Jayce smirked. "Not work related, certainly. I couldn't handle another argument where you intentionally misinterpret everything I say."
Reining in her temper, Tiara placed the hammer safely in the empty loop of her leather work belt, the temptation to use it on Jayce too great. "Wonderful, then, because I can't do anything for you right now. We munchkins have our meeting of the lollipop guild in a little while." She crossed her arms over her chest. Jayce reached over and swiped a thumb across her lower lip. Tiara noticed the spot of blood staining the tip. She also noticed the increase in her heart rate, just now realizing she must have bit the side of her mouth when her chin hit the ladder rung. "What'd you want?"
With a strange look that Tiara couldn't immediately associate with a specific emotion, Jayce stared at her, a barely audible, "I...uh...uh..." Had Jayce forgotten what she came here for? It didn't matter, Tiara wasn't about to stand around and wait for her to finally say something.
Tiara walked away.
JAYCE HADN'T BEEN aware of the weird enchantment that overcame her from one simple touch. At least not until Tiara wasn't in front of her anymore. When had that petite, freckle-faced girl become so beautiful? The question puzzled her, since she had always been attracted to Tiara. With Tiara wrenched from her life, it had torn a piece of her heart. Her dreams, poof, evaporated in a puff of smoke.
A moment ago, Jayce had been watching Tiara from beside the house, she thought unobserved. She'd witnessed the different aspects of Tiara, from confident worker to klutz. Not to mention a wonderful view of the cutest little bottom Jayce had ever laid eyes on. Her palm itched with a desire to caress what her eyes were inspecting. And given a chance to say something, she'd been speechless, driving Tiara away.
"Wait," Jayce called out, lengthening her stride to catch up.
Tiara whirled on a small booted feet and flashed a molten glare that made Jayce flinch. Why was she always so angry? Immediately entranced by the damp lock of hair plastered to Tiara's forehead, worried by her earlier awkward descent from the ladder, Jayce had forgotten to finish her request, ask the question for which she sought an answer. Heck, Jayce had been so distracted she could barely remember the conversation.
"Jayce, I have things to do," Tiara said in a clearly annoyed tone.
Now Jayce remembered. Too bad that she couldn't take back words or exchange them for the right ones. She'd need to think long and deliberately before speaking with Tiara. "I'm sorry," Jayce said, stepping closer.
"Not like I haven't heard that from you before," Tiara said.
She gaped at Tiara a moment. "Geez, give me a break, Red. I swear--"
"Oh, goody-goody for you, now you're a big girl. Swearing is adult?"
Jayce recognized Tiara was too angry for a civil exchange. When mad, the gold flakes in Tiara's eyes sparkled so alluringly as if beckoning Jayce to gaze deep into the depths. Her golden-red hair shimmered in the sunlight, sweat dampened and made a touch inviting. As when gazing at Tiara's derrière, now Jayce's palm tingled for one touch, one more stroke of Tiara's face.
She reached a hand forward, saw Tiara's eyes widen though she didn't budge. Gently, Jayce brushed the tips of her fingers under the loose hair on Tiara's forehead and tucked it behind an ear. Instantly, reminding Jayce of corn silk and satin softness.
Tiara's eyes closed for the briefest instant. "Jayce, please."
Stepping closer had Tiara's breasts making the slightest contact with Jayce's abdomen and sent waves of heat through her, as she whispered, "Please, what?" She bent slightly, placing a kiss behind Tiara's ear, and felt her tremble. "Kiss me senseless?" Jayce whispered huskily.
"Please stop," Tiara said, giving a gentle push to Jayce's stomach. "Someone could be watching." Tiara glanced around hastily. "Craig--"
Jayce took an awkward step back, a chill coursing through her. She shuddered and acknowledged, "So I did read you wrong." She tried to laugh, but it came out a nervous twitter. "I'm sorry, Tiara. I thought... Doesn't matter." Taking a deep breath and hoping to steady her jumbled nerves, Jayce shoved her hands into her back pockets. "I hope you two are happy." Not usually a terribly emotional person, Jayce felt irritated by an urge to weep. "I never meant to shame or disgust you. Guess Angie was right about me, after all. I'll stay out of your way from now on." Jayce retreated.
