Stan ducked his head, averting his eyes. He mumbled, “We’re in the same grade at school.”
“Well, sugar, you’re in luck today. She’s due back from her break in another ten minutes.”
Stan brightened considerably.
“I’ll go place your order, then visit with you folks from the Lazy L.”
“No need on our account, sugar,” Jake said as she walked away. She snorted loudly, telling him she heard his snide remark.
“Wait, I’ve got a great idea,” Callie said, grabbing onto his thigh.
Red-hot, scorching heat branded his leg. He figured her palm print would be forever ingrained on his flesh. His heartbeat thundered in his chest and his breathing became ragged. Perspiration dotted his forehead as she leaned close.
“What idea, sugar?” Flossie came back to the table. “Scoot over, Jake.”
Before he had a chance to respond, Flossie sat down next to him, shoving him into Callie.
Electric currents ran up and down his arm where it connected with Callie’s. With self-preservation uppermost in his mind, he moved his left arm so it now rested along the back of the booth. Safe, he thought, and then quickly amended that sentiment when Callie half-leaned, half-stretched across him in order to talk directly to Flossie.
His body clamored in reaction, sending poker-like shafts of passion through his system. Lord, he wanted this woman.
“Let’s have a party,” Callie said, glancing quickly at Jake. Excitement danced in her eyes. Her face glowed.
“That’s a wonderful idea.” Flossie nudged Jake in the ribs. “Isn’t it?”
Pulled from his desire-filled trance, Jake came to his senses. “Callie, don’t you think we should discuss this first?”
“Hey, that’s cool,” Lance said. “I can try out some new recipes.”
“Ah…can I invite…someone?” Stan tripped over his words.
“I’ll hook up the sound system,” Marvin said.
“Whoa!” Jake held up his right hand, halting the snowballing momentum. Turning to Callie, he hissed, “Don’t you think you should ask me?”
Confusion chased across her features. “What’s not to like?” She lowered her voice, whispering in his left ear, “Come on, Jake, this will be great for your cousins. It will be like a coming-out party. We’ll invite only the few people they’re comfortable with, just a half dozen or so, and kinda loosen them up.”
Her warm breath fanned the embers residing in him. She touched his chest. The delicate, feather-like stroke ignited sparks of hunger, a long-buried emptiness he yearned to fill.
“Haven’t you noticed Stan’s interest in Trudy? We can ask her to come to the party. Stan will be fixed up with one of the local girls. That was part of your plan, wasn’t it? Here’s your chance, Jake; take it.”
He sighed as she pulled away. An ache of longing swirled. Wanting her, craving her, yet remaining nothing more than friends seemed impossible. The whisper of forever tantalized him. You’re just a good-for-nothing gypsy. You’re not good enough for her, Lassiter. You’ll leave. She’ll be hurt. Then she’ll hate you. Is that what you want?
“Please,” she said. She smiled, stealing the breath from his lungs. “We’ll do all the work, right guys?”
“Sure,” Stan said, answering for his brothers.
“And I’ll help,” Flossie offered.
Callie pressed on. “I’m sure Les and Gus would come and keep you company.”
He felt Flossie stiffen at his side. He grasped on to the notion. Not only would Stan get a shot at Trudy, but Gus would at Flossie. If the two old meddling fools were absorbed in each other, then they’d leave him alone, he figured.
He turned to look at Flossie, noticing how her lips compressed into a thin, straight line. “All right, Callie, let’s throw a party. I’m sure you’d like to see Gus again, wouldn’t you, sugar?”
Flossie shot out of her seat as if a firecracker exploded beneath her. “I’ve got work to do.” She threw over her shoulder, “Your time is coming, Jake Lassiter, and I’ll be the first to celebrate the day you get yours.”
Jake chuckled, feeling lighthearted once again. He glanced at Callie. Her sparkling eyes snagged him, eliciting a powerful yearning in his center. A deep-seated wistfulness that he stuffed away years ago, Jake noted.
