“I was just leaving.” Jessie was equally polite, and equally wary.
Zach caught her arm, staying her while he pulled a handful of bills out of his pocket and dropped several on the polished bar. He nodded to the bartender, settled his Stetson more firmly on his head, and still holding Jessie’s arm, walked her to the door.
“See you, Raine.” He touched the brim of his hat as they passed.
“Zach,” the woman acknowledged, her expression openly curious as her gaze flicked over them.
His hand firmly clasped around Jessie’s upper arm, Zach took her with him out of the saloon and across the sidewalk to his truck. He pulled open the passenger door, caught Jessie by the waist and lifted her inside. Ignoring her startled gasp, he stepped back and slammed the door before she could protest.
He circled the truck and slid behind the wheel, turned the ignition key and threw the vehicle into reverse. “Fasten your seat belt.” He backed out of the parking space without waiting for Jessie to comply.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere quiet and less public where we can talk without an audience.” He braked and turned left at the end of the block. Within moments, he parked the truck in her driveway and got out. She was just climbing out of the passenger seat when he reached her.
The four-wheel drive truck cab was higher than a car chassis. Jessie’s skirt inched up her legs as she eased off the leather seat and slid toward the ground.
Zach caught her just before her toes touched the drive. She wobbled on her high heels, grabbing his arms for balance. With swift reflexes he wrapped his arms around her, supporting her with his body. She was pressed against him, her slim thighs aligned with his, the soft weight of her breasts crushed against his chest.
They both froze.
Her hair brushed the underside of his chin and throat, the silky mane releasing the seductive fragrance that was uniquely Jessie. He was instantly hit with a wave of lust, longing and vivid memories of holding her during their one night together. For an insane moment, he couldn’t think beyond carrying her into the house and laying her down on the nearest flat surface. Then she eased back, putting inches between them. Her scent still filled his lungs but her soft weight no longer made his body go crazy and his brain refuse to function.
“You all right?” His voice rasped, husky with his struggle for control.
“Yes.” She pushed her hair away from her face with unsteady fingers and a flush of heat bloomed over the curve of her cheeks. She tugged on the hem of her jacket, straightening it before she ran her hands over the pale yellow fabric covering her thighs, smoothing away nonexistent wrinkles. “Let’s go inside.”
Zach nodded and followed her down the short sidewalk to her porch. If I have to want her, it’s good to know it’s mutual. Even if neither of us is willing to do anything about it.
Jessie lifted a pot filled with bright red geraniums from the wicker table to the left of the door and took a brass key from beneath the terra-cotta.
Zach shook his head. “That’s the best place you could think of to hide your spare key? Under a flowerpot?”
“I know it’s obvious but Wolf Creek isn’t a hotbed of home burglaries. I’m not worried.” She unlocked the door and went inside.
Zach stepped into the living room, letting the screen door slap gently shut behind him. Jessie moved ahead of him, turning to face him only when the width of the room separated them.
“I’m sorry my brother confronted you, Zach. I told my parents the truth about you and Rowdy on the weekend but Chase was in Seattle. And Luke wasn’t home, either—I think he took Rachel to Billings for the weekend.”
“So Luke doesn’t know I’m Rowdy’s father?”
“No. Not unless Mom or Dad told him,” she amended. “That’s how Chase found out—he saw Dad today.”
“How did your parents take the news?” Zach asked.
“About as I expected. Mom was reasonable and Dad exploded.” She folded her arms in an unconsciously protective gesture.
“Exploded? You mean he was angry or do you mean he hit something?” Zach’s real concern was whether John McCloud had been violent with Jessie but he tempered his question.
“I meant he was angry, of course.” She frowned at him. “My Dad couldn’t bring himself to spank me when I was a child and misbehaved. The possibility of him hitting me now that I’m an adult is inconceivable. I’m sure it would never occur to him. And while we’re on the subject,” she added, planting her hands on her hips. “There is no way either of my brothers would hit a woman, either. That is what you thought back at the Saloon, isn’t it? That Chase was going to hit me?”
