Judy watched as Taker and Kali appeared to be having a rather serious discussion. But what the hell was Kali doing here? And how did she know to come here? Suddenly, Taker put his hands on each side of Kali's face and kissed her rather thoroughly. Finally, when the kiss ended, Kali glanced over at the huge front window of the shop and saw Judy standing there. The smug, gloating look was just too much! Judy closed the blinds, turned around the open sign to closed, then locked the door.
Judy had re-scheduled all her appointments today, so that they could discuss this situation. And now this happens! Taker obviously wanted Kali, so why bother with her?
Tears streamed unheeded down her face as she slid down the wall. Judy crossed her arms on top of her drawn up knees, then laid her forehead on them. She didn't acknowledge Taker beating on the door, calling her name. Eventually, he went away.
Judy sat there feeling sorry for herself, for several minutes. Finally realizing she wasn't accomplishing anything this way, the distraught woman got up and walked unsteadily to the telephone. Wiping away the last traces of her tears, Judy reached out a trembling hand, and after picking up the phone, dialed Kali's number. Kane answered on the second ring.
"Hello!" His husky voice sounded sleepy.
"Kane? I...I wasn't expecting to find you there." Judy was at a loss as to what to say!
"Judy! Damn, girl, it's good to hear from you! Where are you? How are you?" Kane's surprise erased all traces of sleep. He was delighted to hear from her. Taking the cordless phone, he walked through the house looking for Kali, but all he found was her note.
"Kane, do you know why Kali is here in Knoxville?" She had a death grip on the phone.
"Knoxville? Why the hell would she be there, unless she came to see you? But Kali would have called first!" Kane was confused! What the hell was going on now?
"I don't know why she was here, but she was! Kane, are things ok between you two?" Judy asked hesitantly.
"Things are great. Kali's pregnant! She's about three months. She told us late yesterday when Taker dropped me off! What's wrong, Judy?" Kane's voice filled with concern.
Shock at his revelation kept her quiet for several minutes. When she was able to speak, Judy congratulated him on their good news. They made small talk for a few more minutes, then Judy said she had to go.
Kane obviously thought the baby was his. But judging by what she witnessed right outside her shop, Taker was more likely the father. Judy sat down heavily, at her desk, holding her head in her hands. What the hell was she to do now? She couldn't just disappear again! Yet she didn't want to stay here!
Grabbing her purse and keys, Judy locked up the shop and ran to her Jeep. In minutes, she was on the interstate headed toward Nashville. Since her shop was closed the next two days anyway, she intended to hide out there until she could decide what to do. Anything she might need, she would buy. She didn't want to go back to her cabin for anything!
Taker was determined to talk to Judy! He watched as she jumped in her Jeep and spun out of the parking lot, slinging gravel every where. He didn't understand this weakness he had for Kali! He had known her longer than he had Judy, yet Taker felt himself drawn to that fiery red head in a way he never had been toward any other woman.
Kali had intended to tell Judy about the baby, to tell her that Taker was the father, and maybe ruin what ever chance he had with Judy. The big man didn't understand Kali's motives or her desire to hurt Judy! Those two had been friends, for God's sake! And you just don't treat friends that way!
************
Kali returned home about 5:30 that afternoon. Smiling with satisfaction over the days events, she had completely forgotten about Kane. As she entered the living room, she saw him sitting in a chair. He didn't exactly look happy.
"Where have you been?" He asked softly.
"What? OH! I had some business to take care of in town. I'm sorry I had to leave so early. But I got home as soon as I could. Did you miss me?"She asked playfully, as she sat down in his lap. Kali pressed her shapely body against his, her lips nibbling at his ear lobe.
Without thinking, Kane's arms went around her. "Have you talked to Judy or heard from her, since she left?" He asked, feeling the slight stiffening of her body.
"No, why do you ask?" Kali lied while continuing to nibble his ear.
One thing Kane could not or would not abide, was dishonesty in someone. And Kali was lying to him now. Standing up abruptly, dumping Kali on the floor, Kane went to the bedroom to collect his bags. After talking to Judy, Kane had called the airport and found out what time Kali's flight would be arriving. Next he arranged for a rental car to be delivered to the house. If she had lied about this, what else had she lied about? He needed to think, and he needed to be away from here to do it. Also, Kane needed to talk to Taker! His instincts told him Taker was as much a pawn in all this as Kane felt he was.
"Kane, where are you going?" Kali asked, trying to appease his apparent bad mood. She even managed to look confused by his behavior.
Stopping at the door, Kane look at her as though seeing her for the first time. "When you decide to tell me the truth, you have my number." Kane's tone was cool.
This surprised her! Kali honestly didn't know how to reply! She watched silently as he walked to the car, got in and drove away.
***********
Taker followed her to the motel just off the interstate. Pulling in to the convience store next door, he gassed up his truck while keeping his eyes on the motel office. When he saw her get back in her Jeep, he went in and paid for the gas then drove over to the motel parking lot, stopping in front of the office. Going inside, he asked the man behind the counter, what room the red head was in.
"Sir, I can not give out that information!" He said huffily.
Taker pulled out a $100.00 and showed it to the little rodent of a man.
"She's in room 198. Back side!" and snatched the money from Taker's hand.
Several minutes later, when she answered a knock at the door, Judy wasn't the least bit surprised, for some reason, to find Taker standing on the other side.
"What do you want now? Is Kali in the truck waiting for you? Haven't you two hurt me enough?" Anger at their duplicity was evident. All she wanted now, was to be left alone.
