by Anne Martin
Tears sparkled in her eyes as she reached hesitantly for the statue. “You want me to be your gambling partner?”
“If I gamble again, which I have no interest in doing after that last valuable consequence, yes, I want you with me. I’m asking for a lot. I want all of you, Jessie Jasmine Strait sometimes Calhoun Dewitt. I want you to love me for richer or poorer. I’m going to inherit money, and it’ll be a lot of work to gamble it all away, so you’ll have to help me.”
She covered her mouth while she sat there, processing. Tears trickled onto her cheeks. Was this a mistake? Would she run? I’d have to be the one who left. This was her life, her family. I wouldn’t bother her if she wanted to be left alone. I wouldn’t hurt her like that.
She grabbed my hand, hers rough with calluses that didn’t match the dress. “Are you sure? I’m not as smart as your friends. I don’t know any French cuisine. I’m simple and foolish. Also a mite crazy.”
I brushed her hand with my lips. “What is simple about delivering a breech foal, being the perfect poker player or the finest trick rider in the world? You aren’t exactly the same as I am, but there are similarities. We both care about people. We both want to settle down and raise a family. We both are going to do whatever it takes to get Cora back in fighting shape. As for foolish, I want you to be a fool for me, like I have been ever since I first saw you. Be mine, Jessie. Let me be yours. Let’s fall together or run together, or take a stand and shoot intruders together.”
She laughed and brushed tears off her perfectly freckled cheeks. “Jackson, I’d like that. I’d like that so much. I’m tired of running on my own. Do you mind carrying me for a little while?”
I nodded and picked her up, taking her at her word literally and metaphorically. I was carrying her up the stairs to the bed, but my heart would never, ever let her go.
Chapter 22
The next morning, I had a hard time getting out of bed. It seemed like every time I got in bed with Jackson, it took ages to get back where we’d been. I closed my eyes and snuggled into his chest.
“What’s that car?” Jackson said.
“I don’t care.” I nibbled on his skin.
He pulled away to brush my cheek and smile at me. “That’s the sound of a limo on gravel. I have a feeling that if we don’t get out of bed, we’ll regret it quite emphatically.”
I kissed him and rolled out of bed. “I’m already regretting it. Do you think we’ll ever do much sleeping in bed?”
“I think that maybe we should go on a honeymoon and work on it until we can do that most difficult task.”
I dressed quickly, trying not to notice the fact that in spite of our supposed rush, he took his time dressing, watching me like there was something to see. I pulled on my socks and buttoned my flannel over my tank top as I walked down the hall.
I met Cora as she came out of her room. “You hear that racket? You’ll need to pave all the roads from here to the airport if those city cars are going to be coming down.”
I rolled my eyes. “They can take helicopters if they’re worried about their suspension.”
I headed outside, almost grabbing my rifle from behind the door, but one wanted to make a good impression. No, one didn’t. I grabbed the rifle and loaded it as I strode out onto the porch.
The group of men standing around the limo looked as helpless as a bunch of baby lambs. I recognized one of them from the wedding. Jackson’s cousin? The rest were unknown.
I walked over the gravel towards the group. “Excuse me, this is private property. I’m going to have to ask you to vacate the premises.”
The men all grinned like I was joking. I cocked the rifle.
“Honey, don’t get bloodthirsty before you’ve had breakfast.” Jackson wrapped his arms around me and the next thing I knew, he had the rifle. He kissed the side of my neck, taking his time before he straightened and nodded at the men, his arms looped around me.
“I figured it was you,” the cousin said, nodding at Jackson before he winked at me. “I don’t suppose any of your friends are around here.” He’d been hanging around Minx at the wedding, if I recalled. She hadn’t been impressed.
“Of course they are, but they’re all grazing this time of morning. You want an introduction?”
Trevor’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll have a word with Jackson, if you don’t mind. The rest of my friends would love to help you out.”
