He watched as Jessie crossed the kitchen and worked busily at the table, boxing up assortments of her homemade fudge for gifts. He could see her clearly, and if it were dark and the lights were on, he'd be able to see her even better. A cold chill snaked down his spine. He knew full well that he didn't have any proof that Dan Whitman had been there, but he still knew without a doubt that he had been. He wanted nothing more than to go to town and hunt for Whitman and then beat the shit out of the son of a bitch. But he also knew that to really get rid of him, he needed to catch him in the act of whatever he was planning next.
"Damn it, how the hell can I catch him at it without risking Jessie?" Brady wondered out loud. "Okay, I've got to think this through and make a plan."
Brady went back to the barn and looked to see if he could get a clear view of the spot where he was convinced that Whitman had stood. He did the same from the vantage point of the little tool shed and the garage. All three offered a clear view into the kitchen and the tool shed had the best view of the bushes where he had found the trampled spot. In three days, they were leaving for his parents' place to spend Christmas. They were planning to arrive there the day before Christmas Eve and come back the day after Christmas. Brady was torn between being glad that he was getting Jessie away from there and the need to take Whitman out of their lives as soon as possible.
A plan began to form and he made a mental list of things that he would bring back with him. He felt a little better about leaving once he had a plan. He'd have a talk with Red the next day and make sure that he was on his guard. He also intended to ask the sheriff if they could at least be seen around the ranch a few times while they were gone. He didn't know if they would do it, but he would ask.
* * *
The last few days before they left for Christmas flew by for Jessie, who was busy with Christmas preparations. When she wrapped the last present and stepped back to look at all of them, she had to laugh at herself.
"I sure made up for not celebrating for a while. Look at all that, Indy. I think I went just a little bit overboard." Indy poked at her hand with her nose, asking to be petted.
"Yeah, you know there's some stuff for you in there, don't you?"
When Jessie heard the four-wheeler approaching the barnyard, she jumped up and hurried to check the back door. Sure enough, she had forgotten to lock it. Hurriedly, she turned the deadbolt and heaved a sigh of relief. She bustled around in the kitchen, heating up some leftover stew and slicing some French bread to go with it. She heard Brady test the back door before he gave a little knock, making sure that it was locked. She let him in, and he closed it behind him and put his arms around her, sliding his cold hands up under her shirt.
Jessie squealed and swatted his hands away. "Brady! Your hands are like ice; weren't you wearing gloves?"
"I know they are, that's why I wanted to put them someplace warm. And, yes, I wear gloves as much as possible, but it's damn cold out there today."
Jessie leaned forward to kiss him quickly, keeping out of reach of his cold hands. "Go warm them at the wood stove. It's nice and toasty."
Brady went toward the living room in his socks and stopped in the doorway. "Good lord, woman, did you buy out the stores?"
Jessie grinned and said, "I had fun getting ready for this Christmas."
"I guess you did." Brady shook his head at the huge pile of gifts. "I don't know if we can get all that in the truck."
Jessie looked alarmed. "Oh, no, Brady, we have to get it all in the truck!"
He chuckled at her. "Don't worry, baby. I'll find a way to pack it all in there."
"We don't have to take Kayla and Caleb's gifts; we're going to see them after we get back. And I'm keeping a couple of Indy's for then too, so she'll have something to open with Caleb."
Now Brady was laughing at her. "You wrapped presents for Indy? How many did you get her?"
"Of course, I did! Indy wants to enjoy Christmas too, don't you, girl?"
Brady wrapped his arms around her. "Okay, my hands are warm. Now let's have a real kiss."
Jessie melted into his embrace with a little sigh of pleasure. She felt like she could spend her whole life wrapped in his arms. Brady tightened his arms around her.
"Much as I'd like to continue this for the whole afternoon, I really need to have some lunch before Red gets here. I'm giving him keys so he can check on everything and we just want to make sure everything is good to go. I told him I'd do the morning chores so he doesn't have to get here until tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay." Jessie was a little breathless. "I've got stew and bread and homemade applesauce."
