Second Chance Bride and Groom

by Iris Abbott

  He changed the subject really quick. “We’ll talk later. Just take care of her and make sure she has the proper documentation before she leaves the bank. And Carson, I trust you to make sure Old Man Johnson doesn’t get within ten feet of her while she’s still at the bank, understand?”

  Carson ended the phone call and went back to work. He understood perfectly, he just wondered if Jackson did.

  FIVE

  Mandy breathed in the fresh air and willed the tense muscles in her body to loosen up. She felt like she could relax for the first time since her father died. All thanks to Jackson’s help of course. The mortgage was paid in full and closed. That meant the ranch was safe and Mandy’s mom would be able to continue living in her much-loved home. And thank goodness for that, because Mandy knew her mom had enough heartache to deal with right now.

  She had a couple of days free before starting her new job, and there were things around the house she wanted to accomplish. The first was a new paint job for the house’s exterior. Mandy had noticed the faded and peeling paint when she’d first arrived home. She had other more pressing issues that had to be dealt with first like her father’s funeral and finding a way to keep the ranch in the family.

  The house had once been a pale lemon yellow with light blue trim. Now it was hard to tell what the original colors had been. Mandy was hoping a fresh coat of paint would help cheer up her mother. She’d stopped by the hardware store on the way home and picked up a few paint samples. She’d share them with her mom after dinner. It would be good for her mother to have a project that kept her body busy and her mind occupied. The worst was past, and she didn’t want her mom to spend all her time wallowing in grief.

  Mandy lifted the wobbly old ladder she’d dragged out of the garage and propped it against the house. One of the front shutters looked loose, and she wanted to check it out. She was halfway up the ladder when she heard car tires crunching on the gravel drive. She wasn’t the biggest fan of heights and wanted to get this little chore over as soon as possible. She tightened her hold on the ladder and continued to climb. She would come down to greet the visitor after she’d had a chance to tighten the shutter.

  She had just reached the top of the ladder and was stretching toward the shutter when a car door slammed shut. Her body’s natural reflex was to jump in response to the loud noise. She almost lost her balance and let out a sharp cry of distress. She had to make a clumsy grab for the shutter. Luckily, she caught hold of the piece of wood and held on for dear life. She heard running footsteps and felt the vibrations of someone climbing up the ladder behind her.

  Strong arms enveloped her. Mandy picked up the scent of cedar, patchouli, pine, and sandalwood with just a touch of ginger. She knew that smell. It hadn’t changed in years. She wanted to turn around and bury her nose deeper into the masculine scent she knew belonged to Jackson, but her movements were restricted by the ladder.

  Jackson tightened the arms surrounding his stubborn neighbor. “You scared me half to death, Mandy. What are you doing on this ladder anyway? It’s hardly safe. What would your mom do if something happened to you?” Jackson steadied her on the ladder making sure she was secure. “I’m going down, and I want you to follow.”

  Mandy was still a little shaken up from her near tumble. She didn’t even think about arguing. She meekly did as she was ordered. Once her feet were firmly planted on solid ground some of the frustration and turmoil surrounding her feelings for Jackson surfaced. “I would have been perfectly safe if you hadn’t slammed your car door, scaring me half to death. I’m your employee, but not until Wednesday. You can’t come to my house and order me around,” she informed him with a glare.

  Jackson couldn’t believe the verbal attack. He had saved her from financial ruin and now physical harm. She should be grateful, not argumentative. What was her problem anyway? He glared right back at her. “I wasn’t ordering you around, more like saving your ungrateful neck. Now tell me why you were up there in the first place.”

  Mandy glared at the man in front of her with growing disbelief. “Surely, you’re kidding, right? Even you must be able to see that the house needs a fresh coat of paint.” She put her hands on her hips to make a stand. “It needs some small repairs here and there too.”

