“Sure. Stole the worms out of his old hog lot, too. He even helped me dig them up, sometimes. This is not the big city.”
“Redneck paradise.” He pulled in a nice sized catfish and yelled at James.
“Great. Just a few more and we’ll clean them up and get them in the hot grease,” James’s voice floated back through the darkness.
“Don’t knock my paradise until you’ve lived hear and raised kids in this area.” I told him as I reeled in a bass about the size of his catfish.
“I’m not knockin’ it, darlin’. You just surprise me more every day. I’m wondering just how many layers there are to Jessica Graham.”
“More than you’ve got time to figure out in two weeks.” I figured after that huge supper the night before and then Sunday dinner that I wouldn’t need to eat for a week, but I was hungry for good hot fish cooked in a big black cauldron.
“Hey, we got enough with what y’all got.” Colleen carried a stringer and a big plastic bowl of cornmeal mixture to roll the fish in once they were cleaned and cut into steaks. “Let’s fry them and if we’re still hungry we’ll catch some more. You got the potatoes, Jessie?”
I pulled a bag of frozen French fries from a bag and handed them to James. “There’s another one in there if we need them.”
“Okay, here we go.” James dropped the first pieces into the bubbling oil.
“How do you know when they’re ready?” Rocky asked.
“They float.” I got out a roll of paper towels and plates. “Then we grab them out with tongs and let them drain for a minute on a paper towel, and cool enough they don’t burn us too bad.”
“Jessie is not patient. She’s always burning her tongue.” James said. “She never could wait for anything to cool.”
The hottest fish in the world couldn’t make my tongue a bit hotter than it had been the night before when Rocky kissed me.
“No stories about me tonight or I’ll start tellin’ what I know about you.” I suddenly wondered if Mama and Edward ever came down here to fish. Was he the only man other than Anna Grace’s father to make her heart flutter in that crazy way? Or had there been other men in her life?
“You’re sure quiet, Jessie.” James reached for the tongs and pulled the first floating chunks of fish from the pot.
“Just thinkin’ about Mama. But let’s test that fish and see if you’ve lost your touch.” I managed a smile but my heart hurt for my mother and what she’d sacrificed all those years when she had to be both mother and father to me and Ashley.
CHAPTER NINE
“Good morning.” Rocky said as he came out of Ashley’s office on Monday morning. Instead of his usual jeans and T-shirt, he wore dress slacks, a pale blue shirt and a tie.
I twisted my head so far to one side that my neck popped. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m your help until Friday,” he smiled brightly.
“Who said?” Where was my sister and how did he get into the office? Did he have a key?
“Ashley called me last night. Danny was able to get a week off on short notice so they decided to take a road trip with the boys. She said to tell you that what goes around comes around and that she’d call you from the hotel tonight. They’re going to Great Wolf Lodge Resort over near Dallas. She says they’ll be home sometime Friday but she won’t come back to work until Monday. She hired me to show up here every day and help you out with whatever you need,” he said.
“I can’t believe this.” I gasped. To see him in the evenings was one thing. To spend all day with him was another. Not falling for him was getting harder and harder by the hour as it was.
“I’m not a realtor but I do know a lot about the business since I am in financing.”
My sister had not had a vacation since they’d taken the boys to Disneyworld back when they were still little guys. And I did deserver this kind of treatment after I’d left her alone for almost a whole week. But she was sure going to get a piece of my mind when she called that evening.
“Okay, then.” I sighed. “We’ve got four houses to show this morning. Two down in Marshall, one here in Jefferson and a farm up around Kildare. What’s your choice to start with?”
“I’ll take the farm,” he said.
“You sure about that? What do you know about farms?”
“Probably more than houses since we buy up a lot of that kind of land up north of Panama City for corporations to move into with businesses and apartment complexes,” he said. “I’ll take the prospective buyers for a look, buy them lunch on the way home, and wine and dine them a little.”
“You’d be pretty good at this.”
