Rori’s eyes widened. “Yes, that one.” She looked at the tube in Louisa’s hand.
“So you know…” The woman stepped closer, looking around as if checking for eavesdroppers. “The fate of the entire nation rests solely on the complete secrecy of the documents in this tube.”
That was totally unexpected. “Really?” How could mineral rights determine…
The woman laughed. “Sorry, Rori. I couldn’t resist.” She walked backward a couple steps. “Jackson warned me that this is a very small town, and someone might have spotted him and me together. So he warned me that if a beautiful raven-haired goddess with sky-blue eyes tried to get information from me, I had to deflect her questions.” She laughed and turned away, continuing on her way down the block. “Nice try, though,” Louisa called over her shoulder.
Rori realized her mouth hung open. Then her face heated, and she quickly unlocked the door and slipped inside her shop. She’d just made a total ass of herself. Watching out the window, Rori saw Louisa walk into the D. Walker Mineral building. And now, Jackson would be hearing about it as well. “Perfect. Just fricking perfect.”
****
Jackson laughed as Louisa told him the story of “unexpectedly” running into Rori, ending with, “Poor girl, I felt bad teasing her.”
He shook his head. “She deserved it. But I wonder who told her…” Small towns. He was just glad to know that Rori still had enough feelings left for him to confront Louisa and try to get information out of her. “I won’t keep her in suspense much longer.”
On the desk in front of him, the three versions of the house plans were spread out, pinned down at the corners with rocks he’d found sitting on a shelf in the corner of the office. Rocks that Dusty had collected over the years. Fitting that they would hold down the plans for Jackson’s future.
“She’s going to love each of these houses.” Louisa looked at the drawing of the infinity pool at the front of the modern home. “I have a feeling we’ll be picking and choosing parts of each of these to meld into the perfect home for you two.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.”
Louisa smiled at him. “And again, I can send you these in electronic form.” She tapped the paper. “I know you liked them printed out, but I would bet your Miss Rori would love to see them on a computer, and in 3D.”
He let out a single chuckle. “You’re probably right about that. Sure, send them over, and I’ll let her get them off the computer.”
Louisa winked. “Consider it done.”
He held out his hand. “Thank you for taking care of all the tests yourself, too. I really want to break ground before the first frost.”
She shook his hand. “That’s a tight timeline, but we’ll give it our best shot. Soil samples came back with no problems, and we’ve got the go-ahead to build on the land. I’ll be in touch when the contractor comes back with his estimates.” She left to head back to Kansas City.
After a last look at the three drawings, he rolled them up and put them back into the tube. How long did Rori need to cool down and think things through? A week? Two weeks? He didn’t want to wait that long, but if he had to, he would. How would he know when she was ready? That she wouldn’t slam the door in his face? Lock him out permanently?
He needed advice. No, he needed to clear his mind and set his soul right. Like his mom said, the symbolism of a grave was not for the deceased, but for the living, and it was long past time he made the trip to Dusty’s grave.
With a hand-drawn map from Abby, Jackson found the cemetery. It sat on a hill next to an ancient-looking church that shared a pastor with the church one town over. The place was silent as the proverbial graveyard. It was surrounded by fields planted with winter wheat, he’d have to come back in the spring or summer to see the fields full of tall wheat stalks.
He parked on the road and walked in, listening to the birds chirping and the wind blowing softly through the sweet-smelling, newly mown grass.
Abby had said he couldn’t miss his father’s grave; a large, maroon granite headstone at the top of the hill. Jackson visored his hand over his eyes and looked around the area. He spotted it right away and headed up the hill, his steps growing slower as he went.
The ground around the big marker was empty, a low fence outlined a huge area. Did Dad own all the plots here? He’d have to ask the attorney. It seemed strange to imagine being buried here, but if he stayed in Red Creek… If? Was he that much of a flight risk right now? Probably.
