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BOOK 6
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Being Yours BOOK 6
‘Hi, son,’ he said.Joey jumped onto the plank bench and dug into a dinner roll. Dustin sat next to his son, glancing up to find Jill smiling at him, that big gorgeous smile of hers that he loved.‘I’m learning,’ he told her.‘Yes, you are.’He didn’t want to think about how good her praise felt. Instead, he said, ‘Well, what should we do this evening, since we’re basically houseboimd?’Jill’s delicate brows arched inquiringly.‘If not for Holly’s sake, then the weather would have us shut in.’ Dustin tucked into a big helping of mashed potatoes.‘Was Marsh concerned?’ Jill asked with a protective look Joey’s way.He knew she was trying not to voice too much in case of upsetting his son. Dustin slid a careful look at Joey before nodding. ‘He’s going to have extra patrols tonight.* He cleared his throat, wishing he could say more to soothe her but Joey’s presence made it difficult. ‘We should just be on our guard.’Joey glanced up, looking back and forth between the two of them. ‘So,’ J
Being Yours BOOK 6
‘What is it?’ Dustin leaped to his feet, feeling his heart hammer against his chest as he looked out the window. The whirling red light drew a blazing warning signal in the frosty night. T’ll go check it out.’‘Be careful.’ Jill met Dustin’s gaze. A high-voltage current jumped between them, stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. She couldn’t bear to think of hini getting hurt. Or worse.‘I’ll be fine.’ He turned and went into the entry hall to shrug into his jacket. Her heart clenched when he picked up his shotgim. Pulling open the door, he disappeared into the frigid darkness. Cold draughts hit her in the face, making her gasp, so when his truck roared to life, she closed the door and hurried back into the kitchen.‘Joey, why don’t we go upstairs?’ For some reason, she felt like she needed to be up there keeping an eye on Holly. With all of them forming a protective shield of sorts, they’d have the best chance of keeping her safe.‘Are we ... we going to make popcorn?’‘Oh.’
Being Yours BOOK 6
‘Jill, dear, are you going to be okay?’Eunice’s worried face hovered behind Jill in the mirror. Her face was bruised, swollen definitely, but nothing was broken. The pimch had landed under her eye and across from her nose on the cheek-bone, so although it had felt like her face had been shattered at the time, Jill knew she was fortunate not to be undergoing cosmetic surgery tonight.‘I’m fine, Eimice,’ she said, applying another cold compress to her face. ‘I’m starting to get a little sore in my arms and legs, but that will pass, too.’ She sighed deeply, looking down into the washbasin as she rinsed the cloth out. ‘I just wish somebody would call and tell us that Holly is safe.’Eunice patted her shoulder. ‘The Christmas season means believing, Jill. I believe that Holly will be back here soon, snug in her little basket. I can’t imagine anything else.’It was the season to believe, and if ever they could use a miracle, now was definitely the time. ‘I just keep hearing her cry . . .’
Being Yours BOOK 6
Jill checked on Eunice, who was still resting. She smiled to see that Joey was tucked into bed with his grandmother. Apparently, Eunice wasn’t taking any chances in case Joey had a nightmare. It was entirely possible he could. The memory of the child beating Holly’s abductor with small, determined fists, then flying a foot through the air when Curtis slapped him sent a chill coursing through Jill. She dropped a kiss on his forehead and checked his cheek for a bruise. There was none, but she was glad Eunice had thought to put him in her bed for the night. It would be a miracle if they all didn’t suffer from night sweats tonight.Carefully securing all the doors and taking a last turn through the house to check the windows thoughvshe knew Curtis was safe in jail now - Jill fed Holly a last bottle, changed her into a nightie and tucked her into the basket. Placing it beside her own bed, she then changed into a long cotton nightgown and readied herself for bed. She’d just turned out the l
Being Yours BOOK 6
Jill took Joey’s wet clothes off in the laundry room. Some pajamas she’d folded were lying on the dryer and Jill snatched them up, deciding it wouldn’t hurt if he ate breakfast in his Bugs Bunny jammies just this once. Not taking him upstairs to dress now would mean she could sit at the table with him and finish feeding Holly while he ate. That way she could be with both of them at the same time.Joey seemed to have forgotten last night’s troubles as she swiftly dressed him, then led him back to the table.‘Can . . . can we watch cartoons?’‘I don’t see why not.’ Jill flipped on the TV and settled pn the plank seat with Holly. Joey dug into his cereal, completely imconcemed. She sighed with relief. Truthfully, she’d worried how he would act when he foxmd his father had left. But he didn’t say a word, and she realized that Dustin was usually gone by daybreak so the routine was simply familiar to Joey. He didn’t ask what was wrong with his grandmother, either. Jill thought that since sh
Being Yours BOOK 6
The house seemed still and too quiet without Joey. Eunice’s comforting presence was missing; the anticipation that flashed through Jill when Dustin might stride in at any moment was gone. It was just her and Holly now, and Holly was taking a nap.Jill took a shower and tidied her room, with one ear listening for the phone all the while. The fact that Dustin had not called worried her. She knew he was aware of her concern for his mother, so he would want to reassure Jill as soon as he could. Telling herself not to panic over the silent phone, Jill reasoned he hadn’t called because he didn’t know anything about Eimice’s condition yet. Though she couldn’t bear to think of it, Eimice might be worse off than they could have known. Jill’s stomach tightened at the thought. Eunice is in fine healthy she told herself, even as a shadow crossed her mind, ugly and ill-conceiyed. What if she's dying}Jill sighed, vehemently wishing that thought had not popped into her conscious. Losing Eunice woul
Being Yours BOOK 6
Joey sat in Grandmother Copeland’s kitchen, hearing her voice carry angry tones all the way down the hall. The cookie in front of him lost its appeal. Whoever Grandma was mad at was in big trouble. He sighed and looked around the big kitchen. His stomach hurt, and he wished his father would come and get him. Grandmother’s cookies didn’t taste like Jill’s, and though he loved his grandfather, Joey was sad. Everybody in the house was making brows. If he could just go home, he thought everything would be much better.Swinging his legs, Joey wondered what baby Holly was doing. Sleeping, probably. All that baby did was sleep. He imderstood she was going to go home one day, but he sure did like having her arotmd. She made a lot of noise sometimes, and one time when she burped and he’d been sitting too close to her, he thought she smelled like a sandwich. That had made him laugh.She was soft, too. He liked touching her head because it reminded him of the velvet on Rooster’s nose. One day, m
Being Yours BOOK 6
Jill heard Dustin’s boots on the stairs. He didn’t stop at her room as she’d expected. Instead, he went down the hall to his own room. For a moment it was quiet then she heard him talking loudly to someone.She knew she should get up and close her bedroom door. She should go downstairs and get something ready for him to eat. By the tone of his voice, she could tell the call was personal and one he probably wouldn’t appreciate her hearing.Gening up to make her way down the stairs, the sudden mention of her name caught her ears. Jill paused, knowing in her heart that what she was doing was going to hurt her. People who listened to conversations about themselves invariably got their feelings hurt.‘Jill is not the problem, for chrissakes. I’m not sure what Maxine’s whole problem is, Roger. All I know is, I was informed that the Copelands have decided Joey is in danger. Until Thursday, I don’t get a chance to tell my side of the story.’He was silent for a few moments. ‘Jill has done a s
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