"Sounds great, my stomach started growling about a half hour ago."
After lunch, Jessie put in the last load of laundry and folded the load that was in the dryer. She had a small suitcase nearly packed, and she had been over everything she needed to take for the umpteenth time. Brady had put the Christmas lights on timers, and the lamps in the house were on timers as well. They had been eating leftovers for the last couple of days, and Jessie had the refrigerator pretty well cleaned out. Brady laughed and pointed out that they were only going to be gone for a few days, and Jessie turned up her nose and loftily explained how happy she would be to come back to a neat, clean house.
When Jessie turned the dishwasher on that evening, she had everything as ready as she possibly could. They were leaving right after morning chores were finished, and they cuddled on the couch watching It's a Wonderful Life one more time.
Jessie turned down the volume and said, "Brady, thank you so much for all this. For Christmas, the ranch, getting me living again. I think Jake would like to see us this way."
Brady's arm tightened around her. "I sure hope he would. If he didn't, I'm pretty sure he'd knock me on my ass."
Jessie laughed softly. A couple of tears slid quietly down her cheeks. "I still miss him so much. But I'm so happy that we're making his dream happen."
"So am I, baby."
Jessie looked upward and said, "This is for you, Jake. I sure hope you're watching."
When she drifted into sleep later that night, Jessie dreamed of Jake. He smiled at her when she asked eagerly if he was watching the ranch. Then his face grew serious.
"Be careful, Jess. Don't trust that guy, pay attention, don't let him have a chance to hurt you."
"Who? Jake, who are you talking about?"
But Jake was fading away once again. Helplessly, she said, "It can't be Brady. He's your best friend. Please, don't let it be Brady."
Jessie woke with a start, her heart pounding. This time, she remembered the dream with a feeling of dread. Brady murmured in his sleep and tightened his arm around her, and she gave herself a mental shake.
Don't be silly; it was just a dream. Brady would never hurt you; he loves you. He protects you. He's Jake's best friend. It's just a stupid dream. But it was a long time before she fell asleep again.
Chapter 13
Christmas was noisy and happy at Pete and Linda Jensen's house. Jessie had been just a little overwhelmed at the greeting she received when Brady introduced her to his family. She received heartfelt hugs from each of them and everyone talked at the same time.
Finally, Brady's mom grabbed her hand and drew her back a bit from the confusion. "Jessie, I am so happy to finally meet you," Linda beamed at her.
"I'm happy to meet you too. No wonder Brady is such a good guy; he obviously has a wonderful family."
Becca waved a hand in dismissal. "He's a pain in the ass. Nobody ever picked on their little sister the way he did."
Jessie laughed. "Did he really?"
"I did not," Brady called. "I kept her out of trouble so many times. She was a spoiled brat."
"Ha! Talk about spoiled! He got to tag along outside with Dad every day while I was stuck in the house doing girl stuff. He never washed a dish in his life."
Linda gave her an offended look. "So you were stuck in the house with me? You poor thing."
Becca laughed and hu
gged her mom. "You know I have to give him some shit."
"Yes, and I know you hated being stuck in the house while the boys played outside."
Becca's husband, Tim, said, "She still hates working in the house. She only does her share because I hate it too."
Becca said thoughtfully, "Yeah, after I finish school, I think we should get a cook and a housekeeper."
Everybody hooted at her. Her dad said, "You might have a good idea, at least when it comes to a cook."
Becca retorted, "Hey, I never claimed to be a good cook. That's what takeout is for. And Tim. He's a pretty fair cook."
Brady said, "I always thought you were pretty good at hot dogs over the campfire. But you sucked at roasting marshmallows."
Jessie was laughing. "Come on, Brady, how do you mess up marshmallows?"
"She likes to burn them black and then blow them out."
"There's nothing wrong with that, it's a matter of personal preference," Jessie said.
Becca scoffed, "And Mr. Picky, here, had to have them a perfectly even golden brown."
Brady said, "Who wants to eat blackened marshmallows?"
Jessie said, "Actually, that's the way I like them."