He tipped an imaginary hat. “Thank you, ma’am. Now give me a little background on the interested buyers so I know where they’d like to eat and what to talk about with them.”
The phone rang before she could answer him. She picked it up and said, “Graham Real Estate.”
“Are you spittin’ tacks?” Ashley asked.
“Yes, and we will talk about this later.” No way was I discussing Rocky with her with him in the room.
“You deserve this after the way you left me alone when you went off on your Florida lark,” Ashley said.
“I do but I’m busy right now. And you are in big trouble for this, so don’t think that I’m going to forgive you easily.”
“You’ve only been half alive a long time and I like the way that Rocky makes your eyes sparkle. Either get over him or kick him back to Florida.”
“What makes you think that?” I asked.
“Trust me darling’,” she chuckled. “Have a good week. I’ll call at least once a day.” The phone went dark so I laid it back on my desk.
“Ashley?” Rocky’s grin sent a little shiver down my spine.
I nodded. “The Nelsons will be here in fifteen minutes. They’re in their forties and sold a piece of property out on the west coast. They must have gotten a fortune for it and they want to reinvest their money in a farm. He was a banker. She was a nurse out there. Now they want to grow organic vegetables and raise chickens. Take them to Bubba’s Barbecue for dinner and bring me the receipts.”
“Okay.” He sat down in the burgundy leather chair with gold upholstery tacks and propped his elbows on the desk across from her. “I talked to my sister last night. Told her I had a heart problem.”
My own heart dropped down to my toes. Wasn’t that just a kick in the seat of the pants? I’d let myself start to fall for a man who was going to die.
He smiled and went on. “I’m afraid I either have to get over you or we have to work out some kind of deal. Florida is my home and Jefferson is yours but I’ve never felt like this about another woman. So what are we going to do?”
“I have no idea.” I’d held my breath so long that my chest ached. “Does Edward know how you feel? We haven’t known each other long enough…” I let the sentence hang there between us.
“Yes, he does, and funny as it may seem, he told me he understands completely.” Rocky smiled
“Really?” My voice was all high and squeaky.
“That’s right. Remember, he’s the one who fell in love with a woman from here many years ago,” Rocky answered.
Love?
Sweet Jesus! I was thinking about more kisses and possibly seeing if a long distance relationship might work. Not love, for God’s sake.
“He would never let you stay in the company if we had a relationship of any kind. His wife would string you up from the nearest oak tree.” I nervously straightened my desk.
“We’ll have to figure out which bridges we need to cross and which ones we need to burn this next week, I suppose. I’ve laid my cards on the table and there’s not even one up my sleeve.” He dangled his coat sleeve to show me. “So now it’s your turn. Do you feel the chemistry between us, Jessica?”
“I’m not so sure that I can put into words how I feel about this attraction between us. It’s passionate for sure and I agree that we need to figure it out but there�
�s sure a lot of obstacles in our path. You sure you want to try to jump over them.” I looked right into the depths of his blue eyes.
“I’ve got real long legs,” he grinned.
CHAPTER TEN
We didn’t notice the big black clouds floating quietly in from the southeast, and didn’t see that faint line of the moon disappear. We were sitting under the pavilion at the city park, each in our own thoughts after we’d talked about the two sales we’d made that day and the places that we would show on Wednesday. I’d been really glad for his help on Monday and he’d actually sold that farm that we’d had on the market for a year. When the first loud clap of thunder rumbled above our heads we jumped to our feet in a hurry and ran toward his truck. We didn’t make it before the first huge raindrops drenched us.
“Whew, talk about a fast storm.” Rocky put the truck in reverse and backed away from the park. “Where did that critter come from anyway?”
“Who knows? Storms can come up fast and then leave us with nothing but more mosquitoes and high humidity in this part of the world.” The rain wasn’t cold but the icy air from the truck’s air conditioner made my damp skin feel like I’d been rolled in ice cubes.
