Jesse (17 page)

“There's a lot to do and we'd love to have you help, if you aren't too busy helping Jimmy make the pies to donate.”

“I'd love to.”

“Me too!” Lacy practically bounced off her chair.

“You too, darlin',” Tyler agreed. “I bet you could help run the lemonade stand.”

“Really?”

“Ms. Beeton is in charge of the drinks. I'm sure she'd love your help.”

“Can you call her, Mommy?”

“We could stop by and visit with her on the way back to the diner,” Ronnie offered.

“Sounds like a plan.” Dylan brought Ronnie's hand close and kissed it again. “Hurry home, darlin'.”

Danielle knew it was time to leave. “Thank you all for a wonderful meal, but I need to get Lacy home and put her to bed.”

“Awww—”

“We've got to get up early to help Uncle Jimmy.”

Lacy's frown turned around and she told everyone, “He lets me help with the secret.”

“What secret?” Dylan asked.

“Can't tell.” Lacy grinned. “But it goes into his pie crust.”

Before her daughter could spill the beans and the family recipe, Danielle started to clear the table, but Tyler got up, grabbed her by the elbow, and steered her toward the back porch. “You and Lacy go sit a spell on the swing while Ronnie says good-bye to Dylan. Emily and I will clean up; Dylan can load the dishwasher.”

“But—”

“No buts, now, she'll be right out.”

“I really like it here, Mommy.”

Danielle settled them on the swing and pushed off. “I do too.”

“But I miss cowboy Jesse. Will he be back before we leave?”

Although she was just as sorry he hadn't been there for dinner, she knew the importance of keeping promises. She brushed a lock of hair out of Lacy's eyes. “He would have told us if he was.”

Lacy's exaggerated sigh had her swallowing a chuckle.

Danielle was staring off into the distance, down the road, when Lacy asked, “Can we wait right here on the swing for cowboy Jesse?”

She turned to look down at her daughter's upturned face and couldn't help but smile. “Not this time, but maybe next time.”

“You say that a lot.”

“I don't want to break any promises to you. You know that don't you?”

“Uh-huh… Daddy din't care that he broke promises.”

The screen door opened and Danielle was embarrassed to see Dylan and Ronnie standing there. Dylan was frowning and Ronnie was shaking her head at him. “Ready to go?”

Lacy jumped off the swing and ran toward Ronnie. “Can we stay and wait for cowboy Jesse?”

Dylan's frown softened as he bent down and lifted Lacy onto his shoulders. “He's gonna be real late tonight. Maybe next time.”

Lacy sighed. “Now you sound like my mommy.”

Everyone laughed as Dylan carried Lacy to Ronnie's car and buckled her in. “You can come back anytime, Lacy.”

Without missing a beat, she grinned and asked, “Tomorrow?”

He was laughing as he moved away from the car. “That's up to your mom,” he said, closing the passenger's side door. “You just have her give us call and we'll be happy to have you visit.”

Lacy beamed as Ronnie got into the driver's seat. “Bye, Dylan!” she hollered out the window. “Say bye to Tyler and Emily for me!”

He stood and waved until they rounded the bend and were out of sight. “I really, really like it here,” Lacy said to no one in particular.

Danielle knew then that she would have to have that talk with her uncle tonight. He knew the Garahans, but would understand her hesitation to dive into a relationship with Jesse and would help her put everything into perspective. She couldn't complicate Lacy's life by getting all tangled up with another Texas cowboy until she and Jesse figured out how they'd make it work.

***

Jesse was home by midnight and wasn't surprised to find the light on or that everyone had already retired for the night. Hell, he wished Danielle was waiting on him upstairs.

“Damn.” That thought came out of nowhere and rocked his concentration. Frustrated that it took so little to redirect his train of thought, he grabbed the wad of money from his front pocket and tossed it on the table. This time, he didn't bother to leave a note. His brothers would know it was from him.

Heading for the stairs, he felt weighed down by the responsibilities he shouldered. He needed to keep winning out at Devil's Bowl, because the Circle G needed the money and it wasn't right to expect his newlywed brother to keep working late nights at the carpentry jobs he'd taken on.

