by Chloe Lang
Jackson took a deep breath, then began. “Jessie is amazing. I didn’t mean for anything to happen, but it did.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that? I know your rep. Love ‘em and leave ‘em, Jackson. You should’ve kept your dick in your pants. This is too important for you to get a cheap thrill from a big-town hussy.”
Rage poured into Jackson, and he charged Austin, slamming him against his pickup. “Fuck you! Never talk about Jessie that way.”
Phoenix grabbed him from behind. “Settle down, lil’ bro. Austin hasn’t met her. Besides, you know him.”
“Let him go, Phoenix. Let’s see if he can take me.” Austin glared at him. “You want to punch me, Jackson. Well, take your best shot, because that’s all you’ll get.”
Denver and Dallas pulled up in one of the mine’s trucks. They hopped out. “What the hell’s going on?” Dallas shouted.
“I’ll tell you exactly what’s going on.” Austin growled. “You guys fucked up by going back to Miss Greene’s room. And Jackson took the cake by spending the night with her. Phoenix tells me that none of you told her that you were part of the Wilde family. That right?”
“True.” Denver stepped between Jackson and Austin. “She’s quite the woman.”
Austin rolled his eyes. “Stars in your eyes, too.”
“You haven’t met her.” Jackson’s pulse backed down. “You don’t know.”
“Lil’ bro, I can see that you think you can woo her to take the leap into our family’s unusual marriage arrangement.”
“What?” Denver turned to Jackson. “You’re that gone on her?”
Jackson nodded. Not the way he wanted the discussion to go down, but he was glad it was out in the open now.
“Miss Greene is great and all, but she’s not from around here.” Dallas shook his head.
Phoenix added, loosening his hold on him, “From what I saw last night, she’s not very experienced, either.”
Austin stepped up, and put his hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “A fool’s dream.” Then he smiled. “Fine. But do your charming after she finishes her investigation of the mine. I’ve left a message for her at the hotel that I’ve set up a tour for her with one of the supervisors. I’ll see her the next day in my office. I just hope I can clean up the mess you all have created before the dads get back.”
“You will, big bro. You always do.” Jackson loved Austin. He’d always idolized him. Once he met Jessie, Austin would know that she was for all of them, just like he did.
Chapter Five
Jessica looked at the clock. He should’ve been back by now. Then she checked herself. Grinning, she realized that time and schedules might be quite different in Wilde than Manhattan and DC. Still, she needed to get to the mine. That was why she was here.
She hummed one of her favorite songs as she finished putting on the last of her makeup. She’d never felt so alive in her whole life. Jackson had been amazing, perfect even. When she thought about the cowboy who had given her the best birthday present ever, little tingles spread through her body. She even imagined him coming to visit her back east, showing him off to Michael and her other friends. God, that would be so great.
“Slow down, Jessica. You’re not a teenager. It was only one night,” she said aloud, looking at herself in the mirror for a final once-over, and smiled. For the first time, she felt beautiful. She prayed for many more nights with Jackson.
Jessica decided to go to the lobby and wait for her sexy cowboy. They could eat on the way to the mine. She grabbed her laptop, cell, and purse and left the room she would always remember as the place she had her first time with a man. And what a man!
She was disappointed when she got to the lobby and someone else was at the reception desk other than Maude.
“Miss Greene?” The guy was good-looking and quite tall. Six-six, at least. He wore a cowboy hat, T-shirt, jeans, and boots, Wilde’s usual attire for men, she was learning. He had a name badge that read Kyle.
“Yes.” She stepped up to the counter.
“I have a message from Austin Wilde for you.” He slid an envelope over to her with her name on it.
Damn. They know I’m here. “Thank you.”
She opened it up. It was on the Wilde Mine’s stationery.
Dear Ms. Greene,
I’m looking forward to meeting you. I wish I had been made aware of your arrival, as I would’ve been able to clear my calendar. Unfortunately, my schedule today is fully booked. I have arranged a tour for you with one of our supervisors.
