by Iris Abbott
Michelle, the other person at the table, jumped up and grabbed Josh’s hand just as the next song started. “This is one of my favorite songs. Let’s go,” she said without really giving him a chance to decline her offer.
Mandy watched them leave the table and turned back to Sara Beth. “I’m glad I ran into you guys and had a chance to hang out and catch up, but I think it was time I got going. I don’t want to leave my mom by herself for too long.”
Sara Beth frowned at her friend. “I saw you and Jackson Walker give each other the once over. You two sure kept the rumor mills busy back in the day. It was all anyone talked about even for months after you both left town. Your extended absence just served to fan the flames, you know. Should I be keeping my ears open for more gossip about the two of you?”
That actually caused Mandy to laugh. Sara Beth was the least likely person of anyone she knew to indulge in town gossip. “Jackson is just my boss, that’s all. If anyone implies otherwise, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Sara Beth’s frown deepened. “Oh honey, do you think that’s wise, working with him, I mean? You were convinced you were in love with him way back when. Things definitely didn’t work out. I blame him for the fallout. He was older and should have handled things in a much more mature manner. After all, it was that last confrontational scene between the two of you in the grocery store that really set tongues to wagging.”
Mandy just shrugged, “I don’t know. I needed a job, and he needed a vet tech. I’m certified, have experience working with large animals, and he helped my mom and me out of a tight spot by leasing ranch acreage for his vet clinic. I kind of owe him.” She shrugged trying to seem nonchalant. “I like being close to my mom. He’s the only veterinarian in the area. I didn’t have much of a choice if I wanted to continue to work in my field, which I do by the way. You of all people should know how much I love animals.”
“I just hope you haven’t made a deal with the devil,” Mandy’s worried friend commented. “I was there, remember? I know how devastated you were when you left town. I don’t want you to…”
“Speak of the devil and lo and behold he shall appear,” Mandy muttered under her breath as she spotted Jackson making his way to where she and Sara Beth were sitting.
****
Jackson had noticed the pair of sexy legs on display, thanks to the short tight denim skirt, as soon as they had appeared on the dance floor. He’d come to the bar to grab a drink and maybe play a game or two of pool with a couple of his buddies. Instead, his eyes trailed up the fantastic body on the dance floor until he was drowning in a sea of violet. Violet, wait a minute the only person he knew with mesmerizing violet eyes was Mandy. He zoomed out his tunnel vision and realized he was indeed staring at Mandy Tyler. She glanced his way. He saw her falter, and then she left the dance floor. It made his blood warm knowing that he could get to her. She definitely wasn’t as immune to him as she liked to pretend. Dr. Walker indeed! He’d put a stop to that nonsense and soon.
He gave her five minutes and then made his excuses to Carson and Kyle. He was glad to see as he made his way to the table where she was seated that she had gotten rid of the cowboy she’d been dancing with earlier. Once he’d realized Mandy was the owner of that sexy pair of legs, he had to acknowledge the feeling of jealousy that swept through him at seeing her in someone else’s arms. And they had only been dancing the two-step not a slow number for lovers.
Sara Beth was the first to speak. “I think I see someone I know on the other side of the room.” She gave Mandy a friendly peck on the cheek in the way of goodbye. “Now that you’re back in town we need to stay in touch. Call me. Things are pretty hectic right now. It’s the start of a new school year,” she reminded her friend. “Once I get through schedule changes things will start to calm down. I’d love to meet you for dinner sometime. We can catch up on everything.” She raised an eyebrow, “and I do mean everything.”
Mandy couldn’t quite believe Sara Beth was abandoning her to Jackson, but it certainly looked that way. “I’ll call,” she promised. Then she watched Sara Beth disappear into the crowd. She turned her attention back to Jackson. “Before you accuse me of following you or some such crazy scheme, I just want it to make it clear that I had no idea you’d be here. And I’m on my way home right now.”
