Baby Girl: Dare to Love (8 page)

Jemma nodded.  Another piece to the puzzle.  “I don’t each much spicy food.  Especially, with Kassie.  She has such a picky appetite.  Today we had fish tacos for lunch, she didn’t want the coleslaw on hers.”

“So it was just fish and a tortilla,” Kyle said.  “Sounds like my niece.  The last time they were at the ranch it was my Dad’s birthday and he loves steak.  Well, Cara didn’t want that.  She ended up having a hamburger.”

Jemma shook her head.  “I’m glad I’m not alone.”  Perhaps they weren’t that different after all.  “Tell me about when you lived in Austin.”

“Conversation shift, I like it.  To be honest, I barely remember living in Austin.  My marriage was falling apart, I felt like I was drowning.”

“So what did you do?”

“I came back home and worked on the ranch.  A few years ago, my dad decided it was time for him to step down from running the ranch.  So I started learning all I could.  I’ve been the ranch manager for about three years.”

“So do you like it?”

“Yes, before I came back home, I had high blood pressure, cholesterol problems, overweight, and other issues.  I wasn’t made for an office,” he admitted.  “At the ranch, I feel free.”

She tried to hold back her feelings, but couldn’t.  Janna had warned her this would happen.  Tears trickled down her face. She tried to wipe them away discreetly. 

“Jemma, is something wrong?”

She shook her head.  “I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine,” he said calmly.  “So you might as well tell me what you’re feeling.”

Of all the men she could have dated, she would have to pick a psychologist. “All right.  You described how you feel now.  Free.  Some days that’s how I feel.”

“Explain.”

“When I was married, we both worked crazy hours.  Mom took care of Kassie mostly.  Then when he died, between the insurance, and other payouts, I could take an early retirement. I know it makes me sound awful, but I feel so free now.  I can spend time with Kassie, my sister, my parents and just relax.  I didn’t know how run-down I was until I wasn’t working seventy hours a week.”  She wiped more tears away.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t meant to get all weepy on you.”

“It’s all right, Jemma.   You’ve been through a lot.  You have a lot of pent up emotions about your husband and they’ll have to come out sooner or later,” Kyle said. 

The waiter returned with their food.   She loved Italian food, especially anything with prosciutto in it.  She took a bite of her chicken and savored the aroma, the texture and finally the taste of organic free-range chicken, stuffed with bacon.  Oh yeah, she was definitely going to have to work out after a meal like this. 

Kyle’s meal looked just as appetizing.  The seafood was sitting on a bed of pasta and was garnished with parsley.  “Romano cheese, sir?”  The young man asked. 

“No, thanks.”  Kyle took a bite of his food.  “I’m good.”

The waiter nodded and left the table.  Kyle took another bite.  “How’s your food?”

Thankful for something else to talk about.  “Delicious. I miss meals like this.”

“I wish I could cook meals like this for you,” he said.  “Truth is, I can barely make a hot dog.”

She laughed.  “Oh, I can cook like this.  I’m a foodie.  I love all kinds of food, but Italian is my favorite.”  She took another bite of the delicious meal.  “So what happens if your mother is sick?  Your parents takes a vacation?”

“I eat a lot of takeout,” he said. 

“Why don’t you learn to cook?”

“I don’t know.  I guess I hadn’t thought about it.”

Jemma imagined his mother spoiled him.  “It’s not that hard.  I’d be happy to teach you the basics. So you’d be able to feed yourself if the case arise.”

“You’ve got a deal.”

Jemma hoped her offer would not bite her in the butt.  He’d been so helpful with Kassie, there wasn’t much she’d refuse this man.

Kyle struggle to maintain his calm exterior.  Inside his brain, he was jumping up and down in celebration.   Jemma offered to give him cooking lessons.  This had to be a sign.

Once they finished their meal and he’d paid for their dinner, he escorted her out of the restaurant.  “What do you say to a drive in the country instead of the going to the dessert place?”  He put his arm around her waist as they waited for the valet to return with his car.

“Why?”  She peered at him with those beautiful green eyes. 

“I thought we could talk in private,” he said honestly.  “I’m going to show you the most serene place in Tarrant County.”

