“Sure, honey.” He never glanced up from his laptop.
She sighed in disappointment. On one hand she wished he would take more of an interest in what her life held, but on the other hand she hoped he’d never know about the more intimate details.
After a moment, she turned and headed to the kitchen. Sandwiches and chips would have to do. She hadn’t been to the grocery for their weekly staples. She quickly made their lunch and delivered it to her father’s desk, knowing he wouldn’t join her at the table. The solitary life they led drove her crazy. She needed to be around people on a regular basis. Might as well do the grocery shopping now.
She finished her lunch and went to her room to change her clothes. Even though she didn’t mind being seen with dirty jeans and a smudge of mud across her nose, her father would be appalled if she went out in public in her gardening attire. With a bright sundress hugging her curves, she slipped on a pair of sandals and grabbed her purse. She stopped at the mirror in the hall to wipe the dirt from her nose as she called, “I’m going to the store, Daddy. I’ll be back in a little while.”
He still never looked up as she glanced through the doorway. “Be careful, sweetheart.”
“I will.”
“Don’t forget to stop at the liquor store. My bottle is empty.”
It had been half full last week. “Of course.” At least he only drank at home.
Once outside the house, she slid into her car and shut the door. This little excursion would give her some time away. She loved her father, but he did get on her nerves once in a while. Probably more often than she cared to admit sometimes. “Maybe if he started dating again, he wouldn’t be so worried about my life.”
The grocery store came into a view a few minutes later. It really was more of a large food outlet than a grocery store, but when she did their major shopping, she liked the warehouse bargains of the store.
The place was mobbed. Why there were so many people there was beyond her. Oh yeah, it’s Saturday. Oh hell. She found a parking spot next to a large, crew cab truck and stepped out. The swarm of people heading for the doors felt almost suffocating, but she managed to go with the flow and reach the front.
One cart left. She grabbed it, flashed her card at the door attendant and went inside. The cooler air of the store felt good on her skin. With the list in her hand she’d grabbed from the refrigerator door at home, she moved down the first aisle. Laundry soap, dryer sheets, starch for her father’s collars. Slowly her cart filled until she reached the meat section. She found the steaks, chicken and ribs she’d been looking for until a beautiful dark haired woman next to her glanced over. The woman had the most beautiful dark brown eyes she’d ever seen.
“Those ribs looks fantastic, don’t they?” the woman said as she grabbed a package to put in her cart.
“I love the meat here. They always have such a wonderful selection and quality. Do you shop here all the time?”
“Yes. We have a lot of people we cook for.” Paige glanced at the woman’s cart piled high with meat. “This will only last us about a week.”
“Wow.”
“We run a guest ranch so we have to feed a lot of people.”
“Oh, how fun. I bet you have a great place.”
“We try. We run cattle too, but it’s mostly the guests these days and my boys. They’ll eat me out of this food quickly enough.”
Boys?
“I have nine of them and two wonderful new daughters-in-law. Oh, and a wonderful grandson and another on the way.”
“I love big families.”
“We definitely have one of those.”
As she looked down at the package of meat in her hands, Paige blanched as a deep voice penetrated her conscious thought. “Well hi, Paige.”
Oh shit. It can’t be! She turned to her left only to look up into the brown-eyed gaze of Jacob.
* * * *
The last person he expected to see at the store when his mother suggested he accompany her was Paige. Not that he hadn’t thought a lot about her over the last several weeks. If truth be told, he’d thought of little else except her pebbled nipples in those clamps or of her pussy slick with juice and ready for him as he slid home.
“What are you doin’ here?”
“Shopping.”
“I see. Oh, Mom this is Paige. Paige this is my mother, Nina.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Paige. How do you know Jacob?”
“We met a few weeks ago,” she said in a choked up voice as she threw the meat in her cart.
“At The Dusty Boot,” Jacob added.
Nina’s eyebrows rose as she did a double take at Paige. “I see.”
“No, really you don’t. I don’t frequent bars.” Paige started to breathe faster, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Panic flashed in her eyes.
“It’s fine. I understand perfectly.”
“I, uh, have to go.”
“Wait.”
“No. I really need to go. My father is waiting for me in another aisle.”
“Great. I’d love to meet him.”
“No!” She grabbed her cart and disappeared around the edge of the aisle.
“Paige!” Jacob rounded the corner, walking quickly to catch up with her. “Wait.”
“Leave me alone, Jacob.”
“Why?” He grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. “What’s wrong?” He glanced around, but there weren’t any other patrons in the paper goods aisle. Surrounded by toilet paper, paper towels and napkins, he tried to soothe her with a calming hand on her arm.
“I don’t want to get involved with you on a personal level, Jacob. We had sex. That’s it.” The alarm in her gaze hadn’t dissipated.
Disappointment rushed through him. He wanted more from her although he wasn’t sure how much more. Keep it simple. “But you never answered my text or my calls.”
“Maybe I needed some room to breathe.”
“I don’t want you to feel suffocated. I’m sorry if bein’ with me does that to you.”
