Authors: Crystal Smith
When she made it to the kitchen, Jade was bent over in the fridge digging around, he had showered, he wasn't wearing his hat, he had on Levi's, a t shirt and bare foot. Simple kind of guy, exactly what she needed. Lois shook her head as if she was trying to shake the thought she had just had back out of it.
What in the hell am I doing? I didn't come up here for this. I came to get over this or well one just like him.
“So whatcha in the mood for?”
“Whatever it was that Emmy Jean was fixing. It smelled so delicious.”
“Steak stir fry. It's her specialty. I believe she left you a plate in the microwave, let me dig me some out though. I told you she didn't like it when I was late for supper.” Jade laughed. He made their plates and carried em to the bar. Fixed Lois a glass of ice tea and sat it next to her. Lois was already eating.
Jade and Lois enjoyed their dinner before retiring to the family room for some TV. She looked around at all of the books that lined the walls. She was in heaven. She just wanted to start at one end of the room and read her way to the other. “Go ahead, pick one.”
“How did you know?”
“You’re an easy one to read when you let your guard down.”
“That’s what he says so please tell me what do you mean?”
“At the ball, I couldn't even get a handle on you, and now it’s like you've just let go.” Let go, that pretty much summed it up. But he hadn't given her a choice she had to let go. She looked around the room and let out a sigh, “Maybe later.”
“Well when you’re ready just grab one. Do you wanna drink, I think I am going to have a brandy. I haven't ridden Danger that hard in a long time.”
“The way we road was hard?” Jade laughed almost uncontrollably at first.
“No that wasn’t anything at all, we just walked, why even when you let evil kanevil out of the bag that was nothing. But that will come later, whatcha want to drink.”
“Nothing, the last time I drank, it didn't go over so good.”
“Look, no one is gonna get mad if you have a little too much, there isn't anyone here for it not to go over with. Just forget about him.”
“What do you know about him?” Lois wanted to know how he knew she was trying to forget someone.
“Well to be honest. The night I dropped you off in your room. I met up with your Bo outside. I believe it was a fist to my face, and some threats, but it don’t really matter much. Hell I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing if you had been my woman.”
“But I’m not his woman so he had no right. I never was his woman. Just his toy. Maybe just one drink. I will have the same as you.”
Jade raised a brow, “Have you ever drank brandy before, you can't shoot it like you did that champagne.”
“Look, you said......” And before Lois could finish belting out her response,
“Yes I did say, and hear you go.” She took the glass and just like he had tried warning her off of, shot it down like it was meant for shooting. She gasped for air and began coughing.
“See there, you should have let me finish.”
Jade poured her another drink and warned this time “It’s meant to sip not guzzle.” This time she took his advice and sipped it. But it was a lot stronger than champagne and it wasn't long and she was feeling it but didn't have the courage to say it. “So Lois, what brings you up this way?”
“I just needed to get away.” She stared at Jade as if she was just waiting for him to pry so she could just get it all off her chest.
“What are you running from? It doesn't seem that a woman with your beauty should be running from anything at all.” She felt herself blush with his compliment. She didn't know if it was the alcohol or if she just enjoyed it. Jade let a faint smile touch his lips.
“I'm not running from anything, just trying to get away.”
“OK, what are you getting away from or who?”
“What is this, an interrogation or your version of small talk.”
“Sorry, and it’s my version of seeing something bother you, you acting like you need to say it and me knowing you want to.”
Jade was right. How in the hell could he be so right? He didn't know hardly anything about her. He knew she couldn't ride, she can't dance, and that she doesn’t know how to hold her liquor. “That night at the ball, well let’s just say, I woke up.”
“Good, I need to tell you something. I am not asking for hot steamy sex, right now of course but if you want to. Scratch that part. I want to find someone to call my own. I’m not looking for something that doesn’t exist. I’m looking for someone that is my friend, my companion, my lover, my world. I know that it’s a lot. And I’m not asking for all of that from you. I’m just clearing this up right now. I can’t say that if things go good I won’t try to start a relationship with you but I am saying that I like you. And when you’re ready to see where we could go I will be here. Sorry, had to get that off my chest. You have had me fascinated with you since we met.”
“I don’t know what to say to that. I just don’t Jade.”
“Then don’t say anything, just think about it. Do whatever it is you came here to do and then when you’re ready, I’m here.”
Lois watched him as he sat down on the sofa and began just small conversation. They sat there talking until both of them were completely plastered. They laughed and joked, and this was exactly what she had needed.
When she woke the next morning it was to Jade shifting trying to get out from underneath her. She fell asleep with her head in his lap. She could see where she had drooled on his pants.
Oh my god. I can’t do this. I can’t face him like this. Oh fuck it. I’m going to my bed.
She got up and briefly looked around and went to her room. She lay down and got to thinking about staying in bed all the time and this was time to clear her head. But she didn’t want to just stay in bed so she got back up.
