Honey and the Hired Hand

Six

Jesse found Jack in the barn brushing General. He stuck a boot on the bottom rail of the stall door and leaned his forearms on the top rail.

"You and that bull seem to be good friends," Jesse said.

The boy ignored him and continued brushing. the bull's curly red coat.

Jesse tipped his hat back off his brow. "When I was a kid about your age my dad gave me a bull of my very own to raise."

"I was eight when Dad bought General," Jack said. "He wasn't much to look at then, but Dad thought he was something pretty special. He was right. General's always been a winner." Jack seemed embarrassed at having said; so much and began brushing a little harder and faster.

"Sounds like your dad was something pretty special, too," Jesse said.

"You're nothing like him, that's for sure!"

"No, I expect not," Jesse agreed. "I do have one thing in common with your father."

Jesse waited for the boy's curiosity to force him to continue the conversation.

"What's that?" Jack asked.

"Feelings for your mother."

Jack glared at him. "Why can't you just leave her alone?"

How could he explain what he felt for Honey in words the boy would understand? Jesse wondered. What did one say to a thirteen-year-old boy to describe the relationship between a man and a woman? It would be easier if he could tell the boy he was committed in some way to Honey. But Jesse had never spoken of "forever" with Honey, and he wasn't free to do so until his business here was done.

"I wish I had an easy answer for your question," Jesse said quietly. "But I don't. Will it help if I say I'll try my damnedest never to do anything that'll hurt your mom?"

Abruptly Jack stopped brushing the bull. "She's never gonna love you like she loved Dad. You're crazy if you think she will. There's no sense in you hanging around. Now that school's out, I can handle things. Why don't you just leave?"

"I can't," Jesse said simply.

"Why not?"

"Your mother needs my help." And I still have to steal this bull.

Jack's body sagged like a balloon losing air. "I wish Dad was still alive," he said in a quiet, solemn voice.

Jesse retrieved a piece of hay from the feed trough and began to shred it. "My father died when I was twenty," he said. "Bronc threw him and broke his neck. I didn't think anything could hurt so much as the grief I felt losing him. I missed him so much, I left home and started wandering. It took a few years before I realized he was still with me."

The boy's brow furrowed, revealing the confusion caused by Jesse's last statement.

Jesse reached out to scratch behind the huge bull's ears. "What I mean is, I'd catch myself doing something and remember how my dad had been the one to teach it to me. My father left me with the best part of himself-the memories I have of everything he said and did."

Jack swallowed hard. His teeth gritted to stop the tremor in his chin.

"Your mom won't ever forget your dad, Jack. No more than you will. No matter who comes into her life, she'll always have her memories of him. And so will you."

Jesse wasn't sure whether his words had caused any change in Jack's attitude toward him, but he didn't know what else to say.

The silence deepened and thickened until finally Jesse said, "You're doing a fine job grooming General, boy. When you get done, I could use some help replacing a few rotted posts around the corral."

Jesse turned and left the barn without waiting for a reply from Jack. Fifteen minutes later, Jack appeared at his side wearing work gloves and carrying a shovel. The two of them labored side by side digging out several rotten posts and replacing them with new ones.

Honey could hardly believe her eyes when she looked out the kitchen window. She forced herself to remain inside and give Jesse and Jack time alone together. When several hours had passed and they were still hard at work, she prepared a tray with two large glasses of iced tea and took it out to the corral.

"You both look thirsty," she said.

Jesse swiped at the dripping sweat on his neck and chest with a bandanna he had pulled from his back pocket. "I am. How about you, Jack?"

Honey was amazed at the even, almost cordial sound of her son's voice as he said, "I feel dry enough to swallow a river and come back for more."

Both males made short work of the tall glasses of iced tea. Honey flushed when Jesse winked at her as he set his glass back on the tray. She looked quickly at Jack to see how he reacted to Jesse's flirtatious behavior. Her son shrugged…and grinned!

She turned and stared in amazement at Jesse, What on earth had he said to Jack to cause such a miraculous reversal in her son's attitude? Honey frowned as the two shared a look of male understanding. Whatever it was, she ought to feel grateful. And she did. Sort of.

