She felt her cheeks flood with color. "No."
"Was that your first kiss?"
Jessie nodded miserably.
Cameron slammed his palm against the back of the seat, making her jump. He stifled a curse. "I'm sorry, Jess. I shouldn't have done that to you." He raked his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been acting like a jealous jerk all night long. Hell, I was the one who wanted to break up with Patti."
He reached for Jessie and gathered her in his arms again. He traced her lips with a thumb, and she shivered in response.
"Let's try this again," he said. "A first kiss should be something special."
The sound of Cameron's voice, his gentle touch, and his breath on her cheek--all were threatening Jessie's control. She had already had her first kiss, thank you very much. She wasn't sure she liked it.
Cameron tightened his hold on her. His heartbeat both comforted and excited her. "I'm going to kiss you, okay?"
Jessie had barely nodded before his mouth took hers a second time. This kiss was very different from the first. It had nothing to do with jealousy or anger. Cameron was kissing her for her own sake. Her world turned upside down.
Slowly, she raised her arms and clasped them around Cameron's neck. He adjusted their position, cradling Jessie closer into his shoulder.
The kiss deepened and soon turned into a sweet wild passion. Jessie hung on for dear life, allowing the exhilarating feelings to consume her. Cameron pushed her backward until she was lying flat on the seat.
Jessie gloried in the feel of his big body covering her. She drew the powerful shoulders closer until his chest rubbed against her breasts. She hadn't worn a bra with the halter-topped evening gown. Every movement produced exciting new sensations.
Just when she thought she might die from the exquisite torture, Cameron pulled back. He stared down at her, his breath rasping in his lungs. He quickly sat up, bringing Jessie with him.
Still lost in a fog of passion, she reached for him, but he caught her hands and shook his head. "No more," he said, keeping her away.
Jessie tried to gather her wits as she straightened her gown. She didn't want to look at Cameron, but she had to look at him; she had to say something. "I think you better take me home."
Cameron gripped the steering wheel. He was still breathing hard, and his eyes glittered hotly. "I'm sorry, Jess. I didn't mean to take advantage of you. You're a special kind of girl. Don't ever change." He reached across the cab and traced her lips with his thumb again.
"You're too young, too damned young," he said. "I'm leaving for college after graduation. I have to get out of this town, Jess. Away from the ranch. I want to be a doctor. I want to help people. I want to heal them, make them better. I've planned my future and I'm never coming back."
Jessie nodded in understanding; he was leaving and taking her heart with him. She lifted her chin. "You know, you're not the only one with a plan. I'm going away to college, too, when it's time. I want to major in journalism and work for a newspaper some day."
Cameron smiled and flicked her nose. "Not going to be a grease monkey all your life?"
"No, I want to write," she said. "And I don't want to live in Salt Fork forever, either."
Cameron started the truck. "Thanks for going with me, Jess. It was fun."
She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yes, it was."
The drive home was silent. Cameron pulled around to the back of Kincaid's Garage, where the porch light glared yellow in the darkness. He led her up the walk.
Jessie opened the screen door and turned toward Cameron. This was it, then. The end. Her fairy-tale prom night was over. "Thank you for a wonderful time," she said, holding out her hand, feeling like a fool.
Cameron stared at her hand, then at her. His face was taut, as if he were in pain. His blue eyes burned like jewels. Jessie wondered what was wrong.
Suddenly, he reached out and pulled her to him, arching her slender body into his. "I have to have one more kiss, Jess. One . . . more . . . kiss."
His mouth crushed down on hers. This wasn't an obligatory goodnight kiss, Jessie thought, her heart hammering in her chest. This was a kiss like you read about in novels or watched at the movies. He must feel something for her, or he wouldn't be kissing her like this. How was she going to stand it when he left forever?
Cameron broke the embrace and set her away from him. "Good bye, Jess." He didn't look at her again, didn't turn to wave. He got in his truck and drove away into the night and out of her life.
