“Yeah, Dad, I do. He’s my pride and joy. I love him with all my heart.”
James took a seat on the edge of the desk. “What’s going on between you and Terri Kennedy?”
“Nothin’, why?”
“You seem pretty familiar with each other for nothin’ goin’ on,” his father said, folding his arms over his chest.
“She’s a great gal. We’re havin’ a little fun together until she leaves.”
“Yeah, Joel said the same thing until Mesa left to go back to Los Angeles.”
“Joel fell in love with her in like a week, Dad. That’s not normal.”
“When love finds you, son, you don’t have a choice in the matter. Not if it’s real love.”
“Well, I don’t plan to fall in love with anyone. Women are more of a pain in the ass than their worth.”
One eyebrow rose over James’ left eye. “True, but the love you get in return more than makes up for the hassle you go through.”
“I don’t think so.”
“With the right woman, it is.”
“Hmm.” Jeff took a bridle down from the wall and fiddled with the bit. “Did I tell you I had to save Terri from a bug in her tub this mornin’?”
“No.” James laughed. “I thought she was from Houston. Surely she knows about the bugs in Texas.”
“I woulda thought so but she apparently doesn’t do bugs.” Jeff laughed too. It had been rather funny to see her standing on the toilet wrapped in a sheet.
“I haven’t seen you laugh in a long time, son. I think she’s good for you.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. It’s nothin’ permanent.”
“What’s she doin’ here anyway? I think there is more to her visit than meets the eye. She’s interested in things most normal guests aren’t.”
“I’m keepin’ an eye on her.”
“Why?”
“Don’t judge her, okay? I don’t think she means harm, but I can’t be sure.” Jeff laid the bridle on the desk. “She’s an architect for the development firm who bought the land next to ours. They plan on putting a housing project in there. She’s doing some research on the area to get an idea of what types of houses she’ll be designing for them to build.”
“That’s serious stuff.”
“I know.”
“She’s in talkin’ to Jeremiah.” James rapped his knuckles on the desktop. “I don’t like her knowing our financial situation, Jeff.”
“I don’t think Jeremiah is stupid enough to tell her anything pertinent. I hope she’s gettin’ general information is all.”
“I’ll talk to Jeremiah after she leaves to find out what exactly he told her,” his father said.
“Those money-hungry land barons could be trying to put us out of business.”
“Yeah, and she’d be helping them.”
“I don’t see how gathering information to figure out what kind of houses to design would be helping to put us out of business.”
“Why else would she need financial information or anything along those lines?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you ask her?”
“How the hell do I do that, Dad? In between orgasms I say, tell me what you’re up to, Terri. I need to know if you’re trying to ruin my family. Somehow it doesn’t come across to me as pillow talk.”
“You’ll know what to do, son. You always do.”
Chapter Nine
Terri watched Jeff eat each morsel with finesse. She wasn’t sure how he made eating look sexy, but he sure did. The tines of the fork slipped between his full lips, tempting her to want to taste him or have him taste her. He’d been quiet since they’d met up for dinner. Conversation flowed around them from all of his brothers, but he didn’t seem interested in talk this evening. Ben kept up a lively conversation with his grandmother about their activities for the day. Terri smiled while she listened to him.
Jeff finally broke the silence between them as he leaned over and whispered, “Are we still going to meet later?”
“I hope so.”
“Do you want to?”
“Yes.”
When she glanced up, she met the narrowed gaze of James. Why she earned the distrust of the monarch of the family, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t like it though. She hated having anyone mistrust her or question her motives. Why shouldn’t they? I’ve been mysterious the whole time I’ve been here, gathering information on them that really isn’t any of my business. By passing this along, will it hurt this family in the long run? I don’t know.
“You okay?” Jeff asked.
“Yes, why?”
“You looked concerned.”
“Your father seems to dislike me for some reason.”
“He doesn’t dislike you. He doesn’t know you, how could he dislike you?”
“I don’t know.” She glanced at Jeff. “Did you tell him why I’m here?”
Jeff blushed and dropped his gaze to his plate.
“You did. No wonder he doesn’t trust me,” she whispered out the side of her mouth. “What did you tell him?”
“Your reason for being here was to collect data for the developers.”
“True. What else?”
“Nothin’.” He finished his plate and pushed it away. “We’ll talk more about this later.”
“Fine.”
“Ben, are you done, buddy?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“I’ll get your dessert.”
She looked up to see him staring at her.
“Would you like something?”
“The apple crisp looks good.”
“I’ll grab one for you while I’m up.”
“Thanks.” When she glanced across the table to Jeff’s dad, the older man smiled. She hoped that meant he’d give her a chance to explain. Of course, explaining might mean telling him what she really had up her sleeve.
“Here you go,” Jeff said, sitting the small cup down in front of her.
The apples, cinnamon and crispy granola melted on her tongue with each bite she took. They had the best desserts at this ranch. If she lived here all the time, she’d weight a lot more than she did now. Not that she was a skinny person by any means. Her hips were too big, she had a bit of a stomach roll and her boobs were too small for her. Jeff didn’t seem to mind though, which was a good thing.