With Rori kicking him out of their apartment, and the stress of everything coming down on him right now, he just wanted to get away. He’d registered for a rodeo, and he could be on a plane to Texas tomorrow, and leave this town and all its demands behind for a little while. At least, that’s what he’d been telling himself. Just one more rodeo, one more flight out of Red Creek before he had to grow up and make a decision.
“Hell, you’re focusing on everything but what’s right in front of you.” He stepped closer to the tombstone. Engraved with the name Walker at the top, it gave his breath a pause for a few seconds.
This was where Dad was buried.
He sat on his heels by the stone, feeling the weight of this moment heavy on his shoulders. The man he’d loved, and who’d loved him, was no longer alive.
Above Dusty’s wife Theresa’s name was an engraved tennis racket, and above Dusty’s, a crossed pick and shovel. Interesting choices. It had their birth dates, followed by the date they’d both been killed in the auto accident, but nothing extra, no final last words to tell who these people were.
Jackson laid his hand flat on the ground at the head of his father’s grave. “Dad.” It took him a second to go on. He could almost feel his dad’s presence, and let that emotion swirl through him. “I was mad at you when I found out about my brothers. Mad that you created all of us the way you did, and mad that you kept us from each other. But now, I can sympathize with what you were feeling, and I can see how that made you do what you did.”
It had to have been difficult for his father to keep all those secrets while maintaining separation of the families. Having seen the scrapbooks Dusty had kept for each of his sons, and after reading the letter his dad had written directly to him, Jackson knew the man had loved him.
“I’m a stubborn cuss.” Jackson picked a blade of grass and rolled it between his finger and thumb. “But you knew that, and you loved me anyway.” A fuzzy sensation behind his eyes caused him to sniff a couple times. “I wish you could be here to see what’s happening. How all of us boys have wedged ourselves into the company, and found ourselves women who you’d love to have in the family.” He thought of Rori. She meant so much to Jackson, more than everything else in his life, besides Mom, and even so, the women were darn near tied for the feelings he had for them.
Lord, when had that happened? He needed to tell Rori all this, and hope she had the means to forgive him and let herself be lured back into the Walker fold. Lured with a promise of love and devotion, plus one honker of an apology from him.
He knelt, placing his hand on the tombstone, the blade of grass slipping from his grasp and settling on the stone. “And Dad, I really like…love…my brothers. You raised us all up well, despite keeping us apart.” Jackson felt a pang of sorrow at not having known those amazing men when they were all boys. Despite his resentment at Dusty’s poor choices, he turned his thoughts toward the future. “We’re gonna make you proud. We’ll keep D. Walker Mineral Company in the family, and make sure it’s viable and strong for generations to come.”
The burning sensation morphed into moisture in his eyes. “I forgive you for the past, and I ask your forgiveness for the things I did that hurt you. And Dad, I will be needing your help in the next days, the next weeks, and the next years and decades. Keep me and the other Walker boys in your sights as we try to walk in your footsteps.”
A tear ran down his cheek as a warm breeze blew from above him. The blade of grass swirled into the air and landed on Jackson’s s
houlder.
He folded his hands and prayed.
****
Rori stared at the couple sitting at the table in her showroom as they debated the cost of the two computers they couldn’t choose between. In their thirties, and with a babysitter watching their three children this afternoon, they were in no hurry. They’d explained, in detail, how excited they were to come to town and buy a computer, then go to Cubby’s for supper. It was their idea of a big night out.
She looked out the front windows at the quiet town. Their night out was better than any of hers had been in a week. She hadn’t seen Jackson since the uncomfortable dinner with Sapphire five days ago. No calls, no texts, just gossip around town, talking about how he’d been seen with his mother all over the place. Rori hadn’t even spotted him driving that red pickup truck he’d glommed onto when he’d come to town.
“It’s five hundred dollars more, Gary.” The woman pointed to the comparison sheet Rori had printed out for them.
The husband pointed to the numbers above it. “Look how much more we get for that price, though.”
