Sweetest Mistake

by Candis Terry

  Other times, he had to admit to being a complete idiot.

  He was glad they got that out of their systems?

  Fuck.

  He’d been so locked on autopilot, so used to denying his feelings, that when the most idiotic words he’d ever uttered had spilled from his mouth, he’d been stunned. But then, Abby had jumped in and agreed, and it had been too damned late to grab the words back.

  With all that drama off my chest and you out of my system, I can really start living my new life.

  He didn’t want her living a new life.

  Especially without him.

  Now what the hell was he supposed to do?

  Chapter 11

  While nobody minded jumping on board Engine One and racing off to protect those in danger, the SAFD did mind when some twisted individual in an office building threw the fire alarm to buy them time for a late project.

  Even if it was funny as hell.

  Jackson hiked himself up into the cab, eased into the seat, and stretched out his legs. “That’s gotta be a first,” he said to Mike, who’d planted himself in the opposite rear-facing seat.

  Hooch grinned. “I actually pulled that stunt in high school when I needed to finish a term paper so I didn’t fail a class.”

  “No shit?”

  “Let’s just say back in those days, I wasn’t the fine upstanding citizen I am now.”

  Jackson laughed. “Whoever said you fit that description?”

  “Trying to be.” Mike looked out the window as the truck rolled out of the parking lot at BAR Computronics. “Isn’t easy, though.”

  “I hear you.” As of two days ago, Jackson had dived into the what the fuck had he been thinking category.

  While the engine rumbled beneath him, he closed his eyes, and his mind immediately rushed back to two amazing hours spent with Abby in the tree house.

  Two amazing hours he’d take back in a second if he could.

  Most days, he could blame his exhaustion on his work shift, or the ranch work, or any number of physical-labor jobs he did throughout the week. Today, as the engine rolled back to the station, he could only blame his own stupidity for the lack of sleep and mental overtime he’d been putting in.

  The moment Jesse had pulled up to the ranch with Abby at his side, Jackson had smelled trouble. And he’d ignored it.

  Blatantly.

  As usual, he’d allowed himself to get tangled up in the bullshit his brothers deemed entertainment. When he’d been a kid, they’d gone about torturing him and Jake—the youngest—in ways that were surely illegal in most states. Oh, he didn’t doubt they loved him and would cut off an arm to protect him, but that didn’t mean they didn’t enjoy the hell out of sticking their damn noses in where they didn’t belong.

  He’d been set up, and he should have sensed the danger. But he’d taken one look at Abby sitting next to his brother, with Jesse’s arm slung over her shoulder like he was claiming her, and Jackson’s senses went on full-impact implode.

  There wasn’t a damn reason in hell he should have felt that sharp bite of jealousy stab him in the heart. He had no right. But the fact remained that he was a selfish son of a bitch, and even though he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—claim her, he didn’t want anyone else to have that right either.

  Did that mean he expected her to live her life in misery? Alone? With a cat?

  Jury was still out.

  Yeah, he could be a selfish prick at times.

  He’d only made the situation worse by giving in to his body’s needs. By letting all those fantasies he’d had of her for a million nights come alive in his head and transfer down into the rest of him, which wouldn’t listen to reason.

  Damn, it had been so good to hold her. To realize that all those things he’d wondered about the two of them together were fact, not fiction.

  Still, he’d take those hours with her all back if he could.

  Only to repeat them all over again.

  “Troubles?”

  Jackson jerked his attention back to Mike. “You could call it that.”

  “You’ve got to get over yourself, my man.” Mike’s dark brows were pulled together over eyes focused and unrelenting.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about your being such a stubborn ass that you’re going to let her slip through your fingers—again—because you won’t tell her how you feel.”

  “I can’t risk it.” He shook his head. “I can’t explain it but . . . I need her. She’s the only person outside my family I’ve ever trusted enough to completely let down my guard. Her friendship means more than . . . well, it just does. If I tell her, I risk losing everything. And I’ve already lost enough.”

