“Oh. That would be expensive, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes. Anna—”
“I have to go. My lunch break is over. I’ll see you when I get home.”
“All right. We’ll talk then. Bye.”
“Bye.” She disconnected the call.
Jesse wanted to throw his phone across the room. It was bad enough that she had to deal with not being able to pay an electrician, but she’d have to listen to him tell her he’d lied to her. She was going to hate him. He had to convince her that he didn’t do it to hurt her. Would she listen at all? What a fucked up mess.
****
Anna sat at the counter with Stacy and watched her check guests in and out. It didn’t seem hard, but it wasn’t Anna’s type of work. She’d really love to get back to teaching but until a position opened up, she had to do what she could to keep the ranch. She sighed.
Maybe she should sell it. It was on a downhill slide and had been since Jamie died. Why she hung on to it, she had no clue. It was so much work to keep it going and now the cabins couldn’t be rented. Damn it to hell! She was going to give it a lot of thought tonight about selling. It would be best all around. She just worried about what would happen to Rusty and Wes. They’d been at the ranch for what seemed like forever and selling it would possibly put them out of work. How could she tell them she was selling not only her home, but possibly putting them out of theirs?
Mentally shaking her head, she didn’t know what to do. She was just happy that Becca had been kind enough to let her have this job. Anna just hated to be a charity case and she knew that’s what she was. Everyone who bought hay from her did it because they knew she needed the money. Same with the few people who boarded horses with her. Ash, bringing her feed and letting her make payments—charity. One month she had to call him to tell him she couldn’t pay him, but he didn’t yell or get angry. He just told her not to worry about it. She also knew that what he charged her was a lot less than what others paid for it because he knew she couldn’t afford much. Then there was Gray, who bought hay from her when he had five hundred acres of land where he could cut his own. Everyone was so nice but she really hated everyone thinking she was on the down and out. Well, hell. She was. It really was time to give it a lot of thought about selling.
“How’s it going?” a female voice said from behind her. She spun around to see Becca standing there.
She’d been so lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed her.
“Good. I think I’ll be able to do it. Stacy’s been awesome in showing me the ropes.”
“Stacy’s the best. I hate to lose her. She’s been with me since day one.” Becca smiled at Stacy.
Becca Stone was a beautiful redhead with green eyes. Her husband, Jake, was one hot cowboy and nice as could be. They had two children, a boy, and a girl. Anna envied them for the love they had for each other and their family.
“I’ll try to at least be half as good as Stacy,” Anna said smiling.
“That will be just fine. If you ever have questions, once Stacy leaves me, either ask Evelyn or call me. You’re going to be on days so you can call me anytime. I have a woman at the counter from four until ten but she knows what to do. She lives in one of the apartments at the back of the kitchen. Monica will probably be out to meet you later.”
“She went into town,” Stacy said.
Becca grinned. “She can meet you when she comes back. People should check in by two. That includes the cabins too. If for some reason they can’t get here, Monica will get them checked in, but she locks the doors at ten. Since she stays here alone, except for guests, I don’t want anyone coming in after ten.”
“I can understand that. She lives alone?”
“Yes. She’s in the middle of a divorce and needed a place to stay and a job. She works all day Saturdays and Sundays.” Becca smiled. “So you have the weekends off to do what you want.”
“Thank you, Becca. I really can’t thank you enough for hiring me.”
“I’m happy to have you, Annie. I need to get going before Jake starts spoiling the kids again.”
Anna and Stacy laughed as Becca walked down the hallway and disappeared.
Anna smiled. She was sure she was going to like it here. As the day went on, she never realized how busy the B and B was. People in and out all day. Those who were checking in and guests who went outside to enjoy the day or go on trail rides.
At four, she hopped down off the stool and after telling Stacy and Monica she’d see them tomorrow, she headed out through the kitchen. Evelyn was cleaning up from the dinner she’d prepared for the guests. She found out that Evelyn also cooked for some people at the cabins if they requested it, but most cooked for themselves or made a trip into Hartland if they wanted to go to a nice restaurant or into Clifton to eat at the diner. The diner made the best burgers in the state. Probably all the states.
After she pulled up to her house, she parked her vehicle, then stepped out and walked up the steps then entered the house. She wondered where Jesse was. She hadn’t talked to him since he’d called about the cabins not passing inspection. Damn it! Why couldn’t things ever go her way?
Taking a deep breath, she locked the door, and walked down the hallway to grab a shower then she’d fix something to eat. She was hungry. Evelyn had fixed her and Stacy lunch but that had been hours ago. Her stomach growled as she entered the bathroom. She stripped off her clothes, reached in to turn the shower on then entered the stall. Who knew sitting at the counter all day would make her hurt? She washed her hair and herself then reached for a towel to dry off. After getting out of the shower, she entered her bedroom to put her lounge pants and T-shirt on then headed for the kitchen. A sandwich sounded good because she didn’t feel like cooking anything.
Where was Jesse? He knew what time she got off work, so where was he?
