Jenna's Cowboys

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Well, the furniture can go in one of the bedrooms, and the boxes too. The clothes and personal items in the master, and the candle making stuff can go in one of the rooms down in the shop. How’s that sound?”

  “Sounds great to me,” Susie said.

  “Got it,” Dillon said. He leaned down to kiss Jenna. “You go on to the shop, I’ll get the movers started.”

  “Thanks,” Jenna said.

  “Maybe I should…,” Susie began but Jenna shook her head. “Nope, let Dillon handle it. Come on, I’m excited for you to see the shop.”

  “All right,” Susie said with a shrug. Cole headed down the stairs with Jenna, going slow and careful to be safe. Once they reached the back door Jenna handed Susie a set of spare keys for the shop and the apartment and she unlocked the door. Cole walked up the hall and Jenna showed Susie the empty rooms she could use for her candle making, the office, lunch room, stock room and bathroom. Then they went into shop itself.

  Susie gasped, causing Jenna to frown. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong,” Susie said, her eyes wide. “This place is beautiful and I’ve never said that about a store before.”

  “Thanks,” Jenna said, blushing. Cole carried her around the counter and set her down on the stool there. Then they watched as Susie wandered through the shop, taking her time as she checked out the products and displays.

  “No wonder you do such a brisk business, Jenna,” she said when she was finished. “I want one of everything myself. The surprise is that you haven’t hired help before now.”

  “Oh, that reminds me,” Jenna said. “I know of a couple of college girls who’d love part time jobs. I figure they can help you with stocking shelves and stuff like that while you’re filling custom orders and making my product line.”

  “Yeah, I’ll probably need help, especially in the beginning,” Susie said. She wandered around the back of the counter and took a few moments to check out the equipment and supplies back there. “This is where you work your magic.”

  “Not sure I’d call it magic, but yeah,” Jenna said. Susie nodded, a pensive look on her face as she sat on the other stool that Meg sometimes used. “What’s the matter, Susie?”

  “If this was just a store where you order products, put them on the shelves, people buy them, order more and so on, it would be a challenge in terms of learning the cash register, the accounting, the banking, the pricing, the ordering and all of that. But with making up your product line and filling custom orders thrown in, I’m worried I won’t be able to handle it.”

  “If I thought you couldn’t handle it, Susie, I wouldn’t have invited you here,” Jenna said gently. “I’ve talked to you enough to know how smart you are. So, don’t worry. Take a week, two if you need it, to get your bearings. Meg’s gonna help with the accounting, Flo’s gonna help you with reordering and pricing, and Sue and Shelly from the book shop are gonna help with the register and banking. I’ve already talked to them and they’re all eager to help, and they’re also truly kind, bright women who know what they’re doing. They’ll be patient with you, and I think you’ll enjoy working with them. As for manufacturing my product line, I have everything written down. It’ll be like following recipes once I show you the basics.”

  “Now that I think I can do,” Susie said, brightening a little.

  “Get yourself unpacked and settled in upstairs,” Jenna said. “Set up your candle making stuff, get familiar with the shop and the products, and when you’re ready, we’ll get started.”

  “Thanks, Jenna,” Susie said. “I want to make this work more than you know, but damn, girl, I had no idea how upscale this would be. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

  “It won’t be once you get used to it,” Jenna said. “And you won’t be completely on your own. The guys’ll bring me in to teach you what you need to know, and if you have questions after that, we can Skype. When I get the go ahead from Doc I’ll be able to spend a little time here on a regular basis, like once or twice a week. After the babies are born I’ll be able to work again and we can split shifts so you’ll have time to do whatever else you want.”

  “This is gonna be fantastic,” Susie said with a grin, her spirits restored.

  “It is,” Jenna agreed a little tiredly. Susie frowned.

  “All of a sudden you’re not looking so hot, Jenna,” she said. “You okay?”

  Cole, who’d been wandering through the shop to give the women time to chat, instantly returned to Jenna’s side. “She’s right, baby, time for you to rest now.”

