What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 9)

by Kristine Cayne

  “Thanks for the help. I could have managed, but it would have taken forever.” She wiped gritty sweat off her brow before standing to drag a humiliated Samson back to his side of the fence. He was heavy, probably a hundred pounds or so, but she dragged him with little struggle. He knew he was defeated, and he stopped fighting against his bindings.

  Once on his side of the fence, she untied the ropes and let him go free, where he ran as far away from her as he could go, over to where the other two bucks were in the corner of their enclosure. Connor had followed her.

  “I’ve got to mend this fence real quick. Do you mind?” She asked him. Jessie had planned on taking a shower before he showed up this morning, but guessed that would have to wait.

  “Not at all. You do what you need to do. I’m enjoying watching you. I could help, if you needed me to.” His voice, low and gravelly, sent a shiver down her spine, even though it was already close to eighty degrees outside, and she was sweating like a pig after wrestling with Samson.

  She looked him over, appraisingly. He was tall. Taller than her, even. He was wearing a short-sleeved button down shirt, showing off his tattoos, open over a gray tee shirt, and loose khaki cargo shorts. His broad shoulders, tapered waist, and long, lean legs showed off rippling muscles, which made Jessie wonder, as she couldn’t imagine a kitchen supplying him with the workout necessary to hone such a physique.

  “I can get the rest, myself. I just need to patch up a hole.” She led the way over to the damaged fence, and discovered Samson had managed to just go right under it. Pulling her wire out of her tool apron, she weaved and wrapped and then tightened, until she was satisfied.

  “There, that should hold him, until I can get out here and tighten the whole thing up. I should be able to do that this week, sometime.” Jessie stood, wiping her hands on her shorts, and led the way back to her house.

  Connor followed Jessie out of the pasture, a little overwhelmed at sheer power she had displayed with her work. Her movements were graceful, and purposeful. Every move she made exuded confidence. He watched her lead him, her hips swaying back and forth over her strong, lithe legs clad only in muck boots and short cut-offs. Again, her tank top was tied at the back, showing off her taut torso. Everything was tan, and glistening with perspiration, and Connor had to resist the urge to wipe the curly tendrils of hair off her neck and taste the saltiness of her skin…

  He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn’t go there. First of all, he didn’t have time for a relationship, and he had learned a long time ago, sex led to relationships, whether he wanted it to, or not. And second of all, a woman who carried around a shotgun in her own barn probably had plenty of demons of her own to deal with.

  Audibly sighing, he resolved himself to keeping a strictly business-like relationship with this woman. She did make exceptional cheese.

  “What?” Jessie led them out of the pasture, and was almost to her porch steps, when she turned to face him, a curious expression on her face.

  “What?” He asked. He hadn’t said anything, had he?

  “You’re back there sighing like a teenaged girl. Are you okay? Out of breath, maybe?” She had an amused glint in her eyes, which he noticed for the first time, were the most vivid shade of green he had ever seen. They looked tired, though, as if she hadn’t slept much the night before.

  “Um…nothing.”

  “Are you in a hurry? Do you need to get back to the restaurant by a certain time?”

  “No. We’re closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I’ve got all day.” And he realized he wanted to spend as much of it as he could here.

  She stood and stared at him for a minute, before turning and mounting her porch steps. “Come on inside. I’ve got to wash up and get this Samson smell off of me. There’s coffee in the kitchen, if you want. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared through a door off the kitchen, which appeared to lead to a hallway.

  Connor fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table, his thoughts on the woman who surrounded him. Everywhere he looked, he saw her. The kitchen was certainly spectacular. It was spacious, every surface pristine. There was a huge commercial refrigerator, similar to his own, as well as two deep double sinks, and a large commercial-grade stove. She had sunk a lot of money into her operation here, and he wondered how profitable the goat cheese business really was.

  The cheese certainly was exquisite, as was the woman who made it.

