The Boss, the Bride & the Baby (Brighton Valley Cowboys Book 1)

by Judy Duarte

  So she used her smartphone, accessed the internet and checked out the employment opportunities at Rayburn Enterprises, as well as the job requirements and the salaries.

  It didn’t take long for her suspicion to prove true. New hires with only an AA degree weren’t given salaries and benefit packages like she’d been offered.

  In spite of what Mr. Broderick had told her, Jason had to have had something to do with that call.

  Was he trying to manipulate her? He had to be. He was holding that job out to her like a carrot, tempting her to be his lover.

  But not his wife.

  Like Alex, he wanted her at his beck and call—on his terms, but not on her own.

  Well, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

  And Juliana was nobody’s fool.

  Chapter Eleven

  After paying the delivery man from Romano’s Pizzeria, who’d brought a medium pepperoni and a small vegetarian as well as an antipasto salad, Jason set the table out on the back porch. He figured that would be the best place to have dinner tonight.

  He and Juliana had a lot to talk about—and not just the family meeting he’d had with Carly and Braden.

  Juliana had disappeared after his brother and sister left, but Doug had said he’d call and make that job offer sometime this afternoon. It was already after five, so she was probably in her room, pondering her good news and making plans for her move.

  When she broached the subject, he’d confirm that he never got involved with HR decisions, so he’d had nothing to do with the offer. But he’d admit that he was happy for her—and that he looked forward to having her join the firm.

  In most cases—at least 99 percent of them—he considered honesty the best policy. But for now, he’d prefer to let Juliana think the offer had come through because of her own merits. And, in a way, it really had. She’d proven herself to be the kind of woman he wanted to work with—and to be with. So who knew where that might lead?

  His father had needed to prove himself to Camilla, but the only person Jason had anything to prove to was himself, because he wasn’t sure what kind of man he really was. Or what kind of husband or father he might make. Only time would tell, he supposed.

  He glanced at his watch. Juliana had probably received the call from Doug by now, and he couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say. He’d feign surprise, of course.

  But when she walked outside, carrying her suitcase and her purse, he didn’t have a chance to fake his surprise.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’m leaving.”

  Had Doug screwed up and forgotten that Juliana was to stay here and move to Houston when Jason’s time in Brighton Valley was through? Doug usually took notes when Jason gave him an assignment. Either way, Doug would have to tell her there’d been a change in plans or something.

  “Where are you going?” Jason asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  Uh-oh. That didn’t seem right. And neither did the cool glare in her eyes. If the call from Doug had come through, she should be happy. “What’s wrong?”

  She dropped her bag on the ground, crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one hip. “Did you have anything to do with that job Rayburn Enterprises just offered me?”

  He’d planned to deny it, but something obviously had gone south, and the only way to rectify the situation was to confess. “Actually, I did. I thought if it came through the proper channels, you might be more apt to agree.”

  “Then you thought wrong. I’m not going to accept it. In fact, I’m finished here. I quit.”

  Her words struck him like an undercut to the jaw, and he struggled to catch his breath, let alone speak. “I... I don’t understand.”

  “After everything we’ve talked about, everything you’ve learned about me... Jason, what kind of a person do you think I am?”

  He thought she was a wonderful woman who’d found herself in a tough situation, and he was trying to help her out. He was offering her a hell of a lot more than she could get job hunting on her own—and not as a charity case. It was because...he cared for her. But she wasn’t going to force him to say something he wasn’t sure he felt. Something he wasn’t sure he was even able to feel.

  “I was just trying to help. Did you find that offensive in some way?”

  “Help me? Is that what you were trying to do? Or were you trying to buy my affection?”

  “You’re wrong,” he said. “I care for you, but I can’t give you what you want. I can, however, give you what you need.”

  Her frown deepened, and she stooped to pick up her bag. “How in the world would you know that? You aren’t even aware of what you need.” Then she started toward her car.

  “What about the money you’ve earned so far?” he asked.

  She continued to walk without turning around. “Give it to Carly. I’ll get it from her.”

  So she wasn’t even going to give him a forwarding address? She’d done the same thing when she’d left La Galleria, just faded into obscurity.

  “You’re a great one for running away from your problems,” he said.

  At that she did turn. “Don’t you dare point out my flaws and shortcomings when you refuse to even consider that you might have any at all. But just for the record, Mr. Rayburn, you have plenty.”

  Then she opened the car door, tossed in her bag and climbed behind the wheel.

  She was barreling down the graveled driveway and kicking up rocks and dust before he could acknowledge that she was right.

  Never had he felt so alone in his life—or so much like his father. However, Charles Rayburn had always considered himself a success in all things—women, fame and fortune.

  Yet tonight, Jason felt anything but.

  * * *

  For the first mile, Juliana wasn’t sure where she was going. And by the time she’d passed the second, the tears welling in her eyes made it difficult to even see the road.

  She was two for two when it came to choosing men. What was her problem? Was she wearing some kind of neon sign that flashed Naive Lover? Kept Woman?

  Well, Jason had read her wrong. She could—and would—provide a home for herself and the baby. It might not be anything flashy, but she wouldn’t compromise her integrity with a corporate position and salary she hadn’t earned.

