Prairie Bliss

by Tessa Layne

  “Too bad you don’t have a crisis bottle,” Jamey said sadly.

  “Sweetie-pie, you know me better than that. I always keep a bottle in my office now. For emergencies.”

  They followed Dottie to the diner and filed in. Jarrod hung back, scanning the street for any signs of mischief. Dottie caught him up in a bear hug when he stepped inside. “You’re a good, good man, Jarrod O’Neill. You’re as good as they come. Just like your sister. And I’m proud to call you family,” she said, emotion thickening her voice. “What you did tonight was brave and honorable, and just what my baby girl needed.”

  He squeezed the plump woman back. “I meant every word,” he said. “I love Lexi.”

  “I know, and she loves you too, even if she can’t admit it yet. Give her time, she’ll get there.”

  “I’m a very patient man, Dottie.”

  She winked. “Go get yourself a slice of pie. And one for Lexi, too. She’s hiding out in the office.”

  “Thanks for the tip.” He found his sister passing out shots. “Two doubles.”

  “Doubles?” she said arching a brow.

  “Okay, make them triples.”

  “Hmm. I sense a deep conversation coming.”

  “Hope so.” He balanced the two glasses in his hand, tucked two forks, knives, and napkins into his suit pocket, and swiped an entire pie off the cooling rack on his way to the back office. The door was shut. He tapped the door with his boot. “Lexi? You in there?”

  He tapped again. “Can you open the door?”

  A second later a chair scraped and two seconds after that the door opened a crack. “I think I need to be alone,” she said.

  “I brought pie. And whiskey,” he offered. “Please can I come in?”

  She opened the door wider. “You brought a whole pie?”

  “I’m hungry.” For a lot more than pie.

  She motioned him in, then shut and locked the door, leaning against it. “I don’t know what to say, Jarrod. Your speech tonight… Thank you. You deserve to win.”

  Jarrod cleared a burr from his throat. “The only win I care about is with you, Lexi.” He placed the pie and the whiskey on the desk and crossed back, gathering her into his arms. “God, when I saw what they’d done… I went ballistic. I wanted to break something. I wanted to break them,” he whispered fiercely. “I’ve been so scared someone would hurt you and that I wouldn’t be there to keep you safe.”

  She cupped his face. “I know, and I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. I was scared too. And pissed as hell. If it’s any consolation, I wanted to beat people, too.”

  “My little fighter,” he said with pride, nuzzling her cheek. She smelled so sweet. Her perfume did crazy things to his libido. “I meant what I said, back there. All of it.” He brought his hands to her cheeks. “I love you with all my heart. I’ll do anything to keep you safe, and no matter what happens in two days’ time, I want you to know I’m all in, for as long as you’ll have me.” He brushed his mouth across hers, tentatively, hoping his declaration hit home. He slowly applied more pressure, encouraged by the needy little sighs coming from the back of her throat. Her tongue flicked his lower lip, and he was lost, deepening the kiss with a greedy moan of his own. Kissing her was like coming home, something slid into place deep inside him, like the last missing piece of a puzzle that was now complete.

  “I love you too, Jarrod,” she said when they broke apart. “I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you in the kitchen at my sister’s wedding and you were cuddling Fiona.” Lexi pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “But I’ll never stop fighting you if I think you’re wrong.”

  “Then I look forward to lots of make-up sex,” he answered, taking her mouth again, this time with more urgency.

  “Jarrod?” she asked between kisses. “The door’s locked for a reason.”

  “It is?” It took a moment to register what she was really saying. “It is?” Fuck. “I don’t have a condom on me,” he said with more than a little regret.

  “I think we can dispense with those,” she said with a coy smile. “I’ve used an IUD for years, and if you’re all in… well, then… so am I,” she said in a breathy rush.

  His cock sprang to life. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded, eyes shining.

  Jarrod’s voice dropped to a whisper. “But we’re in your mother’s office.”

  “I know.” She grinned. “Isn’t it naughty?”

