“I’m real sorry.” Dani looked into Jake’s eyes. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said Jake. “I understand.” He sighed as he added, “It’s just that I don’t think I’ll be able to get back this way for a while to see you again.”
Dani hugged Jake, wrapping her arms around him to give him a deep, passionate kiss. She finally pulled away and looked into his eyes. “Jake O’Brien, I don’t care where you are, I’ll find you…I swear.” She pulled away to reach into her front pants pocket and pulled out a piece of paper she folded into Jake’s right hand. “That’s my phone numbers. If you can’t reach me at home in Tucson, call my momma or daddy here. They’ll most likely know where you can find me.”
Without looking at the numbers, Jake stuffed the paper into his front shirt pocket. He took a deep breath. “All right, then. When can I call you?”
“Give me a couple of days.” Dani watched his face. “I’m not sure how long Brandon is going to stay.” Jake cocked his head, and Dani gently slapped him on the chest. “I need a couple of days to figure my way out of this mess, okay?”
Jake laughed. “No problem. After last night, I figured we muddied up the water pretty good.”
Dani leaned in and gently bit Jake on his lower lip. She pulled back, her voice sultry. “Yes, we did, but you didn’t seem to mind.”
Jake held her by the waist, leaning down to kiss her. “Nope, I didn’t mind at all. And I look forward to doing that again, but I guess right now I need to get out back and load up Chief.”
“I already did it.” Dani smiled proudly. “You’re ready to roll.”
Jake frowned. “You loaded Chief? Why’d you do that?”
“You were sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you up until I had to.” Dani gave him a pleading look.
“All right. Fair enough.” Jake picked his hat off the coffee table and put it on. “Then I guess it’s time for me to shove off.”
They walked out the back door where Jake’s truck was parked. “I took the liberty of hooking the trailer up, too.” Dani squeezed Jake’s hand.
Jake walked around the truck and trailer to make sure the hitch and wiring were connected properly, then looked inside to find his horse standing comfortably. “Wow.” He took his hat off and rubbed his forehead. “You know what you’re doing.” He smiled. “If you ever need a job as my assistant, you let me know.”
Dani went up on her toes to kiss Jake on the lips. “That sounds like heaven.” She kissed him once more, before adding, “I’ve got to get inside and get ready to face Brandon.”
“All right. I’m outta here.” Jake laughed. “Geez, you’re tough.”
“What do you mean?” Dani gave him a quizzical smile.
“I ain’t never been run off so quick.” Jake grinned.
“Ah…” Dani said with a pitying gaze. Then she laughed. “Jake O’Brien, if I was a betting woman, I’d bet everything I own that you’ve run out on more women than you could shake a stick at.” There was a moment of silence when they both smiled widely. “You see? I was right.”
“I’d better be getting before I give up any more secrets.” Jake walked to the driver’s side door and climbed in. He rolled the window down as he started the engine. “Dani Harrison, you might be running me off now, but I’ll be back…to stay. You mark my words.”
Without waiting for an answer, Jake put the truck in gear and drove away. He waved once as he turned left onto the two-lane farm road, then disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a small cloud of dust that lingered in the still morning air. He was five miles down the road when he had to hug the shoulder to allow an oncoming truck to pass in the other direction. He only took notice because it was another, new Chevy diesel, the exact model Jake was driving, only blue. After he passed, he didn’t give the truck another thought.
* * *
Dani went back into the house and sat down at the kitchen table, breathing a huge sigh of relief. “Damn, that was close!’ She rested there for a few minutes, then got up and went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. As she stirred a spoonful of sugar into the cup, she saw the blue Chevy pickup slow and turn into the driveway.
“Okay.” She breathed in and out deeply. “Time to greet boyfriend number two.” Dani walked out the back door. “Or is he number one? Hell, I don’t know.”
Brandon Clark stepped out of the vehicle and rounded the truck.
Dani leapt into his arms as he said, “Hey, baby, I’ve been dying to see you.”
