Jackson: The McBrides of Texas

by Emily March

  The way the dog was lying, Jackson couldn’t see anything, either. It was impossible to judge how badly injured he was.

  “What are we going do with him?” Caroline asked.

  Jackson extended a hand toward Caroline. “Go ahead and stand up. Let’s see if he attempts to follow. I’ll carry him if I have to, but I’d just as soon avoid that if possible.”

  She placed her hand in Jackson’s, and he pulled her to her feet. The dog rose. His tail started to wag. Caroline said, “That’s a good sign.”

  “Yep. It is.” Jackson pulled on his backpack and watched as Caroline donned hers. “You ready to make the climb?”

  “I am. Boone and the girls are probably wondering what happened to us. I thought about calling them, but when I checked my cell I saw that we have no service.”

  “Yeah. We’re in a hole here. Once we’re up out of it, I’ll give him a ring. We haven’t been gone long enough to worry him.” Jackson knew that Boone would think he’d led Caroline off for a little alone time.

  He led the way up the hill, keeping watch on the woman and the dog following behind. Halfway to the spot where they’d looked down from and spotted the dog, it became clear that the Lab wasn’t able to make the climb. Luckily, the dog didn’t snap at Jackson when he attempted to pick him up. However, hiking mostly uphill with probably fifty pounds of dog wasn’t a heckuva lot of fun. Jackson was glad when they rendezvoused with Boone and the others because he figured to share the burden with his cousin. He figured wrong. The dog was having none of it, snarling and snapping when Jackson tried to hand him over.

  Jackson was one whipped puppy by the time they hiked all the way back to the truck, the one redeeming factor that he got to preen in front of the ladies and in front of his cousin. Boone reached out to the Eternity Springs group, and by the time Jackson made it back to the inn, Nic Callahan, a veterinarian by profession, was standing by to examine the yellow Lab in a makeshift exam room set up in the inn’s laundry room.

  “He’s one lucky dog,” Nic said after her exam. “All I see is bruising, cuts, and abrasion from his efforts to free himself. No crushing injury and no apparent fracture.”

  “That’s good,” Jackson said, relief rolling through him. “Really good. Can you tell how long he might have been trapped?”

  “With any certainty? No. If I had to guess, I’d say since yesterday sometime. Angelica said you had a heavy rain yesterday morning. Perhaps he got washed into the river then.”

  “That occurred to me, too. Thanks, Doc. I really appreciate the help. Sorry you had to work on your holiday.”

  “Glad I was here to help. To be honest, I raced Lori to the stethoscope. We’ve been discussing the possibility of my rejoining the Eternity Springs Animal Clinic now that my children are older and Lori has her little girl. I think this pretty boy here might have been just what I needed to help me make my decision.” She scratched the yellow Lab behind his ears and cooed at him a bit. “Brave boy. Gotta be a fighter.” Nic glanced up, her friendly blue eyes meeting Jackson’s gaze. “So, what are you going to name him?”

  Jackson didn’t even hesitate. He understood that some things were meant to be. “He’s the river dog. River. His name is River.”

  “That’s a good name for a dog,” Nic said.

  “A great name,” Caroline agreed. “A really great name. It’ll remind me of a special morning every time I hear it.”

  Surprised by her arrival, Jackson looked over his shoulder to see her standing in the doorway holding a ten-pound bag of dog food. “Where’d you get that?”

  “Celeste.”

  “Celeste? Why does Celeste have dog food? She doesn’t have a dog.”

  Caroline shrugged, Nic Callahan laughed, and Angelica swept into the room and declared, “She’s stealing my thunder, that’s why. I’m the one who said we needed dog food.”

  “But why—” Caroline began.

  Jackson had been down this road more than once before. “Let it go. You are not going to make any sense of anything. Only thing we need to know is that in a battle of the Blessings, we all come out winners.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Caroline straightened the beverage napkins for perhaps the sixty-seventh time and gave the punch another stir. Maybe she’d made a mistake with the punch. She should have stuck with tea and coffee. “Too late now,” she muttered as she carefully rested the ladle against the side of the crystal punchbowl.