Maybe there was a time to run from a woman.
There weren't many things that could make Jayce cry, normally having a too-positive nature; however, that's what she wanted to do the whole hike home. She needed to get inside her room before she released the waterworks building behind her eyes. She sidestepped a dark blue Ford Mustang she hadn't expected to be in front of the porch steps, let the screen door slam behind her and started up the hall stairs when Edna called out her name.
"Jayce," Edna repeated from the foot of the stairs. "What's wrong with you?"
Not facing her, Jayce barked, "Nothing."
"Did you talk to Tiara?"
"Yeah, and you can forget--"
"What did you say this time?" Edna stomped a foot. "Turn around and talk to me." Straining to hold back the tears, Jayce complied. "Oh, honey, what happened?" Edna asked more solicitously.
"Nothing. I'll be in my room for a while." Jayce turned to finish the trek upstairs.
"But Jayce--" Edna started.
"I don't want to talk right now."
"You may be sorry you're not listening," her aunt shouted after her.
The comment barely registered as Jayce slammed the bedroom door behind her and instantly collided with the naked woman exiting her bathroom. She vigorously rubbed a towel against long, black, wet hair. Jayce would recognize that curvaceous body anywhere. "Sarah," she managed to whisper, just before the woman dropped the towel, wrapped arms around Jayce's neck and placed a firm, more than friendly kiss on her mouth.
Pulling away only slightly, Sarah purred, "Ooh, missed those yummy lips, babe."
"Sarah," she repeated, though difficult with the woman tracing a finger across Jayce's bottom lip. "What are doing here?"
Exaggerating the pout by puckering her full red lips, Sarah said, "I wanted you to be happy to see me." Sarah draped herself languorously across the comforter on the bed and raised her arms invitingly. "Come to Juanita, Mi Corazon. Tell me what has you so upset."
Jayce grimaced as she plopped down on the corner of the bed. "One, I won't call you by your made-for-cable TV star name. Two, you left my heart behind when you ran off with Johnny. Three, well, I'm not upset really."
Sarah sat up and scooted directly behind Jayce. Resting her chin on Jayce's shoulder, arms encircling her waist, Sarah asked, "You don't think I can still sense when you're upset, even if you hadn't slammed the door closed with tears in your eyes? A lot has changed between us, but I never thought our friendship was affected."
Closing her eyes and leaning into Sarah's embrace, Jayce sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it, to you or Aunt Edna. Why are you here so early, anyway? You aren't supposed to pick up Arabelle for another month."
Groaning, Sarah said, "Johnny and I broke it off. The tabloids are ecstatic."
"Well, you always have a place to hide here." Sarah clutched an earlobe between her teeth and nipped. Jayce shivered involuntarily. "I won't, however, be your rebound until you find another lover, Sarah."
"Was I asking that of you?" Sarah smiled wickedly. "You know you're the only woman to have ever turned me on. So, I wouldn't discourage any impulse you may have in that direction."
Jayce broke their contact and stared sternly at her, which wasn't an easy task with Sarah still naked and looking wonderful, as usual. "Juanita never asks." Jayce growled playfully. "Juanita takes." Both laughed then.
"Thought you weren't gonna use that name?" Sarah got off the bed and began dressing.
"I was teasing and making a point," Jayce said. "Don't know how you get away with it. You're too down to earth for a fancy-shmancy name like Juanita Juarez." Sarah glared at her. "Okay, maybe I should use the word exotic
and not fancy. What was wrong with just being you, plain ole Sarah Marsh from Silver Waters, Colorado?"
Sarah buttoned her silver colored blouse, as she said, "Mom's genes gave me the Latin features and coloring for a reason, might as well use it. Besides, I save Sarah for when I want to be ordinary." Jayce gave a snort. "As long as that's what Hollywood wants from me, 'cause that's all they're gonna get, and it keeps food on the table--"
"And a Mustang in the drive," Jayce interjected lightheartedly, remembering the car in front of the house.
"Hey, I'm famous for playing a lady gunslinger. Fans expect my personal life to reflect my professional life, all equine related in one way or another."
Jayce gave her friend a serious expression. "Did Johnny get wrapped up in the hype, too? You okay?"
