by Vivian Arend
“Hey,” Jesse rumbled.
Then he stood there like a lump after spouting the one word. A tall, silent, lumpy sentinel.
As opening lines, that one sucked. It told Dare nothing about who this woman was, or if they were in the right place, and more critically, ignored the plumbing issue.
Dare shifted uncomfortably from side to side, wondering how rude it would be to push forward and find a bathroom on her own.
The woman glanced at Dare, glanced back at Jesse, then shook her head. “Come with me,” she ordered.
Dare followed, not caring at this point if she were about to be led to the lip of a volcano. Although the bathroom she was gestured into was a welcome alternative.
Once she could think again, she ventured back into the hallway to discover Jesse leaning on the wall waiting for her.
“Feeling better?”
“Much.”
Jesse grimaced. “Sorry about that. I should have found out if you needed to stop.”
“I could have asked,” Dare told him.
“I know, but I should have thought of it.”
A cough sounded from the room to their left. Jesse guided her forward with a hand on her lower back, and Dare found herself standing before the woman again, only this time she was offered a glass of orange juice.
She sucked it back like it was the elixir of life. The glass was empty before she knew it.
Dare offered the woman a grateful smile. “Thanks. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”
“No problem. I’m Vicki, by the way. Engaged to Joel.”
“Jesse’s twin?” She’d heard all the names before, but putting faces with them took extra effort.
Vicki nodded. “Jaxi said to tell you she’s sorry she’s not here, but she’s kind of busy at the hospital having the baby.”
Oh my God. “Seriously?”
“Her water broke last night. Marion came over—Mrs. Coleman—and got the older girls off to day camp then took the little ones home with her. I’m off work today, so I said I’d wait to meet you.”
Jesse was checking his watch, of all things. “Damn. If it’s twins, I win the baby pool.”
“Jesse,” Dare scolded him. “Really? That’s what you’re focusing on right now?”
He flashed her a grin, his gaze drifting to Vicki before snapping back to Dare.
Seemingly content to ignore each other, Vicki checked her own watch. “We need to do a little juggling. I expect we’ll hear from the hospital anytime, but in the meanwhile, we can get you settled.”
“We can’t stay here if they’ll be bringing home a new baby,” Dare protested. Lordy, Dare didn’t even know how long that would be. One day? Two? She hadn’t been paying that much attention back when Caleb’s girls arrived.
Maybe Dare could arrange to stay in the hospital until she got the swing of the parenthood thing. Just for a bit, like a few weeks—or months.
“You’re right. Jaxi hoped you wouldn’t mind—”
“We’ll go to my old place,” Jesse interrupted.
“You can’t. Ashley’s moms are living in the rental.”
Dare glanced at him and raised a brow, but she didn’t say anything right then. Ashley she recognized as one of the threesome, but moms?
The boy had some explaining to do.
Vicki shook her head. “Rental’s full. Marion and Mike don’t have extra room after changing their spare room to take care of the kids better—neither of you will fit in the triple bunk or the crib. The bunkhouses are full as well. It’s been the best season yet, and well… I’ll let Joel tell you the rest, but we have space. I cleaned up the second room in the trailer. There’s a double bed in there, and you’re welcome to it.”
The orange juice in Dare’s stomach went a little sour to match the expression on Jesse’s face. Okay—she could be adaptable. “Thank you for sharing with us.”
“No problem.” Vicki glanced back and forth between them for a minute before coughing slightly. “Well, I imagine you’ll want to look around a bit on the drive, so I’ll just meet you there when you’re ready.”
“Awesome,” Jesse finally spoke, taking Dare by the elbow and guiding her toward the door. “Thanks.”
They were in the truck and on the road in seconds, as if the entire thing were a dream. A very brief, vivid and confusing dream.
“If there’s no room for us, maybe we should go home,” Dare suggested.
“No.”
He snapped the word so quickly she pushed back in her seat and bit her tongue. Whatever was going on that had rubbed him the wrong way, she didn’t want to add to his burdens, but he’d better not plan to keep her in the dark for too much longer.
