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

by Ali Parker

  Jake reached out as Kari stopped at the bottom of the stairs, grabbing her shoulders to keep from running into her.

  "Wait. What? Are you seeing someone?" She jogged away from him toward her mom.

  Jake turned and locked the door from the inside before catching up to the girls. It would be nice to have Kari's mom out in Maine where they could all be down the road from each other. That way if she needed something, Jake could be there to help her out.

  What about Texas?

  Some part of him wanted to move back home so bad it hurt. He would always belong in Texas, but the decision he made years ago to move up to the Northeast was one that changed everything. He was a part of Bar Harbor, and as much as the people loved him, he loved most of them more. The pipe dream of going back home was growing more and more dim. He wasn't too sure how he felt about it just yet.

  They got in the car, and the women talked all the way downtown. He kept his eyes on the road and tried not to worry about driving in some of the more dangerous parts of the city. Not due to the depravity of the inhabitants, but thanks to the road crews not clearing the snow as well as they should have.

  "Wow. It's insane down here." Jake pulled to a stoplight and looked around for a parking garage.

  "Always is this time of year." Kari's mom leaned up from the backseat and squeezed his shoulder. "There is a parking lot two blocks to your right up here on the next street."

  "Great. Thank you." He smiled over at Kari, who seemed to be right at home in the middle of the madness.

  "I know I mentioned it earlier, but do you really think Marc is really going to finish up his Bio degree a semester early? I’m having my doubts." Kari turned around in her seat and asked her mother.

  "Yeah, I do. Your brother is turning into a different man because of Lisa. I'm sure he's always going to be loud and rowdy, but here's for hoping."

  They laughed, and Jake turned the corner, slamming on the brakes as a teenager raced out in front of the car. He held his tongue as Kari ranted and raved at the kid.

  Her mom gave her a little bit of grief over it, and he was glad he'd kept his mouth shut. Upsetting or offending his future mother-in-law was off the table.

  Best behavior for sure.

  "Where to first?" He pulled into the parking lot and turned to face Kari and then her mother. They were both beautiful, and from the conversation and laughter they shared all the way up there, he knew he was in for a treat. He'd chosen the right woman to spend his life with.

  Now he just needed to seal the deal and make her his.

  Soon. Very soon.

  Chapter 6

  Kari

  "I really like that ornament up there. At the top of the tree." Kari's mother glanced over at her as her eyes grew wide. She was seeing someone. She had to be. Kari hadn't seen her so alive, so full of joy... ever.

  "Okay. Let me get someone." Kari glanced around as Jake walked back toward them.

  "What's up? You need something?" Jake's eyes moved across her face, and her heart swelled in her chest. If only her mom could find someone like Jake. Life would be complete. The fact that her man wanted to help her mom with the house meant the world to her. She hadn't mentioned it or asked him for help. He'd offered it, and by the determination on his face, he was serious about seeing it through.

  "Yeah. Mom wants that little Christmas tree ornament on the top of the tree." Kari turned and pointed to it.

  "I can get it for you." Jake moved and reached up to pluck it off the top of the tree. The movement caused his shirt and jacket to lift. A thin strip of his back was on display at the bottom of the jacket, and Kari reached out, wanting to touch his skin.

  He jerked and almost fell into the tree, his yelp funny. "Damn, baby." His cheeks burned pink as he glanced over at her mom. "I'm so sorry. I rarely-"

  "It's not a big deal." Her mom glanced over at her and lifted her eyebrow. "You need to keep your hands to yourself. He could have tackled the damn tree."

  Kari snorted and shook her head. "You're just cussing to make him feel better."

  "And?" Her mom snagged the ornament from Jake and walked back into the belly of the store.

  "I like her." Jake wrapped an arm around Kari's shoulders. "She reminds me of a well-behaved you."

  "Well-behaved? I'm a good girl, mister."

  "Maybe you were." He wrapped her up tightly and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose. "How on earth did she birth someone like your brother?"

