AN: Bella's presence unnerves Maria's son, Jasper. While Bella is fearful of the resemblance and few similarities she noticed between Jasper and James.

Chapter four: Texas and Cowboys

Bella, December, 2010

Their voices seemed so far away, but the more they argued, the closer the noise got. My head was pounding and whoever Maria was arguing with was only making it worse.

When I listened close, I realized that she was speaking to the man that looked like James.

A fact that unnerved me.

I didn't want to stay around anyone that reminded me of the nightmare I left behind. And if Maria was going to be in trouble for helping me, then I'd go.

I wouldn't be anybody's burden.

James and his devious ways were enough to last me a lifetime. I didn't need a replica. And this guy seemed like he wasn't far off.

It always baffled me that James was a doctor, because I couldn't imagine that selfish prick wanting to save a life.

So I always told myself that it was just for the sake of being able to call himself a doctor since his dad was one and the ability to get his hands on any drug he wanted –including the painkillers he was addicted to – was the only reason he was a medical physician.

The guy was grating my brain. My head was pounding and I felt a little angry he was scolding Maria for 'hiring' me without consulting him and someone named Rosalie.

Apparently, Maria wasn't the only decision maker around here.

"You need to consider how we feel," he said harshly.

"Oh really?" Maria hissed. "Are you considering me when you make your decisions?"

He didn't answer. He just growled.

I couldn't stand it anymore. My head hurt and I wanted them to know that I was awake, and that I'd be going.

I wouldn't stay in this. Not under these circumstances.

Maria was holding her ground against his inquisition as he questioned her again, but he wasn't backing down. He thought that she should have at least suspected that I could be lying; that the assholes who stole my car were working with me.

Maria nearly bit his head off for that accusation; stating that she was there when my car was stolen, and that I didn't even want to go with her. She had to persuade me.

Which was the truth.

With a heavy sigh, I opened my eyes, staring up at the ceiling while thinking of the best way to do this.

After deciding that a straightforward approach –though the guy's similarity to James scared me to death – was the best one, I pushed myself up against the pillows, and croaked out, "I'll go."

No one heard me the first time so I tried again, this time with a little more strength. "I'll go!"

All three stopped and looked at me, both stunned that I was awake and by my remark. "I'll go." I said again with my eyes solely on Maria as I continued, "I'm sorry for what happened, and I'm really thankful that you wanted to help, but…" and I glanced at the guy as I said this, then back at her; meeting her shocked and angry eyes. "I'm obviously not welcomed here."

"Bella," Maria started, drawing closer with the blond guy following suit. "I never said that you couldn't stay."

I didn't meet her eyes, I dropped mine to my hands, playing with the edge of my t-shirt. "I don't think I can. I think it would be best that I go."

I moved to get off the bed, but staggered when I got to my feet. I almost fell forward, but out of nowhere, and I don't know how he moved that fast, the guy caught me and placed me back on the bed.

"You need to stay seated, Bella," he said; there was a little harshness in his strong voice and it was scaring me. I couldn't help but tremble beneath his fingertips and he let me go almost as quickly as he had touched; taking a step back and looking at me curiously.

"These are my children, Bella," Maria stated. "That, there is Jasper. He's my oldest. And this…" she pointed at the girl who came to stand beside her. She was the living replica of Jasper. The same beautiful blond hair, but she had brown eyes like Maria whereas Jasper's were deep blue. "…is his sister, Rosalie."

"Hello," Rosalie said.

"Hi," I replied.

"You'd have to excuse my brother, Bella." Rosalie said with a cocked brow. "He's been a bit of an ass all day, but he's a great doctor and he wants to see if you're okay."

"Okay." I chuckled out in shock.

This must be a dream. He was a doctor? Jasper was a doctor? Like James?

For a second, I began to think that James must have beaten me so badly, I was in a coma and this was all a dream, until Jasper came closer, placing the stethoscope in his ears while his stark blue eyes held me captive as he asked, "Are you ready? I need to make sure you're okay."

"I'm ready."

