The Doctor Wears A Stetson (Contemporary Western Romance) (12 page)

Tori seemed a little young for Sam, a little
too lively for such a serious man. Jessie turned back to work on
the carburetor. Didn't she have enough to worry about? Tori was a
big girl and could take care of herself.

After a few minutes, Jessie felt a tap on
her shoulder. Tori stood at the front of the truck, peering with
disgust at the greasy engine.

"How can you stand to work in all that
muck?"

Jessie straightened and wiped her hands.
"It's all I've ever known. Besides, I like engines."

Tori wrinkled her nose. "Why did you leave
the party early without saying goodbye?"

"I had a headache, thanks to you and your
punch."

"Was it the punch, or something else? Or
someone?
Maybe someone who's six-foot-three, has dark brown
hair and blue eyes?"

Jessie stared at Tori. How much did she
know? Was it only speculation? Or had Cameron told her something?
"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh,
please
." Tori rolled her eyes.
"Cameron spent a lot of time with you while he was home, or tried
to. And I saw him practically drag you to the barn the other night.
You were gone a good while. He came back alone and in a foul mood.
I can put two and two together. You chickened out again, didn't
you?"

Jessie leaned her elbows on the edge of the
truck and hung her head. Maybe Cameron had the right idea about
living in a large impersonal city. Tori wasn't going to shut up
until she had her say. "So what if I did? I told you, it's
complicated."

Tori squatted on her haunches and looked up
at Jessie's face. "Only because you're making it that way."

"It doesn't matter," Jessie said. "He's gone
and won't be back."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Tori
said.

"Why not?"

"Yesterday, at breakfast, I mentioned the
homecoming celebration next month. Cameron gave me this weird kind
of look. He said he'd never been back for homecoming." Tori
snorted. "Yeah, like that's a surprise."

"It doesn't mean anything. Him saying that."
Jessie couldn't stop the leap in her pulse at the possibility of
Cameron returning.

Tori smiled. "I think he'll come back in a
couple of weeks, and I don't think it's because of homecoming."

Jessie's pulse slowed down; a heavy
sensation gripped the back of her neck. If Cameron returned, it
would just prolong the agony.

"What's wrong?" Tori asked. "Aren't you glad
Cameron's coming back? You still like him, don't you?"

Just then, Sam walked up, saving Jessie from
having to reply.

"The truck's full," he told Tori. "I put it
on the account."

Tori looked helplessly at Jessie. "I have to
go."

Jessie watched her run to the truck, then
eyed Sam with suspicion. "What have you done to that girl?"

Sam started adjusting the jets on the
carburetor. "If you don't want me asking questions about your
personal life, don't ask about mine."

"That certainly puts me in my place, doesn't
it?"

Sam looked up, his dark eyes somber. "I know
something's going on between you and McCade. A person would have to
be blind not to see. Listen, Jessie. I admire how you've dealt with
all the bumps thrown your way. McCade is just another bump. Don't
worry so much. You'll deal with it, if you have to, just like
you've dealt with all the rest. Hand me that screwdriver, will
you?"

Jessie helped Sam finish the repair on the
carburetor. His words rebounded in her mind, but he had it all
wrong. Cameron wasn't a bump in her life; he was more like a
mountain. And she didn't know how she was going to deal with him,
or even if she'd get the chance.

****

By the middle of the next week, Jessie
didn't have much time to think about Cameron and whether he would
come back. Her financial situation had gone from bad to worse. She
had fallen behind with the payments to the hospital and they were
demanding settlement. Plus, her property taxes were due and she was
already in arrears with them.

She had no other choice but to make that
phone call to her lawyer and lease the mineral rights she held on
the McCade property, so she could get her hands on some ready
cash.

After talking to Mr. Bennett, Jessie called
Ruth and asked to meet with her. An hour later, she and Cameron's
mother were sitting in a booth at Sarah Sue's Café.

"Oh, Jessie, I wanted to thank you for the
lovely yarns you gave me for my birthday. I'm going to crochet you
an afghan with them."

"I'm glad you like them, but you don't have
to make me an afghan. Although, I would love to have one, one of
these days."

