“We’re consenting adults, Jenn. I’m just doing what we always did in the past.” Jake let his hands roam softly up and down her back.
Jennifer pulled away as the song started to come to an end. She looked into his eyes. “We are with different people, and I won’t hurt or insult Joe by allowing you to tease, nibble, or play with my emotions while I’m here with him. You have some nerve being involved with one woman and trying to make out with another.”
“I’m not involved with anyone, Jenn,” he reassured her quietly. The band started up with another song.
“Well, that’s not what Kaitlin said.” She broke away from him and walked toward the table where Joe sat talking to another couple who had stopped by.
Jake returned to the bar and drank the rest of his beer. He watched as Joe and Jennifer got up to leave. Joe placed a protective hand on her back as he led her out of the restaurant.
Jake paid his tab and went out and got into his truck. He rested his head on his steering wheel while he thought about their encounter. Jennifer seemed to like his kisses, but tonight she became insistent on them not getting any closer. He confessed to himself that he was confused and agitated. And what about this business with Kaitlin, he wondered. He started up his truck and then decided that he needed to talk to his granddad. He needed to make sense of his feelings, and of Jennifer. This business of drowning all his sorrows in beer was not helping him out.
He pulled out on the road and headed to his grandfather’s house. When he arrived he saw that the light was still on, so he parked his truck and walked up to the front door.
He knocked on the door, and his grandfather opened it almost immediately. “Jake, what a surprise. Come on in.” He held the door open for him. “What brings you over here at this time of the night?”
Jake followed his granddad into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, and sat down. “I’m pretty confused right now, Granddad. I don’t know what to make of things.”
“I’m assuming this has something to do with the lovely Ms. Summers?”
“How did you know?”
“Hmm. The last time you came to my house down in the pits, Ms. Summers had left town with a recording agent, and then went on to become a star. Now she’s playing in your band again. Tell me what’s going on that’s got you so upset,” Jake’s granddad gently prodded.
“Every time I see her, she’s got something going on with Joe.”
“You mean Joe Turner? The sheriff?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re jealous because you want it to be you and her?”
Wow, that’s the way, Granddad. Smack punch straight to the stomach. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Jake said flatly.
“How do you really feel about this woman?”
“I don’t know. Deep down in my heart, I’ve always felt that we belonged together. I thought I’d accepted the fact that I screwed it up badly. She left and I knew we’d probably never get together. However, having her back here not only brings up the memories of when we broke up, but all the memories we’ve had since we were together. I have a deep yearning to have her by my side.”
Jake’s granddad sat listening quietly as Jake poured out his heart.
“I never realized how much I missed her. It’s like I can’t get her out of my mind. She’s as beautiful as always, probably more so now. She still has that pleasant and wonderful personality and the ability to talk to anyone anytime. She’s articulate and poised, as well as sensitive. And has a wonderful work ethic. I love the way she performs on stage. I love the way she talks to the crowds. I love her blue eyes and her lovely blonde hair. I guess…I…just…love her.” There, I got it out. Jake gave a big sigh of relief.
“Well, grandson, what are you going to do about this?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know where to start, what to start with, or if I should start anything at all.”
“True love comes once in a lifetime. It looks like you’ve been given the chance to grab ahold of your true love and rein her in. In other words, you’ve been given a second chance, and I would suggest you not blow it this time. You need to do what Joe is doing. You need to woo her, romance her, and let her know about your feelings for her. But before you do this, you need to end your relationship with Kaitlin.”
“Um, there’s nothing between Kaitlin and I.” Jake pressed his lips together and wondered where all this stuff about him and Kaitlin was coming from.
“Kaitlin is saying something different, so you need to settle this once and for all. You won’t win Jennifer back if you’re still attached to Kaitlin.”
Jake thought about what his granddad had told him. He needed to get to Jennifer before Joe did, and ask her out. Or maybe he could just ask her over to his place for dinner. That way, it would be very intimate and no one would interrupt them. “I think I can do that, Granddad. I could probably have her over for dinner. That would be more private and intimate.”
“Now you’re thinking.” His grandfather smiled at him.
After talking to his granddad, Jake left and drove home. He thought about what his granddad had done with his life. He had lived in the old farmhouse since he was a young man. He worked hard all his life to provide for his family. When the Apache Nation decided to open the casino, and started to draw in money, his granddad reinvested his money into the house. He remodeled the kitchen, bathroom, and his bedroom. He closed off the upstairs since no one had occupied it or slept up there since his grandkids left.
To Jake, his grandfather was a quiet, unassuming gentleman. He had been a widower for the past thirty years. His wife had died young, of a heart attack. His only son and his son’s wife, Jake and Anna’s father and mother, were alcoholics. They fell on bad times and never recovered. His son had killed his wife, and then himself, leaving Jake and Anna with no parents. Granddad had brought them to his home and raised them. He and Anna always had a special relationship and bond with their granddad. He had always been someone they could talk to.
