Something Sweeter

by Candis Terry

  “So don’t sign another contract. No one is going to think any less of you if you walk away. Hell, you’ve put in more time than any of us. When we lost Jared . . .” Jesse paused to sip his coffee and swallow down that harsh memory. “I was done. Not that I was afraid. I lost the heart. The drive. I couldn’t sleep nights worrying about the rest of you. And I realized that I just fucking missed home.”

  “I think about him all the time,” Jake said. No name needed to be mentioned to know whom he meant. “Hard not to when they send you through that same area, and your boots hit the dirt where his blood was spilled.”

  “He was the best,” Jesse said. Still, Jared had been damned good at hiding important issues.

  Jake gave a silent nod that reaffirmed he’d not yet fully dealt with Jared’s death. When he finally did, Jesse knew it would be tough. But Jesse also knew that, as he had for the others, he’d be there to help Jake pick up the pieces.

  “So what brings you over to my side of the ranch at such an early hour?” he asked because it became obvious a change of subject was needed.

  “Early? You’ve grown soft, big brother. Looks like you’ve been out of the Marines so long you’ve forgotten what o-­dark-­hundred means.”

  “Yeah. I don’t miss that.”

  While Jesse perched on a barstool, Jake rummaged through the refrigerator the same as he had when he’d been a teenager. Seemed like one or the other of them had always been hunting for something to eat. It was probably a miracle with five boys that the appliance even stayed cold or their parents hadn’t gone broke from their healthy appetites.

  “So what’s next on your agenda?” Jesse asked. “Besides raiding my fridge and paying a visit to the fair maiden Jessica?”

  “I’ve got a few weeks of leave, then I’m headed back to Cherry Point.” Jake peeled open a package and took a bite of the string cheese Jesse kept on hand for Izzy.

  “You going to be able to stay there a while?”

  “They told me not to bother unpacking, so I’m guessing that’s a no. Which leads me to what’s up with mom getting engaged so quick? I mean, Mr. Lane seems like a nice enough man, but what’s the deal? And if this is really going to happen, when’s the big day? Because I don’t have long and—­”

  “Whoa. Back up the tractor. Take a breath.”

  “Sorry.” Jake shook his head as if to clear it. “I just feel out of sync, you know?”

  Jesse could relate. After he’d completed his last tour of duty, it had taken him a long time to unwind and get back into the real world. The short furloughs the Marines allowed were never long enough to quite get a grasp on all that had happened in everyone else’s everyday life. Sadly, it was easy to get out of touch with that reality and not feel whole until you were in uniform again.

  That’s when he’d known he had to get out.

  He’d been losing his identity bit by bit and losing what mattered the most. His family, and the bond they shared.

  “Like . . .” Jake pulled up a barstool and sat on the opposite side of the concrete island. “All these big events are going on, and I’m missing everything. Reno met Charli, and they’re getting married. Jackson and Abby are engaged and building a house. Izzy’s almost four years old. And now Mom . . .” He ran a hand over his buzz cut.

  “You know, it’s always been tough keeping up with the Wilders,” Jesse said with a laugh meant to lighten his brother’s load. “Maybe we should have our own reality TV show.”

  Jake scoffed. “Probably be the only way I can keep up with everything going on around here.”

  “My guess is that if Mom really intends to tie the knot, she won’t let it happen unless we’re all in attendance. In the meantime, I suggest we all sit back and let the adults figure it out.”

  “I carry a military assault rifle.” Jake pointed his stick of string cheese. “You saying I’m not an adult?”

  “Not in my eyes. I still see you as the little shithead pain in the ass who used to run around with crap in his diapers while trying to hang with the big boys.”

  “And I still see you as the guy who used to try to scam every female in Sweet High School.”

  “I never scammed any of them.”

  “Bullshit. You’d have a date with one on Friday and a different one on Saturday, and you’d tell both of them they were . . .” Jake placed his hand over his heart and raised his voice an octave. “The only one.”

