When Brady came in that evening, Jessie had already fed and watered the horses, put them in their stalls, and fed and watered the chickens. She'd gathered lettuce from her garden for a salad and she had Brady's favorite chicken and rice casserole in the oven. Brady came into the kitchen in his socks and gave her a quick kiss.
"I'm going straight to the shower," he said. "Dirty work today. Give me an empty laundry basket and I'll dump these clothes right into it. I don't want to put them in with your clothes and towels. In fact, I probably need to go ahead and wash them after my shower."
Jessie handed him a basket and sent him off with another kiss, wrinkling her nose a little. "Phew, you were doing dirty work. Holler when you're naked, and I'll come get this basket and toss those things right in the washer."
"Deal."
Brady took his time in the shower, and when he came out, he brought the familiar scent of clean, sexy male with him. Now they shared a real kiss, and Jessie got them both a cold beer. Brady told her about his day, which seemed to consist of everything going wrong pretty much the whole day. Jessie tried not to, but she broke into giggles at his account of ending up on his ass in the mud when he tried to untangle some broken fence wire from the brush that was wound up in it. He gave her a mock scowl and pulled her down into his lap to nuzzle her neck and tickle her ribs while she struggled to get away, laughing helplessly and begging for mercy.
Finally, Jessie was able to get to her feet and check the oven.
"So how was your day?" Brady asked.
"Oh! I've got so much to tell you." Jessie launched into the tale of her day and her lunch with Devon, handing him another beer.
Dinner was on the table before she was finished telling him the whole story and Brady had listened carefully to all of it. He forked a big bite of chicken casserole into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "She really hasn't told you anymore about herself than that? Isn't it a little weird that she's never mentioned her son's name?"
"I just think she's really private and guarded. I think maybe she's had some sadness in her life that she doesn't want to talk about. So that would make her really protective of her little boy. The only thing new that I actually found out is that she moved here from Georgia."
"Seems like kind of an odd choice unless you had family or friends you were moving near."
"Well, she had good reasons for it. She said she knew a guy who was from here, and from the way he talked about it, she got interested and did a lot of research. She said it sounded like just the kind of place she wanted to settle. And she said that she could never have bought her house in Georgia because housing is too expensive and too much in demand. So, here she is."
"That makes sense, I guess. Still, it makes you wonder when someone doesn't want anybody to know their story."
"Like I said, she's just private and protective of her son. But I plan to get to know her better," Jessie said resolutely.
Brady raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't push the woman. I know you want to be friends with everybody, but not everyone makes a good friend. Maybe you just need to leave her alone."
Jessie pouted a little and said, "But I think she's lonely. Everybody needs a friend in their life and it just seems like she doesn't have any."
"And maybe there's a good reason for that. Like I said, don't push her. Now pass that salad over here again. It tastes like summer coming."
Jessie went to bed that night thinking about Devon and about Brady's words. When she fell asleep, she was busily planning a way to meet up with Devon again. She'd prove to her that it was good to have a friend. She decided she needed to consult with Kayla as soon as possible.
Chapter 5
Before she knew it, it was the weekend for Brady's mom and sister to come. Jessie had cleaned the house from top to bottom and made the spare bedrooms as comfortable as possible. She was nearly dancing while she worked, she was so excited. Brady had to chuckle every time he saw her; her little girl side was so clearly on display. The night before they were to arrive, Jessie remembered to take down the paddle that hung by the back door. Brady saw her from the kitchen and grinned.
"You don't have to take that down," he called.
Jessie's eyes widened. "Oh yes, I do! That would be so embarrassing!"
Brady laughed and took the paddle from her hand. Leveling a look at her cute behind, he hefted the paddle and said, "Hmm, maybe we should play with this a little."
Jessie's cheeks turned pink. "Brady! Not now; your mom will be here tomorrow."
He laughed again and asked, "What's the matter, you think you'd give away the fact that you have a sore butt?"
"I don't want to take the chance."
Brady gave her one sharp swat with the paddle, making her squeal. "Okay, but after they're gone, I think we should have a play day."
Anxious to change the subject, Jessie said, "Okay, fine, but just not now." She took the paddle back from him and put it in a drawer in the bedroom.
Brady was still laughing. "You know I'm going to hold you to that."
Jessie muttered, "Oh, shit, see what you got yourself into? Listen before you speak! Well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Brady pulled Jessie into his lap on the couch. "So, Saturday's the big day, huh? You're picking out a wedding dress?"
"I sure hope so. I don't want to have to spend days and days shopping. I've already got so many lists written of stuff we have to do, sometimes I don't know where to start."
"Mom and Becca can help you organize it all."
"I'm counting on that, believe me. Gosh, Brady, in a few months we'll be married!"
Brady gave a low growl and nuzzled her neck, letting his hands roam over her. Jessie sighed and let her head fall back while he kissed the hollow of her throat. Her eyes were heavy when she looked at him and she leaned back a little so she could unbutton the front of her shirt. Brady sucked in a breath and laid his hand over the vee between her breasts. He slipped the shirt down over her shoulders and pulled it off, followed by her bra. When he laid his hands on her bare breasts, Jessie moaned at the feel of his touch setting her nerve endings tingling. She straddled him on her knees and drew his head to her breast.
