by Kadie Scott
“Oh, my gosh,” Ashley whispered, aware she was repeating herself now. But she’d run out of words.
Taylor grinned. “Apparently he just can’t get enough of you.”
“Him showing up for breakfast is going to send Mama into a tailspin,” Ashley said.
What the heck was the man thinking coming over here in the first place? If he’d just called her later, no one would’ve known about his early morning visit because it wouldn’t have happened.
“Not if you marry Jennings.” Taylor pointed out with obvious glee. “This is perfect!”
Marriage? The fact that the word had her heart wishing things it shouldn’t shocked her right down to the soles of her feet and had her scurrying to stop it. She couldn’t believe her heart. She’d gotten things wrong way too much before.
Ashley held up her hands. “Whoa! Get the bit out from between your teeth and slow down, Tay. I’m not marrying Jennings.”
She jumped out of bed and started throwing on clothes as she’d be expected to greet her guest.
“But…” Confusion and disappointment dimmed Taylor’s glowing happiness. “You had mind-blowing sex. And he snuck into your room in the middle of the night.”
Ashley had suspected, but hadn’t known for absolute sure until this moment, how much her happiness—right at this instant—would impact Taylor. She could see in her sister’s jubilation how Taylor needed her to be settled in a relationship in order to feel easy about her own.
She’d been right to tell Jennings about that, at least.
Despite months of assuring Taylor over the phone that Ashley felt nothing but pleased for her and Eric, Taylor’s soft heart meant she couldn’t accept it without proof.
And Jennings Hill was proof.
She had to keep up the charade to help make her sister’s wedding as happy as possible, but what that might do to her own heart was like jumping into a pot of boiling water and not realizing she was being cooked alive or knowing and not being willing or able to stop it. I’ll never look at a lobster the same way.
“We did sleep together. And he was…incredible.” That darn blush heated her cheeks. She never blushed. She stuffed her head through a black knit sweater.
Taylor clapped, her happy glow back. “And?”
“Ashley—” Her mother called up the stairs. “You have a visitor.” Even yelled and muffled by doors, Ashley could hear the smile in her mother’s voice.
Which meant Jennings could too. His ego was going to triple over her family’s excitement.
“Be right down, Mama,” she called back.
Ashley sighed and glanced at Taylor. Time to play it up. “I think I’d marry that man if he’d get his head out of his rear end.”
The second the words were out of her mouth, she had a terrifying flash that they felt true. God, she was getting wrapped up in her own lies now.
“What do you mean?” Taylor interrupted her thoughts.
Ashley bit her lip and ploughed ahead as she pulled on jeans, socks, and boots. “We had a fight last night, which is why he came over this morning. He thought I used him as a one-night stand, or maybe a stand-in for Eric. Of course, I didn’t.” See, still the truth.
Taylor nodded sagely. “But you’re in love with Jennings?”
Ashley hesitated. “I don’t know. I mean…he was my best friend, and the next day he was only ever mean.” She rushed into her bathroom and did her best to fix the makeup she hadn’t taken off last night.
“All because he was jealous of Eric?” Taylor asked from the doorway.
Ashley sucked in an immediate denial, but paused, considering. “Maybe,” she allowed. Don’t get excited, she warned her hopped up heart. “But since bumping into him at the bar, he’s been…well, nice. Like he used to be. I realized—” She cut off the words, which felt too real. And way too scary.
Too fast.
Too soon.
Too everything.
“You could fall for him?”
Taylor’s easy assumption was hard to take. What if this was just a rebound reflex? She could see an end to this road where she’d lose her old best friend all over again, before things even got back to the way they’d been. Last night didn’t help. Faking their relationship might just make it all worse. What a mess. “Something like that. But even though I explained things to him just now, I’m not sure he can let it go. You know?”
“If he loves you, he will.”
Doubtful. Enough of her thoughts must’ve shown on her face, because Taylor clucked. “You have too much pride sometimes.”