He needed to find a way to get the Brockway ladies to agree to stay at the Circle G… he needed them in his life. Exhausted, he went to bed, but ended up lying awake, thinking of the paradise he'd tasted that afternoon. “Hell.”

It was going to be a long, sleepless night.

“That little Lacy's a live wire.” Tyler lifted another forkful of soiled hay.

Jesse grunted. He was tired, hot, and horny, and sure as hell didn't feel like jawing with his brother. He wanted to ride into town, kidnap Danielle, and spend the day in bed with her.

“Her mom sure is a looker.”

If Tyler was trying to piss him off, it was working. “Yep.” Concentrating on mucking out the stalls, he wished it were tomorrow already; his cousins were due in and their help with routine chores would be a relief and might buy him some time to visit with Danielle and Lacy.

“Have you heard the rumors in town?”

A cold chill chased up Jesse's spine. Sticking his pitchfork in the wheelbarrow, he wiped his sleeve across his sweaty brow. “Just get it said, Tyler.”

His brother leaned against his pitchfork and nodded. “I heard Mike Baker's taken to having breakfast at Sullivan's Diner.”

The cold chill stole around to his heart. He might not have gotten around to romancing Danielle, but in his mind he'd already staked his claim when they'd made love.

“Sadie told Mavis that Mike's been singing Danielle's praises, hinting he's finally found a woman worth changing his workaholic ways for.”

“That's poaching,” Jesse ground out.

“Only if you're dating Danielle,” Tyler said watching him closely. “And I know you haven't had the time.”

“I'm making the time now.” Jesse spun on his heel and walked out of the barn.

“Hey, we're not finished!”

Jesse heard his brother and paused in the doorway. “I lost a woman I cared about once before because I didn't move fast enough. I'll always wonder if things would have been different if I'd told her how I felt instead of thinking she knew. I'll be damned if I'm making that same mistake with Danielle.”

Instead of arguing, his brother grinned. “Good luck.”

Jesse just might need that luck. He had a woman to claim before that damned banker could sweet-talk her into forgetting about the slow-burning fire they'd started the other day.

He didn't want to talk to Emily or Ronnie, so he walked around to the front of the house. Listening, he could hear the women chattering in the kitchen amidst the sounds of dinner being made. His stomach growled—he was starving—but he ignored his empty belly and went upstairs to get cleaned up.

While the hot water beat down on his tired muscles, he tried to think of an approach to use; he had hoped to take his time getting to know Danielle, to woo her, so she'd be putty in his hands and fire in his bed. But now he'd have to revise his strategy. It was like what Slim had to do last Saturday night; instead of waving Jesse in for a splash of gasoline, he went on faith in Jesse's driving talent and let him finish the race on fumes. It had been risky, but had worked.

Driving over to her uncle's house right now would be the same… risky… but he was afraid if he waited, he'd lose the chance to tell her how he felt. Searching his heart, he knew this time, something was off… weird… different. Was it love?

Damned
if
I
know.
And he probably would be for thinking that he could just show up and expect her to fall on her knees and declare her undying love for him.

“Damned banker. Can't trust a man who wears a suit.” A few months ago, Jesse'd promised retribution for the bank's threat of foreclosure and had walked into the bank, thrown the first punch, and had drawn first blood. But Baker had surprised him and retaliated by giving Jesse a fat lip and tossing him out of the bank. They'd been wary of one another since then.

Drying off, a nasty thought had his stomach turning. “What if she likes him better? What do I have to offer Danielle?”

One
hundred
and
fifty
years
of
Irish
pride, blood, sweat, and tears tilled into the soil.
They might not be on the verge of losing the Circle G anymore, but they were a long way from being in the black. But she seemed to like the ranch and, more, had fit in, as if she and Lacy had always been here. Having her here, smiling and laughing in the kitchen, had felt like the missing pieces of his life had finally fit into place. It hadn't felt that way since his mom died.

