by Mary Leo
Coco threw her a look. “I’m sure. I checked.”
Kenzie stood and pulled off her gloves, stuffed them in her pocket and began pacing in front of the open barn doorway. “Now I’ll have to wait until next month. This throws off all of my plans for next year. I can not believe this.”
Chad kept working, ignoring their conversation, hauling hay from the back of Kenzie’s pickup. He was all of sixteen, already almost six feet tall, and one of the most competent volunteers she’d ever hired. He was going to make a superb rancher one day.
“You know, you really don’t have to wait until next month,” Coco advised. “You’ve got two stallions who I’m sure are willing to accommodate.”
Kenzie was desperate enough to consider it now. Unfortunately, Jake had other plans.
“Even if I agreed to it, Jake has either already left or is in the process of leaving.”
A wind blew up and Coco held on to her tattered ball cap. She wore a white Rascal Flatts T-shirt from the last concert she’d gone to, frayed jeans, not by design but from wear, and her normal laced boots. Her face was already taking on a slight tan from being out in the sun so much. Everyone in the family lathered on sunscreen these days, but Coco couldn’t seem to remember it most of the time, thus the tan.
“Only because he’s honoring a bet that you shouldn’t be holding him to. It was a tie. You both won.”
Kenzie had told her sister about the bet last night after Jake walked out of the tavern.
“He wants to leave,” Kenzie told her, secretly wishing that wasn’t the case.
“If I remember correctly, he didn’t look like he wanted to go anywhere, much less back to Montana. And besides, Carson told me Jake was only leaving because you already held up your part of the bet. He told Carson he didn’t really want to go, but felt he had no choice in the matter. Carson also told me that you and Jake kissed. Why didn’t you tell me? What else happened? Did you sleep with him?”
Just then Chad walked out, trying his best to act like he hadn’t heard what Coco had said, but Kenzie could see the gleam in his eyes.
“No, I did not sleep with Jake Scott.” She turned toward Chad. “And don’t you go spreading any gossip that I did. Now go on with your work and stop eavesdropping.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Chad said as he padded off, shaking his head, his cowboy hat nearly blowing off in the wind before he caught it and pushed it deeper on his forehead.
Kenzie hated when Carson went behind her back to one of her siblings with information that pertained to her.
“Why didn’t Carson tell me that Jake didn’t want to leave? That would’ve changed everything.”
Kenzie folded her arms across her chest, hurt now that her brother and sister had been discussing all this between themselves. Plus, if she’d known about this, she might have been able to sleep last night.
Or not...
But at least she would have known the truth.
“You were too busy dancing on the tables.”
Kenzie flashed back to the tavern. She didn’t remember anything of the kind.
“I did no such thing. I would never lose control like that.”
And as soon as Kenzie said it, she wanted to suck that statement back inside. Not only did she give Coco ammunition, but the words had hit a nerve deep inside Kenzie.
“That’s for sure,” Coco mumbled, her gaze gliding back to Punky. He moved around on the front seat, tiny nails clicking against the window frame, excited that Coco had noticed him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kenzie stuck a fist to her cocked hip.
“It means that you can’t control everything. Just like the sperm. Sometimes you have to let go and let it be. See what happens.”
“And let nature take its course?”
A flash of annoyance erupted inside Kenzie and she didn’t like it. Kenzie and her sisters rarely, if ever, argued. They respected each other too much for antagonism. Even growing up, their mom had taught them to talk out whatever was bothering them without anger. Funny how Kenzie could pretty much maintain her cool with her siblings, but when it came to Jake Scott that had never been the case. Their relationship had always been a hot bucket of coal.
“Exactly like that, yes.”
Kenzie let out the breath she’d been holding. “I only want what’s best for this ranch, for the livestock, and for Mom and Dad.”
“True. We can all see how hard you’re working to keep the ranch profitable, but sometimes you need to lighten up and take the olive branch when it’s offered. It might work out better than you think.”
“Or not.”
“Well, it can’t be any worse than dead semen, which is what you have now. Those mares have less than forty-eight hours before their time has passed. Ultimately it’s your decision.” Coco’s face softened. “But you better make it soon, Kenzie, because Jake had pulled his rig up in front of the guesthouse when I drove over here to tell you.”
Kenzie didn’t want to admit her feelings for Jake, at least not straight out.
“There’s more to this than just my letting go.”
“You can deny it all you want, but I saw that disappointed look on your face last night when Jake told you he was leaving. I see it now. And from the dark circles under your eyes, I’d bet my entire house that you didn’t get one lick of sleep last night fretting over him.”
Kenzie wanted to argue, but out of all of her sisters, she never could hide anything from Coco.
“Maybe so, but there’s no way anything can come of it. He and I have commitments that neither one of us can ignore. It’s no good. It could never work out, so there’s no use thinking that it can. He has his ranch and I have mine.”
“Right now, I’m talking about your mares. All the other stuff, the two of you can work out later. Seems silly for him to leave like this, when you obviously need his semen”
Chad walked out again. This time his eyes were about as wide as quarters.
