by J. M. Madden
Neil seemed out of sorts and he took a heavy swallow of water from the bottle, then he set it to the side. Neil twisted his fingers together, then scraped his palms together. Emily waited as patiently as she could while he got his thoughts in order, but she was beginning to lose patience.
"I wanted to apologize to you again for the way I behaved last week," he said finally. "It was reprehensible of me to put my hands on you and I'm sorry. I took a week to cool down like you said and I understand why you gave me the ring back."
"I didn't do it to hurt you, Neil," she said softly.
He nodded, glancing at her. "I realize that now. It's not something you would do. I was thrown for a loop, though, when I realized Windwalker had used me, and I took it out on you."
"It's okay, Neil. I understand."
Emily had a bad feeling about where this was going and she didn't want it to get there. "I don't think we..."
He held up a hand to stop her. "I took the cooling off period like you suggested, Emily and I want to talk to you about renewing our engagement. You were completely right to cancel it at the time," he told her, his words rushed. "But now that you've pointed out the issues I'll do my best to fix them. You are a kind, intelligent woman and you deserve to have a man that pays attention to you. I promise you I will do that."
Emily's cheeks burned as she thought about the way Jackson had taken care of her here in this very apartment, then she jerked her attention back to the train wreck at hand. "Neil, I have to tell you honestly, I don't think we were a good match to begin with. Whether I realized it or not, I was looking for someone to marry because of a deadline I felt I was under."
Neil was shaking his head. "I have to disagree, Emily. We were good together. You are a fascinating woman and I didn't cherish you the way you needed to be."
Fascinating? Really? Since when? The adjectives were getting out of hand. Emily looked at him, askance. "Neil, I think we need to chalk this up to a learning experience and move on."
Neil looked down at his hands, shaking his golden head. "My bosses like you, Emily. That is huge for me. They ask about you all the time. I told them you would be at a cookout this weekend, and I can't disappoint them."
Ah, and the truth comes out. Emily sighed wearily. "Neil, I liked your bosses as well and I'm sorry, but I won't go to a cookout with you."
His handsome face darkened and his fists clenched, and Emily felt a frisson of fear.
"I'm trying, Emily."
"I know you are. And I do appreciate that. But you and I are not going to get back together. We didn't do well together, and I think you realize that."
Neil shook his head and turned to stare at her, hard. "Why are you behaving like this, Emily?"
Ok, it was time for him to go. Emily stood from her chair and crossed the apartment to the door, swinging it open. Jackson stood on the other side, fist raised to knock. Emily was very glad to see him. She widened her eyes dramatically, trying to tell him to read between the lines. "Jackson. Neil was just leaving."
Neil loomed behind her and Emily was shocked at the change on his expression. He'd gone from just a little out of character to positively livid. He snarled at Jackson and Emily was shocked. Neil had been the epitome of the smooth, urbane businessman. This was so out of character for him.
"Seriously?" Neil snapped. "This is what you dumped me for? What does this Indian have that I don't?"
Emily looked up at Jackson and the calm, supportive smile he gave her. "He has a love for me that has never wavered."
Jackson's smile deepened and he winked at her. Emily could have kissed him then, but she needed to get rid of the third wheel. "You need to leave, Neil. I'm sorry I messed up your cookout but I won't change my mind. You need to move on with your life."
For a moment, she thought he was going to argue, but instead he stormed out of the apartment, slamming into Jackson's shoulder as he went. It would have had more effect if Jackson had actually moved with the contact, but Neil ended up ricocheting off of him and into the wall, ruining his great dramatic exit.
Jackson just shook his head at the man and stepped inside her apartment to lean down for a kiss.
There was something about kissing a cowboy that was like nothing else. Tall and rugged, they were hardworking and hard loving. Jackson's black hat shaded their faces as he kissed her hello, and it felt like a little, private bubble. Emily reached up to cup his neck as his tongue slipped between her lips. They kissed for several long minutes, and Emily was on the verge of dragging him to her bedroom when he finally pulled away. "Hello, Emily."
