by Anna Sugden
“People in Montana sure barbecue a lot,” he said, getting up from the ice cream churn so Morgan could take over.
“I don’t know about everybody, but we do,” Grandpa Parker said. “Especially when we’re celebrating new members of the family.” He winked. “Hope you don’t mind, but we think DeeDee should be an honorary granddaughter.”
“I think she’d like that.”
“How about it, DeeDee?” Grandpa Parker called across the patio. “Can we adopt you as another granddaughter?”
“Sure,” DeeDee agreed enthusiastically.
“Great. It’s been so good having Morgan, we’d like to double our blessings in the granddaughter department.”
Alex looked at Morgan, whose cheeks had gone pink. He knew she’d wondered if everyone thought she was some kind of mistake, so what Grandpa Parker had said probably sounded good to her. They’d emailed back and forth a lot and she’d told him things that might have been too embarrassing to say out loud.
“Now, Parker, share and share alike,” Grandpa Hank said. “We’re making Morgan part of our family, as well.”
“That makes us related, doesn’t it?”
“We’ll try to put up with you for Morgan’s sake, even though you don’t know what you’re talking about when it comes to ice cream.”
Alex laughed. Having a big family was working out okay. Sometimes there was awkward stuff, but maybe the good stuff made it worthwhile.
It would be dope sleeping out at the ranch. Grandpa Parker had a humongous telescope and DeeDee had brought the one she’d gotten for her birthday. DeeDee was more into astronomy than him, but he liked it a whole lot.
After lunch the girls started a water volleyball game and he was going to join in when Jackson came over. “How about a ride, Alex? I can borrow a horse from my dad, and I’m sure Betty would like to get out again.”
“Uh, sure.” Alex’s stomach churned and he wished he hadn’t eaten steak after all, but he couldn’t duck and run every time the guy wanted to spend time with him.
A short while later they rode in a direction Alex hadn’t gone before. After a mile they came to an old log cabin.
“This is where the McGregors lived when they first came to Montana,” Jackson explained. “We restored it a couple of years ago after one corner fell down.”
“That’s cool, I guess,” Alex said, trying to imagine living in such a small, dark place.
“They didn’t stay there long,” Jackson said. “After a few years they built another home with milled lumber.”
“Where’s that one?”
“It’s part of the house where my folks live. That’s where I grew up. I can show you the old part, and where they added on later.”
Alex bobbed his head, wishing his stomach wasn’t so tight.
“By the way, there’s something I wanted to talk about,” Jackson said as they turned back toward the house.
Alex scowled; he’d known there had to be more to the ride than just a family history lesson.
“It’s about why you ran away and came to Montana,” Jackson continued. “Your mom is worried. Is there something about it that you can’t discuss with her?”
Alex shrugged and kept his mouth shut.
“I’m not asking you to tell me, but I wish you’d consider trusting her with it,” Jackson urged.
“Why do you care what she thinks?” Alex asked, suspicious.
“Because she’s your mother. She’s trying to take care of you, and it’s extrahard since she’s mostly doing it alone.”
“Yeah, my dad’s kind of a loser,” Alex muttered. Sometimes he didn’t care if the whole world knew his father was a jackass.
Jackson didn’t say anything right away, as if he was thinking something over. “Maybe, but he must have something good about him, or your mother wouldn’t have married him in the first place.”
Alex let go of a tight breath, glad Jackson had said that. Sometimes it got awfully hard to love his dad. His eyes stung and he looked away. There weren’t any buildings, just cows and hills and a few trees.
All of a sudden a rabbit shot out of the grass in front of them, making Jackson’s horse sidestep and toss its head with a high whinny. “Whoa there, Rico,” Jackson said, bringing the stallion under control as if it was no big deal.
Alex patted Betty’s neck, glad she wasn’t jumpy. Morgan said her dad liked to help horses that had been broken badly or mistreated. She called Thunder a nervous Nellie because he’d been treated rotten by some guy down in Wyoming before being rescued, though he was much better now that he was starting to trust her dad.
