Jenna's Cowboys

by Laura Jo Phillips

  Jenna smiled as she always did when the subject of protectors came up. It hadn’t taken her long to catch on to how things worked in Sparx, and the concept of protectors had instantly appealed to her. When Jack and Hank had chosen to be her protectors, to defend and watch over her, and make sure she was safe and well, it had touched her deeply. It made her feel like she belonged.

  Meg saw the emotions in Jenna’s eyes and understood them. She reached over and patted the younger woman’s arm, but didn’t speak on that subject further. Instead, she continued on the more relevant, and interesting, subject of the men of Sparx. And discovering which one had caught Jenna’s eye.

  “They made everyone who was interested in asking you out, which, by the way, was every unattached man in Sparx, put their names in a pot. Then Jack and Hank drew the names and made a list. You can’t be asked out more than once a week, and only by whoever’s turn it is.”

  Jenna straightened, her eyes wide in shock. Then she burst out laughing. Meg’s eyes danced as she leaned back and took another sip of her coffee, still amazed that Jenna truly didn’t notice how everyone in the place turned toward her and smiled when she laughed.

  “I want to accuse you of messing with me, Meg, but somehow I know you’re not.”

  “Not a bit,” Meg agreed. “So you see, not everyone’s had their name come up yet.”

  Jenna ran some numbers in her head. Ten months of living in Sparx and attending community events such as parties, picnics, pot lucks and dances, as well as being asked out each week, had given her a thorough understanding of how many single men there were, and how many of them were interested in menage relationships. Not all were, she’d learned, but a lot of those that weren’t were into things that she had no personal inclination for. Not that it mattered. Her interest had been fixed since her first day in Sparx and it hadn’t wavered a bit since.

  After a few seconds she came up with a number and frowned. Hell, at this rate she might have to wait another year. Or more! She pushed her plate back and pulled her coffee close. “What if I ask someone out? Does that go against the rules?”

  “Not a chance,” Meg said. “It’s all up to you, Sugar, never forget that.”

  Jenna considered that for a few moments, then sighed. “Much as I wish I had the guts to do that, I don’t.”

  “You forget that I don’t know what I just told you, and since I don’t know it, neither do you,” Meg pointed out. “If you tell me, your friend, that you’re interested in someone, and I let a hint or two drop in that someone’s ear, that’s between us. Don’t worry about what idiot thing the men have going. That’s not your problem.”

  “Good point,” Jenna said, her expression brightening. “So, Friend, how do feel about doing a bit of hinting on my behalf?”

  “You’re gonna have to tell me who he is first,” Meg said, her eyes dancing again.

  “Well, um, it’s not exactly a he,” Jenna admitted. “It’s a they.” The surprised expression on Meg’s face would’ve made her laugh again if she wasn’t so nervous.

  “You got me on the edge of my seat, hon.”

  Jenna bit her lip, then spit it out. “It’s the Howards.”

  “You have very good taste, Sugar,” Meg said approvingly. “Just to be clear, are you interested in both of them?”

  “That depends,” Jenna said, leaning forward once more. Meg put her cup down and joined her. “Do they share?”

  “Yes, they do,” Meg replied simply.

  “Thank goodness,” Jenna replied without thinking, causing Meg to grin. Jenna blushed yet again. “From the first time I saw them I’ve felt like they go together, and that was before I knew about the charter. I’d never once in my whole life thought about being with two men before that moment, but I can’t imagine dating either one of them separately. If just one of them wanted to take me out, I’d have to say no.”

  Meg shook her head in wonder. She knew the Howards were interested, of course. Everyone did. Well, she amended silently, everyone but Jenna. But she’d never guessed that Jenna returned that interest. The girl was so sweet and openly friendly that Meg sometimes forgot how good she was at hiding things.

  “They’re not with someone, are they?” Jenna asked anxiously. “We’ve talked quite a lot at different functions over the past year, and they’ve never mentioned another woman. They’ve come into the shop a few times too, and they only buy products for men, but all of that added together doesn’t prove anything.”

