"I will. My mom loves Christmas. She goes all out every year. She complains about how much work it is and vows every year to scale back the celebration, but she really wouldn't have it any other way."
Jessie's somber mood was finally lightening, and Brady told her stories about Christmases at his parents' house until he had her smiling and laughing again. Still, when Jessie went to bed that night, sleep was elusive. She finally got up and got herself a glass of water. She quietly let herself out on the front porch and stood gazing out at her place, bathed in moonlight.
Something woke Brady and he got up, the hair rising on the back of his neck when he saw the front door standing open. He moved silently to the door and saw Jessie standing on the porch in her nightgown and bare feet. He pulled a throw off the back of one of the chairs and stepped out on the porch. The night was cool and he could see the gooseflesh on Jessie's bare arms. He draped the throw around her shoulders and she leaned back against him. His arms slid around her and he just held her, warming her against his broad chest.
Jessie said softly, "It's so pretty out here in the moonlight."
"It is. It's a little cool to be out here dressed like you are, though." Brady's voice was quiet too.
"I wasn't thinking. I couldn't sleep and the moonlight drew me out."
They stood there for several minutes, just watching the quiet landscape. When Jessie finally turned to go inside, Brady kept his arm around her shoulders. He led her to the couch and drew her down to sit beside him.
"Let me have your feet," he said.
Jessie turned so she could draw her legs up, and Brady pulled her icy feet into his lap, warming them with his hands. She shivered a little, and he rubbed her feet until she was warm again.
"Brady," Jessie's voice was still quiet. "How come you don't have a woman in your life?"
"I do. Three of them."
Jessie smiled and raised her brows questioningly. "Oh, yeah?"
"Yep. My mom, my sister, and you."
She said, "That's not what I meant."
Brady gave a shrug. "There was someone before I went to Afghanistan. But as soon as she found out I was going, she was done with me. She said she wasn't sitting around waiting for a guy who was going to live that kind of life."
"Wow, that's cold."
"Well, it turned out that what I mostly felt was relief. I kept on dating her just because it was the normal thing to do. I didn't really have any strong feelings for her. We were both better off when it ended." Brady's voice was matter-of-fact.
"I'm glad she didn't break your heart."
He gave a low chuckle. "I guess I am too."
Jessie felt a yawn coming on, and Brady patted her on the foot. "Looks to me like it's bedtime."
They got up and walked to the hallway together. Jessie said, "Thanks for the foot rub."
He just smiled and she stretched up to kiss his cheek. Brady turned his head and caught her lips with his. The kiss was long and tender, full of yearning. They clung together for a sweet, slow minute, and then Brady drew his head back and kissed her forehead.
"Good night, Jess."
"Night, Brady."
When Jessie slipped into bed, she could still feel his warmth. She touched her lips with her fingers, reliving the sweetness of the kiss. Her whole body tingled, and this time, she slipped into a deep, restful sleep.
* * *
Brady and Jessie were standing in a large barn with an indoor arena, watching Gus Cooper ride a compact quarter horse. There were several calves standing at the far end of the arena. Gus rode toward them, calm and quiet. When he got closer, the calves moved away from him. His horse turned and easily stopped them, herding them back to the corner. They watched him work the calves for several minutes, and then he rode back to where they were standing.
"He's a good horse. He's ten years old, and he knows his business. He'll do the work for you."
Gus got off the horse and adjusted the stirrups for Jessie.
Jessie mounted the horse and rode him around the arena for a bit, away from the calves. She put him through his paces, pleased with his smooth gait and responsiveness to her. Then, finally, she rode toward the calves and moved them where she wanted them to go. After she herded them to the other end of the arena, zigzagging behind them at a slow, easy pace, she gave the two men a big smile.
"I like him. He's a pleasure to handle. And you're right, he knows his business."
An hour later, they were unloading the horse from the trailer they had bought a couple of weeks before, when they started shopping for horses. Brady had gotten one that suited him, and now Jessie had hers. They spent some time in the barn and stalled the horses next to each other. They would wait until the next day before they put them out together.