“Do you think Thunder remembers how bad it was before you got him?” Alex asked curiously.
“It’s hard to say. Horses are much more sensitive and intelligent than lots of people think.”
“Yeah.” Alex rubbed his nose. It was strange to go from being a computer nerd with a bratty stepbrother to riding a horse he’d saddled himself. And not at a riding stable, either, on a real cattle ranch that belonged to his birth dad’s family.
“So will you talk to your mother?” Jackson pushed after they’d ridden a little farther.
Alex fiddled with Betty’s reins. “I don’t know. She might get upset.”
“I bet she’d rather have you talk to her, no matter what. Besides, I doubt you upset your mom as much as I used to upset your grandparents.”
Alex wanted to ask Jackson what sort of things he’d done as a kid, but figured he probably wouldn’t want to tell. Then he decided to ask anyhow.
“What’s the wildest thing you ever did?” he asked, expecting to hear it was drag racing or playing chicken, or something stupid and daring like jumping off a mountain with a parachute.
“I don’t know if it was the wildest, but I drove all night to Seattle on a dare. My folks thought I was camping with a friend.”
Alex laughed. “Come on, that’s the worst thing you ever did?”
Jackson looked surprised, then sad.
“Actually, no,” he said slowly. “The worst thing was not believing your mother when she told me she was pregnant with our baby. It was harder for her, but I still paid a big price. You see, I would have gotten to know you a long time ago instead of waiting until you were fifteen. It may sound sappy, but if I could fix only one thing I’ve done wrong, that’s the one I’d choose.”
Alex looked down. He’d been so bent out of shape about everything he hadn’t wanted to think about how Jackson felt. But maybe he should, because even if he didn’t want another dad, Jackson might be a good guy to have as a friend.
* * *
MORGAN SAT ON the edge of her grandparents’ pool, swinging her legs in the water and wondering when Alex and her dad were getting back. At least she had Sandy to talk to; DeeDee and Keri were too busy playing in the waterfall to notice anyone else. Her grandparents’ pool was smaller than at home, but it had a hot tub on one side that sort of spilled over into the rest of the water, and a waterfall on the other. It wasn’t like the waterfall at Halloran’s Meadow, but it was pretty nifty.
“You know what?” Sandy said. “Our school back home has decided to offer Japanese. Alex and I are taking it together.”
“Isn’t Japanese hard?” Morgan asked.
“Yeah, but it would be neat to learn. And the United States does lots of business with Japan.”
“I thought you wanted to be president someday.”
“I’ve got to do something until then. You have to be, like, ancient before you can run for president, so I’m going to study international law.”
“I guess knowing Japanese would help.”
“Sure, and I’ll have to learn other languages, too.”
Morgan made a face. She had enough trouble in English class. “I’m taking French this fall.”
“That’s cool.”
“Dad says Spanish might be more useful, but I want to visit Paris someday.”
Talking about class starting was depressing. Not because Morgan hated scho
ol, but it was a reminder that Alex and DeeDee were going back to Seattle soon. Of course, things were probably going to get better at home now, and Alex had said he’d show her how to do video calls with him on the computer. Besides, he’d come back to Montana to see everyone, and he was going to ask if she could visit them in Seattle. It just wouldn’t be the same as him and DeeDee being here all the time.
“What’s the matter?” Sandy asked.
Morgan shrugged. “I’m going to be lonely when you guys leave.”
“Yeah, I was lonely while Alex was gone. I could have killed him when he emailed and told me he’d blown off his dad to go to Montana.”
Morgan nodded; she would have been mad, too.
She liked Sandy, though a jealous little part of her wanted to keep Alex to herself.
“Alex says you might come to visit Seattle,” Sandy continued. “That’s cool. I’ll take you sailing on Lake Washington. Alex won’t go, he gets seasick.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s gross.”
Morgan laughed. “I won’t get sick. My grandparents have a boat and we go sailing on Flathead Lake.”
