Jesse

by C. H. Admirand

  “What kind of such?” Lacy asked.

  Danielle bent down, lifted Lacy up, and settled her on her hip. “Why don’t we go and visit her?”

  “Some of her satin and lace confections are very racy. You might want to go alone the first time you visit and decide for yourself.”

  “Thanks, Pam.” The people of Pleasure were helpful and friendly… just a bit too nosy for her tastes, but then again, it was better than living in a bigger city where no one knew her and no one cared that she and her daughter had been left high and dry.

  “But why can’t I go?” Lacy wailed.

  “You remember me telling you that some things are meant just for grown-ups?”

  Lacy’s eyes filled and she nodded.

  “Miss Pam is being very considerate to everyone’s feelings by suggesting I go first to check it out.”

  “But I want—”

  “Sweet pea, life isn’t always going to be what you want, when you want it.” Brushing her hand beneath her daughter’s lashes, she dabbed at the tears and swept them away. “But life is definitely what you make it, so let’s do our best to be considerate of Ronnie too. She might get into trouble if her shop isn’t meant for children and we show up there together.”

  Lacy sniffed back the rest of her tears and nodded. “I like Ronnie. Let’s not get her in trouble. OK, Mommy?”

  Danielle kissed the top of Lacy’s head. “I’m proud of you.”

  Lacy grinned and waved at Pam. “We gots to bring Unca Jimmy his groceries. Can I come back and visit sometime?”

  The older woman smiled. “Anytime you like, Lacy. You just come and visit me.”

  After dropping Lacy and the groceries off at the diner, Danielle followed the directions Pam had given her. Danielle was surprised to find that she remembered being on Main Street and recognized some of the storefronts, and while some of the businesses themselves had changed, the look of the town was the same. Just older.

  Pulling up in front of Guilty Pleasures, she was surprised to see how new the storefront looked, but then remembered something about Dylan doing carpentry work for Ronnie. She’d been so busy thinking about Jesse that she hadn’t heard everything Emily and Ronnie had said about Ronnie’s shop. She’d have to pay closer attention or people would think she didn’t care.

  She cared… perhaps too much and about the wrong things…

  The door was open so she went inside and her jaw dropped. Lacy nightgowns, tap pants, and brassieres were the first things she noticed walking inside. She gave in to the overwhelming urge to touch. Cool silk and smooth satin begged to be held up against her waist to see if the sexy undergarments would fit.

  Danielle couldn’t remember the last time she’d splurged on underwear. She’d spent the last five years bargain shopping, which meant that she had a sad selection of white cotton, with a couple of pale pastels mixed in.

  Pushing that depressing thought aside led to yet another—she had no reason to buy anything so decadent. After all, who would see it but her? A dark-haired cowboy with broad shoulders, sculpted lips, and a wicked grin… Jesse.

  Shaking that tortuous thought from her mind, she hung the silky things back on the display rack and brushed her hands on her jeans skirt, as if to remove the sumptuous feel of the fabrics, so she wouldn’t be tempted to pick them up again.

  “Danielle?”

  She turned toward the sound of Ronnie’s voice. “Hey, I just stopped by—” Damn. She couldn’t remember why; the silky gowns and lace-edged tap pants had distracted her completely.

  Did she look that confused and pathetic? Ronnie walked over to slip her arm through Danielle’s. “It must be tough being a single mom. When was the last time you went shopping to buy something just for you?”

  Danielle laughed. “Probably six years ago.”

  Ronnie shook her head. “Isn’t it time to treat yourself?” She swept her free hand in front of her and Danielle’s gaze greedily followed. The rainbow-colored fabrics were sumptuous, tempting her once again to touch, to savor, to sigh.

  But she couldn’t. She needed to save every penny they had for Lacy. “I, um… need a job before I can splurge at your shop.” Looking around her, she sighed. “You have so many lovely things, I wouldn’t know where to start.”

  Ronnie gave her a tour of her shop, and by the time they reached the back counter where all of the essential oils were displayed, Danielle remembered what Pam had said. “She’s right.”

  “Who’s right?”

