by Myla Jackson
Back at the house, she quickly went to work pulling food items from the pantry and refrigerator. Mrs. McFarlan had shown her how to look up recipes on the Internet. All she had to do was follow instructions from the electronic tablet she’d left for her to use in the kitchen.
With no one interrupting her, Jessie prepared a large pot of hearty beef stew and cornbread.
At the end of the day, Angus and Colin returned to the smell of a tasty dinner. The stew simmered on the stove and a tub of butter and honey sat on the table.
Mrs. McFarlan arrived home from town in time to join them.
Jessie sat with the family, barely touching her food, quietly acknowledging the compliments without really engaging. Her attention focused on the sounds outside, hoping Brody would come back to the house and join the rest of the family for dinner. Her body hummed, her pussy still throbbing from Brody’s thorough lovemaking.
He didn’t return to the house until after dark.
The next day was much like the previous. Jessie and Brody settled into a routine of avoidance. When they did run into each other, the electricity in the air sizzled. But Brody refused to act on it, and Jessie wasn’t going to be the one to initiate contact this time.
Perhaps it was better this way. If Brody was leaving, they shouldn’t take whatever was between them any farther.
No matter what she told herself, Jessie couldn’t deny the heat burning beneath the surface, nor could she turn it off like a burner on the stove.
By Friday, her nerves were so frayed she dropped pots and pans in the kitchen, burned the toast and would have ruined their dinner if Mrs. McFarlan hadn’t come into the kitchen in time to stop her from torching the pan of fried chicken.
Mrs. M turned off the flame and faced Jessie. “Honey, what’s wrong? You’re wound up tighter than a rattlesnake with a new button.”
Jessie wrung her hands, tears filling her eyes. She couldn’t tell Mrs. M that the cook had foolishly fallen for the boss. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.” The older woman studied her, her eyes narrowing. Finally, she said, “What you need is to get out of the house, have a little fun. You’re young. You should be dating, seeing other people. Making friends.”
Jessie shook her head. “I can’t afford to go out. I have to earn my keep.”
“Oh nonsense. Wear a dress. The men will buy your drinks and ask you to dance. You won’t need a dime with a figure like that.”
“I can’t do that. I’ve always paid my own way.”
“Oh, sweetheart, you have to have more confidence in yourself.” Mrs. M held her at arm’s length and stood back, her gaze sweeping Jessie’s length. “You’re a pretty girl. Isn’t she, Colin?” She glanced up.
Jessie looked over her shoulder.
Colin had entered the room, a grin spreading across his face. “Who, Jessie?”
Mrs. M frowned. “Yes, Jessie.”
Colin tilted his head to the side. “Sure, she’s pretty.”
“Any man would love to date her,” Mrs. M insisted.
“Sure. Sure.” Colin looked over their shoulders. “What’s for supper?”
Mrs. McFarlan wound up a dish towel and popped Colin’s ass with it. “You’re hopeless.”
“What?” He rubbed his back pocket. “I didn’t get any lunch. I’m starving.”
“You should take Jessie to the Ugly Stick Saloon tonight and introduce her around. She hasn’t been out since she got here.”
“She met everyone last week. That’s where we found her.”
Mrs. M planted her fist on her hip. “It’s Friday night. Are you going out?”
Colin frowned. “Maybe.”
“Good. You’re taking Jessie.” The older woman scowled at Colin. “No wonder you boys aren’t married yet. You’re completely clueless!” She shooed him out of the kitchen. “Dinner won’t be ready for another thirty minutes. Out of here!”
Colin shrugged and grinned at Jessie. “We can see if Angus wants to join us as designated driver. It’s been a tough week. I could stand a beer or two.” He winked and left the room.
“Mrs. McFarlan, I can’t go with Colin.”
“Why not?” The older woman turned the burner on and set the flame lower than it had been before. “You didn’t already have a date, did you?”
“No, but you practically forced Colin to take me out tonight.” Jessie bit her lip. “I don’t want to be a pity date. Besides, he might have another girl in mind, and I would be in the way.”
“Then go as friends. That way you aren’t with anyone and you can flirt with all the men.” She shook her head. “Jessie, I’ve been out of the dating scene for decades, and I know more about it than you and my sons. Sheesh. Amateurs.” She grinned to soften her words. “Go. I like you and want you to be happy.”
Jessie wasn’t going to talk the woman out of her plan and she didn’t want to disappoint her, so she agreed.
Mrs. McFarlan helped her through the batch of fried chicken and beat the lumps out of the mashed potatoes before the men returned to the kitchen, showered and dressed in clean jeans and shirts.
As usual, Brody hadn’t arrived at the house by the time the rest of the family sat down to eat. Jessie joined them and laughed and talked with Angus and Colin, learning more about Colin’s challenges as a construction contractor, from frame carpenters who didn’t show up for the job to lazy bricklayers.
Angus glanced across the table at Colin. “By the way, thanks for finishing up mucking the stalls again.”
Jessie’s cheeks heated, but she didn’t dispute Angus’s assumption.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Colin bit into a juicy chicken leg and chewed.
