by Kate Pearce
Guilt and panic coalesced around her heart. Daisy stopped and swung around to face him.
“You’re right. It was a stupid idea, so let’s forget all about it.” She walked past him back toward the house. “I’ll get my stuff and I’ll just go. Thanks for a lovely dinner.”
“Daisy, that’s not what I meant . . .”
He called after her, but she was too embarrassed to slow down. He was perfect boyfriend material, which was exactly why she couldn’t risk getting too close to him, or allowing him to get too close to her. She’d allowed her family to run off her second boyfriend, but they approved of Jackson. What if she fell for him? What if it all blew up in her face again?
She barged into the kitchen, surprising Cauy and Rachel, who leaped apart like two guilty teenagers on the couch. Cauy attempted to smooth down his hair and rebutton his shirt as Daisy gathered up her stuff and averted her eyes from Rachel’s giggles.
“Thanks for a lovely evening, I’m sorry I have to rush off,” Daisy said.
“Are you okay?” Cauy frowned at her. “Did Jackson say something stupid? Do you need me to kick his ass?”
“He was the perfect gentleman,” Daisy reassured him as she frantically searched for her car keys. “I just have to go—there’s something I have to do at home.”
She rushed out the door and straight to her truck. There was no sign of Jackson. If he had any sense, he’d wait until she’d gone before he emerged from the barn, but she hadn’t ever noticed him having an urge to be discreet. She felt like an idiot, and that wasn’t his fault.
She started up her truck, backed out of the drive, and turned around. She was halfway home before she remembered to take another breath. Now she had an event to organize on Saturday, a conference call with Ian and an unknown venture capitalist, and no one to back her up.
And it was all her own fault.
Chapter Five
Jackson parked his truck behind Daisy’s at Morgan Ranch and headed for the guest center, where most of the wedding receptions and parties were held. From what he could tell, the latest wedding was in full swing, with a large white marquee beside the guest center covering a dance floor and seating for the guests, who were picking up their food inside and coming out to sit in the sun.
He paused to admire the flower arrangements on each table and to take note of the color theme just in case Daisy asked him about it, and then went in search of her. He bumped into Avery Hayes, Ry Morgan’s fiancée, who was the event coordinator. She looked superefficient, with a tablet in one hand and an earpiece in one ear.
“Hey, Jackson! Are you lost?” Avery greeted him.
“Hey, Avery. I’m looking for Daisy Miller. I’m supposed to be picking her up at four.”
“She’s in the kitchen,” Avery told him. “And I think she’s about ready to go. Dell’s staying to make sure everything hangs together, but I don’t think there’s much that can go wrong with the flowers at this point.”
Jackson had no idea who Dell was, but he tipped his Stetson to Avery and made his way into the guest center and toward the kitchen. Inside was a hive of activity as Gustav the chef and his staff kept up with the demands of the buffet, which was still going strong.
At the back of the kitchen, Jackson spotted Daisy with a tall, youngish guy who looked vaguely familiar.
He went toward her, trying to look like he didn’t have a care in the world. After she’d walked out on him the other night, he’d had a chance to think about what he wanted, and whether he should just give up on Daisy and move on. He really liked her, and he’d rushed her into making a decision she wasn’t ready for. The thought of her needing his help today and him being petty and denying it hadn’t sat well with him.
So he’d decided to take a chance and see what happened. If she turned him down flat, that was also okay.
Daisy’s horrified expression when she saw him approach wasn’t reassuring. He was fairly certain she glanced behind her as if searching for an escape route. He smiled encouragingly at her.
“Hey, do you still need me this afternoon? I’m ready and available to take you over to my place whenever you like. Cauy and Rachel have gone to Bridgeport, so we won’t be interrupted for hours.”
She glanced at her companion, who was regarding Jackson with deep interest.
“Have you met Dell Turner?” Daisy asked.
“Nope.” Jackson shook the kid’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Do you help Daisy out?”
