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“I agree,” Finn replied with an easy chuckle.
The two men exchanged a few more words before Finn ended the conversation. Jett slipped the phone back into its holder on his belt and, after making sure the barn was securely shut for the night, headed to the house.
Inside, he found Bella in the living room talking on the phone. As soon as she spotted him entering the room, she ended the conversation and rose to her feet. “That was Mom. I reminded her once again that you weren’t coming.”
Jett grimaced. “I’m sure she’s not pleased with me. I haven’t been over to see her in a few weeks now.”
“Actually, she wasn’t upset at all. She’s happy that you’re going to be spending tomorrow with a woman. I told her about Sassy.”
He rolled his eyes. Since her divorce from a real estate mogul up in the Lake Tahoe area had become final two years ago, his sister had been living with him here on the J Bar S. In spite of Bella’s doubts that the two of them could cohabitate peacefully under the same roof, Jett had convinced her that being on the ranch would be much nicer than holing up in an apartment in town. And, so far, it had worked. Mainly because brother and sister always spoke frankly to each other.
“I’m sure the news was burning your tongue,” Jett said drolly.
Bella gave him a sweet smile. “Well, Sassy is very pretty. And you’ve never brought a woman to the ranch before.”
“Sassy is here because I was concerned she might faint again. No other reason.” Except that she had an alluring quality about her that had grabbed him from the very start. Within moments of meeting her, he’d felt himself being drawn into her plight and wanting to make things better for her. It had been years since he’d allowed himself to feel that level of protection for any woman other than Bella or his mother. It was an odd feeling, and he wasn’t sure where it was leading.
“Oh. Well, maybe you’d better take a closer look and you’ll find a reason to keep her here for a while longer.”
Not bothering to reply to his sister’s suggestive remark, Jett turned on his heel and started out of the room only to have Bella snatch hold of his arm.
“Where are you going?”
“To change clothes and start supper. It’s that time of evening,” he said pointedly. “Or hadn’t you noticed?”
Bella slipped her arm through his and pulled him over to the couch. “Well, you can give me a minute or two. I want to talk to you before Sassy gets up from her nap.”
His expression full of warning, he allowed his sister to pull him across the room. As the two of them sat on connecting cushions, Jett asked, “About what? If you’re going to start digging into me about her—”
Bella impatiently shook her head and lowered her voice. “I’m worried about you, that’s all.”
Jett snorted. “Worried about me? Why?”
She squeezed his hand, and in that moment Jett realized that, in spite of Bella’s independent nature, she needed his support. Just as he’d always needed hers. With their mother living miles away in Truckee, and their dad leaving the family years ago, the two siblings had stuck close. Especially after both of their marriages had fallen apart.
“This thing with Sassy,” she answered. “I’m afraid the Calhouns are going to blame you for all this.”
His brows arched with innocence. “All this? Nothing has happened.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not yet. But it will. I’m certain of that, and so are you.”
Jett glanced over at the open doorway that connected the living room to the rest of the house. The last thing he wanted was for Sassy to overhear their conversation. She’d probably take the first flight out of Carson City. And he didn’t want that to happen. Even though his ex-wife, Erica, had made his life a living hell and caused him to swear off women for the past five years, it was nice to be in Sassy’s company. She was fresh and frank, and one of the sexiest women he’d ever seen in his life—which was weird since she looked so much like his friend. And somehow her youthful energy—even despite her faint—made him feel alive and good. He couldn’t see anything wrong with that.
“If Sassy’s visit to the Silver Horn opens a can of worms, it’s not my fault.”
“Oh? Then whose fault would it be? You’re the man who set up this meeting. Why did you get involved, anyway? If Finn wanted to visit his dead friend’s girl, then he should’ve done it on his own and left you out of it.”
He glared at his sister. “Bella! It isn’t like you to be so unfeeling. And being the Calhouns’ lawyer always makes me the middleman. Anyway, that part doesn’t matter. I want you to put yourself in Sassy’s shoes for a moment. Wouldn’t you welcome any sort of help in finding your parents?”
She grimaced. “We haven’t known our father’s whereabouts since we were teenagers. And I’m not asking anyone to help me find the man,” she pointed out.
