Boots and The Rogue: Ugly Stick Saloon, Book 10 (6 page)

“Oh, go on.” Maggie blushed and batted her eyes. “It’s good to see you too, Carl. Are you in town on a visit?”

He grinned and drew the woman with the auburn hair up beside him. “Not actually a visit. I’ve retired from the corporate world and bought the old Frazier place on the river.”

Mrs. M’s eyes rounded. “Really? I thought that old house was falling down.”

“It is. But it’s livable until I can have a new house built. I don’t suppose you know a trustworthy contractor in the area?”

“As a matter of fact, my son Colin is an up-and-coming contractor making quite a name for himself.”

“How is Colin?” the young woman spoke for the first time.

“I’m sorry.” Carl turned to his companion. “This is my real estate agent, Fancy Wilson. I’m her first big sale since she returned to Temptation.”

Mrs. M’s smile tightened, and she hesitated before holding out her hand to the young woman. “Fancy. Yes, I remember you. You and Brody were engaged briefly, eight years ago. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know you better. That was the year my husband passed.”

Jessie’s heart hit the bottom of her belly. This beauty had been engaged to Brody McFarlan? Holy hell. What could possibly have happened to make him break it off with her? She was stunningly gorgeous. Everything a man could want in a woman. Jessie felt positively gawky and manly in her presence.

“Nice to see you, Mrs. McFarlan.” Even the woman’s voice was like melted chocolate, seeping into her ears.

The more Jessie was near her, the more inadequate she felt.

Mrs. M let go of Fancy’s hand. “Brody never told me why you two broke it off, and he moved shortly afterward, so I never got the story. I hope it was a mutual agreement.”

She nodded. “More or less. We were so young anyway. It was just as well.” Fancy smiled, the light not quite reaching her eyes.

Mrs. M turned to Jessie. “Carl, this is Jessie Taylor. She’s staying with us at the Rafter M Ranch.”

“It is always my pleasure to meet a lovely young lady.” Carl turned his smile on Jessie and made her blush almost as much as Mrs. M.

“Nice to meet you,” Jessie murmured.

“I’m looking forward to reconnecting with my old hometown,” Carl said.

“We were about to have lunch, if you’d like to join us,” Mrs. M offered.

Carl shook his head. “I’m sorry, we just finished eating, and I have business at the bank.”

Fancy smiled. “And I’m headed over to the salon to have my hair styled.”

“Thank you for the invitation, though.” Carl lifted Mrs. M’s hand again and gave her a smile that melted even Jessie’s knees. “I do want to catch up with you, Maggie. I don’t suppose you’d have dinner with me tonight?”

Again, Mrs. M’s cheeks blossomed a pretty pink, and she glanced down at her hand in his. “That would be nice. I’d like that.”

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“No need. It’s such a long drive out to the ranch.” Maggie smiled up at the man. “I could meet you in town.”

“Nonsense. I’d love to drive out and see what you and your boys have done with the Rafter M Ranch. I heard your oldest son is raising horses. I might be interested in purchasing some for my place, when I’ve had a chance to renovate the old barn to make it safe.”

“Well then, tonight I’d be happy to give you a tour,” Maggie said.

The door opened behind them and Jessie moved to allow the person room to enter. When she turned, she found Colin beside her, his gaze riveted on Fancy.

Fancy’s cheeks blanched and she caught her full, lush bottom lip between her teeth.

“Colin, honey, you remember Fancy Wilson. She just sold the old Frazier place to Carl.” Maggie waved him forward. “Carl, this is my son Colin. He’s the one who’s in construction.”

The youngest McFarlan brother appeared to be frozen in the middle of the open doorway. After a moment he shook himself and stepped forward to shake Carl’s hand. When he turned to take Fancy’s, a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Fancy.”

She looked up at him and then lowered her eyelids, hiding the expression in her green eyes.

Jessie was better at reading horses than people, but it was obvious there was something going on between Colin and Fancy.

The door opened again.

Jessie’s body tensed and she sensed Brody standing behind her. With a steadying breath, she turned.

They’d pointedly avoided each other for the past few days, though it was difficult, living under the same roof. Every time Brody was in the same room as Jessie, heat sizzled through her, reminding her of his first kiss. Now, as he stood close enough to touch, she swayed toward him like metal to a magnet.

