“I talked to Gladys, and she said for me to go ahead and see if Rhett was interested in a job right now. At first, he’s going to help clear land.”
Jill’s heart fell into her boots. Another man in the bunkhouse would mean a lot of changes, and she liked the way things were. She had free run of the whole place, including Sawyer’s bathroom and bed. His cousin might be wild with his tat and ponytail, and he might not even blink at her coming out of Sawyer’s room in the morning, but just thinking about it put high color in her cheeks.
“We can clean out the room I was going to make into an office for him.”
“I thought that was going to be my movie storage room,” Sawyer said.
“We can’t throw him out in the yard with a blanket and a pillow.”
“Why? He’s tough.” Sawyer chuckled.
“So when are you going to talk to him?”
“Maybe this evening when we get back from our second date,” he said. “Hey, do I get a kiss or maybe even get lucky on the second date?” He put his hands on her waist and lifted her from ground to tractor seat in one fluid movement.
“Lucky doesn’t arrive until the fourth or fifth date, in my books,” she teased.
He kicked at the cold dirt like a little boy. “Well, shucks.”
“But we can find another antique to remember our second date by,” she said. “I really like that old ice tray. It’s amazing how much easier the cubes pop out of it than they do when I twist one of the plastic ones. Never know about the lucky issue though. If that cute little bear with the daisy on her belly is still there and you buy her for me, I might rewrite the rules in my book, and you could get lucky on the second date.”
The smile on his face rivaled the sun when he looked up. “Then we’ll definitely look for the bear. What makes you think it’s a girl bear?”
He jogged around the back end of the tractor and climbed inside the cab.
“It’s a girl bear because no self-respecting boy bear would have a daisy on his belly,” she answered.
Sawyer started up the engine and turned the tractor around. “Maybe he’s not afraid of his feminine side. Maybe he even watches old movies.”
“Nope, it’s still a girl bear, and her name is Daisy.”
“And if we buy Daisy today and bring her home, I might get lucky?”
“Maybe you won’t, but I might,” she teased.
He stopped the tractor in front of the barn and pulled her across the bench seat to his side. “Lucky takes on a whole new meaning with you, Jill. I’m lucky for every single moment I get to spend with you.” He tipped up her chin, and she got lost all over again in his dark eyes. When his lips covered hers, the kiss was so sweet and so passionate that she had to keep the tears at bay.
* * *
“I thought the preacher was going to talk forever. I’ve looked forward to this all week. It’s our first date since we got married,” Callie said as the waiter seated them in the little café at the back of one of the antique shops.
“Blue plate special today is your choice of chicken-fried steak or meatloaf, served with mashed potatoes; your choice of okra, pinto beans, or green beans; and a basket of hot rolls,” the waiter said. “Or you can choose from the grill menu. You should try our onion blossom or jalapeño poppers for an appetizer. They’re really good. I’ll take your drink orders now and be back when you’ve decided.”
“Sweet tea,” Jill and Sawyer said at the same time.
Callie and Finn nodded.
“And bring us a double order of the poppers and an onion blossom,” Finn said.
“You hungry, darlin’?” Callie asked. “Or do you think we are?”
“Starving. My stomach was growling so loud, folks around me thought I was snoring in church,” Finn answered. “Hey, I thought Mavis and Naomi might lock it up right there in the church house after church. Anyone else see what happened?”
Jill shook her head.
“They came up to shake the preacher’s hand at the same time. That meant one had to step aside,” Callie explained. “Even Verdie held her breath.”
“Why?” Sawyer asked.
“Because it would be like losing a battle in the war to whoever took second place, right?” Jill asked. “Which one lost?”
“Neither,” Callie said. “Verdie stepped between them and started talking. She steered them out of the church without stopping to visit with the preacher at all. She rambled on and on about Salt Draw and the kids, and neither of them said a word to her or to each other. When they were outside, they went straight to their own trucks.”
“Damnedest thing I ever saw. Verdie said that she did it because she didn’t want our date ruined.” Finn laughed. “I love that woman.”
Callie touched his arm and looked up into his eyes. “As much as you do me?”
“Oh, honey, I don’t love anyone that much.” He kissed her on the tip of the nose.
“How would two old women rolling around and tearing up their panty hose ruin our date?” Sawyer asked.
“I didn’t ask. I just figured Verdie knew what she was talking about,” Finn answered.
“Sweet tea for everyone,” the waiter said at Finn’s elbow. “The appetizers will be here in about three minutes. Have you decided on dinner?”
“Chicken-fried,” Jill said. “Steak fries, pinto beans, and ranch dressing on my salad.”
“Sawmill gravy or brown gravy?” he asked.
“Sawmill,” Jill said.
“Same for me,” Callie said.
Finn handed him the menu and said, “Make it three.”
“Meatloaf and mashed potatoes, corn, and ranch dressing,” Sawyer said.
“It won’t be as good as Granny O’Donnell’s,” Finn whispered when the waiter was out of earshot.
“Neither will the chicken-fried steak.” Sawyer grinned. “Did I tell you that they’re all coming for Easter?”
