by Vivian Arend
“Oh.” He held her hand a little tighter, stroking his thumb against the back of her knuckles. “Your family.”
A deep sigh escaped her.
Jesse hesitated. “You know, you never did tell me what happened. You don’t have to, but if it would help, I’m here for you.”
“I know. And I’m glad.” She examined his face.
It truly wasn’t the storm’s fault. It was all about suddenly feeling very alone—and that sensation she wasn’t strong enough to take.
“Ginny and I had a science fair in Calgary. Provincial finals, and everyone drove out to cheer us on. At the end of the day Ginny and I went home with our classmates on the school bus—legal liability and all that stuff. My family and her parents drove home together, but outside of Calgary a storm came rolling in, so they stopped in a motel. It was the responsible thing to do. Avoid winter driving conditions because who knows what could’ve happened, right?”
He didn’t speak, just put his arm around her and pressed his lips to her temple.
“We got home on the bus fine. The next morning, they checked out of the hotel to head home and some asshole who’d been out all night drinking swerved into their lane. I waited and I waited, but they never came home.”
“Jesus, Dare. I’m so fucking sorry.” He pulled her body against him, holding the back of her neck. The two of them tangled together. “I’m sorry you were scared today. I’m sorry being late reminded you of what you lost.”
She’d been more than scared, she’d been terrified, but she didn’t want to admit that.
As time had passed, as she tried to contact him and got no response, the less she’d been able to control her fear. Yes, it was because she’d been reminded of what she’d lost—the people who she loved the most.
That’s when it had hit her like a clap of thunder echoing against the roof. As she alternated between staring out the living room window and standing on the porch, peering in vain down the lane in the hopes she’d see his truck returning…
She loved him.
There was no denying it anymore. Yes, she admired him, and enjoyed his company. She loved how compatible they were when it came to sex, but all of those things together weren’t just friendship, and weren’t just because of Buckaroo.
When they came out to Rocky, she’d warned herself she wasn’t supposed to fall in love with the Colemans. The truth was she’d probably been in love with him already back then.
Love. That was what had scared her so much. The thought of having lost the man she loved.
Now she faced a completely different dilemma. What did she do with this discovery? Was he ready for her to up and announce what she felt inside?
It was going to take a little more deliberation before she came to a conclusion. All she knew right now was that being together was exactly what she needed.
She let him read the sincerity there in her expression. “Sorry for jumping you in the barn, but totally not sorry.”
“I get it.” He leaned in closer, his voice a caress. “It’s not my place to tell you how you should feel, but I think sometimes the best response to high emotion is high-test, wild sex.”
His grin widened.
Dare had to fight to keep from grinning in return. “Only some times, though?”
Jesse nodded, his expression suddenly all respectable and correct. Like a professor delivering a lecture or a preacher from the pulpit—only a whole lot more irreverent. “Definitely. Other times call for blow jobs, doggie-style, or even anal.”
A laugh burst from her that was more like a donkey bray than a genteel lady, and Jesse joined in.
They ended up in the living room, covered with blankets as they cuddled together and watched lighthearted movies until the storm blew over. Buckaroo went to town, the surface of her belly moving like some alien infestation, and she caught Jesse watching her stomach more than the TV screen.
It was cozy. It was comfortable, and it was exactly how Dare had imagined two people in love would spend an evening.
By the next morning the weather had returned to more typical October temperatures. The snow melted and left behind puddles in the yard. Jesse kissed her goodbye, and kissed her belly, and she leaned against the doorframe and watched him leave, and wondered how on earth she was going to manage to stop from letting her love burst free.
Because that’s how she felt. As if she were bursting at the seams with the need to shout how much she loved him.
She did a little work on the blog, but it was no use. The itching drive to discuss her discovery wouldn’t let her concentrate. She absolutely needed to talk to someone about this.
Her text to Ginny went unanswered. She wasn’t about to talk to her brothers. Good thing she had somebody else she trusted who was a lot closer at hand.
Vicki was working that week at the golf course, putting together a long line of desserts for the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend. When she saw Dare come in, she stopped what she was doing, washed her hands and handed over a hot-from-the-oven cookie. “Perfect timing. Next batch is already in the oven, and I need a break.”
“Gingersnaps. Yummy.” Dare took a big bite of the warm cookie, washing it down with some tea while she gathered her courage.
Vicki raised an eyebrow. “You look far too serious considering you’re demolishing a cookie.”
“I need some advice,” Dare admitted.
Her friend smiled. “I’ll give it a shot.”
“How do I make Jesse happy?”
Vicki coughed, leaning forward as if the cookie piece she’d just swallowed went down the wrong tube. By the time she cleared her throat, her cheeks were bright and her eyes a little on the wild side. “Girl, if that’s what you need advice on, I’m the last person you should talk to.”
Dare paused. She wasn’t going near Jesse’s secret, but this one was hers to share. “When we got here, I thought he was in love with you.”
Vicki’s jaw dropped. “I’m pretty sure he hated my guts.”
