Authors: Cheyenne McCray
A few seconds later the front door opened and Phoebe’s hair was just as perfect as the last time Jessie had seen her and she was wearing a short set with a pink pinstriped blouse and white shorts.
Phoebe looked furious. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m here to photograph your home,” Jessie said, doing her best to keep her expression calm. “Zane said you wanted it done today.”
“I said to call first.” Phoebe nearly snarled the words as she braced her hand on the doorframe with the door partially closed.
“I tried. There was no answer,” Jessie said.
Phoebe scowled. "This isn’t a good time.”
“I’m sorry.” Jessie tried to look over Phoebe’s shoulder without the woman realizing it. “Can I use your bathroom?” Jessie went for a pained expression. “I’m dying to go.”
Phoebe glared at her, indecisiveness flickering across her face. She glanced over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to Jessie. “All right. But you have to hurry. I need to leave.”
“I’ll just be a moment.” Jessie nodded. “Promise.”
Phoebe stepped aside and let Jessie into her home. “Down that hall, first door on the right.” She pointed to a hallway and Jessie noticed her perfectly manicured fingernails.
“Thanks.” Jessie headed toward the bathroom.
The house was lovely with flower-patterned cushioned couches and chairs and mahogany furniture. It wasn’t a country or southwestern styled home. It was more modern. The floor was tiled—at least that was practical in this part of the country. Much easier to clean with all of the dust that usually accompanied country living.
She glanced through an archway and saw a mahogany kitchen table with two glasses, one of them about a third full of orange juice. Two plates, and silverware were on the table as well. Considering how clean and beautiful the home looked, she doubted that the dinnerware had been sitting there for very long.
Yep. The woman had someone here. Someone who had just had breakfast with her.
Jessie took her time in the small guest bathroom and left after washing her hands. As she opened the door she saw a glimpse of someone leaving the living room, but it was only a glimpse.
She pretended to be looking at her camera as she came out of the hallway and looked up and gave Phoebe a smile.
“When would be a good time for me to come back?” she asked Phoebe as she came up to the woman again.
“Call and I’ll let you know.” Irritation was in Phoebe’s eyes and her entire demeanor. “Make sure you don’t come over without an invitation again.”
“Sure.” Jessie glanced over her shoulder as she stepped through the doorway. “I’ll give you a call—”
Phoebe shut the door in her face, cutting off Jessie’s last words.
For a moment, Jessie stood on the porch steps wondering what she should do. It wasn’t her place to get between Zane and his fiancée… But could she stand by and let him marry the woman when she was probably cheating on him?
She started for her car, thoughts spinning in her mind.
Tell Zane or not… What was the right thing to do?
She shook her head. Maybe she’d misread it all. She’d download the pictures from her camera and take a look at them again on her laptop.
And go from there.
Chapter 5
Zane glanced at Jessie’s Mustang. She’d arrived back at the ranch sooner than he’d expected and then she’d gone straight into the house. By that time he’d been outside again, working by the barn. He’d noticed her thoughtful expression as she took her equipment out of her car and as she headed into the house.
Now that Jessie was back, it was as good a time as any to have a talk with Phoebe.
He drew his cell phone out his holster and brought up her phone number. It rang a few times and then she answered, “Zane. I was just about to call you.”
“I’m coming over,” he stated.
“Uh—” Phoebe hesitated only a moment. “Why don’t I go over there?”
“I’d like a little more privacy than we can get here,” he said.
“Oh.” She paused again. “All right. When?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.” The word sounded forced. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
He went into the barn to the sink and rinsed off the dust on his face and neck, toweled off, then headed out to his truck.
The drive to Phoebe’s took ten minutes. Only one car passed in the opposite direction on his way to her house. Some idiot driving a black sports car with tinted windows came by too fast, swerved, and almost ran Zane off the road. He got a good look at the guy and it wasn’t anyone he recognized from the area.
