by Gary, Codi
What was she saying? Jake was probably just too tired to drive home and had crashed with her. That was it. Innocent. There was nothing to worry about. She came out of the bathroom quietly and grabbed fresh underwear, sports bra, t-shirt and jeans from her dresser and closed her drawers softly.
“Please tell me you aren’t going to wrap your boobs up anymore because honestly, it can’t be good for them.”
His voice behind her made her jump and she turned towards him, holding the clothes against her chest protectively. “They get in the way when I’m working.”
He sat up and ran a hand through his short hair before stretching his arms out. The muscles bunching and twisting under his shirt mesmerized her and she had the strange urge to reach out and run her hands along the ripply bulges.
“Have you ever tried a regular bra? I bet you’d be fine.” He said, breaking the spell.
Why was he so concerned about what kind of bra she wore?
She reached in for her only regular bra; simple white cups with a thin lace layer over them and held it up. “There you go, just for you.”
His laughter and shout of “Thank you” was cut off when she stalked back into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Why did she care what Jake thought about her underwear? When had she become this gaga girl that drools at the sight of sinewy arms?
She showered quickly, scrubbing her hair and body vigorously so the feeling of nastiness would go away. When she finally felt a little better, she climbed out, drying herself and slipping her clothes on. She adjusted the cups of the bra and pulled the t-shirt on, a little uncomfortable by the way they stretched the fabric across her chest.
When she came out of the bathroom, Jake wasn’t in the bedroom and she moved down the hallway to find him pouring pancake mix into a bowl. He looked over his shoulder at her approach and asked, “Want pancakes?”
Her stomach protested the mere mention of food with a gut wrenching twist. “Ugh, no thanks. I’m going to catch up with the guys and check on the animals. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Sure, take your time,” he said, a smile stretched across his lips that held a teasing note to it.
She didn’t even want to know what was so amusing. Without another word, she turned to walk out the door and out to the barn, the early morning sun shining bright and she squinted her eyes as her head started pounding again.
The hard gravel gave way to dying grass and the nip in the autumn air helped clear her head. Fall was her favorite time of year; the holidays just around the corner, the change in the weather and the trees had almost a calming effect on her. Of course this year she would be spending those same holidays without her granddaddy, which brought on a new sadness. Usually they went to either Jake’s or Red’s for Thanksgiving, but Christmas had always been the two of them. She would invite Earl to join them usually, but the old goat liked his solitude.
This year, she would most likely be spending them with a husband. Things were changing fast for Rand and she wished she could freeze time. The last thing she wanted was to cater to someone else.
Another thing to add to the husband list; Beliefs and traditions. Just because it was only a temporary arrangement didn’t mean she would marry someone who didn’t do Christmas and Thanksgiving right.
She walked into the barn, and found Jesse and Rick already grooming the horses. “Everything going good?”
Jesse and Rick looked over at her and Rick’s eyes drifted downward, locking on her chest. His eyebrows rose up and she crossed her arms over her breasts, glaring at him.
Jesse was subtler. His eyes shifted down and up quickly, and catching Rick’s look, elbowed him hard.
“Sure boss, I think everything’s done. Andy is back at his place.”
“Thanks,” Rand said, a scowl still firmly fixed on her face. As she turned to leave, she heard Rick whisper, “Did you see that? Did you see her…”
She could only imagine the gestures he was making and wanted to spin around and fire his ass right there. The only thing stopping her was he was a hard worker that had been with the ranch for five years, and she didn’t want to draw more attention to her body. However, tomorrow he might find himself mucking every stall for week and that made her feel a little better about his blatant idiocy.
She walked past the large red barn to the old bunk house at the edge of the property. Andy, her foreman, had been her granddaddy’s best friend their whole lives and had inherited his little house and Digger, her granddaddy’s cattle dog in the will.
Andy was putting on his tool belt when she found him. “Hey, morning. Everything okay?”
Andy looked up and his craggy face split into a grin. “Sure Rand, just got to fix a couple holes in the fence. Took care of all the animals already.”
She could feel her face heat up. “I’m sorry I overslept. I had quite a night last night and couldn’t drag myself out of bed.”
He tried to cover his grin, but she caught it. “Yeah, I heard about it from a couple of the guys this morning. Apparently word spread about you being three sheets to the wind and threatening to kick Branson Alexander’s sorry ass.”
Rand groaned. “Great. So much for having their respect.”
“It’s not like any of them good old boys ain’t acted a fool once or twice. They respect you fine,” Andy said, patting her arm. “Why don’t you sleep it off some more? You’ve got a lot to handle right now, and you need to keep up your strength.”
“Thanks Andy.” She started to leave and he stopped her.
“Rand, just so you know, the boys have been talking. About R.E.’s will…”
“I won’t be marrying anyone currently employed at the Double C,” Rand said firmly.
She wasn’t trying to be a bitch, and she regretted her harsh tone. All of the men on the ranch were good men, and she wasn’t a snob by any means, but if she married someone that worked for her, it would be a major conflict and the Double C would suffer.
