Cowboy on the Run (7 page)

“I had plans of entering her in the calf roping event the next fall at the fair, but...” Jessie clamped her mouth shut, stopping the flow of words. It’d been close, almost admitting she couldn’t very well be roping calves considering she’d just found out she was carrying twins.

His twins.

Her face flushed, the warmth continuing to spread through her body. She should tell him, but was unable to voice the words as the old anger swelled beneath the surface.

“I waited for you. Every day, I waited. Hoping—no
praying
—you would come back to me, or at least return for Cinnamon’s sake,” Jessie confessed, her throat burning from held back tears.

“But you never came back, Nate.”

He didn’t make a move either to console or turn away, so she continued. “And then one day, your dad took Cinnamon. My dad let him...just handed over the reins excusing your old man’s behavior by saying he was righting his wrongs.”

Nate stepped onto the tractor then, his weight causing the heavy machine to shift. He pulled her into him, but it only managed to bring more hurtful recollections to light.

“Righting his wrongs?” She spat the question, pushing him away, embarrassed by her emotional display. How could she be so weak? “The Walker men are full of wrongs.”

He jumped down, giving her space.

“I hated them for taking Cinnamon. I hated you...” ...
for leaving me.
She started the engine with an angry flick of her wrist. “But I forgave your dad, Nate,” she hissed with hard bitterness. “At least
he
stuck around.”

Damn him
.
Damn Nate for bringing up bad memories. She slammed the tractor in gear, driving into the fields.

Jessie didn’t glance back, didn’t have to, knowing what she would see. He would be standing there waiting for her to change her mind, expecting her to run back to him. Again. Like she had done so many times before.

No, she had better things to do, like throwing herself into work for the rest of the day and not sparing one more thought on him. The east side of her property needed a trench, not to mention the daily check of the fence line.

Both chores would take her through lunch, just in time for dinner and then a shower before her shift at Ed’s bar. Perhaps if she stayed busy, she could forget about Nate. However, she knew it would be an impossible feat.

Still, for the next several hours, she tried to do just that, throwing herself whole heartedly into her work. But taking her frustration out on the land couldn’t erase the haunting memory of his smile when he came riding up on his horse. Or the joy she’d seen when he spoke of Cinnamon.

And now with the additional memory of Nate fixing the fence the other day, every post she checked reminded her of one of his kisses or a gentle stroke of his fingers on her skin. By the time she returned to the ranch, she was hot, sweaty and in one very sour mood.

William was in the barn stacking hay while her father and her daughter sat on one of the squares eating oranges. Jade dropped the peels on the dirt floor as soon as the tractor appeared.

“Mama! Mama,” the child squealed, running toward the machine.

Jessie stopped the vehicle, allowing her eager child to climb aboard. Jade landed in a rushed heap on her lap, planting sticky kisses all over her face, the air filled with the fruity scent of citrus.

“Can I have a ride, Mama?” her impulsive daughter asked, smiling as sweet as the fruit she had just devoured.

“I don’t have time, sweetheart. I have to go to work. Maybe grandpa can take you for a ride later.”

Instantly, a pool of tears filled Jade’s dark green eyes and her bottom lip trembled, protruding into a gut wrenching pout. Jessie felt her heartstrings tug. No wonder the child was such a handful. No one was able to tell the youngster no, not even her own mother.

“Okay, but only a quick ride. Got it?”

Jade nodded her head in elation, bouncing up and down on Jessie’s lap.

“And this time, I’m driving.”

Her daughter responded with a song about the tractor. Jessie drove straight through the barn, out the back door, unable to hide the smile her daughter’s off key singing had inspired.

The short ride turned into an hour around the east side section of the property, which highlighted the scenic view of the Madison mountain range. She’d allowed Jade control of the steering wheel and let the child drive where she wanted to. It was funny how the ride led to the creek.

Cutting the engine, she helped her daughter down, accepting the child’s desire to cool off and play in the water for a minute. Jessie’s gaze wandered over the ridge to Nate’s spread. She could hear the consistent sound of hammers and the cutting noise of a saw.