I’ll be happy to meet with you tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. to discuss what we can provide that will aid in your investigation. As you know, Wilde Mine has been incident free for many years. I am certain you will find during your brief time here that we take the safety of our employees very seriously.
Looking forward to meeting you.
Sincerely,
Austin Wilde
Senior Lead & General Manager
Wilde Mining Enterprises
Jessica felt her temperature rise from the tone of Mr. Wilde’s letter. Such arrogance. Who the hell did he think he was? She should’ve been used to this kind of treatment, but she wasn’t. Her youth and gender typically did cause a bit of a shocked reaction from mining personnel whenever she showed up. Still, she’d earned her job at MSHA by working long hours and making a difference. Her boss, the Deputy Director, seemed pleased with her performance, and had given her this assignment to get her out of headquarters in Virginia and into the field. If successful here, she might get to stay in the field and could move up her G.S pay grade significantly. If unsuccessful, she’d be back at her desk at headquarters, shuffling paperwork once again.
Well, Jackson would have to forgive her. She had to get to the mine ASAP. I’ll leave a message for him that we can meet up later. “Kyle, do you know a guy named Jackson? He’s Maude’s nephew.”
“Sure do. I know all the Wilde brothers.”
“What?” Jessica’s blood turned icy cold, and her heart sunk to her toes. “J–Jackson’s last name is really Wilde?”
“Yup. Here he comes now, Miss Greene.” Kyle pointed behind her.
She turned just in time to see Jackson coming through the hotel’s front door, holding a sack and grinning.
“You asshole!” Fury raced through her like lightning.
His smile evaporated. “Hold on, Jessie.”
“My name is Jessica!” Her mind was aflame, verging on insanity.
“Okay.” The look of guilt on his face told her all she needed to know. She’d been played.
“I’m such an easy mark. You happy with yourself, cowboy?”
“Let me explain. It’s not what you think.”
“Not what I think? Really? Are you, or are you not, a member of the Wilde family?”
He placed the sack on the counter and held up his hands like a criminal surrounded by the law.
“Don’t you come one step closer to me.” Jessica felt his treachery in every fiber of her being. How could I’ve been so brainless?
Jackson turned to Kyle. “Give us a minute, buddy.”
“No, Kyle. Stay.” Jessica felt the acid in her throat. Angry tears of betrayal stung her eyes. She fought them back. Jackson will not see me cry, damn it. “I need a witness.”
“What the hell’s going on?” Kyle placed his hands on the counter and glared at Jackson.
“None of your fucking business, that’s what. Get lost.”
“Not until Miss Greene says so.”
“Thank you, Kyle. At least some men in Wilde can be trusted.”
“Him?” Jackson pointed at Kyle. “Not on your life.”
“I think I’ll be the judge of that. If you’ve got something to say to me, say it.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m in a hurry to go to your family’s mine. Oh, but you know that already.”
“Let’s talk on the way, Jessie.”
“Stop calling me that. You’re crazy if you think I’m getting in a vehicle wit
h you.”
“Okay. Just listen. Yes, I knew who you were the moment I saw you. We were only supposed to keep tabs on you. But when I saw you, something amazing happened. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before. It’s not about the mine. It’s about you and me. I think we made a connection last night and definitely this morning. If you’re truthful with yourself, you know it, too.”
“Truthful? Ha! Let me tell you something, Mr. Wilde. I have a job to do, and that’s exactly what I will do. If I find even the slightest infraction surrounding the recent accidents at your mine, you’ll be getting the full extent of penalties that I have authority to hand down, up to and including shutting your mine down until it is brought up to safety standards I deem necessary.”
He reached out, as if to grab her hand.
“Don’t touch me.”
Jackson stepped back. “Okay. I got it. But please believe me. What happened between us had nothing to do with the mine.”
