by Amanda Renee
“Good thing I bought a double bed. I’d hate to go up those stairs with a queen size.”
Aaron surveyed the room. “Got a bedspread? Or pillows?”
“My pillows are downstairs with my sleeping bag.” Miranda motioned toward the hall. “I’ll pick up a bedspread once I get this room painted.”
“Sounds good.”
“What do you think, Aaron?” Miranda sat on the bed and patted a place beside her. “How does a nice pale yellow with white trim sound to you?”
“I can see that in here. Hanson’s Hardware will have everything you need.”
“Hanson’s Hardware?”
“It’s on the corner of Main and Shelby. We don’t have any of those supercenters for about fifty miles. It’s Hanson’s or nothing. But don’t worry, he’s more than fair on his prices and you won’t get the personal service at one of those fancy places that you will at Hanson’s.”
Miranda was grateful for the few friends she’d made in Ramblewood. Now if she could only make a few more, she might feel a little more secure. What didn’t make her feel too secure right now was Jesse. Their bet loomed over her like a bad dream the morning after. How could she hold up her end of the bet if the horses were off-limits? Wait a minute. They were her horses and she could spend as much time around them as she wanted!
Miranda proceeded to tell Aaron all about both bets, minus the kiss they shared to seal the deal. She touched her fingers to her lips, remembering the hunger Jesse had possessed. And how disappointed she’d felt when the kiss quickly ended.
“Uh-oh,” Aaron said. “Looks like a little more happened last night than you’ve let on.”
“Nothing happened.” Miranda could kick herself for her little trip down memory lane. “We rented a room and went to sleep. Nothing else.”
“Sure, darlin’. And pigs have wings.”
Aaron seemed amused by the entire situation. Although not surprised, which bothered Miranda to some degree. Was this what Jesse did? Pick up women and seduce them as some sort of a hobby? Somehow, Miranda doubted it to be the case. Either that or she was trying to convince herself into thinking she was in some way special to him.
“All right, go ahead and ask,” Aaron said as he rose from the bed.
“Ask what?”
“You’re wondering about the bad blood between me and Jesse.”
“I don’t get it.” Miranda opened a few bags and started to unpack.
“He claims I stole his girl,” Aaron continued. “I can assure you, I never knew he was interested in her. As you can see, she isn’t around now. We both lost.”
“I see.” Miranda added a few more things to the closet and closed the door. “How long ago was this?”
“Ten years.” Aaron laughed. “Jesse sure does hold a grudge.”
“How childish.” Miranda made her way downstairs. “Jesse has some growing up to do.”
“Is that so?” Jesse stood at the bottom.
Miranda was surprised to see him, but she wasn’t fazed, either. She walked past him as if he wasn’t there. If he found her so useless as a human being, she couldn’t be bothered acknowledging him.
“So you said Hanson’s will have everything I need?”
“It’s right next to the beauty parlor on Main Street. You can’t miss it.” Aaron shifted his feet. His discomfort around Jesse was obvious. “I better head outside.”
“You never said why you came here today,” Miranda noted, following him to the porch.
“Just being neighborly, ma’am.” Aaron tipped his hat and nudged her with his elbow. “I wanted to see if Jacob and Mable needed any help. Looks like I got here in the nick of time.”
“You sure did.” They watched a white pickup loaded to the hilt pull down the ranch drive. “Thanks for the help with the box spring.”
“Happy to help.” And with that, Aaron took off.
Miranda felt the heat from Jesse’s glare burn through her. When she turned, she found herself slamming righty into Jesse’s chest.
“Stop acting like a jealous fool and get out of my way!” Miranda ordered.
“Jealous. Over him?” Jesse laughed. Before he could continue, Miranda held up her hand to stop him.
“Aaron told me what happened between the two of you. Ten years ago.”
“So?” Jesse followed her through the kitchen.
“Forget it. There is no sense in explaining anything to you. He’s just a friend.”
“Yeah, some friend he’ll turn out to be. He’s only after one thing.”
“That’s it.” Miranda had enough of his attitude for one day. “Get out of my house and help Jacob.”
“What did I do?” Jesse asked, surprised.
Should I make a list? She took a long hard look at the man before her. It was futile to continue to fight with him. Neither one of them ever won.
“Look, I’m sorry for earlier. I didn’t know. Just...just leave me alone right now.”
“We have a deal you know?” Jesse stood his ground. “I’m not doing all the work around here.”
“Jesse, stop.” Miranda turned her back to him. “Please go. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Fine. But tomorrow you meet me at the stables at 7:00 a.m., sharp.” Jesse left Miranda alone in the kitchen.
* * *
“WHAT ON EARTH?”
Jesse came out from the foreman’s house and saw Miranda on the front porch sanding down the furniture she had bought from Beau.
“Well, I’ll be. She’s actually going to refinish the stuff.”
