“Touche.”
“Do you see yourself living here forever?” She whirled her fingers through the air.
Amusement danced in his eyes. “Once upon a time I believed I would, but dreams change, and so do people.”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you, Blue-eyes.” She touched his arm lightly, feeling his muscles tense under her fingers. She pulled away and clasped her hands into her lap. Anything to keep from touching him more. “There must be more to life than just breathing.”
“Wow, the country music business is that bad?”
“A woman has needs, ya know.”
He chuckled. “I don’t see you having any trouble having those needs met.”
She shrugged. “You might be wrong then. I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I haven’t been on a date.”
“You’ve had boyfriends.”
“Sure, but I’ve never been out on a date.”
His brows scrunched. “Never?”
“Never. I’ve had boyfriends and lovers, true, but never been on a ‘date date’ like what you read in romance novels. A dinner with candlelight, dancing, a peck on the cheek at the doorstep. I’ve always wanted to experience it at least once. Even when I was with my ex. I thought we would ‘date’, but we didn’t. We just didn’t have the time.”
“That sounds boring.”
“I ponder why I didn’t listen to what my mother told me regarding relationships. She said to me, “Men are a lot like bras. Bad bras make us feel suffocated. Good bras get us by. But great bras fit perfectly, making a woman feel lifted and sexy, and we don’t find ourselves wanting to take it off the second we walk in the door.’”
“So, the two things a woman should never settle on are bras and men?”
“You got it. In relationship, I didn’t have any expectations. I didn’t put limits on what I wanted. Bad mistake.”
“I think I’ve been wrong about you, Miss Garvey.”
“Is that right?”
“Sometimes we have to learn to forgive.”
She tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. “You must have believed that I’m horrible.”
His mouth broke out into a full smile that made her have the sudden urge to taste his very kissable lips.
“No, not horrible.”
“No?”
His gaze dropped over her body in a long, chaotic instant, leaving her lungs scorched. He needed to stop doing that or she’d never breathe right again. She wasn’t sure why he had so much control over her, but she was too far in to run like hell. She had a hankering to see what would come of this.
“I won’t lie. At fifteen I was crushed, but now I’m over it. Rejection is a rite of passage. I wasn’t the first shot down, and I won’t be the last. Rejection makes us stronger. Although I doubt you would know anything about that.”
“Oh, I certainly do. In high school, Steven Banks broke up with me to go out with Tiffany Stewart.”
“The football sensation dumped you? And for Tiffany?” He scrubbed his jaw.
“It took me six months to get over that loser. He ended up marrying her, and six years and three children later, she dumped him because he cheated. That girl did me a favor. I should send her a thank you card.”
“You should have gone to prom with me. We could have made the ‘loser’ jealous.” “As you remember, I had gone alone.”
“How’d that turn out for you?”
“Best time ever. My friends and I had a blast.”
The heat in his gaze told her he was relaxing around her, maybe even forgiving her a little. Good, because the more she talked to him, the more she wanted to. He was a good-looking cowboy, no doubt. Deliciously brawny and hard. But it wasn’t just his sexy physique that had her interest. The man was smart too. He wasn’t intimidated by her like many men were these days. She’d always wanted someone to get to know her. Not the celebrity side of her, but the woman who liked long walks on the beach, ice cream in a waffle cone, and skinny dips in a pond. The things she hadn’t done since she was much younger.
“About Steven, you didn’t see a future with him, did you? You had to hear the rumors before Tiffany.”
“That he slept with every cheerleader? Not true. He didn’t get to second base with me.”
“That’s not the one I was referring to. The one that he wore a little boy’s jock strap.”
She burst out laughing. “Are you serious? I didn’t hear that doozy.”
“Well, I can’t validate it first hand, but you know how locker room talk works.”
She rolled her tongue over her lips. “Is the rumor true that you and Mary Beth Winegardner slept together at a party our sophomore year?”
He blinked. “There was a rumor about her and me? Hell, I was her tutor all through middle school and high school, but that’s as far as things had gone. I liked her as a friend and probably understood her better than many. She was bullied because she was different, but I realized all the makeup and dark clothes were a detour so she didn’t have to get close to people. She and I had something in common. Our mothers both died when we were in diapers. Did you know that Mary Beth is now a big-time lawyer in New York? I saw her right before I retired from the rodeo. Plus, she looked completely different. She’d traded in the Goth look for designer dresses and heels.”
“I didn’t know you lost your mom, Jace. I just assumed…”
“That my grandparents were my biological mom and dad? Most people believed that and I didn’t bother correcting them. They were the only parents I ever knew.”
“Isn’t it crazy how people can grow up around each other and still not really know details? I’m sorry I didn’t say yes to your invite to the prom. I hope you believe that.”
“Hell, no apology necessary. You spurred me to get over that shy stage.”
“I overheard some of the cowboys talking at the rodeo. One of them said you were hurt pretty bad during a ride and you disappeared.” “I broke some bones that required surgery. It took a while before I healed. By then, the rodeo had gone on without me.” He turned on the engine. “Time is ticking. If you don’t want to go along, then you should step out.”
