Accounting for Love - A Long Valley Romance: Country Western Romance Novel

by Wright, Erin

  Her finger trailed down the page, searching for the corresponding entry. Reaching the last entry on the page, she could not believe what she was seeing.

  A warm and scratchy sensation was forming on her neck, but even that felt miles away.

  This is not possible. Not freaking possible!

  “I said breakfast is ready. Are you in there?”

  Jennifer finally let the voice distract her from what she was looking at.

  Stetson was behind her, leaning into her neck, kissing her just below the ear.

  “Oh, hi!” she said in surprise.

  “‘Oh hi’? I could’ve been a vampire sucking the blood from your neck and all I get is an ‘oh hi’?”

  “Sorry, I get a little lost in my work sometimes,” she responded automatically, her mind still running at warp speed. If what she just saw was true…

  “I can see that. Welcome back.”

  “Oh. Thanks. Did you say breakfast is ready?”

  “Yeah, about ten minutes ago. You hungry?”

  “Starved,” Jennifer said, finally focused on the present. “I’m sorry. I bet Carmelita is upset that it’s getting cold.”

  “No. Your distraction gave her a chance to get out of the house.”

  “Get out of the house?”

  “She finished cooking, put the food on the plates, and then said she needed to get working on the garden,” Stetson explained.

  “What has she got going on in the garden?”

  “My guess is nothing.”

  “Nothing?” Jennifer echoed, confused.

  “My guess, and this is based on her odd behavior and the grin on her face this morning, is that she likes the idea of you and me, and wants to give us as much space as possible.”

  “Ohhhh…” Jennifer said, comprehension finally dawning. Her blush reappeared.

  “Let’s eat,” Stetson said, holding out his hand.

  Breakfast was amazing. Stetson pulled a foil-covered plate out of the warm oven. Removing the covering revealed a towering stack of thick, fluffy, blueberry pancakes. Eggs were in a pan on the stove and a bowl of cut fruit came from the fridge.

  “I have never had a breakfast that was even closed to this,” Jennifer gushed, spreading butter on her pancakes.

  “She is funny,” Stetson commented cryptically.

  “Carmelita? How so?”

  “This is the kind of breakfast she would cook for us way back before Mom died and my brothers went off to do their own things. I think she really enjoys feeding a ton of people. As the house has emptied out, she has had fewer and fewer chances to cook like this. I think she may have gone a bit overboard this morning.”

  Jennifer looked at the table. There was a ton of food for just two people, but everything was prepared with obvious love. The pancakes were massive and not a bite without a blueberry. The fruit was cut into precisely-sized pieces and the eggs were perfectly round, like they had been cooked in a mold.

  Jennifer nodded her agreement as she chewed on a mouth full of pancake.

  “What had you so distracted this morning?” Stetson asked, taking advantage of her full mouth.

  Washing the bit down with some milk, Jennifer was finally able to talk. She was glad he had brought up the topic.

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. At some point, we need to sit down and talk about the finances as a whole, but before we get into all of that, there’s something I wanted to ask you about. I was going through the ledger that lists all of the farm’s assets - that’s what had me so distracted this morning - and I noticed there was a—”

  Her question was interrupted by a knocking at the door.

  “I wonder who that could be,” Stetson commented as he stood up.

  “One of your brothers?”

  “No, they still see this place as home so they never knock,” he tossed over his shoulder as he headed for the front door. “I should’ve mentioned that earlier so you don’t shock them by running around naked.”

  Stetson turned and waggled his eyebrows at her lasciviously before disappearing into the living room and the front door beyond which was receiving a second knock. She laughed at his antics. She wasn’t sure if Carmelita would appreciate her running around naked any more than the brothers…

  She sat at the kitchen table, torn between the sadness of abandoning such a wonderful meal, and curiosity about who was at the door.

  It isn’t my house and besides, there are fresh blueberries.