“No. But you don’t have to wonder who he was. And you have a mother in your life. Sassy has neither. Her adoptive parents were killed in a house fire when she was just seventeen. Now she’s having the baby of a man who was tragically killed only two months ago. The woman deserves a little helping hand, don’t you think?”
Bella’s sigh was rueful. “Okay, I sound awful. I admit it. And I’m sorry. Especially because I like Sassy. I even wish she’d stay with us for a while. But taking her to meet the Calhouns—that’s another thing. Let her go alone. Otherwise, if she uses this meeting to start questioning them about relatives, Bart might get angry at you for aiding and abetting her. He might even fire you.”
Jett’s chuckle held little mirth. “Not likely. Bart trusts me to keep the ranch’s business private. But the roof wouldn’t fall in if he did fire me. I’ve been thinking I’d rather hang my shingle out in town, anyway.”
Bella stared at him. “I’ve never heard you talk like this. Are you serious?”
“Very.”
Shaking her head with disbelief, she said, “The Calhouns pay you an enormous salary. Why would you want the headache of a public practice?”
“I didn’t go through eight years of education to work exclusively for one family. I’d like to think all that learning could help others, too.”
Bella laid her hand on his forehead. “My Lord, something has come over you. What is it?”
“I believe it’s called maturing.” Rising to his feet, he looked down at his sister’s worried face. “Now, what do you say about having spaghetti for supper? After the day she’s been through, Sassy could probably use a decent meal.”
“Are you cooking?”
“I am.”
Grinning impishly, she said, “Then it sounds great.”
* * *
A few minutes later, after changing into clean clothes, Jett left his bedroom and was walking down the hallway when Sassy suddenly stepped through her bedroom door and straight into his path.
Trying to stop his forward motion without bowling her over, he grabbed her by the shoulders and rocked back on his heels. “Whoa, Sassy! I didn’t see you coming.”
Reaching out to steady herself, her palms landed on his chest. “Jett! Oh, I’m sorry—I wasn’t looking.”
“No harm done.” Easing his grip on her shoulders, his hands slipped to her upper arms. As she looked up at him, he took a moment to survey her lovely face, and the notion suddenly struck him that he couldn’t recall the last time he’d enjoyed looking at a woman and touching her, even in the simplest of ways. But he was definitely enjoying it now. “I guess this must be my day to stop you from falling.”
“Let’s hope tomorrow improves,” she said jokingly. “I’ll try my best to stay on my feet.”
A pale pink color warmed her cheeks, and on closer inspection he noticed that faint freckles were scattered across the bridge of her nose. Her lashes were so long they created crescent-shape shadows beneath her eyes, yet it was her lips that completely stole Jett’s attention. They were wide and soft, and he figured that once a man kissed them, he’d want to do it again and again.
Clearing his throat, he forced his gaze to the cascade of fiery curls falling around her head and onto her shoulders. “Oh, I don’t know,” he told her. “This is starting to get fun.”
The color on her face deepened. “I seriously doubt that.”
He wanted to ask her what she meant, but kept the question to himself. Just because he found her attractive didn’t mean she was feeling any magnetic pull toward him.
And why would you want her to feel anything toward you, Jett? Wasn’t Erica enough punishment for you? You don’t need a woman messing up your life again and making you crazy.
He needed to heed the voice of warning in his head, he told himself. Just because Sassy was stirring up a hot yearning in him didn’t mean he should forget the painful lessons he’d learned in his broken marriage. But, oh, she was tempting him, making him want to believe that a woman couldn’t lead him back into hellish misery.
In an attempt to get his mind off the urges in his body, he changed the subject. “Feel like eating? I’m about to start supper.”
Faintly surprised, her blue eyes swept over him. “You’re going to cook?”
“Sure. I’ll even wash my hands before I start.”
She suddenly chuckled, and for a brief moment she looked happy. The sight warmed him.
“You’re a funny man.”
“I’m glad you think so,” he said softly. “Because I like hearing you laugh.”
Her head bent, causing her next words to be slightly muffled. “Normally, I laugh a lot. But lately—well, things have been a little rocky.”
For a moment she didn’t stir, and Jett was telling himself that he needed to release his hold on her and be on his way, but having her close to him felt far too good and before he could stop himself, he slid his arms around her shoulders and pulled her close against him.