  “No, they’re not with anyone,” Meg replied. “If they were, they wouldn’t be talking to you whenever they get a chance, or coming into the diner for breakfast on the same three days as you for the past ten months.”

  “What?” Jenna asked in surprise. “I didn’t know that. I thought they came in every day.”

  Meg chuckled. “Sugar, those boys own a working ranch that’s more than half an hour’s drive from town. I doubt I’ve seen them for breakfast more than a dozen times a year until you came to Sparx. More than half the men in here right now only come once or twice a week, and only on the days you’re here. I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re the reason my business is so brisk these days. But you might wanna know that the Howards are the only ones who come every day they know you’re gonna be here.”

  “Well heck, Meg, why didn’t you tell me that before?” Jenna asked, her heart pounding a little too hard.

  “I would’ve if I’d known you were interested. Now that you know, what’re you gonna do about it?”

  “I don’t know,” Jenna said, her eyes dimming. “Maybe I should wait and see if they ask me out whenever their number comes up. Who knows? Maybe it already came up and they passed.”

  Meg frowned. Jenna had so little confidence in herself when it came to men. She’d tried to get her to talk about her life before coming to Sparx, but she’d learned real fast that Jenna’s response to pressure of that sort was to simply walk away. She never got angry, never got testy or irritated or rude, and she never, ever argued. She just walked away. Meg had never seen anything like it. She’d been tempted many times to ask Hank and Jack to tell her what they’d learned about her past, but so far she hadn’t done it.

  One thing was for sure. She wasn’t about to let this singular opportunity to get Jenna out on a date pass her by. Especially since she knew the Howards were as interested in Jenna as she was in them. “Don’t you worry about it. I’ll think of something. You just be ready.”

  “You sure this is a good idea, Meg?”

  “Yep, I am,” Meg said without hesitation.

  “All right then,” Jenna said, smiling nervously. “Thanks.”

  “My pleasure, Sugar,” Meg said, patting Jenna’s hand. She looked around the diner, then finished her coffee. “It’s time for me to get back to work.”

  “Yep, I need to open the shop,” Jenna said, glancing at her watch as they both stood up. “Thanks for the chat, Meg.”

  “You’re welcome, hon,” Meg said. “Don’t work too hard.” Jenna put some money on the table and headed for the door, giving Meg a quick wave before she pushed it open, trying to pretend she didn’t notice the Howard brothers sitting right at the near end of the counter where she had to pass within inches of them. If they’d been facing her, she would’ve spoken to them, but she couldn’t bring herself to draw their attention to herself when they probably had no idea she was even in the diner.

  After spending her first few months in Sparx telling herself she wasn’t ready to date, she’d finally admitted the truth to herself. She wasn’t ready to date anyone but the Howards. Unfortunately, it seemed every man in Sparx was interested in her except the Howards. She’d been so confused about that since they always seemed to show up wherever she went, and they always spent time talking to her, but they’d never asked her out. Now she knew why. At least, she hoped that was the reason why. If they didn’t ask her out now, she’d at least know they weren’t interested instead of constantly worrying and wondering about it.

  ***

/>   Dillon and Cole sat at the end of the counter nearest the door and sipped coffee they didn’t really want as they watched Jenna talk with Meg in the mirror on the wall in front of them. Her laugh, low, warm, and so damn sexy it made both of them hard enough to pound nails, floated through the diner, drawing the attention of every man in the place.

  Jenna never seemed to notice the interest she generated simply by stepping into a room. It was one of the many things everyone loved about her. She was beautiful, sexy, sweet, and completely unaware of her own charms. She was also intelligent, hardworking, creative, and a successful businesswoman.

  To date, nearly a third of the unattached males in Sparx had asked her out, both single men as well as those interested in menage relationships. She always said no, but she said it in a gentle, thoughtful, self-effacing way that never hurt anyone’s feelings, and left her prospective suitors wanting her just that much more. It also left the burning question as to her sexual preferences unanswered.

  “How much longer do we have to wait?” Dillon asked, his fingers tightening dangerously on the heavy coffee mug in front of him as he watched Jenna talk to Meg in the mirror, her face and hands animated.