  Ooh. She could throttle him. She’d never been prone to violence, but if he were sitting next to her, she’d throw something at him, although she didn’t know what. Her purse was the only thing handy.

  “Damn you, Jason Rayburn!”

  Yet as her car continued to roll along the country road, she realized he’d had a point. She hadn’t wanted to confront her problems, at least when it came to talking to her mother.

  Sure, she’d been avoiding the discussion because she didn’t want her mom to feel any more embarrassed or hurt than necessary. But in truth, it was more than that. Juliana hadn’t wanted to see the look of disappointment on her mom’s face, either.

  But she was going to see that same expression whether she waited a week or four more months to tell her. Dragging it on was just causing her unnecessary stress. She might as well get it over with. Besides, she wasn’t ever going to be happy until she quit running away from her mistake with Alex and faced it head-on.

  So instead of turning onto the interstate that would take her to Houston, she headed to downtown Brighton Valley. Her mom and grandmother would be home having dinner now, which would be the perfect time to tell them both.

  Ten minutes later, she parked behind the drugstore, where her mom and grandmother shared the two-bedroom apartment upstairs. She left her bag locked in the trunk, although she might ask if she could spend the night on their sofa bed and drive to the city in the morning. Then she climbed the back stairs to the entrance.

  She rapped lightly on the door, and Gram greeted her with a smile. “Julie, what a nice surprise. Come in, you’re just in time for dinner. We’re having meat loaf and baked potato. Are you h
ungry?”

  “I could eat a little something, if you have enough.”

  “We have plenty,” Gram said as she turned away from Juliana and returned to the small kitchen area.

  The two-bedroom apartment was just as she remembered—small, but cozy and clean. The living area opened up to the kitchen, so it was easy to see that dinner was ready.

  “Let me set out a plate for you,” Gram said, while facing the cupboard. “Your mom is changing out of her work clothes. She’ll be out in a minute.”

  Juliana took a seat at the dinette table, which hid her tummy, and watched as Gram set out a third place setting.

  Gram had already shed her business clothes and slipped into a turquoise Hawaiian muumuu. “We’ve missed having you here, honey. How’s the temporary job going?”

  Juliana rested her elbows on the table. “It went well, but it’s over.”

  “That’s too bad. What’s next?”

  “Why don’t I tell you and Mom together? That’s actually why I came. There’s something I should have talked you about a few months ago.”

  “Sounds like bad news.”

  “Well, I guess that depends on how you look at it. I’d call it good news.” Juliana hoped her mother would feel the same way, once she got over the initial shock and disappointment.

  The bedroom door swung open, and her mother stepped out wearing a floral blouse and white shorts. She brightened when she saw Juliana. “I thought I heard your voice. Why didn’t you call and let us know you were coming? We would have picked up some ice cream or something sweet to have for dessert.”

  “Actually, I came to make a confession and to share my news.”

  “Don’t tell me,” Mom said. “You applied for a job in the city and got it. I knew that was coming. I’ve been praying you’d find something close, but I guess that wasn’t meant to be.”

  “Is that your confession?” Gram asked, a gray brow arched, indicating she thought there might be more to it than that.

  Juliana took a deep breath, then proceeded to tell them about Alex Montgomery, his lies and how she’d mistakenly gotten involved with him. “And that’s the real reason I quit working at the art gallery. I didn’t want to be around him anymore. He actually had the gall to think I’d be interested in continuing our relationship—on the sly, of course.”

  “Why, that ornery rascal,” Grandma said. “Shame on him. I don’t have any respect for a lying cheater.”

  “I agree,” Juliana said. “But there’s more to the story.” A lot more. She got to her feet and placed her hand on her baby bump. She didn’t have to say anything more. Both women could clearly see the part she hadn’t mentioned.

  “Oh, my,” her mother said as tears filled her eyes.

  Gram clicked her tongue. “Does the scoundrel know?”

  “Yes and no. I told him I was pregnant, which is when he decided to confess that he was married. He asked me to get rid of it.”

  “Humph.” Gram crossed her arms.

  “I’m glad you’re having the baby,” Mom said.

  Juliana turned to her, lips parted. “You are? I was afraid you’d be...upset or embarrassed. I mean, you work at the church. What are people going to think if your unwed daughter ran off and got pregnant by a married man?”

  “First off,” Mom said, “no one needs to know any details. It’s none of their business. And second, the folks at church are supposed to be in the business of forgiveness and turning the other cheek. They’ll just have to learn to practice what they preach, honey.”

  Juliana stared at her mother, who was smiling in spite of wiping the tears from her eyes. “Seriously? You’re not upset?”

  “Well, to be honest, I’m as mad as a wet hen at that man—Mr. Montgomery, I assume? And I’d like to wring his neck.” She shook her head. “I’m also heartbroken to think you were betrayed and hurt. It won’t be easy to raise a child on your own, but I admire you for it. Babies are a blessing, Julie. I know you’ll be a wonderful mama, and Gram and I are here to help you. So what’s there for me to be upset about?”

