Chapter 1

by Unknown

  “We can’t go to the folks’ house fighting. Momma is going to be a hard sell as it is, and she could spot a fight a mile away. So we’ll go with that kiss on our minds.” He put his hand on the small of her back and escorted her up the hall.

  She felt white- hot heat and saw pretty sparkling fireworks all the way to the door.

  Chapter 6

  Jasmine could hear the noise of laughter and conversation before she and Ace reached the house. It reminded her of the one that Ace lived in on the next ranch over, only the porch was wider and wrapped around three sides. Ace opened the door and led her inside by the hand. People were everywhere in the great room that housed the living room, kitchen, and dining room. But the very second that she stepped inside, a bone- chilling aura surrounded her and Ace. She tried to tell herself that it was her imagination and that she’d expected the worst and they were just waiting for Ace to introduce her.

  Ace looked around the room. “Are we having a family reunion, Momma?”

  Dolly Riley shook her finger at Ace. “Don’t you joke with me right now. You should have brought Jasmine to meet us before you married her.”

  Jasmine clamped her jaw shut before she said something that would cause a war right there in the midst of his family.

  The smile on Ace’s face faded. “Okay. Everyone this is Jasmine, my wife. If you’ve eaten at Chicken Fried in the past six months, you’ve eaten her cookin’. And, Jazzy, this is my mother, Dolly, and my father, Adam.” Jasmine extended her hand. “I’m very pleased to meet you.”

  She was surprised that her words came out lukewarm and not icy cold.

  A tall woman, Dolly looked down on Jasmine. Her hair was jet- black, her eyes brown, and her skin lightly toasted. Her handshake was quick, and Jasmine half expected her to wipe her hand when it was done. Adam’s handshake was downright rough, and Jasmine gave him one just as bone- crunching. His eyes were the same shade of gray- blue as Ace’s, but his hair was as black as Dolly’s. When he let go of her hand, the corners of his mouth twitched in a grin.

  “Okay, get ready for the rest of the zoo.” Ace introduced her to his three older brothers and their families first.

  Everyone tipped their heads toward Jasmine, and she smiled at each one. If they thought they were going to win the war, then they’d best make a fast run through the kitchen and pick up a brown bag lunch because it was going to take more than a cold glance. She’d given her word and she’d stand by it. They could like her or not.

  Frankly, my dear, as Rhett Butler said, she didn’t give a damn. It would all be over in a year and they could have their precious womanizing son back.

  “Before I go on, any one of you three got anything to say?” Ace looked over at his three older brothers: Garrett, Justin, and Tony.

  Tony spoke up. “Just that this was pretty quick. Last week you told me you were dating a different woman every week and had your red book nearly full. Momma says you didn’t even get a prenup.”

  Ace grinned. “Hey, I’m in love. I don’t need a prenup. Don’t it show?”

  “Not so much,” Tony said.

  Jasmine wrapped both arms around Ace’s neck and pulled his face down for a long, lingering kiss right there in the middle of the living room floor. She might not be his wife of the heart, but she was on paper and they weren’t getting away with implying that she would ever take her best friend for a financial ride. Besides, she’d had enough explaining for one day and she was tired of it.

  Ace’s toenails curled; his curly hair came close to straightening and his heart missed two full beats during the kiss. He was blushing scarlet when he pulled away from the kiss.

  Jasmine looked right at Tony. “How about now?”

  “I’d say she’s in love even if Ace ain’t,” another brother said from the shadows.

  “That would be Blake, the baby in the family,” Ace said, but he couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. He’d been right about Jasmine being strong. Not even the whole Riley clan had intimidated her.

  Jasmine nodded briefly at the handsome cowboy in the corner. “Pleased to meet you, Blake.”

  “And I’m Dalton, and this is Creed. We’re the tag-alongs. Momma had the three older boys, waited four years, and still wanted a daughter. So she had Ace and he damn sure wasn’t a girl. So she waited six more years and tried three more times. Rileys make boys for the most part. And we’re all dark haired and brown eyed except for Ace. He’s the oddball.”