  There were personal touches in the kitchen as well. Small pots of herbs stood around various places, as well as clumps of dried flowers. There was a collection of wooden and plaster crosses in the window above the sink, and the countertops were lined with cobalt blue glass canisters, that looked to be full of different kinds of pasta. The scent of lavender and citrus pervaded his olfactory senses, and he closed his eyes and drank deeply from his cup of coffee. He felt more relaxed here, in this hard, wooden kitchen chair than he had in the months since he had lived in Serendipity.

  Closing his eyes, he inhaled the scents surrounding him. Under the lavender and citrus, he smelled the musky goat dairy smells, as well as various herbs. It was certainly a comforting smell, and he had become lost in the flavors they evoked when he heard the door open from the hallway.

  Connor’s breath hitched a little as he looked at Jessie, fresh from her shower. She had put on a pair of loose jeans with holes at the knees, and had layered a black tank top under a gray one. He felt an urge to remove the clip that held her wet hair up, red highlights glistening. She had sandals on her feet, which he was seeing for the first time. Her toenails were polished a pretty coral color, and she wore a toe ring on the index toe of her left foot. He was seeing less skin than he had fifteen minutes ago, but for some reason, he thought she looked sexier than he’d ever seen her.

  Connor shifted in his chair, trying to alleviate some of the pressure in his shorts.

  “You ready to go look at the gardens?” She seemed eager to show him her herbs, and he was happy to oblige.

  “Sure.”

  As they walked out to the raised gardens in the front side of the house, Jessie told him about the different varieties of herbs she grew, and that she sold them, too. When they got there, Connor was amazed at the variety, and couldn’t stop himself from plucking leaves off different plants and tasting them.

  “Pesticides?” He asked, before putting an oregano leave on the tip of his tongue and biting down to release the flavor.

  “Nope. I use natural plant arrangements to detract bugs. See those marigolds?” Her eyes seemed to be glued to his mouth as she pointed to the bright yellow flowers. “They keep aphids away, as well as other pests. And most of the herbs themselves are pest-resistant.”

  “Hmmm…” Connor said thoughtfully. Maybe he could use her as an herb supplier, too. They certainly tasted better than the herbs he was currently using. And they would be fresher, too. And she was a local. Maybe he could play up that connection. His fingers reached towards a furry sage plant, snapping off a leaf, and placing it inside his mouth to taste it. Then he plucked off a marigold blossom, and put that in his mouth, as well.

  Her eyes widened when he started chewing the flower. “What? You didn’t know marigolds are edible? They’re tasty too, and they cleanse the palette after putting the others in my mouth.” He explained, before he started tasting the varieties of basil her garden offered to him. Connor was in heaven, with all of these flavors around him. His mind was in over-drive, coming up with flavor combinations, the subtle nuances of the different varieties of herbs making him want to be back in his kitchen, experimenting.

  She watched him, silently, leaning against one of the raised gardens, with an amused expression on her face. Finally, she leaned over, and reaching into a rubber tub next to her, pulled out a pair of scissors, a box of baggies and a marker. She handed them to Connor, “Get some cuttings to take back to your kitchen and play with. You can call me with an order later. Unless you know of something you need today.”

  Her vo
ice seemed to lower in invitation with that last bit, and Connor turned to her, surprised. A flush had risen to her cheeks, and her eyes had darkened. Connor’s eyes fell to her lips, where her tongue snaked out to lick her bottom lip.

  “Um…thanks.” Connor could remind himself of all the reasons why he wasn’t willing to get into anything with Jessie, but looking at her was an internal war he knew he couldn’t win. So he turned rapidly and started snipping pieces of the plants and putting them into the baggies, before labeling each one.

  When he turned back to Jessie, she was still staring intently at him, and he wondered if she realized what kind of signals she was sending.

  As Jessie watched Connor expertly tasting her herbs, she marveled at his sensuality. Despite her convictions to not get involved with another man for a while after Chad, she couldn’t help but wonder if his sensuality extended to the bedroom. His lips and tongue were working her herbs over skillfully, and she could feel her breasts get fuller, and her nipples harden in response.

