by Oliver, Tess
“Very pretty,” he said.
“That’s that then,” she said confidently. “I’ve made my decision. Oh, but then I do like this one with the gold butterfly.”
Mabel glanced over at Jackson before shooting me a sly-eyed look as she handed me the change. “You have a nice day now.”
“Thank you so much for your help. Emma, I’ll wait outside for you.” I didn’t look at Jackson, but I sensed he was looking at me. The earlier hand trembling and the bitter feeling that’d washed over me when Mabel had mentioned his heartbreak were warning signs that I’d already formed an attachment to the man. I just didn’t need that.
I walked out of the store, nearly feeling sick from it all. I reached the car and hadn’t heard his footsteps behind me. I gasped as his fingers gripped my arm. When Griggs had grabbed me, it had sent a cold chill up my arm. I had the opposite reaction to Jackson’s slightly forceful grasp. I felt the warmth of his fingers on my skin. He turned me around. He looked decidedly less confident than when he’d first walked into the store.
His eyes looked midnight blue in the bright sun. “Are you upset with me?”
“Not at all.” I pushed up what I knew was a forced looking smile.
“Not at all?” he asked, skeptically. “So, if I kiss you right now, you’ll be fine with that?”
I parted my lips to answer, although I wasn’t completely sure of my words. That didn’t matter though, because he quickly made good on his threat and pushed his mouth down over mine. Immediately my knees softened . . . along with my heart. I wrapped my free hand around the back of his neck to bring his mouth harder against mine. So much for keeping my guard up.
Chapter 11
Jackson
Charli was one of those girls you just couldn’t stop looking at. At least I couldn’t stop looking. Every time I saw her, I thought of a fairy tale my ma used to tell us about King Midas turning everything to gold. Charli was gold and copper, like a perfectly sculpted piece of art.
She popped her head out of the tent to hold up two pairs of shoes, her heels from our first date and her more practical black boots. “Since you haven’t told me where we’re going—”
“As much as I love those heels, put on the boots.” She disappeared back between the canvas flaps for a few minutes.
She came out of the tent, just pushing back her long waves under a green cloche hat. Her white dress hung loose around her slim hips. She stopped in front of me and held out her arms. “Do I look all right?” She reached up and tugged on the hat. “Rose lent me this hat. I’m afraid my wardrobe selection is pretty limited. Of course, I could have topped off the ensemble with a motorcycle helmet, but it doesn’t really go with the dress.”
“And that’s what I like about you. You have a dress, that is, by the way, very nice, and you have a motorcycle helmet. Not many women can say that.” There were plenty of carnival workers milling around, but I didn’t care. After the kiss at Mabel’s, I’d been thinking of nothing else other than touching her again.
I took hold of her hand and tipped her chin up to get a better view of her lips under the bucket shaped hat. I kissed her and, as always, she melted in my arms. She reacted instantly to my touch, soft and willing, and it made me want more of her. I lifted my mouth. Her brown eyes glittered with specks of gold.
“Where are you taking me? I hope not a speakeasy. I think Buck headed over to that place, Breakers, for some poker.” A frown appeared after she spoke the last words.
“Buck likes to gamble?” I asked.
“Unfortunately. Griggs and he have formed this friendship, but I don’t trust that man at all.”
“Smart girl. But I’m sure Buck can take care of himself.” I opened the car door, and she climbed inside.
I cranked the car motor and hopped into the driver’s seat.
“You still haven’t told me where you’re taking me.”
“You’ll see. There’s something I want to show you.” I pulled out onto the road. It was late afternoon, and much of the daylight was thinning into shadows. With the carnival being closed for the day, it was once again quiet on Thatcher Road, the road leading to the empty cornfields. We passed a few cars filled with enthusiastic passengers dressed in glad rags and ready for a day at the carnival, but it wasn’t long before those same cars turned around and rumbled along behind us, the faces in the cars looking much less happy. “I guess you’ve probably had a few cars spinning around in your lot, disappointed that the carnival was closed.”
“We even had one car full of people throw empty soda bottles at the ticket wagon and yell a hurricane of curse words from the windows. They circled around in the dirt, spinning tires and blowing their very obnoxious horn for about five minutes until Hector walked out.” She laughed. “All he had to do was stand there with his glower and his beastly arms crossed over his massive chest, and the driver pushed down the lever and took off in high gear.” She pushed the hem of her dress down over her knee and straightened the hat.
“Who is Hector, and how do I avoid him?”
“Hector is our carnival strongman. He’s actually as sweet as a puppy dog when you get to know him. It’s a different story when he’s in the fight ring. He can make cracker dust out of anyone who dares to challenge him. He’s going to be the star fighter for the amateur fight ring Griggs and Buck are starting. If you’re a gambling man, I’ve got a tip for you. Don’t bet against Hector.”
“I won’t. And I won’t get in the ring either. I don’t really want to be cracker dust.”
“Buck is hoping a fight ring will bring in more people. The first few days were plush with profit, but it’s slowed considerably. I can always tell he’s worried when his beard and moustache start twitching even when he isn’t talking.”
