BROKEN (12 page)

“If that was his intention, he was right about one thing.
 
Leading me to Jessie was the greatest gift he could have given me.
 
I’m not so sure Jess didn’t get the short end of the stick though.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, son
.  Y
our heart was in the right place.
 
We just have to figure out how to tell Jessie in a way that will make her want to fall into your arms instead of taking a shotgun to your backside.”

Looking at her now as he lifted her down from the truck, Mitch knew Hank was right about telling Jessie who he really was.
 
She deserved honesty, deserved to know that Adam was dead and have her time to grieve over him, but not yet.
 
If the worst happened and she couldn’t accept Mitch after knowing the truth, he had to make certain she
would
be okay once he left.
 
Wilkinson for one thing; financial security for another.
 
The ranch was doing well enough and would probably continue to prosper with Wilkinson out of the way, but Adam had left a substantial amount of money to both him and Jessie
,
and Mitch intended to make sure she got it all.

“Hey, Kincaid, are you okay?”

At the sound of Jessie’s concerned voice, Mitch reeled his thoughts in.
 
He hadn’t realized he’d pulled her into his arms and was now holding her so tight she couldn’t even move.
 
He kissed her on the forehead and dropped his hold on her.

“Sorry, honey, I was just thinking about how great it is to be with you.”

“So you decided to squash me like a bug to prove it?”
 
s
he teased.

Mitch looped his arm around her waist and propelled her towards the entrance to the Co-Op.
 
“Any excuse I can come up with to hold you close is a good one.”

As they approached the door, Jessie started to pull away then looked up at him uncertainly when he tightened his hold on her.
 
He stopped and brushed her lips with a soft kiss.
 

“You’re mine, Jess, and I intend to make sure everyone in this town knows it.
 
And that includes Del and Wilkinson or any other man who
has
been trying to steal you away from me, understood?”

Jessie was too choked with emotion to say anything.
 
She nodded mutely then stepped into the grain store practically glued to
Kincaid’s
side.
 
She’d never been so proud or happy in her life as when they walked in and got a double take from the store manager, Orin.
 
A quick glance around revealed a few other astonished faces, among them was Orin’s wife and the town’s biggest gossipmonger, Sally.

Sally bustled over to them before Orin had a chance to recover.
 
“Jessie, how good to see you.”
 
She didn’t bother to hide her distain as her gaze shifted to
Kincaid
.
 
“I see you’re back for another short visit.”

Mitch smiled down at Jessie who was obviously uncomfortable with Sally’s open hostility.
 
“Actually, I’ve decided to stay permanently.
 
Or until Jessie gets tired of having
me trail after her like a love-sick fool.”
 
The look of pure adoration on Jessie’s face made his heart do a wild flip in his chest.
 
“I think I upset the balance of her life,” Mitch whispered when Sally stomped off with a loud huff.

Jessie tried unsuccessfully to stifle the giggle.
 
“She’ll really hate you now.
 
You were one of her greatest sources of gossip.”

“Really?
 
And just what sordid things has sour Sally been saying about me?”

Jessie giggled again.
 
“Nothing you
would
care to hear, believe me.
 
Now, if you’re through causing trouble, I’d like to get the grain loaded up so we have time to do the grocery shopping.”

Mitch groaned.
 
“You never said anything about grocery shopping.”

“You never complained before.”

“Well I’m complaining now.
 
I
would
rather be back on the ranch, specifically upstairs.
 
In bed.”

“
Kincaid
, hush, someone will hear!”

“Good, I want them to hear.”
 
Mitch pulled her up hard against his chest.
 
“I want them to know I’m crazy about you and that I’m done drifting in and out of your life.”

Jessie’s lips trembled.
 
“Are you trying to make me cry?”

“No, sweetheart, I’m trying to make you happy.”

“I am happy,
Kincaid
, happier than I’ve been in my entire life.”

“Prove it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Prove it.
 
Kiss me.
 
Right here, right now, in front of all these people.”

A small sob caught in the back of her throat as she pulled his mouth down onto hers and it was the sweetest kiss she
had
ever known.
 
From the corner of the store she heard Sally’s grunt of disapproval, but she didn’t care.
 
All that mattered was that
Kincaid
was kissing her in full view of everyone there, without hesitation, without embarrassment, and he wasn’t holding back anything.

When he finally released her, Jessie noticed with some satisfaction that Sally’s face was almost as flushed as her own face was.
 
The heated kiss was apparently all the proof the woman needed that
Kincaid
was serious about sticking around because she
dropped the haughty demeanor and was actually civil to him while she rang up the grain purchase.

