by Anne Martin
I inhaled deeply and then hit the guy with a wrench in just the right place to knock him unconscious. I didn’t really like hurting people, particularly with this hair cut. “Sorry, ‘bout that. Come on, Trix. Let’s head out.”
Another engine sounded and Felicia’s husband, I kid you not, pulled out a gun. Yeah, my dad carried, but Felicia’s nice businessman? What business was he in? He went to the doorway and peered out then the gun disappeared and the flash in his eyes died with it.
“It’s your husband,” he said to Trix.
She frowned at him. “My husband? Does he have a helicopter? Come to think of it, he flew one once, in a three-hundred. Crashed it too. Mm. He looked good jumping out into that truck. But throwing away a machine like that? Careless.” She scowled and strode out of the place, a wrench in her hand.
I put my wrench down after patting the still unconscious mechanic. Poor thing. I caught hold of Felicia’s husband’s arm.
He turned to look at me, like he wasn’t used to being touched casually. I put my hands up and he shook his head slightly. “You’re Felicia’s friend. The cowgirl?”
“Right. I was just thinking that someone should probably put some money on the counter, you know, kind of a lot of money because of the damages. You’re big money, right?”
He stared at me like he had no idea what I was talking about.
I rolled my eyes. “Never mind.”
He continued after Felicia who was bouncing up and down on her toes with her big hair swaying all around.
I pulled out the last of my cash and laid it on the counter before following the others. That was rich people, never noticing the little bills that real people had to pay.
Horse came out of the chopper, and then another guy, someone who climbed out like he was used to that kind of thing. He wore sunglasses so I couldn’t see his brown eyes, but I’d never miss that smile, or those hands. Or the rest of him.
My heart raced but I held back. I needed to calm down the horses. I spun around and headed to the trailer like I hadn’t seen him, which would be silly because I’d been standing there when he’d gotten out. Just because I hadn’t seen his eyes didn’t mean he hadn’t seen me.
“Miss Jessie?”
“That’s Mrs. Dewitt to you.” I hadn’t taken care of the annulment. I’d had other pressing matters to take care of, things like packing and not getting an annulment.
He put a hand on the small of my back while I stared at my trailer, like my presence through a sheet of metal could help any. “Horse asked if I’d mind driving back with you while he kidnaps Trix. I believe Felicia’s husband feels the same way. Do you mind?”
I swallowed before I turned to face him. I smiled, but I wasn’t sure whose smile it was. “I cut my hair. How did you recognize me?” I tugged on a strand absently.
He reached up and brushed my hand before he caught a strand, sliding his fingers through it. “Silk. I recognized you by your freckles. And the plaid. We bought that plaid together. How could I forget?”
I swallowed and smiled, but felt hesitant. “Are you sure you don’t mind driving back? I’m not stopping overnight, so it’s going to be a long drive. You’ll have to take a shift.”
He grinned. “I don’t mind, so long as you trust me not to dump you in the desert.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Oh. If you didn’t dump me at the altar, you probably wouldn’t do it in the desert. I could be wrong, but I’ll take my chances.”
He smiled at me and took off his sunglasses so I could stare into those soft brown eyes. “Don’t gamble anything you can’t afford to lose.”
What was that? Him? But I didn’t have him, so I couldn’t lose him. The drive was long and easy. I slept against the door but woke up with my head on his leg. I’d taken my time sitting up.
“Good rest?”
I nodded and then it was my turn to drive. I drove half the night, and he took the other half. He didn’t sleep on my lap, just stayed against the door, eyes softly closed. I kept stealing glances at him in the shadowy interior with a stretch of stars above us. By morning, we were too hungry not to stop at a little café for a good breakfast and a stretch.
He caught my hand and we walked like that, like it wasn’t weird at all. We got to the ranch a few hours later. I was following my GPS because I’d never been before. The sign over the road, ‘JS Ranch,’ was crooked.
“JS Ranch? Did you hire that sign made? It looks a little weathered.”
