Stony Creek Cowboy [Stony Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic) (9 page)

“To your success, Dr. Rothman!” she said with a smile.

“Thank you, Julia. I will just take a sip. I can’t start seeing patients smelling like I’ve been at the honky-tonk, can I?”

“
I wouldn’t worry too much about that around here, doctor. It actually might improve business,” she laughed.

With a start, they both turned at the sound of bells jingling, indicating someone had walked through the front door. They couldn’t tell who it was because there was a
huge
delivery of sunflowers walking in. Billie always thought of sunflowers as beautiful and happy.

“Who are they from, Tommy?” Julia asked after the young man was revealed behind the greenery.

“Don’t know, ma’am. Not my business to know, only to deliver. Hi, Doc. My ma says she has an appointment to see you at the end of the week and to start practicing not laughing when you see her,” Tommy said to Billie’s smile.

“Why would I laugh at your mother, Tommy? Did she hurt herself in a funny way?” Billie asked.

Tommy had a smirk on his face as though he thought the whole thing was a riot. “It will make sense when you see her, Doc. Good luck today! Bye, Ms. Julia.”

Julia started to smell the beautiful flower arrangement that she placed on top of the reception counter. She handed Billie an envelope and told her to go into her office to read Jackson’s note. Huh? How did she know that these were from him?

As though a mind reader, Julia filled in, “Who then, dear?”

Good point.

Billie sat in her office and closed the door. For a moment she just held the envelope as though touching the hands that had held it before. Damn, she had to be more careful with her feelings. She had little knowledge as to the depth of Jackson’s feelings, if any at all. Perhaps they were as shallow as the puddle outside the back door. Nice to be positive, Billie, she groused in her head.
Just open the darned thing.

Dear Billie,

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck on your first day of work. Many people are so glad you decided to move here and I am counted among their numbers. See you real soon.

Jackson

That’s it? After practically needing a defibrillator from their time spent together last night, that’s all he had to say? Ugh! The flowers were beautiful, and yes, he was a good man for observing that she must like them from some of the things in her house. However, she surely thought he must have some feelings for her, something, no? She became awash with insecurity as she pondered that perhaps she had misread the situation again. He wanted her. No doubts in that department. An erection like his does not lie, but perhaps she was being too much of a girl and getting swept away in the moments.

She decided to put the note and him out of her mind. Patients, charts, and abscesses. Yes, these were things she could handle with ease and made sense to her. With that, she went out to start her day.

“These are so much nicer than the dead bouquet that I found on the steps this morning!” Julia told Billie.

“You found dead flowers on the steps? Who the heck would do that?” Billie asked. It seemed like there were lots of weird things around here that she didn’t quite get yet.

“I have no idea but I am sure someone just didn’t make it over to the trash bin outside. No worries. Now, back to that gorgeous bouquet and that note.” Julia smiled.

Billie looked at Julia and almost laughed at her expression. “What about it?”

“Did he tell you that he loves you yet?” quizzed Julia with a knowing look.

“Drink your darned champagne, Julia!” We are both going to need it! she thought.

* * * *

Cursing a blue streak, Jackson had the rapt attention of both of his brothers. He hated fixing the fences, but it was a very necessary job unless he felt like donating their cattle to the lucky dumbass rancher next door, Hunter. He felt unbalanced and confused. Those were two emotions that he didn’t care to deal with and had little experience in handling successfully. I am a man, he thought.
What the hell do I need with all of this sensitivity crap?
So she got the flowers. So she politely thanked him. So what if she hadn’t given him any subliminal messages on how she felt about the way he could make her lose her focus. He wondered if she sat there and had dreams like he did, for instance, his personal favorite, the one of him taking her succulent ass. It made him salivate with erotic images so intense, he could almost feel the tight heat of her taking his cock in. So what?

After his younger brothers watched him struggle with the same piece of fencing for what felt like the thirtieth time, Ben intervened.

“Got something on your mind that you would like to talk about, Jackson?” Ben asked gently.

