Shattered Hearts A MFM Love Story

~ ~ Jackson ~ ~

Damn, the humidity was bustin’ my ass today. Sweat trickled down my back as I looked at my hands covered in grease, dirt and oil.

I blew out an irritated sigh. I was trying to get my truck back on the road. She was old but faithful, and I wasn’t ready to give up on her yet. But if the transmission was shot, then it might not be worth the cash I’d need to fix her up.

“Don’t do this to me, girl.” I found another leaking seal. “Goddamn it!” I leaned in. “That wasn’t the answer I was looking for darlin’.”

Shit. My phone vibrated, and I dropped the wrench and hit my head on the hood of my truck. I plucked it from my back jeans pocket.

Unknown number. The screen flashed, and I almost dropped the damn thing.

“Reilly,” I answered.

“Mr Reilly. Mr Jackson Reilly?”

“That’s me. The one and only.”

“Hi, Mr Reilly. My name is Shirley, I work with Dr Monroe from the Centre for BrainHealth.”

My mood dropped and I suddenly felt a whole lot cooler.

“We received your referral, and Dr Moody has read over your patient file and would like you to come in for an appointment this coming Monday.”

I turned around and leaned against my truck. “Yeah, I can be there.” My stomach churned. “If you could text me the details, I’d sure appreciate it, Shirley.”

“I can do that Mr Reilly, and we look forward to meeting you.”

I wished I could say the same.

Ending the call, I stared down at my phone, smeared in grease. But that was the least of my problems.

I stared out into the distance. Well, shit. I couldn’t keep pretending this wasn’t real.

Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I sighed.

“Damn, it’s hotter than blue blazes out here. Whatcha doin’ working on that old thing outside in this heat?”

A smile curled my lip as I turned to watch my Aunt Jody, walking toward me with a glass of something... water, I guessed.

Jody called in every day and on most days she brought with her some homemade cooking or stuff she’d baked. And then she’d stay and clean the house and throw in some washing. She’d been doing it since our Ma left us and Aunt Jody here took it upon herself to be the mother figure in our lives.

She had no kids of her own and hadn’t married again since losing her husband, John, in a farming accident not long after their second wedding anniversary.

“That for me?” I tipped my head.

“I wouldn’t be fetchin’ to bring my own drink out here, now would I?” Handing me the tall glass of water.

“Barely finished the whole glass, she whipped it out of my hand.

I bent to pick up my tool and twisted around to focus on my truck.

“Doesn’t look like it’s worth the time.” Jody moved alongside me, looking under the hood. “Me and this truck have something in common,” she muttered.

I turned my baseball call around and studied the engine. “What might that be?”

“We both need retiring.”

I grinned. “You won’t quit until they close the box lid on you.”

“Aye, you’d be right.” She nudged me with her arm. “So when you fixin’ on tellin’ me what brings you home, quitting the army?”

I wasn’t ready for that conversation. Not now. Not until I could figure out how to tell Logan first.

“Nothin' to tell.”

Her eyebrows crunched in an I’m calling ‘bullshit’ way. “I’m about to fix us some lunch. Get yourself cleaned up because you could gag a maggot.” She waved her hand across her nose dramatically.

I laughed. She certainly had a way with words, but she wasn’t wrong. I was hot and sweaty and covered in grime.

“And then come eat.”

There wasn’t much point in arguing.

After a cool shower, I jogged downstairs, heading toward the kitchen. Aunt Jody was at the sink washing dishes, singing along to a tune on the radio. I went over and kissed her cheek. “You don’t need to be doing that, you know?”

She waved her wet hand covered in soapsuds, splashing my t-shirt. “I enjoy looking after you two—the only family I’ve got.”

She turned back to the dishes. “You know it would have been your pa’s birthday tomorrow?”

I remembered.

“I can’t seem to get him off my mind.”

Jody was my pa’s sister. “Everything okay, Jody?”

She sighed, looking back at me. “Ah-huh.” Smiling, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Fresh coffee brewed and a sandwich in the refrigerator. Pour us both a cup, Jackson.”

