Truly Sweet

by Candis Terry

  “She’d be the perfect choice.”

  Jake snapped his head around to find Charli now smiling. “Who?”

  “Annie.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Jake barked out a laugh. “We’d tear each other’s throats out.”

  “Or each other’s clothes off. Which sounds like a much better solution to me.” Charli flashed him a wink, then she and baby Addie strolled off.

  The frown tightening Jake’s forehead gave him an instant headache. He hated to be the one to tell his brother he’d married a crazy woman. But the possibility was there. Because for her to even put him and Annie together in the same thought made no sense at all.

  Chapter 3

  The morning after the party, the delicious aroma of bacon, eggs, and sweet-potato hash filled the air while Jake sat at his mother’s kitchen table sipping a steaming cup of coffee. She, on the other hand, darted around the room, putting breakfast together for him.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” he asked for the hundredth time.

  “Don’t you be silly, sugarplum. I’ve been waiting for you to get home just so I can do exactly this.”

  “But, Mom. I’m an adult. You don’t have to take care of me anymore. Let me do something for you after all the work you put into the party.”

  She turned with a spatula in one hand and a grin on her face. “It really was a wonderful party, wasn’t it?”

  “It was great.” Even though he hadn’t been in a celebratory mood, it had been really good to be surrounded by family and friends after spending so much time looking at the desolate mountain ranges of Afghanistan and subsequent bland hospital walls. Nothing compared to being home in the Texas Hill Country and being able to see the faces of his loved ones any damn time he wanted.

  “It does my old heart good to see everyone together again.”

  “Mom. You’re not that old.”

  “Tell that to the gray hairs on my head.”

  “You had those a long time ago. Comes from being the mother of five hell-raising sons.”

  “True.” She flipped the hash with the expertise of someone who’d done it many times. “But I’d do it all over again. As much as y’all drove me crazy, you also made up for it with love.”

  “Perhaps you’re forgetting the time Jackson got himself banged up in that Oklahoma rodeo and spent weeks on the sofa with the little bell you gave him to ring when he needed something.”

  “Oh, God.” She sighed a little laugh. “He did abuse the use of that bell, didn’t he?”

  “Until Jared got sick of hearing it and stomped it with his big-ass boot.”

  “Good thing it wasn’t a family heirloom.”

  Jake laughed, then shook his head. “I really miss Jared.”

  “Me too, son. Me too.”

  “You think his partner will ever get in touch with us?”

  His mother flipped a perfectly cooked sunny-side-up egg onto the sweet potatoes and set the plate in front of him.

  “I don’t know. It’s been so long now that I’ve kind of lost hope.”

  “He probably thinks we’re a bunch of backwoods yahoos who’d judge him for being gay.”

  “I can’t imagine Jared would present us like that to anyone. Even if he’d been hesitant to tell us about his homosexuality.”

  “Guess you’re right.” Jake popped a forkful of egg and potato in his mouth and moaned.

  “Good?”

  Busy chewing, Jake just nodded. No one could cook like his mom. He and his brothers could grill and barbecue like nobody’s business, but when it came to the full-on meal, his mom was magic.

  “Martin will be stopping by shortly.” His mom set her plate down on the table, then scooted onto the chair next him. “He’s going to bring down some items from the barn loft, so I can take them to the shop to sell. Guess that’s a sign that business is good.”

  “You still only open three days a week?” The antique-and-design store she and Charli opened in the old Victorian house on Main Street just as you came into town seemed to be thriving. It was filled with the items his mom had picked for years from flea markets, yard sales, and dilapidated barns. She and Charli had decided their styles meshed and that going into business together would be a good idea. But both women were now so busy with other things, like a baby and wedding plans, that Jake wondered if the shop was more hobby than livelihood.

  “If it ain’t broke, why fix it? The schedule gives Charli plenty of time to be with Addie. Besides, we didn’t really open it to get rich.”

