Cowgirls Don't Cry (21 page)
“From what?”
From beating the shit out of my barn today.
“From workin’. No big deal.”
“Let me see.”
“Jess—”
“If it’s no big deal then let me see it.”
Brandt held out his right hand and turned the palm side up. The glove had rubbed his skin raw. Where the glove had holes, he had slivers. Even his fingertips were scraped up.
“Oh, your poor hand. Are those wood slivers?”
“Yeah.”
“Stay put. I’ll be right back.” She returned with tweezers, a needle, a washcloth, and a tube of anti-bacterial ointment.
“Here I was hopin’ that was a bottle of lube.”
“Maybe later. Right now, I’m gonna get those slivers out.”
“You don’t have to bother because I hardly even noticed them.”
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But Jessie wasn’t deterred. “I noticed them and I happen to excel at sliver removal, so you’re in luck.”
She bent her head close to his palm and started poking his skin with the needle.
As much as he didn’t want to ask if she’d done this for Luke, his mouth had other ideas. “How’s it that you’re so good with tweezers?”
“When me’n Josie were kids, there was this really cool abandoned tree fort in the woods behind our house. We weren’t supposed to go there, but we couldn’t resist. Problem was, it had an old rope to climb to reach the wooden platform and we both ended up with a lot of splinters. Since the tree fort had been expressly forbidden, we couldn’t tell Mom about the slivers, so me’n my little sister both got really good at picking them out.”
“Where was your mom when you were sneakin’ off to the woods?”
“Working.”
“And your dad?”
She snorted. “Billy? Off rodeoin’, where he always was.”
Jessie rarely talked about her family. In fact, that was the first time he’d heard she had a sister.
She worked in silence and with such a deft touch he didn’t feel a damn thing. And his hand was much more tender than he’d wanted to admit.
She said, “Almost done.”
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to do this for me.”
“Oh, I didn’t do it for you. I did it for me, for purely selfish reasons. See, I love the feel of your rough, manly hands on me, but not so much if they’re swollen and pus-infected.”
“Nice visual,” he said wryly.
“But it’s a reason you’ll accept a lot easier than me admitting I can’t stand to see you hurting. Not when I can do something to help you or something to stop it.”
That’s when Brandt knew he loved her. Not lusted after her. Not felt obligated to her. He loved her.
Loved who she was, this woman who tended to him in so many ways. Who touched him in ways he was only beginning to understand.
Jessie finally looked at him. She brought his hand to her mouth and placed a tender kiss in the center of his palm. “All better.”
“Now that you’re done, will you let me put my hands all over you?”
“Nope. I’m thinking these need to heal up so it’d be best if I put my hands all over you.” She smiled with wicked intent. “We still get to the same destination, but I hold the reins.”
Brandt groaned. “You’re gonna torture me, aren’t you?”
“Yep. But I promise you’ll love it.” She gave him a thoughtful look. “Now. What did I do with those ropes?”
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Chapter Thirteen
“No. That’s okay. I understand.” Jessie forced a laugh. “Yeah, cell service is shitty in Wyoming.” She walked into the kitchen and set her empty coffee cup in the sink. “I’ll check the road conditions. Uh-huh.
I’ll let you know. Bye, Billy.”
Jessie punched the off button on her cell phone and stared at the snowy landscape out Brandt’s front window. They’d finished chores as quickly as possible this morning because of the bone chilling cold.
She’d looked forward to spending the whole day snuggled up with Brandt since Tell and Dalton had taken on babysitting duties.
But now…
Strong arms circled her waist. The clean scent of a freshly showered and shaved Brandt surrounded her. His warm, soft lips traveled up the side of her neck.
“Who was on the phone?” he asked.
“Billy.”
“Billy…as in…your dad?”
“Yeah.”
Brandt quit kissing her neck and spun her to face him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. He was just calling to let me know he’s competing at an event in Gillette. Today.”
“Today? He couldn’t’ve told you before now?”
She shook her head. “That’s how he operates, Brandt. In his own little rodeo world. Nothing else matters but chasing eight and winning that elusive gold buckle.”
“So, did he call you to tell you he’s just passin’ through?”