He stepped even closer and his manly scent ignited my senses. He smelt so damn good!

Maybe it was the cologne he was wearing but I was enraptured by him.

"He's damn good at what he does," Maria boasted and you could see the love in her eyes. "He'll know if you're alright."

I nodded; afraid of how squeaky my voice might sound if I dared to speak.

"So, Bella?" Jasper said.

"Yeah?" I was surprised I didn't sound breathy when I said that.

"Where are you headed?"

"I'm not sure." I told him honestly.

"Well, darlin' that's not very good, now is it?" he drawled, sounding like one of those cowboys from the westerns I watched when I was a kid.

"No. But you don't want me here." He looked at me, long and hard until he sheepishly looked away. I didn't know where the strength came from allowing me to say that, but I loved it.

I have never had a man cower away from my eyes before.

"I'm just concerned for my family," he said.

"I want to save my life," I said, but then shut up because I refused to share my story with anyone else as yet. I'd only given Maria bits and pieces. I wasn't ready to let anyone else in.

"I won't ask why." He smiled, and it was beautiful. Jasper's smile was lovely. The way his perfectly shaped face lit up made my heart thump against my chest raptly.

I didn't even know him! How could he invoke such a feeling in me?

I couldn't question it. I had to simply write it off as me being a red blooded woman who was just aware and appreciated the beauty seated on the edge of the bed before me.

That was it.

Jasper asked me some more questions while he examined me; drawling each word and making me want to laugh. I had never heard a southern accent outside of my television before. It sounded so strange to me. Although on Jasper, it was very enticing.

"You sound like a cowboy," I said, before my eyes bugged out and I slapped my hand over my mouth. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that." I told him from behind my hand.

He laughed. "It's alright. Thanks for the compliment. I take it that it was one, right?"

"It was." I slightly smiled. His handsomeness was so disarming. I had to look away sometimes.

"Good."

When Jasper was through, he gave me a small smile and asked to speak with his mother, before leaving the room with Rosalie.

Maria came to sit down beside me, but her eyes wouldn't leave the door for a bit. "Well that was strange."

"What was?"

"Jasper."

"Why?" I asked.

"He wanted to bite my head off a while ago, but he speaks with you and he's all smiles again." Wow, what was that?

"Anyways…" She gave me her full attention. "…don't ever let me hear you talk anything about you leaving again. At least, not until you're on your feet. Am I understood?" She sounded like the mother I have always wanted.

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Maria," she smiled, reminding me to call her by her first name.

"Maria," I said, returning her smile as she got up.

"I'm gonna go talk to my kids and Sue will bring you up some soup in a minute, okay?"

"Okay," I whispered.

Maria patted my knee and then left the room.

I laid there for a while thinking about I would do. I understood that Maria wanted me to stay. She had gone through something similar to me, and understood my plight, and was even willing to hide me from James.

Jasper wanted to know why I was in his house, and I couldn't wrong him for it because I'd want to know why my mom was helping a stranger too. Not that Renee would ever do such a thing. She would rather eat nails for breakfast.

I could go if I wanted. I could leave in the night. I still had my backpack and the remainder of the money Phil gave me so I could make a move. Thankfully, when I had gotten out of the car, I had taken it with me.

But did I want to?

Thinking back to the doctor, he was such a mystery; a beautiful mystery. Jasper must be such a dream for the woman who owned his heart. He was perfection. Tall, well built, muscular and had the deepest blue eyes I had ever had the pleasure of looking into. There were like the raging ocean and coupled with his wavy blond hair that stopped short at his neck, he must be hard to resist.

But I couldn't care about that.

The only thing that should matter to me…is surviving.

Sue came in not long after that, forcing me to leave my thoughts behind as my stomach grumbled at the sight of the soup and some crackers. She placed the tray in my lap, smiling and then wished me a good night. I thanked her and dug in as soon as she left the room.

After eating, I placed my tray on the nightstand and lay back against the pillows. My eyes were heavy and I could hardly keep them open.