She grinned up into his expression. "Hello, Jackson. Have I ever told you what impeccable timing you have?"
"I know I do," he said smoothly, and Emily shuddered as she thought about the other night. Yea, he did know.
"So," she said, clearing her throat. "Where are we going?"
Jackson grinned, but didn't answer her as he backed out of the doorway. "Do you need to take anything with you? You look great, by the way."
Emily struck a playful pose as his eyes ran over her. "Thank you very much, sir. Let me get my bag and I'll be ready."
She didn't need much when she went out, just a few essentials. Grabbing her keys and bag she locked up the apartment. On the way out of the building she stopped to talk to the doorman and put Neil on the 'no admittance’ list. It made her a little sad that it had gotten to that point, but she'd hate to think what could have happened if Jackson hadn't been there.
Jackson's truck was parked outside, running with the AC on. He opened her door and handed her up into the vehicle. "Where are we going?"
Shrugging, he pressed a kiss to her lips and circled the vehicle to the driver's side. Once inside they headed west on I10, past Katy. Emily had no idea where they were going, but she decided to enjoy the ride. Sometimes being in the city all the time made you forget how pretty Texas actually was. Miles and miles of grassland sped by. Then, suddenly, Jackson was exiting the highway and heading south. Eventually, he turned in to a paved driveway. It needed to be resealed because there were a few potholes, but it wound through beautiful old growth oak trees. They parked in front of a huge three car garage, with what looked to be an apartment up top. To the right was a long brick ranch house that needed some upkeep. The gardens were overgrown and wild, and the windows looked like they needed to be replaced.
“This is very pretty. Whose house is this?"
Again, though, he didn't answer her, just helped her down out of the truck and led her around the back of the house. There was a brick patio in back shaded by another sprawling oak, and the patio looked down at acres and acres of fields dotted with horses. Some of the fences seemed saggy and in need of care, and there was a barn off to the left that needed some support, but it was a beautiful piece of property. There was a brand-new barn beyond the older one that seemed perfect, shining bright red in the sunlight. The grass on the fields waved as the wind blew and it was very picturesque.
"Do you know the owner?" she asked.
Jackson nodded. "I do. He's a decent guy. Didn’t had much of a home life growing up but he's done the best he could. Luckily a ranching family took him in and showed him what love was, so he knew what he wanted eventually. He found a girl to love, the rancher's daughter, actually, but she was a little stubborn and decided her path in life was to a city, where she got her degree and a high-powered job."
Emily grinned and turned to face Jackson. This story sounded a little familiar.
"The girl flourished there in the city for a long time, but something was lacking—the love of the boy their family had taken in. She searched for love in other places, but it just wasn't the same as what the boy had taught her years ago. So, when the boy came to see the girl in the city, he knew she was more important than anything else in his world, so he started looking for property around the city just to be near her."
Emily's eyes widened and she looked around, dazed. "You bought this?"
Jackson nodded. "You're the mo
st important thing in my world. Didn't you hear the story?"
She laughed and nodded. "I did but it took me a minute to get up to speed. So, did the girl tell the boy she loved him?"
Jackson nodded. "In many different ways—the way she looked at him, the way she made love with him. Even though she didn't say the words, he could see in her pretty blue eyes how much he meant to her."
Emily's eyes filled with tears and she reached out to rest a hand on his chest. "I think we need to add on to that story." She paused, thinking. "When the boy finally convinced the girl that they would be happiest together, the girl felt very stupid for making them waste so much time, but she had to be sure."
He winked at her again and grinned. "I love it."
"I love you, Jackson. I am sorry that it took me so long to pull my head from my ass."
He gave her a funny look. "Not sure it was ever actually in your ass, but I will agree it took you a long time." He glanced around the property. "As of today, I own this. Think Brock will sell me some horses? Or maybe we can use this as a staging area for sales. I have a training barn, too."