“Since this is a small town, it may be hard to avoid you, but I will do my best. Do me a favor, and do the same.”
“I can’t, Jessie.” His face looked dejected, as if he were actually telling the truth. But how could she believe him when he’d been so deceptive? She couldn’t.
Kyle reached across the counter and grabbed Jackson’s forearm. “Listen to the little lady, buddy.”
“Screw you.” Jackson jerked his arm free. “You don’t know anything about her.”
“Neither do you, Mr. Wilde. Leave me the hell alone.”
* * * *
Jessica knew her eyes were swollen when she pulled up to the security shack at the front gate of the Wilde Mine. After leaving the hotel, she’d driven to a rest stop and cried her eyes out. What a fool she’d been. Once again, she’d proven that she had horrible instincts when it came to men. Michael turned out to be gay. Jackson had ulterior motives for fucking her. With this track record, her next lover would turn out to be some homicidal maniac.
Next time? No way. She was through with men.
All she had was her job now, and it was in dire jeopardy. If her boss ever found out about what had happened with Jackson and his brothers, she’d be on her way to the unemployment line the next instant.
She rolled down the window and looked at the guard, who was smiling broadly. Another hot male. God, are all the men in Wilde good-looking? A woman doesn’t have a chance here.
“Hello. Miss Greene?”
“Yes.” She held up her identification for him to inspect.
“Welcome to Wilde Mine. I’m Luke Bronte. We’ve been expecting you.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Please, park by that blue truck. Your tour guide just arrived a few minutes before you. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
The metal gate opened slowly, and she parked where he’d indicated. She took a deep breath, and reminded herself that she was a professional. She had a job to do, and damn it, she was going to do it. If I don’t think about Jackson, I can get through this.
She stepped out of her car, carrying her laptop case with her.
A familiar voice greeted her. “Hi, Jessie.”
She looked up into the hazel eyes of Phoenix.
“Mr. Wilde, call me Miss Greene, please.” Like Jackson, he must’ve known who she was the moment they’d met. Asshole!
“So formal? Naw. Too late for that. We’ve seen each other naked.”
Jessica felt her cheeks burn. His grin let her know they’d turned red, too. “Whatever. Like I told your brother, I’m here to do my job. Nothing that happened last night changes that.”
“I know. But you should know that you did one humdinger on my lil’ bro. I’ve never seen him like this. Can’t blame him.” Phoenix flagrantly scanned her body. “You are something else, Jessie.”
Her body’s automatic warming to his lusty scrutiny unnerved her. She needed to get a hold of herself. “I’m supposed to take a tour of the mine. Can you take me to my guide, please?”
“You’re looking at him, angel.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“You’re a supervisor here.”
He tilted his head. “Not really. My parents thought it better if I worked on our ranch than the mine.”
“Is Austin your brother, too? I got a note from him saying a supervisor would be giving me a tour.”
“He’s the oldest of us five. While our dads are off, he’s the one in charge.”
Dads? Did they have different fathers? “Fine. Then I should do as he instructed. I would rather get my tour from a knowledgeable supervisor. Where is one?”
“Woman, you sure have a mouth on you. Sexy, too. God, your lips are so tempting.”
“Phoenix, focus. A supervisor, please.”
“Sweetheart, it’s me or no one.”
“Fine. Do you know your way around the mine?”
“Since I was five. Let’s get you outfitted.”
* * * *
Standing in one of the wide crosscut tunnels in the mine, Jessica nodded to herself. Wilde Mine produced tons of silver and other semiprecious metals every year, and still its safety standards exceeded the required minimums by a long shot. In fact, she wouldn’t be surprised if it had been the safest mine in North America, minus the recent accidents. Something just doesn’t add up.
“Well, you’ve seen the whole shooting match.” Instead of a cowboy hat, Phoenix wore a yellow hard hat, just like she was wearing. He looked damn sexy in it, too. “Any thoughts, Jessie?”