“We can watch a movie with Ben until he falls asleep which is usually within the first hour or so.”
“Sounds good.”
Terri glanced around the table, meeting several of his brother’s gazes. She didn’t like the looks they were giving her. Had they somehow heard about her real job?
“You didn’t tell your brothers, right?”
“No, just my father, but you have to admit your behavior has been rather suspicious.”
“Suspicious how?”
“Most guests don’t want to talk to the financial planner of our group. I don’t know if Jeremiah might have told them what things you were asking him. What did you ask, by the way?”
“Nothing much.”
“I don’t want to discuss this in front of the family.”
Her dessert was already gone.
“Shall we go?”
“Uh, sure.” Does Jeff suspect something? I don’t like the way he seems to hint at a conversation concerning my information gathering and then goes off on another topic. Should I tell him what I’m doing? Think Terri, think. “Is everything okay, Jeff?”
“We’ll discuss it at my place.”
Oh, I hate when people do that! It drove her nuts to be put off. “Are you sure you don’t want to discuss it now?”
“Not in front of my family.”
“Oh.”
They put their dishes in the dirty dish pan, took Ben’s hands and walked out of the door toward his truck. “Let me grab my keys and purse from my cabin.”
“Good idea.”
She turned left to take the path to her door, unlocked the cabin and walked inside. She debated on whether to change in
to something sexy. At least sexy underwear? No, she really didn’t have time. He wouldn’t wait forever and she already planned on having sex with him tonight. Before or after their talk, she wasn’t sure. Maybe before. If he gets wind of what I’m really up to, there may not be any sex.
Putting off their talk sounded like a good idea.
With her purse and keys in hand, she shut the door to her cabin before she checked the lock to make sure it was secure. Jeff stood by his truck’s passenger door buckling Ben into his car seat. The way Jeff treated Ben said a lot about the man. He cared. He might not care for her, at least not in any meaningful way, but in his own way, he cared. She’d seen it when he asked about her phone call and someone threatening her.
“Ready?” he called as she approached her car.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Follow me. I’ll be slow so I don’t lose you.”
“Is it far?”
“Nope. Just over the ridge on the other side of the main road.”
“Great.” She slipped inside her car, started it and then waited for Jeff to back up so she could follow him. Her stomach twisted into one big knot. Did she really plan on spending the entire night in his home with him? How did she really feel about it? Nervous, that’s how.
Her palms were slick with sweat. It had been a long time since she’d spent an entire night with a man except for Jeff. The one night he’d slept in at her cabin really didn’t count or did it? Once he found out her real purpose for being here, he’d cut all ties.
His trust would be gone.
She frowned. Trust. A tricky emotion. One she hoped she didn’t lose with this family, but it seemed inevitable.
They turned down a gravel road to the left outside of the main gate of Thunder Ridge. A couple of turns later revealed a beautiful little cabin set back against the hillside. The roughhewn outside reminded her of the rustic cabins of old. You could find them in the mountains of the eastern states and sometimes on the western plains. She loved it on sight. Two windows graced the front. A small porch lined the face of the house, holding two rocking chairs waiting for someone to enjoy the evening while they sipped sweet tea. Maybe someday she’d enjoy the sight with him.
Get those thoughts right out of your head!
“I don’t need to be thinking of anything permanent here. He’s made it clear he doesn’t do long term and I’m not inclined to either.”
Seconds later, Ben struggled to open the door of her car for her. So sweet.
Jeff laughed and opened the door for him. “Come on, Ms. Terri. I want to show you my room.”
“All right, little man. One second. Let me grab my things.” She picked up her purse from the seat and stepped out of the car. Ben grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door.
“Easy, sport. You don’t want to hurt her by pullin’ too hard.”
“Sorry, Ms. Terri.”
“It’s fine, Ben. You didn’t hurt me.” She winked at Jeff, earning herself a genuine smile. She liked his smile. He had the hint of a dimple in his left cheek she hadn’t noticed before.
They reached the front porch as Jeff opened the door. “My lady.”
“What a grand invitation, sir.”
“I hope you enjoy your stay.”
“I’m sure I will.” The inside of the cabin took her breath away. The rusticity of the furnishings appealed to her primitive side, bringing to life the old west along with a little bit of Indian culture as well. “Jeff, it’s gorgeous.”
“Thanks.”
“Did your ex have anything to do with the décor?”
“Misha? Hell no. She hated this place.”
“I’m glad because I love it. It’s very much you.”
“Come on, Ms. Terri.”
Ben pulled her along down the hall. His bedroom had the rustic feel too, but still showed the little boy with his Toy Story bed, a hand carved toy box in the corner and a quilt, obviously made with love by his grandmother.
“Did your mom make the quilt?”
“Yeah.” Jeff stuffed his hands in his pockets. “She was so thrilled when we found out Ben was a boy, although she wanted a granddaughter. She didn’t really care as long as the child came out healthy. He did at nine pounds and ten ounces.”
“What a big boy.”
Ben mimicked his dad’s stance by shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans too. “I have a big boy bed.”