The only response came in the form of a pair of work gloves Jackson had thrown, which went flying right by Ben’s head. Well, that and then Jackson giving Ben a nasty look with his hands extended. He expected Ben to give him his gloves back.

“Hey Troy, do you want a new pair of really nice gloves? I apparently got a pair from our very generous
old
brother, who is acting like an idiot.”

“Give me my gloves back, Ben, and I won’t use your face as a hammer for these posts,” Jackson grumbled a bit too loudly. “Troy, if you and Dear Abby over there are about done trying to dispense unwanted advice, do you think you can get your pampered asses over here to help?”

Jackson took note of the curious glances that went between the younger Powell men as they thoughtfully observed him acting unusually out of sorts. Jackson sighed and sat back down on a nearby rock.

“I sent her flowers. I, Jackson Elliot Powell, sent a woman flowers. Did she fall into my arms after receiving them? No, she didn’t. Did she come over and kiss the daylights out of me to thank me? No, she didn’t. Did she even call to acknowledge me? No, she didn’t. She just sent me a text. A damned text! What the hell is that?”

With that out of his system, he then threw his pliers in one direction and wire cutters in the other. Troy and Ben watched the temper tantrum with unveiled amusement, much to Jackson’s annoyance. He knew that they had never seen him so unhinged. Never. Not even with his divorce from Gwen. The whole family, including Jackson, had practically celebrated that event. This infrequently seen display definitely indicated stronger feelings on Jackson’s part than he was willing to admit. He was sure that they couldn’t wait to share this with the rest of the family.

Troy gave his cousin a look and said, “Um, Jackson. I don’t really want to interrupt the fine floor show you are giving here and all, but perhaps you need a more objective view than your own. Maybe Doc is kinda inundated with patients today and that was all she could get out to you. Maybe she just started a new life here after her husband died. Mom and Aunt Florence said that she wasn’t mourning him very hard, you know, so maybe she was disappointed or hurt from that relationship. Just maybe she is just as overwhelmed by her feelings as you are and is right now in her office throwing scalpels or vomit basins at poor Julia, too.” And with that, thankfully, Troy ended his speech.

“Ben?” Troy looked at his older brother for his input.

“I think he needs to get his ass off that rock and pick up the tools.” So much for Ben’s input.

Jackson had to laugh, which proved contagious and ended up with the three of them wiping tears from their eyes. It was possible that he was overreacting to the text, but what was it about that woman? He hadn’t needed a woman for more than sexual satisfaction for a while. He was sure that he had never cared if a woman was feeling pleased. He mentally corrected himself in that he always was a man who tried to please all women and if they weren’t happy, then he was the guy to try to rectify it. However, what the hell was going on in his head? Why was it that all he could think about was her? He wondered if she had slept well, if she was wet while thinking of him, and if she needed help with her dogs. Crap like that. He was certain that he had never craved a woman’s body like he craved hers, to dominate her with his presence until she couldn’t remember another man except for him.

“This isn’t what I want or need,” Jackson replied angrily.

Ben swung around to look at Jackson with annoyance written all over his face. “What the hell is your problem, Jackson? A beautiful intelligent woman falls from the sky, literally, into your lap, and as it turns out, she finds you irresistible. She is obviously a kind, caring, unselfish woman who looks like she could double as a lingerie model. Give me your problems any day, dumbass.”

Troy’s gentler voice interrupted with a sober thought. “She’s not Gwen, Jackson. I know I tease you plenty, but here it is. You were younger and made a mistake. Whatever your reasons were for marrying her, it doesn’t matter. It’s old news. This is your second chance. We all knew that Gwen was not for you, but you wouldn’t listen. We all are pretty sure that Billie is damned amazing and if it takes all of us punching what little brain you have out of that stubborn dumbass head, then we will. You can’t try to fuck this one and push her away. She is a lady and we are all in agreement that she was meant to be yours.”

Jackson turned to look at Ben. “Yeah.” It was Ben’s simple word of support to Troy’s speech.

