Always On My Mind: A Bad Boy Rancher Love Story (The Dawson Brothers Book 1)

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Always On My Mind: A Bad Boy Rancher Love Story (The Dawson Brothers Book 1) Page 79

by Ali Parker


  "From experience." Marc smiled. "When my dad cheated on my mom and left town, me and Kari grew really close. All we had was each other because Mom was lost to her pain."

  "I get that." He left out the part where he didn't really get it. His parents were insanely close and had always been the best of friends. They were playful with each other and loving beyond measure through all of Jake's childhood. He and his brothers had been taught from an early age that love was everything. And that it existed - for everyone.

  "So you and Kari are going to see Mom in New York before you head out to the Lone Star State?"

  Jake nodded. "Yeah. I need to meet your mother. I should have already gone down there. Kari and I have been together since the spring. It's a four-hour drive."

  "Life happens, man. You're the junior high coach, a fire fighter, you work on the weekends for the high school coaching staff." Marc laughed. "I'm going to give you a mulligan for being a tad bit busy."

  They reached Drake, and funny enough, Marc's words left Jake feeling a little bit better. He had to stop beating himself up for the things he didn't do or couldn't find time to do and focus more on the things he could.

  "All right. What do we think about this one?" Drake turned and wrapped his arms around the thick evergreen in front of him. His expression was softer, his body less tense from what Jake could tell. Maybe getting the news about his mom off his chest was the best thing he could have done.

  "Grab it and shake it real good." Marc pumped his hips like he was fucking the air.

  Jake smiled. "I think you should let Marc shake it off. He's used to that movement. He's quite active nowadays."

  "It's all Lisa, I'm sure." Drake smirked and walked towards them. The gesture didn't reach his eyes, but it was nice to see a slight shift in the darkness sitting on him.

  "You guys are just jealous." Marc walked toward the tree and wrapped his arms around it. "I hump this thing and you each owe me twenty dollars."

  Drake laughed low in his chest. "Dude, you hump that thing and I'll give you fifty dollars."

  "I'll throw in another fifty if you wait until this older couple down here walks by." Jake glanced down the row and almost felt bad for setting the couple up. Marc was a ham, and they couldn't help but feed into it.

  "Nope. Lisa would kill me." He pumped his hips and grunted a few times.

  Jake ran his gloved fingers down his face and laughed loudly. The guy had no class and yet was most likely the most popular guy in the sports program at NYU. It was because he had somehow freed himself from caring what people thought about him all the time.

  "Why would Lisa kill you?" Drake chuckled and turned his back to Marc. "Stop, dude. You totally earned the money."

  "Because she'll probably be selling that couple’s house later this year." Marc wrapped his arm around the top of Drake and Jake's shoulders. "Let's cut it down and take it home. I just christened it for us."

  "You're ridiculous. I have no clue how a classy woman like Lisa stands your ass." Drake pulled from Marc and walked toward the truck. "I'll grab the axe."

  Jake smiled and patted Marc on the chest. "I know why she likes you. You balance her."

  "No, I'm horny all the time. Just like her." Marc winked and moved away from Jake as the older couple walked by.

  "Hi, Coach Isaac." The older woman smiled sweetly.

  "Afternoon, ma'am." Jake nodded, not quite able to let go of his southern heritage.

  "Speaking of ma'am." Marc put his hands on his hips. "Are you proposing to my sister in Texas?"

  "What does that have to do with ma'am?" Jake gave Marc an odd look. "You're so weird sometimes."

  "It's part of his charm." Drake walked by them with the axe slung over his shoulder. "It's the only part of his charm."

  "Fuck you too." Marc turned his attention back to Jake. "Ma'am is a southern thing. No one up here is using that antiquated language."

  "I do." Drake dropped to his knee and swung the axe at the tree. "It's called manners."

  "I'm going to wait until we're back here and ask her on New Year's Eve. She's going to want you guys with us, and seeing that you all backed out of coming to Texas for Christmas..."

  "You know we gotta see Sicily's family, Jake. It's the first one without her mother. Her brothers are not going to know what to do." Drake glanced up and gave them a knowing look before swinging the axe again.

