A Bride for Jackson Powers (Desire, 1273) by Dixie Browning Page A

there? What if she was there, but hung up as soon as she heard Hetty’s voice? Hetty fully intended to reclaim her family, but it was going to take time and patience. Asking for a loan was hardly the best way to begin.
    Take a deep breath, Henrietta. Now, think. Would Oklahoma have an embassy in Illinois?
    Probably not.
    For a while adrenaline had carried her, but now that relief was finally within sight, exhaustion was rapidly setting in.
    Jax, who’d been pacing the floor with Sunny on his shoulder, paused in front of where she was seated, both arms wrapped around her knees.
    “How much baggage did you check?”
    “Two bags. My iron and coffeemaker are in one, along with some books I’ve been wanting to read but haven’t had time. I thought I’d have plenty of time on a cruise.”
    What she’d actually thought was that if she wasn’t too busy partying with the kind of people who posed for the pictures on the brochure, she would head for the row of poolside lounge chairs, also pictured in the brochure, and catch up on her reading. She’d bought dark glasses, a wide-brimmed straw hat decorated with a big, yellow flower and a tropical-print bathing suit and cover-up, just for the occasion.
    “When things calm down, I’ll go with you to the baggage agent and see if we can reestablish your claim. You’ll have to describe the bags and what’s in them. You did have visible identification, didn’t you?”
    She assured him that the bags were clearly marked with her name, but no address. She’d read that in a travel magazine somewhere. Not to put your address on your luggage, because then anyone who happened to see it would know you weren’t at home and could go to your address and break and enter at will.
    Although in her case, it hardly applied. She no longer had a home.
    “Watch the monitors. They’re beginning to reschedule a few flights.” Jax settled a drowsy and tear-stained Sunny in her carrier and sat down beside her.
    Hetty squinted up over the heads of the crowd at the sign listing arrivals and departures by number anddestination. Most were still designated as cancelled or delayed. “Is your flight listed yet?” She couldn’t bear the thought that he would go first, leaving her behind.
    “Not yet.”
    At least on the planes they would have those tiny bars of soap, she thought. Despite two and a half days with only the most cursory washup, Jax still smelled of shaving soap and leather. Heaven only knew what she smelled like. Baby spit, probably.
    “There goes another one to Orlando. It looks like things are beginning to get cracking. With Orlando open, Miami won’t be a problem. You ought to be—” Lowering his head to his knees, he swore softly. “Dammit, I keep forgetting. Look, tell me what I can do to help. I’ll buy you a ticket to wherever you need to go, although I can’t do much about your cruise. I know the line—it’s got a pretty good reputation, but I doubt if they’ll return to port to collect one passenger. Do you have insurance? Credit cards usually offer some kind of protection. You can probably catch up with your ship at the next port of call.”
    Jax watched as pride battled to overcome the terror of uncertainty. As bedraggled as she looked, that familiar cloak of dignity came over her again, touching him in a totally unexpected way.
    “Actually, I didn’t use a credit card, but I’ll be just fine, really. I have friends—family. My friend at the travel agency will know what to do once I get through to her. I’ll be just fine,” she repeated in an obvious effort to convince herself.
    “Yeah, sure you will. I just thought since you’vebeen such a great help, Sunny and I could repay the favor.”
    The air between them grew distinctly cooler. “Thank you,” she said quietly, “but I can manage quite well by myself. I told you I have—” Abruptly, she started to rise and cried, “Oh, darn!” at the sound of tearing fabric.
    “Sit down, Hetty.”
    Defeated, she