Jackson couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He lightly tapped his booted foot in impatience. “I would never accuse you of following me to a bar. I just came over to ask you to dance.”
Mandy stared at the hand he held out to her without bothering to take it. “You accused me of that and a lot worse six years ago, Jackson. I’m your employee and your neighbor, nothing more. Let’s leave it at that. Everyone will be better off. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have no desire to be the main topic of conversation around town tomorrow.” She glanced around the bar, “and people are already beginning to look our way.”
Mandy leaped down from the bar stool and hightailed it out to her car as fast as she could without bringing undue attention to herself. Sara Beth may have been on to something earlier. Maybe Jackson was the devil because Mandy knew if she wasn’t careful she was in danger of losing her heart and soul.
Jackson’s eyes followed Mandy until she reached the door and disappeared from sight. His gut wrenched at her abrupt dismissal of him as anything other than an employer. That’s when the truth hit him. He was interested in Mandy Tyler as more than a vet tech, as more than a neighbor. He was interested in Mandy Tyler, the woman.
She’d been too young for him six years ago. But now she was all grown up. And he found himself wanting her now with a desire that burned through his body. He didn’t even think about what he was doing, or how it might look. His boots thudded against the worn wooden floor as he chased after Mandy. He was not letting her get away that easily.
Mandy hit the unlock button on the car remote. She heard a soft snick as the locks opened. She was just about to open the door when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder. The touch was so unexpected she almost jumped out of her skin. She spun around to face whoever had accosted her. The startled scream died in her throat when she recognized Jackson.
She pushed back the long fringes of hair that had fallen into her face with one hand. The other hand clutched at her chest. “Jackson Walker! You scared the heck out of me! I thought we said all there was to say back in the bar.”
Jackson pushed in close until he was almost touching Mandy. The corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk when she automatically took a step back but was stopped by the hard metal of her car. “You said a lot, Mandy. Now it’s my turn, and I prefer to do more with my mouth than just talking.”
Mandy sucked in a large gulp of air. She watched in fascinated silence as Jackson’s firm mouth moved closer to hers. Suddenly he was there, and they were finally touching. Mandy was too shocked to respond at first. Then she felt Jackson shift until the hard-muscled contours of his body pressed into the softness of her slight curves. His arms snaked around her and pulled her even closer into the warmth of his body.
Her body abruptly came alive. Every inch tingled. Her arms entwined themselves around Jackson’s neck of their own accord. Her heart skipped a beat when Jackson let out a tortured groan. A sharp nip at her bottom lip caused her to gasp, and Jackson was quick to take advantage of her now open mouth. His tongue shot forward and explored the inner recesses of Mandy’s mouth.
Mandy answered his invading thrust with the soft, tentative touch of her own tongue. She felt Jackson shift bringing her with him. The next thing she knew, Jackson had lifted her, and she was sitting on the hood of her car. Her low sports car put her at just the right height for Jackson to take advantage of what was on offer. He was standing between her legs. The hard ridge of his obvious erection pushed into her much softer skin.
Jackson’s whole body felt overheated. He didn’t even know what he was doing. He was all instinct. There was no thought involved at all, just the burning need to join his body with th
e woman that was tempting him beyond all reason. It’s a good thing he’d never gotten a taste of her six years ago. He would have never let her out of his sight.
His hands left her hips and molded her body to his. He wanted every inch of their bodies to be touching. That still wasn’t enough. He rested his palms flat on the surface of the car. He had effectively caged Mandy in, and the only place she had to go was backward.
Mandy’s heart was beating so fast she thought it might pound right out of her chest. She was feeling lightheaded too. She’d always known Jackson could turn her head, but she’d never known he could be this dangerous. She could quickly become addicted to his touch, and that wasn’t what she wanted she tried to remind herself. Her body, however, wasn’t listening to her head, at least not right that minute.