“When I have some free time I do.” Dell hesitated. “You’re the dude who was in the air force, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What was it like?”
“Awesome.” Jackson gave his automatic reply. At Dell’s age, he’d thought of nothing else than being accepted into the USAF and becoming a fighter pilot.
“Did you fly planes?”
Jackson shrugged. “I could already fly when I went in. My dad got me lessons.”
“Wow.” Dell whistled. “I wish my mom could afford to do that for me.”
“I was lucky. Because this valley can get cut off in the winter, a lot of the ranches around here have small planes and crop dusters, so I was able to learn quite cheaply and get a lot of practice hours in.”
Daisy cleared her throat. “Um, Dell. Could you possibly do a walk-around and make sure everything floral is in the right place and still standing?”
“Sure. And I’ll make sure Nolly hasn’t escaped again.” Dell nodded at Jackson. “Nice to meet you, dude.”
Jackson waited until the teen sauntered off and then turned to Daisy. “Who’s Nolly?”
Daisy smiled for the first time. “Chase’s favorite horse. He’s a bit of a performance artist who likes to get involved with the weddings. His specialty is eating flower arrangements and wedding cake.”
“Oh, right.” Jackson nodded after Dell. “Is he related to Nate Turner the sheriff?”
“Yes, he’s his nephew,” Daisy said. “He’s a great kid.”
Jackson leaned back against the countertop and studied her. She looked frazzled. He wanted to pick her up, take her in his arms, and tell her that everything was going to be all right—except she probably wouldn’t like that.
“Why are you here, Jackson?” Daisy asked.
“Because you asked for my help.” He held her gaze. “I know things didn’t end well between us last week, and I totally respect your decision, but I didn’t want to leave you without cover today.”
“That’s . . . really sweet of you.”
“It’s okay. You can tell me to go to hell if you like.” He hesitated. “I’m not asking for anything in return, I swear it. You just look like you need a friend right now and I’m trying to be that person.”
“You promise not to try anything?” Daisy asked.
He traced a cross over his heart. “On my brother’s grave.”
“You murdered Cauy?”
“I wish.” Jackson grinned at her. “I was just kidding.”
And he wouldn’t try anything. If she didn’t want him as a boyfriend, maybe they could just be friends who helped each other out occasionally. Everyone needed friends. Maybe when she’d finished her supersecret job, she’d be more amenable to taking him seriously without any strings attached. He’d always been a long-term planner, and he rarely let anything get him down for long.
“Let me help you out.” Jackson coaxed, and she bit her lip.
“Are you sure?” Daisy still looked conflicted. “I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
“I tried to pressure you into agreeing to something you weren’t ready for,” Jackson said firmly. “The only person who needs to worry about that is me.”
“The thing is,” Daisy met his gaze, “I could really do with your help.”
“Then you’ve got it.” He nodded and pointed at the stack of boxes on the worktop. “Do you want me to load this stuff into your truck? I’ll drive you over to my place and drop you back here when you’re done.”
* * *
Daisy glanced over at Jackson as he drove her back to Lymond Ranch, admiring his strong profile and the curve of his lips. She still wasn’t 100 percent convinced that he wouldn’t, in typical Jackson style, start asking her questions she had no answers for. She also knew she shouldn’t have agreed to let him help her, but the sincerity in his voice and in his eyes had convinced her to trust him.
“I really appreciate you helping me out,” Daisy said.
“You’re welcome.” Jackson pulled up the truck, got out, and opened the gate that led up to the ranch house. He got back in, drove through, and then shut the gate behind him. “As I said, Cauy and Rachel are going to be out until at least ten tonight, so you shouldn’t be disturbed.”
“The meeting shouldn’t take much longer than an hour,” Daisy said. “I hate videoconferencing, but this is important.”
“Why do you hate it?” Jackson inquired as he turned onto the graveled driveway leading up to the house.
