by Rhea Regale
Jackson snickered. Brianna glanced back at him, a humored grin on her lips. He slipped his hands into his coat pockets and shrugged. “Listen to you, already pushing the topic of work. Baby, this one’s gonna be a hard one to clinch. Gregory’s vision may be stayin’ just that.”
“Jackson, are you serious?” Brianna turned around and plopped on the sofa. Her face twisted, her hands immediately pressing to her midsection. Jackson hurried to her side, his brow pinched. She lifted her shirt for him to see the glue-covered marks on her belly. “Damn. I’m gonna have to remember these.”
“I don’t want you worryin’ about the deal, okay? Let me see what I can do for you.” He took up her hand and kissed her fingers. “I know what this deal means to you. I’ll do everythin’ I can to make it happen, but we’ll be workin’ for your promotion. Hard.”
Brianna rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I need this promotion. I need to get out from under my mother’s hand. I can’t live with her micromanaging my every move.”
“Honey, I want you to enjoy your time in Ryder. I know this is business, but Ryder’s my hometown and there’s a lot to be said about this farmin’ and ranchin’ gem.” He smoothed back her hair and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Life here is much different than city livin’. I’ll show you everythin’ I can. There’s beauty in simplicity.”
“You moved to Nashville because Ryder was too simple.”
“I had different ideas when I moved away. Comin’ back here brings back warm memories. There’s nothin’ not to love about Ryder. It just wasn’t for me then. And”—he tipped her chin up and caught her eyes—“if I didn’t leave, I would’ve never met you.”
“Well, I’m glad you moved because I couldn’t ask for a better man to have fallen in love with.”
Chapter Six
“Delicious, as always, Miss Bess. Really do miss your cookin’,” Jackson said, dabbing the corners of his mouth with the napkin. Rylan snickered, stealing a glance at his watch before helping himself to another poached egg and a hearty scoop of home fries.
Miss Bess laughed, brushing by Rylan and giving his hair a good mussing. “I can always count on Jackie to make me blush.” Miss Bess stepped up to Jackson and poked his spiked hair. Her round face scrunched up. “See them city folk got you into commercial products. You had such lovely hair before leavin’ here.”
“I keep teasin’ him about that,” Rylan said.
“Aw, thanks, Miss Bess.” Jackson folded his hands behind his head and winked. “The longer hair wasn’t good for business. The boss man hated it.”
“Shame, really.” Miss Bess sighed. “Ry, dearie, want more coffee?”
“Nah. Gotta head in shortly.”
Rylan was acutely aware of his friend’s attention to him. He finished up his plate and washed everything down with what was left of his coffee. He stood up, wiping his mouth with the napkin, and gave his aunt a hug.
“That’s it?” Jackson asked, pushing to his feet. “Gonna use me for breakfast and ditch me like a hooker?”
Rylan laughed, landing a playful punch to Jackson’s shoulder. Jackson whipped his arm around Ry’s neck and brought him down in a headlock.
“I beat your sorry ass in wrestlin’. Let’s see if anythin’s changed,” Jackson grunted, hooking his heel around the back of Rylan’s calf. Rylan continued to laugh, his arms coming around Jackson’s waist as he unleashed his leg from the threat of Jackson’s takedown attempt.
“Oh, you boys!” Miss Bess cried. Her rag smacked Jackson’s ass. Jackson shot straight, his wide eyes on Miss Bess. Rylan stole the open opportunity to knock him down and pin him to the floor. “Rylan!”
“Don’t underestimate the distraction which is family,” Rylan reminded with a wink. Jackson snorted, sitting up. Rylan pressed to his feet and smoothed out his uniform pants. He held out a hand for his friend and pulled him up. “Thanks for the breakfast invite, but duty calls. Why don’t we head over to Ride’em later? I’ll be off around nine.”
“Date.” Jackson poked Rylan’s chest. “Don’t go standin’ me up, you hear? I still know where you live.”
“You’ve got my word. Don’t you go standin’ me up if your girlfriend finally shows up.”
A darkened expression crossed Jackson’s face, followed by one of his signature menacing smiles. “Maybe I’ll bring her along.”