“It’s still May. Georgetown University is probably just finishing their spring semester. Once they let out, you should see an increase in ticket sales.” I turned onto the uncut road. Tall weeds and skimpy tree branches clawed at the car as it squeaked along the rough swath of dirt.
Charli gripped the edge of the seat and stared out the window. “Where on earth are you taking me? Or are we heading to one of those remote locations where I end up with my legs propped on the dashboard?”
I laughed. “Christ, I really nailed myself into a coffin on those first few meetings. I do love your slap in the face honesty though. You know, when I met you at Mabel’s this morning, I got the feeling you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
“Oh? Is that why you kissed me, Mr. Cocksure Jarrett?”
“Nah, I kissed you because— well you’re extremely kissable, and I’d been thinking about those lips of yours all week. I’m kind of selfish when it comes to things like that. But I wasn’t completely sure how that move was going to work out. I was afraid you might push me away. Hold on.” I steered around a tree that was growing right through the middle of my imaginary road. My tires had veered off the path and around that stubborn tree enough times that a new path had been formed, but it was still bumpy enough to pop Charli up and down on the front seat.
“Maybe I should have worn that motorcycle helmet.” She scooted back to the center of the seat as I pulled back onto the main trail.
She relaxed back, still grasping the seat edge. “First of all, I doubt any woman has ever pushed away Jackson Jarrett’s kiss, and second of all, if I hadn’t wanted it you would have known long before your mouth reached mine.” She flicked at invisible flecks of something on the skirt of her dress. “It just happened that I’d been thinking about your kisses too. They were pretty good as far as kisses go.”
I laughed again. “Pretty good, huh? I’m going to have to do something about that. I never settle for mediocrity in anything I do.”
“That’s fairly obvious.” She grew quiet for a second as she gazed out the window. She sat forward suddenly. “Look, a herd
of deer. Aren’t they beautiful? We don’t seem to get anything around the carnival except rats and possum, which is perfect for Rusty, of course.”
“Rusty?”
“The boa constrictor. Rats are a favorite delicacy. Although if a pigeon is silly enough to lose its bearings and get stuck inside Francine, the snake charmer’s, tent, then Rusty’s beady black eyes just light up. You can almost see his little forked tongue come out and lick his scaly lips.”
“All right, the hairs are standing up on the back of my neck.” I scrunched my shoulders up to rid myself of the crawling feeling. “I have to say, I always knew my brother was afraid of snakes, but his reaction to Rusty the other day was something else. He was almost in a trance about it.” I turned and pulled up to a copse of oaks and stopped the car.
She glanced around. “Where are we?”
“You’ll see.” I tossed my hat onto the backseat and climbed out. The sun had sunk low in the sky, and with only a thin layer of clouds coasting over the mountain peaks, it would be a beautiful sunset. I opened her door and held out my hand, which she took.
I led her through the trees and out into the clearing. There weren’t that many things that I was proud of, maybe the way I looked after Bodhi and the innate sense I had to protect people I loved, but otherwise, I’d done plenty of things not to be proud of. But my house project was something that made me smile. Low, flowering shrubs acted as a natural fence, and tall cedars and pines provided a lush green backdrop and protection from the cold coming down off the slopes of the mountains. It had taken months to clear the land of the tangled growth that had choked it. The brick foundation was set, and the early bones of a house were in place.
Charli’s eyes shined as she took it all in. “This is like a painting. What a wonderful place to live. And look, some lucky person is having a house built here.” She took off her hat, and the breeze ruffled her long, copper waves. “Do you know who it belongs to?”
“It’s mine.”
“Really? How exciting.”
“I’m building it myself.”
Her fingers were laced in mine as she lifted her arm. “That is amazing, Jackson. And here I thought these hands were just good for caresses.”
“Well, that’s what they are best at, but they are pretty good at swinging a hammer too.” I pulled her along. “Come on, and I’ll show it to you. It will take a little imagination though.”
We stepped over the brick wall that would eventually be the foundation and the starting point for the framing. “I had a collection of house plans from the Sears catalog. I used to study them all the time. I finally decided it was time to build one. Of course, I didn’t have money to buy the whole kit, but I’m liking the freedom of bringing in my own materials.” I pointed to the stack of lumber Gideon and I had picked up from the barge. “That’s the base for my floors.” I walked to the front of the foundation that faced out across the clearing. “This is where the big picture window will be.” I turned and paced off ten steps. “And the kitchen will be here.”
Charli stood at the spot where I’d pointed out the window. “Wait, I’m still enjoying the view from the window.”
“Back here is where the bedroom will be. It will have a view of the trees and— Come back here to my bedroom, Charli, I want to show you something.”
She placed her hand against her chest. “Just what kind of girl do you think I am, Mr. Jarrett? Still, I guess it can’t be too wrong since there is no bed, or actual bedroom, for that matter.”
I put my hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face the mountains. The sun was a flaming yellow orb hovering above the jagged blue and purple peaks of the mountains.