Brady plundered her with his mouth, sucking one rosy tip and teasing it with his tongue while he rolled the other one between his thumb and forefinger. Jessie arched her back at the sizzling sensations, and when she let out a little whimper, he rose from the couch and tossed her over his shoulder, carrying her to the bedroom. Brady laid her on the bed and undid her jeans so he could pull them down over her hips and off. He feasted his eyes on her loveliness and quickly pulled his own clothes off.
He spread her legs apart and knelt between them on the bed, then he proceeded to explore her whole body with his mouth and hands, and Jessie's eyes were dark with passion. She urged him on and let her hands wander over him, touching, stroking, pinching lightly. She reached down between his legs and cupped his balls in her hand, squeezing gently. Brady let out a little groan and she responded by grasping his manhood with her other hand and rubbing her thumb across the velvety soft head.
"Jessie," Brady choked out.
She smiled a satisfied little smile and got even busier with her hands. Brady finally pulled away from her grasp and slipped his hands under her buttocks to lift her toward his hot mouth. His breath scorched her pubis through her thin panties, and he bit her there lightly, making her cry out. He pulled her panties down slowly and could see how wet and ready she was. Jessie cried out again when he lowered his mouth to her hot, swollen center and sucked the hard little bud into his questing mouth. She squirmed against him and drummed her fists on the bed when he wouldn't stop. He pushed a finger into her tight, wet depths and thrust deeply while his tongue was busy with her clit. He kept on until he brought her to a hard, rolling orgasm, her body shaking with the spasms.
When she could move, Jessie rose to her knees and pushed him over onto his back. Her lips blazed over his hard, muscular belly and she nipped at t
he sensitive spot right at the top of his thigh. He groaned helplessly when she settled over him and sucked him into her mouth, one hand wrapped around him and the other cupping his balls. It felt like the whole room was rocking when she brought him to a climax with her mouth and hands. When his shudders stopped, Jessie moved up to lie with her head on his chest, spent. Finally, their breathing slowed to normal and Brady lifted her head so he could look into her eyes.
"God, Jessie, what you do to me...it should be illegal. But, thank God it's not," he finished hastily.
Jessie laughed and said, "That's exactly how I feel about what you do to me. How can you make it feel so good every time?"
Brady kissed her forehead and said, "I guess we were meant to be together. Now what do you think about a hot shower?"
Jessie groaned. "That sounds like a great idea."
They showered together and washed each other off and would have explored more ways to play under the water if they hadn't been too tired to start again.
As Brady dried her off with a big, fluffy towel, he promised, "We're going to have to do that again when we've got more energy."
"And no company coming," Jessie said with a grin.
Within minutes, they were both sound asleep, snuggled in each other's arms.
Jessie was wide-awake early in the morning, so she set the coffee to brew and let Indy out. She slipped on her shoes and went out to gather the eggs, Indy romping around her in delight at their early start. After the chickens were fed and watered, the two of them walked around to the front of the house so Indy could pick up the morning paper before they went in. By the time Brady wandered to the kitchen for coffee, bacon was sizzling in the skillet and Jessie was slicing bread for French toast.
Brady kissed the back of her neck and said, "Lord, woman, that smells fantastic. I'm starving this morning. Is that French toast you're making?"
Jessie snickered at him. "You worked up an appetite last night. And, yes, French toast and bacon and scrambled eggs. The chickens were good to me this morning."
"You did chores already and all this?"
"I did. I'm so excited for your mom and Becca to be coming. I want to bake a coconut cake this morning, for dinner tonight. And I want to make a casserole and put it in the fridge so I can just pop it in the oven tomorrow when we get home from shopping."
Brady chuckled at her and pulled her around for a real kiss. "Have I told you that I love you?"
Jessie cocked her head with a deep, thoughtful look on her face. "I don't recall hearing that lately."
Brady growled low in his throat and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Jessie Mills. Soon to be Jessie Jensen."
Jessie melted against him and said, "I love you, Brady, and I can't wait to be Jessie Jensen. Now let me go, so I can finish this breakfast."
Red arrived a few minutes later, and Brady gave Jessie one more kiss before he headed out to start his workday.
"Call me when Mom and Becca get here. I'll come in as soon as I can then."
"I will. You be careful out there."
Jessie bustled around the house, making sure everything was as perfect as she could make it for her guests. She baked her cake and put her casserole together. She was making her stuffed pork chops for dinner and she had time to get the chops ready for the oven and put them in the refrigerator. Watching the clock, she finished up and cleaned the kitchen. There were fresh cookies in her big cookie jar, and she put together a platter full of thick roast beef sandwiches for lunch.
Looking around the house, Jessie said, "I think I'm as ready as I'm going to get, Indy. Want to go outside?"
Indy jumped up from her spot on the rug and danced around impatiently while Jessie put her shoes on. They went out, and Indy chased the ball in delirious excitement until Jessie finally decided she'd had enough. She looked around her little ranch and smiled, thinking once again that her life was perfect. She heard a car and looked up to see Becca's SUV pulling into the driveway.