  He dropped his head back, a hearty laugh escaping, even as his cock grew to the point of tenting his jeans. “I fucking love you, Lexi,” he growled claiming her mouth in a ferocious, needy kiss, tongues tangling, teeth nipping, breath gasping. “What’s your pleasure, up against the door, or bent over the desk?”

  “Both?” she answered with a throaty laugh of her own.

  “I can more than oblige.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Two nights later

  * * *

  Two hours after the polls closed, half the town was squeezed into Dottie’s Diner. A spontaneous potluck had sprung up between the two camps of volunteers, and although Big Mike had offered up his brewery, Lexi had wanted to gather at her mom’s. “I have a new experimental brew to bring over. A saison. I’m calling it Victory Brew.”

  “Sounds perfect,” Lexi agreed. “I’m sure ma will serve beer this one time. And Mike?”

  He blushed through his beard. “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for everything?” She gave him a big hug. “I’m so glad we’re friends.”

  He squeezed her back. “No matter what happens tonight, you’re a champ, and we’re all proud of you. And your guy ain’t half-bad either.”

  “Only half-bad?” Jarrod asked with a wink, wrapping an arm around Lexi. “Guess my work is still cut out for me.” He offered his hand to Mike, who shook it with a grin.

  “Beers are on the house the next time you two come in.”

  Lexi turned to Jarrod and pressed a kiss to his jaw. “I missed you today. Did you get your errand done?”

  “Yep.” He slipped a key into the pocket of her jeans. “It was going to take a month before your truck could get sanded and repainted. So I bought you a new one. Figured you’d like a fresh start.”

  What? He’d bought her a truck? “This shouldn’t make me giddy, but it does. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say you’ll thank me later,” he murmured into her ear, drawing his hand across her ass. Fortunately, the diner was so packed, no one would notice that Jarrod was feeling her up.

  “A real truck?”

  “Definitely not a pretend one. Same model as your previous one. Silver instead of white. I hope that’s okay?”

  Lexi wrapped her hands around Jarrod’s neck and stood on tiptoe. “That’s more than okay,” she murmured, giving him a kiss full on the mouth. “I’m the luckiest woman alive.” She couldn’t believe the heart of this man, how he cared for her, how he shared his soft side, how he challenged her and encouraged her all at the same time. This was what her sisters had, and now she finally had it too.

  She looked around, heart full. Right here, were the people she loved most — her sisters and their husbands, Jamey and the Sinclaires in the next circle. Her dad. Her mom in her favorite spot behind the counter.

  The bell above the diner door jangled loudly as Judge Peterson entered with a large manila envelope. Lexi glanced at Jarrod, and for once, he looked… nervous. How odd. They’d already agreed two nights ago that the outcome didn’t matter. Lexi slipped her hand into his as they both watched Judge Peterson weave his way through the crowd and back behind the long Formica countertop where Dottie was slicing more pie. He bent and said something to Dottie, then grabbed a glass from the shelf and tapped it with a spoon. But it was too noisy, no one stopped talking until her mother let out one of her signature deafening whistles. “Results, people. Judge Peterson has the official results.”

  The place quieted and Judge Peterson cleared his throat.

  “Wait,”
Jarrod hollered. “Can we wait just a second?”

  Lexi’s brows knit. “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Jarrod said, still talking very loudly. “Everything’s right. Everything’s perfect. But I have something to say before the results are read.”

  “What are you doing?” she hissed. “This isn’t what we talked about.” Butterflies fluttered against Lexi’s chest. She just wanted this whole thing to be over so that she and Jarrod could move on with a new chapter of their lives together.

  Jarrod took her hands. “Lexi, we learned how to love from our parents, how to fight with our siblings and still love hard.” He still spoke loudly so that the room could hear.

  Lexi’s pulse began to jump erratically in her veins.

  “But no one has taught me more about love, about compassion, and about being true to yourself than you have,” he said in a voice thick with emotion.

  Lexi blinked at the prickles suddenly bothering her eyes.

