by Linda Warren
“I’m…”
“And your hair is everywhere. Did you brush it?”
Oh, damn. In her haste, she’d forgotten to brush her hair. She touched it with one hand. “My hair’s fine.” She went to the refrigerator for yogurt and fruit.
“I’ll get your breakfast, Miss Jessie,” Rosa said before she could open the door. “You sit or you’re going to fall asleep on your feet.”
“Rosa…”
“Go.” Rosa gave her a slight push. She sat at the breakfast table and while Rosa’s head was in the fridge she ran her fingers through her hair, hoping that would help.
Cadde came back with his hat in his hand.
“Oh, Mr. Cadde,” Rosa said. “You found it.”
“Yeah.” He placed the Stetson on the bar, grabbed a cup of coffee and took a seat across from her.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Rosa asked, placing yogurt and fruit in front of Jessie.
“Bacon and eggs and some of those good biscuits you make.”
“Oh. That will take a while, but if you have time.”
Cadde glanced at his watch. “Actually, I don’t. I need to run. How about toast instead of biscuits?”
“Coming right up.”
Cadde sipped his coffee, and she could feel his eyes on her. “Rosa, why were the lights on last night?”
Jessie paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth. Rosa rattled the dishes more than necessary. “Ah…I don’t like Miss Jessie coming into a dark house. And just a few were on.”
Cadde didn’t say anything else for a moment, and then he glanced directly at Jessie. “You left the bathroom light on last night.”
“Really?” She licked her spoon just to do something to avoid that keen gaze. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Rosa placed his food in front of him and dropped the fork and knife on the floor. “I’m sorry.” She quickly scooped them up. “I’ll get more.”
Cadde continued to gaze at Jessie. “Aren’t you up awfully early? You’re never up when I leave for work.”
Jessie shrugged as Rosa laid another fork and knife on the table with a napkin. Cadde dug into his food and Jessie let out a long breath. She couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t holding his head with both hands. Instead, he looked spry and ready to face the day.
The buzz of his cell interrupted the silence. He reached for it on his belt. “Yes, Kid, I’m leaving in a few minutes.” No sooner than he clicked off, it buzzed again. With a sigh, he answered, “I’m on my way, Chance.”
He pushed back his chair and moved to get his hat from the bar. “Thanks, Rosa.” His eyes caught hers. “I’ll see you tonight.” The way he said tonight made her think of him in nothing but his Jockey shorts, and a wave of heat warmed her skin.
“What time?” she asked to maintain some of her dignity.
“Seven, eight.” He leaned over and whispered, “Tonight we play by my rules.”
She coughed as a piece of strawberry went down like a jalapeño pepper—hot and startling.
He grinned and walked out.
How dare he? Her temper simmered just below the surface and nudged her wide-awake. If he thought…
“Miss Jessie, what’s Mr. Cadde doing in your room?” The scolding tone hit Jessie the wrong way.
“He’s my husband.”
“He didn’t…”
Rosa had a hard time finishing the sentence so Jessie finished it for her. “Force himself on me?”
Rosa gasped.
“You’ve known Cadde for years and you know he’s not that type of man. It was my decision to take our marriage further. Mine, Rosa. And I can handle the consequences.” She threw her napkin on the table and stood. How many times did she have to say that? “So please, please stop smothering me and let me have a life, a life of my choosing.” She strolled toward the door and stopped. Jessie knew Rosa meant well, just like Myra, and Jessie couldn’t hurt her this way.
She turned. “That was harsh. I’m sorry.” Cadde’s parting words had her nervous and snappy.
Rosa pointed a finger at her. “You talk to Myra too much. You’re getting her attitude.” The relationship between Rosa and Myra wasn’t good. They argued all the time, mostly about Myra’s career and her single status. Rosa wanted grandbabies.
She walked back and hugged Rosa. “Myra has to make her own decisions and so do I. Please let me be an adult. Let me get hurt and feel the pain. Let me have a life.”
“I just want you to be happy, my niña.” Rosa touched her cheek.
