Authors: Robin Kaye
Maybe that conk on the head did some real damage. Trapper had seen Fisher with plenty of women over the years, and he was the least possessive person Trapper knew. Hell, half the time he’d have his head stuck so far in his books, he wouldn’t even notice when the woman left. With Jessie, it was as if he scanned the crowd, ready to take out anyone who so much as looked her way.
Gramps took a seat, sandwiching Fisher between him and his mom in the bleachers.
Trapper almost felt sorry for Fisher. He was right in the line of fire and had no way of escaping. From the look on mom’s face, she was on the warpath. She probably called Gramps on running off to the snack shack for hot dogs again.
Karma sat next to Trapper on the bench. “Fisher’s acting like a jealous freak.”
Trapper sat back and crossed his legs. “Yeah, someone’s gotta talk him off the cliff before he jumps. He looks like he’s just itchin’ for a fight. If he doesn’t watch it, he’s gonna end up with his ass in jail, and Jessie on the Tomahawk Trail. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman who would put up with much bullshit.”
“He’s in love with her, Trap.”
Trapper tugged off his baseball cap and ran his hand through his hair. “Any idiot that looks at him can see that. So what’s the problem?”
“Jessie doesn’t believe in love—at least not romantic. She swears it’s disappearing faster than the incandescent lightbulb, because women have achieved total equality.”
Trapper raised an eyebrow. As far as he could tell, Jessie hadn’t taken her eyes off Fisher either. “How can she not believe in love? She’s in it.”
“I know that, and you know that, but Jessie thinks it’s lust—a temporary thing.”
“Damn, so that’s why he’s wondering which one of us is going to be his replacement. How the hell is Fisher going to talk her out of that nonsense?”
“I don’t know that he can. Hell, I’ve already tried. And if I can’t do it, nobody can.”
“Don’t you think you’ve caused enough trouble? The only reason Fisher hasn’t taken you over his knee is because one, he’s hurt. Two, you don’t fight fair. And three, you set him up with Jessie. The fact that he thinks you put her in danger still has you pretty high up there on his shit list.”
“How the hell was I supposed to know she’d climb a mountain when she’s afraid of heights? Damn, Trapper. I’m not psychic.”
He threw his arm around her. “I know you meant well, but you gotta admit, Fisher has a point. You knew Jessie was driving up in that windup toy car of hers. You knew she’d never make that last leg to the cabin.”
“So, I didn’t think it through. God, I was busy trying not to bust a gut over the way you jerks fell in line. You know, if you want me to stop messing with you, maybe you should all stop messing with me. I’m twenty-three years old, Trapper. I hardly need my brothers to threaten every man who comes within six feet of me. I have a fifth-degree black belt. I think I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t keep us from worrying.”
“And that’s my problem, why? It’s not like I don’t worry about you guys, but you don’t see me threatening your dates.”
Okay, so she had a point. It didn’t mean he had to like it. Trapper shook his head. “I sure hope we win the game in this inning. Jessie hasn’t stopped staring at Fisher the whole time he’s been sitting there. It’s like she can sense his anxiety. Good thing she’s not like that on the field.”
Jessica was up at bat and hit one right between second and third. She was off and safe at first. The girl ran like a gazelle. When the pitcher had his back turned, she stole second, and at the crack of the bat, she was heading toward third.
Trapper rose to his feet with the rest of the crowd. “Go, go, go!”
Jessica ran for home just as the outfielder bulleted the ball to Danny, the catcher. She hit the dirt. The girl had perfect form and no fear. She slid home, tagging the base before taking out Danny, who fell on top of her.
The ump threw up his arms. “Safe.” The crowd went wild. Unfortunately, so did Fisher. He shot out of the stands at a dead run, whipped around the gate, and skidded to a stop a second before Trapper arrived, just as Danny’s face lit up with definite interest. He slid his leg between Jessie’s, putting his weight on his arms, and raked his eyes over her. “Are you coming to Hannah’s after the game?”
Shit. There was nothing left to do but make sure Fisher didn’t get his ass arrested.
Trapper stood by while Fisher grabbed Danny.
“Get the hell off her.” Fisher tossed him off Jessie like a sack of potatoes, and when Fisher went after Danny, Trapper stepped in.
“Calm down, little brother. If you kill every man that asks your girlfriend out, you’re gonna land your ass in jail.”