She heard voices. She didn’t try to hide her appearance but then when she heard what was being said she just froze in her tracks and listened.
“Sorry I'm late Dad, I was up late last night, and well brandy tasted good.” George looked down at Jade's pants and he started laughing. Lois immediately knew it was the drool she left behind.
“Is that what we call it these days? You better not let your Momma find out about this. I do have to ask you son, how did you manage to take up with that lady so quickly?”
Lois watched as Jade looked down at his pants and seen what his dad was talking about. “It's not what you think, she drooled on me, I mean, she was sleeping and drooled in her sleep, we must of past out on the sofa. Anyways, I met her at that ball Mom made me go to a few weeks ago.”
“Oh I see, and?”
“And nothing, she had too much to drink, couldn't drive, I drove her home, then she couldn't make it up to her room by herself so I helped her and on my way out her boyfriend found my face with his fist. He had the wrong impression.”
The two of them were so lost in their own conversation they hadn't heard her come up. “He's not my boyfriend and you shouldn't speak about things you know nothing about. I had intentions of coming out here to help you after I kept you up late last night, but I can see you don't need it.” Lois stomped off redder than a fired up hornet’s nest but she could still hear what they were saying.
“Oh there you have gone and done it son.”
“Gone and done what?”
“You pissed off a woman, you don't ever want to do that. You better go and fix it while you can, the longer you make her wait to hear it, the worse it's gonna be, trust me.” Jade took off running after her.
“Damn it. Lois wait, I didn't mean, look I'm sorry, I just had assumed with the way he acted he was your boyfriend.”
“Well then, that's what you get for assuming. He isn't my boyfriend, nor will he ever be. He is my boss only and that's that.”
“Lois, I’m sorry, it won't happen again.” She could see in his eyes he meant every word he had said.
“Don't worry about it. It's okay. I can see where you would have gotten that assumption.”
“Good, now about helping me, come on, it’s gonna be long hot day.”
Lois followed him and helped side by side with what she was shown to do. “So you take this pitch fork, shovel up some hay, and put it in the wheel barrel, when it’s full you empty it out back. When you are finished getting all the hay out, you spray it out with the water hose, then you lay fresh hay out. Got any questions?”
“I clean out the hay, spray it down, and put in clean hay, no big deal, I got this.” Lois was really confident in herself. Nothing to this. How hard can it be? She cleaned up bar floors with a bigger mess than what this was.
“Isn't there something you should be doing right now?”
“Yes, Ma'am, there sure is, just admiring the view that's all.”
“The view you say…..” She flicked the hay she had just loaded right at Jade. Wasn't the first time Jade had hay on him she could tell. Lois had expected to get some sort of response out of him. He just simply grinned, dusted off and went on his way.
Lois continued to work what didn't seem to be very long. She finished cleaning out the stalls and went to find Jade. On her way she ran into George. “Emmy Jean sent me out to tell ya its lunch time. Come on in and get cleaned up, I’ll find lover boy.” Lois blushed. She didn't have time to argue, she was starving. All the work she had done had worked up quite the appetite. She went in and freshened up. “That smells delicious, what is it?”
“French fries and club sandwiches with some homemade lemonade to wash it down with.”
“Sounds delightful, thank you very much.” Lois scarfed it down. She even surprised herself at how hungry she was.
“Poor thing, you really were hungry weren't you.”
“Yes Ma'am, I sure was, I didn't know it until I was finished with all that work. I never knew there was so much work in running a ranch.”
“Darling, you have no idea. Here come my two favorite men now.”
“Are you already finished?” Jade looked at her plate that left only a few fries.
“Yep sure am, whatcha want me to do now?”
“Slow down there, right now I'm gonna eat, there's plenty of time to finish up.”
“Eat if you want, I'm ready to go again, come find me when you’re done then.” Lois strutted right out the door. She didn't know what task she was going to find herself to do but she was going to do something.
Lois was enjoying herself for the first time that didn't involve Tom. She found herself brushing the mane on Rosa. She didn't know what to do on a ranch but she knew how to give attention and show compassion even if it was to a horse.
Lois didn't mind it being a horse at all. “So, this is what you found to do?” She jolted almost as if she was lost in her thoughts and his words frightened her back to reality.
“Yep, didn't know what to do and to be quite honest I didn't wanna make a mess out of things.”
“I don't believe you could make a mess out of things out here, anything done here is an improvement let me assure you.”
“I sure made a mess out of my life.”
“Why you say that?”
“It doesn’t matter, what’s next?”
“Get ready we have to go into town, I’ll get the truck and pull it around.” Lois washed her hands, didn’t change clothes as she assumed they would be going after ranch supplies. She got into his truck and then headed to town. When they arrived at the store she didn’t know where they were.
“What is this place?”
“Well Missy, this is where you are about to get countrified. We are going out and you need different kind of attire.”