Ashley chuckled. “Maybe.”
“Either way, he’s waiting downstairs for you right now.”
A fact which had Ashley’s heart jumping around like a jackrabbit inside her, though she wasn’t entirely sure if she was nervous, excited, or confused. He’d risked Dad’s shotgun to smooth things over from last night, and Taylor was convinced Jennings was a thing, so the only way Ashley could see forward was to keep going down this path.
Decision made. They were going to keep her lie going. Hopefully, the wedding and Christmas would keep her busy and away from him. She’d tell Taylor after the wedding that things hadn’t worked out. No harm, no foul, and her sister could marry guilt free.
“Let’s go see my prince charming so I can smack him over the head with a frying pan.”
She pulled open the door and surprised Eric who stood there, hand raised to knock. “Why is Jennings Hill here at 5:30 in the morning?” he asked.
Really? Was everyone going to get in on this debacle?
“He’s here to see Ashley,” Taylor gushed. “They had a fight and he wanted to apologize. Isn’t that—”
“You don’t even like Jennings,” Eric cut her sister off. Skepticism filled every word.
Shoot. He didn’t believe her. The doubt in his eyes was hard to miss. Of course, he and Taylor had witnessed the failure of her friendship with Jennings. But Taylor believed her, so why didn’t Eric?
“It’s still early in…things,” she hedged.
Every part of her rejected those words, but she pushed her reaction aside.
Was this the strangest morning ever? Her ex-best friend, who she’d just slept with, downstairs waiting while she tried to convince her ex-boyfriend, who was fixing to become her brother-in-law, that she was falling for the guy she had always hated after he stopped being her best friend? Sounded more like a soap opera than real life. “We had a chance to clear the air.”
“That quick, huh?”
Taylor pushed past Ashley out of the door and elbowed her fiancé. “Give her a break. Anyone can see the sparks fly when they’re together.”
Eric shook his head, giving his bride an amused smile Ashley could tell fell short of his eyes. He seemed almost concerned. Not in a possessive way, but in a Doubting Thomas, I-won’t-believe-it-till-I-see-it, kind of way. He definitely wasn’t buying her story.
“Well…Jennings’s a good guy.” Eric finally said.
“Who can probably hear you,” Ashley pointed out. Their house wasn’t all that soundproof.
“Besides, he’s perfect for Ash,” Taylor said. She glanced at her watch. “Oh, rats. I have to go help Mama with breakfast, but I want to change first.”
She scurried away and Eric and Ashley were left alone.
Rather than pursue the Jennings line of questioning, he changed topics. “I was hoping to get you out to the house today. Are you available around one?”
Oh, yeah. The house. She’d pretty much forgotten about that promise in all the craziness with Jennings.
Her face must’ve shown that because Eric’s lips twisted ruefully. “You forgot?”
“Not completely, I’ve just been—”
“Distracted?”
As she headed for the stairs, she winced as memories of similar accusations couched in Jennings’s deep tones intruded. Did she abandon everyone else around her when she was interested in a man? “Something like that. Today won’t work, but tomorrow would.
”
He relaxed, even grinning. “Good.”
She smiled back.
At that moment, they came around the turn in the stairs to find Jennings waiting at the bottom of the steps for her. But the second he saw her and Eric together, his own smile faded.
Ashley tipped up her chin. Eric was going to be her brother-in-law. She refused to apologize for smiling at the guy, especially when nothing was going on.
Jennings cocked his head, then his eyes lit with a devilry she didn’t quite trust. As soon as she hit a stair level with him, he swept her off the steps into his arms, and planted a kiss on her that stole her breath as effectively as though she’d been bucked off a horse, his lips moving over hers in a sensuous exploration, taking his sweet, southern time.
Finally, after a discreet cough from someone, he lifted his head. “I’m sorry about last night,” he murmured in a tone meant for her alone.
He set her upright, but wrapped an arm around her waist. Ashley’s cheeks flamed with heat as she discovered her entire family watching them with varying degrees of shock, happiness, amusement, and suspicion.