She smiled. “What a surprise…I had no idea you’d be in town, but I’m so glad you called.” Dani gave him a kiss.
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.” Brandon gazed into her eyes. “I got a show to do in Fort Worth tomorrow night. Thought I’d come up here and throw you over my shoulder, maybe see if you wanted to come with me. What do you say?”
“I’d love to,” said Dani with a gleam in her eyes. She grabbed his hand and led him to the back door. “I’ll pack some things. But first, come on, Momma’s in town and Daddy’s out with Trey. They won’t be back until lunch.” Dani flashed a wicked smile. “We have the house to ourselves.”
“I like the sound of that,” Brandon said as they stepped inside. It didn’t take them long to reach Dani’s room, and both were naked before they reached the bed.
Chapter 7
“History Will Be Kind To Me
Because I Intend To Write It.”
—Winston Churchill
Tell, Texas
Thirteen Days Later
“Dani!” called her mother, holding the telephone receiver up, “It’s for you.”
As Dani rose from the dinner table, she could tell by the look on Jackie’s face she was none too pleased with whoever was on the other end of the line. She could also tell her father, Trey and Stephanie had suddenly stopped eating, waiting to find out who the caller was.
Dani took the receiver. “Hello.”
Even though Dani held the phone tightly to her ear, she was sure everyone in the room could make out Jake’s voice. “Hey, there, honey! How you been? I’ve missed you something fierce these last few long miserable days.”
“Hey, Jake.” Dani turned her back to the kitchen table. “I’m good. What are you up to? Where are you?”
“New Orleans. The rodeo was down here this weekend,” Jake told her. “I need you to get to the airport in Amarillo by 8:30.”
“In the morning?” asked Dani.
“Tonight.” Jake sounded smug. “I got a buddy who’s gonna have his plane there at eight-thirty. I want you to be on it. I’ll meet you at the airport here in New Orleans around eleven o’clock.”
Dani stammered as she looked at her wide-eyed family at the table. “What’s this about, Jake? I can’t just hop up and run off halfway across the country at a moment’s notice.”
“Why not?” he asked.
Dani looked at Caleb, scratching the side of her face as she tried to think of a reason. “Because my sister, Stephanie…me and her were going to Fort Worth tomorrow.”
“What the hell’s in Fort Worth?” asked Jake.
“We’re going shopping,” Dani told him. “Willie went back home to see his momma in Empire City for a couple of days, so me and her were going to spend some time together.” She looked at Stephanie and shrugged to let her sister know she had no idea how this was going to play out.
Jake laughed. “Bring her with you. You girls can go shopping down here.”
“Well, no…” Dani exclaimed, throwing her free hand in the air. “I mean, we already had plans to…”
“Cut the crap.” Jake sounded like he was grinning. “Sounds like your plans need to change right now. And I promise you’ll have way more fun down here with me than in Fort Worth. You know that’s right, don’t you?”
Dani answered with a laugh, “Yeah, you got me there.”
“Perfect, then,” Jake said. “So you coming?”
Dani put the receiver t
o her midsection to muffle her words, looking at Stephanie. “What do I say?”
“Ask him what kind of plane it is,” Stephanie told her, grinning.
“Are you serious?” Dani asked in disbelief. “Are you really considering going? I thought you hated Jake.”
“I do,” answered Stephanie. “But hopping on a plane and flying to New Orleans at the spur of the moment sounds like fun.”
“What about Willie?” Dani asked.
“I’ll call him at his momma’s house once we get down there,” answered Stephanie. “He’ll be okay with it as long as you and I are together.”
Dani put the phone back to her ear. “What kind of plane are you talking about?”
“A jet plane,” said Jake. “I need you and your sister to be at the Amarillo airport no later than eight-thirty. That pilot ain’t going to wait for you if you’re late.”
“For how long?” Dani asked. “And how are we getting back?”
“We’ll figure that out after you get here.” Jake sounded confident.
“But what if it turns out I can’t stand you?” Dani said playfully.
