Strictly Business (19 page)

He watched her eyes go all watery and wondered what he’d
said wrong. Then she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck
until he almost fell backward with surprise. Then he heard her whisper in his
ear, “If it’s you, it will be perfect.”

She looked up at him, her heart in her eyes. The shining
expression she wore did more to soothe him than any words she could have
offered.

“It will be me. Make no mistake, Jess. I wasn’t joking when
I said I don’t share, and I wasn’t joking when I threatened Mike earlier. You
will be mine. And it will be soon.” He leaned in and kissed her, long and hard.
Then he stood up and headed into the stall. “Come on, let’s go check on our new
baby. We’re hoping for a male, the ultrasound was inconclusive.”

“You give horses ultrasounds?”

He smiled back at her. “You’d be surprised what we do
nowadays.” He spent the next hour telling her all about medical treatment for
horses and cattle. All they did to keep costs down, and health up, without
going with growth hormones and steroids.

After a lesson in working ranches, Jake said, “So, tell me
about your family. You mentioned your sister was pregnant? When is she due?”

He saw the surprise on her face over his change in topic and
figured that might work to his advantage. She didn’t like to talk about her
family.

“Yes, my younger sister, Dana. She’s due in a few weeks.
That’s why I’ll need to go home for a week or two. I want to be there for the
birth. It’s her first baby and they’re expecting a son. Her husband is so
excited.”

Her face lit up at the mention of the baby. He smiled. She
wanted kids. A sudden image of her standing at the stove in the kitchen they’d
designed, in the house they’d built, heavily pregnant with his child, popped
into his head. And with the image came a surge of longing. He wanted that. He
wanted her. He felt his breath catch as the realization that he loved her
surged through him. That explained everything. Why he was designing his house
for her, why he wanted her first time to be perfect, why he was so jealous of
Mike. He looked at her as she continued to talk about her sister. He had less
than two months to convince her she wanted to stay. Or at least come back. He didn’t
know if he wanted to shout with joy or run in terror.

The terror part must have shown in his expression, because
when she looked back at him she freaked out. “What’s wrong? Is there something
wrong with Betsy?” Betsy was the mare.

She got up and walked over to look more closely at the mare.

Her movement finally snapped him out of it. “No, no. She’s
fine. I was just thinking about something. Sorry, my mind wandered.” He had to
change the subject quickly, before she asked what he’d been thinking about.
“So, do you have any other brothers or sisters? Besides Dana?”

She cocked her head to the side, pausing a moment before
answering his question. “Yes, I have an older sister, Chantel. She’s as
miserable as Dana is happy. Chantel is the perfect example of why I didn’t
follow my parents’ life plan.” She went on to tell Jake all about her sister.
This included drinking problems, marital problems, and the way her family
handled things by sending her away for 'treatment'.

* * * * *

The mare took longer than Jake had expected. After awhile,
Jess gave up and curled up against Jake, falling asleep almost immediately.

About an hour later, Jake nudged Jess. “Honey, it’s time to
get up. She’s ready.”

Jess rubbed her eyes. Everything was kind of blurry and it
took her a minute to remember where she was. When she did, she bolted upright
and scurried around to the other side, wanting to see everything. She should
have been disgusted, birth was a messy process, but she was enchanted instead. She
watched the mare labor and push, bringing a new life into the world. This time
Jake didn’t even have to do anything. They just watched, staying close in case
she needed help. When the foal was out, Jake checked the mare over while they
waited for the foal to make it up onto shaky legs. Jake looked underneath,
confirming that it was indeed a colt. Then they left, leaving mother and son to
bond.

On the way back to the house, Jess felt her eyes tearing up
again. Damn it! She never cried, and now twice in one night. She swiped at her
eyes with the back of her hand. She was sure Jake had seen the tears.
Thankfully, he didn't ask about the cause. She wasn't entirely sure she could
have explained it if he had.

