by Gary, Codi
“Really, I tried to talk them out of it, but they insisted that they could drink the whole bottle. I ended up having to pull them off the stage where they had started pole dancing. Badly.”
Red defended their honor, much to Jake’s horror. “Hey, I think we made about fifty bucks that night.”
His sister’s burst out laughing and Rand continued, “What Red doesn’t remember is the muscle bound biker chick that almost took him home. That’s where the fifty came from.”
Red’s face turned as bright as his hair as the room hooted.
Jake shook his head and his mama asked, “How much did Jake make?”
“Not much, but he did insist on getting a tattoo that night.”
“Really?” Tabitha sat forward and asked, “Is it anywhere exciting?”
Jake held his hands up in a time out symbol. “Alright ladies, that’s the end of that. My mama’s in the room.”
The woman who’d given birth to him turned traitor as she raised a brow. “Actually this is the first I’ve heard about a tattoo. Finish the story, Rand.”
Rand shot him a guilty look and he stopped her from her obvious thoughts of back tracking, “Oh no, you’ve opened your big mouth already, please go on.”
She must have chosen to ignore his sarcasm because she smiled devilishly. “Okay, so he was looking on the wall and points at what he thinks is a skull but the artist thought he was pointing to the drawing next to it, so he asks Jake where he wants it and Jake says, “Somewhere where my mama won’t see it.” There were several snickers before she continued, “The artist gave him a weird look but ended up putting a heart with the name “Mama” on his butt.”
Raucous female laughter filled the room.
“Alright, real funny, now if you’ll excuse us, I better get Rand home,” Jake said, standing up.
Red’s two younger sisters hissed and booed, while Hannah protested, “But y’all didn’t get any pie.”
“We had some earlier.” He stepped forward and held out his hand, “How about it, Rand?”
He waited patiently as she looked around at the disappointment of her captive audience and murmured, “I do need to get up early.”
He didn’t even give her a chance to be swayed by the protestors, just reached out and pulled her to her feet and against his chest. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, whispering, “I’ll get you for telling them about my tattoo.”
Her cheeks were bright red when he pulled away and all the ladies made awws and oohs, even his mama. He nodded his head to her and she stood up to give him a big hug. Rand slipped away from him to be hugged and advised by the Calhoun women.
“I’ve always liked Miranda, you know.”
His mother’s word pulled his attention back to her and he hiked up an eyebrow. “Really? I seem to remember you saying she needed some softening up.”
“She does need softening up, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders and a sweetness about her. You could do worse.”
His jaw dropped and he boggled, “Rand? Sweet?”
“I understand she needs to marry to secure her inheritance,” his mother said, giving him a pinch.
He was afraid to ask where she was going with this. “Yeah, she’s got a couple of months left.”
His mother gave him serious eyes as she moved him away from the others. “You should marry her. You help her, and maybe she’ll help you buy the feed store.” Then she had the gall to wink at him. “Maybe I’ll get a couple grand babies and you’ll get a wife that will corral your fickle streak.”
“Rand, you have five seconds to get your butt out that door or I’m leaving you!” He kissed his mama’s cheek. “Goodnight mama.”
“Goodnight son. Goodnight Miranda.” His mother gave Rand a hug and patted her cheek. “You’ve grown up so nice.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hansen.” Rand’s face was cherry red and she followed Jake out the door to his truck.
“Y’all hang on a minute,” Red called behind them.
Jake and Rand stopped outside the small ranch house as Red caught up to them, his intense gaze shifting between them. “I just want to make sure y’all know what you’re doing.”
“Look, Red-“
“We’re good. We’ll see you later,” Jake interrupted, not wanting Red to know about their fake relationship. For some reason, the way Red had been looking at Rand all night had been getting under his skin and he didn’t want Red thinking the field was open to play ball on.
Red’s eyes went from wide with surprise, to narrowed, his mouth turning down with irritation. “All right then.” When he wrapped his arms around Rand to give her a hug, Jake turned his back on them to go around the truck.
