Chapter Four

Evelyn

 

“Evelyn, when are you going to come to your senses and come home?” my mother’s voice stung my ears.

“I like it here. I like what I’m doing,” I argued the same argument I’d been forced to relive since I’d left New York.

A silence lingered on the phone, only my mother’s breathing between us. It was disappointment, even without words. I could hear it on her breath.

“You could have a successful career here, in New York,” my mother gave her last effort to sway my decision.

She knew it was hopeless. Virginia Pierce, my mother, and myself, a perfect image of her stubbornness.

“I have a successful career here,” I said firmly.

A sigh rolled through the phone’s tiny speaker into my ear, irritation, disappointment, and a slight hint of amusement in the tone.

I pulled into James Laurie’s dirt lane with the Double J Ranch sign above my car.

“I have to go,” I said quickly, before my mother could say anything else, and hung up the phone.

A deep breath calmed me from the unexpected phone conversation. I’d expected to speak to my father when I called his office phone, but got mother instead. Before our typical banter about my career, and my location started, I was at least able to pull some information from her, gaining a bit more insight into the probate situation that James was facing.

My car stopped by the red truck, in the same spot where I’d been face down into the mud just a couple days before. I was smart enough to wear boots this time, hopeful that having no heels to get stuck in the thick goopy ground would prevent another embarrassing mishap.

I shoved the papers that were loose on my front passenger seat into my briefcase and opened the car door. As I stepped out, I sank into the earth, covering the new cowgirl boots I purchased with mud.

James was on the porch, waiting. As I walked towards him, he lifted a bottle of Coke in his right hand, waving it towards me with a wide, mischievous smile.

“You’re going to be so bad for me. I can tell already,” I giggled, reaching for the bottle.

He stood from the tattered porch swing, towering over me like a boulder to a pebble. A sigh escaped my lips as my hands tightened around the bottle of Coke. He heard me, his eyes narrowing on mine, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk.

“You have some papers for me to look at?” I said quickly, hoping to defer from my earlier sign of weakness.

Something about James Laurie stirred a hunger in my belly and made my knees weaken. He was handsome, but not so much I should react this way when near him. His tall frame, somewhat lanky, but still muscular and tight, was awkward near my nymph-like stature. Still, he put me at ease to be near him.

James pushed his thumb against the brim of his hat, moving it from his face. His bright blue eyes greeted me, again weakening my knees.

A chuckle rolled from his lips as he moved towards the front door.

“May I?” he asked, another smirk growing fast on his lips.

I was frozen for a moment, lost in the look of his eyes, the shadow of his towering perfect body.

“We can stay out here, but I need to get in to get the papers,” he smiled.

Shit.

I stepped out of the way quickly, realizing I was blocking the door. My cheeks started to burn red and my palms heated as sweat worked through the lines a physic once read. “You’ll find love, a tall man, one that will bring you peace,” she had told me. Her head was wrapped in a colorful cloth, her makeup so thick it cracked when she smiled. The room she took me into was filled with the aroma of sage and lavender. It was soothing. Her words were soothing.

I’d been in New York working with my parents, and peace was nowhere to be found in my world. It was high-profile clients, one after another, and being the daughter of Virginia and William Pierce, the expectations for my success were intimidating.

Love. I never really thought about the strange woman’s words about love at that moment. All I heard was peace. That was what I wanted. Peace.

I shrugged off the thought of the woman somehow actually seeing into my future as James opened the door to the small brick home that sat on a ranch in desperate need of repairs: the ranch that he insisted on spending his life trying to make thrive again.

The Coke was cold in my hand, soothing the heat from my embarrassment. My throat tightened, and I knew I’d choke before actually speaking. I took a large swig, allowing the cold liquid to calm my nerves and sooth the dryness that made my throat ache so badly.

“You should really try water sometimes,” James smiled.

I quickly took another drink before smiling in his direction.

“I don’t see how it’s any worse than your coffee,” I smirked, motioning with my eyes towards the mug sitting on the kitchen table.

“Touché’,” he grinned.

I left my muddy boots by the door, even though I wasn’t sure any mess I would’ve made would be noticeable.

A bag sat beside the table on the floor. My eyes lingered towards it, trying to see its contents, when James exposed my worst fear.

“Your clothes,” he caught me looking.

“Oh. Yes. I-I-uh, I’m sorry,” I stammered.

The thought of James touching my personal items made me cringe. They were covered in mud, soaking wet, and I’d left them piled in the middle of his bathroom floor like an ungrateful houseguest. I was flustered, nervous, and somehow, excited that day in his presence. It wasn’t something I would’ve done, ever.

“Don’t be. I’m sorry for the mess you had to suffer through that day,” he winked.

Ugh! I thought of his pigs wallowing in the mud on a warm summer day. That was me, Evelyn Pierce, a pig wallowing in the mud. What a first impression to make. I sighed. He noticed. Another grin, this time more curious than mischievous.

“So, what did you find to prove Martin Jasper’s competence?” I asked, ready to get to work.

James shuffled through papers, nodded towards the empty chair beside me to take a seat.

