“I’d been hoping for a few days with you, but I’ll take it. I know how important that program is to you.”
The program and two of the volunteers manning it. Charlotta felt her cheeks heat as thoughts of Jesse and Barry pushed to the forefront of her mind. She was nearly done her laundry and had already picked out the clothes she would take with her in an hour when she headed out to Lusty. She was just waiting for the last dryer load to finish, and since her small apartment was already neat and tidy, she’d consulted her to do list to see if there was anything she’d missed.
She’d meant to call Camilla last night, but by the time she’d got home, it had been nearly eleven.
“I knew you’d understand.”
“Of course I do. So, we’re having a little party during the day on Friday, and Ben mentioned that he has a friend who’s just moved back to the area. He’s midthirties, well established in his career, and he was thinking to invite him—you know, see if maybe the two of you might hit it off.”
“Actually…I’m seeing someone. A couple of someones, in fact.”
“You are? Why am I just hearing about this now, girlfriend?”
“Because we’ve just recently gotten together, that’s why.”
“Don’t stop there, Shar! I need details. Lots and lots of juicy details.”
Charlotta laughed. “Then I’ll have to call you back tomorrow sometime. We get to the juicy part tonight. In fact, I’ll be leaving for Lusty in about a half an hour.”
“Lusty? Wow, you took me seriously when I suggested there was a man or two out there for you!”
“Actually, I think you do hold some responsibility for the situation I’m in, girlfriend, since I met them a few hours after our last telephone chat.”
Charlotta related how she’d met Jesse and Barry and how, quite frankly, having had the conversation with Camilla had left her open to the possibilities.
“It’s good that they share something so important with you,” Camilla said.
Charlotta knew her friend was referring to Healing Rides. “Mm, yes, that’s no small thing. On the other hand, they’re part of a family dynasty that would make Roger Brown’s momma drool with envy.”
“And you’re worried you’re headed right back into the same disastrous territory you just got out of with the pickle dick?”
Charlotta sighed. “Something like that.”
“Then my advice to you, girlfriend, is to tell them how you paid for your degree. Do it now, before you get to the juicy part. Then, if they turn out to be assholes about it, at least your heart can’t be broken, because you haven’t fallen in love with them yet.”
Charlotta didn’t really know what to say to that, but apparently her ten second silence as she tried to come up with an answer spoke volumes.
“Oh, Shar! You’ve already fallen in love with them?”
“No. Maybe. Yes…I don’t know!” Charlotta ran a hand through her hair. It was the first time she admitted her confusion, even to herself. “I feel something for them. Maybe I’ve just fallen in like with them? Does that make any sense at all?”
“Well it’s generally a good idea that you like the men you’re going to spend the rest of your life with.”
Camilla’s laughing tone registered before her words did. When Charlotta realized what her best friend had said, her heart began to pound and denial flooded in. “I never said anything about the rest of my life!”
“Didn’t you? Come on, you’re the psychologist. You tell me, but remember that I understand the gut level loneliness you’re feeling. Tell me that you’re still content playing around and don’t long for something that will last, and I’ll wish you a good time with your juicy plans.”
“I hate that you always make me see the truth.”
“No you don’t.”
“No, I don’t.” It was good to have one solid friend who would be completely honest with you.
“If it helps, I can tell you, based on everything I’ve heard about the people of Lusty, there’s not a social diva among them.”
“That would help, except that Jesse and Barry didn’t grow up in Lusty. They’re Benedicts, but from Montana. And from what I’ve heard so far, completely different than the Texas grown variety of Benedict.”
“Wait, wait. You said Jesse and Barry. Crap. Veronica’s other brothers. The ones who—” Camilla stopped talking and Charlotta could have sworn she’d heard her friend actually growling.
“The ones who bullied their younger sister when they were kids, yes, I know.”
“Oh.”
“I imagine you have a different take on that, being as you’re friends with Veronica. There’s no question that branch of the family has issues—at least some of the members do.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that her older brothers—the ex-pro football players—were always decent toward her. She has an older sister, too—and from what I saw, their relationship isn’t in the least sisterly.”
“Regardless of what you may have heard or seen, I’m basing my opinions on what I see with my own eyes.” Charlotta knew the hearts of these men. Having studied family dynamics and interactions, she had a pretty good idea where the blame belonged for their past behavior—and it wasn’t all, or even most, with them.
One of the things she was always counseling parents on is that kids will respond to the examples and the authority with which they’re surrounded.
“I guess that’s really all you can do. I have to admit the two men you described to me don’t sound like the same two I met last Christmas.” Camilla sighed. “Although I didn’t actually witness the come to Jesus meeting that Veronica had with them, Hank’s told the guys what went down.”
“And they told you.” Charlotta heard the thread of protectiveness in her friend’s voice and couldn’t really fault her for it. “Does it help to know that Jesse and Barry told me about their past? And before you ask, no, they offered no excuses and took full responsibility for their actions.”
“That does help. I guess I have to trust you to know your own mind, and your own heart.”