“I’ve got a lot more to look over before I can say.” She heard footsteps, echoing off the walls of the tunnel. Someone was headed their way. The tour had calmed her down. Work was always like that for her. Whenever her personal life went haywire, she’d drown herself in her job.
“I’m sure you’ll find the mine isn’t at fault in any of the accidents.”
The approaching person was getting closer.
“Trying to put a bug in my ear for the company line? Don’t even think about it.” The footsteps ended. She looked up and spotted the last person she wanted to see today. “Stop.”
Jackson shook his head. “Jessie, please. We can’t leave it this way.”
“That’s exactly how we will leave it. I may have had poor judgment last night and this morning with you. I promise that won’t happen again.” She turned back to Phoenix. “I’m ready to go to the surface.”
The ground vibrated as a conveyor vehicle headed into the tunnel. She stepped back to the wall, when suddenly the operator slumped onto the wheel. The giant machine jerked straight for her. Jackson leapt to her, and slammed her to the ground out of the way. Her head and back banged against the floor, sending sharp pain up and down her spine.
“Fuck!” Jackson yelled.
She saw that his leg had been lacerated by a piece of the vehicle’s metal. “Jackson, don’t move.”
Phoenix rushed to them, his eyes wide. “Lil’ bro, you okay?”
“Yes. Jessie, are you hurt?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Jackson rolled off of her. “Check on the driver.”
Phoenix nodded, and moved to the unconscious man. She watched Phoenix put his fingers to the driver’s neck. “He’s got a pulse.”
“Thank God.” Jessica turned to Jackson. His leg was bleeding. “Where’s the closest emergency kit?”
“Far wall.”
“The com there, too?”
“Yes.”
Jessica got the kit and rushed back to Jackson. He was sitting up.
“I’m all right, Jessie. Really.”
“Shut up, and let me do my job.”
Several mining personnel had shown up. The driver was still unconscious. Jessica looked at the scene. If Jackson hadn’t pushed her to the ground, she could’ve been impaled or crushed by the vehicle. She reached for Jackson’s hand, and a violent spasm shot up her back. Dizziness overtook her, and the tunnel seemed to spin.
J
ackson stood up and put his arm around her waist. “Hang on, sweetheart.”
Phoenix got on the other side of her. “Let’s get her to the doc.”
Then, she passed out.
Chapter Six
Jessie woke up. It was night, and she realized that she wasn’t in the mine any longer. Instead, she was in a truck between Jackson and Phoenix. The vehicle’s headlights revealed that they were headed down a dirt road.
Holding the steering wheel, Phoenix looked over. “Looks like our girl is finally awake.”
Jackson squeezed her hand. “Jessie, you took quite a tumble. How do you feel?”
She jerked her hand free. “What’s going on? Where are you taking me?”
Phoenix patted her thigh. “Remember Doc said to check her pupils.”
“Right.” Jackson cupped her chin. “Open your eyes wide for me, sweetheart.”
“Answer my question first.” She felt groggy and very disoriented.
“Good enough. They look normal, bro.” He released her chin. “You passed out. Doc checked you over and said the only thing we had to worry about was a concussion. He didn’t think you had one, but you can’t be alone for awhile. So, we’re taking you to my place.”
“No. No way. Take me to the hotel.”
“We will. But Doc thought it best to get some food in you, and my house is closest to the mine.”
“We’re here,” Phoenix announced. “Château Jackson, if you please.”
The truck stopped. She looked out the windshield to what looked to be a mini-Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. A sloping roof, clean lines, broad porch, and long windows created something that looked as if it belonged in nature.
“I never would’ve expected something like this out here. This is amazing.”
Jackson smiled. “Thank you. I’m very proud of it. I think it’s the best of the lot.”
“What do you mean?”
Phoenix smirked. “He thinks this dump is better than our brothers’ places or mine. Once you see my house, you’ll know he’s crazy. I’m a much better builder than he is.”