Her heart skipped a beat. The horse, the hammering...
Was
he sticking around? And this time, would he follow through with his plan? Well, whatever the big plan happened to be this week anyway.

Jessie’s stare focused on Jade. Her daughter played on the bank of the creek with both of her feet, shoes and all, in the slow moving water. The child splashed a handful of water in her direction, armed with a smile of pure joy.

Nate’s smile.

Damn it. She should have told him about the twins. But she couldn’t. Like a lioness with her cubs, Jessie embraced the dire need to protect her children at all costs. The heartbreak she’d suffered at his hands resurfaced again; she couldn’t allow him the opportunity to hurt them, too.

But what if...what if he had changed?

She shook her head. It was too hard to believe Nate wasn’t the same man who left seven years ago. Then, why did he have to come back? She avoided the real question—why did she still love him?

Jessie coaxed Jade back onto the tractor with the promise of an ice cream cone, and they headed home. Pulling in to the barn, her view was drawn to William still stacking hay, while her father kept him company. Jade ran to her grandfather, embracing him with a big hug around his leg and a story about their adventure. He laughed, giving the little girl his complete attention.

She shot a concerned glance at her longtime friend. He was wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his forearm. The farm work had been catching up to the man who had been like a second father to her. His face was lined and weary. She should’ve been helping him stack the hay. She swallowed her guilt and walked up to him.

William winked and flashed the kind of smile she knew had won Rosita’s heart. The two, although not married in the legal sense, were united in heart. They’d both started working the ranch in their thirties, and even though Jessie had only been a baby at the time, it was obvious the two were destined to be together. A fact proven by the twenty plus years they worked together.

He lifted a bale of hay and stacked it on top of another as she grabbed a square and deposited it to the left of his row. She reached for another bale, but William, a man of few words, stopped her with four.

“Rosita’s on a mission.”

She knew what those words meant—avoid the woman at all costs. The petite beauty with dark hair and darker eyes had a fierce determination. If she set her sights on something there was little standing in the way of her accomplishing the goal.

Jessie was curious about William’s warning, but decided not to delve any deeper. She thanked him for the heads up and started walking toward the house. Taking the caution in stride, she figured she could be in and out of the house, showered and ready for work in less than fifteen minutes.

She was wrong.

Rosita met her at the front door with two large glasses of iced tea.

Steering Jessie to the front porch swing, she said, “You missed lunch. Come, sit a spell.” The housekeeper sat on the bench of the swing and patted the seat. The request, more a silent demand, left no room for discussion.

Rosita took a long sip of her iced tea, waiting for her to sit before speaking. “You work too hard, Jessie. It’s not right for you to work your fingers to the bone like this day in and day out. Your father was the same way.”
And look at him now
.

Jessie nodded her head in agreement, shifting in her seat. Finding the perfect position, she feigned relaxation.

“You need a husband.”

She opened her eyes with a start, staring in shock at the woman. Wincing, she read the clear disappointment etched on Rosita’s face. Everything made sense now, and she braced herself for the argument certain to follow. An argument they had many times. There were never any winners in this debate.

Jessie took a long sip out of her glass. The ice clinked against the side, and she preoccupied herself with trying to scoop out a sliver of the frozen cube with her tongue.

“And your children need a father,” Rosita continued.

She’d heard this speech before, too many times to count, but it was useless to disagree with the woman.

“Okay, I’ll start looking for one tomorrow,” she returned sassily, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

Regarding her with a firm motherly stare, Rosita patted her leg with a firm hand. “Yes, that is funny, Jessie, very funny. But this is serious. It is no joke. This is no laughing matter. The children already have a father.”

Jessie knew the battle was lost the moment she saw the tears form.

“It’s just that I worry so much for you.” Several perfectly timed teardrops streamed down the older woman’s cheek. “And the children.”

And the children
.

That was the clincher. An ebb of suspicion surged through her bones.

“You are too young and too pretty to have no husband,” the caregiver stated, wiping the tears off her cheeks with a handkerchief appearing as if out of thin air. Grabbing Jessie’s hand, she pulled it to her chest. “I have always had a great fondness for Nate, so hear me out.”