She felt him crowding into her even though there was already no space between them. Her hands dropped from his neck, and she leaned back onto her elbows trying to give herself enough room to breathe. Jackson just followed her down. Their mouths never even separated. They continued to taste, and explore each other with a recklessness that was shocking in its intensity.
Mandy’s stomach and most of the rest of her body was tightly clenched in anticipation. Every intimate part of her was swollen and actually ached for Jackson’s touch. She was almost completely lost in the delicious feel of Jackson’s body crowding into her. Still, she needed more. She wanted to be able to touch him too.
She yanked out the western shirt that had previously been tucked into the tight waistband of his jeans. Once the shirttail was free, she slid one flattened palm over the lean whipcord hardness of his body. She was lost in the sensations that were swamping her senses and the textured feel of Jackson’s body under her fingers. Time seemed to stand still, and nothing in the world mattered except for Jackson and the way he made her feel.
That was until a door banged open. A large group of people accompanied by boisterous laughter poured out of the honky-tonk’s exit. Mandy’s mind wrestled for control of her body and won. She hastily pulled her hand from beneath Jackson’s shirt. Then she slid both hands between their bodies and shoved, hard.
Mandy ran a hand through her already tousled hair. “Oh my God, I can’t believe we just did that!” She slid off the hood of her car and took a hasty step away from Jackson and then another. When it looked like he might follow her, she waved him off with one hand. “Don’t you dare come any closer! This is your fault, Jackson. Just remember when the gossip starts spreading, you’re the one that followed me out here, and you kissed me first!”
Mandy had been slowly backing away. Now she was at the front of her car. It was time to beat a hasty retreat. She finally took her eyes off of Jackson. She yanked open her door and slid inside. She fired up the engine and backed out of the parking lot spewing gravel as she went.
Jackson who had taken a hasty step back from the departing sports car let out a ragged sigh. He had to get his out of control libido and warring emotions under control before he rejoined his friends inside the honky-tonk. He was in deep trouble. He thought he’d just been doing the neighborly thing when he’d stepped up to help out Mandy and her mom. Now he wondered if he hadn’t known all along that the all grown up Mandy was going to throw him for a loop!
He had a lot of thinking to do that was for sure. And it wasn’t going to get done in a noisy bar. He retraced his steps back to the table he’d been sharing with Carson and Kyle, only Carson remained. “I think I’m going to call it a night. How about a rain check on that game of pool?”
“I guess so,” Carson agreed. “The last I saw of Kyle he was dancing with Mandy’s friend and they looked pretty chummy. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve seen the last of him, for tonight anyway.” Then Carson slyly brought the topic of conversation back to Jackson and Mandy. “I saw you talking with Mandy.”
He raised his beer and took a long swig. His eyes bored into Jackson. “Right before you practically chased her to the parking lot. If you aren’t careful, the two of you are going to be the main topic of conversation around town again. Mandy strikes me as being sensitive and tenderhearted. She wouldn’t benefit from having her past mistake with you dredged up all over again.”
Jackson glared at his friend. What was wrong with people? That was ancient history. Was he the only one willing to leave the past behind. “I didn’t mean to hurt her as bad as I did. I just wanted her to leave me alone. Let’s be honest here. There is no way she could have handled me back then.”
Carson arched his brows, “and you’re implying that she can now? Jackson, we’ve been friends for a long time. I’m gonna offer you some friendly advice, whether you want to hear it or not. Mandy is a forever kind of girl. And I’ve seen how she reacts to your name and your presence. She’s still susceptible to you even if she’s too stubborn to admit it. Don’t play games with her unless you’re playing for keeps because you both could lose.”
****
Mandy fumed all the way back to her family ranch. She’d wanted a night out on the town. She’d wanted a chance to forget all about Jackson. The night had started out as a success too. She’d been happy to see the old gang from high school, especially Sara Beth. All that had ended however when she felt Jackson’s eyes burning a hole through her while she was on the dance floor. She’d been trying to get away from him. She had not followed him to that bar, but would he believe that? She could feel the nerves in her stomach knot from the tension.