  "And you know I'm not leaving my mother alone on Christmas. Don't be a cock." Marc patted Jake's back before walking toward Drake. "Give me that. I want to tell Lisa I helped cut it down. It will get me laid later."

  "You're getting laid anyway. It's Lisa." Drake got up and handed the axe to Marc before backing up with his hands lifted in false surrender.

  "Watch it." Marc swung and the tree swayed hard.

  "Wow. I'm impressed." Jake crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. The holidays were here, and he loved his friends, but he was ready to get home. His mother and father made the whole month of December a celebration when they were kids, and if he were being honest, he missed it - missed them - like crazy.

  "What're the chances of you and Kari staying here after you're married?" Marc walked back toward them and handed the axe back to Drake. "You finish it. That's overrated." Marc panting was almost too funny. The guy was captain of the NYU basketball team, and yet a few swings of an axe and he looked faint.

  "I don't know." Jake shrugged. "I'd love to move her back to Texas, but we both have created lives here. Guess we'll just take it one day at a time. She's gotta say yes first."

  "She's going to say yes." Marc and Drake echoed each other.

  Jake smiled. They were right. He had no doubt... his woman was going to say yes.

  Best Christmas present ever.

  Chapter 2

  Kari

  "So you excited about going to Texas?" Lisa moved up beside Kari and wrapped her arms around the top of Kari's shoulders.

  "Yes. Very." She reached down and picked up a blank canvas pad as they stood in the small art store in the center of town. "I really want to start doodling again, but I don't want to dream too big, you know?"

  "Dream too big?" Sicily moved up beside them and picked up a pack of colored pencils. "Is there such a thing?"

  Kari smiled. "This coming from the girl that was terrified to move to Maine and start her bakery. And now it's doing great."

  "Fear is always a sign of moving in the right direction. If it wasn't a little hard, we would all be doing it." Lisa released her and snatched the pad from Kari's hands. "Let me get this for you. I don't have a gift picked out for you yet."

  "That's just asinine." Sicily leaned around Kari and gave Lisa a motherly look. "She's right here. At least put it down and we'll come back and get it. Christmas is supposed to be filled with surprises."

  "Says who? I hate surprises." Kari glanced between her friends as her heart swelled in her chest. They'd come out to Maine together earlier that year in the spring after graduating college. Starting a new life on the East Coast sounded like the type of adventure Kari needed. Especially after her fiancé cheated on her the night before their wedding.

  Love was something she never wanted to search out again. It was dangerous and painful in her mind. And then Jake showed up, and everything changed. Their courting had been quick, but there was something about him that left her wanting to try again - fast.

  "What are you thinking about?" Sicily wrapped her arm around Kari's shoulders as Lisa disappeared somewhere into the store.

  "Me and Jake." She leaned down and picked up another canvas pad. "I'm just so glad everything worked out. I can't imagine life without him."

  "I understand." Sicily laid her head against Kari's shoulder. "Is it selfish that I don't want you guys going to Texas for the holidays?"

  "Nope. You've been through a lot." Kari laid her head against her friend’s. They'd only met Kari's junior year at NYU, but they'd become fast friends. Sicily was feminine, sweet and one of the best cooks in the world. Her b
akery was to blame for the five extra pounds that Kari was toting around.

  "Yeah, we have." She moved back. "I'm hoping that Drake is going to want to go visit my family with me."

  "You sure that's a good idea?" Kari smirked and glanced over toward her friend. "The last time your brother came down, things didn't go so well."

  Johnny, Sicily's older brother was less than thrilled that Sicily was dating Drake for some reason, not that Kari blamed him. During a recent fiasco on the town square, the other bakery in town burnt down, and Sicily was framed for it. Drake pulled evidence out of thin air and got her cleared. Where Kari cared about the handsome guy that was quickly moving into their lives, she still had a million questions.

  None of which Jake, Drake's best friend, could answer. It was unnerving, and yet her worries dissipated when she was around Sicily and Drake. It was obvious that the man was completely taken with her friend and would do just about anything for her.

  Jake was the same. Such a good man. Far better than she deserved.