Chapter 11
Jennifer woke up Tuesday morning with a headache, so she went into the bathroom and got some aspirins. As the coffee maker burped and gurgled, she sat on the barstool and mulled over all the things that had happened to date. Thus far, Tom Rutherford had not shown his face, but she figured it would only be a matter of time. Then she shifted her thoughts over to Jake.
She looked out the backyard to the pool and thought of all the times she had spent by the pool with Jake. What could she do to fill the void inside her? There were lots of men who would love to be with her, but the one she really wanted didn’t want her. Why then had he kissed her? Was he trying to convince himself that he didn’t need or want her?
His kisses were tearing her apart emotionally. The kisses were wonderful and made her feel good and close to him, but when he walked away, or she walked away, it left a devastating emptiness.
Man, she had to shake this and stop thinking about him all the time. She wanted to stay here and sing with Jake and the band, but she didn’t think it would be safe for very long.
With her headache finally behind her, she felt melancholy and decided to go into town and do some shopping before going to rehearsal. She liked going to small shops to look at clothes rather than big stores.
She drove into town and wandered up and down the streets, shopping at a couple of small boutiques. There was also a salon downtown that carried the products she used on her hair so she stopped in and bought some. The girls recognized her immediately and asked her to autograph some bottles of shampoo. They excitedly asked her questions about her beauty secrets and what makeup she used. They were surprised to hear she didn’t use the big name brands that were out on the market.
After shopping in a few more stores, it eventually came time to go to the studio for rehearsal. She was glad that her mood had lifted a little bit.
When she arrived at the studio, Jake was the only one there. He was sitting at the drums, making some sort of adjustment. She walked up to hi
m and quietly said, “Hi, Jake.”
“Hi. Why the sad face?”
“Oh, no reason in particular.”
“Is there something wrong, Jenn?” Jake asked.
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
“If you’d like to talk, I’m a good listener.” He stopped what he was doing and just sat there, looking at her.
“No, that’s fine. I wanted to go over this one piece I keep getting stuck on.” She frowned absentmindedly and walked to the keyboards, looking over the sheet music.
“Um, Jenn?”
She turned around as Jake walked up to her.
“Would you like to go horseback riding with me after rehearsal?”
Jennifer thought about it for a few minutes. Was this a good idea? Knowing he was dating someone else?
“Come on, Jenn, I know you love horseback riding, and I haven’t been out on a horse in a long time. It will be good to get out and ride. We can ride to the creek and back.”
“I guess we can go out riding. I haven’t ridden a horse in a while though, I hope I don’t fall off.”
“Once you know how to ride a horse, you never forget.” He smiled gently at her.
The rest of the band began trickling in and they started rehearsing. The session was difficult for Jennifer, because she had a hard time concentrating on the music and the things at hand. Her mind seemed to zoom in and out of memory zones. She would rehearse a song that reminded her of Jake, and then she’d think about his kisses, or about something they did in the past. Eventually Jake ended the rehearsal and they walked out together to go to the stable.
“How many horses do you have?” Jennifer asked.
“I have four horses now.”
“How do you find time to care for them with the lifestyle you have?”
“I hired someone to help take care of them.”
Jennifer reached up and patted a beautiful brown horse on the nose as Jake saddled her and then saddled one for himself. They rode out near the creek at the south end of his property.
“I’ve always loved this part of the country, which is part of the reason why I’m so indecisive about selling my parents’ ranch. I used to dream of settling down here and raising horses,” Jennifer remarked.
“Why don’t you?”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve got problems to resolve. I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay.” Jake changed the subject. “I don’t get out here as much as I used to now with everything that’s going on.” He looked around at the mountains in the distance.
“What’s going on, Jake?” Jennifer asked as they dismounted the horses.
“I’m the CEO of the casino. The elders wanted someone young with fresh ideas to run the place. We’re in the middle of planning for a two million dollar hotel expansion. Plus, the band rehearses every day, and we play every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We used to just play two nights, but now we’re up to three.”
“It sounds like the hotel will be an exciting addition for the casino.”
“Yeah, as we get more and more big-name stars to come for concerts and stuff like that, more people will want to have a package deal where they can come to the casino to gamble, have a good meal, take in a concert, and then have a nice place to sleep. A lot of places are doing this now, but it just seems so hard trying to get the older Apache generation to go along with it. We’re also looking into a casino expansion in the near future. The seating in the White Eagle Entertainment Center is about four to five thousand, and we’d like to make it bigger.”
“That sounds like it’s a lot of stress for you.”
Jake shrugged. “Sometimes it is.”
“How can you be a CEO and leave at one-thirty in the afternoon?”
“I actually do somewhat of a split shift. After we’re done rehearsing, I work at my home office for a few hours, away from the constant interruptions.”
They stood quietly for a couple of minutes as they watched the creek, each deep in thought. Jennifer remembered the days when she and Jake would ride horses bareback, and how exhilarating it felt. She had so much freedom back then, and she enjoyed her life a lot.