“You sure do, pumpkin.”
“And I wear big boy panties.”
“Great job!” She smiled at Jeff. “I bet he’s a handful sometimes.”
“Oh yeah. You can say that again.”
“See my toys?” Ben pointed to the toy box before he rushed over to lift the lid. “I like Toy Story.”
“I can see that.” She got down on the floor in front of the toy box. “Who is your favorite?”
“Woody. He’s a cowboy like me.”
“He sure is.” Terri felt her heart overflow with love for this little boy. He had a great dad, awesome grandparents and the affection of his uncles, but he didn’t have the love of his mother. It didn’t seem fair to her.
“Let’s watch a movie,” Jeff said, taking her hand and helping her to her feet.
“Yay! Toy Story!”
She laughed as she shuffled out of the room behind Ben and Jeff. “Why am I not surprised.”
“Did you think it would be anything else?”
“No, not really once I saw his bedroom. It’s okay. I like Toy Story.”
“One, two or three?”
“Wow, I didn’t realize there was more than one.”
“You are so behind the times, lady.”
“Apparently. All I can say for myself is I haven’t been around kids very much.”
“Hang around for a while. We’ll teach you, huh Ben?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Do you want me to?”
“To what?”
“Stick around?”
Both of his shoulders lifted in a shrug. He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I don’t know. I mean, we have fun together. I wouldn’t mind getting to know you a little better.”
“I thought you didn’t do relationships?”
“I don’t. It wouldn’t have to be a relationship. We could just…”
“What? Sleep together?” She didn’t like the way this conversation seemed to be headed. Friends with benefits?
“We can talk about this after Ben goes to bed.”
Ben pushed the movie into the disc player as he flipped on the remote for the television. Damn, the kid was smart enough to know how to put his own movies on? Apparently. He plopped down on the soft right in the middle.
The moment he gave her those puppy dog eyes, she couldn’t resist. Each of them took a spot on the couch, one on either side of the little boy.
She’d seen the movie before, but low and behold within thirty minutes Ben was asleep leaning against her side. “He’s asleep.”
“I told you he’d be out inside of a half an hour.” Jeff stood and pick up Ben in his arms. “I’ll be right back.”
Trepidation twisted her guts. They’d talk now and she wasn’t sure she was ready for the talk. Maybe she could convince him to have sex first. She unbuttoned her blouse. A glimpse of skin should do it. Jeff was a sexual man. She didn’t know how he went as long as he did without sex. The moment they’d been together, the whole room threatened to combust.
“Terri?”
“Yeah?” she called back.
“Can you come in a kiss Ben goodnight? He won’t go back to sleep until you do.”
“Sure. Be right there.” Damn it. She rebuttoned her blouse, but left it untucked from her jeans. When she walked into the room, the small beside lamp next to the bed was on. Ben had crawled beneath the sheet. “Hey, buddy.”
“Can I have a hug and a kiss goodnight?” He raised his arms for her.
“Sure, Ben.” She leaned over and his little arms wrapped around her neck. “Night.” She kissed him on the fore
head, holding back tears his trust and unconditional love toward her brought. Leave it to a little boy to bring out the feelings the dad is fostering. “Sleep well.”
“Will you be here tomorrow mornin’?”
“I don’t know, Ben. I might be back at my cabin near the main lodge, but I’ll see you at breakfast if nothing else.”
“Okay. I love you, Ms. Terri.”
“I love you too, buddy.”
Ben rolled over as she wiped her eyes and stood. He needed the love of a mother so much, it hurt her heart.
Jeff took her hand and let her back out to the couch. They sat down side by side. “Thank you for being there for Ben, but I wish you hadn’t lied to him.”
“I didn’t lie to him.”
“You said you loved him when I know you don’t.”
She spun to face him. “How do you know what’s in my heart? I do love that little boy. He’s a treasure and I wish I was going to be around to see him grow into a man someday. If he’s treated right by the women in his life, he’ll grow into a special person.”
“All right, I don’t know how you feel about him, but I don’t want him led on either. You know you aren’t a permanent part of his life.”
“I know that too, Jeff, but I can’t help but love him. He’s a special little boy.”
Jeff ran his hands over his eyes in a weary motion, shoving his hat from his head to let it drop on the arm of the couch. She didn’t know how to help him.
Comforting him seemed natural to her. She brought him down so his head lay on her lap. “You’ve done a great job with him,” she said, running her fingers through his hair. “He’s a great kid.”
“Thanks. I wish his mother loved him as much as I do or you.” He glanced up as she pushed his hair off his forehead. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Sure you do.”
“No, I don’t. You’ve been everything a man could want in a woman.”
“But?”
“I can’t give you my heart like you deserve. I have nothing left to give.”
“It doesn’t matter, Jeff. We’ll go with what we have. Great sex, a kind of friendship or at least that’s what I hope we have.”
“Yeah.”
He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down to meet his lips. The kiss took her breath away. Everything about the sexy man had her body standing at attention and her panties wet.
Healing a Cowboy's Heart (Cowboy Dreamin' 2) Page 11