Ruth reached across the table and patted
Jessie's hand. "I want to, dear. Your mother was one of my best
friends. And you have a special place in my heart, you know
that."

Jessie swallowed a lump in her throat. How
would Ruth feel after her confession?

Ruth sat back and stirred her coffee. "Now,
what was so all fired important that you had to see me ASAP?" She
dropped the spoon and clapped her hands. "Is this about Cameron?
Has he asked you to marry him?"

"
What
?" Jessie said, her stomach
clenching at the thought. "Why would you think that?"

"He spent quite a bit of time with you while
he was at the ranch. And he said he's coming back for homecoming."
Ruth shook her gray curls. "But of course, he wouldn't propose over
the phone. Never mind, dear. Why did you want to see me?"

Jessie couldn't concentrate for a minute.
Her thoughts were tumbling inside her head like juggler's balls
gone all awry. What in the world had Cameron said to his mother and
his sister? She couldn't deal with that at the moment; she had to
tell Ruth what she'd done.

Taking a deep breath, Jessie took the
plunge. "I have a confession to make."

Ruth frowned. "What kind of confession?"

"I'm so sorry, but I had to break the
promise I made to you. And I'm afraid you're going to hate me when
I tell you."

"I could never hate you, dear. Is this about
the mineral rights?"

Jessie nodded. "I was forced to lease them
to Copper River Oil. I didn't have a choice. I had to have the
money, or I'd lose the garage."

"Well, you certainly couldn't do that, could
you?"

Jessie sniffed back a tear. "No. It's my
last link to my father."

Ruth shoved a napkin at Jessie. "Don't cry,
dear. Just because you leased the land, doesn't mean they'll drill.
At least, not right away."

"But with the oil situation like it is, they
might," Jessie said. "You don't know how sorry I am. I hate
breaking my promise."

"
I
understand, but Dallas will be
furious. So will Austin. They both like to be in control of every
facet concerning the ranching and agricultural aspects of the
Diamondback." Ruth sipped her coffee. "Tyler and Cameron won't
mind, too much. Neither will Tori. But Dallas . . ."

"Will you tell him for me?" Jessie blurted
out. She usually wasn't a coward, but the thought of confessing to
the big rancher made her more than a little queasy.

Ruth stared at her out of the same blue eyes
she'd passed on to Cameron. Jessie couldn't tell what she was
thinking, but she was obviously thinking hard about something.

Suddenly, Ruth smiled and nodded. "I'll tell
him for you, dear. Don't you worry about a thing."

****

The night before the homecoming bonfire,
Jessie found herself back at the garage after rushing home for a
quick shower and bite to eat. The house had seemed too empty, her
thoughts too restless and chaotic. Catching up on paperwork at the
office had won out over spending another interminable evening at
home.

Working the accounts was a breeze now that
the money from the lease had been deposited into the bank. She was
operating in the black once again, at least for a while. Ruth had
taken the news remarkably well. Jessie wondered how Dallas had
taken it.

After she'd settled her most pressing
obligations, Jessie had begun thinking about Cameron again. She'd
been on pins and needles these past couple of weeks, wondering if
he would really come back. And what if he did? Everything was still
the same between them. Even though she was afraid he'd stolen her
heart again, she knew Cameron wanted nothing more than a roll in
the hay. Or cottonseed, she thought with a blush.

All he wanted was a physical relationship.
Sharing kisses with him and being left behind was bad enough. God
help her, if she gave in to the raging passion between them. If
Cameron returned, she hoped she would be strong enough to resist
him.

The suspense was killing her. Jessie hadn't
seen hide nor hair of a McCade since she'd spoken to Ruth. Surely,
Cameron wouldn't come back so soon. He was a busy man. Why would he
suddenly want to celebrate homecoming after all these years? She
was flattering herself to think she was the lure to draw him home,
no matter what Tori or Ruth said.

Just in case, Jessie thought maybe she
should leave town, take some time off, avoid seeing him. But she
couldn't do that. Not really. Besides, she enjoyed homecoming.
Every year, she wrote a piece for the paper, outlining the events,
including as many names of folks as she could cram into one
article. People loved to see their names in print. It was a
challenge to write the article year after year, to make it as
interesting as possible. She couldn't let her feelings for Cameron
interfere with that.

