by Leger, Lori
Giselle smiled at Bill, trying to ignore the hurt of being snubbed by Jackson. He’s only doing what you asked, she reminded herself. She listened, without seeming to, as he got into an animated conversation with Allie, Mac, and Cat about baseball. Within minutes, Lauren’s little girl, Ava Grace, made her way over to Jackson to flirt shamelessly with him. By the time the game began, the toddler wouldn’t sit with anyone but him.
“Would you look at that,” Lauren said, observing her daughter. “Ava already has him wrapped. He’s so good with kids; I sure hope he has a couple of his own someday.”
“Me too,” Bill agreed.
Jackson, who had been engrossed in conversation with Ava, glanced up to find them all staring at him. “What?”
They all laughed and he turned back to Ava. “They’re jealous because you love me more than them, aren’t they?” She gave him a cheesy grin and nodded, her curls bouncing. He tapped one side of his face and she kissed his cheek.
“Giselle, video that, would you? Bryan won’t believe his baby girl loved up on another man. Who is that, Ava?” Lauren asked her daughter.
“Das Jackson!” the toddler chirped. She leaned over, grabbed his face in her two chubby little hands, and gave him a kiss right on the lips.
“Thank you so much, Ava!” He let her wrap her arms around his neck for a big hug.
“That is so sweet,” Gretchen said.
Lauren chuckled. “It won’t be sweet about two hours from now, when she’s all sticky and sweaty and snotty from that summer cold she probably just gave you, Jackson.”
“That’s okay. Some things are worth it, aren’t they, Ava Grace?” The child nodded and beamed at him.
Giselle watched the exchange with a smile on her face while she caught it all on her digital camera. “Yeah, I told him we could find him a wife so he could have some of his own, but he told me he could find his own woman.”
“That’s right,” he said. “When I’m ready to move, I will. Don’t you worry about me.” He riveted his gaze on Giselle.
She felt herself coloring as she adjusted her sunglasses and looked away. “Speaking of which, ladies, we need to find someone for this fine looking gentleman on my left.”
Lauren spoke up. “How about Ms. Clair Bertrand.”
Gretchen leaned over to look at her twin. “Ms. Clair from admitting? She’s too old for Bill. We need to find somebody younger, who can give him children. right, Bill?”
He shrugged. “I’d like kids, but if it doesn’t happen I’ll be satisfied to have someone of my own. I’ve got Mac and Lexie, and I’m sure Jackson will furnish me with a great niece or nephew one day.”
“Hmph. Don’t count on that happening anytime soon,” Jackson mumbled under his breath.
“What was that, son?”
“I said I hope that happens real soon, Uncle Bill.” He winked at Lauren, who grinned at his comment.
“Until then, I’ll just keep Ava.” Jackson leaned over to the toddler seated contentedly on his lap. “How about it, gorgeous? You want to come home with me?”
She nodded adamantly, causing her golden brown curls to bounce and glisten in the sunshine. “I go with Jackson!” She climbed down from his lap and waved to her mother. “Bye Mommy!”
Everyone laughed as Jackson tried to tell Ava he wasn’t leaving. She reached up for him until he picked her up again. He looked over at Lauren. “Tell Bryan he’s been replaced.”
Giselle watched and listened to his remarks, remaining silent. She turned her attention to the field, shifting uncomfortably. All this talk of Jackson finding someone else and starting a new family had her feeling a little confused. What if he found someone? How would she feel?
She hadn’t told anyone about her recurring dreams about him. It was easier not to see him. She tried to push all thoughts of the dreams aside, but every time she heard his voice, she saw the image of those deeply intense, sensual blue eyes. By the end of the day, she was a bundle of nervous energy.
On the way home, she insisted on sitting in the back seat with Mac and Lexie. Jackson and Bill installed the new battery in her truck, and she thanked them both when it cranked up easily. She couldn’t look Jackson in the eye, but hugged Bill before she went inside her house, closing the door behind her.
Jackson waited for Bill to climb back into the truck.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Bill said, buckling his seatbelt.