  “Well, I’m plenty stirred up,” Gram said. “What’s that fella’s name again? I’d like to drive into Wexler and give him a piece of my mind.”

  No doubt she would, given the chance. Gram was a feisty one. She bowled on Tuesday nights with the American Legion and played softball on the weekends with the Hot Mamas, a league of women, most of whom were twenty or more years her junior. She even kept a Louisville Slugger by the front door to ward off intruders. Of course, that was because Sheriff Hollister had confiscated her pistol last spring when she had a nightmare and fired several shots out the window and into Main Street.

  Juliana smiled and gave Gram a hug. “Please don’t do that. Haven’t you ever heard the old phrase let sleeping dogs lie?”

  “Hmm,” Mom said. “Maybe we should say, ‘Let lying rats sleep.’ Either way, I want to know more about my new grandbaby. Do you know what you’re having?”

  “A little girl,” Juliana said.

  Mom leaned back and clapped her hands together. “She’ll be a winter baby, so I can start knitting blankets and booties.” She turned to Grandma. “Won’t this be fun, Mother? We have some shopping to do.”

  It would be fun at that. As the two women began to make plans and discuss baby names, Juliana sat back and marveled at the reception her news had gotten. Maybe she wouldn’t need to find a job in Houston after all, which was just as well, she supposed.

  The only thing she wouldn’t confess was the experience she’d had with Jason. But why tell them about him?

  Nothing would become of it. She’d made sure of it when she turned down his job offer and left him standing on the porch, staring at her in disbelief.

  * * *

  Jason had no idea how long he’d stood outside last night, wondering what in the world to do about Juliana. Now that he’d met her, now that she’d shared a small part of his life, he couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind.

  She’d bewitched him or something. Whatever it was, nothing else seemed to matter other than making things right between them.

  But he had no idea how or where to start. He’d certainly botched things up when he’d tried to hire her.

  After finally turning in, he’d slept like hell and woken up early. But still he’d yet to come up with a solution.

  It wasn’t until he went into Granny’s kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee and cut a slice of leftover Texas chocolate cake that things began to make sense.

  For some reason, as he studied the pale blue floral print on the coffee mug and savored that familiar sweet dessert, he could almost hear that sweet old woman pointing him in the right direction, as she’d done so many times when he’d been a boy she’d lovingly nicknamed Jay-Ray.

  Life isn’t all about money. It’s about love and family. Nothing matters until you’re willing to put your heart on the line.

  Was he willing to do that with Juliana?

  His father never had been able to put anyone ahead of his pursuit of financial success. And even though Jason had struggled hard to be his own man, he feared there was just a little too much of Charles in him to be any different.

  Could he be the kind of husband and father Juliana and her baby needed?

  He thought of her again, remembered her leaning against the doorjamb in the office, stroking the gentle swell of her womb and talking about her baby and its father. I’m going to teach her to be honest and loving and kind. So even if she ends up looking like her dad, she won’t be anything like him.

  Jason’s mother had died early, so who’d taught him to be different from his old man?

  Granny had tried, but he feared he’d failed her like his father had.

  You’re a good boy, Jay-Ray. You know right from wrong, so you won’t disappoint me like your daddy did.

  Would she be disappointed in the man he’d become?

  It seemed that everyone thought he’d followed in his dad’s footsteps. You handled that just
the way your father would have, Doug had said.

  He supposed he had, but that hadn’t been his intent. And his conscience was kicking in, telling him to take corrective action. Didn’t that mean something?

  I judge a man by his character, the feed store owner had said, not his bloodlines.

  Maybe it was time for Jason’s true character to step up to the plate and for him to lay his heart on the line, no matter what.

  Wasn’t Juliana worth the risk?

  * * *

  Early the next morning, Jason drove to town. He wasn’t sure if Juliana would be at her mother’s apartment, but that’s where he’d start his search.

  When he pulled into the alley behind the drugstore and spotted her car, he parked beside it. Then he climbed the back stairs and knocked at the door.

  A woman wearing a blue robe and pink spongy curlers in her silver hair answered. He assumed she was the grandmother.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m looking for Juliana Bailey.”

  The elderly woman stiffened. “Julie’s in the shower, but she doesn’t want to talk to you.”

  “I understand. And I don’t blame her for being upset, but I’d like to apologize—”

  The woman lifted a baseball bat that been resting by the door and shook it at him. “Do I need to run you out of here? I have no tolerance for liars.”

  What in the hell had Juliana told her family about him? He hadn’t lied to her. Maybe he’d neglected to tell her the whole truth, but—

  At that, another woman—Juliana’s mom?—came out of the bedroom wearing a floral robe. “Who is it, Mother?”

  “It’s that louse who hurt our little girl, and I’m going to knock his head right out of the ballpark if he doesn’t get off our stoop.”

  “You’re trespassing,” Mrs. Bailey said as she snatched the telephone from its cradle. “If you don’t leave right this minute, I’m going to call the sheriff and have you arrested.”

  Jason had no idea how he could have hurt Juliana this badly. Her mom wanted to have him arrested, and her grandmother wanted to kill him. Didn’t this prove that he wasn’t any good at relationships?