by Myla Jackson
Libby, the bartender, popped the top off a longneck and set it in front of him.
Angus raised his own bottle toward Brody. “Here’s to finding the girl you love.”
Frowning down at the bottle, Brody said, “I don’t want to get involved, because I don’t plan on staying any longer than necessary.”
“Do you really have to go back to Seattle?”
“It’s where I belong.”
“Are you sure?” Angus asked. “Do you have a house, some friends and a woman waiting for you?”
Brody lived in a sparsely furnished apartment. His art supplies and his clothes were the most personal things he owned. He had a few friends. Okay, so he had one. The art dealer who’d seen something in his work and encouraged him to display it in the galleries in Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco and all along the West Coast. But she was fifty something and happily single. So, did he have someone waiting for him in Seattle?
“No, I don’t own a house or have anyone waiting for me in Seattle.”
“Then why don’t you stay?” Angus stared at him for a moment. “Or are you still feuding with Colin?”
Brody glanced toward Colin. All the anger he still harbored when he returned to the Rafter M had disappeared. Granted, his relationship with Colin would never be as close as it had been when they were kids, but he didn’t hate him.
If he was honest with himself, Brody was happy to see both of his brothers, and being around them reminded him he still had family and they would always be there for him.
“No. I’m not feuding with Colin.”
“You might want to let Colin know. For the past eight years, he’s been beating himself up for whatever happened between the two of you.”
“I was a fool,” Brody said. “Fancy was never right for me. We were better friends than we would have been husband and wife.”
“I think she was on the verge of telling you when she ran into Colin that night.”
Brody nodded. “I knew it wasn’t right. But I was young and stupid, and I didn’t want to admit I was wrong. I waited too long.”
And now he was waiting too long to make things right with Jessie. But what was he feeling? Was it love or just lust? He faced Angus. “How do you know you’re in love?”
Angus shrugged. “That’s easy. When every minute you’re away from her, you think about her.”
The entire week he avoided Jessie, she’d been in every one of his thoughts. “And how else?” he prompted.
Angus stared at the wall in front of him. “When you make love, you can’t imagine making love with anyone else. Ever again.”
Making love to Jessie in the swimming hole and the storeroom had changed him forever. She responded to his touch with such passion and his body came alive in her.
“Holy shit.”
“What?”
“I think I’m falling for Jessie.” He shook his head. “How can it be? I’ve only known her for a couple weeks.”
“Some say you know as soon as you meet the one.”
Brody snorted, but didn’t refute his brother’s words. Hadn’t he known Jessie was different from the first time he saw her flipping burgers, a fine sheen of perspiration glowing on her face as she smiled and served him?
“All I know is that talking about making love has gotten me so hard I can’t stand it.” Angus set his half-finished beer on the bar. “I have to see Gwen. Do you mind taking care of the animals in the morning?”
“No problem. Why?”
“I think I need to make a trip to Dallas tonight.”
“It’s pretty late,” Brody noted.
Audrey walked by with Mark Gray Wolf, her head leaning toward him, her gaze intense as she spoke to her tall Kiowa brother-in-law.
“Audrey.” Brody stepped in front of her.
She turned to Mark and nodded. “I’ll see you later.”
“Brody.” Mark held out his hand. “Good to see you.”
“Mark.” Brody shook hands with the man, but his focus was on Audrey.
“I’d stay and buy you a beer, but Audrey’s got me running errands. Later, man.” Mark disappeared down the hallway leading toward the storeroom.
Audrey faced Brody. “What can I help you with?”
“Could you check in the ladies’ bathroom for Jessie? She’s been in there a long time.”
Audrey’s head tilted. “I’m sorry, but Jessie left.”
“What?” Brody stepped back. “When? Where?”
“She went out the back door two or three minutes ago.”
Brody spun and ran toward the back of the building.
Greta Sue appeared at the entrance to the hallway leading to the rear exit. “Sorry, employees only.”
“Greta Sue, you have to let me through. I have to catch Jessie before it’s too late.”