She yanked on the fridge door to open it and get the meat, cheese, and mayo out for her sandwich then laid it all on the counter beside the bread. As she started making her sandwich, a knock sounded on the door and she walked to it to see Jesse standing on the porch. She unlocked the door and opened it. He came striding in and she shoved the door shut behind him then leaned back against it.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He spun around to look at her. “Yes, why?”
“You seem…edgy.” She tilted her head as she stared at him.
“I—” He stopped when his cell phone rang. “Sorry, I need to get this.”
“Sure.” She moved to make her sandwich and although it was wrong, she listened to his side of the conversation. When he put the phone back in his pocket, he turned to look at her and he looked upset. “What’s wrong?”
“Family emergency. I have to go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Of course, you need to go.” She walked to him and hugged him. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her tight against him.
“I’ll call you,” Jesse repeated.
She nodded. Jesse kissed her forehead and strode out the door. She wondered what had happened but if he hadn’t offered to tell her, she wasn’t going to ask. He seemed so upset. She really hoped it was going to be all right for him. She really had no idea about any of his family other than his parents living in Hartland. Did he have siblings? That made her remember how she’d seen a resemblance between him, Grayson, and Ash. Could they be related? They all had blue eyes but so did a lot of people. Only when she’d watched Ash walk away from her, she’d thought there was something familiar about that stride. But why wouldn’t Jesse tell her they were related?
She jerked when someone knocked on the door. It opened and Rusty stuck his head in.
“Something wrong, Rusty?”
Rusty shook his head but his lips flattened as he entered the kitchen.
“Where’s he going?” He jerked his chin toward the door.
“He had a family emergency.”
“Convenient,” Rusty muttered.
Anna folded her arms. “Look, I know you
don’t like him, Rusty, but I don’t think he’d make up something like that.”
“I don’t know why not. He’s made up a lot of things.”
“What do you mean?” She pulled a chair out from the table and took a seat then nodded for Rusty to sit. He did then took a deep breath.
“Did he tell you who he really is? Because he’s not who he says he is and he lied about why he’s here.”
“Keep talking.” She folded her arms, leaned back, and stared at him.
“His real name is Jesse Beckett and he wasn’t here looking for a job. His father buys up foreclosed properties and Jesse was here to look at this one for him. Only he got here and found out it wasn’t foreclosed on yet. So he made up a lie about looking for work.”
“Beckett? Ash and Grayson…”
“Yeah, they’re his brothers and I didn’t even think of that when I told him I’d have the sheriff take him off the property. He used to compete in bull riding under the name JD Beckett. I recognized him the day we were loading the furniture into the back of the truck. I confronted him and he asked me not to tell you. He said he’d tell you tonight. You see how that went.”
Anna was sure someone was stabbing her in the heart. How could he have done this to her?
“But why did he stick around?” She wiped a tear from her cheek.
“He said he wanted to help you keep the ranch. I don’t believe that at all.”
“What do you believe, Rusty?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he knew the cabins wouldn’t pass inspection and now he can let his father know then if you do get foreclosed on, he can either have the cabins fixed or tear them down.” Rusty shrugged. “I do know he’s done nothing but lie to you since he’s been here. He could have told you the truth at any time or he could have just left whenever he felt like it. I did find out he has his own ranch in Hartland.”
“His own ranch?” She felt like an idiot. He had done nothing but lie to her. But why stay? To make the property better if she lost it and his dad purchased it. She put her hands over her face.
“I’m such a fool,” she whispered.
Rusty touched her hand. “No, you’re not, Annie. I don’t know what his intentions were but I told him if he didn’t tell you tonight, I would. He left because he didn’t have the balls to do it.”
She pushed the chair back and stood. “I appreciate you telling me.”
Rusty stood and after nodding at her, he walked out the back door. Anna flopped back down onto the chair. Jesse had lied to her from the start. The entire time he’d been here, he’d lied. What else had he lied about? Being in love with her? Dear God! Did he just say that so that when he told her the truth, she’d forgive him? Well, he could think again. She would never forgive him for lying to her. No matter how much she loved him.
****
Jesse drove to the hospital to find out how badly Gage had been hurt. He’d been at a competition and the bull stepped on his arm. He’d just been transported to the Clifton hospital.
The doors swished open as he strode toward them. He entered and glanced around. Not seeing his family, he walked to the desk and asked what room his brother was in. The nurse informed him that Gage was in surgery and the rest of the family was in the waiting room on the third floor. After thanking her, he headed for the elevator, entered, and rode to the third floor. When the doors opened, he stepped out and briskly walked down the hall to the waiting room. His mother stood when she saw him, walked to him, and hugged him.
“Mom, how is he?”
“He’ll be fine. His arm is broken in two places and they have to put a pin in it, but he’ll be fine.”
“Thank God,” he whispered.
All of his brothers were close to each other, but he was closest to Gage. He led his mother to one of the plastic chairs and helped her sit. Lori Beckett was the strongest woman he knew, and Anna reminded him of her that way. His mother would not fall apart, and she would hold this family together during even the most stressful times. Jesse was sure if she did ever fall apart, his father would be there for her and then she’d never let her children see it. He glanced around until he saw where his father stood against the wall talking with Grayson. Jesse headed to them.