Finally Jake looked at Jennifer and said, “You’ve had quite a life as a pop singer, haven’t you?”
Jennifer nodded. “I’ve traveled around the country. There have been times when things were so grueling and I felt so dead tired I didn’t think I could do another concert.”
“You did all this and never got involved with drugs or with men, that I can see anyway,” Jake remarked, half encouraging her to answer.
“I stayed away from drugs. Some of the band members that were playing with me got into it. It got pretty bad for a while. I don’t drink either. I don’t like it.” She gave him a sad smile as she looked up at him.
“I don’t normally drink, but do like a beer occasionally.” He stared into her eyes.
“So I’ve noticed,” Jennifer said softly as she looked away.
“I’m sorry about the other night. Did I say anything too derogatory to you?” Jake asked, looking down at the weeds.
“No, nothing derogatory.”
“I just want you to know, it’s not like me to get drunk. I don’t know what got into me that evening.”
“It seemed to me at the time that you were upset that I’d gone out with Joe.” Jennifer turned to face Jake, studying his face to see if she could see anything at all that would give her a clue to his true feelings.
“Is that what I said?” he asked.
“You don’t remember anything about that night?”
“Not really. It’s kind of a blur.” They started to walk back to the stable with the horses.
“You told me a couple of things. You said you couldn’t handle me being out with another man. You came over to my place drunk because you wanted to be with me.”
“I guess I made a fool of myself, huh?” Jake cocked his head and studied her for a few minutes.
If you’d been sober and said those words I would never let you go, Jake.
“What was the most memorable concert that you put on?” Jake asked, changing the subject.
Jennifer thought for a few minutes. “Well, I can’t think of any one concert I liked more than others. But I did enjoy the one I did with an eclectic group of pop singers. We helped raised money for the people displaced by Tropical Storm Sandy that hit the east coast a few years ago. I always like to do concerts where other people benefit. Are there any particular concerts you’ve done that stand out as most memorable?”
“No, we occasionally go to other casinos and play, but not often. However, White Sands gives the first fifteen percent of the money we take in to the Apache tribe to help educate children. We pride ourselves on nurturing and educating our children, so I like that we do that.”
Jake stopped walking. They were on the side of the hill near the barn where the horses would go. He looked at Jennifer. “Jenn, you seemed very distracted and concerned about something today. I tried to draw it out of you earlier, but you didn’t want to talk. Do you want to talk about it now? What’s going on?”
“I don’t need to talk about anything. I was just out of sorts. I woke up with a headache, and it kind of started my day off wrong. I’m sorry.” She gave him a gentle smile.
Jake took Jennifer’s hand and brought it to his lips. With his other hand, he lightly touched her face and the hair at her temple. He moved his hand under her chin and tilted it up.
His eyes were smoldering black as he looked deeply into hers. He bent down and kissed her, long and lingering, tracing the soft fullness of her lips. She felt like she was in heaven when she was in his arms. She stepped closer to him. Her breasts touched his shirt and she felt his hard chest underneath. She put her arm around his waist and returned the kiss.
As the kiss ended, he lifted his head, looked up to the sky, and remarked, “We need to get the horses into the barn, it’s getting dark.”
Chapter 12
“Jake, are you out here?” Kaitlin asked as she walked into the barn. She saw Jennifer and looked from her to Jake, and her brows knitted together.
“Hello, Kaitlin.” He took the saddle off the horse.
“I’ve been looking all over for you, Jake. Where’ve you been?”
Jennifer said, “I’ll see you at the studio tomorrow, Jake. Thanks for the horseback ride.” She walked past Kaitlin and headed to her car.
“What was that all about?” Kaitlin asked.
“Just what Jennifer said. We went riding,” Jake responded as he covered the horses with their blankets. “Kaitlin, you and I need to talk.”
Kaitlin looked at Jake, unsure if she wanted to hear what he was going to tell her.
Jake walked up and leaned against the wooden gate that was attached to the fence. “It’s come to my attention that you’ve indicated to several people that we’re involved with each other.”
“Um, Jake—” Kaitlin started, but Jake waved his hand to stop her.
“Kaitlin, I like you, but I don’t love you. We’ll never have the kind of relationship that you’re hoping for. My heart belongs to someone else, and I’m sorry if I misled you into thinking something more would come of our relationship. I think we should stop seeing each other socially. You should look to someone else to have a more intimate relationship with.”
Kaitlin took a big swallow as she digested the information. Finally she asked, “Do we really have to end our relationship?”
“Yes, I think it’s best. This way no one can misconstrue it, and it won’t give you any false hope.”
“Jake, I really like you,” she said sullenly.
“I know, and I like you too, but that’s it. You deserve someone who can give you everything you want, and I’m not that guy.”
“Is it Jennifer?” Kaitlin asked with an angry tone in her voice.
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