Not wanting her to know he was the least bit interested in her handiwork, Jesse went inside and watched her through the window. Again, he found himself feeling bad for the way he treated her earlier. Nevertheless, the woman needed to learn a thing or ten about horses before she got herself in a whole heap of trouble.
Trouble. Trouble like Aaron. As much as he detested the man on a personal basis, he was glad he was able to take care of the ranch last night. Aaron was the best man for the job, especially on such short notice, and Jesse knew Aaron needed the money. But Jesse sure didn’t want Aaron to have the remote chance of taking advantage of Miranda. He was certain she never wrestled with a cowboy before. Especially one with Aaron’s reputation.
Why he cared if she was with Aaron was beyond him. In another month, she wouldn’t be his problem anymore. She could run off with Aaron Bradley for all he cared. Get married, have a couple of kids.
The bitter taste of bile that rose in his throat caught him off guard. He cursed himself aloud for last night’s kiss. It never should have happened, yet he wished it lasted longer. If he had a sliver of common sense, he’d keep his distance from her.
There was no getting around it, Jesse had his work cut out for him. Miranda had dug her heels in deep and wasn’t giving in anytime soon. He hoped the added stakes of the picnic would overwhelm her to the breaking point. At least that was the plan.
The tailgate of her truck was open and Jesse noticed some paint cans and supplies in the bed. Flats of flowers and bags of potting soil were nearby on the ground. By the sound of things coming from the porch, he could only assume she bought a mess of power tools while she was at it.
No, this definitely wouldn’t be a cakewalk, but at least he had the foresight to bring an unsuspecting Mable in to help with the house and the chickens, while he wore Miranda down with the outside work and showed her just how over her head she was. That is if he could keep
her away from Aaron.
Jesse had worked up a list of things she needed to do around the ranch. When Double Trouble was fully staffed, running things went smoothly. Now that it was just the two of them, three counting Mable, there was plenty of work to go around.
A few hours later, when Jesse was leaving for Slater’s Mill to meet up with some friends, Miranda was still hard at work on the porch. Pages from a magazine were taped to the railing. The girl had gumption.
Mable was prodding her to come in for dinner, but Miranda wasn’t having none of it. Mable was actually waving a plate of food under the woman’s nose, which seemed to break Miranda down. No one could resist the woman’s cooking.
At the bar Jesse caught up with a few of the locals and put to bed the rumors he had started about Miranda before she arrived in town. Common sense told him to set the record straight while another part of him wanted the whole town to hate her. Jesse knew he’d been in the wrong. Yet he still wished she would pack up and leave. Give him back his ranch and the part of his heart she already grabbed ahold of. The last thing he needed was to fall in love with the enemy.
With his plan set in motion, Jesse headed back to the ranch to finish what chores he could before it was time to turn in. From the driveway, Jesse spotted Miranda and Mable kneeling in the dirt in front of the farmhouse. She’d planted the flowers she’d bought earlier. Mable waved but Miranda never bothered to look up.
The woman never stops! Then again, maybe it was his fault. He pretty much told her he wouldn’t give her any time to herself. She did what she could when the time allowed. By the looks of things, she wasn’t about to let him interrupt her. Not even long enough to wave hello.
He climbed out of his truck, peeking into the bed of hers. It was empty and freshly hosed out. With the little he knew about Miranda, he was willing to bet she would start painting the inside of the house tonight.
When he reached the porch, he ran his hand over the freshly sanded furniture. Not a trace of stain or paint remained. There were a few links of chain on top of the sideboard. What did she plan to do? Chain her furniture down so no one would steal it?
He had his own work to worry about. Miranda still hadn’t mentioned how she would pay him, even though he made it very clear a few days ago he wouldn’t work for free. It would be a topic up for debate tomorrow.
Jesse saddled General Lee and rode out to the north pasture. He had to move the few heads of cattle they had within the next day or so. Though only used to train the cutting horses, he needed to keep them healthy. A move to a new pasture was in order. Selling the animals was the one thing he was glad he stopped Miranda from doing. If they were gone, you might as well tear down the entire place. They were the heart and soul of Double Trouble.
By the time he arrived home, it was well after dark. There was Miranda, still working away on her furniture. The porch light was aglow and so was a brand-new bug zapper. The woman thought of everything.
Still guilty for the way he treated her, he decided to bury the hatchet. Miranda was studying the dresser as he climbed the porch stairs. She’d painted a light coat of whitewash over the piece.
“I thought I had until seven tomorrow morning,” she said without looking up again.
“I just wanted to see how you were.” Jesse regretted his words. It sounded as if he was checking up on her. It was more curiosity if it was anything.
“I’m fine, Mr. Langtry. You can go back to whatever it was you were doing.”
Jesse sat on the first step and watched Miranda methodically paint and then rub off certain areas she just brushed.
“What does that do?” Jesse asked, transfixed by her actions.
“It gives the furniture a more distressed look, like this.” She untaped a magazine page from the porch railing and handed it to him. “Once it dries I’ll sand it off in some areas and hit others with the chain over there.”