  “Yeah.” Jesse laughed. “Good times. And things you can only get away with when you’re sixteen.”

  “I figured with the way you were looking at Allison last night, you were—­”

  “I wasn’t looking at her in any way.”

  “Again, I call bullshit.” Jake sipped his coffee, then grinned. “If eyes were hands, you’d have been peeling away her clothes slow and easy and savoring every moment.”

  Yeah. He’d probably done that. Wasn’t going to admit it, though. “You’ve been letting that Afghani heat get to your brain, little bro.”

  “Still going to bet you’re next in line.”

  “For what?”

  Jake hummed out the “Wedding March.”

  “Get the fuck out of here. That’s not in the cards.” At least for a very long time.

  Jake slurped down the rest of his coffee. “You keep fooling yourself about that, big brother. And I sure as hell hope I’m around to watch you take a dive right at those pretty high heels.”

  “I’ve got sturdy legs. Don’t plan on falling anytime soon.”

  “Dude, you built a five-­bedroom, three-­bath house.” Jake hitched a thumb over his shoulder at the Victorian farmhouse Jesse had designed and built with his own two hands and a little help from Rockview Construction. “Why the hell did you build such an enormous house if you didn’t plan on sharing it with someone?”

  “I like space to ramble.”

  “Ha!” Jake slapped his knee. “Good one.”

  “Have I told you lately how irritating you are?” And how good it was to have him back.

  “Been hearing that all my life from you guys. Goes in one ear and out the other.” Jake set down his empty coffee cup, shoved the last piece of string cheese in his mouth, and stood. “Just in case you’re thinking about filling those extra bedrooms sometime soon, the lovely Ms. Lane is having lunch today with Mom. So I’d suggest y’all get on over there before I grab her up for myself.”

  Jesse tried to ignore the implication that for some reason jabbed at him like a well-­delivered uppercut. “I like those bedrooms just the way they are,” he said with a great big lie. “Big and empty.”

  “Uh-­huh.” Jake tossed him a wave as he headed for the door. “Save me a piece of the cobbler Mom made for lunch. See you later.”

  Once Jesse heard the front door close, he found himself looking at the clock over the sink of the outdoor kitchen. It was still early, but he couldn’t help but wonder what time his mother planned to serve that cobbler.

  Jana Wilder was a whirlwind of energy as she set a bowl of pasta salad on the kitchen table, currently covered by a sunflower tablecloth. In the center of the table sat a large white ceramic pitcher filled with fresh sunflowers. Also on the table were two place settings of colorful yellow Fiesta Ware, with sterling silverware and white cloth napkins tied up with little raffia bows. It was obvious Jana had gone to a lot of trouble this morning to make things perfect for their luncheon. As an event planner as well as the daughter of the man Jana was engaged to, Allison appreciated her efforts.

  “I thought about inviting the other girls for lunch,” she said. “But I really wanted a chance for the two of us to get to know each other. And once all those girls get in the same room, there’s no telling which direction the conversation or the activities will go.”

  “In a bad way?”

  “Oh. No.” Jana laughed. “Not a single one of them has a mean bon
e in her body. But as an example, the first day Charli and I really got to know each other we made smoothies–or as she called them high-­octane margaritas. Somehow, we ended up on the veranda dancing with Miss Giddy, and she had to call Reno to come pick her up.”

  “Good to know,” Allison teased. “Just in case you haul out the blender.”

  The previous night had been a bit overwhelming, with all the probing questions and her careful responses. Not to mention the underlying pressure from Jesse, who watched her with a peculiar fire in his eyes. The times she’d looked his way, she honestly couldn’t tell if he was the big bad wolf ready to take a bite out of her, or a kick-­backed pussycat prepared to take things as they came.

  A ridiculous thought.

  In all the conversations they’d shared, nothing led her to believe that there was anything laid-­back about him. The man had an intensity she was positive ran on full power every minute of every day.

  A wise woman operated off her first instincts.

  Her first instincts told her to run like hell.