She laughed a little shakily, the enormity of what he'd done finally sinking in. "Are you seriously breaking away from the Blue Star? What will they do without a foreman? What will Brock do without you?"
He shrugged his broad shoulders. "We'll work something out. I'd never stop working with your brother, but I am going to have to hand over the foreman reins to someone."
"You'd give up the Blue Star for me?" she asked, dazed.
"No," Jackson corrected. "I'd give up the Blue Star for us. You are more important to me than anything else, Emily. You need to realize that."
She was beginning to understand, but it was so huge, so incredibly massive. "I can't believe you moved to the city for me."
"Well, technically, I didn't, we’re not within the city limits here. But I'm a hell of a lot closer than I used to be, twenty-eight minutes away, to be exact. This property needs some renovation so maybe you'll let me stay in the apartment with you for a while. Then, when the house is done you'll be welcome to stay here."
She leaned back and gave him an odd look. "Welcome to stay here? That sounds odd. Why wouldn't your wife stay with you in your new house?"
His deep, incredibly blue eyes lit with pride. "Wife, huh?"
Blinking up at him innocently, she shrugged. "Well, I figure at some point you'll get around to asking me."
Immediately, he dropped down onto one knee and produced a black velvet box from somewhere. He cracked open the lid and Emily could have fainted at the sight of the diamond solitaire. She knew her mouth dropped open and tears started coursing down her cheeks, but there was nothing she could do about either of those things. Jackson looked up at her, smiling, as he held the ring out.
"Emily Lowell, I've loved you forever. Would you finally do me the honor of being my wife?"
Weeping, Emily nodded, gasping in air. "I would," she gasped, hand quivering as he pushed the ring onto her left ring finger.
Jackson stood up to cup her face and kiss her deeply. Emily quivered in his arms, emotionally wrung out but extremely happy. "I can't believe you did all this and didn't say anything. What if Neil and I had a great relationship and you tried to crash it?"
Smiling, he gave a single shake of his head. "I knew no one would be able to love you as much as I do. I had faith that things would work out, and they did."
She hadn't had faith, but he had slowly convinced her. "I love you, Jackson."
"I love you, Emily."
Chapter Thirteen
The guests began arriving early because this was going to be the wedding of the season in Honeywell, Texas. Their hometown hero, their war veteran, was marrying a beautiful woman with a sad past and adopting her little girl. It was the stuff Hollywood romances were made of.
Emily glanced at the slim golden watch on her wrist. They had an hour before they were supposed to get dressed, but people had already started parking in the far field, as the invitations had instructed.
Emily shook her head as she looked around her mama's back garden. It had been transformed.
Before, the flowers had been a little wild. For the past two months, they'd been pruned and nurtured with fertilizers. The fall roses were blooming more riotously than they ever had before. The gaps in the beds had been filled with new flowers. Round headed hydrangeas in pale blue and green waved in the breeze and Emily knew they would look beautiful with the bridesmaid's dresses. Early mums had been placed here and there for pops of color.
The wedding party would be walking out of the house, out around the hot tub gazebo and the wedding guests, then back in toward the house. A curtain shrouded walkway had been built so that wedding guests wouldn't see the bride until she was walking toward the front with Daddy. The house had also been shrouded behind a long, tall curtain. All of the blowing white fabric created an ethereal wonderland. Strings of glass jewels hung from the rods as well, glinting in the sun.
The guests’ chairs had been tied with a burlap sash and knotted with a sprig of baby's breath at the back. Chad and Lora would be standing up on the fabric covered patio, about a foot above the guests. Some of the hands had built a rounded arch where Chad and Lora would stand, and it had been woven with burlap and hanging white flowers. Emily couldn't even identify what they were, but they were beautiful.
Everything she looked at had been transformed and she was so impressed.
