“Your mother—”
“Margie.” Jackson hadn’t thought of her as a mother since they day she told ten-year-old Jackson to watch his five-year-old brother while she went to the market for an afternoon milk run. His father found him hours later, standing at the door, waiting for her after Jacob’s shift ended at the sheriff’s office.
Jacob took a slow breath before rising from his perch on the sofa. He walked over to Jackson, his steps careful and his gaze steady, before placing a strong hand on his shoulder. “Yes, Margie left, and Lana put you through hell. But, Son, don’t let them be the reason you don’t let anybody else in.”
Jacob’s words made logical sense. But they did little to reassure him.
“If you really believed that, why haven’t you let anyone else in? Why didn’t you remarry?”
Jackson watched as Jacob’s eyes widened, and an odd combination of sadness and surprise filled his deep-brown eyes.
“Daddy, I’m sorry. My mouth gets away from me sometimes.”
Jacob squeezed Jackson’s shoulder, the motion more comforting than punitive. “I didn’t remarry or let you boys meet every woman I kept time with after Margie left, because I didn’t think it right. I didn’t want the two of you getting attached if things didn’t work out. You being unaware of it doesn’t mean I never found someone else to love.”
Jackson canted his head to the side and stared at his father. He cataloged the tiny twinkle of a spark in his father’s eyes and wondered what he was seeing.
A few seconds more of the wheels in his head spinning, and the answer was painted in a clear vision across his father’s face. He’s happy? “You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”
Jacob dropped his hand and walked to the window, staring out as if it held the answer to all the important questions in life. “I’ve been seeing someone for the last twenty-five years. We both had reason to keep things between us. But now, those reasons make little sense anymore. I love her. I want to marry her.”
“Do I at least get to meet her?”
“Do you really want to?”
Jackson wanted to be hurt, offended by the question his father posed. But deep down he knew he couldn’t. After Lana, he’d spent the last eight years avoiding being part of anyone else’s happiness.
He ran his fingers over the tense muscles in his neck and rubbed. When his father turned from the window, he wore a deep glow that shone from the inside outward. At that moment, all the anger caged in Jackson’s chest dissipated into a gentle calm. It spilled from his heart, through his great vessels, and buried itself deep within his bones. “I’d be honored to meet her if you want me to.”
A crooked grin softened his father’s features, casting a rejuvenating glow on his aging skin. “I’d like that very much. But you know what I’d like even more?”
“What’s that, Daddy?”
“For you to find someone to love you the way my lady friend loves me. You need that, Jackson. Don’t wait ’til you’re my age to realize it. And looking at how that young lady smiles at you when you speak, I’d say she’s probably the right person to teach you how nice caring about someone can be.”
Jackson didn’t have a lot of time to think about all his father had shared with him. He could hear his brother’s and Aja’s footsteps overhead, headed back to the staircase. Within moments, the sultry tones of her voice became more pronounced as she walked down the hall, coming ever closer to the great room.
She stepped inside the room, and he watched her face blossom into a bright canvas of rose-tinted, silky brown skin. A familiar mixture of anticipation and nervousness tumbled through him.
When their eyes met again, Jackson knew one thing. He might not be able to let himself have what his father had found, but maybe there was something between him and Aja Everett that he wanted to explore. There were two things he needed to consider, however. Would he let it happen? And would it be such a bad thing if he did?
Chapter 12
Jackson waved at the disappearing SUV as it moved toward the front gates of the property.
He watched as his brother turned the vehicle to the right onto the main road until it was no longer in his sight. With Aja having an afternoon meeting with her employees, Jackson headed straight for Colton and Storm’s bunkhouse for a check-in of his own.
A few moments later, he tapped on their door and waited for Storm to let him in.
“How did it go?”
“Good,” Jackson responded as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He followed Storm back into the kitchen where Colton sat sipping a glass of iced water. “She seemed agreeable to the suggestions Jacob and Kip made.”
Storm pulled a glass from the cabinet and pressed it to the ice maker/water filter compartment in the freezer door of the double-sided fridge. “When does their crew return to install the security system?”
“Jacob promised to expedite everything because of Aja’s situation. But for a property this size, it will still take a few days to get all the equipment she needs in his inventory. The only answer is to keep a close watch until Jacob and Kip can do their thing.”
Storm returned to the counter, handing Jackson the cold beverage and waiting for him to continue after he emptied the glass.
“You two have anything to report? See anything strange during your rounds?”
Colton sat at the counter, running a single fingertip in a circular pattern, then shook his head. “It’s been quiet so far. Nothing at the access points we’re concerned about last night or today. Seneca’s been locked up in her office all day on her computer. I’ve passed by several times; she’s always where she’s supposed to be, tapping away on those keys.”
Jackson folded his arms. “How much do you know about computers? You think you could get in there undetected and figure out what she’s working on?”
Colton pulled his fingers through his thick, straight hair. “I don’t know. I know a few things about computers from my days in the army, but if Seneca is knowledgeable enough to build a computer network for a resort, she’d figure out someone was trying to spy on her pretty quickly. I’ll see what I can do, though.”
