BROKEN (11 page)

“Look, it won’t do you any good.
 
Adam was furious too when he found out
about it
, but this man is mighty powerful and he’s got more money than he knows what to do with.”

“That wouldn’t have stopped Adam from going over there and warning him to back off.”

“No, what stopped him was knowing how much trouble it would cause for Jessie when he wasn’t around to protect her.”

“Protect her from what, has this man threatened her?”

“Not directly.”

“Damn it, Hank, spit it out.
 
What’s going on around here and why hasn’t Jessie said anything to me about it?”

Hank took a couple of puffs from his cigar, eyeing Mitch thoughtfully through the cloud of smoke.
 
“Okay, but remember, you asked.
 
Jessie hasn’t said anything because she doesn’t believe you’re going to stick around to see it through.”

Mitch took that one straight to the gut.
 
“Go on, what else?”

“Jud Wilkinson is his name.
 
The Wilkinson ranch was mediocre at best while his Dad ran the show
,
but when he passed away about ten years ago, Jud took over.
 
He started buying up all the land around him, slowly building his herd until he became one of the wealthiest ranchers in the county.
 
But that wasn’t enough for Jud, he wanted more land, more money, more power, and the only way he could do that was to buy out the rest of the ranches in the area.”

“So he’s trying to seduce Jessie so he can get her land.
 
Surely he’s figured out by now that she won’t ever sell.”

“Not for her own sake,” Hank said, “but she might if she thought someone else would suffer for it.”

Mitch was silent for a moment.
 
“Who
is
he threatening to go after?”

“There
are
three other ranches besides Jessie’s that haven’t sold out yet.
 
They’re family owned operations that have been around for generations.
 
None of them really want to sell, but Wilkinson has offered
a
lot more than they
would
get from anyone else
. 
Jessie kn
o
w
s
it
’s
only a matter of time before they fold.”

“I’m afraid you lost me, Hank.
 
What does that have to do with Jessie’s ranch?”

“The water from the mountains runs through all three of them, feeds into this ranch, and then into Wilkinson’s ranch.”

Mitch nodded as pieces of the puzzle began to snap into place.
 
“So all he has to do is gain control of the northern most ranch and he
will
be able to cut off the water supply to the other two as well as this one.”

“Yes, and unfortunately, the people who own it are the weakest link.
 
The other two ranchers have a whole slew of children who help run the place so it isn’t likely they’ll sell, but Tom and Becky Sinclair only had one child, a daughter who got married last year and moved to Florida.
 
When they started talking about selling out and moving to Florida to be near their daughter, Jessie got worried Wilkinson would snatch it up and cut off the water to the other ranches.”

“But wouldn’t he be cutting off the water supply to his own ranch as well?”

“From that water source, yes, but he
has
another healthy stream that flows through some of his other land. Even if it wasn’t enough to keep his herds going, he’s got enough money to put in a few man-made ponds and transport water in.
 
It wouldn’t take long to push the other farms out of business if they had to start hauling in water for their cattle.”

“So what did he do, promise Jessie if she sold her land he
would
leave the others alone?”

“Yes, but she’s not falling for it.
 
Once she
sell
s out, she won’t be able to stop him from doing the same thing to the other ranchers.”

A slow smile spread across Mitch’s face.
 
“I’ve changed my mind about going to see Wilkinson.”

Hank looked more than a little surprised.
 
“You have?”

“Yeah, I have a better idea.
 
Do you think you c
an
spare some time tomorrow to take a little drive with me?”

“To the Sinclair ranch I presume?”

Mitch’s smile broadened.
 
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat, old man.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                        
***

Jessie tried to hide the guilt she felt for having read some of
Kincaid’
s diary
,
but it wasn’t easy
.  M
ostly because she’d invaded his privacy
,
but also because she now found it almost impossible not to throw her arms around him and tell him how sorry she was for all the things he’d gone through.
 
On some level she understood why he needed to be with her, but she
had
never really known the depth of that need
.  W
hether
Kincaid
loved her as she loved him didn’t seem as important
now
as making sure he never fell back into that dark abyss of self destruction again.
 

Yes, Jessie decided, she loved him enough to live with the long absences and lonely nights and the promises he meant to keep but just couldn’t.
 
Tucking the journal back beneath the lining of the duffle bag, she made the decision that his happiness was more important to her than her own.
 
As long as
Kincaid
needed her, she
would
be here for him.
 
She
headed downstairs and had
barely reached the bottom step when
Kincaid
and Hank came bursting through the front door
,
covered in
dirt
and grease.
 

“Well, did you get it fixed?”

“Purring like a kitten,” Hank said.

“Guess I’m a lot better at this than I thought,”
Kincaid
grinned.
 
“I got the same results from Jessie just this morning.”

Hank hooted with laughter, slapping
Kincaid
on the back a few times while Jessie stood there blushing, half mortified by what he’d said and half wishing she had time to drag him upstairs for a repeat performance.
 
Deciding that getting even was a much better tactic than acting indignant, she crossed the room slowly, her hips swaying seductively.
 