  Jasmine glued herself to Ace’s side and hoped that’s what a real new bride would do. “I’d say I got the handsome one. How in the world did someone with your curly blond hair come out of this family?”

  Dolly finally smiled. “It was his Gramps Riley that gave him that hair. Granny was half- Mexican just like me. Black hair runs rampant in the Riley family, but Ace is a throwback to Gramps’ side. He got his eyes from his daddy, though.”

  “So you always been a cook in a café?” Creed asked.

  “No, I bought the Chicken Fried Café last year, but I’ve always loved to cook,” Jasmine answered.

  Ace led her to an empty recliner, sat down, and pulled her into his lap. Her breath caught in her chest, but she covered it with a small cough. That last kiss was impulsive, and the weakness in her knees was comeuppance for the stunt. But no one was going to treat Ace like that.

  “What’d you do before that?” Dalton asked.

  “I worked in Sherman at a corporation,” she said.

  “You goin’ to keep workin’ at the café or are you goin’ to be a ranchin’ wife?” Blake asked.

  “That’s something Ace and I haven’t decided yet.

  Right now I plan to operate the café.”

  Ace made a motion to stand up so she stood with him as he said, “Okay, that’s enough questions for one night.

  We’re goin’ on home now. We just wanted to stop in and meet you.”

  “I understand there’s a reception at your folks’ place in Sherman?” Dolly asked.

  Jasmine nodded. “Momma says it’s not a real marriage unless it’s performed in Texas, so it will be a full-fledged wedding, not a reception. Second Sunday in July.

  I’ll let you know the details when Momma tells me.”

  “I agree. Those Las Vegas things ain’t real marriages.

  You tell your momma to call me if she needs anything,” Dolly said.

  “I’ll do that.” Jasmine nodded.

  Dalton, Blake, and Creed all picked up their straw hats and followed the newlyweds toward the door. Dread and doom crept up Jasmine’s fingertips to her shoulders and then to her scalp, which tingled like it always did when something horrible was about to happen.

  Ace stopped dead still halfway across the floor.

  “Where are ya’ll headed off to?”

  Blake shrugged. “Not a single one of us got those jobs we thought we had at that horse ranch in Waco.

  Owner sold it off and the new man brought in his own crew, even for the summer. Creed is working for Rye and Austin over in Terral so he’ll only be at your place this week, but you don’t have to hire your usual summer help. We moved into the spare bedrooms. Didn’t know you were comin’ home with a bride until after we’d already moved in. Didn’t even know where you’d gone until we saw it on the television last night. We won’t interfere none. We’d stay out in the bunkhouse, but we’d have to sleep on the floor. And besides, Sam snores like hell,” Blake said.

  Jasmine waited until they were in the pickup before she exploded. “How in the hell do we fix this? They’ll expect us to…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

  “It’s really not so big a problem. I’ve got a king- sized bed and we slept together last night. I’ll put pillows between us if you are afraid you’ll attack me and try to force your body on me in my sleep.” He chuckled.

  She sucked in a lungful of air and let it out slowly.

  “Don’t laugh. It’s not funny.”

  “No, it’s not. I’m sorry, Jazzy. It was supposed to be a s
imple thing and it’s turned into a big mess, but we’ll get through it, I promise. I think we ate our horny toads tonight. Nothing else can happen now, and thank you again from the bottom of my beat up old cowboy boots,” he said.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “You are still grinning and it’s not funny. And you promised me in Vegas you would never, ever say nothing else could happen.”

  “I’ve always been the lucky Riley son. Garrett, Justin, and Tony worked their asses off for their land and they are all still making payments to the bank. I inherited mine… house, land, and cattle… all free and clear. I guess it’s time for me to pay some dues, and sneaking around from one bedroom to the other is a small price to pay. I only hire extra help during the summer months.

  Creed will be gone in a week or two and Dalton and Blake will be packed up and gone the first of September and then it’ll just be me and you in the house at night and you can have all three of those rooms for the rest of the year, I promise,” he said.

  Dalton pulled in on one side of Jasmine’s truck and Ace parked on the other side. She didn’t wait for him to be the gentleman and open the door for her but scuttled out of the truck and headed toward the house.