Dare shook her head. “It didn’t look like hate to me.” She paused. “You don’t think that way now, do you?”
Vicki frowned. “No. Actually, I was telling Joel that the other day, how different it is now with Jesse. So much more comfortable…” She panicked for a moment. “Not in a way like I’m hot for him, or anything. You know I’m head over heels in love with Joel, right?”
“Of course you are.” Dare sucked in her courage. “I don’t know how to be head over heels. But I want to be.”
“With Jesse?”
“It would be convenient, seeing as he’ll be in my life, and all.”
“Oh, honey, there’s nothing convenient about Jesse Coleman. Or about love, when it comes down to it.” Vicki shook her head. “But I don’t get it. Why are you acting as if you just figured out you’re in love?”
Dare fidgeted for a minute before confessing. “He offered to marry me because I was pregnant. He was doing the right thing.”
The confusion on Vicki’s face grew thicker. “Okay, you’re not making any sense whatsoever. You think Jesse is just doing the right thing?”
“Of course he is.”
Vicki flustered for a minute before waving a hand. “I mean, I agree he’s doing the right thing by being there for you and the baby, but…”
Dare waited, impatience rising by the second.
Her friend stopped fussing and a look of complete satisfaction replaced the earlier frustration. “Oh, this is good. This is really good.”
“What?” Dare didn’t attempt to keep her irritation out of her voice. “I will do something evil to you if you don’t stop looking at me like I’m the most interesting science experiment you’ve seen in a long time.”
Vicki relented, a smile blooming across her face. “It’s just that it’s pretty clear to me that you’re in love.”
Dare swallowed hard. My God, she hoped wearing her heart on her sleeve didn’t end up embarrassing Jesse. “You can tell?”
Her friend nodded. “Un
less you’re up for Academy-nominee-level acting awards, everything since you showed up on Jaxi and Blake’s doorstep has said you were a couple. A real couple.”
Dare did a double take. “Wait. You think Jesse’s in love with me?”
“That’s what I just said.” Vicki raised a brow. “You didn’t know that part either? What have you two been doing? And that was a rhetorical question because obviously…”
She gestured toward Buckaroo.
“Hey, you’re in the same condition,” Dare pointed out.
“Well, it’s pretty damn hard to say no to a Coleman when they’re being all sexy and whatnot, but this isn’t about the babies.” She leaned back in her chair, a gloating expression on her face. “So. What do you do with this newfound knowledge? Or more specifically, how can I blackmail you with it?”
“I’m not too pregnant to put a hurt on you,” Dare warned, but she was smiling because maybe it wasn’t a terrible thing. Maybe if Vicki thought she and Jesse were already a real couple, then it wasn’t too far of a stretch for it to be real.
Still, she was cognizant of the fact Jesse was still finding his way back home. He had enough things he was working on.
She met Vicki’s gaze. “I think what I need is for you to just be happy for me, and let me figure out when and where it’s right to let Jesse know how I feel.”
Vicki caught her fingers in a squeeze. “I am happy for you. I’m actually really happy, because I didn’t expect this.”
“For me to fall in love with Jesse?”
Her friend shifted uncomfortably for a moment. “It’s a little more selfish than that. I didn’t expect Jesse to have such good taste when he fell in love. I always thought he’d pick someone who was a bit of an asshole, but you’re not.”
“I’m a lot of an asshole?” Dare teased, glowing inside from the phrase Jesse falling in love.
Vicki laughed. “What you are is a wonderful person, and I’m glad he brought you into my life.”
“I’m glad too.” It wasn’t just family for Buckaroo that she’d discovered. It was family for her as well, and she shuffled out of the chair and offered Vicki a close hug, and it was nothing like that first day when they’d met, almost reluctant to discover they enjoyed each other’s company.
It was real.
Dare shook a finger at Vicki. “Don’t you say anything, and I mean not to Joel either.”
Vicki made a face. “Really?”
Dammit, she couldn’t make that kind of demand. “Okay, if you have to talk about what a fool I am, you have to make Joel promise not to tell Jesse. I swear I’ll get around to it as quickly as I can.”
Her friend drew an X over her chest. “I solemnly swear I will make sure Joel doesn’t tell Jesse that you are already head-over-heels in love with him.”
Dare snickered. “That will have to do, I guess.”
Vicki loaded up a half-dozen cookies, and Dare headed home, holding tight to a bag that contained a warm gift of friendship.
It was nearly as sweet as the warm glow of love in her heart.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jesse somehow managed to step on Dare’s last nerve before they’d even finished breakfast. She spent more time glaring than finishing her toast.
“What?” he demanded.
Her eyes narrowed. “If I have to explain why I’m mad, you’re going to regret it.”
“I just said I didn’t think you needed to be hauling stuff all over the house. I can help you when I get home later.”
“After I said decorating was something I was looking forward to doing? I’m bored, Jesse. There’s not a lot on the approved list for me with this weight in front of me.”
She picked up her toast and snapped off a piece, baring her teeth at him. Mad, but still able to tease.