I shot them skeptical glances then stepped out of Jackson’s arms and headed towards the barn. “Come on, boys. The animals aren’t going to feed themselves.” I’d actually built up a variety of critters in the last month. People couldn’t pay me money, but they could donate chickens or a baby goat to my menagerie. I couldn’t say no, and so we had a piglet, three chickens, two goats and a blind cat that was the best mouser I’d ever had. I put the rich boys to feeding and then had them mucking out the stalls.
Oh my, they were terrible. They ended up having a manure fight. I just left them to it, shaking my head and walking out to find Jackson and Trevor leaning over a screen, intently.
I cleared my throat and Jackson jumped guiltily. He stepped far away from Trevor with his hands raised.
“I didn’t put down a penny, I swear it.”
Trevor looked confused, glancing down at the tablet then over at Jackson. “Am I missing something?”
“I’m a gambling addict,” Jackson said in a low voice with a frown.
Trevor shrugged. “Sure, you played a lot for awhile there, but you always kept your head. That reminds me. We need a good game tonight. What’s a cowboy ranch without poker?”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed Jackson’s arm while I glared at Trevor. “Jackson doesn’t gamble. If he plays poker, there won’t be any stakes.”
Trevor shrugged. “We could play for yachts or something.”
“Already sold it,” Jackson said quietly.
Trevor raised his eyebrows. “Really? You sold Ace? That was a good boat. Who did you sell it to? I have some good memories before you got boring. Fine, we could play for cars.”
Jackson nodded at the truck in the drive, his grandpa’s truck. “That’s all I’ve got.”
Trevor scowled at him. “Look, I understand making sacrifices for the greater good, no, I really don’t, but selling off your car collection? What about the Bugatti? Don’t tell me you sold that sweet vigilante ride.”
I elbowed Jackson. It was a batman car.
Jackson shrugged again. “Sold. I do have a Bugatti I won in a…” He glanced at me and frowned. “Maybe I shouldn’t keep it when he sends it down this weekend. He says he and his wife are driving it to visit. It’s a surprise.”
Oh, that bet with Horse. “It’s not like you’ll keep it for long. No gambling with my husband,” I said with a scowl at Trevor. “If you misbehave, I’ll make you wash down the stalls where your friends are having such a good time.”
“What are they doing?” Trevor asked, a concerned frown on his face. “Usually Roger is around to keep them from doing anything too stupid, but he’s had some family drama.”
“What’s going on with Roger?” Jackson asked.
I shifted as I tried to look interested in people I’d never heard about.
“Well,” Trevor said, shifting against the car. “You know how his brother, Tom was in that plane crash with his wife? Roger’s got the kid. I know. Who in their right mind would make one of my friends the legal guardian of a little girl. Poor thing. Last I heard, he bought her a tiger.”
“That’s sweet,” I said.
Jackson and Trevor stared at me.
I shrugged. “Tigers are sweet.”
“Tigers eat little girls,” Jackson said with a stern frown. “Everyone knows that. Look, Jessie, you aren’t planning on getting a tiger, are you? I’ve noticed your collection growing steadily. You might have a problem.”
I grinned at him and grabbed his hands. “I do. My whole life my grandma was trying to keep me from adopting another kitten or puppy. Moving around s
o much killed me, because we just couldn’t take anything with us, but here, this ranch, we can have at least a dozen dogs and cats and no one will notice.”
He blinked at me. “Right. But no tigers, right?”
I shrugged. “I worked with some big cats in Vegas for awhile. They’re sweet.”
Jackson inhaled deeply and shook his head. “Do I have veto rights? I mean, you veto me gambling off the ranch, and I veto tigers? It seems fair.”
I frowned. It did seem fair. “All right. You have veto power. You like animals, though, don’t you?”
He smiled and pulled me against him, kissing my hair. “I do. I’m very pleased with how many animals we placed at the wedding.”
“That was a weird wedding,” Trevor said like that was a good thing.
“Thanks?”
“You’ve started a trend, the horse ceremony, but I’m not sure if anyone will duplicate the alligator pit. Too bad because that was amazing.”