Tires crunching the pavement outside jolted
Jessie from her thoughts. For a moment, she was afraid . . .

Afraid of what? Geez, Jess. You can't
conjure Cameron out of thin air.
She glanced out the window in
the door and sighed in relief. Not a Jaguar, but the sheriff's
black and white patrol car. Pasting a smile on her face, she went
to greet him.

The sheriff touched his fingers to his
Stetson. "Evening, Jessie."

"Hey, Roland. Something going on I should
know about?"

She watched as he traced the toe of one
shiny boot in the loose gravel on the pavement. Jessie's heart
sank. She knew what was coming. Roland Burton had been asking her
out for over a year. She liked him, but the chemistry wasn't right,
at least not on her part.

The blustery November wind blew through her
sweat suit. She shivered. "It's awfully cold out here. Why don't we
go inside? We can talk over a hot cup of coffee."

"Sounds like a winner to me," he said,
following her into the office.

Jessie handed Roland his cup and poured one
for herself. She wrapped her cold fingers around the warm ceramic,
hoping he'd get to the point soon. She knew it was difficult for
him to gather the courage to ask her out and always felt like a
heel when she refused his invitations.

The sheriff cleared his throat a couple of
times, started to speak, then hurriedly sipped his coffee again.
His cheeks were red, whether from embarrassment or the cold
weather, Jessie couldn't tell.

Finally, he set his cup down and took a deep
breath. "Tomorrow night's the big bonfire," he said in a rush. "I
thought that maybe, that is--if you don't have other plans--maybe,
you'd like to . . ."

Outside, a car pulled into the station, the
tires squealing to a stop. Jessie's stomach plummeted to her feet.
She knew who it was before the door opened. Her heart tumbled over
when Cameron McCade filled the doorway, his eyes narrowed at the
scene he'd interrupted.

An insane desire to hide behind Roland
flashed through Jessie's mind. It was a sheriff's sworn duty to
protect people, wasn't it? The look on Cameron's face was enough to
scare anyone. On second thought, maybe she should try to protect
Roland.

The sheriff stepped forward, hand
outstretched. "Hello, Cameron. What brings you to town? Didn't
think you'd be back so soon."

"I can see that." Cameron shook his hand,
but his attention was focused on Jessie.

She hoped he wouldn't crush Roland's hand to
a pulp. The menacing tone of his voice was unmistakable. She saw
the confusion on Roland's face. The sheriff looked from Cameron to
Jessie, then back again. It wasn't long before realization dawned.
Snatching his Stetson from the desk, he said goodnight and
fled.

The blood pounding in Cameron's head slowed
down, and the red before his eyes faded away. He broke out in a
cold sweat.
Jealousy and possessiveness
. They were new
feelings, strange feelings. If he had any sense, he'd turn and run
and never look back. Just like the sheriff.

The atmosphere sizzled in the small office.
Jessie stood like a statue, her eyes opened wide. "Why did you come
back?" Her raspy voice held a note of accusation.

Cameron also heard anguish in her words. Was
he causing Jessie pain? When all he wanted was to hold her in his
arms, take her to bed and make love to her until the passion
between them was spent?

In two long strides, he was beside her. She
backed against the file cabinet. He stepped closer.

"You know why I'm back. We need to finish
what we started seventeen years ago." He touched a finger to her
cheek, traced the smooth line of her jaw, eased his hand behind her
neck and pulled her to him. Her trembling intensified and she put
her hands on his chest as if to ward him off.

He caught her hands and moved them over his
heart. "Feel my heartbeat, Jess. It's beating for you." He pressed
his body against hers. "Feel how much I want you. I tried to stay
away, but God help me, I couldn't."

His mouth claimed hers in fierce desire.
Jessie moaned, holding back only for a second, knowing deep down
that resistance was hopeless. She couldn't help it. She kissed him
back, allowing the molten pleasure to seep through her veins. Her
arms crept around his neck. For one long moment, she gave in to the
encircling warmth and strength of his embrace.