Wanted: Fairy Godmother (5 page)

“That’s not all.” Stan’s face tightened, his upper lip thinning into a straight line. “He’s trying to find me a wife so I can take over raising Marvin and Lance. That way it will keep the social worker from splitting us apart if Jake doesn’t live up to being a good guardian.”

Shock raced through Callie. “Did he tell you that?”

“Not directly.” Twin flags of color shot across Stan’s cheeks.

“We’ve been eavesdropping. It’s the only way we find out anything around here. Jake’s so quiet and doesn’t tell us a thing.” Marvin sent her a sheepish half-smile.

Lance leaned close, pinning her with his large, brown eyes. “After talking it over, we were hoping you were his girlfriend. If he was serious about you, he wouldn’t be thinking of leaving us. He’d want us to be one big happy family, right?”

“Hey!” Marvin straightened abruptly. “I got it. Callie can marry Jake. You like us, don’t you?”

“Yes, what I know of you.” She dragged out her words, her heart beating erratically. Had she allowed some morsel to slip out, or some expression to reveal her long-ago feelings?

“You wouldn’t throw us out and send us to boarding school like those other women wanted to, would you?”

“No, of course not.”
What kind of woman would do that to three needy orphans?
she wondered, affronted for the guys and appalled at the ladies. Thank heavens Jake hadn’t taken any of them up on their offer. Relief surged through her; Jake’s actions spoke louder than his denials. He cared a great deal about his family.

“Perfect. You’re the one. We just gotta convince Jake.”

“Wait one minute here.” She held up her hand as the other two joined their brother in a round of excited chatter.

Panic bubbled in her chest. If marriage suited Jake, he’d have tried it before resorting to hiring her. He longed for the rodeo circuit, not a wife.
Dear Lord,
she thought,
Jake will throw me out for certain if he found out what the boys were concocting, rearranging his life.
How could she stop them from ruining everything?

***

Tension clogged the air in the long, narrow bunkhouse. The silence seemed deafening to Jake’s ears. Taking a deep breath, he tilted his hand to show his poker buddies. “Two ladies.”

“I win again!” Gus Whittaker slapped down his winning hand, and then raked in his poker chips. His blue eyes twinkled behind his round spectacles. His long, white handlebar mustache twitched as he chuckled.

“Ah hell.” Jake threw down his cards in disgust. His mind certainly needed to stay focused on the game if he intended to win at all tonight.

Lester Whitefeather, the last player at the small wooden table, combed back his shiny black hair into a ducktail. His dancing dark eyes locked on Jake. “What’s the matter, Jake, that little filly distracting you?” he asked, chewing on a toothpick. He winked at Gus sitting across from him.

“I hear she’s a real looker.” Gus wriggled his bushy white eyebrows at Jake.

A mixture of dread and anxiety rippled through Jake. He sat forward, leaning his elbows on the table. “Who’ve you been talking to?”

Les answered instead, shifting his tall, lanky body to shove his comb in his back pocket. “Flossie, of course.”

“Damn woman,” Jake muttered between gritted teeth. “Don’t believe anything she says.”

“What, is this fairy godmother ugly or something?”

“No!” Jake’s answer shot out before he could think.

Gus chuckled as he gathered up the cards and began to shuffle the deck. “Yep, we heard lots of things, like how you and her were looking goo-goo eyed at each other.”

“Yeah, and how Flossie had to give her a reference for you.” Les joined in the growing laughter.

Jake scowled, thinking, with Callie living under his roof, he’d handed Rosebud County a steady source of rumors for some time to come. He prayed none would hurt Callie. He didn’t wish for her to suffer because of him. Turning the discussion away from him, he directed his next question to Gus. “What were you doing today, working or gossiping?”

“Gotta have lunch sometime, Jake. We picked up the supplies at the feed store just like you told us to. It just so happens the diner is the best place to eat in town. And Flossie’s the best waitress.”

“You mean the most talkative,” Jake complained, raking his hands through his hair, hoping Callie wouldn’t run at the nasty assumptions bound to reach her. His temple throbbed as a headache probed the edges of his mind.

“Gus is sweet on Flossie.” Les shot the older man a broad smile, a fresh toothpick clutched between his straight, white teeth. “He gets all red-faced when she’s flirting with him, just like he’s doing now. He must be thinking about doing the hokey-pokey with her. Look at his ears-they’re turning bright pink.”