The big woman crossed her arms. “Do you work here?”
“No.”
“Then you’re not going back there.”
Brody could see he wasn’t getting anywhere with the bouncer. He spun and weaved his way through the tables to the front exit and burst out into the parking lot.
A truck turned onto the highway, its taillights glowing a bright red as it sped away.
“Jessie!” Brody ran to catch up. By the time he reached the highway, the truck was already a quarter of a mile down the road.
His chest squeezing so tightly he couldn’t breathe, Brody returned to the saloon where Colin and Angus stood by the bar.
“Where’s Jessie?” Colin asked.
His chest hollow, he answered, “She’s gone.”
Colin’s brows angled downward. “What do you mean gone? Did she find another ride home?”
He pressed a hand to his sore chest. “She’s not coming home.”
“Damn, Brody. Did you scare off our cook?” Colin demanded.
He nodded, his heart sore, his head reeling. “I did. But I want her back.”
“If you’re going to be a jerk, don’t go after her,” Colin said. “She’s a nice kid.”
“I know.”
“You don’t deserve her,” Colin continued.
“I know,” Brody repeated, dazed.
“She needs someone who’ll stick around,” Angus said. “She doesn’t have anyone.”
“And all she wanted was a place to call home,” Brody whispered.
“So don’t go after her if you’re headed back to Seattle anyway,” Angus said.
“I’m not going back to Seattle.” Brody turned and walked toward the exit. “I can’t let her go.”
Colin caught up with him and grabbed his arm. “I won’t let you hurt her anymore.”
“What do you mean, anymore?”
“Whatever you did to her has her upset. Jessie’s too nice for her own good. Someone needs to take care of her and keep people from hurting her.”
“And you think I want to hurt her?”
“Well, from the look on her face most of the night, you already did.”
“Damn.” Brody stared at his brother. “Look, Colin, I’m sorry for being an ass for eight years.”
“I don’t give a shit about me. Don’t fuck up Jessie’s life.”
Brody frowned. “Do you love her?”
“Don’t be an ass.”
Brody stiffened.
“She’s a nice person and she’s been through a lot.” Colin touched his arm. “Jessie is like the kid sister I never had. And I protect family. So if you plan on hurting her, get ready for an ass whoopin’.”
Brody grinned. “And I’ll deserve one if I screw this up.” He hugged his brother. “I’m going to make this right.” He turned to Angus. “I’ll need your help.”
“I got your back, brother.” Angus clapped a hand to that back. “What have you got in mind?”
“Something special. I need to find out where she went and keep her there until I get my plans in place.”
Audrey Anderson Gray Wolf leaned over Brody’s shoulder and said, “She’s staying at my place. I’ll keep her
there.” She patted her big belly. “Jessie can’t leave if she thinks she’s needed. And, boy, do I need her.”
Brody hugged Audrey. “Thanks.”
Audrey grinned. “And don’t worry. Jackson and I will keep an eye on her.”
“Good. I have work to do. My plan will take a week.”
“Don’t take too long. You don’t want her to up and leave again,” Audrey reminded him.
“I won’t. I have too much riding on this.” Brody hugged Angus and Colin. “I have to go. I have a lot of work to do before I see Jessie again.”
The first day on the Gray Wolf Ranch, Jessie cleaned Audrey’s house from top to bottom, cooked one of Mrs. McFarlan’s best recipes and helped Audrey get into her boots.
Luke and Mark took a horse trailer to the Rafter M Ranch and collected Scout, who was now munching happily in one of the Gray Wolf pastures.
Soon Jessie had the house in tip-top shape and drove Audrey to the saloon and back each day to keep her from getting behind. She helped out in the barn, keeping close to the house in case Audrey needed her. Jessie owed Audrey so much for taking her in when she didn’t have a place to go.
A week passed and Brody didn’t call or stop by. Not that Jessie had expected him. He probably gave up on her after she ran out on him. And hadn’t he said he was going back to Seattle as soon as possible?