Jessie stood. The last thing she needed was for the formidable Rosita to be on
his
side. “I can’t talk about this right now, Rosie. I’m going to be late for work. Besides, how do you even know he’s back in town?”

Rosita shrugged, miraculously dry-eyed. A large smile radiated across her face, highlighting her youthful beauty. She could easily be mistaken for a forty year old woman, despite the fact she was well into her sixties.

“He might have come by for a little visit,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug. “He likes my cooking. I fed him blueberry pie.”

“He came by
here?
” Panic rose in her throat. During their outing, Jade hadn’t mentioned meeting a stranger.

“Did the kids see him? Oh my God, Rosita, please tell me the kids didn’t see him!”

Her meddling friend jumped to her feet. The skirt she wore swirled around her legs in a colorful dance from the sudden movement. She threw an arm around Jessie’s shoulders.

“Don’t worry. He came by yesterday while William and the kids were in town.” She squeezed her tight. “But it would not be such a bad thing would it, for the children to meet their papa?” A finely arched brow lifted.

“No. Yes. Honestly, I don’t know. Are you sure they were in town?”

“Of course they were. Why else would William tell me he was going into town? Now, do you want a piece of pie?” she asked, her coy, dark eyes implying innocence.

“No, I don’t want a piece of pie! What is wrong with you?” Jessie snapped, pulling free from the housekeeper’s grasp and swinging open the screen door. She marched into the house with Rosita close behind.

“He still loves you...”

The persistent woman’s words followed her inside as the door slammed behind her.

“Who loves you mommy?” Gage asked as she stomped into the kitchen. His face was stained with streaks of dark blue fruit.

Smiling, she grabbed a napkin, wiping the blueberries off. A tint of indigo remained on his angelic face.

“
You
love me,” she teased, opening her mouth for the bite of pie he offered.

“Yeah,” he answered, his broad grin showcasing a full set of blue teeth.

“Ice cream, ice cream. I get ice cream,” Jade chanted as she rushed into the kitchen, dragging her grandfather with her. At the sight of Gage enjoying his pie, her mouth fell open in shock. “Why do I get ice cream, and he gets to have blueberry pie?” A pout instantly appeared on the child’s lips.

Rosita solved the dilemma, scooping out a slice of the desert and placing it in front of the sullen girl. Satisfied, Jade shoveled a big scoop of pie into her mouth. Jessie sighed out loud, thankful for the momentary silence.

“See? Everyone loves my pie,” Rosita confirmed, tossing Jessie a knowing wink while wiping her hands clean on her apron. “I could teach you how to bake a pie. It’s the way to a man’s heart,” she said with a covert smile, ruffling her hand through Gage’s dark curls.

Jessie rolled her eyes, ignoring the not so hidden message the housekeeper implied. Kissing both of the kids on top of the head and waving to her dad, she made her way through the kitchen to her bedroom.

Stripping off her dusty work clothes, she was eager for the promise of a cool shower, hoping the water would wash away her problems. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the free-standing, oval mirror, she paused.

She was no longer the bone-thin girl Nate had known.

Jessie turned to the side, peering at herself through a different angle, then turned so her back was to the mirror.

No, even though she was still on the thin side, she now had curves. Her breasts were fuller, at least two cups larger than her teen years. Even her backside contained a slight more padding. However, her stomach was flat, and she was blessed with arms and legs naturally toned with lean muscle. Would Nate prefer her body now?

When they were younger, he discovered every inch of her body with a fast fury, such devouring intensity. Would he still be the same eager lover? Or would he be slower now, taking his time to explore every part of her?

Just the thought made her insides quiver, and the annoying ache returned, spreading through her limbs, reminding her of Nate’s absence. The thought ran rampant, exciting and terrifying, highlighting every concern she had hoped a shower would wash away.

His absence didn’t appear to be a factor anymore. All of her worries seemed to start and end with the man who had now decided to stay. No matter what she did, he managed to upset her life.