by Anne Martin
Chapter 19
How was I supposed to say it? I wanted to go to bed with Jackson on a regular basis. Forever. I wanted him to move in with me, but this was all just a passing thing for him while he got his gambling addiction under control. He’d worked so hard beside me, keeping up and easing my burden just by being there. I hadn’t expected him to last through hard labor for a whole day, but a week later, he was up with me when I went on my idiotic mission.
What was I going to do with a ranch and no cattle? I wasn’t a farmer other than getting in feed for the animals. I should have been more worried, but I could still feel Jackson’s skin against mine, his goodness soaking into me like a hot water bottle on a cold night. I wanted him with me when the nights got cold. I wanted him with a yearning that was closer to need than want.
I put a waffle on his plate and poured his syrup.
“Thank you, Miss Jessie.”
“It’s Mrs. Dewitt to you.” I smiled, but my heart fluttered uncontrollably. “Jackson, have you liked it here? You’ve worked really hard. You don’t have to work so hard, I just like having you around.”
He cocked his head and cut a piece of waffle with his fork. “Am I doing a bad job that you want me to stop?”
“No! I mean, you’re doing a very good job at all the work you do.” Was I blushing? Oh, I was blushing like a fire engine. “Last night, I mean with the cattle, you were amazing. It’s like you knew what I wanted before I did.” I wasn’t ever going to stop blushing for the rest of my life.
“I was born to be a cattle rustler. I like working beside you. It’s really peaceful.”
I smiled brightly. “Yeah. So, last night, after the cattle, um, you seemed to be not too distraught when you found yourself in my bed.”
He took a bite of waffle and chewed for a long time before he swallowed and nodded. “This is really good. We’re up to six things you do well. I mean, cooking. You do a lot of things very well other than that. It was not a difficulty to climb those stairs with you pulling on my shirt tails the whole way. It wasn’t any effort at all.”
I bit my bottom lip. “I’m sorry if I was too pushy.”
“You didn’t push, you pulled, and you should know after all those years, that there isn’t another bed I’d rather find myself in.”
I inhaled shakily. “Really?”
He nodded soberly and took another bite. He took a drink of juice and shook his head. “I’m not sure how it’s possible for you to doubt how much I want you. You’re a very desirable woman.”
“Even without the large bust and big hair?”
He smiled slowly before glancing down to take me in. “I would say that your current status suits you much better, and your hair is as beautiful as are you. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it last night, but we were under a strict no-talking policy.”
I took his fork out of his hand and put it down. “Okay. I’m just going to say it. Jackson, I want you to move into my bedroom with me. I want this ranch to be a place where you can land. Like permanent friends. Marriage isn’t that bad, is it? We wouldn’t have to bother with an annulment unless you had other plans.”
He stared at me, his eyes unfathomable before he nodded soberly. “All right. I’ll move my things into your room after breakfast. I don’t have a lot with me. We’ll have to go up to Dallas and pick up some more things. Do you mind if I kiss you?”
I stared at him. “You’re okay with it?”
He nodded. “Very. I need a place to land. Permanently. Your bed is the nicest place I can think of. Can I kiss you?”
I nodded and he pulled me into his arms, hands almost rough on me before he ravaged my mouth, lips hard and then soft and then he pulled me onto the table and kissed my throat, down to the top button of his shirt and back up again. His hands skimmed over me and my worries floated away. He distracted me so completely, there was nothing but charred ash of the next waffle.
When the smoke filled the room, he unplugged the waffle maker from the wall and carried me up the stairs, back to my bed.
When I made it downstairs the second time, the men were all in a panic because of the missing cattle. I leaned against the door with my cup of coffee, feeling like the sun was shining even though thunder rumbled in the distance.
“Miss Jessie,” Sam said, coming over with a serious frown. “We’ll have to ride out looking for them, but with this storm coming in, it doesn’t seem safe.”
I patted his shoulder. “Don’t fret. I have faith that things will turn out. They always seem to, eventually.”
“I’m going to town,” Jackson said, resolve in his voice.
I turned to stare at him, my hand fluttering around before it settled on my heart where I needed him to stay. “Abilene?”
“Dallas. I’ll be back tonight, but maybe late. You don’t need to wait up for me.”
I put my hand on his arm. I searched his eyes before I asked low, “Are you going because of me? Do you need more space?”
He cocked his head. “Actually, I’m looking into possibilities to fund this ranch. I have a few ideas. I’ll never, ever need space from you.” He kissed me, right in front of the hands, a thorough kiss that made me ache for him. “I’ll be back before you know it, Miss Jessie.”
“That’s Mrs. Dewitt to you.” I grabbed his hands and held on. “You’ll be careful?”
He nodded and grinned. “I’m beginning to think that you like me in your bed. I’ll take your truck. Don’t worry about me. I’m an experienced driver.” He leaned down for another quick kiss before he adjusted his hat and headed out. I watched him go, aching and hurting. What if he didn’t come back? What if this was his punishment, his revenge, leaving without telling me that he wouldn’t come back, making me vulnerable, opening up my heart and soul before he hurt me?