His gaze captured hers. “Jessie, I didn’t expect to find you here.”

At that moment, Colin stepped to the side.

Brody looked past his mother to his younger brother, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Then his gaze shifted to the woman standing beside Colin and his brows furrowed.

“Carl, this is my middle son, Brody,” Mrs. M said. “Brody, this is Carl Landers.”

The fierce frown disappeared and all expression was wiped from Brody’s face as he extended a hand to Mr. Landers. “Mr. Landers. Nice to meet you.” He turned to Fancy and nodded. “Fancy.” Without sparing any more than the brief acknowledgment, he faced his mother. “I’m headed to the hardware store. Do you need any supplies?”

Maggie McFarlan shook her head. “Not that I can think of.”

With a glance at Carl, Brody exited the diner, leaving a painful silence in his wake.

Jessie stared after him.

Brody walked away, his posture stiff, his hands fisted at his sides.

When he disappeared past the windows, Jessie turned to the people standing in the restaurant.

Colin exchanged a look with Fancy. “It’s nice to see you. I’d better get back to work.”

“Aren’t you going to join us for lunch?” his mother asked.

Colin gave his mother a tight smile and shook his head. “Not today.” He nodded to Carl and glanced one last time at Fancy before he left the diner.

Maggie shrugged. “I guess it’s just you and me, Jessie.”

“See you tonight.” Carl waved and escorted his real estate agent to the door.

The McFarlan matron found a seat in a booth and sighed.

Jessie settled across from her, reluctant to say anything about what just happened, wondering what lunch would have been like had Brody stayed.

Mrs. M wasn’t so reticent. “Did you feel the tension in the air when Colin and Brody came in? Or was it just me?”

“I felt it,” Jessie responded. “It’s none of my business, but it seemed to revolve around Fancy.”

“I believe it’s the reason Brody let the Rafter M Ranch in the first place.” The older woman’s eyes narrowed. “I’d also bet whatever happened between the three of them caused Brody and Fancy to break off their engagement.”

Jessie’s chest tightened. The shock and anger on Brody’s face could mean only one thing. He still had feelings for his ex-fiancée. Not that it should bother her, and it wouldn’t have if he hadn’t kissed her.

“I wish I’d been more involved back then,” Mrs. M said, breaking through Jessie’s thoughts.

“Sounds like you were going through hard times. I’m sorry you lost your husband.”

“I loved him dearly.” Maggie’s eyes misted. “He and Carl were friends back in high school.” She smiled. “If I hadn’t fallen in love with John—who knows?—I might have married Carl instead.”

“He seemed very nice.”

Maggie sighed. “He’s even more handsome than he was when we were teens.”

“You should enjoy your date with him tonight.”

“Date?” Maggie shook her head, staring at Jessie as if she’d said something odd. “He just wants to catch up with an old friend.” She chuckled. “Date? I’m too old to date.”

“Mrs. M, you’re never too old to date. I mean, look at you. You’re a beautiful woman.” Jessie grinned. “I’m no expert on dating, but if he’s picking you up at the ranch, I’d call that a date.”

Mrs. M’s cheeks flushed a bright pink. “Me, on a date? With Carl the Heartbreaker?” She fanned herself. “That’s what they called him in high school. He left a trail of broken female hearts.”

“Including yours?”

She waved her hand. “Heavens no. I loved my John from the moment we met and I’ll miss him until I die.”

Jessie covered her hand. “But you have the rest of your life to live. Surely he wouldn’t have wanted you to live it alone.”

“No. He would want me to move on.” Mrs. M glanced up. “I wasn’t ready until recently.” She giggled like a schoolgirl. “I have a date.”

Happy for Mrs. M, Jessie sat back, ordered the lunch special of fried chicken and homemade bread rolls and thought back over the meeting between Colin, Fancy and Brody. Sadly, she suspected a love triangle. From the frigid glances the brothers had exchanged, they weren’t over it or their anger toward each other.

At least it did one thing. It took Jessie out of the equation. If Brody still loved Fancy, now that she was back in town he wouldn’t have eyes for anyone else.

There would be no more stolen kisses.

When she should have been happy about that, she was left with an emptiness in her chest, and she lost her appetite for the wonderful chicken cooked by the best chef in Temptation.