Now fully dressed, Sarah shrugged and sat beside Jayce. "I'm fine. Johnny thought he should prove himself a stud, so he jumped in the sack with anyone who'd have him. There was a long line it seems." Sarah shook her head. "Really, Jayce, I never wanted to hurt you, you gotta know that. This emptiness is too awful to dump on someone intentionally. And I don't think I ever really loved Johnny. I did and do love you." A pained expression crossed Sarah's face. "If I had realized about your nesting gene--"
Squeezing her hand gently, Jayce said, "I know. You just weren't in love with me. Home sweet home was out of the question for you."
"You were right about Johnny's attention being on my career, the notoriety, and not the real me holding his interest. He wanted Juanita Juarez, not Sarah Marsh. I'm just glad I never got around to telling him the truth, not that he ever asked about my childhood. So I don't have to worry he'll track me down and try to make up."
"He's a big fool," Jayce said, then kissed Sarah's forehead. "Hang in there, because someday someone will fall for the real you, not the TV star you."
"I hope you're right." With a heavy sigh, Sarah asked, "You gonna tell me your love trouble?"
Jayce felt the heat of her embarrassment suffuse her face. "It's not love trouble, not anymore. I misread somebody and was promptly put in my place."
Sarah frowned at her explanation.
How could Jayce have misunderstood Tiara so thoroughly? They had shared kisses. Was Tiara more like Sarah, curious only? "Honest, I'm over it, over her. By supper, I'll be right as rain. Let's go check on Arabelle. You're going to be amazed by how many stunts she'll do for you, and your Deadly Aimes' character."
They stood. Sarah moved to the dresser and picked up a brush, and Jayce couldn't resist a quick--and final, she told herself--glance toward Tiara's place. Though she couldn't see from the window, Jayce knew Tiara was over there working alongside her boyfriend. She could feel the tears begin to well up behind her eyes and quickly tried to blink them away. Jayce had just about managed it when she felt Sarah's arms encircle her waist again.
"She must be pretty remarkable," Sarah whispered next to her ear. "She's hurt you deeper than I ever did. You're in love with her."
Jayce had never stopped loving Tiara. She had anxiously looked forward to the day Tiara came home. But she never planned for the reality in her daydreams. Letting the tears fall, Jayce spun around and clutched Sarah in a fierce hug. "Totally," Jayce acknowledged.
Chapter Nine
TIARA CLEANED THE work area, picking up the electrical equipment she now stored overnight in the old barn, in case of inclement weather. Once done, she walked to the back porch and stared toward Jayce's place. She wondered if she should call, make sure Jayce was okay, but hesitated when trying to think of a plausible reason to do so that wouldn't be transparent and needy. Tiara couldn't very well say, "I want you, Jayce, always have, and that's why I get so angry, angry with myself." No, better she stick with her earlier resolution that the distance and misunderstandings were best for them both. Although Tiara hadn't understood what Jayce meant by Angie's opinion, knowing it was probably a question best saved for later.
Oh, but that was going to be more difficult after seeing the unshed tears in Jayce's magnificent eyes. Their shared kisses had produced passion Tiara had long since believed controlled and contained, unnecessary in her life. She'd been wrong, and knew it deep down, since each time Jayce was near, Tiara wanted to devour the woman. When she witnessed pain in eyes usually alight with laughter and mischief, correcting Jayce's misconceptions seemed vital. On the one hand, Tiara wouldn't have to worry about her own feelings if she let Jayce believe a romance existed with Craig. However, for the same reason, Tiara did feel a renewal of attraction and didn't want to lose Jayce before she could sort out her level of desire and want.
Right now, Jayce was a distraction that Tiara didn't think she needed.
As Tiara walked through the back door, Darla warmly greeted her. "Hello there. You look tired." Tiara merely grunted. "Go clean up and relax a bit," Darla said, "dinner will be ready whenever you are."
"Thanks. I'll just be a few minutes."
"No hurry. The boys finished washing up, and promptly dropped in front of the television. I put some chips and dip out for them, so they won't notice any delay in dinner, for a little while, anyway." Darla pointed toward the hallway, "So skedaddle and take as much time as you need."