  She dug back into her pancakes. The conversation at the front door was quiet enough that she really couldn’t make out what was being said. She assumed it was the usual greeting and explanation of why the visitor was stopping by.

  “Who are you again?” she clearly heard Stetson ask.

  The sound of an indistinct response filter back to her ears.

  “Are you with the bank?” Stetson’s question brought her to full attention.

  Crap. Is Greg here to check up on me?

  Jennifer was up from the table and halfway across the kitchen when she froze. She was wearing a tank top and pajama pants. If she walked out there right now, Greg would know she was sleeping with a client.

  The car accident! That’s it. I will explain about the car and say that I’m staying in the guest bedroom because I can’t commute. He may have my head anyway, but I can’t just hide in the kitchen as Stetson gets yelled at.

  She was about to head into the living room when the conversation stopped her again. She was close enough now to hear the other side.

  “I’m not with the bank.”

  “But you said…”

  “I got her location from the bank, but I don’t work for the bank.”

  What the hell is he doing here?!

  “Fine, but what purpose do you have for coming out here?” Stetson was asking when she put her hand on his back to let him know she was there.

  “That’s a very good question, Stetson,” she said, looking up at him and smiling with all of the love she felt in her heart. She turned towards Paul. “What purpose do you have coming out here?”

  The pale and slightly balding man on the front porch looked at her and managed to find a way to turn a lighter shade of pale.

  “Is this how you dress for work when you are on assignment?!” Paul asked, squeaking a bit with shock.

  “This is how I dress on a Saturday morning. How did you know I was here?”

  Jennifer was doing everything she could to keep her anger in check, but she could already feel that it was a moment-to-moment battle that she was going to lose.

  “I went to see you at the bank. To talk to you,” Paul said while he continued to look her up and down. Stetson reached out his right arm and pulled her close to his side in a clearly possessive gesture. Paul gulped but plunged on. “You have been very rude in your text messages, and I thought maybe you would be more civil in person.”

  You are going to lecture me on manners?

  “I think we are way past civility at this point,” she said, feeling her control slip a bit.

  “You should be nicer to me. I’m willing to give you a second chance.”

  Jennifer looked at Stetson and wondered who would lose their temper first. The tic in Stetson’s cheek made her think he might be the first one to the finish line. “I don’t want a second chance. I shouldn’t have taken the first chance,” she said curtly.

  I’ve got to get him out of here before Stetson kills him.

  “Now don’t say that, Pumpkin, you know you were happy when we were together,” Paul said in a high-pitched condescending tone that he, somehow, thought was convincing.

  “‘Pumpkin’?” Stetson asked in a whisper through gritted teeth. His right hand was squeezing her arm so hard, she was pretty sure she was going to end up with five long, finger-shaped bruises on her upper arm. She knew he was completely oblivious to it, and also knew it was keeping him from swinging that arm at Paul. That hand was still covered in bandages from the cut across his knuckles but at leas
t for the moment, Stetson seemed completely oblivious to the damage he’d done to that hand.

  “I think you should leave,” Jennifer said loudly, interrupting the stare down, focusing all of her concern on keeping Stetson out of prison.

  “I am not leaving without you,” Paul said firmly.

  Jennifer heard a snap and looked down at Stetson’s left hand. It was balled so tightly into a fist, his knuckles were bright white.

  Why is he here? Why now?

  “Hold on, the bank told you I was here?” Jennifer asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

  Paul rested his hands on his hips and let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Why is this important? Yes, the people at the bank told me where you were. You know it is poor grammar to refer to the bank as a living entity.”

  Thus says the man who couldn’t spell ‘jealousy.’

  “That should be against the rules,” Stetson hissed through his locked teeth.

  “It is,” Jennifer whispered back.

  Keep it together and get Paul out of here.

  Jennifer sucked in a deep breath, trying to secure her grip on her own temper.

  “Paul, let me be very clear. It’s been two years. I have moved on. I do not want a second chance. The people at the bank should not have told you where I was, and you need to leave right now.”

