Ranch Hand For Auction: A Western Romance Novella (5 page)

“Well,” her dad finally said. “I’m going to go on up and eat.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Bolton,” Jake said.

Meg couldn’t get herself to look over at Jake or her dad. “Goodnight.” She let her gaze move over to Jake in a slow crawl. Across his long legs. Up that magnificent chest. And right on that devilishly handsome grin.

He shot her a wink. “That was close,” he mumbled.

Meg nodded in agreement, the effects of his kiss still surging through every part of her body.

“Oh, and kids?” Thomas called once more.

Meg stiffened. “Yeah?”

“The juice looks great. It sure is nice to come home to so many quarts lined up like that. I’ve uh… missed it.”

A sigh of relief washed over her. The comment made Meg realize how much
she
had been missing as well. Being at home. Being with her dad
.
But she’d been missing something even more. And as the tips of her fingers drifted to her bottom lip, grazed over the place where Jake had kissed her, the words shot to the front of her mind.
Passion.
Jake had kissed her like he wanted nothing more in all the world. Like she was the only thing that mattered. It was beyond anything she’d experienced with Michael, and the sheer acknowledgement alarmed her.

“I should go up too, so he’s not eating alone.” She came to a stand, vaguely noticing that Jake was climbing out of his reclining corner of the couch.

“Wait.” The single word hinted of desperation, taking Meg off guard.

She spun around, glanced down as Jake’s hands encircled her arms. Such a familiar – if not intimate – gesture.

He lowered his chin, leveled his eyes with hers, and released a look of concern that pierced through all dozen layers protecting her heart. “I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours,” he said. “But what you started tonight…” His lips tightened as he glanced at the screen, then back again, the light illuminating his unceasingly gorgeous face. “What you started was something I’ve wanted since we met. It was out of respect for your father that I didn’t move in on my own.”

He stepped closer, shifting his hands from her arms to her waist. “I know we’re just getting to know one another, but… I don’t know, it feels like I’ve known you for years.”

The truth of his words resonated within her. Deeply. Thoroughly, as he lowered his head. He pressed the most tender, exquisite kiss to her lips, dragging out the single motion until she ached for more. Slow. Sensual. And mmm…

He kissed her again, and then again, luring her into a lover’s lock like she’d never known. Her hands moved to his arm, gripping around his biceps as the passion intensified, morphed into this living, thriving source.

Jake pulled back the slightest bit and released a shaky breath. She ran her hand up the back of his neck, could sense that he was trembling. Just barely. He grazed his mouth over her lips, back and forth, before murmuring against her. Five simple words that nearly made her heart stop.

“I’m falling for you, Meg.”

A familiar
ding
pulled Meg from her sleep, had her fighting to pry her eyes open. When it sounded again, she placed it as a text notification on her phone. Her shoulders sunk back into the bed. Who cared about a text when sleep was feeling so good? Not to mention the dream.

A rush of euphoria spilled over her as she thought back on the moments she’d been reliving for the last two days straight. Being held in Jake’s strong arms. Relishing each passionate kiss. And the sound of her name on his lips.

Mmm.
So perfect. It had been the absolute perfect – as in, she never knew it could feel so good – kiss. Of course, two full days had passed since then. And while they hadn’t kissed since that night, the relationship between her and Jake had flourished in every other way.

Yesterday, they’d spent the entire day talking about childhood memories, favorite foods, and things that had scarred them for life. She learned of Jake’s love for fresh fruits of all kinds and anything cooked on a grill. And that he had a strong aversion to cotton candy because a neighbor tricked him once, giving him a puff of real cotton off a nearby tree. He’d been ruined ever since.

The more she learned of him, the more intrigued Meg became. The problem was, they were running out of days. This would be their last day, in fact, if neither of them spoke up. She wasn’t sure why talking about what was happening between them was so difficult. It was obvious there were sparks – an undeniable connection too. Something that made Meg want to share her deepest secrets. Share them because she knew – instinctively knew – that he cared for her. 

Still, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement that they’d hold off on “the talk” until the very last day. And now it was here.

A tap came to her door, dragging Meg to awareness once more.

“Meg?” It was Jake’s voice. “You up?”

Meg shot upright with all the grace of a jack-in-the-box, her eyes wide and worried. “Yeah. What’s up?”

“Nothing,” he said. “I thought since we’re just about finished, I could take you out for some breakfast before we get started.”

A smile the size of Texas spread over her face. “Really?”

“Sure. If you’d like.”

