“Erin will be here in an hour. I’ll see you when you get back.” At that, he’d leaned down and pressed another kiss on her lips. This one was firmer, but it was still over before she’d had a chance to even think about participating. Jackson’s boots had clunked down the stairs and she’d heard the back door slamming shut behind him.

Sighing, she’d touched her fingers to her lips. When she’d realized what she was doing, she’d shaken herself, finished vacuuming the hallway and hurried downstairs to clean up after breakfast and get ready for Erin’s arrival.

She hadn’t seen Jackson when she’d left. He must have already been out working somewhere in the orchards.

“You sure you’re all right?” Erin’s voice jolted her back to reality.

“I’m sure.” She glanced out the window and was surprised to see they were almost to town. She’d been quiet all the way in. “I’m sorry I’m not better company this morning.” Erin had been nothing but kind to her and she didn’t want the woman to think she didn’t like her.

Erin just smiled. “No problem. I’m sure you’re just beat after yesterday.”

Emerald laughed. Erin wasn’t one of those women who tried to sugarcoat things where her brother was concerned. “You’ve got that right. The downstairs has been put to rights, but now I’ve got to tackle the upstairs. Other than the bathroom and Jackson’s room, there shouldn’t be much to do but vacuum, dust and change the sheets on the beds.” Just thinking about Jackson’s bedroom had her stomach doing somersaults. “The kitchen was the worst of it.”

Slowing the truck, Erin turned into a parking lot on the edge of town. The big sign in front of it proclaimed it the Stop and Shop Grocery. Even at this early hour, there were quite a few vehicles parked out front.

“I’ve got a list that Jackson approved, but he said that you’d let me know if there’s anything else I need.”

They undid their seat belts and both climbed out of the truck. Emerald started to lock her door, but Erin stopped her with a breezy, “No need to lock your doors here.” It was strange for a city girl to walk away from an unlocked vehicle, but kinda nice too.

The day was already starting to warm and promised to be another scorcher. Emerald had opted for a simple flowing skirt in a floral print, contrasting green tank top and a pair of flat sandals. She’d wanted to look nice for her first trip to town, but she’d also wanted to be comfortable.

“I love your necklace.” There was no mistaking Erin’s sincerity as they strolled across the paved parking lot toward the entrance of the store.

“Thanks. My sister made it.”

“Really?” Erin reached out and touched the intricate silver twists that were interspersed with malachite, citrine and quartz beads. “She’s incredibly talented.”

“Yes, she is.” She felt like a fraud for lying to Erin about her real name and why she was there, but this wasn’t the time or the place to explain things.

The automatic doors slid open as they approached. Erin grabbed a cart and Emerald pulled one out and followed her inside the store. She sighed as the cool air hit her and then shivered. The hairs on the back of her neck fluttered and she glanced around. She felt as if someone were watching her. She bit her lip nervously and hitched her purse closer to her body.

Then she saw an elderly lady watching her. Emerald almost laughed aloud the relief was so deep. Of course people were staring at her. She was a stranger in their small town and she was with someone they probably all knew. They were curious about her was all. There was absolutely nothing for her to worry about. No one from her real life knew she was here. She hadn’t even told her sister exactly where she was. It was safer for everyone that way.

Hurrying, she caught up with Erin at the first aisle. Taking her list from her pocket, she focused on her shopping. The quicker that was done, the quicker she could get back to the safety of the farm and Jackson.


Jackson strode toward the house as he heard the truck pulling up. He’d called his brother and brother-in-law first thing this morning and asked them to come over as soon as Erin and Emerald were gone. Neither man had asked why, but both of them had promised to be there. It was good to have family.

Abel had no sooner parked his truck behind the house than Jackson heard another vehicle approaching. When the police cruiser came into sight, he knew it was Nathan. Abel climbed out of his vehicle and they both waited for Nathan.

“Morning,” Nathan called as he climbed out of his official vehicle. He was dressed for work and Jackson knew that his brother had already been up for hours. Since his wife, Carly, ran the local diner, she was up at the crack of dawn each day to go to work. Abel was also an early riser and that was why Jackson didn’t feel guilty about calling either one of them.

“Come on inside.” He turned the handle and shoved at the door. It didn’t budge. That was strange. The door didn’t usually stick. He pushed at it again, but this time harder.