When he reached Phoebe’s home, he walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. She answered within moments. She looked beautiful, her face flushed, her eyes sparkling. Her smile didn’t quite seem genuine, though.
She reached up and kissed him then drew away. “Come on in.”
He took off his Stetson and walked through the doorway, and he stood in the entryway as she closed the door behind him.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” she said.
He shook his head. “This will only take a moment.”
“Something’s wrong.” An expression, almost like panic crossed her face. “What—?”
He gripped the brim of his hat. “I’m breaking off the wedding.”
Her eyes widened, a disbelieving expression on her face.
“I’ve been thinking about us,” he said. “I don’t think we’re right for each other.”
The expression of shock on her face turned to anger. “It’s
her
isn’t it?” Fury was in her voice. “She comes along and you drop me like I’m nothing.”
He kept his gaze steady on her. “This has nothing to do with Jessie and everything to do with us.”
“Jessie is it?” Phoebe’s face had gone bright red. “I was right. You were off with her yesterday and you lied to me.”
“I never cheated on you or lied to you.” Zane’s jaw tensed. “I’ve been thinking on this for some time now and I don’t think you and I are a good match.”
“It’s
her
.” She practically spat the words. “
She
did this to us. That bitch. That damn bitch.”
He put his hand on the doorknob and looked at her for a long moment. “I was prepared to talk this through with you Phoebe, but with that, good bye.”
“Wait,” she said as he turned away from her and opened the door. He looked over his shoulder and saw her panicked expression. “Please don’t leave like this. We can work things out. I know it is her though. I know it.”
“I’m sorry, Phoebe. It’s over.” This time he didn’t look over his shoulder when she called to him.
He walked out to his truck, climbed in, and the motor roared to life as he started it. Gravel crunched beneath his tires as he turned the truck around and headed back to the ranch.
Chapter 6
The morning following her encounter with Phoebe, Jessie found herself looking at the pictures of Phoebe and the man again. It hadn’t been her imagination. The woman had been locked in a very passionate embrace with another man. Jessie frowned as she thought again about the photos she’d taken of the pair.
She’d thought again about telling Zane but she still wasn’t sure it was her place. Well, if she was going to mention it to Zane, she’d do it when it felt right.
With a sigh she closed the laptop. Last night he’d stopped by just long enough to make a sandwich for dinner and he’d left. He’d seemed distracted, but he said he wanted to make sure she was all right.
She’d been disappointed, looking forward to talking with him again, even though she knew that spending time with him was dangerous. Very dangerous to her heart.
He made her forget about her ex and she finally realized that she was over Carl. The weight of his betrayal had hung heavy over her, but she knew everything was going to be okay.
Life goes on.
She set the laptop aside before grabbing her camera equipment and heading through the big house to the front door.
Just as she started to grasp the door handle, the door opened and she stumbled back. Zane grabbed her arm, keeping her from falling.
“Thanks.” She took a deep breath and smiled.
He didn’t let go and his blue eyes seemed to caress her as his touch burned through her arm. For a long moment their gazes held. Too much was in that look—it was like he was feeling what she was. Things he shouldn’t be since he was engaged.
He might not be for much longer,
went through her mind and she had to mentally shake the thought off. Was she being self-serving in telling him?
She glanced at his hand where he gripped her. He released her arm and she looked up and met his eyes again.
“You okay?” His voice was a low rumble as he spoke.
“Thanks for the quick save.” She managed a smile. “I would have landed on my butt.”
“And a nice butt it is,” he said with a grin.
A thrill went through her belly at the way he was flirting with her. “I’m about to head out to take more photos.”
“I’ll take you to some of my favorite spots.” He gave a nod in the direction of the kitchen. “Why don’t we load up on some lunch and we’ll have ourselves a picnic.”
“All right.” She gave him a smile, a sense of excitement stirring in her belly. “Sounds like fun.”
They packed a wicker picnic basket with sandwiches they made as well as a thermos of lemonade and a bag of potato chips. There were still a few sugar cookies left and they put those in a baggie and dropped them in the basket, too, and he grabbed a light blanket for them to sit on.