As polite as she could be, without leaving any doubts to her wishes, she amended, “I just don’t want there to be any question who is running this outfit. I’ve already got a few good candidates in mind. Please let the men know that my marriage will have no effect on their job or the Double C.”
Andy nodded solemnly. “That’s what I told them, but it might be better coming from you.”
“I’ll talk to them.” She said, heading back to the house with a heavy sigh.
She came back around the side of the barn and saw a white van parked next to Jake’s truck. As she got closer, she recognized Doctor Jay’s stamp on the side, and her gaze found the handsome Veterinarian standing on her front porch talking to Jake.
I wonder what he’s doing here. Taking the steps of the porch quickly, she smiled self-consciously at both men.
“Hey Doctor Jay, what brings you out here?”
He smiled and stepped away from Jake towards her. “You do Rand. And you can just call me Jay.”
“Okay, Jay. What can I do you for,” she asked, trying not to hunch her shoulders when Jay looked her over, a clear “something’s different” look on his face.
“Well, I was actually coming by to see if you would be interested in buying tickets to the “Pasta for Paws” spaghetti feed we’re putting together. It’s to raise money for strays who come in injured or people who can’t afford lifesaving surgery for their pets.” His gazed shifted towards Jake and he continued, “But it looks like I came at a bad time.”
Jake’s mouth opened like he was going to say something, but she broke in, “No, now’s fine. Jake was just nice enough to drive me home last night when I drank a little too much.” Not wanting him to get a bad impression, she quickly added, “Not that I drink to excess often; it was a weird anomaly that will not be repeated. Ever. Not that I mind people that drink, I just usually have a few beers…”
Jakes stepped out of the house and rescued her.“What Rand is trying to explain, a little unsuccessfully, is that we’re just good friends.”
“Exactly,” Rand said, wanting to kick herself for being such a ninny and him for finding it funny.
Jay smiled. “Well good. So, are you interested?”
“Sure, just let me get my checkbook and I’ll by a ticket for all the guys.”
“That’s okay, you can bring it by the clinic. I just realized I actually don’t have any tickets on me,” Jay said, his face turning a deep red.
“Okay, sure Jay. Thanks for coming by,” Rand said, puzzled. Why would he come out to sell her tickets if he didn’t even have them?
“I’ll see you next week,” Jay said, nodding at Jake before turning around and heading back to his van.
Rand looked at Jake as Jay backed the van up. “Was that weird?”
Jake moved closer and patted her cheek. “I think he likes you.”
“Really? You think?” She asked, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. Jay was smart, nice, and loved animals, a perfect candidate for her temporary husband.
“Let’s get you some pancakes, okay?”
She nodded and followed him inside, worrying her bottom lip. She thought she knew what her problem might be, but it was terrifying to say it out loud. Jay was attractive and if what Jake said was true, probably would want a “physical” relationship. What if she decided to have sex with him and she was bad at it?
She sat down at the table, while Jake loaded her plate up. “If you keep gnawing on your lip, you’re going to poke a hole in it,” he said, setting her plate down in front of her.
She released her lip and played a bit with the pancake, stabbing it with her fork. “How do you know if you’re good at…kissing and stuff?”
Jake spluttered. “Stuff?”
“Never mind,” she said, looking down to hide her red cheeks as she stood up. “I’ve got things to do today. Thanks for breakfast
“You’ve haven’t even had a bite. And don’t get all uppity, I was just surprised is all,” he said, setting his plate down next to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. “Sit.”
She sat back down, and felt the feathery light brush of his hand as it slid from her shoulder to the bare skin of her arm. The caress had been so fleeting, she didn’t even know if he realized he’d done it but the goose bumps on her arm popped up anyway. What was this crazy reaction she kept having to Jake?
She took a small bite of her pancakes, chewing slowly before swallowing it down, waiting for the nausea to send her running for the toilet. Thankfully, it stayed down.
“You’ll be fine,” he said, surprising her that he even bothered to answer.
“I don’t think so. I have no idea how to do all this dating shit. I don’t even know how to flirt and play coy,” she said, stabbing her next bite in irritation.
“Really? Cause when you get a few drinks in you, you are surprisingly good at it,” he teased.
Her scowl was swift and deadly.
“Oh, if looks could eviscerate,” Jake said, shoving a forkful of pancakes into his mouth and giving her a mouth-closed-cheeks-stuffed-goofy-ass-grin, and she felt her mouth twitch, fighting a smile.
“I’m being serious,” she said, trying to sound stern.
“Okay, well, it probably looks something like this,” he said.
When she looked up from another bite of pancakes, he was fluttering his lashes and pursing his lips and she choked
“And then you say things like, ‘Well bless your heart, aren’t you a gentleman?” He added, raising his voice several octaves.
Grabbing her glass of orange juice, she tried to stall the coughing fit of laughter his antics had caused.
“Maybe you should wear a wig and go for me. You’re obviously a better woman than I am,” she said, pretending to glare.
“Hey I was just trying to be helpful. You want advice on how to flirt, talk to one of Red’s sisters. They have wrapping a man around their finger down to a science,” he said, going back to his pancakes.