“Mama says my side is coming to Salt Draw. I thought we’d have the egg hunt at Salt Draw, since we’re the ones who already have kids,” Finn said.
Already have kids? The line ran around in Jill’s head in a continuous loop. Jill felt the color leave her face.
“Are you okay?” Sawyer asked.
Her head bobbed twice. “How many family members are you talking about?”
“Couldn’t begin to get a head count,” Finn said. “My family is coming to Salt Draw, and then there’s Uncle Cash’s crew from over in Ringgold. They usually have Easter at their ranch, but Granny says since I’m the newest one married, everyone is coming to Burnt Boot.”
Callie laid a hand on Jill’s shoulder. “Most of them came to see us a few weeks ago. Couple of the cousins were standoffish until they figured out that I wasn’t some kind of crazy, pistol-toting woman. By the time they all left, I think they’d accepted the fact that Finn and I were married and adopting four kids fairly well.”
“If we have Rhett hired on at Fiddle Creek, his family might load up and come too. So that would be even more O’Donnells,” Sawyer said.
“Rhett is lookin’ for a job? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have put him to work weeks ago,” Finn said.
“Gladys said I can hire him, so don’t you go tryin’ to steal him from me. I need the help more than you do,” Sawyer said.
Callie moved her chair closer to Jill. “Let them argue like cousins. Tell me, how are things going? Any more trouble with the feud? It has kind of died down this week.”
“I think it’s just simmering,” Jill whispered. “They’ve figured out they aren’t getting Fiddle Creek through me and probably think that since Sawyer and I are going out on dates that he’s angling to get it. But he’s not that kind of man, Callie.”
“Don’t know an O’Donnell that thinks like that. They are all the salt of the earth, which reminds me, don’t be scared of them. I
saw the fear in your eyes. They’ll love you because you love Sawyer,” she said. “Now tell me more about this ice-tray thing. Finn told me y’all bought an ice tray on your first date.”
Jill had a moment of mixed emotions. First, she wondered if Sawyer told Finn everything they did, and it brought heat to her cheeks. On the other hand, she was glad that he was as excited about the ice tray as she’d been. And then her cheeks burned like fire when she realized that Callie had said that she loved Sawyer, right out loud in public.
Jill cleared her throat and tried to get control of the blush by talking. “We found the old metal ice tray and the cute little handmade bear on the same shelf. We bought the ice tray to remind us of our first date and how much fun we had.”
“And this week we’re buying the bear,” Sawyer said.
“Is it in this antique store? The one we are having lunch in?” Finn asked.
“When did you two stop arguing and start listening to us?” Jill asked.
“When he convinced me that he needed Rhett more than I did, and besides, I think Rhett would be damn good at keeping peace in the bar.” Finn covered Callie’s hand with his. “What are we buying to celebrate our date today?”
“I’ll find something,” she said.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “It can’t cost any more than their ice tray.”
“We’ll just see about that.” She smiled.
The waiter set an enormous onion blossom and a platter of jalapeño poppers in the middle of the table and refilled all their tea glasses. “Your food will be ready in about fifteen minutes. We’ve been really busy today. I apologize for the wait.”
“No problem. We’re not in a hurry,” Callie said.
The waiter flashed a brilliant smile and headed off to another table.
“Is it?” Finn reached for a popper and dipped it in the sauce.
“Is what?” Sawyer followed his lead.
“Is the bear in this store?” Finn asked.
“No, it’s in the one next door, but I want to look in this one when we get finished eating. This is really cool, having a café adjoined to the store, isn’t it?” Jill answered.
She felt like she’d known Finn and Callie her whole life instead of a few short weeks. They felt like family, and she couldn’t wait for the opportunity to spend time with their four kids.
Finn was probably right. The dinner was good, but it wasn’t like Granny made. After they’d finished, they shopped in the store, and Callie bought one of those cute little jewelry boxes with a tiny ballerina that twirled when it was opened. Then she found a couple of old baseball cards for each of the boys.
The bear was gone when they reached the next store on the block. The man behind the counter that day told them that his wife had sold it the week before to a young couple who planned to use it in their nursery.
“Great minds think alike,” Jill said.
Sawyer planted a kiss on the top of her head. “We should have bought it last week.”
“At least it will make some little baby laugh.” Jill sighed.
Finn and Callie had just wandered off to the back of the store. Jill and Sawyer were near the middle, looking at cream pitchers, when she felt someone staring at her.
Kinsey Brennan wasn’t six feet from her when she looked up. “Well, hello, Sawyer. I’d like you to meet my date, and my boss at the firm where I work part-time. Gage, this is Sawyer; Sawyer, Gage. And this is Jill Cleary. Her aunt has a little spread next to River Bend.”
Sawyer extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you. Y’all finding anything interesting?”
Kinsey looped her arm through Gage’s, and he patted her hand. “Oh, yes, we found a lovely little side table for my office. I’m moving from part time to full time.”
A tall man, but not quite as tall as Kinsey, he wore a three-piece suit and loafers. His thick blond hair was styled in a perfect, feathered cut, and judging by the crow’s-feet around his eyes, Jill would guess him to be ten years older than Kinsey.
