Near and Far

“She also was Miss Montana last year. Just in case you were wondering, or hoping, she fell from the ugly tree”—Garth was eating up my discomfort—“she didn’t. Not even close.”

I wished innocent eyes and ears weren’t close by, keeping me from saying and doing the things I wanted to.

“She’s also a gymnast. Flexible. Super flexible.” Garth clasped his hands on the table and leaned in. “And she has a thing for cowboys. Blond, strapping, smiling-idiot variety cowboys . . . so you girls already have something in common.”

Those enchiladas were not looking so appetizing anymore. Other than throwing them at Garth’s smug face, I didn’t have much use for them. I was at the point between considering and acting out on my enchilada-tossing fantasy when I heard a pair of footsteps coming up the front steps. One set sounded sure, the other set . . . hobbled.

“Sounds like that’s all the Rowen hoarding we’ll get tonight.” Rose stood from her chair. I shot out of mine. We made like a caravan and headed for the front door. That time, Garth wasn’t taking up the rear; he was leading the stampede.

Opportunistic bastard.

I barely had a second to suck in a breath and roll back my shoulders before Clementine threw open the door. “Jesse!” She screeched her standard brother-worship greeting. It didn’t matter if she’d gone days or seconds without seeing him. Her greeting always held the same level of enthusiasm.

Jesse had just scaled the top step and was slowly making his way through the door. He wasn’t alone. A chick who I assumed was Jo had one arm draped over his shoulders as she hobbled pathetically beside him. I’d sprained my ankle a few times before and never once had a sprain constituted clinging to a person that way. The way she clutched his shoulder and looked at him with those big doe eyes of hers made my claws come out. When she giggled as they wove through the front door, my claws were ready for some serious slashing.

“See what I mean? That is definitely not a man,” Garth whispered to me, nudging me in the ribs.

“Oh, go and have relations with your left hand,” I snapped quietly enough the girls wouldn’t hear me.

“I’d rather have relations with her”—Garth lifted his chin toward Jo—“but something tells me she’d rather have relations with a different cowboy. Heads up, Rowen. That goes for your and Jesse’s affairs.” With one last nudge, Garth wove through the Walkers toward Jesse and Jo.

As soon as they were in the foyer, Jesse’s eyes searched for me. They locked on me almost immediately, and his smile moved into place. The one that chased away any and every doubt and insecurity I had festering inside of me.

Garth moved up beside Jo to relieve Jesse, and before Garth’s arm had wrapped around Jo’s waist, Jesse was lunging toward me. I had time to give Garth an appreciative smile and notice the look of disappointment on Jo’s face. The chick really did have a thing for my boyfriend. Not good.

But then all was good again. Jesse’s arms wound around me before lifting me. “I’m so sorry I missed you earlier. It killed me not being there to pick you up.”

I’d forgive a million times over when he hugged me that way. “Being trapped inside a moving vehicle with Garth Black almost killed me too.”

Jesse chuckled into the bend of my neck, gave me one more squeeze, then set me back down. “It won’t happen again.”

“Let’s hope not. Let’s hope you can’t sprain the same ankle twice.” I moved just far enough to the side to lock eyes with a certain someone who seemed unable to pry hers from a certain part of Jesse that made me every shade of territorial.

I knew every last female who wasn’t related to him checked out Jesse’s backside when he passed by—hell, I’d probably been the worst offender—but that girl . . . well, for some reason, her checking out Jesse’s backside got under my skin more than the rest.

Jesse and I didn’t do territorial. Or at least, we hadn’t. It looked like I would be the one to break that rule.

“Oh, hi. You must be the Rowen this guy can’t shut up about.” Jo circled her finger Jesse’s direction.

“I must be.” I stepped out from behind Jesse and angled myself in front of him. Yeah, because my hundred and twenty pounds could protect him from whatever I suddenly felt he needed protecting from. “I don’t know who you are, though. Jesse hasn’t mentioned you.”

Garth let out a low, “Meeeooow,” and tried to hide his smile.

If my arms were long enough, I would have bitch-slapped that smirk off his face.

“Oh, my gosh. Where are my manners?” When she hobbled my way, I noticed she wasn’t clinging to Garth like she had Jesse. In fact, she was barely using him at all. Much to Garth’s dismay. “I’m Jolene. It’s great to finally meet you.” The miraculously cured girl stopped in front of me and smiled, and dammit if it didn’t look like a genuine one. If it was one of the syrupy fake ones begging to form on my own face, it would have been easier to hate her guts. That smile, along with the biggest pair of brown eyes I’d ever seen, made gut-hating hard to attain. When her gaze flicked to Jesse and that smile grew, it became a little easier again.

What I really wanted to do was wave, grab Jesse, and do things to him all night that would make me blush in the morning. Because the Walkers were staring at me with growing concern and Garth was practically holding his breath for a girl-e-girl cat fight, I forced a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Jesse tells me you’re going to school in Seattle?” As soon as I nodded, she added, “At a community college, right?”