“We’re just friends, not that I’d pass up a chance with the lady. Old Duke ruined her for the rest of us,” Gus said gruffly, dealing the cards around the table.

Tension knotted Jake’s shoulders. He rubbed the back of his neck, saying, “No one but Dad could keep Flossie in line.”

“Just like no one but Duke could have run this ranch the way it should be.” Gus stared pointedly at Jake over the rim of his spectacles.

Jake’s hackles rose. Dropping his cards, he balled his hand into a fist and rested it on his hip. “How did this place survive the rough times these last twelve years, Gus? My rodeo earnings, that’s how.”

“I’ll give you that much. You made the money and Duke parlayed it into a thriving ranching business once again. It’s his sharp mind that turned this place around and made damn sure your heirs will still have a ranch for years to come. They will if you keep your mind where it should be.”

“You saying I’m doing a lousy job, old man?”

“I call them as I see them. And what I see is you more concerned with riding bulls at the rodeos and wandering around on the open plains than keeping close tabs on the ranch.”

“And the three boys,” Les added. “Don’t look at me like that, Jake. You know we’re right. In all the years we grew up together, I ain’t never told you a lie and I’m not about to sugarcoat anything now. You got that scar to prove us right. That bull didn’t get out on his own; everyone knows it. Those cousins of yours forgot to close the gate and you paid the price trying to rescue one of them. And there ain’t no fairy godmother alive who’ll change them from city slickers to cowboys. We’ve told you a dozen times already.”

White-hot anger trailed a fiery path in Jake’s blood. He stood up quickly, knocking over his chair. It clattered to the floor. Leaning his fists on the wobbly table, he spat out, “I don’t have to take this from you two.”

“That’s right, you don’t,” Gus agreed, scooping up Jake’s cards. “Just remember you came looking for us, not the other way around.”

Jake straightened, glancing sharply from one man to the other. He had two choices: stay here and take more abuse from his longtime friends, or go back to the house to be bombarded with his cousins and the delectable Callie Andrews. He couldn’t go back to the house. He needed more time, crucial time to block out his body’s reactions to the sexy woman he’d hired.

Bending down, he grabbed the chair, set it on its legs, and then sat once again. “Deal me in. But I’m warning you, I’m not going to put up with any of your sass tonight.”

They laughed in his face.

“Now remember, we’re just bringing Jake and his ranch hands dessert, right?” Callie hooked her arm through Stan’s, leading the way to the bunkhouse. Horses, cows, and manure left a pungent scent hanging in the night air. Callie breathed in deeply, savoring the familiar surroundings.

Her heart expanded, threatening to leap out of her chest.
Lord, it’s so good to be back in Montana, back where I belong.
“If they ask us to stay and play cards, then we’ll be friendly and do so. And there’s to be no further talk about marriage, understand?”

“But, Callie, how will you two get together if you don’t make a move?” Lance asked in his high-pitched voice.

“Yeah, don’t you have to at least flirt or something?” Marvin moved beside her, clearly anxious for her reply.

She released a puff of air, and then roped in their blatant attempts by saying, “Each situation deserves a different approach. It depends on the person involved. In my case, if you’ve forgotten, I just met Jake today. On top of that, I’m working for him. It wouldn’t be to my advantage to… to…”

“Come on to him,” Stan inserted helpfully, glancing sideways at her.

She chuckled. “Right. So let’s take it one step at a time. I don’t even know if he likes me—”

“Oh boy, does he ever,” Lance said under his breath.

Her heart skipped a beat. Swallowing hard, she asked, “How do you figure that?”

“Haven’t you seen the way he looks at you?” Marvin asked incredulously. “It’s like the way Dad used to look at Mom when she didn’t know it. Well, sometimes she did, but you know what I mean.”

Stinging heat flooded her cheeks. A tingle sizzled through her veins. Could it be true? She quickly dismissed the ridiculous assumption as the guys’ wishful thinking. According to them, Jake had his pick of available women. So why would he choose her?

Clearing her throat, Callie said, “Let’s forget about that tonight and have some fun. I just decided if I can’t wangle an invitation to play cards, I’ll invite myself.” She wished for some kind of diversion to keep her mind off the things she’d learned.

