by Karen Rock
Instantly, the room exploded in shouts with Cole accusing James of being a cheap so-and-so and Justin swearing Travis was no kind of lawman to be a part of this gang of thieves.
“Quiet!” hollered the unlikeliest of voices.
Mouths snapped shut and all eyes swerved to Heath. Gone was the easygoing family peacekeeper. In his place stood an avenging angel. With his black hair falling over his lowered brow, his symmetrical, fine-featured face set, he was imposing and otherworldly handsome. His blue eyes glinted with hellfire, intense and captivating. He looked ready to wield Saint Michael’s sword into battle. “We haven’t heard Jewel’s thoughts.”
“We know her thoughts.” James brushed a hand over his thick hair, dismissive. “We’re family.”
“You don’t know everything about her.” Heath’s gaze lingered on Jewel, and she stuffed her fidgeting hands in her pockets, willing the heat creeping up her neck to stop. Heath, who never fought anyone but her, was now fighting for her.
“You keeping secrets from us, Jewel?” Jared asked.
She shrugged. “Not all my business is yours.”
“The heck it’s not,” James rejoined, his confidence in his right to know and control everything on clear display.
Aggravating brother.
“The heck it is.” Jewel shifted inside her stiff dress shirt. “I don’t have to think and act and speak just like all of you because I’m a Cade.”
“What would Pa say?”
Jewel flinched at James’s reminder. “Since it’s me,” she murmured, low so only her brothers could hear, “he probably wouldn’t notice.”
Justin reached across Jared to squeeze her rigid arm. “Don’t say that, honey.”
“You know it’s true!” she said beneath her breath. “He only paid you boys any attention. As for me, I just needed to mind my manners and wear a dress on Sunday.”
“That’s not how we feel.” Jared added his hand to Jewel’s arm, which, given both of her brothers’ tight grip, was starting to lose sensation.
“Isn’t it?” she asked, then raised her voice loud enough for the table to hear. “You want me to keep Cora’s Tear for a dowry, like you think I need to pay off someone to marry me. Like nobody would take me otherwise.”
If she sold the brooch, she’d settle the restitution part of the dispute and save the Loveland ranch...either making her the most naive woman west of the Mississippi for letting Heath and the Lovelands charm her, or possibly putting right an old wrong.
“The man who gets you would be the luckiest fella in the world, darlin’,” James vowed so fervently, Jewel nearly forgave him his overbearing, brotherly ways.
Nearly.
“Well. It’ll never happen.” Heath flinched, slightly, at Jewel’s declaration. “Sell Cora’s Tear. Pay the Lovelands for being denied their easement these past hundred-plus years.”
Gasped circled the table.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” James practically fire-breathed.
“You’re the one who doesn’t listen to her,” Heath interjected, rising to Jewel’s defense once more. “Have you even read her herd health report?”
James stared at Heath hard and, to give Heath credit, he didn’t back down an inch. No easy feat when a Cade had his dander up.
“If you haven’t, you’re making a big mistake.” Heath’s eyes glinted, bright and hard as steel. “She knows more about cattle husbandry than all of us put together. Because of her, we haven’t lost any livestock yet. Dismissing her is a mistake.”
Jewel’s insecurities about Heath melted away at his praise. He believed in her when her own family didn’t.
“I know your game.”
Heath’s jaw clamped at James’s accusation. “What game?”
“You’re flattering Jewel to win her over to your side. You’re playing her.”
Jewel shot to her feet. “No one plays me. I’ve a mind, and heart, of my own.” Her gaze flickered to Heath and then she fled.
She stormed from the room, down the hall, then burst outside into the bright sunshine of a cloudless noon. Was Heath playing her as her brother suggested? The other night he’d seemed sincere. Her judgment couldn’t be that far off...on the other hand, he had a fiancée and shouldn’t have held her so tenderly, kissed her so passionately and told her he cared. She swallowed back a groan, her head aching along with her tortured heart.