“It occurred to me,” Zach agreed. “Maybe not on purpose, but I didn’t want you catching a fist meant for me.”
“I hardly think Chase would have mistaken me for you if he started swinging. Would you have?”
“No. But that’s different.”
“How is it different?” Her dark brows winged upward in disbelief.
“It just is,” Zach growled, refusing to confess he’d instinctively shifted her behind him because he felt protective and possessive. He felt the same way about his mother and sister but had always chalked it up to being the only man in the family after his father died. It was his nature to defend what he claimed as his own. He doubted Jessie would accept that he’d stepped between her and Chase because he felt she belonged to him. He gave her an edited version. “Your brother has a reputation for being a damn good bounty hunter and violence is part of the job description. I didn’t want you standing between us. You could have been hurt accidentally.”
“My brother would never hit me, even accidentally.” Her voice rang with conviction.
“If you say so.” Zach shrugged and purposely changed the subject. “It’s pretty clear your family isn’t happy about the situation but as far as I’m concerned, that doesn’t change our agreement. I want to spend time with Rowdy and I want us to tell him he’s my son as soon as possible.”
“As you said, our agreement hasn’t changed,” she challenged him. “I want him to know you better before he learns you’re his father.”
Zach had expected Jessie would refuse to budge on this point but thought it had been worth a try. “Then let’s work out a schedule for visits. The more time we spend together, the better he’ll know me and the sooner he can be told he’s my son.”
“All right…” Jessie headed toward the kitchen. “We can use the calendar in here.”
Zach followed her. Jessie took a large Monet print calendar from the wall next to the refrigerator, found a pen in the drawer beneath and they sat down at the table with the calendar between them. A half hour later the blank squares for the next two weeks were nearly filled with jotted notes, starting with a visit to Zach’s ranch the following Saturday.
Zach left for his ranch and the long list of work waiting for him while Jessie donned tennis shoes, tucked her heels into a canvas tote bag and headed downtown to her office. She reached the end of her residential street before she realized she’d neglected to ask Zach an important question. With her cell phone tucked inside her purse at her office, she was forced to wait until she reached her desk to call him. His answering machine picked up on the fifth ring.
“Zach, this is Jessie. I forgot to ask if you’ve told your mother and Rachel. If you’ve talked to them, did you warn them not to say anything to Rowdy? Could you leave a message for me on my home phone and let me know? Thanks.”
She hung up and slumped in her chair.
Life is getting too complicated. She was sure Tina hadn’t believed her brief, evasive explanation about why she’d left the office so abruptly. And the local gossips were sure to have a field day with the story of her running down Main Street in the midday heat to stop a fight between her brother and Zach.
And then there were those brief moments when she’d nearly stumbled getting out of Zach’s truck and he’d caught her, holding her safe and close. The scent o
f his faintly spicy aftershave, the flex and shift of hard muscles against hers, the strength of the arms that held her—the memory had the power to shake her even now.
Jessie determinedly shelved the unwelcome feeling of vulnerability and squared her shoulders, opening a file on her desk and immersing herself in work.
Jessie arrived home from work to find a message from Zach on her answering machine. His brief assurance that he hadn’t discussed Rowdy with his mother or Rachel was a relief. However, now that her parents and Chase knew, Jessie was convinced it was only a matter of time, probably very little time, before someone told Luke. And Luke would tell Rachel. Rachel would certainly tell her mother and both of them would demand explanations.
The second message was from Chase, telling her he’d see her later that evening.
She was waiting when he drove up just after 9:00 p.m. and held the screen door open for him as he climbed the porch steps.
“Let’s go in the kitchen.” She led the way and he followed. She was reminded of the night Zach had walked behind her into the kitchen and was struck by the similarities between the two tall, menacing men.
Of all the people she had to confront with her news, this was the hardest. She leaned against the counter and faced him. She adored her brother. Never before now had he looked at her with the remote, cold stare he used with the world outside their family. It was impossible to tell just how angry he was.