Rori was tempted to lower the price on the more expensive machine, just to get them out the door so she could close up shop and trudge upstairs. She had an exciting night planned with the new video game that had come in the mail today. “What a life.”
“What?” The wife looked at her.
“I wonder if you two should think about it a bit. You can always call me to place an order.”
They looked at each other, and he shook his head. “Let’s make a decision now, Gracie.”
Gracie and Rori let out stereo sighs.
The buzzer went off as the front door opened, and Rori stood to see…
Jackson?
Her heart thumped a couple times. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
In his hand, he held a long cardboard tube with caps on the end. It looked like the same one Louisa had been carrying, the one holding the supposedly secret documents that spelled the fate of the entire nation.
Jackson looked at the couple staring at him from behind the monitor.
“Gary.” Gracie stood. “We’ve got a reservation for supper. Let’s go.”
Her husband frowned, but stood, taking the paperwork with him. “We’ll call you, Rori. Thanks.”
“Okay, thank you.” She barely looked at the couple as they walked out, Gary mumbling something about never needing a reservation at Cubby’s before.
Jackson locked the door and turned the Closed sign.
“I should have called you.” She felt guilty for being too stubborn and too fearful to dial his number.
“I should have called you. I’m sorry I didn’t. This…” He held up the tube. “It took longer than we’d thought.”
We? “What is it?” She pulled at her fingers then dropped her hands.
“First, Rori, I’m sorry I doubted you. I knew we had a connection between us, and I should have trusted that you wouldn’t just pick up and move to KC without discussing it with me first. It’s just…” He shook his head and looked at the ceiling. “I don’t know. It confused me, made me doubt that what I felt for you, you could feel for me.”
“You feel something for me?” The stark emptiness that had inhabited her chest for five long days began to fill with sweet emotion.
He set down the tube and strode toward her, his hair too long and curly, his T-shirt too tight around those sexy muscles of his, and his eyes…oh, the look in them nearly melted her kneecaps. “Yeah, I feel something for you.” He stopped a foot in front of her. “I didn’t know what it was at first. It scared me some, but I’ve come to terms with it.”
She bit her lips to keep from smiling. “You don’t sound too happy about it.”
“Yeah, well.” He looked down and stuffed his hands in his back pockets. He ran his gaze up her body to her eyes. “It’s frightening to feel so much, to let someone have the power to hurt me.” With a shrug, he tipped his head. “And even more terrifying to know she feels the same way about me, and that I could just as easily do something to hurt her.”
He reached out and cupped her cheek, so softly she barely felt his touch. “And I did hurt you, Rori. I didn’t mean to, but with my indecision about Red Creek, I still did it, and for that I’m awfully sorry.”
She placed her hand over his, pressing his palm closer and kissing it. She wouldn’t cry, this was a happy thing, and she could get through this without blubbering. “We hurt each other, Jackson. But it won’t be the last time.” Easing their hands down, she held his tight. “We just have to figure out ways to talk about things that won’t cause bruised feelings.” Her whole body jittered with love for this man. Could she say it? Was it too soon? She wanted to make every bad feeling go away and start over fresh.
“Rori, here’s the thing.” His gaze locked with hers. “I love you.” The words came out a little warbly.
Her heart cascaded a half dozen beats as her eyes filled with those dang tears she’d been trying to keep at bay. “You do?”
“Yep. I sure do.” One corner of his mouth curved up a little. “Since it’s the first time I’ve said that to anyone but family, I’m not sure of the etiquette here, but I think you need to say it back to me.” His words were joking, but his eyes held some apprehension.
“I think you’re right.” Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his middle and waited until he put his tightly around her. “I love you, Jackson. I never knew what love was until I met you.”
“Oh, yeah?” He grinned, blinking a few times. “Say it again?”
“I love you.” After a few seconds of silence, she gave the skin on his back a little pinch. “Etiquette here says it’s your turn.”