  "No clue. We all have our crosses to bear?" Kari laughed and pushed up to press her lips to his. The kiss was soft and tentative at first, but quickly moved into something more passionate.

  Jake ground against her hips and tightened his hold on her. "Careful, pretty girl. I'm ready to ravage every inch of you as it is."

  "It's the coat, right?" She wagged her eyebrows, wanting to be playful with him.

  "It's you." He kissed her again and jerked back as her mother cleared her throat right beside them. "Sorry, Ms. Martin."

  Kari's mom laughed. "It's fine. I was just kidding." Her eyes averted, which was out of character.

  "What's up, Mom? You look like you're hiding something." Kari reached out and touched her mom's shoulders. "Talk to us."

  "So, I have someone I want you to meet."

  "I knew it!" Kari chuckled. "Who is he?"

  "How did you know?" Kari's mom glanced up, her eyes a little wide.

  "Hello. I'm your daughter. I knew something was up. Spill." Kari put her hands on her hips. Her mom and her had half-raised each other. Her father was into big business when she was little, and her mom had her pretty young. They took turns playing momma.

  "All right, well, his name is Charles and he's a surgeon at the hospital." She shrugged. "He's a really nice guy, but he's almost too nice."

  "Too nice?" Jake moved up behind them as they turned to walk toward the exit. "Is there a thing as too nice?"

  "Yes." Kari and her mom glanced back at him and answered in tandem before moving back toward the conversation with each other.

  "How is he too nice?" Kari slipped her arm into her mom’s.

  "We've been seeing each other for a few weeks and we haven't even kissed." She sighed.

  "Yeah, I'm going to go check out the sports store down that way. I'll have my phone with me. Call me when you're ready to go." Jake moved up and kissed Kari's cheek before disappearing into a crowd of people.

  She laughed softly before turning back to her mom. "So kiss him."

  "I can't do that." Her mom ran her hand over her dark hair and let out a soft sigh. "I'm not young and dumb anymore. I can't get away with that."

  "What? Of course you can. Age has nothing to do with it. Take a chance, Mom. What do you have to lose?"

  "Nothing, I guess." She reached out and touched the side of Kari's face. "You seem so healthy and happy. Jake is a good man?"

  "The best. I couldn't imagine life without him." Kari cupped her hand over her mom's. "Invite Charles to dinner with us."

  "Really?" Her mom pulled her hand back and took out her phone as snowflakes started to fall from the sky around them.

  "Yes. I want to meet him. It would be nice for me and Jake to check him out before you make your moves on him." Kari wagged her eyebrows as her mother gave her a stern look.

  "Stop it. You're embarrassing me." Her expression softened. "Your Aunt Katie thought he was dreamy, and she's a few years younger than me."

  "Nice." Kari clapped her hands. She couldn't wait to tell Marc, though he would probably be a harder judge for Charles. Men always were rougher on each other.

  "Okay. I'll invite him if you think Jake would be okay with that."

  "He would prefer it. He's going to be my husband one day. Taking care of you is part of the deal." She gripped her mom’s free hand, loving the moment of peace she found in the busyness all around them.

  "I like the sound of that." Her mom put the phone to her ear and a huge smile lifted her lips as she spoke again. "Charles?"

 
Kari held back the girly giggle that pressed against her teeth. Her mom was falling in love. Her Christmas wish was already starting to come true.

  ***

  "I liked him." Jake lay in the bed, his body bare from the waist up. He had his hands tucked behind his head, his eyes on Kari.

  She glanced over her shoulder as she stood in her panties and her bra. "I did too. He was nice. A gentleman."

  "To us. You could tell that he was totally into your mom." Jake rolled onto his side, the movement causing the thick muscles of his chest and arms to flex.

  Kari groaned and turned back to the dresser, removing her earrings and working on her bra. "God, you're hot."

  "Get over here and let me use my hotness to make you sweaty." He smiled as she turned and pulled her panties down, almost tripping on the way to the bed.