  “How do you know she doesn’t want to be with you and feel the same way?”

  “Come on. You know me. I’m a scrambled, fucked-up mess. Who’d want to deal with that day after day?”

  “True. But you are hot, according to Mighty Mouse and Lil Bit, and just might be worth the effort.”

  “Okay, that just sounds wrong coming out of your mouth in too many ways to count.”

  Mike shrugged. “The females in the station said it, not me.”

  Jackson shook his head. “Besides, Abby made her feelings pretty clear when she thanked me for opening the door for her to find someone else.”

  Mike’s dark eyebrows shot upward. “When the hell did that happen?”

  “After we—”

  “Holy shit. Are you kidding me?”

  “What?” Jackson’s shoulders stiffened. “I didn’t even say anything.”

  “You don’t have to. That mushy look you just got on your face said it all.”

  “I did not get a mushy look.”

  “Yeah.” Mike laughed. “You did. And unless you do something about it, you are so screwed.”

  “Tell me something I don’t already know.”

  Who knew that puppies could get themselves into such precarious situations as stuck in a drainage ditch? Abby certainly had no idea. But when Buster Crompton and his wife Sylvia came into the pet clinic with a shivering, scared little pup with dirty black-and-tan fur and eyebrows that made it look like it was wearing a brown mask, Abby, once again, found out the hard way that people could be cruel and heartless.

  “Oh, the poor little thing.” She got up from the reception desk and went into the waiting room to take the information from the Cromptons on what had happened.

  Mrs. Crompton handed the puppy over to Abby, and her heart clenched at the violent trembling in her arms. Instinctually, she held it close to her heart, stroked its thin little body, and spoke to it in a low, comforting tone.

  “Somebody dumped a whole litter into the drainage ditch by the side of the road,” Mrs. Crompton said, anger clearly etched in her tone. “Most of them got stuck in the grate. This was the only one to survive.”

  “My God.” Abby couldn’t believe anyone would want to hurt puppies. They were just helpless little babies. “Who would be so cruel?”

  “You’d be surprised,” Mr. Crompton said. “People won’t get their animals fixed, and next thing they know they’re overrun with unwanted cats and dogs.”

  “I understand. I found a kitten at my front door, and Mrs. Potter said the same thing about a family in the area. So the kitten belongs to me now.”

  Sylvia Crompton nodded. “This little one deserves a good home after what she’s been through. ’Course, there’s nowhere to take these animals without driving all the way into San Antonio. Guess that’s why people just dump them off somewhere.”

  “It’s not right,” Abby said, trying to keep the anger harnessed.

  “No. It’s not.” Mr. Crompton stroked the puppy’s little head with one gentle finger. “We’d take her, but we already have three dogs and two cats at home. But we’re more than willing to pay for her medical needs, and we can be surrogate parents until a home can be found.”

  “That’s so nice of you.” Abby’s chilled heart warmed wi
th the Cromptons’ kindness. “I’ll let Dr. Wilder know you’re here.”

  Abby carried the puppy into the small office at the back of the converted house that made up the clinic. When she opened Jesse’s office door, he looked up from the files spread across his desk.

  “Whatcha got there?”

  Quickly she explained the situation, and Jesse elaborated on the same issue the Cromptons had touched on. Too many animals. Nowhere close by or convenient to take them. Some people couldn’t be bothered to do the right thing. He got up from behind the desk and held out his hands. “I’ll take her and check her out.”

  Abby didn’t want to let go. “Can I hold her while you do the exam?”

  A smiled lifted his mouth. “Sure.”

  She kissed the top of the pup’s dirty black head. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she said to the pup, who looked up with sad eyes and licked her chin with a swipe of its little pink tongue. Abby followed Jesse down the hall to the exam room and, as always, was impressed by the gentle way he handled the animal. If she wasn’t already head-over-common-sense in love with his brother, she could fall really hard for a man with such a big heart.

