by Lee Rose
Jessy was a mystery and a wild card in his perfect orderly life. He didn’t want the hassle or drama of being in a relationship. He had watched his older brother, Abel, suffer in his drama-filled relationship just last year, and Lincoln vowed to stay footloose and fancy free. Jessy was a threat to that vow.
Jessy moved into town a few months ago, with a younger sister in tow. Not many people purposely moved to a rural town, away from the excitement of a bigger city, not single young women anyway, so it made him suspicious. Were they in trouble and would they bring it to Brook Hollow? He had asked his brother, who was the sheriff, if he knew anything about the Simmons sisters. Abel had shrugged and said no. Obviously he wasn’t too worried about Brook Hollow’s newest residents. He didn’t want his curious brother seeing how much he was intrigued by Jessy Simmons so he just dropped the subject.
Every time he saw Jessy he wanted to just grab her and kiss her until she shut up, so he did his best to avoid her at all costs. If only she knew how badly he desired her. How would she react? Did she feel the pull as much as he did?
He would not be able to stop himself at one kiss. He automatically knew kissing her would be addicting. Those snobby women she accused him of dating were nothing more than a pointless distraction. He hadn’t had sex with any of them since meeting Jessy. His days and nights were filled with thoughts of a sweet, young, and sexy brunette. He put his car in drive and drove away reluctantly. How was he going to keep resisting Jessy Simmons?
Chapter Two
Jessy sat across the booth from her younger sister Lily, sipping on a cup of hot coffee. They decided to have breakfast out this morning, but Jessy was still feeling exhausted. The storm was long gone and the hot sun shone strong in the blue sky. Missouri was a little hotter in the summer than she was used to. She had stayed awake longer than she wanted to last night, trying to figure out Lincoln and then chastised herself for caring. She yawned and saw her sister give her an amused smile. Lily looked fresh and well rested despite having jogged this morning. Lily often teased her, saying Jessy was like a cat. She preferred to nap on the couch on her days off, barely moving.
Lily grabbed a piece of toast and smothered it with jelly. “Bad night at work?”
Jessy set her cup down on the table and rubbed her face with her hands. Did her sleepless night show? Probably.
“Sort of.” Jessy poked at her pancakes, not wanting to mention that it was Lincoln who was messing with her mind and not her job. “The flat tire didn’t help.”
Jessy dropped her car off at the local garage to get a new tire and they had walked the few blocks to the small diner that served home cooked meals, according to the sign. It was filled with other diners with the same idea of eating out.
“I feel better knowing you’re getting a new tire, Sis. I can get extra hours at the store if we need money during the week,” Lily said seriously. Lily was five years younger than Jessy. Jessy had always sheltered her sister as best as she could. “That road is long and dark. I don’t like it.”
“Have you been comparing notes with Officer Ramirez?” Jessy blurted out before she could think about it. She wanted to slap her forehead. Lily let out a light laugh, looking entertained by her sister’s outbursts.
“I don’t understand why you can’t get along with him, Jessy,” Lily stated. “He’s a nice man. He often comes in the store to take Mel out to lunch. It makes me envious.”
Jessy gave her sister a sharp look. Lincoln’s sister Melanie worked at the clothes store with Lily. Did Lily lust after him, too? That would be awkward. Besides, he was at least thirty or more. Way too old for her twenty-one-year-old sister.
“Why? Have your eyes on him? I suppose he’s not so bad looking, even if he is a throwback to the dark ages.” She tried not to sound jealous.
Lily shook her head, biting into her toast. Sadness crept into her green eyes. Lily and Jessy shared the same color of eyes, but Lily’s hair was several shades of brown lighter than Jessy’s. “He’s much too old for me. I meant I wish we’d had an older brother, too. He is so concerned for Mel and she gets so annoyed with him. She is lucky she has a whole big family who cares. She sees it as suffocating but I envy her. If we had someone to look out for us, maybe we wouldn’t have had to go through what we did,” Lily answered, avoiding her eyes, but Jessy saw the pain, the anger, and insecurity. It was reflected in her own eyes but Jessy hid it better, behind a sarcastic attitude.
Jessy sighed, hating her dad even more. He had never been the most dependable man, but after her mother passed away he got worse. Jessy had dropped out of college to work full time in order to pay the bills on their crappy apartment and buy food. Both girls took turns caring for her mom until the end, while her father drank himself silly. Jessy blamed herself for not noticing how bad her dad had gotten but she had so many angry feelings toward him, she had tried not to pay attention to him. Jessy hated thinking about those dark times, so she tried to keep it in the back of her mind.
“There’s no such thing as Prince Charming on a white horse coming to the rescue, Sis. That only happens in fairytales.” It hurt to say the words out loud. Jessy had once been a naïve dreamer looking out her bedroom window at the full moon and wishing for a prince on a white horse to rescue her. Sounds of her parents arguing were in the background, and she had given Lily her headphones to listen to her radio and not the ugly words being thrown back and forth by the adults in the small apartment. “But I will protect you, Lily. Jagger will not get to you. You know that, right? We have a good thing going here.”