  “Pam said that I should visit your shop without Lacy, because she’s too young.”

  Ronnie smiled. “Well, I could bring a few pretty things home today, and you and Lacy could drop by the ranch and we could show her what her mommy is going to be buying.”

  Her heart wanted to say yes, but her head wouldn’t let her. “I wish I could, but I really don’t have the money right now.”

  But Ronnie wasn’t listening. “With your coloring, I think turquoise, black, and periwinkle would be colors that suit you best.”

  “I can’t—”

  “I only allow positive thinking in my shop,” Ronnie countered. “Now, will you bring Lacy out to see us this afternoon?”

  As if she could sense Danielle’s hesitation, Ronnie withdrew her arm and stood facing Danielle. “I think Trigger and Champ would like a chance to visit with Lacy out in the corral.”

  Tempted more by the chance to do something for her little one than the lovely lingerie, Danielle shrugged. “I know Lacy would enjoy the visit, but—”

  “I can pick you up on my way home.” Ronnie smiled. “Those two don’t get ridden as much as they should and would welcome the chance to teach Lacy how to ride.”

  “Oh.” Thoughts of seeing her little girl’s face beaming with pleasure as she sat on top of Trigger or Champ filled her until she couldn’t imagine anything else. “Do you always get what you want?”

  Ronnie shook her head. “Not the first time around.”

  Confused, Danielle tilted her head to one side. “First time around what?”

  The woman flushed a deep rose. “My first marriage.”

  “We’ll have to compare notes one of these days. Maybe we have more in common than either of us realizes.”

  Ronnie agreed. “Should I pick you up at the diner or Jimmy’s house?”

  “We usually close up around three o’clock, but we could wait for you there if it’s easier.”

  “I can meet you at his house, that way Lacy won’t be too tired; she can have a nap waiting for me to pick you two up.” Ronnie paused and Danielle realized she was waiting for her to say yes.

  “Thanks, Ronnie. That would be great.” She turned to go and glanced at the wisp of a nightgown in periwinkle blue one last time. “See you later!”

  But Ronnie wasn’t listening; she was too busy planning what to bring for Danielle to try on. Grabbing the nightgown and two sets of brassieres and tap pants, she added a black lace chemise with matching thong for good measure.

  She couldn’t wait to show Emily and plot out how they were going to throw Danielle and Jesse together while they kept an eye on Lacy. “I almost feel sorry for Jesse… but those two are made for one another.”

  Tossing the garments on the counter by the register, she hit number two on her speed dial and waited for Emily to pick up. “Em! I just had the best idea.”

  “The guys will be working through until about five or six o’clock,” Emily reminded Ronnie. “But I think that if we play our cards right, we could have little Lacy out by the corral getting to know Trigger and Champ out in the open, where she’ll see for herself how important it is to respect their size, strength, and intelligence.”

  “I’ve got some fabulous silky things for Danielle to try on while we’re outside with Lacy.” Ronnie paused and wondered if she could or should try to meddle and finally just threw her idea out there. “Em, what if, while we were outside with Lacy, we have Danielle trying on one of my fabulous silky or lacy gowns, and Jesse just happens
to walk in on her.” The silence on the other end of the line had Ronnie taking a step back. “But that probably would be a bad idea.”

  Emily started laughing. “I was wondering how we were going to keep all three of them from walking in on Danielle. We only want Jesse to see her, right?”

  “Good point.” Ronnie wracked her brain and finally realized there was only one way it would work. “They’ll have to be in on it.”

  “Would Dylan go along with it?”

  Ronnie thought about it. “He might, if Tyler agreed.”

  “All right then,” Emily said. “I’ll text Tyler and let him know what’s going on and ask him to tell Dylan.”

  “Do you think Jesse will figure out we’re up to something?” Ronnie worried about his finding out.

  “Probably not,” Emily told her. “See you around five.”

  Chapter 12

  “We’re going to the Circle G?” Lacy clapped her hands together and started to stomp her feet.

  “Save some of that spark for learning how to ride, little June bug.”

