Mildred grinned, but her cheeks were pink. “He’s a Gypsy, too.”
“Ah. Well, you and Toby can go on over as soon as I’ve seen his costume. I’ll find something to wear and be over in a few minutes.” She was tired. A quick appearance at the party would satisfy courtesy and then, when it was Toby’s bedtime, the two of them would slip away. B.J. had no intention of spending any more time at the Randall house than she had to.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry. You already have a costume. You’re going as Cleopatra.”
B.J. frowned. She hadn’t given much thought to her costume, but she’d certainly never considered the Egyptian queen. “Why Cleopatra?”
“The girls found it in Casper. It’s perfect for you with your hair unbraided and the snake thing across your forehead.”
B.J. just stopped herself from asking why a snake thing was perfect for her. With a sigh, she agreed, “Okay, but I have to shower first.”
“I know. Just hurry.”
Twenty minutes later, B.J. stared at herself in the mirror. The one-shouldered white dress, with a gold belt in a snake motif that matched her headband, flowed flatteringly to the floor with a discreet slit on one side to midthigh.
But she felt overexposed with her bare shoulder.
“You look beautiful,” Mildred said, a reverent tone in her voice.
“Don’t be silly, Mildred. I think I look ridiculous.”
Mildred laughed. “We’ll see. Put on that bracelet and those gold sandals while I turn off the video Toby’s watching. Do you have the gifts ready?”
“Yes,” B.J. said, but she bit her lip as Mildred turned away. She had debated long and hard over what to get Jake. He was a man who had just about everything he wanted.
Only a chance remark by Megan about Jake’s fascination with the Western writer Zane Grey solved her problem. Instead of buying Jake something he didn’t need, she’d wrapped up a copy of Riders of the Purple Sage, autographed by the author himself. Her father had long cherished the book, and it had come to B.J. upon his death. She knew her father would be happy to have his treasure go to someone who would appreciate it.
Now, however, she had no intention of giving Jake Randall a gift. Especially one he might think was too personal. One that might make him think she cared about him.
She started to leave the bedroom without the present for Jake when her son met her at the door.
“Where’s Mr. Jake’s present? I want to carry it.”
“Um, I don’t think we should take it to him tonight, sweetie. We’ll give him a present another time.” She’d buy him a box of candy or some other impersonal gift.
“No, Mommy, we have to give it to him tonight. Please?”
B.J. stared down at her son. How could she disappoint him? How could she teach him about generosity, kindness, thoughtfulness by her petty behavior?
With a sigh, she turned back into her bedroom and picked up one of the wrapped presents, one for Jake and one for Toby. “Okay, Toby, here is Mr. Jake’s gift.”
For Toby, who’d already opened several presents, she’d bought indestructible plastic trucks. She figured all the children present could play with them without their being destroyed.
“Come on!” Mildred called. “We’re late.”
“Coming,” B.J. returned. With reluctance, she picked up the other gift and started toward the door. At the last minute, she remembered the cold air that had escorted her home. A front was supposed to move in tonight.
“Mildred? You’d better grab a coat. It’s getting cold outside.”
“A coat? Is the weather changing?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t be surprised to see snow by the time we start home.” At least, by the time Mildred started home. B.J. and Toby would already be snug in their beds.
“Mommy,” Toby called from behind her, “I forgot to scare you!”
He looked quite different in his Batman costume, but she knelt to give him a hug anyway. “Oh, my, yes, I’m scared. You’d better hug me so I won’t be.”
“I’m not supposed to hug you. Mr. Jake is. I’m the one who’s scaring you, Mommy,” Toby complained even as he threw his arms around her neck.
“I know, but thanks for the hug anyway. Ready to go? Get your coat.”
“But it’ll cover up my costume.”
“As soon as we get in the door, you can take it off.”
“Okay.” When he appeared only seconds later, he not only had on his coat, but also atop his Batman ears sat his dark gray cowboy hat.