“Well, I had no idea my brothers and cousins had joined the Ladies Guild and now gossiped better than Mom. I appreciate what you said, well, at least Troy’s version, and will try to think about it but maybe I am not what any woman needs as her husband or boyfriend. Some men aren’t. Gwen thought I didn’t give her what she needed to stimulate her life. Fuck that. I really don’t care what she thought, but Billie, well, I do care. I care more than I am willing to admit. I just don’t want to go through all that mess again. Maybe all I have to give her is hot monkey sex,” Jackson said to them.

She could get passion from anyone anywhere, looking like she did. The moment that thought rolled around in his head, he felt a violent surge of jealousy bubble up again.

“And there he goes throwing the needle nose now.” Troy chuckled to no one in particular.

She was his. He didn’t want anyone ever looking at her again, much less touching her. His eyes darkened as the thought. He was just going to have to deal with this situation like an unbroken horse. He was going to have to acclimate both of them to this idea of a relationship with each other. Slowly, he thought, very slowly.

“Uh, guys, help me find the tools, will you?”

Troy and Ben first looked at each other then turned away, walking toward their horses. “No fucking way!” they said in unison.

* * * *

The week flew by as Billie saw what had to qualify as a boatload of patients. She had decided ahead of time that she was only going to work three twelve-hour days. For the first week, at least, that point was mute. The business of her first work week here in Stony Creek kept her from thinking about Jackson. Well, during the day, at least. Once she closed the door to her Range Rover, however, the blessed quiet allowed all sorts of salacious thoughts to start running through her brain. She wondered what Jackson was doing. Did he think about her at all that day and was he naked while doing so? She would enter her house, play with her “puppies” and then perhaps go soak under the stars in her sunken outdoor hot tub. She fervently wished that she wasn’t alone, but she wouldn’t go running after that man. She didn’t want to be anyone’s friend with benefits. The feelings she had for Jackson seemed to be spiraling out of her control. She could practically taste him on her tongue while trying to forget how his hands sent electrical sparks throughout her body as he touched and caressed her breasts. His leveled, intensely dark look that he gave when he was about to kiss her was burned in her memory. She never wanted him to look that way at anyone else again.

Slow tears began to roll down her cheek, now that they were free to do so driving home. She moved out here to start a new life not to get mired down in a heartbreaking romance that hadn’t even really started yet. Tomorrow was a new day. She would sleep in and decided to get her dreams back on track. Maybe Mr. Powell, as the wise head of the family would be able to help her choose some quality horses and slap some sense into his eldest son. She was looking forward to getting her horses and checking another wonderful goal off her bucket list of reasons for coming out west. She secretly could ride like the wind but knew next to nothing about recognizing a good horse from a bad one, apparently kind of like her ability to judge men.

* * * *

Lizzie felt a trickle of fear run into her belly as she looked in to the cold eyes of Mr. Theodore Davis, the new banker at Wyoming Mutual. She was in desperate need of funds to float the café and her house, but not that desperate. The death of her father had left her with an unforeseen mountain of debts from seemingly everywhere she turned. She was struggling to try to protect her good name while slowly paying off what he had owed, but it left her with little money for the monthly bills. She was all alone with no one to ask for help, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to stoop that low. Having him in her café made her very nervous.

“Well, Mr. Davis, I sure do need that loan, but, as tempting as your offer is, I am going to have to decline,” Lizzie answered Mr. Davis with a barely concealed shudder. He had offered her a loan, at a ridiculous interest level, in return for some personal company. By personal, he meant intimate. Just the idea of having any sort of physical contact with this man left Lizzie nauseous and sick to her stomach. No matter how scared she was at the prospect of losing her café, she wouldn’t touch his offer for any amount of money. She would have to look elsewhere. Her eyes welled up with unshed tears at her frustration and anxiety. Lizzie quickly turned around so that horrible man wouldn’t see her distress only to confront the most beautiful green eyes from a very huge man. The kindness and concern that radiated back to her from them was her undoing. Fat tears began to spill down her face as he reached over to her to gently wipe them away with his meaty thumb.