  Ace’s ring tone said his father was cal ing him before he could open his door.

  He stopped in his tracks and answered it.

  “Son,” Adam’s deep voice said.

  “What do you need, Dad?”

  “I got a call from Cole that disturbs me. I didn’t share it with your momma or brothers. Figure that it would just stir up trouble that you don’t need. Is it true?” Ace’s scalp tingled. “What?”

  “That you married that girl to keep Cole from getting the ranch? Gramps never told me that he put that in the will. I thought the ranch was yours with no strings attached.”

  “I didn’t ask her to do it, Dad. She offered and I accepted. Can we keep this between us?”

  “Got to stay with it a year, do you?” Adam asked.

  “Yes, sir, I do.”

  “You’ll do it right, won’t you? No cheating on her with other women. It’s a big undertakin’ that she did.

  She must be a hell of a good friend,” Adam said.

  “She is.”

  “Well, then we’ll see what the year brings before we go worryin’ your momma about the whole thing.

  And I told Cole if he goes spreadin’ around a bunch of rumors that they’ll just make him look stupid after that trouble with Megan all those years ago, so he’ll keep his mouth shut.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “One more thing, Ace. You going to go through with this wedding here in Texas?”

  “Guess I am. Don’t see any way out of it.”

  “I guess you are right. Like I said, a year can make a big difference the way folks see things. I liked Jasmine.

  She’s got spunk. It’ll take that kind to keep you on your toes. Goodnight, son.”

  “Goodnight, Dad.”

  Jasmine stopped inside the front door. Ace’s house was nothing like the Riley ranch house. Theirs was much newer and had wide open spaces. Ace’s front door opened into a wide hal way that ran the width of the house from the front door to the back door. Two

  doors opened off to the right: one into the living room; one into the enormous country- style kitchen/dining room combination. On the left a long hallway split off leading to the bedroom wing. Straight across from the kitchen door one opened into an office/den type room.

  Hardwood floors shined like new money, and not a speck of dust rested on the foyer table.

  Ace walked inside the house and answered the question on her face before she asked it. “Gramps said that he built it like this because he wanted to catch the evening breezes. It was built before air conditioning and that was important. That’s why the windows are so tall.

  When the weather is nice we can get breezes all through the house.”

  “You ain’t never been here before?” Blake asked.

  “Of course, but I’ve never had the grand tour,” Jasmine said. She wasn’t lying. She had been in the house long enough for Ace to drop her bags and to look at four bedroom doors.

  Blake pointed. “The living room is right through that door with the kitchen behind it. Big dining room is on this side of the hall, and back there at the back is Ace’s office. Down the hall are four bedrooms because Granny and Gramps planned for this big family but they only got Daddy out of the deal, and then Gramps got Ace most of the time after Granny died. At the end of the hall is the bathroom. Back when he built the house, multi-bathrooms was unheard of,” Blake explained.

  Blake was over six feet tall, maybe an inch or two taller than Ace. He had hazel eyes and black hair, a round face that could in no ways be described as a baby face, and a deep dimple in his left cheek when he grinned.

  “I hear you get up before the crack of dawn so we’ll let you have first shot at the bathroom,” Dalton said.

  Standing at least three inches taller than Ace, Dalton had lighter hair than Blake but it was still a rich dark brown, light brown eyes the color of a YooHoo chocolate drink, and a square face with no dimples in the cheeks or in the chin. His chest was broad, his biceps huge, and his waist narrow.

  He reached up and touched the faint semi- circular scar running from his eye to his jaw. “Blake did it.”

  “Oh, don’t start that shit! She’s not going to feel sorry for you. Besides, if you hadn’t dared me to jump off the picnic table to prove I could fly with that towel around my neck, then I wouldn’t have dared you to jump off the shed roof,” Blake said.

  Ace led Jasmine into the living room. “Come and see this part of the house so you know where things are in the morning. And it wasn’t Blake’s fault. Dalton fell on one of those old metal coffee cans. He didn’t have to take the dare.”