  The Next Chapter bookstore in Redemption, Texas, would officially open its doors for business in nineteen minutes. She was as nervous as a long-tailed cat on a porch full of rockers. She had three Texas authors coming in later tonight to sign their books during this evening’s grand-opening events. One was a botanist who’d published a book about Texas wildflowers through Texas A&M University Press. Another was a celebrity in the quilting world with a new book out, and the last was a superstar romance author whose fans had preordered more than three cases of books through the bookstore’s website—and the link had gone live only yesterday!

  She heard the back-door buzzer, and frowned. What in the world? She wasn’t expecting any deliveries this time of night.

  “Want me to get that, Caroline?” one of tonight’s counter clerks asked.

  “No thanks, Allison. I’ll see to it.” She was honestly glad to have something to do rather than rearrange cookies on a plate. Once in the storeroom, she pushed aside the curtain that shielded the window in her back door and saw flowers. Nothing but a huge bouquet of yellow roses. Someone had sent her flowers. One of the vendors she’d worked with perhaps?

  Delight filled her and she hurried to open the door only to discover that the person behind the bouquet was no vendor, but a friend. “Jackson!”

  “Happy grand opening,” he said, handing her the flowers.

  “Oh, Jackson. They’re gorgeous. Just gorgeous.” She stepped back and motioned for him to enter the building.

  “Well, so are you.” Jackson took off his hat and hung it on the hat rack beside the door.

  She smiled up at him with pleasure and delight. “Thank you. And thank you for coming tonight. You could have come through the front door though.”

  “I didn’t want to stand in line.”

  “A line?” Her head jerked up. “What line?”

  “There’s a line forming out there.” He hesitated a moment and added, “Some of them are wearing lime green capes.”

  “Aww.” Caroline’s delight only grew. “My romance author’s fairy heroine wears a lime green cape. But the signings don’t start for two more hours.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you. There’s a line, and they’re wearing lime green capes.”

  “Wow.”

  “Yeah. I guess I’ll have to buy one of those books for Boone’s sister. She loves romances with the weird stuff. But right now I’m here to buy something for myself. I want you to ring me up as The Next Chapter’s first official sale.”

  “Aww,” Caroline repeated, touched by his gesture. She decided she wouldn’t mention the books Angelica bought to serve as the “first official sale.” Or, those that Maisy bought. Or the ones Gillian ordered. The fact was that Jackson was here to buy at the opening, well … “You’d better get out there and pick something out, in that case. The doors open in”—she checked her watch—“less than fifteen minutes.”

  “Yikes. I’m running later than I anticipated. Maisy was awfully chatty while she was putting together the flowers. Took way longer than I figured it would.”

  Caroline made a shooing motion toward the sales floor. “Do you know what you want?”

  “No.”

  “Do you want some suggestions?”

  “Well—”

  “Caroline?” Allison called. “We have someone on the phone with a question about Naomi Parker backlist titles?”

  “I’ll be right there,” Caroline called. To Jackson, she said, “Let me—”

  He cut her off. “No. Thanks. I’m happy to browse. That’s what bookstores
are all about, right?” He headed for the front of the store, and she made a spot for the flowers on her refreshment table before tending to the phone call. After that she dealt with another issue and then another and before she knew it, Tiffany, who was her author liaison for the evening said, “Five minutes, Caroline.”

  “Oh.” Caroline patted her hand over her fluttering heart, and she looked around for Jackson. Their gazes met as he hastily shelved a book. Later she would be amused that he’d found his way to the section of the store which she privately thought of as Angelica’s department, though was discreetly labeled Relationships in her small-town bookstore, but right now she was too busy becoming a nervous wreck.

  Jackson must have judged her mood, because he gave her a reassuring wink. He tucked a coffee table–sized title with a photo of a golden Labrador retriever on its jacket beneath his arm and ambled toward her. Leaning down, he kissed her on the cheek. “You’ve got this, hon. It’s time to open the doors of your Next Chapter. It’s gonna be great. You’re gonna hit a home run, and I’m gonna be sitting behind home plate watching.”

