Loving the Texas Lawman

by Sands, Charlene

  “The real question is, how’re you doing?”

  She landed a delicate hand on her belly. The bump was just about noticeable now and Jack grinned every time he saw it.

  “We’re just doing. All three of us are happy as clams. I’m glad you stopped by.” She stepped back and allowed him entrance to the house.

  That was what he loved about Maddie, her genuine grace and a down-to-earth quality that invited friendship. She was an amazing woman and Trey had been smart not to let her walk out his life. Jack liked to think he had a hand in keeping his cousin from making a colossal mistake in letting her go.

  “Is Trey home? I sorta need to speak to both of you.”

  “He just came in for the day. He’ll be out of the shower soon. I’m making chili. You’ll stay for dinner, right?”

  “If that’s your delicious cornbread I’m smelling, I’m staying.”

  He followed her into the kitchen and just like that, she cut a corner of the yellow flat-pan bread and handed it to him. Immediately, a napkin appeared under his chin. Jack took a huge bite. “Oh, man.” He chewed and then wiped crumbs from his mouth.

  She grinned. “Wanna beer to wash it down?”

  He scrubbed his jaw. A six-pack would do him better. “Sure. But I’ll get it. You don’t need to be serving me. Sit down and take a rest.” Jack grabbed a beer and a pitcher of lemonade for her and shouldered the fridge door closed.

  She laughed. “Jack, I’m only four months along. I caught a filly today out at Weberly’s farm. Poor Maisey had a time dropping her. The girl needed some help, which also makes me perfectly capable of fetching you a drink.”

  He opened a few cupboards until he found a Mason jar glass and brought it to the table. “All the more reason for you to rest, you worked hard today.”

  “Doing what I love, is hardly work,” she announced.

  She’d probably gotten the same kind of hovering and protective treatment from Trey, so Jack got the message loud and clear. He’d back off. Maddie was a smart woman and a damn good veterinarian, specializing in farm and equine medicine. She had an office in town, but lately, due to Trey’s insistence she’d been working more from the ranch.

  “Is that my pain-in-the-neck cousin I hear?” Trey sauntered into the room and tossed his arms in the sleeves of a fresh chambray shirt.

  Maddie’s pretty green eyes immediately lit on him and the love that poured over her expression struck Jack like a hammer to the chest. He envied their relationship, but never once resented it. It was just that he hadn’t found a woman that made him dizzy and crazy and silly in equal parts. A woman who filled all the holes and gaps in his life, the way Maddie did for Trey.

  He’d never had a woman look at him like that either… not since Jillian Lane. All those painful years ago.

  That relationship had been wrong from the get-go. It had taken Jack years to get over her. He wasn’t thrilled to be thrown back in the arena with her, but what choice did he now have?

  Trey strode over to him and they shook hands. “Hey, Jack.”

  Maddie handed him a beer and pressed her lips to his cheek as he sat down at the oval table to face him. As Maddie moved away, Trey reached for her catching his wife in his grasp apparently wanting more than a little peck, but she was quick to wiggle out of his arms shaking her head. “Oh, no you don’t, Trey Walker. You’re not gonna make me burn another dinner. We’ve got company tonight.”

  “Sounds like an everyday occurrence,” Jack said. “Maybe I should leave, so you two can get to burning more meals.”

  Trey’s gaze lingered on his wife.

  Maddie pretended not to notice. “Don’t be silly, Jack. We’re happy to have your company.” She turned to the chili pot.

  Jack scratched an imaginary itch under his jawbone. “Yeah, about that… me showing up here unannounced.”

  Trey took a swig of beer. “Nothing new there.”

  “Today, something’s new. And I’m about ready to bust a gut if I don’t tell you.”

  Maddie stopped stirring chili and swiveled around from the stovetop, her eyes wide and curious, the wooden spatula in her hand dangling precariously over the pot.

  “Oh yeah?” Trey stretched out his long legs and balanced the chair on its back legs. Rocking slightly, he brought the beer bottle to his lips again. “What’s that?”

  “I’m getting engaged.”

  Trey’s chair thudded forward and thumped, putting the exclamation point on his message.

  Maddie gasped. “What in the world?”