Honey tried to pinpoint what it was that bothered her about Jack's acceptance of the drifter. Her forehead wrinkled in thought as she slowly made her way back to the house. She wasn't pleased with the conclusions she reached.

So long as Jack found the drifter a threat and an interloper, it had been easier for Honey to justify keeping Jesse at an emotional arm's length. She had realized there was no sense letting herself get attached to him if one of her children clearly abhorred him. Jack's sudden acceptance of Jesse left her without a piece of armor she had counted on. Now, with her defenses down, she was extremely vulnerable to the drifter's entreaties.

Halfway to the house, the phone started ringing. Honey was breathless from running when she finally answered it.

"Honey? Did I catch you outside again?"

"Oh, Adam. Uh, yes, you did. When are you coming home?"

"I am home. Are you free to go out tonight?"

Honey thought about it for a moment. Clearly she needed to be sure Jesse wasn't anywhere around when she told Adam she couldn't marry him. Going out was probably not a bad idea. "Sure," she said at last. "What time should I meet you and where?"

"I'll pick you up."

"That isn't necessary, Adam. I-"

"I insist."

It was clear he wouldn't take no for an answer. Rather than argue, she agreed. "All right."

"See you at eight, Honey."

Honey almost groaned aloud at Adam's purring tone of voice when he said her name. It was not going to be a pleasant evening. "At eight," she confirmed.

When Jesse and Jack came into the house for supper they found only two places set at the table. It was the most subtle way Honey could think of to say that she was going out for the evening. From the look in Jesse's eyes, subtlety wasn't going to help much.

It was Jack who asked, "Aren't you going to eat with us?"

"No. Adam is taking me out to supper."

Identical frowns settled on two male faces. It had apparently dawned on Jack that his mother had not one, but two suitors. Honey would have laughed at the chagrined expression on her son's face if the situation hadn't been so fraught with tension.

Jack looked warily at Jesse. "Uh…Adam is mom's…uh…friend," he said by way of explanation.

"That's what your mom said," Jesse agreed.

Jack relaxed when it appeared Jesse wasn't upset by the situation. He turned to his mother and asked, "Are you going to tell Adam tonight that you won't marry him?"

Honey clutched her hands together, frustrated by the situation Jack had put her in. The gleam of amusement in Jesse's dark eyes didn't help matters any. She simply said, "Adam deserves an answer to his proposal. And yes, I intend to give it to him tonight."

"And?" Jack prompted.

"After I've given Adam my answer, I'll be glad to share it with you," she said to Jack. "Until then, I think you should sit down and eat your supper."

Honey escaped upstairs to dress, where she managed to consume most of the two hours until Adam's expected arrival at eight.

Shortly before Adam was due to arrive, Jack knocked on her door and asked if he could spend the night with a friend.

"What time will you be home tomorrow morning?" Honey asked.

"Well, me and Reno were thinking maybe we'd go tubing tomorrow. I figured I'd stay and have lunch with him and spend the afternoon on the river."

"Jack, I don't think-"

"It's the first Saturday of summer vacation, Mom! You aren't gonna make me come home and work, are you?"

Jack knew exactly what to say to push her maternal guilt buttons. "All right," she relented. "But I don't think you can make a habit of this. I'm depending on your help around the ranch this summer.¹'

"Believe me, Mom, it's just this once."

Moments later Jack came by with his overnight bag thrown over his shoulder to give her a quick, hard hug. Then he scampered down the stairs and out through the kitchen. She heard the screen door slam behind him.

If Honey thought she had managed to avoid a confrontation with Jesse by staying in her room until the very last minute, she was disabused of that notion as soon as she descended the stairs. He was waiting for her at the bottom.

"You told me you aren't going to marry that Philips guy," Jesse said.

Honey postponed any response by heading for the living room. She brushed aside the lacy drapery on the front window and looked for the headlights of Adam's sports car in the distance. No rescue there. She turned and faced Jesse, who had followed her into the room and was standing behind the aged leather chair that had been Cale's favorite spot in the room.