“I’m wearing my new hat. Mr. Jake will like that, won’t he?”
B.J. couldn’t deny her son’s words. She knew Jake wanted Toby to like his new hat. She just didn’t think it would be a good idea for Toby to concern himself much with Jake. “Yes, sweetie.”
Mildred opened the door. “Ooh. You’re right about that norther, B.J. It’s much colder out there. Come on. We’ll want to walk fast.”
“Aunt Mildred, how come you make noise when you walk?” Toby asked as he followed her to the door.
“It’s these beads. They rattle against each other. Good thing I’m not planning on sneaking up on anyone. Oh, I almost forgot! Here’s your mask, B.J.”
“Mask? Isn’t the costume enough?”
“Nope. You have to wear this gold mask, too. At least for a while. I bet a lot of people won’t guess it’s you. They’ve never seen you with your hair down.”
“Yeah. Your hair is pretty, Mommy.”
“Thanks, Toby. But I think everyone will know who I am.”
“What will Mr. Jake be wearing? Will he come dressed as a cowboy?”
“Probably,” B.J. said, finding it difficult to imagine Jake as anything but himself.
Which made the first thing she saw when she entered the living room at the Randalls hard to believe.
JAKE HAD WON a promise from Anna that he could change into jeans once the party was under way. Because one look at his bare knees was enough to make him want to hide in the bathroom and never come down at all.
In the meantime, however, he’d had to don the fake laurel wreath, strap up the sandals and greet his neighbors in the short toga. He’d received some wolf whistles from the men, grinning from ear to ear and, even more embarrassing, some ogling from the ladies.
“Hey, Jake, I hear they need some more contestants in the Miss Wyoming contest,” Ben called from a short distance away. He knew better than to get close.
“I’m paying you back, Ben. I’m paying all of you back for your words this evening. You won’t know when to expect it, but you can be sure it’s coming.” He added a smile to his warning, but it was fiendish rather than friendly. Some of the women clapped at his words, and he swept a bow, keeping his back to the fireplace. He didn’t want to bend over in front of anyone. He’d embarrass himself.
As he rose, he stared at the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, standing in the doorway of the living room. Cleopatra, a gold snake coiled about her head, black hair spilling in a glorious cloud almost to her waist, her tall, willowy form clad in a flowing white robe caught around her small waist with a gold belt, stared back at him. Her face was covered with a gold half mask.
“Mark Antony, it’s your Cleopatra!” Chad called out.
Jake hadn’t made the connection between their costumes. Nor had he consciously identified the woman. Until now.
But everyone else in the room had.
He crossed the room and took her hand, raising it to his lips. Then he lifted his gaze, leaned over and murmured, “I’m going to wring Anna’s neck. Sorry, I didn’t plan this.”
“I didn’t think you had. As usual, our families are one step ahead of us,” Cleopatra, aka B.J., murmured. “All we can do is smile and put the best face on it.”
“That’s easy for you to say. At least your costume shows off your beauty.”
She gave him a cool stare. “Your costume shows off…a lot of you.”
“Don’t you start, too, B.J. It’s been downright embarras
sing, the way the women have been looking at me. I feel like a slab of beef at a barbecue.”
One slim brow arched up toward the gold band on her forehead. “Now you know how women feel.”
He was tempted to slide his arms around her and pull her against him, but he could tell she was still angry with him. So he settled for leaning near her and saying, “Yeah, I’ve felt a few, but none of them have felt as good as you.”
Her full lips tightened, drawing his attention, and she started to move away.
“You’re still mad at me, aren’t you?” he asked under his breath, aware that everyone was watching them. For the past several days, he’d done nothing but think about the dissolution of their…whatever it had been. Their pretense. He’d missed it. He’d missed seeing B.J. He’d missed touching her.
“No, not at all,” she said calmly, nodding and smiling at their guests over his shoulder. “Excuse me?”
