six years later, she had assisted in the liberation of more than a hundred women and children. And even though her actions could be considered outside of the law, she had no regrets.
“Hey, Jake, how’s it going, my man?”
Jason was in the produce aisle at the supermarket when he heard Erik Sutherland’s voice behind him. His eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the yellow squash in his hand. Jake was what he’d been called by his football pals. Erik had been leader of the pack back then.
In a sense, he still was. He was the richest man in town, and he was running for mayor.
“Hello, Erik,” Jason said as he turned to regard the hefty six-foot-four redhead.
“You cook?” Erik asked. “You don’t have a woman to do that for you?”
“No,” Jason said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his tone. “Unlike some men who are barely beyond the knuckle-dragging caveman stage, I know how to cook.”
Erik was thirty-six and had the beginnings of jowls and a beer gut. Jason supposed he didn’t get much exercise these days. He was too busy ridding the streets of Glen Ellen of illegal aliens. Not that Glen Ellen had a huge illegal alien problem. It had none, as far as Jason could see. But Erik was from the alarmist school of politics. There were only so many jobs for permanent residents to begin with. Imagine the panic among citizens if they thought illegal aliens were after their source of livelihood?
Erik picked up a peach and bit into it. “I heard you were dating Sara Johnson. She sure turned into a beauty, didn’t she? Talk about your late bloomer. Remember how awkward she used to be?” He still called Sara by her maiden name.
“No, I can’t say that I do,” Jason said. “If she seemed awkward to you it was probably because she was trying so hard to get out of your path. You never passed up the opportunity to make pig noises at her or call her out of her name.”
Erik licked peach juice from his lips. “Yeah, I was a real prick. I admit it. Now, God is getting me back because my own daughter is a little chubby and she’s getting picked on at school.” He finished off the peach and had the nerve to place the pit among the other peaches in the display. “To make it worse, she’s a bookworm and spends more time at that bookstore of Sara’s than she does at home. I can’t blame her. Since her mom divorced me and gave me custody I haven’t been much of a father.”
Jason found himself feeling sorry for him. He supposed even for blockheads like Erik life had a way of forcing them to readjust their way of thinking.
Okay, he gave Erik the benefit of the doubt where his daughter was concerned. But what was up with ridding Glen Ellen of illegal aliens?
“I have to ask,” he said. “Where exactly are all the illegal aliens you’re hoping to run out of town on a rail?”
Erik laughed softly. “Now, there, my friend, is a conundrum. But the fact is I don’t have to produce the illegal aliens. Simply the threat of them will make folks vote for me.”
“So you’re trying to get elected on a platform of fear,” Jason deduced.
“Hey, just because we don’t have the problem now doesn’t mean we won’t have it in the near future. The government’s plan to crack down on illegal aliens hasn’t exactly been foolproof. Once Southern California is full of ’em, they’ll be coming north.”
“You really are an idiot,” Jason said, shaking his head.
Erik laughed louder. “You need to borrow a sense of humor, my friend.”
“And you need to grow a conscience,” Jason countered.
“Oh, that’s right,” Erik said, remembering a salient point about the Bryant family. “You have Haitians working for you. Tell me, are they American citizens?”
“You know damn well they are!”
“Calm down, I only asked a question.” His blue eyes narrowed. “When did you get to be such a tight-ass? You used to be one of the guys.”
“This isn’t high school, and this town is not one of your cliques. You can’t rule everyone simply because you’re the biggest guy or the richest guy around anymore. Grow up, Erik.”
Jason had been filling his handheld basket while he’d been talking to Erik. Finished shopping now, he turned to leave. “Have a nice day.”
Erik picked up another peach and bit into it. “Yeah, you too, old buddy. And be sure to tell that pretty Sara Johnson I said hello.”
Chapter 3
If Sara had had any shame at all where Jason was concerned she might have second-guessed herself to the extent that she would have stayed home that night. But she wasn’t going to pass up the chance to see him again, even if it meant a continuation of the strained conversation they’d had earlier that day.
After work, she went home and showered, changed into a pair of loose-fit jeans and a long-sleeve shirt, put on her boots, brushed her braids, grabbed her jacket and sped over to the Hacienda in the Mustang.
The Mexican-inspired architecture of the Hacienda gave the 3000-square-foot house romantic appeal. Every time Sara drove up to it, she expected Zorro to come riding up on Tornado, his black steed, and sweep her up behind him.
No wonder she melted whenever Jason pulled her up behind him on his equally handsome black steed, Indigo. Jason had named the three-year-old Indigo because the stallion was so black it had a purple-blue sheen to its coat.
Sara knocked on the door with not a little temerity. Reckless confidence might be the death of her, but a fainthearted maiden wasn’t liable to win her true love, was she?
Jason pulled the huge door open and looked down his nose at her. He was wearing jeans and nothing else but he still managed to look haughty, as if she were the one who had to pass muster to enter his sanctum.
Sara smiled at him. “Am I welcome?” She took a step backward. “Because I can leave if you don’t want me here.”
His hand shot out and firmly grasped her by the arm.
Sara turned and went into his arms. They made a half turn as they embraced, and he shut the door. He bent his head, she raised up on her toes, and they kissed passionately.
“I told you I was easy,” he murmured when they parted. He smiled enigmatically.
Sara couldn’t detect any leftover hurt feelings in that confident gaze of his. Sometimes his mercurial nature confused her. He definitely kept her on her toes.
She wondered, for example, how much longer he would put up with her lack of communication? She asked only that his patience lasted long enough for her to get Elizabeth, her new charge, placed in a suitable situation. After that, she was going to resign from the organization.
Hopefully that shouldn’t take more than a few weeks. Eunice had assured her they were working hard to get Elizabeth placed.
She smiled brightly up at him. Their lower halves were pressed firmly together and she, being highly susceptible to his nearness, was becoming more and more aroused.
