by Leger, Lori
Jackson trudged over to Bill’s house, muttering and cursing inwardly the entire way. What the hell did that woman want from him? Why is it okay for her to initiate a conversation, but when he tried it, she treated him like a pariah? His heart ached at the sight of her, but it had taken a beating and he was damned tired of being her whipping boy. Hadn’t he put up with enough crap from Chloe for fifteen years?
Jackson grabbed a bottle of tea from his uncle’s fridge and stood there until he’d downed the entire thing. He gave himself a few minutes to cool down before returning to the party, more determined than ever to avoid Giselle.
He walked over to the barn where everyone had gathered to pet the miniature animals raised on Bill’s ranch. He walked over to where his uncle and Gwen each held bridles of a pair of Shetland Ponies attached to two carts. The younger children lined up for the cart rides while the older ones were petting the tiny pygmy goats and horses, all well supervised by various friends or employees of Bill. He’d also rounded up the new calves and foals, placed them in two portable holding pens, to separate them from their mothers.
“Uncle Bill, where do you need me most?”
“You go on in with either the calves or foals right now, Jackson. Bring a few people in at a time so that the animals don’t get spooked. We need to get this part of it done quickly so they don’t miss their feeding times with their mamas.”
Jackson entered the horse pen and crossed to where Lauren and Bryan stood with Gage and Ava. “Hey, Ava,” he said. “You remember me?”
Ava, who was firmly attached to her daddy’s hip, looked at Bryan. “Das Jackson, Daddy!” she crowed.
Bryan nodded at his daughter. “Uh huh, I heard how you gave him all those kisses yesterday at the ball park. That’s not cool, baby girl. Not cool at all,” he groaned, as Jackson and Lauren laughed.
Jackson looked down at Gage, Ava’s big brother. “Come on in here, Gage.” Gage scrambled under the tubular fencing, as Jackson reached over to get Ava from Bryan. The child reached out to him and he brought her over inside the fence and placed her on his hip. He walked over to one of the more docile foals with the two children, gave Gage a sugar cube, and showed him how to feed the horse.
“Did you see, Mom? He licked it off my hand!” Gage said.
“Yes, I took a picture of it, too,” Lauren said.
“Ava, you want to feed the horse?” Jackson said.
“No!” She pulled herself away as he neared the animal. “I want Daddy!”
Jackson pretended to pull a dagger from his heart. “Aw, and here I thought I’d replaced that ole daddy.”
Bryan grinned as he reached for his daughter. Once again happily ensconced in her father’s arms, Ava looked at Jackson and as she patted Bryan’s face. “Das my Daddy,” she said, before planting a kiss firmly on her daddy’s mouth.
Jackson shook his head even as laughter rumbled deep in his chest. “Maw Maw Carrie said I couldn’t steal you from your daddy. I guess she was right.” He waited for them to cross into the pen then used Lauren’s camera to take several shots of the family feeding the animals.
Mac and Lexie were next in line. When the two girls joined Jackson inside the pen, Giselle stayed put outside to take some shots of the three of them. He squatted between Mac and Lexie, right next to the foal while Giselle took the shots.
She helped her girls from the pen. “Thank you, Jackson.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, turning quickly away from her to assist a beautiful, dark haired child with bright blue eyes and a pixie grin. “Hello there.”
“My Mom and Mr. Bill told me to come ask you to show me the foals and calves,” the little girl said shyly.
“Is your name Alyssa?”
She nodded and grinned.
“It’s nice to meet you Alyssa. I’m Jackson. Bill is my uncle.”
She smiled, revealing a gap where she’d recently lost a bottom tooth. “He’s nice. It’s nice to meet you, too.”
He got one of the two photographer’s Bill had hired to come over and get several poses of Alyssa with the animals. The next hour went quickly as tried to make sure every child there had pictures taken with the animals.
Bill approached him. “You start rounding the kids up for boat rides, Jackson. I’ll have the men get these babies back to their mamas.”