“I’m planning to build a life with Cadde, have babies to fill this big, lonely house, to feel safe and secure and not sleep with the light on anymore.”
“Oh, Miss Jessie, a baby?” Rosa put her hands over her mouth in awe. That was the only word Rosa had heard. Baby. The word could light up Rosa’s face like a diamond ring could light up a young girl’s.
The thought made her look at her platinum wedding band. Cadde’s matched hers. She didn’t know if her father had bought them or Cadde. The rings were just there when the minister had performed the ceremony. She preferred to think that Cadde had purchased them. And it would stay on her finger until he took it off.
“Not yet.” She kissed Rosa’s cheek. “Now I’m going upstairs to brush my hair and if I don’t return, well, I’ll be asleep.”
WHEN CADDE REACHED HIS OFFICE, Kid and Chance were waiting for him. He sat in his chair without saying a word.
“How come you didn’t answer your phone?” Kid asked, his feet propped on Cadde’s desk.
“I do have a personal life.” Cadde pulled a large folder forward.
Kid formed a steeple with his fingers. “How’s that going?”
“None of your business,” Cadde retorted, and knocked Kid’s boots off his desk. “I don’t know why I share anything with you guys.”
Chance looked up. “Hey, I haven’t said anything.”
“And I appreciate it.”
Cadde opened the folder, trying not to wince at the pounding in his head. He knew his limit. He knew when to stop. What had possessed him to down almost a whole bottle of Scotch?
Jessie.
“From where I’m sitting I’d say big brother had no sex last night.”
Chance frowned at Kid. “Could you use a little tact?”
“Tact?” Kid drew back. “It’s Cadde. I’m not wasting my manners on him.”
“You don’t waste them on anybody,” Chance told him.
“That’s not true. Mom said I had the best manners of the three of us.”
Chance laughed. “She was your mother. She had to say nice things about you, and it was a stretch because you were in trouble all the time.”
“I was not.”
Cadde thought it was great they could talk about their mother without mind-numbing silence. This wasn’t the time, though. He’d clap his hands to get their attention, but the sound might paralyze him. Instead, he unfolded a map and pointed to a spot.
“These are our leases in Caddo Parish. They’re small tracts and the problem is we don’t have enough acreage to drill a well. That’s maybe why Roscoe never drilled there. Kid—” he drew papers from the folder “—here’s the land we lease and owners’ names and some notes on adjoining properties. Your job is to find out who owns the mineral rights. If an oil company already has a lease, we need to know when that contract expires. We need more land and it’s up to you to get it.”
“So Jessie gave the go-ahead?”
Cadde sighed, not wanting to discuss Jessie. “There’s a lot of paperwork and legwork to be done before I can call a board meeting.” He’d realized this last night when he’d been going over the leases. The tracts were small, smaller than he’d thought. He couldn’t investigate further because he had to meet Jessie.
He pushed those thoughts from his bruised mind. “Chance, get an estimate on the cost of renting a rig versus moving one of ours. I’d like to keep our rigs in Texas but I need to see the figures first.”
Chance stood.
“I’m on it.”
“Remember, we have a meeting with Joel, Tim and Bob at eight to discuss this further.” He rose to his feet. “Now I need coffee.”
“I made some in my office,” Chance said. “I’ll bring you a cup.”
“Thanks. Make it a big one.”
After Chance left, he could feel Kid’s eyes on him, and he hated that. Kid had a way of seeing beyond the surface. Maybe that’s why he was so popular with women. They liked it when a man could tune into their feelings. God, he was hopeless in that department. He had no idea what Jessie was thinking.
“Are you okay?” Kid asked, and Cadde felt sucker punched. Was it that obvious?
“If I didn’t know any better,” Kid went on, “I’d say you have a hangover, but that couldn’t be right. You can hold your liquor. You’re known for that. Right?”
Cadde muttered under his breath, and if Kid could gauge what he was thinking, he’d take a step backward and leave, which he did, after he picked up the map and papers.