By the end of the week, they had gotten the horses accustomed to their new home and the herd used to the horses. They would be moving the herd to the pasture next to the barn soon. They had a big water tank with a solar powered heater in it and feeders placed and ready. The winter feed was in the barn, and Brady was pretty sure they were prepared to get through the winter. All the adult heifers were carrying calves and springtime was going to be exciting for Jessie. There was a three-sided shed in the pasture that Brady had built for the herd to shelter in when they needed to.
Jessie and Brady rode their horses nearly every day, sometimes for work, and other times just for the enjoyment of riding. On Sundays, they attended services at the little church in town and got to know some of the townsfolk better. Jessie met a young woman whose husband had died of a massive heart attack at a tragically young age. She was raising her young son on her own and she and Jessie soon became friends. Her name was Kayla and her son, Caleb, was only two. It was good for Jessie to make a real friend, and it made her feel like she was really starting to build a life in what was becoming a real home.
Caleb adored Brady, and when Jessie invited her new friend over for a little cookout after church one Sunday, he tagged along after Brady everywhere that he went. He was also crazy about Indy, and when Brady was busy with the grill, he followed Indy around. He threw the ball for her, laughing hysterically when she chased it. After stuffing themselves with burgers and hot dogs and Jessie's homemade brownies, they sat in the warm sun talking. Caleb had crawled up into Brady's lap and was beginning to nod off.
Kayla said, "I hate to eat and run, but I should get him home for his nap. We have to be up early in the morning."
Jessie said, "Don't you worry about that; kids come first. It was fun to have you guys out here."
"It was really fun for us. Thank you so much for having us."
Kayla gathered her things, and Jessie gave her a plateful of brownies to take home. Brady carried Caleb to the car, and Kayla fastened him into his car seat. After hugs and goodbyes, Kayla drove off with a final wave.
"That was fun," Jessie said, picking up what was left on the table to take it in the house. "I think Caleb wore Indy out."
Brady chuckled. "He's a cute kid. It's so sad he'll never know his dad. What kind of work does Kayla do?"
"She's a dental hygienist. Her mom takes care of Caleb when she works. The dentist she works for is about a half hour drive away."
"At least she has a good job."
"Yes, and her husband had a pretty good life insurance policy, so she at least doesn't have to worry about how to get by financially."
"That's good." Brady finished cleaning up the grill and followed Jessie to the house to put things away.
And so the days passed until there began to be a nip in the air. Jessie went into town one day to do some errands and shop for groceries. She stopped and filled her beloved old truck up with gas, and Dan Whitman pulled up to the pump next to her.
"Well, if it isn't the Ice Queen herself," Dan drawled, getting out of his truck. "Had to come to town and mingle with the common people, huh?"
"Knock it off, Dan." Jessie turned her back on him and finished pumping her gas.
He gave an ugly la
ugh. "I'm not finished with you, Jessie. You should have agreed to go out with me when I still felt like being nice to you."
Jessie was getting pissed. "Listen good, Dan. I really don't care how you feel like being. I'm not interested in going out with you, now or ever. You stay away from me, or I'll drop you to your knees again."
"You bitch. When the time is right, I'm going to fuck you till you scream. I'm going to show you what a real man can do, and you're going to beg for more."
There was a vicious snarl from the front seat of Jessie's truck and she turned to see Indy standing on the seat, the hair up on her neck and all her teeth bared at Dan. He looked shocked when he saw her and stumbled back a step.
Then a voice came from behind Jessie. "You got trouble here, Jessie?"
It was Dave Fletcher, one of the guys who had been in the Rusty Spur the first time she had seen Dan's ugly side. He stepped closer to Jessie and gave Dan a cold stare. "I think you'd better be on your way, Dan. This is looking an awful lot like stalking and harassment to me."