When Jessie entered the Ugly Stick Saloon, she looked for him, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tall, handsome cowboy. She’d seen Colin and Angus, but stayed away, afraid if she talked to them, she’d start crying all over again.
On an errand in Temptation, Jessie spotted Brody’s pickup at the diner. On her way back from the grocery store in Audrey’s SUV, she’d pulled into the hardware store’s parking space and waited, hoping Brody would emerge before she had to leave.
When he did, Jessie’s heart sank to her knees.
Brody held the door open for a smiling, laughing woman. Fancy Wilson.
Jessie pulled out of the parking space and sped back to the Gray Wolfs’ ranch and did her best to avoid Temptation for the rest of the week.
Audrey came to her Saturday morning with a request. “A friend of mine has some artwork in a gallery in Dallas. Do you mind driving me there and back?”
Jessie frowned. “I’m not much good driving in heavy traffic.”
“It’s Saturday. At the very least it won’t be rush-hour traffic. Please? Jackson doesn’t want me behind the wheel and I promised my friend I’d go and show my support. Jackson was going to take me, but one of the bulls broke through a fence and is raising hell on the neighbor’s ranch. He’s not going to make it.”
“You know I don’t mind. You’ve done so much for me.” Jessie hugged the woman. “When do we leave?”
“This afternoon at four. The showing starts at six.” Audrey grinned, and shivered with excitement. “I can’t wait. I haven’t seen his work yet, but I hear he’s really very good.”
Jessie forced a smile, not feeling at all excited about driving all the way to Dallas and back that evening. What she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and hide until her heart stopped hurting. But she couldn’t wallow in self-pity. Life went on.
Time would help heal her heart and the sooner Brody left for Seattle, the sooner she would quit looking for him everywhere she went.
That afternoon, Jessie stood in the bedroom, her hair hanging wet down her back, fresh from a shower, wearing shorts and an oversized blue-chambray shirt. She held up the two dresses Mrs. McFarlan insisted she buy at the thrift store, wondering what someone wore to an art gallery showing.
The first dress she hung back in the closet, her hand stroking the fabric, bringing back memories of her and Brody making love in the storeroom of the Ugly Stick.
A lump formed in her throat and Jessie had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.
Not one call. Nothing. It was as if Brody had already left for Seattle.
“I was thinking this would look nice on you.” Audrey appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. “Lord knows I can’t fit into it.” She laughed and rubbed her big belly. “Whoa! Settle down there, Junior!” Audrey wore a black dress in flowing chiffon that fell down to just above her knees, with an empire waistline that draped over her baby bump. She held out a little black dress.
Jessie took the dress. “I can’t wear anything you used to wear. You’re much smaller than I ever dreamed of being.”
“Not now, I’m not. That dress was a little big on me and should just fit your slim figure. Go on, try it on. You’ll want to look your best. There are supposed to be a lot of wealthy people coming to the event.”
Jessie pushed the dress back at Audrey. “I can wait in the SUV. I don’t fit into that level of society.”
“Nonsense. Besides, you have to go in with me or Jackson will make me stay home.” She sighed. “Please?”
“Okay, but if it doesn’t fit, I’m wearing the other dress.”
“Trust me, you’ll want to wear the little black dress for this. It’s a very posh gallery.” Audrey lifted a strand of Jessie’s wet hair. “Before you dress, let me help you do your hair.”
“What’s wrong with letting it dry naturally?”
“Honey, you have beautiful hair. For this occasion, let me take a flat iron to it just to make it lay perfectly straight. A little makeup and you’ll look like a million bucks.”
“I don’t own any makeup.”
“Sweetie, I do.”
Audrey led her into the master bedroom’s bathroom and went to work on Jessie like she was her latest science project. When she was finished, she refused to let Jessie look in the mirror until she had her dress on.
“There is a pair of strappy, low-heel, rhinestone sandals in the bottom of my closet. I’ll let you dig them out while I empty my bladder for the hundredth time today. Then we can hit the road.”
