Hotter than Texas (Pecan Creek) (26 page)

“I
said
, it was a telescope.” Lucy beamed. “He knows every star and every constellation in the sky, Sugar.”

Sugar stared at her sister. “Oh, I see.”

Lucy nodded. “It’s so romantic, Sugar, I can’t even tell you. I think I fell like a rock for him right then.”

“Oh my God.” Jake came in the front door, and Sugar looked at him. She’d fallen pretty hard for Jake too, though she wouldn’t admit it. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“Jake’s into astronomy too?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked him.” She should. As soon as she got him alone, she’d ask him a lot of things.

Jake slid into his seat. “Is everything all right?” Sugar asked.

“Yeah.” He drank his beer, waved the waitress over with another one.

Sugar glanced at Lucy, not convinced. Clearly Jake wasn’t going to discuss it. Lucy shrugged and picked up a carrot stick, nibbling at it.

“Bobby left,” Lucy said, and Jake said, “Yeah. I saw him leave.”

Cat and Evert leaned close to the table. “Should we go check on Kel?”

“No. Kel’s going to go cool off. He’ll be fine.”

Lassiter stood up, helping Maggie gather her purse and new cell phone Lucy and Sugar had insisted she purchase. “We’re going to head out, kids.”

Sugar was relieved that Lassiter was taking her mother home. She went to hug Maggie. “I love you, Mom.”

Maggie gave her and Lucy a warm hug back. “I love you both so much. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sugar returned to her seat. “Wow,” she said to Lucy. “I think Mom’s getting swept off her feet.”

Lucy picked up another carrot. “Given her good news today, I would too, if I were in her shoes.”

Bobby pulled up in his camo truck. “Hey, Lucy!”

Lucy stood. “Hey, what?” she yelled back.

“Wanna go look at the stars down by the creek?”

Lucy hugged Sugar good-bye, hugged Cat, then Evert, then Jake. “You kids be good!” She shot out the door, hopping up on the running board as she launched herself into Bobby’s truck.

“I did not see that coming,” Cat said, laughing.

“None of us did.” Sugar smiled.

Jake sighed. “Sugar, would you mind if I call it an early night?”

“That’s fine with me.” She looked up at him. “You got water in your ear?”

“No. I’m fine.” He shook his head, paid the tab.

Sugar blinked. She’d been teasing, trying to throw him a hint. He totally hadn’t bitten.

“I hate getting water in my ears,” Cat said. “I always had to use that swimmer’s ear stuff when I swam on our team.”

“Yeah.” Jake nodded. “I used to get ear infections when I was a kid. No fun.”

“Sometimes when Cat is lecturing me, I pretend like I’m hard of hearing,” Evert said with a grin.

“When do I lecture you?” Cat asked, mock-exasperated.

“I don’t know. I figure you will after we get married. I’m going to be the old guy who gets a hearing aid and turns it down when he doesn’t want to hear his wife.”

“Romantic,” Jake said.

“Married?” Cat said. “When did we decide we were getting married?”

Sugar and Jake looked at Evert. His handsome Droopy Dog face lit with mischief as he winked at Jake. “I’m hoping right now.”

He got down on one knee and took Cat’s hand in his. “Cat Jenkins, will you marry me, so I can spend my life as the happiest man on the planet?”

“Oh my God!” Cat’s hands flew to her mouth. She stared at Evert. “Yes. Yes, I will!” She threw her arms around Evert, and he lifted her off her feet, twirling her around Pecan Fanny’s. She locked her legs around Evert’s waist, and he carried her out the door, beaming.

“That’s a shocker,” Jake said. “No one tells me anything.”

Sugar smiled. “Busy day in Pecan Creek.”

“Yeah. It was.” Jake threw some tip money on the table. “I can’t really top that exit.”

“Oh, come on.” Sugar smiled at him, taking her hand in his. “We could walk on our hands. That would be an exit.”

Jake looked at her. “We need to talk.”