He caught her arm as she tried to move away. “There’s no need to act as if we’ve never even spoken to each other,” he protested. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
Her gaze returned to his face, and he almost shivered from the coldness it showed. “No, Jake, I don’t think we’re friends. We used each other, but it’s over. That’s all.”
This time, when she tried to move away, he let her go. As she strolled across the room, he got a glimpse of long leg through the slit. “Is that dress legal?” he muttered, thinking aloud.
Butch must’ve just walked up beside him, because he cleared his throat. “I don’t think so. It’s enough to make you salivate, isn’t it?”
When Jake glared at him, he held up a hand. “Just thinking out loud.”
Just as Jake relaxed, turning his gaze back to Cleopatra, Butch spoke again. “But I’m a little confused.”
“What do you mean?”
“Janie told me there was nothing between you and B.J. She suggested I cozy on up to the lady, ask her out.”
“Janie did what?” Jake whipped back, his eyes blazing. He couldn’t believe what his friend was telling him. He’d begun to suspect that his sisters-in-law had been setting red herrings with those other women, intending him for B.J. all along.
That had been one reason for him announcing at Ben and Lucy’s what his intentions toward B.J. were. He didn’t want any misunderstandings.
Which didn’t explain why he was upset now.
“You heard me. So, tell me, boss, is she yours or isn’t she?” Butch waited, his gaze clear, for Jake to stake his claim on B.J.…or back off.
Damn. Jake knew he couldn’t honestly claim B.J. as his own. That would involve commitment, and he wanted none of that. Commitment meant you put your heart on the line, and risked it getting trampled.
But he sure as hell didn’t want every man in the county thinking B.J. was fair game. In spite of what she’d just said, he knew they had unfinished business to work out. But he couldn’t lie to Butch.
He finally muttered, “B.J.’s a free woman.”
“May the best man win?” Butch probed.
“Yeah.” He didn’t have to wait long for Butch’s reaction. The cowboy made a beeline for B.J.
And Jake decided to have a little chat with Janie Randall.
He didn’t see her in the living room, so he headed for the kitchen. Red was preparing another plate to take to the dining room for the buffet.
“You seen Janie?”
“Nope. Not in the last few minutes. I bet she’s upstairs getting the boys ready. She said something about dressing them up for Halloween.”
Jake wandered back to the living room. His gaze immediately flew to B.J., holding court much as Cleopatra might have done, surrounded by handsome men.
Staring, Jake realized just about every single man in the county was there, some of them even sitting on the floor, at her feet. She had removed the gold mask and, as he watched, she threw her head back and laughed at something one of the men had said. Jake ground his teeth.
Unable to stop himself, he crossed to the group. “B.J., Mildred needs to see you in the kitchen.”
As he’d known she would, she rose at once. “Of course. Excuse me, gentlemen.”
He followed her from the room, down the hall, admiring the way the silky costume clung to her, enjoying the occasional glimpse of leg as she walked. Red was coming out as they entered.
“Oops. Excuse me,” he said, juggling two plates. “I’ll be right back.”
B.J. smiled at him and then pushed the door open. “Why are you following me?” she asked Jake as they entered the kitchen. Then, a frown on her face, she turned back around. “Mildred isn’t here.”
“I know.”
Staring at him intently, she said, “She never asked me to come here, did she?”
“Nope.”
“What’s going on, Jake?”
“I’m not sure, but I think we’re being manipulated again.” He watched her carefully and was relieved to see she had no idea what he was talking about.
“Explain yourself.” She crossed her arms under her breasts and looked every bit the autocratic but always sexy Cleopatra.
“Butch told me Janie encouraged him to ask you out.”
He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, though there was a tinge of surprise on her face briefly.
“And?”
“Well? Isn’t that enough? Suddenly you’re surrounded by every eligible bachelor within a hundred miles, and you don’t put two and two together?”