  The evening passed in a whirl of laughter and activity and gratifyingly constant lines at the registers. The authors were pleased, the customers complimentary, and Caroline closed the door at the end of the night with euphoria humming through her. She flipped the lock and took a bittersweet moment to think of Robert. What would he say if he could see her tonight? He’d be proud of her, surely. Happy for her. Robert hadn’t encouraged her to be independent, but that was because he liked to take care of her, not because he tried to hold her back. Had she gone to him and professed a dream of opening a bookstore, he may well have supported her in that dream. He’d loved her, and her happiness had been important to him.

  She rested her forehead against the door, closed her eyes, and fought back a moment of tears. It still is. Be happy, Caro. Write the next page.

  Her heart stuttered. She was engulfed in warmth, in a sense of love, so real that it took her breath away. Robert?

  It was gone as quickly as it came, but before she could absorb the loss, cheering and applause drew her back to herself and to this moment. She turned to accept her employees’ congratulations and met Jackson McBride’s proud gaze.

  Her next page?

  She didn’t question why he hung around during the process and procedures required in order to close the shop at the end of the first day of business, and when she closed the door behind the last of her employees to leave, she wasn’t the least bit surprised that he took her into his arms.

  “Look at you,” he said. “Just look at you.”

  “It was a great night, wasn’t it?”

  “I was wrong. You didn’t just hit a home run. You hit a grand slam.”

  “I did, didn’t I?” Then she did something out of character for the Caroline of the previous chapter. She reached up and pulled his face down to hers and kissed him with all of the joy and euphoria and passion running through her blood.

  The kiss went from hot to molten in seconds, and in the recesses of her mind where rational thought remained possible, Caroline recognized that she teetered on the edge of the volcano. Am I ready to dive in? Is this what comes next?

  Jackson ended the kiss and lifted his head, breathing heavily. “Wow. That’s um … wow. You pack a punch, Caroline Carruthers.”

  “So do you.” She licked her lips, filled her lungs with air, and dove. “Jackson, would you like to come home with me?”

  He didn’t even pause to think about it. “More than I want to breathe my next breath.”

  Okay, then.

  “But honey, that’s a pretty big step. I know this is your next chapter and all, but are you sure this is the right time?”

  She stiffened ever so slightly. “I’m not trying to use you.”

  Well, actually, maybe she was.

  “Use me. Please.” He showed her a crooked grin, then lifted her hands to his mouth, one at a time, and kissed them. “It’s been an exciting night for you, and I know you’re riding high. I’d feel horrible if I took you up on your most-tempting offer, and you regretted it in the morning.”

  “I think that’s insulting, Jackson. To both of us.”

  “Well, better to roll out an insult or two than to ruin a friendship I value. Since we’re talking frank here, I suspect you haven’t been with anyone since Robert. Going to bed with me will be a big deal.”

  Attempting to lighten the mood, she pulled away from him, folded her arms, and snapped, “Braggart.”

  He laughed and pulled her close. “Ah, Caroline, you are a delight.”

  He kissed her again, then stared down into her eyes and made a promise. “When we go to bed, Caroline, it will matter. I don’t sleep around.”

  “I don’t either.”

  “But I’m not ready for a relationship. I’m certainly not looking to fall in love.”

  She put her hands against his chest and gave him a shove. “I’m not, either!”

  Jackson took a step backward. For a long moment, they stood staring at each other. In that instant, Caroline wasn’t sure whether she wanted to kiss him or hit him. Finally, he said, “So, maybe we can enjoy each other. Have fun with each other.”

  “Yes,” she said. “I’d like that. That’s what I want.”

  He lifted his hand, trailed his thumb down her cheek. “Starting tonight? Are you sure? This isn’t an I-conquered-the-retail-world high?”

  She shuddered at his touch. “Maybe a little of that. I do feel like I’ve achieved world domination.”