"Look, Indy, they're here!"
Jessie and Indy went around to meet the two women, and there was a babble of excited chatter as they exchanged hugs.
"I'm so glad you're here!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Me too," said Becca. "Now let's see that ring up close."
Linda and Becca exclaimed over the sparkling diamond ring, and then they needed more hugs.
"Please, come inside. Brady wants me to call him and let him know you're here, and then we'll all have lunch. Are you hungry? Do you want something right away?"
Linda laughed and said, "We'll be just fine waiting for Brady to come in. We stopped for coffee and a breakfast sandwich halfway here. We should get our stuff out of the car."
"If you don't need anything right away, Brady and Red will do that for you when they come in."
Becca said, "Sounds good to me, I want to see your house."
They all went inside, and Linda and Becca exclaimed over the house after Jessie called Brady.
Jessie showed them around and got all of them glasses of fresh iced tea while they waited for the men.
"This is a real home, Jessie," Linda said with a smile.
Jessie beamed at her. "Thank you; it's home for us, for sure."
Just then, Brady and Red came through the back door and there was a hubbub of greetings and introductions. The two had washed up in the barn before they came in, and Jessie sent them to unload the SUV once the fuss had settled down a little. When they came back in, they put everything where the women directed. Brady and Becca were already poking at each other. Jessie laughed at them and went about putting lunch on the table. She had a bowl of homemade potato salad to go with the sandwiches and they all enjoyed a noisy lunch together. Finally, Brady pushed his chair back and Red followed suit.
"Well, ladies, we'd love to stay and talk, but we've still got work that needs to be done. We'll see you later on."
After they cleaned the kitchen, the three women sat down with Jessie's calendar and lists and dove right into the wedding plans. Brady had been right. Linda was great at organizing the stack of notes, and soon they had a notebook full of things that had to be done and dates that they had to be done by. Everything was neat and in the proper order, and Jessie was thrilled to see it all come together in a way that made sense.
"This is great, you two. I just kept jotting things down. I knew some of them were never going to be done, but I didn't have any idea how to put it all together. Look, you did it in no time!"
"Well, we did Becca's wedding just a couple of years ago, so we've had practice. We made a lot of blunders that we don't have to make now," Linda said. "Now, about tomorrow; I did some googling and it looks like the best town to find wedding gowns is about an hour and a half away."
Jessie looked at her list of shops and said, "That's exactly what I thought. I've been there to shop before, and I think that's the best bet. We can leave so that we get there by the time the shops open and spend the day. I have a casserole in the fridge, and Brady can put it in the oven after we start home. So, we'll have dinner when we get back with no hassle in the kitchen."
Becca said, "You really like cooking, don't you?"
Jessie laughed. "Yes, I really do. And I really like feeding people too; it's kind of like therapy for me."
"Well, you can feed us anytime. Definitely better you than me." Becca grinned at her.
"You have other talents, dear. Not everybody is a kitchen goddess," Linda said with a wink at Jessie.
"I'm okay with that," Becca said comfortably. "So, we've got these wedding plans organized. I think we deserve a glass of wine after that."
"Let's go outside and take a look around first," Linda said. "Is that okay, Jessie?"
"Absolutely!"
Becca said, "That's a good idea. We can walk off that delicious lunch and then have wine."
The three of them and the dog went outside, and Jessie proudly showed off her garden, her pastures, her chicken coop, and the neatly organized barn. She pointed the way to the more
distant pastures and the hayfields.
Linda said, "No wonder you fell in love with this place. It's really beautiful and you've done a good job with it. Pete and I didn't have things nearly this nice when we started out."
"Well, we had Brady's life on your ranch to help us keep from making too many mistakes. He knows things that never even occurred to me."
Linda grinned and said, "All that making him work as a kid paid off."
Becca said, "You didn't do nearly as well with me on household duties, did you, Mom?"
Her mother laughed at her. "You got the basics. I think you can manage a house well enough."
Jessie said, "Are we ready for wine?"
The three of them nodded simultaneously and then laughed at each other and headed for the house. Becca went to her room and returned with a stack of bridal magazines, and they spent the next couple of hours poring over the pictures and choosing their favorites while they sipped their wine. When Brady came in at the end of the day, the three of them were in the kitchen and the house was full of delicious smells again. Red had gone home, and Brady went to shower before dinner.
Their evening was noisy and festive, with Becca and Brady teasing each other, as usual, and Linda just shaking her head at them.
"Too bad Dad couldn't be here," Brady said. "I could use some male moral support."
"Well, you'll get a break tomorrow," Jessie promised. "We'll be leaving early, and we'll be gone for the whole day. There are plenty of leftovers, and I'll call you when we start for home so you can put the casserole in the oven."
Brady rolled his eyes. "A man's work is never done, is it?"
"I have faith that you can handle it," Jessie answered, patting him on the hand.
They didn't stay up too late that night since the ladies wanted to get an early start. Jessie snuggled against Brady in bed and he held her close.
"It's so good to have them here," Jessie said softly.
"I like seeing you all together," Brady answered.
A Dusty Dreams Wedding Page 4