“He was on top of her.”
“Yeah, and since she doesn’t have a ring on her left hand, or a tattoo that says ‘Property of Fisher Kincaid,’ Danny had no way of knowing she’s taken. She’s had a half-dozen offers since the game started and laughed them all off, so chill. She’s not on the prowl. You have nothing to worry about. Come on.” Trapper threw his arm around Fisher’s shoulder. “Go dust her off, and congratulate her on winning the game for us.”
Fisher turned to find Hunter had already helped Jessica up. Trapper joined Hunter and lifted her onto their shoulders. Jessica waved her hat, having the time of her life, paying no attention to the fact that both his brothers had their hands on her ass.
Trapper slid her down his body and gave her a kiss on the cheek before releasing her. “Damn, Jessie, you keep playing like that, and you can keep Fisher’s jersey and his place in the lineup. Come on back to Hannah’s with us. Your beers are on me.”
Trapper kept his arm around Jessica’s neck, his hand hanging too damn close to her breasts, as if daring Fisher to say something. Shit, this was Trapper.
“Are you asking for a broken arm, Bro?”
Karma ran right in front of Fisher and gave Jessica a hug. “Holy cow, Jessie! You were amazing. I’ll ride over to Hannah’s with you.”
“Sorry, but I can’t go. I’ve got to get Fisher home.”
He was just about to say he’d go too. Jess wasn’t the only one suffering from cabin fever. Then his mom came up beside him and put her arm around his waist. “Oh no. Joe and I will take Fisher home and get him all settled in. You kids go on and have fun.”
Jessie smiled at his mom. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. You need a break after being cooped up with Fisher for days. It’s the least I can do.”
“Hey.” Fisher put up his hands. “I’m standing right here, you know.”
Jessie looked at him. “Yeah, we know from the green tinge to your skin. You’d better go home. You don’t look so good. It’s past time for your acetaminophen.”
“I’m a doctor, Jess. I think I know when I’m supposed to take my meds.”
“Well, okay.” She turned to Mom and Gramps. “I’ll check on him when I get home.”
Well, at least she was calling his house home, which was something.
His mother released him and stepped forward. Before he had the chance, she gave Jessica a hug. “Don’t worry about Fisher. He’ll be fine. Just have a good time.”
Karma grabbed Jessica’s arm. “I have your bag. Let’s go grab a pool table.”
“Great.” Jessica gave him a wave and walked away, leaving him with Gramps and his mom. Shit. Before she was ten feet away, she and Karma were surrounded by men.
Gramps rocked back on his heels and stared after Jessica. “You better keep that little filly on a tight rein, son.”
“That would be a lot easier to do if you and Mom weren’t so damn helpful. Whose side are you on, anyway?”
Fisher saw the look in his mother’s eye and protected his head. “Uh, uh, uh. I have a concussion. No head smacks for at least a month. Doctor’s orders.”
When Gramps pulled into Fisher’s driveway, Fisher waved his mother back into the car. “Mom, I’ve been putting myself to bed for twenty-five years. I don’t need help doing it now.”
“I know, but I told Jessie I’d make sure you were okay. She didn’t see you toss that young man off her like I did. You’re just getting off bed rest. You’re hardly in any shape to try out for the WWE. What were you thinking?”
He was thinking that the guy was making a play for Jessica. That’s what he was thinking. He deserved to be thrown off her. “I was afraid she was hurt. That big guy landed right on top of her.”
“And I suppose that’s why you threatened to break Trapper’s arm too, huh, because you thought she was hurt?”
“You always did have great hearing.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Mom, Jessica’s special, and she has no clue how incredible she is.”
“Fisher, did you watch her? Jessica doesn’t even notice the attention.”
“Oh, she notices it all right. She just thinks they’re staring because she’s tall and muscular, not because she’s drop-dead gorgeous.”
“Well, I’ll be. Fisher Michael Kincaid, you’ve gone and fallen in love with that girl.”
Shit. Could this day get any worse? There was no lying to his mom. She had better radar than the air force. “Yeah, but unfortunately, I’m the only one on the love boat. Jessica doesn’t believe in love, and I have no idea how to prove it to her.”
“Well, acting like a jackass certainly isn’t going to help.” Gramps laughed so hard he had to hold onto the car door to keep from falling over. “Maybe you should borrow that book on dating that Hunter used. Just make sure she doesn’t find it like Toni did.”