  When she got the baggies for him to take some cuttings, she couldn’t resist a little flirting. She hit her mark, as she watched him turn to her, and his eyes widened imperceptibly, pupils dilating. Bingo.

  Then he had turned away from her, and she was flooded with disappointment. She couldn’t stop staring at the man, though. He was indeed a beautiful specimen, and she decided she would make a little effort to woo him to her bed. It usually didn’t take much, men were all so predictable, as far as getting them to bed was concerned.

  Even if she couldn’t get him into bed, he was certainly pretty to look at, and she would definitely get an eye-full. She would put the memories of him in her erotic cache, to use at a later time, with her favorite toys.

  Crossing one leg over the other, to relieve a little heat, which built every time he bent over to snip another herb, giving her an exquisite view of his backside, she asked him, “Is there a Mrs. Wright in the picture?”

  He stiffened, but didn’t turn around. “No.”

  “Hmmm…”

  “Do you grow tomatoes?” He had straightened, but still didn’t turn around.

  Taken aback slightly at his change of subject, Jessie responded, “Of course. They’re in my greenhouse.”

  He did turn around at that declaration. “You have a greenhouse, too?” His eyes were wide, disbelieving.

  “Yeah, I do. Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “It’s just you do so much, here. It’s…surprising.”

  “Because I’m a woman?” Her spine stiffened. This was not surprising to her. People in this town just couldn’t believe that she did all she did here without a man’s help. She’d honestly thought somebody from out of town wouldn’t think that way.

  “No…well, maybe, but it’s just that…” She watched as he ran his long, tapered fingers through his sandy blonde hair, making a mess of it. “I’m from the city, and people don’t do that kind of stuff, there. You know?” He looked incredibly uncomfortable, and she was perversely enjoying it.

  “Well, City Boy. Come inside the house, and let me give you a new experience, before we go over to the greenhouse.”

  “What? I, uh, don’t think…” She knew her words would cause him some discomfiture, but his reaction still amused her.

  “Relax. I’m going to make you an exceptional drink. I’m not sure what you were thinking I was going to do…” She smirked at him, knowing exactly what he thought she was going to do.

  “Oh…uh…” He blushed. The man actually blushed, sending a tingle to Jessie’s nether regions, making her giggle.

  “Come on, City Boy.” She walked back into the house, Connor following, meekly.

  In the kitchen, she sat him down at the kitchen table and pulled out her blender. Filling it with whey, honey, and a little yogurt, she blended it up before pouring two glasses full for them. She sat at the table across from him.

  “So, tell me about Connor.” She looked at him, evenly. “What brings you to the tiny town of Serendipity?”

  He relaxed into his chair, taking a sip of his smoothie. “This is really good. What’s in it?”

  “It’s whey, from the cheese curds, and honey. Are you avoiding my question?”

  “No. It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own restaurant. I needed to get out of Houston before it drove me mad. And the cost of living is so much cheaper, here. I could never buy a place like I have in Houston. And I got it for a song, here.”

  He paused, drinking deeply of his smoothie. “This is awesome. What else do you make with your goat’s dairy products?”

  “Not much. I make the different cheeses, which I usually crumble up over salads, pasta, TV dinners and stuff. I make the smoothies. I drink the milk, and make shakes out of them.”

  “You don’t cook much, then?”

  “No. I can my vegetables, sometimes. I make fruit preserves. Mostly, I just sell as much as I can, though. I need the money more than I need to cook.”

  He looked at her with one eyebrow raised in question.

  “I inherited the house from my Dad, when he died. My grandparents built it. It was in really bad shape when I got it, and I had to take out a loan to get this operation going. The fencing and licensing requirements for the dairy were pretty expensive. The herbs and tomatoes are mostly just extra income, though not much.”

  “I totally understand. I sunk all of my savings into the restaurant, plus a loan to renovate it to make a commercial kitchen.”

  They sat in silence, drinking their smoothies. Finally, when he was finished, Connor said, “What else do you do out here, Jessie?”

  “Let’s see…I’ve got the goats, the herbs, the tomatoes, and the orchard. That’s about it.”

  “What do you grow in the orchard?”

