Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger (20 page)

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Authors: Lori Copeland

Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #General, #Contemporary, #Westerns, #test

BOOK: Playing for Keeps/A Tempting Stranger
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through his mind this morning: the pigsty of a house, the horrendous meal.
She jumped out of bed, pulled on a pair of old jeans she took from her closet, and grabbed a soft yellow cotton T-shirt on the way to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Picking up her hairbrush, she brushed rapidly through the tangled black silk until it crackled in the early morning air. Satisfied she was presentable, she turned from the mirror and hurried to the kitchen.
The smell of coffee perking and ham frying in the large iron skillet on the stove assailed Eric's nostrils as he entered the kitchen a little later.
''Good morning, pretty lady," he said cheerfully. "What's got you out of bed so early on a dreary morning like this?"
"Good morning to you," she called back, her voice showing the affection she had for Jason's younger brother. "How about some breakfast?"
Eric's face paled slightly before he pleaded, "Just coffee, please. My stomach is a little queasy this morning."
"Nonsense." Jessica smiled. "I owe you a decent breakfast after what I put you through last night. Sit down, Eric, I promise you your meal will be different this morning."
He let out a long breath as he pulled out the chair at the kitchen table and settled his long frame in it. "I got to tell you, Jessie, that meal hung heavy on my stomach all night. I'm afraid I've cleaned you out of Alka-Seltzer," he added shamefacedly.
Jessica giggled as she placed a thick mug of hot coffee before him. He sat up straighter and peered intently into his cup. Assuring himself it wasn't of the same quality as the previous night's, he picked up the cream pitcher and added a liberal portion to the strong black liquid. Jessica turned back to the counter, preparing to mix batter for hot cakes. She set the large cast-iron griddle on the burner to heat, walked over to the refrigerator, and removed the
 
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eggs and milk she needed. She broke the eggs into the batter and added some cooking oil before asking, ''How long have you and Rena been married?"
"Three years last month. You would really like her, Jessie. She's the best looking blonde you've ever laid eyes on, believe me," he said adamantly.
Jessica smiled as she picked tip a wooden spoon and began beating the thick batter in a rapid motion, her rounded derriere rotating in rhythm with the wooden spoon. "You wouldn't be just a little partial, now, would you, Eric?"
Eric's eyes were on Jessica's motions. Picking up his coffee cup, he took another sip of his coffee before commenting, "You know, it's a shame old Jason's not here this morning. I think he'd rather watch you mix up those hot cakes than he would eat them!"
Jessica whirled around, looking at him in surprise. "Why, Eric Rawlings, you dirty old man!" she teased.
Eric grinned broadly. "Yeah, ain't it the truthand Rena loves every minute of it."
Jessica shook her head tolerantly as she spooned out the batter onto the sizzling hot grill. They puffed up slightly before becoming bubbly on top. She flipped over the golden-brown cakes, which gave off a mouth-watering aroma. Removing the first two cakes, she generously spread them with the golden butter sitting beside the stove and handed the plate to Eric before spooning two more cakes onto the hot griddle.
"How old is your little boy, Eric?" Jessica asked.
Eric had a bottle of maple syrup in his hand and was completely drowning his cakes in the gooey, sweet substance. "He's a year and a half." He grinned exuberantly. He laid his fork down, reached into his back pocket, and produced a wallet that had at least fifteen pictures of a smiling, chubby, blond-haired boy.
Jessica's eyes turned misty as she looked at the beautiful child, who bore a strong resemblance to his father and
 
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uncle. Is this what Jason's baby would look like? she wondered as she turned the pages of the wallet, seeing the chubby baby go from an infant to a very endearing toddler. Would she ever have the honor of carrying his children, seeing the proud look on his face that was now radiating from Eric's? The last picture was of a very lovely blond-haired woman holding a baby, her eyes shining with the proud love of a mother. She had the look of a very contented woman, one who had found her place in life with her child and her husband.
''This must be Rena," Jessica said softly, feeling a pang of envy shoot through her as she gazed at the picture of this woman who seemed to have everything important in life.
"Yeah," Eric said reverently, "that's her." His love for Rena was waving like a red banner.
"She's very beautiful," Jessica assured him, "and Scottie's a real angel."
"Kids are great. We want at least six," he said, sitting back down to his hot cakes. "What about you and old Jaseyou thinking of gettin' married again? Jason isn't getting any younger, you know."
Jessica was removing the last hot cake from the grill as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. They started running down her cheeks faster than she could wipe them away.
Eric looked up with surprise, his expression turning to a worried frown as he saw the river rolling down her face. "Well, for goodness sakes, Jessie, did I say something wrong, honey?" he asked with tender concern. Grabbing a napkin from the table, he began awkwardly mopping at her tears. "Sit down, Jessie," he said, pulling her over to the table and placing her in the chair across from his, still wiping ineffectually at her tears. She was a total basket case now, the flood gates of the dam completely opened.
"Jessica!" Eric was getting panicky now. "Will you please tell me what in the world's going on. I feel like I've
 