  When the exam was done, and Jesse had given the pup her required vaccinations, Abby tucked the still-quivering little bundle of fur back up against her chest and beneath her chin. After a moment, the quivering stopped. The puppy let out a snuffling little sigh. And Abby fell in love.

  “Abby?”

  “Hmm?” She looked up to find Jesse studying her with a huge grin.

  “Did that pup just find a new home?”

  “Yes.” She sighed. “I think I’m destined to be a crazy cat and dog lady.”

  “Not the worst thing a person could be.”

  True. But add that designation to the one she already wore as a woman who loved a man who wouldn’t or couldn’t love her back, and that just made her plain-ass pathetic.

  As afternoons went, Abby’s wasn’t meant to be busier than any other. But with her new family member, she needed supplies. And there was only one place in town to get those supplies. So at the end of her already jam-packed day, she and the pup headed toward Wilder and Sons Hardware & Feed. Jesse said that Reno would take care of all that she needed for her new addition. She was glad to know Reno was back at the store and that she wouldn’t have to face Jackson.

  At least not while her defenses were paper-thin.

  After she and Jesse had given the pup some water and a little nourishment, she wrapped the sweet little thing up in a borrowed blanket and headed to the hardware store.

  The bell over the door jingled, and she waited for Reno to come to the front. Instead, Jackson walked in from the back room. She hadn’t seen him or talked to him since that afternoon last week at the tree house. Needless to say, she felt a smidge awkward. But he’d never know that.

  No way in hell.

  She still had her roar on.

  “Hey.” At a leisurely pace, his gaze cruised up and down her body as if he was remembering all the places his hands, mouth, and other parts of his body had touched and explored.

  She remembered too.

  Especially at night, when she went to bed.

  She could still feel his hands on her skin, caressing, loving. Afterward, she knew with a sinking heart that once hadn’t been enough.

  She wanted more.

  She wanted it all.

  She wanted him.

  Yeah, tag her and bag her for a ride on the crazy train.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Reno and Charli had an appointment for some wedding stuff, so I told him I’d close up shop.”

  “Well, that was nice. I’m sure they appreciate it.”

  He shrugged. “Actually, I did it for selfish reasons. We’re adding another girl to the family, so I don’t have to just look at my ugly brothers all the time.”

  “Liar.” She laughed. “You did it because you love your brother, and you’re happy for him.”

  “Guilty.” He rocked back on his heels. “So who’ve you got there?”

  “This is . . .” She looked down at the sleeping pup and knew that though she’d had a hard time finding a name to fit Miss Kitty, this little one came with a story. “Liberty.”

  Jackson crossed the store in a long, casual stride. He reached out and stroked the pup’s little black head between the ears. “Cute. Who’s it belong to?”

  “Me.”

  “You?”

  “Yeah.”

  One brow lifted. “Think you might be heading into crazy cat and dog lady territory?”

  She chuckled. “That’s what I told your brother.”

  “And he said?”

  “There are worse things.” Like possibly substituting unwanted pets for the baby she’d so badly desired.

  “Very true.” He reached down and took her hand into his warm palm. “You okay?”

  “About?”

  “Last week. At the tree house. I should have called, but—”

  “No worries.” Ha! “I’ve been too busy to notice.”

  The frown darkening his face said he didn’t like that comment.

  She wrinkled her nose and set her heels. She aimed to prove him wrong about them. He was wrong. But he had to come to that realization himself. And so she had to stick with her plan. “This doesn’t have to be awkward, you know,” she said. “We’ve been here before. Right?”

  His shoulders lifted. “Guess so.”

  “And you made it really clear that you’d gotten me out of your system.” She eased her hand away. “So . . .”

  “Daddy.” Izzy toddled in from the back room, rubbing her eyes as if she’d just woken from a nap. Abby’s heart clenched at how adorable she looked in her sparkly T-shirt, sparkle-toed tennis shoes, jeans, and sparkly pink tutu.