Jackson called everyone to the four canopied paddleboats docked at his fish stocked pond, each one able to seat four people. The boats began to fill up with children and adults as they all took to the water, paddling leisurely around. They agreed on fifteen-minute rides until everyone had taken turns.
To pass the time while waiting for boat rides, children played in one of the two inflatable fun jumps rented for the occasion, one with a huge slide attached to it. His uncle had spared no expense when it came to Mac and Lexie’s birthday party. Jackson had known his goal from the onset of its planning stage—to assure that Toby’s daughters didn’t have one moment of sorrow during their party. By the looks of it, Uncle Bill had succeeded.
By the end of the day, after most of the guests had gone home, Giselle approached Bill, looped her arms around his waist, and hugged as tightly as she could. “I’m overwhelmed, Bill. You’ve made this day so special.”
“Well, the three of you make me feel special every single time we see each other. It feels good to be able to return the favor,” he said, as Mac and Lexie ran toward them. He leaned over to catch her girls, lifted them easily in his arms.
Mac laid her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for the best day ever.”
“This was the best birthday party I’ve ever had, Paw Paw. I love you so much!” Lexie hugged his neck tightly.
“I love you too, my girls. The animals, the pond, and the boats are always here for you. You can come over anytime and bring your friends, too,” Bill said.
Mac lifted her head. “Even my new friend, Alyssa?”
“Sure you can.” He gave Giselle a wink. “And tell her pretty mama to come along, too, while you’re at it.”
Mac’s eyes widened with childish curiosity. “Do you like Miss Gwen, Paw Paw?”
Bill gave her a nod. “I sure do. Do you think I have a chance with her?”
Lexie nodded vigorously. “I heard her tell Carrie you were a fine looking hunkaman,” she whispered excitedly in his ear. “I don’t know what a hunkaman is, but I think it means she wants to be your girlfriend.”
“Do you really think so?” They nodded enthusiastically.
“I think you need to marry her,” Lexie whispered.
A deep chuckle rumbled through Bill’s chest as he set both girls on the ground. He removed his straw Stetson, and passed a hand through his dark hair before leaning toward Lex. “How about if I ask her on a date first? You know, just to make sure we’re compatible?”
“Okay, but you better hurry, Paw Paw,” Lexie warned. “Some other guy might start to think she’s patable too.”
Bill tweaked her nose. “I wouldn’t want that to happen. Thanks for looking out for me,” he said, before they ran off.
“They’re something,” Bill said.
Giselle poked him in the chest. “Well, they happen to think you’re something, Paw Paw Bill. And so do I, but—I have to wonder how Gwen’s going to handle being called Maw Maw.”
He sucked in his breath. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there—if—we even get there.”
She stood back and studied the man before her, thinking Gwen would have to be crazy to pass up a man like Bill Broussard. And Gwen didn’t look a bit crazy to her. “I think I’ll put my money on when, rather than if, Bill.” She gave him a conspiratorial grin. “Good luck, Mr. Broussard.”
“Thank you, Giselle. But I don’t believe in luck. I do, however, believe in skills.”
She was still grinning when they met up with the remaining members of Sam and Carrie’s family. It was six o’clock. The children were all exhausted from playing hard, pink from too much sun, and quickly running out of fuel.
>
“Bill, this was a blast,” Carrie said. “I’d have never guessed this was the first little girl’s birthday party you’d hosted.”
He waved off the compliment. “All I do is write out the checks and delegate all the real work.” He removed his hat and looked around. “Has anyone seen Gwen?”
“She was hanging around waiting to speak to you earlier, but you were busy,” Carrie said. She pointed to the parking area. “Look over there. She and Alyssa are nearly at her car, but I bet you can catch her if you hurry.”
“Excuse me, but I’ve got some ‘patability’ issues to iron out.” He winked at Giselle then jogged toward Gwen and Alyssa.
Gwen felt a sharp stab of disappointment at not being able to tell Bill goodbye. She’d waited around as long as she could, but he’d been busy, and Alyssa was too exhausted to wait any longer. She’d just helped her into the back seat when she heard someone calling her name.