She didn’t resist. Instead, her body settled against his as though it had found a perfect niche. Encouraged by her reaction, he said, “I’d like to change that for you, Sassy.”
Her head tilted backward, allowing her gaze to connect with his. “How? You can’t change the course of my life.”
“You might be surprised about that.”
Uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “Jett, I think—”
Her words suddenly halted as his thumb and forefinger wrapped around her chin. “You probably won’t understand this, Sassy, but I’m very glad that you’re here.”
“How can you be?” she asked, her voice little more than a breathy whisper. “You didn’t ask for all this trouble.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re just the kind of trouble I need.”
She started to make some sort of reply, but Jett didn’t allow her words to escape. Instead, he lowered his head and covered her soft lips with his.
Chapter Three
Jett Sundell was kissing her!
Even though the shocking realization was zipping through Sassy’s mind, her body refused to back away and put an end to the contact. Instead, she stood motionless in the circle of his arms and drank in the taste of his lips as they rocked gently over hers.
After what seemed like a long, long minute, his head finally eased back, and by then Sassy was so rattled she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or race back to the safety of her bedroom.
Fighting all three urges, she forced herself to stand her ground and face him. “Is this the kind of treatment you give all your houseguests?” she demanded, once she’d managed to catch her breath.
Expecting him to be somewhat ashamed, she was amazed to see a sly grin spread across his face. “I’ve never had a houseguest like you.”
“So you’ve not yet learned to mind your manners?”
He chuckled then, and a part of Sassy melted at the warm sound. For the past two months she’d felt dead and frozen inside. This man made her want to believe her life could be simple again. But those days were over. She was going to have a baby, and that would change every aspect of her life.
“I’m sorry, Sassy.” He gently released his hold on her. “I don’t normally behave like this. But you’re just so darned pretty. And—” Shaking his head, he touched a forefinger to her cheek. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt the urge to kiss a woman.”
Sassy found that hard to believe. He’d kissed her like it was something he practiced every day. And with his dark, rugged looks, he’d never have trouble snaring a woman’s attention.
Stepping back to put a measure of space between them, she refused to give in to the impulse to lick her lips. The last thing she wanted was for Jett to think she was still savoring the taste of him. Even though she was.
“Don’t you have a girlfriend somewhere waiting for you to kiss her?” She muttered the question.
“No girlfriend. No one special.”
All sorts of questions raced through her mind, but she kept them to herself. Jett Sundell’s personal life was no concern of hers. The sooner she could get that through her head, the better off she’d be.
“Thank goodness I don’t have to feel guilty about that.” She started to step around him, but he caught her lightly by the arm to prevent her escape.
“You’re a young, beautiful, unattached woman,” he said gently. “Why should you feel guilty about kissing me?”
“I’m going to have a baby.” As soon as she’d blurted out the words, she recognized how inane that sounded. But she couldn’t help it. Hearing that she was pregnant was suddenly making her feel and think differently about herself and life in general. She couldn’t be the impulsive, carefree girl she used to be. From this point on she would always put her baby first.
He groaned with disbelief. “Carrying a baby isn’t an affliction. And I do believe that kissing is allowed during pregnancy.”
Angry at herself for allowing this man to shake up her senses, she said, “Not by me—or you—or us.”
Then, before he could counter that remark, she turned and hurriedly walked away.
* * *
Later that evening, as the three of them sat around the supper table, Sassy had to admit to herself that Jett could cook as well as he could kiss. The food was delicious and so was the memory of being in his arms.
He’d called her pretty. Had he really meant that? She’d certainly not expected to hear him say such a thing. He was a man with high standards. She could see that by the way he lived. And, at her best, she had an average appearance. So the compliment could have just been his way of apologizing, she mused. Or, God help her, maybe the fact that she was pregnant and unmarried had given him the idea that she was promiscuous.
Quit thinking about him, Sassy. Forget how his lips felt as they’d moved over yours. Forget the way he tasted and the way the male scent of his body enveloped you like a dreamy fog. Giving in to a man has already gotten you into a big fix. You can’t allow this one to lead you down a wrong path. You’ll be gone from here in a few days, and then Jett Sundell will be nothing more than a dim memory.