“You said you wanted to explain what happened with Kerrigan.”
“Yes.” Jessie drew a deep breath and began.
When she stopped speaking, Chase just stared at her, his expression enigmatic.
“Let me make sure I’ve got this straight. Kerrigan saved your life in Missoula after which the two of you spent the night together. He left the country and you never told him you were pregnant. You didn’t tell him until almost four years later when he came home and saw Rowdy. In the meantime, you lied to Mom and Dad, and Luke and me, about being married to keep us from looking for Rowdy’s real father. Is that right?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“And now you’re trying to untangle this mess and you want Luke, Dad and me to stay away from Kerrigan?”
“Yes.”
“Hell.” Chase shook his head in disgust. “Is this whole family going insane? First Luke falls in love with Rachel and now you’ve had a kid with a Kerrigan? Am I the only one that thinks this is damned odd?”
“No, you’re not.” Jessie was so relieved his cold rage had been replaced with disgruntlement that she was willing to agree to anything.
“The folks are probably glad Rachel and Zach don’t have another sister.”
“Why?”
“Because she’d probably be stalking me, looking for a husband,” Chase said dryly.
Jessie burst out laughing. The relief of knowing Chase wasn’t angry at her was enormous. But the laughter turned to tears.
“Hey.” Alarmed, Chase pulled her into his arms and patted her back. “What did I say?”
“You’re not mad,” she got out.
“Not at you. Kerrigan—now that’s different.”
She tipped her head back and looked up at him. His eyes had an icy glint and her heart sank.
“Please tell me you aren’t going to fight with him, Chase.”
“I haven’t decided.”
He refused to be more forthcoming and she had to be satisfied with his answer. He shared chocolate cake and coffee with her and they chatted about other topics until he left around eleven o’clock.
Jessie went to bed no closer to knowing how Chase felt about Zach and whether her brother intended to remain neutral.
By the weekend, she still hadn’t heard from Luke and she was exhausted from bracing herself for the confrontation with Zach’s mother and sister that hadn’t materialized.
She bundled Rowdy into her SUV and drove to Zach’s ranch on Saturday morning because the note on her kitchen calendar read “Zach’s place.” She’d never before set foot on Kerrigan land and hoped her childhood conviction—that lightning would immediately strike her if she did—was only a little girl’s fear.
Zach lived on Section Ten of what had once been the Kerrigan Conglomerate. The cluster of ranch buildings had been left to Rachel by their grandfather, Marcus, but Rachel moved to Luke’s home after their marriage, leaving Section Ten empty. Zach, Rachel and their mother, Judith, had officially joined their inherited acres in a partnership headed by Zach. He’d taken over Section Ten buildings and made it the official headquarters of the new JRZ Ranch.
“How come we’re visiting Uncle Zach, Mommy?” Rowdy asked as she parked in front of the two-story ranch house and switched off the engine.
“Because he invited us,” she answered calmly as she left her seat and opened Rowdy’s door.
“Is he your friend?”
Now there’s a loaded question. “He’s a very nice man,” she said evasively.
“Does he have horses like Grandpa John?”
“I’m sure he has horses, maybe not as many as Grandpa, though.” Jessie released his safety harness. The little boy immediately jumped out of his car seat and clambered out onto the gravel.
Jessie turned in a half circle, looking for Zach. The dusty ranch yard and buildings seemed empty, except for horses grazing in a pasture beyond the barns. The sturdy, old-fashioned barn had new shingles on the red roof and replacement poles in the adjoining corral, where stalks of pale gold color interspersed with the older, weathered gray wood. A recent addition, the long horse barn gleamed with fresh paint on the far side. Rachel’s million-dollar quarter horse stud, Ransom, lived here on Section Ten and the money he earned was apparently being put to good use.
The sun’s rays burned, unfiltered by a single white cloud in the deep blue sky. Jessie plopped a Mariner’s ball cap on Rowdy’s head to protect him from the heat and leaned into the backseat of the SUV to retrieve a bottle of water.