Had he even said hi to Vicki? She’d been in the bathroom, so maybe she’d missed it, but the two of them had tension that could be cut with a knife.
Not what she’d been looking for, but then again, even bad answers were answers. This was a fact-finding mission, nothing more,
Wait for the Gramma factor, her brain reminded her.
Stupid brain.
She looked out the window as she sorted through the words to say. Something to let him know she wasn’t trying to push an agenda, but he needed to keep her informed.
She was about to open her mouth when he spoke first. “Are you tired?”
Now he was going to be considerate and ask how she was doing? Dare shoved aside her frustration and answered the question. “A little. Nerves don’t help.”
Jesse made a soothing noise. “Everyone will love you. And I bet we’ll be seeing the baby by this evening, so you’ll meet Jaxi soon as well. She’s an annoying pain in the ass, but she’s pretty much the type people fall in love with the minute they meet her.”
Which was one of Dare’s worries, so she focused on other parts of his comment. “We’ll see the baby tonight? It hasn’t even been born.”
He laughed. “By now, Blake and Jaxi are probably holding him or her, and Jaxi’s bossing around all the nurses and making suggestions to help them run the ward more efficiently.”
“You know I have very little idea how the baby thing works,” Dare informed him, suddenly worried she needed to live up to his sister-in-law who seemed a paragon of motherhood. “Like, way closer to zero than one hundred. So please don’t expect me to be a super mama like Jaxi—”
“Oh God, no,” Jesse said quickly, his grin real as he looked her over. “I don’t expect anything from you except you loving the kid for all you’re worth. Jaxi’s just…Jaxi. She’d tan my hide if she thought I was spooking you off.”
“She’s mentioned that phrase a time or two,” Dare admitted. She took a deep breath. “Moms?”
Jesse groaned. “Caught that, did you? I’ll give you the details later, but how about we get you settled in? You can put your feet up for a few minutes.”
They were pulling into a parking space in front of a double-wide trailer, so there wasn’t much she could offer other than “okay”.
He dropped their bags on the porch just as a second truck pulled into the yard, Vicki frowning at them over the wheel.
Jesse coughed, then turned to face Dare. “Going to track down my brothers.”
It was Dare’s turn to frown. “You’re not even going inside?”
She was talking to air. Jesse was behind the wheel, truck engine revving. He backed up rapidly, tires spinning as he raced for the exit, and the truck vanished down the driveway.
Dare and Vicki glanced at each other simultaneously. Silence hung on the air.
“He’s eager to catch up with his brothers,” Dare offered as an excuse.
The other woman didn’t answer, just turned to the door and carried in the bags, heading down a narrow hallway. She pushed open a door with her shoulder then placed the bags on a small but neat bed that was covered with a gorgeous quilt.
“It’s pretty. Thanks,” Dare said.
The other woman nodded. “You ready for lunch?”
Dare was all but empty inside. Jesse h
ad to be starving, but it was his own fault for leaving her so suddenly. She offered Vicki the brightest smile she could muster. “Please.”
Vicki paused in the doorway before smiling softly. “Hey, I know this is a lot, but I am happy to meet you.”
Dare nodded. “Thanks.”
“I’ll get lunch started.” The other woman shuffled her feet for a moment before gesturing down the hall. “Washroom is that way if you need it, and there are towels on top of the dresser.”
The door closed softly. Dare let herself collapse back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as if the answers to life, the universe and everything would be found there.
No such luck.
She splashed water on her face, sucked in a deep breath for courage then wandered to the kitchen.
Vicki had the fixings for sandwiches out and was hard at work, the scent of tomato soup floating on the air.
“Smells great,” Dare offered.
“Thanks.” Vicki stared at the sandwich she was making as if getting mayonnaise to the edges of the bread was of vital importance. “By the way, congratulations on your engagement.”
“Thanks.”