“If you wanted the worn look, why didn’t you leave it the way it was?” Jesse never would understand a woman’s mind. “It was pretty worn-looking before.”
“Because I wanted it to be white.” Miranda still didn’t look up at him. She kept her attention focused on the dresser.
Jesse continued to watch her work. The way her delicate wrist moved in one fluid motion over the top of the dresser like a ballet dancer. The way she stepped back and examined the piece after each brush stroke. The way she was oblivious to the fact he was sitting there staring at her.
“Where’s Mable?” he asked, surprised she wasn’t out here, either helping or trying to stuff a piece of pie in Miranda’s mouth.
“Inside.”
“Mind if I go in?” Jesse knew he wasn’t about to get any more of a conversation out of her tonight.
“Be my guest.”
Upstairs Jesse found Mable taping off the woodwork in Miranda’s room. She shook her head when she saw him and made that tsk tsk sound he’d hated so much when he was younger.
“The girl has plans to get up tomorrow morning and paint this room before she joins up with you. She would have stayed up half the night taping if I hadn’t offered to help.”
Amazed, Jesse began to realize how bound and determined Miranda was to make this place hers. He grabbed a roll of tape and started on the other side of the room.
“No sense in you doing all of this.” Jesse tore off a strip of blue painters tape and applied it to the baseboard. “Especially since this is my fault.”
Mable handed him the tape. “You’re right.” She walked to the door. “She told me all about your bets. I warned you. She has my full support on the picnic and I’ll make sure she has other people to help her, too. Oh, and shelves need to go in the closet tonight. Would you mind?”
Jesse figured he deserved the cold tone in Mable’s voice. Screws, a level and a drill were on the floor next to the closet. He opened the closet door. Pencil marks on the wall already indicated where Miranda planned to mount the shelving brackets. Ambition was one thing. Trying to squeeze all of this in before daybreak was another. A day only had so many hours.
Miranda cleared her throat behind him. He turned to see her standing with a paint can in one hand and a brush in the other.
“What are you doing in here?”
“Helping you.”
“I don’t need your help. Thanks, anyway.” She sat the can of paint on the worn hardwood floor and took out a tape measure. She checked the dimensions of the inside of the closet, wrote them down on a pad and headed downstairs.
About a half hour later, she returned with an armful of cut wood.
“Miranda,” he said as he took them from her arms and stacked them on the floor. “I need your help and you need mine.”
She mulled over his words for a minute. “Fine. You put up the shelves and I’ll finish taping the room.”
Without another word between them, they worked side by side for the next few hours. Jesse didn’t understand why he was helping Miranda. He liked to think it was an apology of some sort. But the truth of the matter was, he enjoyed being near her. By midnight, they finished the minor projects in the room. All the room needed was paint.
* * *
MIRANDA AWOKE AT FIVE the next morning, after a night of pure heaven in her new bed. I think that was better than sex. Well, maybe not. Then again, it had been so long she couldn’t remember. All she knew for certain was it sure beat sleeping on the floor. She bounded out of bed and immediately cracked open a can of pale yellow paint. She managed
to paint the walls and the closet with not much time to spare before she had to meet Jesse. She took a quick shower, ran down the stairs. At the bottom, Mable stood holding a cup of coffee and a warm blueberry muffin.
Miranda smiled. “Thanks, Mable. You really are heaven sent, you know it?”
She leaned her hip against the kitchen counter as she finished her coffee. Five years into the future, Miranda envisioned herself baking sugar cookies with her daughter. She inhaled deeply, almost smelling them. Her husband at the table reading the morning paper. The day ahead of them as a family. Then the sound of her cell phone ringing jolted her back to reality.
Jonathan’s number appeared on the caller ID. Finally!
“You better start explaining yourself, buster.” All she heard was static. “Hello? Jonathan?”
“He can’t win the bet.” Jonathan’s voice broke through the static and then the call was disconnected.
“I guess that means he got my email.” Miranda looked at the phone in her hand, willing it to ring again. “But what does he care about the bet?”
Jonathan’s phone went straight to voice mail when she tried calling him back. “He finally got the nerve to pick up the phone and he calls me from a crappy signal area.”
Outside, Jesse had saddled two horses and was waiting for her.
“I’ll ride General Lee. You can ride Lone Star,” Jesse said as he nuzzled the paint horse.
Miranda remained frozen where she stood. Yesterday’s words echoed in her head. Every time she got near a horse, disaster struck.
“Lone Star’s the tamest horse I’ve got,” Jesse said as he coaxed Miranda closer.
Still frozen in place she stared at the magnificent beast before her. Lone Star peered around at her, twitching his ears.
“How about a refresher course on horsemanship first,” Jesse offered. “It should ease your mind.”
Miranda nodded.
“Remember, approach from the left. Never sneak up on him. Let him see you first.”