  “Greg thought you’d be happy to see me.”

  “You’re missing the point!” she snapped back. “Wait - Greg told you where I was?”

  “Yeah. I asked the lady at the counter if you were there. She told me you were out of town conducting an audit. When I asked which town you were in, she said she couldn’t tell me, but Greg was standing in the lobby and asked me to come into his office. He said he thought you would be happy to see me and have an excuse to get out of this pigsty so, even though he usually didn’t give out that type of information, he told me where you were working and said I should come see you. He thought it would be a nice surprise.”

  I bet he did.

  “Just leave, Paul, and never contact me again.”

  “Pumpkin, I know you’re the jealous type, but I have to work with female co-workers. It’s just like any other job,” Paul said, obviously changing tactics. “You work with men and I don’t get upset. I’m willing to be patient while you work through your issues. Now, isn’t that what you really wanted from me?”

  That. Is. It!

  Jennifer’s body began to shake uncontrollably. The heat in her face felt like an inferno. She was speechless. Her vision tunneled until she only saw Paul in shades of red.

  Paul, continuing to misread the situation, took her silence to mean he could keep talking.

  “I understand you have a job to do, but I don’t like you staying in the same house as that man. You will go get a room in town until you’re done here. You’ll come back home, and we’ll pick up where we left off. Until then, I want you to text me at least twice a day and call me every evening.”

  Stetson started to move, but Jennifer placed a hand on his chest to stop him.

  This is my fight, and I want to kill this son-of-a-bitch.

  “I did not and do not have a problem with men and women working together,” Jennifer said, her voice shaking. “What I did have a problem with, was you bringing your female co-workers to our home to have sex in our bed!”

  “You cheated on her in your own home?” Stetson yelled, the added information tipping his view of the betrayal over some self-imposed edge. His booming voice carried the message that his temper was nearly out of control. His arm dropped from around her, and his fists landed on his hips as he stared down at Paul.

  “I don’t need your honky-tonk, hick sense of nobility right now. An inbred one-toothed yokel like you wouldn’t understand,” Paul snapped back.

  “What I do understand is that you are on my farm,” Stetson said, slowly walking toward the scrawny man, his steps sounding like thunder as his boots pounded down on the porch. “If you don’t leave right now, I will make you leave.”

  “You can’t do that,” Paul shouted back.

  Jennifer was frozen. She could not make herself move to intercede.

  Oh God, Stetson is going to kill him, and I may just let it happen.

  “The hell I can’t,” Stetson said, still advancing on Paul, making the smaller man scramble backward off the front porch. “This is my land and if I think you are a threat to me, my home, or any of the people who are invited to be here, I can shoot you if I want. Leave!”

  Stetson was off the porch and still advancing on Paul, who was slipping on the loose gravel and wet dirt as he backed up.

  “That’s a threat. You are threatening me,” Paul squeaked as he stumbled away. “I’m going to call the cops. I’ll have you thrown in jail for threatening my life.”

  “Go ahead,” Stetson thundered.

  “You want me to call the cops on you? You are nuts. I am! I’m going to call the cops,” Paul stuttered, digging into his pocket.

  “The sheriff comes and hunts on my land every fall. Please, I’m begging you, call the cops,” Stetson snarled.

  The fact took a moment to hit home with Paul, and Stetson gave just enough time for the other man to make the connection.

  “When he gets here, he won’t see me making threats. He’ll see you trespassing. So go ahead, call him.”

  Jennifer watched Stetson glare at her former boyfriend while the idiot played the possible outcomes over in his mind. Jennifer could sense the confrontation was nearing an end. The relief allowed her to change the focus of her thoughts.

  God, I want him. I want him right now. I want every part of him. Here, on the porch and I don’t care who sees. I have to have that man right now!

  In the brief moment it took for Jennifer to quantify her lust, Paul had found his way into his car and was trying to get the key in the ignition.

  “Moron,” Stetson mumbled as he stomped back onto the porch.

