Wanted: Fairy Godmother (3 page)

“So, you know his family then.” Intrigued, Callie probed deeper. She vaguely recalled Jake’s father. Tall, barrel-chested and gruff, she pulled the memory to the forefront of her mind. No motherly figure emerged.

“Oh sure, his daddy was a doll, an absolute doll.
He
knew the importance of confiding in a friend.”

Callie caught the wink Flossie sent Jake and his momentary scowl. The interplay held hints of a strong, lasting friendship. Callie looked on with envy; she’d never stayed in one place long enough to make friends. A pang of loneliness struck a chord.
Always on the outside looking in.

“Is that adequate for you?” Jake folded his arms across his chest with one eyebrow arched.

“Well, I do have a few questions. Wages—”

He held up a hand. “Stop!” A smile of admiration flickered. “First, we’ll order, then we’ll discuss it in more detail, Fairy Godmother.”

Flossie chuckled. “So you finally found somebody, Jake.” Turning fully to Callie, the waitress narrowed her gaze. Keen interest shone brightly. “You know, honey, you sure do look familiar to me. I’m terrible when it comes to names, though. We ever meet before?”

Callie swallowed hard, trying to stop the panic from showing. Two pairs of very intent, very curious eyes pinned her. How in the world could she keep her identity a secret in order to save her new job?

Well-fed and content, Callie followed Jake to his house nearly an hour later. Her powder blue Volkswagen bus barely kept up with his black, beat-up truck as she tracked the trail of dust on the old country road. The long stretch of fields, snowcapped mountains peeking through billowy clouds, and cattle grazing in the distance caused a sweet ache to shaft through her.

“Jake Lassiter,” she whispered his name as she pulled into the long dirt driveway right behind him, driving under the impressive wooden archway announcing the family ranch.

Thoughts of living with Jake, being in close contact, stirred up old yearnings better left buried. Fear of losing her only job prospect in a month sealed her mouth, but, unfortunately for Callie, she failed to stem her wild imagination concerning the sexy cowboy.

Her heart had finally returned to its normal resting place once she’d brushed off Flossie’s question. Callie had joked that everyone had a twin somewhere in the world. Apparently, it had satisfied the waitress and Jake.

The best thing for her, she realized now, was to act natural around him. If he ever got a clue of her attraction to him in the past, her intuition suspected he’d kick her out. And right now she couldn’t afford to spur the bronc. The lifelong dream of owning Gramps’ ranch seemed closer than ever now with just a few short miles of roadway separating her from the old homestead.

“Home,” she said under her breath, excitement and anxiety warring within her middle. “I can’t let this chance slip away. I just can’t!”

Desperation fueled and cemented her decision. She’d settle her housing and work problems, become friends with Jake, get to know him better, and then she’d tell him the truth. Until then, she’d walk a very fine line indeed.

And maybe this strange tug in her center would ease. Or, after living in such close proximity to each other, Jake might start to see her as more than just a fairy godmother. “One can only hope,” she murmured, wishing for a family as well as a home. A sharp ache pierced her chest; she longed to be needed and loved.

Getting out of her van, she stared in awe at the large, sprawling three-story ranch house with the long front porch she vaguely remembered. The harsh afternoon sun revealed peeling white paint. The once black shutters and trim had turned a dull, dark gray. The dense, overgrown shrubbery and the crowded flowerbeds needed tending. For all its disarray, it held a certain indefinable charm.

She scanned her surroundings, taking in the gently rolling plains, softly mooing cows, the heavy, expectant scent of the coming of spring, the big old weathered barn, the many outbuildings sprinkled nearby, and the horseback riders dotting the range.

Joy surged through her veins as sweet, lingering glimpses of the past connected with the present.

Callie fell in love with the ranch immediately. A sense of well-being, peace, and belonging surged in her heart.

Jake moved to her side, shoving his sand-colored Stetson to the back of his head. “Welcome to the Lazy L. It’s a little big and needs some work.” He shrugged uncomfortably.