“Oh, right.” He kissed her, taking a long time just pressing his lips to hers. “Rori, darlin’, God knows I love you.” He took her hand and placed it on his chest, over his heart. “That’s how much.” His heart raced, and his smile grew to show pure joy.
“I want to hold you, Jackson, for like forty-eight hours straight.” She looked past him. “But I’m afraid we’d draw a crowd.”
He gestured back to the tube on the table. “Before the forty-eight hour marathon lovin’, I want to show you those. I need to explain exactly what I was doing in Kansas City, and what Louisa was doing here in town.”
“I want to hear it all, Jackson. Every little detail, but first you should know that I trust you completely. I was wrong to waylay her and try to get information out of her.” She frowned. “I was just curious, but I should have asked you, instead of nosing around that way. And I know that whatever you and she were doing, it’s perfectly legitimate.”
“Hey, I’ve never had anyone trust me like that.” His brows dropped. “You honor me with your faith in me.”
“I do have faith, Jackson. And I’m glad you didn’t take my whole ‘let’s spend some time apart’ idea too seriously. I’m just new at this whole relationship thing. I’m still finding my way around.”
“Yeah, we’ll be working on that together, the two of us.” He ran his hands up and down her back. “So, what’ll it be? Forty-eight hours of holding each other, or looking at what’s in the tube?”
She glanced at the tube, bit her lip for a second, then pulled him closer, smiling. “I’ll admit I’m extremely curious, but I don’t want to have to leave your arms.” She hoped she wouldn’t offend him. “Can we wait to talk about it, just until after we spend a little portion of those hours together?”
“You mean like, upstairs time together?” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm.
“Yep.”
“Like, upstairs—and in your bed—time together?” He nibbled on her thumb.
Her body heated and her belly tightened. “How can I make my intentions perfectly clear? I want to have make-up sex, cowboy.” She giggled.
“Damn, Rori. There’s no way I can resist that!”
He took her hand and led the way as they raced up the stairs. Once there, she pulled him into the bedr
oom. Luckily, she’d made the bed and picked up the clothes that’d been scattered all over for the last few days. Turning toward him, she tugged at his T-shirt. “Naked?”
He nodded and pulled the thing over his head. “Yep. We’re thinking along the same lines, darlin’.” In less than a minute, they’d undressed each other, and stood toe-to-toe, their hands caressing, the feel of his body under her palms so perfect after the days she’d spent without him.
He lifted her in his arms and set her in the middle of the bed, then stood back, looking into her eyes. “Rori.”
With that one word, with the purely real look in his eyes, she knew he was as far gone in love as she was. She held her arms out to him, watching as his irises turned dark, his chest rose and fell faster with each breath. “Jackson.”
He lay next to her, sliding one hand under her shoulder and kissing the tender flesh of her upper arm. “You’re so good for me, darlin’.”
“I absolutely love it when you call me that.” She reached to the side, opening the drawer and pulling out a condom. “I’ve got something for you.”
“I absolutely love it…” He winked. “When you keep us protected.”
“Mm.” She opened the package. “Safe from unexpected additions.”
Leaning down, he kissed her belly, then looked up at her. “Someday?” He seemed to hold his breath.
Rori recalled the story of Dusty’s wife not wanting children. With a smile, she ran her hand through his curly hair. “Someday soon.”
He closed his eyes and kissed her there again, then trailed nibbles and licks up her stomach, around and between each breast before he kissed them, licking her nipples and blowing on them.
The cool sensation sent chills of pleasure through her body, centering in her core. Using her teeth, she ripped open the condom package and pushed at his shoulder. “Let me?”
He leaned back. “Any time.”
She ran her hand down his abs to the furring around his shaft, then up along his hot length. At the tip, her thumb rubbed on the slick pre-cum at his slit. “You’re ready?” She rolled on the condom.
Rori and Jackson: The Sons of Dusty Walker Page 7