Truly Sweet

by Candis Terry

  “I’m sorry,” she said over the music. “He’s just not that open to—”

  “Don’t you worry. I’ve got him.” Out of nowhere, Jana Wilder appeared. “Gimme that precious little boy.”

  Max let go a drooly squeal of glee at the sight of the woman who was more of a grandmother to him than Annie’s own mom, who’d never even bothered to come see her grandson since he’d been born.

  Though a year had passed since Max came into the world, Annie had never even received a card from her parents that acknowledged her little boy’s existence. The snub hurt more than Annie would ever admit. Now, with Abby expecting her own child, the hurt doubled. Because they weren’t acknowledging Abby’s baby, either. And though their parents had been personally invited via telephone as well as a formal invitation, neither of their parents had bothered to attend Abby and Jackson’s wedding. Annie had been surprised how well Abby had handled the situation.

  “Why bother packing up and flying halfway across the country for a second marriage that would most likely end up like the first—without the big payoff at the end?” their mother had asked.

  Annie had bitten her tongue to keep from arguing that her big sister’s first marriage had ended because her first husband was a complete and total dick. And that Abby should have married Jackson the first time around anyway. Her argument would have been a big waste of time. Simply put, their parents only cared about themselves. Always had. Always would. The lack of interest, love, and support from her own flesh and blood made Annie appreciate Jana even more.

  Jana took Max into her arms and smothered his face with squeaky kisses. “You just keep on dancing, sugarplum,” she told Annie. “Have some fun.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “As sure as this little dickens has a wet diaper. I’ll go take care of that right now before he notices.” Jana grinned like she’d been awarded a million-dollar prize.

  “Nice lady,” Bo said, once Jana walked away. Then he took Annie’s hand and drew her into his arms to finish the two-step they’d started.

  Tall, dark, and handsome, with a smile that reached all the way up to the flecks of gold in his jade green eyes and a lean physique that spoke of more hours working out than snogging down Big Macs, Bo was everything a sane woman looked for in a man. Smart. Strong. Handsome. Responsible. And yet she couldn’t muster up the interest. Not one single tingle rippled up her spine or through her heart.

  The lack of awareness was disappointing to say the least.

  As they twirled around the dance floor with the other couples, she caught Jake in her periphery. She’d noticed him the moment she and Max had arrived. Well, it was hard not to notice someone you’d actually been looking for.

  But what she noticed gave her great concern.

  The brittleness on his face and the way he tried to lean into the cane without anyone’s noticing the grimace of pain in his blue eyes turned her stomach. Throughout the evening, she’d recognized his attempts at reincarnating the old Jake, the good-time guy who flirted with the ladies both young and old. The old Jake, who could tell a knee-slapping joke with the best of them and dance the night away until the band finally gave up and went home.

  Watching him, one thing became crystal clear.

  Jake was struggling to find himself.

  She could use the excuse that since she’d known him most of her life, she’d be happy to help him. The truth was, she cared. Deeply. The stubborn set to his jaw told her that if she even mentioned it, he’d only narrow those deep blue eyes and tell her he was just fine.

  He wasn’t.

  When the song ended, Bo kept hold of her hand as he walked her off the impromptu dance floor. “It’s still pretty warm out,” he said. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’d love—”

  “I’ve got that covered,” said a deep voice that sent a tingle of awareness up her spine.

  She sighed. Why couldn’t that have happened with Bo?

  Annie didn’t need to turn around to know to whom the voice belonged. And she tried really hard not to smile at the slight testiness to his tone. Before she could blink, his large hand came around and handed her—of all things—a bottle of her favorite raspberry iced tea.

  Did he remember? Or had it just been a fluke?

  To accept the bottle, she had to let go of Bo’s hand, which she hoped was Jake’s intent. Then again, she’d always been a big dreamer. Jake had never shown signs of interest in her. At all. In fact, if she carefully considered their most recent discussion at the diner, Jake spoke to her with a persistent twitch to his jaw. As if he were hovering on the edge of using that squared jawline to snap her head off.

  “Thank you.” She accepted the iced tea. “Very perceptive of you to realize I was thirsty.” She noticed he didn’t bring anything for Bo, who was likely just as parched.

  “How’s the leg?” Bo asked. Annie was positive he wasn’t trying to point out Jake’s weakness. After all, he was a doctor. And wasn’t there some kind of Hippocratic oath to be kind to the sick and wounded?

  “Doing great.” Yep. The muscles in Jake’s jaw twitched. “Couple more weeks of walking with this thing, then I’m good.”

  Annie frowned at Jake’s delivery of the well-practiced line of BS. She knew the extent of his injury. Knew how he’d been shot. Knew everything about that horrible day. At least what the Marines had relayed to Jana. Jake, so far, had said nothing. Like that day had never happened and he’d gotten the injury from something as simple as falling off his horse. From what she’d read about soldiers who returned home either with injuries or PTSD, a lot of them didn’t want to talk about it.

  Even if talking was what they really needed to do.

  “That’s great to hear.” Bo took a breath, turned away from Jake, and gave Annie a smile. “Maybe I can call you sometime?”