I stared at him. Maybe he had depth after all. I smiled. “How about we have a big poker game with the cowboys and play for pennies.”
Trevor considered that. “Pennies?”
“They’re like chips only metal instead of plastic. You’ll love them. You can shine them up real good and put them in a jar to use as a doorstop. It’s super classy. Jackson, I’ve got to go talk to the boys about our unexpected guests.”
He nodded and smiled, but he still looked sort of guilty. “I should help Trevor rein them in. We’re charging thirty grand for each one for the week.”
I shook my head at the outrageous price, but I was whistling when I went into the barn. Maybe this ranch thing would work one way or another. Jackson was kind of brilliant when he wasn’t fixated on gambling.
It wasn’t that bad having the rich boys around. We took them on a trail ride, camping out under the stars, and they didn’t complain, just hung onto their horses and sang off-key rap adapted to the scenery. Jackson took lots of pictures of Trevor looking handsome and somewhat rugged on the back of his horse. At the beginning, only Trevor could ride worth a lick, but towards the end, I’d taught them each a few tricks that would impress a greenhorn.
“Are you really Jezabel Whiskey?” Trevor asked on his last day.
I stared at him. “Not currently. Why?”
He shrugged and frowned. “It’s just that you’re one of those warm sweet girls my mama’s always telling me that I should marry, the kind that are so hard to find in my world. Jezabel Whiskey is the kind of woman you marry to show off on your yacht, the kind you hope your mother doesn’t hear about.”
I brushed the neck of my horse. “Jezabel Whiskey was my show name. I wasn’t ever the kind of girl anyone took on a boat or anywhere else.”
“Yeah, sure. I mean, you had your reputation.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Did I?”
He smiled and shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to repeat idle gossip to a lady.”
“Is that what I am?”
“Sure. Jackson wouldn’t have married you otherwise. His standards aren’t exactly low.”
I laughed. “Well, he didn’t mean to marry me, we just sort of fell into it.”
“Do you think so? I’ve known my cousin for a long time. I can’t recall a time he accidentally did anything. He’s too smart for that. He married you because he wanted to. Why wouldn’t he?”
“You’d marry me?” I teased.
He looked shocked. “Oh, no. I can’t imagine a woman I’d marry. Either she’d want me to change, or she wouldn’t. I couldn’t bear either of those options.”
“So you have a double standard.” I touched his shoulder, kind of tentatively. There was something about him that reminded me of a hurt animal. He had a thorn stuck in his paw, but someone else would have to take it out. If he let them.
He stepped away from me, awareness in his eyes. “Thanks for the cowboy experience, Miss Jessie. Jackson is a lucky guy. When you hit the rocks, as all marriages do, try to be forgiving.”
That wasn’t ominous. After the limo drove away, the ranch was suddenly much quieter. I grabbed Jackson’s hand and dragged him into the house. My bed needed some immediate occupancy.
The next group of billionaires came in helicopters, but we were prepared for them. It started out fine, but then a car drove up the gravel drive that wasn’t on our list. I came out with my rifle, ready to shoot, but the sweet little lady who got out was obviously city folk terribly lost.
“Excuse me, can I help you? You’re a long way from the city.” I gave her a nice smile.
“Oh, hi there! I must have taken a wrong turn, but you know how it is when your phone doesn’t get any service. My car was making some horrible noises. It might have broken. Do you mind if I use your restroom?” She had a weird accent, maybe European.
I blinked at her. “Oh. Sure.” I pointed over my shoulder towards the house. She headed off in her high heels and tiny little skirt. I knew that brand. Expensive. The kind of expensive that looked cheap.
I stared at that car before I finally shook my and went to look at the engine. I had the hood up and was leaning down when I heard hollering. I pulled my head out of the hood and looked up in time to see a naked woman running along the porch roof while my grandma hung out the window shooting at her. What in the world?
The woman tumbled off the end of the porch, but she came up running, right into Sam’s arms.