Chance brought back a thermos of coffee and didn’t say a word. That was Chance—not intrusive, but a soothing, calm presence.
After a couple of swallows, he forced himself to think about last night. He remembered sitting in Roscoe’s study drinking and agonizing over Jessie having the upper hand. Bits and pieces flittered through his mind; soft, smooth sheets with lace on the pillowcases, the bathroom light blinding at times.
His next recollection was waking up in Jessie’s bed. As he tried to recharge his memory, she’d stirred. He’d pretended to be asleep, but he sensed her watching him for a moment before she’d slipped out of bed and dressed quickly.
He let out a long breath.
This morning he tried to appear as normal as possible, even testing the waters to see if she was upset. She wasn’t. Oh, God, she looked like every man’s fantasy, dark hair tousled all around her and her eyes had that just-woken-up sleepy gaze. Sexy as hell.
That picture made him needle her about tonight. Having the last word could become a habit. He could still feel the fire in her eyes.
He flexed his shoulders and wanted to go work out in the room down the hall he’d turned into his own personal gym. But he didn’t have time. He had a meeting and his day was full.
Finishing off the coffee, he knew he and Jessie had to talk—again. They had to discuss what she expected from him without a power play in this business deal of a marriage. She wanted time. Why? And how much time did she need? She was making him nuts and his head had to be clear to run Shilah. That’s what was important—Shilah.
Or was it?
CHAPTER SIX
JESSIE WOKE UP AT NINE and scrambled to her feet. Good grief, she had to get moving. She brushed her hair and clipped it back. Hurrying out of the bathroom, she noticed the clothes Cadde had strewn on the floor last night were gone. A man who picked up after himself—how novel. Her father had never picked up a thing.
Pushing thoughts of Cadde aside, she went down the stairs. Mirry followed, making pitiful little grunting sounds. Jessie knew she needed to go outside. This was always a problem with the Dobermans. She heard the vacuum system going, so Rosa was busy and Felix was at the barn. After filling a bowl with dog food, Jessie carried it to the garage. She then went back inside and put the garage door up. The Dobermans shot in to devour the food. She put the door down. The dogs were trapped for a while.
Mirry did her business in the front yard and Jessie let her play for a bit. But not long. Jessie left Mirry in her bed in the breakfast room and then put up the garage door. The dogs bolted out. Smelling the scent in the front yard, they’d circle the house for about an hour, trying to find their foe. It was a daily routine for Jessie and she was tired of it. She’d call Gavin as soon as she got back to the house.
“Mornin’, Miss Jessie,” Felix called as she entered the barn. He was in the small kitchen she’d had installed. “I was fixin’ the fawn something to eat.” In worn jeans and boots, Felix was just a little taller than her with a weather-worn face and calloused hands. Good was the word to describe Felix. If he wasn’t sleeping, he was working. He was an expert welder. He’d built all the pipe fences on the place. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He was her number one protector and a rifle was never very far away.
“How is she this morning?”
The scent of alfalfa, dust and manure filled her nostrils. The barn was her place. After getting a business degree, she intended to work at Shilah with her father. She should have consulted him first because he axed it immediately. She would sit on the board, but she wouldn’t work. He’d added that he’d worked enough for both of them.
She’d thought of looking for work elsewhere. That was an absurd idea with a guard hovering around her. No matter how much she’d begged and pleaded, her father wouldn’t relent about her security. When she’d managed to escape a few times, all hell had broken loose. The guard was fired, she got a lecture about her behavior and then she’d threatened to run away and never come back. That had brought tears to her father’s eyes. Soon Jessie was the one relenting. She couldn’t hurt him that way. She’d put up with a guard as long as he was alive, but now she was on her own.
“Still weak.”
Absorbed in her thoughts, Jessie wasn’t sure what Felix was talking about. She placed the powdered milk back in the cabinet, her thoughts drifting. The barn had been built with the house, but no one used it except Felix for welding. While she was trying to figure out the rest of her life, her father had bought her a horse, Lady—her first taste of freedom. She loved flying through the woods by herself.
