Christmas Kisses with My Cowboy - Diana Palmer Page 0,130

explains how Jason comes into the story. Go on.” Ted nodded.

“He grabbed hold of Bacon, and held him up in the air with one of the kitchen knives at his throat.” Veronica shuddered as she recalled the scene. “He said he was going to send both pigs to the slaughterhouse, and that he’d only stayed home to wait for the truck to arrive.

“I . . . lost my temper, lowered my head, and tried to tackle him to the floor. I made a grab for Bacon, who was squealing his head off, but Jason shoved me backward so hard that I fell on my ass next to Perry, who definitely wasn’t dead. She didn’t like Jason much by this point, and seeing him hurting her baby made her mad. She charged him and he went down like a stone.”

Veronica gulped for air. “Luckily, Bacon fell on top of Jason when he hit the ground and Perry was more interested in saving her piglet than finishing Jason off.”

She glanced over at Ted to find his shoulders were shaking, and that he had one hand covering his mouth.

“It wasn’t funny!” She glared at him.

“Sure sounds like it from this side of the room.”

She shot to her feet and marched over to him, hands on her hips. “I was afraid!”

He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her onto his knee, which, she realized, was exactly where she wanted to be.

“I guess you had to be there,” he said.

She punched him hard in the chest and he obligingly grunted.

“I’ll shut up now. You didn’t know whether Jason was okay at that point, so I get that it was stressful.” He smoothed his hand over her back. “I guess this was when you stole Bacon and made a run for it?”

“Yes.” She tangled her fingers in the buttons of his shirt and wouldn’t look up at him. “I did call nine-one-one and left the back door open for the paramedics.”

“Of course you did.” Another tremor rumbled through his frame but this time he kept his voice even. “I suppose, after you left like that, you couldn’t just call his cell and ask him if he was okay?”

“No, which is why I couldn’t tell you everything. Today I asked Sharon to find out what happened to Perry. She’s supposed to be getting back to me anytime now.” Veronica finally looked up at him. “Do you think Jason went through with it, and sent her to be killed?”

“I don’t know, love.” Ted held her gaze. “Do you want to call him and ask?”

“Call him? Ted, I’ve spent the last two years avoiding him like the plague!”

Even as he opened his mouth to reply, her cell rang. She jumped like she’d been shot and yanked it out of her pocket.

“Oh my God, it’s Jason.”

“Well, pick up,” Ted said. “Put him on speakerphone.”

She glared at him, but did as he suggested.

“Hello?”

“You’ve got my pigs, haven’t you?”

“Hi, Jason, how are you? Long time no speak,” Veronica said airily, hoping her ex wouldn’t notice the tremor in her voice.

“I hear you’ve been looking for me. If you don’t return my property, I’m going to the cops. I’m going to tell them how you broke into my house and attacked me. I had a concussion!”

Veronica offered Ted a stricken glance and he wrapped his hand around the one of hers holding the phone, which steadied her.

“I thought you were sending the pigs to be slaughtered.”

“And I will be doing that after you return them,” Jason countered. “Perry’s too dangerous to keep.”

“You’d better keep your stories straight for the cops, Jason. Which is it? Did Perry attack you, or was it me?” Veronica asked. “Maybe that bump on your head really did confuse you.”

“I’m not confused, sweetheart, you just—oh, hi, Marissa, how was your day?”

Veronica glanced over at Ted and raised her eyebrows as Marissa started talking.

“I’ve just been speaking to Sharon, and now I hear you threatening your ex-wife on the phone over a pig? You told me she’d ambushed you and stolen them, and that you wanted them back because you loved them—not that you intended to send them off to be slaughtered! You know how I feel about animal cruelty. How could you do such a thing?”

“Marissa, sweetheart, darling—”

“Don’t you Marissa me. If Veronica did take those pigs, she’s welcome to them!”

“But—I didn’t . . .” Veronica tried to interrupt, but the couple at the other end of the conversation was too busy shouting at each other to