“Y’all have fun now. See you later,” Kinsey said.
Sawyer waved and went back to the cream pitchers. “One down. One to go.”
Jill slipped her hand in his. “Don’t count on it.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Did you ever hear of the turd theory?” she asked.
He shook his head.
“It goes like this. You think if a certain obnoxious person wasn’t in your life, then everything would be just peachy. Then that person is miraculously out of your life, and behold, another turd floats to the top,” Jill said.
“Well, hello, Sawyer,” Betsy said. “I’m surprised to see you here. Jill, not so much, but a guy?”
“I rest my case,” Jill said. “Are you buying something special, like Kinsey is? We just met her new boyfriend and heard she’s going to work full time.”
Betsy leaned a shoulder over toward Sawyer. “What wonderful news. Now she’s out of my way with you, Sawyer. Got to run. Grandma is next door having ice cream with some of my cousins. I just snuck away to say hello when I saw y’all coming in here.”
Sawyer didn’t even acknowledge that the woman was talking. He squeezed Jill’s hand and whispered, “We won’t ever be able to get away from them, darlin’. They are part of Burnt Boot, but we don’t have to let them control our lives. How about this one for our second-date present?” He picked up a carnival glass pitcher and held it out to her.
“I vote we get something more practical. Like this.” She held up a cast-iron pan that made muffins in the shape of corn on the cob. “Grandma Cleary had one like this, and I loved the muffins when I was a little girl.”
“Granny O’Donnell still uses one like that. Let’s buy it,” he said.
Dusk had begun to settle when they got home that evening. Jill called Gladys before they left town, and she wanted them to pick up fried chicken for her and Polly. When they went by the house, she met them at the door.
“We’ll come in for only a minute. It’s cold out here, and we’re doing the chores tonight. You and Aunt Polly just stay warm and have chicken for supper.”
“Thanks, darlin’,” Gladys said. “I was dreading getting out in this.”
Jill bent and hugged Polly and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Stay warm, and we’ll see y’all tomorrow.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. Maybe I’ll feel like a couple of hours in the store tomorrow morning,” Polly said.
* * *
“Too late for a nap.” Jill removed her denim duster and tossed it toward the sofa. The cats jumped on it, clawing and attacking the stones with their hind feet. She had to scramble to get it away from them before they left it in shreds.
Sawyer hung his jacket on the rack inside the door and scooped her up in his arms. “I don’t want to sleep, but I want you,” he said softly as he headed for the bedroom. He kicked the door shut with his boot heel. “And I don’t want to share you with the children.”
“Confession time. I couldn’t wait to get home for this,” she mumbled.
He set her on the edge of the bed and removed her boots and shoes. He ran a hand up the inside of her thigh and inhaled sharply when he found no underpants.
“Surprise! Surprise!” She grinned impishly.
“My God, Jill.”
“If you hadn’t been so busy arguing with Finn at the dinner table, you might have discovered it earlier.” She brushed his hand out of the way and stood up, removing her sweater and bra as she did.
“If I had, the shopping trip would have never happened and we would have had sex in the bathroom at the antique store.” His lips settled on hers as he removed her skirt and let it fall to the floor.
She pushed him back on the bed, straddled his body, and removed his boots.
He cupped the cheeks of her butt in his hands and massaged g
ently as she removed his socks, then she flipped around, and his hands went to her breasts, his eyes never leaving hers as she finished undressing him.
She took advantage of him being ready and guided him into her in a firm thrust. Putting her hands on his chest for leverage, she began a steady rhythm. She’d had a full day of foreplay. Every time he threw an arm around her shoulders, it turned her on. When their hands brushed against each other at the antique stores, she burned for him. When his fingertips tucked an errant strand of hair back behind her ear, she’d wanted to haul him to the nearest motel.
“I want to kiss you,” he said as he flipped her over on her back. “And this isn’t going to last five minutes if we don’t slow down.”
“Quality beats out quantity every time,” she mumbled just before his lips landed on hers.
In a wild blast of sparks, it was over. Her head felt as if it would explode, and he said something that sounded faintly like, “I love you,” but she couldn’t be sure if that’s what she heard with her ears buzzing the way they were. She might have answered with the same thing, but her breath was coming in such short gasps that she couldn’t utter a single word, not even his name.
Chapter 27
The advertisements came out in the Gainesville newspaper on Wednesday. As luck would have it, the quarter-page ads for the two celebrations were side by side. The one for the church advertised romance, good Christian fun for the whole family, refreshments, and a potluck dinner at the Burnt Boot church, beginning at six o’clock on Friday night, February 13. The admission fee was a covered dish, and there would be speed dating for the single folks.
The Burnt Boot Bar and Grill ad was right there beside it, with a pretty heart border and martini glasses clinking together. It advertised no cover fee, a sweetheart deal of two-for-one all night on pitchers of beer and burger baskets, and promised that the jukebox would be playing love songs from six to midnight on February 14 at no charge to the patrons. Down at the bottom of the ad in small print was a paragraph that advised folks not to drink too much and/or to bring a designated driver.
The Trouble with Texas Cowboys Page 26