Jackson agreed that was the best chance they had of getting any info. Seneca presented as a sweet and upbeat person who made mornings look easy with her unending perkiness. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t up to no good. The most notorious criminals often hid in plain sight. Possibly a closer look into her digital tracks would offer information to help their investigation.
“Can’t say tailing Brooklyn was any more informative, Boss. She’s all over the ranch. But she’s the architect. She needs to be mobile to survey the land to design structures for Aja.” Storm crossed his arms, something the good-natured Ranger did when he was mulling over case information. “I can’t tell if she’s up to anything yet. She’s constantly on the go and doesn’t slow down long enough to let the grass grow under her feet.”
Still at square one, Jackson set the glass on the counter and hooked his thumbs into his denims. “Stay on them both. If either of them is up to something, they’ll eventually slip up.”
“Are we gonna look into Bennett?”
Jackson shook his head in response to Storm’s question. “Not yet. We don’t have probable cause to officially tail him. But we can see what dirt we can find on him on the internet. It’s not a thorough background check, but it could at least point us in the right direction of where we should be looking. Also, Jennings and Gleason should have tracked him down by now to have an unofficial chat. Check in with them to see if they contacted him and what Bennett had to say if they did.” Jackson headed toward the door.
“What are you going to do while Storm and I are doing all that?”
Jackson turned around to face Colton, scratching the back of his head as his thoughts came together. “I will try to talk to Aja again, see if she can think of anything from her past in New York that might shine a light on all this.�
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“You think she’s hiding something?”
Jackson tugged his bottom lip between his teeth as he thought. “She seems truthful. I know for certain her being scared isn’t an act. I’m thinking she may have overlooked something. Maybe if I can get it out of her, we can figure out who we’re dealing with.”
Jackson waved and stepped on the porch, closing the door behind him. He pondered Storm’s question and his answer came up the same. She wore her integrity like he wore that five-point Texas star, proud in the open for everyone to see.
He’d know if she were lying, especially after the way she felt in his arms when she was pressed so close to him that he could feel her heart beat strong and steady against his chest.
His daddy was right. Aja wasn’t Margie or Lana. She didn’t think about herself. She put her people first. She protected those she cared for. She didn’t abandon them like Margie or lie about all the important things—crucial things that could mean life or death—the way Lana did either. Anyone who would put themselves in harm’s way to secure someone else’s future was stand-up in Jackson’s book.
As he made his way to the stables to take care of the chores he’d missed during the security consultation, all he could wonder was who would try to hurt someone like Aja. Why would someone want to destroy a person who worked to make things better for others?
* * *
Jackson’s muscles burned by the time he returned to the main house. A half day of backbreaking work in the stables had produced a good enough workout that he was covered in a sheen of sweat.
It was well past dinnertime now, and his stomach protested missing one of Aja’s meals. As he climbed the steps to the back porch, he toyed with the idea of heading straight for the fridge and cleaning up later. But as he caught a whiff of the barnyard special scent he was wearing, he bypassed the empty kitchen and headed toward his guest room for a hot shower instead.
A few moments of washing the outside off, and his fatigue turned into a mellow relaxation. He was tired, sure, but not tired enough to want to go to sleep yet. A pair of sweatpants, an A-line T-shirt, and a comfy pair of thick socks, and Jackson was headed down to the kitchen to scavenge in the fridge.
The kitchen was still quiet when he returned. Maybe Aja had gone to sleep. Disappointment sank like a weight in the bottom of his stomach. He realized that maybe dinner wasn’t all he’d missed. Perhaps he should add Aja’s presence to that list too.
Her smart banter, the way she always had an answer for everything he threw at her. He even missed the way she made him justify everything, never accepting his word as truth but making him prove it.
Too afraid to think about the reason behind his disappointment at eating alone, Jackson opened the fridge and found a plate covered in aluminum foil with a note on top.
Jackson, if you’re hungry after mucking out stalls, here’s a roast beef sandwich on my special French loaf bread. If you look on the counter, you’ll find a batch of my homemade potato chips in a baggie with your name on it too.
Enjoy,
A.
He stared at the note and the neat curly loops of her handwriting, and the disappointment that tried to settle inside him dissipated, a new warmth permeating his bones.
He smiled and pulled the plate and a bottle of Coke from the fridge and picked up his bag of chips from the counter.
He settled in the great room, turning on the television, making sure the volume wasn’t loud enough to disturb his sleeping host. He set his bounty on the coffee table and dug in.
He alternated between chewing, flipping channels, and taking a swig of his carbonated beverage until he found a syndicated episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He didn’t care what anyone had to say, Patrick Stewart was the best captain who sat on the deck of the Enterprise.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and a new text from his brother flashed across the screen.
Kip: Overnighted equipment for the Restoration Ranch job. We’ll be able to start in two–three days.
Jackson: Good. Question: Daddy with you?
Kip: No. Why?
Jackson: What’s this about him getting married?