“Thank you for that.” Charlotta sighed. “But your advice was sound. I should tell them before this goes any further between us.”
“Shar, the bottom line is if they are going to give you grief over the way you paid for your college degree—and it was only dancing, for God’s sake—then they aren’t the men for you.”
Was that the reason she felt so hesitant to tell Jesse and Barry the truth? Because she was afraid they’d turn out to be just like Roger?
For the first time she understood that it hadn’t been her heart that had suffered when he’d thrown that fit and broken up with her—it had been her pride.
“I know. And I guess I will have to call you tomorrow and tell you if there are any juicy parts.”
“You’ve got good instincts. I think you already like these two men far better than you ever liked Roger. I think with Roger, you were settling.”
Charlotta really hoped Camilla was right about her instincts, because she sure as hell was right about the rest of it.
So she’d head out, and when she got there, she’d tell them everything. Her stomach was already tying itself in knots. It was going to be a very long few hours.
* * * *
“There. What do you think?”
Ari’s question didn’t surprise Jesse nearly as much as her appearance a half hour before had done. She’d shown up in their living quarters, linens and ropes draped over her arm.
He and Barry had taken their brothers aside at breakfast and explained that they would have a guest that afternoon and overnight. Naturally, Cord and Jackson had been cool with that, and had told them they’d make sure Ari didn’t accidentally burst in on them. Their sister-in-law sometimes dropped by late at night with some fresh muffins or cookies she’d made. He and Barry appreciated the sweets, but they’d appreciate the guarantee of privacy—in this instance—even more.
They hadn’t really expected that their
brothers would have told their wife about Charlotta’s impending arrival. In hindsight, Jesse guessed they should have.
Ari had appeared and looked from one to the other of them. “Follow me, gentlemen.”
They hadn’t known what she’d had in mind, but he had to admit, her idea was pure genius.
“We’d just been bemoaning the fact we didn’t have a Lusty sized bed,” Barry said. “And thanks to your brilliance, now we do.”
They did indeed. Ari had them move the table from between their beds, and then push the two double beds together. Since they were both just double mattress and box spring sets on legs that was easy enough to do. They used the ropes she’d brought to tie the legs in the middle together, so the beds wouldn’t separate in the night. Then she’d used one of the sets of sheets for her own bed to remake theirs.
“Of course, when she’s not here at night, you can easily revert to two beds. Or you could leave it as is, and share.” She snickered as if she dared them to do just that.
“We’ve been doing that since we were kids,” Jesse said, “so we just might. Wouldn’t bother us a bit.” Then he bent and kissed his sister-in-law’s cheek. “Thanks, Ari. This was above and beyond, and we really appreciate it.”
“It’s the least I can do, considering how the two of you are staying out here just to give us privacy.” Her cheeks turned pink, and Jesse bet it was a good thing he and his brother didn’t live in the house.
“That’s the least we can do,” Barry said. “Considering that you were willing to have us in your home in the first place.”
Ari waved her hand. “I admit I was annoyed at first, when the guys told me you were coming. But then I watched you and realized that you’d both changed since last year. You work hard and you’re serious about making a go of this business. And you came here in the first place, turning your back on your lifelong home. I know that wasn’t an easy thing for you to do.”
“Our leaving home and coming here was nothing compared to what you’ve been through,” Jesse said. Their brothers had shared a bit of her history with them, and it was a confidence they’d felt humbled to have been extended.
“Still, you chose to step away.” She patted his arm, and then Barry’s. “I’ll leave you to your chores. I’m on my way to grill my husbands as to why it is they aren’t as neat as their brothers.” She nodded. “Your entire place is spotless, not a dirty sock to be seen.”
Barry laughed. “Good luck with that. They’ve always had a way of skirting trouble—and picking up after themselves.”
Ari grinned. “Don’t I know it? They do have a way of distracting me, especially if I’m ticked about something.”
He and his twin had heard whispers when they were younger about their brothers’ ability to sweet-talk their way with the ladies—and they hadn’t been too shabby when it came to sweet-talking their mother, as well.
As he watched Ari make her way back up to the house, Jesse decided they didn’t need to share that particular insight with their sister-in-law.
“I promised Charlotta a surprise, even when I didn’t know we were going to be giving her one.”
Jesse nodded grinned. “We owe Ari, big time.”
“Yeah, we do.” Barry turned and looked at him. “Do you think the place is tidy enough?”
Jesse looked around their small space. Because it was small, they tended to keep it neat. It wouldn’t take long to drown in clutter, otherwise.
“I do. I think we should try to relax and chill, because she likely won’t be here for at least another hour.”
“Hard to chill when you’re anxious for what comes next.”
Jesse totally understood. Barry wasn’t the only one wired. He looked for something to think about, to get his mind off their woman. “No kidding. I thought the meeting went well earlier.”
Because they were anxious, they made their way outside, toward the corral. It was a nice day, not as hot as earlier in the week, but Jesse knew the cooler temperatures wouldn’t last.
Thank God we have AC in our bedroom.
