The Crown Jewels

by Honey Palomino

  “I’ll go get him,” I said, after no reply from upstairs. I walked up the stairs and knocked on Jesse’s bedroom door. “Jesse? Dinner’s ready.”

  I waited a moment but was greeted by nothing but silence. I tried again, knocking and calling. Nothing.

  I tried the door knob, turning it slowly and peeking in.

  “Jesse?” I called. His room was dark and empty. And incredibly messy. Clothes were thrown everywhere, there were dirty dishes on the floor, and the smell made me wrinkle my nose.

  “What the hell?” I murmured to the empty room, before closing the door and walking back downstairs.

  “He’s not here,” I said to Seth and Crit. “He was here a little while ago and I didn’t see him leave.”

  Seth stood up and looked out the living room window into the driveway.

  “His truck is gone,” he replied. “I didn’t hear or see him leave either.”

  “Crit did you tell him we were having dinner?” I asked.

  “Yep. He said he’d be here,” he nodded.

  I picked up my cell phone and dialed Jesse’s number. It rang three times and went to his voice mail.

  “Hey Jesse, call us. We’re having dinner.” I hung up the phone and sat down at the table.

  “Well, that’s disappointing. I guess it’s just us,” I said to Seth and Crit. We all paused and looked at each other, our parent’s empty chairs at the ends of the table screaming at us, a very loud reminder of what we had lost.

  “We’re enough,” Crit said, grinning. “More for us to eat!”

  I nodded and smiled, pushing away the pain for just a little while so I could try to enjoy the dinner I had prepared.

  “Dig in, boys,” I said. “I made peach pie, too.”

  ***

  Later that night, Ruby and I sat on the front porch, sharing a bottle of wine and staring up at the stars.

  “So, you going to tell me what the hell is going on now or what?” she asked, her always present bluntness making me smile.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Well, for starters, you can tell me what happened with Lee. Then, you can tell me why you have that shit-eating grin on your face. I suspect it’s related to why you can’t stop looking over at the Haggard’s place.”

  “Well, aren’t you the observant one?” I giggled, drinking another sip of wine.

  “Give it up,” she said, feigning mock sternness.

  “Alright, alright. The Lee thing sucks. He tried to kiss me…and some other stuff…the night of the party.”

  “Other stuff?”

  “He was drunk. He was being really rough. He wasn’t taking no as an answer.”

  “That snake!” Ruby replied, her green eyes flashing with anger. “What did you do?”

  “Well, at first I kissed him back, but then, he just turned creepy, and when he wouldn’t stop, well…I just kicked him in the nuts. Hard.”

  “Oh!” she said, “that’s excellent!”

  “It sucked. I hated hurting him.”

  “Sounds like he deserved it. What else could you do but defend yourself, George?”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” I said.

  “So what else? I know there’s more.”

  “Well, I didn’t tell anyone. Until I told Finn, and then he told Beau, and then I had to tell Crit before he heard it from someone else. Beau confronted Lee, and I guess Lee left town. At least that’s what Beau said.”

  “I see,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know, Ruby. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it. And then, everything happened with my parents. It just didn’t seem important.”

  “So why tell Finn, then?”

  “It just sort of fell out in a moment of weakness.”

  “You could have told me,” she said, her voice sad. “I’m your friend, George. You can talk to me about anything.”

  “I know, Ruby, I’m sorry,” I replied.

  “It’s alright, I understand,” she said, smiling at me.

  “So, what going on with Beau?” she inquired.

  “Nothing, really…” I murmured.

  “That means something. Tell me! I’m dying for some juicy gossip!”

  “I’m not telling you this so you can gossip, missy!”

  “I know, I know! I promise I won’t tell anyone,” she said. “Cross my heart.”

  “So….” she nudged me with her elbow.

  “Alright, alright. I don’t know what’s going on really. He kissed me.”

  “What!”

  “Shh! I know! I wasn’t expecting it myself, but he did. He said he’s been thinking about me.”

  “What!”

  “Ruby Rae, I swear if you tell anyone!”

  “I won’t, George, but oh boy, that’s so great!” she said, laughing. “Now all you have to do is kiss Finn and you’ll have gone through all the Haggard boys!” She roared with laughter.

  “That’s not funny. Finn’s my friend. He’s like my brother, I’m not interested in him.”

  “Oh, but you’re interested in Beau, are you?”

  “I don’t know! Yes? Maybe? It’s all too soon, Ruby. I don’t know what to think.”

  “Well, did he ask you out?” her eyes sparkled with excitement, or perhaps too much wine, as she looked over at me.

  “No, for goodness sake, Ruby,” I replied. “It was just a little kiss.”

  “Well, was it a good kiss?” she winked.

  “It was brief and delicate and gentle,” I replied.

  “That sounds delightful to me,” she said.

  “Then it was delightful, yes,” I said, my eyes trailing over to the Beau’s house, my heart filled with yearning for just a glimpse of his handsomeness.

  “What about you?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Me? Oh, I’ve been hanging out with someone new. He’s um…he lives near the college. I met him at a party.”

  “You went to a party without me?” I asked. “When?”