“Are you saying those men are only paying any attention to me because your sisters-in-law encouraged them? Or maybe even bribed them? That I’m so unattractive no man would come within a mile of me unless one of the great Randalls told them to? Thank you very much, Jake. You’ve just made my night!”
She immediately turned to take flight, but he caught her arm. “Don’t be ridiculous!” He couldn’t conceive that she could possibly believe what she’d just said. Didn’t the woman know she made him go weak in the knees, just looking at her?
“Turn loose of me!”
“B.J., you’re the most beautiful woman here tonight and you know it! Even the married men can’t keep their eyes off you and that blasted costume. Do you realize how high that slit is?”
Though her cheeks turned a little red, she looked him up and down and said, “About as high as your skirt.”
“Aw, now that’s hittin’ below the belt, Barbara Jo,” he said, grinning.
“No one but Mildred ever calls me that.” She raised her chin in challenge.
He moved a little closer and tried to put a smile on her face. “I was trying to distract you from my knobbly knees.”
“You’re being ridiculous, Jake.” She tried to push past him, but he blocked her way. “I need to get back to the living room before people start remembering that we left together. They’ll think the worst.”
“Which is?” he probed.
Her cheeks flushed, and she took a step backward. “That we’re having a romantic interlude somewhere.”
He almost salivated at the thought. Why did this one woman stir his senses? Why did this one woman drive him crazy? Why did the thought of other men— Jake stood, turned to stone. The answer was more than he could understand, accept. Because it meant he’d gone back on the promise he’d made to himself when Chloe had left.
He’d sworn he’d never love another woman. He’d never put his happiness in another’s hands. And most certain of all, he’d never marry again.
It was too late. That was the most amazing part. He’d already broken those first two promises. And he wanted to break the other as soon as possible.
He wanted to marry B. J. Anderson.
“Are you going to let me by?” she asked, her voice tense.
Panic filled him, mixed with desire, and he had no answer for her. All he could do was stare at her.
The sound of the door opening behind him stopped him from answering B.J. He turned to face Janie, with Pete right behind.
“Uh, are we inte
rrupting something?” Pete asked.
“No,” B.J. quickly replied. “I was just leaving.”
“Don’t go on our account,” Janie quickly said. “And if you’re wanting to be alone, we can tell you a few good places.” She grinned at both of them, as if they were all coconspirators.
Jake sneaked a look at B.J. Her cheeks were flaming, and she wouldn’t look at him, even though he willed her to.
“No, thank you. I was looking for Mildred. I think it’s about time for me and Toby to go home,” B.J. muttered, not looking at anyone.
“Wait, B.J. I think we need to have a little discussion with Janie before you go.” Anything to keep her there, near him.
“What about?” Janie asked.
“I think you, and probably the other two female Randalls, have been interfering again,” Jake said, trying to keep his voice stern.
“Interfering in what?” Janie asked, not looking the least bit guilty, as Jake expected her to.
“Yeah, Jake,” Pete seconded. “Interfering in what?”
Well, now, there was the problem. Exactly what should Jake call this situation. His romance with B.J.? It wasn’t really a romance. At least, he’d suddenly realized it was on his part, but he hadn’t broken the news to B.J.
“Uh, mine and B.J.’s lives.”
Anna raised her eyebrows. “Just how am I interfering with your lives?”
“You encouraged Butch to ask B.J. out.” His voice was surer now. After all, he was quite clear about that fact.
“All I did was suggest Butch ask B.J. out.”
B.J., who’d been edging toward the door, smiled at Janie. “Thanks, Janie. He did. We’re going to dinner next weekend.” Then she walked out the door.
Jake stared after her, his heart contracting. Had he blown his relationship with B.J.? Had he realized too late that life without her was not worth living?
Chapter Fourteen
Ranch people weren’t prone to staying up late. By ten o’clock everyone was saying his or her goodbyes. Their leaving was hastened by the storm that blew in. The first snow of the season was dusting the landscape with whiteness.
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