  “I love you with all my heart, and regardless of the outcome of tonight, I want us to go into tomorrow knowing that we’ll always have each other, no matter what. Lexi, will you be my wife? Will you marry me, and carry our children, fight with me, make-up with me, and be my partner through thick and thin for the rest of our lives?”

  He slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out an enormous diamond ring. The thing had to be two carats, at least. Then he dropped to a knee. “What do you say?

  “Say yes,” someone shouted from the back.

  Lexi dropped to her knees. “Yes, yes, of course, absolutely, a thousand times yes,” she said cupping his face in her hands and giving him a sloppy kiss through the tears streaming down her face.

  Cheers, claps, shouts, and whistles all erupted around them, but Lexi didn’t hear any of it. She only heard Jarrod’s words on repeat in her head. He placed the ring on her finger and kissed her again. “Is it okay? Do you like it?”

  “It’s perfect. I love it. I love you. I can’t wait to meet your big family, and to be your wife. But I have to ask, was the truck just a ploy?”

  Jarrod made a mischievous face. “Not exactly. I wanted to get you a new truck when I found out how long it would take to fix the damaged one. But the dealership in Manhattan isn’t too far from a jewelry shop your dad recommended.”

  “So they knew?” She glanced up at her sisters who beamed down at her, unapologetic for their role in this lovely surprise.

  Jarrod nodded with a chuckle. “Lydia overheard me talking with your dad, and you can guess what happened after that. They all wanted to weigh in on what kind of ring to get you.”

  Lexi snorted. “I can only imagine.”

  “In the end, I took Lydia with me, and I’m really glad,” he said with a rueful expression. “Because picking out a ring was the hardest damned decision I’ve ever had to make.”

  “You could have given me a cigar ring, and I’d have said yes.” She kissed him again, then flashed her hand. The ring was truly beautiful, a round bezel set diamond, encased in smaller diamonds, with pavé set diamonds along the band. It was glittery and perfect.

  “Can I have your attention please,” Judge Peterson shouted. “For the second time?” A hush fell over the crowd again. Judge Peterson looked around the room. “Before I begin, are there any other surprises?” Laughter rippled through the crowd, but no one spoke up. “In that case, let me begin by saying that in my forty years of being a judge, I’ve never seen results like this in a local election.”

  Lexi’s stomach dropped, and she glanced over at Jarrod. He squeezed her hand, looking as mystified as she was.

  “I would like to congratulate both candidates. You comported yourselves honorably and with dignity. The people have spoken thusly.” He cleared his throat and opened the manila envelope, drawing out a piece of paper. “Nine-hundred-sixty-four votes for Jarrod O’Neill.” A smattering of applause and accolades went up.

  Lexi’s stomach hollowed, and she gave Jarrod a reassuring squeeze. Those were awful results. There were around four-thousand voters, and he’d received less than twenty-five percent. Her heart ached for him.

  “Nine-hundred-sixty-seven votes for Alexis Grace.” More cheers and accolades rippled across the room. Lexi looked at Jarrod, utterly flummoxed. Surely there had been more turnout than that? She hadn’t spoken with one person who said they wouldn’t be voting.

  “And with a clear majority, by write-in, with one-thousand-nine-hundred-eighty-seven votes.” Judge Peterson looked around the room. Lexi could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet. “Dottie Grace.”

  Her mother? Her mother was the new mayor?

  The room gasped, and all eyes turned to them. Lexi and Jarrod looked at each other, stunned. Then Lexi looked over at her mother, who stood next to Judge Peterson slack-jawed, eyes enormous saucers. She’d never seen her mother shocked speechless. Not even after the tornado. A giggle escaped from her mouth, then another, and another, growing louder and more forceful with each breath. She looked at Jarrod, who burst out laughing and pulled her into his embrace, chest rumbling against her cheek. Then she heard her mother’s clear, hearty laugh booming across the room. It was the spark that ignited the fire. The entire room erupted in cheers and applause, belly laughs and hoots. Lexi wiped tears from her eyes, and still the laughter came. She couldn’t stop. It was the funniest, most poetically perfect ending to the special election. Her mother was the glue that held this town through tragedy, the hope they needed to rebuild, there was no one more perfectly suited to be mayor.