  “Of course, I can see that,” Jackson agreed. That’s why it’s number three on the to-do list I gave my ranch hands.” He glared at the rickety piece of crap she called a ladder. “They’ll be starting tomorrow with a ladder that’s actually not a life-threatening hazard.”

  It seemed that she and Jackson were always butting heads. The sparks just flew when they were around each other. Mandy gave her head a hard shake to try and clear it. She needed the extra second to find the words she wanted to say. “We agreed your men could work on the ranch, you are leasing it after all, but the house is off limits. It wasn’t part of the lease agreement. You promised that mom and I would keep the house and continue to live here for as long as we wanted.” She defensively crossed her arms under her breasts and straightened her spine prepared to do battle for her mom and their home if she had to. Luckily for her, Jackson wasn't so defensive.

  “I know it’s your home, Mandy. It’s in the contract we signed. I couldn’t take it even if I wanted to, which I don’t, by the way. I finally got the certified technician I need working at my clinic. I don’t want you to fall off a ladder and kill yourself before you even report for the first day of work.”

  Mandy huffed in indignation. “Well, I don’t think even you would be lucky enough to get rid of me that easily. Since we’ve established this is my home that makes you the interloper. Why are you here Jackson? We just saw each other this morning, and we’ll be spending a lot of time together once I officially become your employee in less than two days. If you aren’t careful we’ll be the talk of the town again,” she warned.

  Jackson let out a sigh of frustration. It was obvious she had been hurt deeply by the gossip. “Does there have to be a reason for me to visit?”

  “You never sought out my company before now, so yes. You better watch it, Jackson. I might think you actually like being around me. Then where would we be?”

  “As you pointed out earlier we are going to be spending a lot of time together over the next year. We’d better learn to tolerate each other’s company. Now tell me what happened at the bank today. It was very smart of you to have Carson handle the paperwork, by the way. If I’d been thinking straight, I’d have told you to see him in the first place.”

  Mandy narrowed her eyes. “I knew it! Carson is the one that told you about my financial difficulties.” Mandy noted that Jackson didn’t bother to deny the statement. Under the circumstances, she couldn’t be mad at Carson. Things looked like they might work out after all.

  “Actually, I was going to see old man Johnson since he handled the original paperwork. Call me naïve, but I have a little trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that someone in Rancher’s Bend might be less than ethical when it comes to business. Especially if that someone keeps as high a profile as William Johnson does.”

  Jackson nodded, not a bit surprised at her admission. Mandy may have lived in and around San Antonio for the past few years, but she still had a gullible innocence about her. He could see where she would take everything at face value, whether it was merited or not. Her dad had been the same way. Trusting old man Johnson to be ethical and to put his customers’ best interests above his own had been a fatal business error on Mr. Tyler’s part.

  “What made you change your mind?” He knew most of the details from his phone conversation with Carson, but he found that he wanted to hear things from Mandy’s perspective.

  “Johnson’s door was closed when I arrived. I asked Daisy about squeezing me into his schedule, and we were making small talk when the door opened, and that worm Doug Morris walked out. He was talking about greasing the palms of the zoning committee and taking over a property at the end of the month. He didn’t know who I was, so he didn’t watch what he
was saying. I’m pretty sure he was talking about Tyler Ranch.” Mandy shuddered. “And the way he looked at Daisy and then me with those little beady black eyes gave me the chills and not in a good way.”

  Mandy tapped her chin deep in thought and suppressed a shudder. “You know, Daisy is too nice to work for a man like Johnson. You should have seen the way Morris was looking at her and apparently every time he’s in the bank he offers her a job. He’s trying really hard to get her to Dallas. I can only imagine why, and just the thought is enough to give me the creeps.”

  “Don’t worry about Daisy. Carson is keeping an eye on her. Speaking of Carson, he’s off limits. I heard you asked him out, but I’m sure that was just a cover for Johnson’s benefit, am I right?” He found himself clenching his fist while he waited for her answer. The thought of Mandy and Carson on a date together made his blood pressure go through the ceiling.

