No Accounting for Cowboys

by Leah Braemel

  Only then did he notice the thin line of light leaking beneath the bedroom door and heard Paige talking to someone out in the other room. In a matter of minutes, the light went out and the door creaked open.

  “Sorry about that,” Paige whispered. “The phone was ringing—some reporter wanting a statement from you.”

  “Tell him to phone Ruben,” he replied, reaching out to pull her on top of him. God he loved the feel of her skin against his.

  “I did. And then I turned the phone off.” She spread out over him, rocking her hips over his groin in a delicious slide. “I figured that way we won’t have to worry about any interruptions.”

  “Good idea.” He shifted, reaching over to the bedside table to retrieve a new condom only to have a package dangled in his face.

  “Remember how you said you’d like to teach me to ride?”

  Even in the dark, he could see the laughter in her eyes, and the tilt of her lips. “As long as you don’t expect me to get into all that bondage crap pony play, you can ride me as much as you want.”

  “Can you guarantee me more than an eight second ride?”

  “Damn straight.” He planned to let her ride him the rest of his life.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next morning, Jake was sitting at the kitchen the table, one hand cradling his coffee mug. Paige stood at his counter, making pancakes. She’d declared the ritual for mornings after make-up sex demanded pancakes. He wasn’t about to disagree. As long as she didn’t ask him to make them, he was happy to sit here, sipping his coffee, enjoying the view. She was wearing one of the T-shirts he’d bought... God, he couldn’t even remember where he’d gotten it, the towns all blended together. Somewhere in Florida maybe, considering its bright orange color. He wouldn’t know for sure until he saw the design on the front.

  Covered by a silky pair of blue boy shorts, her hips wiggled as she hummed to one of his songs.

  “I wrote that about you, you know? Right after I met you.”

  She turned the brightest smile on him, one that lit up his whole world. “Yeah. I know.”

  He leaned back on the chair, until it was balanced on two legs. He’d gotten lucky that she’d taken him back. For that he’d be forever grateful.

  Ben and Allie had already dropped in to check on him. And poke fun at how a video someone had taken of him apologizing at Slick’s had already gone viral on YouTube and was being replayed on all the morning shows. Jake had laughed with them and made a mental note to expect a call from Ruben in the next day or two. Probably telling him the apology was a stroke of marketing genius. If he was really lucky, telling him the sales of his songs had soared.

  As for the video itself and the fun being poked at him? Whatever. Showing a little humility wasn’t a bad thing. Especially if it won him Paige. Which it had.

  “What are you smilin’ about, big guy?” Paige placed a stack of pancakes in front of him. He chuckled to see she’d made a happy face out of banana slices on the top of the stack, then positioned the other half of the banana on the plate so the guy had a hard-on.

  “Um, yeah, I think I’ll skip that entrée.”

  “That’s because you don’t know how good dick tastes.” With a saucy grin, she lifted the banana between her fingers and sucked it into her mouth, deep throated it twice. Then bit off the end.

  Even while laughing he crossed his legs and cringed. “Oh, man, I don’t know if I ever want you going down on me again.”

  “Sugar, just try and stop me.” Her throaty chuckle caused his tired body to stir.

  A flash of sunlight reflecting off a car’s windshield beamed in through the window. “Looks like we got more company.”

  Jake stiffened when her smile disappeared and her expression went carefully blank.

  He knew who it was even before she announced, “It’s Randy.”

  Though he’d been hungry minutes before, the few bites of pancakes he’d managed now sat heavy in his stomach.

  Paige knelt in front of him. “I can tell him you’re not here if you want. Buy you some time.”

  The doorbell rang.

  As much as he wished he’d had one of those cartoon traps wired into the system so that anyone pressing the button would cause a trapdoor to drop the intruder into oblivion, he shook his head. “No. I need to deal with this. I guess now’s as good a time as any.”

  “Okay.” After giving a pat to Jake’s knee, Paige opened the door.