“Breakfast is ready,” her mother murmured. “We’ll go get started and give you a moment to…sort things out.”
Jennings’s arm tightened around Ashley and she almost snuggled into the solid heat of him. “We’ll be right there.”
Her parents left. Taylor practically skipped out of the room, dragging Eric with her, and Jennings waited a beat before turning his gaze to her. “I think that’s a good start.”
Reality smacked her in the head like that baseball in third grade PE that had given her a black eye. All of this was for show only—which she’d asked for. Right. She stepped back and refused to allow herself to miss his warmth or let disappointment seep in with the cold as he let his arm fall way. “A good start. Yeah.”
What had she signed up for? Again. Sisterly love had a lot to answer for. So did sheer stupidity.
Chapter Eleven
Jennings still wasn’t sure what he’d expected when he’d snuck into Ashley’s room this morning, but one look at her face—a smorgasbord of emotions, including shock, panic, and regret, with a hint of the same need they’d given into last night—and he couldn’t leave her. Besides, her reasons had been jumbled but honest and rooted in a love for her sister, which he could forgive. He still wasn’t sure of her feelings for Eric. He got the impression she was sure. He just didn’t entirely believe her. Watching the two of them walk down the stairs all buddy-buddy hadn’t helped.
To top it all off, he’d kissed her—all a show for her family, of course. But Ashley kissed him back, responding in his arms like every secret fantasy he’d ever had about her. Addiction to her kisses was already becoming an issue. No way could she react like that to him and not feel something. Even if her feelings toward him were rooted in lust, that was a start.
When it came down to it, he was still determined to show her how good it could be. Blame and suspicion were not the way to get that done. Building on what was already there…that he could do.
With quiet confidence, he pulled Ashley’s chair out for her before seating himself at her side. “Thanks for letting me crash your breakfast, Mrs. Hughes. I hope it wasn’t too inconvenient.”
The Hughes had known him all his life, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t charm them with good old-fashioned manners, which his mother would expect anyway.
Linda Hughes beamed as she ladled scrambled eggs onto her plate. “Of course, Jennings. We’re always happy to have you here, and there’s plenty to go around.”
Ashley turned her head, hiding her mouth behind a hand. “Suck up.”
Couldn’t let her get away with that. Technically, he was the one helping her out here. Before she glanced away, he kissed the tip of her nose. Then leaned closer to nuzzle her neck and whisper in her ear. “We’re supposed to be convincing your family, you nut. Work with me.”
She pulled back, a smile plastered in place.
In an effort to get her to relax, Jennings placed a hand on her knee and squeezed, biting back a chuckle when Ashley jumped. But he let her off the hook, removing his hand, no matter how much he would’ve liked to leave it there. This morning was about getting her family on his side.
Together, they each served themselves, passing platters and bowls on to the others, then tucked into their meal.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you, Jennings,” Bill Hughes commented.
“Yes, sir. Too long.”
“How are your parents? I haven’t seen John or Evelyn in ages, except for a quick chat at weddings these last few years.”
He smiled at that. With all his siblings getting married lately, except Carter and himself, there had been a lot of those.
“Remember when Jennings used to hang around all the time?” Taylor asked.
Jennings held in a groan. No way did he want anyone reminding Ashley of how he’d disappeared the second she’d started dating Eric. That wouldn’t help his cause at all. She flicked him a glance but said nothing. That was progress in and of itself. Until this holiday, Ashley would’ve happily dropped a snarky comment on him.
“I remember missing your help with the horses,” Bill tacked on. “You certainly had a way with them.”
Jennings dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Still do, I hope. But Will and his wife Rusty have me beat by a long shot. They’ve turned horses into a business. I ended up more on the cattle side of things, splitting up the ranching work with Autry.”
“Beth’s sure a cutie,” Linda commented.
“Sure didn’t picture her ending up with Autry,” Eric murmured.