That was true, and I wasn’t ashamed I was attending a community college while I stowed away money for a four-year school, but the way Miss High Horse had said it . . . well, it certainly sounded like she meant it as a jab. Or was I way off?

“That’s an affirmative.” I teetered back and forth on my heels and toes, a sure sign I was getting worked up. “I also work at a nutty doughnut shop where I make minimum wage, and I ride a bike older than me since I don’t own a car. Oh, and almost my entire outfit came from a thrift store.” There. If she was throwing a jab with the community college comment, I’d just glazed over a few other hot topics.

“Are you kidding me? That outfit is from a thrift store? No way. I never find anything good or in my size.”

Since her size was rail thin with jumbo tits, I figured she had a tough time finding stuff in her size anywhere.

“And wait . . . is that . . .” She zoomed in on my denim bag.

“Yep. It is.” I patted it possessively. “Rose made it for me out of a pair of Jesse’s old jeans.”

And she started eye-molesting my bag. “I thought that looked like a familiar sight.”

I exhaled slowly. A familiar sight was visiting the same vacation place every year; the way Jolene was mind-f**king Jesse’s ass was something else entirely. “So you’re working here? Helping out Rose and the girls?” I felt another twinge of possessiveness. “No community college for you then, eh?”

“I just got back from almost a year-long Peace Corps mission, and since I’ve got a few months before I head out on my next one and I had plenty of time on my hands, Rose asked if I’d help out.” Jolene smiled at Rose, who was watching us just like everyone else in the room was: with guarded interest. “I’m thrilled to be working at one of the most renowned ranches in the state.”

Two words. Kiss. Up.

Then something else registered. “Did you just say Peace Corps? As in you’re a member?”

Her smile turned my way, and she bobbed her head. “For the past year.”

Yeah. I was going to hell. “Is that like a lifelong career sort of thing?” I’d graduated with a couple of kids heading off to join the Peace Corps. They were rich kids who thought they were above the material, capitalist, American mentality, but really, they just wanted to piss off their parents. Both of them were back in Portland and working a Starbucks drive-through a month later.

“Well, it can be. I’m just planning on doing it for a couple of years. I wanted to give something back before I did something selfish and committed to seven years of school.”

Neil had drifted back into the kitchen, probably because the Rice Crispy treats were calling his name, and Clementine followed. Everyone else was still staggered around the foyer, letting Jolene and I own the conversation.

“Do most people go to school for seven years?” Of course, the pessimistic critic inside of me picked that one thing to run with. Not the unselfish, Peace Corps part.

“The ones who want to become doctors do.”

Her smile was rubbing me the wrong way. Big time. It might have been real, but I was about to really remove it if she didn’t dim it a few hundred volts. Peace Corps. Future M. D. Gorgeous to the tenth degree. A kiss up to the hundredth. Oh yeah, and she was so hot for my boyfriend I could feel her ovaries pulsing. What Jesse Walker saw in me over someone who redefined perfect, I didn’t know, but I wasn’t going to waste any more time fleshing it out.

Jesse said, “It’s been a long day for all of us. I’d say it’s about time to wrap it up.” My god, that man had impeccable timing.

I’d been in front of him for close to five minutes and we had yet to kiss. That was unacceptable. Sure, his family was staggered around the room, but we’d never let that stop us. We toned it down to a PG level when they were around, but the whole reason I’d failed to kiss the man who made ovaries pulse near and far was because I’d let some real-life Sleeping Beauty lookalike mess with my head. No more messin’. Wait, scratch that. No more messin’ unless it included messin’ around with Jesse Walker.

“And by wrap it up, you mean it’s time for us to wrap it up.” Rose circled her fingers to include everyone in the foyer except for Jesse and me.

Jesse’s dimple formed as he gave his mom a sheepish look. “Maybe?”

“Oh, fine. I suppose you’ve earned a quiet night with Rowen to yourself, but tomorrow I won’t give up so easily.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Jesse’s hands formed over my shoulders, and he guided me to the front door. Someone was a little eager and unconcerned about showing it.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said, lowering my voice in a bad attempt to mimic Jesse. I managed to give Hyacinth and Lily quick hugs before Jesse sped me through the door. “I’ve got presents for all of you. Let’s have a girls’ get-together tomorrow. No boys allowed.” I elbowed Jesse’s ribs lightly. He groaned like it was anything but. “Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Lily replied, tucking her hair behind her ears.

“Especially the no boys allowed part,” Hyacinth added, giving Jesse an accusing look.

“Oo, that sounds like fun. I can’t wait,” Jolene squee’d, clapping her hands.

I suppose I should have clarified the girls’ get-together rules, like thou shalt not covet the other girls’ boyfriends. I wondered if I could get that stamped onto a shirt I could wear around a certain someone.