At the grocery store,
Kincaid
was just as open with his display of affection.
 
If he didn’t have his arm looped around her waist as she pushed the cart, he was stealing a kiss.
 
By the time they left and headed back to the ranch, he had her so sexually aroused it was all she could do to keep from pouncing on him the minute they hauled the last of the groceries into the kitchen.
 
They managed to put the refrigerated food away before they caved into desire and raced each other up the stairs to her room.
 
The first round didn’t last five minutes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                         
***

“I’m taking you into town to see a doctor.”
 

Mitch’s stern gaze told her there would be no more discussion on the matter.
 
It was the third day in a row she’d woken up looking pale and feeling sick to her stomach
,
and her attempts at work at been half-hearted at best.
 
She looked tired and drawn as if every movement took a monumental effort and he thought she
had
also dropped a few pounds.
 
She’d shoved his concerns aside for the past few days, insisting it was just a bug that would clear itself up
,
but he wasn’t taking any chances where her health was concerned.

Jessie rolled out of bed with a groan.
 
“I feel like a slug.”

“You look a bit like one two,” he teased as he laid her clothes out on the bed for her.

“Thank you, that makes me feel so much better.”

He waited for Jessie to slip into her panties then helped her finish dressing.
 
“If you
had
gone to see the doctor two days ago when I suggested it, you
would
probably be feeling much better by now.”

Jessie stuck out her bottom lip in a pretty pout.
 
“I don’t like giving into sickness.
 
Going to the doctor is an admission of defeat.”

Mitch told her to sit on the edge of the bed then knelt down to put her shoes on for her.
 
“Well, slugger, now you’re really sick and paying the price for your stubbornness.”
 
He stood up and pulled her to her feet.
 
“We’ll go see the doctor, get you doped up with medicine, and then get you tucked back into bed.”

“I don’t have time to lie around the house.
 
The fence in the north pasture needs to be mended, two of the horses are due for their shots, then there’s…”

“I’ll take care of it.”
 
He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards the door, giving her a gentle nudge.
 
“I’ve already asked Del to send one of boys over to fix the fence and I’ll ask Hank to take care of the horses before we leave.”

Jessie shot him an incredulous glance. “You
asked
Del?”

“Yes, and I was very pleasant about it.”

“Fine,” she said as they descended the stairs, “the fence and horses are taken care of, but I still have to fix breakfast and…”

“Kenny is handling breakfast for the boys and I’m taking care of you.
 
The way your stomach has been revolting at the sight of food lately, I thought a few pieces of toast and some herbal tea might settle it down.”
 

When she paused to peek into the kitchen, he put his arm firmly around her waist and swept her out onto the porch.
 
“Sit,” he ordered, pointing to the porch swing.
 
“I can’t imagine the smell of whatever Kenny
is
concocting in there will sit well either so I’ll bring your breakfast to you.”

“You’re fussing too much
. 
I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

Mitch cupped her chin and planted a firm kiss on her lips.
 
“I like fussing over you.
 
Now be a good girl and sit quietly until I come back.”

Jessie dropped down onto the porch swing, a soft smile curving her lips.
 
She
would
never admit it to
Kincaid
, but she liked the way he was pampering her and taking charge of things.
 
He’d never once offered to take control of the work that needed to be done around the ranch, always deferring to her before.
 
She doubted he
had
even noticed what needed to be repaired or whether the horses and cattle were properly taken care of, but now he was pointing out things that needed to be tended to before she was even aware of them.
 
She loved this new side of
him
, and she was finally beginning to believe the old, indifferent Adam
Kincaid
had disappeared for good.

“Here you go.”
Kincaid said as he emerged from the house.

She took the small plate of toast and settled it on her lap before reaching for the cup of tea.
 
“This is very sweet of you.
 
Are you going to grab your breakfast and join me?”

“Sorry, sweetheart, you’re on your own.
 
The boys will be here any minute clamoring for food and I promised Kenny I
would
set the table.”

Jessie almost choked on the tea she’d just sipped.
 
“Adam Kincaid doing a household chore?
 
The world must be coming to an end.”

“Don’t forget to duck when the sky starts falling,” he laughed, “because I also promised to help with dinner.”
 
 
 

She shook her head in disbelief when he left her to go help Kenny and was still sitting there with a stunned look on her face when the ranch hands started piling onto the porch.
 
For a moment they surrounded her, asking how she felt and assuring her they
would
take care of everything until she was better.
 
It warmed her heart to have all of them hovering over her acting like mother hens even though she was certain it was nothing more serious than a virus.