Rylan slid into his coat. “I’ll believe you have a woman when I see her.” He left the kitchen and crossed the grand entry foyer. He listened to the quickened patter of footsteps at his back and turned to find Miss Bess hurrying up to him with a plastic container.
“Here, dearie. Some lunch for you.” Miss Bess’s smile grew. Rylan took the container and opened the front door. “And a reason for you to come back and see your aunt more than once a week. I’ll be lookin’ for that container.”
“Why thank you, Miss Bess.” He leaned down and placed a kiss on his aunt’s rosy cheek. The familiar scent of sugar and flour filled his nostrils. “Well, well. I might just have to come back later. Smells like cobbler?”
Miss Bess wacked his arm with her rag and laughed. “Don’t you be showin’ up on my doorstep like a lost puppy followin’ the scent of pie, you hear?” Miss Bess gave him a strong hug, one he couldn’t refuse to return. “Come by anytime, for any reason. I miss your handsome face around this place.”
“Thanks, Miss Bess.”
Rylan straightened up and turned to leave, walking right into a guest. He whipped up his arms and caught the woman around the waist, steadying her as she stumbled back.
The shock of the collision dulled, and he found himself staring down into a very familiar face. The woman’s full lips separated. Beautiful blue-violet eyes darkened, her pupils dilating. A lovely rose touched her sweeping cheeks. Her dark hair skated against his hands. The soft satin strands sparked a cold, dead ember to life in his body, his blood. Breathless, he stood, a shock wave pulsing through his thoughts, shattering logic to the shadowy voice that whispered to him. His cock reacted, his heart thundered, his lungs cinched, and when he finally inhaled, the world he lived in since Hailey’s death crumbled around him.
Pain soothed to a new, enlightening promise. Heat wound up through the veins of his frigid soul, melting the ice laid in place when Hailey’s casket was lowered into the hard Kansas earth.
Life flourished from a single seed amidst death in the form of this out-of-town stranger. She still donned a thin bandage on her forehead. The bruises had turned a yellowish color, a sign of advanced healing. Her lip had a small scar, drawing his attention away from her unusual eyes to a mouth so warm and beckoning.
“Rylan, dear?”
Miss Bess’s concerned voice shattered his hazy thoughts. He stepped back, ensuring Brianna’s balance before pulling his hands away and holding tight to the plastic container. However long he had contact with the woman, he was certain it was far more than proper by his aunt’s piqued curiosity.
“My apologies, ma’am. You okay?” Rylan asked.
Brianna cleared her throat and swayed slightly, the blush deepening over her elegant cheekbones. She licked her lips, an innocent motion that shot the heat in his body up to boiling. Trying to distract himself from the onslaught of emotions, Rylan pointed the container toward his aunt. “I wasn’t lookin’ where I was goin’.”
“I’m okay. You?”
Those three words coated every dull nerve in his body, feeding sustenance that left them heightened. Her voice was soft and calm, warm and sincere.
“Brianna, I think you’d be far better off comin’ back home—”
The woman’s sumptuous lips curled into a scowl. “Mother, enough.” She rubbed her forehead and groaned. “Sorry. My mother doesn’t live outside Ritz Carltons and chic restaurants. Drives me mad.”
Rylan chuckled, stealing a quick glance at the overly made-up and dressed-to-the-hill woman hovering by a new rental. She watched him with a hawkish eye, adjusting a silk scarf over her coiffeur. Nothing about her
expression appeared pleased.
“I won’t hold you up.” Rylan jutted his chin to Miss Bess. “You stayin’ here?”
The corner of Brianna’s mouth quirked. “Yeah.” She appraised the barren porch, a glimmer of peace spreading through her eyes. “It was highly recommended to me.” Her smile grew when her eyes landed on Miss Bess. “And the welcome is unlike any I’ve had the pleasure of experiencin’ in all my travels.”
“Well, on that account, I’ll vouch for Miss Bess and her superb hospitality. You’re in the best hands while a guest in her house. You won’t be disappointed.” Rylan couldn’t resist leaning close to her and whispering, “She makes some of the best Southern dishes you’ll ever eat. Five star in my book, but served in her guest dining room, not a chic restaurant.”