“Cold?” he asked. “Would it be all right if we go to the motel first so I can change out of these wet clothes? Or do you want me to drop you at the house and I’ll change and come back. It’s too early to call it an evening. We could maybe watch a movie together. I brought several and a DVD player in case I got bored, which I certainly have not.”
“Motel first.” I answered.
It wasn’t far to the place where he was staying. When he parked in front of his room and hopped out, I followed him.
“I’m not sitting in the pickup with lightning flashing all around me,” I said.
He nodded and ran through the rain drops to open the door. “I hate to be damp. Don’t mind being wet but to be damp. I bet you are chilled.” He shivered and grabbed a big white towel and wrapped it around my shoulders. He grabbed clothing and disappeared into the bathroom.
Pulling the towel tighter around my shoulders, I sat the table in the corner of the room. The bed was made; his clothes neatly hanging on the rack. Shaving equipment was lined up on the vanity and he’d even taken time to unload his suitcases into the dresser drawers. Would he be that kind of lover? The same routine every time they made love?
“Wow! Did the lightning shoot that thought through my head?” I mumbled as I picked up the remote and turned on the television. Steel Magnolias was playing. I’d seen that movie at least a dozen times. Watching it reminded me that women might be as fragile as magnolias but they had to be as tough as steel at the same time. And most men never saw anything but the sweet, delicate side they wanted to recognize in their women.
“Your turn.” Rocky walked out of the bathroom.
“I can’t stay in this room much longer or by morning there will be a whole bevy of shotgun toting folks beating on your door. There will be a preacher amongst them carrying a marriage license and you’d have to make an honest woman out of me,” I teased.
“Still your turn.” He grinned as he lathered shaving cream on his face and leaned into the mirror above the sink. “There’s another towel right there.”
If I called his bluff and came out of the bathroom with one of those skinny motel towels wrapped around my naked body, it would be all over but the afterglow. And when that died away, there would be plain old nothing.
“Those towels are made for short, skinny women,” I laughed. “Hurry up, slow poke, and take me home so I can be dry, too.”
“Just another swipe or two.” He poked his tongue in his cheek, making a ridge where his dimple was when he smiled really big.
I was intrigued by the swift motions he made taking off the heavy evening stubble. “What are you doing?”
“Shaving,” he smiled. “Haven’t you ever seen a man shave before?”
“No,” she answered honestly. “Only grandpa, and he used one of those electric things he held in his hand.”
“My beard is too heavy to get a close shave that way.” He slapped on a handful of shaving lotion, turned rapidly and gathered me into his arms. The suddenness of his actions, the breathtaking aroma of the woodsy after shave, and the passionate kiss made me change my mind about going home.
I fell backwards on the bed and pulled him down with me. I tasted the bitterness of the lotion that he’d gotten on his lips and breathed in a mixture of soap, shampoo and what was just naturally Rocky Rycroft. The thrill of his arms around me erased everything but the aching desire in my body to be satisfied. I didn’t care what anyone in town thought of us spending the night in his motel room.
I tugged his shirt up over his head and tossed it toward a chair in the corner. He ran his hand up under my damp shirt and I felt the hooks let go, then my shirt and bra both went sailing through the air to join his. His lips locked onto mine and I felt myself melting from the inside out as his hands moved over my body.
I’m not sure when my jeans and his came off but suddenly we were naked and I could feel the heat of his whole body against mine. God, it was wonderful to kiss a tall man and to be able to stretch out at the same time. He groaned when I wrapped my legs around his waist and arched against him. He teased my mouth open with his tongue and made love to me with steamy hot kisses. I tangled one hand in his thick dark hair and reached down between us to guide him inside me.
We rocked together, our movements matching so well that it was as if we’d been having sex together for years. He buried his face in my hair and whispered my name hoarsely. I thought I screamed his name but later I wondered if I imagined that part because I was speechless for a long time after we both reached the top of the cliff and fell off the backside into the cool waters of afterglow at the same time. I’d never known such complete satisfaction or been so sleepy afterwards. My skin felt as if was glowing and my body had no bones. I would have floated all the way to the ceiling if he hadn’t kept me wrapped up in his arms.