  “Yeah, I’m wore out,” she agreed. Cole picked her up and headed toward the back door just as Dillon was coming in.

  “The movers are done and gone,” he said, frowning at Jenna.

  “Wow, that was fast,” Susie said. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Susie,” he replied with a polite smile before turning back to Jenna. “Did you hit a wall, angel?”

  “Yeah, afraid so.”

  “We’ll get you settled so you can take a nap in just a minute.” He looked back to Susie. “Did Cole and Jenna show you how to work the alarm system upstairs?”

  “Yes, they did.”

  “Good. Do you have a cell phone?”

  “Yes.”

  “I have the number,” Jenna said. Dillon nodded and held a sheet of paper out to Susie which she took.

  “Those are mine and Cole’s cell numbers, as well as Meg’s, Jack’s and Hank’s. I’ve put Sheriff Luke’s cell number there too. He’s literally less than two minutes away. If you call him, just tell him your name, he knows who you are. I’ve put Jag Teegan’s number there too. You have any trouble at all, or you even think something’s wrong, you call any one of those numbers and someone will come right away.”

  Susie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Thank you, Dillon. I really appreciate this.”

  “No problem, Susie,” Dillon said. He studied her for a moment. “In Sparx, we take care of our own, and we especially take good care of our women and our children. We won’t try to dictate your life or order you around, and we won’t suffocate you. But we will watch over you. Since you’re Jenna’s friend and she brought you here, that makes us your protectors. We live half an hour outside of town, so we’ve asked Jack and Hank to act as your protectors when we’re not here.”

  “What does that mean, protectors?” Susie asked worriedly.

  “It just means they’ll make sure you’re safe, and help you if you need it,” Jenna said. “I’ve been here almost a year and a half now, Susie, and you know how independent I am. I never felt uncomfortable at all. Just the opposite.”

  “Can I trust all these men Dillon just named?”

  “One hundred percent.”

  Susie nodded, relaxing. “All right then, I will. And thank you, all of you. Now you get on out of here, Jenna. You’re looking worse by the minute.”

  Jenna lifted one arm and pulled Susie in for a quick hug. “Get settled in and try to relax. You’re gonna love it here, Susie.”

  ***

  When Dillon parked near the front door and cut the engine, Jenna opened her eyes sleepily and yawned. “Are we home already?”

  “Yeah we are,” Dillon said as Cole got out then opened the back door to get Jenna. “You can go back to sleep though. You still look real tired.”

  When Cole pulled her into his arms and lifted her out of the vehicle she smiled and laid her head against his shoulder, her eyes already closed. By the time he and Dillon got her shoes and jeans off of her and slid her into bed in the guest room, she was sound asleep again. Cole stayed with her while Dillon went to unload Jenna’s things.

  As he removed the boxes from the Denali it struck him how little she actually owned in the way of personal belongings. Her entire pre-pregnancy wardrobe only filled two cartons, not counting the cardigan, heavy winter coat, and the pink dress she’d bought for their date that were the only items hanging in her closet.

  He’d never known a woman with so few clothe
s. He knew Senses did well, so it wasn’t because she didn’t have the money to buy things if she wanted to. Even her maternity wardrobe was sparse. Was it because she wasn’t all that interested in clothes? That felt partly right, but he couldn’t help wondering if there was more to it.

  He carried the boxes of clothes into the guest room and put them in the closet along with the three items on hangers, then he unpacked the toiletries in the master bath which they were still using. He opened the fourth and final box which contained her high school and college diplomas, birth certificate and other important documents in a large envelope. Beneath that was her mother’s high school yearbook, two small photo albums, and half a dozen or so framed pictures of herself, her father, and her mother. He put that box in the guest room closet as well until Jenna decided what she wanted to do with them.

  “What’s on your mind?” Cole asked him when he was finished.