She’d roped him into another scheme. A warmth stole over him as he realized he didn’t really mind at all for this latest one.
But how much longer could he withstand these blindsiding, titillating assaults? And how many more times would this sweet, sexy fairy godmother wrap him around her little finger?
***
At the party, Callie spotted Jake lounging against the doorframe across the crowded living room. Stan and Trudy swirled by, enjoying the lively country music.
Thankfully, Jake had agreed to this little get-together. With slight pressure, she added. Reflecting on her record with Jake, she realized that’s all he needed at times-a gentle shove in the right direction.
“Well, as far as his cousins were involved,” she murmured. “Now, I wonder if it would work if I nudged him toward me?” Smiling, she crossed her fingers behind her back, praying for the best outcome.
Figuring she had nothing to lose, she skirted the exuberant dancing Gus and Flossie, and made her way to Jake’s side.
“I’d say the party is a rousing success, wouldn’t you?” She held her breath, glancing at his profile. Averting her gaze, Callie tried to blot out the image of him, his white dress shirt pulled tight across his broad chest. The top buttons strained and wisps of dark curls poked out, teasing her.
Oh, how she longed to touch him there once again. Looking downward didn’t improve her discomfort; the black jeans he wore revealed his powerful thighs. Absently, she noted his big, shiny rodeo belt buckle.
“Looks like you’ve done it again.” Admiration colored his voice, warming her. He gave her a half-smile, sending tingles to her toes. His long, lazy perusal of her in the black slinky dress caused heat to mushroom and spread. “I’ve got to give you credit. I was certain the boys wouldn’t go for the haircuts.”
“You’d be amazed how young men react when faced with the prospect of seeing young ladies.”
He chuckled. “Is that how you did it? Well, I’ve never seen Stan’s hair in anything but an unruly mess.”
Callie smiled. “It does take some getting used to, doesn’t it?”
As a new dance number wailed from the speakers, she checked out the boy’s neatly styled hair, now combed back and off his forehead. Shifting to look at his brothers, she noted the attractive, much shorter haircuts.
A wealth of pride rose in her chest at the incredible change she’d rendered. “And what about you? You haven’t said if you liked yours or not.”
He turned his head, capturing her stare. Callie gasped, recalling Jake shirtless and helpless in a chair before her. The sensuous feel of running her fingers through his thick hair replayed itself, making her warm and jittery all over again.
Apparently, by his intense, penetrating gaze, he’d felt a similar, seductive tug, a connection that went beyond the moment.
He dragged his hand through his well-groomed dark hair. “Old Buzz down at the barber shop could take some lessons from you.”
His husky tone brought a warmth to her cheeks.
He cleared his throat. “So I guess we can add hairdresser to the long list of descriptive duties you’re an old pro at. Let’s see, expert poker player, skillful gardener, professional rope performer, amateur bull dodger, miracle worker, knowledgeable fashion consultant, proficient last-minute party planner…Is there anything I’ve missed?”
She laughed. “Oh, I’m sure there are dozens more.”
“With one exception. Cook.”
“My one and only flaw. What can I say?” Callie shrugged, glowing at his teasing manner. “I think I prefer the all-encompassing title of fairy godmother.”
“Well, Fairy Godmother, is adept dancer among your many virtues
?”
“I get by.”
He pushed away from the doorframe and held out a hand. “Come on and show me your stuff then.”
Tentatively, she placed her hand in his large palm. His warm hand swallowed hers up. A tiny thrill raced up her arm and through her veins. Her heartbeat picked up speed.
Jake tugged Callie onto the dance floor just as the song ended.
“I’ll get it,” Marvin called out, rushing to the stereo. “How ’bout a slow one for a change?”
“Perfect,” Jake said. He heard Gus, Stan, and Les echo his sentiments.
He felt Callie tremble as his hands rested around her small waist and her arms circled his shoulders.
Did she want him as much as he wanted her? he wondered as the woeful song began. He moved her in time to the lyrics of a Garth Brooks tune. The first haunting line resounded in his ears. He tried to brush it aside, asking, “Did Ray hurt you today?”