Jessy’s appetite went completely out the window. She put on a brave face for her sister’s sake. She wanted Lily to have a good life, friends, and fun. Things she never had. She knew Jagger had scared her sister the most. Lily often had nightmares about the cruel man. He had come to their apartment demanding money and threatening them the day after they were informed her father was murdered. Jessy knew by his cold smile he had been responsible for her dad’s death, but she couldn’t prove it. He had mentioned several times how young and sweet looking her sister was while touching Jessy’s hair and trailing his fingers down her cheek to her chest. His eyes had been cold and cruel. Jessy had given him a few hundred to hold him at bay but he wanted more. There was no way she could ever come up with ten thousand dollars. Disappearing had been their only hope.
“I know, Jessy, and I love you for it. Dad should have been a better man and pitched in for the bills so you wouldn’t have to quit school. Mom cried over him at the end, but he wasn’t worth her tears. I will never cry over any man,” she said bitterly.
“We started a new life here in Brook Hollow. This is our chance to live our lives the way we want to. We make our own happiness, Sis. Remember that.”
Jessy made her own attempt to smile. It was that or burst into tears in the middle of the very crowded restaurant. That would get the gossip mill going. It would get back to Lincoln and he’d find her and lecture her about public outbursts.
“Let’s take a walk at that cute little park while we wait for my car,” Jessy suggested, pushing her plate away. What was the point of going home and dwelling on their problems?
Lily’s eyes lit up. “Mel says there is a stand where you can rent bikes for the wooded trails. I love this town. There is also a summer carnival next month. We have never been to a carnival, Jessy. I want to go.”
Jessy grabbed the check. She would prefer to take a nap but she didn’t have the heart to disappoint her sister. “Sounds like fun, Lily. We will definitely go. I love cotton candy.”
Jessy walked down the sidewalk listening to her sister. Hopefully Jagger would never find them here. All she wanted was a calm, peaceful life. Was that too much to ask for?
* * * *
“So what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Especially on a Friday night?”
Lincoln looked up at his older brother Abel, who also happened to be his boss. Abel had always been a dependable brother and the two men were very close. Lincoln hated th
at his brother had suffered so much in his short, but crazy relationship with his ex-girlfriend Lydia. Abel lived for his job now, never giving any woman a chance to pull the wool over his eyes again. It also made Lincoln feel cynical about things like love and romance. Who wanted the hassle and drama of being in a relationship when you could be footloose and fancy-free?
“Can’t a guy visit with his brother without it causing suspicion?” Lincoln tapped the pencil to the beat of the country song playing on his brother’s small radio. Abel had his eyeglasses on that he only wore for doing paperwork. The office was quiet. Most employees went home by six. Only one dispatcher stuck around and a few officers who worked the night shift. They had crime here in Brook Hollow, but it was minor stuff compared to big cities with millions of people bunched together. Out here, they had wide open spaces still and less crowding. Lincoln couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. He liked knowing the people who shared the town with him.
Abel chuckled and leaned back in his office chair. His black hair was growing out and looked shaggy. All three Ramirez siblings shared the same black hair and dark brown eyes. “Thought you had a date with Nina?”
“Nikki with two Ks,” Lincoln corrected. “I did, but if I had to listen to her complain about the nail technician at Nail Art for one more minute, I would have choked on my food.”
“So you’re here hiding behind big brother, huh?” Abel chuckled with a shake of his head. “Shame on you, little brother.”
Lincoln shrugged carelessly. His brother never dated, so he wouldn’t understand the torture of having to sit across the table and listening to boring talk while trying to eat a good steak. “It worked. Can you believe she wanted me to arrest the poor woman for overcharging and doing a bad job? I always tell Nikki I am too busy, but she caught me off guard, and before I knew it we were having dinner together.”
He knew Nikki would drive by his apartment looking for his truck. He thought maybe she’d take his mind off of Jessy, but it hadn’t worked. He should have just stayed away from her the way his instincts told him.
Abel laughed and shook his head with amusement. “Maybe you should look for women with brains, little brother. A woman who actually has something legit to say.”
“Eh. Sounds boring and dull,” Lincoln replied, picking up some of the reports to go through. He was here, he might as well help. He was tired of examining his conflicting emotions for Jessy Simmons. Part of him said to hell with his doubts, he should pursue her, and half of him stayed cautious. He didn’t do serious relationships and every feeling Jessy caused in him was serious. In the past women like Nikki had been preferable because he felt desire but nothing else. He hadn’t touched Jessy, yet she was on his mind day and night. He had so many emotions flowing through him that it drove him nuts.
He scanned through a few reports before recognizing a name. Jessy Simmons. His heart beat a little faster at just reading her name. Was she in trouble? Did she break a law? He read the report and realized she had been stopped on that long stretch of road speeding—again. Lincoln knew she was coming from work. He read the name on the report. Gage Henderson. Gage was a rookie and had let her off with a warning. More than likely Jessy flirted her way out of the ticket, Lincoln scoffed to himself. He felt the jealousy rise as he imagined the young officer drooling over her in her skimpy uniform. Gage was in his twenties and had quite the reputation with the ladies. Had Jessy flashed a bright smile at him when all she ever did was frown at Lincoln? Had she been wearing that too revealing uniform?
