Coveting Love (Jessica Crawford) (13 page)

“
I feel that if I were to cut him off, he would be forced to return home for good, and share in some of the responsibilities of running the ranch.” He said this with a dark rage in his eye, like pools of black ice. Jessica imagined that if she were to look straight into his eyes, lions would leap out at her. A chill went through her. Just as quickly, the look was gone and he was offering her some more wine. She pondered the situation as he poured the wine.

“
How sad,” she whispered. “I’ve always wanted a sibling. I can’t imagine not being overjoyed at having one.”

He looked deep into her eyes. “It bothers me, too, but you would have to know Jeffrey. He sets himself apart.”

They talked until there seemed nothing left to say. Jessica’s body was raging with heat from both the wine, and Brandon’s closeness. They sat in silence, watching the flickering flames reach high up into the fireplace, disappearing like magic into the black sky outside.

Their closeness caused a tremendous aching inside Brandon. Unable to endure it, he turned slowly toward her. As if in-sync, she also turned toward him. Cupping her chin, he raised her head to look directly into her eyes. She was so beautiful and graceful. He lacked the poetics to tell her how he felt, so he settled instead on body language. His mouth came down on hers, gentle at first, and then more demanding. She felt the welcome sensation of passion rising within her body. It seared with heat and she longed for him to release her from her inferno. He kissed her with a passion equal to her own. She knew she must stop now or be sorry later.

“
Brandon.” She called his name softly, reluctant to break the mood but knowing she must.

“
What,” he whispered in her ear.

“
It’s too soon. I’m not ready for this.” She thought he would be angry, but as he pulled away from her, she saw relief in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Brandon. Please don’t be angry.”

To her surprise, he settled back beside her, pulling her close into his arms. “You’ve nothing to be sorry about. I don’t want to ruin a good thing by rushing too fast. We’ll take our time.”

“
Thank you,” she whispered, as she snuggled farther into his arms. She could hear his heart beating rapidly. He was breathing hard.

“
I’d better go,” he said throatily. “It’s getting late.”

“
Please stay. I mean, it’s late and you drank a lot of wine. I have a spare room. We can start our day early tomorrow.”

He started to protest, but changed his mind. He really didn’t feel up to driving back to the hotel. He would have to call a cab. “Okay, I’ll stay.”

They sat in silence a while longer. He stroked her hair. She caressed his arm. When the fire died down, they got up and walked to the bedrooms. She stood in the doorway as he looked around the room. The temptation to lead him to her room was great, but she stood firm. She wasn’t ready for an intimate relationship. That was an important step. It had to be right.

She whispered good night and kissed him once again before slipping off to her own bed. Neither of them fell asleep for a long time. Jessica wondered what it would be like to be lying next to him, and Brandon wondered what it would be like lying next to her. Finally, they both drifted off to sleep, but dreams filled their sleep.

When Jessica woke, it was because of the gentle fingers tracing the outline of her face. Turning to face him, she smiled at the tenderness she saw in Brandon’s face.

“
What are you doing here?” she asked, not at all disturbed.

“
I woke early and have been lying here admiring how absolutely beautiful you look when you sleep,” he replied, drawing her close to him and wrapping his arms around her.

She moaned softly and snuggled into his warmth. She closed her eyes to savor the closeness. Her mind registered his smell. She wanted to remember his scent, to have this moment to look back on. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, and he kissed them away.

“
Why are you crying?” he asked, with so much tenderness his words were barely spoken.

She shook her head. How could she tell him that after spending only one evening with him she never wanted him to leave? This was absurd. She preferred to be alone, didn’t she?

She stood and ran abruptly to the bathroom.

He called after her, “Are you all right?”

“
I’m fine,” she choked out, “It’s just that I’m starving. I want to get something to eat.”

He hesitated, sure that something else going on, but not wanting to push her. “Okay,” he replied instead. “I’m pretty hungry myself. Do you mind if I jump in the other shower?”

She opened the door a little and called after him. “No, go right ahead. There are some extra towels in the cabinet beside the shower.”

They showered quickly, barely able to stand being apart.

In the kitchen, they pulled anything they could from the refrigerator. “I’m afraid it doesn’t look too promising,” Jessica apologized.

“
Nonsense,” he said, dismissing her apology. “Here, let me have those eggs, these potatoes, a little cheese, some of these peppers, salt, pepper, and we’ll have an omelet whipped up in no time.”

“
I’ll put on some coffee. Even I can do that without screwing something up. I think there might be some bagels in the freezer. Yes, here they are. I’m not sure how old they are, but they’ve been in the freezer; they should be fine.”

As she turned to take them from the freezer, Brandon turned at the same time, colliding with her. They laughed and Brandon pulled her again into his arms.

“
Or we could just pick up where we left off last night,” he teased, as he kissed her passionately, leaving her breathless.

She blushed. “I thought we settled that last night.”

He sighed. “I know, but you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“
Let’s just finish up. We have much to see today.”

“
Okay then,” he said with a sigh, “let’s put this breakfast on the table.”

“
You mean lunch.”

“
I stand corrected. Lunch, then.”

“
Oh, wow!” she exclaimed as she bit into her eggs. “This is the best omelet I’ve ever had. What’s in it?”

“
Hmm… It’s my secret. We have a Mexican cook who has taught me many ways around the kitchen, on one condition. What I learn in the kitchen stays in the kitchen.”

“
Well, I guess I’ll just have to keep you around then, because I can’t cook anything worth speaking of.” She frowned. “In fact, most people don’t speak of the things I cook.”

He laughed. “Well, then I guess you’ll have to keep me around long enough to teach you some tricks.”

“
I think that can be arranged.”