Rylan placed a good few feet between himself and Brianna, pushing aside the liveliness she procured.
“Have a good day, ma’am.” To his aunt, he said, “I’ll be thinkin’ about that cobbler through my shift.”
“The only way you’ll get it is if you stop by, Rylan,” Miss Bess taunted, her good-natured humor making him laugh as he headed down the stairs.
“Rylan Ryder.”
Brianna’s recognition drew him up short of hopping off the last step. He hesitated then turned to her. The woman stepped up to the edge of the porch, her eyes narrowed.
“You’re Sheriff Rylan.” She didn’t give him an opportunity to confirm or deny. “You were the one who came to my accident. You stayed with me, tellin’ me everthin’ would be okay.”
His throat thickened, leaving him speechless. In those adrenaline-induced moments when he folded down into her car and held her hand, he never thought she was conscious enough to hear him speak.
“You came to me in the hospital. I heard you, but I was too sedated to respond. You said I had an angel watching over me.”
Rylan should have brushed off her comment, said something about just doing his job. She came down the first step, her fingers wound together at her chest. Her eyes held his, captivating him, suspending him in a tenuous limbo he couldn’t shake off.
What is wrong with me?
“Thank you, Sheriff Rylan. Thank you for bein’ my angel that mornin’.”
Rylan forced something close to a grin, lowered his head in a mock bow, and left Brianna on the top step of his aunt’s porch. The entire walk to his cruiser, he felt the heat of her gaze penetrating his back, awakening a new kind of pain that had nothing to do with those that lay at Crosslane.
* * * *
Brianna couldn’t take back her words. They were out, they were heard, and now she watched her hero bolt away from her like a bachelor running from a family-seeking woman. Chewing her lower lip, ignoring the distasteful glare from her mother, she climbed that last step and crossed the porch to the front door…again.
“Curious, that one.” The jubilant woman leaned up against Brianna’s arm and said quietly, “I haven’t seen him look that peaceful in months.”
Peaceful? Brianna looked back at the sheriff as he climbed into the SUV. Through the windshield, she caught his quick glance in her direction before the engine purred to life. If that was peaceful, I’m not sure I want to see angry or sad.
“He seems to have a serious side to him,” Brianna said. Miss Bess sighed and shook her head. She aimlessly wiped her hands with the rag as the SUV pulled out of the circular driveway. Still perched beside her rental, her mother twisted enough to watch Rylan drive off. “Guess it comes with the job.”
“No, dearie. Rylan was a lover of life. That boy lived like each day was a blessin’ from god. He got himself in trouble, but all the boys got themselves in trouble. It’s a Ryder thin’. Rylan was the best of them, always the one to bring conscience into their reckless youth. We all knew he’d veer away from the farm, and he did. This town ain’t seen a better sheriff than that young man. His enthusiasm was enviable. That all changed when he lost his girlfriend in a car accident back in March. He couldn’t do anythin’ to save her.”
Brianna tore her gaze away from the fading brake lights. She pulled her coat tight around her as Miss Bess’s sad smile. Her dark eyes glistened. She took a sharp breath and draped the rag over her shoulder, stepping aside to allow Brianna into the house.
“That’s terrible. How long were they together?” Brianna asked.
Miss Bess’s gaze rolled over her face, lingering on the evidence of her own accident. Like a switch, the woman’s sadness lifted. She slipped an arm around her waist and ushered Brianna into the house.
“C’mon, dearie. It’s bitter cold outside today. I have some breakfast still hot in the kitchen. There’s a young man waitin’ for you to return.”
“Jackson?”
Miss Bess laughed, a musical, airy sound that thawed her from the brutal outdoors. Her mother finally came to her senses and tiptoed across the flagstone pathway, muttering up a storm.
“One and only.” Miss Bess hustled her down a hallway. The door ahead swung open. In the dim hallway light, Jackson appeared, arms out to embrace her.
“Brianna, baby,” Jackson greeted, scooping up her into his arms and gracing her mouth with a heated kiss. She clung to his shoulders, embracing the hot passion that flowed into her, forgetting all of the trauma and setbacks her accident had caused. She drank in the rich flavor of Jackson’s mouth, urging his kiss deeper until he chuckled and pulled back. His gentle hand brushed the mussed lock of hair from her face. His brow pinched, his fingertips tracing the bandage she was instructed to keep over the stitches in her forehead. “How are you feelin’ today?”