“That’s what the name already was. I took it as a sign. Not a literal sign, but… Anyway. That’s real nice of you to come all this way. I’ll drive you up to Dallas after I get the animals settled.”
He cleared his throat. “I’d hate to take you away from your ranch right away. It’s not like I have anywhere I have to be, other than the blackjack tables.”
I sighed and patted his knee. “You need some intervention?”
He nodded. “I do.”
“Do you need work?”
He smiled. “You said something about fences. I brought my gloves.”
I smiled back at him and my stomach knotted and tangled. But, I needed to tell him about the marriage. That we were still married. “Jackson? I didn’t take care of the annulment. I meant to, but the surgery took longer for me to recover from than I expected, and I had to pack up the whole house and it just slipped my mind.”
He studied me before he shrugged. “It’s not going anywhere.”
“Right. I will take care of it.”
“Or I could.”
I nodded. “Or we could together.”
“Some afternoon go up to Dallas and see Cora, maybe stop in at the court house, get some lunch? That would be nice. Who’s here?” He frowned as we bumped over the rutted road towards the first outbuilding, a large barn that was probably for horses. Several dusty trucks were parked haphazardly.
“Oh, those must belong to the hands.”
“Hands?” He raised an eyebrow.
“The ranch came with employees.”
He nodded and smiled warmly. “I see. Well, I guess it was unreasonable to expect you to manage a thousand cows on your own even though you are a very capable woman. If you need more backup, you just have to give Cora a call.”
I sighed. “She’d scare the stripes off a rattler.”
“Or the spikes off a cactus.”
“Or the snot off a cow.”
“Or the horseshoes off a horse.”
I grinned at him. “Nice one.”
“Mm hm. It’s a good thing you’re so easy on me. It was terrible, I know.”
I got out, slamming the door behind me. I walked towards the barn. First thing first, I needed to bed down the horses. When I got into the shade, it took a minute for my eyes to adjust. I took off my sunglasses and tucked them into my breast pocket.
“Howdy. Y’all get lost?” A cowboy came out of the dim recesses, giving me a once-over like I hadn’t had since my surgery. I’d thought I’d avoid that kind of thing, but we were out in the sticks, so the pickings were slimmer. Literally.
“Hi there! I’m Jessie Strait of the JS ranch.” I held out my hand and waited for him to take it. I wore the nice smile I reserved for vets and children.
His smile widened as he came towards me, taking my hand in both of his while those eyes roved over me again. “Why Miss, I had no idea I’d won the lottery this morning. A little lady like you is staying in that big house all by yourself?”
I stared at him. Jezabel could have cut him down, but I was being myself. Who was I again? I was Cora’s granddaughter. “If you’ll give me back my hand, I’ll be able to put my horses out. What’s the best grazing you have here?” My voice was flat, my gaze glinty, but he didn’t seem to notice.
He stepped closer, hanging onto me. “I can do that for you. I am anxious to work real hard seeing to your needs.”
Jackson cleared his throat from the doorway. Jackson!
I gazed at him beseechingly. “Honey, darlin’, a little help? Thi
s cowboy can’t seem to let go of my hand. Seems he’s taken a shine to me, an old married woman. It’s kind of flattering, don’t you think?”
The cowboy’s blue eyes narrowed as he glanced past me and then what he saw must have convinced me that it wasn’t worth the fight. He raised his hands in surrender. “You should have said that you brought your husband right off. I’m no homewrecker. Let me show you the grazing. I’m Sam. Samuel T. Bird. What kind of horses you got?”
I followed him out and looked at Jackson, but I wasn’t sure what he was thinking. He went along with me. When I took his hand and looked up at him questioning whether he’d mind playing this part until I got settled into this role, he smiled and squeezed my fingers.
I smiled back and felt all the anxiety disappear that I’d held thinking about trying to wrangle a bunch of cowboys who knew ranching so much better than I did. With Jackson, everything would work out just fine.