  “Six damn weeks,” Cole replied irritably. “We should never have agreed to that stupid name drawing thing.”

  “Not like we had a choice,” Dillon reminded him. “Hank and Jack are her protectors. Pissing them off would not be a good idea.”

  “I know it,” Cole grumbled. “I don’t like it, but I know it.”

  “Hello boys,” Anna said, approaching with a big smile and a fresh pot of coffee. “How’re y’all doing this morning?”

  “We’re good, Anna,” Dillon said while covering his cup with his hand, declining a refill. Cole did the same.

  “I’m real glad to hear it,” she said, setting the pot down on the counter with a happy sigh. “You two look so much like my boys that seeing you always takes some of the edge off of missing them.”

  Cole and Dillon smiled politely. Anna said pretty much the same thing to them every time she saw them and they’d long since run out of responses. Her expression suddenly changed to one of sympathy. “I heard just the other day that you boys are orphans,” she said, lowering her voice. “I was real sorry to hear about that.”

  Dillon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. At thirty two years of age they were bit old for that term, he thought, but then again, that was Anna. Why she treated them almost like children while flirting with every other male who came in, he didn’t know and didn’t really care. “Thanks, Anna, but it happened a real long time ago.”

  “No matter how long ago it was, I can’t imagine you’d ever get over losing your momma.”

  “That’s true, Anna,” Cole said rather coolly. “We just don’t like to talk about it.”

  “Of course you don’t,” she said with an understanding nod. “But if you ever do wanna talk, I’m always willing to listen.” Then she smiled and picked up her coffee pot. “Well, it’s been real nice seeing you boys again but I gotta get back to work. Y’all be good now.”

  They nodded, afraid to say anything that might inspire her to stay longer. When she stopped to chat with a couple of men at the other end of the counter they dismissed her from their minds and checked the mirror to be sure Jenna was still there.

  “I sure wish we could hear what those two women are talking about,” Dillon said, not for the first time. Meg and Jenna spent ten or fifteen minutes chatting over a cup of coffee every morning she came in, and he always wondered what they talked about.

  “I feel like I’m about to lose my mind over that woman,” Cole said, rubbing his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Hell, I can’t sleep at night for thinking about her.”

  “Yeah,” Dillon sighed. “I know the feeling. The worst part is worrying that she’s gonna say yes to someone before we get our turn.”

  “Don’t say that,” Cole hissed. “It makes me wanna hit something just to think about it.” He sighed heavily. “Maybe we should stop torturing ourselves like this. Just stay home until our turn comes up.”

  “That would mean not seeing her for six whole weeks,” Dillon pointed out. “You really wanna do that?”

  “Hell no,” Cole replied. “But I don’t wanna kill anyone, either, and if I see her with another man I might not be able to stop myself.”

  “There is that,” Dillon agreed.

  “She’s leavin’ now,” Cole whispered. Dillon’s eyes jumped to the mirror in time to see Jenna stand up, the breath catching in both their throats when they saw she was wearing their favorite pair of low slung denim shorts with the little red heart patches on the back pocket, paired with a neatly tucked in, snug fitting navy blue cotton tee with Senses embroidered in white over her left breast. She walked toward them, then pushed open the door and left the diner with a friendly wave back at Meg.

  They both turned to watch her through the window as she walked down the sidewalk, the end of her long curly pony tail swaying gently against the small of her back mesmerizing them. They’d had some fairly intense debates concerning Jenna’s wine red hair, and whether it was sexier in a ponytail, like now, or if it was sexier when she wore it loose so that it fell to her hips in a tumble of thick spiraling curls.

  “Good morning, boys.” Dillon and Cole jerked their eyes from the view out the window and turned, half irritated until they saw it was Meg rather than Anna standing in front of them with a coffee pot.

  “Hey, Meg, how’s it going?” Cole said as they both shook their heads at her silent offer of a refill.

  Meg eyed them with an expression they’d never seen before. “Things are good, thanks,” she said. “I’m a bit worried about Jenna, though.”

