Wildcat Wedding (Wranglers & Lace #2)

by Patricia Thayer

  Jessie leaned against the window frame and crossed her arms. “I don’t figure you have too much to worry about, then.”

  “I wish I had half the money you think I do.” He grinned. “I’d retire.”

  “You have enough to come out here and drill a well. If that doesn’t take money, I don’t know what does.”

  “It takes getting a lot of people to invest in your dream. More than half the money I have is from Murdock Oil Company, the rest is from private investors that I personally went out and found. If this well doesn’t come in, at least you still have your farm. I’ll be broke. Every extra penny I have and could borrow is in this well.”

  Jessie had an incredulous look on her face. “Then why chance it?”

  “Because sometimes you have to take chances to make things happen. You never get anywhere in life without taking risks, Jessie.”

  “I can’t afford to take risks,” she murmured.

  Brett stepped closer. “All the risks here are mine, Jessie. The money you’ve made from this venture so far will never be taken away, and when the well comes in, you’re going to have a lot more. Hopefully, enough for you to be set for life. I want that for you...and your family.”

  She smiled finally, maybe she was doing the right thing. “Then I hope, for your sake, this well comes in.”

  “Isn’t there anything more you want? Maybe a life of your own?”

  “My family is my life. And until Josh and Katie are grown, I’ll be here for them. Besides, I love living on the farm, it’s all I’ve ever known. The Burke family has been here for four generations. Someday Mac will marry and make it five.”

  “Will you live here then, too?” he asked.

  “Where would I go?” There’s nowhere else I feel safe, she cried silently.

  “What about when you marry?”

  She glanced away. “I don’t plan on it.”

  Brett started to speak, when suddenly everyone tramped back into the room. Once everyone was seated at the table again and the dessert was passed around, Marcus said, “I have an idea. Since you people were kind enough to invite us to supper, why not allow us to return the favor and take you out Friday night? Whata ya say, mates?”

  “To a real restaurant?” Josh gasped.

  “My oath,” Marcus said as he raised his hand. “And you pick it.”

  Katie and Josh both cheered, then looked at their big sister. “Where do you want to go, Jessie?”

  “You and Josh pick the place. I won’t be able to make it.”

  * * *

  The morning was beautiful, Brett thought as he opened the trailer door. He leaned against the doorjamb and sipped coffee from his mug. Last night’s rain had done more than help the crops. The sound of it falling rhythmically on the roof had helped him relax, giving him the best night’s sleep he’d had in weeks. If it hadn’t been disturbed by thoughts of one blue-eyed brunette named Jessie, it would have been perfect.

  Brett shook his head. He’d been working too hard. Maybe a little female companionship would help. His usually active social life had been pretty dull these past six weeks. But it would be a while longer before the rig was operational and he could think about his own pleasure.

  He watched the steam rise off the truck and equipment. The hot sun was going to be bearing down on them today, but right now he didn’t care. He drew in another lungful of clean air as he looked toward the house and wondered where Jessie was. It was after seven, she must be busy with chores. His gaze moved to the garden, and he smiled when he recognized her floppy hat. She was carrying boxes of produce to the truck. Maybe he should go down and offer to help.

  He went inside, pulled on his boots and tucked in his shirt. Grabbing his Stetson off the peg, he hurried down the steps, calling out to Marcus, telling him where he was going. When he cut across the field, his jeans picked up the moisture off the high grass, but it didn’t slow him down. He finally caught up with Jessie as she was loading a crate into the back of the pickup.

  “Here, let me help,” he said, trying to take the box.

  “I can do it,” Jessie argued, refusing to let go.

  They stared at each other over the top of a basket of tomatoes. “But there’s no need,” he protested.

  “Look, you have a well to drill and I have a vegetable stand to open,” she stressed. “Let go, and we can both do our jobs.”

  “Lord, woman, you are stubborn.” Brett held on, enjoying the irritation he knew his presence was causing Jessie. Once again, she was dressed in a man’s shirt and jeans, with her big hat he could barely see into her eyes.

  “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black, Mr. Murdock?”