Chapter 18
Felicia let me know that the girls were going on a road trip and suggested that I get a helicopter ride with Horse. I hadn’t put up much of a fight, unless you mean I shaved before I threw a few things into a bag and got in my truck to drive to the airport. The house seemed so empty without her.
After I’d landed in Vegas, Horse walked with me over the tarmac to the helicopter. He was grouchy and only spoke under his breath in complaints I wasn’t sure whether or not I was supposed to hear. He didn’t like his wife taking off like that. Why wasn’t I taking care of my wife so his wife didn’t have to drop everything and take the jet to Vegas? Made him want to sell it. And put a tracking device on the woman. And get a nanny. That would show her. He shot me a particularly dark scowl.
It made me nervous, because he was flying the helicopter. “I’d love to take care of my wife. If she’s still my wife. She was going to get it annulled. So, this, flying to see her, kind of risky for me. Suppose she thinks it’s stalker behavior?”
His scowl faded a little bit. “Felicia’s a monster. If she called you, she’ll set you up fine.”
Somehow, everything went smoothly, the girls trading their spontaneous road trip to rides home with their respective husbands, Jessie looking at me with the sweetest smile that ever made a man want to ravish someone. I’d missed her blond. I’d missed the freckles. I’d missed her natural proportions that left her more delicate, ladylike, easier to hold real, real close. The trip went as smooth as honey, and when she admitted that she hadn’t gotten an annulment, I thought my heart was going to escape from my chest and run through the dusty fields singing love songs. Ending our marriage wasn’t her highest priority. When she claimed me as her husband and took my hand, I felt like I was stepping into the sun after spending an eternity on the dark side of the moon.
The ranch wasn’t in the worst shape, but there was a lot that needed doing, repairing fences, cleaning out the main house, and the two bunkers, and all the regular upkeep, feeding, rotating pastures, and then there was the matter of the cows. They’d been waiting for the owner to come before they did anything with the thousand plus head of high quality Angus steers.
Without much discussion, I was sleeping in the house, but down the hall from Jessie, and she worked so hard from dawn to dusk, I barely had time to catch her for a Go-Fish game. I couldn’t tell if she was working so hard to stay out of the house with me, or if she was just that driven to make her ranch a success.
I ached for my bride, but I’d give her as long as she needed until she was ready for me to share her life in a more permanent way. At any rate, a week after we got in, we were pretty well settled, her and I in the house, and the four hands in the first bunkhouse, when we were getting low on meat, and Sam announced that they’d slaughter a one-year-old and have a nice neighborhood barbecue. Jessie nodded and they brought in a little heifer with a brown and cream hide and rolling brown eyes.
Jessie gripped the railing as she watched the proceedings. Sam put on a good show, describing in detail each of the tools he’d use to stun the creature so it wouldn’t feel any pain when it bled out.
Jessie wasn’t a vegetarian, but she was very attached to her pets. Still, she was going to be a rancher, so she’d have to get used to taking those lives to sustain her ranch.
“Go ahead,” she said with a firm nod, but she caught my hand and held it tight.
Sam nodded and shot the cow. The cow made a horrible sound and then tilted sideways. Sam moved quick, slitting the jugular.
Jessie’s breathing grew as ragged as the poor animal’s as it’s lifeblood drained away.
I wanted to pull her into my arms, but she needed to have a strong front for her employees.
“Very good. I’ve got to check on the horses.” She spun around and headed out, no faster than she would have gone any other time. She kept walking and I stayed a step behind her. When she stopped at a fence, staring unseeing at the horses grazing idyllically, I put my arm around her shoulders.
She stayed stiff for a moment before leaning her head on me. “Maybe I didn’t think this through,” she said in a low voice.
“It’s okay, Jess. It’s the circle of life.”
She turned and wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her face into my chest. “It was so cute.”
“Did you name it?”
“No. I almost did. If Sam hadn’t been so quick…” She shuddered and held me tighter.
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her head. Her silky blond hair was stuck up here and there. Adorable. I kissed her two more times. “You’ll get used to it.”