“I’d love that,” she said. “Just uh… give me a second to freshen up.” A spot of hope caused her chest to rise. The invitation somehow confirmed that Jake was on the same page. This was it, she mused, the smile still at her lips, the perfect opportunity to finally talk about their relationship. 

~ + ~

“Can’t believe how fast this week went by.” Meg couldn’t contain the hint of sorrow that clung to her words.

“Yeah,” Jake said. “It cruised.”

She looked over the scenery as they drove on. They were close to the city now. Soon the view would shift from morning-lit fields of gold and green, to quaint shopping plazas and apartment buildings.

“Oh,” he said, pointing toward her side of the road. “That’s my granddad’s property right there.”

Meg’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding. That one with the red barn?”

“Yep.”

Beyond a large lay of green, stood a lovely two-story home with white siding and a grey roof. And the barn – it was nothing new or flashy, but with its weathered roof and faded-paint-appeal, it was picture book perfect.

“If you head east another three miles, you’d see my mom’s house. Another mile and a half beyond that, you’d find my place.”

She smiled, recalling how proud her dad had been to hear that Jake owned rental property – a side-by-side duplex. He lived in one side and an elderly woman lived in the other.

“Maybe we should swing by on the way back so I can meet your family.”

His answer didn’t come right away, and Meg turned to look at him. She caught a flash of reluctance on his face, but it was gone before she could dwell on it. “Sure,” he said. “That’d be nice.”

In the quiet moment that followed, Meg turned her attention back to her phone. At first she wasn’t really seeing it. Only focusing on the way Jake had seemed anxious for her to meet his family the other day. It had been his idea in fact. So what had changed?

When she came up empty, the text on her phone shifted into focus. It was from Shayna. The two had been going back and forth since the night before.

So you’re really falling for this Jake guy?

Meg stared at the text, feeling the truth of it in the rapid beat of her heart. The sweat that broke out over her palms.

Kind of… I don’t know. But I think I should stay in Montana a little longer so I can find out.

Sure she was downplaying it, but she didn’t want Shayna to think she’d lost her senses completely. Besides, Shayna – being fiancé to Michael’s best friend, Paul – was totally Team Michael. Always working to convince Meg that Michael would come to his senses after the New Year and propose. Trouble was, usually a step like that was proceeded by some amount of exclusivity. Something he’d never been willing to commit to.

Shayna’s reply lit up the screen.

So what will you say to Michael? That you found some guy you’re interested in, so you’re going to stay?

When she phrased it that way, it made Meg sound terrible. It made her feel terrible too. But only for a moment. Because Meg knew better. There was a reason she was open to the possibilities where Jake was concerned. A reason that started with M and ended in L and deserved everything that he got. Her thumbs went to work, typing back so fast she felt as if she were screaming the words.

Well Michael’s never done a thing to stop me, Shay. I’ve given him a million chances and he won’t budge. It almost seems like he’s waiting for this to happen. Like he wants me to find someone else so he can just move on and find another woman to torture for another three or five or twenty freaking years!

That one hit with the punch of truth. More potent than the other. Packed with tender emotions of feeling less-than-enough for the man she’d cared about for so long. Her eyes stung as she looked over the words she’d sent. No matter what Shayna had to say, she couldn’t convince her otherwise. Whether she pursued a relationship with Jake or not, Meg wanted to end things with Michael. She wanted to end things and move back to Montana where she belonged.

“You okay?” Jake’s voice pulled Meg from her musings.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine, just texting a friend of mine from…” She was going to say from back home but the phrase was all wrong.
This
was home. “From Colorado.”

“Michael?”

Whoa.
Her heart cranked into double time, skipping at least two full beats. “No,” she blurted. “Just a girl friend of mine. She’s engaged to Michael’s friend.”

“Ah. And did you break the news yet?” Jake asked.

“What news?”

A smile pulled at one side of his mouth. “That we plan to elope. Live out the rest of our days together.”

The words
giddy
and
schoolgirl
shot to her head as the most happy, elated flutters romped in her chest. “Oh, that news. Yep, I told her. Said she may as well tell Michael too, save me the trouble of sending him a text.”

Jake took one hand off the wheel, stretched an arm toward her, and took hold of her hand where it rested on the seat. He brought it up to his lips and pressed a kiss to the rounded curve of her knuckles. “That’s my girl.” He lowered their hands onto the seat then, keeping them joined in one warm union.