  “I’m just wondering why a beautiful young woman with a successful business owns fewer clothes than either of us wear in a week. Aside from the few knick-knacks I brought over a couple of weeks ago, all she has in the way of personal belongings is some old photographs, her phone, iPad, and computer.”

  “We know she got rid of everything she had save what fit in her Bronco before she came here,” Cole said. “Maybe she just hasn’t had the time to do much shopping.”

  “Maybe.”

  “You think she keeps things light in case she has to move on again?”

  “I don’t know.” He checked the time. “She’ll be waking up soon. I’m gonna go see to dinner.”

  “All right,” Cole said, nodding.

  A couple of hours later they all sat at the kitchen table with bowls of thick stew that Bess had made and put in the freezer for them. “Jenna, I want to ask you something,” Dillon said.

  “Okay,” she replied, trying not to feel wary at the serious tone of his voice.

  “How close did you come to running when you found out you were pregnant?”

  She stilled for a long moment, wondering where that question had come from. It didn’t take her long to figure it out. “This is about how few belongings I have.” Dillon nodded.

  “The first six weeks after…well, our date…I thought about it a lot. I was in a very bad place then and couldn’t really focus on any one thing so I kept putting it off. I figured that when everyone turned on me, then I’d do it, but that never happened.

  “On the day I found out I was pregnant I realized I had to make a firm decision one way or the other. I decided to stay because I couldn’t see myself walking away from the shop and the income it generates, especially with a baby on the way. At least, that’s the excuse I gave myself. I realize now that there was a part of me, a big part, that always knew you two wouldn’t physically hurt me. Otherwise I would have gone the day I found out even if I’d been flat broke.”

  “I’m so sorry it was such a bad time for you,” Cole said.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “It’s over and done with now.”

  “It is,” Dillon agreed. “But I need to ask if you keep your belongings down to a minimum so you can run if you need to?”

  “No,” she replied. “I just haven’t had much time to go shopping since I came here. Well, aside from the housewares and furniture I bought before I opened Senses. I’ve bought a few things as I needed them here and there, but mostly I didn’t have time to shop because I was working all the time. On the few days I did close the shop, driving two hours into Missoula to buy clothes wasn’t nearly as tempting as staying home and doing nothing.”

  “Can’t blame you for that,” he said, something inside of him relaxing.

  “Actually, since you brought it up, clothes are becoming a problem for me right now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I bought a few maternity things on a trip to town with Meg. But that was a couple of months ago and thanks to these mutant giant babies, most of them don’t fit any more. I ordered a few things online last week but I wasn’t too happy with them.”

  “You should’ve sent them back,” Cole said.

  Jenna shook her head. “There’s nothing really wrong with them, and they’re serviceable enough if a bit on the frumpy side. Sometimes I’d just love to have something pretty to wear and am I boring you two to death here or what?”

  “No, you’re not,” Dillon said. “You’re a beautiful woman Jenna. You should have pretty things to wear. Things that help you feel good about yourself. How can we help with that?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I’d love to go shopping in a real maternity store, but that’s not gonna happen. Maybe I’ll try ordering online again.” Suddenly her face lit up. “That reminds me. Yesterday I found this website that sells vinyl decals that you press onto walls, no glue or anything. I’m not really sure how they stay on, but they do. When you don’t want them any more, you just peel them off and put them back on the backing so you can reuse them if you want, and they don’t mark the paint up or anything.”

  “I like the sound of that,” Dillon said.

  “Yeah, me too, and you can’t believe all the options. I like the trees. They have pines, elms, oaks, maples and so many others, and they’re big, like from floor to ceiling. They come in different styles from lots of leaves to bare branches. You can even get birds to sit on the branches if you want, or birds flying. Not cartoon birds, either. These are realistic, like the trees.”

  “That sounds real nice, honey,” Cole said.

  Jenna smiled. “I think an outdoorsy, nature theme might be just what we’re looking for.”

  “I think it’s an excellent idea,” Dillon said. “We’ll go online and check it out tomorrow.”