Why are you being such a dick about this? If Red is interested in Rand, then he is a perfect back up for Jay.
He listened as Rand said goodnight and didn’t look at her until he heard the front door slam.
“What put a burr in your bonnet,” She asked as he unlocked the doors.
He hopped in and cursed, “I just wanted to get out of there is all.” He started the car and could feel her watching him in the dark.
He caught her shrug as she settled back into the seat. “Well, I don’t know what your problem is, but thank you. I had a lot of fun.”
He pulled out on the highway and thought about the day. Hanging with Rand was always fun, but today, with their little charade, it had been…more. He’d been happy and relaxed, even with his mother plotting how to get them down the aisle. And it had everything to do with the woman sitting next to him.
He slipped his arm over the back of the seat and squeezed her shoulder. “Me too, Rand.”
Her smile flashed at him in the darkness and he was struck by how sweet that smile was. Maybe his mother was right. Marriage to his best friend couldn’t be bad, especially since he knew how very eager Rand might be. She could keep the Double C and he could…
No he couldn’t ask Rand for money. And there was no way he’d be able to marry her, live down the hall from her and never touch her. Not now, when he knew she tasted sweeter than peach cobbler and was just as warm.
“What are you thinking so hard about,” She asked.
He glanced over at her and lied, “Just thinking that if Jay doesn’t show up on your doorstep tomorrow, he’s dumber than a box of rocks.”
She sighed and leaned her head against his arm. “I hope you’re right, otherwise I‘ll be moving into your place. Scout too.”
Jake knew that there was something malfunctioning in his brain when the prospect of having Rand and her mischievous kitty cat move in didn’t sound like the worst idea. In fact, having Rand in his house and more importantly in his bed, sounded good. Really good.
“What were you and your mama talking about?”
He tried to steer his mind from the dangerous track it was on and back to the present. “Oh, she just wanted to know how things were going with buying the store.”
“The hardware store? You didn’t tell me you were trying to buy it.” Her tone held a touch of hurt.
“I didn’t really tell anyone, but it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t get a loan.” He tried not to sound bitter, but it escaped with the words anyway.
Her hand touched his arm sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Jake.”
He shook his head. “It’s okay, it was just a pipe dream anyway.” He pulled into her drive and parked in front of the porch. He opened up his door and came around to get hers, but she beat him to it. “Someday you’ll learn how to wait for the gentleman to get the door.”
“I have some money in the bank,” she blurted out. “It was supposed to be a college fund, but since I only got my associates, there’s quite a bit left. What if I cosigned the loan? Would the bank do that?” She walked up the porch steps ahead of him and he was stunned silent by her offer.
“I can’t take your money, Rand. If the business went under, you’d lose it.”
She turned with a laugh and assured him, “That store has been there for fi
fty years. I’m pretty sure it will stand a few more until you can pay me back. Do you have any savings?”
He blinked and his mouth probably looked a bit like a fish taking air. “I’ve got about twelve thousand.”
Her smile was bright in the dark. “We can go talk to Martha and Bob this week if you want.”
He felt like he should still dissuade her. “Really, Rand, you don’t have to…”
She rolled her eyes and chided, “You’re helping me out, just because you’re my friend. Let me help you.”
He stopped arguing and let out a “whoop” of joy, picking her up around her waist and spinning her. A surprised laugh escaped her, and when he finally set her down, he gave her a hard, fast kiss. “You are the best, Rand Coleman.”
“Yeah I kinda knew that already.”
He laughed and kissed her again. As her mouth opened eagerly under his, he groaned, forgetting about the plan. Instead, he lost himself in her, until she pulled away, breathing hard and staring up at him with wide eyes. He couldn’t look away and he ached to bring her back against him.
She cleared her throat, breaking the spell. “So, what’s the next step to getting Jay’s attention?”