Gwen turned, her stomach flipping in excitement at the sight of Bill jogging towards her.
He slapped his hat on his jeaned leg. “Now, I’d have been real hurt if you and Alyssa left here without saying goodbye.”
“Hey, Bill. You seemed busy—I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“Never too busy for you. Did y’all have a good time?”
“We had a wonderful time, didn’t we sweetie?”
Alyssa nodded then gave a huge yawn.
“Whoa, she’ll be out before I reach the end of the drive way.” Gwen looked up at Bill. “I had fun, too. It was nice meeting you.” She smiled and held her hand out to him.
He took her hand, but held it and stepped up closer. “Gwen, would it be a waste of time if I called you for a date?”
She looked into his sexy blue eyes and seemed to lose her voice. All she could do was to shake her head.
His eyes sparkled with amusement. “Does that mean ‘No, I wouldn’t be wasting my time’ or ‘No, I don’t want to date an old man like you.’”
Gwen’s eyes widened as she took a hard swallow and finally found the nerve to answer. “You would not be wasting your time, and I can think of several ways to describe you, but ‘old’ isn’t one of them.”
He smiled and pulled out his wallet, then handed her two business cards. “There’s my phone number if you ever need to get in touch with me. I’d appreciate it if you’d write your number on the back of one of those so I could call you.”
She reached into her purse, pulled out one of her business cards from the hospital, and handed it to him.
He gave her a crooked grin. “Even better.”
She looked closely at his card. “Don’t you have a mobile…a cell phone?”
“I never needed one before, but—” he swept his hat from his head and stepped closer, “—if you promise to call me, I’ll buy one tomorrow.”
She nodded. “I promise.” She heard a sound from the back seat and they both looked down. Alyssa had already fallen asleep and was snoring. She laughed quietly. “I need to get her home.” When she turned back around, Bill had moved in so close she could feel his breath on her face as he spoke to her.
“Well,” he said, as the deep baritone vibrated in her ear sending chills down her spine. “I’ll talk to you later.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek then pulled back a bit. He moved back in and kissed her lightly on the mouth then hovered for a moment over her lips before he looked down at her. She’d closed her eyes and when she finally opened them, she saw him watching her. She raised a hand to her face, knowing by the heat that it was pink and flushed.
Bill cleared his throat before speaking again. “Gwen, I think I should tell you that I’ve waited a long time to look for a lady to share my life with. Once I think I’ve found her, I plan on moving ahead quickly. I’m not getting any younger, and time is too precious to waste. How do you feel about that?”
She gazed up into his sober, blue eyes. “I feel the same way, but…” She placed her hand against his chest when he attempted to move in for another kiss. “I don’t want to waste my time either, so…I do have a few questions.”
He raised his hand and rubbed his thumb softly along her bottom lip. “Fire.”
Her body immediately flooded with need. No kidding. “Are you looking for a long relationship?”
“I’m looking for a rest of my life relationship.”
She closed her eyes and calmed herself. “Would you have a problem with Alyssa?”
“Absolutely not, she’s a wonderful little girl.”
She swallowed hard before asking the final question. “How would you feel about having more children?”
“All for it…As many as you want…As soon as you want.”
“Oh, dear God,” she said, in a sudden release of breath.
He leaned in and kissed her again, this time holding nothing back. When he finally pulled away, they were both drawing in ragged breaths and trembling. He rested his forehead against hers. “Just so you know, I’m okay in all departments.”
Gwen raised a brow at his devilishly handsome grin. “I bet you are.” She pulled away from him and situated herself in her car. After turning the ignition with shaky hands, she lowered her window and looked up into his piercing blue eyes.
Bill folded his long, lean body over, and rested his arms on the opening. “I’ll give you a couple of hours to settle in before I call.”
“That would be perfect.” She closed her eyes as he leaned into the window to kiss her again. Once he straightened, she placed a trembling hand on her gearshift, and put it in drive.