“Is this anything like, come and see my artwork?”

“More like come and see the horses,” he jokes.  “No, this is a real place.  I go there a lot when I can’t sleep.” 

“Is that often?” 

“Sometimes,” he said.  “I’m in negotiations for about 12 horses.  It’s my first deal solo, so I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing.”

She moved closer to him.  “I can imagine that’s a lot of pressure.”

“You have no idea.” He leaned down and kissed her on the lips. 

The car arrived before they could get into any trouble.  

NINE

Jemma relaxed against the leather interior as Kyle drove to the countryside.  Everything so far that evening had been perfect.  Now she peered through the sunroof at the moonlight.  Jazz music played through the speakers, and Kyle was gently caressing her hand.  She felt very content. 

They drove passed the ranch, further into the countryside.  Jemma had no idea where they were going.  She had assumed it was somewhere on the ranch, but like most of her other assumptions, she was wrong. 

He turned down a dark, desolated road.  Alarms started going off in her head.  “Um, Kyle?”

“Yes.”

“Where exactly are we going?”  She couldn’t see anything but darkness.  She was out in the country with this white man and no cell phone.  How would they find her?  Her mind buzzed with news-story headlines.  Calm down, girl.  He’s not going to harm you.  Slowly, her overactive imagination calmed down to rational, coherent thoughts. 

He stopped the car, let the windows down, and cut the engine.  Once her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she saw it.  “It’s beautiful.”  She inhaled deeply.  “It doesn’t smell like a ranch or anything.”  It was too small to be a lake, she guessed it had be a pond of some sort.  It was a quiet, serene place.  She easily imagined a picnic.

He chuckled as he unclipped his seat belt.  “Actually, this is part of the ranch.  It’s not used often.   Dad was trying to start a stock tank of fish.  The doctor wanted him to start eating more seafood about ten years ago.”

“Heart attack?”  Jemma knew that scenario well.  Jared’s Dad had the same problem.  Damn it, she thought.  She was doing it again.  Why did she keep bringing that man into their date?

“Myocardial infarction.  Doctors ordered him to slow down.  But Dad doesn’t do slow.  Although I have been running things, he still has his hand in the ranch.  The horse deal is the first one I’m doing totally on my own.  I had to research it, see how it affects the business, and if we really need that many horses.”

“How many horses are there at the ranch?” 

“Currently, we have about seventy-five horses on the ranch. We have about fifty for riding purposes. The others are our personal horses.  Normally, we have some for sale.  Just last month, we sold fourteen horses.”

“Wow!” Jemma couldn’t keep the amazement out of her voice.  “It’s that a lot?”  She thought it was much like selling a house. 

“Yeah, I mean we normally sell a few per month.  The horses we sell are trained, so that drives the price up.  A good horse trained and ready to compete can run up to twenty five thousand dollars.  Ours run between five and twenty thousand.”

“Wow! I never knew how much a horse could cost that much.” 

He moved closer to her.  “I really didn’t want to talk about horses, I want to talk about you.” 

“What about me?”  She inhaled the aroma of his cologne.   She shifted in her seat.  He was much too close. 

“I know you were dedicated to your husband and rightly so.  I know how difficult it can be to process grief, especially when you have others depending on you, such as your daughter.  I have a feeling you haven’t grieved for your husband.”

How did he know her so well so fast?  “I don’t follow.”

“Jemma, you bring him into the conversation constantly.  Then when you try not to, it still happens.”  He turned to face her and grabbed her hands and brought them to his lips.  “I want us to be honest with each other.  I don’t have a problem with your talking about your husband.  You’ve been keeping a lot to yourself.  I don’t why you think you’re not allowed to grieve, but right here, right now, you have the right to grieve.  You won’t be able to go forward if you don’t.”  He kissed her hands again.  “And I want us to be able to go forward.”

Darn that man, Jemma thought as the first tears trickled down her face.  “I know I never sat down and actually cried for him.  He had died so suddenly, there wasn’t time.  I was concerned about Kassie, his parents, and family.”  She wiped away more tears.

“I started my blog because I was in this neutral state.  Janna suggested it as a way to process everything that had happened.  It was working for a little while, then I noticed Kassie was having problem adjusting to life without her father. Janna convinced me to move to Mansfield and to enroll Kassie in horse riding lessons.” 