They’d done their ranch chores earlier, seeing to it all the horses were fed, and then they’d sat down with their brothers and cousins and looked at the auctions they would attend in the next couple of weeks to begin to acquire their cattle.
Chase and Brian were running a herd of about forty Texas longhorns. They’d had a dozen or so calves born in the last year and a half, and had sold a few head to market. But that had all been more or less hit and miss. Their real focus had been on their horses.
Jesse and Barry were developing a five year plan, with specific targets for breeding and marketing their beef. They’d been discussing raising the animals using the exacting standards to produce organic beef. It would be costlier, giving them a slimmer profit margin—at least until they established their brand and could charge more for their product.
But in the long run, it might very well be worth it, since the trend was toward leaner, healthier cuts of meat.
“It did. I like that the others are letting us take the lead in planning the bovine side of things. Personally, I think we need to work our way up to organic. Feed them all that way, but for marketing, begin with our own calves. We’ll pay more for the stock, too, insisting on chemical free.”
“Yes, it will be costlier, but I really think that’s the way to go.”
“Do you know what else? I think you and I have been heading in that direction ever since the last outbreak of mad cow disease.”
“Only a fool would continue to risk that by utilizing cheap feed,” Jesse said.
“And we’re not fools—well, at least not when it comes to ranching.”
Jesse opened his mouth to answer, but the sound of a car approaching found him straightening up from the fence.
Charlotta’s red Buick came into view. Of one mind, he and Barry began to walk toward where she would park her car. As they drew nearer, he focused on her face.
His stomach clenched. “Something’s bothering her.”
“I don’t like seeing her look so unhappy. I hope it’s not because of us.”
“Me, too. I’d rather let her go than cause her that kind of pain.”
“Yeah.”
They reached her car, and Jesse opened the driver’s door. He held his hand out to her, relieved when she took it. Even more relieved when she wrapped her arms around him.
Her sigh warbled slightly, but the strength of her grip reassured him. Barry pressed up behind her, so that they had her just where they wanted her the most—sandwiched between them.
“We have to talk.”
“Okay, baby.” Jesse eased his hold of her, taking a half step back, just enough so he could lift her face and look into her eyes. A tiny tear tracked down her face, and he wiped it away with his thumb. “Come on inside. We’ll have some sweet tea, and talk.”
“Sweet tea, huh?” Her smile reassured him she hadn’t come by to blow them off. But she was upset about something, and that hurt his heart.
“We knew you were coming,” Barry said. “So we asked Aunt Bernice how to make it.”
“Sweet tea sounds good.”
The hardest thing he’d ever done was to act relaxed as they led Charlotta into their kitchen. They’d added another chair to their table the day before. Barry got the tea as Jesse seated her—in the chair that was between them.
She looked at her glass of tea for a long moment, and when she began to speak, she didn’t look at them.
“I need to tell you something, before we go further. I maybe should have opened that closet door when y’all did, but I was afraid to.”
“Whatever you need to tell us, princess, it’s going to be all right. No judgments, remember?”
“I told you I’d broken up with my fiancé not that long ago. The truth is, he dumped me.”
“Bad for him. Lucky for us.” Jesse saw her grin in response to that.
“Yeah, well…his name is Roger Brown the Third, scion of the Dallas Browns.”
Charlotta snickered. She sighed, and Jesse knew the combination of his humor and Barry’s insouciance had made her relax some.
“No, they’re a wealthy family, members of the country club set…you know the kind.”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Jesse said. “The superficial kind.”
“Maybe. But anyway…he dumped me when he found out how I paid my way through college. I…we didn’t have the money, growing up, I always knew that. I understood if I wanted to go to college I’d need to either get a scholarship, or accumulate a massive educational debt.”
Jesse nodded. “It’s unfortunate, but true. One of our classmates became a doctor and on graduation he owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“I didn’t want that. So I did something that earned me a lot of money.” Charlotta closed her eyes, and Jesse knew she was gathering her nerve.
“Just say it, baby.”
“I was a dancer—mostly at a gentlemen’s club in Morehead, which is near Divine. I danced, and I gave lap dances—a lot of lap dances. It was a decent place. The owner was particular about who he hired, and the bouncers were vigilant. We were protected, but we were also half naked.”
“It’s a viable option for anyone—woman or man—who wants to earn a good income,” Jesse said.
“I bet you were good at it,” Barry said.
“That’s it? You’re not…disgusted with me?”
“For being a dancer? Of course not,” Jesse said. “Like I said, it’s a viable way to earn a living—and a good one.”
“Oh.”
“Princess, did you work yourself into a state, worried about what we were going to say? Because I have to tell you, as a skeleton, it’s pretty puny.”
“I guess…Roger had quite a different reaction.”
“We’re not him,” Jesse said. “There is just one thing, though.”
He worried that he’d frightened her with that last bit, but she proved she was getting to know him fairly well when she just tilted her head to the side.
“Maybe sometime, when it’s just the three of us…you could dance for us.”
Love Under Two Outcasts [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 9