  “Great,” Jenna said. “I have a good feeling about this.”

  After dinner Cole took Jenna into the master bathroom, helped her bathe and get into a clean sleep shirt and shorts. After she finished brushing her teeth he picked her up and carried her back to the guest room they were still using, though he noticed she seemed quieter than usual and a little tense.

  “Are you all right, baby?” he asked after setting her on the bed.

  “Yeah, I’m just uncomfortable.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “No,” she said, reaching for her brush. Then her eyes brightened. “Do you know if Dillon brought that box of toiletries in?”

  “Yeah, he did. He put them in the bathroom.”

  “Would you please look and see if there’s a big white jar with no label on it?”

  “Yep, be right back.He returned a moment later with the jar. “Is this what you wanted?”

  “Yes, thank you,” she said, tossing the finished braid over her shoulder before accepting it. When she opened the jar he smiled at the aroma which was the same as all of her personal products.

  “What is it?” he asked, looking at the solid white contents.

  “It’s a formulation I whipped up for myself a few weeks ago when my skin started feeling tight and uncomfortable. It’s richer than regular body lotion and it makes my skin a little more elastic, which helps the discomfort a lot. I kept forgetting to ask one of you to grab it for me when you went into town.”

  While she spoke she raised her sleep tee to bare her stomach, reached into the jar and scooped out a dollop of the rich body butter. After warming it in her hands for a few moments she began rubbing it into her stomach. When she reached for the jar again he pulled it away.

  “Let me do this for you, baby,” he said, just as Dillon joined them.

  “Do what?” Cole explained. “Yeah, you should let us do this.”

  Jenna blushed. “No, that’s okay, I can do it myself. But thank you.”

  Cole and Dillon frowned, then exchanged a look before they both crawled onto the bed beside her. “Why don’t you want us to help you?” Cole asked.

  Jenna shrugged without looking up at them. “I think I put enough on you two already.”

  “Jenna,” Dillon said, then wai
ted for her to look up at him. “What are you really thinking?”

  “I’m thinking I look horrible and it’s bad enough you see me in the shower and the bathtub. This would be worse.”

  “Sweetheart, you’re a little too thin, but we still think you’re the most beautiful woman we’ve ever seen.”

  Jenna shook her head. “That’s nice of you to say but I have eyes.”

  “Do you?” Cole asked as he reached over to gently caress her stomach. “Do your eyes tell you that this big bump here that holds our babies is so beautiful to us that it takes our breath away to see it? To touch it?”

  “Do your eyes tell you that your breasts, which have always been beautiful, are now erotic beyond words?” Dillon said, his voice growing husky as he spoke. “They’re so full and round with those big gorgeous nipples just begging to be sucked and stroked. Makes me hard just thinking about it.”

  “Seriously?” she asked in surprise, ignoring the blush she couldn’t prevent.

  “Absolutely,” Cole said, his voice lowering to a husky growl. “Do your eyes tell you that those pretty little cinnamon freckles on your shoulders are so damn tempting that sometimes it takes every ounce of will I have to keep myself from tasting them? And don’t get me started on the fantasies I have about those long, silky curls of yours.”

  “We keep our hands to ourselves because we promised you we would,” Dillon said. “But the minute you and Doc say otherwise, we’ll have no trouble showing you exactly how beautiful and desirable you are to us.”

  The things they said conjured up images in Jenna’s mind that aroused her so much that it took her a little while to process Dillon’s last sentence. She swallowed hard, searching for her ability to speak which seemed to have deserted her.

  “Doc said no sex?”

  “Yeah, baby, unfortunately for all of us, he did,” Dillon replied. “But he also said he’d reevaluate that on your next appointment.”

  “Oh,” she said with a disappointed sigh she didn’t think to hold back. As tempted as she was, she couldn’t disregard Doc’s orders. She wasn’t willing to risk their children for the sake of an orgasm. It really felt good to be considered desirable for a change though.