  “Most people would question if not for riches, why bother?”

  “Because passion can’t be ignored.” She took a thoughtful sip of coffee, then looked up at him with the blue eyes that were dominant within the brothers. “Your daddy and I were just kids when we fell in love and got married. Just kids, really, when we had Jared. We worked hard for everything we had. For everything we put on the table. During all those years, it was my passion to make a warm and welcoming home for y’all. Even as time went on and things became easier, we hoped to teach you boys that happiness can’t be found in things that can be bought. Happiness comes from the heart. Family, peace, giving to the community, finding your passion, finding love . . . those are the things that make you rich.”

  Jake knew he might be having a little trouble with the whole being-happy thing right now, but he also knew his parents had worked hard to teach him and his brothers about the most important things in life. Which was just one reason why they’d all joined the Marines after 9-11. Serve your community. Serve your country. They all had, and they’d paid the price. Yet Jake knew if you asked his mother if she’d change anything, she’d tell you no.

  He settled his hand over the top of his mother’s. “You and Dad were always the best.”

  She turned her hand over and gave his a squeeze. “Your daddy and I were very proud of you boys and the men you’ve become. All of you.”

  The compliment felt good, and Jake smiled. “Need some help bringing those items down from the loft?”

  She gave him a look that reminded him he was still using a cane to get around.

  “I’m just a little gimpy at the moment, Mom. I’m not an invalid.”

  “Just don’t want you taking any tumbles down the stairs.” Her brows knitted together in the way they always did when she sensed trouble brewing. “Those hay bales really don’t make all that soft of a landing.”

  Tell him about it. He’d picked sticks from his hair for days after one particular hayloft rendezvous with Jessica Holt back when they’d been seniors in high school. He’d spent a lot of time with Jessica over the years, even as recently as the last time he’d been home on leave. She’d provided the yee and he’d supplied the ha. Jessica offered a short-term kind of happiness he’d been only too happy to take advantage of. And with the way he’d been checking out Annie at last night’s party, maybe he should consider giving Jessica a call. Relieve that sexual frustration that had been building up inside him for months.

  Yes, he decided while shoving the last bite of bacon into his mouth, all he needed was a good bit of sexual release, then he’d be back on track, thinking about important things. Like what the hell he planned to do with the rest of his life now that the Marines didn’t want him anymore, and not about Annie and her curves, or that smart mouth that suddenly looked so tempting.

  Annie parked her car in the shade of the barn at Wilder Ranch and near the canopy of oaks that sheltered the area where last night there had been one heck of a homecoming party. As the evening had rolled on, it even seemed like Jake had loosened up a little. He hadn’t exactly moved onto the dance floor as he would have before his injury, but he’d kicked back with a beer in one of the Adirondack chairs and held court among his brothers and friends.

  She hadn’t meant to watch him so often, yet every time her gaze wandered his way,
his seemed to do the same. True to form, he hadn’t missed a beat in his storytelling. Had she not known him so well and caught either the narrowing of his eyes or the lift of his brow, she would never have known he’d been looking back. But if there was one thing she knew well in this world, it was Jake Wilder.

  Or, at least she thought she did.

  Every now and then, he’d do something that completely surprised her. Like the time he’d volunteered to set up the church carnival without being prodded to do so by his parents, or when he’d been home on leave and worked the entire time helping rebuild the Miller family barn that had burned after their hay bales caught fire. Not that Jake wasn’t generous, he was just usually a bit more selective as to where he spent his time than the rest of the brothers.

  She unbuckled Max from his car seat and swung him up into her arms. “Come on, little man. Grandma Jana is going to watch you while Mommy tries to earn some Christmas money.”

  “Mamamamamama. Dote!” Gleefully, he pointed down to Miss Giddy, who’d trotted up to say hello.

  Sporting the same ribbon she’d worn last night to the party, Miss Giddy nodded. “Meh-eh-eh.”