“What’s that?”
“She can barely look you in the eye.”
Jackson shifted to reverse and backed slowly out of her driveway. “Noticed that, did you? I have no idea what I did to piss her off this time.”
“You didn’t do anything. She’s attracted to you.”
Jackson hit the brakes at the intersection and turned to face his uncle. “You are so off the mark on this one, Uncle Bill. That lady can’t stand the sight of me.”
Bill released a loud sigh and shook his head. “One of these days you’re going to learn to listen to me. I’m telling you, she’s attracted to you. And don’t even try to deny you feel the same way.”
Jackson glared at his uncle. “She’s the widow of a good friend. I only try to help her out when she lets me, and only because Toby would want me to.”
“Bullshit! You can lie to yourself if you want to, but you can’t lie to me. I know what I see.”
Jackson jumped when a car behind him blew the horn. He eased off the brakes and took a right to head for the highway. He glanced at his uncle, who sat there wearing a shit eating grin. “Fine, dammit. I’m attracted to her—a fat lot of good it does me. Are you happy now?”
Bill gave a loud guffaw of laughter. “I was right.”
Jackson snorted in disgust at his uncle. “You always are, you old coot. And it’s damned disconcerting, if you want to know the truth.”
“Dis..con..what? Talk English..I’m just a simple man.”
“It’s ass-chapping, okay? It chaps my ass, the way you’re always right.”
“I’m just older and wiser in the ways of the world.”
“Yeah. What the hell ever.”
Bill put his head back and laughed. “It’s like Sam always says, Son. There’s all kinds of smart.”
“Maybe so, but I think you’re wrong about Giselle being attracted to me. If she is, she’s got a hell of a way of showing it. I’m about fed up with her damn attitude.”
“An intelligent man would try to see it through her eyes. Think about it, Jackson. Toby’s been dead for just over seven months and she feels guilty for being attracted to another man, not to mention terrified of what others will think. If you’d been sitting where I was, you’d have noticed she was a bundle of nerves by the end of the day.” He shook his head. “Your generation has mastered the art of wasting time. I’d have thought you and Giselle would see the senselessness of that after what you’d both gone through. By the way, you hurt her feelings when you switched chairs on her.”
“I didn’t do it to hurt her feelings. I just didn’t want to embarrass myself. There’s no way I could stare at those long, tanned legs of hers all day and not—you know.” Just the thought of her had him adjusting himself. Bill responded with a low chuckle that escalated into a knee slapping belly laugh. Jackson adjusted the adjustment, more than a little annoyed at his uncle’s joviality over his excruciating predicament.
Jackson gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “You don’t know, man. Every time I see her lately, it’s agony. You have no idea how much I dread tomorrow.” He shook his head slowly. “For me, the only thing worse than seeing Giselle—Is not seeing Giselle.”
The first luminous rays of dawn broke on a cloudless sky, promising a glorious day for Mac and Lexie’s party. Guests started arriving around eleven thirty to food tables, loaded down with barbeque and side dishes. Servers urged everyone to line up, buffet style.
”Paw Paw!” Mac and Lexie ran to Bill, with Giselle following closely behind them.
“There are my two birthday girl
s!”
“We wanted to come and thank you for doing all of this for us,” Mac said. “I can’t wait for the paddle boat rides.”
“We’ll start them right after lunch, so you’d better go eat,” he told the girls as they ran off.
Giselle gave him an appreciative hug. “Bill, the girls are thrilled. I don’t know what kind of day they would have had without this.” Their first birthdays without a father.
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Jackson and I would do anything for you three. You know that, right?”
“I do, and I love you for that.”
Carrie joined them. “Come on, you two, let’s get in line.”
As they settled down at a table with their plates, Jackson and a pretty woman named Gwendolyn Perry approached. He pulled the chair out next to Giselle for Gwen, then sat next to Bill right across from her. “Does everyone here know Gwen?”