  Mandy didn’t know whether she should be intrigued or angry. “Why Jackson Walker if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were jealous. Heads up big guy, being my employer doesn’t give you the right to dictate my personal life. I’ll date who I want when I want.” Mandy turned in a huff and walked into the house. She couldn’t believe the nerve of that man. He didn’t want her, but he thought he could control her love life. That’ll be the day!

  Jackson stood in the front yard long after she’d disappeared. He briefly considered following her and knocking on the door just to see what she would do. He decided against antagonizing her anymore for the day. They had to maintain a peaceful working arrangement, and he had work to do. He left the Tyler ranch with the realization that he was actually looking forward to their new working arrangement.

  Mandy half-expected Jackson to follow her inside. Instead, she heard his engine fire up and the crunch of gravel as he drove away. She went to her bedroom and closed the door. It wouldn’t do for her mother to see her in such a snit, but she couldn’t help herself. Years ago, when she thought she was in love with Jackson, he wouldn’t give her the time of day. Now all of a sudden, he was everywhere she turned, and she couldn’t seem to get rid of him. Fate must be having a good laugh at her expense. Mandy, however, saw nothing funny about the situation.

  Jackson stepped up to help her keep the family ranch, so she felt indebted to him. And if that hadn’t been enough, he offered her a job she couldn’t refuse. She loved animals, and she loved her veterinary work. Now she could continue to do what she loved and still be at home to keep an eye on her mother. That was the key. She could have gone back to her old job in San Antonio, but her mother needed her right now. And if she was honest with herself she missed Rancher’s Bend and the people in the community. She needed to be home just as much as her mother needed her to be there.

  There was a major drawback, however. It was obvious from her body’s reaction on the ladder that she was still physically attracted to Jackson. It was an attraction she wasn’t going to act on though. She couldn’t afford to. And she wasn’t going to give him another chance to accuse her of being a stalker or humiliate her in public. She had more pride than that, didn’t she? Of course, she did, she told herself.

  Her gaze fell on the bridal bouquet from the James wedding. Well, she might not be getting married anytime soon, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun. Friday night she’d head over to the new country and western bar on the edge of town and try to meet a few new people. Maybe she could reconnect with a few old school friends too. Jackson wasn’t the only sexy cowboy in Rancher’s Bend. If she was lucky maybe she’d meet another one on Friday night.

  Rancher’s Bend had grown since she left six years ago. It would do her good to get out and meet new people. And it would be nice to renew old friendships. Surely most of the people that hung out around Rancher’s Tonk would be close to her age. She’d have a drink or two, meet a few people, and dance a little. She did love to dance, and she hadn’t had the chance in ages. Her job in San Antonio had been as demanding as Jackson promised working for him would be.

  Satisfied with her plan to do something about her sorely lacking social life, Mandy went to the closet to check out her clothes. What exactly did one wear to a country western bar when they wanted to be noticed? She wasn’t exactly sure, but she didn’t think she’d find it in her closet. Now that Jackson’s men would be painting the house she had some free time tomorrow. She’d go shopping and find a killer outfit to wear Friday night. She’d show Jackson Walker she didn’t need him. Plenty of other men out there found her attractive, and she was going to find one Friday night. Finally, she had something to look forward to for the first time in months.

  ****

  Jackson usually had no problem immersing himself in work and forgetting all about the outside world. That trick wasn’t working for him this afternoon. He found himself staring at the chart in front of him. Instead of filling in the updated shot information he was picturing Mandy’s shapely backside as she stretched to reach the shutter above her. Jackson shook his head and tried to remove the image by force.

