“Jake. I am fine. Really. I am completely—”
“Lissa. He was here.”
“Who was where?”
“Gentry, that SOB.”
“Nick?” Lissa dropped into a chair. “Nick was there? At your ranch?”
“At El Sueño. The no-good bastard.”
“I don’t understand. What was he doing at El Sueño?”
“Jesus H. Christ, Melissa, what do you think? He was looking for you.”
Her heart thudded against her ribs. “Why would he do that?”
“I didn’t ask him. Hell, why would I? All I did was make it clear that he’d better stay away from you.’
Lissa shut her eyes. A shotgun? A rifle? Bare fists?
“Jacob. What did you do?”
“He’s just damn lucky everybody else had already left. If Travis and Caleb and Zach and Marco had still been around—”
The litany of names and the possibilities that went with them made her shudder.
“Jake. Please. What happened?”
“I slugged him, that’s what happened. Does he think we’re fools? ‘Where is Lissa? I have to see her.’” Jake cursed. “As if that crap would impress me.”
“That’s what he said? That he has to see me?”
“He didn’t even fight back. All those tough-guy movie roles and the SOB didn’t even try to defend himself.”
“Oh, Jake,” Lissa whispered. “Did you hurt him?”
“I got in one straight shot to the jaw. I’d have done more, but I’m not into hitting cowards.”
“How did he look?”
“His jaw’s gonna be a glow-in-the-dark gem in a few hours.”
“Aside from that! Was he OK? Was he using a cane? Was he limping?”
“Who gives a damn?”
“I do, you idiot,” she yelled, and she knew, just that quickly, that she wasn’t over loving Nicholas.
The truth was, she never would be.
Jake was cautious with her after that. She could tell that he was trying to figure out what was happening and getting no place, fast.
“Listen,” she finally said, taking pity on him, “remember when you left Addison?”
“I didn’t leave her. Not really. I loved her, but things got in the way.” Silence. “Dammit, Liss, are you saying you—you care for this guy?”
“I’m saying,” Lissa said softly, “that I’m hoping things got in his way because yes, I care for him and I’m willing to hear what he wants to tell me, and if you don’t understand that, ask Adoré to explain it to you.”