Cowboy Country (54 page)

10

CHECKMATE

Friday, June 10, 2016, ~5:32 PM~Route 183, Austin, TX

Friday night, Jessie was driving home, exhausted from her last day of work, when she clicked into a call from Wyatt.

“Hey, Jess, I’m in Austin for business. I didn’t get enough time with you after the party, and we didn’t get our ride. I want to see you. You have plans tonight?’

Jessie’s heart jumped to her throat. She hadn’t answered the texts he’d sent earlier in the week, hoping to put the previous weekend behind them. What would it be like, to be out with Wyatt, after all this time?

Mark was at a conference; they’d had lunch earlier in the week, talking business, but she’d had no idea what to say to him when he asked where their friendship was going.

“You hungry? Wanna hit Crawdad’s?” he asked.

Jessie laughed, trying to sound casual.  “We always rocked Crawdad’s, back in the day, didn’t we?’

“What’s your address, babe?” Wyatt asked.

“2334 Pinecreek Way. Give me an hour or so.”

Heart pounding, Jessie showered, slipped into bra and panties, pulled on a turquoise print sun dress, and stuck her feet into ballerina flats. Blowing her hair out, she pulled it up into a high ponytail, stuck gold hoops in her ears, grabbed her purse and keys, and went to answer the doorbell.

*****

When Wyatt saw Jessie come to the door, his heart leapt. In a fetching little dress and slippers, she was so damn cute. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, he stepped back, taking in her bare shoulders and legs.

She gave a little wave, looked up at him shyly.

“Hey, stranger, you ready for a margarita?” he asked.

“I could eat,” she said, gazing up at him carefully, eyes a little guarded. But she didn’t follow him to the truck. Instead, Jessie walked briskly to her car, parked in the driveway. “Didn’t you bring Cash?”

His truck was parked in the street. “Next time. Am I riding with you?”

“You sure can. Crawdad’s is closer to the highway, though, if you wanna drive.”

“Yeah, but Jessie, you drive an Audi these days. I’ve never ridden in your Audi.”

Blushing, Jessie clicked the locks, and Wyatt eased his big frame into the passenger seat of her car. Running his hands over the dash, he admired the pale interior. “Are you dusting?” she asked from the driver’s seat, looking at him curiously. Then she broke into a knowing smile. “You want to drive, don’t you?”

“Well, Jess, now that you mention it, I can’t remember the last time I drove a sports car, or even a sporty car. I drive pickups and tractors and horses all day.”

“You poor deprived thing,” she said, shaking her head.

She stepped out and came around to the passenger side. When he’d settled into the driver’s seat, she handed him the keys. Lifting an eyebrow, she gave him one of her long, slow, knowing smiles.  He closed his eyes for a moment, flooded with happiness. God, how he wanted her again.

He’d always felt this way, next to Jessie.

What had he waited for?

But her face shifted to a chill stare, and her eyes narrowed. “Stacia has a sports car, Wyatt. Red. I saw it last week, at the barn.”

“I never drove it. Look. I need to apologize. It was awkward having Stacia at the party last week. It’s true that she and I dated off and on, but we broke up months ago.” He took a deep breath, let it out. “It wasn’t fair, what she put you through, any of it. I wish I’d known, Jessie. .” he pleaded, searching her eyes. Hers were fiery, her face impassive. “When Stacia called to get the news about Emilia’s birth, I mentioned I’d be having something after the Baptism. I thought just a barbecue, but her ideas were better, and I was so busy, Jessie. Stacia was never a host, though. It wasn’t supposed to be like...“ He paused, trying to catch Jessie’s eye. “I never knew what happened that night, until last week. It was a bad idea for her to be at the party, under the circumstances, and I’m real sorry she was, Jess. It must have hurt you. She was never like you, Jessie, she was never….”

His voice trailed off. Eager to change the subject, he turned the engine over. “Dinner or a drive, Miss Daisy?”

“Dinner,” Jessie said.

“What are you in the mood for?”

“Beer, gumbo, a shot of tequila, and ninety miles an hour,” she told him, rolling her eyes.

“Crawdad’s, right?”

“Sixty-fourth and Remington. You know the way?”

******

Crawdad’s was the best kept secret in town, a low ceilinged honky tonk with great food and live music.

“How’s Emilia?” Jessie asked, going for a neutral topic as the waitress set her margarita down, and a draft beer and a shot of tequila in front of Wyatt.

