days before she was able to leave the hospital. I phoned Willoughby to come pick her up. He's promised to see that she gets help of some kind. Whether he will or not, I don't know. But I made it clear to him and her both, that I've had it. I have another wife now that I love dearly, and I don't intend to jeopardize that relationship under any circumstances."