Kate gave Fisher a hug and whispered in his ear. “As much as it pains me to say it, your grandfather’s right. And tomorrow, I expect you to call Trapper and apologize. Just remember, Fisher, Jessica’s a smart girl. She’ll figure it out eventually. Just be patient—give her time.”
He’d promised he would, but by two o’clock in the morning, Jessica still wasn’t home, and he was pacing.
Jessie slipped her shoes off as she opened the screen door, so she wouldn’t wake Fisher. She stuck her key in the lock, wishing she’d remembered to put some WD-40 on the hinges. She loved the old door. She just didn’t love the way it squeaked every time it opened. She slipped in, put her purse on the table, and reached for the lamp, just as the overhead light clicked on. Busted.
Fisher stood at the end of the hall with a weird look on his face.
“What are you doing up? You’re supposed to be in bed.”
“I was waiting for you.” He looked at her funny, his gaze moving between her face and her hands.
She tried to figure out why when she remembered she was holding her shoes. She dropped them by the door. “I took them off outside because I didn’t want to wake you.”
“That’s funny. It looks to me like you were sneaking in.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Why would you stay out until two in the morning when your boyfriend’s home in bed?”
Jessie tossed her gear next to the door. “I was having fun, and you were supposed to be sleeping. You should have been. You’re cranky.” She’d missed him all night, which is why she stayed. Lord knew she didn’t want to get too used to having him around.
She allowed herself to go to him then, wrap her arms around his waist, and lean in for a kiss, when the fifty she’d stuffed in her bra crinkled against her breast. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She stuck her hand in her shirt and pulled out the Jackson to wave it in front of Fisher’s face. “Look at what I won. I beat Trapper at pool.”
“You did?”
He was shocked, and frankly, she’d been shocked too. For the first time, she wondered if a guy would fall for her old standby. Trapper seemed smarter than most.
“How’d you manage that? I’ve been playing pool with Trapper all my life, and I’ve never seen anyone beat him.”
“I’m smarter than the average bear, remember?” His arms came around her, and she sucked in a breath, savoring his scent and the feel of him against her. She felt like she’d just come home after being away for a long time, which was strange because this wasn’t her home. “I just used his male ego against him.”
Fisher’s hold tightened, and his hands slid under the hem of her T-shirt. “Do I want to know how you managed that?”
“We were playing Eight-Ball, and he was winning. He really is exceptional at pool.”
“That’s how he put himself through college and law school.”
“Figures. I didn’t stand a chance. I was losing by a few balls, and Trapper was going for the eight ball, so I bet him he couldn’t bank it twice.” She shook her head. “Guys fall for it every time. I only told you because he’s too smart to fall for it twice. Though you’d be surprised how many men aren’t.”
Fisher walked her backward toward the bedroom, switching off the lights, undressing her along the way.
“I finally met Toni. She’s a trip, and I mean that in a good way.”
“Yeah, my sister-in-law is one-of-a-kind. I’m still amazed she puts up with Hunter.”
“He must be doing something right because they didn’t stay too long. Karma and Trapper had a bet going over how long it would be before one dragged the other out. It really wasn’t Trapper’s day. Karma took him for a twenty.”
“I swear, I think there’s a twenty and a fifty that keep getting passed around the family. They’ll bet on pretty much anything.”
“They’re all great. Well, I’m still not too sure about Hunter. He kept giving me strange looks all night.”
“Hunter’s more of an observer than a talker.”
“Not to mention a little scary. He looks like he’s part pit bull. I think he scared Danny away.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’s the jealous type, but for the life of me, I don’t know why. Toni never left his side.”
“Danny wasn’t after Toni, Jess. He was after you. I’m sure Hunter was just keeping an eye on you.”
She let out a laugh, but when she looked at Fisher, he wasn’t laughing. He was serious. “Don’t be ridiculous. Danny’s not the least bit interested in me.”
“Yeah, right, that’s why he asked you out when he was laying on top of you at home plate.”
“I knocked him down. And for your information, Danny didn’t ask me out. He asked me if I was going to Hannah’s with the group. He was just being friendly.” Wasn’t he? Not that it mattered. She couldn’t imagine going out with anyone but Fisher. And that was a problem.
***
Jessie was cold. She rolled over to snuggle closer to Fisher, only to realize he wasn’t in bed.