  “God, I thought you were going to hit him!” Jennifer said, laughing. The relief of having the confrontation over with was overwhelming.

  “Yeah, but my daddy taught me to never hit a girl,” Stetson said and grinned at her. Grabbing him by the wrist, Jennifer tugged Stetson back towards the door.

  “Come with me right now,” was all she said.

  Chapter 18

  Stetson’s anger did not have time to abate; Jennifer drug him straight upstairs. As they were climbing the stairs up to the bedroom, Stetson had time to be thankful that Carmelita decided to stay away from the house for the day.

  I have no clue what Jennifer is up to, but I’m glad I won’t have to explain it to Carmelita later.

  The funny thought did help push some of the anger away, but he was still riding the adrenaline from the unpleasant encounter. He would have liked some time to process what had just happened, but Jennifer had other plans and by the looks of things, he was going to like this plan.

  Pulling him into the bedroom and pushing the door closed behind them with her foot, she spun around and began tugging wildly at the hem of his shirt. She tugged, pulled, and jerked until it was mostly untucked.

  “Get that off. Now.”

  Whatever this mood is, it makes her hot.

  Stetson released the top few buttons of his shirt, but was having trouble working his shaking fingers. Jennifer was making it harder for him to take off the shirt. She had continued the pulling and tugging, this time on his belt and jeans.

  Giving up on the buttons, Stetson pulled the shirt over his head. As the shirt cleared his head, he felt his pants fall as well. The long-sleeve shirt bound around his wrists at the cuffs. He wrestled to free his hands. His concentration shifted from his trapped hands back to Jennifer when she liberated the rest of him from his boxers.

  She looked at him in a way that was pure fire, lust, and desire rolled into one. His heart skipped a beat in his chest when she dropped to her knees in front of him and enveloped his entire length in one smooth motion.


  The heat and moisture of her mouth and the desire for this sensation that Stetson had forcibly ignored for so long, forced his head to rock back and his eyes to shut. The moan of pleasure was involuntary, drawn out of him by her rocking motions.

  Stetson felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge every time Jennifer pushed forward. He was certain there was no way he could resist any longer and then…she stopped.

  She stood up. He couldn’t contain his groan. She ignored it.

  “You have far too many clothes on,” she said before hastily shucking her own clothes.

  Frantic to resume, Stetson tugged feverishly at the shirt trapping his hands while at the same time kicking at the heels of his boots.

  Still behind Jennifer in the race to remove clothing - she only had to take off a tank top and a pair of pajama pants, so really, she had a head start - Stetson struggled to accomplish any single task. Jennifer continued to frustrate his efforts by taking hold of him and stroking him as he kicked and tugged. Any blood that had managed to get to his brain and help him operate things like buttons quickly drained away again.

  Eventually, gravity won out and Stetson tumbled sideways onto the bed. His mind registered the disappointment of falling out of her grasp as he hit the mattress and bounced.

  Free of the challenges of keeping his balance, Stetson made up for lost time, finally kicking his boots free and yanking one wrist from his shirt cuff. He heard the cuff buttons ricochet off the nightstand and rattle around on the bedroom floor.

  Meanwhile, impatient with his slow clothing removal process, Jennifer grabbed his jeans and yanked them off from around his ankles. She also managed to pull off one sock. Stetson was able to scoot farther onto the bed just before she pounced on him. He could feel the heat of her thighs envelope his hips. She leaned forward, pressing her bare chest to his.

  Her kisses were fast, hard, and insistent. She reached up, curling her arm around his head, and grabbed a handful of his hair. The tingling pain excited him even further. Stetson began moving his hips around, trying to direct himself into her, but she moved away from him.

  “No,” she said firmly, tugging his hair to reinforce the point. Taking the hint, Stetson settled back, willing himself to let whatever was going to happen, just happen. Jennifer released his hair and sat up. She repositioned herself so that she could hover over him. She continued to tease him, letting the tip slide past her opening.