Brenda Jackson The Westmoreland Collection: ZaneCanyonStern

by Brenda Jackson

  Sliding out of bed, she headed for the bathroom to shower and dress. She was to meet Pam and Chloe at the Cherry Creek Mall when the doors opened at ten. That would give her time to stop by the coffee shop to grab coffee and a bagel. Hopefully by the time she met Pam and Chloe she would have her head together. At the moment it was still all messed up.

  Shaking off the glum knowledge that she was losing her best friend, she stripped and stepped into the shower. Over the past thirty-six hours she had replayed what had happened over and over in her mind. Stern had readied her for the kiss by telling her what kind it would be. She had been prepared. Sort of. She doubted any woman would have been fully prepared for a Stern Westmoreland kiss. It had knocked her off her rocker, but that hadn’t been what surprised her.

  What she couldn’t figure out was Stern’s attitude. Had she gotten more involved in the kiss than he had wanted? Enjoyed it too much? Had she not followed some unwritten script? Had she not ended the kiss when he felt she should have? Was she wrong in suggesting that he help her improve her kissing in the first place?

  There was a lot about men that JoJo didn’t know, but things had been going great in her life until she’d developed these crazy feelings for Stern that had escalated into love. Now she was trying like heck to rectify the problem by finding someone else to love. Under no circumstances could Stern ever find out how she felt about him. And if that meant no more Kissing 101, well...she’d deal with that decision when she came to it.

  A few hours later she placed a smile on her face and joined the two ladies standing in front of the entrance to the mall. Even at ten in the morning both of them looked radiant, beautiful and classy. JoJo would just love looking like that any time of the day. But she had to be realistic. Her job required that she didn’t look like that. However, she wanted tips on how to present herself in a better light when she went out. She would be celebrating her thirtieth birthday in less than a year. It was time she made some changes.

  Giving the two women hugs, JoJo told them how glad she was to see them and how much she appreciated their help. Then, after telling her how much they enjoyed having a chance to help her, Pam and Chloe pulled her toward the first dress shop.

  * * *

  Stern glanced up when he heard the knock on his office door. “Come in.”

  When the door opened and Zane walked in Stern placed his pen down and leaned back in his chair in surprise. “What brings you out of Westmoreland Country in the middle of the day?”

  Zane, his cousin Derringer and Stern’s brother Jason were partners in a horse breeding and training company along with various other cousins in Montana and Texas.

  “I had to come to town to meet with a potential client. I think we’ve made another sale,” Zane said, sliding his muscular frame into the chair across from Stern’s desk. “Since I was out this way I figured I’d check on you.”

  “Why?” Stern asked, reaching for a couple of paper clips and then tossing them back on his desk.

  “Because the last time we talked you seemed rather frustrated.”

  If truth be told, he was still frustrated, even more so. He would admit to being overwhelmed by the events of the past few days. There was no doubt in his mind that JoJo was wondering why he hadn’t returned her call from yesterday. He’d never done that before.

  “The situation with JoJo has worsened,” he said in an exasperated tone.

  Zane straightened in his chair with a concerned expression on his face. “How so?”

  “I decided to do the kissing lesson as you suggested. However, I almost lost control, Zane. You were right. When I was kissing her, I didn’t see her as my best friend, but as a potential lover.”

  “And you still have a problem with that? I’m sure there are several situations where best friends become lovers, Stern. People change. Feelings change. Relationships change. Your feelings for her probably have been shifting for a while now without you even realizing they were doing so.”

  Stern frowned. “But you know how I am when it comes to women, Zane. I date them and don’t give them another thought. Some I take out more than once or twice, but that’s seldom. And the thought of a lasting relationship with any of them never crosses my mind. I couldn’t treat JoJo that way.”

  “No, you couldn’t and you wouldn’t. She means too much to you, which brings up another issue.”

  “What?”

  “When are you going to admit to yourself that you’re falling in love with her?”