When sleep came, I welcomed it, though I worried that a nightmare wouldn't be far behind. They weren't always a bother, but to be away from James, worried like hell as to when he would finally catch up with me was bound to have some bad side effects on me.

But what was I to do? I couldn't fight it sleep.

~~abt~~

Maria

While heading to my office, I psyched myself up for dealing with my son. He and I weren't on the best of terms right now and with me taking home some frail girl was sure to stir that fiery pot some more. But I had smile as I grabbed a hold of the door knob, ready to walk into the lion's den.

During Bella's examination, Jasper had smiled at Bella in a way I have never seen him smile at any other woman before. I have been privileged to see him with other girls over the years, but nothing invoked that simple yet beautiful smile to spread across his face so effortlessly.

Not like it had with Bella.

I couldn't forget it. It was how I knew my boy. It was an honest, beautiful smile that lit up his face, and reminded me of the wonderful boy my husband and I raised.

How did Bella do that? It was so weird!

I opened the door and walked into my office, realizing that my boy was gone, and the kind guy Bella just had the privileged to reawakening was gone now; replaced by the angry man I was arguing with all day.

I rolled my eyes. Jasper was seated on the edge of my desk while Rose was sitting in one of the chairs in front of it.

"You couldn't just leave me be?" I asked snidely. I wasn't about to make this easy for him.

"No," he said defiantly. "There are still things to discuss."

I rolled my eyes again. "Jasper Whitlock, the last I remembered, I had you. It wasn't the other way around. Your daddy and I ran this farm long before you were born and I don't need your input on all matters. Get over yourself." He was so suspicious sometimes. "The damn girl can't hurt a fly."

"And how do you know that, Mom?" Rose asked.

"Because I know enough."

"Such as?" Jasper sometimes had a bad influence on his sister.

I went around my desk and took a seat. With a heavy sigh, I shared, "I know that she can't go home."

Jasper scoffed and got up, his anger taking over like I anticipated. "And who's making that decision for her? You?"

He was getting on my nerves. I loved my boy more than life itself, but I wanted to smack him so bad right now.

My children knew about my abusive past. It was hard thing for me to share, but their father said that we were family, and a close knit at that, so we shouldn't have any secrets locked away from each other that could come back and bite us in the ass.

John was right and it was the best decision at the time, because when my ex returned, wreaking havoc in my life, John and I were ready.

Because John was a billionaire, it wasn't hard for my ex to discover where I was, and to him, since I was married to such a wealthy man and my children were worth a lot, he thought I should give him money. John refused to do this, telling him to go to hell.

But my ex took things to the next level and kidnapped Jasper.

I nearly lost my mind when Jasper went missing. But what happened afterwards has forever bonded my family and me in a way that is unbreakable. The secret we share will die with us.

So knowing that they would understand now, I simply said, "Bella is running. And who she is running from…" Rose eased up in her chair, her pretty brown eyes blazing with her understanding, curiosity and anger. "…will kill her if he gets his hands on her."

"Mom, why would you do that?" Jasper hissed. "What do you know about the situation? What kind of danger have you brought down on us?"

I really wanted to smack him. But instead, I grabbed up the phone and dialed Jenks. I needed Bella's history. Now!

While dialing a number I knew off the top of my head, I seethed at Jasper, "Since you can't make that little twit, Alice, love you the way you're wasting your time loving her, you have felt the need to take it out on us, but hear me good, son, I will kick your ass all over Texas if you continue to act like I'm some kind of idiot!"

He couldn't answer me because I had hit the nail right on the head. That was his problem. But I needed him to put that aside for a moment. This was serious and I wanted to help Bella.

Rose was chuckling softly and Jenks picked up after three rings.

"Good evening, Mrs. Whitlock."

"Good evening, Mr. Jenks," I said, while trying to calm myself down. "I'll be quick. I need a full history to be done on someone. But for now, I just need a little bit of info."

"Yes, Ma'am, can I have a name please?" he asked.

"Bella Swan," I told him. I had gone through Bella's bag after she fainted while Jasper carried her upstairs. It was funny how perfect she looked in his arms, but I had dismissed the thought, choosing to focus on Bella's health.

