The Return of the Rebel

Obviously Kurt excelled at keeping secrets. It seemed she wasn’t the only one not to know of his ongoing friendship with Jax. Instead of being upset with her brother, she was grateful to him for being such a good friend to Jax.

“It was fate, Mom. He walked into my life one day and we’ve been playing catch-up

ever since.”

Her mother let out an unimpressed “hmprf” sound.

“Mom, he’s changed—”

“People don’t change that much. Look where he came from. The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“You’re wrong about Jax. He’s nothing like his father. He takes after his mother. He’s kind and thoughtful. I wish you’d give him a chance.”

“To watch him break your heart? I don’t think so.”

“He won’t do that.”

Her mother rushed the conversation on to other subjects and since they hadn’t talked in close to two years, a lot had happened in and around Hope Springs. In the end, Cleo grew quiet and listened. She wasn’t going to convince her mother that Jax was a good guy and the knowledge ate at her.

Was it possible to reconcile with her mother when she was so outspoken in her objection to Jax?

“How did the conversation go?”

Cleo jerked around to see Jax entering the room. “Where did you come from?”

“I was out talking with the security guys. Now that we know that the thug is in the area, I’ve hired extra protection. I want him caught and I want this over.”

“But will it ever be over? If you stop him, won’t someone else fill his place?”

“It isn’t likely. Remember the court case isn’t far off now. Soon I’ll be stepping on a plane to testify. Once that’s done there won’t be a reason for them to try to intimidate me or anyone I care about.”

She looked him in the eyes. “You really believe that?”

“I do.”

She relaxed. “Then let’s hope he’s caught soon.”

“And now back to my question. How did the conversation with your mother go?”

“Not like I’d hoped.” Cleo slouched against the couch and crossed her arms.

“You didn’t expect miracles, did you?”

“She said that she’d made a mistake by trying to make my decisions for me. And then she turned around and tried to do the exact same thing. It was like she hadn’t really heard me.”

Jax pulled up a barstool next to her. “How exactly did she do this?”

“You don’t want to know.” And she didn’t want to hurt him by repeating her mother’s unkind words.

The frustration churned inside Cleo. If only she didn’t have this cast, she’d go for a walk. But then again she couldn’t do that, either, because crazy ape man was out there somewhere. Her body tensed.

Jax placed a reassuring hand on her leg. “Something tells me that you mentioned my name to her and that it didn’t go over so well—”

“No, it didn’t. Then she tried hooking me up with the guy down the road who’s taking over his father’s ranch. And she thinks that you can’t change. She’s the one who hasn’t changed.”

“Slow down. Take a breath.” He reached for her hand and held it. “I think she’s trying, but she’s still your mom. And she’ll always want what’s best for her little girl.”

“But that’s just it. I’m an adult now. And she has to start trusting me to know what I want—right or wrong. I’ve got to learn these things for myself.”