I shook my head and went to work. I had to trust him, but not only that, I had to trust that I could be strong enough to endure whatever pain he gave me.
I spent the day riding the grazing land through the freezing rain, trying to gather up the cattle we could find. Sam kept eying me but he didn’t say anything. What was I going to do to support the ranch? What if Jackson had the idea that he could save the ranch by getting lucky at the tables? He’d done so well for a long time. I was still out riding late at night, carrying a battery powered lantern and hustling those cows back home.
I’d wanted to be a veterinarian in college. No, I’d wanted to be a wife, but my major was pre-med. I could go back to school, but could a Vet’s salary cover the price of all the hands, taxes, and mortgage along with feed and repairs? I was married to Jackson. Would he take my ranch’s deed to the tables like he’d taken the manor? What had he done with that? I rode hard, moving the critters in with the cow dog Sam had so well trained until we got back tired and hungry.
“Miss Jessie, can I have a word?” Sam asked once we’d gotten the cows fenced and the horses brushed down and stalled.
I rolled my shoulders and twisted my back to get out kinks. I’d raced for days at a time but the desert was dry. “Come in the house. I’ve got to eat and warm up.”
He followed me in, closing the screen gently behind him. I smiled because it was nice when a man knew how to treat a good door.
He leaned on the counter while I heated beans and grabbed the bread. “Someone drove those cows out.”
“I know.” I moved him to the side while I fished in the cupboard above his head. I couldn’t find anything in that kitchen. It would take me ages to get settled.
“I think it was your husband. I don’t know what he’d get out of it, but I saw his boot prints the next morning.”
“You can recognize his boot prints? Impressive.” I studied the beans on the stove until they started bubbling up around the edges. “Sam, I can’t murder cows.” I raised my eyes and stared at him.
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Why are you working so hard in this weather to retrieve critters you chased away?”
I shrugged. “I thought it ma
de sense to buy a ranch, to live close to the land and the animals, but I’m better at curing than killing.”
“You’re good with animals?”
I shrugged and nodded then took the beans off the stove and put them on the table. “Grab the plates and sit.”
He plunked down next to me and we ate for a few minutes in silence. When he pushed back his plate, he said, “You’re good with horses?”
I nodded.
“I mean fixing them up?”
I shrugged.
“You delivered many foals?”
“More than my share.”
He pushed back from the table. “There’s a horse at a neighboring ranch that needs help. C’mon then.”
I closed my eyes for a second. I was so tired. I shook my head and got up to follow him. I grabbed my slicker off the hook and went into the blowing rain.
I climbed into his truck and he peeled out. “What’s wrong with the horse?”
“Got a call a bit ago. Went into labor.”
“That’s normal for pregnant horses. What’s the problem?”
He shook his head. “Still in labor after an hour.”
I grabbed the armrest. “Where’s the vet?”
He shot me a look. “In this weather? He’s holed down two hours Southwest of here with some cows that got into some red buckeye. We can usually handle foaling, but there’s some trouble.”
I leaned my head on the window and closed my eyes. “Hurry up, then.”
He went as fast as we could through the blinding rain. I fell asleep in spite of sloshing through washed out roads. He shook my shoulder and I startled upright.
“What?”
“We’re here.”
I got out and hurried after him to the barn. Inside, a little girl, maybe ten, was trying to calm down a horse, but both of them were near hysterical. I smiled at her and knelt down to check the horse. Her breathing was heavy and rapid. She was tired, probably from trying to push out a baby who was in the wrong position.
“It’s all right, honey. This isn’t going to be very comfortable, but we’ll get you set up real soon.” I ran my hands over her stomach and then reached the back end. I closed my eyes for a moment while I organized what needed doing, then I nodded and set to work.
Wrap the tail. Disinfect. Cut the red sack. Reach inside and shift that baby back. The horse screamed and jerked.
“It’s all right, princess. Mama’s got you. Easy, easy. There you go. Just a little bit more. You’re doing real good. That should be it. Go ahead now.”
I withdrew my arm and with a shudder, the horse birthed a beautiful foal with a russet coat. I tipped its head back and wiped out the nostrils before I rubbed it down until it was breathing good. The mama stayed lying, eyes closed, exhausted.
“You did so good, sugar,” I said, stroking her nose. “Just take it easy for a second. That’s right.”
The horse started twitching again and a few minutes later delivered the placenta. Soon the foal was nursing and the mama was stirring a bit more.
I looked up at Sam and the little girl where they stood staring at me. I smiled at them. “She’s looking better. I’d better get back home. Sam?”
He shook his head. “The road’s washed out, and the rain’s only getting worse. You’re real good at that.”
I shrugged and sat down on a straw bale, suddenly exhausted. I smiled at the girl. “You did fine, cleaning and strawing to get ready for the birth. Do you have a blanket I could use? I need a few winks.”
She nodded and went to the house, bringing back a blanket and pillow that she’d kept dry beneath her slicker.
“Thanks. You should get some rest, too. If something goes wrong, I’ll see to it.” I rubbed her dark hair and waited until she nodded soberly and headed back out towards the house.