“It’s not that.” She shook off his hold. “I need some space. Meeting your family is too much.”
“I’m sorry. It just happened. Not that I could have controlled when you met my family by running into us at the store.”
She swallowed visibly as she pressed her hand to her chest. “I’m sorry for losing it. I just never expected to see you anywhere other than the bar, I guess.”
“I like the dress.”
“Thanks.”
“You look beautiful.”
“Stop, Jacob. Just stop, okay?”
“What am I doin’ wrong here, Paige? I thought women liked bein’ complimented on their looks.”
She took a step back. “I need to go.”
“Can we get together again this weekend?”
“I don’t know. Don’t press me.”
“All right fine.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. Women! “How about you call me when you want a little action since bein’ nice doesn’t seem to get through to you. If you want rough and tumble, baby, you got it.” He grabbed the back of her head so he could press his mouth against hers. The pressure of his kiss didn’t lessen even when her lips softened under his. When he finally let her go, her lips were swollen and red. “See you around, darlin’.”
Chapter Five
Memorial Day weekend. Paige shuddered with concern, she didn’t want this weekend to happen at all, but here it was. She dreaded the days with every passing month since March, since the last time she’d seen Jacob. He hadn’t called. No text. Nothing. Her dreams were haunted with his touch. She woke many a morning trembling with need and hungry for his kiss, but she refused to reach out to him.
“Are you sure everything is ready, Paige.”
“Yes, Daddy. It’ll be a great party. The band is set to be here by seven and will play until ten. All the games are ready. The fireworks will be handled by the pyrotechnic company. Don’t worry.”
“I want this to be a wholesome celebration
to bring the younger crowd to our church.”
“Do you have your sermon ready?”
“Yes.”
“Can I read it?”
“Of course.”
He handed her the paper. She scanned the wording, cringing at a few lines here and there, but overall, it wasn’t bad. “I think it’s fine. You are planning on having the sermon this morning at eleven and then the barbeque will start, correct?”
“Yes. Our regular church members will be there, I’m sure. I’m hoping new members will come for church services before the barbeque starts.”
Paige glanced down at her sundress. The bright red complimented her skin without making it too sallow like it usually did. Of course, it helped that she’d been gardening a lot the last several weeks while she avoided indulging in her secret life. Her restless soul screamed for release from her humdrum existence, but she refused to give in for fear of seeing Jacob. She didn’t know whether she could handle being close to him without dropping to her knees so he would fuck her silly.
The weather had warmed up considerably for the end of May as it was prone to do in Texas. The sun beat down relentlessly as she set up the table for the punch. Luckily, most of the food and drinks were under tents the church had rented, although the sermon would be outside. She hoped the temperature wouldn’t climb too high today.
The church bell clanged signaling the beginning of festivities as people began pouring onto the grounds behind the church. She smiled as the crowd grew with young and old. Hope sprang in her heart for some younger members who would be willing to start attending their church, for her father’s sake, of course. It would be nice to have a few others to hang with and talk to during bible studies.
She glanced across the lawn in time to see a large family group walking toward one of the big trees. All of the men wore cowboy hats and the three women with them wore shorts or sundresses. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed one of the women was extremely pregnant and another had beautiful long, black hair tied back in a braid. A small boy ran around in circles until one of the cowboys picked him up to swing him up on his shoulders.
It couldn’t be.
One tall cowboy peeled away from the group once they were all settled and headed toward her. Shit. No, no, no. She quickly looked to her left and right trying to figure out where to hide. The last thing she wanted at this party was to run into him. What the hell is he doin’ here. She spun to her right and disappeared out of the tent headed for the house. Surely he wouldn’t follow her there.
Wrong.
The moment she opened the door, she heard the clomp of his boots on the wooden porch of the house.
“Paige.”
“Jacob.” Her breath came in shallow gulps of air as she tried to get her rapid heart under control.
“Why are you runnin’, darlin’?”
“What are you doing here?”
“My family heard about the party for the weekend and thought it would be a great way to get to know some people in San Antonio. Besides, it has been awhile. I thought you might’ve been a little lonely.”
She turned to face him. “You knew this was my father’s church?”
“I had your phone number, remember? It’s not hard to get information once you have that.”
“You asswipe!”
“Tsk, tsk. Such language from a daughter of God.”
She pulled back her hand, landing a stinging slap to his left cheek. “Fuck you, Jacob! How dare you use this as an opportunity to corner me.” When she moved to do it again, he grabbed her hand and slowly reeled her in like a fish on a hook.
“You got one. Don’t push it.” He walked her backward into the house and slammed the door behind them. “Miss me?”
“Not in this lifetime.” The warmth of his breath on her mouth had her lips tingling for the touch of his. Had she missed him? Damn right, she had. More than she’d ever let onto him. To hell with him! He hadn’t called or anything, the bastard. Not like I tried to call him either.
“Oh, I bet you did, baby.” He nibbled at the corners of her mouth. “I missed you.”