Why did he sound so irritated? She was just playing with him. “I don’t want him wrapped around my finger. I just want to find someone that I won’t absolutely hate being married to.”
“Well I’d offer myself up, but I couldn’t do the name only thing.” He said it so casually her mouth dropped and she could do nothing but blink at him, her heart beating wildly
Had Jake considered marrying her?
By the look of pure terror on his face now, she doubted it and had a feeling he was afraid she would take him seriously.
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t deal with your constant narcissism, so it’s a good thing that’s decided,” she said, trying to lighten the mood and calm her happy heart palpations.
He lost the deer in the headlights expression and flashed a sheepish grin. “I’m not narcissistic; I’m just self-aware.”
“You would think women would find you arrogant, but they just seem to keep flocking to you,” she said, making a face at him.
He waggled his eyebrows and crooned, “The ladies love my eyes and amicable charm.”
She snorted and went to put her dish on the counter. “I don’t know what you’ve been told, but you have as much charm as an armadillo’s backside.”
Suddenly, his hands were on her shoulders, and spinning her around. He slipped his hands down to lay flat on the counter, leaning over her until their noses were almost touching. “Now that isn’t very nice darlin’, especially when it’s coming from the prettiest mouth I’ve seen west of the Mississippi.”
She blinked at him, and his tone turned caressing, his eyes hot. “In fact, I’ve been thinking; lips like that have got to be soft as a rose petal. You wouldn’t mind if I tested them out, would ya, sweetheart?”
Her heart did a double dip back flip and her lips parted as he leaned closer. Her eyelids dropped down and at the first brush of his mouth, tingles tickled their way down her body until she was squirming closer. Her hand slid up to cup the back of his neck and she slipped her fingers into the short strands as she leaned into his kiss.
He made a noise that was a cross between a moan and a growl before she felt him lift her onto the kitchen counter. His hands slid up her thighs, his thumbs rubbing through her jeans and a throbbing tempo started between her legs. She gasped against his mouth as he cupped her through her jeans and he pulled away, his breathing harsh.
“Shit. This is crazy. You are making me crazy,” he said, still hovering above her.
It took a second for her to understand that he wasn’t going to come back to her.
Dropping her hand from the back of his neck, she whispered, “What is going on with us?”
Jake backed away from her and cursed again. “I’m sorry. Fuck! I need to go.”
“Jake…” she called out, but he was already slamming through the front door like she was going to chase him down and hog tie him.
This was the second time in a week Jake had kissed her and run out without explaining. At this point, she wasn’t sure who the crazier one was: him for kissing her or her for forgetting why she shouldn’t enjoy it.
Jake cursed as he shifted his truck into gear. They were friends, and he knew enough to know he was no good to any woman for more than a few days. If he kept kissing her, he was just going to end up hurting her. He wasn’t ready for anything serious; he was just upset that the bank had turned down his loan application and wanted to feel better. And kissing Rand had made him feel fucking fantastic.
He needed to apologize, to explain that it wasn’t her fault and it would never happen again. Right now though, he couldn’t get the taste and feel of her out of his mind, and until he did, he shouldn’t get within ten feet of Rand.
Chapter Five
Things would never be the same.
That thought had been popping up all week, ever since Jake had walked out on her again. She’d avoided church last Sunday, getting her chores done and heading over to Earl’s instead. Although, that hadn’t exactly been a relaxing visit either. The old badger had known something was up and kept pestering her unt
il she’d threatened to poison his pie. He’d let up with a grumble, but still, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the kiss.
Monday, she’d sent one of the guys into town for supplies, too nervous to face Jake and demand an explanation. Tuesday, she’d headed over to the veterinary clinic with a check for the fundraiser, but Jay hadn’t been in the office. It had been disappointing, but nothing that kept her up at night. Not like the mystery reasons behind Jake’s sudden kiss and run habit.
Last night she’d gone to The Hole and had a few beers with Red, but Jake hadn’t shown. When she’d asked Red about him, Red had mentioned he had a hot date and that had pissed her off. Bad.
He had kissed her, ditched her, ignored her all week, and then had the balls to book a date for Friday night? Not that she cared about the date cause lord knows, she didn’t really want Jake, but did guys just do that? Did they just go around kissing unsuspecting women for no reason? No explanation? She’d almost asked Red about it, but he would have asked questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. For a sometimes male chauvinist, Red could be curious as a cat and as tenacious as a pit bull.
Rand looked up at the sky when she felt the first drop of rain and wanted to scream in frustration. The cows had downed a section of fencing on the road side, and the last thing she needed was to lose any. She had to get it repaired now, and stop obsessing over Jake and his wandering lips before the storm rolled in.
Hammering a nail into the post, she ignored the splatter of the falling rain on her ball cap, her face dry and her eyes clear as she focused on the repair.
Wonder if he kissed his date last night.
The hammer slipped and slammed down on her thumb. Crying out and dropping it to the ground, she held her injured hand and cursed a blue streak. The sucker throbbed so bad, tears formed in the corner of her eyes and she pulled off her glove to assess the damage. Her thumb was already starting to swell and would be black and blue, but she didn’t think it was broken.