  Randy appeared startled, as if he hadn’t expected anyone to answer. His gaze skirted over Paige, pausing briefly at her new haircut, before settling on Jake. His hands flexing, and his gaze darting all around the room, Randy asked, “Can I come in?”

  Jake pushed himself to a stand, the chair legs squealing on the linoleum with the motion. “You might as well though I really have nothing to say to you.”

  The lawyer—his father, his sperm donor, Jake amended—walked stiff-legged into the living room and faced Jake. He’d never seen the man look so ill-at-ease. Good. That made two of them.

  “Do you want me to leave?” Paige asked quietly.

  Though Randy started to nod, Jake shook his head and held out his hand, catching her hand before she could move. “No. I want you to stay. This whole thing, Randy, the DNA test, the secrets. I nearly lost you because of it. You need to be here now.”

  She squeezed his hand in response, her other hand softly touching his spine. He wondered if Paige saw any similarity in them. In the shape of their chin, or maybe in their eyes. He’d ask her later. Maybe. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know he looked anything like the man.

  Randy squared his shoulders. “I, uh, figured you had questions.”

  “I did. But I don’t anymore.”

  Randy swallowed and met his gaze. “I know I should have told you I was your father right off when I got the results of the DNA test. But I was ashamed. And embarrassed to admit that I’d...”

  “Betrayed your best friend by sleeping with his wife?” Jake supplied.

  “Yes. I loved Ed like a brother, Jake. I never intended to sleep with Cissy. It just happened.”

  Same fucking excuse. As if any reason mattered. The result was the same. And didn’t change anything for him.

  “I. Don’t. Care. And frankly, I don’t want to know anything about it. What you need to know is that I don’t want anything from you. And I damned well don’t want you to expect anything from me.”

  “Jake—”

  The epiphany he’d had on the beach about Ed had stayed strong and it gave him the strength to speak his mind to a man he’d been trained all his life was his better. “No. You listen to me. It’s taken me a long time to figure this out. And when it comes down to it, I don’t know why I was so blind. The simple fact is that no matter what any DNA test tells me, I will always think of Ed Grady as my father. He loved me. Like a father should. He was there for me through thick and thin. Like a father should be. When I was good, when I was bad, when I was sick, when I needed anything? He. Was. There.”

  “I know.”

  “You will never be able to replace him in my mind as my father. Don’t you dare even try.”

  Randy dropped his gaze and swallowed hard. “I know.” He met Jake’s eyes again. “Ed was a great father. Better than I could have been. And I know he loved you. He was always so proud of you. Of both of you. And he would have been busting his shirt buttons about this record deal of yours.”

  Jake’s throat closed up at the thought. “Yeah. He would have been.”

  His father would have been his biggest cheerleader. He would have been handing out CDs or flash drives of his songs to all his friends. Hell, he’d be handing them out to strangers in the street. Here, this is my son, Jake Grady. He’s a great musician. You’re going to love him.

  “I didn’t come he
re expecting to replace him in your mind, Jake. I don’t expect you to call me Dad or even acknowledge me as your father. I just want you to know that if ever you need someone to talk to, if ever you need anything, I’m here too. I can’t guarantee I’ll do as good a job as Ed, but I’m going to try my damnedest. That I promise you.” He held out his hand, waiting for Jake to seal the bargain.

  Sliding his palm against the other man’s was probably the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. But he did. A single shake, the slight squeeze the other man gave, and then each ended the handshake.

  Yet in that brief moment, something shifted. Changed. And despite everything Jake had said, he knew everything had changed.

  Epilogue

  Seven months later

  Sitting in the passenger seat of his borrowed tour bus, Jake waved cautiously to the eight women of varying ages, several holding “We Love Jake” signs, and a lone man with some biblical quotation, who stood by the Bull’s Hollow gate, cameras at the ready. The two security guards they’d had to hire to patrol the entrances shooed back the hangers-on and waved him in. His path cleared, the tour bus driver punched the code Jake recited—Paige’s birthday—in the newly upgraded security keypad and waited as the wrought iron gate, with its familiar Bull’s Hollow logo, creaked open.