His amber eyes glowed. “Ah, she is a peach. Would you believe she is smiling already? The changes between newborn and twelve weeks are incredible, and I get to see her almost every day.”

Wyatt ordered for them. Trying to ignore the enthusiasm his voice held for Emilia, Jessie managed, “The kids I work with can be cute, but not as cute as Emilia. She’ll be a teenager in no time, won’t she?”

“Wasn’t so long ago you were a teenager,” Wyatt smiled, taking her hand.

She saw crinkly lines in the tanned skin around his eyes. He looked older. And so damn solid.

Why did she feel so secure and happy with him?

Hadn’t she learned her lesson?

“You should take some time off, and come for a visit, Jess.” He was still looking at her with those damn gorgeous amber eyes. 

“I should,” she agreed. “Nicole said come by anytime.” It wouldn’t do to tell him about the rumblings at work, about her new uncertainties.

Wyatt still held her hand; the way he was touching her fingers was making her hair stand on end. The way he was looking at her made her heart pound so, she was sure it would jump out of her chest.

“Nicole’s place is nice, but it’s not like you’re really coming home when you’re there, Jessie. Why don’t you stay at Mockingbird?” He eyed her intently, brushing his work hardened fingertips over her knuckles, which made her press her knees together. Staying at Mockingbird would be insane. They’d been down this road once or twice, right?

Jessie pulled her hand away.

After all this time, she couldn’t shake him.

Fool.

She was a sucker, but he didn’t have to know it.

“Heck Wyatt, you were marrying Stacia last week,” Jessie said, a tone of annoyance creeping into her voice.

“I told you, we broke up,” Wyatt said evenly.

“You’ve broken up before. She’ll find her way back in.”

Eyes steady on Jessie, Wyatt shook his head. “She won’t this time. Despite what Stacia may have said at the stables, I never misled her. We never discussed a future together, not once. But I’ve made a big mistake, and I’m very sorry about it. I’ve been with her for three wasted years. You and I never should have drifted apart. In the back of my head I knew it, I just didn’t do anything about it.” Wyatt said, solid and sincere, his eyes contrite. “Feels like we’ve got some things to work out, Jessie-girl.”

“My, my, what did Emilia’s baptism bring on?” she asked, keeping her voice cool and remote with effort. He’d never know how he affected her, she promised herself, sucking down the last of the margarita.

“I’ve thought about you, about us, a lot over the years, Jessie,” Wyatt told her, his eyes never leaving hers. Clearing his throat, he said, “I asked you to marry me once. I haven’t forgotten that.”

The waitress arrived, setting large bowls of gumbo, the plate of okra and poppers between them. Wyatt unrolled the silverware from his napkin, set the napkin in his lap, and dug in. Jessie did the same, trying to ignore the bulk of his chest, in that damn dark chambray shirt, the golden hairs glistening on his massive forearms.

She’d never forgotten the way she’d felt when Wyatt held her.

It had been too long.

The air conditioning was very cold.

She wished she had a sweater.

No way that she was going back.

“What brings you to town?”

“Aww, the final paperwork on an installment sale of some land I picked up out near Fredericksburg.” He grinned. “You want a winery, Jess? Stomp some grapes?”

She rolled her eyes. “Mmmm, not this month.”

“I’ll get the house and barns fixed up, get it on the market in a few months. Somebody from Austin or upstate will pay twice what I did for it.” Leaning back in the booth, his arms crossed over his chest, their eyes locked for a long moment, before he said, “Tell me about your work, Jess.”

“I represent first time and repeat juvenile offenders, assessing their backgrounds, placing most in an alternative adjudication program in lieu of detention. It’s cost-effective, and we fortunately have a much higher success rate than the “system.”  I like keeping kids out of jail, and the placement for the least dangerous offenders involves ranch work. Kids get a healthy perspective, working with animals in the outdoors.”

“Wow, Jessie, that’s really positive.” Wyatt said and she could tell he was impressed.

Jessie couldn’t deny how good it felt, talking to Wyatt about her job. He’d always gotten her like no one else, and Jessie was hard on herself. It felt like old times, basking in his praise. Wyatt’s enthusiasm and approval had always meant a lot to her, too much probably, but he’d been as much a big brother as a boyfriend, and she didn’t have other family to speak of.