Polite platitudes again. Ugh.
Silence returned until Dare couldn’t take it any longer. She peeked around the room, desperately looking for some safe topic to break the awkwardness.
Her eyes fell on the oversized pickle jar on the counter that was covered with several stickers proclaiming Swear Jar.
It was over half full of coins.
A real smile came to Dare as she pointed it out to Vicki. “I haven’t seen one of those for ages.”
“It’s a good idea that got out of hand.” Vicki glanced up, amusement in her eyes. “I have a slight problem speaking my mind too bluntly. It helps remind me to watch my tongue.”
Dare eyed the coin level. “You must have pirates in your family tree.”
A laugh burst from the other woman. “Or whores—and you’ll find out I’m kind of not kidding about that—but all those coins aren’t my fault alone.”
“Joel?” Dare thought back. “I’ve heard Jesse swear, but no more than the average guy.”
“Joel’s the same, but he got cocky one day and talked to the people I work with. They counted while we were cooking for a catered event, and everything that could go wrong, did. I owed a shit-ton when he found out the count. Oh, drat…”
She sighed, then reached into her pocket, dropping a quarter into the jar.
“That’s kind of dirty,” Dare agreed.
“Oh, it backfired on him.” Vicki’s eyes flashed as she continued the story. “Joel doesn’t swear much around me, but after he pulled that trick I talked to Blake, and all the guys kept track one day.”
Dare could picture how well that had gone over. “The boys can get raunchy in the fields.”
“Hey, if I wasn’t allowed to swear at work, neither was he.” Vicki grinned. “He owed double what I’d paid. We’ve agreed work is off limits, although I am trying to watch my tongue there as well.”
Dare joined in and laughed. “Good for you. Changing a habit is hard.”
“A little at a time, I figure.” Vicki handed her a plate, then gestured to the door. “Let’s sit outside. It’s nice enough out, and I didn’t get a chance to clean up in here yet.”
“Outside is fine, but the place looks great.” God, Dare felt horrible for making more work for the other woman. “If you clean up more than this I’m going to feel woefully inadequate because my place gets less than a flicker of housekeeping, especially lately.”
They settled into comfy chairs that faced the sun and continued to chat, soups and recipes a nice easy conversation topic.
Dare was glad for the food in her belly and the reduced tension. In fact, she found herself wholly relaxed for the first time that day. The sandwich went down easy, and Vicki was no longer frightening.
Once the meal was done, Vicki stole the empty plate from under her fingers, stacking their dishes and rising to her feet as she waved Dare off. “Stay here. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“I don’t expect to be waited on,” Dare protested.
“You can help with the dishes tonight,” Vicki promised. “Or better yet, you can volunteer Jesse, and we’ll get the guys to do the hard labour.”
“Deal.”
Vicki stepped away, and Dare leaned back in her chair and let the sun hit her full in the face. She was tempted to close her eyes and take a nap.
Instead, she made a mental list. A successful arrival in Rocky had been achieved. While Jesse was acting weird, Vicki had turned out to be nice enough. The sun was shining, and no one here was too scary—
She could do this. Dare laid a hand on her belly and soaked in the warmth of the day.
A gentle nudge pressed her shoulder, and Dare realized she had fallen asleep. “Shit. I’m sorry.”
Vicki grinned. “Don’t sweat it. You’ve had your eyes closed for not even ten minutes. I hear sleepiness is par for the course when you’re pregnant.”
“It’s better than the nausea stage, that’s for sure.”
The other woman opened her mouth then closed it rapidly, a real smile curling her lips. “Come on. I’ve got an idea.”
Chapter Twelve
Jesse hungrily took in the fresh sight of the fields and buildings that had been his backyard for most of his life. He drove the perimeter of the Six Pack land, staring out the window with a sense of wonder. Crops were up, and cattle grazed, and there was nothing out of the ordinary, but the taste of home was in his soul, and it was sweet.