"I've never given Adam an answer to his proposal," Honey said. "He deserves to be told my decision face-to-face."

"Tell him here. Don't go out with him."

Honey felt a surge of anger. "I may not be willing to marry Adam, but I care for him as a person. I agreed to go to dinner with him, and I'm going!"

She watched Jesse's eyes narrow, his nostrils flare, his lips flatten. His anger clearly matched her own. But he didn't argue further.

Neither did he leave the room. When Adam arrived five long minutes later, he found Jesse comfortably ensconced in Cale's favorite chair idly perusing a ranching magazine.

Jesse looked up assessingly when Adam entered the living room, but he didn't rise to greet the other man. He kept his left ankle hooked securely over his right knee and slouched a little more deeply into the chair, concentrating on the magazine.

"Don't be too late," he said as Adam slipped an arm around Honey to escort her out the door. Jesse smiled behind the magazine when the other man stiffened.

His smugness disappeared when Honey replied with a beatific smile, "Don't wait up for me."

Jesse would have been downright concerned if he could have heard what passed between Honey and Adam in the car on the way to the restaurant.

"That hired hand sure made himself at home in your living room," Adam complained before too many minutes had passed.

Honey sighed in exasperation. "It wasn't what it looked like."

"Oh?"

"He was trying to make you feel uncomfortable," Honey said.

"He succeeded. I wouldn't have been half as upset if it weren't for the things I know about him."

"You've only seen him twice!" Honey protested. "You don't know anything about him."

"Actually, I did some checking up on him."

"Adam, that really wasn't necessary." Honey didn't bother to keep the irritation out of her voice. Men! Really!

"Maybe you'll change your mind when you hear what I have to say."

Honey arched a brow and waited.

"Did you know he's got a criminal record?"

"What? Jesse?" Honey felt breathless, as though someone had landed on her chest with both feet. " Dallas vouched for him."

" Dallas obviously covered for his friend. The man's been arrested, Honey." He paused significantly and added, "For rustling cattle."

Honey leapt on the only scrap of positive information Adam had given her. "Arrested. Then he was never convicted?''

Adam released a gusty breath. "Not as far as I could find out. Probably had a good lawyer. It was only by chance that there was any record of the arrest. Don't you see, Honey? He might even be one of the rustlers who've been stealing your stock. He probably moved in so he could look things over up close."

"I lost stock long before Jesse showed up around here," Honey said coldly. "I refuse to believe he's part of any gang of rustlers."

But she couldn't help thinking about the night Jesse had been gone until three in the morning. Where had he been? What had he been doing? And Jesse hadn't wanted her to call the police when she had spotted someone suspicious on her property. He had said he would rather tell Dallas about it. Had he?

Adam had given her a lot to think about, and Honey was quiet for the rest of the journey to the restaurant in Hondo. Hermannson's Steak House was famous for its traditional Texas fare of chicken-fried steak and onion rings. A country band played later in the evening, and she and Adam danced the Texas two-step and the rousing and bawdy Cotton-eyed Joe.

Adam was always good company, and Honey couldn't help laughing at his anecdotes. But she was increasingly aware that the end of the evening was coming, when Adam would renew his proposal and she would have to give him her answer. She felt a sotnberness stealing over her. Finally Adam ceased trying to make her smile.

"Time to go?" he asked.

"I think so."

She tried several times in the car to get out the words I can't marry you. It wasn't as easy being candid as she wished it was.

Adam wasn't totally insensitive to her plight, she discovered. In fact he made it easy for her.

"It's all right," he said in a quiet voice. "I guess I knew I was fooling myself. When you didn't say yes right away I figured you had some reservations about marrying me. I guess I hoped if I was persistent you'd change your mind."

"I'm sorry," Honey said.

"So am I," Adam said with a wry twist of his mouth. "I suppose it won't do any good to warn you again about that drifter you hired, either."

"I'll think about what you said," Honey conceded. She just couldn't believe Jesse had come to the Flying Diamond to steal from her. She had to believe that or die from the pain she felt at the thought he had simply been using her all this time.

The inside of the house was dark when they drove up, but it was late. Honey was grateful that she wouldn't have to confront Jesse tonight about the things Adam had told her.