Too tired to run a razor over his face without slicing off something important, he forced himself to think about something other than what life had been like when he was ten. It took some doing, but finally worked when he turned his thoughts toward a certain little cowgirl and her tiny pink boots.

Staring at his reflection, he dug deep for the resolve to see this through. “Only one way to find out.”

Danielle was sitting on the back porch when Jesse drove up; she got to her feet and had a hand to her heart. He didn't think he surprised her; she had to have heard the truck driving up. Holding his irritation with the rumors he'd heard about Danielle and Baker in check, he strode over to the porch and was suddenly at a loss for words.

Feeling like the world's biggest fool, he stared up at her, so damned glad to see her—alone—that he grinned.

She smiled. “What a surprise.”

“Should I have called first?”

She waited for him to come up the steps. “No, I'm glad you came by.”

Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and the overwhelming urge to set it free and bury his hands in it had him moving in close. He wanted to ask how she felt about him, if the rumors about Mike Baker were true, and if she'd thought about him as often as he had about her since they'd burned up his sheets and she'd etched her name on his heart.

Giving in to need, he watched her blue eyes widen as he reached to pull the band from her hair. She drew in a breath as it tumbled free and glorious tawny waves fell past her shoulders. Standing in front of him, all he could think of was tangled sheets and tasting her sweetly parted lips.

The hell with asking; he yanked her arm, and she tumbled against him. Her heart was pounding hard, like she'd just crossed the finish line and won a race. Was she worried that Lacy would come outside when he was kissing her, or was it something a lot more fun… the desire they'd barely scratched the surface of? He had to know before he lost what was left of his sanity.

Their lips touched and the frustrated desire he'd been keeping in check since he'd seen her in that damned silky underwear burst free. He drank from her lips, like she was cool, life-giving water, and he'd been wandering on foot out on the range without it.

The sweetness of her mouth broke through the haze of passion gripping him. “Berries,” he rasped, deepening the kiss by banding his arm around her lower back and forcing her hips flush against him.

Her soft moan of pleasure shot through him, like crossing that finish line and seeing the checkered flag waving. Wanting more, needing it, he traced the rim of her mouth with the tip of his tongue. She shifted closer, slipping her arms up and around his neck, and offered him more.

Close to the edge of sanity, ready to jump off, he shifted and bent her over his arm. She tightened her grip and he plundered, soothing his need to take, to taste, and to fill the empty well inside of him.

“I'm ready, Mommy!”

Jesse crashed and burned at the sound of Lacy's voice. Digging deep, he fought for control and won. Easing her up, he looked over his shoulder, expecting to see Lacy standing in the doorway, but her little girl must have been calling from somewhere inside the house.

***

Danielle's legs threatened to give out on her. She reached out to steady herself and ended up grabbing a hold of something warm, solid, and lethal to her heart—Jesse Garahan. He'd been in her every waking thought since they'd made love at the Circle G.

But she had no choice; it was hang on or fall down. “Be right there, sweet pea.”

Staring up at the man who'd destroyed her resolve not to get involved so soon, let alone with another cowboy, she knew she wouldn't be able to forget the taste of his lips, the strength of his arms wrapped around her, or the heavenly sensation of being cradled against the warmth of his broad chest.

“I have to tuck Lacy in,” she said. “Would you like to help?”

Before he could answer, her uncle walked outside and said, “I need to talk to Jesse.”

“I'll see her tomorrow. Give her a kiss for me.”

His expression had her wondering what kind of man would put a child before himself or his own needs. Her ex-husband certainly hadn't. Looking over her shoulder, she realized that Jesse wasn't like other men… he was unique, special. “I will,” she promised, slipping past her uncle.

Normally, the nightly routine soothed her frayed nerves, but tonight the whisper of a dream haunted her—a strong man by her side to ease the burden of raising her daughter… one that would love Lacy as much as she did… someone who would stay because he loved her more.

“Night, Mommy.” Lacy hugged her tight and sighed as she settled down under the covers.

Danielle pressed her lips to her daughter's forehead and smoothed the baby-soft hair out of her eyes. “That's from Jesse.”