At least until the realization he wasn’t staying sank in. His gut churned. All the sweetness turned sharp. Bitter, like a cake that had been let cook a little too long. Chocolatey and rich inside, but with a layer of charred darkness on the surface.
It wasn’t a thing anyone would want to eat.
Caleb’s offer to find him a place at Silver Stone had put some of his worries to rest. Dare would want to be near Ginny, close to her brothers and the familiarity of her home. Jesse needed to be close to her and Buckaroo.
Visiting the Six Pack ranch was a good idea, though. He could put on a happy face and make it clear he was moving on, and that would be that.
He refrained from calling himself a lying bastard, no matter how truthful the description.
Jesse drove the back roads until he knew it was stupid to avoid tracking down his brothers. At this time of day they’d usually be scattered over the far reaches of the ranch, but with Blake and Jaxi headed to the hospital, custom said routine would have given way to an impromptu gathering.
He congratulated himself on calling it right when he spotted familiar vehicles gathered outside the main barn. Parking in the middle of his brother’s trucks, Jesse paused for a moment until he’d gathered up enough don’t give a damn to face them.
Only stepping into his childhood playground stripped away his bravado. The scents and sounds were echoes of the past, and he held onto the doorframe and waited for his heart to stop pounding.
Stupid fucking heart. Between worrying about Dare, and the baby, and getting riled up over his damn past, it was a wonder he didn’t fall over from a heart attack.
He headed toward the corner where his brothers’ voices rose clearly.
“We going to finish the north fields this week?”
“We’ll get them done twice as fast without Blake checking his phone every five minutes to see what Jaxi’s doing.”
Laughter filled Jesse’s ears, and he rounded the corner and walked into the middle of it.
Matt and Travis were there, lounging against wooden support posts of stalls. Cassidy sat on a bale with one foot up as he leaned on the stall behind him. The kind of gathering Jesse had joined in a million times before.
Only this time when they spotted him, the laughter vanished. Cassidy straightened, and Matt’s eyes widened.
Travis swore and stepped forward.
Jesse wasn’t sure what to expect, but if i
t was fists, he wasn’t even going to defend himself. He froze on the spot and waited for what came next.
“You sorry son of bitch,” Travis muttered as he closed in on Jesse.
“Travis.” Cassidy’s voice held a warning.
Jesse braced for impact.
It was a good thing too, because the next second Travis connected with him full force, wrapping his arms around Jesse’s torso and squeezing the hell out of him. “Fucking ass. Where the hell have you been? I should tie you behind the tractor and drag you around—”
“You want to let him go now that you’ve proven he’s not a ghost?” Matt stepped up. “Although I agree with the ass bit. Jerk. Dickhead.”
Jesse wasn’t going to argue, not with the sense of relief flooding his system. This could have gone so differently. Insults were just fine. “Good to know you guys are still working on your vocabulary lists.”
Matt smacked him on the shoulder—harder than a friendly pat. “Stupid little brother.”
“Are you coming back?” Cassidy asked. “Also hi, I guess. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to hug you or hit you.”
“We could do both,” Travis offered, the fire in his expression making it clear his suggestion wasn’t a joke. Anger was replacing his earlier shock. “The only reason I’m not beating the shit out of you right now is that Rafe gave us updates.”
“Plus Jaxi put the fear of God into us over this visit.” Matt shook his head. “I hope you know what you’re doing, but I don’t think it’s likely. What the fuck, Jesse? What the hell were you thinking?”
Cassidy made a rude noise. “Umm, Matt? You might want to make a more specific list before asking that.”
“True.” Matt raised a hand and counted off fingers. “You fucking up and left without a word of warning. You didn’t send Mom and Dad more than one damn update. You’re engaged to be married to some woman from who the hell knows where who we’ve never met, and you’ve got a kid on the way.”
“She’s from Heart Falls, which isn’t that far from here,” Jesse snapped, temper flaring. “Beat the shit out of me for being a jerk and taking off unannounced, but you leave Dare and the baby out of your rants.”