I curled up with my head on his shoulder and my hand in the soft hair on his chest and shut my eyes. Just for a little while longer, I wanted to hold on to this amazing feeling and to never leave Rocky’s side.
I awoke at dawn and wondered where Peeta was at first then I remembered the amazing night that we’d had. Rocky’s arm was still around me and now his leg was thrown over mine.
“Hey, we’ve got to get up. It’s daylight.” I kissed him on the cheek.
He opened his eyes and flashed a smile that lit up the whole room. “I vote we stay in bed and make love all day.”
“Sounds good to me but Ashley might get real upset if we miss those four showings that we have scheduled for today.” I inched even closer to his side.
He moved his leg and groaned. “I’m starving. Let’s get dressed and have breakfast. The hotel started serving thirty minutes ago. You can wear my sweats and then I’ll take you home in plenty of time to get ready for work.”
There’s an old adage that says that one might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb. There was no way that everyone in the small town of Jefferson wouldn’t know that I’d spent the night with the feller staying in the hotel down south of town and working at Graham Realty. If they didn’t know by mid-morning then Gloria Jane, the person who ran the breakfast buffet at the hotel, would be off work and her cell phone would be smoking.
“I’d love some biscuits and gravy,” I smiled at him. “Maybe a quick shower first?”
“Together or apart?” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Ever had shower sex?” I asked.
“No, ma’am.”
“Me, either but it does sound like fun.”
* * * * *
When I reached the office that morning, Rocky was sitting in one of the chairs in front of my desk. The aroma of coffee brewing filled the whole front office and there was a box of cookies from the bakery on the table beside the pot. This wasn’t such a bad set-up.
“Good mornin
g,” he said. “Coffee is made, and I bought cookies for a midmorning snack and to celebrate selling at least one property today.”
I dropped my tote bag on the floor behind my desk and rounded the end to lean down and kiss him. “I’d like to make supper for you tonight. After work you can go to the hotel and change into jeans and a comfortable shirt.”
“Where are we going? A picnic to the river?”
“It’s a surprise. The food will be simple but darlin’ the atmosphere is heavenly. Trust me.” I leaned over to kiss him again.
He dragged me down into his lap. “Darlin’, I don’t care if we spend the night in a pup tent on the edge of the bayou and have bologna sandwiches on stale bread. As long as I can spend it with you, I’ll be happy.”
He kissed me again and I tasted the flavor of toothpaste mixed with cinnamon cookies. Not a totally bad combination. I hoped that we could reach some kind of agreement before the next few days were over. Ashley and Danny would be home before long, and he’d be going back to Florida taking part of hers with him.
“If I don’t get up out of your lap, the Spensers are going to find me in a very compromising situation,” I whispered.
“Then lock the door and put a sign on it,” he laughed. “Who are the Spensers?
“Got to pay the bills and they’ll be here in five minutes. Millie Spenser is never late to anything.” I stood up and walked away before I really did lock the door and take him back home to spend the day in bed.
The Spensers had five sons and five daughters-in-law and one or the other of the bunch of them were constantly making the older couple angry. Today they’d decided to put their house on the market and buy the biggest RV on the market. They’d go see each of four of their sons but not the one who was married to the hussy who’d wanted them to give her husband his inheritance right now. Millie Spenser was determined that she and Willard would spend every penny they had before they died so that daughter-in-law wouldn’t get a thing.
“Wow,” Rocky exclaimed when they left. “Talk about a temper.”
“Millie will get over her fit and be back in a few weeks and take the house off the market. This happens about once a year and everyone knows that when it comes right down to it Millie and Willard wouldn’t sell their home for a million bucks.” I explained.
Small Town Romance Collection: Four Complete Romances & A New Novella Page 60