“Hi, Uncle Zach!”
She glanced over her shoulder. Zach strode toward them from the barn, his long legs eating up the distance in no time. Rowdy ran toward him and he grinned, pausing to listen when the three-year-old skidded to a stop in front of him.
Jessie closed the SUV’s door and waited for the two to reach her. Zach wore a white T-shirt tucked into worn Levi’s, scuffed black cowboy boots and a straw cowboy hat. The soft white cotton shirt and faded denim jeans faithfully outlined the powerful muscles of a body she remembered only too well.
Rowdy hopped and ran to keep up with Zach’s longer stride as they drew nearer. “Mommy said you have horses. Can we see your horses?”
“Sure. You can feed them, too.”
“Wow.” Rowdy beamed up at him. They reached Jessie and he grabbed her hand. “We’re going to feed the horses. Hurry.”
Jessie laughed. “Slow down, kiddo. I’m sure Zach will wait for us.”
“But I want to see them now.” He turned to look up at Zach. “Do you have any little horses like my Aunt Rachel’s? She has one that’s almost my size.”
“No, son, I don’t have miniature horses. But there’s something little in the barn you might like,” Zach added.
Jessie froze and felt her eyes widen in shock. A quick search of Zach’s features led her to believe he hadn’t registered the significance of his calling Rowdy “son.” She looked at Rowdy but his face held only bright interest. She drew a deep breath and concentrated on Rowdy’s response.
“What?”
“I think I’ll let you find out for yourself. Do you want to feed the horses first, or check out the surprise in the barn?”
“The surprise first,” Rowdy said promptly.
The barn interior was dim, dust motes dancing in the shafts of sunlight that stole their way in through small cracks in the siding. Zach led the way down the center aisle and stopped at a stall near the far end.
“Here they are.” He swung open the gate and stepped inside. “Hey, Zarina,” he crooned, kneeling on the thick layer of
clean straw. “Easy, girl. It’s all right. These are friends of mine.”
Jessie and Rowdy peered around Zach. An Australian sheep dog lay on her side and puppies tumbled, climbed and rolled playfully over and around her. She whined anxiously and Zach smoothed his palm over her head, calming her. He glanced over his shoulder. “Would you like to hold one of her puppies, Rowdy?”
“Yes.” He nodded, eyes rounded with delight.
Zach picked up a puppy and beckoned him closer. “Sit down, son.”
Rowdy obediently dropped to sit cross-legged on the straw. Zach carefully placed the fat little black-and-white fur ball in his arms and the puppy wriggled, licking Rowdy’s face and chin with his pink tongue.
The other puppies left their mother’s side to climb over Rowdy’s legs. One of them pattered across the straw to sniff at Jessie’s sandal. Charmed, she picked him up, the chubby little body warm and sweet.
“Aren’t you just the cutest thing,” she said, laughing as the puppy licked her hand and woofed, eyeing her expectantly. Then he planted one paw on her collarbone before slipping, dragging the neckline of her tank top lower until the lace of her white bra was visible. “Hey!” She caught his paw and tugged it and the pink cotton upward. The puppy squirmed and tried to lick her chin. She tilted her head back to avoid the little tongue and was snared by Zach’s hot stare.
The air was suddenly much too thick, too heated to breathe. Jessie’s body reacted instantly to the sexual awareness throbbing between them.
“Can we take this one home, Mommy?” Rowdy asked, squeezing his puppy with enthusiasm. The pup yipped, wiggling with energy, and Rowdy instantly loosened his grip.
His innocent question broke the tension that held them and Jessie mouthed “no” at Zach while Rowdy was busy juggling the squirming puppy.
“That depends,” Zach told him. “They’re too young to leave their mother so you have a few weeks to let your mom think about it.”
“Can I have this one? Please, Mommy?” Rowdy’s face was hopeful, his eyes pleading with her.
“We’ll see,” Jessie replied.
“Good mornin’.”
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