There was a chorus of 'me too', and Becca laughed triumphantly. Brady's mom took her hand and said, "Come on, you guys, this poor girl hasn't even gotten her coat off yet. Come on, sweetie, let me show you around."
Indy was already curled up on the rug with Pete and Linda's two dogs, both black Labrador Retrievers. Brady took Jessie's coat and went to hang it up in the hall closet while his mom gave her a tour of the big farmhouse. She showed her Brady's old room and the guest room next to it, where Brady had set her suitcase, with his bag in his own old room. There was a big bathroom in between them and another bedroom at the other end of the hall with its own bathroom, which had been Becca's. The master, where Pete and Linda slept, was downstairs, and there was also a powder room downstairs along with a large country kitchen with attached dining room and the comfortable living room. There was a walk-in pantry adjoining the kitchen and a mudroom that led to the back door and also a door to the basement.
"Someday we're going to have to do some more remodeling so we can have the laundry on the first floor and stop having to use those stairs so much."
"It's all so comfortable. I love it," Jessie said.
There was one room with a closed door that Linda didn't offer to show her. "We won't go in there. It's full of stuff we need to get rid of someday. Are you two hungry? I'm getting ready to set out a platter of cold cuts and cheese."
"That sounds great. We had a big breakfast, but I'm sure you know what Brady's appetite is like."
Linda laughed. "He's always ready to eat. It's a good thing he works hard, or he'd weigh four hundred pounds."
"Let me help you. I've been sitting for long enough. Moving around is a nice change."
"All right." Linda called into the living room, "Becca, come help us put out lunch."
Becca stuck her tongue out at Brady on her way out of the room and her mother laughed at her.
"I don't mind it nearly as much as I did when we were kids, but I don't have to let Brady know that. Let him think I'm being tortured," Becca said. "I'll get him before Christmas is over."
Jessie was smiling at her. "You must have had a lot of fun growing up here."
"We really did. And Brady and I never stop jabbing at each other, but I really couldn't have had a better brother. Oh! I'm sorry, Jessie, I wasn't thinking. God, my mouth never fails to get me in trouble."
"No, don't be sorry. You do have a great brother, and you should be happy that you do. I had Jake for what turned out to be not long enough, but that makes me enjoy seeing you and Brady together. I was lucky to have had Jake for as long as I did and then lucky enough to have him send Brady to me. Don't feel bad."
Linda turned to the refrigerator to hide the tears in her eyes. She could see why Brady loved this girl; she was starting to love her already. Becca gave her a fierce hug.
"As long as you promise that you'll kick my butt the next time I put my foot in my mouth," Becca said. "Believe me, it'll happen."
Jessie laughed. "I put my foot in my mouth the very first time I met Brady. My truck broke down, and he was just a stranger who stopped to help. I gave him a smartass comment before I even turned around to see his face."
The other two women were fascinated. "You did? Then what, after you turned around and saw him?"
Jessie gave a little giggle. "Then all I could think was how hot he was. A few hours later, he showed up at my door. I didn't have any idea who he was."
Linda was loading the kitchen island with food—cold meat, sliced cheeses, fruit, potato salad, coleslaw, an array of homemade cookies, home canned pickles, a jar full of pickled eggs, bread and crackers. The three of them arranged the food and set out plates, silverware, napkins, and drinks. Then Becca called the men in.
Brady walked in and let out an admiring whistle. "There's my mom's famous lunch buffet." He gave Jessie a hug.
For a few minutes, everyone was quiet while Pete said a prayer of thanks. Then the family exploded into their usual talk and laughter while they loaded their plates and settled around the big dining room table. An hour later, they pushed themselves away from the table and the men carried all the dirty dishes to the sink while the women put the food away. With everyone's help, the kitchen was clean and the dishwasher was humming in only a few minutes. Becca wiped down the dining room table and Jessie did the countertops.
The men were itching to go out to the barn and Linda waved them on. "Let them go play, we'll have a little peace and quiet in here now." She gave Jessie a quick hug. "Look at you, you're one of the family already."
