Raw Desire by Kate Pearce Page B

Jane’s head, Jackson met Ally’s gaze. “I just came by to fix her truck light. I clipped it at the gas station the other evening.”
    Ally frowned. “I already said you didn’t have to do that, Jackson.”
    Jackson shrugged, his muscles shifting under his black T-shirt. “It’s no bother. Much cheaper than going through my insurance.”
    Jane swung around to stare at Ally. “Do you want me to call Rob and have him get rid of Jackson?”
    â€œNo, it’s okay. I’m fine with it.” Jane opened her mouth as if to argue and Ally continued. “But thanks for asking.”
    Jane patted her dog’s head. “Someone has to look out for you.” She directed a final glare at Jackson. “Now, you just finish up and leave Ally in peace, okay?”
    Jackson nodded, his expression unmoved. “Yes, ma’am. It’s already done anyway.”
    â€œThen you can leave,” Jane stated.
    A corner of Jackson’s mouth kicked up. “I sure can. Later, Ally.”
    He got into his truck and backed out of the driveway, waved to Ally, and disappeared down the street. Jane watched him go.
    â€œWell that’s the end of that.”
    Ally shaded her eyes as the truck turned the corner. “I suppose he was only trying to be nice.”
    â€œNice? That man isn’t nice. He broke Susan’s heart—probably killed her as well.”
    Startled, Ally stared at Jane. “You think Jackson killed Susan?”
    Jane waved away the suggestion. “He might as well have. He messed up everything for you, Susan, and Rob, didn’t he?”
    â€œI hadn’t really thought of it like that,” Ally said carefully, uneasy at the underlying venom in Jane’s tone. “As far as I remember, I was the one who caused all the problems.”
    â€œHuh, I always reckoned Jackson had a lot more to do with it than anyone thought. Who told Susan where to find you and him? That’s what I’ve always wanted to know.”
    Ally took out her door key and edged past Jane. “Thanks again, Jane. I really have to get going.”
    With a shake of her head, Jane started smiling again. “No worries, Ally. See you ’round.”
    Ally closed and locked the front door and watched until Jane took herself down the street. It was common for someone who suffered a violent bereavement to fixate on the causes and place blame everywhere, even when it obviously wasn’t due, and it seemed that poor Jackson was Jane’s chosen target. From what she’d seen, Jackson had no more forgiven himself for what happened that night than Ally had.
    Ally paused to open the door into what was supposed to be the dining room of the house. She’d wondered, too, how Susan and Rob had known exactly where to find her and Jackson on that fateful night.
    She snapped on the light and blinked at the closely packed boxes. What on earth had been going through her mother’s head the last few years of her life? Had she ever thrown anything away? If there was a computer in here, it would take a while to find it. Ally rubbed her cheek and felt the accumulated grime and grease from the diner kitchen.
    With a shudder, she retreated down the hall to her bedroom and then to the shower. A wash, a short nap, and she might be able to face the dining room again. It would have to be cleared out at some point.
    Â 
    Jackson knocked on Rob’s door and went in. “Hey, I fixed Ally’s truck.”
    â€œShe let you?”
    Rob looked up from the report he was typing into the computer. Well, typing was perhaps too technical a word for the hunt-and-peck method he apparently favored.
    Jackson straddled the chair in front of Rob’s desk. “I didn’t tell her I was going to do it, although she caught me just as I was finishing up.”
    Rob grinned. “And how did that go?”
    â€œShe had Jane Evans with her, so she couldn’t really lose it,