After everything was stowed in the back of the cab, and she and Zane were in the truck, he started the big vehicle and drove it through the gate. He didn’t go far before he turned onto a dirt road that wasn’t much more than a couple of ruts. The truck bounced and jostled as he drove along it.
She had her camera out and rolled down her window, feeling the fresh air against her face and drinking in the sweet country scent. He brought the truck to a stop as they crested a rise and looked down. She caught her breath, taking in the beauty of the golden grasses flowing through the canyon bottom, with thick stands of oak bordering the canyon sides.
“It’s wonderful. I absolutely love it here.” She started to get out of the truck but he touched her arm.
“Look closer,” he said. “In that pocket of oaks you can see two mule deer—a couple of doe in the shade there.”
She slowly raised the camera and zoomed in on the copse of trees. Standing absolutely still, with their gazes riveted on the truck, was the pair of deer. She took several shots with her camera right before the deer bolted up over another rise and vanished on the other side of the hill.
“Thanks.” She smiled at Zane as she lowered the camera. “That was amazing.”
After she photographed the canyon and the mountains in the distance, he took her further and he pointed out an Inca dove, and they even came up on several javelina.
As he showed her the valley, she was always aware of him as a man. He made her heart beat a little faster every time he touched her or moved close so that he could point out various things whenever he pulled over for her to take a few shots.
He drove until they were in a low area that reminded her of a small canyon. They parked and he carried the picnic basket and the blanket. She hitched her backpack with her equipment over her shoulder and continued to shoot photos until they reached a stream and he found a good place to spread out the blanket.
She set the camera aside and helped him unpack the food and then they settled in to eat. He sat within inches of her and she enjoyed his closeness while at the same time felt as if she should move away. No matter what she’d seen, Phoebe with another man, she couldn’t do anything with Zane unless he broke off things with his fiancée. She was surprised he had kept so close to her. He had to feel the same sexual tension that she did every moment she was in his presence.
They plowed their way through roast beef and ham sandwiches and potato chips, drank most of the lemonade, and then tucked away the cookies, somehow eating all seven of them. She had a great appetite and even though she did watch what she ate, she wasn’t embarrassed to eat in front of a man like some women were.
While they ate, they talked about family and friends. She learned a few things about his brothers and sister and she shared with him some of the experiences she and her sister had when they were younger.
They talked about things they loved and things they weren’t so crazy about.
“It’s un-American to not like football,” he said in a teasing tone when she told him she preferred basketball.
“I like football,” she said. “But the athleticism in basketball is just incredible.” She tilted her head to the side. “I bet you played football in school.”
“High school and college ball.” He nodded.
She grinned. “Oooh, I bet all the girls were after you.”
He gave her a quirky smile. “A few.”
“Ha.” She pointed a barbeque chip at him. “I’ll bet a lot more than a few.”
With a shrug he said, “What about you? I know the boys had to have been nuts over you.”
She laughed. “No, not me. I was on the bookish side and preferred my camera over swooning over boys.”
“But you had boyfriends,” he insisted.
She shook her head. “I had a few crushes but not really any boyfriends.”
“Can’t imagine that,” he said as he studied her.
She felt herself start to grow warm from the way he was looking at her.
“You have a few crumbs on your face.” He raised his fingers and her cheek tingled from his touch when he brushed them away.
Jessie went rigid. He was engaged and he was touching her in a way that made her feel like she meant something to him.
She barely knew him but she realized something that made her heart ache—she was already falling in love with him.
With her eyes averted from his, she scooted up on the blanket and got to her feet. “I’m not feeling so well. I want to go back to the ranch house.”
“Are you all right, Jessie?” he asked with concern in his voice.
“My stomach is really upset.” She lied to him because she didn’t know what else to do. If she didn’t, she might find herself in the arms of a man who belonged to someone else and she knew her heart couldn’t handle it. “I think I need to go back to the guestroom and lie down.”