However, I could remember how her backpack looked like a survival kit. There were clothes, money, and her information inside, making my heart bled for her.

I listened to Jenks clicking away on his keyboard while I waited for him to come back on the line. There was a knock on my door, and I told them to come in. Sue stuck her head in and informed me that she's just left the soup for Bella before jumping in surprise when my nephew, Peter, tickled her sides.

I beckoned both of them into the office.

Sue had Bella's backpack and I instructed her to give it to Jasper. I wanted Peter and Sue to be a part of this. Sue has been a part of this family forever, and Peter would be of great help to his cousin, Jasper, in calming his ass down and making him see that I was right about assisting Bella.

When Jasper went through the bag, I could see his hardened features softening at the sight of the bag's contents. He gave it to his sister and Rose shook her head as she went through it next.

Mr. Jenks came back on the line. "Mrs. Whitlock, here are the facts," he said as I put him on speakerphone.

"Go ahead."

"Bella Swan was born Isabella Marie Swan on September 13th, 1984. She's twenty-six years old. She has lived with her mother Renee Higginbotham and stepfather, Philip Dwyer for most of her life. She graduated high school and college, and has been married to Dr. James Carter for the last six years."

"Okay."

"But there is something else," he said, making Jasper perk up, and I rolled my eyes at him. I hated that he wanted to find something wrong with the situation because I didn't see anything suspicious about Bella.

Knowing where his mistrust was coming from, made me hate Alice even more. Her mother, Clara, and I were such good friends, and yet, I couldn't stand her daughter. Every time I saw that girl, only bad things came to my mind.

"Like what?"

"Bella wasn't always called Bella Swan," Jenks said. "In fact, on her prep, high school and college records, they are all under the name 'Marie Higginbotham'."

"Is she married under that name?" I asked.

"Yes, but recently, there has been a name change and her most recent records have gone back under the name of…"

"Isabella Marie Swan," I finished for him.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Sue and Peter looked concerned. Rose looked skeptically and sad while Jasper remained angry, but his eyes told another story. Sympathy. They were now laced with sympathy.

He came up to the desk, and I let him take the lead. "Jenks?"

"Yes, Sir, Mr. Whitlock?"

"During the last six years, has Ms Swan had any hospital stays?" I knew what Jasper was looking for.

A pattern. He believed me. He was waking himself up to the idea that Bella was running from an abusive spouse.

"Yes, Sir, there has been a stream of hospital visits over the last six years."

"Were there any with such frequency before the last six years?" Rose asked, adding to the conversation.

"No, Ms. Whitlock, there wasn't," Jenks replied. "Just a few visits here and there."

"What else do you know about her?" Peter added while Sue looked like she was about to cry. She knew my history and it was painfully obvious that Bella's present was similar to my past.

"She graduated with almost a perfect 4.0," Jenks said. "Due to her records here, it seems that she aspired to be a chef. There is an entry and records that she attended one of the finest culinary schools, but Ms. Swan didn't complete it."

"She got married?" Jasper asked.

"And then she was pulled by her husband, Mr. Whitlock," Jenks replied.

"Trapped her," I mouthed to Jasper, and he nodded in agreement.

"Any record of assault brought up against her husband?" Peter asked next. He was focusing on the cops. He wanted to know if Bella ever tried talking to the authorities though I saw that as unlikely, but I wanted to know too. Peter was furious as he got up to pace the room.

"No, Sir, sadly there is none." Jenks sounded just as peeved too.

"He got away with it," Rose stated.

"Who is he?" Jasper asked.

"Dr. James Carter is a medical doctor who lives and works in Sacramento. He is a part of the Carter family, who are well known for their monetary businesses along with a few physicians here and there."

Rose scoffed. "He's probably a doctor because his daddy is. That has nothing to do with the care my brother, fiancé and uncle show their patients. Is his dad a doctor?" she asked Jenks.