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stayed overnight at the zooin the monkey cage!'' His voice was getting a little edgy.
"Oh, Eric, I'm so miserable," she sobbed, "and I'm making Jason miserable. Everything is in a miserable mess." Her slim shoulders shook violently as she sat at the table, beginning to pour her heart out to the one man she hoped could tell her what to do.
"What are you talking about?" he asked tenderly. "Are you and Jason having a little quarrel? Good heavens, that's nothing to get so upset over. Hell, Rena and I average one a day, but that doesn't mean I don't love her," he told her reassuringly.
"Oh, Eric, you just don't understand," she sobbed. "Jason doesn't love me, period! The only reason we're together at all is this stupid business arrangement. I paid him ten thousand dollars to stay here and run my farm for me until November, when I can collect my inheritance," she sobbed, stopping momentarily to blow her nose. Her face was red and puffy now from all the crying. "You see, Uncle Fred and Aunt Rainey stipulated in their will that I had to come home and run the farm for six months or all my inheritance would go to the church. I wanted to come back here anyway to start a small business instead of staying in Austin to teach this year. So I offered Jason the opportunity to make extra money if he would help me out." She blew her nose again loudly, then continued. "He agreed to the arrangement, I guess, partly because he felt sorry for me, partly because he needed the money."
"Needed the money!" Eric interrupted. "Jessica, this is getting crazier by the minute."
Jessica sniffed hard, then looked up at Eric. "What do you mean by that?"
"Hasn't Jason told you anything about his finances?" he asked increduously.
"No, but I haven't asked him either. We just haven't ever talked about that sort of thing."
Eric reached up and ran his fingers through his thick
 
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brown hair, clearly disturbed by this mind-boggling conversation. ''Jessica, it's not my place to tell you Jason's business, but you two should stop fighting and sit down and have a long talk. I can't believe he's never told you anything about his life after you left."
"Why should he?" she hiccuped. "I'm nothing to him but a business arrangement."
"Damn it, Jessica. You mean to sit there and tell me that my brother, Jason, who is the most level-headed one in this whole family, is just doing this for you as a favor? Sorryfor ten thousand dollars." Eric shook his head pathetically. "Then he's going to up and walk out on you in November, going his own separate way? Now, honestlydo you think you can make me believe that? That's a hell of a lot of hard work for Jason."
"Well, it's the truth, whether you believe it or not," she challenged.
"Then you've missed your calling," he said firmly. "You should be selling ocean-front property in Kansas."
Jessica laid her head on the table now, saying desperately, "Oh, Eric, what am I going to do? I love him more than anything in the world."
Eric shook his head in disbelief as he got up to pour himself and Jessica more coffee. "Wish I could tell you, honey, but I can't make heads nor tails out of any of this." Suddenly his eyes softened, "You really love the guy, don't you, Jessie? In fact I've always known you loved him, since you were a child. It was always there, plain as the nose on your face."
"Oh, I love him more than life itself, Eric, but I've lost him forever. He can't forgive me for letting the annulment take place," Jessica sobbed.
"Well, I think you're borrowing trouble. Jason doesn't take his personal affairs lightly. Who knows, he could still be in love with you. There's something that must be inspiring him to stay around."
"Oh, Eric, I wish I could undo the past, but I can't.!
 
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Now he's involved with a woman named Monica, and I don't knowhe may be in love with her. She certainly is with himbut that's perfectly understandable,'' she said miserably, "with his devastating good looks."
"Jessica," Eric said kindly, "did you ever stop to think that not everyone sees him through your eyes? Jason's just an average guy, no better, no worse than the next guy. You're looking at him through the eyes of love, honey."
"But, he
is
good-looking," she said hotly, her violet eyes sizzling.
"Of course, he's good-looking. I mean, I guess he ishe's really not my type. But what I'm trying to say to you, Jessie, is you've got to take him down off that pedestal you've had him on all these years. You're just as lovely a woman as he is a man. If you want him, go after him."
"Oh, Eric, do you really think I would ever stand a chance with him again?" she asked, hope lighting up her eyes.
"I really don't know, Jessie, but I can tell you this. I think I know my brother well, and I have neverI repeat, neverknown him to do
anything
unless he knew exactly what he was doing. I have a strong hunch that things are not nearly as dark as you picture them."
Jessica poured her fourth cup of coffee that day after Eric left to catch his plane. Her mind kept running through the conversation they'd had that morning. Would she really ever have a chance to become Jason's wife again? Was she looking at him only through the eyes of love? She didn't knowall she knew was she did love him and it hurt!
 
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Chapter Nine
The weeks crawled by, the intense heat of the summer blending slowly into fall. The six-month '''business arrangement" crept steadily toward an end as October opened its arms to the world. Jason seemed more grimly determined to keep his distance from Jessica than ever. After one or two more subtle attempts at seducing him, she scratched that plan when she caught his mocking eyes openly laughing at her. No, Jason was a tough birdone that couldn't be led down the garden path very easily.
Jessica was in the kitchen lovingly patting a very pregnant Tabby who had been renamed Tabacina, as Jason came through the kitchen on his way to pick up Monica for their date that evening.

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