  When she’d almost fallen, his heart had jumped into his throat. He had rushed to save her without a single thought for his own safety. He was lucky that rickety ladder had held their combined weight. He picked up the phone and dialed his foreman. He wanted that ladder thrown away. Mandy as stubborn as she was might be on it again tomorrow. He left a message telling Gus, his trusted foreman to personally remove Mandy’s old ladder first thing in the morning. He would have to trust that Mandy had been scared enough not to get back on that ladder before morning.

  That done he turned his attention back to his paperwork, but he wasn’t having any luck. His body remembered the feel of Mandy pressed between him and the ladder. She had felt so right in his arms. They might partake in more than their fair share of verbal battles, but she’d curled into his body without question on the ladder. She’d trusted him to get her to safety. The kicker was that he trusted her too. And that meant something coming from Jackson Walker.

  He spared a brief thought to his old girlfriend, Katie. She had taught him just how treacherous and untrustworthy a woman could be. If Mandy hadn’t scared her off that night, he might have slept with her and then he’d have been the poor sucker she had tricked into marriage with the pregnancy trap. He couldn’t imagine Mandy every doing anything that despicable and dishonest.

  Even before Katie, there had been Lucinda. Landon James’s ring hadn’t even been off her finger for twenty-four hours before she’d hopped into Jackson’s bed. Jackson learned later that she’d only used him to try to manipulate Landon into abandoning his responsibilities to his teenaged orphan sister. Like that would have ever happened. He had to admit his neighbor used to play the field just as much as he did, but Landon still knew the meaning of family and responsibility.

  Jackson’s cell phone rang, and he was actually relieved when he got an emergency call about a sick prize stud bull on a nearby ranch. He grabbed his supply bag and headed for his work truck. This should be enough to get his mind off of Mandy and back on work where it belonged. And if it wasn’t, well then come Friday night barring any emergencies, he’d check out the country and western bar and dance club on the outskirts of town. It was Daniel’s turn to work this weekend so Jackson would be free and clear. He’d have a beer or two and maybe even take a spin around the dance floor. Willing women were easy for him to find. Friday night shouldn’t be an exception.

  SIX

  Mandy smiled and shook hands with the foreman of the newest horse farm in Rancher’s Bend. It was her second official day on the job as Jackson’s veterinary technician and her first day in the field. He was taking her with him on all his routine visits and calls the rest of the week, so she could meet the clients and become familiar with Jackson’s work routine.

  “It’s really nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

  The man eyed her curiously. “Tyler? Any relation to John Tyler?” the foreman asked.

  “Yes sir, he is …,” M
andy’s eye’s clouded, “or rather was my father.”

  The man nodded in understanding. “I’m sorry for your loss. I met him a few times at the Ranchers’ Association meetings. By all accounts, he was a great man. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to give me a call here at the horse farm.”

  “Thank you,” Mandy mumbled. She had been looking forward to getting back to work. She should have figured that working amongst her father’s contemporaries and friends would make her miss him even more. She took a deep breath and pasted a smile on her face.

  Jackson noticed the glint of interest in the foreman’s eyes. His gut clenched, and his fists were quick to follow. He tried to tell himself it was work related, but deep down he wasn’t buying it. He felt the need to warn the other man off. “I’m really glad to have Mandy on board. She’s certified and has several years of experience working with cattle and horses. The fact that she is a native of the area is just a bonus.” He casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Besides we’re neighbors and old friends. We go way back. And it’s a good thing because we are going to be seeing so much of each other we might as well be living together.”

  Mandy stepped out from under Jackson’s arm. What was wrong with him? “Well, I’ve heard a lot of good things about this place. I’m looking forward to seeing your setup and becoming aquatinted with the animals.”

  Jackson watched the way she smoothly deflected him without making a scene. His goal had been achieved. The look of interest in the other man’s eyes was gone. Jackson realized that he hadn’t just been blowing smoke. He was thankful he’d come up with the idea to hire her. She seemed to fit right in at the clinic, and her gentle, sweet manner made the ranchers and their workers feel at ease around her. He could have searched forever and not found someone more suited for him and his practice.