“These are his last receipts for sale of the cattle. It was a month before he passed, maybe two. Anyways, it shows he knew enough to make money, more than any other rancher in the area. He took the cattle a few towns over and found a buyer who was willing to pay more. That’s not a sign of an incompetent man,” James stated firmly.

I shook my head.

“No. It isn’t, but do you have anything else, a letter maybe, something personal to you?” I asked.

I watched his hand start to shake as he reached towards the pile of papers. He pulled a stack of envelopes from underneath the stack and handed them to me.

“I have these,” he said softly, his voice a little shaky.

This tall man, this cowboy, this strong soldier was shaken. It did something to me, something more than leave a stir in my belly and my knees weak.

My heart raced as I took the letters, my fingers grazing against his. They were smooth, not rough or calloused, even though they were hardworking hands. The feeling grew. What was it I was feeling?

“They’re letters old man Jasper sent me while I was in the SEALs,” he nearly whispered.

I nodded as I gripped the letters in my hands. I knew these were personal, private, and it wasn’t easy for him to hand them over.

“Is there anything in these that state he wanted you to have the ranch?” I asked cautiously.

He nodded.

“Damn near every one of em’ refers to the ranch as ‘ours’ or ‘mine,’” he sighed.

“That’s great. These are great,” I said cheerfully.

I was waiting for that warm smile from James, but instead, his eyes pushed past me to the window behind me. He watched intently, his face turning pale.

I turned to see what he was watching when I noticed the small white truck driving towards the house.

“Are you expecting someone?” I asked.

“No,” he spat, his eyes glossing over with anger.

“Do you know who it is?” I questioned.

“Yes. It’s Jasper’s oldest daughter, Jill,” he scoured.

He left me inside as he quickly made his way out the front door and onto the porch. I walked towards the window, watching from behind the dusty green drape as he stood straight, lengthening his frame, and waited for the woman to exit the white truck.

The woman exited the truck carefully. I watched as she tiptoed through the mud, taking large steps to find dry patched of grass until she made her way to James, who had now stepped down onto the bottom of the step of the porch. I assumed it was a way to keep her out of the house. His demeanor before leaving to greet her was less than friendly.

The woman’s long red hair was silky smooth, straightened I was certain due to the tiny curls around her forehead where she’d started to sweat. Freckles covered her pale face, and even though she wore boots, unlike myself on the first visit, it was obvious they weren’t meant for the ranch, or even outdoors. Her designer clothing made me feel a bit less ridiculous for my initial mistake.

I moved towards the door, out of the way of the window, and listened to their conversation.

“I’m bringing a broker with me on my next visit, probably sometime this week. He’s going to help me list the ranch. I expect you won’t be causing him any trouble,” Jill snarled.

“You expect wrong. This is still my land, and no one is listing it,” James retorted.

“I think you’re being quite ridiculous, don’t you?” her tone was snarky and snobbish.

“I’m the ridiculous one? What about you, showing up here in your fancy-schmancy designer clothes?” he chuckled with a deep-rooted growl.

“This is my father’s land. He would want it to go to his children, not some ranch hand that he helped,” Jill snorted.

“Your father: so you’re claiming him now, are ya? Where were you when he needed you, when he was on his deathbed? He made sure you had what he wanted you to have. You were handed your inheritance long ago, and he made that very clear,” James roared.

“My father was not in his right mind. You brainwashed him, and that will be proven in court,” Jill ranted.

Everything was quiet for a moment, but then Jill’s voice sounded from a distance.

“Expect the broker this week,” she said.

“Expect to have him shot if he steps one foot on this property,” James shouted, his voice way too close.

Shit.

I tried to quickly make my way back to the table where he’d left me, but my stupid boots tripped me up, tangled around my socked feet.

My eyes closed as I quickly pushed my hands in front of my body to break my fall. Not again, was the only thought in my head when suddenly my cheek was pressed against a warm chest, not a hard floor. A heartbeat slammed against my face, one that was obviously under stress. Strong arms were wrapped around me, and the scent of James cologne wafted under my nose.

My eyes opened, looked up towards James, and embarrassment flooded my body with a sickening warmth. My mind, however, had its own agenda, immediately sending signals to my brain about how good it felt to be held in his arms, against his chest. What would his muscular body look like in the nude, maybe wearing only his cowboy hat? Oh God, what was I doing, what was I thinking?

He was still holding me, even though I was sturdy on my own feet. My fingers were tightened around his biceps, larger and tighter than I’d expected. Yes. I wanted to see his body.

My cheek throbbed with the rhythm of his heartbeat, even though it was no longer pressed against his chest. At that moment, it felt as though we’d become one, and I no longer would be whole without his touch.

His eyes narrowed on mine, and his lips curled into a soft smile. I wanted to tip-toe to reach those lips, to plant a kiss so passionate upon them that he would fall for me immediately, unable to go on without me in his arms.

No.

My defenses kicked in, smacking me back into reality. Whatever this was that James Laurie was doing to me, it was going to stop right now. No.

“You can let me go now,” I snorted.

James smiled. He didn’t let go as instructed. Instead he lingered with me in his arms.

“If you insist,” he grinned, finally releasing me to my own capacities, which were still consumed with thoughts of him.