She’d always been envious of her sister’s ability to make friends so easily. Jenna’s friends had been few and mostly the result of social circumstances, the kids of her parents’ friends and associates. She’d only ever had one true friend, Ashley Clayton, and they rarely saw each other anymore between Ethan, Ashley’s new husband and baby, and conflicting work schedules. Ashley worked nights managing a restaurant and Jenna worked during the day.
Bri finally finished and then held the phone to her stomach with both hands as if afraid Jenna would take it from her. “I said sorry about the baby. I was, seriously, just about to put him to bed when you came in. I fed him and bathed him and read to him and everything else.”
Jenna stopped, about to announce her engagement, when she heard something her sister hadn’t actually said. She muted the TV, the background chatter starting to bother her, and pulled the earbuds from Bri’s ears. “Am I that bad? Do I fuss at you that much?”
“
Only all the time,” her sister answered, not seeming bothered by it. “But mostly about Ethan. Why?”
Jenna sat back. “I just didn’t realize.”
Bri sat back with her and stared at the TV. “You’re all weird today. All day today you’ve been weird. Up, down and all around.”
“
It’s been a weird day. I have news.”
Bri gasped, sat up and grabbed Jenna’s hand. When she saw her bare ring finger, she sat back as if disappointed.
“
There’s a ring,” Jenna said. “It was his grandmother’s. He’s having it reset.”
Bri gasped again and sat up. “No.
Way
. And you actually said yes?”
“
Why ‘actually’?”
Bri shook her head distractedly, still excited. “Because I didn’t know if he’d ask, but I really didn’t know if you’d accept.”
“
Well, I did. Do you mind if he stays here now?”
“
Are you kidding? I’ve been working my tail off. So, say thank you.”
Jenna smiled and gave her sister a hug. “Thank you.”
Bri sat back and started texting. “I’m gonna tell everybody.” She chuckled evilly. “Let’s see what Ally Assface and Brandon Buttface think about this.”
Jenna didn’t even try to stop her. There was no stopping her sister, she was rapidly learning. “Jeez. You and your language lately.”
“
So, is Sam moving here or are we moving to Texas?” Bri asked as she rapidly typed.
Jenna leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. That was a very good question.
***
Sam found Jack’s place dark and empty. He checked the back porch then came back inside, noticing something felt different in the house. The house felt more than empty. It felt vacant.
He went upstairs to Jack’s room and the closet was empty. He’d left a note on the bed.
Had to rush. Tell Boone to keep an eye on my work things. I don’t trust those bastards. Make yourself at home. Or, if you’re brave enough, make this house your home. I don’t need it anymore. JS
Sam dropped the note, proud of his brother for getting his life straight, but annoyed he’d left for Ohio without telling him in person.
He went into his room and started packing his things, using the time to think. About Jenna. And Ethan. About Jack’s note. About Brandon Stewart, who was really starting to get on his nerves. About his life in Texas.
His family had been pestering him since he’d arrived, wanting him to leave the ranch and come home. And now, with a son and future wife, he had to seriously consider doing just that.
Only one thing held him back. The promise he’d made to his granddad.
He’d promised he wouldn’t sell the land. That he wouldn’t let it fall out of the family. His grandfather had worked and saved for twenty years to afford his ranch and then had worked the land for fifty years. ‘This is my little spot in the world,’ his granddad had told him the last time they’d rode together. Before the first stroke had left him barely able to walk, let alone ride. ‘It’s all I have that’s mine alone. My only legacy. Don’t let it go, kid. Never let it go.’
Even with Buck there to run the ranch, Sam wasn’t sure he wanted to put that much distance between himself and the land. He trusted Buck, that wasn’t a problem. Buck had been born on the ranch. His father had been the foreman there before him, which was why most people called him Little Bucky, even though he was now in his late fifties and had three grown sons. But Sam wasn’t sure he wanted to give Buck free rein, so to speak. Buck had a tendency to think the ranch belonged to him as it was.
Sam gathered up his bags and headed out. He’d have to talk to Jenna, lay it all out flat and see what she had to say. He knew in his gut she wouldn’t want to leave. She had her new job and her sister. Probably friends and relatives.
They had a lot to talk about.
In the meantime, he needed to do something about Brandon Stewart. He’d noticed her startled reaction to the flowers and had slowed to read the card on his way out. Regardless of what she’d said, the flowers weren’t from her office. They were from Stewart. And his words were a threat. Sam couldn’t sit back while the guy harassed Jenna. He wouldn’t.
Rumors were one thing. Threats were another.
He needed to get back to Jenna’s house. He didn’t like leaving them alone after such a threat.
But tomorrow, he’d seek out this Stewart fella and they’d have a little chat. The guy needed to back off and Sam intended to make that point very clear. In the meantime, he made a quick phone call to his uncle, who Sam knew could be useful in this situation. Tad worked as a private investigator out of Nashville. Brandon Stewart had turned himself into an enemy, and it was always a good idea to know your enemy.
When Sam returned to Jenna’s he found the front door locked and had to knock. He didn’t want to wake the boy ringing the bell. But only a moment passed before Jenna answered, as if she’d been waiting on him. She’d changed into jeans and the blue t-shirt he liked with the white stain over her delicious breast. She was bustier now after having the baby and he instantly heated, remembering sliding his tongue over those full breasts. He planned to do it again, in mere minutes.
Before he could do more than drop his bag, she held up a key. “So you can come and go,” she said.
He took the key, gave her a kiss, and then gestured to the alarm system keypad by the door. “You need to put that to use,” he told her.