She was thankful that, as the meal progressed, Jett and Bella kept the conversation flowing with small talk about local happenings and the weather they’d endured so far this winter. And for a few minutes Sassy was grateful to have her mind on things besides the baby, the kiss and the Calhouns.
“Jett, since you cooked, I’ll volunteer to clean the kitchen tonight,” Bella said, as the three of them finished the meal with slices of chocolate cake.
“I’d be glad to help,” Sassy quickly offered. “In fact, I’d feel better if you’d let me do all the cleaning.”
“Not on your life,” Jett replied.
Bella backed her brother up by saying, “Thanks for the offer, Sassy. Maybe next time. You’ve had a long day. You go along with Jett and relax in the living room. I’ll take care of everything here.”
Relax with Jett? How could she manage that, when just looking at the man whipped her pulse into a mad gallop? Putting her fork aside, she said, “Bella, I’m a maid. I’m used to doing the cleaning.”
“You’re not a maid here,” Jett pointed out.
Sassy had never planned to set foot in this man’s home, yet he was treating her as if she was a special guest. Was he just showing basic good manners? Or trying to get on her good side for some reason?
She was still trying to figure out the answers to those questions when he rose from his seat and helped her to her feet. Sassy had little choice but to accompany him to the living room. Once there, she sat on the couch while he went over to fireplace and added two more logs to the low-burning flames.
When he finally put away the poker and started toward an armchair, her coiled nerves had her suddenly blurting, “Please don’t feel like you have to sit around and entertain me. I’m sure you have other things you’d like to be doing.”
Changing direction, he strode over to the couch and eased onto the cushion next to hers. Sassy’s heart immediately kicked into a rapid flutter.
“Trying to get rid of me?” he asked wryly.
Reaching over, he wrapped a hand around hers and Sassy was instantly overcome with conflicting emotions. There was something about Jett that greatly comforted her, yet, at the same time, he made her feel things she had no business feeling. Like wanting and needing and dreaming.
“I should’ve gone to the hotel as I’d first planned,” she said ruefully.
“No. I should’ve behaved like a gentleman.” His fingertips gently stroked the back of her hand. “You didn’t ask for that kiss. Now you have the idea that I’m a wolf.”
Feeling as though she was about to break apart, Sassy drew in a deep breath and lifted her chin. “There’s no need for you to apologize. It was just a kiss, no matter what you think.”
Disapproval bent the corners of his mouth. “You hardly come across as easy, Sassy.”
She searched his face. “Well, some people back home view me as a party girl—and I have had a few boyfriends,” she admitted. “But not in an—intimate way. Barry was— He was the only man I’ve ever been close to and that happened only once. Now I’m pregnant. Folks back home might not be shocked at the news, but I surely am.”
“Every town has its gossipers. You don’t pay any attention to that sort of talk, do you?”
“I never did before. But now...”
“You don’t want it to hurt your baby,” he finished softly.
He understood. For some reason that made everything she was facing seem much less daunting and him seem, oh so special.
“Now that I’ve learned George and Gloria Matthews weren’t my parents, I regard a lot of things differently,” she said. “It hurts—the not knowing where I came from. I don’t want my child to ever have any doubts about his parents.”
“Sassy, I hope you’re not thinking that being a single mother is something to be ashamed of.”
Her low laugh was tinged with irony. “I’m not ashamed. But it’s hard to forget hurtful things that are said about you. For instance, a couple of years ago I had a little crush on a ranch hand who works for the Chaparral. Someone told him I’d like to go on a date with him, and his reply was that he’d never date a young woman who hopped from one man’s bed to the next.”
“You should have told the guy to go to hell. Did you?”
She shrugged. “After that I knew he wasn’t worth the bother. But the whole thing did get me to thinking and wondering why some people get the wrong impression about me.” She looked at him, and for the first time in her life, words began to roll past her lips that she’d never spoken to anyone before. “You see, after my parents died, I felt really alone, Jett. I didn’t have brothers or sisters. Not even cousins to hang with. And I was desperate for attention and just, well—human connection. I liked going out on dates and having fun. It made me forget that I’d lost everything that was dear to me. After a while, I suppose people began to think I was overdoing it with the dates and the guys. That probably doesn’t make much sense to you, but that’s the way I see it.”