“If you haven’t been cleaning the stalls this week, has Brody?” Angus asked
Colin shook his head. “Brody hasn’t been around the house or barn all week. As soon as the sun rises, he’s gone.”
Mrs. M stared across at Jessie. “Jessie, did you muck the stalls?”
Her cheeks burning, Jessie nodded.
“You’re the cook, Jessie.” Angus’s brows drew together. “You don’t have to work in the barn too. Though we appreciate all you do.”
“I like working outside,” she insisted. “I’ve done it all my life.”
“Dinner was delicious.” Colin stared down at the bone in his hand. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Maybe you should take Jessie with you on the job,” Angus suggested. “She’s been a big help with the horses this week. She knows as much as I do, if not more, about hoof disease and the best feeds to buy. I’ll bet she could run circles around your frame carpenters. She helped me fix the boards on the corral fence. She can swing a hammer.”
“What, and not smash her thumb, like you?” Colin nodded at the bandage on Angus’s thumb.
Angus grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, well, she is good at it.”
Colin stared at Jessie, his eyes narrowing, assessing her. “Have you ever framed anything?”
“I helped my dad build a pole barn, a chicken coop and a toolshed. I know one end of the hammer from the other.”
Angus laughed. “See? There isn’t anything she can’t do.”
“Even cooking.” Colin grinned.
Her cheeks continued to burn from all the attention. “Normally I’m hopeless at the usual girl things. My father had me doing ranch maintenance work from as early as I can remember.”
“What kind of girl things do you not know how to do?”
She shook her head, her face so hot she thought it would explode. “Never mind.”
“No, really.” Colin leaned forward. “What do you not know?”
“I’m really okay with the way I am.”
“Come on, Jessie, you wouldn’t have brought it up if you didn’t want to know. Angus and I might be able to help you, as long as it isn’t putting on makeup and fixing hair.”
“I’ve got that covered,” Mrs. McFarlan said. “But I’m interested to hear how you�
��re going to teach our Jessie about girl things.” She leaned back, her lips curling into a mischievous grin. “Go on, Jessie. What else would you like to know?”
Jessie lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “I don’t know. Flirting has always escaped me.”
“That’s easy.” Colin laughed. “Just watch.”
He turned to Angus and made a big show of batting his eyes. “Angus, honey,” he said in a falsetto voice, “you’re so big and strong. I could use a man like you to protect me.”
Angus’s brows knit. “She could wipe the floor with you. Why would Jessie need a man to protect her?”
Jessie laughed. “Exactly.”
Colin sighed. “You have to stroke a man’s ego. They all think they’re big and tough and their girl is small and defenseless.”
Mrs. McFarlan shook her head. “No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend, Colin. Women are stronger than you think. They want someone who is their equal to share their lives with. All the flirting and pretending to be someone you aren’t is exhausting.”
“That’s all I’ve got.” Colin turned to Angus. “Your turn.”
Jessie raised her hand. “That’s okay. I’ll just be me, if it’s all the same to you.”
Angus shrugged. “I like you just the way you are.”
“So do I,” Mrs. McFarlan said.
“I was only trying to help,” Colin insisted. “I like Jessie just the way she is too.”
Footsteps sounded and Brody appeared, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. His gaze swept the people at the table and stopped at her, his blue eyes darkening.
Jessie’s pulse leaped and butterflies stormed her belly.
“Brody, you’re in time to settle this,” Mrs. McFarlan said.
“Settle what?” He removed his hat and hung it on a peg on the wall.
“Should Jessie work at being more girlie by learning how to flirt, or stay the way she is?”
Brody’s gaze never left Jessie’s. “Why is this important?”
“What if she wants to date? Do you men expect a woman to flirt and fawn all over you? Or would you prefer her to be natural and straightforward?”
A frown pulled his brows low. “Jessie’s fine the way she is.” Brody seemed to tear his gaze away from her and turned to his mother. “Could we talk?”
The older McFarlan nodded. “Of course. What is it you want to talk about?”
He glanced at his brothers. “Alone.”
Her smile faded. “Of course.” Mrs. McFarlan pushed her chair back from the table and stood. “Want to take it into the office?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He walked across the kitchen and stood in the hallway.
Mrs. McFarlan nodded as she passed Angus and Colin, hooked Brody’s arm and led him away. “Have a good time, Jessie.”
Brody glanced over his shoulder, his gaze meeting Jessie’s. Then he was gone.
Jessie let go of the breath she’d been holding the entire time Brody was in the kitchen. Why couldn’t she forget what happened days ago and get on with her life? Apparently, Brody had put it behind him. He certainly didn’t want a repeat performance.
Well, to hell with him. “Stack your dishes in the sink when you’re done eating. I’ll wash them later. I’ll be ready to go in five minutes.” If she could figure out how to apply mascara without gouging her eyes.
As she walked by the closed door of the office, she strained to hear the rumblings behind the thick wooden door. What had Brody wanted to talk to his mother about? Was he telling her he would be leaving soon to return to Seattle?
Despite her decision to go, Jessie figured it would be a push to have a good time when she’d be thinking about Brody leaving. What she really wanted to do was storm into the office and demand he look at her and tell her he didn’t feel something special the other day. That he didn’t want to do it again and again.
