Southern Admirer (Southern Loving Book 2) (23 page)

Shane bit into his turkey sandwich, his father was
like his best friend besides, Austin and Hank. “Jasmine loves me inspite of all
my imperfections and vice versa. We’re overcoming painful moments and building
endless memories together.”

“You have something special in Jasmine St. Clair.”
His father nudged him with his shoulder. “I want you to look at this new fresh
start with her as a chance to do something differently. Did you gain any
perspective from your last marriage?”

“I’m always going to choose love and my family.”
He looked at his dad. “Do you know Mom brags about you to family and friends?”

“No,” his dad said simply, as he ate his food.

“I want to be the husband that Jasmine can’t help
but brag about.”

“Well son, be the husband she can count on, be a
husband who don’t stop paying attention to the smallest details. Don’t take her
for granted.” He paused and stared at his wedding ring before continuing. “The
day I married your mama, my daddy told me to that was the day I promised to be
the man that would own Melody’s heart and protect it. Getting married is a job
you don’t get lazy and do the job half assed, because if so she will fire your
ass and hire someone else.”

Shane didn’t recall his father speech about love
but then again things have changed. When he got married to Sarah, he was a
young man, trying to do the right thing before he left for his first tour of
duty. “Thanks, Dad.”

They both looked back as his mother’s familiar,
red mustang jeep pulled up next to Shane’s truck. “Gerald Author McBride, I
know that’s not potato chips you’re eating. You’re supposed to watching what
you eat,” Melody McBride scowled.

“Mama, it’s baked chips,” Shane said, holding the
bag of chips up for her to see.

“What am I’m going to do with you guys?” Melody
said with her hands on her wide hips. “Are you drinking enough water?”

“Yes ma’am,” Gerald said, raising a bottle of
water for her to see and took a sip to appease his wife. “I was just sitting
here giving our young’un some helpful advice about love.”

Melody folded her arms
across her chest. “Were you now,” she said, looking at her husband then back at
Shane. “Well, it’s your turn to listen to your mama. Don’t ever take Jasmine
for granted. Be grateful for every day that you wake up next to her and Shay.”
She licked her thumb and wiped the mayo from the corner of his mouth.

Shane moved his head and blushed. “Geez Mom, you
could have just told me.”

“Don’t be acting like you’re too old for that,”
she said ignoring him. “Now, back to mama’s advice. Don’t allow these devices,”
Melody picked up his iPhone and dangled it in front of him. “To come between
you guys, I never see it. Ya’ll young people concentrate on work and iTa and
everything else except for each other.”

“It’s iPad,” he corrected.

“I know what it is,” his mother snapped, her eyes
softened as she looked at him. “I always told you it takes two people to make a
relationship work. If one person isn’t giving their all or not fully vested in
the relationship, then the relationship will fall apart.”

Shane stood up and kissed his mother on the cheek.
“Thanks for all the useful advice. I will use it every day.”

“When are you going to tell her about the house?”
his father asked.

Shane looked at the scenery in front of him. The
two-story farmhouse he was building was out of love. He was rebuilding his
life. Everything was going well. The foundations for the house were already up
and Jimmy promised the house would be done in four months.

Tossing his trash in the basket, wiping his mouth
and brushing crumbs off his pants, Shane stood up and walked to what would soon
be the circular driveway. “Her birthday is coming up.”

“You’re doing well,” his father said. “Just
remember to give us a lot of grandkids to love on.”

“I second that,” his mother laughed.

He felt like their life was coming along. The only
roadblock standing in their way of living happily ever after in their
relationship was with her. Jasmine proved that she wasn’t anyone’s property and
she was able to make her own decision in life. But, Shane was old fashioned and
wanted Reginald St. Clair’s blessing and to know his full intentions when it
came to his daughter.

***

Jasmine stood next to Farrah as they both looked
at the new and improved security hut that Shane had built near the black iron
gate that led onto McBride ranch. She patted Shay on the back, she was swaddled
in the black and pink sling across her chest. “I don’t know if this is going to
work,” Jasmine said nervously.

“Don’t worry, Jazzy. Gil Novik is new and he is a
people pleaser,” Farrah said through clenched teeth. She fixed her and lifted
the tray of cookies up.

“Hi Mrs. McBride, haven’t seen you for some time,”
Gil, the security attendant, said as he grinned from ear to ear showing all his
teeth.

Jasmine studied the tall, medium built man with
pale skin. He had a familiar face that she swore she’d seen before. He looked
at her nervously before running his fingers through his black hair.

“Hey Gil, I know, my husband’s been keeping me
under lock and key.” She smiled. “Here, I baked some fresh cookies for you and
the guys.”

Gil happily accepted the platter of cookies. “Now
what can I do for you?” he asked, not wasting no time sampling a chocolate chip
cookie.

“I was wondering if you can replay the
surveillance camera back for us?” Farrah asked.

“Do you have something or someone in particular
you looking for?” he asked them.

“Why don’t you sit over there and eat cookies
while we play the video back,” Jasmine interjected.

Farrah's eyes widened. “What she means is that we
don’t want to burden you with such a simple task.”

Gil hesitated before going to the computer. “How
far you want to go back?”

“Two weeks,” Jasmine spoke up.

Gil sat them up at the computer before he sat
behind them munching on cookies.

Jasmine paced the small office. For the past
couple of weeks, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
She knew if she told Shane, he would tell her that she was paranoid. Even on
the ranch she felt like someone was watching her from afar.

She was constantly in a panicked frenzy. She was
racking her brain trying to put two and two together, but nothing was adding
up. She was missing something but what was she missing? There had to be
something? Something only the surveillance cameras could tell her.