Charli sucked in a breath. “They are blue. Rose was disappointed in their color, but I see it now.”
“It’s the sunset that makes them almost vibrate with color.”
She spun around and peered up at me. The glow of the setting sun made her hair even more radiant. “Just think, when this house is finished, you’ll be able to watch that sunset from your bedroom window.” Her eyes dropped. “I suppose some lucky woman will be sharing that with you. I’m excited for you, Jackson.” She tried hard to sound enthusiastic, but there was some sadness behind her words.
I lifted her chin. “The pretty copper-haired girl said with enough sorrow to bring tears to a statue’s eyes.”
She turned back around. “No, I’m truly excited for you. It’s just sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a solid wood floor to step onto when I climb out of bed in the morning. Heck, it would be lovely just to have a bed.”
“So, quit the carnival.”
She shook her head. “Not possible. That show needs The Enchantress.” She pronounced the nickname with distaste. “Everyone is counting on me, especially Buck. He took me in. I wasn’t his real daughter, but he took care of me anyhow.”
We sat on the bricks to watch the sun disappear behind the peaks. I put my arm around her and pulled her against me. “Sometimes you’ve got to do what’s right for you. As hard as it is.”
“I suppose.” She placed her hat down next to her and tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. “Mabel told me about Ella.”
My throat tightened like it always did when someone said her name.
“I shouldn’t have brought it up,” she said quickly. “You know how bad I am at stopping words before they fall out of my mouth.”
“No, it’s all right. I just don’t talk about it much. It’s stupid, I know, but it’s just better—” I pressed my hand against my chest. “—when it stays right here.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m such a ninny,” she said. “You bring me out here to show me your wonderful house project and the marvelous sunset, and I bring up all the wrong topics.” She stood up and faced me. “There is only one thing you can do to turn this all around before it is a complete and utter disaster.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
She tilted her head and blinked her long lashes at me. “Why, I would have thought a man like you could have figured that out without asking.”
I hopped up and pulled her into my arms. My mouth covered hers, and she pressed her small body against mine. She was firm and sweetly curved and I couldn’t stop myself from sliding my hands down her back, along her hips and across her round bottom. She made no sound of protest, the opposite, in fact. A pleased mewl pillowed from her lips, and she moved even closer to me. My cock hardened and stirred against the pressure of her body. She smiled against my mouth and lifted her lips from mine. Her long lashes fluttered in the dying daylight.
“As beautiful as this place is, I’m assuming that you have a real bedroom somewhere.” She reached up and stroked her fingers along my chin. “With a real bed,” she said the words as if a bed was the most luxurious thing in the world. “Can’t remember the last time I stretched out on a real bed.”
I was rendered speechless for a moment thinking how badly I’d been wanting her, and yet, all the while, holding back. Early on, she’d formed a bad opinion of me, and rightly so. I hadn’t wanted to do anything to make it worse.
She seemed to sense that she’d stunned me into silence. “You see, long, slow courtships are not practical in my world, Jackson. The minutes are ticking away fast, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t want to waste one second.”
Chapter 12
Charli
The road was beyond primitive, and the car had clanked and chugged and growled at every bump as Jackson drove like a madman back to the two lane highway and then home. The entire way, I had to hold back a laugh. With steel hard concentration, he navigated the journey back to his house, hardly taking time, it seemed, to breathe. The tires kicked up a cloud of dust as he pulled the car up in front of a small, wood shingled house. It had a long front porch that was covered with two big hound dogs and what looked like some old car
parts. It was a house that was lived in only by men, that was obvious. But at the same time, a flicker of homesickness went through me as I thought about sitting in a kitchen with small windows and drapes and a stove with a teapot. Sitting at a kitchen table listening to my mother tell stories while drinking flowery smelling tea was a memory from my childhood that had never left me.
Jackson stopped to kiss me before we even made it to the porch. His kiss had gone from semi-polite to urgent, and it made me absurdly happy and scared, all at the same time. Not scared because of what we were about to do, but scared that it would eventually leave me heartsick.
He took my hand and pulled me along toward the porch, up the warped steps and through the screen door. It snapped shut behind us. Two teenage boys, one who was dark haired and blue eyed like Jackson, and the other fair haired and smaller, looked up from their sandwiches. They both stood quickly when they saw the look of solid determination in Jackson’s face.
“Bodhi, Noah, scram,” Jackson barked.
The boy, Bodhi, who looked like Jackson, pointed to the table. “But we’re eating.”
“Take your food with you.”
The other boy who was extremely slim and slightly pale stared at me for a second. “Hey, isn’t that The Enchantress?”
“Bodhi, Noah, this is Charli. Now get the hell out of here before I pick both of you up and drop you out on that porch.”
Noah still stared openmouthed at me as he picked up his sandwich, but Bodhi grumbled something less than flattering about his brother as he swept his food into his hand. They both took the precaution to walk a wide berth around Jackson.
“Shit, The Enchantress,” Noah muttered to Bodhi as they stepped out onto the porch. “That Jackson is something else,” he continued.