When they got into the house, he scrubbed his hands, Jess
following suit. Then he turned and headed up the stairs. Since they went up the
back stairs they got to her room first. She turned to head in, but he grabbed
her hand and tugged. Jake hugged her. No kissing, nothing sexual at all. He
just held her to him, his face buried in her hair. Jess wrapped her arms around
his waist and held on. She got hugs from Mike and even Cindy occasionally, but
never before had she wanted to hold on and never let go. She felt the need to
tell him she loved him pour through her body. It felt like an almost physical
effort to hold the words in.

After long minutes, he pulled back, leaned down and kissed
her softly on the lips. “Good night, Jess. Sleep well.”

As he turned and headed to his room, Jess stood there,
pressing her fingers to her lips. How could there be so much passion in one
kiss and nothing but tenderness in another? How could he grab her to him one
time, and hold her so softly the next? And how could her heart melt for both?
Oh God, she was in trouble!

* * * * *

Jake got in bed intending to sleep, but knowing it wouldn’t
come. He loved her. On some level that realization terrified him, as he would
expect. What he didn’t expect was the sense of peace, of purpose he felt mixed
in with the fear. Even knowing that she could rip his heart out in ways Karen
never could have, it felt absolutely right to love her. Tomorrow he would go
into Evanston. He needed to find a ring. With sudden certainty he knew he would
propose. Not right away of course. He wanted to give her time, let her fall in
love with him. But he would earn her love. He would be kind, gentle. And she
would come to love him. She had to. Because he wasn’t entirely sure he could
live without her.

The last few days had been weird. Jess couldn’t think of
another way to describe it. Ever since the night in the barn, Jake had been
acting strange. He seemed to be almost tiptoeing around her. He wasn’t avoiding
her or anything, so she didn’t think he was angry over the Mike thing. But he
wasn’t being himself either. He was being, well, weird. He was opening doors
for her, pulling out chairs. They’d taken the horses out last night after
dinner, and he’d been ridiculously polite. She had even tried to start an
argument, just a little one, over his favorite author. And he’d said, “Well,
maybe you’re right.”

She wasn’t right. She knew she wasn’t right. The author was
actually quite talented at spinning a murder mystery. He’d kept her awake and
jumping at shadows on more than one occasion. She’d called him pedestrian and
predictable.
And Jake had agreed!
She had no idea what was going on, but
she didn’t like it.

Mike saw her stomping around the home site, looking for
something to do. Rather than a greeting, he tossed out, “Hey gorgeous, who
pissed in your coffee this morning?”

She turned and glared at him. She knew it wasn’t really Mike
she was mad at, but she was in no mood for his sarcasm. “Apparently the same
person that gave you your stupid pill.”

Mike laughed.
How dare he laugh?
She wasn’t being
funny. There was nothing funny about this. “Why the hell are you laughing?”

He laughed harder, trying to squeeze out words at the same
time. “I’m guessing you and Jake had a fight this morning and didn’t have time
for makeup sex? ’Cuz you are mighty cranky.”

“No, no and shut up!”

Mike stopped laughing as he tried to translate that. “No
fight?” She glared over at him. “Then what’s your deal? Apparently no sex
either, or you would be in a much better mood. Unless he’s doing it totally
wrong.”

She growled, making Mike chuckle again. Finally she blurted
out, “He’s being nice.”

A baffled expression settled on Mike’s face.“Okay, he’s
being nice. And this is a bad thing?”

Jess sighed, her hands settling on her hips, shoulders
slumping forward. “Not nice like normal nice. He’s being nice, like weird
nice.”

Mike shook his head, apparently completely nonplussed. “He’s
being nice like I am to a client. Like syrupy and all agreeable, even to stupid
things. He’s opening doors, pulling out chairs. I even tried to start an
argument, and nothing. I don’t understand it.”

She watched as Mike scratched his head. “Maybe he’s trying
to…” Mike trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

“See, it makes no sense.” All of a sudden, a cold fear ran
through Jess. In addition to being nice, he also hadn’t touched her. At all.
He’d held her hand and given her a few quick kisses on the head, but… “Oh, God.
He’s trying to break up with me."

She sort of collapsed down until she was sitting on the
floor with her knees pulled to her chest.

“Wait, what? Why do you think that?” Mike knelt down in
front of her.