  “Peaches, figs, and plums. I’ve also got an apricot tree. I dry the fruit I don’t sell or can. I also dry the tomatoes I don’t can. And it’s all for sale.”

  “I think I need a new supplier for a lot of my stuff. I need herbs, tomatoes, figs, a few peaches, and cheese. I also need some goat’s milk, and some of this whey stuff. It’s amazing.” He paused as if he had more to say.

  “What? You can ask me, whatever it is. I may not answer…” She laughed nervously.

  He smiled at her, sending a pool of warmth down to her toes. “Earlier, outside, you seemed ready to pounce on me for something. You thought I didn’t think you could run this place without a man. Do you get that a lot?”

  “You wouldn’t believe it. This town has a lot of old-school men in it, whose wives just cook and clean. My neighbor across the fence is one of the worst. He’s constantly giving me a hard time. It’s like they feel threatened because a single woman can run a ranch on her own, a business, something.” She stood. “Your cheese is in the fridge, here. I can get you some tomatoes today, and the fruit I can bring by tomorrow, if you want. I’ve got a couple of gallons of milk in the freezer in the barn, and you can help yourself to the herbs. I’ll give you bulk rate, since you’re getting so much. I assume you’ll need it on a regular basis?”

  He rose with her. “Absolutely, as long as everything’s in season. I’d appreciate it.”

  “Well, the tomatoes grow year-round in the greenhouse, and I rotate the goat’s breeding schedule so I can milk them year-round. The fruit, though, unless you want dried or canned will be out of season soon.”

  “I do want some dried. It reconstitutes well.” Jessie could see the gears of his brain turning. His face held a look of intense concentration. She had noticed a lot of his actions seemed intense, as if he never did anything by accident.

  “Come with me out to the greenhouse. We can pick tomatoes for you to take back with you.” She led him out a side door, which opened up into the yard right next to an old greenhouse, built with what looked like windows from old houses. Inside, it was filled with green vines, and emitted the spicy, earthy smell of tomato leaves.

  Jessie grabbed a couple of bushel baskets by the door and ha
nded one to Connor. “Pick what you want. I’ve got Roma, Cherry, Grape, and those giant bastards over there. The green ones on the big tomato plants are good for frying, if you want some of those, too.”

  “You pick me some Romas and Grape, if you don’t mind, and I’ll go over there.” He motioned toward the other side of the greenhouse, where the big tomatoes were growing.

  After about ten minutes, both baskets were full, and Jessie followed Connor to his truck to put them into the floor board of the passenger side.

  “I’ll go get the cheese. Help yourself to the herb garden.” She turned to go back inside the house, and Connor went towards the raised gardens on the side of the house.

  After two trips to Connor’s truck, putting the cheese in, and then his milk, she lingered, inhaling the smells inside the truck. Connor’s scent was all over the interior, citrus and some sort of herb, and underneath, was the scent of pure manliness. There was something about a man with a truck.

  She had to admit, this restaurateur was sexy. And she wanted him. But he was her best customer. Ever. If she had sex with him, like she really, really wanted to, it would probably mess up their business relationship. And she couldn’t afford to lose his business.

  His using her products in his restaurant could be the big break she was looking for. It had potential to bring in more business for her, and she really needed the business. Selling a package or two of cheese here and there wasn’t cutting it. She needed more regular customers like Connor. And she couldn’t afford to lose him.

  Making up her mind to keep her libido in check, for once, she turned to him with a bright smile when she heard him walking up behind her from the herb garden.

  “Get everything?” She said brightly.

  “Yeah. I think so. Thanks.” He had a bushel basket full of various herbs, and she chuckled as she noticed a piece of green on his lips.

  “What?” He asked her.

  “You have a little something…” She tentatively reached up to his face, and rubbed her thumb along his lower lip. “…here.” At the contact with his soft, warm lip, a jolt of electricity ran up to her elbow. Lowering her voice, she said, “Sampling the merchandise?” His eyes darkened, and she could see his chest rise erratically as his breath hitched at her touch.