“What’s funny is he probably drove within ten miles of my place and he couldn’t be bothered…”
Jessie extricated herself from Brandt’s arms, hating the girlish, whining tone to her voice. So Billy didn’t care enough to pop in and say howdy. Hell. She should be happy he remembered she lived in Wyoming.
Happy. Right. The man flat out didn’t give a damn about her.
Like his apathy is news, Jessie.
True. But it didn’t stop the hollow feeling from expanding, a feeling she only got when she heard from her vagabond father.
But Brandt wouldn’t let her shut herself off, especially not after she’d pushed him to deal with his mood the other day. “Jess. Baby, talk to me. What did he want?”
Cowgirls Don’t Cry
“He asked me to come to Gillette to watch him ride and he wants us to catch up. Jesus. I haven’t seen him for three years. The last time was at the Niobrara Rodeo with Luke. And to say Billy and Luke didn’t hit it off is putting it mildly. Luke told him a grown man should face up to his responsibilities, not run off and join the damn rodeo.”
Brandt whistled. “Not that I disagree with anything Luke said, but I imagine that didn’t go over well.”
“Actually, Billy laughed it off. Said he’d take his judgment before God, not men.” She brooded, remembering just how mortifying that conversation had been. It’d gotten worse after Luke had spouted off that being brave on the back of a bronc didn’t mean shit when Billy was too much of a coward to stay with his wife and kids.
“What else did they say? Because I can tell you’re holding something back.”
“Billy reminded Luke that paying lip service to a sacred vow was a sin. Talk about humiliating. Billy knew Luke was cheating on me. Which made me wonder if cheaters recognize cheaters, or if Billy knew I wasn’t enough to hold Luke’s interest for the long haul.”
Evidently Brandt had no response for that.
“So you goin’ to Gillette?”
“Yes. How freakin’ pathetic is that?”
“Not pathetic. Just hopeful things might change between you and your father, and darlin’, that’s a feeling I’ve been familiar with my whole life.” Brandt kissed the top of her head. “I can’t fault you for that hope, but I’m worried how it’ll affect you if this trip ends up bein’ another dose of the same old, same old.
So, if you’re goin’, I’m goin’ with you.”
Jessie cranked her head around to look at him. “Really? You’d give up your one free weekend day to drive to Gillette and sit in an arena that smells like the barn?”
“I’m not givin’ up anything. I’ll be with you. That’s all that matters to me.” Brandt kissed her again, soundly.
Any mention of his feelings for her made her wary, but Brandt did it every chance he had. That’s just the way he was.
Hands roamed, breathing became hot and heavy as the kiss heated. But she didn’t break the connection, Brandt did. He muttered, “We’d better stop playin’ grab ass if we’re hitting the road.”
She nipped his bottom lip. “We’ve got time for a quickie.”
“No way.” He slapped her butt and stepped back. “I want more than a quickie.”
“We could stay here and spend the entire day in bed.”
“Another time. You need to see your dad, even if it’s only for a little while. Call him and tell him we’re on our way.” Brandt pointed at her clothes. “You gonna change?”
She glanced down at the dirt and manure stained coveralls. “You don’t think I oughta meet Billy in my work clothes?”
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“I don’t give a damn what you wear, Jess, you know that. Just curious how soon you’ll be ready. I hafta call Tell and Dalton and update them on our plans before we go.”
“Give me five minutes.”
In Brandt’s room, she dug in her duffel bag for the extra pair of jeans. She switched out her ratty long sleeved T-shirt for a newer one, wishing she’d packed something nicer. Her gaze strayed to the closet.
Maybe she’d just wear one of Brandt’s shirts.
Her fingers trailed over the slim selection until she reached a shirt the color of burgundy roses, shoved in the very back of his closet. Not exactly Brandt’s shade. Curious, she pulled it out and realized it was a woman’s shirt.
Huh. Brandt wasn’t the player his brothers were, but she doubted he’d been a monk. She heard about the on-again, off-again girlfriend. He probably wasn’t aware his last squeeze had left it here.
Too bad, so sad. Finder’s keepers.
She buttoned it. Nice fit. Really nice fit. This expensive brand had always been out of her price range.
