All Chapters of Taken by Surprise: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Jack Ward pulled his official county SUV into a parking space at the Fort Mavis Sheriff's Office and turned off the ignition. He sat for a moment in the vehicle, staring out at nothing and just enjoying it. He was glad he'd made the choice to leave Houston. As big as the city was, he didn't think it was large enough for both him and Jessie. He found himself looking for her every time he went to some place they'd been together. Like a lovesick idiot, he'd even driven to the restaurant where she worked, sap that he was, and sat outside waiting to get a glimpse of her.It was so not like him and he was driving himself nuts. He had not been able to understand how she could just walk away from him the way she had. Away from what they had. He'd never felt like this about a woman before and he was pretty damn sure her feelings were the same. The more he thought abut it, the angrier he got. He forced himself to think of her as selfish and self-centered, because that made the break easier to b

As they walked through the house, Jessie could not stop herself from running her fingers over the gleaming polished wood of the furniture, or the silky feeling curtains at some of the windows. The high tech kitchen amazed her the most."I believe she tested new recipes here," the attorney told her. "She purely loved cooking."When they'd finished the tour, Jessie turned to him, excitement wriggling through her. "Are you sure it's really mine?"He nodded, smiling at her. "Not a doubt. In fact, you could even stay here. We got a housekeeper in when we knew you were on the way. You can see the house is clean, linens are clean. Utilities are still in place, although you'll need to get them switched over to you.""Stay here? Really?""It's all yours and ready for you." He handed her a key ring. "House and restaurant. There're two sets on there.""I'll be sure to keep one in a safe place," she assured him.Fort Mavis was a far cry from Houston. In fact, they were worlds apart. But her

Jessie filled a mug with fresh coffee and stood in the back of the kitchen, catching her breath. She had barely slept last night. Sleep eluded her until she searched as thoroughly as possible for a letter from Delfina but nothing turned up. BY the time she got in bed everything was whirling in her brain so fast she had trouble falling asleep.She was, however, determined to start out n the right foot here. She had decided to look at this as a real opportunity, one that came to her when her life was taking a nosedive. And maybe, just maybe, she might like it enough to stay here. She had arrived at the diner promptly at five o'clock, meeting Alton and Rona in the rear parking area. They both looked slightly shocked that she'd actually showed up at this ungodly hour, but she had to show them she was serious. As things stood in her life, she might not have another choice.Oh, she could always find a new apartment in Houston and look for another restaurant to hire her. But she'd be low m

Jack had debated with himself about doing this, confronting her, but he wanted to know what the hell she was doing in Fort Mavis. He'd moved halfway across Texas to leave her and the memories behind and here she was, bringing it back like a bad penny. How could she just show up in his life like this when she'd put her fancy career ahead of him and walked away? He didn't know whether to strangle her or kiss her, and that in itself made him mad."Just what the hell are you doing in Fort Mavis?"If he expected her to be intimidated, he was way off the mark. He should have known better. Jessie was a spitfire who wasn't unsettled by anything. At least not that she showed.She glared at him. "I could ask you the same thing.""I have a job here," he growled."And I inherited a business," she snapped.They stared at each other."So you didn't follow me here? Trying to patch things up?" Now that was a stupid thing to say. She was the one who walked away, not him. She didn't even know he

Jessie stared at the envelope then turned it over. Her name was written on the front in flowing script but nothing on the back. And it was sealed. She noticed her hands shaking and stuffed the envelope in her jeans pocket."Thank you. I appreciate you bringing it by.""Again, my sincerest apologies.""No problem. Listen, I'll send Rona out to take your order, okay?" She wasn't sure she could write two words at the moment."Of course. And if there is anything in there that needs my assistance, please don't hesitate to call.The letter burned a hole in her pocket all day. She was so distracted when Bob came in he told her to please stick to cleanup and stop screwing up the orders. At last the day was over. She locked up and headed home, her head whirling as she wondered what Delfina had thought so important she wrote her a letter. Maybe she'd tell Jessie how they were related.She had no appetite for anything to eat so she took a shower, pulled on her sleep shirt, and fixed herself