  Jack expected their stunned reaction. He hadn’t dated a woman in months and there hadn’t been anyone special for a long while. “In case you haven’t guessed. It’s Jillian.”

  “You’re going to marry Jillian Lane?” Trey’s voice rising to an uneven pitch gnawed at his nerves.

  “Before you jump to any conclusions, wrong or otherwise, let me explain.”

  He spent the next few minutes, laying out the events that had led up to his decision to ask for Jillian’s hand in marriage. He told them how they’d reconnected instantly when she returned to town, realizing their feelings for each other hadn’t died. The unfortunate photograph and news article that had come out had put them both at a disadvantage. Jillian needed stability in her life and Jack wanted to adopt Beau. Together, they’d agreed that getting married quickly would help them attain both. Why wait, was how he put it.

  He never mentioned love, or the temporary part of their arrangement, which was weird because he’d had every intention of telling his cousins the entire truth. But once he began speaking, those words refused to come and he knew damn well why. It was hard enough admitting it to himself, much less to the cousin he thought of as a brother. Because if Jack was one thing, he was honest and using deceptive means to gain his objective wasn’t in his wheelhouse. Under normal circumstances it wasn’t something Sheriff Jack Walker would ever consider doing, but this wasn’t an every day, run-of-the-mill kind of engagement.

  Both of them had something to gain by speaking vows. Both wanted something out of the union. Jillian needed a way to earn back the trust of her clientele and rebrand her tarnished image and, of course, he wanted to adopt Beau. Their marriage would be a fraud. What they were doing was pure damage control. He felt like crap deceiving the ones closest to him. But still the words would not come. Guilt washed over him. When had he become such a damn coward?

  “Wow,” Maddie said. “Congratulations. I guess I’ll have to invite Jillian over to get to better acquainted with her. She’s going to be family soon.”

  Ah hell. He was a first class heel. Jack tugged on his ear and then gave her a nod. “Yeah, that’d be real nice.”

  “I always knew you two would find your way back to each other.” Trey grinned, in that I-told-you so manner that left Jack gnashing his teeth. “Even if it is to quench the thirst of the prying press… among other things. You two will give Beau a loving home.”

  “How can you be so sure? You never gave Jillian a chance back then. You weren’t too keen on her, as I recall.”

  Trey shrugged and glanced at his wife. Maddie possessed his heart and had turned his world upside down in the best way possible. “You’re forgetting that I didn’t think anyone could wind up happily married. Not after all the marriages and divorces Dad had. I almost let my father’s dying words destroy my life.”

  The scent of saucy meat and hot spices wafted to his nose as Jillian began dishing up the chili. “The Walker curse that never was,” Jack muttered. “Glad you wised up.”

  “Me too,” Maddie said, coming to the table balancing two steaming hot bowls in her hands.

  “Me three.” Though Trey hated admitting he was wrong about anything, he was man enough to know he’d almost blown it with Maddie.

  “Here, let me help you with that, sweetheart,” Trey stood, taking the bowls from her hands and setting them down. He helped transfer the cornbread to the table and waited for Maddie to take a seat.

  “Are you saying you w
eren’t opposed to me and Jillian?” Jack asked.

  Trey nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. I had nothing against her or her mother. It was sort of sad if you ask me, with Jillian’s father running out on them. And the whole town thinking of them as trash.”

  Jack’s eye twitched. A sigh blew from his lungs.

  Trey noticed. “I can see it in your eyes now, Jack. You looked fit to be tied. You’ve always had strong feelings for her, but this is happening real fast. I only hope you’re sure about what you’re doing.”

  “I’m sure.”

  He was. About Beau. His heart and his brain told him they were a good match. They’d be father and son and that would be that.

  “Then I’m happy for you. When’s the wedding?”

  Jack sipped his beer slowly and then took his time to plunk the bottle down. “You’ll know as soon as I do.”

  *

  “It’s lovely, Jack.”