And why had she not been more adamant with the boys that marriage was not on the agenda? To pacify them? Or fool herself?

A few minutes later, Callie rapped on the bunkhouse door. The short, distinct knock silenced the muffled voices inside. The sound of a chair scraping along the wooden floor rent the air, setting her teeth on edge. Heavy footsteps had an invisible hand squeezing her chest. What would their reception be like?

The door swung open abruptly. Light spilled out, illuminating the center of the porch. Callie pinned a smile on her frozen lips when Jake’s dark, foreboding features faced her. A waft of his musky scent drifted to her, making her slightly dizzy. She fought the weak-kneed feeling as he locked gazes with her.

Jake searched her pale face, frowning at this unwelcome sight. His body hummed with desire, echoing the need he’d tried to fight off for hours. He clamped down on the disconcerting emotions tumbling inside him. “What are you doing here?” The gruff, harsh words brought a slight grimace to her features.

“Nice to see you, too, Jake. We come bearing gifts.” Her voice sounded husky, sexy even. She darted out her pink tongue, licking her full bottom lip.

Dragging his thoughts out of the slop trough, he replayed her answer.
We?
he asked himself, and then spotted his cousins lurking in the dim edges of the light.

“Let ’em in, Jake. We can stand the new company,” Gus called out.

Les approached, slapping Jake on the shoulder. Jake winced inwardly at the sharp pain shooting through his bones. He moved to the side and watched his friend work his charm on Callie.

“Lookee here. Aren’t you the prettiest thing I’ve seen in ages? Come on in and join the party. There’s always room for a sweet little lady like yourself.” Lester crooked his arm, extending his elbow to her. He twisted the toothpick, smiling broadly around it.

“Well, my new pals and I don’t mind if we do.” She smiled brightly, and then slid her arm through his and walked inside.

Jealousy bolted through Jake’s chest. Gritting his teeth, he stomped down on the unfamiliar feeling, fighting his natural instinct to rip his friend’s arm out of its socket.

Making up his mind, Jake decided to find a willing woman and douse this burning need, quench his desire, and then carry on without thinking about this fairy godmother in any way but a businesslike fashion. The problem was he couldn’t think of even one woman’s name at the moment, couldn’t even dredge up a face. “Yes, please do come in.” His tone sounded sarcastic even to his own ears.

“Thanks, Jake,” Stan said, coming through the door. A tentative smile inched across the oldest boy’s thin face.

“Hey, man,” Lance said, following close behind and holding a platter of delicious smelling brownies.

Marvin turned a brilliant shade of red when he caught Jake’s scowl. “Hope we’re not bothering you.” He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably.

“Of course we’re not,” Callie chastised him gently. She broke away from Les and stepped beside Marvin. Patting the boy on the back, she glanced at Jake. “Isn’t that right, Jake? I’m sure you and your friends could use a snack and some new blood in your card game.”

The impish grin with the dimple playing at the corner of her mouth nearly drove him to distraction. Looking into her dazzling sea-green eyes didn’t help, either. His breath stayed trapped in his chest, stealing his ready denial. He just nodded instead, dumbfounded and lightheaded.

“I knew it,” she said excitedly, hugging him briefly. Her impulsive action even surprised her, Jake realized as her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink.

“Who’s playing?” Gus asked around a mouthful of brownie. “Name’s Gus, by the way. This here is Lester.”

Five minutes later, Callie sat across from Jake. Pure delight transformed her face to a radiant glow. The hot coil in his gut twisted, tugging tighter. A responding ache snapped through his groin, like a whip, leaving little room for comfort in his jeans.

Lord, he needed a woman and fast; that was the only reason he arrived at every time he questioned this strange fascination with Callie.

Babysitting his cousins these last several weeks and the heap of marriage proposals he’d been offered kept him miles away from fulfilling his baser needs. Hiring Callie solved both problems, sending a silent message: he wasn’t looking for a mother for his cousins or a wife for himself, now or ever.

“You ever play five card stud before?” Jake forced the words out between gritted teeth.

“A little here and there,” she answered evasively.

He studied her closely. She averted her stare, perusing the long, rectangular bunkhouse. The old wooden building served its purpose well. Empty bunks lined each wall. Only two stood with blankets on them. The stands beside each were littered with personal items. The winter season called for little help at the main ranch.