“Is that a roundabout way of inviting me?”
“I guess it is.”
“I’m game.” Wasting no time, she pulled the seatbelt across her midriff and locked it into place. “Ready for a road trip.”
They pulled away from Nirvana and headed into the countryside. She watched his large hands grip the steering wheel as a strange urge to hold his hand washed over her. That would be damn foolish. Just as turning him down back in high school had been one of her most foolish actions ever. Need traveled through her body like an exotic drug and took residence between her trembling thighs. The crazy urges were taking control, leaving her stunned. She was completely and totally at the mercy of the cowboy sitting next to her who seemed as cool as a winter morning in Alaska. Did he realize that if he touched her, one little itty-bitty touch, she’d be ready and willing? For what exactly? No reason for playing imprudent. She wanted him in a very bad—but very good—way. She wasn’t in Nashville anymore. She had stepped right into cupid’s cove and her fingernails ached to sink into some real cowboy.
The heat in her body was a welcome change. It had been a long time since she’d wanted a man, truly wanted him.
“Why aren’t you married? Or at least seeing someone?” she asked.
He chuckled. “That came out of nowhere.”
“Not really. You know you have women falling at your boots.”
He held his gaze on her for three beats of her heart. “Do I?”
Clearing her throat, she shifted, stretching her legs. “I’m guessing.” She didn’t want to open her book too soon for him to read. A woman had to maintain some secrets.
Shrugging a broad shoulder, he laid one palm on his thigh. “Out here in the middle of nowhere it’s not easy meeting Miss Right, that is if I was looking.”
“Seriously? I think you bei
ng at Nirvana is the very reason why you should have a significant other. Aren’t the cowboys the reason why women flock to Nirvana? To meet their dream man?”
“Is that what brought you to the ranch?”
“You’re what brought me to Nirvana, Jace. Let’s not beat around the bush. I think you realize that by now.”
“I figured as much,” he growled.
“And why does that bother you so much? You said you were starting to forgive me. I’m no longer a teenager, and no longer are you.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but—”
She moaned. “Come on, any time someone starts a sentence like that, it only sets the tone for offensive words.”
“Okay, then take it how you like, but you were a snob back in high school. Not only to me, but to others that weren’t in your social group. Do you ever think how many long-term friendships you and your friends missed out on by closing off people who were different?”
“You didn’t know me.”
“Did I need to know you?”
“Alright, I didn’t handle every situation the friendliest possible way, but you can’t dislike me because I was rude to you once.”
“Oh, I can’t be? If the tables were turned I’d bet you’d still be pissed.”
Sighing, she curled her fingers around the hem of her shirt and tugged. “Do you wonder what would have happened if I had said yes? Would we have disliked each other or would we have hit it off? Sometimes things happen in their own time.”
Did his knuckles grow white? Did his jaw tighten? Or was she imagining things?
“What is it you really want, Miss Garvey? I have a hard time believing that my clemency means a whole helluva lot to a woman like you.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Jackson. Your forgiveness means a lot to me.”
“Okay, you win. I forgive you. Feel better?”
“If only you sounded more enthusiastic. Give it some time. You’ll see that I’ve changed. Especially when I finish writing a song about you.”
His chin jerked around “What?”
“A song. About you.”
“You’re thinking about writing a song about me? You must lack creativity.” He laughed.
“Wrong. I’ve already started writing a song about you. You’re quite the inspiration.” She drew a line down his body with her gaze.
A quiet fell over them. A natural, easy silence that made her feel like they’d known each other for a very long time. She stared through the window, not really seeing anything through the haze of her thoughts. Unfortunately, she’d be leaving Nirvana at the end of the week and a sliver of disappointment washed through her.
A familiar song came on the radio and she found herself humming to the tune, then singing. For the first time in a long time, she was happy.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jace climbed out of the driver’s seat at their destination and inhaled heavenly, sweet oxygen into his parched lungs. One minute near Jessa was enough to drive him wild, so forty minutes breathing in her intoxicating scent, grabbing peeks at her toned legs, and listening to her beautiful singing, had him reeling in need. Wanting her wasn’t in his plan, but it was happening.
The more he got to know her, the more he understood her. For so long he’d believed her to be the Miss Priss she was back in high school, but maybe he’d had too much pride, back in the day and now. He couldn’t blame her that he’d been self-conscious and took everything personal.
She met him at the front of the truck. “Hi.” Her smile dazzled in the sunlight.
“Long time no see.” He laughed.
“I’m wondering, will your friend mind me tagging along?”
“Trust me,” he held out his elbow for her to take. She wrapped her fingers around his arm and his blood zinged. “Freckles loves company, especially of the female nature.”
“Freckles? That’s what his name is?”
“Yes.
“Oh, wow.”