Jessie was touched. It was a lovely family and she was happy to be spending Christmas with them. "What are they doing out there?"
"Oh, they'll be admiring Pete's new tractor and checking out the horses and telling tall tales. Eventually, they'll be target shooting, and a little later, they'll probably go hunting. If they get a deer, we'll be having fresh venison along with our Christmas ham."
Becca said, "If they saddle up the horses, I just might have to go out too. Although, I really like riding a lot better in warmer weather. Jessie, you'll have to come back when the weather gets warm; we can all take a trail ride."
"That would be fun," Jessie said. "Brady said he was going to bring back his hunting gear so he could try to bag a deer at my place. It'd be nice to have venison in the freezer. Although we are raising two calves for meat, it'll be a while before they're ready to butcher."
"There, that job is done," Linda said. "I'm going to make a pot of venison chili for dinner, but I don't have to start it for another hour or so. How about a glass of wine?"
"Good idea, Mom. I'll pour."
The three of them took their wine and found comfortable spots in the living room.
Becca said, "So you have twelve heifers and twelve calves, right?"
"Yes, and Indy, who just went out with the guys, and a bunch of laying hens. And I have a horse and Brady has a horse."
"Brady bought a horse?"
"Well, no, I bought it, but Brady chose him and he rides him. He'll stay with the ranch when…when Brady leaves." A shadow passed over Jessie's face as she said it.
"And you've got a ranch hand now?" Linda asked gently.
"Yes." Jessie faltered a little. "He's only working two days a week right now, but when spring comes, he'll go to six days. He's taking care of the place while we're gone."
"Brady showed us some pictures of your place," Becca said. "I like it."
Jessie brightened. "I do too. It's starting to be what Jake dreamed of. I can't wait to see the new calves on the ground. It's so exciting."
Becca said, "It's an experience, all right. Your work is just beginning."
"I don't mind work. I just didn't know how to go about it all. Brady was a godsend. If it weren't for him, I'd still be sitting there trying to figure it out."
Linda said, "I think you would have found a way."
"I really don't think so. Jake told Brady everything about how he wanted to build up the ranch. He had budgets and lists and all kinds of details I would never have thought of."
"Well, we're glad that Brady ended up with you. I can honestly say I've never seen my son so happy. And now that we've met you, I can see why."
Jessie blushed and searched for the right thing to say. Becca came to her rescue, launching into a story of when she and Brady were kids. They were all soon laughing.
"And there was one time when Brady found a beehive in a tree. He tried to get me to get honey out of it. The bees were getting riled up when Dad came along and realized what was going on. He grabbed Brady and chased him home and out to the barn and wore him out with his belt. Then Dad took me back to the beehive and I got to help him smoke the hive and collect the honey without either of us getting stung even once. Dad left it up to me whether or not we'd share the honey with Brady. I didn't let him touch it the first few times we had some, but I finally gave in and let him."
Jessie and Becca were laughing, and Linda was staring at her daughter. "And none of you ever thought it was a good idea to tell me about this?"
Becca shook her head emphatically. "No way. And if Dad wasn't telling, we sure weren't."
They talked until Linda decided it was time to make the chili. They all went to the kitchen and helped chop onions, celery, peppers and offer their opinions on how much seasoning to use. Linda poured a beer into the pot and winked at Jessie.
"Absolute necessity for a good pot of venison chili. When I made a pot once and didn't have any beer, Pete spent days trying to figure out why the chili wasn't as good as usual."
"So what are the plans for tomorrow, Mom? Same as always?"
"Yes, we're just going to grab sandwiches or leftover chili for lunch, and your dad and the boys will hunt in the morning. Looks like they're not going this afternoon, they'd have had to get geared up by now. So I'll make breakfast sandwiches. I'm always up when Pete gets up anyway. Christmas Eve, we'll have snacks and appetizers like we always do. Your dad is picking up the seafood platter. Chase is coming and your cousin Donna and her family are too. I'm happy for that; it's always good to have little ones around for the holidays." She gave her daughter a pointed look.
Jessie’s Dusty Dreams Page 12