  He reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into the comfort of her twin-sized bed before trapping her beneath him. He laughed softly. "You're so beautiful."

  "I'm clumsy." She reached up and touched the side of his face as he wiggled his way down between her thighs.

  "I don't care what you are. You're mine." He moved down and brushed his lips over her nipple before pulling it into the warmth of his mouth.

  He could make love to her a million times, and each time would somehow seem better than the last.

  She reached down to run her fingers through his hair before undulating her hips a little. "Take your boxers off. I want to feel you against me."

  "So bossy." He licked at her other breast while he worked to get his underwear off. "You sure we should be doing this in your mother's house?"

  "Good grief." She urged him to move back up and rolled them over, almost flipping them off the edge of the bed. Her yelp had him laughing, which wasn't sexy in the slightest.

  "God, I love you, woman." He gripped her hips as she sat up and picked her up a little.

  She pressed her hands into his strong chest and arched her back, pressing down slowly as the world melted away. They were going to be a lot of things together over the years, but she didn't care about any of it, as long as they were together.

  He ran his hands down her back, massaging her as she made love to him slowly, working him in long stokes.

  "So tight, Kari. When is the last time we made love, baby?" He pressed his mouth to the side of her neck and grunted softly against her.

  "It's been awhile." She pressed her elbows into the bed and leaned down to adore his lips with sensual kisses. "Let's make up for it over the next week."

  "Act like Marc and Lisa?" He smiled before kissing her again.

  Electricity bubbled deep inside of her as she forced herself back a little faster, taking him deep inside of her body. "Please?" She closed her eyes and moved down to press her forehead against his chest.

  He popped her ass hard and growled as she bucked against him. "I should talk dirty to you, no?"

  "Yes," she murmured as her orgasm hit, the deliciousness of it drowning her.

  Jake pressed his mouth to the side of her ear and rolled them over. "I'm going to fuck you again until you erupt all over me. Make it good. Nice and wet. Okay, baby doll?"

  She groaned and wrapped her arms and legs around him, not so sure she was capable of withstanding her good boy acting bad at all.

  He was already way too much...

  Chapter 7

  Jake

  Two Days Later

  Spending time with Kari's mom gave Jake the last little push he needed. He'd be asking her to marry him for sure. The ring sat on his dresser, open for him to stare at as he pulled various items out of his dresser. His parents were picking them up at the airport that afternoon, and he and Kari had decided to spend the night before at their own places.

  She wanted a girls’ night with Lisa and Sicily, and he was happy to have a night to think things through. Asking her to marry him back in Texas seemed like the perfect answer, but like he'd told Marc a few days before... she would want to be around their friends and her brother to help celebrate. Her mom had agreed to a surprise visit, which Jake would be paying for. He didn't mind at all.

  "Speaking of," he grumbled as he turned and walked back into his tiny living room to grab his phone. He pressed the button to call Marc and dropped down on the couch.

  "What's up, bro?"

  "Hey." Jake ran his fingers through his hair and realized that he really hadn't thought about how to start the conversation. "So Kari and I had a good time at your mom's, but I was thinking that maybe you and I could go over there after the holidays are over and work on the house a little. There are quite a few things falling apart on it."

  "Agreed." Marc let out a sigh that sounded like relief. "I'll have to take your lead on it, because I don't know shit about fixing up a house, but I'd be grateful for the help. My mom deserves so much better than what my asshole father left her with. I'm just not at the point to help, nor is Kari."

  "I get it." Jake stood up. "I wish I had more money in the bank too, but it's never been important to me."

  "Me either. Let's just pull what we have together and patch up the house. Hopefully after I get through school, and Lisa and I get married, we can bring Momma out to Maine with all of us."

  "Oh. Shit. Are you really thinking about moving out here? I guess I assumed that you and Lisa would go back to New York."

  Marc snorted. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, buddy."

  "Not trying to honestly." Jake smirked. "I'll help patch up the house and then when the time comes, Kari and I can help fund whatever is best for your mom."