“Jewel!” Heath caught up to her in the parking lot and drew her to a stop, forcing her to turn around and see him. His normally tan skin had lost color and his eyes burned navy blue. “Your brother’s wrong.”
“Is he?” She tugged her hand free.
“I’d never lie to you.”
“Why’d you hold me last night?”
Heath lowered his head and scuffed the road grit with his boot. “I couldn’t let you go.”
Jewel’s heart added an extra beat. “Are you planning on telling Kelsey about our kiss? She deserves to know.”
He nodded, and his eyes rose to meet hers. “I’ll tell her everything.”
“Good.”
“Can I drive you back to the ranch?” Jewel nodded. They’d ridden together since her truck refused to start this morning. “I can take you to the Flower Gala, too, if you like.”
Jewel considered Heath’s earnest face. Should she accept? It wasn’t a date by any stretch, especially since he’d most likely be bringing Kelsey, who might or might not know by then about their kiss. Awkward as heck. And if Jewel tuned up her truck, ordered a new battery, she’d probably have it working in time for the party.
On the other hand, maybe she’d like to depend on Heath a little...
Today’s fiasco proved what happened when neither side gave a little. Sofia said loving someone meant bending to meet in the middle. Unless Jewel let down her guard and tried, she’d never know if she and Heath had a future, even if it meant falling...tumbling to the ground on her own, breaking her heart in the process.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“HURRY UP, JEWEL! We’re going to be...”
Heath’s mouth dropped open as Jewel glided down her front porch steps. In a vintage rose-colored dress that cinched in her tiny waist and belled around her shapely legs, her red hair caught up in a high ponytail that bounced around her bare, lightly freckled shoulders, she looked as though she stepped from a time machine...
Or one of his dreams.
“Catching flies?” Her brown eyes sparkled as she waltzed by, leaving a mouthwatering citrus scent in her wake.
He snapped his mouth shut and grinned. No amount of “pretty” would erase Jewel’s brash manner. And he’d never want it to. “You look beautiful.” Somehow, she’d even managed to pin down her cowlicks.
Yet, while she looked elegant, he preferred the natural, country-girl side of her. Strange how he’d always been more attracted to women who dressed up and wore makeup before.
Her cheeks pinkened. “This was my grandmother’s prom dress.”
“You’ve done her proud.” He reached around her to pull open the door, reining in the urge put his arms around her.
“You look quite handsome yourself.” When she brushed a bit of pollen from his navy coat, he spied the rose-colored polish on her short nails. She’d put in a lot of effort tonight. Was it for him? He had no right to wish it, but he hoped she’d thought of him when she’d applied the same color shining on her smiling lips. Lips he ached to kiss.
He held her hand, soft from lotion he suspected, and helped her into the cab. She didn’t need assistance, yet she didn’t refuse it, either. Their fingers tangled for a protracted moment before someone, male and angry-sounding, cleared his throat behind them.
“I could still drive you, Jewel.”
“Hello, James.” Heath turned, stuck out his hand, and James shook it stiffly. Since the failed adjudication,
neither family had spoken except through their lawyers. The trial date loomed, closer than ever.
“You could ride with me.” Justin sauntered up wearing a motorcycle helmet. He planted his feet apart and stared hard at Heath through his open visor. “I just have to stop by Fresh Start first.”
Heath eyed him back. Whatever they might think, his intentions with Jewel were honorable. And he’d do everything in his power to keep it that way.
“I’m fine. Good grief. Can’t a girl get a ride without all this fuss? Besides, I need to get there early to set up.” Jewel shook her head, and her ponytail swung. “I hope you’re not all Neanderthal protective over Sierra like this, Heath.”
“Guilty.” He grinned with an unrepentant shrug. “Guess all big brothers have that in common.” Justin and James gave him grudging nods.
Justin closed the gap between them and cracked his knuckles. “Take care of my sister or I’ll knock you into next week.”
“I’ll send you into next year,” James added, low, joining the huddle. “Heck. You’ll time-travel.”
“What are you hens cackling about?” Jewel called behind them.