Prying her eyes open, she checked the clock. Twenty past eight. After the last time they’d made love, Fisher had mentioned he had rounds at seven. She tried to muster a modicum of guilt for keeping him up half the night, but since she’d discovered sex with Fisher sans tears, she failed.
Scooting closer to his side of the bed, she grabbed his pillow and pulled it to her chest, inhaling his scent and wishing he’d at least woken her and told her good-bye. Something was missing… Well, maybe it was just Fisher and the coffee he always brought her.
She stumbled to the kitchen and found a thermos of coffee sitting on the counter. She wasn’t too sure about the thermos, but when she poured, the coffee was steaming. Okay, so maybe she did love Fisher—for his coffee. The man definitely knew how to satisfy her in the kitchen, the bedroom, the meadow, and last night, the hallway was nice too.
She sipped her coffee as she pictured Fisher taking her up against the wall. He’d had that wild thing going again. Just the memory of the look in his eyes sent a shiver through her. She rubbed her shoulder where he’d given her the love bite that set her flying. Another first. Shit. Just thinking about it got her hot and bothered.
Her phone rang, and she ran for her purse, thinking that maybe it was Fisher—no such luck. And no, dammit, she wasn’t disappointed. “Hi Mom.”
“How was your trip?”
“Great.” Jessie grabbed her coffee and sat on the über-clean counter. Fisher must have cleaned the kitchen before he left for work, the freak. She rearranged the cookbooks so they were in a random order. There, that was better.
“I was worried about you the entire time you were gone.”
“Yeah, well, I ended up being up at the cabin with a man after all. He was lucky he had a woman with him, since I had to rescue him.”
“What?”
Jessie told her mother the story—okay, not the whole story. She left out the dating deal, the really great sex, and the massages. She just told her the part about her car and her fly-fishing, white-water swimming adventure.
“I’m glad I called you, especially if you’re not at Andrew’s house. I forgot your address on the kitchen table, and I need it to overnight your package.”
“You’re sending me deli food?”
“Yes, and it’s a good thing I bought enough for two, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure how long I’m staying at Fisher’s, but I guess you might as well send it here, since he still looked a little green last night.”
“That’s too bad.”
“It’s his own fault. He was supposed to stay in bed, but insisted on going to a softball game. I guess I should be thanking my lucky stars he didn’t play. And in the morning, when I got home from my run, I caught him doing laundry. Do you believe that? He was washing my clothes. Fisher’s such a neat freak. After one visit to his house, I was convinced he lived with his mother.”
Her mother laughed. “You can’t be serious.”
“You would have thought so too. You should see this place. His sister, Karma, tells me he vacuums in patterns, up and down, back and forth, and then diagonal—and that’s every time he vacuums. I think he even cleaned the bathroom while I was out.”
“Well, no one’s perfect.”
“Yeah, that’s just it. He pretty much is. I haven’t found a darn thing wrong with him, and believe me, I’ve tried.”
“What’s he do for a living?”
“He’s an orthopedist specializing in sports medicine.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, that was real a disappointment. It was much easier when I thought he was a bum. Honestly.”
“You’d rather date a bum than a doctor?”
“Of course. It makes it much easier to dump them when things don’t work out.”
“Jessie, if you didn’t date bums or men with gross imperfections, maybe you wouldn’t
want
to dump them.”
Jessie walked back into the bedroom to grab a pair of Fisher’s wool socks. Her feet were like ice cubes. She sat on the bed, set her coffee on the coaster Fisher left there, and rolled her eyes. “Mother, please don’t start on this again. I told you how I feel about love and commitment.”
“I know, dear. I’m just hoping a wonderful man who’s not a bum changes your mind.”
“Have you ever known anyone to change my mind?” She pulled up the second sock and wiggled her toes.
“No, but one can hope. And I have to say, Fisher sounds like the perfect man for the job.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Mom, but I’m only staying until I know he’s better. God, I thought I’d killed him. He was out cold, lying on a boulder in the middle of the river, bleeding from the head. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”
“Oh honey, I know just how you felt. When we thought your father was having a heart attack, it just about gave me one. I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Jessie had no problem imagining life without Fisher—the thing was, she didn’t like what she saw.
She rattled off Fisher’s address and got off the phone as quickly as possible. She needed to stop thinking about him, about life with and without him, about love, or lust, and the way her stomach fluttered whenever he speared her with those green eyes or smiled with the winking dimple. And definitely not the way she felt when he made love to her.