Another warm, gushy feeling coursed through Tiara when she noticed the neat pile of clean, folded jeans, T-shirts and other clothing items on the bed. She couldn't remember the last time someone had done her laundry. Also unexpected was the short note resting atop the clothes.
Hope you aren't the type to get weirded-out by
someone doing your laundry, but what else are
"sisters" for? Let me know if I should discontinue
this chore while I'm here.
The Bigger Sister
The sentiment, though unexpected, gave Tiara pause. Friendship and sisterhood had never existed for her after leaving Silver Waters. She had always kept her distance from people. Why were all these changes happening at this point in her life? Tiara shook the questions out of her head. She could think on it later.
After a lengthy and very steamy shower, feeling more relaxed, though only physically so, Tiara got dressed and made her way back to the kitchen and the meal Darla had prepared. The group had barely finished eating when two, long bursts of a vehicle horn sounded.
"I'll take a look," Craig volunteered, rushing toward the front room. Darla and Tiara started clearing the table, until they heard his exclamation, "Wow, Boss. Who do you know owns the huge purple limo?"
Tiara could feel the color drain from her face, as she whispered hoarsely, "The spaghetti-guy gangster."
Simultaneously, Darla and Mark asked, "Are you okay?" Tiara barely nodded.
Mark straightened. "Want me to go check it out, send the guy away?"
"No," Tiara said, squaring her own shoulders. "I need to take care of this." An extreme sense of relief filled her, though, realizing Mark and Darla followed behind with Craig taking up the rear of the group as they passed him.
Had Tiara not already frightened herself in expectation of this visit, she would have laughed at the sight of the limousine in her driveway. It resembled a giant plum. However, the behemoth of a man unfolding himself from the front passenger seat was no laughing matter. He stood at nearly seven-feet, bald, and was dressed entirely in black from pressed cargo pants, leather dress shoes, a T-shirt stretched over huge biceps, that to Tiara's estimation, had to be the width of her waist. Tiara didn't know if it portended good or bad that the man was the hired muscle and not the Spaghetti-guy. She knew she'd get her answer soon enough when the limousine's back door slowly opened.
FEELING SOMEWHAT BETTER, physically at least, after a long ride on Arabelle and Buster, Jayce suggested she and Sarah go to town for dinner and maybe a drink. They were about to turn the horses over to one of her assistants, Charlie, for care; but Sarah's question halted Jayce mid-dismount. "Is your not-now-or-ever-agirlfriend some kind of celebrity?"
Jayce gazed toward Slim's place, and then hastily prodded Buster in that direction. Her he
art raced faster than the horse was running, and she silently chastised herself for getting ready to burst in where no longer wanted. Reining Buster to a halt at the corral, Jayce was able to ascertain the scene before her. A ghastly purple limo had parked behind Tiara's truck, a guy the size of a military tank stood on the passenger side, and the back door stood open, but apparently the occupant hadn't exited yet. Tiara and friends were in an expectant cluster at the bottom stair of the front porch.
Jayce recognized the surprise crossing Tiara's features at her approach; and for a split second, she considered abandoning her impulsive reaction to Tiara's possibly being in danger. She held her position. Tiara, after all, had men to protect her now. Jayce figured this had to be the man Tiara expected to come for Majestic. At least there weren't any weapons visible. If Tank had a gun he had it hidden exceptionally well. And Jayce didn't want to speculate as to where any hidden placement could possibly be on the man in those tight clothes.
As if the spectacle of his appearance had extended as far as prudent while maintaining an audience, a figure exited the limousine. He was barely five-feet and wearing a 1940s-styled pinstriped suit with a gold chain swinging from the vest pocket, a salmon colored shirt, thick black tie, a Fedora, and spats over patent leather black shoes. A fresh carnation matching the shade of his shirt was pinned on the left side of the wide lapel. Jayce's first instinct was to believe Slim was kidding around and sent this person as part of an elaborate charade to win his daughter's favor by arriving just in time to save the day. But this seemed too far fetched to be an attention gimmick, even for Slim. Either way, to hide her sudden bark of laughter, Jayce pulled on the reins in such a way that Buster reared back, punching the air as he whinnied. From the corner of her eye, Jayce caught the quick grin on Tiara's lips, before bringing the horse down in a small cloud of dust.
A Majestic Affair Page 7