Was there a word that went beyond giddy? If so, that’s what she was. Elated. Overjoyed. And … and thinking back on the strange reaction Jake had when she mentioned meeting his family. A fresh flame of fear roared up in her chest, smothering the happy flutters she’d felt moments ago. She snuck a casual glance at him from the corner of her eye. Noticed a furrow in his brow. It was subtle, a gentle crease along his forehead. Less subtle was the look in his eyes. A sad, almost pained look.

Meg moved her gaze back to the view beyond her window, wondering if she’d misjudged his expression. After all, it had been such a limited view of him. Still, the question loomed over her head like a black, heavy cloud: What if Jake didn’t want a commitment either?

A new bit of desperation seeped in, urging her to bring up the conversation, test the relationship waters. She thought about how to phrase it. Something like,
I’ve been thinking about moving back.
That was simple enough. She’d do it. She’d say it.

In just a minute.

Only her mouth wouldn’t work.

Perhaps it was because her mind was already working overtime. Cycling through all the moments she’d spent with Jake during the last week. Were they enough to justify such a move? Such a change in her life?

Meg had confided in her father the day after they’d kissed, told him about the feelings she had for Jake. He hadn’t seemed the least bit surprised. Meg could tell however, that he was playing the keep-it-cool card. He didn’t want to show the relief he felt about his daughter giving up on a guy he’d said was no good from the start.

The truck came to a slow, and Meg glanced up. They were pulling up to the diner already. How long had she been silent? A quick glance at her phone said Shayna hadn’t texted her back. Who could blame her after that rant?

“Stay there,” Jake said before climbing out of the truck. He walked around the front before opening her door. When their eyes met, he scrutinized her for a blink. “You doing all right?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. Just distracted. Sorry.”

The provocative look that took over his face remedied that in a heartbeat. It seemed to say she’d misread his expression moments ago – that she’d misread his reaction to her suggestion about meeting his family as well.

“It’s okay,” he said, “just promise that I’ll be the center of your thoughts from this point on and I’m good.”

Meg chuckled, musing she might just be able to make good on that. She ran a finger over her chest in a crisscross motion, a coy smile spreading over her face. “Promise.”

His gaze met hers, and a dose of liquid fire burst right through her chest.

“Good,” he said. “Now let’s go get some breakfast.”

“Are you here with Jake Billings?”

Meg reached for the paper towels, began drying her hands as she eyed a woman through the restroom mirror. Tall, blonde, and paper doll thin. “Um, yeah. I am.” Meg spun around, wondering just what the woman had on her mind.

“Sorry to bother you,” she said, folding her long arms across her chest. She popped out a hip and leaned on one stiletto heel. “I just wanted to know how you like it.” There was a challenge in her eyes. One that planted instant seeds of fear in Meg’s heart where Jake was concerned.

She blew out a shallow breath. “How do I like what?”

“Being one of Jake’s flavors of the month. He stayed with me a little longer than that. But the girl before me didn’t get more than a week. One after me had less than that.” She shoved a hand into her pink, sparkly purse and pulled out a gold tube of lipstick. With slow, precise steps, the woman clanked over to the mirror and applied it.

“So…” she said while spreading on a second coat. She smacked her lips, blotted them with a paper towel, and disposed it in the trash. Her eyes fell back on Meg. “Is it worth being with him for that short amount of time, knowing that you’ll be getting the boot any day? Or are you hoping to be the
one
girl
he actually falls in love with?”

Panic tightened Meg’s throat. It pounded in her head. Numb, muted thumps buried beneath the woman’s words. She cleared her throat. “Thanks for your warning,” she managed, “but I know where I stand with Jake. And to be frank, it really doesn’t concern you.”

The woman’s bottom lip puckered slightly, the look of disgust scrunching her face. “Well,” she snapped, “good luck then.” She strutted out of the restroom, leaving an even bigger presence in her wake: Doubt.

The pounding in Meg’s head cranked up a notch. She closed her eyes, exhaled a jagged breath, and wondered if she should make for the stalls once more. Forget the appetite she’d had only moments ago, she was about to be sick.

Flavor of the month?

Was it possible that Jake was a player? Could her luck really be so bad? Nearly three years spent with Michael, a noncommittal type who’s as promising as the dead end on Ritter Drive. And now, once she falls for a guy she’s positive is Michael’s total opposite, Meg hears he’s dating and dumping girls left and right.
Please say she’s lying. Please please please.
 

After the inward chant, Meg swung open the heavy door. Jake stood facing the window in the foyer, hands tucked into his pockets, his cowboy hat on his head. Once he started to shift, a lazy turn in her direction, Meg could nearly hear the snaps and clicks of the paparazzi. The image was front-cover worthy without a doubt.