  “I wish my sister Danielle could have come along,” Allison said of her perfectly put-­together and always-­on-­her-­toes sibling. “You’ll love her.”

  “Why, sugarplum . . .” Jana turned with a basket of steaming biscuits in her hand. “You say that like you think I won’t love you.”

  Allison would like to think she didn’t care what Jana or anyone else thought of her, but that would be a lie. As the daughter of a woman she’d had to work hard to please, and now with an occupation that demanded she have an eager-­to-­please personality, she knew she cared a lot.

  ­“People tell me I’m more . . . complicated.”

  “Nonsense.” Jana set the basket on the table and waved a hand like she was batting flies. “It’s like I always say . . . when you’ve got a locker room full of players, everybody is different. Each player has their own job. But when they start playing together as a team, things just fall into place.”

  “Was that a baseball or football analogy?”

  “Football. This is Texas. And the only thing closer to God than football is Pearl Ewing’s hair.”

  Allison didn’t know who Pearl Ewing was, but she’d pay money to see that hair. Her stomach growled. She plucked a large black olive from the rooster-­shaped bowl on the table and popped it into her mouth. “Obviously, I’m a Seahawks fan. Who’s your team?”

  “Houston Stallions, of course.” Jana grinned. “It sure will be interesting when our teams play against each other. Though I’m afraid you’ll have to cheer really loud to be heard over everyone else in this house.”

  With that huge grin on Jana’s face, it was impossible to tell the woman that most likely she’d never be around to watch football. As soon as she declared the coast clear for her dad and his emotionally charged relationship decisions, she’d hightail it right back to safe-­and-­sound Seattle.

  With the football banter complete, the kitchen became awkwardly quiet. While Allison sipped her sweet tea, she wondered the best way to approach the subject of the seemingly spontaneous engagement.

  “Mrs. Wilder, I—­”

  “Please. Call me Jana. And don’t worry, I’d never ask y’all to do something ridiculous like call me Mom. You already have one. I’d just like to be a friend.”

  “My mother prefers I call her Linda.”

  Blond eyebrows lifted. “Really?”

  Allison nodded. “She’s afraid if I call her Mom, ­people will try to calculate her age. And she’s doing everything in the name of science to keep that little detail under wraps.”

  “No offense to your mother—­because we all have our own way of doing things—­but if one of my boys called me Jana, I’d smack him upside the head. I put in a lot of sleepless nights to get them to behave like gentlemen and not the wild herd they aspired to be. I earned the title.”

  “I imagine they were quite a handful.”

  “I did have my hair-­pulling moments.” Jana chuckled. “One or the other of them was always getting into trouble. Often that required a trip to the ER for stitches or a cast. Never had any trouble with the law, though. My Joe wouldn’t have tolerated that for a minute.”

  “You talk with such affection about your husband.” Good lead-­in, she thought. Jana seemed the type more than willing to open up. Maybe this discussion would present some cracks in Jana’s seemingly flawless exterior. Not that she really hoped she’d find any.

  “Joe was a wonderful man.” Her father’s fiancée refilled the glasses of sweet tea and sat down. “And though not perfect, we had a marriage most only dream about. He had a heart as big as the state we live in, and there wasn’t a soul within fifty miles he didn’t know or who didn’t know him. He was always out helping someone build a barn, brand cattle, or work the land.”

  Allison worried her bottom lip. How could her easygoing father ever live up to Joe Wilder’s memory?

  “After our Jared was killed in Afghanistan, Joe sank deeper and deeper into grief and regrets. There wasn’t a soul, including me and our boys, who could drag him out of his despair. One day, he sat down at his desk at the hardware store, and that generous heart of his just quit. The boys and I believe he died of a broken heart.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Allison reached out and covered Jana’s hand with her own. She couldn’t imagine losing a husband or son, or anyone she loved. Thankfully, she’d never lost anyone in that manner. All her losses had come in the form of hope and the promise of a dream. Not the same to be sure, but devastating in their own right.