She winced. “I canceled the alarm system. I didn’t think we really needed it. We have deadbolts on every door.”
And she probably didn’t, now that he would be around. He was confident enough to believe Brandon wouldn’t dare make a move while Sam was around. His pickup parked out front was the only security they needed right now.
He stepped forward to see if the sister was around.
“
She went to bed,” Jenna told him. “I told her about us.”
He turned back, glad to see her beautiful eyes still sparkled. “And?”
“
She thinks she’s responsible for our engagement. Just don’t argue if she tells you that.”
He remembered Brianna insisting they leave the house and then the devious grin on her face. Maybe she actually did deserve the credit. Some of it, anyway.
He was about to herd Jenna upstairs when she pulled to the side. “Bri forgot to tell me the realtor called and wants to show the house tomorrow morning. I have to do a little cleaning. The kitchen’s a mess.”
He groaned wanting her to leave it and go to bed with him, but she kept backing away. “It’s my only chance. I have work tomorrow.”
“
All right,” he said, giving up. “Anything I can do?”
She grimaced and pointed toward the den. “Can you take those boxes out to the garage so I can mop and vacuum in there?”
He went to give her a kiss. “Engaged two hours and already you’re putting me to work.”
“
I couldn’t ask Bri to do it after watching Ethan all day.”
“
Plus all those matchmaking duties. Must have worn her out.”
She walked away chuckling.
He did his chores, put his bag in Jenna’s room, and then found her in the kitchen washing dishes. “Done,” he told her. “Anything else?”
“
No, but you can sit and talk to me so I don’t fall asleep.”
He was getting tired himself. He’d been staying up late a lot recently, and not sleeping well when he was in bed. He’d grown used to getting up early after living with his granddad. His granddad used to wake him with a rhyme.
Jump up cowboy and piss on a rock. It ain’t daylight but it’s four o’clock!
He told it to Jenna and she laughed. “I was wondering,
cowboy
,” she said, giving him a teasing look over her shoulder, “if you’d want to keep Ethan tomorrow while I’m at work. I know your family wants to meet him.”
“
Yeah, I’ll do that,” he said, instantly more awake, and filled him with relief. That would calm down his mother considerably.
“
I’ll leave you all the details,” she said. “He’s allergic to grapes and plums. And you have to keep sunscreen and a cap on him. He burns easily, like me. You’ll need my work number. Bri has abducted my phone. Permanently, I think. And I need more numbers for you. Your parents’ number.” She went still for a moment then glanced at him. “And their names. I just realized I don’t know their names.”
“
My mom’s name is Sandra, but everybody calls her Sunny. And my dad’s name is Knox. Because he was born in Knoxville. Good thing he wasn’t born in Maryville.”
A moment passed before Jenna caught on and smiled at him.
“
That’s an old family joke.” Since they were talking business, he dug in his pocket, found the folded check, and tossed it to the table. “I keep forgetting to give you that.”
She came over drying her hands and picked up the check. “What’s this?”
“
For Ethan.”
She opened the check, stared at it for a long moment, and then frowned. “I don’t really understand.”
“
What do you mean?”
She held it out to him. “I think you made a mistake.”
He took the check and looked it over. He couldn’t have misspelled her name. It was an easy name to spell. “No, it’s right. What’s the problem?”
“
Thirty thousand
dollars
?” She shook her head, laughing humorlessly, and again tried to return the check.
He held up his hands in defense. “I intend to pay all I owe from the day he was born. But I have to move some money around before I can get the rest to you and I’ve been running around all day. I just forgot. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
She pulled out a chair as if to sit but kept standing, shaking her head. “But…. No,” she said, still using that tone of disbelief. “This check can’t be real. It’s too much. It’s way too much. Where’d you get this money?”
He’d been planning to ask her about her financial situation, since gossip was buzzing all over town about it, but now he felt like the one being interrogated. She didn’t really seem to be listening, anyway.
“
This is real?” she asked again.
“
Why would I give you a fake check?”
Tears came to her eyes. “But this would mean…. Bri could still…. This can’t be real.” She sat down hard, as if she hadn’t meant to sit at all and had luckily landed on a chair.
Sam leaned forward, wanting to help her, trying to understand, but she wasn’t making any sense. He held one of her shaking hands. “You thought I planned to stiff you? Is that it?”
“
I didn’t think you had any money,” she said bluntly. “Not like….” She set the check on the table but kept her palm over it. “We’re losing the house. Brianna can’t go to college. We’ve lost everything. But with this….” The hope in her gaze suddenly turned to something sharp. “I can’t take everything you have. Are you selling your ranch? Your pickup? How?”
He sat back as he realized what she’d thought of him all these years. What she must have thought of his family. What a lot of people seemed to think of his family because of the wild branch of Stricklands. And after hearing his mother’s side of the story there was no telling what Jenna’s mother had told her. He was only slightly offended. “Oil wells, mostly. Dating back to my great-granddad. My grandmother, my mom’s mom, was a Munday.”
She only stared at him and he realized the name meant nothing to her here in Tennessee.
“
We probably own half a million acres around Texas. A lot of it prime oil land. It’s not something we go around bragging about.”
The head shaking started again. “But your family…. The post office. The
clocks
.”
“
What, we don’t drive around in Porsches and live in mansions? We all work?” He shrugged. “We live the way we want. And what about the clocks? That’s my granddad’s side. The money comes from my grandmother’s side and she still made her own clothes till the day she died. At least, that’s what I hear. I never paid any attention to her clothes. I was only twelve when she passed away. But she provided for all of us grandkids. Money and shares. What happened at the post office?”