  Stern looked stunned. Then he looked indignant. “What are you talking about? I am not falling in love with her.”

  “Are you sure about that? I almost lost Channing because I refused to acknowledge I had feelings for her. I think if there’s any possibility you might be falling for JoJo, you’re doing her a disservice not to let her know. And you need to do it before it’s too late.”

  Stern pushed away from his desk, stood and moved over to the window. He thought of everything that had transpired since the week he and JoJo had spent at the lodge, when she’d first brought up the fact that she was interested in a man. He didn’t have to think hard to recall his emotions, his anxieties and his fears. Could they have been based on the fact that he had hidden feelings for her? Feelings he’d had for a while, possibly for years, tucked deep inside?

  He turned back to Zane. “It’s already too late. She’s set her sights on someone else, remember? This Walter guy.”

  “So? Is that supposed to mean something?”

  Stern sighed and shook his head. Sometimes he wondered about Zane and all the wisdom he was supposed to have bottled inside that Westmoreland brain of his. “It would mean something to most people, I would think.”

  Zane shrugged his massive shoulders. “Not to a Westmoreland, not when he wants something bad enough. It’s up to you to determine, first, if you’re falling for JoJo, and if you are, what you’re going to do about it. If you want to lose her to another man, then that’s your business. But if it were me, I wouldn’t give up my woman without a fight.”

  Stern rolled his eyes. “First of all, she’s not my woman. All JoJo feels for me is friendship, Zane, regardless of whether I’m falling for her or not.”

  Zane stood. “Then if I were you, I’d give this Walter guy a damn good run for his money. And I would definitely start letting JoJo know how I feel. You might be surprised. You might discover she feels the same way. I’ve said for years that the two of you had a strange relationship. Best friends or not, you are in each other’s pockets.”

  Stern released a deep breath. As far as he was concerned, nobody had been in each other’s pockets more than his cousin Bane and his longtime girlfriend Crystal, and look what had happened to them...but that had been years ago and was another story. “I’ll give your advice some consideration,” he said.

  Zane chuckled as he headed for the door. “Yeah, you do that. It’s time for you to think like a Westmoreland.”

  * * *

  JoJo bit her bottom lip as she looked at all the dresses Pam and Chloe were holding up. She was convinced she had checked out more than a hundred today and it wasn’t even two o’clock yet.

  “Well, which ones do you like?” Stern’s cousin Megan, who was a doctor of anesthesiology, had joined them when they’d taken a break for lunch. It didn’t take long for JoJo to discover that Megan enjoyed shopping just as much as Pam and Chloe did.

  Which ones and not just which one? Jeez, she’d already purchased six dresses. In addition to the one she planned to wear tomorrow night, the ladies said she would need additional outfits for all her other dates with Walter. They had more faith in her ability to nab his interest than she did. “I like the yellow one and the multi-colored one,” she said.

  Megan beamed. “Good choices. Those were my favorites, too.” And Pam and Chloe nodded their approval. Frankly, she’d liked all the outfits
she’d purchased today and she had looked good in them.

  “After we get these paid for, then we need to visit Sandra’s Lingerie Boutique. We’ve taken care of the outerwear, so now it’s on to the underwear,” Pam said, smiling.

  JoJo thought she had plenty of underwear back home in the top drawer of her dresser, but the three women had stressed earlier that she needed something new and sexy. Honestly, she didn’t know why. Even if she and Walter hit it off, there was no way she would sleep with him the first night. Nor the second. Or the third. She might be interested in Walter, but that interest had its limits when it came to sex.

  “That was Lucia,” Chloe said, sliding her mobile phone back into her purse. “She thought it would be fun to let our guys babysit tonight while we have a girls’ night out dinner with JoJo after our day of shopping. So she, Bella, Keisha and Kalina will join us for dinner at McKays.”

  JoJo thought that was a great idea. She had known Megan, Gemma and Bailey all her life, and because she was best friends with Stern she also had gotten to know the women his brothers and cousins had married.