  The engagement ring slid easily onto her finger, the round multifaceted three-fourths of a carat diamond reflected light in a tasteful gold setting. Jack shouldn’t have gone to the expense and she had every intention of returning the ring, after…

  She was keenly aware that this gem wasn’t his grandmother’s diamond ring. The family heirloom he’d talked about giving her one day, the one that had adorned his mother’s hand and her mother, before that. She didn’t expect it, after all. That pear-shaped diamond surrounded by a cluster of baguettes was meant for permanence, not pretense. That ring was meant for the woman who would hold his heart into eternity.

  She gulped air. Had he given that ring to Jolene Bradford?

  “I’m glad it fits.” He stepped away but there was only so far he could go in her tiny kitchenette. It was midnight and she hadn’t expected him to come over so late. His text had said it was important.

  Important and life-changing. So here he was standing tall and dutiful in his crisp tan uniform, his eyes riveted on her, as if calculating the next step in his plan.

  Her fiancé.

  “I suppose we should make the announcement soon,” he said. “Have a party… or something.”

  Jack hated having attention thrown at him. He was at peace being a jester, teasing others and making them the center of attention. Jack Walker, for all his snark and wit, was really a pretty humble guy.

  “We’ll do both. I’ll be happy to take care of it, if you’d like.” She’d thrown more than her share of parties. Coming up the ranks in Los Angeles, she’d been privy to helping Missy plan parties for the rich and fabulous. Hosting a small-town engagement party would be child’s play for her.

  He nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

  “Would you like a glass of wine or some champagne to celebrate?”

  He turned his wrist, barely glancing at his watch. “Uh, I’ve got an early call in the morning.”

  “I see. Are you going to your own execution?” She tilted her head and smiled sweetly.

  He snapped his eyes to hers and she held his stare, raising her brows.

  “Jack, no one’s gonna believe we’re engaged if you go around sulking all day. You’ve got to act the part.”

  His gaze dropped then, heating a trail along the line of her plush short robe to her bare legs. Her toes wiggled in response and his mouth twitched at her cotton candy-colored toenails.

  His stony eyes gleamed hungrily and the blood in her veins bubbled up to a sizzle. He approached her, one step, then another, eating up the distance in the tiny room until he was close enough for her to make out hunter green specks in the brown of his eyes. She gasped and held her breath.

  “You’re right. Can’t fault a guy for trying to abide by your conditions. You know,” he said, fisting the tie of her robe. “No personal contact, unless absolutely necessary.”

  That had been one of her specifications.

  Using the tie, he tugged her forward and swish, personal contact. Just like that. Her body touched his. “Oh.”

  His knuckles pressed her stomach as he worked his fingers through the loop of the tie. The robe fell open and his heat immediately surrounded her. Like a magnetic force field, she was sucked up, exposed and vulnerable. His eyes drifted down to the negligee underneath the robe. Black lace edging accented sheer peacock blue chiffon.

  “What’s that called?” He slipped his hands inside the parted robe and caressed her waist.

  His fingers stretched out, boldly brushing the top side of her derriere. Her skin prickled and her body shook with slight trembles. There was no way not to react to him, not to enjoy his hands on her, dangerously tempting and delicious.

  “B-blue Surrender.”

  His sharp breath shot to her ears. “Do you always wear your creations to bed?”

  She nodded. “Except when I don’t.”

  Jack’s mouth cocked up. “You paint a pretty picture, Jillie.”

  “You asked,” she whispered.

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have.” The warmth of his breath fanned her cheeks and she found him inching nearer until his full lips touched her mouth. “Maybe champagne would’ve been a safer choice,” he rasped.

  His mouth clamped over hers, claiming her willing lips. Instant shards of hurried heat spiraled down to her belly. She remembered his kiss, the joining of their lips and the way he had of making her feel powerful and beautiful. His lips were rough and firm, taking from her what he wanted too, but also giving. Giving her strength. Giving her pleasure. Giving her what she craved.

  He pressed her close, his greedy hands roaming over the sheer fabric of her negligee, searing her body in flames. His fingertips dug in and pressed her with bold and deliberate strokes.

  “Oh, Jack,” she whispered in a plea.

  A tormented groan rose from his throat and he grabbed her upper arms and shoved her back a step, as if keeping her distanced from him would stop his yearning. The kiss with so much promise ended before it really got started. The magical spell was broken.

  Jack dropped his hands and stared at her, taking deep breaths. Finally he whispered, “That was absolutely necessary.”