The smile slid from Sugar’s face. His handsome face was so serious that Sugar knew whatever it was Jake wanted to talk about, she wasn’t going to like it.

She kind of envied Cat’s freestyle exit, and Lucy going off with her camo-truck-driving date, and even Maggie’s demure ride off into the sunset with Lassiter. “If we need to, we need to.”

Jake stood. “We need to. In fact, we needed to a long time ago.”

Chapter Nineteen

Jake helped Sugar into his truck and picked the road to the creek. Maybe in the proper soothing atmosphere Sugar wouldn’t kill him when she heard everything he had to say to her.

He’d rather be serving back under barking commanders than hurt Sugar.

He parked his truck beside the creek, rolling down the windows before shutting off the engine. Then he turned to face her. “Sugar, you’re the coolest, hottest chick I’ve ever met.”

She waited, looking at him, her eyes huge in the darkness. Jake tried to gather his thoughts. “I’ve really made a mess of this whole thing,” he said.

“What whole thing?”

“Me. You. Us.” He picked up her hand, held it in his. She was so delicate, her skin so smooth. It was hard to imagine her flying helicopters. But she was a warrior, and he knew it. “Kel was upset tonight because Lucy was out with Bobby.”

“I know you said you thought he might have a thing for her, but—”

“It’s not really a thing. I sort of downplayed it, hoping it would go away. And actually, I’d forgotten about it.” He looked at Sugar. Mainly, he thought about Sugar, and that was all he wanted to do, which made him a pig, he supposed, but what normal man wouldn’t rather think about a woman with long legs and a welcoming smile than a buddy who had sex problems? “But unfortunately, Kel has not forgotten about Lucy.”

“He’s going to have to,” Sugar said sharply. “Lucy’s really, really into Bobby.”

“Did she say that?”

“In complete detail. Trust me, Lucy does not fall for men lightly. In fact, she never has, not one.” Sugar sighed, lacing her arms across her body as if she was cold. Jake sat still, letting Sugar think about what she wanted to say, even though he wanted to pull her into his arms in the worst way.

“For some reason, Bobby German sends my sister’s fireworks into the sky.”

Jake shook his head. “I can hardly believe your sister and Bobby German. On the other hand, all I can say is damn, what a lucky guy he is. Your sister is exactly the kind of thing Bobby needs in his life.”

“But that leaves Kel,” Sugar said, and Jake said, “He’ll have to deal with it. What Kel has going on for Lucy is entirely different from what Bobby feels for her.”

“Got it.” Sugar looked at him. “Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“No.” He held her hand to his lips, hoping this wasn’t the last time he ever got to kiss her. There was no easy way to make this confession; he deserved her dumping him cold. “Sugar, I’m real happy about your business. I’m thrilled our house is working out for you.”

“I so hear a but in there.”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “The thing is, the town council voted down you advertising your business on the Pecan Creek billboard.”

“Why?”

“They don’t like the name of your company. They don’t want that on the billboard leading into town,” Jake said honestly. “The curse word in the business name doesn’t reflect the image they’ve cultivated for years of PC being a family town.”

“Oh,” Sugar said. “That means business cards at the parade are out too.”

“Yeah.” Jake sighed. “I did my best. I really tried to point out that your business will bring in revenue, and it’s no different from any other online business in town.”

Sugar blinked. “Other online businesses?”

“Yeah. We have a few. But they don’t advertise their products in a way that PC finds antifamily.”

Sugar looked at him. “You didn’t want to tell me this.”

“No. I really didn’t.”

“How long have you known?” Sugar’s eyes pierced him in the darkness.

“I never brought it up before the council until this week,” Jake admitted. “I didn’t know if you were going to be able to get your business off the ground. Once Maggie remembered her recipes and I saw that you had a winner, I took it to the council. They turned it down flat.”

“I would like the opportunity to present my business to the council myself,” Sugar said stiffly.