She stopped in the bathroom and brushed her hair before returning to the living room where Brandt waited.
“Ready? You look…” His smile dried as he noticed the rose-colored shirt.
“I hope you don’t mind. I’m out of clean clothes so I borrowed it from your closet, because truthfully, this one really doesn’t match your color palette.”
His slow
aw shucks
grin brought out his dimples. “I forgot Lydia left it here or I’da turned it into a grease rag. Keep it if you want. It looks better on you than it ever did on her.”
“Thanks.”
“Let’s go.”
Lexie barked happily at the word
go
.
“Sorry, not today.” Jessie ruffled her dog’s ears. “Is it okay if she stays inside the house while we’re gone?”
“Yep. I already let her out. Amazing how quick she is about her
goggie
business when it’s ten below outside.”
Bundling up, she followed Brandt to his truck. She loved how he held the driver’s side door for her.
She scooted across the bench seat, stopping in the middle. As soon as they were on the road, he set his forearm on her thigh and curled his hand around her knee. She laid her head on his shoulder, perfectly content.
Silences between them weren’t unusual. So it surprised her when Brandt said, “Seems quiet without Landon babbling in the background.”
“Almost makes you wish he wasn’t trying so hard to talk, huh?”
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He chuckled. “When I talked to Tell, he said Landon wrassled a bear last night. Granted, it was a teddy bear, but I’ll bet my brothers don’t make that small distinction to Landon as he’s growing up.
Already tryin’ to make the kid tough.”
“Why is it such a point of pride that the McKays are known for their toughness?”
“I don’t know if it’s a point of pride as much as it is proof that if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. So we’ve all gotta stand our ground because none of us wanna be considered the weakest link.”
“Were your dad and your uncles like that too?”
His posture stiffened. Was Brandt aware how his body changed whenever his dad was mentioned?
“They all had a reputation for brawlin’ with each other and with any unlucky sucker who crossed them. Course, if I hadn’t talked to my cousins, I never would’ve known any of that. If it hadn’t been for Aunt Kimi, none of us—Casper’s sons—would’ve known our grandpop. He lived with Uncle Cal and Aunt Kimi, which pissed my dad off.”
“Why?” She knew little of the McKay family history because Luke never wanted to talk about it.
“Grandpop made it clear he’d rather live with the daughter of the man he hated than with his own son.
I suspect that was the start of the issues between my dad and his brothers, but no one has ever confirmed that’s what sparked the problems.”
“Family drama. Ain’t it fun?”
“Don’t worry, Jess. I won’t pick a fight with a random stranger or do anything to embarrass you in front of your dad.”
“That’s not it. I’m more worried he’ll do something to embarrass
me
.”
Brandt lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
Jessie appreciated he didn’t make false promises that everything between her and Billy would be hunky-dory, sparkly rainbows and lollipops.
The roads to Gillette were icy and Brandt concentrated on driving. She must’ve dozed off because the next thing she knew, Brandt was shaking her awake.
“We’re at the Camplex.”
She stretched. “What time is it?”
“Twelve. What time does the rodeo start?”
“I’m guessing one o’clock.”
“Where are you meeting him?”
“In the contestant area. Not that I have a clue where that is. I’ve never been to the Camplex.”
Brandt frowned. “Didn’t you travel around with your dad for a while?”
“You mean the summer I met you at the Devil’s Tower Rodeo?”
He nodded.
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“That was the third and final event I attended with him. I cramped his style.” She smiled. “Which was why I ended up in the bar that night.”
“Do you remember running into us—me’n Luke at the rodeo earlier that day?”
“Uh-huh. That’s how I found out about the dance. Luke asked me to come.”
Brandt parked. Then he turned, cupping her face to give her a tender kiss. “Any time you’re ready to leave, give me a signal.”
“Maybe we should have a code word,” she suggested.
“Like what?”
“Hot, kinky sex?”
Brandt grinned. “I don’t even wanna know how you’d work that into casual conversation with your dad sittin’ right there, so maybe we oughta come up something else.”
“How about slow dancing, in honor of our first meeting?”
“Deal. But I feel obligated to mention that you slow danced with my brother, not me.”