  “OK, Unca Jimmy. Do you think the horsies will ’member that I spooked them?”

  The worry in her voice tore at Danielle’s heart. “I don’t really know, sweetie, but we’ll find out together.”

  “I gotta go put on my best cowgirl shirt and jeans.”

  While her daughter raced up the stairs, Danielle flopped down in one of the kitchen chairs. “Sometimes she makes me feel so old.”

  Her uncle laughed and shook his head. “You’re only as old as you feel.”

  “Right now,” she said, closing her eyes, “I feel a hundred.”

  “Good thing you aren’t that old, or else that Garahan boy wouldn’t be interested in you.”

  Her eyes shot open and she glared at her uncle. “Who said that he’s interested? Who have you been talking to since we’ve been gone?”

  “No one.” But his answer didn’t fool her. Living in a small town like Pleasure, her uncle would have to be deaf not to hear the gossip going around town. “Why don’t we get started on those pies before I get cleaned up?”

  “I think I can handle things,” he reassured her. “I’ve been doing it all along without you, but it’s been a treat to have you and Lacy help me.” He nodded toward the doorway. “Git on up those stairs and into a hot shower. By the time you’re finished, I’ll have the coffee made and something hot to eat.”

  Love for her uncle swamped her. Tears threatened to spill over, but that would only make him feel bad, and she’d never do that to one of the only men in her life who ever truly loved her—her uncle or her father. Brothers… the Lord knew what he was doing when he created the Sullivan men. But he broke the mold; there couldn’t be any other men, anywhere in the world, who were as wonderful as James and John Sullivan… except maybe the Garahans.

  Walking up the stairs, her gut clenched as a vision of three handsome-as-sin cowboys crowded closely around her while she looked up at them filled her mind. She just might have to change her mind about that mold being broken. The Garahan brothers were similar in temperament and thoughts to the Sullivans.

  “I can’t think about that right now. I’ve got to focus on Lacy and her riding lessons.”

  A half hour later, she and Lacy were sharing leftovers while her uncle pulled the first batch of pies out of the oven. A car pulled up outside and Lacy was opening the back door, rushing outside before Danielle had a chance to react. “Stay on the porch!”

  “Yes’m.”

  At least Lacy had learned a valuable lesson yesterday at the Circle G—the importance of listening. She’d been frightened when her mother hadn’t been able to breathe or speak. It had been hard on Danielle too, but at least for the next little while, Lacy would be paying a lot closer attention to what her mother had to say.

  The screen door swung open and Lacy leaned inside. “It’s Ronnie!” The door slammed shut and her daughter was calling out a greeting to their friend.

  “Are you ladies ready?” Ronnie asked following Lacy inside.

  “As promised,” Danielle said. Turning to her uncle she asked, “Are you sure you don’t need me to stay and help?”

  Frowning, he put his hands on his hips and opened his mouth, but Danielle had seen that look and stance before, so she quickly kissed him on the cheek, grabbed Lacy’s hand, and waved good-bye.

  “What was that all about?” Ronnie asked as Danielle buckled Lacy into the backseat.

  “That was Uncle Jimmy’s I-told-you-what look. Best not to rile him after he’s told you what.”

  They were laughing as they drove toward the ranch. Lacy pointed out the big tree they’d seen from the day before. Ronnie turned down the long road leading to the ranch. “Here’s where we got losted yesterday,” Lacy piped up from the backseat.

  Ronnie smiled as she turned toward the right and the road that would lead them to the house.

  “It’s beautiful out here,” Danielle whispered. Trees, interspersed with wide open spaces, caught her eye and had her wondering what it would have been like living out here one hundred fifty years ago. “Has it changed much?”

  “The ranch?”

  “Mmmm… do you know if the house was added on to, or if it’s the original structure?”

  “I’ve never really thought much about it,” Ronnie admitted. “You could ask Jesse when you see him later.”

  Danielle’s heart dropped to her feet. “Oh, but I thought the men would be working until late and that we wouldn’t be seeing any of them today.”

  “That depends on how the work goes. We might just see them come six or seven.”