She shook her head.
“Good. He’s bad news. Stay away from him.”
“I intend to.” Her voice sounded reed-thin.
Gritty determination rippled in him. Caring for her stomped down his need to get away from the ranch. How could he leave her if she needed him?
Shock reverberated through him. No one had ever made him push aside his need for freedom and independence. No one!
Callie wove her magic spells, snaring him in a warmth that seeped into the icy spots in his soul. To give that sensation up, to walk away from it seemed insane.
Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to relax his tough, harsh stance on keeping his distance from her, on denying his natural instincts where Callie Andrews was concerned.
Jake embraced Callie tighter, savoring the closeness, feeling her softness, inhaling her wildflower perfume, and relishing the well of emotions bubbling inside him.
Now concentrating on the words of the song, Jake realized they paralleled his own life.
Jake had never found any woman he couldn’t leave, until Callie walked in to his life, turning it upside down, yet setting it right side up, too.
He closed his eyes, afraid of the truth, afraid of not being able to walk away from her when the time came.
Giving up any more control or any of his dreams seemed like betrayal. But would he regret not snatching the happiness Callie’s presence offered?
As the music swelled, Jake buried his face in her neck. Her silky hair caressed his cheek. Hugging Callie filled the emptiness within, stirring the deepest regions in him, hinting at hidden pockets of feelings he’d only discover with her.
Lost in Callie, Jake finally heard her softly repeated phrase, “The song’s over.” He crashed back to the moment. Reluctantly, he released her. Only then did he notice the quiet room and all eyes focused on him. His best friend, Les, holding a willing Sissy Ketchum, smirked knowingly at him. Many of the others wore the same silly expression.
Frowning down at Callie now, he thought, Lord, what in the world did she do to bewitch me? Shaking his head, he wondered if Lance had spiked the punch or, worse yet, if he’d become so intoxicated with Callie herself that all his senses had left him, especially his common sense.
Chapter 13
“You have to.” Callie followed Jake in to the dark interior of the barn, crossing her fingers behind her back. Four days had passed since the party and the boys’ quest for information increased daily. She just had to make Jake see reason.
“I don’t have to do anything of the sort.” He threw her a glare over his shoulder.
He’d managed to spend more time with his cousins, even going so far as to ask for their help in preparing for the rodeo, but Jake still held back, keeping himself separate somehow. Forcing Jake into this frank discussion might be the key to unlocking the corral he’d erected around himself, plus build a lasting bond between him and his cousins.
“But you’re all they have in the world. Who else is there to teach them about sex education?” Who else would they trust?
He strode swiftly down the center aisle, slapping his gloves against his thigh as he held them in a death grip with his left hand.
Callie skipped to keep up with him, inhaling the heavy, pungent scent of horse and hay. Laying a detaining hand on his forearm, she halted him in mid-stride. The prickly hairs on his arms caressed her palm, sending heated awareness to her toes. She pulled back instantly. Dragging her attention away from her reaction to him, she said, “They’ve been asking questions. Lots of them.”
Facing her, he frowned and shoved his hat to the back of his head. With fists on his hips, he asked, “And how exactly have you been answering these questions?”
“With the truth.”
He swore under his breath, making her wince.
“But I qualify everything with the fact that I’m not experienced…” Her words trailed off. Searing heat stung her cheeks. She noticed he squinted in the dim light.
He grabbed her chin between his forefinger and thumb, tilting her face to the rays of light shafting through the wooden planks of the building. “Very interesting,” he muttered, his hot breath so close it fanned across her skin, sending shivery delights down her spine.
Afraid she revealed too much, she swatted his hand away. “Didn’t your father ever explain the birds and the bees to you?”
“Nope.” He turned and headed for the back of the barn.
Catching up with him, a keen curiosity forced her to ask, “Then how did you learn?”
“I picked up some stuff and figured out the rest.” He shrugged nonchalantly.