Dan sent a hate-filled look Jessie's way and then said, "I don't need this shit." He got into his truck and slammed the door, squealing his tires as he went.
"Thanks, Dave," Jessie said, patting Indy's head. "I don't know what the hell has gotten into him."
"I don't know either. I do know he's drinking a lot and running his mouth a lot. You watch out for him, Jessie, and don't hesitate to talk to the sheriff about him."
"Aw, I'm sure it's all talk. It probably hurt his pride when I kneed him at the Spur that day."
Dave shook his head. "Better to be safe. It could be all talk, but I sure don't like the way he's acting. You watch out for him."
"I will, I promise. And thanks again."
"No need. See you later."
Jessie paid for her gas and then stopped at the pharmacy before she went to the grocery store. She fretted over the incident with Dan for a while and then set it aside and went on with her day. By the time she got home, she had put it out of her mind. She was busy all day and only realized when she went to bed that night that she hadn't told Brady about it.
"Oh, well," she said out loud. "Nothing happened, and it was just Dan being an asshole. No big deal."
A few days later, Brady stormed into the house looking pissed. "Jessie!"
Jessie walked out of the laundry room, startled. "What?"
"You want to explain why you didn't tell me about that son of a bitch Whitman threatening you the other day?"
Jessie flushed and said, "It honestly…I was busy, and I just didn't think of it. Nothing happened, it was just him running his mouth. How did you find out about it anyway?"
He gave her a dangerous look. "Not from you, which is how I should have found out. I saw Dave Fletcher in town, and he asked me if everything was okay, if you'd had any more problems with Whitman."
"Well, like I said, nothing happened. I'm sorry. I probably should have told you. I just got busy with the day and forgot about it. He just has wounded pride because I kneed him in the balls."
Brady said, "Listen to me, Jessie. This is nothing to mess around with. I've been around guys like him before, and you just don't know when they'll lose it and try something really bad. He's dangerous, and I think you need to talk to the sheriff about him. Dave said he's been drinking a lot, pretty much every night, and he's saying really ugly things about you whenever he gets drunk."
Jessie shook her head. "I'm not going to run to the sheriff just because he said some nasty things. That would just make him worse. Imagine if the sheriff comes to question him because I made a complaint. It would just make him more pissed."
Brady said reluctantly, "Yeah, it might. But you could still talk to the sheriff so he knows there's something brewing. Then if he pulls something else, the sheriff already knows that there's a history and he's escalating."
"I don't know, Brady, if he's just running his mouth because I embarrassed him, I don't want to cause a lot of trouble in his life. I just want him to leave me alone."
"Well, I can see that that happens. But I want you to understand one thing. If you have any kind of contact from him, and I mean any kind, you tell me. Immediately. You got that?"
"Yes, Brady, I've got that." Jessie rolled her eyes a little as she said it.
Brady tipped up her chin so that she looked directly at him. "You remember when I spanked your ass that time?"
"I certainly do," Jessie snapped.
"If I find out that something else happens and you don't tell me, I'll really blister your ass. I mean it, Jess. I won't have you keeping anything like that from me."
"All right. I will tell you if Dan Whitman breathes in my direction."
Brady blew out an exasperated breath. "I swear, you're going to be the death of me."
He still had her chin tipped up toward him, and she moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. His head dipped lower and her eyes closed in anticipation, but Brady muttered an oath and let go of her chin. Jessie's eyes shot open and she let out the breath she had been holding. Brady turned and stalked to the door.
"I'm going to split some wood."
Jessie's mouth dropped open as she watched him walk away and she realized that her nipples were hard and her panties were wet. "Brady, you asshole!"
After a few minutes, she took out her phone and texted her friend, Kayla. Kayla, I need some girl talk. Help!
Kayla sent back, Why don't you come over to my place on Saturday. I'll make us some lunch and we can have a glass of wine. One o'clock?
That would be great. I'll see you then.