  “Hooray!” Lacy squealed from the backseat. “Mommy?”

  Danielle resigned herself to the fact that she’d have to work doubly hard from now on not to fall under the cowboy’s spell and be distracted by his hypnotic gaze.

  When she didn’t answer right away, Lacy asked, “Can we move in with cowboy Jesse and live on the ranch too?”

  Ronnie was smiling at Danielle’s discomfort, but Danielle was too busy trying to do damage control, to ensure that her daughter wouldn’t be asking a certain cowboy the same question when she saw him later… if she saw him.

  By the time Ronnie parked the car and they all got out, Lacy was crossing her heart, promising Danielle not to ask cowboy Jesse if they could move in with him. “Can I go to the corral yet, Ronnie?”

  “Let’s go find Emily first.”

  Reluctantly, Lacy trailed after Ronnie. Danielle wondered what was up, because she spotted the two horses standing by the fence. They’d noticed the arrival of the car and had watched with interest.

  “Be right back, Trigger!” Lacy called out. “See you soon, Champ!” Satisfied that her horsey friends would be waiting for her return, she hurried to keep up with Ronnie. “Will they miss me?”

  Ronnie opened the door and held it for Lacy. “I’m sure they will, but we won’t be long. Em?”

  “In the laundry room!”

  “Company’s here.”

  When Emily walked into the kitchen, she was smiling. “Well, we’re glad you came back. Things weren’t the same without you two.”

  “Really?” Lacy asked.

  “Danielle… are you all right?”

  “What? Oh.” Rubbing her damp palms on her thighs, she smiled. “Just thinking about something.”

  “Mommy does that sometimes,” Lacy said, taking hold of Danielle’s hand.

  Bittersweet pain lanced through Danielle’s heart. Love for her little girl brought tears to her eyes. Lacy’s compassion humbled her. How her daughter had learned to recognize the need in others and respond to that need was beyond her. “We’re a team, right, Lacy?”

  “Right!”

  She bent and pulled Lacy close, hugged her tight, and reluctantly let go. Thank God and His infinite wisdom for giving her a gift beyond compare. Even if Jesse decided he wasn’t interested in more than a fling, Danielle had something far more important—Lacy.

  “Did
you bring the bag in?” Emily’s question distracted Danielle.

  “What bag?”

  Ronnie shook her head. “Would you please go get it? Lacy and I are going to go out to the corral now.”

  Before Danielle could ask what was going on, Ronnie nodded toward her. “Would you please give Emily a hand?”

  “Of course. With what?” But Ronnie and Lacy were already out the door and Danielle was left talking to the four walls.

  “You’re going to love these.” Emily said, walking into the room and laying a bag in the middle of the kitchen table. “Ronnie just asked me to help her down at the corral; Champ’s feeling left out and starting to act up.”

  “I’ll go—”

  Emily held out her hand to stop Danielle. “Ronnie thought you could use a little alone time, so why don’t you just relax. Lacy’s in very good hands—ours. Take some time, drink some of the iced tea I left in the pitcher on the counter, and try on some of the yummy underthings Ronnie brought from her store.”

  “But I—” Danielle was talking to the swinging screen door. “Well,” she mumbled, stalking over to the pitcher. Pouring herself a tall, cold glass of tea, she hoped it would cool her temper enough for her to chase Emily down and demand to know what they were thinking and who they thought they were to arrange Danielle and Lacy’s lives.

  A few sips later, she realized that she was overreacting. Emily and Ronnie were just trying to help ease some of the burden Danielle carried as a single parent. Suddenly feeling very selfish, she sat down and toyed with the edge of the bag.

  “I wonder what things Ronnie brought.” Remembering some of the lacy confections she’d touched and admired, Danielle gave in to her curiosity and opened the bag. Sheer fantasies spilled into her hands.

  “Oh!” she breathed, separating the waterfall of color. “Lovely.” The periwinkle gown with the deep ecru lace hem tempted her until she gave in and lifted the soft satin to her cheek and brushed it back and forth, absorbing the cool, smooth sensation, storing it away for a future time when she could splurge and buy something so decadent.