It was like someone had poured a glass of ice water down his pants. If she had wanted to break the mood, she had definitely succeeded and Jake wondered if the way he was feeling was all one sided. Maybe she really wasn’t interested in him at all as more than just a teacher.
You need to stop worrying about how she feels, because this was supposed to always be about helping her find a husband, not getting your jollies off.
Trying to keep the irritation out of his tone, he said, “Don’t worry about Jay. By tomorrow, he’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand.”
Rand’s smile was a flash of brilliance. “Thanks Jake. For all of this. You’re a really good friend.”
As she walked inside, Jake had the sudden urge to beat his fool head against the wood of the door jam.
Chapter Eight
Rand was feeling panicked by the time Thursday morning rolled around. She went about her daily chores, and tried to act normal, but she couldn’t seem to calm down. She had dropped off the check for the spaghetti feed Monday morning and left it with Jamie, along with her phone number (in case he didn’t have it) but Jay hadn’t called or dropped by since he saw her with Jake on Sunday.
Maybe they were too convincing and he wasn’t interested anymore? If that was the case, she had no one. She’d already turned down most of the men in town, pinning all of her hopes on Jay and now she was going to lose everything.
Damn it, it was her fault. She’d asked Jake to help her and it wasn’t his fault that he’d been too good. Even Red thought they were serious! Granted his kisses had a way of making her lose all sanity and when he touched her, hot needles pricked her skin, but she had nothing to compare it too. Maybe that happened with all men. Regardless, Jake had already said he wouldn’t marry her, and she didn’t want him to anyway.
She needed to know if Jay was really out of the picture, so she could try to find a backup. She had a good two months and there were other men in other towns, but still…Jay had seemed like a good, solid choice.
When the hands left for lunch she hopped into the truck and headed to the animal hospital.
She walked in the door and Jamie looked up with a smile. “Hey Rand.”
“Hey, Jamie. Could I talk to Jay?”
Jamie gave her a surprised look. “Sure. Hang on.”
“Thanks.” Rand paced in the front while Jamie went to the back. Her eyes kept catching those of Mrs. Donaldson’s golden retriever and the dog let its big pink tongue loll out of his mouth and his tail thumped.
“Miranda, honey.” Mrs. Donaldson called, patting the seat next to her.
Rand prayed Jamie would come out and save her but no such luck. She sat next to the older woman and found herself with Hank, the golden retriever, whose head was in her lap. She stroked his fuzzy ears while Mrs. Donaldson whispered, “I heard about your predicament, bless your heart.”
Rand gritted her teeth. “I’ll be fine, Mrs. Donaldson.”
“Of course you will be. I expect Jake will make you a fine husband.” The older woman’s eyes were bright with interest.
Rand choked. “Jake and I are not getting married.”
Mrs. Donaldson’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? I just assumed with how cozy you two were on Sunday and a man is only really serious about a woman once he’s taken her to church.”
“Rand, you can come back now.” Jamie came back to the front and Rand wanted to kiss her for saving her. “Just head on into exam room two.”
“Have a good day, Mrs. Donaldson.” Rand tried not to run from the room, but it was close. She shut the door with a sigh and leaned back against it..
Jay came through the door a moment later and smiled at her. “Hey Rand, this is a nice surprise.”
“It is?” Rand hoped she didn’t sound as stupid as she felt.
Jay cocked his head to the side. “Well, yeah. Is there something wrong with Digger or Scout?”
“What? Oh no, they’re fine. I was actually wondering..well…I had thought maybe we had a…” why couldn’t she think of the word? “Connection?” Jay looked so shocked, her heart sank. “I am so sorry. I am such an idiot.”
“No! I mean…yeah, I thought you were cute, but after seeing you and Jake together on Sunday…I just assumed…”
“No, well, it was just…” She sighed, and decided to be honest. “Jake and I are just friends. He was just trying to help me get your attention.”