Their eyes met. She leaned over, kissed him. “Come on,” she urged, grabbing her plate and heading for the sink. “It’s getting late.”

They made their way to the door. As they passed Karen’s door, Jessica couldn’t help but notice it was slightly ajar. She could see her busying herself around the kitchen, which just happened to give her a birds-eye-view of anyone who walked past her door. She nodded and smiled slyly at Jessica. Jessica blushed, started to shake her head, but changed her mind. Karen obviously thought something had happened between them. Why not let her think it. She needed a little excitement in her life. So instead, she smiled coyly, and then laughed as Karen’s mouth dropped open. It served her right for butting in.

The air felt exceptionally cold, but neither Jessica, nor Brandon, seemed to notice as they made their way through the streets. They had slept later than they had originally thought. By the time they were ready to greet the world, the sky was already beginning to show signs of late afternoon frost.

She didn’t really care what they did that day, as long as they did it together. Brandon agreed. Their thoughts intertwined, each word spilling from their mouths in rapid succession. Whenever one would start a sentence, the other would finish. Then they would laugh.

They attracted stares and smiles from everyone they passed.

When they had started out that afternoon, the sky had been bright and sunny. Now the sky was clouding over. They hurried on their way so as not to waste what was left of the daylight. Despite the cold temperature, Jessica felt warm inside. She wondered if this was what falling in love felt like. As quickly as the idea entered her mind, she pushed it away. She wasn’t in love. She was just having a good time with an attractive man.

They walked a while, ending up at a park. They decided to stop and rest. As they seated themselves on the bench, Brandon slipped his arm around Jessica’s shoulders to keep her warm.

“
Are you cold?”

“
I wouldn’t turn down a nice hot cup of chocolate,” she said, cuddling in closer to extract as much warmth from him as possible. “It’s a good thing there’s still a little sun out or we’d be freezing.”

“
You just wait until we get to the summer house in California. The weather will really warm you up.”

“
That will be quite a change for me. I’m excited about going. I can’t thank you enough for your generous offer.”

“
This is thanks enough. I can’t remember when I’ve had a better time. I don’t ever remember feeling such a warm and inviting feeling before.”

“
Me neither.”

“
Jessie.” Brandon said her name with such intensity that it made her shiver with delight. “Have you ever thought about what you’d like to do with the rest of your life?”

She looked at Brandon, watching him concentrate. He impressed her as a man who didn’t give much thought to the future, but lived mostly for the present.

“
Well, until recently, I actually thought I knew exactly what I wanted from life. I had everything mapped out with no room for distractions.”

“
And what did you want?”

”
No, you’ll laugh at me. I couldn’t stand that.”

“
I promise I won’t,” he said.

She saw nothing but honesty in his eyes, so she continued. “I’ve always had a dream of being a world famous photographer. My photographs would be displayed all over the world. People would look at them and say, ‘Why, this is a photograph taken by Jessica Crawford.’ And they would marvel at the beauty of it.” She sighed. “It’s a sappy, unrealistic dream. Isn’t it?”

He shook his head. “You discredit yourself. I’ve seen your work. You really are good. You have what it takes to succeed—an eye for beauty, determination, patience, and a boatload of talent. You’ll make it to the top. I’m sure of it.”

She turned to face him. “How do you know what I have is talent. Maybe it’s just short-term luck.”

“
It’s not hard to spot. Everything about you is colorful: your clothes, your body (he winked), and your personality. Just look at your apartment; it looks like a fusion of Better Homes and Garden, and Life Styles of the Rich and Famous. You have mastered combinations that would turn the head of any art critic. You breathe talent, Jessie.”

She glowed at his praise. “You’re perceptive when it comes to people, aren’t you?”

He nodded, ignoring her tease. “I have to be. Did I tell you that we employ over two hundred workers on the ranch? With so many people to look after, I have to be able to read people. It’s important to be in touch with their inner being, understand what drives them, and learn to share their desires and goals.”

“
I never realized your ranch was so large,” she said as they slipped lazily down on the bench. She turned her face toward the last bit of sun slipping down below the horizon.

She imagined Brandon working on the ranch. She guessed he was a hard worker. He probably drove his men with just as much fervor. The idea of rambling around on a big ranch appealed to her. Aside from her quiet upbringing with her mother in a small town, she had never experienced real country living. She fantasized about the homemade breads and pies that would be baked in massive ovens. She thought about all the jams and jellies that would be prepared each fall and put on the shelves to last through winter. His voice broke, startling her, intruding on her thoughts. She turned to look at him as he spoke.

“
You said this was your dream until recently. What do you want now?”

“
Oh, I still want the same dream. It’s just that lately, I feel as if I’m missing something. With my mother talking about spending my life alone, and now that Amy is having a baby, well, I just feel at though there is more out there for me. Maybe it isn’t a good idea burying myself in my work. Perhaps someday I might want someone to share my dream with me. I might even like to start a family of my own. I’m not sure I would make an excellent mother, but I certainly think I might like to give it a try.”

He chuckled softly. “I’m sure that all your dreams will come true. You deserve nothing but the best, and I’m sure you would make a terrific mother.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you have some faith in me, because I am certainly lacking it for myself. What about you, do you have everything you desire from life, or is there some secret fantasy out there just waiting to come to the surface?”

“
Unfortunately, my life desires are a little more difficult to fulfill, but someday I would like people I do business with to respect me for myself, not as my father’s son. You see, many of our customers have been customers for many years. They have always dealt with my father. After he died, it was difficult to convince some of those loyal customers that I could run the business as well as he did. Some of them were reluctant to stay with me. I had some modern ideas that they weren’t too confident about. However, loyalty finally won out and most of them stayed, but it’s mostly out of respect for my father’s memory.