Gwen, who had a seven-year-old named Alyssa in Mac’s grade, took the initiative and introduced herself to Giselle. “Hi, you’re Mac and Lexie’s mom, right?”
She nodded. “Giselle Granger, nice to meet you, Gwen.”
“Same here. Alyssa was thrilled with the invitation to the party. Thank you so much.”
“Sure.” Giselle had seen Gwen occasionally at school events, but had never actually met her. She assumed Jackson had previously, because within minutes, he and Gwen were deep in conversation. She fought off an unreasonable wave of jealously, and wondered if there was a Mr. Perry.
“So, Gwen,” Giselle picked up a barbequed rib, “Where’s Alyssa’s father? Is he at home?” The question, successful in bringing an effective halt to Gwen and Jackson’s dialogue, had the same effect on the entire table. All conversation came to a dead stop, followed by an uncomfortable silence, as all eyes turned toward Giselle.
Gwen cleared her throat before elaborating on that particular line of questioning. “I’m actually Alyssa’s aunt, Giselle. Her father was my younger brother, David. He and his wife were killed in a boating accident six years ago and I’ve raised her since then. She calls me mom because she doesn’t remember her parents.”
Giselle felt the heat of a shameful blush as she stammered her apology. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Do you have family around to help?”
Gwen shrugged. “My father died when I was in grade school, and my mom passed away from cancer three years ago. I’ve never been married. I was engaged at the time of the accident, but my fiancé said he didn’t want to raise another couple’s child. That was that,” she said.
Jackson gave a low grunt. “I bet it’s been rough for you two.”
“It’s not always easy,” she said. “I mean, I do okay financially as a single parent. I work as an accountant at the Kenton Hospital. The pay isn’t great, but at least I’m home at a decent hour for Alyssa.” She turned to Giselle. “You know how it is. I wish I could be home more for her. Do better for her.”
Jackson reached out to place a comforting hand over her wrist. “Maybe one day that’ll happen for you.”
Was he trying to tell her he was interested? That he was available? Giselle winced at the unaccustomed pain in the pit of her stomach. Gwen was gorgeous; fair complexioned, with hair a shade or two shy of black, and eyes the same shade of blue as Jackson’s. She was around her own height, but voluptuously curved. Probably just the type of woman Jackson was looking for. She pushed her plate away, unable to eat another bite.
Conversation picked up immediately. Within minutes, she knew that Gwen was thirty-nine years old, and dreading her fortieth birthday, which was just around the corner.
“Don’t dread forty—forty was fabulous!” Carrie said.
“Not when you’re husbandless, without children of your own. I thought by forty I’d have all that tucked neatly under my belt. Don’t get me wrong, I love Alyssa as if she’s my own daughter, but I didn’t get to experience childbirth. I feel like I’m running out of time.”
“You’re still young,” Carrie insisted. “There are still good men out there who wouldn’t mind starting a family.”
“Not in my experience,” Gwen confessed. “The few guys I’ve dated don’t seem thrilled when they find out about Alyssa, and she has to come first right now.”
Giselle’s heart plummeted at Carrie’s next comment, spoken as she faced Jackson.
“You’d be surprised at the method God uses to bring two people together.”
“This food is wonderful, isn’t it?” Giselle said, a little too forcefully. Carrie’s blatant attempt at matchmaking hadn’t gone unnoticed, and it certainly wasn’t appreciated—not by her, anyway.
“It sure is. Who’d you hire to cater?” Sam asked Bill.
“A business that does all of our oil company’s parties. They’re used to serving large numbers of guests, so this was easy for them.”
Jackson sneezed into his napkin, turned his head and sneezed again. “Excuse me, must be allergies.”
Carrie grinned. “You’re probably getting Ava’s cold. I heard how you let her kiss on you at the ballpark yesterday. That child is shamelessly rotten.”
“I told Lauren to tell Bryan he’s been replaced.”
Carrie grinned at Jackson. “You obviously haven’t seen her with her daddy yet.”
“I bet she has Bryan wrapped, with that curly hair and those big brown eyes,” he commented.