  “Oh, no, I think I’m in trouble again,” Brett teased.

  “Only if you’re so all-fired determined to get in my way.”

  “These crates are too heavy for you.”

  “Well, I’ve managed all these years,” she said as she tugged hard and pulled the box away from him. But that didn’t end it. He just walked over, picked up one of the other boxes and loaded it into the truck.

  Jessie wanted to scream, but she wouldn’t give the man the satisfaction of knowing that he had gotten to her. So she let him finish the job. Then, without so much as a thank-you, she climbed into the driver’s seat and started up the truck.

  “Wait,” Brett hollered before she pulled away, hurrying to the side of the truck.

  “What about Friday night?” he asked.

  Jessie pretended not to know what he was talking about. “What about it?”

  “Marcus and I want to take everyone out to dinner.”

  “And you can, I have no objections.”

  Brett leaned his arms across the window and stared her in the eyes. “We want you to go, too. Now, if Friday is a bad night, we can change—”

  “No!” Jessie raised her hand. “Don’t disappoint the kids. Just go without me.”

  Brett shook his head. “No, if you don’t go, no one goes.”

  He turned and walked off.

  Jessie let him go. She wasn’t going to spend any more time arguing with the man. She had better things to do. She started the truck, tugging it into gear, then headed down the road. She picked up some speed and pushed the clutch in, then shoved the lever into second, hearing the familiar grinding sound. There were hundreds of other things she had to do rather than waste her time going to a fancy restaurant. She needed to think about setting up her stands, not Brett Murdock getting into her hair.

  She shifted into third gear and placed her shaky hand on the big steering wheel, recalling the memory of his kiss, and she immediately felt her body grow warm. Her lips tingled as she remembered the tender caress of his mouth...the touch of his hand against her cheek....

  “Blast it! Why can’t the man just stay out of my way?”

  Chapter Five

  Jessie studied the five dresses that hung on wire hangers in her small closet. Three were hand-me-downs from the church thrift store, already faded from too many washes long before Jessie had gotten them. One of the two remaining dresses was bright pink with a row of god-awful ruffles around the collar and the hem of the gathered skirt. It, too, was secondhand. She pulled out the last dress and held it up for inspection. It was the one Hatty had given her for her twenty-first birthday.

  The marine blue shirtwaist dress had a wide matching belt and soft flowing skirt. Jessie smiled, remembering when she had worn it to the Shakespeare Festival at the university. That had been nearly two summers ago, and she’d worn it to every Sunday church service and social since. She put it back on the rod and eyed the remaining dresses in her closet. None would look right to wear out for dinner, not with Brett Murdock. All the rest of the clothes were old shirts and jeans she wore to work in. Most of them had belonged to someone else, too.

  “Blast it!” She snarled as she dropped onto her single bed. She lay back against the pillow, careful to keep her boots off the handmade quilt. It had been the last one her mother made before she died. Jessie w
as supposed to save it until she married, but since that was unlikely to happen, she decided to brighten up her small bedroom with the blue floral patchwork.

  Hatty appeared in the doorway. “Aren’t you getting ready?”

  “I’m not going,” Jessie answered.

  “I know two men who will be disappointed.”

  “I doubt they’ll miss me.” She couldn’t help thinking about Brett, remembering how closely he’d eyed her whenever she’d worn her brother’s outgrown jeans and shirts. The last thing she wanted was his pitying look tonight.

  Hatty walked toward the bed, looking very stylish in a raspberry pink dress with a simple strand of pearls adorning her neck. “Why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re not going?”

  Jessie sat up. “I don’t have anything to wear,” she admitted, feeling foolish.

  Hatty went to the closet and shook her head. “It has been a while since you’ve been shopping.” She glanced over her shoulder at Jessie. “Next week we’ll have to remedy that, but for tonight, I guess we’ll have to come up with something...” Her friend looked thoughtful. “C’mon, let’s see if we can find something that’ll work.” She pulled Jessie out into the hall, then toward her parents’ bedroom. Hatty opened the door to the master suite and walked inside, but Jessie hesitated at the doorway. Her gaze went to the beautiful four-poster bed with the antique eyelet comforter and matching dresser with the crocheted scarf and the picture of Emily Burke resting on top alongside her mother’s jewelry box.