The thing was with Jody, if she wasn’t ready to talk, then she wouldn’t budge. I poured us two cups and grabbed my sandwich, sitting down and tucking in.

Jody finished up and sat at the table with me. “What big secret are you hiding, Jackson?”

Here we go again.“No big secret. Logan needs help running this place. I shouldn’t expect him to handle it all on his own.”

She smiled and touched my cheek. “Son, I know horseshit when I smell it. So don’t you be tryin’ to feed me some line.”

I pushed away my empty plate and leaned back in my chair.

She sighed out loud. “I can see you’re not ready to tell me...yet. But when you are. You know where to find me.”

A lump formed in the back of my throat. Better just to ignore it and change the conversation. “Why are you not in Lockwood? Big day, ain’t it?”

Jody wrinkled her nose. “What and listen to those dreadful Lockwoods gush about how great they are,” she scoffed. “Well, not Em. I’m talking about that daughter of hers, Mercy Jane.” She lifted her coffee mug, tilting it slightly. “They broke the mould and with good reason when they created that piece of work.”

I chuckled. That was the thing with Jody. She said it as she saw it.

She took a sip of her coffee and gave me a sly smile. “But if you’re back and fixin' on sticking around, then maybe think about getting yourself a nice girl. And giving me some babies to look after.”

I barked out a laugh. Yeah, like that was gonna happen anytime soon—if at all. “Don’t be getting your hopes up.” I picked up my coffee. “Do you give Logan this much of a hard time?”

“Pfft, that brother of yours is more stubborn than your pa ever was.” She rolled her eyes. “And from what I can tell, he still pines after that Lockwood girl.”

She knew about Maddy?

Her brows arched. “And something tells me he ain’t the only one.”

Shit. Nothing got past her. “Barkin’ up the wrong tree, Jody.”

“Hmm, yeah, sure I am.” She finished her coffee. “Well, I’m done here for today. I’m gonna head out.” She pushed up from her chair and walked over to the sink with my plate and her coffee mug, rinsing them out and placing them to dry on the drainer.

She walked past me, leaning down to press a kiss against my forehead. “Whatever brings you back here.” She squeezed my shoulder. “Well, I’m happy to have you home.” She straightened up. “And he might not say it, but Logan’s happy, too.”

Could have fooled me.

It was six minutes after four when I heard Logan’s truck pulling up out front. I pushed up from my chair and took my empty coffee mug to the sink to rinse it out.

I was almost apprehensive about his return. He’d said before he’d left, come hell or high water, he was gonna talk to her...Maddy.

Resting my mug on the drainer, and switching off the Fawcett, I reached for the towel to dry my hands as the back door opened.

“’Bout time.” Turning around. “I was gonna—” the words died right there on my tongue. He wasn’t alone and by the look on her face, she wasn’t expecting me either.

“Jackson...” her voice was barely above a shocked whisper.

Untangling my tongue. ”Princess...”

“—What?” She shook her head. “—Your back?”

I’d had my eye on Maddy Lockwood even before that night we’d caught her and Riley Jo stealing a horse on our land. But it was from that night—the night I’d had my first taste of Lockwood’s very own princess, that I realised she owned my heart and I wanted her. Anyway, I could get her.

The trouble was, Logan had the same idea. And it became an unspoken competition between us to win her heart.

I went out of my way to get to know her better. And I did just that. I got to see her thoughtful side, her gentle side, and the side that laughed until she would roll onto her back and get hiccups at my crazy jokes. We also shared a mutual love of all things, horses and comfortable silences.

Not to mention the intoxicating way she smelled. Her smell drove me fucking insane.

Once up by Critter Creek, I held her so tight while she cried, not knowing what had made her sad, only that my heart had felt like it would burst right from my chest when she’d clung to me as if I was the only one who could make it right.

I’d wanted to ask her to be mine so many times, but I forced myself to hold it back because of Logan. Me and my brother were closer than two peas in a pod and we shared everything. And I mean everything, including women.