  Jake checked his rear-view mirror to ensure the tour buses behind him safely cleared the gate and headed up the hill to the Folly. He liked Paige’s nickname for it better than Ben’s.

  “Home sweet home,” Paige murmured as she moved to the front and wrapped her arms around his chest.

  “That it is, darlin’. That it is.”

  As comfortable as the tour bus’s bed had been, he’d be glad to be back in their suite in the Folly. Shower in his own bathroom. Use his own can. While the tour had been a relatively short one, and he’d only moved into the Folly a month before they’d gone out on the road, it was amazing how quickly he’d come to think of his grandparents’ house as home. Mainly because Paige was right there with him. He clasped her hands, loving the feeling of the wedding band he’d slid on her finger the week before.

  Ben and Allie stood beneath a handmade “Welcome Home” banner they’d hung over the entrance. Gabe stood to the side, grinning.

  The moment the bus’s door opened, Pebbles and Brewskie dashed down the steps, yipping and barking, their tails wagging in joy. Jake wondered if they knew they were actually home or if they were just happy not to be cooped up in the luxurious tin can with the strange humans for once.

  He stepped off the bus into hugs from Allie and Ben, handshakes, a slap on the back from Gabe who rolled his eyes and then hugged him too. Eagle-eyed Allie immediately spotted Paige’s diamond with its plainer wedding band beside it and demanded the details. Scolding them when she learned they’d gotten hitched in Vegas, but was mollified when Paige explained they planned to hold a big party down by the lake and retake their vows in front of their friends and family.

  Allie squealed again when the door of the second bus opened and CJ McGarray climbed down, his baby daughter in his arms, his wife Lisa behind him. They were joined by Cam, Hunter and Phil, as well as CJ’s crew.

  While everyone else’s attention was on the music star, Jake pulled out an envelope, pressed it into Ben’s hand. “Here. It’s my first royalty check from my duet with CJ. I want you to put it toward the land taxes we owe.”

  Ben pulled the check from the envelope; his eyes widened. “Holy shit. This will help pay off this year’s taxes. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I am.” The duet had hit the lists as soon as it was released, receiving its platinum status in record time, gold for the sales of the video they’d done together. Because he hadn’t been a big selling name when they’d recorded it and couldn’t make the same demands for percentages, he’d not made near as much as CJ. But the figure on the check was respectable, enhanced because he got cuts both as singer and songwriter. The only worry he had was he might have seen the best he’d ever do. But even if he never made such lofty numbers again, touring with CJ, Paige at his side, was worth every penny.

  Ben stuck the check in its envelope into his pocket. Pride filling his face, he slapped Jake on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you, bro. But don’t think this gets you out of helping us work on the new irrigation system in the morning.”

  Hallelujah. “After bein’ stuck on that bus for six weeks, I can’t wait to get out in the fields and do some good honest work.”

  Laughter and loud voices echoed down the hill until Ben put two fingers to his lips and whistled. The yard fell quiet, except for Brewskie who dropped to the ground and whined.

  “Instead of standing out here, let’s go inside and get comfortable. We’ve got drinks, food and beds for everyone.”

  The chatter picking up again, the groups broke into twos and threes and wandered into the house. Even the dogs went inside, perhaps lured by the scent of ribs and steak being barbequed by the pool.

  Jake hung back, but only Paige noticed. “Jake? Aren’t you coming inside?”

  “Yeah. Just give me a moment.”

  Her eyes soft and filled with love, she blew him a kiss and nodded, then disappeared into the shadows of the house.

  He took a deep breath and wandered beside the two buses and over to the top of the ridge. The valley surrounding the lake was painted in a broad swath of blue and red, the bluebonnets giving way to the Texas Paintbrush, with the occasional clump of yellow greenthread flowers making an early appearance. And in the middle, its shores expanding back to its original levels, the lake sparkled in the bright spring sun.