It was a long time before she straightened up and smiled at me. It was a tired smile. She’d been working so hard. I hadn’t worked so hard for awhile myself, but she was so small, delicate seeming, but she had a fire inside of her that kept her going.
That evening, we had a big barbecue, invited the neighbors and got to know a bunch of them. They brought sides and said nice things about the steak Jessie ate with steady perseverance. When they left, Jessie stayed up, staring into the fireplace in the living room. It was a worn room with brown beige carpet and brown couch, but she had soft red and orange blankets she’d unpacked when her boxes came.
“Jessie, are you going to bed?”
She looked up at me, eyes heavy with exhaustion. “Don’t wait up for me. I’ll be up in a bit.”
I headed to the stairs, but I stopped and leaned against the hall wall, waiting for Jess. If she started crying, I’d go and offer her what comfort I could. In a few minutes, I heard a rustling, and then the front door creak.
I followed her outside, keeping to the shadows like she did. When I touched her shoulder while she was taking a saddle out of the tack room, she screeched, but I put my hand over her mouth then quickly lowered it so she could see who it was.
“Jackson?” she breathed. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going for a moonlit ride. What horses should we take?”
She slipped her hands around my waist and held me tight. “Don’t ask questions. Okay?”
“Okay.”
The next few hours were a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration as we herded her cattle into the darkness, sending them running as far away from her ranch as she could. Yes, it was insane, and not remotely practical, but it was also sweet, sending them into the wild to live free instead of turning them into hamburgers. I didn’t mention that other people would find her cows or that they’d wander back on their own.
When we got back to the ranch, it was after three a.m. We unsaddled the horses and put them in their stalls, then made it back to the house.
“Come on,” I said, dragging her into the kitchen.
“I’m not eating a hamburger,” she said.
I kissed her nose. She blinked at me with those big blue eyes. “Ice cream. Pick your poison.” I held out the cartons. She picked double fudge chocolate and I smiled and grabbed two spoons. She sat on the counter and I stood in front of her, holding the carton until my hand was numb.
“Jackson?”
She took the bite I offered and pursed her lips as she let it melt on her tongue. “Jackson? I don’t want to talk.”
“That’s okay. Ice cream doesn’t take words.” I took a bit bite and winked at her.
She looked at my mouth and then she pulled my spoon away and pressed her lips to mine. Her lips were warm but her tongue was cold. Her tongue. Her hands slid up my chest and she started undoing buttons.
I wanted to pull away and ask if this is what she wanted, but she’d specifically said that she didn’t want to talk. She pulled away from me, took the ice cream out of my hands and then grabbed my shirt-tails and dragged me up the stairs to her bedroom. She loved me until all the fear and horror in the world vanished without a trace.
She loved me until I was boneless and limp, until I forgot everything outside of her touch, her taste. She took me with the knowledge and expertise of a masterful rider, bareback or not.
I fell asleep with Jessie in my arms, fingers and legs entwined, and I woke up alone, her side of the bed cold. I rolled out and pulled on my jeans, heart pounding as I took off down the hall and down the stairs without my pants properly zipped. When I got to the kitchen, I froze at the sight of Jessie wearing my shirt and nothing else, making waffles. I collapsed at the table with a clatter that had her turning around to stare at me. Her eyes slid down my bare chest and a hint of rose graced her cheeks.
“Morning,” she said softly.
“You didn’t run off.”
She touched her bare neck absently, like she could still feel my hands on her. I’d adored that neck as well as I’d loved the rest of her. My shirt wasn’t buttoned very high up on her. “Jackson, will you set the table?”
She turned away from me, checking the waffles while I stared at her. Set the table. Right. I could do that. Waffles were my favorite breakfast food, at least they had been when my sister had died and she’d let me be her lover for a week. I plunked the plates on the table. Was I supposed to put a tablecloth on? For breakfast? I didn’t know these rules. Were there rules? She was here. She hadn’t run after she took me into her bed, and she was making my favorite breakfast food. These were good things. So, why was my heart still racing?