“Are you talking about that adorable Shirley Temple look alike running around here?” Gwen asked.
“That would be Ava Grace, our granddaughter,” Sam answered. “She’s only one of seven grandchildren.”
Just then two of them picked that moment to make an appearance. Emmelia ran up with Allie and Lexie. “Can we go on the boats now? Is it time yet?”
“I want to see the little mini horses!” Allie said.
Lexie jumped up and down. “I want to see piggy goats!”
Emm looked confused. “What’s a piggy goat?”
The adults laughed before Bill explained again about the animals. “Pygmy goats are goats that stay small. I’ll tell you what kids, give me five minutes to finish eating, and then we’ll start showing everybody the animals.”
“Okay,” Lexie said, before the three of them ran off.
“I didn’t know there were animals like that on this place,” Gwen said. “Who owns this ranch?”
Bill raised his hand. “That’d be me.”
“Cattle or horses?”
“A little of both,” he answered. “Do you ride?”
“Not in years, but I used to practically live on a horse.”
“I never would have thought that by looking at you,” Jackson said. “You don’t seem like that type of girl.”
“Afraid I am,” she said, flashing him a dimpled grin.
He returned the smile. “It’s been awhile for me, too.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Bill said. “He’s a natural horseman, and you don’t forget that.”
Jackson shook his head. “No, if you want to see a natural on a horse, it’s that man right there.” He pointed to Bill.
Gwen turned to Bill. “Did you teach your son everything your knew about horses?”
“Jackson’s my nephew, my brother’s son. But yes, I tried to teach him everything I knew,” he said, wiping his mouth on a napkin. “About riding, anyway.”
Gwen’s gaze flash back and forth between uncle and nephew. “My goodness, you two look enough alike to be father and son, but I guess you’ve heard that before.”
“My older brother, Jamison, and I looked a lot alike.” Bill jerked his head toward Jackson. “Our story is similar to yours and Alyssa’s. Jackson’s parents were killed in a car accident a couple of months before his fifth birthday; I’ve thought of him as a son for thirty-three years.”
“How old were you at the time?”
“I was twenty-four.”
“But, that would make you fifty-seven years old.” Gwen shook her head. “There’s no way you could be that age—I thought you we
re in your mid-forties.”
Bill beamed at her as he stood and made his way around to her. “Looks like we have a lot in common,” he said, sounding pleased with himself. “How about we go find those girls, along with your Alyssa, and show them some animals?”
She backed away from the table and reached for the hand he held out to her. “I’d love to.”
Giselle breathed a little easier watching Bill and Gwen’s departure, totally engrossed with one another. Why did she feel like she’d just dodged a train wreck? Carrie’s comment jarred her from her thoughts.
“Well, how about that? Looks like you didn’t move quick enough, Jackson. I guess old Bill didn’t teach you everything he knew.”
“You think?” Jackson asked smugly. “He taught me how to use reverse psychology. I brought her here for him.” He winked at her and grinned.
“Have I told you lately how brilliant you are?” she gushed.
He stood, giving her an exaggerated sigh. “It’s been awhile—slacker.”
“Well, let me say now, that was brilliantly played out.”
He bowed at the waist. “Thank you very much.”
The four of them paired off for the walk to the barn, Carrie and Sam took the rear behind Giselle and Jackson.
Giselle chanced a look at Jackson. “Gwen and Bill seem to have a lot in common, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do.”
“How long have you known her?”
“I only met her today.”
She turned to him, shocked at his admission. “Really? The way you two were talking, I thought—that is—you seemed so relaxed with her.”
Without a pause in stride, he spoke, his tone icy. “Only because she allowed me to be.” Suddenly, he veered off in the direction of Bill’s ranch style home.
Giselle watched him stalk off, as Carrie and Sam caught up with her.
“Where’s he going?” Sam asked.
“I don’t know,” Giselle said.
“Is he upset about something?” Carrie asked.
Giselle kept her eyes on Jackson. “I think so, but damned if I know what set him off.”