  Annie laughed and held Max down so he could give the goat a pat or two between the horns. “Looks like Miss Giddy had a little too much celebration hay at the party.” She petted the goat too. “You’re getting a little puffy around the waistline, Miss Giddy. What’s up with that?”

  Miss Giddy took off, kicking up her back feet like she’d been insulted.

  “Sorry about that,” Annie apologized, then laughed at herself for doing so.

  Pushing open the back door to Jana’s house with her hip, Annie struggled to get the diaper bag, her wiggly little boy, and herself inside. A pair of large hands appeared and took the overpacked bag. When she looked up, Jake was there. The thick slash of his brows was drawn down over eyes that appeared a little bloodshot this morning.

  The air smelled delicious although she wasn’t sure whether the source was the freshly showered man in front of her or the lingering scent of bacon. Maybe both. Either way, she realized she was hungry.

  For both.

  “Good morning.” Jana clapped her hands together, then held them out for Max. “And how’s my little sugarplum today?”

  It did Annie’s heart good that Max practically jumped into Jana’s arms. While baby talk and baby blabber went on between the two, Annie looked back at Jake and held out her hand for the diaper bag.

  “Thanks for the help,” she said, snatching the green-and-gray bag and trying not to study him like a bug under a microscope.

  For what it was worth, Jake somehow always made her feel safe. And horny. Very horny. No doubt his military skills gave her the false security of someone who could take care of any situation. Because there was also no doubt that Jake Wilder was a complete wild card. Besides Jackson, Jake was the one who always jumped into trouble feetfirst. Just the look of him, tall, tousled, and muscular, with a smile that surely made angels sing, said he could sweet-talk you right out of your lacy underwear before you even knew his name. He had a magnetic personality that right now seemed to be struggling to surface.

  “No problem.” He stood there with his hand still out as though waiting for something more than a verbal acknowledgment. Confused, her eyes shot to his. But the mystery behind those incredible blue depths didn’t give her any clue.

  “Don’t you worry about hurrying up today, Annie,” Jana said, unknowingly rescuing Annie from doing something dumb like grabbing Jake’s hand and pulling him against her. “Me and this little dickens are going to have us some fun.”

  While Jana bounced giggling Max on her hip, Jake finally tore his gaze away from Annie and shot it toward his mother. “I thought Martin was coming over, and you were going to bring down some stuff from the loft.”

  Jana’s fiancé was a wonderful and patient man who had been trying his very best to fit in with the Wilder family. Everyone loved him, but all the boys were still reserving the right to change their minds at any second. Though Martin had made it clear he wasn’t trying to take the place of their father, the brothers wanted to make sure he’d take good care of their mother just the same.

  Apparently, in their minds, the jury was still out.

  “He is,” Jana said while rubbing noses with Max. “And we are. Son, have you been away so long you’ve forgotten that your mama is the queen of multitasking? I raised all five of you boys while helping your daddy run this ranch, aiding the community, and serving at church. And I managed to win several blue ribbons at the fair and the Apple Butter Festival too.”

  “Which begs the question, if you can do all that, why does Annie need a babysitter?”

  “Jacob Wesley Wilder! Mind your manners.”

  When Jake cringed at his mother’s sharp tone, Annie laughed. “It’s okay, Jana. It’s a valid question.”

  “I didn’t mean it as an insult,” he explained.

  “You’ve been insulting me for so long, it doesn’t matter anymore,” she said.

  He flinched again, and Annie almost felt sorry for him.

  Almost.

  “Besides, it’s not that I can’t do it all,” she said. “It’s that your mother knows I’ll be working with hot liquids, and with Max walking now, it can be dangerous. Your mom has generously offered to watch him this afternoon for a few hours so I can get some things accomplished.”

  “What kind of hot liquids?”

  “Chocolate.”

  Curiosity lifted his brows.

  “You don’t have anything to do today, son,” Jana said. “Why don’t you go over and give her a hand?”

