The Doctor Wears A Stetson (Contemporary Western Romance) (4 page)

She'd always loved the sprawling old house
Cameron's great-grandfather had built. Thick white columns graced
the lighted front porch where four Shaker-style rocking chairs sat
invitingly. The full moon cast its pale light over the house,
completing the cozy picture.

Jessie pulled to a stop in front of the
house, cut the engine and hopped out. Walking to the front of the
truck, she removed a tumbleweed that had caught on the bumper.

Cameron retrieved his bag and came around to
stand before her. "Thanks for the lift."

"No problem," she said. A liquid core of
heat started building in the region of Jessie's midsection. She
quickly stepped back and away from Cameron.

He advanced until she was almost wedged
between him and the grill of the pickup. "Why don't you come
inside?" he said. "Mom and Dallas will want to thank you for
bringing me home. Tyler, too."

Jessie stared at the designer emblem on his
polo shirt. The knit fabric stretched taut across his broad chest.
"Thanks, but no. I . . . I can't stay."

The front door opened and a strong beam of
light shot out into the yard. Dallas and his mother stood on the
porch.

"Cameron, is that you?" Ruth McCade called.
"Who's that with you? And where in the world is your car?"

"It's Jessie," he said over his shoulder.
"My car broke down and she offered me a ride. I've invited her in,
but she's refusing."

Jessie tried to stand straighter and bumped
Cameron's iron hard thighs. The contact jump-started her body. A
quick glance at his face showed awareness gleaming under
heavy-lidded eyes.

She had to get away. She had to say
something. "Cameron, I really need to go--"

"Jessie?" Ruth called from the porch. "Come
on in, darlin'. You know you're always welcome at the
Diamondback."

Jessie frowned at Cameron, who was trying to
hide a smile. "You think this is funny, don't you?"

He shrugged and laughed.

Jessie leaned around him to answer his
mother, hoping her voice wouldn't betray what her body was feeling.
None of this was the least bit funny. "Thanks, Ruth. But it's
getting late. I need to get on home."

Sidestepping away from Cameron, Jessie said,
"I'm leaving now."

He reached for her hand and dropped his car
keys into her open palm, slowly closing her fingers, not letting
go. "Why don't you take a look at my car and see what's wrong?
Think you can handle it?"

The heat of his touch made Jessie gasp. She
wanted to jerk her hand away. She wanted him to hold onto it
forever. One thing sure hadn't changed since Cameron had left Salt
Fork. Her body still responded to him like fire to gasoline. But
she wasn't a kid anymore. She lifted her chin. "Sure I can handle
it. There's nothing I'd like better."

He arched one eyebrow and smiled again.
Jessie watched in fascination as two dimples played hide-and-seek
on either side of his mouth. Those clear blue eyes glittered
wickedly, and he tightened his hold on her hand.

"Nothing?" he asked softly.

The powerful yearning deep down inside
shell-shocked Jessie. Pure desire pumped through her bloodstream.
That one word was teasing, taunting. Did Cameron actually remember
the kisses they'd shared?
Surely not
. A man like Cameron
McCade wouldn't remember something like that.

"You two going to stand here all night?"

Jessie didn't know whether to be glad or
disappointed when Dallas McCade walked up and took his brother's
bag. The big rancher always intimidated her. Maybe it was the
habitual frown on the man's face.

Cameron released her hand and grinned at his
brother, slapping his shoulder in greeting. "Hey, don't rush me. I
was saying goodbye to Jess."

"Well, hurry it up. Mom's waiting." Dallas
turned and carried the bag to the house.

Cameron stared at his brother's back.
"What's wrong with him? He didn't even say hello to you."

Jessie shrugged and shook her head. She
wasn't going to explain Dallas's rudeness. Not here. Not
tonight.

Cameron opened the truck door and waited for
her to climb in. He closed the door and motioned for her to roll
down the window. "I'll see you tomorrow . . . to check on my
car."

Jessie nodded and managed a weak smile,
gunned the engine and threw the truck into reverse. She needed to
put as much distance as possible between her and Cameron McCade.
Shifting gears, she stomped on the gas pedal and left a trail of
dust behind her as she sped down the dirt road toward home.