  “Hey, sugar bear.”

  Abby’s heart tumbled as Jackson swung his little girl up into his arms and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She giggled and patted his cheeks with her chubby little hands.

  “Hi, Izzy.”

  Izzy turned and gave Abby a shy hello. Then she looked down and discovered the bundle in Abby’s arms. “Pwetty puppy.”

  “Do you want to hold her?” Abby asked.

  Izzy nodded, and her golden curls bounced.

  “Do you mind?” Abby asked Jackson.

  “That’s a very young pup. Looks fragile. Izzy’s not—”

  Abby got the message that a three-year-old might not be gentle. “How about we sit on the floor together,” she said to Izzy. “You can put the puppy in your lap.”

  Izzy nodded. Problem solved.

  Jackson set Izzy down. “You know the floor’s not really—”

  “Clean?” Abby chuckled. “So what? You think I live in fear of dust bunnies or something?”

  “I just—”

  “No worries.” Abby gave that broad chest a couple of reassuring pats, then pulled her hand away when it wanted to linger. “I got this, big guy.”

  She sank to the ground, and Izzy immediately crawled into her lap, bringing with her a sweet-little-girl scent and a warmth that curled around Abby’s heart.

  During the day, she seemed able to put aside that desire for a particular man to love and a family of her own. But at night, when she wandered through the empty house, she couldn’t help but feel the loneliness. Miss Kitty helped. The puppy would help. They were a wonderful complement to her life. Maybe it was wrong of her to want it all. But she did.

  As she positioned the puppy in Izzy’s lap, Abby looked up at the big man looking down at them. In a blink, he joined them on the floor and took Izzy’s little hand to show her how to gently stroke the puppy’s fur.

  A huge sigh caught in Abby’s chest.

  She didn’t just want it all; she wanted it all with him.

  “Sheth thoft,” Izzy said, wide-eyed and smiling.

  “Izzy loves puppies,” Jackson said, leaning in and kissing the top of his little girl’s head. “And kitties. And bunn
ies.”

  “And mouthies, Daddy.”

  “Mousies,” he translated with a smile of absolute adoration.

  Abby brushed back Izzy’s golden curls. “You can come visit Miss Kitty and Liberty anytime you want.”

  Izzy looked up and grinned, and Abby’s heart swelled.

  For a few moments, they all sat there together in a little circle. And while Abby wanted to sink into the fantasy that tickled the back of her mind, she’d learned to be a realist. Plus someone in the picture was missing. “Does your mommy like puppies and kitties too?”

  Izzy buried her nose in dirty puppy fur and nodded. “But not mouthies.”

  “Fiona always had dogs growing up, but they live in an apartment that doesn’t allow them,” Jackson said in a tone that was a bit unsure as to where the conversation was headed.

  “All the more reason for them to move to Sweet.” Abby smiled. “Maybe you and your mommy can come by my house after she picks you up. I know Miss Kitty would be really happy because she loves the way you play with her little feather toy.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” Jackson’s brows were pulled tight.

  Abby looked up. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “I just . . .”

  “You think it’s awkward between Fiona and me?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Don’t be silly. We moved past awkward in the first five minutes.” Abby stroked her fingers through Izzy’s soft curls. “She’s a really nice woman.”

  “She is.”

  “So what’s the big deal?” Abby shrugged. Time for a change of subject. “Maybe while Izzy and I stay here with the puppy, you could gather up all the dog stuff I need to take home?”

  His eyebrows came up, and a grin replaced the tightness around his mouth. “I don’t have any dog condos.”

  “Oh.” A laugh slipped past her lips. “Yeah. That was a big waste of money. Miss Kitty usually ends up sleeping on top of my shoulder at night. I’ve even woken up with her sleeping between the girls.”

  “The girls?”

  She pointed to the front of her shirt.

  His gaze dropped to her breasts and held. “Smart cat.” He dragged his eyes back up to her face. “Guess I’d better go gather up your supplies.”