  Dalton followed them. “But if I hadn’t, you would have told everyone I was a big momma’s baby.”

  “Children, children!” Creed said in a deep voice.

  “Are you going to argue all night? Jasmine will think she’s married into a family of fighting Irish or maybe Apache Indians.”

  Dalton made a faint snorting noise behind her, and Blake stopped on a dime and folded his arms across his chest.

  “Just because you are the oldest one of us three don’t give you the right to act like the big daddy figure,” Blake said.

  Ace chuckled. “Turn on the television and hush your bellyachin’ with one another.”

  “I’m going out to the bunkhouse to see if the guys have a poker game.” Blake headed out of the house with Dalton right behind him.

  “Worked that just fine. Now I can watch whatever I want.” Creed chuckled. “Want a sandwich, Jasmine?

  I’m a great bologna sandwich maker.”

  “With tomatoes and lettuce?” she asked.

  “And mustard and dill pickles.” Creed nodded.

  “Sounds wonderful.”

  Ace’s phone rang again and he fetched it from his hip pocket. “Hello?”

  “So you and the instant bride are home. Will the license be at the lawyer’s in the morning, or do I have to come to the ranch?” Cole asked. “By the way, I talked to your father.”

  “I’m taking it to the lawyer in the morning soon as he opens up shop, along with pictures. You can see it there, and I’ve got nothing to hide so talk to whoever you want to talk to,” Ace said.

  “I still don’t think this is a real marriage, but like you say, all you have to do is produce a marriage license that is valid. The will didn’t say that you have to prove you are in love.”

  Jasmine touched Ace on the arm. He looked as if he could chew up railroad spikes and spew out ten penny nails.

  “Cole,” he mouthed.

  Jasmine reached for the phone and he put it in her hands. “What is your problem?”

  “I’m not a fool. I can tell if a couple is in love or if they are faking it.”

  “Darlin’, come on up here. We’ll prove that we are in love righ
t after Garrett whips your sorry ass.” Jasmine walked down the hal as she talked so Creed couldn’t overhear what she was saying.

  “You are a bitch!”

  “Yes, I am, and I’d love to help Garrett. Shall I expect you tomorrow morning?”

  “Go to hell,” Cole said and hung up on her.

  She leaned against the wall. “Did he really come to the ranch to visit when he was a kid?”

  “Oh, yes. Every summer his folks dropped him here for a week. He wouldn’t do anything that got his hands dirty. Hell, he might have to get two manicures in a week if he did. Mostly he sat on the porch and read his books. My older brothers remember him well. Ask them about him sometime.”

  “What does he do?” Jasmine asked.

  “He’s a technical engineer in Dallas.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Just over forty. About Garrett’s age.”

  “Plain potato chips or barbecued?” Creed yelled from the kitchen.

  “Plain,” Jasmine yelled back.

  “Barbecued,” Ace hollered.

  Creed had them arranged on paper plates and sitting on the coffee table when they returned.

  “It’s been a long day and we got very little sleep last night. You guys mind if I take mine to the bedroom?” Jasmine asked.

  “Not at all. You want to take yours too, that’s fine. I’ve got a movie rented that I’m going to watch before I go to bed,” Creed said. “What time do you get up, Jasmine?”

  “Five. Open the doors of the café at six for breakfast.” Creed nodded. “You are welcome to have breakfast at the bunkhouse, but Dexter don’t serve it up until seven.”

  “At seven the café has already been open an hour and we’re in full breakfast mode, but thank you.” Ace picked up plates and followed her into his bedroom. He set them on the chest of drawers and went back out to get their bags. When he got back she was sitting in the middle of the bed eating a fat sandwich.

  “Delicious,” she said.

  “Creed is a good cook if you like bologna sandwiches, but that’s the extent of his abilities.” She ate every bite of her food and grabbed her bag, fished out boxers, a tank top, and her toothbrush, and headed out toward the bathroom. She was surprised when she returned to find Ace stripped down to boxers and holding the top sheet up for her to crawl into the bed. When she was lying beside him, he covered them both and pulled her close to his side.