Chapter Six

Brody floored the accelerator all the way back to the ranch and didn’t stop there.

Angus was out hooking up mares to the exercise walker when Brody opened the gate, drove through and closed it behind him. He didn’t want to stop and chat with his older brother. He had nothing to say. Fancy was back in town and Colin had already sniffed her out.

Not until he’d reached the cabin did Brody stop and analyze how he’d felt when he walked into that diner.

His first reaction had been the swell of excitement at catching Jessie in town, followed by a sharp stab of jealousy when he’d seen Colin had beat him to her.

When Fancy came into view, the old anger and resentment resurfaced like heated lava through a narrow vent. Had Colin decided he wanted both women? Was it his way of taking away anything Brody might want?

As he climbed down from his SUV, he paused. Fancy had been even more beautiful than he remembered from the last time he’d seen her eight years ago. But it was Jessie he thought of now. Her tall, lithe figure, the hay-colored, silky hair pulled back in a ponytail and the love she had for a horse so ugly Brody was surprised Angus allowed her to keep him in the barn alongside the prize mares of his breeding program.

In the few short days he’d known her, Jessie, the cook who burned everything, had thrown a punch knocking him flat on his ass and wiggled her way into his conscious and subconscious thoughts. Though he’d made it his mission to avoid her, Brody managed to bump into her every time he turned around. And he found Jessie to be more real and desirable than a dozen Fancys.

He grabbed the can of paint thinner from the sack on the back floorboard of his truck and hurried into the hunting cabin. Within minutes, he’d set up his easel outside in the sunshine, squirted globs of oil paint onto his palette and jabbed his paintbrush into the rich colors. Channeling all his frustration, he slashed paint onto a blank canvas in bold strokes. All the anger he’d felt over the eight years he’d been gone funneled through his fingers, through the brush and onto the canvas.

For several hours, he focused on his work, ignoring everything else around him. When he touched the last dab of paint onto the picture, he let go of the tension and stepped back.

“I didn’t realize you were so good,” a voice said over his shoulder.

Angus stood a few feet behind him, holding the reins of a palomino mare.

Brody stepped in front of the canvas to block his brother’s view of something so personal he’d never shared it with his family.

“Please. Let me see.” Angus tied the mare’s reins to the hitching post in front of the cabin, stepped around Brody and stared at the painting of a brindle horse, rearing on a windblown, grassy knoll, storm clouds billowing in the background. In front of the horse stood a young woman with long, straight blonde hair, wearing jeans and cowboy boots, her back to the viewer, her arm raised as if to gentle the animal.

As Brody really looked at the painting, he realized nowhere in the composition was Colin or Fancy.

“You even made Scout look amazing.” Angus turned to Brody. “Is this what you’ve been doing in Seattle? Painting?”

Still too wound up from the outpouring of emotion he invariably released into his work, Brody shook his head. “I’d rather you didn’t say anything to anyone else about this.”

Angus’s brows knit and he glanced back at the painting. “It’s incredible. I feel like the horse could leap off the page, and Jessie… I can see why you don’t want to fire her. You’ve captured something I would feel but couldn’t put into words to describe.”

“It’s just a picture.” Brody lifted the easel, painting and all, and carried it into the hunting cabin.

His older brother followed him to the door and opened his mouth to argue the point. One glance at Brody’s face and he shut his mouth.

Closing the cabin door behind him, Brody let the strain of the past few hours roll off his shoulders, as if by painting and then putting the image away, he could compartmentalize his life. “Did you need help with anything?”

“Not today, but tomorrow I could use a hand. The Brangus bull knocked down a portion of the fence north of the swimming hole. It’s getting too late to mend it today, and tomorrow I have an appointment at the architectural firm I contract with. I might not be back in time to take care of it.”

“I’ll handle it.” Brody walked to the palomino and rubbed his hand along the animal’s neck, hoping to take the focus off his painting. “How’s that working for you, owning a horse breeding business and working as a contract architect to one of the largest Dallas-based architectural firms?”

“It’s actually working out well. I make great money with the firm. I get to work my own hours doing what I love, and I’m building my breeding program.”

Brody scratched behind the horse’s ear. “How serious are you about this Gwen woman?” He looked back at his brother. “I mean, Mom’s not pushing you into something more than you want, is she?”