  "Yeah, well, my brother has no room to talk." Sicily handed her the colored pencils. "The flight to Texas is going to be long. Let's get these and you can have some fun."

  "All right." Kari smiled. "What's up with your brother, Johnny? You never talk about him."

  "He’s good. It’s really only my family that calls him Johnny though. You know he’s almost thirty and still acting like a twenty-year-old bad ass." She picked up a bag of chocolate near the register and glanced around. "Where the hell is Lisa? This isn't her type of store."

  "Wait." Kari reached out and gripped Sicily's wrist to get her attention. "What is your brother's name? You've always referred to him as Johnny."

  "That's his first name, but everyone else knows him by his middle name, Ryker." She rolled her eyes. "He's in a motorcycle gang and has been since he was a kid."

  "Oh." Kari's eyes widened a little. "That explains a lot."

  "Yeah, right?" Sicily turned and lifted to her toes before waving wildly.

  Kari glanced over her shoulder to watch Lisa walk slowly toward them while eating gummy worms from a bag. A bag she hadn't paid for, no doubt.

  "So are you thinking that Johnny or Ryker will chill out over the holidays? It's a good time of the year to try again, right?"

  "No clue." She moved up to the counter and set her candies down. "He wasn't too ugly to Drake, but he thinks he knows Drake's type, and he doesn't like it. I think he wanted me to settle down with someone more like Jake. A good guy type." She shrugged.

  Kari laughed and pulled out her wallet. "He is a good guy. The best I know."

  "I agree." Lisa squeezed in between them. "We talking about Jake?"

  "Of course." Sicily smiled. "I'm just going to have to play it by ear this year. There is no way in hell we're not going back to New York for Christmas Day. I'm the only girl in the family. My brothers need someone to cook dinner for them."

  "What about Drake's family? Are you guys not going to see them?" Lisa glanced up toward the ceiling and scowled.

  Kari snorted and laughed. "Wait... before you answer that, Sis, what the hell was that look for, Lisa?"

  Lisa glanced down, her expression softening. "Oh. It's the Christmas music. My God I hate it. It's everywhere right now. They were playing Jingle Bells while I was trying to piss and I swear I peed all over the seat from dancing to it. It's driving me crazy."

  "You're so vulgar." Sicily's turn to scowl. "I'm going to ask for my Christmas wish to be that you're less vulgar this next year."

  "Such a waste of a wish." Lisa popped another gummy worm in her mouth and smiled like a tomcat. She was the perfect match for Kari's younger brother, Marc. They were like the same person in male and female versions, and from what Kari could tell, they were perfectly matched and very in love with one another.

  Good. Marc deserves a happy ending after being the only man in the house most of their lives. For growing up without a father, he turned out to be a great guy.

  "Okay. Tell us about Drake's family. He's so secretive about them." Kari tried not to poke too hard. Sicily was as sensitive about Drake's past as the handsome gym owner seemed to be. Something told Kari that Sicily was a little more in the know than the rest of them, which was good. To know that Sicily was seriously dating someone and didn't know about their past unnerved Kari. She'd dated Frank for four years back in New York during college and didn't know anything about his past either.

  And that worked out well...

  Bastard hadn't thought twice about cheating on her... multiple times.

  "There's not much to tell." Sicily pushed at Kari's wallet. "I'm buying this."

  "I swear he's a fucking mafia boss." Lisa moved past them and stopped in front of the cashier before glancing back at Sicily. "He is, isn't he? Just tell me. He's so dark and sexy. Surely he's pulled out a gun and popped someone in the head for fucking with his family or something like that."

  Kari rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous. This is the real world."

  "It's complicated," Sicily muttered and handed her card to the older woman waiting to check them out. The poor thing's eyes were a little wide, and she was fully focused on Lisa.

  "She's kidding." Kari moved up beside Lisa and slipped her arm into her. "She's had too much sugar."

  The cashier smiled and busied herself as Lisa turned and moved closer to Kari, whispering, "Something is up with him. I wanna know what."

  "Me too," Kari whispered back.

  "I can hear you guys. Jeez." Sicily picked up the bag and walked toward the door. "Come on and tell me more about the trip to Texas. Do you know if Jake has brothers and sisters, or what? I'm surprised we haven't had this talk before."