Cameron watched the pickup plow down the
road until it was out of sight. Who would've thought he'd still
feel a sizzle of awareness for Jessie Kincaid?
Not Kincaid; her
name is Devine. She's Jessie Devine now.
Not the pretty girl
he'd taken to the prom, but a grown woman. A sexy and desirable
woman.

The ride to the ranch had given him ample
opportunity to study her as she sat behind the steering wheel. The
cab of the truck had been dark; the greenish glow from the
instrument panel the only light. But it had been enough.

Time had enhanced Jessie's beauty. The
coveralls couldn't hide her slender waist, the outline of her
breasts or the curve of her hips. Her wrists and hands were
delicate, strong enough to work on engines, but delicate just the
same. She had a pixie look about her with that small dimple in her
chin. And her full lips were made for kissing.

Cameron remembered the dark night a long
time ago, sitting in his truck with Jessie up on Lover's
Point--kissing her until her lips were swollen, his body rock-hard.
He hadn't thought about that night in years. But he thought about
it now.

Damn! The kisses they'd shared had been
incredibly hot, almost x-rated. He hadn't asked her out again
because he'd instinctively known the attraction he felt for her
could be detrimental to his plans.

Cameron turned and walked toward the front
porch. He found that he wanted to kiss Jessie again, hold her in
his arms. He wanted to see her out of those damned coveralls. He
wanted to see her out of her clothes, period. Would she go out with
him if he asked? Could they continue where they'd left off all
those years ago up on Lover's Point?

Maybe a walk down memory lane with Jessie
would help him with the decisions plaguing him. Career decisions.
Life decisions. He was tired of the perpetual restlessness he'd
never been able to shake. He needed to figure out what the hell he
wanted to do with the rest of his life.

He stepped onto the porch. "Hey, Mom. How're
you doing?"

"Oh, Cameron!" Ruth McCade welcomed her son
with outstretched arms. "I'm so glad you're home."

"It's good to be home." He gave her a big
bear hug and kept his arm around her shoulders as they entered the
house.

"So, tell me," she said, patting his chest.
"Did you get the promotion?"

Oh man, the promotion. Something he should
be thrilled about, but wasn't. "It's mine, if I want it. I just
can't seem to make up my mind."

She patted his chest again. "Don't rush it,
baby. Think it through. You're good at that."

Dallas met them in the hall on the way to
the kitchen. "I put your things in your old room."

"Thanks." Cameron glanced around. "Where's
Tyler?"

"There's an air show in San Antonio." Dallas
rolled his eyes. "Need I say more?"

"Crop-dusting season's over, I take it?"
Cameron asked.

"Yes, but you know Tyler," Ruth said. "Can't
get him away from his airplanes."

"He won't be here on Saturday?" He might
have to clobber his youngest brother if he missed their mom's
party.

Ruth shook her head. Oh yeah, Tyler was
cruising for a bruising. "No, but he sent me a box of my favorite
chocolates and will be home next week. Come on, let me fix you
something to eat. How about a piece of pecan pie?"

"Sounds good." He followed his mother and
brother into the kitchen.

Dallas poured a brandy and sat at the old
oak table. Cameron snagged a chair across from him and stretched
his legs, easing the cramps in his knees. "So, what's been
happening around here? Anything I should know about? And what the
hell's going on with you and Jess?" He took a bite of the pie his
mother placed before him.

"Something's definitely going on," Dallas
said.

"
Between you and Jess?
" He looked up
from his plate, not liking the sinking sensation in the pit of his
stomach.

"Hell no," Dallas said.

Relief rushed through Cameron. He didn't
want to examine the feeling too closely. "Then what's up? What's
the matter?"

"Copper River Oil Company is nosing around
the Devine Place, that's what's the matter. Jessie has leased her
mineral rights to them."

"So what?" Cameron asked. "That's no skin
off our butts."

"Yes, it is. She's running short on
cash."

Cameron took another bite of pie. "How do
you know that?"

Ruth sat down at the table next to him.
"Jessie told me. She's still swamped with medical bills from her
father's illness and TR's accident and it's not easy running a
garage in Salt Fork. Business isn't exactly booming here."

Dallas went to refill his glass of brandy.
"Want one of these?" he said to Cameron over his shoulder.