“It won’t do any good.” In fact, it would make everything worse. Vivian was already thinking about not renewing the Cassavechias’ lease. She so hated them that now that she had the ammo of a business being run without permits and health inspection requirements, she wouldn’t think anything of blowing the proverbial whistle on them. Vivian would help them pack their bags if it meant getting them out of PC. “They won’t change their minds.”

“I deserve the chance to defend my business.” Sugar’s tone was tense, unbending.

“I know,” Jake said, not mentioning that he’d had to take up the mayor’s mantle in order to pacify Vivian so she wouldn’t kick them out of the family home. “Please believe me when I say you don’t want to do anything to exasperate the council. If you lay low and run your business under the radar, like everyone else in PC, the whole thing will blow over.”

“Under the radar like you do?” Sugar glared at him. “Is your mother going to always run everything in your life? She doesn’t even know you own the Bait and Burgers.”

“I know. And I’m not telling anyone but you that I just bought out Pecan Fanny’s.” He sighed. “I have an acquisitive streak.”

“You sure do. You ass.” Sugar opened the truck door. “You made love to me and you knew your mother was going to vote me down and make certain everyone else did too. But in your acquisitive streak, you decided to acquire me first.”

She was mad, and he couldn’t blame her. “It really wasn’t like that,” he said, getting out to walk beside her as she stormed off toward the main road. “I really had forgotten about Hotter than Hell Nuts when we made love.”

“That’s funny,” Sugar said, “because I sure as hell never forget about my family’s livelihood.”

“I didn’t mean that.” Jake grabbed her arm, which she jerked away from him. “I meant I forgot about the billboard.”

“Although you managed to remember to fob your mayor duties off on my mother, knowing very well we hoped to get to advertise in the parade.”

“Sugar, listen to me,” he said, trying to turn her toward him.

She lashed out with a slap to his gut that reminded him she’d been through basic and was no lightweight who couldn’t defend herself. “Christ,” he said, “Sugar, I dig you. I really, really dig you. I’m no Prince Charming, but I’d do anything to make you happy, I swear to God I would.”

She kept walking. Jake stopped following her, massaging his midsection where she’d landed a fairly decent blow. Walking with her was just going to get him in more trouble, and he was already in it up to his neck. Jake sighed. He couldn’t blame her for being mad as hell. Everything she said was true. He’d made love to her, he’d gotten as far into her zone as fast as he could, before he had to confess that she was getting nothing that she wanted—needed—from PC.

Or from him.

He went back to his truck, starting it up. Turning his lights on low, he followed along behind Sugar, hoping she’d change her mind and get in and let him take her home. He wasn’t sure if the rule book existed concerning women who wouldn’t let you take them home even when they had every right to be pissed as hell, but it wasn’t safe for any woman—or man—to walk alone a fairly deserted road, so he followed fifteen feet back, lighting her way, keeping an eye on her.

She walked all the way to his family home. He waited until she unlocked and opened the front door. His heart zoomed when she turned around. Maybe she’d worked off her steam. Maggie and Lucy were out for the night; maybe she’d invite him in so they could talk it all out.

She flipped on the porch light and went inside, closing the door. A moment later, she let Paris out for her late-night constitutional while she watched over her dog, still ignoring Jake.

They went back inside, and lights switched on in the upstairs. His gaze went instantly to the
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
room—and then the curtains opened.

He stared, hoping Sugar would give him a wave.

She slowly pulled off her top and bra, languidly smoothing her hands along her breasts to cup, peaking the nipples with her fingertips, arching her back so the moonlight caught every curve as she turned in profile.

He grew an instant tent pole in his jeans.

She shut the curtains with a snap.

“
Damn
,” Jake muttered. Now he had a major problem to keep him up all night—and that torture was exactly what Sugar had in mind.

It was going to be a hellishly long night.

Sugar closed the heavy drapes of the
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
room, annoyed with Jake and even more annoyed with herself for caring. She’d known he could be Jake the Snake. He was a major snake-oil salesman. Why should she be shocked that he was so good in bed and had such an effect on her when he was such a smooth-talker?