The slow glide of the tip of his tongue over her bottom lip had her trapping a moan in her throat as her eyes drifted shut. Her lips parted as she swiped her tongue over her lips hoping to brush it with his.
The palm of his hand abraded her nipple through her dress, forcing the groan to the surface of her mouth.
His mouth slid along her jaw to her ear, the scrape of his whiskers sending her body into an overdrive of sensation. Goose bumps skittered across the flesh of her arms when his breath tickled the whorl. He nipped at her earlobe as she tipped her head to the side asking, no begging for more.
“Paige?”
“Shit. It’s my father coming in the back door,” she growled, pushing against his chest with her hands. “Let go!”
Jacob stepped back as she smoothed her dress down and turned to face her father as he came in through the doorway from the kitchen into the living room. “In here, Daddy. I was checking to make sure I didn’t forget anything.”
“Oh. Well, hello there.” He held out his hand. “I’m Paige’s father, Reverend Tyler.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir.” Jacob shook her father’s hand. “I’m Jacob Young. My family is here for the picnic. We have a place out in Bandera.”
“Wonderful! I’m thrilled to see some young people here.” He turned to face her. “Isn’t this wonderful, Paige? It’s what we hoped for.”
Jacob faced her as well and she wanted to punch the smug look off his face. “Yes, Daddy. It’s great. I’m sure it’ll be lots of fun.”
“How do you two know each other? I’m surprised I haven’t met you before, young man.”
“We met at—”
“The nursing home, Daddy. He has a family member who is a resident there.”
Jacob’s eyebrow rose as a smirk settled on his mouth. “That’s right. At the nursing home.”
“Do you volunteer there as well?”
“Not as much as I used to, sir. I don’t get there very often these days.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Yes, yes it is, but I’m a better person now and I felt my time there needed to be more limited so I could spend it helping my family at home on our ranch.”
“You own a ranch?”
“My family does, yes. It’s a guest ranch, but we also run cattle.”
“How fascinating. A real cowboy.”
“To the bone, sir.”
“I think we have everything. Why don’t we head back out to greet our guests, Daddy? I’m sure everyone will be wondering where we are.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s about time for the games to begin anyway.”
“Of course, Paige.” He hugged her to his side as a wide grin spread across his mouth. “I’m so proud of you for organizing this.”
“You organized the party? Wow.”
“Not all of it. I was on the committee.”
“We’re having a live band later.”
“Awesome. Save me a dance?” Jacob asked with the same silly smirk on his face. The bastard. He knew she wouldn’t say no in front of her father.
“Of course, Jacob, but I think it’s time to join the others.” She peeled herself away from her father and headed for the door. The only way she was going to get them back outside as they stood there chatting, was to push them out.
The two men followed her back outside into the bright sunshine toward the food tent. She wanted to check on things again, plus she needed to put some distance between her and Jacob. It drove her nuts to think of how easily she succumbed to his advances in the house. She’d practically melted into a puddle of goo at his feet from merely the brush of his mouth on her skin. That wouldn’t do. Never mind how his hand felt on her breast, kneading the globe with his palm and pinching her nipple between his fingers hard enough to remind her of the nipple clamps.
“Would you like something to drink, Jacob?” she asked, politeness dripping from her
words like honey from the comb.
“I would love some, but let me check on the family to see if they need anything.” He disappeared back toward the group by the tree as her father watched him walk away.
“What a nice young man.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Now, he’s the kind of man you should be looking for, Paige. Charming, well-mannered, and I bet he’s a good Christian man.”
Paige spit the water she’d just taken into her mouth out, in a spray of liquid. Luckily, she didn’t get anyone with it. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Daddy. I haven’t known Jacob that long. We only met a few months ago.”
“Well, your mother and I didn’t know each other long either before I knew she was the love of my life.”
“I know you loved Mom with your whole heart, but you probably should think about dating again.”
“Pah! I don’t need to date. I have you to do the duties for me so why should I look for another woman?”
“Someday, I’ll move out and have a family of my own. I won’t be here to do everything like I am now.”
“I know, Paige, but it’ll be a few years yet I’m hoping. Besides, the woman’s auxiliary can handle most of those things with or without you.”
“Then why do you insist I do them? I could be out with my friends, finding a husband, raising a family.” She stomped her foot. “I hate doing all of these things.”
“Paige.” He glanced around them noting the few stares she was sure were aimed their way now. “We can discuss this another time.”
“Fine,” she grumbled. “This conversation isn’t over by a long shot.”
She whirled around and almost ran nose first into Jacob’s chin. “Let’s walk, shall we,” he said, taking her arm in his firm grasp.
“Fine.”
He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and headed down the knoll toward the cemetery. “Is your Mom here?”
“Yes.” They ducked under a tree branch. “To the back on the left.”
They wandered in that direction, stopping to note some of the smaller stones as she often wondered what the story was of the souls lost so long ago. The church had been there for over a hundred years and there were several families buried in the cemetery, some from the late 1800’s.
For the Love of a Cowboy (Cowboy Dreamin') Page 7