“I’m as serious as it gets about Gwen. This whole thing with Mom threatening to sell the ranch has me on hold about taking the next step with Gwen.”

“The next step?” Brody’s brows rose. “Are you going to propose?”

“I want to marry her before she changes her mind. She’s beautiful, intelligent and driven about her work. She loves Dalton, and I think she loves me too. But I don’t want to ask her to marry me until I know whether or not I’ll have a home to bring them to, or if I’ll have to scramble to find a place I can raise my horses. Worst-case scenario, I sell the horses and move to Dallas and go back to work full time with the firm.”

His mother’s ultimatum weighed heavily on Brody. He wasn’t the only one impacted by it. Angus had given up a lot to stay with their mother and run the ranch when their father died. Then when their mother had been diagnosed with cancer he’d been the rock in her life, to see her through surgery and recovery. Brody had more or less run away from his brother’s betrayal, from the certainty that Fancy had never loved him and from the obligations of being a part of the family. He had a crapload of regret and leaving now would only add to it.

But to marry just to please his mother? He wouldn’t go that far.

“Hey…” Angus touched Brody’s arm, “…if you don’t want to stay, that’s your right. Colin and I can figure this out. You have a life and what looks like a tremendous amount of talent. Don’t let this old ranch hold you back.”

Brody shook his head. “I’m staying until
we
figure this out.”

“What about your art?”

“I can paint anywhere.”

“Yeah, but don’t you need to be closer to a place where people appreciate fine art? Temptation isn’t exactly a cultural Mecca.”

“My agent is already working on setting up a gallery exhibit in Dallas.” He hoped like hell the art buyers of Texas liked what he painted as much as those in Seattle did; otherwise, he’d be flying back and forth from Texas to Seattle to maintain his sales and that would cut into his time to create.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Angus stared at the closed cabin door. “You really should show Mom. She’d be so proud.”

“I will,” Brody said. “When I’m ready.”

Jessie worked all afternoon, unloading groceries she and Mrs. M had selected at the store, and then preparing a huge pan of lasagna under the close tutelage of the McFarlan-family matriarch. While Jessie worked, Mrs. M filled her in on the brothers’ childhood antics from junior rodeo riding to playing hooky on warm spring days.

“Set the timer for thirty minutes so you don’t forget about it,” Mrs. M suggested as Jessie slid the casserole dish full of noodles, sauce and cheesy deliciousness into the preheated oven.

Jessie studied the oven controls and set the timer.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

With a smile, Jessie turned to Mrs. M. “No, it wasn’t.”

“And my mama always told me a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

“I don’t want to win their hearts,” Jessie said. “I just want to prove that I can cook. I really need this job.”

“As long as you don’t burn that lasagna, you’ll be on the road to proving yourself. Now, while supper’s cooking, why don’t you try on that dress I washed and ironed for you? It doesn’t hurt for the chef to look as good as the food.”

“I don’t know.” Jessie shrugged. “I’ve never felt comfortable in a dress. I barely know how to wear one.” An image of Brody’s ex-fiancée flashed through Jessie’s mind. Fancy Wilson had not only looked good in a dress, she’d worn it like a fashion statement.

Mrs. M’s brows dipped. “It’s amazing what clothes do for your confidence, and how others perceive you. Take Fancy Wilson…”

Jessie would rather not talk about the auburn-haired beauty. “What about her?”

“Put her in a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt and she wouldn’t look any different from any other cowgirl in the county.”

“I doubt that. I bet she’d look good in anything she wore.”

Mrs. M’s lips curled. “She got to you, didn’t she?”

Jessie turned toward the stovetop, afraid the older woman would see right through her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t let a pretty piece of fluff like Fancy make you feel any less than beautiful.” Mrs. M stood and crossed to Jessie. “I see a beautiful woman in those blue-gray eyes of yours. Wear the dress for me tonight. I think you’ll be surprised at how good you look in it. You’ll give that Fancy a run for her money.”

Her competitive spirit spiked, until she reminded herself out loud, “I’m not in competition with Fancy.”

“No?” Mrs. M’s smile widened. “Well, we’ll just see about that. Oh, and don’t set a plate at the table for me. Remember? I’m going out.”