He could handle that. “Okay. If it makes you happy, and it’s on the approved list—”
“Asshole,” she muttered, loud enough for him to hear, all the while picking an invisible speck off her sleeve.
He ignored her, but couldn’t stop his smile from widening as he kept going. “—I hope you have a wonderful time decorating. If there’s anything you need help with, I’ll be home later.”
Dare swallowed then offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry I’m a grump.”
He grabbed their plates and carried them to the counter before returning to press a kiss to her temple.
“You’re cute when you’re a grump.” He leaned over and spoke to her belly. “Be good for your mama. No elbowing her in the bladder, and keep those boots off her ribs.”
He pressed a kiss to the swell, somewhat astonished Dare was able to continue to do as much as she was with Buckaroo taking up so much room.
His good mood followed him all the way over to Joel’s.
His brother stepped out of the trailer, Vicki following. Joel turned back and gave Vicki a concentrated kiss, one hand sliding possessively over her waist. She wasn’t showing yet, but it was clear they were both pretty hyped about the baby.
It was Joel who brought up the idea. “I want to go up to check out the house. Come with me? We can ride.”
Ever since they’d returned to the Six Pack ranch, Jesse had been avoiding Sunset Ridge. The thought of it, though, had become this itch at the back of his brain. It seemed smarter to stay away than have to face the final truth—that his earlier decisions had changed part of his future irrevocably.
But now, with Joel asking, it seemed he just had to face the truth and deal.
“Sure,” he agreed as cheerfully as possible.
Which was how they ended up stepping back in time, the horses carrying them on the familiar route to where the land hit the foothills, variations in height rising in waves and rounded hillocks as if the land itself were pregnant.
They approached from the east, which meant they were nearly at the top of the rise before the building site became visible.
What the hell?
He looked over at Joel. “What’s going on?”
His brother’s lips curled into a smile. “Looking good, right?”
Without answering Jesse’s question, he urged his horse ahead till there was too much distance to demand a response.
Because when they’d topped the ridge, there wasn’t just one house in construction, there were two.
By the time Jesse caught up with Joel, his brother had dismounted and left his horse grazing. Jesse dropped his reins as well, and made his way to where activity was visible, a crew of men raising sheeting onto sidewalls and nailing it into place.
The building site made no sense. Two houses?
Oh. The Colemans were always doing house shuffles. Maybe Matt and Hope didn’t want to live in town anymore.
The ache in Jesse’s gut got deeper.
“The post-and-beam packages were up for sale,” Joel shared. “Someone paid the first half of the deposit then went bankrupt, so the company offered a fire sale if we’d take the frames off their hands. All we had to pay were the outstanding second payments. It was too good a deal to turn down.”
“Only paid half? Seriously?”
“We were in the right place at the right time.” Joel lifted a hand and pointed to the nearest house, the one on the north. “Vicki and I decided to put a small porch on this side for when we want to catch the sunrise, but the bigger porch is on the west.”
Jesse couldn’t make heads or tails of it. In fact, all he could do was point at the second building.
His brother hesitated. “Blake said not to say anything yet, but fuck it. That’s your house, Jesse. Yours and Dare’s”
The words didn’t make any sense. “What?”
For a second Joel didn’t say anything then his lips curled into a smirk. “Damn your face right now is hysterical.”
Screw what his face looked like, it felt as if his brains were dribbling out his ears. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Joel gestured at the second construction rising on the south lot. “When we brought in the guys t
o do the foundation, I convinced Blake it only made sense. Like taking down the old barn. There was no reason not to have them do the second basement while they were here. Plus, it was a sweet deal on the framing packages.”
“You’re building us a house.” Jesse shook his head.
“The Colemans are building two houses,” Joel corrected him. “Vicki and I get the house to the north, and if you want it, the one to the south is yours.”
There was nothing real about this entire situation except when Jesse looked hard and blinked, the house was still there. Walls finished to vertical, the roof already shingled.
“I don’t understand,” he admitted.
“You always said you wanted the south site.”
“It’s a better site,” Jesse said automatically. “That’s why I bossed you around to make sure you knew I wanted it.”
“It’s a matter of opinion which is better,” Joel said easily. “And I couldn’t build there.”
“Why not?”
Joel looked shocked. “It was yours.”
Jesse stared at him, unable to move.
His brother took a deep breath. “When you left, it was a hell of a shock, but even when I was pissed off beyond belief, I always hoped you would come back. When you finally came to your senses, I wanted you to have what we’d always dreamed about. I didn’t want you to feel like you’d been left out of something that was important to us both.”
Something turned inside Jesse at that moment, like the final tumbler falling into place to undo a lock.
There are moments that define a life, he realized.
Leaving his family, even for what turned out to be childish and selfish reasons, had been one of those moments. His stupid decision to crawl into bed with Vicki had been another. Heck, he could argue it had been the catalyst for everything that had come after. Choosing to track down Dare, choosing to return to the ranch—those were all forks in the road where he’d decided which way to go.
Yet right now it hit hard that it was still a selfish way to live. To consider which path he’d felt led to take, and which turns had brought him to this moment.