Their work relationship was complicated enough. They did not need the added stress of Jackson thinking she still had that ridiculous teenage crush on him. After all, that was all it had been, right? She snorted a most unladylike sound. Maybe if she kept telling herself that she would begin to believe it eventually.
Her mind played back the scorching kisses she and Jackson had shared in the parking lot. Her body still shivered from the sexual tension. Her core ached from the emptiness. Her body wanted to be filled by Jackson and was now feeling bereft. Yep, the physical attraction was definitely still there. And if she wasn’t careful the love might not be far behind.
EIGHT
“Someone doesn’t look like she took advantage of her first weekend off,” Daniel West stated not unkindly. “You look like you got about as much sleep as I did this weekend and I was the on-call vet.”
Mandy gave him a shy smile. “Was it busy then?” Mandy asked with a genuine interest in her voice. She loved the job even if it came with the looming threat of having to spend an unusual amount of time with Jackson. And Daniel was a nice guy. There was no reason to take out her frustrations on the unsuspecting man. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Daniel talking.
“Not too bad,” Daniel informed his new coworker. “I birthed a new foal at the Walsh horse farm early Saturday morning. I also got a call about a calf tangled in a barbed wire fence on one of the smaller ranches. It’s unfortunate, but we see several of those a year.”
Mandy was about to comment when the front door opened, and Jackson walked in. Her heartbeat automatically kicked up a notch. Her stomach cramped. Butterflies seemed to be multiplying inside her abdomen by the second. She noted that Jackson didn’t look any worse for wear. He probably hadn’t lost a wink of sleep over their unplanned run-in at the bar. She struggled to maintain her composure and to keep the atmosphere in the clinic as neutral as possible. “Good morning, Dr. Walker,” she mumbled without making eye contact with the man.
“You look well rested,” Daniel commented with a grin. He couldn’t help but notice the way Mandy shied away from their boss. He wasn’t from Rancher’s Bend originally, but he’d heard bits and pieces of gossip around town linking Mandy and Jackson to some horrific scene in the grocery store about six years ago. He’d be willing to bet that Mandy was going to give their boss a run for his money. Daniel had a feeling things were going to be really interesting at work for a while.
Jackson nodded a greeting to Daniel and turned back to Mandy. “Jackson, my name is Jackson, and you damn w
ell know it. We’ve been neighbors your entire life.” His eyes narrowed, and he stared her down. “I don’t remember you calling me anything but Jackson six years ago, so don’t start now.”
Mandy’s mouth tightened, and her eyes nearly threw out sparks. “Then you weren’t really listening too hard six years ago because I’m sure I called you all kinds of names besides Jackson.” She smirked, “the word jerk is the first one that comes to mind.”
Having delivered that parting shot, Mandy turned on her heels and went into the coatroom to drop off her purse. She realized she was shaking from the confrontation. She pushed the emotion and ensuing feelings to the back of her mind. She let out a little sigh. She needed to apologize to Jackson. She wanted, no she needed this job to work. No need to get on his bad side her first full week of work. At this rate, he’d be handing her a pink slip before the month was up.
Mandy patted her French braid to make sure every hair was still in place. She pasted a smile on her face and went back to the reception area to apologize to Jackson. She rounded the corner, and the sound of laughter spilled out of the office area. She came to a dead stop when she saw both Jackson and Daniel laughing so hard they were holding their sides.
She glared at both of them before flouncing to the reception area and taking a seat. She had some filing to do. She might as well get started. She heard Jackson’s voice follow her out the door.
“Oh, Mandy don’t be mad. We aren’t laughing at you, truly we’re not,” he might have said more, but couldn’t for the laughter fighting its way to freedom.
“Don’t be mad,” Daniel seconded. “It’s just that no one ever dares to stand up to Jackson the way you did. It was priceless and the most fun I’ve had since I came to work here!”