“From his stallions, his semen from his stallions.”
Chad kept his gaze on the ground, but the smirk on his face said it all.
“Fine,” Kenzie said to Coco, hoping he hadn’t already left. “I’ll ask him to stay for the sake of the ranch.”
“Great! Now all we have to hope for is your mares aren’t as stubborn as you are, or we’ll never get any foals,” Coco teased.
Kenzie jumped into Coco’s SUV and they hightailed it over to the guesthouse.
She just hoped he wouldn’t gloat.
Chapter Eight
Jake was just finishing up a bowl of Lucky Charms while sitting on the sofa in the guesthouse, when there was a knock on the front door. He figured it was Kenzie, eager to help him load his horse trailer that he’d driven out front about an hour ago. He still hadn’t loaded his horses, nor had he gotten anything ready inside the trailer to secure his stallions.
Normally by this time in the morning he’d have been long gone, but for some reason he was dragging his feet. He hadn’t even packed his suitcase, nor had he completely cleared out the bathroom or the kitchen. He’d been in the process of cleaning out the cupboards when he came across an unopened box of Lucky Charms, his childhood all-time favorite cereal. It didn’t seem polite for him not to open up the box and have a bowl. He figured whoever put it up in his cupboard must have known it was his favorite, and he didn’t want to seem like he didn’t appreciate the gesture.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Be right there!” he yelled, right after he quickly took the last big bite, then drank the milk from the bottom of the bowl. He jumped up and placed everything in the sink.
Jake had forgotten how good Lucky Charms were, or maybe it was because he hadn’t eaten anything so laden with sugar in more years than he could remember. Either way, he’d be taking that box
back home with him.
It was the polite thing to do.
He arrived at the door, put his hand on the knob, and readied himself for whatever Kenzie might throw at him, somewhat surprised that she actually knocked this time.
When he swung the door open, Joel Darwood stood on his porch looking like any typical cowboy: worn jeans, dark T-shirt, boots, the classic brown hat and a friendly grin. Just the sight of him threw Jake off center.
“Mornin’,” Joel said, in a chipper voice. The guy always seemed to be in good spirits, probably due to the fact that he’d only recently married the lovely Callie Grant.
“Mornin’,” Jake answered, trying his best to duplicate Joel’s enthusiasm, all the while wondering about the nature of this early morning visit.
“Sorry to bother you, but I was hoping I’d catch you before you headed on out. Got me a real problem over at my place and I need some help. It won’t take more than a couple hours of your time, and it would mean a lot to me, and to Callie.”
Whatever Joel needed help with, Jake was ready and willing to give. After all, Jake had driven out for that precise reason, to lend a hand on the Grant ranch, and considering Joel was part of the Grant family, and he and Callie were expecting their first baby, anything Jake could do to help out was fine by him.
“Not a problem. Be glad to in fact.”
“I don’t mean to keep you from your plans. I see you already moved your rig to load up. Are you sure?”
“Positive,” Jake told him. “My plans can wait.”
Jake didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he didn’t want to leave, at least not yet. Despite the desire he’d had when he first arrived to swear off women for awhile, he didn’t want to go without exploring his growing feelings for Kenzie. Any excuse to keep him there for a few more hours was good enough for him.
“It’s the arbor that Mildred and Henry will walk through once they arrive back at my ranch, after the church ceremony. I wanted to build something that would last, that I could give to the Grants for their own front yard once their anniversary was over and well, the arbor I ordered is too big and too heavy for me to finish it on my own. Do you think you—”
“Of course. Anything you need.”
Jake grabbed his hat off the coat rack next to the door, and was out of the house before Joel could say another word.
“If you’re sure?”
“I haven’t been more sure of a decision in my life.”
“Great. That’s great, but I doubt it will take us more than a few hours. It’s a surprise for Callie’s parents. Zoe, she’s the wedding planner, has a rickety little arbor we could rent, but I knew Callie didn’t like it much. I decided to build one, on my own, which always seems to cause me problems. I mean, I’ve learned a lot since I’ve taken over the Double S Ranch, and everything was going good until I messed up the top of this thing. I took it apart a couple days ago, and now I can’t seem to be able to put it back together again. I’m hoping you can help.”
“The Humpty Dumpty factor,” Jake said, chuckling.
“Exactly,” Joel agreed, grinning.
Jake shut the door to the guesthouse and followed Joel out to his ranch pickup just as Coco and Kenzie pulled up.
Kenzie got out holding Coco’s little dog, Punky, tucked in her left arm. His head twisted from side to side, trying to take in his surroundings.
“I thought you were leaving?” Kenzie asked as she approached. He wished he could read her, but so far, that ability had somewhat eluded him. Was she happy he was still there, or upset? He had no idea.
“I asked Jake to help me build something for the wedding,” Joel answered, obviously trying to defend the fact that Jake hadn’t driven off yet. “It should only take a few hours. I can’t do it alone. It’s a surprise for your parents.”