"Good night, Adam," Honey said. She felt awkward. Unsure whether he would want to kiss her and not willing to hurt him any more than she already had by refusing if he did.

Adam proved more of a gentleman than she had hoped. He took her hand in his and held it a moment. The look on his face was controlled, but she saw the pain in his eyes as he said, "Goodbye, Honey."

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. She hadn't meant to hurt him. "I'm sorry," she said again.

"Don't be. I'll survive." Only he knew how deeply he had allowed himself to fall in love with her, and how hard it was to give up all hope of having her for his wife.

Slowly he let her hand slip through his fingers. He came around and opened the car door for her and walked her to the porch. As he left her, his last words were, "Be careful, Honey. Don't trust that drifter too much."

Then he was gone.

Honey let herself into the dark house and leaned back against the front door. Her whole body sagged in relief. She had hurt a good man without meaning to, though she didn't regret refusing his proposal.

"You were gone long enough!"

The accusation coining out of the dark startled Honey and she nearly jumped out of her shoes.

"You scared me to death!" she hissed. "What are you doing sitting here in the dark?"

"Waiting for you."

As her eyes adjusted to the scant light, she saw that Jesse was no longer sitting. He had risen and was closing the distance between them. Escape seemed like a good idea and she started for the stairs. She didn't get two steps before he grasped her by the shoulders.

"You didn't bring him inside with you. Does that mean you've told him things are over between you?"

"That's none of your-"

Jesse shook her hard. "Answer me!"

Honey was more furious than she could remember being at any time since Cale's death. How dare this man confront her! How dare he demand answers that were none of his business! "Yes!" she hissed. "Yes! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Jesse answered her by capturing her mouth with his. It was a savage kiss, a kiss of claiming. His hands slid around her and he spread his legs and pulled her into the cradle of his thighs. He wasn't gentle, but Honey responded to the urgency she felt in everything he did. Against all reason, she felt a spark of passion ignite, and she began to return his fervent kisses.

"Honey, Honey," he murmured against her lips. "I need you. I want you."

Honey was nearly insensate with the feelings he was creating with his mouth and hands. He made her feel like a woman with his desire, his need. She shoved at his shoulders and whispered, "Jesse, we can't. Jack is-"

"Jack's spending the night with friends," he reminded her.

He grinned at the stunned look on her face as she realized that her youthful chaperon was not going to come to her rescue this time.

Without giving her a chance to object, Jesse swept her into his arms in a masterful imitation of Rhett and Scarlett and headed upstairs.

"What do you think you're doing?" Honey demanded.

"Taking you to bed where you belong," Jesse said.

"We can't do this," Honey protested.

Jesse stopped halfway up the stairs. "Why not?"

There was a long pause while Honey debated whether to confront him with the accusations Adam had made. "Because… You'd never He to me, would you, Jesse?"

It was dark so she couldn't see his face, but being held in his arms the way she was, she felt the sudden tension in his body.

"I'd never do anything to hurt you, Honey."

"That isn't exactly the same thing, is it?"

There was enough light to see his smile appear. "That's one of the things I like about you, Honey. You don't pull any punches."

"I think you'd better put me down, Jesse," she said.

Slowly he released her legs so her body slid down across his. She was grateful for the way he held on to her, because her feet weren't quite steady under her. Her nipples puckered as he slowly rubbed their bodies together.

"You want me, Honey," he said in his rusty-gate voice.

' 'It would be hard to deny it without sounding like a fool," she said acerbically.

His mouth found the juncture between her neck and shoulder and blessed it with tantalizing kisses. Honey gripped his arms to keep from falling down the stairs as his mouth sought out the tender skin at her throat and followed it up to her ear. Her head fell back of its own volition, offering him better access. Her whole body quivered at the sensations he was evoking with mouth and teeth and tongue.

A hoarse, guttural sound forced its way past Honey's lips. "Jesse, please."

"What, Honey? What do you want?"

Honey groaned again, and it was as much a sound of pleasure as of despair. "You," she admitted in a harsh voice. "I want you."

Jesse lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way upstairs.