The Doctor Wears A Stetson (Contemporary Western Romance) (5 page)

Cameron smiled. He'd heard this spiel
countless times before. "What about all the grandkids you want us
to produce?"

Dallas groaned. "For God's sakes, don't
encourage her."

Ruth sat back in her chair with a dreamy
look in her eyes. "Grandkids will be the icing on the cake."

****

The next morning, Cameron parked Dallas'
pickup across the street from Kincaid's Garage. He crossed the
two-lane highway and came to a dead stop near the gas pumps. The
large double doors stood wide open and he could see two people
leaning headfirst under the hood of his car. Two pairs of legs and
two bottoms faced the street. One of the bottoms drew Cameron's
attention.
Very nice.

Tight blue denim outlined the lush feminine
shape. The worn fabric hugged the delicate curves. For some reason,
Jessie hadn't worn her coveralls today. Cameron glimpsed a line of
bare flesh above the waist of the jeans, where she had tied the
tails of her plaid shirt. He admired the long legs, the shapely
bottom and the smooth skin. From the moment he'd seen her last
night, he couldn't get her out of his mind.

Cameron walked purposefully toward the
garage. He cursed under his breath when he realized most of the
engine was out of the car and lying scattered on the greasy floor.
What was Jessie doing? It had only been a broken fan belt, for
Christ's sake. He leaned on the side of the car and cleared his
throat.

Jessie's head popped up. "You're early," she
said, her green eyes narrowed. She had a smudge of grease on her
nose and looked pretty damned cute in that ball cap she was
wearing.

"It's almost lunch time," he said, barely
resisting the urge to wipe the smudge away, which would just be an
excuse to touch her.

"You're kidding, right?" She frowned at him.
"Is it really that late?"

The man standing beside Jessie chuckled.
"Jessie loses track of time when she's engrossed in her work. She
gets in the
zone
." He snatched a rag from his pocket and
handed it to her. "Here, you have grease on your nose."

"Oh great." She blushed and quickly wiped
off the smudge.

Cameron clenched his teeth and raised an
eyebrow at the man. "And you are?"

The stranger took his time wiping his hands,
then extended one in greeting. "Sam Garza," he said. "I work for
Jessie. Fantastic car. We've never had a Jag in here before."

Cameron shook Garza's hand. He didn't like
the idea of Jessie in such close contact to the man. He didn't like
the feelings bombarding him, either. "I thought a fan belt broke
last night. Have you found something else?" He glared at the engine
parts on the floor.

Sam glanced quickly at Jessie. Cameron was
surprised when her cheeks flushed crimson, as if she were
embarrassed.

"We didn't think you'd be here so early,"
she said, wiping her hands on the grease rag.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, hoping it
was nothing serious. He didn't have time for serious. "The car's
brand new. There shouldn't be a problem."

Jessie shook her head. "No problem. Not
really."

Cameron waited. She avoided eye contact and
he had the distinct impression she was stalling for time. What the
hell was going on?

He glanced over at Garza.
He
was
looking decidedly uncomfortable, too.

"All right," Cameron said. "If something is
wrong with my car, I need to know."

Sam stepped between him and Jessie. Like it
was his right to protect her. Cameron shoved the feeling of
irritation aside.

"Nothing's wrong with your car," Sam said.
"I wanted to take the engine apart. I've never had the chance to
work on a Jag before."

"
What
?" Cameron shouted.

Jessie stepped from behind Sam. "It was
me
, Cameron. Not Sam. I was the one who wanted to examine
the engine. Sam tried to talk me out of it, but I insisted. It only
took five minutes to change the fan belt. You know how much I like
engines. I had to have more. I couldn't help myself."

Cameron stared at her and tried to remember
his anger, but failed when desire slammed him in the gut.

With chin held high, Jessie's emerald eyes
sparkled in defiance. The tails of her shirt were tied beneath her
breasts. Every breath she drew, every rise and fall of her chest,
hinted of nipple straining against thin cloth.

Her Levi's molded her slim figure, so tight
Cameron felt himself harden. He wanted to trace the seams with his
finger, or better yet, his tongue, starting from the slender waist,
down the flat belly, to the apex between Jessie's
thighs
.