I flopped over, curled up on that bale against the wall and hoped the mice wouldn’t nibble on my toes. No, I couldn’t keep a cattle ranch and pay the hands as a vetrinarian. It was too bad because good jobs like that were hard to come by, and good help even harder.
Chapter 20
When I woke up, Jackson was scowling in my face. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to kiss me. I kissed him a little frantically until my grandma snorted.
“You’ve got straw in your hair.”
I pushed away from Jackson and stared at Cora. “What are you doing here?”
She glared at me. “What do you think?”
“Did Jackson get you so that you could kill the cows when I can’t?”
She shook her head. “Your husband dragged me down so I can stay with you while I’m doing my treatments.”
A chunk of ice formed in my chest. “Treatments?”
“It looks good,” Jackson said, so calm and assured, I couldn’t doubt him. “She caught it early, but for the best results, she needs a lot of rest and someone to take care of her.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “If your treatment’s in Dallas…”
“Abilene. Your gambling man set me up real good. You sleep here all night?”
I frowned at her and Jackson. “How did you find me?”
“Sam came to the house this morning. He left you here to sleep.” Jackson’s jaw was tight, like there was something wrong with sleeping in straw.
I rubbed my face. “He should have woken me up, but I was a little tired. Didn’t get much sleep night before last.” I shot him a look.
His brows lowered. “We didn’t get to the house until two in the morning, and then I was up waiting for you. You didn’t take your phone.”
I examined my fingernails and frowned at the dried blood. “Should I ask to wash up in the house, or should I go home and take a long bath? Bath.” I grabbed Jackson and Cora around the waist. “Sorry to worry you two. I got stuck here last night after the road got washed out. There was a horse in trouble.”
Cora side-hugged me back for a second before stepping away to go check on the mare, leaving me almost alone with Jackson. He caressed my cheek and gazed into my eyes.
“I’ve been thinking…” he said, frowning so seriously.
My heart pounded and I had the urge to take off cross country instead of listen to him tell me that he didn’t want the burden of life with me and my grandma.
“I think we should make it an exotic retreat, the genuine cowboy experience for those billionaires who are looking for an extra special adventure.”
I stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
He pulled me close and linked his hands behind my back. “The ranch. You can’t rustle your own cattle and then go fetch them all back the next day over and over again. It’s not suitable for you to collapse on random neighbor’s hay bales, either.”
“Straw.” I exhaled and let him fold me into his arms. “Billionaire ranch? That sounds awful.”
“Yet lucrative. I sold off two more cars to fund it. The crew will be coming today, so it was essential that I find you sometime between last night and whenever the ranch gets turned into a resort.”
I pushed away from him and stared at him. “I don’t want to live in a resort! This ranch is supposed to be where I can settle down, where I can sink my roots.”
“Are you going to grow potatoes, Jessie? Because I don’t see any other way your roots are going to pay off your mortgage, not to mention hospital bills.”
I gestured at him. “So, you had a good idea about dragging my least favorite kind of person into my home and without asking what I think about it, without a by-your-leave, and I’m supposed to be grateful to you for taking care of it? It’s my ranch. Inviting you into my bed wasn’t an invitation for you to do whatever you want with it. If I need money, I can always get back on a horse and show off my tricks.”
He stared at me, his eyes hard for a moment before they softened and he gave me a wry smile. “That’s right. I forgot how much you hated billionaires. I had a good idea and I ran with it like it was a sure bet. Sorry, Miss Jessie.”
I hesitated then went into
his arms and pressed my face into his chest. “It is a good idea. It’s just, everything is so sudden. My grandma sick, needing to move in, and compound that stress with a bunch of strangers traipsing through my house night and day? I don’t know. I could sell the ranch, you know. That’s the logical thing, say I gave it a shot and moved on when it didn’t work out.”
“No offense, but since when did logic affect Jessie Strait?”
“That’s Mrs. Dewitt to you.”
He pulled away and put his finger on my chin, tilting my face up. “Mrs. Dewitt, I want to help you in your troubles. What can I do?”
I took a deep breath and exhaled a sigh. I put my arm around him and we walked out of the barn. “Tell me about this scheme of yours. It sounds crazy, but you’re usually kind of rational, you know, when you aren’t gambling away everything you own.”
“It’s perfectly rational to gamble. Life’s a gamble. The tables are just a more efficient method of living quickly. I could get a job in town to help pay the bills.”
“Are they hiring biomedical engineers in Abilene?”
He smiled at me and rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, sending a shaft of awareness through me. “Sewage treatment plants pay steady wages.”
I snorted and beamed at him. “That you said that is really the sweetest thing. Thank you, but no. I can’t let you do something that you hate.”
“What makes you think I’d hate it? It’s a fascinating process. There are so many possibilities that humanity has yet to explore.”
I glanced around and saw Cora leaning over a stall door where the horse was. I bit my bottom lip and then lunged for Jackson, kissing him and kissing him while I slid my hands over his body, his neck, tugging on his hair as I pulled him into me.
He urged me closer to me while he kissed me, so hungry, so very, very hungry.
I pulled away before Cora caught us. “Come on. Let’s get home. I need to take that bath. Maybe you can, um, tell me about your scheme at the same time.”