“Well, I’ll have to thank Janna.”  He started the car.  “I don’t have any tissues in my car.  My place is not that far and you can, you know…”

She knew she looked a hot mess.  Crying like a crazy would do that to a person. “Thank you,” she said.  She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. “Thank you, for not telling me how awful I look.”

“You’re always beautiful to me.”  He put the car in gear and headed to the road. 

Once they were at the ranch, everything was different.  Jemma thought he’d park at the business office, but he parked in the garage behind his house.   She knew he lived in the ranch manager’s cottage, she just didn’t know what that meant.

Once they entered the house, he turned on the lights, and her jaw dropped.  The living room was tidy, everything had a place.  The TV remote set on the wooden coffee table along with a box of tissues.   The aroma of coffee wafted through the house. 

“Looks like my Mom has been here since I left,” Kyle said.   “Would you like something to drink?  Coffee or wine?”  He motioned for her to sit on the worn leather couch.

“Yes.  A glass of wine will be fine.”  She glanced around looking for the bathroom.  “Where’s the bathroom?”

“Sorry, it’s down the hall.  First door on the right.”  He headed for the kitchen.  

Jemma walked down the hallway, noting the pictures on the wall.  They were photos of his parents, and she’d guess his brother and sister with their families.  There wasn’t any pictures of Kyle.  For some reason that bothered her.  She located the bathroom.  Except it wasn’t just a bathroom, this was his bedroom.  

The large room was just as neat as the living room.  His king-sized bed was made of the same heavy wood as the coffee table.  It stood regal in the center of the room.  She reasoned that the bathroom had to be near.  She walked toward the back of the large room, and noticed the bathroom. 

She stepped inside and closed the door.  “Wow!”  She whispered, taking a good look around the place.  Everything was immaculate.  The counter was clear of any objects.  Not even a razor, aftershave or cologne.  She saw her image in the mirror and gasped.  If Kassie saw her right now, she’d probably scream. 

Her mascara had ran, her face was splotchy from all her crying jags.   She certainly hoped this emotions had leveled out.  Quickly washing her face, she joined him back in the living room. 

He’d taken off the jacket and now was sitting on the sofa.  He instantly stood the minute she came into view.  “I was beginning to wonder what happened to you.” 

“Sorry, was just admiring your furniture in the bedroom.  That’s Hildago furniture?”  She asked of the very expensive custom made furniture. 

He poured them each a glass of wine.  “Yes, it is.  The owner is a friend of Dad’s.  I had the bed custom made when I moved back.  I’ve had everything made; the coffee table, couch, and the dining room table.  I probably slept on the couch for a year, while I was waiting for the bed to be made.”

She thought the couch was comfortable but didn’t think it was that comfortable.  “Wow, why didn’t you sleep at your parents?”  She took a sip of the wine.  It was so cold and smooth. 

“I love my parents, but I didn’t want them to pity me for coming home.  Mom would have fussed over me and Dad would have given me comfort.  I needed to be by myself for a while.  That first year, I ate a lot of take out, until Mom had had enough.”

Jemma nodded.  “Yeah, I couldn’t see Tesla taking that ‘poor me’ attitude long.”

“Hey, we’re you in the house when she said that.  Now, I normally eat breakfast there after my run and dinner after the office closes.”

“You run?”  She took another sip.  She couldn’t see him running, but he had to do something to look that good.

He nodded, leaning back on the couch.  “Yes, I run about five miles every morning.  My mom cooks old school style. She fries most foods, so I have to do something.  Plus, it helps me stay on top of things.  When I run, I can see if there’s any problems with the horses, the fences, or the ranch hands.”

He was so not the man she thought he was.  He had many complicated layers.  She certainly couldn’t judge a book by his cover, this man was an enigma!

Kyle couldn’t have asked for a better alternative to the date he’d planned.  Although he wasn’t putting the moves on her, it was nice to enjoy her company. There was still a lot of grief she was holding in, but he’d have to wait.  Professionally, he knew it wasn’t healthy to hold it in, he could see why she had.  Everything in her life revolved around Kassie.  It was like Jemma turned off her wants and needs to focus on her child. Admirable, but not a good choice.  He was going to have to break down that wall.