  “Who said I didn’t have anything to do?” he said to his mother. Then he turned back to Annie. “What are you making?”

  “Hand-dipped chocolates.” Not liking his grilling, she folded her arms. “I sell them at Fiona’s cupcake shop and some other shops as well as to the bed-and-breakfasts in the area. I’m making a bigger batch this time to try and earn some Christmas money.”

  “Christmas is three months away.”

  “And as a single parent, I have to plan ahead.”

  “That’s a lot of ahead.”

  “When you went out on a mission, didn’t you have to plan as far in advance as possible?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, consider it my mission to give my son a great Christmas.”

  “She could use some help getting things done,” Jana said, stroking her hand down Max’s back while he played with the gold chain around her neck.

  Jake scoffed. “I don’t wear aprons.”

  “Chauvinist.”

  His brows lifted again. “Seriously?”

  “If an apron is good enough for Bobby Flay, it’s good enough for you,” Jana said.

  Annie watched his lips flatten and his eyes narrow. One thing Annie knew about Jake, he didn’t like to be cornered. And because he was still on the mend and obviously struggling with matters of the heart, she took pity on him. Even though she thought he’d look pretty darned cute in one of her frilly pink aprons.

  “No worries, buddy.” She patted him on that solid, muscular chest, and her fingertips tingled. “I don’t need your help. I’ve got it covered.”

  Relief washed over his handsome face.

  Defeated, Jana let go a frustrated sigh and disappeared with Max into the living room.

  “Thanks for getting me off the hook,” he said.

  “Like I said, no worries. It didn’t take me long to learn that men really aren’t a necessary element in a woman’s life.”

  “What the hell do you mean by that?” His hands went to his hips. “What about sex?”

  “Really, Jake? You’re going to reduce your kind to what happens between the sheets?”

  “Between the sheets.” He took a step closer. “Against the wall. On the kitchen t
able. Wherever and whatever makes you moan the loudest.”

  Annie opened her mouth to return fire. After all, there were so many products on the market these days, a single woman could have whatever kind of sex she wanted. But the sudden darkening of Jake’s eyes warned her that while she could buy all the battery-operated products she wanted, she’d never find the kind of sexual satisfaction he could deliver.

  Chapter 4

  “Anybody home?” Jake wandered into the backyard of Jesse’s house, eventually finding his brother stretched out on a lounge beneath the pergola beside the pool. Condensation dripped from the amber bottle of Shiner Bock he lifted in welcome.

  “Hey, little brother,” Jesse called. “Come on over and sit your ass down.”

  Jake gave him a nod, then made his way around the pool and through the extravagant backyard Jesse had custom-designed and built himself.

  Looking around, Jake tamped down the desire to get his hands dirty. To create special places just like this. Before he’d gone into the Marines he’d been studying business, horticulture, and landscape in college. Working with what Mother Earth provided had always been what brought him a sense of calm and accomplishment. Could getting back into that be the diversion the counselors had recommended? Maybe. Could he turn it into more than a diversion, maybe even a future? Might be worth some consideration. Trouble was, at this point in time, he didn’t really have anywhere to practice his skills. Jake had land available, but it was pretty barren, and he’d yet to envision the dream to develop it as had his brothers.

  Jesse had taken the section of land given to him by their father and created paradise.

  Surrounded by oaks and shrubs and a stone-enhanced back patio that served their entire family well, the place was a luxurious retreat by day. At night, it became part enchanted forest, part whimsical fairy garden, and Partytown USA.

  Before he’d married Allison, Jesse had been only too happy to host spontaneous pool parties with friends and family. The waterfall that flowed into the pool and formed a secret grotto was what Jake had always imagined the Playboy mansion would be like. Minus the bunnies and Playmates of the Month. Then again, he’d always had an overactive imagination. Since he’d settled down, Jesse had proven he’d never been quite the playboy everyone assumed. No one had been more surprised at this revelation than Jake.