“That Jessy Simmons is trouble, Abel.” Lincoln shook his head, waving the paper at his brother like a red flag. “I warned her several times about watching her speed. Obviously, she has no respect for the law.”
Abel looked the report over then looked at his brother with amusement. “A hardened criminal for sure. We should lock her up right now.”
Lincoln seethed silently, wondering if he should have another talk with her. “It’s not funny. The other night she had a flat tire around three a.m. She ran over a branch, but if she had been driving slower she would have seen it and avoided it. Any stranger could have come upon her and bothered her. Half those men leaving the bar are way too drunk.”
“So you helped her?” Abel asked, leaning back in his chair and staring at Lincoln. Lincoln groaned. He saw the curious look in his brother’s eyes now. Abel was like a bulldog when it came to sticking his nose in his siblings’ lives. He took his role as oldest way too seriously. He would not let it go now.
Lincoln didn’t understand why he couldn’t get over his obsession with Jessy when he had no intention of ever getting involved with her, but she stayed on his mind constantly. Especially after the other night when she had been wearing that skimpy uniform. Damn her for driving him crazy.
“It’s my job,” he answered emotionless.
“You were asking questions about her not too long ago,” Abel remembered. “Have a personal interest in her? Should I be looking into her background? She’s from New York, right?”
“What? No,” Lincoln denied hotly. “It’s my job to help out citizens in trouble.”
Abel didn’t look convinced. “Hmm. Maybe I will have a chat with Miss Simmons myself. Try to see if she is a hardened criminal and here with bad intentions.”
Lincoln looked at his brother. Abel was three years older than him and a handsome man. Plenty of women liked his power and his dark looks, but Abel never noticed. Jessy was sexy and despite her mouthy demeanor, just the type Abel would be attracted to. He squished down the jealousy that rose inside of him. This unrest in his mind was all Jessy’s fault. His life had been calm and peaceful before she came into town. “Um…I know her already so I’ll do it. She can be kind of snarly.”
“Nice of you to protect me.” Abel rolled his eyes.
Lincoln smiled and patted his own shoulder. “What are brothers for?”
Abel laughed and went back to checking the pile of reports. Lincoln couldn’t get his mind off of Jessy. She was messing with his mind, and he was afraid to admit it but also his heart. Sooner or later he was going to have to do something about it.
Chapter Three
“Hey, gorgeous.”
Jessy looked up from her position behind the long wooden bar and smiled at her customer. He was in his late twenties and not bad looking. His blond hair was shaggy and reminded her of a surfer. He was wearing a white buttoned up shirt and jeans. She knew he owned a farm on the outskirts of town with his family. He often bragged that he was a successful ladies man.
“Hello, Gary. Beer?” Gary was a regular on the weekends. He often came in with his buddies and flirted with Jessy or any woman around him. He was a handsome man, but who needed the headache of his roaming ways?
“It was a hot day out there today. Beer sounds good,” he told, her putting a few bills down as she handed him a cold bottle of beer. He took a sip before setting it down. “Ready to go out with me yet? I will make sure you have a good time, doll.”
“And break the hearts of your harem? No thanks,” she answered him with a laugh. He was harmless. He often went home with a woman, so she didn’t take his flirting seriously. With her troubled life she had never had time to date back home. How would Gary react if she told him she was still a virgin at her age? She wasn’t going to waste it on a Casanova-like Gary.
Jessy turned to her right and saw the other bartender she worked with trying to unpack a box of liquor bottles. She excused herself from Gary.
“Hey, Mike. Let me help you,” she offered with a genuine smile. She really liked working with Mike. He worked hard and kept to himself. A lot of the other bartenders liked to slack off and flirt. Jessy unpacked a few of the whiskey bottles and put them underneath the counter while Mike filled the upper cabinets.
“How’s your mom?” she asked.
Mike smiled and pushed his wire-framed glasses up his nose. His brown hair was neat and trim. “Good. She is on a new medicine and feeling much better.”
Jessy loo
ked at him and patted his thin shoulder. His mother had cancer and she felt sympathetic for Mike. He was tall but very thin. He took care of his mom and worked full time. Jessy suspected he often forgot to take care of himself. He hardly spoke so some of the others thought he was stuck up. Jessy figured he was just shy and pre-occupied with his home life. That had been her life once. She felt compassion because she knew how hard it was to watch your loved one slowly die, knowing you could do nothing to stop it.
“That’s good news. Remember if you ever want me to sit with her so you can have a break, just call me,” she reminded him while working to unpack the box.
“You’re a good friend, Jessy. Thanks.”
Nancy, one of the waitresses, came running up to the bar. “Pete and Jenkins are fighting again. Mario said to call it in. He broke them up and they moved to a different section and started up again. They’re throwing chairs now.”
Mike rolled his eyes and picked up the phone to call it in. The two men often fought, breaking glasses and chairs that they paid for later.