“JD, how is your mother?” his dad asked him.
“She’s doing all right. You know Mom. She’ll stay strong.”
“I know that’s true. Glad you could make it. I’m sure Gage will want to see you once he gets out of surgery and wakes up.”
A couple of hours later, Gage was out of surgery and in his room. The family stood around the bed. Jesse hated seeing his brother looking so pale, but he came through the surgery fine and that was all that mattered. They waited around a while, hoping he would wake but the doctors told them they should just go home because Gage probably wouldn’t wake up until later tonight. Jesse knew his mother and father didn’t want to go and he didn’t either, but he knew it was best. Besides, he did want to get back to Anna. He’d come by tomorrow to see his brother. He watched as his mom kissed Gage’s forehead and his dad touched his hand then everyone left the room and walked out together.
Jesse was happy that no one had brought up Anna to him. He didn’t feel like going over it tonight. All he wanted was to get home to her. The drive seemed to take forever. He let out a relieved breath when he turned into the driveway and stopped at the back door. After shutting the truck off, he stepped out then bounded up the steps. He entered the house and came to a stop when he saw Anna standing with her arms folded and her back to the counter, glaring at him. He slowly walked toward her, worried about the look on her face.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You lied to me,” she said quietly.
“Anna.” He reached for her and she jerked away from him.
“Do. Not. Touch me. Ever again. You lied to me, Jesse. About why you came here. About everything.”
“Not everything.” He moved closer to her but she stepped away from him.
“What haven’t you lied about? You told me you came here looking for work when all you were doing was scoping out my land so when I lose it, your father can swoop in and buy it.”
“What haven’t I lied about? How about me telling you I love you?”
She snorted. “You think I believe that now? I don’t know why you thought you had to sleep with me. Just a bonus? Sleep with the older woman so she won’t see what you’re really up to.”
Not once did she raise her voice and Jesse wished she would. He needed her to shout at him, show him how angry she was but she didn’t, and it scared the hell out of him.
“Anna, I do love you. Why do you think I continued working on the cabins if my father was going to buy the property if it went to foreclosure? My dad only buys foreclosed properties and he has me check them out if I get a chance. I helped you and I wouldn’t waste my time doing that.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because when Rusty asked me what I was doing here, I couldn’t think fast enough to say something like I was lost. It just came out that I was looking for work and once I said it, I thought he’d tell me no because you really couldn’t afford it. But he told me I’d need to talk with the owner. I knew from the moment I saw you that I wanted to stay just to be close to you. I wanted you to keep the ranch. I knew I wanted to be with you. If I wanted my dad to buy this ranch, I wouldn’t have done anything to help you. My first day here, when I was in the cabin, I called my dad and told him about you hiring me. He suggested I could take off in a few days and he meant without me telling you. He didn’t tell me you’d made a payment and warded off foreclosure. If he had, I would’ve never checked out the property for him. We don’t if the owners still live there. I should have called him when I left Butte but if I had, I never would have met you, and never fallen in love with you. Anna, I stayed and repaired the cabins, rebuilt them so that the ranch would be ready for guests or renters. I did it because I love you.”
Jesse poured his heart out and all she did was star
e at him. No emotion showed on her face, but he could see traces of tears and it gave him hope. Reaching out his hand, he held his breath as he touched her arm but she didn’t move away this time. Taking both her arms in his hands, he gently pulled her to him. When her arms wrapped around his waist, he blew out a relieved breath then kissed the top of her head.
“I love you, baby. You have to know that,” he whispered.
“I don’t have to know anything. How can I believe anything you say?”
He pulled back from her, cupped her face in his hands, and tilted her face up.
“I’m not lying about anything anymore. I hated lying to you. The minute I set eyes on you, I knew I didn’t want you to lose this land. I wanted to help it succeed. God, you have no idea how much I love you, Anna. How much I want to spend my life with you.”
He watched her blink rapidly but a tear rolled down her cheek and it felt like someone was stabbing him that he had caused her so much pain. He kissed her forehead.
“I need you to forgive me, darlin’. I will never lie to you or hurt you again. I swear.”
Anna moved away from him and stood with her back to him. His heart hit his stomach at her words.
“I need you to go. I can’t do this right now,” she whispered.
“Anna—”
“Jesse, please go. I want you off my property. You know, when I saw you with Gray and Ash…I knew there was a resemblance, but I didn’t dwell on it. I should have.”
“All right. I’ll go for now but I won’t give up on you, Anna. On us. I love you and I know you love me. I know I hurt you but if you’ll give me a chance, I swear I’ll make it up to you for the rest of our lives.”
“Just go,” she said, and her voice caught.
“All right, I’ll go for now,” he repeated.
“Jesse? Who was hurt?” she asked as she turned to face him.
“My brother Gage, but he’ll be fine.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“Anna—”
“I’m done talking, Jesse. Go.” She turned her back to him again.
“Call me when you’re ready to talk. I’ll wait to hear from you.” Jesse stared at her back then turned and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.
Jesse: A Beckett Brothers Novel Book 3 (The Beckett Brothers) Page 14