Jessie kept herself extra busy for the rest of the day and made a shepherd's pie and salad for dinner that night. She told Brady about her plans for Saturday, and he said he had some things he wanted to do in town. He offered to drop her off at Kayla's and pick her up whenever she was ready to come home.
Jessie smiled and said, "That would be nice. Kayla said we'd have a glass of wine. Now we can share the bottle and I don't have to worry about driving."
"It's a plan. What do you call this stuff again?"
Jessie laughed. "Shepherd's pie. I'm not really sure why it's called that, but Jake always liked it."
"It's good. But then, everything you make is good."
"Aw, thanks, Brady."
Brady dropped Jessie off at Kayla's on Saturday, and the girls waved as he drove off.
"This is a great day for this," Kayla said, giving her a hug. "Mike's parents have Caleb for the weekend. I hate when he's gone for a whole weekend, but he loves spending time with them and they love having him. He's their only grandchild. Mike was an only child."
"That's so sad, Kayla. I'm so sorry you all lost him."
"Me too. But I guess that's life. I'm just grateful for the time we had together and for Caleb. Now come on in, and we can have lunch."
Kayla had made chicken salad sandwiches and vegetable soup, with little lemon cookies for dessert. She said, "I have a half gallon of chocolate mint chip ice cream for later if we need it."
Jessie laughed. "I'm sure we won't need it, but we might want it."
Kayla shook her head seriously. "No, I think ice cream is a necessity for girl talk. And wine. Let's have a glass."
They took their wine to Kayla's cozy living room and curled up on her couch.
"So what's the subject today?" Kayla asked.
Jessie told her the story of Jake and how Brady had come to help her.
Kayla looked confused. "Wait, you two aren't a couple?"
"No. He's kissed me once, and it was the best kiss I ever had. And he almost kissed me again the other day, but then he walked away. I don't know if he doesn't really feel that way about me or what."
"Well, he wouldn't have kissed you like that if he didn't have feelings. Right? I mean, it's not like you can fake it. At least, I can't."
"Yeah," Jessie said. "That's what I thought. The thing is he told me that he and Jake were just like brothers, he considered Jake to be his brother. S
o that kind of makes me like a sister, right? Do you think it's weird for me to be attracted to him, when he had that kind of relationship with Jake?"
Kayla was thoughtful. "Well, think about it. Jake trusted Brady enough to put your future in Brady's hands. Who would he trust more to have a relationship with you?"
"I didn't think of that. I just wonder if Brady thinks of me as a sister. Maybe that's why he wouldn't kiss me the other day."
"If he does, it sounds like he might be in the same spot as you, wondering if it's weird."
Jessie said, "So what do I do? Just wait and hope he figures it out?"
Kayla said, "Hell no! You make the first move. You kiss him."
Jessie was startled. "Really? But what if he still pushes me away? God, that would be so embarrassing."
Kayla laughed at her. "Jessie. Men can be slow. If I hadn't made the first move on Mike, we never would have ended up married. Jump that man's bones!"
Jessie burst out laughing and set down her wine to hug her friend. "I'm so glad I met you!"
"Me too. Come on, let's plan this seduction. I haven't had this much fun in ages."
* * *
Brady was in town running some errands of his own. He kept an eye out for Dan Whitman everywhere he went. Finally, finished at the hardware store and the grain mill, he pulled into the Rusty Spur. He didn't know what Dan drove and decided he could use a beer anyway. He walked in and took a seat at the bar. Mitch came over to say hello and get him a cold beer.
There were only a couple of people seated at a table and two guys shooting pool.
"What are you up to today, Brady?" Mitch asked, wiping off the bar.
"Oh, I dropped Jessie off at her friend Kayla's house, and I had a few errands to run. The girls are planning to wipe out a bottle of wine so I told Jess I'd pick her up whenever she's done."
Mitch chuckled. "I bet that's a plan they liked."
Brady said, "Do you know Kayla?"
"Isn't she the dental hygienist? The one whose husband died?"
Jessie’s Dusty Dreams Page 7