  She and Jarrod pushed their way through the crowd to where her mother was surrounded by her dad and sisters. “Mama,” she called, squeezing through them. “Mama, can you believe it?” she said on a laugh and throwing herself into her mother’s arms.

  “I’m just speechless. I don’t know what to say sweetie-pie.”

  “You’re going to be great. It’s perfect, this is all perfect. We can help in the diner if you need us.”

  “I didn’t even think about that. Oh my, there’s so much to think about. I just don’t know what to say.”

  “Well you better think of something fast,” Teddy said with a twinkle in his eye. “Speech,” he shouted, and very quickly cries of, “Speech, speech,” rose across the room.

  Dottie brushed her cheeks and went to stand behind the Formica counter. “I really don’t know what to say.”

  “Say yes,” the same voice from earlier shouted.

  “I’m honored to accept the position of mayor.” More shouts and cheers erupted. Dottie waved a hand. “Hush now, you’re going to see me cry for maybe the first time ever. You all know how much I love this town. How much each and every one of you mean to me. We’ve been through some hard times,” she said with a little hiccup. “Real hard times. But we came through stronger, with closer friendships than ever before. And if we continue to stick together through thick and thin, then we’ll have a place that’s real nice to leave to our kids and grandkids.” More applause interrupted her. “Hang on, I’m not quite done.” Dottie looked at Teddy, then each of her daughters, eyes landing on Lexi last. She blinked rapidly, putting a hand on her heart. “A mother can’t ever say how deeply proud she is of her children, because there are no words. And I’m proud of every one of you, and I love you to the tips of my toes.”

  Lexi’s throat grew so tight, it was hard to breathe. She felt like there was a mountain of tears piling up behind her eyeballs. Not from sadness, but from love. Her heart was overflowing with love and all the extra had somehow made its way to her eyes.

  “I will do my best to be a good mayor, but I’m not giving up my diner. So if that means office hours and city council meetings take place here over a slice of pie, then that’s how it’s going to roll. We’ve got more pie, and Mike very generously brought a new keg over, what’s it called again?”

  “Victory Brew,” Mike shouted from the back.

  “Tonight there’s coffee, beer, and pie for anyone who wants it. Tomorrow we ge
t to work.”

  One month later

  * * *

  Jarrod and Lexi stood at the edge of the Falcon Ridge Ranch property on the banks of Steele Creek. “I can’t believe it’s going to be ours.” Lexi beamed.

  Jarrod pulled her closer to his side. “I can’t believe I get to marry you tomorrow.”

  Lexi shot him a teasing glance. “You ready to become a rancher’s husband?”

  “I’m ready to become your partner in all things,” he said, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “I have to hand it to your mom, building consensus the way she did with the council.” The council had ultimately reached a compromise that the Watsons supported.

  Part of the land was zoned for mixed use, including land set aside for a community college and vocational technology school. The rest was broken into parcels and sold based on the proposals. A farm-to-fork ranch and cooking school had won one spot. Jamey would be instrumental in the menu development and helping to get the restaurant up and running. Colton and Cody were finally getting land for their rodeo school and practice arena. He and Lexi had proposed running heritage breeds of cattle and hogs, designed to supply the local restaurants with grass-fed, grass-finished meats. Or in the case of the hogs, forage fed. They were even going to partner with a butcher new to the area so that all butchering and curing would happen here in Prairie. It was a new venture for him, but he was ready. Jamey was right, once Prairie got into your blood, you had to stay.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Jarrod asked.

  Lexi let out a contented sigh. “I was just thinking that I have to tell dad that I managed to talk our cousin Maybelle into coming out to be foreman. Cody never could find anyone who lasted longer than a week.”

  “Seems to me family’s going to be a better fit.”

  “I sure hope so. She barrel races on the Prairie Circuit, so this is a good home base for her. Plus…” Lexi grinned up at him. “She arrived this morning, so I’ll have time to show her around before the wedding craziness starts tomorrow.”