  Jillian nodded, her gaze trained on his. What could she say to argue the point when the kiss sent her reeling? Everything inside that was dull and tarnished and broken, burst free, bringing polish and luster and shine back to her spirit, if only for the moment.

  She found the ties to her robe and crisscrossed them into a knot, then shoved her trembling hands into her pockets to hide them from Jack. Her bravado had failed her. Her first condition of this arrangement, shot to hell.

  “Goodnight, Jillian,” he said, in his lawman voice.

  She listened to his footsteps and then the door shut quietly behind him with a click. She sighed. Lifting her left hand to the fluorescent lighting above, she studied the diamond ring that twinkled with newness and represented more than she’d bargained for.

  Whether good or bad, necessary or not, she was getting Jack back.

  Temporarily.

  *

  The bell rang out overhead in Bluebonnet’s Bakery as soon as Jillian stepped one Manolo platform shoe over the threshold. Immediately, she was thrown back in time to her days working here, wearing her cheerful cornflower apron.

  Three white wrought iron café tables skirted the perimeter of the shop, the chairs dented and peeling and desperately in need of a makeover. As she stepped further inside the shop, the heel of her shoe caught a chipped linoleum tile and she glanced down at the scratched up flooring. The once whimsical pristine black and white tiles that had always reminded her of Alice in Wonderland were worn to the bone now. Wild bluebonnets, the state flower, stretched across a scenic mural in greeting, yet the birds soaring over blue skies and the wispy blades of grass had faded dully into the wall.

  There was nothing cheerful about the place. Nothing noteworthy. Had it only been her youthful exuberance that made her think it so?

  She’d been a hard worker, rising early and entering the shop at five in the morning during the summer months to help
bake rolls, breads, and toss the doughnuts into big vats. She’d watch the rounded dough float to the surface, puffing up with new life in the bubbling oil. And then as they cooled, she’d frost the doughnuts and then dip them in chocolate sprinkles.

  “Coming,” said a loud voice from the back room.

  Ella Ashton shuffled out in a Bluebonnet’s apron, wiping her forehead. Her hair was tucked into a net that matched her brown hair. She was a good twenty pounds heavier than Jillian remembered.

  “Hello,” Jillian said.

  “Hello, what can I get you?” The girl Jillian had gone to school with was peering down at a clipboard as she stopped behind the bakery case.

  “I came in to say hello. I’m Jillian Lane. Do you remember me?”

  Ella snapped up immediately, her gaze taking a hurried sweep over Jillian, her lips pulling tight. She straightened, as if trying to improve her appearance and pushed away phantom wisps of hair from her brows. “Sure I do. I heard you were back in town.”

  Ella had never been a fan. She’d had a crush on Jack, like so many other girls. Being the daughter of the owner, she’d made Jillian’s work here harder than necessary.

  “I’m going to be opening a shop across the street next month. I thought I’d get to know my neighbors again. I’ll be having a grand opening. Is your father around? I’d like to say hello to him.”

  Barney Ashton had always been cordial to her. As a boss, he’d been decent and fair, more than she could say about Ella.

  “My dad died three years ago.” Ella’s voice was emotionless and flat.

  Jillian was kicking herself for not doing her homework. She should’ve asked Jack more questions before heading out today.

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. That must be hard on you.”

  “He left me the bakery. That’s my life now. Running this place.”

  And that was obviously not how Ella had envisioned her future.

  “It’s not very big, that place across the street. I thought you ran a high-end lingerie store.”

  She did, but selling lingerie to the folks of Hope Wells didn’t warrant a sprawling, all frills shop. And besides, Jillian had always been partial to McGee’s Bookstore. She’d spent a good deal of time in there, browsing and buying up copies of the classics from Jane Eyre to The Sun Also Rises. The old shop meant something to her and she didn’t have to think too long or hard about leasing the place while she was still living in Newport Beach. With the economy in a downslide, the bookstore had closed years ago and the owner had given her a good deal on the lease. A little spit and shine on the outside and some renovations inside was all that was needed to complete the transformation. In a sense, opening a shop in Hope Wells was a like a dream come true for Jillian.