“Would you like to watch a movie or something?”

She took another sip of wine, set her glass on the table, and looked at him. “I’d much rather talk.”

“Okay.”  He set his glass on the table.  “Sure, let’s talk.”  He eyes kept falling on her cleavage. 

“I’m so grateful that Kassie is speaking, however limited.  What do you hope to gain from dating me?”

“Gain?  What do you mean?”

“I’m asking because Kassie is going to come first, no matter what. I’m 38 years-old.  I know guys like you, handsome, rugged, and well-off, have women falling all over you.  I saw how those women were checking you out at the restaurant. I guess I’m just saying that it’s been a really long time since I’ve been with someone other than Jared. I don’t have time for a game.  I want honesty.”

Kyle slowly digested her words.   He couldn’t blame her for being suspicious. “I want the same thing.  Men were watching you, too.  You’re a beautiful woman.  I was attracted to you the first day.  But it wasn’t your looks, it was the care you had for your daughter. You were willing to do whatever it took for her.  That takes courage.”

“Really?” She grinned.  “I was just doing the best for my baby girl.  Thank you for being honest.”  She reached for her wine glass and took a healthy sip.

Kyle watched her.  “I’ll always be honest with you.”  He reached for her hands and moved to her, slipping his arms around her.  They leaned back against the couch.  “You’re my first date since my divorce.” 

“Seriously? But…” 

“What?” 

“You’re so handsome. Muscles galore,” she said in a whisper against his shirt. 

“Thank you, but I wasn’t ready to date.”

“And now?”  She sat up and looked at him.  Those green eyes searing his soul.

“Now, I think I’m going to go crazy if I don’t do this.”  He leaned down and kissed her.  He’d told himself he wasn’t going to kiss her, but hormones were a crazy thing.  Her lips were soft, and tasted like fruit from the wine.  He’d just meant to give her a light kiss, but somewhere between his brain and her lips, had him wanting a whole lot more.  He deepened the kiss, and pulled her closer to his body. 

She moaned, giving him access to the inside of her mouth.  Kyle thought he’d lost his mind, but he wasn’t going to lose this opportunity.  He bit her bottom lip before plunging his tongue inside her mouth.  Her hot breath sent his already shot hormones over the edge. 

Jemma ran her fingers through his hair, reluctantly ending their power struggle.  “Oh my goodness, Kyle.”  Her chest heaved up and down.  “You’re sending crazy shivers through my body.”  

He wanted and needed more.  He kissed her again, this time their dance started slow, he planted kisses all over her face and neck before heading back to her lips.  “You’re doing crazy things to me, too.”  He dipped his tongue inside her mouth and this time he showed no mercy.  He heard her moan, but her hands were roaming his chest and shoulders.

Kyle let his hands linger over her breasts.  He eased her down on the couch without breaking the kiss.  His body flushed against hers.  For a second, her saw the look of fright in her eyes.  She didn’t take her hands away, but fear was creeping into the moment. 

“You okay?” They were a breadth apart.   He watched her carefully, ready to put a halt to the action if necessary.  He so hoped that would not be the case.

She nodded, but didn’t speak.  She licked her lips.  “Fine,” she whispered.  “In fact, I hadn’t felt this good in a long time,” she said against his lips. 

His kissed her again, loving the feel of his body against hers, he wanted to savor this moment. They both laid there in silence, not moving, not talking, just holding each other.  Then he heard it.  A light snore. 

Jemma had fallen asleep.  

Kyle quickly eased his body off hers.  He watched her for a moment, wondering what to do.  Let her sleep, he thought, snuggling against her.  He hugged her closer to him and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Jemma snuggled into the heat behind her.  She hadn’t felt this rested since….” Her eyes popped opened.  Kyle.  She was still at Kyle’s place.  Why?   Kassie?  “Oh, no!”

Kyle woke instantly.  “What? What’s wrong?”  He rubbed his face.  “What time is it?”

She glanced around the room.  The sun was creeping up, so she easily spotted the time.  “Oh, my goodness.  It’s after six in the morning.  Kassie will be looking for me.”