He’d actually thought she’d take one look and hightail it out of there; she read it in his behavior. His vulnerability touched a deep, tender spot inside her. After meeting far too many jaded men connected with her well-to-do employers, this was a pleasant surprise, a novelty. “It’s great. I love it!” She spoke the truth.

He visibly relaxed at her enthusiasm. A smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Really? I guess I thought it would be a little off-putting to most people.”

“Not at all.” Exhilaration danced along her nerve endings. Her luck had changed for the better, starting with this cowboy at her side. Callie looped her arm through his. Warmth seeped into her, spreading its comfort, filling the emptiness. Tilting her head back to look at him, she stilled. Her heart skipped a beat as the sun highlighted the golden flecks in his amber eyes. In a breathy voice she didn’t even recognize as her own, she said, “Come on, I can’t wait to meet the guys.”

***

“There’s something you should know before you meet my cousins,” Jake said, dropping her battered black suitcase on the cornflower-blue carpeted floor in what would now be Callie’s room. In the past, when his father was alive, Flossie stayed in here. The decor reflected her hidden side, tasteful and traditional. Colorful quilts and craft projects decorated the walls, making it the most feminine room in the all-male household.

Callie emerged from the compact bathroom just as Jake removed his hat. He placed it gingerly on the polished bare bureau top at his side.

“This is wonderful.” Her childlike glee warmed his heart, easing his anxiety. Her impish grin and twinkling green eyes sent sparks of delight coursing along his veins.

“I’m glad you like it. If there’s anything you need, I’ll be happy to supply it for you.” Somehow he felt a pressing need to please her. He tossed it aside, figuring it had to do with the tenuous business deal; he needed her to work her magic on his cousins.

What a surprise she’d been.
Young, witty, and with a streak of determination a mile long,
he mused. He’d been alert to everything about her, every move she made. He could study her all day and still be interested in knowing more, seeing more, and never tire of her. Alarmed at this unfamiliar, unsettling aspect to meeting a woman, Jake stomped down on his keen awareness of Callie.

“I’ve got everything I need. Thanks.”

He watched her take in the blue and white bedroom. The white bedspread, dotted with sprigs of blue and purple flowers, matched the drapes perfectly.
Flossie’s handiwork once again.

The gleaming walnut furnishings lent even more charm to the small, but functional, area. Suddenly, Jake realized how cold and stark the other rooms felt compared to this one. Why hadn’t he noticed how bleak his life, his home had become since losing Duke? And why had it taken meeting Callie Andrews to figure that out?

Dragging her attention back to him, Callie asked, “Did you say there was something else?”

Stuffing his hands in his back pockets, he shifted nervously. How could he sugarcoat this when he went to tell her? “Well…the guys don’t really know about you…yet.”

A deep frown knotted her brow. He longed to smooth her troubled expression away. But the urgent need for her services kept him rooted to the spot, rooted to his goal.

“Are you implying me, in specific, or the fairy godmother part, in general?”

He kicked himself mentally as new suspicions chased across her delicate features. “The whole thing.” He sighed heavily, waiting for her reaction.

“What?! I thought you asked them. I thought they agreed.” Outrage blasted him, pelting him as if she’d fired off a round of buckshot. She rested her fists on her hips and glared up at him.

 His heart lurched, plunged to his knees, and then shot up to his throat. He might have jeopardized the whole deal, costing himself his freedom, denying his cousins a happy, well-adjusted life.

“Just how in the world did you think you could get away with this? What if they don’t want to change? Have you ever thought of that?”

Her rapid-fire questions made him shrink inwardly. Shame burned twin spots into his cheeks. Hell, he hadn’t thought of anyone but himself.

Remorse bathed him; he’d never even considered the guys’ feelings in all this. They deserved better than that, better than he could ever give them. Hadn’t he just proved that? He grimaced, holding up his hands to ward off any more grilling. “I’ll work on it.” Doubt and mistrust clouded her features. “I promise.”

“Jake Lassiter, you will inform your wards of everything or I’ll…I’ll leave right now.” Bending down, she snatched up the suitcase he’d just dropped.