Smiling up at
Kincaid
, and keeping her voice as seductive as her walk had been, she said, “Have you ever noticed how quickly those soft, cuddly little kittens can turn on you?
 
With those pointed little teeth and razor sharp claws
…
why
,
they could just tear the skin right off of a man.”
 

She raked her fingernails lightly down the length of his chest, quite satisfied with how pale he’d gone and the soft groan that rolled in the back of his throat.
 
Hank was still cackling as he wished
Kincaid
good luck and headed back outside.
 
Kincaid’s
breath hitched when Jessie’s fingers continued to work their way down to his belt buckle.
 

“If I wasn’t covered in dirt, I’d haul that sexy bottom of yours upstairs and work some of the ornery out of you.”

Jessie knew it wouldn’t take much to get him to do just that.
 
One little jab at his ego and she
would
have him where she wanted him.
 
“I don’t know,” she drawled, “I’ve got a lot of years of ornery built up inside of me.
 
Are you sure you’re…up to it?”
 

A small squeak was squeezed from her lungs when
Kincaid
swung her up into his arms, his eyes boring into hers with a hunger that made her body temperature jump several degrees.
 
He’d always been exceptionally sexual, but since his return this last time,
Kincaid
had been nearly insatiable.
 
His touch was almost reverent, as if each time was the first.
 
He discovered new ways to arouse her, taught her new ways to arouse him, and when it was over
,
Jessie was always left with a sense of weightlessness, as if she would just float up to the ceiling and drift away.

I love you
, her heart whispered
,
as he lowered her feet to the ground beside the bed.
 
I love you, I love you
,
she silently cried when he reached for the snap on her jeans and undressed her.
 
It was a mantra that repeated itself over and over as he buried himself inside of her; their bodies moving in perfect rhythm, taking and giving until there was nothing left but a few shuddering breaths and a sigh of deep satisfaction.

Afterwards, they took a quick shower, laughing at the trail of oily finger and palm prints he’d left all over her body.
 
She insisted he clean them off since he was responsible for putting them there, and
Kincaid
eagerly complied with her wishes.
 
She could still feel the slow, sensual movements of his hands as they glided over her soapy body and wondered if she would ever get enough of Adam Kincaid.
 
Glancing across the seat of the old flat bed truck they were riding in and seeing the cocky little grin that turned up the corner of his mouth, she came to the conclusion that a lifetime with him would never be enough.

                                                                   ***

Mitch steered the old truck confidently into town, taking the few turns necessary to lead him to the Co-Op as if he
had
done it a million times before.
 
He was glad Hank
c
onfronted him and knew he wasn’t Adam because now he had an ally, one who could keep him from making foolish mistakes like not knowing the way to town or how to get to the stores Jessie wanted to go to today.
 

Hank had drawn a map of the town on a small piece of paper before they’d gone into the house
, which
Mitch now had tucked securely in his jeans pocket.
 
Hank also jotted down the names of the owners and any employees he knew Adam had met before.

“It won’t be that difficult,” Hank assured him.
 
“Adam was always a little aloof towards the townspeople so they won’t be expecting a big, friendly hello.
 
And Jess is used to telling you…I mean telling Adam who is who.”

Mitch was leaning against the tractor as they talked, wondering once again if he
had
ever really known his brother.
 
“I don’t get it, Hank.
 
Adam was never shy around people and certainly never had any problems making friends.
 
He’d been coming here to see Jess for almost three years, why would he act like that?”

“He didn’t want them to like him.
 
He thought it would be easier for Jessie.”

An angry scowl marred Mitch’s face.
 
“How considerate of him.
 
If no one liked him, it would be easier on Jess when he got ready to make his final exit.
 
Everyone would be patting her on the back and exclaiming how it was all for the best, good riddance, and all that, right?”
 

Hank merely nodded and let Mitch finish his tirade.
 

“I don’t suppose he considered that she might need someone who was sympathetic?
 
Who did he think was going to put Jessie back together when he left?
 
Sure, it was okay for him to go to her when he was all busted up inside, but did he even once consider who was going to take care of her when he left for good?”

“I think he considered it,” Hank said quietly.
 
“As a matter of fact I think he put a lot of thought into it.”

Mitch’s eyes blazed.
 
“Del?
 
Oh, no, not a chance in hell…”

“Not Del, son.
 
You.”

“Me?”
 
He shook his head.
 
“You’re wrong, Hank.
 
Adam never once suggested that I come here if anything happened to him.
 
It was my idea to see Jessie.”

“Was it?
 
You think your brother didn’t know what he was doing when he told you all about her?
 
Listen, son, I know Adam wasn’t as good to Jessie as he should have been, but he did love her.
 
You said yourself that journal he left was filled with accounts of his time here with Jess.
 
Maybe it didn’t start out as such, but he knew it would end up in your hands if anything bad happened to him.

I think over time, he decided he wanted you to see her as he did, to see how special she was, because he knew you
would
go to her.”
 
Hank rubbed his chin.
 
“Granted, I doubt Adam considered you
would
show up masquerading as him, but I truly believe leading you to Jessie was his last gift to you, probably the greatest gift he could have given both you and Jess.”