But she was afraid he didn’t feel the same. One time with her had been enough for him…and not nearly enough for her.
Twenty minutes later, Brody walked out of the office, no further along than when he’d walked in. No manner of argument would budge his mother. She was determined to see her boys happily married and living in Texas.
Brody knew if he remained in Texas any longer, he might do something stupid like stay. The week had been long and painful. Every time he saw Jessie, he wanted to hold her so badly he ached with the need. How he’d managed to steer clear, he wasn’t certain. By Friday, he’d been past caring and ready to move on or go insane. He wasn’t the right man for Jessie.
She deserved a man who wasn’t still trying to find himself or determine where he fit in the world. His argument with Colin had long since ceased being the reason he stayed away from Texas. He didn’t know what he wanted. He didn’t have any lasting feelings for Fancy Wilson and he couldn’t care less if Colin slept with her again. Fancy held back too much of herself. He’d never really known where he stood with her, nor felt like sharing his deepest secrets and dreams with her.
In Seattle, he’d just started making a living from his artwork. A darned good living. If he moved from Seattle, where he’d built a following and a name for himself, he might have to start over. The people in Texas might have different tastes.
Then again, he could work the ranch and make his living off cattle sales. If they met his mother’s demands, he could live there with his brothers and build a house of his own. Make it his home, surrounded by family, with all their children growing up together. He didn’t need his art to pay off.
If only the decision were that simple. If only it were not tied to his brothers’ desires to please their mother.
Jessie knew what she wanted and she’d get it, with or without a man in her life. Jessie’s goals, like everything else about Jessie, were clear and uncomplicated.
“Brody, if you want to go back to Seattle…go.” His mother had told him what he’d wanted to hear.
Then she’d stuck it to him. “But if you do, I will sell the ranch. I’m tired of holding on to something my husband loved but my boys couldn’t care less about. I certainly don’t need it. I could get on with my life much easier without it.”
“Where would Angus go? He’s got his horse breeding program off the ground and doing great.”
“He’ll manage. It hasn’t been fair of me to hold on to him for so long. He needs to get on with his life too.”
“He stayed because he loves this place and you.”
“And you don’t?”
“The Rafter M Ranch is a part of me. Whether I live here or not, my memories will go with me.”
“And what about your family?” His mother had straightened her back, her chin held high, a glassy sheen in her eyes. “Don’t you love us?”
“Oh, Mom. You know I love you and I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much as you’d like.”
“I know you have to live your own life, but why can’t you live it closer to home? I want to see you happy, with a family of your own, and grandkids for me to spoil.”
“What if those aren’t things I want?”
“Isn’t there anyone you’ve met in the last eight years you’ve been close to? Someone you could see yourself sharing your life with? The good times and the bad?”
If she’d asked him that question two weeks ago, he’d have easily answered with a firm no. Not one woman he’d met along the way, including his ex-fiancée, made him want to share his life. An image of Jessie floating in the swimming hole, her body a pale, shimmering silhouette, came to mind. Another of her lying beside him on the boulder, staring up at the leaves, followed close behind.
“Was there one?” his mother had prodded, her eyes wide, hopeful.
He’d shaken himself out of the trance. “No. But, Mom, you can’t sell the ranch.”
Her lips had firmed. “It’s mine. Your father left it to me. I can and will sell it if my sons don’t care enough about it to do as I asked.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“I don’t care what you call
it.” She’d crossed her arms. “They’re my terms and they stand.”
“But Angus has a girlfriend and they’re serious. He wants to ask her to marry him. He’s waiting to see what will happen with the ranch.”
She’d raised her brows. “I guess you and Colin better get busy then.”
Angry and frustrated, Brody left the office and walked out onto the front porch in time to see Colin drive off with Jessie in the front seat of his truck.
“What the hell?”
At the same time, a call came through on his cell phone, the device vibrating in his back pocket. He jerked it out and hit the Answer button without looking at the Caller ID, thinking maybe it was Jessie telling him she’d be right back.
It was his agent, Sharon Gise. “Brody, I have good news, but we have to act fast.”
“What news?” His gaze on the disappearing truck, Brody was only half listening.
“I got you into a prestigious art exhibit in downtown Dallas. They had an artist drop out at the last minute. It’s next weekend. I emailed photos of your Seattle paintings and they loved them, but because it’s Dallas, they’d like to know if you have anything with Texas landscapes. Please tell me you’ve been working while you’ve been home.”
“I have.”
“Fabulous. I can crate what you have in the gallery up here and have it there in three days. I’ll need you to send photos of what you’ve done since, so I can go through them and forward what I think they want. How soon can you send the photos?”
“Is an hour soon enough?” Brody asked, wondering where the excitement for his craft had gone. This was his chance to go big in Texas, and all he could think about was Colin taking off with his girl. Again.
“The sooner the better. The gallery director is scrambling and on call for whatever you can deliver.” Sharon paused and added, “The people going to this exhibit are the rich and famous of Dallas. You’ll need to be there.”
Her words broke through his fog of anger and he focused on Sharon for the moment. “What do you mean, I need to be there?”
“They want to meet the artist.”