  “Oh. Um, yeah, it’s been a few weeks. I didn’t think you’d be up for a party so soon after…you know,” she looked away from me guiltily.

  “It’s okay, Ruby, I understand,” I whispered, letting her off the hook. “I’m glad you met someone.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered back.

  “When do I get to meet him?” I asked.

  Her face flushed and she stammered before answering.

  “I, um. Well, he’s really busy. And you know, it’s all new, so maybe later?”

  “That’s weird, you usually want me to meet them right away,” I said.

  “Well,” she replied, avoiding my eyes. “This one’s different.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Beau

  I sat in my truck, the sweltering heat doing nothing to help my sweaty palms. I don’t know why I was so goddamn nervous, but fuck if I wasn’t stricken with anxiety like a cow on the slaughter line.

  After days of debate, I had decided the only acceptable thing to do was to ask Georgie out on a proper date. My brain, and the rest of my body, seemed to have gotten together and decided to do nothing but obsess over her, and if I didn’t do something about it soon, I was sure to explode.

  Kissing her had lit a spark inside me that I couldn’t ignore.

  What if she says no? I thought for the first time.

  I shook off the plaguing doubts and picked up my cell phone and dialed her number, my stomach in knots.

  What the hell was wrong with me? I had asked out lots of women, this wasn’t like me. My usual confidence was shredded to bits when it came to Georgie. I couldn’t let her see that, though, or she’d surely say no.

  “Hello?” she answered after the third ring.

  “Howdy, Georgia. It’s Beau,” I said, wiping my palms on my jeans, thankful she couldn’t see me.

  “I know,” she said, laughing softly. “Caller ID.”

  Her soft laughter sounded like music to my ears.

  “Oh, right. How are yo
u doing today?” I asked.

  “I’m alright. How are you, Beau?” she asked.

  “Fine, fine, just dandy,” I replied. I took a deep breath and dove in head first.

  “Do you want to go out with me?” I blurted out.

  “Go out?” she echoed.

  “Yes,” I replied, feeling sick.

  “You mean, like, on a date?” she asked. I couldn’t read her reaction over the phone. I cursed myself silently for not asking her in person.

  “Yes, Georgia Anne Hope, will you go out on a date with me, Beau Haggard?”

  Her laughter peeled through the phone and I swallowed hard.

  “I would love to, Beau Haggard,” she replied curtly.

  “Oh,” I replied, my eyes wide with surprise.

  “Did you think I’d say no?” she asked.

  “What? Oh, no, no…so Friday night?” I asked, suddenly wanting to hang up the phone, because I felt like a twelve year old.

  “Sure, Beau,” she said.

  “Okay, I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  “Sounds good,” she replied, and this time I could hear her smile.

  My heart soared with joy, and I reminded myself to keep my cool.

  “Cool, alright then. That’s just dandy. See you then,” I said.

  “Bye, Beau,” she replied, and then the phone clicked in my ear.

  “She hung up,” I said to the empty truck. “She said yes!”

  Hot damn, I thought. I have a date with Georgia.

  Now, all I had to do was keep this monster in my pants under control and I’d be just fine.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  RUBY

  “Oh, baby, yes right there, right there, don’t stop,” I cried, reaching down and sinking my fingers into my lover’s hair as waves of pleasure washed over me. His skillful fingers pushed into me, pushing me over that blissful edge of passion just like he always did. After six months of sneaking around and finding every secret opportunity to spend time together, he had learned exactly how to please me.

  I shuddered under his caress, my body exploding into hot spasming release as he rode every wave with me, slowing down, speeding up, moving harder, softer, listening to my body instinctively until I lay spent and panting under him. Slowly, he crawled up my body, planting tiny kisses along my skin that felt like electric shocks in my heightened state.

  I opened my eyes at last and was greeted with Crit’s handsome grinning face.

  “My turn,” he said, as he sank into me, his hardness sliding into me easily, his mouth melting against mine as we rocked together, our bodies pushing towards each other, our hands flying over each other’s skin as we tried desperately to get closer. I opened my legs and wrapped them around his thrusting hips, pulling him deeper into me.

  “Oh, Ruby baby, you feel so fucking amazing,” he said, tearing his mouth away as he gasped for air, and then smashing his lips against mine again, our tongues twirling together, our bodies parting and coming together over and over in a luscious dance of passion.

  When it was all over, he lay panting next to me, a thin sheen of sweat covering his body as he pulled me to him.

  “That was amazing, as usual,” he whispered.

  “It was,” I whispered back. “You’re amazing.”

  I trailed a finger along the outline of his chest, watching as it rose and fell with every breath. I looked up at him, his strong profile so perfectly handsome that it took my breath away every time. I had been crushing on Crit since I was in junior high school, but he had never considered me anything but his kid sister’s best friend.

  Until six months ago, when we ran into each other at a coffee shop, and he looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. The low cut shirt I was wearing probably helped, considering it was so low that if I bent over, my tits would have fallen out. Whatever it was, sparks flew between us and neither of us could resist it.

  We got together that night, and we haven’t been able to keep our hands off of each other since then.

  It was absolutely delicious and he was the best lover I had ever had.