  "We've been a little busy." Kari walked with Lisa just behind Sicily. "But, he has three brothers. His older brother is in the military and stationed overseas, but he mentioned that his two younger brothers are coming home for the holidays."

  "Good thing I have Marc." Lisa wagged her eyebrows and gave them a sexy smile. "Otherwise I would be tagging along. Jake Isaac is the full package. Sexy as sin and such a good boy."

  "You're corrupt," Sicily mumbled over her shoulder as the three of them laughed.

  No truer words had ever been uttered.

  Chapter 3

  Jake

  "Hey." Jake smiled as he walked into the kitchen at Kari's place. She was in a fluffy white sweater and a tight pair of jeans, her dark hair draped down her back. Every cell in his body lit on fire for the beautiful woman who turned and smiled shyly at him.

  "There you are. I was worried that a bear might have gotten you." She turned fully around and slid her hands up his chest before locking them behind his head.

  "Bears? You're crazy woman." He leaned down and brushed his lips by hers as he ran his hands down her back and pressed his fingers into the top of her rear.

  "Crazy about you," she mumbled against his lips before licking at them.

  He growled and went in for another long kiss. The groans of their friends were irrelevant. There was no way in hell he was hiding just how into her he was. No matter who was around.

  "You sound like a bear. Hot." Lisa walked by them, and Jake pulled back and glanced over his shoulder at the saucy redhead.

  "Speaking of animals. Ask Marc what he did for a couple of bucks at the tree farm." Laughter bubbled up in Jake's chest as Marc groaned loudly.

  "Awww... man. Seriously right now?" Marc reached for Lisa, pulling her close. "Don't listen to him. I'm just adventurous, young at heart."

  "What did you do?" Kari moved out of Jake's arms and put her hands on her hips.

  Jake moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders before leaning over and pressing his cheek against hers. "Yeah, Marc. Tell everyone what you did."

  Drake walked in the kitchen, his dark eyebrow raised as he glanced around. "Oh nice. Are we telling on Marc?"

  "Really?" Marc glanced around, and Jake couldn't help but chuckle harder.

  "Do I want t
o know?" Lisa turned her attention to him and pressed herself to his chest.

  He ran his hands down her back and smiled. "Nothing to even discuss, baby doll. Just a little bit of fun with the boys. Too bad they’re pussies and decided to tell on me."

  "Pussies?" Drake tilted his head a little before glancing over at Jake. "You gotta football? I need a reason to tackle this fucker."

  "Oh, it's on." Marc kissed Lisa on the nose and moved away from her. "Get the ball. You bitches are going down."

  "Marc. Really?" Kari turned to face Jake as he moved back. "Don't hurt my brother."

  "Hurt him? He's the all-star of the NYU basketball team. I'm probably about to have my ass handed to me. He probably works out all the time." Jake cupped her pretty face and leaned down to kiss her one more time. "Don't worry."

  "Yeah, nothing to worry about." Lisa gave them a cheeky smile and moved to stand beside them. "Fucking isn't really a workout when you just lie there."

  Drake snorted. "Poor Marc. We should give him a break."

  "I agree. You guys are ganging up on him." Sicily made an appearance in the kitchen, the pretty baker having slimmed down a lot more than she should have. Jake couldn't help but wonder if Drake was disappointed in her losing her feminine figure over the last month. She was still a knockout, but she'd lost some of the innocent softness that made her Sicily.

  "He's a big boy. Really big." Lisa bit her lip and gave Marc a sexy look.

  "Oh, hell no." Marc shook his head as the grin on his face grew more nefarious. "I'm going to whoop both of your guys’ asses, and then tonight..." he pointed to Lisa, "we'll see who just lies there. You're going to be limping for the rest of the holidays."

  "Oh Lord." Sicily rolled her eyes and moved toward Drake as he pulled her in for a long kiss.

  "Don't hurt my brother." Kari put her hand in the center of Jake's chest. "Promise?"

  "Yes. I promise. Jeez." He kissed her again and walked toward the living room, trying to remember where the hell he put the football last time they played.

 

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