Chapter One
Seventeen years later
Jessie Devine needed a miracle and the sooner the better. Only a miracle would keep her from losing the service station and garage she'd inherited from her father. She loved the business and hated to think she might lose it. With taxes and insurance coming due, plus a mountain of medical bills still waiting to be paid, not to mention everyday expenses that were eating her lunch, money was a top priority and a commodity she sorely lacked. No matter how she tallied the columns on the spreadsheets, the numbers just wouldn't add up. She'd been working late every night for the past two months.
Face it, Jess. You're flat broke.
With a sigh, she set to work once more, crunching the numbers on the computer screen, comparing them to the ones in her account book.
The roar of a powerful engine outside the station jerked her attention from the spreadsheets. With a frown, she glanced at the ancient clock hanging on the wall. Good lord, it was nine-thirty. Who could be stopping by so late, when she was obviously closed? No one from Salt Fork, that was for sure.
Peeking out the window, she saw a shiny black Jaguar with the hood up and a large man leaning over the engine. A Jaguar in Salt Fork? A stranger in distress, no doubt about it. She tucked several loose strands of hair under her baseball cap and decided to investigate.
Jessie's pulse accelerated as she neared the stranger and the Jaguar. What wouldn't she give to service a car like that? The thought of working on that engine sent shivers down her spine. Her fingers itched to explore and repair. With her eyes glued on the expensive sports car, Jessie didn't realize the stranger had come forward to greet her until she heard his deep voice.
"Hello, Jess."
Her head snapped toward the man, and Jessie found herself gazing into familiar blue eyes. Oh, my God. Cameron McCade. Her heart shifted gears and her lungs stalled in her chest.
What was he doing back in town? He'd been gone a long time. Now suddenly he was standing only a few inches away, his musky aftershave triggering old memories. Ancient memories. It had only been one night, one night many years ago.
A sharp October breeze brought Jessie back to her senses. Summoning a smile, she extended her hand, thankful to see it steady. "Hey, Cameron. Wow. I sure didn't expect to see you here."
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he said, taking her hand in his.
When his strong fingers closed over hers, Jessie swallowed hard. She remembered Cameron's touch . . . oh how she remembered.
"Yes, it's been quite a while." Quickly, she withdrew her hand and walked over to inspect the car. There was so much to say. Or maybe there was nothing to say at all. Perhaps he didn't remember.
Jessie ran an expert eye over the engine. "Looks like the fan belt snapped and the radiator's overheating. Have you driven all the way from Houston?"
He moved closer to get a better look at the steaming radiator. "Yeah, I've been on the road since early this morning."
When he brushed against her shoulder, Jessie stiffened at the close contact, shocked by the sharp jolt of awareness coursing through her veins. The heat from his body penetrated the thick cloth of her coveralls, making her insides turn all squishy. Cameron McCade had always affected her that way.
Dragging in a deep breath, she fought for control. Her reactions were ridiculous. She was thirty-two years old, for crying out loud. Not fifteen, like before.
Cameron quickly stepped away, and Jessie wondered whether he was also feeli
ng the electricity crackling between them.
"It's been one hell of a trip," he continued smoothly, slipping his cell phone from his belt. "I blew a tire early this afternoon and wasted two hours getting that taken care of. And now the damn car is overheating. I'll have it hauled to Lubbock tomorrow. Dallas or Tyler can pick me up tonight." He started punching in numbers on his phone.
"Don't call your brothers," Jessie said. "I can drive you out to the ranch. It's on my way home." She didn't know why she'd offered, but when he smiled, her heart revved up a notch and alarm bells clamored in her brain, reminding her of the danger of Cameron's smile.
At eighteen, he had been boyishly good-looking. Now he absolutely stole her breath away. Tall and powerfully built, he had broad shoulders and a muscular neck. The wavy brown hair, strong jaw line, and hint of dimples when he smiled . . . oh yes, a deadly combination.
Cameron hooked the phone back on his belt. "I'd sure appreciate a lift to the ranch, if it's not too much trouble. I really hate to bother Dallas. He's probably already in bed, since he wakes up before dawn."
"No trouble," Jessie said. "You can pull your car into the garage, and we'll get you to the ranch in no time." She ran to the office, shut down her computer, grabbed her keys and locked the door.