“Your brothers and I are just coming to an understanding,” Heath said evenly, his eyes locked on James and Justin, willing them to understand he cared for Jewel.
Maybe even loved her.
Was it possible to love two women at once?
“As long as we understand each other.” James stepped away, dragging Justin back a pace. Justin shook off his brother’s arm and shoved his hands in his leather jacket.
Heath nodded. “See you at the gala.” He closed Jewel’s door, jogged around the pickup’s hood and jumped behind the wheel before the hotheaded Cades changed their minds.
“What’d they say?” Jewel flipped down the visor and peered in the small mirror as they sped down Cade Ranch’s gravel drive.
“How happy they were that someone as nice as me was taking you to the gala.”
“Yeah, right,” she scoffed.
They stopped at the driveway’s end, and he reached across to unlock the glove box with the magnetic key he kept under the dashboard. “There’s tissues if you need to fix your makeup.”
Jewel snorted. “I hardly know half the stuff I’m wearing. This is Sofia’s doing.” She waved a hand around her face, then shut the box. “And can you imagine if this were a real date?”
“They would have strung me up.”
“After they’d drawn and quartered you.”
Their laughter mingled with the Anne Murray country tune crooning through Heath’s speakers. When they quieted, Heath sang along, asking if he could have this dance for the rest of his life.
He tore his eyes from the road to briefly glance at Jewel’s delicate profile. The wind whipped through the cracked-open window, fluttering strands of hair around her freckled face. Funny how he’d thought them unattractive before. Now he wished he could kiss each one.
Maybe one day, when he’d gotten everything sorted, he’d do just that. “Will you save a dance for me, Jewel?”
He sensed her eyes on him and wondered what expression they held. Surprise? Pleasure? Annoyance? They hadn’t spoken about anything deeper than their worries over the cattle recently, and he appreciated the space she gave him. He knew what he had to do but struggled to take an action that’d disappoint everyone...especially Kelsey on her big night overseeing the gala.
“Wouldn’t dancing with me make Kelsey mad?”
“Yes.” A herd of longhorns picked up their heads as they whizzed by. “Forget I asked.”
“Asked what?” She cranked up the radio, then flopped back in her seat, arms folded across her chest.
“I’m sorry, Jewel,” he said at last.
“Sorry for what exactly?”
“Not having my head on straight.”
“Sounds like a you problem.”
He laughed, a short, bitter sound. “It is, and I shouldn’t make it yours.”
“Appreciated.”
His cell phone buzzed when they reached the main highway. “Would you mind?”
Jewel grabbed it from the console and hit the speaker button.
“Hello?” He sprayed his windshield and flipped on the wipers when they drove through a swarm of gnats.
“Heath? Can you pick me up after all? Mama wrecked her car and took mine without asking. I know I said I’d meet you, but I can’t get a hold of Daddy and I need to get there early to oversee the setup. How fast can you be on the road?”
From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed Jewel kick off her heels, plant her feet on the seat and throw her arms around her raised knees. She rested her cheek atop them and turned away.
“Heath? You there?”
“Sure. Jewel and I are already on our way.”
“Jewel?” Kelsey’s voice rose. “Why are you driving her?”
“Her truck broke down, and she needed to get there early like you.”
“Doesn’t she have a gazillion brothers who could have driven her?”
“Am I picking you up at home?” he asked wearily, dodging the question since he had no good answer. Deep down, he’d wanted to take Jewel to the gala, wrong as it was on every level.
“Yes, and hurry. I should have been there ages ago.”
Kelsey hung up, and Jewel clicked off the phone.
“Jewel, I—”
“Don’t say anything.”
Fifteen tense minutes later they pulled in front of Kelsey’s large house. He rang the bell, then staggered backward when she opened the door and flung herself into his arms, kissing him so hard their teeth crashed together.
“Ow!” He untangled her death grip around his neck.
Kelsey peered over his shoulder at his pickup, then planted another kiss on him. “You look so handsome. I’m glad the suit I sent over fits.”
“That wasn’t necessary of you, though it was appreciated.”