  "I appreciate that. Means a lot to me. Take care of my sister in Texas. She's all I have."

  "I get that. Later." Jake dropped the call and tossed the phone onto the couch before heading back into the bedroom. Marc had nothing to worry about. He wouldn't ever let anything happen to Kari.

  He finished packing and put the ring in the middle of his duffel bag under a bunch of his clothes. The plan was to wait until New Year’s, but if something changed, he wanted the ring with him.

  "Never know when the mood hits and it's just right." He zipped the bag and pulled it over his shoulder as excitement raced through the center of his chest. He was thrilled to introduce Kari to his parents, and them to her.

  They would love each other. How could they not?

  ***

  "I'm nervous." Kari glanced over at him as the plane started to make its final descent.

  "Don't be. Everyone is going to be hospitable and by tonight, they're going to love you." He reached over and took her hand. "Just be prepared because Texas isn't nearly as frozen as Maine this time of year."

  "I only brought warm clothes. Should I have brought something else?" Her eyes widened a little.

  He couldn't remember seeing her so tense since they first met and things didn't go as well as either of them planned.

  "No, baby. It's still cold. It just doesn't snow. You're going to need a jacket and stuff."

  "Oh, okay." She settled back against her seat. "And your younger brother is Landon and then the youngest is Clint. The older one is Kade?"

  "Yeah." He intertwined his fingers with hers. "And you'll get to meet my best friend. We grew up together. He's coming home for the holidays. I'm really excited to see him."

  "What's his name?"

  "Tyler. He's a brilliant investments guy in New York, but he's home grown. We played football and went to church together as kids." He smiled as memories assaulted him. "We went to jail together for egging houses in high school too."

  "Jail?" Kari's eyes widened a little.

  Jake chuckled. "My father was good friends with the sheriff. We only stayed long enough to scare us shitless. It wasn't like they could keep underage kids overnight."

  "For egging a house?" Her smile reached her eyes, drawing him in deeper.

  "Yeah. It's a different world where I'm from." He leaned back and closed his eyes. "I miss it a lot sometimes."

  "Then we should keep an open mind abou
t going back more often then. Maybe even move there eventually?"

  He glanced over at her, a little surprised by her openness to even have the conversation. "Really? I figured you wanted to stay in Maine with Lisa and Sicily."

  "I wasn't supposed to move to Maine. I was going to live in New York because it's where I grew up. Moving never really seemed like an option." She shrugged. "But if you want to consider Texas, then I'd be open to talk about it."

  Warmth spread throughout him, leaving his heart racing at the possibilities. His mom and dad helping Jake and Kari raise their babies? His brothers and aunts and uncles being part of their events coming up? It was too much to hope for.

  He tried to play it cool, but probably didn't pull it off very well. "Sounds great. Something to talk about in the future for sure."

  "Good." She tightened her grip on his hand. "I hate flying. This part is horrible."

  "It's okay, baby." He sat up and leaned over, pulling a small black pouch from his bag and handing it to her. "I brought this with me. I thought you might want to put it on Momma's tree while we're home. We can take it back when we leave and put it on your tree. But I don't know... I like the idea of it on my mother's tree too."

  She took it and released his hand, her attention fully on the pouch as she opened it and smiled. Her eyes filled with tears as she pulled the little ornament out and lifted it toward her face.

  "I hate to admit this, but I thought I lost this thing." She brushed her thumb over it.

  Jake had bought it for her on one of their first dates, just a token of love on his part. It represented her artistic side, a side of her that he wanted to see blossom. She had a dream to be an artist or a photographer, maybe both, but she'd done like most people. She settled and became a reporter, though she didn't enjoy it much.

  "I grabbed it from your room about a week ago and put it in a pile of stuff I knew I wanted to bring to Texas with us." He reached over and touched the side of her face softly. "I love you. I told you once that I wanted you to live your dreams, and I'll say it again. You haven't even started trying to. Why?"