  A half hour later she was in Sandra’s Lingerie Boutique looking at undies. Never had she seen so many shapes, sizes and colors. She would have to admit she was drawn to the matching sets. There was just something special about wearing a bra that was the same color as your panties.

  “Okay, are you a thong, briefs, bikini or hip-hugger kind of girl?” Pam asked as they moved around the display looking for her size.

  “Excuse me?”

  Pam smiled. “Here, I’ll show you.” She held up each type for JoJo.

  “I’m a briefs girl,” JoJo said now that she had a clearer understanding of the question.

  “Um, not tomorrow night,” Chloe said, holding up a thong. “This is what you’re going to need with the dress you selected.”

  JoJo gazed at the itsy-bitsy scrap of almost nothing and thought...seriously?

  “You don’t want any panty lines to show,” Megan explained.

  “Oh.” She didn’t worry about such things when she wore jeans.

  “And we plan to be there tomorrow when you get dressed,” Chloe announced.

  JoJo blinked. “You do?”

  “Of course. We want you to knock your guy off his feet.”

  After having spent almost the entire day going from store to store and trying on dress after dress, she certainly hoped she would knock Walter off his feet. Absently, she pulled the phone out of her purse to see if she’d missed any calls...specifically, any calls from Stern. She fought back a feeling of disappointment when she saw that he hadn’t called.

  “Any ideas on your hairstyle, JoJo?” Chloe asked, interrupting her thoughts. “I understand Ritz is taking care of your hair and makeup, and he’s good.”

  “That’s what I hear,” JoJo said, checking out matching bras.

  “Are you going to get it cut?”

  JoJo glanced over at Pam. “No, Stern likes it long.”

  “Stern?” Megan asked, frowning. “Who cares what Stern likes? He’s not the one you’re trying to impress.”

  As JoJo continued to pick out matching panties and bra sets, she thought Megan had a point. But still...

  * * *

  Think like a Westmoreland...

  Zane’s words flowed through Stern’s mind as he locked up his desk and prepared to leave the office later that day. How should a man who was used to being pursued switch focus and become the pursuer? It would definitely be one hell of a game changer.

  He stood just as his cell phone went off. He checked his caller ID and saw it was Dillon. “Yes, Dil?”

  “I’m just giving everyone a head’s-up. There’s been a change in tonight’s chow down.”

  It was customary for the Westmorelands to get together on Friday nights for dinner. “What’s the change?”

  “The men are doing the cooking since our ladies decided to take JoJo out to dinner after her long day of shopping.”

  “Oh.”

  “To keep things simple, I’m asking every man to bring their specialty. Since you don’t have one, you can drop by the bakery on your way home and pick up something for dessert.”

  “That will work.”

  “And Stern?”

  “Yes?”

  “Those of us with kids are babysitting, which means they eat what we eat, so don’t buy a rum cake.”

  Stern chuckled. Everyone knew rum cake was his favorite. “Gotcha.”

  After hanging up with Dillon, Stern sat back down in his chair. Think like a Westmoreland. A few minutes later he glanced at his watch. Smiling, he pulled his cell phone from his jacket and punched in a few numbers.

  “The Golden Wrench Automotive Repair Shop. This is Wanda. How may I help you?”

  “Hi, beautiful. This is Stern. And you can help me by giving me some information I have a feeling you know.”

  Seven

  JoJo stepped out of her bedroom, walked into her living room and was met by a chorus of collective gasps.

  “JoJo, you look stunning.”

  “Sensational.”

  “Hot.”

  “You don’t even look like the same person.”

  JoJo smiled at the women staring at her. “Thanks. I feel like all those things tonight,” she said, glancing down at herself.

  She looked back up at the ladies who filled her living room. “I want to thank all of you for your help. Not only for shopping with me yesterday and being there for the hair and makeover today, but just being here for me now. Giving me the confidence to pull this off.”