  Her mother had died in this room. And for all the eight years afterward, except for cleaning, her daddy hadn’t allowed anyone in here. Even before the accident that had put him in a wheelchair, Walter Burke had slept downstairs in a small room off the kitchen.

  Her attention went to Hatty as the older woman opened the closet. “I don’t think we should be in here.”

  Hatty sighed. “Look, Jessie, your father’s grieving wasn’t natural. He was crazy to turn this room into a shrine.” She shook her head. “This is a good-size bedroom going to waste.”

  “But he loved my mother.” Jessie knew that Hatty had never gotten along with Walter Burke.

  “If the man had any love in him, he wouldn’t have pulled you out of school to raise Katie and Josh—”

  “You know there wasn’t anyone else,” Jessie stressed for the umpteenth time.

  “Bah, there were a lot of people who could have helped. I, for one, and the church offered. Instead, he took your future away....”

  Grief and despair tore at Jessie’s heart. Hatty had never stopped prodding Jessie about finishing school. But unlike her friend, Jessie knew that, as much as she’d give anything to go back, it was impossible. “Hatty, we’ve been over this. I wanted to be with Josh and Katie, and when Daddy had his accident, he needed my help, too.”

  Hatty raised a calming hand. “I know, I know, child.” She released a tired breath. “It’s no secret that I didn’t get along with your daddy. He had a drinking problem, and I always thought he could have treated your mother better...” Tears came to the older woman’s eyes. “We were good friends, and when Emily died so young with all you babies to raise...” Hatty pulled a handkerchief out of her dress pocket and wiped her nose. “I just want you to have so much more.”

  Jessie hugged Hatty, feeling her eyes stinging, too. “I have everything I need. And I don’t know what I would have done without you all these years.”

  Hatty drew back from the embrace and smiled. “You would have done fine. Just like you are tonight. A man like Brett Murdock doesn’t walk into a girl’s life every day.”

  Jessie opened her mouth, but Hatty stopped her. “You’re going and that’s final.” She went back to the closet and sorted through the plastic clothing bags. “I’m glad now that Walt didn’t want us to get rid of any of Emily’s things.” Hatty found what she was looking for and pulled it out. “Here, this should be perfect.”

  * * *

  Brett sat beside Marcus in the room Hatty called the parlor. He smiled to himself. He hadn’t heard that term in years. Not since his grandmother used to visit the ranch when he was a little boy, he thought as he glanced around the large room.

  The walls were covered in a heavy brocade paper, faded with time. The floor was hardwood, spotlessly clean, but badly in need of refinishing. The carpet was worn and frayed in places, but it, too, was immaculate. The furniture was a mixture of different periods, many probably antiques, maybe brought here when the farm had been homesteaded. He shook his head in amazement. It felt as if he were sixty years back in time.

  “Did we keep you?” Hatty came into the room and both men jumped to their feet. Marcus quickly went to the doorway and reached for Hatty’s hand.

  “No need to apologize,” he said as his gaze took her in. “It was well worth the wait. You’re a good sort, Hatty Jacobs.” The Australian glanced over his shoulder toward Brett. “Whata ya say, mate? Doesn’t Hatty look pretty?”

  “As a picture,” Brett agreed, but he was more curious to see if Jessie would show up. He tugged at the starched collar of his white Western shirt and glanced down at his charcoal gray slacks and highly polished boots, wondering if she’d appreciate his efforts. He was about to ask, when he caught sight of her coming down the stairs. Brett walked past his friend and watched as the tall, slender brunette descended the steps.

  Jessie was wearing a pink print dress of tiny rosebuds with cap sleeves and an embroidered collar. The soft fabric draped enticingly over her slender body, showing off every indentation and curve. If that wasn’t bad enough, with each step she took, she kicked opened the slit in the front of the skirt, exposing her long gorgeous legs. His mouth suddenly grew dry as his gaze moved up to her face, with her short dark curls framing her blushing cheeks and a fragrant gardenia pinned above her ear.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she took the last step, and looked at Brett with her sparkling blue eyes. She gave him a smile that made his breath catch.