“Awesome. We’ll thumb our noses at him as we sail away.”
“He won’t care.”
“No, but we’ll do it anyway.”
It sounded fun and Morgan wondered how soon she could go. It was a long way to Seattle. Dad would have to let her fly, but maybe he wouldn’t mind. He might even want to go, too. After all, Alex was a boy and that probably meant a lot to him.
She’d always known her father had wanted a boy instead of a girl. It was what her mom had said—that he’d wanted them to have more kids because he’d hoped one would be a son. It bothered her a little, but not as much as thinking he hadn’t wanted her at all.
* * *
KAYLA ANXIOUSLY WATCHED for Alex’s return, wondering how he might be taking the one-on-one time with Jackson. So far, Alex had tried to stay in a group whenever his birth father was around.
Alex came into the backyard by way of the house. He’d changed into his bathing suit and immediately jumped into the pool.
Jackson followed, but stopped when he saw Elizabeth pulling the churn dasher from the ice cream maker.
“I can’t tell any difference,” he said after eating a spoonful, “unless it’s one of those lesson things—we get more out of the stuff we have to work for.”
“Hush,” Hank warned, “there are kids here. Don’t give away a parent’s trade secrets.”
“My apologies.”
Keri, listening from the pool, giggled.
Kayla had always imagined an extended family gathering would be like this, filled with warmth and laughter. She was grateful Alex and DeeDee were experiencing it now, and that there’d probably be many more in the future.
The McGregors seemed genuine about wanting DeeDee to be part of their family, and she knew her grandparents felt the same about Morgan. It was partly why she’d warned Jackson to be careful about giving anyone the wrong impression—there was no sense in anyone thinking they’d get together. Of course, it was possible the McGregors didn’t have that in mind since they had to be aware of Jackson’s reputation. Madison certainly didn’t have a high opinion of her brother’s attitude toward women and marriage.
Nevertheless, Jackson seemed to have taken her warning seriously. Aside from casual friendliness, he didn’t come over to talk with her, or do anything else that might suggest they were becoming a couple. So she was able to concentrate on other people...mostly.
Around eight, after another meal, the kids started getting ready for their sleep-out. Elizabeth and Hank said good-night and left for home.
“You’ve got everything you need?” Kayla asked her son and daughter and their friends.
“Everything’s cool, Mom,” Alex said.
“Then, have a good time.”
The kids barely seemed to notice as she said goodbye to the McGregors and walked out to the Volvo, Jackson beside her.
“I should have brought my truck so you wouldn’t have to take me home,” he said.
“No problem,” she assured, except now that they were alone again, the breathless surge of her hormones was reasserting itself with a vengeance.
In silence she started the Volvo and began retracing the various roads to Jackson’s ranch.
“It’s obviously more direct to come over on horseback,” she said, hoping her voice sounded even, “but is there any problem crossing other ranches?”
“Not around here. We just have one rule—if you open a gate, close it after you.” His voice was husky in the gathering darkness.
“Very neighborly.”
“Yeah, though the only ranch that has to be crossed is the Balderdash, and now it belongs to my brother Trent.”
Kayla stopped in front of his house. “Looks as if you didn’t leave on any lights.”
“I forgot Flora was spending the night with her sister. How about a swim?” he asked, his voice low and enticing.
Oh, hell. What was a woman to do? At least tonight nobody was around to get their hopes up about any future relationships...or be upset by the possibility.
“Sounds good.”
She climbed out of the car and went inside with Jackson.
“I’ll leave the pool lights off so they don’t outshine the stars. Go on out, I’ll change upstairs.”
A tall rolling fence had been pulled alongside the pool, blocking any lights from the ranch’s outbuildings. It was quiet and private and devastating to any resolve she might have had left in her brain.
Quickly she went into the pool house to put on her suit, half surprised and half disappointed that Jackson hadn’t suggested a nude starlight swim.