No wonder
, she thought. No wonder the man went through so many women. He probably had girls throwing themselves at his feet.

He flashed her a smile as their eyes met. “They have a booth ready for us.”

Meg looked down at the hand he offered, recalling how much she liked the feel of that hand in hers. Beyond that she liked the feel of him in her life. So how had this no-doubt jealous woman stepped in and unraveled her with the pull of one tiny thread? Was Meg that fragile?

She offered Jake a slight nod while accepting his hand.

They followed the hostess through the bustling diner. If the woman from the restroom was seated at one of those tables, Meg didn’t want to know it. There was a level of shame attached to her current company now, though Meg wasn’t sure there should be. She just hadn’t had a chance to sift through the chaos in her mind. The noise of that voice and those words spinning through her lowered head.

Ketchup bottles and hot sauce stood at each table, next to sugar packets and jellies. Jake and the hostess stopped before an empty booth, and the menus were dropped to the table. Meg sunk onto the vinyl seat and slid until she sat in the center.

“Sure is a beautiful day out there,” Jake said, settling in across from her.

Meg glanced out the window, pressing a hand against her middle as if it might keep her in one piece. “Yeah.” Her gaze wandered around the diner, a half-hearted attempt to see if the woman was nearby. At least if she were it would be a good lead-in to confront Jake about what she’d heard.

When she came up empty, Meg felt relieved. And then disappointed. She’d just heard something that she hoped very badly wasn’t true. How on earth would she work up the nerve to – “Did you see that woman come out of the bathroom before me?”

Meg expected Jake’s face to show the surprise she felt from her own question.

It didn’t. “No,” he said. “What woman?”

She grabbed one of the sugar packets by the jams and tore at the edge. “Tall. Blonde. Skinny.” Her eyes drifted from the packet to Jake. “Pink sparkly purse. She said she knows you.”

“She did?” His brow lifted. “Huh. No, I didn’t see anyone I know come out of there besides you.”

Her gaze fell back to the sugar as she poured a small heap into her palm. There’d been no point in opening the packet. Meg didn’t have any place to put it. No tea or coffee before her. None even ordered yet. Still, she’d ripped open the packet and poured it onto her hand and… and done just what she’d done in her relationship with Michael. Dumped everything she had into a place where it wouldn’t do her any good. She’d been certain that Jake was different. His reaction to hearing how Michael wouldn’t commit said it all. Didn’t it?

Yes,
she decided. It said everything.

“So that’s it?” he asked. “She said she knew me, nothing more?”

It felt as if a bomb had gone off in her chest. An explosion of mean racing heat. “Uh… yeah. I mean, no. She said something else.” She attempted to pour the sugar back into the packet, frowning as it spilled. “It was weird,” Meg said, “she just asked if I was with you. Said something about, well, I guess she went out with you at some point. She went on to imply that you were a womanizer, I guess.”

“Huh.” Jake’s gaze was set on the mess she was making with the scattered crystals of sugar. “And what did you say?”

Meg propped the open sugar packet against the napkin holder and wiped the remaining granules off the table. “Nothing.” She turned her face away from him and imagined learning that all of it was true. Imagined hearing him admit to going through women faster than Meg went through blank pages on a bad art day.

Her fear kicked up tenfold. 

It wasn’t silly for her to feel afraid, she told herself. Not at all. Because she had a lot to lose. Jake had given her something over the last few days. Given her something that Michael had failed to give in three year’s time: He made her feel valued. Cherished. Good enough. He’d made her feel worthy of a commitment – worthy of
his
commitment. She chanced losing that if she pushed. Even if it was an illusion, even if Jake went around making every woman feel this way, she still wasn’t willing to let go of it. Not yet.

Breakfast in the diner was ruined. The ride home was even worse. All Meg could do was think about losing Michael
and
Jake. Of starting over altogether. Of course, she did her best to stay on top of what little conversation took place, but she knew better than to think she was fooling Jake.

What difference did it make? He was probably just glad to be off the hook. It had to be why he didn’t want to introduce her to his family. He probably never introduced women to his family. Sure he’d mention it on occasion, make the woman think she was important enough. But in the end, he had no intention of following through.

He would be leaving tomorrow morning anyway, or would he leave tonight?

No matter. Either way, Meg had her mind made up to move back to Montana – she was grateful for that. But who she’d spend that time with remained to be seen.