I won’t lie and say, secretly I hoped that he might fall in love with one of them and forget all about Maddy.

But that night out at the barn blew all that out of the water. He was still in love with her.

I hadn’t seen her since that night up at Critter Creek. I headed out there attempting to drink myself into a coma, so I didn’t have to deal with the reality of my pa dying. Weird thing was I’d been thinking about her and wishing she was with me and when she rode up on her horse, I thought I’d imagined her. She looked so goddamn beautiful, breathtaking, under the light of the full moon. And just her presence calmed the war raging inside me.

But as I looked at her now. This wasn’t the Maddy Lockwood I knew. She looked different. Paler and much thinner and the careful way she held herself was different to the confident, fun and carefree girl I knew.

What the hell had happened?

Logan removed his hat and dropped it on the table, running a hand through his thick hair. “Let me show you upstairs,” he said, tipping his chin up to acknowledge me.

About to open my mouth and ask what was going on, the look he threw me stopped me dead.

Maddy smiled shyly and then followed him out of the room. I didn’t have a clue what was going on. But he was gonna show her upstairs?

Was she staying here? With him?

I sat down, and although my heart hammered, my chest felt hollow and my throat thick. But it wasn’t long before I heard Logan’s heavy footsteps returning.

I didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Care to tell me what the hell’s going on?”

He went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottled beer. “You want one?”

Logan didn’t normally drink before six. I shook my head as I watched him twist off the lid and take a long pull on the bottle.

I waited.

He let out a weighted breath as he pulled out a seat and plonked himself down, setting the half-empty bottle on the table.

“What’s going on Logan? You better start talking.” My tone was anything but friendly.

His hand clenched into a fist. “Bastard’s been hurting her.”

My anger went from zero to a hundred in two seconds flat and the sick feeling I’d had when she’d walked out of the room with Logan following, exploded. I pushed up from my chair, knocking it clean over.

“Sit down, Jackson...” growled my brother, grabbing my wrist. “I can’t let you leave.”

“The fuck!” I spat out. “You can’t stop me.” His grip on me tightened. Being the same size, it evenly matched us in strength.

I yanked my wrist from his stronghold. “How the fuck can I sit down when a dead man is walking around Lockwood?” I would kill him for laying a hand on her. “And why are you so calm about it?”

“Calm!?” His eyebrows ran to the ceiling. “—You think this is calm, Jackson?”

He was right. I could see the raw anger coiling in the set of his shoulders. “I want nothing more than to hunt the fucker down and put him six feet under.”

I felt the tension in my fists, my skin stretched tight and white across my knuckles. “Then why aren’t we headin’ over there right now?”

I didn’t need details of what he’d done. But the idea of just one hair on her pretty head being hurt had me wanting to exact revenge, baying for blood. I could give a flying fuck about how important his daddy was in the Lockwood community.

To me, men like him were all the same—Fucking cowards.

Logan breathed heavily through his nose. “Because I gave her my word.” Sighing. “Only way I could get her to come back here with me.” He threw me a pointed stare. “Keep her safe.”

Screw that. “Well, I didn’t give my word. I will show the fucker exactly what happens when you hurt what’s mine.”

Logan’s eyes flared wide. “Yours huh?”

Yeah, I’d never said that out loud. But I meant it. “You know what I mean.”

“Look.” He ran a hand across his forehead. “I feel the same. But we need to be smart about this and right now, I’m more worried about her.” He looked over his shoulder. “You saw her, right?”

Yeah, she seemed smaller, crushed.

I turned to lift my chair from the floor, slowly sitting down. “How.” I paused, swallowing. “How’s he hurt her?” Did I want to know?

“She won’t say, but when I held her, she flinched, so there’s some physical shit gone on.”

I slammed my fist on the table. “I can’t sit here and do nothing.”

“We're not doin’ nothing’. We’re gonna make sure Maddy’s okay and then decide what to do about that scum-sucking piece of shit.”