“You and I both know that ain’t gonna happen.” Jake laughed, then his tone got serious. “Come on, now, we don’t have time to fart around like this. Are y’all in or out?”
Dani looked at Stephanie, who was smiling and excitedly nodding her head. “I guess we can make it. It’s seven-fifteen now though. We’ll have to hurry.”
“Yeah, you will,” Jake said. “Once you get to the airport, though, don’t park by the main terminal. The private planes are a couple of hundred yards to the left. Get going. I’ll see you here in New Orleans in a little while.”
“We’re on our way.” Dani hung up the phone and shook her head, then looked at Stephanie and shrieked, “We’re going to New Orleans!”
Stephanie hopped up from the table and ran toward her room. “I can’t believe it. On a private jet!”
Dani was right behind her.
* * *
“My goodness,” Dani exclaimed as she and Stephanie exited the Citation 1 onto the tarmac. A brief gust of wind ruffled the collar on her white satin blouse and caused it to cling to her breasts as she walked over to greet Jake, who’d brought his truck around and parked it on the tarmac thirty feet from the plane. “We made it.”
“Howdy, ladies.” Jake tipped his black Stetson. He leaned against the side of his Chevrolet. “Glad y’all got to Amarillo to meet the plane on time.” His tone was edged with sarcasm.
“Well…” Stephanie started to explain.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. We weren’t exactly on time,” Dani interrupted. She slung her purse on her shoulder, adding, “If you must know, we were late getting to the airport because I got pulled over by a state trooper on the way.”
“Really?” Jake grinned. “How fast were you going?”
“Only a hundred and ten,” Dani said, as if she couldn’t believe anyone would have pulled her over just for going that fast.
“Impressive.” Jake shook his head. “How much is the ticket gonna be?”
“No ticket,” Stephanie said. “Somehow she talked her way out of it. I’ve never seen a state trooper let somebody off like that.”
“Me neither.” Jake gave Dani a penetrating look. “So how’d you two make the plane?”
“The plane was already gone when we got there.” Dani smirked.
“He was just about to take off, but…” chimed in Stephanie.
“Yeah,” Dani interrupted her sister again. “He’d taxied off to a runway by the time we showed up, but I sweet talked some guy in the office into letting me use the radio to get the pilot to turn around and come back to pick us up.”
“Oh, really,” said Jake, rubbing his chin. “The owner of that plane went out of his way to do me a favor for this. But he also told me in no uncertain terms that pilot wasn’t going to wait on anyone or anything. What could you have said that made him want to turn around and pick you up?”
A smile crept across Dani’s face. She walked over to kiss Jake passionately, then pulled away to look at him. “Are you glad we’re here or not?”
“Well, yeah.” Jake smiled.
“Then that’s all you need to know.” Dani giggled. She looked at her sister and asked, “Stephanie, are you ready to have a little fun?”
“Yes, I am,” her sister answered with a wide smile. “I’ve never been to New Orleans before.”
Jake walked around to open the passenger side door. “Well, then, let’s get this party started.” He let Dani climb in first so she would sit next to him, then closed the door as soon as Stephanie was in comfortably. As he walked back around the front of the truck, Jake noticed the co-pilot was still in his seat taking care of business, but the pilot of the plane had stuck his head out of the cabin doorway with his right hand next to his ear as if he was making a phone call. He was looking directly at Dani as he slowly mouthed the words, “Call me.”
Jake turned to see Dani smile back and nod. After he climbed into the truck and started the engine, he looked at Dani. “So you and that pilot…” Jake glanced at Dani’s crotch and whispered the rest, “Let me rephrase that. What I mean is, what was that all about? How did you get him to turn around?”
Dani giggled as she leaned in close. “I just did what I had to do, that’s all.”
“Did you have sex with that guy? In the plane?” Jake looked down at her with wide eyes.
“No, silly, I wouldn’t do that.” She turned to make sure Stephanie was still looking out the passenger side window at the other airplanes. “I did have to improvise, though.” Dani massaged her left thumb with her right hand, rubbing her left thumb up and down.