Jessie found the sandals. The heart of the girlie girl she’d buried beneath her blue jeans fluttered at the bling sparkling in the light. She hurried to her bedroom and slipped into the black dress and sandals. Just like Audrey predicted, the dress fit her like a glove, molding to her body’s curves.
She tugged at the fabric, preferring her jeans, loose blouses and worn cowboy boots. But this night was for Audrey, the woman who’d done so much for her. Jessie wouldn’t complain.
The drive into Dallas was uneventful. Most of the traffic was headed the opposite direction as night fell over the city.
Audrey squirmed in the passenger seat, glowing with excitement. “I can’t wait to get there.”
Following the GPS mounted on the dash, Jessie made it into the heart of Dallas and found the building. She parked the SUV in a parking garage and helped Audrey out.
Audrey laughed, bubbling with excitement Jessie couldn’t get in to. “First stop is the ladies’ room.”
The huge oil paintings in the windows of the gallery were of fields of blue bonnets and pastures of Bermuda hay bent in the wind. The images reminded her of the day she had ridden out across the Rafter M Ranch on Scout.
Jessie’s chest felt like someone had it in an iron grip, squeezing hard. She almost backed out. She could fake a stomachache and offer to sit in the vehicle in the parking garage.
One look at Audrey’s face, and Jessie knew she couldn’t disappoint her friend.
“Oh my. He’s wonderful! I never knew B—he had it in him. Look at the live oak tree in the field. It looks real, like I could feel the bark.” Audrey hurried for the door.
Jessie followed. The crowd inside wore designer suits and cocktail dresses, making Jessie glad she’d worn Audrey’s dress. Her sundress would have looked like what it was, a thrift-store hand-me-down.
“Jessie, honey!” a familiar female voice called out. Mrs. McFarlan engulfed her in a bear hug that left her breathless. “I miss having you around the house. When are you coming home?”
“It’s good to see you too, Mrs. M.” Jessie returned the woman’s hug, that perpetual lump in
her throat refusing to budge. Her gaze panned the room, her heart pounding against her ribs as she searched the faces for Brody’s.
“It’s too bad Brody didn’t come with us,” Mrs. M licked her lips, shifted her eyes and went on. “Maybe if he’d known you were going to be here, he’d have changed his mind. Isn’t this exciting? I’ve never been to an art gallery before. Angus and Colin brought me as a special treat.”
Jessie’s hopes plummeted.
“I’ll be right back,” Audrey assured her. “Go on in without me.”
Angus and Colin stood in front of a painting of an old barn that appeared vaguely familiar. Jessie excused herself from Mrs. M and angled away from the McFarlans, heading into a different room, separate from the huge front room of the gallery. The lighting was muted, a soft, luminescent glow from the recessed bulbs in the ceiling. Each painting had special lights shining on it.
Too upset to care about what was on the canvases, it was several moments before the images caught her attention.
Jessie gasped at a painting of a brindle horse rearing into the sunshine, its dark mane and tail flying out.
She’d recognize Scout anywhere, with the caramel-colored blaze on his forehead. The artist had captured the animal’s beauty as well as his spirit. The woman standing in front of the animal had long, flowing blonde hair caught by the wind. Her hand was raised to calm the horse. Jessie recognized herself and could feel the love the woman in the painting had for the horse.
For several long minutes, Jessie studied the bold strokes. Curious about the other paintings in the room now, she moved to the next and gasped.
A green canopy hovered over a blue-green pool of water. Sunshine dappled the ripples on the surface where there was a simmering image of a naked woman floating on her back, her blonde hair fanning around her. Though she was naked, her private parts were strategically concealed beneath the ripples of water and dark shading of the overhanging branches. The image invited her to step into the painting and dive into the pool. She could feel the cool water swirling around like it had that day she’d been skinny-dipping in the swimming hole. The painting was of her, the woman’s eyes were closed, but Jessie knew—the painting was her.
The next painting was a close-up of her face, gray-blue eyes staring back at her as if from a mirror. Only the painting showed more. Jessie could see past the eyes into the soul of the woman on the canvas, and her heart ached with the beauty of each stroke of the artist’s brush.