He caught her and whipped off his shirt, covering her up first thing. She struggled to get away from him, but she was batting her lashes at him like crazy the whole time. That took serious coordination.
Jackson came out of the house, an expression of rage on his face I’d seldom seen before. No, I’d never seen it.
“Did you invite that vampire into the house, Jessie?” he demanded, a thunderstorm on his face.
I stared at him. “Is there such a thing as vampires?”
“Good,” grandma said, coming out of the house with a gun in each hand. “You’ve caught her so I can shoot her right between the eyes. The girl’s got good legs.”
Sam glanced down and grinned like he agreed. Yes, her legs were excellent. She could be a showgirl with that tone. She worked on those legs just like she worked on that perfect tan.
I walked over to the woman, holding up my hand so Cora didn’t shoot anyone innocent. “What happened to your clothes?” I asked.
Her eyes went all big and sweet as she gazed at me. “Well, I’m sometimes lonely, and the handsome man was flirting, telling me that I was pretty. It didn’t seem like it would hurt to have a moment of passion, but then that creature went insane!” She pointed a perfectly French manicured finger at my grandma.
My grandma spit at her. It landed on my boot. I sighed and turned to Jackson. He was still seething, his eyes focused on the woman like he’d rip her head off if he got the chance.
“Jackson, what is she talking about? Was one of our guests in the house?” I wouldn’t put it past one of them taking the chance for a fling with a complete stranger. It was normal enough in Vegas even though this clearly wasn’t Vegas.
“No. I was in the house.”
I stared at him. “You told her that you wanted…”
He shot a look at me, a glare that made me stop talking real fast. No, Jackson wouldn’t get it on with some strange woman in my house, no matter how good her plastic surgeon was.
I scratched my neck. “I don’t understand. Have you been skipping your medication?” I asked the girl.
Her eyes went from innocent to icy really fast. She should be a showgirl. “Jackson and I go way back. Why would he want you when he could have me?”
“Why indeed?” Cora spat, that time not literally. “She’s his ex,” she said with a frown at Jackson. “Shouldn’t have dated a girl like that.”
“I didn’t date her,” Jackson exploded. “I don’t date, certainly not girls like her. She’s been stalking me for two years. Apparently, the news hasn’t gotten to her yet. I’m broke, Eva. I spent every cent I h
ave. I’m no longer a good catch so you can stop harassing me.”
I was starting to feel a little dizzy and a lot nauseous.
Eva pulled out her phone. Where had she kept it? “That’s what you said, but that’s not true according to this article. You have bids from fifteen countries for your power plants. You’re revolutionizing the entire world and you funded it all yourself, so that’s almost pure profit. Not even I could spend money that fast.”
Jackson crossed his arms and nodded at Sam. “Take her to town. Eva, if I ever see you again, I’m locking you in a trunk and dumping you into the bottom of the ocean.”
Eva gave him a sultry glance. “You’re too nice for that. You’re respectful no matter what we do to you.”
I gasped. It was the first time I’d breathed since she’d started talking. “Right, well, I’m not.” I walked over and slammed my fist into her diaphragm. She folded and I punched her face on the way down. I yanked her up by her hair and snarled. “If you ever so much as look at my man again, I will skin you alive, nice and slow, and I’ll feed you to Abigail. Jackson won’t let me have a tiger, but the gators get very hungry. They’ll appreciate all that hard work your doctors do to cover up your rotten soul. Sam, take her somewhere before I kill her right now.”
Sam dragged her away while her swollen eye stared at me in shock. Now that was a real expression. I looked around at the group of billionaires and cowboys who were staring at me.
“What are you looking at? Show’s over. There’s not going to be any mud wrestling on my ranch. Not that it’d last long. That girl’s got no grit.”
I stormed into the house, dragging Jackson behind me. I didn’t stop until we were in my bedroom, the door closed behind us. When I turned to him, he had his arms crossed and that anger was still in his eyes.