“I’ll tell you the way I see it, Sassy. You’re beautiful and special. And you’re going make your son or daughter proud.”
He squeezed her hand, and his touch warmed her just as much as his words. And even though she could hear faint warning bells clanging in the back of her head, urging her to get up and move away from the man, she couldn’t budge from his side.
A nervous little laugh slipped out of her. “I’ve been talking too much. What in the world did you put in that spaghetti, Jett? Truth serum?”
A faint grin grooved his cheeks. “I didn’t put any serum in the spaghetti, but I can truthfully say that kiss I stole earlier this evening... It didn’t happen because I thought you were easy. Understand?”
She smiled faintly. “Okay, Jett. I understand.”
But, frankly, Sassy didn’t understand. Why had that kiss happened? Had it only stemmed from basic male attraction or because he was lonely? Oh, Lord, it didn’t matter, she tried to tell herself. After meeting the Calhouns, she’d start making plans to go home.
* * *
The next morning, after Bella left to make the forty-five mile trip over to Truckee, California, to visit their mother, Jett invited Sassy to join him on his feeding rounds. After being cooped up in the house since yesterday, she’d jumped at the chance to get outdoors and see part of the J Bar S.
After pulling on a pair of jeans, boots and a warm jacket, she walked down to a big red barn with the two collies, Mary and Max, trotting happily at her side. Once she reached the building, she found double doors swung wide and Jett inside, tossing hay bales into the back of a work truck. Bits of dried grass and dust flew all around him and floated through the shafts of morning sunlight.
Careful to stand out of the way, Sassy watched him finish with the hay, then add several sacks of cattle feed on top of the load. The effortless way he handled the heavy sacks told Sassy he was accustomed to doing much more than just sitting at a desk shuffling legal papers.
When she’d first met him in the airport yesterday, she’d taken note of his headgear. This morning he was wearing the same battered gray hat. Sweat stained the band and the repetitive pressure of his fingers against the crown had caused one of the creases to split and create a hole in the felt.
Sassy had learned to read a lot about a cowboy’s character in his hat. And Jett’s was definitely full of personality. The fact that he chose not to replace the worn piece of equipment with a new one said he was sentimental about his possessions. Plus, he didn’t need fancy to make him feel important. She liked that about him. But then, that was the problem. She liked far too many things about the man.
He motioned for the dogs to jump up onto the truck, and once they were settled on top of the feed sacks, he shut the tailgate and looked over to her. “I’m all set here,” he said. “Are you ready?”
She moved to where he stood. “Ready and bundled in my warmest clothing.”
“I promise you’re not going to be cold. This old truck looks a little rough, but the heater still works great.” He reached for her elbow. “Come along and I’ll help you climb up.”
Once they were settled in the cab, Jett backed the vehicle out of the barn, then steered it onto a dirt track packed hard from constant use. As they headed toward the open range, Sassy wondered if the space in the cab had suddenly shrunk. Jett felt so near she could practically feel the heat of his body and smell the masculine scent emanating from his clothing.
“The cattle are on the other side of this mesa. Not far from here,” he said, as he steered the truck in a northerly direction. “They’ve been getting fed every day so we won’t have to hunt them. They’ll be waiting for us.”
Trying to get her mind off him and onto their surroundings, she peered out the windshield at the rough terrain. “How long have you had this ranch?”
To their left, fir-covered mountains were less than a quarter mile off, while to the immediate right, the land swept away to scrubby desert terrain full of sagebrush and juniper. It was wild and beautiful land with more wide open space to it than the Chaparral, which was surrounded by steep mountains.
“My maternal grandparents, Adah and Melvin Whitfield, used to own this property,” he said. “Along with a nice herd of cattle. But age caught up with them, and they decided to scale down to a smaller ranch in southern California where the climate is much easier. Rather than sell this place they gave it to my mother, but she never was interested in country living. She sold the cattle, and I bought her out of the property with the assurance it would always remain in the family. That happened about six years ago, and since then I’ve been trying to build it back into the ranch it was when my grandparents lived here.”