  Jessie felt a little giddy when she saw that Brett couldn’t take his eyes off her. For the first time in her life, she truly felt pretty.

  “Yer a lovely woman, Jessie Burke,” Marcus said. She felt herself blush as the older man took hold of her hand. “Yer been hidin’ away too long in a pair of trousers.” He turned to Hatty with an admiring glance. “I’d say the men around here must be drongos.”

  “I don’t know what the word means,” Hatty began, “but it sounds like a compliment to me.” With not one bit of shyness, she slipped her hand though Marcus’s arm.

  Brett then walked toward Jessie. “Marcus is right. You do look lovely,” he said only loud enough for her to hear. “You should wear a dress more often.”

  Jessie shrugged. “They’re not real practical to work in.” She found she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He was decked out in his snowy white shirt all pressed and starched. His dark dress slacks were snug enough to show off his narrow hips and muscular thighs. She looked up at the easy smile on his face, and a tumble of confused thoughts and feelings suddenly hit her out of the blue. A strange yearning like nothing she’d ever known before.

  “You can afford to get more help around here so you don’t have to work so hard,” Brett offered.

  “I like to work,” Jessie answered as she heard the noisy footsteps of her family coming down the stairs.

  Katie was leading the way in her best dress with her white shoes and ruffled anklets. Josh came next in a new pair of dark slacks that actually fit his long legs. He wore a new, brightly colored Western shirt and had polished his black boots. Mac’s clothes were also new. He had taken time off this week to go shopping in town, arguing with Jessie that now they had the money, it wouldn’t hurt her to do the same.

  “I think it’s time for tucker,” Marcus announced.

  Katie gave Marcus a funny look. “What’s that mean?”

  “It means supper in Australian,” Josh said with a knowing grin. “I know a whole bunch more words, too.”

&nb
sp; “Teach them to me,” Katie insisted.

  The fifteen-year-old continued to look smug. “Maybe I will and maybe I won’t.”

  Mac stepped in. “And maybe you can go tonight or maybe you can stay home.” The oldest male Burke cocked an eyebrow at his younger brother. It took only seconds for Josh to realize that Mac meant business.

  Jessie smiled. She guessed the eldest male Burke had forgotten how he used to tease the youngsters.

  Finally, it was Brett who got them back on track. “I think we should get going. I made reservations for seven o’clock. There are too many for one car, so Marcus and I will both drive. Jessie, Katie and Mac will ride with me. Hatty and Josh will go with Marcus.” He glanced around the room. “Is that okay with everyone?”

  “Will you let me pick the music?” Katie piped in.

  Brett squatted in front of the little girl. “Tonight you can pick the music.” He glanced up at Jessie. “But your older sister gets to ride in the front seat.” Then, without another word, he stood and offered his arm to Jessie.

  She hesitated, but managed to slip her arm though his as if she had done it many times before. Brett gave her a slow wink, sending her heart to pounding in her chest. He took Katie’s hand and they started out the door.

  * * *

  Jessie had no idea where they were going, and didn’t feel it was her place to ask. And when Katie prodded Brett, he told her it was a surprise. When they pulled off Highway 70 and found the blue-and-white restaurant, the eight-year-old cheered with delight. Jessie froze in shock. She figured they’d go to a steak house in town...not this fancy of a place. Her gaze tried to take in the large structure as the sunlight was quickly fading away. Brett parked his car next to Marcus’s truck and before Jessie could get out herself, Brett had opened her door. He helped her out, then Katie.

  Hatty walked up to the car. “Well, how do you like it? It’s called the Gazebo.”

  Jessie studied the front of the building, seeing the brightly painted white gazebo at the entrance. “Yes. It...it’s lovely.”

  “Marcus asked about a nice restaurant in the area. I’ve wanted to come here for a long time. Friends from church say the Cajun food is wonderful.”