“She’s feeling a little tired, but that’s natural so close to her due date. Aside from that, she’s fine. But why don’t you ask her yourself? I know she’d love to see you. After you left, she talked about how good it was to meet Tina’s sister.”
“We’d love to see her,” Kate said.
Vera hurried out of the room and a few minutes later, Holly waddled into the parlor. Jase thought she looked five pounds heavier, all of it gained in one place.
Kate leaned over and hugged her, which wasn’t that easy. “How are you?”
“Miserable.” Holly smiled. “My whole body feels swollen and achy, but I guess that’s normal.” She’d pulled her long brown hair up in a messy ponytail. Her yellow sundress fit loosely, except where it curved around the lump in the middle of her body.
“I’m pretty sure it is,” Kate said.
This time Jase sat down in the chair and let the women sit together on the sofa.
“Did Mrs. Lockwood tell you?” Holly said excitedly. “She arranged a place for me and the baby to live. A private home with an older Christian woman. Her name’s Mrs. Slovenski. Mrs. Lockwood says she’s lonely. She’s really nice and she loves babies.”
Kate smiled. “That’s wonderful news, Holly.” One of the young women returned with a tray carrying glasses and a pitcher of iced tea, which was great in the rising heat. Glasses were filled and passed around.
Jase tuned out as the women talked about babies and being pregnant—way too much information for him. But Kate was smiling, clearly enjoying the conversation. She’d probably want a family of her own someday.
The thought unsettled him, though he had no idea why. Kate was a woman. Of course she’d want babies. As for him, he’d never considered having kids. His lifestyle wasn’t conducive to marriage and family. He’d made his peace with that a long time ago.
“We’d better get going,” Kate said as the conversation wound to a close.
“Take care, Holly.” Jase drained his iced tea and set the glass back down on the tray.
Holly’s gaze swung in his direction, and uncertainty clouded her features. “Did you talk to Eli?”
“We did,” Jase said. “Eli didn’t kill Tina.”
Surprise widened her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Someone killed her after he left her. We think it was one of the men she was running away from when she came to Dallas. You know anything about that?”
Holly shook her head. “Tina wouldn’t talk about her past. I figured something bad had happened to her, but then we’ve all had problems. She said she left it all behind when she came to Dallas. I think she was planning to keep moving, keep traveling till she found a place she felt safe. Then she found out about the rehab center and that gave her hope. She was planning to make a new life here in Dallas.”
Too bad Tina never got the chance,Jase thought, hardening his resolve. They needed to find the truth of what had happened—before it happened to someone else.
“What about Eli?” Holly asked. “Did you...um...tell him about me?”
Kate reached down and gave Holly’s hand a squeeze. “Eli doesn’t know anything about you, and he’s never going to. You don’t have to worry.”
Holly relaxed. “Okay.”
They said their farewells. Holly left to continue her assigned duties, and Vera returned to the parlor. She walked them down the hall to the front door.
“Thanks for coming by,” she said. “With the no-family restrictions, the girls get a little lonely. But we have to be careful who they interact with. They do better if they’re away from whatever sent them spiraling into drugs in the first place.”
Kate nodded. “I’ll stop by the next chance I get. Tell Holly I can’t wait to see her baby.”
Vera smiled and waved as they walked down the front steps and climbed into the Yukon.
“I’ve been thinking about how I can help the center,” she said as he pulled the vehicle into the street. “They’re doing wonderful work. I’m not a counselor or anything like that, but Iama businesswoman. I think I might be able to help them raise money to keep the center running.”
“Sounds like a great idea. From what I’ve seen, seems like you can do just about anything you set your mind to.”
Her expression softened an instant before she looked back at the road. “The thing is, I do consulting work for major corporations, which means I have contacts with top level people. Some of them might be willing to convince their companies to act as sponsors for the home.”
Jase flicked her a glance. “Why don’t you talk to Chase about it? Garrett Resources might be willing to make a sizable donation.”