Jake glanced at Stephanie before mouthing, “You gave that guy a hand job?”
“You told me on the phone to do what I needed to do to get here, right?” Dani’s tone let him know she couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
“Yeah, I guess I did, but I gotta tell you, I really didn’t have that in mind.” Jake shook his head. He didn’t say a word for a few minutes as he drove out of the parking lot but, as he turned right onto Stars and Stripes Boulevard, he finally asked, “Why would you tell me that?”
“What do you mean?” Dani didn’t understand.
“I charter a private jet just so I can see you for a couple of days,” Jake said slowly, “and the first thing you tell me when I see you is that you just gave a hand job to the pilot.” He turned to look at her. “Why would you do that?”
“Did you want a lie or the truth?”
“The truth, of course,” Jake said.
“Good. I’m all about telling the truth…all…the…time.” Dani drew the words out slowly. She held her palms up in her lap. “You asked me how we got here and I told you. I told you the truth.”
“Geez, but…” Jake turned his truck left onto Downman Road.
“But what?” Dani looked up at him.
Jake turned to look her in the eyes as if he was looking for something. “But now I sure as hell can’t say this whole thing is off to a good start.”
Dani glanced at her sister, who was still looking out the side window pretending to be oblivious to their conversation. She turned back to Jake. “Come on, Jake. Don’t be such a stick in the mud. Life is all about compromise. I got what I wanted, which is sitting next to you right now. You got what you wanted, which is me here. At least I hope so. And the pilot got what he wanted. It was a fair trade all the way around.”
“But…” started Jake.
Dani reached over and put her forefinger over his lips.
“Shhhhh. Your picture was in the Dallas paper a couple of days ago and you had a pretty buckle bunny hanging all over you, so don’t go getting all upset I gave a guy something as minor as a hand job.”
“Giving a stranger a hand job is minor?” Jake looked incredulous.
“Let’s get back to the girl in the picture.” Dani slapped Jake’s right thigh. “Stay focused.”
Jake took a deep breath. “I was hoping you wouldn’t see that picture.”
“Why?” Dani asked. “We’re not married or anything, and you already know I’m still with Brandon. Besides, I didn’t get off the plane and get in your face about who that woman was, did I?”
Jake chuckled, looking down at her. “So you’re not mad about that girl?”
“Not at all…” Dani paused for a second. “Well, maybe I’m a little jealous. But the point is, I’m sure she did far more for you than I did for that pilot.”
“Yep, she did.” Jake blushed. “There ain’t no doubt about that.”
“So there you go. Are we good?” Dani gently rubbed the spot on Jake’s leg she’d just slapped.
“Are you going to call him?” Jake asked, his eyes on the road.
“Call who?” Dani squeaked with surprise.
“The pilot,” answered Jake.
“Why would I?” Dani sighed. “I don’t need anything else from him, least not at the moment, anyway.
Jake was quiet for a moment as he entered the ramp that would put him on I10 east and take them into downtown New Orleans. As his truck came up to speed, he asked, “That brings up an interesting question.”
Dani glanced at him, then looked at the road ahead. “What’s that?”
Jake tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “What do you need from me? What do you want?”
“Hmmm.” Dani paused for a moment. “Well, what I need and what I want are two different things.”
“All right,” said Jake, “I’m curious. What do you need?”
“Well…” Dani drew her words out, thinking hard. “What I need is a good man to show me the world. All of it. I think I’d have to kill myself if I ever turned out to be a boring housewife. Holding down a nine-to-five during the week and spending the weekends chasing rug rats and pulling weeds out of a flowerbed out back sounds like a living hell.”
“What about Brandon?” Jake frowned. “He can do all that, show you the world, I mean. Why take a chance on me?”
“’Cause there’s one other thing I need.” Dani smiled. “I need to have fun along the way. Brandon can be fun, but he can come across a little boring sometimes.” She slid her hand over Jake’s crotch. “You should know right now, I’ve never been the boring type.”
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