Hold on, McCade. Slow down.

Jessie watched Cameron boldly inspect her
from head to toe. Her nipples tightened as his gaze lingered on her
breasts. Her breath hitched when it stalled below her waist. Why in
the world hadn't she worn her coveralls today? A shimmering wave of
heat spread downward as those blue eyes made sweet love to her.

She felt a rush of dampness on her panties
as her body reacted instinctively. Jessie glanced at the hard bulge
behind the zipper of Cameron's jeans. Her throat went dry and her
stomach lurched uncontrollably.

Why in heaven's name was she so attracted to
this man? She had been married and knew all about sex. Her loins
ached as a familiar warmth blossomed inside. It had been a long
time since TR had died. A long time since she had lain beneath a
man. The unbidden picture formed in her mind of Cameron rising
above her. Good lord, what was she thinking?

Cameron jammed his hands in his pockets and
surveyed the engine parts strewn across the floor. "Can you put it
back together?"

Jessie lifted her chin higher at the taunt.
"Of course, I can put it back together," she said. "And don't
worry, there's no extra charge." She turned to pick up a wrench and
felt strong fingers clamp around her upper arm. Cameron pulled her
to face him. Was he angry at her sarcasm?
He
was the one who
had started it. He knew damn well she could put an engine together
blindfolded.

Sam stepped closer and tension flared
between the two men with Jessie caught in the middle. She wriggled
free from Cameron's hold and turned to Sam. "Let's take a break.
It's almost noon. We'll finish after we eat. Unless you're in a
hurry?" she said to Cameron over her shoulder. Not waiting for a
response, she raced toward the office.

Would Cameron follow her? Did she want him
to?

Damn, Jess. Get it together, girl.

Once inside the office, she barricaded
herself behind the desk and watched Cameron's approach through the
glass door. The bell jingled when it closed behind him. He didn't
say anything for a minute, just stood there looking at her. Jessie
straightened a stack of papers on her desk. The sensual current
flowing between them disturbed her in more ways than the obvious.
She had never felt anything like it before. Okay, she was lying.
She'd felt it before, but only with Cameron.

Clearing her throat, she kept her focus on
the desktop. "I'm sorry about the Jaguar. That was very
unprofessional of me. I'll have it ready later this afternoon. No
charge."

Cameron walked closer to the desk. "That's
not very professional, either. You have to make a living."

Jessie shrugged. "Yes, well . . ."

"I'll pay for the fan belt." He looked
around the office. "Nothing's changed much since the last time I
was in here. Do you remember?" His voice sounded like melted
chocolate, seeping into every pore of her body.

"The night of the prom," she said softly.
He'd looked so handsome in his black tux and baby-blue shirt. They
had been kids, but the attraction had been strong. It was stronger
now, more irresistible, and much more dangerous.

Cameron nodded. "I remember you pinning my
boutonniere on my tux. It took several tries before you got it
right."

"Because my hands were trembling."

"You were very young--"

"And scared."

"I didn't mean to scare you, Jess. I
remember how nice you looked in that dress."

"Quite a change from the coveralls." She'd
been so proud of that beautiful dress and so nervous wearing
it.

"Oh yeah, quite a change." He smiled and his
eyes lasered in on her. "Have lunch with me, Jess."

That jerked her away from the faraway
memories. "What?"

"Let me take you to lunch. For old time's
sake."

Jessie shook her head. Not a good idea. "I
always go home for lunch."

Cameron stepped around the desk and into her
space. "Then how about dinner, tonight?"

She backed away, stopping only when the tall
metal file cabinet bit into her shoulder blade. "I don't think
so."

Cameron moved closer and stood directly in
front of her. His musky male scent invaded her senses. She couldn't
stop herself from inhaling deeply, filling her lungs with him.

"Come on, Jess. For old time's sake, let me
take you to dinner," Cameron said. "Does the cafe still serve its
famous chicken-fried steak?" He grinned boyishly and Jessie's heart
turned over.