“What’s wrong with the door?” Nathan peered over his shoulder.

Jackson shrugged. “It was fine when I opened it this morning.” He jiggled the handle again and then leaned his head against the door and started to laugh.

Abel leaned against one of the porch posts and watched with interest. “What is it?”

“She locked the damn door.”

“The new housekeeper?” Abel started to grin.

“Yeah. She’s a city girl. Hang on. I left my bedroom window open.” Walking around the porch, he stopped at the front. He quickly climbed up on the railing, grabbed the roof of the house and swung himself up. In no time, he’d scuttled across the roof to his window and shoved it open enough to squeeze inside. He was still grinning when he unlocked the back door and let the other men inside.

“You want some coffee?” He strolled back to the counter and already had the carafe filing with water.

“I wouldn’t turn down a cup.” Nathan pulled out a chair, sat down and kicked his long legs out in front of him.

Jackson quickly filled the coffeemaker and set it to brewing. Both men had already made themselves at home and were waiting for him to tell them why he’d called them here.

He pulled out his own chair and sat, marshaling his thoughts. Where to begin? The clock on the wall ticked loudly. Jackson glanced over at it, remembering the older one that had been broken in a fight between himself and Abel about a year ago. He shook his head. So much had changed since then. And he was also wasting time.

“You know that I’ve got a new housekeeper.” He decided the best thing to do was to jump right in. Abel nodded and Nathan inclined his head. “Either one of you could have warned me,” he added wryly.

Nathan grinned, his eyes sparkling with humor. “What would have been the fun in that? I just wished I could have been here when Erin told you.”

Jackson ignored his brother and slanted a gaze at his best friend who just sat back with a satisfied smile on his face. “Don’t look at me,” Abel protested. “I didn’t want Erin mad at me. You might be my best friend, but I’m not doing anything to upset Erin these days.”

Jackson sat forward. “Erin’s all right, isn’t she?” He remembered that she’d almost passed out in the kitchen yesterday morning. It was amazing to think that that had happened only twenty-four hours ago. So much had changed in his life since then.

“What’s going on? Is Erin okay?” Nathan eased upward from his chair.

“Erin’s fine.” Abel motioned Nathan back to his seat. “If I tell you, you have to promise not to say a word about it. Not to Carly or to Erin. She wants to tell you herself.”

Nathan nodded, concern plain on his face.

“We’re going to have a baby.” A huge grin split Abel’s face. Nathan just stared at him in disbelief, his mouth hanging open. Abel laughed. “She’s pregnant.”

“A baby.” A slow smile curved Nathan’s lips. “I’m going to be an uncle.” He jumped up and offered his hand. “Congratulations, man. Damn, I hope she tells Carly today or I may not be able to hide it from her.”

Abel grinned as he pumped Nathan’s hand. “I’ll make sure she calls Carly later today.”

It took a few more minutes for the men to remember that Jackson had called them there for a specific reason. By then the coffee was ready, so Jackson poured up three mugs and carried them back to the table.

“You know I’ve got a new housekeeper,” he began again.

“You already said that once, brother. We know it’s a shock, but you gotta get over it.” Nathan saluted Jackson with his mug before taking a sip of his coffee.

“What you don’t know is who she is or why she’s here.” Jackson saw the spark of interest in both men’s eyes as he began to outline the basics of what Emerald had told him, including the truth about her name.

Abel’s eyes widened at one point and he whistled. “I remember The Family Jewel. That was what they were called. My mom had a couple of their records. They’re probably still over at the house.”

Nathan sat forward, his blue eyes narrowing as Jackson continued. “You sure she’s telling you the truth and not yanking your chain? You don’t know this woman at all and she already admitted to lying about her name.”

Leave it to Nathan to be cynical and logical. Jackson understood his brother’s concern. Heck, he had concerns himself, but deep down in his gut, he knew that Emerald wasn’t lying to him. “She’s running and she’s scared.”

Nathan nodded and pulled a notebook out of his pocket and began to scribble notes. “What did she tell you? Any suspects or leads?”

Jackson yanked the sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Nathan. He took it, scanned it quickly and paused occasionally to jot more notes into his notebook. When he was done, he handed the note to Abel. When Abel was finished with it, he folded it. “Can I keep this for today? I’ll want to do some searches online and check with some folks I know in New York.”