Jessie sipped her coffee and ate a piece of toast over the sink, seeing no reason to dirty a plate.
The house felt empty without him. It wasn’t as if she’d seen a lot of him over the last few days. She’d gone out of her way to avoid spending time with him, and she’d done her darnedest to keep him in bed alone, but just hearing him moving around and knowing he was there had been comforting. Even the way he snored was soothing. Yeah, she was definitely questioning her sanity now.
She took the last bite of her toast, and went over the plans she had for the next scene in her manuscript. Dialogue ran through her mind and she hightailed it to her computer, afraid she’d forget it if she didn’t get it down right away.
When the doorbell rang hours later, Jessie got out of the chair and her back cracked. Damn, it was a quarter past one and she was still in her pajamas. Okay so they weren’t really pajamas; she wore one of Fisher’s Rush Medical School T-shirts and a pair of his gym shorts with the drawstrings pulled so tight, the fabric pleated, making them look more like a skirt than shorts. God, she hadn’t even stopped to brush her teeth.
“Oh well.” She opened the door and there was Fisher’s grandfather, with four bags of what smelled like heaven.
“I brought my best girl lunch.” He pushed past her and set everything on the breakfast bar before giving her a once-over and smiling. “I hope you’re not one of those health food junkies like my Katie, because I brought you the best cheeseburger, french fries, steak fingers, and milk shake in the world.”
Jessie couldn’t help but smile. She held her hands to her heart and took a big sniff. “I think I’m in love.”
Gramps put his arm around her and led her to a stool. “Well, of course you are. No one can resist my grandson for long.”
“I wasn’t talking about Fisher. I was talking about you. You brought me junk food. Feed me, and I’m yours.”
“Jessie, my girl, if I were fifty years younger, I’d take you up on that—at least for a little while.” He patted her knee and let out a laugh as he handed her a chocolate shake. “It would break Fisher’s heart though, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure I could handle a filly like you. You’re going places, my girl. And I always wanted my woman close at hand. Now don’t get me wrong. Fisher doesn’t like the idea of another man looking at you, but he doesn’t expect you to sit at home waiting for him.”
“Mr.—” Shit, she knew his last name wasn’t Kincaid, but she couldn’t remember.
“Walsh, but you can call me Gramps. Fisher’s a good man, Jessie, and a hard worker. Did you know my grandson graduated second in his class in medical school and was valedictorian in high school and college? The boy always had his head in a book.”
“I had no idea.” Not that she was surprised. Fisher was annoyingly perfect even then. Sigh… why did intelligence have to be so damn sexy?
Gramps pulled out the burgers and passed her one. “I picked these up from the Westside Drive-In—the best food in town if you ask me. I even got you a surprise for dessert.” He took a bag off the bar and put it in the freezer. “Of course, I bought myself one too. I’m a consummate gentleman. I can’t stand to see a lady eat dessert alone.”
“Gramps, would you grab the ketchup for our fries while you’re over there, please?”
“Girl, you’re in Boise now. We don’t put ketchup on our fries. We use fry sauce.” He opened a drawer, took out a kitchen towel, and tied it around his neck like a bib.
When she raised an eyebrow, he patted it into place. “Protection. Katie caught me sneaking a hot dog from the snack shack last night. I got a little mustard on my shirt, and now she’s gonna be feeding me even more rabbit food than she usually does. I’m going to suffer for weeks, but I’ve learned my lesson. She’s not gonna catch me again.”
“Unless I rat you out.”
“Girly, I’m eighty-two years old. If I want to have a cheeseburger and fries with a beautiful woman every now and again, I figure I deserve it. Hell, if it kills me, at least I’ll die happy with a smile on my face and a mustard stain on my shirt.”
Gramps took out the rest of the food, situating something he called steak fingers between them, and enough fries to feed a family of four.
The fry sauce looked like a blend of ketchup and either mayo or ranch dressing and maybe relish? She wasn’t sure. All she knew was it tasted like heaven on earth.
Boise might not have a great Jewish deli, but they sure knew how to do burgers, fries, and milk shakes. Oh, and those steak fingers were incredible. Gramps was, as he said, the consummate gentleman. He didn’t even complain when she ate the lion’s share of the steak fingers and french fries.