  “There were a lot of years I took things for granted.” Jana sipped her tea thoughtfully. “But with the loss of my husband and my firstborn, I learned a new appreciation for life. And I never forget it. With the girls, or I should say, the young women, my sons have introduced into our family, I find something special in each and every one. And I’m grateful for the joy they’ve brought to my life.”

  Allison leaned her chin on her palm and allowed Jana’s soothing Southern drawl to settle into her soul.

  “That includes your daddy.” Jana leaned back in her chair. “I’ve been alone for a time now. Since I met him, your father has brought a smile to my face each and every day. And I’m grateful. So don’t worry your pretty head, sugarplum. Because I plan to make him smile every day too. He’s a good man. And he should be treated well.”

  In her profession, Allison had heard almost every line of BS known to the universe. Looking into the bright blue of Jana Wilder’s eyes, she didn’t sense an ounce of dishonesty.

  Allison had come two thousand miles armed with a bagful of questions. She’d come looking for answers and to determine whether marrying this woman was right for her father. She thought she’d either find a woman after his money or at least sufficient flaws in Jana’s character to make a case to her father that he was making a huge mistake. Since Jana hadn’t known he was wealthy, money wasn’t an issue. Jana’s armor was not only intact, it had been built with a double layer of strength, love, and character Allison couldn’t help admire.

  “Jana, I—­”

  The back door creaked open, and Allison looked up to find Jesse standing in the entry—long hair neatly pulled back, grin in place, and devil written all over him.

  His eyes met hers, and his grin increased. “Am I too late?”

  Jesse ignored the pair of smoky eyes glaring at him as though he’d intruded on some secret recipe exchange. He walked into the warm kitchen and inhaled the aroma of freshly baked sweet potato biscuits. Delicious as it might be, the food on the table didn’t look nearly as appetizing as Allison, in a simple lightweight sweater that fell off one delectable shoulder and a pair of skintight black leggings. He couldn’t see her feet, but he guessed she again wore a pair of high heels that added a few inches to her petite height.

  “Late for what?” his mother asked, sounding cross yet grinning
at the same time.

  “Lunch.”

  “You weren’t invited,” Allison chimed in, obviously hoping he’d take the not-­so-­subtle hint and retreat.

  “Well, lucky for you I made enough for an army,” his mom said. “Pull up a chair, and I’ll grab you a plate.”

  His mama didn’t raise any fools, so of course he chose the chair next to Allison. And as he sat down, he caught a hint of the sweet scent of either her perfume, shampoo, or a tasty body lotion. He didn’t know which, but he was willing to investigate further.

  While she glared her obvious displeasure at his sudden and unannounced appearance, the house phone rang.

  “Oh, darn,” his mother said as she set a platter of moist, sliced roasted chicken down on the table. “I’ll pick that up in the other room. You two go ahead and get started. I’ll be right back.”

  Jesse watched her disappear through the door, then he turned to Allison and tried not to laugh at the less-­than-­amiable expression on her face. “Where’s your dog?”

  “You mean Wee Man?”

  “I am not calling him that. It’s disrespectful.”

  “I really don’t think he gets that you think it’s an insult. As a vet, you should know it’s all about the tone of voice you use. In any case, I left him with my father so your mother and I could have a nice lunch without interruption.”

  “There’s no such thing in this house. There’s always somebody coming or going or the phone’s ringing.”

  “Believe me, I’m starting to get that.” She reached for the bowl of pasta salad that was just beyond her fingertips. He grabbed it and plopped a big spoonful onto her plate.

  “Hey, I can serve myself.”

  “Southern hospitality,” he responded, then reached for the platter of carved chicken breast. “One slice or two.”

  “One.” She glared. “So why are you really here? Shouldn’t you be out doing something like . . . getting a haircut?”

  “You don’t like long hair?”

  “On girls. On men, it just looks like they’re trying too hard.” She stuck her fork in a curly noodle, lifted it to her luscious mouth, and chewed. “So what is it you’re overcompensating for?”