He wasn’t there when she emerged, and she slipped into the dark water to float on her back. With no artificial light nearby, the stars shone with a fiery glory, and several meteors shot across the sky as she watched.
Kayla was barely aware that Jackson had come outside and entered the pool with silent grace. She had a dreamy sensation of being suspended in time, floating between worlds in the starlight. After a long time, reluctantly, she moved toward the long steps in the shallows.
“Surely you’re not leaving,” he murmured in the darkness.
“Perhaps I should.”
His hand cupped her waist and she swallowed. “Hey,” she chided, “you blew your chances when you didn’t suggest skinny-dipping.”
“That would have hurried things up too much.” Jackson tugged her closer. “You wouldn’t have wanted to miss all those shooting stars,” he murmured. “Did you make a wish?”
She hadn’t wished for anything, since the only things she still wanted were out of reach.
“No.”
“I did.” His fingers slipped under the shoulder strap of her suit. “Another reason for not starting out skinny-dipping is the sensuality of undressing in the water.”
Kayla swallowed as he tugged the straps down until her breasts moved freely. With strong hands, he stretched the black one-piece so it slipped easily over her hips. She couldn’t see his face, but had a feeling he was grinning as he swam down and eased the fabric from her legs.
As he rose, his hand brushed the inside of her thighs and stopped at the apex. The water didn’t feel cool in the least as his fingers probed, and she gasped as they found the center of sensation. He drew her closer with one hand until he was kissing her while his other still touched, explored, entered, withdrew, teasing until pleasure exploded through her body.
“Mmm,” he whispered. “See what I mean?”
“What about...” She stopped, realizing his own suit was gone and his erection was insistently prodding her belly.
“Much as I’d enjoyed proceeding without delay,” he murmured, “being in the water isn’t any protection.”
She almost didn’t care whether protection was involved, but she let him lift her onto the edge of the pool and lead her to one of the large redwood chaises. Only then did she
realize the backrest was lying down flat. Perhaps it should have offended her that he’d assumed too much; on the other hand, she’d known it was going to happen from the moment she’d agreed to a starlight swim.
He stopped, and with the faint crackle of a condom wrapper, she knew he was covering himself before moving over her, his weight settling on her body with delicious satisfaction.
* * *
“ARE YOU COLD?” Jackson asked much later. They were still damp and a breeze was blowing through the yard.
“Not too bad. You’re the one who’s probably chilly, since you’re blocking the wind.
Almost without thinking, he’d shifted to shield her. With only the faint light from the stars and rising moon to guide his eyes, he studied the planes of her face...her slender neck, collarbone, enticing breasts, one of them pressed against arm.
“Why didn’t you wish on a shooting star?” he asked.
“I could wish for keeping my kids safe and happy, but that’s more like my daily prayer. What was your wish, or should I ask?” she said in a dry tone.
He chuckled. “My wish was immediate, basic and very graphic. And I got it.”
“You didn’t need to wish. You knew what would happen when I agreed to stay for a swim.”
True, he’d known she’d desired him as much as he had wanted her in return. But his wish... He frowned. Had his wish been granted? He had an odd sense that he’d missed something, though the sex had been spectacular.
In the house he could hear the clock chiming and reluctantly sat up.
“I hate to mention this,” he said, “but if your grandparents don’t see you soon, they may get suspicious.”
* * *
“I KNOW.” GETTING UP, Kayla hurried into the pool house and dressed swiftly. Outside she found Jackson with a towel wrapped around his waist.
“You are going to clean up the evidence, right?” she asked.
“I’ll make sure everything is shipshape.”
“Don’t forget my suit. It’s somewhere in the pool.”
“I’ll get that, too,” he promised.
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow when I pick up the kids.”
“Sleep well.”
“The same to you.”
It was all very polite and civilized, as if nothing had happened. And maybe, to him, nothing significant had happened. He enjoyed discreet liaisons, although they might not be as discreet as he imagined, since the people in town knew he had an active sex life.