His handsome face broke into a wide grin. “I’m flattered that you thought I was worth so much effort.”
“I’m guessing that means you aren’t interested,” she asked, just trying to confirm.
“I was…I mean…” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve been in this pretty dysfunctional on again off again relationship, and it’s kind of…”
“On again?” She offered, her hopes dashed with his confirming nod.
“Yeah. I’m sorry. You just seem like a nice woman and I know you’re in a tough spot…”
“It’s okay, Jay. Thank you for being honest with me,” she said, trying to control the shakiness of her voice, mentally thinking of who else was left.
No one. You went out with the top choices, and the rest were either too old, too young, or in the “hell no” category.
“Hey, good luck okay,” he said, and she dumbly mumbled a good-bye, waving at Jamie as she passed. She didn’t want anyone to see her frustrated tears as she left the office and raced to her truck. She was in desperate need of a beer.
Rand walked intoThe Watering Hole, straightening the skirt of the black dress she’d found in her grandmother’s box. It was off the shoulder with a tight bodice and a flowing skirt. She’s left her hair down and wavy, but in lieu of heels, she’d worn her black flats.
She saw Red by the bar and when he glanced her way, she gave him a little wave. At first, he got this really dopey grin and then his eyes bulged out and his mouth dropped. Leaving his beer on the bar, he walked over to her, letting out a rather loud, “Holy hell!”
“Is that good or bad?” Rand nervously looking around the bar.
“It’s good. You’re…” His voice trailed off and he cleared his throat. “Jake’s a lucky guy.”
Rand laughed. “Jake and I were just pretending to be dating. He thought it would be a way to get Jay to notice me, but turns out, he’s not interested. So here I am, back to square one, trying to pick up a man in a bar.”
“Wait, you two were faking,” Red asked, and she nodded. “It looked real to me.”
“Nope. All an act. We were going to tell you, but Jake thought your expression was hilarious.”
“Yeah I bet,” he said, his eyebrows lowered in a scowl.
Maybe she had lost her mind (or just all hope) but she reached out and wrapped her arms around Red’s waist, looking up at him with fluttering lashes.
“Oh come on. Don’t be sore. Remember that time you and I convinced Jake that Warren Duffy had been the one to hot-wire his truck and put it in the field? He was so mad at us after Warren popped him one.”
She had surprised him, hopefully in a good way. She was new to this flirting business, but if she was going to lose her life and livelihood, she might as well lose her mind too.
Finally, Red’s arm wrapped around her waist and he squeezed her. “Want a beer?”
“Yep. I would very much like a beer right now,” Rand answered, letting him lead her over to the bar.
“Hey Rand,” Wilson Taylor called to her as they approached. He let out a low whistle, his hazel eyes twinkling. “You look real good.”
Why hadn’t she thought of Wilson? He was good looking, one of the good guys in town, and drove into the city during the week for work.
“Thanks, Wilson,” she said, giving him a wide friendly smile.
When he smiled back, she noticed the tell-tale bulge in his lip where his dip had been stuffed.
Which wouldn’t have phased her two weeks ago when she was still thinking about marrying a man and living platonically. But now that she’d been kissed…
Maybe she only liked kissing with Jake because they were friends?Her gaze shifted to Red as he ordered their beers.Would she like Red’s kisses?
Red handed her the bottle of Bud and tapped the neck of his to hers. “To the future husband, whoever he may be.”
Rand pushed down the panic in her throat and took a long pull from the beer.
Walking intoThe Watering Hole, he found Rand standing on top of a chair with Bob Haskins beside her, shouting out numbers quickly. Red was laughing as he tried to pull her down and Jake felt the pulse in his temple throb with rage.
Making his way over to them, he tapped Red’s shoulder. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Jake!” Rand cried, smiling as she noticed him. “Bob’s going to find me a husband.”
“Like hell he is.” He reached out and pulled her off the chair. “What happened to never drinking again?”