“He keeps kissing my head, like you do. And a few nights ago
he gave me this really long hug.”

Mike shook his head. “But, that’s all good. It’s affection,
Jess. That’s a good thing.”

“Mike, a hug. Not a kiss, just a hug. Then he went to bed.
Alone.”

“I still don’t think it means what you think it means, Jess.
I was there that day when you two heated the room remember?” He sat down on the
floor next to her and pulled her head to his shoulder. “Just wait and see,
okay? I’m sure everything is fine. You’re worrying over nothing.”

After a few minutes, Jess forced herself to smile and say,
“Maybe you’re right.” She didn’t really believe that, but there was nothing to
be done about it one way or the other. She wouldn’t make it easy on him though.
If he wanted to end things between them, he was going to have to say it. She
would not just slide into the ‘friends’ category. Not with him. She nodded to
herself as she got up and got busy. She would make sure he knew she wasn’t
going to just fall in line with his plan.

* * * * *

After his shower, Jake came down to dinner and saw Jess
sitting at the table. She looked like she’d already showered and cleaned up
from her day. She was wearing some silky, sexy baby pink shirt. Innocent and
seductive at the same time. When she stood up to get a drink he noticed that
she was also wearing those really low jeans she had, showing a few inches of
her flat, sexy stomach. His hands actually itched with the need to touch her. She
flipped her hair over her shoulder as she sat back down. He grabbed a plate and
sat down next to her. The guys had started leaving the chair beside her empty
for him. Normally he appreciated this, but not right now.

They ate in silence. Jake was putting all his effort into
not touching her. Between that and chewing, he had no brain power left for
conversation. After dinner, Jess cleared both her plate and his, then grabbed
his hand and pulled him out onto the porch.

He followed, feeling a little like a man going to the
gallows. When she sat on the porch swing, she sat right in the middle, leaving
him little choice. Whichever side he sat on, he would be close enough to touch
her. He chose her left.

Jess slid a bit closer, pulling his arm around her shoulder,
dropping his hand so it was just skimming her breast. She rested her head
against his shoulder, snuggling in to his side.

Jake was hard as a rock, his erection pulsing against his
jeans. He knew there was no way he could resist her, not anymore. He’d been
struggling for days to keep his hands off her, knowing that if he started
touching her again, he’d never stop.

She whispered against his neck, “There’s a storm coming.”
Jake nodded, his chin rubbing against her silky hair. “I love summer storms.
The thunder, the lightning. Stay here and watch it with me?”

“Yes.” He traced a lazy path down her arm, softly, using
just the tips of his fingers.

They sat together, mostly in silence, watching the sun begin
to set. He saw the look of awe on her face as the storm rolled in, blocking the
last of the sun. When the rain started it hit fast and hard. There was no
drizzle, just a warm, drenching downpour. They watched the last few men run
across the lawn, trying to get out of the rain. After a few more minutes, Jess
got up. She leaned in to kiss him with a wild light in her eyes then she ran
off the porch and into the storm.

Jake stood and leaned on the rail, watching her dance and
spin as the rain soaked through her. She leaned her head back, laughing as the
water ran through her hair, down her face. She spun around again, her arms out
beside her. Her silky blouse was plastered to her, showing every curve, every
dip. He found himself walking out into the rain like a man in a trance. He
walked slowly, needing to be with her, yet not wanting to interrupt. He
wondered if she knew how sensual, how sexy she looked, dancing in the rain.

She jumped a little when he stepped behind her, pressing his
palm against her abdomen. He leaned in and whispered, “Now, Jess. I need you
now.”

She whirled around looking up into his eyes. Her eyes
started to heat with a passion to match his own. When she nodded her agreement
his mouth crashed down on hers, tenderness tinged with desperation.

She twined her arms around his neck, going up on her toes to
press her body against his. Their tongues met, tasting, teasing, finally
delving deeper. She whimpered as he pulled away.

He took her hand, pulling her back toward the house. “Let’s
go inside.”

She shook her head, stopping where she was, pulling him back
toward the tree at the edge of the yard. “Here, Jake.”