Bill watched the red tail lights of her Chevy disappear in the dust, knowing that wasn’t the last he’d see of Gwendolyn Perry. He wanted her in his life, wanted to make life easier for her and Alyssa. He turned away from the dust trail and started the walk back to the barn. “Bill, ole boy…it’s time to get your game on,” he mumbled.
Bill met up with Sam and Carrie on his way back to the barn. He tipped his hat to them. “Carrie, Sam, I hope you had a good time.”
“We had a great time, thank you,” Sam replied.
“Did you enjoy yourself?” Carrie asked smugly.
He gave her a wide grin. “Best damned day I’ve had in a long time, hon.”
She gave him a hug. “Good for you, Bill.”
They headed back to their truck, both chuckling as the sound of Bill whistling a snappy tune carried to them.
“That old dog,” Sam said, grinning at his wife. “The Lord sure works in mysterious ways. I didn’t even know our girls knew Alyssa.”
“They didn’t, but they do now,” Carrie hinted.
Sam looked confused. “They must have if they invited her.”
“Maybe they didn’t invite her.” She gave her husband a wink. “Bill and Gwen are perfect for each other, don’t you think?”
Sam stopped walking and stared at his wife. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
Carrie laughed. “Just try to keep up, babe.”
Giselle stared at the pond, now placid and peaceful after the afternoon of activity it had hosted. She tried to calm her nervous stomach, hoped to ease the tightness in her chest. She’d been tense and edgy all day. No use asking herself why. Even knowing her uneasiness centered around Jackson, she couldn’t pinpoint the why of it. She turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and gave Bill a halfhearted smile.
“What are you looking so serious about, darlin’?” he drawled.
She stuck her hands in her back pockets and forced herself to relax. “I was just thinking what a good day it was, that’s all.”
“It was, wasn’t it? The girls are tuckered out, but they don’t want to give it up just yet.”
Giselle smiled as she watched her daughters trying to skip stones in the pond, something Jackson had shown them earlier. “I know. I’ve been trying to get them to leave for ten minutes. I’m sure you’re tired of seeing us by now.”
“No hurry,” he said. “This place is gonna be too damned quiet after you leave.”
; “I know what you mean,” she said, thinking about how quiet the house would be once she got her girls home. She’d be lucky if they stayed awake through their baths.
“Those boats sure look nice,” she said as she pointed to the paddleboats. “There was so much going on today, I didn’t have a chance to take a ride in one.”
“Well, we can remedy that. Come on girls, your mom didn’t get a turn on a paddle boat!” Bill called to them. “Hang on just a minute, hon.”
Giselle stood at the edge of the pond, staring out at the sunset, waiting for Bill to get back.
“I heard someone’s ready for one last boat ride?”
She turned, surprised to see Jackson walking over to the nearest boat, as her girls ran to him like metal shavings to a magnet. “Oh. I thought it would be Bill—”
“He asked me to so he could attend to his hired hands,” Jackson’s tone seemed gruff, to the point. “Well, come on then.” He pulled the boat closer to the dock so they could step in easier.
Giselle situated herself in the back to the right of Mackenzie and let Lexie sit up front with Jackson. He began a leisurely trek around the water’s edge, paddling with his muscular legs. Giselle tried to stay focused on the glorious sunset reflecting off the glasslike surface of the water, but her gaze continued to return to Jackson. From her vantage point at the back of the boat, she was able to observe him unnoticed as he pumped up and down at the pedals. His arms rested on the steering wheel of the small craft, but even in his relaxed posture, she could see the definition of muscles and tendons in his upper body.
Her gaze moved from his shoulders to the angular profile of his face. She had to admit, he was nice to look at, especially when he wasn’t aware that she was watching. Even if he turned around to face her, her dark sunglasses wouldn’t reveal her target of sight.
Mac and Lexie’s heads nodded as both struggled to stay awake through the sound of water being dispersed by the paddles.
Giselle gazed at the tranquil beauty of the pond and the array of colors it reflected from its surroundings. “It’s beautiful here,” she murmured, then turned back towards Jackson.