Raw, gripping panic exploded inside him. Quickly, he clamped a hand on the handle of the black, boxy case, touching hers. A thrill spread from the point of contact up his arm. Shoving the reaction to her touch aside, Jake said, “You can’t walk out now. Come on, Callie.”

She tugged on the loose handle, pulling the suitcase to her side. “I don’t believe you’re going to tell them.”

Hurt, fresh as an open wound, ripped through his chest. He pulled on the case, bringing it back to him. “I’ll tell them. Everything! All in good time.”

“That’s not good enough.” Her strength as she hauled the suitcase toward her surprised him. “I won’t be a part of an ambush. You should have told me you were being sneaky and underhanded. I’ll go now.”

“You can’t leave me high and dry like this. You’re bluffing, right?” He held his breath, waiting for her to agree.

“I’m not!”

“You’re my only chance.” He yanked on the handle. She came with the suitcase, propelled into his chest. Her gasp, a short puff of air, stirred a cauldron of banked desire.

Jake immediately grabbed her to him with his right hand to steady her. Dropping the case she’d released, he wrapped both arms around her.

He swallowed, his breath ragged. “Callie,” he whispered, inhaling deeply.
Wildflowers
, he thought.

A sweet ache of remembrance sliced through him at the intoxicating fragrance. Images of riding on the open plains flashed in his mind. A free-spiritedness he’d felt then seized him. Now, pressing Callie Andrews against him, Jake lost all sense of time and place.

She fit snugly against him.
Small and delicate,
he mused.
And all woman,
he added as he became aware of her full, round breasts pressed firmly into his hard chest.

Leaning down, he rubbed his stubbled jaw on the silky texture of her honey-blonde hair. The rasping sound brought him back to reality. He’d gone too damn long without a woman. And now, when he held one close, he let his libido guide him instead of his common sense.

He set her away from him. He sucked in a sharp breath at the mixture of awe and amazement etched in her features. His heart rate sped up, thundering in his ears.

Her eyelids drooped, threatening to close. Slowly, Jake brought his head forward as if a magnet drew him to her pouty lips.

A loud, vibrating crash came from the other side of the house. He reared back from Callie.

Jake whipped around, and then dashed out of the room. In the back of his mind, he realized Callie followed close on his heels.
What in the world had the boys gotten into now?
he wondered, breaking through the haze of desire that shrouded his body.

He cursed his bad luck, and then instantly blessed the interruption. What the hell did he think he was doing? Callie Andrews would not lure him into her bed, no matter what. It would ruin everything.

Callie rushed after a fleeing Jake, her body still highly aware of what might have been.

A fleeting remembrance of the ranch house washed over her once again as she absently noted each room as she flew down the stairs, and then the hallway: the huge foyer, the formal dining room, the big impressive living room, small den, and lastly an office. All the rooms showed definite signs of the masculine occupants, and none of the feminine touches in her room.

Gasping for breath, she stopped as Jake came to an abrupt halt in the doorway of the office. Her heart hammered wildly.
And not just from the sprint,
she confessed. Being in the safe shelter of Jake’s arms put a warmth in her cheeks and the erratic beat in her chest.

So much for remaining strictly friends with him for the time being,
she thought wryly. He didn’t play fair. Jake had a set of his own rules, she realized, thinking how he’d conned her into the job under false pretenses. How could he have gone behind his cousins’ backs without mentioning the transformation process she needed to perform in order for them to become full-fledged cowboys? Was he always this cunning?

Gathering her wits, Callie made a silent pledge to herself. She’d work her magic on Jake, convincing him to tell his family the truth even if that meant putting a wedge between them. Her childhood and the many lies she’d been told came back to haunt her. She’d never participate in deception where Jake’s cousins were concerned.

She could make out little of the room around Jake’s large frame. She noticed papers littering the floor as if a tornado had whipped through the large enclosure, leaving the disheveled appearance in its wake.

Jake shoved his hands in his hair, raking them through the length. “What the—”

“It was an accident, I swear,” a high-pitched male voice croaked.

Callie nudged Jake aside, feeling the heat of his body when she touched his rock-solid back. She curled her fingers into her palm, wishing to hold onto that alluring warmth. He moved slightly and she snuck into the room.