Brianna smiled, toying with the collar of his thermal sweatshirt. His arm tightened around her waist and she swallowed down a wince. No pain could disrupt the elation she felt being out of that hospital and in Jackson’s arms. “So much better now that I’m here.”
Miss Bess let out a huffy breath, drawing both Jackson and Brianna’s attention to her. She waved their concern aside, a cheery smile coming to her lips. “Let me take your coat, dearie.”
Her fingers curled around the collar of her peacoat without an answer. Brianna shook free of the item and allowed Jackson to lead her into a large, open kitchen. The sumptuous aromas of savory and spice filled her nostrils, making her mouth water. She couldn’t wait to dig into real food, not the terrible garb she was forced to consume at the hospital.
“I was gettin’ ready to come out and see what was takin’ Miss Bess so long,” Jackson said, humor lacing his voice. He pulled a chair out for her and eased her into the table then took the seat beside her. He pulled up two lids from serving platters. She curled her fingers around the edge of the table and craned her neck to better see the delicious-smelling foods. “Where’s your mother?”
“She’s sulkin’ outside, cussin’ me for draggin’ her to this `wretched and primitive’ place,” Brianna said, using her fingers as quotations. She snagged a warm roll from a cloth-lined basket and tore off a piece. “She’ll come in when the snow soaks through her Manolos.”
Jackson filled her plate with an array of items, all of which made her appetite soar.
“How long’s she plannin’ on hangin’ around here?” Jackson asked.
“She’s been hangin’ around long enough.” Brianna didn’t wait for him to finish serving her before she stabbed at a juicy sausage link and took a healthy bite from the end. Miss Bess laughed from her island counter, where she kneaded a large mound of dough. Brianna took another large bite and muttered, “God-awful torture at the hospital, she was.”
“Baby, slow down.” Jackson leaned back in his seat and chuckled. Brianna scowled and shook the speared sausage at him.
“I’m starvin’. Do you know how much I’ve been waitin’ to eat real food? Especially after all you’ve told me about Miss Bess’s cookin’?” She tore off another piece and smiled, her eyes squinting. “Laugh all you want. Miss Bess, this is the best sausage I’ve ever had.”
“You haven’t tried her chicken and apple sausag
e. Now that’s a treat,” Jackson said, following her lead with his own sausage link. He leaned over to Brianna and said in a husky whisper, “Take it easy, baby. I’m getting these ideas in my head that have nothin’ to do with you eating that sausage.”
Brianna swallowed and tapped his nose. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”
“I know it, baby.” He drew one finger down her cheek, the simple motion stirring warmth throughout her body. He brushed a taunting kiss along her bottom lip. “Gonna have to figure somethin’ out until I can love you the way we’re good at again.”
She cupped the side of his face, her thumb tracing his neatly trimmed goatee. “We’re good at anythin’ we do together.”
The kitchen door swung open. Brianna glanced over her shoulder. All the warmth Jackson created dripped away as her mother came to stand at the corner of the table, forcing them apart.
“I know I didn’t raise a child who would leave her mother to freeze in this wretched weather. I thought you were gathering your belongings,” Mrs. Cabot said, her lips curling in an unattractive sneer. Brianna’s face heated. She shot Miss Bess an apologetic look. Thank heavens the woman took her mother’s implied insult with a wide smile and grace. Mrs. Cabot tipped her nose up to better look down at Jackson. “Mr. Morrell. I do hope you haven’t plans to keep my daughter’s company.”
Jackson snickered, leaning back in his chair. Brianna widened her eyes, silently warning him not to say anything that’ll irritate her already irritated mother.
“G’mornin’, Mrs. Cabot. I would never abandon Brianna in this town. She has a wonderful opportunity here. I am her partner for this assignment, but I assure you, you have nothin’ to worry about when it comes to your daughter’s virtue and reputation,” Jackson said, his voice dripping with exaggerated eloquence. He smiled brightly. “I wouldn’t dream of causin’ you strife. I understand your place in society.”