She smiled back. "Of course, and Sarah Sue
still makes the best chocolate cake in the whole state of
Texas."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Oh yeah,
Sarah Sue's homemade cakes. Makes my mouth water just thinking
about them." Opening his eyes, he put his hands on her shoulders,
grasping them lightly. "Let me take you tonight, Jess. Please?"

She swallowed again, wondering if the subtle
nuance was deliberate. The frightening thing was that Jessie
wanted
him to take her and not just to dinner.

Why not go with him? She was a grown woman,
a widow, for crying out loud. She could handle the attraction and
the temptation. She'd have to be careful, that's all. Besides, a
chance to go out with Cameron might never come again.

"All right," she said. "I'll meet you at the
cafe around six."

"I'll pick you up."

"No, I'd rather meet you there." Jessie knew
she was throwing caution to the winds. She also knew she wasn't
ready to be alone with him at her house. Or anywhere, for that
matter.

Her tummy dropped to her toes when he leaned
down to look her square in the eye. "Okay, I'll meet you at the
cafe. But next time, I'm picking you up."

Next time?

His breath whispered against her lips. A
liquid warmth spread through her veins as his hands slowly moved
over her shoulders and neck. He traced her jaw with a gentle
finger, rubbed her lips with his thumb. His touch was magic,
sending thrills and chills along her nerve endings.

Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him
to?

The loud ringing of the telephone shattered
the moment. Jessie couldn't decide whether to answer it or jerk the
old contraption from the wall. Cameron stepped away, and she had no
choice but to pick up the receiver.

"Kincaid's Garage." Her voice quivered.
Cameron may have backed off, but his eyes were slowly devouring
her. Jessie felt a warm blush spread the entire length of her
body.

"Hello, Mrs. Perkins." She concentrated on
the little old woman on the other end of the line. "Yes, this
afternoon will be fine. Go ahead and bring your car in. It
shouldn't take long to fix. Bye, now." She hung up and jotted a
note for Sam.

Cameron slipped the pencil from her fingers
and dropped it on the desk. He pulled her into his arms, flush
against his hard body. Jessie's breasts tingled from the contact of
his muscled chest. He removed her baseball cap and smoothed her
hair back from her temple. "Remember Lover's Point, Jess?"

The rugged intimacy of his voice almost made
her heart stop. She searched the hard planes of his face. "I
remember. I didn't think you did though."

"Oh yeah, I remember. I want to kiss you
again," he said softly. "Do you want me to kiss you?"

Jessie licked her lips and nodded.

With both hands tenderly cradling her head,
Cameron tilted her face up and lowered his mouth until his lips
hovered over hers.

Jessie closed her eyes. Yes, she wanted him
to kiss her; she
needed
him to kiss her. Would her memories
live up to the reality? When the office door opened and the bell
jingled, she swallowed a groan of frustration and pushed out of the
embrace.

Sam stood on the threshold. "I thought you
had already gone to lunch."

"I was just about to leave." She grabbed her
cap and jammed it on her head, striving to get hold of her
emotions. "I'll see you tonight, Cameron. Six o'clock."

He exchanged a territorial-male-kind-of-look
with Sam, then stared down at her. The passion in his gaze left
Jessie breathless. He brushed the back of his hand gently against
her cheek. "Don't be late. I hate to be kept waiting."

Cameron pushed past Sam and stalked out the
door. Goosebumps flittered across the surface of Jessie's skin.
What in the world had she gotten herself into?

****

The afternoon passed quickly. Jessie put the
engine back in the Jaguar while Sam worked on Mrs. Perkins' sedan.
When she finished with the Jag, she sat in her office in front of
her computer for a couple of hours and crunched the numbers again
for the thousandth time.

Soon, she'd have to make a tough decision
that would probably cost her friendship with Ruth McCade.

Jessie had promised her friend she'd never
lease the mineral rights on the portion of the Diamondback Ranch
she'd inherited from TR. But where else could she get the money she
so desperately needed? It was either break her promise or lose the
garage. What choice did she have?

At a quarter to five, she left the garage
and rushed home to get ready for her "date." In the two years since
TR's death, she could count the times she'd been out with a man on
one hand with fingers left over. Not much experience in that
department, even when she was younger. Especially when she was
younger.