  “Worried?” Dillon asked while at the same time Cole demanded, “Why?” Both men looked like they were ready to leap up and run out the door to rescue Jenna from a fire-breathing dragon with their bare hands. Meg had a very hard time holding back her laughter.

  “She’s been working so hard,” she said when she was sure she could keep a straight face. “She almost never takes a day off, and even after she closes she spends hours in there making and bottling her Bliss products, and filling custom orders. She’s flat wearing herself out. I’d like to see her slow down some, maybe go out on a date or something. You know, relax and have a bit of fun now and then.”

  Dillon and Cole exchanged looks. “Well,” Dillon began, then cleared his throat and stared hard at his cold coffee before he spoke, remembering at the last moment that there were some things that the women of Sparx weren’t privy to. “It’s my understanding that she’s been asked out a number of times.”

  “That’s true, but some ladies are a tad particular about who they go out with,” Meg said. “If she gets the right invitation, I’m pretty sure she’ll accept it. Of course, if she doesn’t get it real soon she’ll have no choice but to assume a lack of interest and move on.”

  Cole and Dillon froze, their eyes wide in combined worry and surprise. Cole recovered first, but he wasn’t big on subtle. He went straight to the heart of the matter. “Do you happen to know who she’s waiting on, Meg?”

  Meg rolled her eyes. “No, cowboy. I’m talking to you two ‘cause you’re the only men in the place.”

  Dillon didn’t need to look around at the two dozen or so unattached men in the diner to catch her meaning. “Thanks, Meg,” he said with all the sincerity he could muster. “We owe you for this one.”

  “Listen up,” Meg said, her smile fading as she fixed a steely gaze on each of them in turn. “You be careful with her.”

  “Careful?” Cole asked, half curious, half insulted. “We wouldn’t hurt a woman, Meg. You know that.”

  “I do know that, Cole,” Meg said with a sigh. “That’s not what I mean. I just mean...well hell, I don’t know what I mean.”

  Dillon picked up the coffee pot Meg had set on the counter and refilled his cup just to have something to do with his hands while he thought. “We’ve spent a
s much time with her as we could manage over the past year at picnics, parties and the like. Pretty much anywhere we know or suspect she’s gonna be if you wanna know the truth of it. So we’ve gotten to know her some. She’s always real nice, has a great sense of humor, and we’ve never heard her say a mean word to, or about, anyone. But there’s no missing the fact that she’s skittish around men. She doesn’t like to talk about herself, either.” Dillon set the pot down. “You’re her best friend, Meg. Is there anything we should know so we don’t mess up with her?”

  “Yeah, I think there is,” Meg admitted, glad that they’d taken the time to see beyond Jenna’s pretty face. “I just don’t know what. She refuses to talk about it, and if I were you, I wouldn’t push her. Jenna’s as sweet as the day is long, but she’s also bone deep stubborn. You press her beyond what she’s ready to give and she’ll walk away. She won’t get angry, and she won’t argue. She’ll just step away and that’ll be that. Believe me, I’ve been there.”

  “Thanks, Meg,” Cole said. “We’ll remember that.”

  “That young lady is like a daughter to me,” Meg said, meaning it. “You best treat her right.”

  “We will, Meg,” Dillon said. “We won’t forget this, and we’ll be extra careful with her. She’s real important to us, too.”

  “Good luck then,” Meg said with a nod.

  They watched Meg walk away, then Cole turned to Dillon. “What do we do now?”

  “We’re gonna pay for our breakfast, call Hank, and then we’re going to Senses.”

  Cole groaned. “Dammit Dillon, going into that shop drives me half out of my mind.”

  “I know, me too,” Dillon agreed. “But it’s that or call her, and we’re not gonna ask Jenna out on a date for the first time over the damn phone. We’re going in there, and that’s an end to it.”

  “Okay,” Cole said, shaking his head as he thought of all the cold showers in his immediate future.

  A few minutes later, after telling Hank they were going to ask Jenna out, and after Meg confirmed that it was Jenna’s choice, they headed across the street to Senses. Dillon reached for the door knob, braced himself, pulled it open and stepped inside with Cole right behind him.