Lady got an infection in her hoof and that was how she’d met Gavin, who had a friend at the Houston SPCA. He’d tell her awful stories about animal abuse and she found herself getting involved. It kept her busy. That and her volunteer work at a women’s shelter. She’d often thought she had a kindred spirit for abused animals and people. And on that thought followed another—did she feel abused by her confinement? The answer still eluded her.
Jessie realized Felix was staring at her and she took the baby bottle from him. “I’ll feed her. I’m running behind this morning.”
“You were out late last night,” he said. “I’m glad Mr. Cadde was with you.”
Jessie patted his shoulder. “Stop worrying.”
“I wish you hadn’t fired those guards.” Felix’s words of concern followed her.
So many people worried about her. She just wanted to breathe and feel free without someone looking over her shoulder. Was that too much to ask?
“Please, let’s not have this conversation again.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Guilt nudged her at his woeful tone. “I’m fine, Felix.”
He nodded, his floppy straw hat covering his expression.
She knelt in front of the cage that Felix had built and opened the door. The little fawn looked at her, fear in her big brown eyes.
“She’s better, huh?” Felix asked.
Jessie scooted in and put an arm around the fragile neck, stroking the tan-and-white-spotted body. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” While talking, Jessie tempted the fawn’s mouth with the nipple. She trembled and then licked and took the bottle greedily.
“Oh, yeah, she’s much better. Yesterday I had to practically force her to suck.”
The fawn downed the bottle in no time and Jessie crawled out, smiling. “We need to give her a name.”
“Mmm.”
“Bambi,” Jessie decided. “We’ll call her Bambi.”
“Sounds good.” Felix trailed behind her as she went through the door to the corral. “I already gave the horses a round bale of hay.”
She leaned on the fence, watching the horses.
“They look good, too, huh?” Felix asked beside her.
The horses gathered in the middle of the corral, munching on big chunks of coastal. Their sores, welts and infections had healed and they were gaining weight. When she’d first gotten them, they’d been so
thin.
“Yeah,” she murmured, thinking about Lady. She’d gotten the hoof infection again and died about two years ago. Jessie missed her and she missed riding. These horses were broken to ride. She might give it a whirl when they were healthier. But then she had a lot on her plate right now and she didn’t want to get thrown on her butt.
She felt a gentle nudge and turned to see the donkey, not so patiently waiting for feed. He’d lost one eye from infection, and it always seemed as if he was winking at her, so she’d called him Winky.
The ram, not wanting to miss any attention, joined them. She petted both. The ram she called Dopey. At mealtime he was always trying to hook Winky with his horn, which wasn’t there anymore. The crazy thing didn’t seem to know that.
“Come on, you two, I’ll give you some sweet feed.”
After tending to them Jessie glanced at her watch and realized she was running late. She’d promised Fran at the shelter that she would come in today.
“I’ve got to run, Felix.” She wiped her hands on her jeans. “Would you mind giving Bambi a bottle about one? I’ll pick up some cream to add to her milk and feed her again when I get back.”
“Okay, but I don’t like you driving around out there by yourself. Sure wish you had a guard.”
Jessie just shook her head.
“I got the feed out of your Suburban,” Felix called after her. “I left the back open so it can air out a bit.”
“Thanks.”
She ran to the house, ignoring the Dobermans. The August sun was already hot, her clothes were sticking to her and she smelled faintly of manure. Good grief! A quick shower and she’d be on her way.
As she darted through the kitchen, Rosa was preparing lunch.
“Miss Jessie—”
“Not now, Rosa, I have to go to the shelter.”
“Why? Why do you have to go to that place?”
Jessie put her hands over her ears, not wanting to hear one more word about her safety. Why did everyone treat her as if she was helpless? Cadde had never done that. The highlight of her life was sitting on the other end of the table at board meetings watching him glare at her. He treated her as an equal, though, not sucking up to her like Hooter Caldwell and Hubert Gillespie, two of her father’s old cronies.