"Yeah, pour me a double." He finished his
pie and pushed the plate away. Leaning back in his chair, he
crossed his arms. "So Copper River Oil is snooping over on the
Devine Place. What's that got to do with us?"

"It's too close for comfort," Dallas said.
"If Jessie's leased the rights on her place, what's to keep her
from leasing them on ours?"

"She promised she wouldn't," Ruth reminded
him.

Dallas handed Cameron his drink and sat back
down. "I don't trust her."

Cameron looked at his brother. "Are you
telling me, Jessie owns the mineral rights on the Diamondback
Ranch? How did that happen?"

Dallas sipped his drink. "She owns one
hundred percent of the mineral rights--"

"On the whole ranch?" Cameron asked.

"No, of course not," Ruth said. "Only on the
sections of land near the Devine place. She inherited them from
TR."

"How did the Devines end up with mineral
rights on the Diamondback anyway?" Cameron wanted to know. "Did I
miss something there?"

"You never did take much interest in the
ranch," Ruth said.

"Aw, Mom, don't start that--"

"All right, I won't. Anyway, Grandpa McCade
sold the rights to TR's grandfather forty years ago. The money
helped buy the Gordon place and increase the size of the
Diamondback."

Dallas got up and paced back and forth
across the kitchen. "I probably don't need to worry," he said.
"Copper River Oil won't want to drill there anyway. There's no oil.
Grandpa leased the rights way back when, and they didn't find
anything then. But if Jessie decides to lease, there's no way we
can keep Copper River off our property. And with all the new
technology, they may want to try again." He stopped in front of the
table. "I don't want strangers on the ranch, tearing up the land.
I'd have no control whatsoever."

"Jessie knows how we feel," Ruth said. "She
promised not to lease and I believe her."

"I don't believe her. I want those mineral
rights, damn it." Dallas sat back down.

Cameron swirled the brandy in his glass.
"Have you offered to buy them from her?"

"Hell yes, I've offered. She refuses to even
talk about it."

Ruth picked up Cameron's plate and walked
over to the sink. "Jessie told me she couldn't sell them. She made
a promise to TR on his deathbed." She dropped the plate in the sink
with a clatter and snapped her fingers. "Wait a minute! I just
thought of the perfect solution.
Cameron
can persuade Jessie
to sell them to us."

"Me?" He jumped up, almost knocking over his
chair, and stared at his mother, not liking the odd gleam in her
eyes.

"Sure," Ruth said. "Jessie always asks about
you when I stop by the garage. I think she's still sweet on you.
And she's been alone for a long time. She hasn't dated much since
TR died."

Cameron turned toward Dallas. "Help me out
here."

His brother shook his head. "Don't look at
me. You know how Mom is once she's on a roll."

Ruth frowned at her oldest son, then gazed
at Cameron again. "It's very simple," she continued. "All you have
to do is ask her out and use your irresistible charm on her."

"What irresistible charm?" Dallas said with
a snort.

Ruth wiped the table with a damp cloth. "The
irresistible McCade charm, of course. All of you boys have it. Tori
has it, too," she said proudly. "All Cam needs to do is turn it
Jessie's way, and I'm sure she would agree to sell the mineral
rights to us."

Cameron sat down again. "Damn, Mom. Why
don't I just ask her to marry me? That would bring the mineral
rights back into the family and save Dallas time and money."

Ruth clapped her hands in delight. "What a
wonderful idea! I'd love to have Jessie for a daughter-in-law. I
already think of her as a daughter. And if you married her, that
would make it even better. But do you think she'd accept? She likes
you and all, but marriage? I don't know . . ."

"Mom, I was joking," Cameron said. "Look,
I've already decided I want to ask Jessie out while I'm home. If
she accepts, I promise I'll talk to her about the mineral rights.
That's all I'm willing to do, though."

"But Cam, I'm sure Jessie would marry you,"
Ruth said. "She likes you a lot."

"Lord, help us from matchmaking mothers,"
Dallas muttered into his glass.

Ruth swatted him with the washcloth. "Hush,
or you'll be next."

"Okay, okay. Geez, don't hit me again," he
said, scrunching his shoulders away.

"Then don't be a smarty mouth," Ruth said,
folding the washcloth. "I just want my children to be happy, that's
all. I want to see y'all settled down, married and happy. Is that
too much to ask?"