And just as Jace had suspected, Freckles didn’t come up for air once while he and Jessa were sitting on the porch swing discussing everything under the sun. Jace sat in a wicker chair across from the duo. Each time he shifted, the chair would creak as if in warning that his body was too big for its frame. His tight gut creaked in a similar way. It meant a lot to him that she was comfortable around Freckles, making him laugh like the olden days. He told a joke that Jace didn’t quite get, but Jessa bent her head back, laughing. Damn. Jace was a bit jealous, wishing he was the target of that lovely sound and expression. Jace realized she had that effect on him too.
Freckles could tell a story unlike anyone else. At times Jace wasn’t sure which stories were true and which were a figment of his imagination. He could make anyone laugh with his tales. At sixty-one, he was a seasoned man who’d served in the Army and married his high school sweetheart. They were together for forty years till she passed away, leaving the jovial man alone and with no one to occupy his time. That’s where Jace came into play. He’d known Freckles for years, back in the rodeo days, and Jace tried to get out to see him as often as work allowed him.
“I’ve got something to say,” Freckles said.
“Yeah?” Jace wondered if the man realized he had said many things.
“I’m selling the place.” Freckles eased back into the boards of the swing, smoothing his hands down the thighs of his denim overalls.
“This place? Your home?” Jace wasn’t sure he’d heard right.
The older man nodded and scratched his clean-shaven jaw. “Yes, siree. It’s time.”
“Where will you go?”
Shrugging a thick shoulder, Freckles laughed. “I’m moving into one of those assisted living places. I’m signing papers next month to set the ball rolling.”
Jace blinked. “Was this your decision?” He couldn’t seem to wrap his head around a man like Freckles living in a place where he wasn’t surrounded by land.
“It gets lonely out here, my friend. Maybe if Aggie and I had been gifted with a couple of kids, things would be different now, but it is what it is. God had different plans for us, and one day I’ll see my sweet Aggie again.”
There was more to the story and Jace had to be careful not to cross a boundary into the man’s business.
Jessa wasn’t bound by the same concerns. “This is a lot of property for one person to take care of. My mom and dad own a ranch and they could never do it alone. May I ask why it’s not a working property any longer?”
Freckles, a normally modest man, surprised Jace when he opened up easily. Jessa had the key. “When Aggie and I bought the place, we were so proud. Best damn dairy farm in the state, I assure you. Then she passed away and it wasn’t quite the same. She was the heart of us as well as the brains. I tried to keep up with the books and the hands, but I just didn’t have it in me. I love this land enough that I don’t want to see it taken by the bank and end up being one of those indoor malls. So, selling is the best plan.” He looked out toward the edge of the woods. “Aggie loved this place as much as I do. She’d agree.”
“Would there be any way to hire a foreman who can hire hands? Get this place running again?” Jessa persisted. “I noticed the barns and fencing are in good condition.”
He patted her hand. “My dear, my time has passed. I’m afraid this old man doesn’t have it in him anymore. But I was sort of hoping you’d be interested, son.”
Jace sat up straight. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” Freckles laughed. “You’ve said more than once that you’d like to run your own place. Every man needs a place of his own. It’s time you give it a lot of thought.”
He looked from his buddy to Jessa. She was watching him with curious eyes.
“How about a piece of peach pie? I bought it today at the farmers’ market. Doc keeps telling me to watch my sugar intake, but what’s life without the things we love?” Pulling himself up from the swing, he waved for them to follow.
Later, as they were pulling out of Freckles Far
m, Jace should have guessed Jessa would have something to say. “Are you considering his suggestion?”
“To buy the farm? It takes money, sweetheart.”
Her thoughts tightened her features. “There are loans. Banks are willing to help more to get farms back up and running, right?”
“If I could prove it’s profitable, but Freckles Farm hasn’t been profitable in a while. We’re not only talking about purchasing the land, but the house needs renovating. Farm equipment. Hands. Cattle. And that’s just the start of the list.”
“But you know your way around a ranch. You taught me a lot while I was working with you.”
He shot her a glace across the seat. “I know a lot about livestock and keeping things running, but there’s a business side to a farm too.”
“I see the potential here.”
“Why does this mean so much to you?”
He practically heard her brain swirling. Her hands were clasped in her lap and her knuckles turned white. “Honestly, I think of my own parents. They’ve been married so long, I don’t know how one would survive without the other. Of course, my brothers are running things on the ranch, but what if my mom and dad were in the same position? I wouldn’t want either of them feeling as if they had no choice but to leave their home, a place that is as much a part of their existence as breathing. I know Freckles doesn’t want anyone’s pity, but you’re his friend. There must be something that can be done.”
“Like invite him to move onto Nirvana?”
“To keep him on his farm.” There was a second’s hesitation. “I could help.”
“Oh, you’re going to ask Freckles to move into a hotel with you? He’d really like being carted around from place to place.” Jace laughed.
“I’m saying that I can help by giving you a loan.”
He gave her a side glance. “Jessa, we’re not talking a few grand. The property alone is worth a lot, even with the friend discount he said he’s willing to offer.”
“I’m not bragging, but I’ve made a lot over the years. This seems like a great investment.”
Cowboys Forgive (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 8) Page 8