  There was only problem. He refused to tell anyone about us. In the beginning, I went along with it because he said he didn’t want to upset George, even though I didn’t really think she would care.

  Now, his parents were gone and he was under so much pressure, I just couldn’t press the issue, no matter how much I wanted everyone in Sugar Hill to know that I was Crit Hope’s girl.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  GEORGE

  Three different outfits were spread out on my bed as I tried to get ready for my date with Beau. Luckily, all three of my brothers were gone, allowing me to avoid any explanation of why Beau Haggard was picking me up for a date on a Friday night.

  Now, if I could just pick one thing to wear, and find a way to get over these nerves that were tearing through my body, I’d be just fine.

  Beau had called me this afternoon to let me know that he was taking me to the nicest steakhouse in Sugar Hill. Pretty impressive for a first date, but it only made me more nervous.

  “Oh, this is ridiculous,” I said aloud. I’ve known Beau Haggard my whole life, why was I so nervous now? It was like cupid had come down and struck me with his stupid arrow, and put me under some obsessive love-struck spell. It was so sudden and out of nowhere that I kept trying to find an explanation for it, but I was coming up empty.

  I struggled with trying to decide between jeans or a dress, sexy or demure, casual or fancy? This was all so peculiar. I wanted to go on this date, I reminded myself. Just like I had wanted Beau to kiss me, even if I didn’t know it consciously at the time.

  What I really wanted, and was most afraid of, was that Beau wouldn’t be able to see me as anything other than that little girl he watched grow up. The only way that was going to happen was if I showed him someone else.

  I opted for daring and sexy, and chose a short, tight black dress that would show off all the things that Beau had probably never noticed before.

  I threw on the dress, zipped it up, slipped my feet into a pair of very uncomfortable black high heels and looked at myself in the mirror. The neckline plunged threateningly low, and the clingy material hugged my curvy hips. I had curled my long black hair, and even put on a little makeup, which I hadn’t done in weeks.

  In the last few years I had worn pretty much nothing but jeans and boots. I was a country girl, through and through. In fact, I hadn’t worn these shoes more than fifteen minutes at my cousin’s wedding before I took them off, running around barefoot until I got home and threw them in the closet.

  So, to say that I felt just a little uncomfortable would be an understatement. For the hundredth time, I wondered why on Earth Beau had chosen to be so formal as to ask me for a date like that, and then to take me to the fanciest place in town?

  I would have felt so much more comfortable if we had hopped on our horses and had a picnic somewhere. Apparently, Beau had other things in mind.

  And if I was being honest, I did too. In fact, I had many other things on my mind…like his lips, that kissed so me gently it was almost criminal, leaving me yearning for more like I’d never been kissed before, or his hands, his enormous hands that made me wonder exactly how big that bulge was under those Wrangler’s he was so fond of, the very ones that stretched tightly across that amazingly tight ass that I couldn’t take my eyes off of every time he turned around.

  Yeah, I had been doing a lot of thinking.

  I kicked off the shoes, tossing them to the side of my bed. I walked over to my closet and pulled out my favorite dusty cowboy boots. I spent the next half hour cleaning them, opting for comfort over fashion. I knew it would be better than ending up barefoot in the steakhouse.

  With one more look in the mirror, I nodded. This was as good as it gets.

  I grabbed my purse and walked downstairs to the living room, passing all the old family pictures as I slowly descended the stairs. There were pictures of all of us, happy and smiling, j
ust going on and living our lives like everything was always going to be the same.

  You never think anything will change, I thought.

  I thought they’d be here forever. I thought we’d see them get old and retire and live out their days sitting on the rocking chairs they had placed on the front porch for that very reason, surrounded by a gaggle of grandchildren. None of that would happen now.

  I sighed, and turned away from the pictures just as Beau knocked on the front door. I fought back tears, shaking off the sorrow as best I could, and took a deep breath before I opened the door.

  The full force of his handsomeness hit me like a train wreck. The ability to breath abandoned me and as I tried to form some coherent thought, I realized that my brain had also chosen to betray me. I gave up on even attempting to speak and just moved to the side to let him in.

  He was wearing a black cowboy shirt with red roses embroidered on it, black jeans and black cowboy boots. His black Stetson topped his head, and all that black only made his sky-blue eyes more prominent.

  How in the hell was I going to be able to look into those things all night, I wondered.

  He took five steps and turned around to face me. I closed the door, and leaned back onto it, silently thanking it for being there to support me.

  I swallowed hard and waited for him to speak. For what seemed like hours but must have been merely seconds, his eyes trailed over me, his pupils dilating as a slow grin spread across his face, only serving to make him that much more handsome.

  “Georgia,” he whispered, his eyes filling with unmistakeable pleasure, “you look gorgeous.”

  “Thank you,” I managed to say. He closed the distance between us, lingering just in front of me. His aftershave drifted over me and I inhaled hungrily. I smiled up at him, his large frame towering over me.

  “I like your dress,” he said, reaching up and pushing a lock of hair behind my ears. My stomach flipped upside down and at that moment I became convinced I would never make it through dinner without puking.

  I had to get a grip on myself or this was all going to be a disaster.