“You know how I like to spoil you.” She slid her hand in his and squeezed, before nearly yanking him off his feet to sashay to the truck. Kelsey was generous to a fault, yet somehow it always seemed to come at a price.
“Hey, girl!” she crowed as Jewel scrambled into the back seat. “Don’t you look pretty?” Kelsey buckled her seat belt. “The pink is gorgeous with your complexion and red hair.”
Heath briefly met Jewel’s eyes in the rearview mirror, then started up the engine. Funny how he hadn’t even noticed Kelsey’s hair, outfit or makeup, or any of the tiny details he’d quickly noted about Jewel. When had he stopped “seeing” Kelsey? Or was it that, with Jewel around, he couldn’t see anyone else?
“Where’d you buy your dress? It’s so retro.” Kelsey leaned over and changed the radio to a Top 40 station.
“My grandmother wore it to her prom.”
“You cowgirls don’t care much for dresses or dances, do you?” Kelsey glanced into the back seat, then continued without waiting for an answer. “You didn’t go to prom, did you, Jewel?”
“I had a horse show that weekend.”
“Right. Horses. Cows. Those were always your priorities.” Kelsey dropped her hand on Heath’s lap, her signal for him to hold it. The color leached from his knuckles as he gripped the wheel harder. “You were always different from other girls.”
“I guess,” Jewel said, terse.
“That’s a good thing,” Heath cut in, protective and defensive of Jewel.
“Of course it is.” Kelsey pulled down the visor and touched up her lipstick. “I’m sure the livestock are very appreciative.”
“Kelsey,” Heath growled lightly.
She looked up at the ceiling a long moment, then said, “I’m sorry, Jewel. I’m acting insecure when you haven’t done one thing to make me jealous. Will you accept my apology?”
Jewel gave a strangled “yes,” feel
ing as guilty as he did, no doubt, since they’d both given Kelsey plenty to be jealous of...
Heath spotted an enormous sedan driven by what appeared to be just a pair of knuckles. He tapped the brakes before signaling and passing it.
Kelsey twisted around in her seat. “Heath can be sooo sensitive.”
“It’s one of his finest qualities.”
Kelsey shook her head. “Oh, Jewel. You are the queen of sarcasm.”
“That was the truth, not sarcasm.”
Heath glanced in the rearview mirror and met Jewel’s eyes again before they fled his.
“I had my ring cleaned at the jeweler.” Kelsey held up her left hand and waggled her ring finger. “Doesn’t Heath have amazing taste, Jewel?” Then, without waiting for an answer. “I can’t wait for the matching wedding band. We already have it picked out. Mine is a circle of tasteful diamonds in platinum and Heath—Heath’s is a simple, but elegant gold band. Isn’t that right, Heath?”
He made a noncommittal sound, having been shown dozens of wedding band options Kelsey cut out of bridal magazines, and stopped the car behind a sixteen-wheeler idling at a red light.
“Oh, I can’t wait until our wedding day!” Kelsey sighed. “Of course, we’ll be inviting you, Jewel, seeing as you’ve been so kind to help my sweetie this summer.”
Behind him, Jewel made a choking sound. His heart plummeted. He spied her turning away, fast, but not before he glimpsed her crushed expression.
Understanding socked him across the jaw. Hard. Jewel cared about him—romantically—feelings he didn’t deserve while beholden to Kelsey. And why was Kelsey going on like they’d set a wedding date or something? His temples throbbed.
He fought the urge to reassure Jewel...that he couldn’t marry Kelsey, not when he had feelings for her. But it’d be cruel to correct Kelsey in front of Jewel. He’d take her aside once they got inside and set the record straight.
Besides, Jewel still refused to set aside their family differences and grant his cattle passage through her property. She’d offered to sell Cora’s Tear, but her priorities lay with her family, not him.
The moment they arrived at the gala, Jewel flung open the rear door of his extended cab and stomped inside the town hall. He hopped out to open the door for Kelsey, but she hustled to a group of her squealing friends to show off her dress before he could get her alone.