  There was no need to tell them that the one other person she wanted here with her, the one person she needed to give her a confidence boost and his blessing, was her best friend. But Stern wasn’t here and she hadn’t heard from him since Wednesday. His actions had pretty much let her know things were no longer the same between them. His reaction angered her every time she thought about it. It had been his idea for the makeover. And he had kissed her first! Was it wrong for her to want to improve her kissing skills?

  “I went online and checked out your Walter,” Bailey Westmoreland broke into JoJo’s thoughts to say. “He’s a cutie, but his profile picture makes him look like a stuffed shirt in that business suit. Are you sure he frequents a place like the Punch Bowl? That used to be Derringer and Riley’s hangout. For a long time we thought they had purchased stock in the place.”

  “It would be just my luck if tonight is the one night he changes his mind and stays home or goes someplace else,” JoJo said, hoping that wouldn’t be the case.

  “Then it will be his loss,” Pam said, smiling. “But I have a feeling this is going to be your lucky night.”

  JoJo drew in a deep breath. She hoped so. Glancing down at her hands she remembered how Ritz had fussed about how awful they looked and how many wonders he’d had to pull off to make them look presentable. Her nails were painted a pretty shade of pink, which looked good with the multiple colors in her dress.

  “And I’m glad you didn’t cut your hair after all,” Chloe said. “The way Ritz has it styled makes it look fuller around your face. I can’t say enough just how gorgeous you look.”

  And if it never happened again in her life, at least for tonight she felt gorgeous. She looked at her watch. “Well, it’s time for me to leave. I want to thank all of you again for tonight and yesterday. Because of you, I feel special.”

  “You are special,” Megan said, smiling. “And before you leave I want to take plenty of pictures. I can’t wait to show Rico how beautiful you look.”

  * * *

  “Thanks for letting me perform here tonight, Sampson.”

  The older man, who had prepared Stern’s mother for her first piano recital at age eight, looked up from the piano and smiled. “
My pleasure, Stern. Once in a while I was able to talk Riley into sitting on this bench and whenever he did, the crowd would go wild. Your mom made sure all her boys had an ear for music.”

  Stern nodded. His mom had made certain all seven of her sons loved music as much as she did. Dillon and Micah mastered guitar; Riley and Bane, the piano; Canyon the French horn and Stern the violin. After his parents’ death, Dillon made sure they continued developing their love for music by calling on Sampson to give them lessons.

  “Riley much preferred being in the audience surrounded by the beautiful ladies vying for his attention.” Sampson shook his head. “It’s hard for me to believe lover boy is getting married at the end of the month.”

  “You, me and a number of others,” Stern said, grinning. “But once you meet Alpha you’ll understand.”

  Sampson glanced at his watch. “The show starts at eight, but if you want you can go out front and enjoy yourself for a while. Just tell Sweety to put any of your drinks on my tab.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll hang back here until showtime.” Stern decided not to mention that sitting on the stool backstage by the observation window gave him a good view of the customers without them knowing they were being watched. His cousin Ian had a similar setup at his casino in Lake Tahoe.

  “But you can tell me something,” Stern added.

  Sampson looked over at him. “What?”

  “Walter Carmichael. I understand he comes here a lot. Is he here tonight?”

  Sampson leaned up and strained his neck over the piano to look out through the glass. “Yes. He’s here. You know him?”

  Detecting Sampson’s disapproving tone, Stern met the older man’s gaze. “No, I don’t know him but someone mentioned this is his hangout on the weekends.”

  “It is most of the time, unfortunately. He has lots of money and likes throwing it around to impress the women. Some he can impress, and others he can’t. He gets annoyed quickly with those he can’t. I think he feels entitled to any woman he wants. And I hear he has a mean streak. A few months ago, he tried roughing up one of the ladies when she refused his advances. It didn’t happen here—otherwise Sweety wouldn’t let him come back. I understand they met here but then he took her out on a date a few weeks later. Rumor has it that his daddy paid the woman a lot of money to drop the charges.”