  Had they been alone, she wouldn’t have dreamed of leading him on. But when Jake’s dark slash of brows jacked up his forehead, she found herself saying, “I’d really like that.”

  With a nod and two fingers to the brim of his hat, Bo bid them good night.

  When he was out of hearing distance, Annie turned and looked up at Jake. “What was that?”

  He tilted his head. “What was what?”

  “Bringing me something to drink.” She lifted the bottle of iced tea as a point of reference. “Butting in. Acting like you were staking a claim or something.”

  His head snapped back, and he looked at her like she’d taken too many spins on the crazy train. She knew it was too much to hope he’d been doing exactly that, but she’d already stuck her entire boot in her mouth. No backing down now.

  “Bringing you an iced tea is staking a claim?”

  “Maybe.”

  “It wasn’t.”

  “Felt like it.”

  “There you go, being all delusional again.”

  “There you go, being all stubborn again.”

  His eyes flashed. Annie waited for his jaw muscles to twitch again. Instead, his sexy man lips curved upward.

  “And what’s that?” She pointed to his mouth. “You’re smiling? We’re arguing, and you’re smiling?”

  “Guess so.”

  “Why?”

  “Maybe I just realized something.”

  She crossed her arms. “And what’s that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I like arguing with you.” His broad shoulders came up in a shrug that made his chest look even broader if that were possible. “More than anyone else in the world, more than my pain-in-the-ass brothers, you make my blood boil. In fact, over the years, I’ve often envisioned wrapping my hands around your pretty little throat and squeezing ever so gently. But when it comes right down to it, I guess I might have missed our squabbles while I was away.”

  He missed her?

  “You’re crazy,” she said.
>
  Correction.

  She was crazy.

  He’d said he might have missed their squabbles. Not that he’d missed her.

  “So I’ve been told,” he said. “Often.”

  His gaze dropped down to the front of her blouse and the cleavage she’d been only too happy to expose tonight—just enough to maybe grab his interest. If only for a moment.

  Desperate move, she knew.

  But she figured she’d waited long enough for Jake to finally notice her and realize they could be good for each other. In order for him to see things the way she did, he had to stop looking at her as little Annie, proverbial pain in the ass.

  “Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I didn’t come here to argue.” Planting a hand on her hip got her point across. It also managed to thrust her top half out just a bit farther.

  Judging by the flash in his eyes, he noticed.

  “I came here to have a good time,” she said. “To welcome you home. And to sample as many of those delicious desserts as I can before my jeans get too tight.” To her delight, he dropped his gaze again, then looked back up at her with another hint of interest. She lifted her bottle of raspberry iced tea and gave him a little salute. “So thank you for the drink. But if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find someone who’s interested in having a little fun.”

  As she spun an about-face, the heels of her boots ground in the dirt, and she could feel the heat of Jake’s eyes on her backside. With any luck, he’d be looking at the sway of her hips and not the fact that her hips were now a smidge wider.

  “Hey,” he called out.

  She turned. “What?”

  “You really going to go out with that guy?”

  A distinct pucker pulled his dark brows together over his narrowed eyes. Always a good sign.

  “That guy is an ER doctor. An outstanding citizen of Sweet. And someone who would help a little old lady cross the street. So why wouldn’t I go out with him?”

  One corner of his mouth kicked upward. “Because you’re not a little old lady?”

  “Nice to see your smart-ass side back again.” She pointed. “Hope it sticks around for a while.”

  As she walked away, she heard him mutter, “Damned crazy woman.”

  That’s all it took to put a little more sass in her sway.

  Yes. She was a woman. Crazy, no doubt.

  And hallelujah that Jake had finally opened his eyes and noticed.

  Two things Jake was pretty damn sure of as Annie walked away. One, his leg was killing him from standing for so long, and, two, since he’d forgone the use of painkillers, the bottle of Shiner in his hand wasn’t helping. Surprisingly, there was a third note in his little pack of woes, and she’d just walked away.

  The fact that he was actually watching Annie walk away was bizarre. She’d been right about what she’d said in the diner the other day. He’d never really noticed her other than she was kind of a permanent fixture around the ranch. Sure, they’d had some good arguments and plenty of lively discussions back in the day, but when he heard she’d taken off for Seattle, he hadn’t given her another thought.

  So why now?

  Had his mind flipped some kind of pathetic switch where because he wasn’t as whole as he used to be, he’d suddenly become needy, and she was just within reach? Hell no. He slugged down another drink of ale. He wasn’t needy. He was on the mend. He’d be back to a hundred percent in no time.

  So why was he checking out Annie’s curvaceous behind in those tight jeans?

  There were numbers a mile long in his contact list. Women he could call to relieve a long sexual dry spell. Maybe that’s all he needed now. Maybe he just needed to get laid. It had been a really long time. First, he’d been stuck in the sands of hell for over eight months, then he’d been in the hospital and rehab for eight endless weeks. Shit, he’d been so busy and banged up, he and his own hand hadn’t even connected.

  Yep, he concluded, that’s all it was.

  The need for sexual release.

  That explained his sudden attention to Annie. Not that she wasn’t pretty or didn’t have a great body, he’d just never realized she was pretty and had a great body.