Not sure what the woman was up to, Jessie couldn’t say no to her. Not after Mrs. M spent her entire afternoon teaching Jessie how to make lasagna. Dinner that night would be edible and might help save her job.

Thirty minutes later, Jessie wore the blue dress. Mrs. McFarlan had helped her do her hair, using a flat iron to smooth out the tangles and kinks from the elastic band. It hung long and straight around her shoulders and halfway down her back. The older woman even insisted on applying a little blush to Jessie’s cheeks and adding a smoky shadow to her eyes. By the time Mrs. M finished, Jessie didn’t recognize the pretty blonde in the mirror.

She might not be gorgeous enough to compete with the beautiful Fancy, but she looked better than she ever had.

Back in the kitchen as the timer beeped, Jessie couldn’t help smiling as she peered through the glass oven door. The guys would be pleased. The lasagna turned out perfect.

Angus and Colin came in through the back door, hung their hats on pegs on the wall and sniffed the air.

“Something smells good enough to eat,” Colin said. “What’s for dinner?”

“Lasagna.” Jessie pulled the lightly browned dish from the oven and set it on a hot pad. “Go wash up and I’ll have it on the table when you’re ready.”

Both men stopped short as Jessie straightened.

Colin made a show of looking around. “I hear Jessie talking, but I don’t see anyone here but one gorgeous blonde in a pretty blue dress.”

Angus grinned. “Wow. You look amazing.”

Colin stepped up to Jessie, took her hand and twirled her about. “That dress needs to go dancing.”

Jessie’s cheeks heated and she glanced past the two brothers to the empty doorway. “Is Brody coming?”

Angus’s eyes narrowed for a split second, and then he shook his head. “Don’t wait on him. He might be late.”

“Oh.” An unexpected pressure squeezed against Jessie’s chest and she turned away, hoping Angus and Colin hadn’t seen the disappointment in her face.

The men hurried off to wash up.

By the time they returned, Jessie had the lasagna on the table and a bowl of fresh salad made of vegetables from Mrs. M’s garden.

Angus glanced around. “Where’s Mom?”

Jessie set a basket full of garlic bread next to the salad. “She’s getting ready to go on her date.”

Angus stopped with his hand on a chair and frowned. “Date? What date?”

Colin grimaced. “Didn’t I mention? She ran into Carl Landers in town.”

With a quick headshake, Angus asked, “What does this Carl Landers have to do with Mom going on a date?”

“Mr. Landers asked your mother out to dinner tonight,” Jessie said.

Angus’s eyes widened. “And she agreed?”

Jessie nodded.

Colin shrugged. “So?”

“Do you realize they used to call him Heartbreak Carl back when Mom and Dad were in high school?” Angus yanked the chair out from under the table and sat down.

Colin’s brows quirked upward. “Again…so? That was over thirty years ago.”

“I don’t want Mom to get hurt.”

Jessie grabbed a spatula and dug into the lasagna, cutting long rectangles of the cheesy, mouthwatering dish, and filled Angus’s and Colin’s plates. Then she served up the salad in the small bowls beside each man’s plate, shaking her head as the men worried over their mother. They probably had a hard time seeing her as anything other than their mother who’d been married to their father. Mrs. McFarlan was first and foremost a woman with a lot of good years left in her.

“We’ll just have to keep an eye on them.” Angus shoved a forkful of lasagna into his mouth.

“Keep an eye on who?” Mrs. McFarlan appeared in the doorway, looking as trim and pretty as a schoolgirl, wearing a cream-colored dress and low-heeled pumps. Her hair brushed her shoulders and she wore eye makeup, lipstick and a light dusting of blush.

Jessie smiled. “You look wonderful.”

“Is the dress too young for an old woman like me?” Mrs. M turned like a model on a runway.

“Not at all,” Jessie said. “It’s perfect and you’re not an old woman. You look young and alive.”

The two brothers rose from the table.

Angus scowled. “What’s this about you going on a date?”

“I’m having dinner with Carl Landers.” Mrs. M took Jessie’s hands. “Did my boys compliment the chef?” She cast a stern glance at her sons.

Colin saluted. “The lasagna is great. Tastes a lot like yours, Mom.”

She smiled. “Ah, but I didn’t cook it. Jessie did.” She turned Jessie around. “Colin, did you bother to tell Jessie how pretty she looked in her dress?”