While Cameron parked the Jaguar, Jessie sat and waited in her old Ford pickup truck. Cameron McCade. She still couldn't believe it. Since leaving for college, he'd only returned once or twice a year to visit his family at the Diamondback Ranch. He'd stopped by her station a handful of times to buy gas, but hadn't come near her in the last few years. She'd often wondered why.
Jessie gripped the steering wheel tightly. Cameron McCade had been the golden boy in high school. Everyone in town had admired him, herself included. He'd been three grades ahead of her and completely out of her league.
Jessie's thoughts flittered away when Cameron climbed in the pickup and set a duffle bag on the seat between them. "I locked the garage doors," he said, buckling his seat belt. "The Jag should be safe."
She nodded, trying not to hyperventilate from Cameron's close proximity. "I'm sure it would have been okay where it was," she said. "But a car like that attracts a lot of attention, and I wouldn't want to tempt anyone."
She shifted gears and started down the main drag. The street and stores of the tiny town were deserted, with only a couple of cars parked under the water tower. A group of teenagers stood talking and laughing. Everyone else had closed shop and gone home.
"Some things never change," Cameron said. "Doesn't seem that long ago, it was me talking and joking with friends under the water tower."
"It's always been a popular hangout." Although, Jessie had never hung out there. Then again, she'd never been one of the popular ones.
Soon the lights of Salt Fork were behind them. Darkness surrounded the truck on the lonely highway. The domed night sky spread from horizon to horizon heavily sprinkled with tiny pinpoints of light. The full moon hung suspended against the blackness, huge and yellow and bright.
Cameron leaned forward and stared out the windshield. "Damn, the stars are beautiful. You can't see near this many in Houston. The lights from the city make it impossible."
Was that regret she heard in his voice? "Just one of the many benefits of living out in the middle of nowhere," she said.
"You enjoy living here, don't you?"
"It's my home. And yes, I do enjoy living here. Unlike you." Good lord, had she really said that out loud?
"Yeah, unlike me."
Out of the corner of her eye, Jessie saw Cameron frown and try to stretch his legs, but there wasn't room. He settled by leaning his head against the glass of the rear window. "It's good to be back, though," he said.
"You've been gone a long time."
"Too damned long."
Again Jessie thought he sounded regretful. "It's been over a year since you've visited the ranch. Ruth sure has missed you."
"I know. Mom's been on my case big time. I usually don't wait so long between visits, but this past year has been hectic and I just couldn't get away."
Jessie kept her eyes on the road, trying to ignore the cramped confines of the truck. Every breath she drew filled her lungs with Cameron's masculine scent, the musky aftershave that had embedded itself in her brain a long time ago. She tried not to inhale too deeply.
"Ruth told me you were busy at the hospital and were up for a promotion. Seems like all of your plans have worked out."
Cameron shifted in the seat. Jessie sensed his pent-up energy, that restlessness that had haunted him all his life.
"I got the promotion--"
"That's wonderful!" Jessie said, wondering at his lack of enthusiasm. "Congratulations. You've worked hard for it, I know."
"I've worked my ass off. If I decide to accept it, I'll be working even harder."
"If?" Jessie asked, not believing her ears. "Why in the world would you hesitate? It's what you've wanted, isn't it? Ruth keeps me up to date on you and your progress. She's very proud of you. Wow. Head surgeon at M.D. Anderson. That's a big accomplishment, Cameron."
He dragged a hand over his face. "Yeah, thanks."
Cameron didn't say anything more and Jessie glanced at him, then away. "So . . . I'm guessing you're here for Ruth's birthday?"
He took a deep breath and once more tried to adjust his position on the hard bench of the truck. "Good guess. It's the big six-o. Couldn't miss that, now could I? Mom's party promises to be the party to end all parties, if Tori has her way."
Jessie smiled. "Your sister usually gets her way, doesn't she?"
Cameron smiled back. "Yeah, she does. You going to be there?"