“He's here?” Lacy was trying to scoot out of bed when Danielle stopped her.

“Yes, but Uncle Jimmy's talking to him. Jesse said he'd see you tomorrow, OK?”

Lacy lay back down and crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess so.”

“Sweet dreams, sweet pea.” The sound of Lacy's even breathing had her smiling. As soon as her daughter's head hit the pillow, she was down for the count.

Making her way downstairs, she heard the rumble of male voices coming from out on the porch. There was no sense in worrying about whatever her uncle would say to Jesse when he had him alone. She'd talked to her uncle last night and he'd seemed resigned to the fact that she wanted Jesse Garahan in her life. Uncle Jimmy had had plenty of time to unload with both barrels… she just hoped that he hadn't had a change of heart and tried to chase Jesse away before she could say good night.

She opened the screen door and both men turned to face her; neither one smiled.

“Didn't hear you come back down, June bug.” Her uncle shot one meaning-filled glance at Jesse. “I think I'll go watch the news.” He paused in the doorway and said, “Don't forget what I said.”

“No, sir.”

“And just what did you say, Uncle Jimmy?”

“Nothing that you need to worry about. Is Lacy asleep?”

She crossed her arms and stared at her uncle, waiting for him to tell her what the two men had been discussing, but he didn't budge. Whatever he'd said to Jesse, he wasn't about to share with her. Obviously, it had to do with her or her and Lacy. “Like a log.”

“Did you take her boots off?”

“She wears boots to bed?”

Jesse's question had her smiling. “Every night.”

“And you let her?”

“Until I go to bed, then I take them off her and put them by her hat, so she can put them both back on in the morning when she gets up.”

He chuckled. “Must be quite a sight first thing in the morning.”

Uncle Jimmy shook his head. “Took me by surprise the first morning I saw little June bug standing in the kitchen with her little ruffled night gown, tiny pink boots, and cowgirl hat.” His eyes misted. “If I hadn't already loved her to pieces, I would have fallen right then and there.”

Danielle hugged her uncle. “She loves you back… we both do.”

He hugged her close and nodded to Jesse before going inside.

“Your uncle is a good man.”

Surprised by his comment, she turned to make certain he wasn't being sarcastic, although he had sounded sincere. “Yes, he is.”

“You're lucky.” Jesse watched her from where he stood on the bottom step.

When he made no move to join her on the porch, she invited him to do so. He surprised her by shaking his head. “You should turn in. Don't you have to be up early?”

“I'm always up early.” What was going on here? Ten minutes ago, he'd been ready to devour her whole.

“Just another work day for me,” he said with a grin. “Why don't you and Lacy come and visit tomorrow afternoon? I'd like to start those riding lessons.”

Testing a theory, she walked toward him until they were face-to-face and eye-to-eye, with her on the top step and he on the bottom with their lips lined up just right for kissing. His eyes darkened to that delectable shade that reminded her of chocolate at the melting point, but he didn't move.

Licking her lips, she watched his jaw clench and the muscle beneath his left eye start to twitch, but he kept his hands locked at his sides and his lips to himself. “What did my uncle have to say while I was gone?”

His gaze flicked to the screen door and back. “He's worried about you and Lacy.”

“We're doing all right,” she said. “All I need is a job. I have to help pay my uncle back for feeding us and giving us a place to stay until I get on my feet.”

“He probably won't take the money.”

It must be a man thing because she couldn't even begin to reason out how Jesse had come to that conclusion. She frowned at Jesse. “How do you know?”

“I wouldn't if I were him.”

“What if I insisted?”

“There's some things a man's got to do; taking care of the women in his life is just one of them.”

“He's my uncle, not my father.”

Jesse looked like he was trying to find the right words. Instead of interrupting and blasting him with her opinion of his last statement, she found the patience to hold her tongue.

“All the more reason to do whatever he can while you and Lacy are living under his roof.”

“But that's—”

The sweep of his fingertips on her cheek was tentative, when earlier his mouth had been possessive. She wanted to tell him what she thought of interfering males, but he brushed his knuckles against her face and his touch distracted her.