“Rodric McGreer’s my attorney. He’s wanted to open a branch office in Hobble Creek. He’d have a job, if you wanted it, but it sounds like the work might not be as rewarding as what you’ve already got,” Wyatt said.

A practice in Hobble Creek, with a clientele there, was a dream she could not even have imagined as a child. It would be far more lucrative then her current work, and would keep her close to Emilia, and Denise, and Mary and Lance.

And Wyatt.

She should have known to come armor-plated.

“Rodric’s mentioned it, Wyatt. It’s true, I’m not making the money I could be in private practice, but I couldn’t dream of leaving my kids. Advocating for lost souls like Linny and I used to be is what makes my life worthwhile.”

“Heck, Jess, you and Linny were never lost,” Wyatt scoffed.

“We got darn close,” Jessie answered carefully.

Wyatt leaned forward. She saw crinkly lines in the tanned skin around those damn gorgeous amber eyes that never seemed to leave hers. Beneath the table, she felt his denim clad thighs, rock solid, brush hers, bare beneath the silly cotton sundress she’d worn, and despite her best efforts, her nipples sparked, the charge racing down her spine, making her moist.

Jessie wished she could stay angry with Wyatt, but with all that tingling. Damn him.

His voice warmed. “Jessie, when I saw you in the church holding Emilia, I just wanted to take you both in my arms, and hold you close. Mockingbird Ranch is where you belong, Jessie, it’s where you’ve always belonged. I’ve wasted years without you, I see that now. What can I do to make it up to you, honey?” 

Jessie straightened, dug deep, found that armor amidst the glow in her belly, the peak of her nipples. It was with effort that she kept her voice calm.

“Wyatt, I appreciate you coming tonight, I do. We both made mistakes, not sticking by each other when we should have. But I can’t go back, I’m sorry. It’s been a really long time. I think we had our chance, and I think we blew it, both of us.”

Wyatt winced, and when he looked at her, his eyes were raw with pain. “You don’t mean that, Jess.”

Closing her eyes, Jessie felt exhausted. This was too much, with the uncertainty at work. “Look, I was up past midnight last night, with paperwork, and I’m beat. Are you heading back to Hobble Creek?”

“I’d stay here if you wanted me to,” Wyatt said, giving Jessie a long look, not backing down.

“Well, I’m sure Stacia would appreciate that,” she fired back, but not without melting a little, beneath the layers of steely resolve. “It’s late, and I’m tired, and sometimes tequila makes me bitchy. Let’s not do this right now, okay?”

Wyatt nodded, a slow, knowing smile crossing his face, his eyes never leaving hers, and Jessie couldn’t help being moved.

Years ago, he’d shown her time and again what she’d meant to him, and now here he was, trying again. Finishing the poppers, he swigged the last of his beer, and signaled for the check, still looking sturdy and dependable, not even the least bit annoyed.

She had to hand it to him.

Few men could lay it out like that and then take the rejection she’d delivered in stride.

He was barely fazed.

Which meant….He wasn’t giving up?

11

THE ARMADILLO

Saturday, June 18, 2016, 9:12 AM~Circle R Ranch, Hobble Creek, TX

Jessie settled into the cushioned wicker chair on Nicole’s porch, inhaling sweet lavender and admiring the bluebells as she heard the sweet call of a thrasher.

It was like a balm, after the week she’d had.

“I’m real glad you made it out this weekend, Jess,” Nicole said, setting a thermal carafe of coffee on the glass top table next to her.

“Me too, Nic, I’ve had so much on my mind, so it’s wonderful to have a spot like this to relax. I’m so glad to be here.”

“Work stuff?” Nicole asked, sensing Jessie’s worry.

Jessie let out a long, frustrated breath. “Despite our amazing success rate with juveniles, the court announced this week that its phasing out my program. It’s unbelievable! We have a phenomenal success rate, with close to zero recidivism. Many of our kids go onto trade school and even college. I’m still kind of reeling - it’s not just the idea of a job change, it feels like such a loss of something I totally believe in. I can’t stop thinking of what could happen to the kids we serve.”

“Oh, honey, how did that come about?”

“The female judge that manages our caseload was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed to take time off for chemo, so the new head judge, who’s apparently no friend of hers, just decided to scrap the entire program, citing a judicial shortage. Which is silly, because the court could easily appoint a master. He’s a jerk, and we’re all heartbroken.”