Jennings grinned around a bite of toast. “I don’t think anyone did, but they work.”
“Maybe after breakfast, you could help me with the horses?” Bill asked hopefully.
“Dad,” Ashley sent her father a warning frown. “Jennings’s probably got his own chores to get to.”
“I’d be happy to,” Jennings jumped in before Bill could comment. “I did my chores this morning before coming over.”
Bill speared his daughter with a father-knows-best look and grunted for emphasis.
“You must’ve been up early,” Linda Hughes commented.
“After Ashley left, I couldn’t sleep.” He shrugged. “I wanted to fix things.”
Ashley sighed, her shoulders drooping in what he guessed had to be defeat. “I’ll help Jennings with the horses after breakfast.”
Bill raised his eyebrows. “Mucking stables and feeding the horses is your least favorite chore.”
Jennings had just been thinking the same thing.
“Bill,” Linda admonished gently. “Butt out, darling.”
Bill glanced between them. “Oh. A little alone time, huh? I get it.” He winked.
“The barn isn’t exactly romantic, Dad.” Ashley pointed out, despite her glowing cheeks. If she was stretched any tighter, he could play her like the bongos.
Jennings reached over and rubbed his hand down her back soothingly. She jabbed her elbow into his ribs as subtly as she could. Jennings retaliated by sweeping aside the thick fall of her hair and massaging the back of her neck.
Only, that move backfired on him, as touching her like that revved his engines in a highly inappropriate way at a family breakfast. Jennings shifted in his seat and removed his hand. He’d intended to throw Ashley into a dither, a state where her overanalytical brain couldn’t override her instincts, but he was just throwing himself off.
I need to rethink my tactics.
“I don’t know.” Bill grinned. “Your mother and I have found that barn plenty romantic.”
Linda giggled like a teenager and snapped her napkin at him while both Taylor and Ashley gagged.
“Gross,” Taylor protested.
Ashley closed her eyes. “I’m never going to look at that barn the same way again.”
“What?” Bill laughed. “Parents have sex too, you know. How do you think we had you two?�
��
Ashley turned a mock glare Jennings’s way. “This is all your fault, you know. I wouldn’t have had to hear that if you weren’t here.” The mischief sparkling in her eyes gave away that she wasn’t really mad at him. Mortified. Amused. Antsy… Adorable. But not mad.
She turned back to her parents. “I forbid any more talk along those lines. You’re going to embarrass my…date.”
Did anyone else catch her hesitation? By Eric’s quick frown, he might’ve. Or did he not like the thought of Ashley having a date? Jennings stuffed that dark thought in a box marked, “Think about this later.”
Bill chuckled again and shook his head. “Jennings’s known us too long to be shocked by anything we say, pumpkin.”
Jennings exchanged one of those manly glances of understanding with her father.
Ashley looked between the two of them, suspicion tugging her brows down into a frown. “I am so screwed,” she muttered under her breath.
Eric cleared his throat. “Bill, I’m planning to work on the fences in the south pasture. That sound all right?”
“Ashley and I have our last dress fitting with the other bridesmaids,” Taylor added to the schedule.
That moved the talk firmly away from them. Under the cover of the other Hughes’ discussion of plans, Jennings leaned closer. “Did your dad just give us permission to have sex in the barn?”
Not a bad idea. An achingly hard part of his body, which he’d been trying his darndest to ignore, heartily agreed. Not that touching her made ignoring his needs all that easy.
She picked up her napkin and held it up to her mouth. “Don’t go getting ideas.”
Talk about shooting down a man’s horse. Whomp. He stared into her fascinating grey eyes, remembering how they went dazed with pleasure the night before, and even a little this morning until she let her doubts take over.
Pleasure he’d given her. No one else. “Too late.”
Her eyes now widened infinitesimally and her lips parted. Had she caught the rasp to his voice, the way he couldn’t stop himself from touching her? “They’re not listening. You can turn off the performance.”