Jasper (Cloves County Cowboys Book 2)
Page 27
Jasper lunged forward with clenched fists, trying with everything he had not to rip his little brother apart. “Today is the twenty-fourth.”
Epilogue
Six years later
“That’ll be twelve thirteen. You need a bag, Mr. Fords?”
Jasper dug into his wallet, pulling out a twenty and handing it to the cashier. “No thanks.” He waited for his change and grabbed the pack of diapers.
“Have a nice day.”
“You do the same.” He smiled at the young girl behind the register and tipped his head. He was running late. The fields took longer than expected, and with them down a man, it was thirty past when he was supposed to be there.
“Jasper Fords, why have you not brought your baby in to see me?” He turned to see Mrs. Calloway standing by the door, her hands resting on her hips. She had owned the store since he was knee-high.
“I will, just waiting on her to get a little bigger before we bring her out.”
She cocked her brow. “Well, okay. Your mom has been treating us to pictures of her for the past few weeks, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her.”
Jasper laughed. He wasn’t surprised by all the attention his little girl was getting. It had been the first time in generations a little girl had born to the Fords family. Kaya Kellie Fords. KK for short.
“I’ll make sure we get her in or you out to the ranch soon.”
“You better. Gosh, she is the most darling little one. She looks just like her mom.”
“Yes, she does.”
Kaya was a mini replica of his wife. It would prove to be a burden when she got older.
He pushed open the door and smacked into a sight he wasn’t sure he’d ever see again.
The woman stepped back, catching her step. “Sorry.”
She had changed a lot in the past six years, gotten older obviously, lost some of her youthful beauty, and the creases in her face became deeper. She glanced up, and her bottom lip pouted open, and then she smiled.
“Jasper.”
He smiled back at her. “Hi, Abby.”
“It’s been a long time.” It had, almost five years since he’d heard she’d left town, going back to California. It hadn’t meant anything to him back then. Abby was his past, and he was moving forward toward his future with Kellie.
“You back home now?”
She stared at him for a long while without saying a word. She blinked and laughed, seemingly awkward. “Uh yeah, just visiting my folks for a week.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah.” She glanced down at his arm and bit her lip. “I heard congrats are in order.”
Jasper was surprised she knew or even cared, but apparently, she did. She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “A little girl this time? You all must be very excited, especially your mom.”
He laughed. “Yeah, well when my dad lets anyone else get to her. She’s definitely Granddad’s girl.”
She sighed and looked down at her feet.
“Well, I gotta get going. It’s nice seeing you.”
“Yeah, you, too.”
Jasper walked around Abby and headed for his truck. He waited to feel something. Seeing her, a woman he had planned a future around. But all his mind could see was getting to the bar to relieve his wife of kid duty, and of course, getting a kiss. Six years later, and the woman could still stop his heart at just a look.
“Jasper.”
He turned around to see Abby standing in the spot he left her.
“You seem really happy.”
He smiled. “I am.”
She smiled back and nodded and then walked into the store. He didn’t pay much mind to her words.
»»•««
“Mason Edward, you put that down,” Kellie shouted with a gasp. Her son was a true cowboy, with an emphasis on the boy. He jerked around with guilty eyes and a curve of his lip. A handful in every sense of the word. If she didn’t know better, she’d wonder if he was Tripp’s son instead of Jasper’s.
“I need to practice, Mama.”
“Not in here you don’t.”
A gruff chuckle came from the bar where Garr was seated and watching with immense amusement. Curled in his arm was Kaya, swaddled in a blanket. It still amazed her when she watched a burly man like Garr melt with her little girl. He’d been the same with Mason, too.
“Uncle Garr said I could.”
Kellie narrowed her eyes and paced forward. “Is this your way of watching him?”
“Relax, no customers, we’re not open yet anyway, and the boy’s gotta practice.”
She rested her hands on her hips. “Lassoing a chair?”
Garr shrugged. “Better than lassoing people.”
She was about to give him the rundown of the rules when the door opened, and Jasper walked in. This man. She sucked in a breath, and her heart pulsed a little quicker. The sight of him still did that. Mason charged for the door, dropping the lasso and jumping into his daddy’s arms. He always did that, treating Jasper like a hero. She could relate to how her son felt.
“You been good?”
Mason hugged his dad, and Kellie chuckled when the question went unanswered.
“It’s not his fault, Garr is a bad influence.”
Garr scowled at her.
Kellie giggled as Jasper put Mason down and he ran back for his lasso.
“You got that thing?”
“Yeah, in the back. Garr, you mind watching them for a few more minutes?”
“Nope.” He shouted to Mason. “Let’s see you try for the barstool now, Mase.”
Kellie didn’t bother and walked down the hall, feeling Jasper at her back. She opened her office door and slid in with him following.
“That boy is wild, Jasper.”
“Well, he’s a Fords, it’s to be expected.”
“He’s been spending too much time with Tripp.”
Jasper snickered and shrugged. Mason idolized his Uncle Tripp and Uncle Grey. There was never a doubt he’d want to carry on the legacy of the Triple R ranch.
Kellie lifted herself onto her desk and smiled at her husband.
“I’ll be here till closing tonight. Got a new girl tending bar.”
Jasper walked forward with a glint in his eye. He rested his hands on her knees and spread them apart, stepping into the open space.
“What are you doing?” Kellie smirked. She knew exactly what he was doing.
Jasper gripped her jaw, bringing his lips down for a kiss. “Giving you a preview for tonight. I want you to have something to look forward to so ya don’t pass out when you get home late tonight.”
Her schedule at the bar had been erratic since she’d taken on managing the bar in the last few years. Patty and Garr were slowly stepping back and letting her take the lead as planned. When she got pregnant with Kaya, she started to reevaluate whether she could handle everything. The thought of giving up the bar nearly broke her heart, but Jasper stepped in.
“We’ll make it work. We’ve got family who love having the kids around, they’ll help, and I’ll work it out. Switch my hours so I’m home when you’re at the bar, Kellie. This bar is yours now, you can’t give it up. I know you love it.”
“I do, but I can’t do both.”
“Sure, you can. Darlin’, you can have it all, and I’ll spend the rest of my life helping you get it all.”
This was her husband.
Jasper kissed her again and wrapped his hands around her waist. He cocked up his brow and grinned.
“You ready for baby number three?”
Kellie burst out laughing. “Hell no, Jasper, I need a little more time.” She knew he was teasing. They’d have more kids, for sure. They were both on board with having a house full.
“Well, how about we just do some practicing then?”
“Practice makes perfect, right?”
His blue eyes peered into hers, and his face softened. “You are perfect.”
About the Author
Amelia Shea is a writer of contemporary erotic romance. She believes in the mixture of a little sweet, a lot of sass and whole lot of dirty wrapped up in a happily ever after. She fell in love with reading as a child and began writing shortly after. She is a northern girl, living in the South with her husband and children.
If you enjoyed this book, this author has other works available here:
Author's Web Site
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Other Books by this Author:
Cloves County Cowboys series
Greyson
Lock-Hart series
Declan
Garrison Brothers series
Perfectly Imperfect Mine
Flawlessly Flawed
Impatiently Patient
Hartwood Publishing delights in introducing authors and stories that open eyes, encourage thought, and resonate in the hearts of our readers.
Table of Contents
Jasper by Amelia Shea
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
About the Author
If you enjoyed this book, this author has other works available here:
Other Books by this Author:
Hartwood Publishing delights in introducing authors and stories that open eyes, encourage thought, and resonate in the hearts of our readers.