  She considered the state of her home. Dishes were done. No underwear lying around. She’d changed the sheets yesterday. “Yes. I’m sure. Come home with me, Jackson.”

  “Do I need to make a drugstore run on the way?”

  Oh, no! She hadn’t even thought about condoms. She was so out of practice with this sort of thing. “I’m afraid I don’t … oh. Wait.” She snapped her fingers and smiled. “Angelica!”

  “Angelica?”

  “We’re good to go. One of the books in the Relationship section comes with a kit.”

  “A kit, huh? What does Angelica—no, never mind.”

  “I’ll grab one on our way out.”

  “I’m really intrigued. So, what else needs to be done here before we can go? What can I do to help?”

  “Nothing. We can go. There’s nothing that needs doing that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

  “All right then. Get your kit, Caroline, and take me home.” He snagged a bottle of champagne from a bucket that she hadn’t brought into the store, and she went gooey over his thoughtfulness. For a man who hadn’t set out to seduce her, he’d sure done a right fine job of it.

  It was a beautiful summer night, a lingering hint of color fading in the west while stars began to burst like popcorn with increasing frequency in the darkening sky. They didn’t speak as they walked hand in hand toward the Craftsman bungalow Caroline had bought the day it went on the market and moved into earlier this month. Actually, Caroline wasn’t sure she was walking. She felt more like she was floating.

  Having her feet off the ground was a good place to be. She wasn’t ready to come down to Earth yet. Tonight had been a fabulous success. She’d had fun. She was happy. She was about to get laid by the hottest guy in town. She wanted it to happen. She needed it to happen. It was time, the right time, and Jackson McBride was the right man.

  The porch step creaked as he stepped up onto it. Caroline reached into her purse for her keys. The gentle evening breeze carried the sound of cheers and the aroma of funnel cakes from the baseball fields a short distance away.

  She opened the door and he followed her inside. She set down her bag in its usual spot on a desk near the door, and as she turned toward him, her toes brushed the ground. Nerves fluttered. “Jackson, I’m a little—a lot—out of practice. Would you take it from here?”

  “Honey, it’ll be my honor. Show me the way to your bedroom.”

  She did that much. He did the res
t, and he did it with such slow, sweet, focused attention that he all but drove her mad. Jackson McBride wouldn’t be rushed. His lovemaking was a ballad of many verses. Her body, his guitar. He played her like the master musician he was, knowing just how to use his talented fingers, mouth, and tongue to make her vibrate, make her hum, make her weep, make her sing. Finally … finally … he rose above her, the thick, hard heat of him poised at her entrance until she met his gaze.

  Jackson wrote a bridge for his song. “This is special to me, Caroline.”

  “To me, too.”

  He played a pulsing, pounding chorus that sent them both soaring, and as the final notes faded on this magical summer night, Caroline knew that Jackson McBride’s melody would linger in her mind for a very long time.

  * * *

  Over the Fourth of July weekend the Last Chance Hall opened—or reopened, to be precise—to excellent reviews from musicians and patrons alike and raised a significant amount of money for Tucker’s favorite veteran’s charity. The weather was hot, the beer cold, and the music would have rocked the walls except Jackson kept them winged up so that the breeze blew through.

  Next door at the inn, Angelica made it through the grand opening and the first-of-month operations without any major disasters. Celeste returned to Colorado, and her cousin was managing on her own passably well. July ended with only one minor fire and three broken windows. All in all, Jackson thought, things were going pretty darn good.

  His vision for the Last Chance Hall was coming to life. The place had a good vibe. He’d heard some seriously fine music played here in just a few short weeks. And people came to dance.

  On the personal front, he and Caroline were clicking along together just fine. They saw each other almost every day and slept together almost every night. Beyond agreeing that they were to see each other exclusively, neither one of them tried to define what was between them. Neither had taken this step lightly, and both were content to explore the possibilities, to see where time would take them. Caroline said she tended to write lengthy chapters. Jackson had no problem with that.