  Until now.

  Not to be outdone by any two-legged party attendees, Miss Giddy, his mother’s pet goat, trotted over and looked up at him with her big brown eyes.

  “Meh-eh-eh.”

  “Missed you too, you crazy old goat.” He stroked her head between the horns. Tonight, the fashion-minded farm animal sported a red-white-and-blue silk ribbon around her long neck. Why his mother had chosen a goat instead of a normal animal like a dog or cat to pamper was anyone’s guess. But over the years, Miss Giddy had become a part of the family. “You’re looking a little pudgy these days, old girl.”

  “Meh-eh-eh.”

  “No insult intended. Just making note.”

  Miss Giddy tossed her head and trotted away as if the comment had hurt her feelings.

  “You look like you either need a stronger drink or a place to sit.”

  Jake turned as Reno, Charli, and their adorable three-month-old baby, Adeline, strolled up. Jake was sad he’d missed the baby’s birth, but it was good to see his big brother happily married and now a doting father. Reno deserved all the good things life could deliver. He’d suffered some serious shit when he’d been a kid. And though he wasn’t a brother by the same parents, he was a brother by blood and heart.

  “Probably both.” Jake laughed to cover the sting of the truth.

  “I can make that happen,” Reno said. “You want to hold Addie while we go get them?”

  From inside the carefully swaddled pink blanket, his tiny niece looked up at Jake and blinked her blue eyes. Then, that perfect little pink Cupid’s bow of a mouth opened in a smile, and it was all he could do not to grab her up and bury his face against her sweet little head.

  “I’d better not,” he said. “I’m afraid I might drop her.”

  Adeline had the nerve to coo at him, which was basically like her reaching out and grabbing hold of his heart with her pudgy little hand.

  “Sorry.” Reno glanced down at the cane. “Not like me to be so insensitive.”

  “Really?” Jake yanked his gaze away from the adorableness Charli held in her arms. “Just because I was stupid enough to get hit with a bullet, you’re going to go all girly on me?”

  “Fuck you.” Reno grinned. “I’m not going all girly.”

  “Yes, you are,” Charli said. “And please start practicing now to say things like frig instead of the F word. Or shut the front door instead of—”

  “Shit. I get it.” Reno grimaced. “I mean shoot.”

  Charli leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Go get your brother a chair and a beer. I’ll stay here and make sure he remembers there are now two sets of little ears to protect.”

  “Yeah. And Izzy’s getting old enough to reprimand you herself.” Reno lifted his chin. Before he walked away, he lightly punched Jake’s arm. “And by the way, you are stupid.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Boys.” Charli admonished, as Reno disappeared.

  “Sorry. Guess we’re going to take some work,” Jake apologized. Although he was pretty sure the grin he wore negated his good intention.

  “I’m going to hold out hope that it will sink in eventually. Maybe all you need is to be around the little ones more often.”

  “Ha. Then you’ll be able to blame me for everything.”

  “Not everything. There’s plenty of blame to throw on Jackson and Jesse too.”

  “I like that idea. Blame them first. It’s what I always do. Kept me off restriction for years.”

  Charli laughed. “I can imagine you all kept your mom and dad guessing and hopping.”

  “That’s why mom has to dye away the gray now. Dad? He was always onto u
s, but he was selective for the reasons he’d give us the lecture.” Thinking about his dad rendered him silent for a moment as the grief from his father’s death swamped him with renewed emotion. Jared had been the firstborn brother, and though neither of their parents admitted it or even showed it, there was something special about him. He’d been the best big brother anyone could ask for. He’d been a model son, student, and Marine. He upheld the name Wilder like none of the rest of them had ever been able to.

  As a result of Jared’s having been killed in Afghanistan, their father fell into a heartache and depression that stole the life from him. One morning, Reno had found him slumped over the desk at the family hardware store that now solely belonged to Reno. Little had they known at the time that their father, along with Jesse, harbored Jared’s secret that he was gay. Jake understood the military’s take on homosexuality though he didn’t agree with it. And the fact that his brother had found the love of his life in another man mattered only that his brother had found the love of his life.

  Jake missed his dad and brother more than he could ever measure.

  And that thought led him right back to his friend Eli, who would never see his child be born or hold him. He’d never watch him grow, play ball, lose his first tooth, or become a man.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to hold her?” Charli asked.

  Jake’s head came up. “What?”

  “The way you were looking at Addie. It looked like you really want to hold her.”

  “I do.” He gestured toward the cane. “But I’d better wait.”

  Emotion stirred in the depths of Charli’s deep brown eyes. “That cane really isn’t the issue, is it?”

  Damn. His sister-in-law was too perceptive for her own good.

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yeah. You do.” Her shoulders lifted on a sigh. “But I’ve already pushed one Wilder brother further than he ever intended to go. I’ll let someone else push you.”

  Charli’s compassion was heartfelt and, for him, hard to take. So he glanced away. Unfortunately, the direction of his gaze landed on Annie, who was once again dancing with Bo Jennings. This time to a much slower tune. In Jake’s opinion, Bo was holding her way too close.