Kip:
Jackson: If you pay so little attention to him, I can see now how you let him get caught up.
Kip: Let? Last I checked, he was growner than both of us put together.
Jackson: Growner is not a word. Who is she?
Kip: If you came ’round on a regular, you’d know.
Jackson: Is she nice? Are you okay with this?
Kip took a moment to answer and Jackson worried during the silence. What if this woman was terrible for his father? What if she hurt him?
Kip: She makes him smile, J. After everything he’s been through, he deserves to smile. That’s all I’m interested in.
Frustrated with his brother’s nonanswer, Jackson took another sip of his drink and texted again.
Jackson: You’re an asshole. Give me a straight answer.
Kip: I’m told I take after my big brother. If you wanna know about Daddy’s lady friend, bring ya ass home.
Jackson:
Kip:
He smiled as he put the phone back in his pocket. Kip might get on his last nerve, but he still loved him. Not to mention, he was right. Jackson needed to spend more time with his family.
Jackson popped the last chip in his mouth when he recognized familiar footsteps heading toward the great room. He looked up and found Aja leaning against the doorway. “Ready for a snack?”
A snack? She was standing there with her head wrapped in a black satin scarf, her face free of any makeup, her torso covered in a fitted gray tank, and pink sweatpants that looked more lounge worthy than workout appropriate—fitted to accent her thick thighs and the deep curves of her hips. Good God. A snack? Yeah, he wanted one. But only if she were on the dessert menu.
She walked into the room with her hands behind her back, grinning like she held the sweetest secret. She stepped in front of him. If she was waiting for him to speak, she’d wait a mighty long time, because watching her in her natural, comfortable glory stole his breath and made speech impossible.
She pulled a dessert plate from behind her back that boasted a thick and tall slice of pineapple coconut cake. He struggled for a moment, trying to pull his sight from the tempting way the swell of her breasts called to him from under the thin material of the tank. He closed his eyes and released a low, long sound that was a strange symphony of lust and frustration coming together in a unique blend.
“Wow, you really weren’t kidding when you said you loved this kind of cake.”
Cake? Oh, yeah. There’s cake too, he reminded himself. Focus on the cake, Dean. It’s the only treat you can have that won’t complicate the hell out of your life.
“I do. But I thought you said I had to earn it.”
She handed him the plate, followed by a fork and a napkin she appeared to pull out of thin air. The truth was, she could’ve been wearing them for all he could remember. Once he’d caught sight of her looking like the perfect mix of comfort and sexy, he hadn’t focused on anything other than her.
His brain was oblivious to anything except the way her curves were making his blood rush and his heart beat in an erratic rhythm. God, this felt so good and bad at the same time. Was it possible to send a perfectly healthy man into cardiac arrest from sexual arousal and frustration?
“You earned it. You helped me see why the security upgrades were necessary. You also got your dad to clear his schedule for this consultation. Not to mention the discount. There’s no way your father’s charging me market value for this.”
“That’s probably because of the new lady friend he’s been seeing. He’s giddy enough to be talking marriage. Maybe he missed a decimal point because his head was in the clouds.”
“Cynical much?”
He sliced the fork into the moist cake and shoveled a large piece into his mouth. It was a fusion of sweet and tart, of flaky coconut shavings and chunky piece
s of juicy pineapple, and when the rich, soft yellow cake balanced all the flavors together, Jackson felt the satisfaction down deep in his soul.
“About this cake? Not even a little. About people and love? Pretty much all the time. He’s too old to get lost in the foolishness of love. To let someone make him believe in fairy tales.”
He made it halfway through the dessert before regretting that his Coke wasn’t a tall glass of milk, but enjoying it just the same. He turned to find her staring at him. Watching him as if she were trying to figure out the secret to some great mystery.
“What? I have cake on my face?”
She said nothing, tilting her head to the side as she continued to watch him. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and breaking their connection for a moment. “Why does your father have to be a fool for wanting to share his love with someone else? Maybe it’s not about love and passion at his age. Perhaps it’s about companionship and comfort. Maybe at this stage of his life, that’s something worth having.”
Maybe it was—Jackson couldn’t truly say. He’d had girlfriends before Lana. Nothing too serious, but significant enough he missed them when those relationships came to their amicable end. But with Lana, he’d poured every ounce of his being into loving her, and it wasn’t enough.
“Are you worried about your dad remarrying, or are you a mama’s boy who doesn’t want his dad with anyone else?”
If that wasn’t the most laughable thing he’d ever heard. Jackson was fiercely loyal, especially to his father and brother. Margie, on the other hand, could get as much of his attention as a drop of water in an ocean. As far as it concerned him, she was a useless human being taking up resources on the earth.
“Considering my mother walked out on us when I was a boy, I doubt that’s the case.”
“Jackson, I’m so sorry. I never imagined…”
He interrupted her by picking up his cake and slicing off another piece. This cake had brought him more pleasure in the five minutes since she’d brought it to him than his five-year marriage or his selfish mother ever had. No sense in dwelling on the past when the present was so much more inviting.
Jackson Page 9