"May I come in? Please?" Taker felt ashamed of his part in this whole mess. He felt the need to try and explain this to her, as best he could.
Stepping aside, Judy motioned him in rather sarcastically. Hurt and anger made her blue eyes sparkle. Her long auburn hair hung down her back in fat, thick curls. Walking over to the window, Judy opened the drapes. She stood looking out at the parking lot. She didn't trust herself to speak or to look at him.
After all this time, about three months, without a word, and he still had the power to make her knees go weak. Images of his huge naked body filled her mind, even as tears of regret filled her eyes.
Sighing, the big man knew this wasn't going to be easy, but he hadn't expected it to be so damned hard either. Sitting down on the foot of the big bed, Taker ran his hands over his face, then through his hair.
"I could tell you I'm sorry, but I think you already know that! But I honestly didn't mean to hurt you! Please believe that, for I've never been more sincere about anything. I have to tell you! Kali is up to something. She's pregnant! And I'm almost certain it's mine! Judy, I found you because I wanted to try and make us work! I was surprised to see her today."
"I don't want to hear anymore! I saw you two! I saw you touching her, kissing her! RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY DAMNED SHOP! And you sit here telling me, you wanted us to work? What bullshit!!!!!!..... I've got to give you this! You definately have a set on you!" She had cut him off furiously! "I know Kali is pregnant! I talked to Kane earlier, after that disgusting display in the parking lot!" She said softly.
"Now I want to know one thing!! If you want her so much, why mess with me? I didn't need this aggravation in my life! Why didn't you just leave me alone and stay with her to begin with?" That pain ate at her! Her chin and bottom lip began to quiver, even as she held her body rigid.
Taker looked at her, not knowing what to say. There was no excuse for what he's done. All he knew, was that he wanted her in his life! He wanted to wipe away the pain he'd caused her! Brian was right about one thing! She would be very easy to fall in love with. Her gentle nature, her softness, her ready smile. Taker realized Judy was the one he wanted to have children with.
Standing up, he covered the distance separating them, in an instant. He took her stiff body in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, putting all the love and passion, all the feeling he had for her in that one kiss.
Slowly, her body begun to relax against him. God help her, she did care for him! Maybe more than she should, but care for him, she did. Moaning softly, Judy's arms went around his waist, as she started kissing him back. But then, something occurred to her, and she broke the embrace. Pulling away from him, she looked up in his eyes. She had something to tell him.
"I have to say this! Taker, if your heart's not in this, then I won't have just your body!" Her blue eyes were deadly serious. This gave him something to think about.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Chapter Twenty~~~Kaliegh
Kali's thought were consumed by the events that had happened over the last few months. Finally a little over a week after the last time she had saw Kane, Kali made some decisions. The first thing she did was call Kane and tell him that she was ready to talk to him. After finding out where he would be in two days, she called the airport and reserved a flight to Miami to see him. Next she called a realtor and had her tattoo shop put up on the market. Finally she called her landlord, telling him that she would be moving from her apartment by the end of the week. Kali didn't have the slightest clue where she was going. The only thing she did know was that she wasn't going to stay in Reno any longer than she had to.
Two days later Kali's flight landed in Florida late in the afternoon. After picking up a rental car, she drove to Kane's hotel. She fully intended to tell him everything, but as she slowly walked down the long hallway to his room, her feelings of guilt quickly turned to doubt and furious anger. Anger that was directed towards Taker for using her the way he had. No, she wasn't through with him just yet. Not by a long shot.
When Kali arrived at Kane's room, she leaned against the wall, staring at the closed door. She began to doubt that if it was really worth trying to explain to Kane how she felt. She wondered if it was worth bringing up the painful memories of her past, not only what her parents had done to her, but what other people had done to hurt her as well. Kali thought about it further and wondered if Kane would understand how she felt….Would he understand that after what had happened with Taker, she just couldn't take it anymore. Kali's heart had become so cold that if someone was going to treat her like crap, she was going to treat. them like crap right back.
As Kali continued to stare at the door, she wondered if Kane even loved her enough to care. In her mind, Kali thought that he didn't. As much as she loved Kane, she finally decided that the best thing to do was walk away from here and not look back. Kali loved Kane and didn't want to hurt him anymore than what she already had, and she truly believed that she didn't deserves to be loved by Kane, or anyone else for that matter. With a heavy sigh, Kali turned and walked back down the hallway.
With each step she took, she became even angier at Taker for messing up her life the way he had. He had known that he didn't feel for her that night they slept together and he should have just left her alone. By time she walked across the parking lot to her car, Kali was positively livid with rage.
As Kali pulled her car out of the hotel parking lot, the sky literally opened up. Glancing down at the faint scars on her wrists, Kali remembered the last time she had seen it rain this hard. Tears fell from her eyes as she switched on the radio, hoping the music would push those bad memories from her mind. Finally Kali began to relax as she turned the car onto the freeway, and reaching over for a cigarette, she only took her eyes from the road for a second. She looked back up just in time to see a semi pull over in her lane. She was going to fast, and the other driver was going too slow. Kali stepped down hard on the brakes, but it was of no use. Not having her seat belt on, Kali was thrown into the windshield as her car crashed violently into the back of the semi.
Upon arriving in the emergency room of a nearby hospital, the doctor assigned to her care did an ultrasound and found that her baby had not been hurt in the accident. But Kali was in a deep coma, and six months later, she still hadn't awoke when her baby boy was brought into the world.