His low sexy voice oozed slowly over Jessie like motor oil on a piston cylinder. She was aware of his eyes on her, looking her over. Oh yes, the man was dangerous, his smile lethal.
"Of course, I'll be there. Your mother invited me a couple of weeks ago when she brought her car in for inspection. She didn't mention anything about you coming home, though."
Cameron shrugged. "I didn't know if I could get away from the hospital until a couple of days ago."
"Is that when you found out about the promotion?"
He nodded. "My boss--the man I'd be replacing, my mentor--insisted I take time off to think about it and decide. It's a big step."
"And one you're not sure you want to take?"
"Sounds crazy, doesn't it?"
"You never were one to jump into anything without a lot of planning."
"I've always been the man with the plan."
"That's what they called you in high school," Jessie said.
"Just like they called you grease-monkey."
Jessie smiled at the old nickname. "Right."
"But I understand that's not all you've been doing," he said. "Mom keeps me updated about you, too. I hear you're on the Chamber the Commerce. The president, no less."
"I got elected last year. More like coerced. It was a unanimous decision."
"Hey, that's great. You really are involved in the community."
And why wouldn't she be? "This is home, Cameron. Salt Fork may be a small town, but I want it to be the best it can be. I sit on the city council, too. That's how I'm getting the new medical facility built here. Did Ruth tell you about the clinic?"
"She mentioned something about it."
"Maybe while you're here, I can give you a tour. I could use your opinion about a few things."
"Sure, Jess. I'll help anyway I can."
When he called her 'Jess' in that deep baritone of his, her tummy fluttered like when she was a kid. She gripped the steering wheel tighter. "How long are you staying?"
"Only until Monday. I have to get back to Houston. I don't have the luxury of more than a few days off at a time."
"Definitely not one of the perks of being a busy surgeon."
He swiped his hand through his hair. "You would not believe."
"But you like being a doctor?"
"Yes, very much. How about
you? Still enjoy working at the garage?"
She smiled. "Yes, I do."
"I'm sure your dad would have been proud of you. Keeping the family business going. I know you must miss him."
Jessie nodded. "Desperately sometimes, even though it's been--gosh, eight years. But he was ready to go. He'd been fighting the cancer for a long time. At least I had time to say goodbye. Your dad died so unexpectedly, you didn't have the chance."
"Yeah. It's damned hard to lose a parent. Makes you think about things. Makes you appreciate the parent who's left."
Jessie shook her head. "I wouldn't know about that. I barely remember my mom."
"Damn, Jess. I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking."
"It's okay. Don't worry about it."
He adjusted his position on the seat again. "I was sorry to hear about TR's accident."
Jessie swallowed a lump in her throat at the mention of her dead husband. Sorrow, mixed with guilt and regret. A whole lot of guilt and a whole lot of regret. "I still can't believe he's gone. It's been almost two years."
"You seem to be holding up all right. Keeping busy and all."
"Helps keep my mind off things." She took a deep breath. "Can I ask you a question, Cameron?"
"Sure. Ask away."
"Are you ever sorry you left Salt Fork? Do you miss the ranch? Don't you miss your family?"
"That's three questions, not one," he said with a smile.
"Math was never one of my strong suits." If it were, maybe she'd be able to crunch the numbers on the spreadsheets better. Only it wasn't the math that was the problem, it was the lack of funds. Best not to think about that right now.
"No, your strong suit has always been cars and engines," Cameron said.
"And don't forget tractors."
"Oh right, can't forget the tractors." Cameron was silent for a moment. "But what about writing? Weren't you going to go to college? Study journalism or something?"
How did he remember that? She remembered every detail of prom night--every word spoken, every kiss shared--but she hadn't expected Cameron to remember.
"Dad got sick my senior year. I couldn't go off and leave him," she said. "So I stayed and took care of him, drove him to Abilene for chemo treatments and kept the garage running. The medical bills were astronomical. I'm still trying to pay the last of them off. By the time it was all over, I was twenty-four. Too old to go to college or so I thought. Besides, I had the garage to consider."
The Doctor Wears A Stetson (Contemporary Western Romance) Page 2