  God he loved this land.

  So much had changed since he’d stood here ten months ago, explaining how the ranch worked to Paige. That had been one of the high points. While Cam and Hunter wouldn’t believe him if he said the highest point was not signing the recording contract, but meeting Paige definitely topped the list. The music contract, the phone call from CJ telling him he’d signed the deal to record two of his songs, inviting him to do the duet, the call from Ruben informing him the duet had hit the lists. They all came second.

  A stone rattled off the path and down the hill as he walked along the edge. He could have done without the lows. Almost losing Paige. The DNA test results. Yet there was good in both. The first taught him humility, the second...well, the second gave him a half-brother. Sort of. He and Gabe still hadn’t worked out the logistics of their relationship.

  “Congratulations, honey. I just heard that you and Paige got married.”

  His hands stuck in his pockets, Jake turned to face his mother. “Hello, Momma.”

  Her face was partially hidden beneath her cowboy hat so he couldn’t read her eyes. They’d talked a couple times after he’d come home from his fall tour, even sat down to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner together, but others had always been around them, breaking the awkward silences. The day after Christmas, she’d announced she was moving out of the Folly and into Dallas to take care of their grandmother, who had had another stroke while he’d been on that god-awful first tour.

  “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by. I was visiting Karen Barlow, you know, Rodney Barlow’s wife?”

  “Yeah, I remember Mrs. Barlow.” Rodney was one of their long time hands, a tough son-of-a-bitch. Jake couldn’t figure out how he’d managed to stay married to his soft-spoken wife for as long as he had.

  She shook her head as if it might get her back on track. “Anyway, I was at her place when I saw your bus go past and thought I’d...stop by.” She gestured to the voices echoing out by the pool. “I don’t want to disturb your guests. But I wanted to say hello. Tell you that I’ve missed you. I know you think I don’t have a right to be, but I really am proud of all you’ve done.”

  “Thanks.” What else could he say?

  She clasped her hands together, twisting her fingers. Wa
iting. When he didn’t speak, she blurted, “Will you ever be able to forgive me?”

  He stared up at a cloud scudding overhead. He’d asked himself that question a lot. Especially over the past month. “If anyone needs to forgive you, it would be Pop.”

  Her quiet gasp reached him. It’s time to move on, Jake. Set things straight in your world.

  “You were right, Momma. I’ve lived a privileged life. I had two parents who loved me, cared for me. Supported me, even when I taxed your patience.” God knew he’d done that often enough. “I’ve grown up in the best place on earth, learned the value of a hard-day’s work. I wouldn’t be the man I am if it hadn’t been for you and Pop.”

  She pressed one hand to her heart as if she needed to ease an ache. An ache they’d both put there.

  “I can’t say our relationship will ever be the same as it was before, Momma. But maybe we can start fresh.”

  “I’d like that.” She tilted her head, the sun catching the areas where the brim had hidden her face before. God, she was gaunt. Like she hadn’t slept more than a couple hours a night for months. Maybe she hadn’t. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s changed?”

  Where did he start? Hearing Paige’s story of how the cops had found her hidden under the bed, terrified. Driving through run down towns with boarded stores, and weathered for-sale signs on houses that had long since been abandoned. The street people they’d met when they’d parked their trailer during the tour last fall. Watching Hunter grieving over the loss of Drew’s friendship. Being drawn into Paige’s sheer joy in living every day. Watching her laugh and exclaim as they visited parks and museums, or even tiny shops, in each of the towns he’d played. The sheer terror and exhilaration of them both jumping out of a plane, spiralling through the air, the earth rushing toward them, the wind roaring in their ears, the tug of the parachute as it opened and caught the wind—as much as he’d loved the thrill, they wouldn’t be jumping out of any planes again anytime in the near future.