"What do you think, sweetheart?"
Emily blinked at her father. "Oh, Daddy. I can't tell you how much I love it. It doesn't even look like Mama's garden anymore. You did so good."
Her father grinned, looking like the cat that had eaten the canary. "I have to admit I had a lot of fun doing it, putting it all together. And Lora was pretty easy. She had no idea what she wanted, so once she found her dress I just built everything around it."
Emily looked at her father askance. He didn't even sound like the same man she'd known two months ago.
Garrett noticed her look and grinned, shrugging lightly. "What can I say?"
"And you're not wearing your brace!" Emily cried.
"Yeah, I told the doc I needed to walk my daughter down the aisle and the brace wasn't working with the tux."
Emily laughed, loving this fun, relaxed version of her father. Before he'd turned the ranch over to Brock he'd been grumpier and definitely busier. She hadn't seen him looking this excited and refreshed in years.
"Lora seems pretty calm, considering."
Her father nodded. "I know she and Chad had a nice morning with Mercy. They don't believe in all that nonsense about not seeing each other the morning of the wedding."
Emily nodded. "I saw her a few minutes ago. She sent me out to check on the garden and see if people had begun arriving. And they have."
She waved a hand at the field.
"Yes, I saw. Hope they realize they'll be sitting in the sun if they leave their vehicles now."
Actually, the sky was a little cloudy today and cooler, only in the eighties. Perfect for an outside celebration.
"I talked to Jackson earlier," her father said.
Emily immediately flushed with heat and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. "And?"
Rather than say anything he reached for her left hand. The solitaire glinted in the sunlight, recently resized and etched inside with the date of their engagement. "This is beautiful. Much prettier than the last one. I'm very glad to see it."
Emily grinned. "You wouldn't have approved of the last guy. I knew that but I think I was looking for a way to derail fate."
He squeezed her fingers. "Didn't work, did it?"
She shook her head, careful not to dislodge the pretty updo the hairstylist had just created. "Jackson was always the man for me. We just needed to create a situation that worked for us. I love all you guys, but I couldn't imagine living my life here. I needed more challenge."
"I know, honey. Your mama and I always knew that."
<
br /> That eased her heart a bit. She didn't want anyone to be hurt by her decisions.
"I could never imagine seeing you with anyone other than Jackson. That man loves you more than life itself."
Her eyes filled with tears but she forced them back, determined to keep her makeup intact. "I know."
The past month had been exhilarating. Emily had taken a few days off from work to get used to their new relationship dynamic. Actually, they'd been making love like rabbits and it had been nice to lose track of time for several days. They'd played like lovers, relearning what the other loved and didn't. Within a couple of days, Jackson was living with her and Emily couldn't be happier. Jackson brought along some mess and clutter, but he also brought incredible caring and hours of orgasms. She would put up with clutter for that. Oh hell, yes.
Within a week he had hired a contractor to start on the new property, a man that Holt recommended for being honest and a true craftsman. They worked with an architect to draft up plans and Emily was flattered to be asked for her approval on the final designs. "You're going to be living there with me," Jackson had told her simply. "I want it to be as perfect for you as possible."
He was the most thoughtful man she'd ever known.
It was proven all over again when they'd taken a day to move Gary into the apartment above the garage.
The old man was a hoot and loved talking to Jackson about the horses on the property. Emily was charmed when she first met him. He’d whipped off his hat, exposing his mostly bald head to her in a courtly bow. It was so unexpected but so sweet that she'd immediately fallen in love.
The Saturday after Jackson had moved in with her they'd gone out to help Gary pack up the rest of his stuff from the house. Holt and his daughter Holly had joined them, as had Kendra, and it had turned into a pretty fun work party. Gary had decades' worth of accumulated stuff, most of which he pitched or donated. The one thing that hadn't been in disarray had been the breeding and stock records. Those had been kept in pristine ledgers, written in by a careful scrawling male hand.