Jake hung back to let the two of them work it out. He knew he was on borrowed time.
“What is it?”
“I don’t want to say. I know how you and your sisters can’t seem to keep secrets from your mom. I’m holding this one close.”
Jake appreciated the interaction between Kenzie and Joel. Even though the guy had only been part of the family for less than a year, he seemed to know the dynamics. Loyal and true, not to mention salt of the earth. These were folks a person could believe in and rely on. Jake hoped he could fit in as well.
“Okay. I won’t bug you.”
“Thanks,” Joel said and walked over to say hello to Coco, who remained behind the wheel of a bright red SUV.
Once Joel was out of earshot, Kenzie said, “You realize that one of Joel’s projects could take a couple days instead of a couple hours. He has a habit of underestimating his tasks.”
That sounded perfect to Jake. The wedding was less than four days away, and if he could somehow hang around until then, he felt certain that he’d get some alone time with Kenzie.
“Good to know, but however long it takes, I’ll be helping him with it.”
“I thought you were determined to leave?”
A warm breeze swept over the land and kept pushing long strands of Kenzie’s hair into her face. Several times he’d wanted to reach out to move them, and several times he stopped himself. Maybe he should leave. It was getting more and more difficult for him to keep his distance.
“It’ll have to wait until Joel and I finish whatever we have to get done, if that’s okay with you. But I don’t want you to think I’m trying to renege on my end of the bet.”
Her demeanor seemed to soften. At least he was on the right track with his apology. “Then you don’t mind staying?”
“I was leaving because you seem to want me gone.”
“I thought you were leaving because of the bet.”
She put him on the spot, but he’d always been good at deflecting a hit. He decided to push this back on her, on what he saw and felt from her the other night out on the front porch.
“I was, but in the light of day, I’ve decided I shouldn’t be in a hurry. At least that’s the impression I got the other night when we kissed.”
Her face instantly flushed, as if a ball of heat had surrounded her. She glanced off toward the mountains, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then turned back to face him. The flush fading.
“You have no idea what my thoughts were during that kiss,” she told him. Her voice low and husky reminding him of his first day when she told him she made love like an alley cat. He at once knew he’d hit a nerve, knew he’d said something that triggered a combustible reaction.
“Oh?” He loved to tease her. Always had since they were kids, but now it meant so much more. Now it meant he could get a glimpse into what she might be thinking, and that excited him. She’d always seemed to be in control and distant, but slowly he was making inroads into her thoughts, and he liked it, liked it a lot.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I was on the receiving end of that kiss the other night, and if I’m not mistaken, desire was about to consume us both.”
She gazed down at the ground. “Well, you’re very much mistaken. That kiss meant nothing.”
He knew she was lying, knew she was trying to hold on to that double-checked facade of hers.
But he’d made a few dents in the armor and he intended to keep up the pressure.
“Can you look me in the eye and say that?”
She turned back to face him, whiskey-colored eyes burning into his as she quickly plucked something off his collar, then opened her hand. “Can you look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t just eat a bowl of your favorite sugary cereal?”
He gazed at her open palm and there, glistening in the sunlight, lay a tiny blue marshmallow half-moon.
“You put that box of cereal in my cupboard to tempt me?”
“I sure did, and it prov
es you’re not as ‘natural’ as you claim.”
“And that kiss proved you’re not as in control as you claim.”
“Fine, so now what? You know this can’t work between us. You know we both have commitments. It was just a kiss. Nothing more.”
He moved closer to her, reaching out to take her in his arms, “Kenzie, I—” Punky bared his teeth, growling. Jake backed off.
“Hey, he doesn’t like you,” Kenzie noted with a snicker.
“He’s just misguided,” Jake countered.
“Punky is a trained guard dog. He’s reacting to a perceived threat.”
The thought of tiny Punky as a trained guard dog seemed so silly that it took everything inside Jake not to bust out laughing.
“I promise you, I’m not a threat.” Jake couldn’t help the catch in his voice and the grin on his face. Jake had seen a lot of mean animals in his lifetime, but this little guy just wasn’t cutting it.
“Punky was raised with German shepherds and he’s under the illusion that he’s as big and bad as a shepherd. Don’t underestimate him. His teeth are sharp and feel like needles digging into your skin. If he sees you as a threat, you might want to, um, retreat.”
She stared into Jake’s eyes, and he wished that darn dog was back in the SUV. Jake relented and moved away, not because of the dog, but because of Kenzie. He knew she wasn’t ready for his sweet words and kisses.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Punky calmed down, licking his chops with a tongue the size of Jake’s pinky finger.
“So, if you’re going to stay for another day,” she began. “You may as well stay for the anniversary. It would be silly for you to leave now when it’s so close.”
“Makes perfect sense,” he added, trying his best to simply agree with everything she said.
“I mean—” She took a breath and let it out, slowly. “What I mean to say is, I need your semen.”
* * *
HE COULDN’T HELP but chuckle. “Wow, if I’d known all it took was a box of Lucky Charms I would’ve brought along an entire case.”