I couldn’t wait. I got up out of my seat. “I need your truck.”

Logan shook his head. “No can do, brother. I won’t risk your ass being thrown in jail and being the eldest. You better damn well listen.”

“Christ, Logan. You’re older by six minutes—hardly fucking makes you the boss of me!” I growled. “And I ain’t gonna kill him.” Yet. “I’m just gonna have a little chat with him.” With my fists.

Logan sighed. ”Jackson...”

I held out my hand. “Key, Logan, or I’m just gonna head out there and hot-wire the damn thing myself!”

He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the keys. “Do nothing stupid.”

I snatched the keys and was heading out the door towards Logan’s truck. Opening the door, I froze.

“Jackson...” her voice was a breathy plea, and I shut my eyes tight, not daring to turn around.

“Please Jackson,” Her small hand touched the bare skin on my arm and every goddamn nerve fired up.

“Look at me, Jackson...Please.”

Forcing my eyes to open, I turned around and offered a tight smile. “I’m just headin’ into town. You want anything?” It was lame, but it was the best I had.

“We both know what you’re plannin’ on doing.” She huffed. “I ain’t stupid, Jackson Reilly.”

“I’m just gonna talk with him.”

“No. No, you’re not.”

A shift went through her small body as she cocked her hip and rested a hand on it. “Don’t lie to me, Jackson.” Shaking her head. “I know exactly what’s runnin’ through that handsome head of yours.”

“Handsome, huh?” The tightness in my chest eased a fraction as she rolled her eyes.

And I saw it right there. My Princess still had some fire left in her. She may hurt right now, but she wasn’t broken.

“I know this. You don’t need that ego of your feeding.” And a little smile lifted her lips, and some colour dotted her cheeks.

“Don’t go getting in trouble for me.” she dropped her hand. “Come back inside.”

“He can’t get away with what he’s done to you, Maddy.”

“It’s done now. I’ve left him.” She bit her lip. “I’m not going back.”

I threw my hands up. “Why marry the man in the first place?” The question burst free, having been lodged in my head for so long. “You could have married me. Hell, even Logan was better than him.”

Those pretty blues filled to the brim. “I’m sorry, Jackson,” and her lip trembled, and I felt like shit for making her feel worse. Asshole.

“Jackson, leave it be for now.” Logan interrupted.

A car coming up the dirt drive had my head turning. As it got closer, I could see it was Riley Jo in the driver’s seat.

Parking next to the truck, Maddy swiped at her eyes and fixed a smile.

Riley Jo was out of the car, and I got my first glimpse of her round bump sticking out. Logan had mentioned she’d got married and was expecting their first child. I was happy for her.

“Is it true?” asked Riley Jo, coming around the truck, and wrapping her arms around her sister. “You left the asshole?”

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“Thank the Lord,” Riley Jo pulled back and rubbed her hand up and down Maddy’s arm.

It was subtle, but I saw Maddy flinch and my eyes cut to Logans, whose jaw was tight. I was sure if I lifted her sleeve I’d find a string of bruises.”

“I brought you some clothes like you asked,” said Riley. “Jackson, can you get them out the back of the car for me?” She threw the car keys at me.

“Sure.”

Riley Jo took Maddy’s hand. “Tell me everything.” Walking back toward the house, Maddy looked over her shoulder and smiled at me.

Damn, that smile could bring me to my knees.

Turning, I walked toward Riley Jo’s car with Logan a step behind me.

“You okay?” he asked.

My head started pounding as dizziness had me swaying on my feet.

“Jackson!” Logan grabbed my arm to steady me.

“I’m good.” The concern in my brother’s eyes was too real as I looked ahead. “Too much sun.” I gave him a weak smile as he dropped my arm and nodded. I popped open the boot. “Christ, how much has she brought?”

Logan smiled. “I’ll grab one, you grab the other.” He moved past me and grabbed the biggest.

I reached for the smaller one and shut the boot, following him inside.