“Because I hate seeing myself and hearing the sound of my voice,” Daisy confessed. “It’s like watching someone else and it freaks me out.”
He glanced over at her. “You look and sound pretty good to me.”
“Thanks, but with all due respect, you’re not the guy I’m trying to impress today.”
Jackson chuckled. “Now you’ve got me wondering what you’re selling.”
“Probably not what you’re thinking,” Daisy retorted. “I’ve got to appear rational, intelligent, invested, and enthusiastic all at the same time.”
“Wow.” Jackson shook his head. “I’m not sure I could manage that myself.”
“You’re like that all the time.” Daisy poked him in the side. “I look way too sweet to be left in charge of anything.”
His smile widened, but he didn’t say anything, which somehow made her feel a lot less stressed.
“I look like someone’s twelve-year-old sister,” Daisy added.
“Not twelve,” Jackson corrected her. “Because that makes me feel like a perv. How old are you actually?”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Okay, so you look eighteen.” He turned off the engine. “Maybe that’s what you’re doing—managing a worldwide cosmetics empire, and your face is your best-selling point.”
He got out of the truck and came around to Daisy’s door.
“Have you ever considered writing fiction?” she asked as he lifted her out of the truck. “Because that’s some imagination you’ve got going there.”
“I’m tenacious. I like to know stuff.” He set her on her feet and immediately let go of her like a perfect gentleman.
“I noticed,” Daisy murmured as she followed him into the ranch house. “And I’ll have to be careful.”
“What was that?” Jackson turned to look at her.
“Nothing,” she called out. “Just talking to myself.”
* * *
After Jackson made her some coffee and she changed into something a little more formal than her flower shop T-shirt, Daisy was ready for the call. Jackson set her up in the farm office and then went off with Grace and her puppies to do some chores in the barn, leaving her in complete possession of the house. She brushed her hair, put on the minimum amount of makeup necessary so she didn’t look like a ghost, and sat down in front of her laptop, making sure the camera and microphone were operational.
The call was going to be between her, Ian, and the VC guy. The other three on their team were too techy to make much sense, hated company, and generally only emerged at night. Ian was right: Getting funding for their A round was important, and even if this guy didn’t work out, it was a chance for them to perfect their pitch before they went wide.
Daisy let out a calming breath and tried to forget how royally their merry band had been screwed over by their investors on the first go-around. Someone, somewhere, was making a very nice living out of their work, and it definitely wasn’t them.
A screen popped up on her laptop and Ian’s face appeared swiftly, followed by a second screen.
“Hey, Daisy, this is Ron Kopek.”
Daisy smiled at the middle-aged guy, but he didn’t smile back. He had eyes like a shark.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Miller.”
“Please call me Daisy.” She wasn’t that keen on him already but tried to be positive. “What would you like to know about our company, and how did you hear about us?”
Mr. Kopek started talking, and Daisy immediately forgot about his looks and concentrated on what he was asking her. After a couple of questions, when it became clear he really knew his stuff and wasn’t wasting their time, Daisy started to relax.
“Yes, that’s correct.” Daisy nodded. “The question we’re working on is how to get crucial medical data in front of the right person in real time and improve survival rates. We’re convinced that by developing a product using AI to crunch all this big data and allow the machine to learn as it goes will significantly improve treatment of casualties for our military.”
“That sounds fantastic.” Mr. Kopek finally smiled at her. “Tell me more.”
* * *
Jackson kept away from the house for well over the hour Daisy had requested. It wasn’t difficult. Living on a ranch meant there were endless jobs to be done and never enough hands to do them. He’d spent a while reapplying paint to the backside of the new feedstore that faced the wind coming down off the Sierras. He also kept an eye on Grace and her puppies as they played in the sunshine.
Eventually, when the light started to fade, he washed out his brush, put the paint away, and went back into the house, tripping over the puppies as they crowded around him to be fed. It was quiet inside, and the office door was closed. He paused to listen but couldn’t hear a thing. He made his way through to his bedroom to strip off his clothes and took a quick shower.