Farrah came up with this elaborate scheme to look
through surveillance cameras that were set all around the ranch.

“Hold up.” Jasmine looked closer at the monitor.
She pointed to a white truck with tinted windows. It would park near the
entrance where Shane’s house was. “The timeline shows the same truck would come
to the ranch for two months now.”

Gil stood up and crowded the woman’s space. “I’ll
make a memo to see why the truck is parked there.”

She couldn’t identify the occupant in the vehicle,
but Jasmine was pretty sure it was the man from the side of the road and at the
café.

“What are you guys doing?”

Farrah and Jasmine both jumped to see Austin
staring at them mischievously. “You scared the hell out of us.” Farrah threw a
cookie at him.

Shay squirmed in the sling. “I should be getting
home,” Jasmine stuttered.

“We should walk you back to the house,” Farrah
offered.

Jasmine took one last look at the white truck on
the screen. Somewhere out there was a man who wanted to harm her for God knows
what reason. “Sure.”

As they walked past Austin, she heard him asking
Gil what they were doing. She didn’t hear the man’s reply because Farrah was
talking.

“You need to tell Shane or your brother,” Farrah
said with a worried look on her face. “When I was experiencing some issues,
Shane was right there for me…he protected me when I had no one else.”

“What if I’m wrong?” she asked in a low voice.

“What if you’re right?” Farrah said. “You have to
think about Shay.”

“I always do,” she said, and continued to walk
down the street.

“Tell Shane or I will,” Farrah said, and left it
like that as they journeyed down the street.

***

“Have you noticed the girls been acting funny?”
Austin said.

Shane looked behind to see Jasmine talking in a
hush tone in the corner with Farrah. The worry lines in Farrah brows were
evident. “They probably talking about the next sale at Macy’s.” He shrugged and
went back to watching the Dallas Cowboys pre-season football game.

“I don’t care what you say,” Austin mumbled as he
continued to watch Farrah and Jasmine. “Thelma and Louise is definitely up to
something.”

“What makes you say that?” Shane laughed.

“Well for one, the other day I caught them at the
security hut, going over surveillance cameras.”

Shane turned his attention from the football game
to his cousin. “What?”

“I heard Farrah telling her to talk to you that
you could help her,” Austin told him.

Shane looked back at Jasmine, he had every right
to stalk over there and demand her to tell him what was going on. “I’ll be
right back.” He stood up and disappeared outside. Unclipping his phone from his
leather belt.

The phone rang three times before someone on the
other end picked up.

“We need to meet ASAP.”

“It better be important,” Benjamin St. Clair said.

“It’s about Jasmine.”

“I’ll be there first thing in the morning.”

His phone lit up, notifying him that the caller
hung up.

The next morning, Shane eased out of bed without
waking Jasmine. When he peeped into the crib Shay was wide awake sucking on her
pacifier. He picked her up to allowed Jasmine a few hours of sleep.

“So what did you call me here for?” Benjamin
grumbled, sitting at the dining room table sipping on a cup of coffee.

“I know you’d rather be anywhere but here, but I
have this feeling that Jasmine might be in trouble.”

Benjamin sat up and folded his arm across his
chest. “And how did you come to this conclusion?”

Shane pushed a brown folder across the table for
Benjamin to read. He friend hesitated before picking it up to read the contents
inside.

 “Wasn’t there fingerprints on the handle of
the car?”

“Untraceable fingerprints,” Shane said. “I’m
worried about her; she hasn’t talked about that night.”

Benjamin got up from his seat and walked down the
hallway. Shane could hear the argument in the bedroom, along with some
unpleasant words. Jasmine was definitely not a morning person.

“Get your ass dressed and come to the table,”
Benjamin barked.

Shane whistled and shook his head. “I wouldn’t
have done that if I were you.”

“She’ll get over it,” he growled, and picked up
his cup of coffee. His eyes trained on the infant in Shane’s arm. “How is
parenthood?”

“Perfect.” Shane looked at his daughter in his
arms sucking fiercely on her pacifier. “I told her the other night that I
apologize for messing her up, but I intend on raising her right.”

This was the first time in a month that he’d spoke
with ex-best friend and former partner. Pretty soon they were talking about the
Cowboys, changing diapers and cases they’d been working on.

“Benjamin Lamont St. Clair.” Jasmine stood in the
kitchen, wearing a white bathrobe her black hair was sticking straight on top
of hair like she was struck by lightning overnight. “Have you lost your damn
mind?”

“Nope, but you have,” Benjamin said, pulling out a
chair for her. “What the hell is going on?”

Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Nothing,” she spat. “Why
are you here? Does that mean everything is forgiven?” She hugged him before
sitting down at the chair.

“Benjamin is here because I called him…Gil said
that you were questioning about a white truck that been seen outside the
ranch,” Shane said.

“Don’t act like you’re my father, Benjamin and
Shane, I already have one,” she joked.

Shane could see that Jasmine was trying to brush
it off. But he wasn’t fooled, he stared at her with concerned eyes until she
looked away at him before jumping up from the table.

“Sit your black ass back down.” Benjamin’s voiced
rumbled throughout the kitchen.

“I’m going to put Shay in the swing in the living
room.” Shane stood up leaving the two alone in the kitchen.

“It’s not like you care?” Jasmine continued to
stand. “For the past few weeks I’ve been handling this on my own.” She banged
her fist against the table. “I don’t need your damn help.”

Benjamin's eyes began to soften as he looked at
his only sister. “Yes, I have been distant—”