He was silent for a bit while the clicking of his computer continued and then he said, "Yes, Ms. Whitlock, his father is a doctor."

She laughed, "Told ya," making Peter chuckle darkly.

"Find out all you can about them, and get back to us. I want to know everything about Bella Swan," Jasper ordered.

"Yes, Sir." We disconnected the call with Jenks and then continued to talk.

Heavy emotions hung in the air as we discussed Bella and how to help her. Peter thought that she should stay and we should find James and skin him alive. Rose agreed. But Jasper and I wanted to know everything about James first, and then we would make our move.

Without knowing it, Bella had come to the right place.

When everyone moved to leave, I asked Jasper to stay. I hated that my boy was hurting and I wanted to help.

"What is it?" he questioned as he sat back down in one of the chairs and I leaned up against my desk.

"What's this really about?"

He looked taken aback by my question before he recovered and answered, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about everything, from your coldness toward me today, to now, when you were determined to find a hole in my story when it came to Bella. What's happened? Has something else happened with you and Alice? What's wrong with you?"

He sighed, and we fell in a tense silence before he finally decided to share. I loved and hated that about Jasper. He could be dying inside and not share it. It was so frustrating at times.

"I want to break up with her and I'm sorry for taking out my frustration on you this morning," he declared.

"I take it she doesn't want to?" I asked, wanting to be understanding while cheering internally that he wanted to end things with the twit.

"She doesn't want to," he confirmed.

I have had to watch that Alice pick Jasper up and drop him back down like he was her dirty laundry because he loved her for the last few years.

I blame it on his daddy.

Jasper didn't love like me and Rose. We were cautious even after giving our hearts to one we loved, while when Jasper and his daddy loved, the y loved with their whole heart. And they would give the world if they thought it made you happy.

I was appreciative and loved my husband with all I had, but Alice just took advantage of Jasper.

If Peter hadn't brought Jasper's attention to her indiscretions, because Jasper had refused to question her, he wouldn't have found out that she had cheated on him numerous times on her trips overseas.

I'd kept silent about things because not only did my daughter beg me to, but also because I have enough respect for my son to accept that he was a grown man capable of making his own decisions.

Even if in my eyes, there were the wrong ones.

"So what are you going to do about it?" I asked, genuinely concerned if my son was intending on staying in a relationship that made him unhappy if Alice didn't want to break up.

It had been six years, and how fast they have gone by without any progress in my son's personal life. To me, it wasn't wrong in my eyes that I wanted him to have a love like I had with his father. I wanted someone to love Jasper as unconditionally as John had loved me.

"I'm going to end things tonight and no later than that," Jasper affirmed. "It's over."

"Good luck," I told him, truly meaning it. "And don't worry about Rose's wedding. If Alice doesn't want to help, then we'll find someone. Your happiness is what matters to your sister and me."

Rose's wedding was in March of next year. A lot of planning had gone into it and Alice was responsible for the dress and the top chef that would be flying in.

It would be a grand affair for our family and everything had to be perfect.

Alice had pushed her way into the preparations, and Rose begrudgingly agreed for the sake of her brother.

Rose has expressed to me that as soon as the wedding was over, she would be distancing herself from the country clubs types, especially Alice. She disliked their attitude and felt that it wasn't the right atmosphere for her anymore. Unless, she and I were required to attend a certain function, she would be like me, on the outskirts of the high society social life.

I was down to earth kind of girl. It was never my cup of tea, and I only did for John.

I didn't have time for that shit. It was as simple as that.

"That's good to know," Jasper sighed. "As soon as Jenks finds out more, we'll know what to do with Bella, but for now, I agree with her staying. It's far safer."

"Thank you."

"I'll see you back down there?" he smiled. I was so happy he was calming down.

"In a minute," I smiled back, and then watched him walk out.

I wanted some time alone with my thoughts before I rejoined the party downstairs.

Jasper would be free of that little witch soon, and Bella was in the right place. James Carter will never be able to hurt her here.

Most of all, one day, my son will find a woman who loves him for who he was and not what he was worth.

I'd make sure of it.