With a towel wrapped around his waist, he went into the kitchen and spent a couple of minutes fiddling around with the new coffee machine Cauy had purchased before he could work out how to brew a whole pot rather than a piddling little mug.
A slight snore came from the couch behind him and he wandered over, mug in hand, to find Daisy curled up asleep on the couch in the most uncomfortable position imaginable. He considered her for a moment and then sat on the edge of the couch and gently shook her shoulder.
“Daisy, if you sleep like that, you’re going to end up with a crick in your neck.”
She muttered something, which sounded like an impolite way of telling him to leave her alone, and he fought a smile.
“Daisy . . .”
This time she literally growled at him, and he stood up. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She rolled over onto her back and stared unblinkingly up at him.
“Why are you naked?”
“I just took a shower.” He rolled his eyes at her. “I’m not about to have my wicked way with you or anything.”
“Oh,” she sighed. He suspected she wasn’t quite awake because she sounded disappointed. “You have great abs and lats.”
“Thanks.” Jackson sucked in his gut. “Just no peeping up my towel, okay? I don’t want you regretting what you gave up.”
She gave a little choke of laughter that went straight to his lower regions and made him check how secure his towel was.
“If you want a nap before dinner, why don’t you get into my bed?” Jackson suggested.
“Nice try,” Daisy said.
He shrugged. “I’m going to be out here catching up on the baseball game, so I can promise you peace and quiet. It’s only five thirty, and you said you don’t have to be back home until nine.”
She struggled to sit up and regarded him. Her hair was all over the place. She’d obviously forgotten she’d put on mascara and rubbed her eyes, leaving her looking like a cute panda. “I really am tired.”
“Then finish your nap. I’ll wake you in an hour and we can have something to eat.” Jackson turned away. “Just let me go put on some clothes, and then my bedroom is all yours.”
* * *
As soon as Jackson left, Daisy sat up. She really needed to pee, and that would have to happen before she made any other decisions. She used the bathroom, washed her hands, dealt with her hair and raccoon eyes, and made her way to Jackson’s bedroom, which was next door.
He was just stepping into his boxers, so she caught a great view of his muscled ass as he bent forward.
“Hey,” Daisy called out, making him jump. “What’s that tattoo?”
He turned to face her, hands on his hips. “What tattoo?”
“The one on your ass.”
“Oh that.” He actually blushed, which Daisy enjoyed immensely. “It’s nothing.”
She wandered toward him, but he held his ground until she hooked one finger in his boxers. “Let me see.”
He looked down at her finger. “You’re going to pull them down?”
“Maybe.”
His smile was shockingly hot and intimate. “If you do that, don’t be surprised if you get to see a lot more than just a stupid tattoo.”
Of course now she had to look at the impressive bulge filling out the front of his boxers and getting larger every second. She wanted to lick her lips.
“Daisy . . . not fair.” His voice softened, even as his body hardened. She reminded herself he was not one of her brothers, that she was standing way too close to him, and that she practically had her hand down his boxers.
“Sorry.” She stepped back, accidentally snapping the elastic, which made him wince. “That was rude of me.”
He let out a long, slow breath. “No problem.” He took a T-shirt out of a drawer and put it on, covering up those amazing abs. “I’ll get out of your way.”
He picked up his jeans, took one harassed look down at his erection, and slung the jeans over his shoulder. “I’ll call you about six thirty, okay?”
Daisy contemplated his neatly made bed and the overall tidiness of his space. She imagined having been in the military, he’d had to learn to keep his stuff in good order. The walls were painted white and there were no pictures, photos, or posters on them. On top of the chest of drawers there was a photo of Jackson in uniform, which made him look even hotter, if that were possible, a picture of his family, including Cauy, his mom, and a very young Amy, and that was it.