“Well, good for you. Some of us aren’t so fortunate, you know. Especially Stan, Marvin, and Lance. Do you want them to be laughed at any more than they already have been? Do you know how it could wound their pride forever? Maybe even warp them for life.” She pressed her advantage. “Who knows, they may never feel adequate enough to marry.”
“Ah hell!” He plopped down on a nearby bale of hay, throwing his gloves, and then his hat, onto the floor.
She giggled. “I knew you’d see things my way eventually.”
He rubbed his face, and then dragged a hand through his hair.
Callie took pity on him and sat down beside him, massaging the tension in his shoulders. “Feel better?” Her voice came out low and husky. Sitting near him, touching him, assailed with that unique musky scent of his, stirred Callie more than she dared to admit.
“I’ll talk to them after dinner,” Jake conceded, snatching up his gloves and hat from the barn floor. He shook them free of the clinging strands of hay.
“They’re waiting for you in your office. I sorta promised them you’d talk to them now.” She felt his muscles tense beneath her hands.
“Why did you go and do a thing like that? It may come as a surprise to you, but I do have a ranch to run.” His sarcasm cut deep, causing her to pull away from him.
“And it may come as a shock to you to realize you have three boys to raise into kind, caring men. What’s more important here?” She saw him weakening as his shoulders slumped in resignation. “Their wives will thank you one day.”
“You win.” He stood abruptly, and then stormed out of the building, settling his hat on his head.
Worried, Callie rushed to keep up with him. His long strides ate up the yards separating the barn from the house. “Wait!” She reached out and grabbed a piece of his shirt.
He stopped, turning to her. “Now what?”
She took a deep breath, gathering all her courage. “Take it easy on them. Don’t be too blunt.” When he scowled, she hurried to explain, “Sometimes you forget for all their years living in New York, your cousins are still very naïve. Ah…some of your phrasing could upset them.” She shrugged helplessly, hoping she got her point across.
“I’ll handle it in my own way,” he bit out, and then headed to the house once again.
Callie hadn’t particularly liked his answer. Hurrying to catch up with him, she overtook him, cutting into his path and twisting quickly, stopping him de
ad in his tracks.
“For crying out loud, what is it this time?”
She didn’t need to hear the exasperation in his voice to discover his patience hovered on the edge. His dark eyes glowered at her, obviously trying to frighten her into silence.
A knot formed in the pit of her stomach. “Don’t forget the romance part, Jake.” Her voice broke when his name stuck in the back of her throat.
“Romance! This has nothing to do with that. Sex education involves the technical aspects of it only, understand? You know, in and out, sperm meets egg, forms embryo, nine months later there’s a baby. Short and simple. Cut and dry.”
Callie grimaced, appalled by his stark description. Is that what he thinks it’s all about? Doesn’t he have a romantic bone in his body? “Not that kind of stuff. They can read about that in a book, for heaven’s sake. And not the hot tumble in the hayloft to release sexual tension, either.”
“Sometimes that’s not so bad,” he nearly shouted, clearly defending the practice.
“They need to learn about the other stuff, the good stuff, Jake. About the woman’s feelings, her needs. You do know about a woman’s needs, don’t you?” She eyed him suspiciously.
“Of course I do, but I don’t have time for that today.” He grasped her shoulders firmly, set her aside, and then began the last leg of his trek.
Dismayed, Callie made one last-ditch effort. Racing ahead of him, she jumped up the porch stairs, whirled around, and faced him, blocking his way. At eye level now, her bravado slipped a notch.
With his foot on the first stair, he halted. He swore under his breath, making her cringe at the offensive language.
“Please, Jake. They can hear all about the wham, bam, thank you ma’am mixing with the motley bunch of cowboys hanging around here. You have an obligation to teach them about making love with a woman. Please, for their sakes’, as well as all the women they ever come in contact with. And for all the Lassiters to come.”
“Ah hell, Callie. You sure put a lot of responsibilities on a man.” He sidestepped her, threw her a dark look, climbed the stairs, and then made it across the porch in two long strides. Yanking the screen door open, he nearly tore it off its hinges.
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