Lone Star Burn: Taken by Surprise (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  “Your rolls sure are a big hit,” Alton said. “Good thing you made up several trays full. I can’t get them in the oven fast enough.”

  “I might even have another recipe or two up my sleeve,” she joked.

  The rolls were the first thing she’d edged onto the menu, and she had done it as tactfully as possible. She had several other recipes she wanted to introduce, but she was testing the waters, trying not to stomp on their pride in the meals.

  “I think you must have chased the law away,” Rona said as she clipped new orders to the wheel. “He hasn’t been in since that first day, and he used to come in here all the time.”

  “Maybe he’s decided he’s too good for us,” Alton called from the grill. “That’s okay. We’ll take Jessie any day.”

  She had expected to work a long time for acceptance by her staff and was pleased it happened so quickly.

  But Jack? That was another story. Rona was right. Since that first day, he hadn’t been back.

  When she’d bumped into him a few times in a couple of the stores, they’d been coldly polite to each other. And sometimes, when she looked out her window at night, she would see him drive slowly by in his cruiser. At those times, she wanted to curl up and cry.

  Realizing how much she’d hurt him made her heartsick, and she knew he was still so angry with her. If she had it to do over, she’d think it through and realize she could have had both him and her restaurant in her future. How stupid she’d been, and she was suffering for it now. If only she could figure out some way to repair the damage she’d done to their relationship.

  Lynne Robbins, however, was in several times. Jessie was sure the woman was waiting for her to make a mistake, to screw up in some way. That way she could get her hands on the restaurant and keep her away from Jack. She was curious as to what he’d told the woman about them.

  “You gonna stand there all day daydreaming?” Rona nudged her. “Marshall Wohl came in, and he’s asking for you.”

  “For me?” She wondered what on earth he wanted. They had pretty much concluded their business.

  “Uh-huh. He’s in the booth way to the right.”

  She started to remove her apron then decided to leave it on. What the hell. It was who she was now. Instead, she grabbed a coffee carafe and a clean mug.

  “Hello, Jessie.” He smiled at her when she approached

  “Nice to see you, Mr. Wohl.” She filled the mug and slid it toward him. “Rona said you were asking for me?”

  “I was.” He looked uncomfortable. “And I apologize in advance for this.”

  “Is something wrong?” No, please don’t let there be a problem here. Please don’t let him have made some kind of mistake and he really meant to contact another Jessie Coford.

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, Jessie.” He cleared his throat, “And I beg your pardon for it. And for this.”

  He pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her.

  Jessie frowned. “For me?”

  “Yes. This is the missing envelope. It seems Delfina came into the office about a week before she passed and left this at the front desk. Unfortunately, I had someone filling in for my secretary at the time. She had no idea it might be significant and just tossed it in a drawer.”

  “And you found it today?”

  “She called this morning, very embarrassed. Said she’d just remembered this and told me where it was.” He sighed. “Good help is so hard to find sometimes.”

  Jessie stared at the envelope then turned it over. Her name was written on the front in flowing script but nothing on the back. And it was sealed. She noticed her hands shaking and stuffed the envelope in her jeans pocket.

  “Thank you. I appreciate you bringing it by.”

  “Again, my sincerest apologies.”

  “No problem. Listen, I’ll send Rona out to take your order, okay?” She wasn’t sure she could write two words at the moment.

  “Of course. And if there is anything in there that needs my assistance, please don’t hesitate to call.”

  The letter burned a hole in her pocket all day. She was so distracted, when Bob came in, he told her to please stick to cleanup and stop screwing up the orders. At last, the day was over. She locked up and headed home, her head whirling as she wondered what Delfina had thought so important she wrote her a letter. Maybe she’d tell Jessie how they were related.

  She had no appetite for anything to eat, so she took a shower, pulled on her sleep shirt, and fixed herself a mug of tea. She carried the mug and the letter into her bedroom and settled down on her bed to read. When she finished it, her heart pounded so hard she wondered it didn’t shatter the windows. She fortified herself with a sip of tea and began again.

  My dear Jessie,

  I have thought of you and your Grandma Rose all these years and my heart ached with the need to see you. Rose did keep me up on your life and sent me pictures, despite the bitterness between us. I want you to know that was all on me.

  Decades ago, I fell in love with a dashing carpenter who was working his way up in the construction company where he worked. I was absolutely mad for him. But when he asked me to marry him, I turned him down. You see, I was working for a catering company and had plans to one day own my own. I did not have time for a relationship. I could not afford to lose my focus.

  He was very angry with me. Asked me if I cared so little for him when he loved me with all his heart. He tried to tell me I could do both, but I was young and stupid and walked away from the greatest love I would ever find. When I finally realized what I’d lost, I went to him and tried to take it back, but I’d hurt him too badly. He told me I’d thrown away his love for a dream we both could have shared.

  I had to leave town. I could not stay in the same city with him, knowing I’d be tempted to beg him every day to let me come back. I heard about a job as a cook at a ranch in West Texas, which is how I ended up in Fort Mavis. I worked there for a while then got a job in a restaurant in town. I’m sure you’ve figured out I’m talking about Delfina’s Diner. Eventually, I was able to buy it and threw myself into it. After all, what else did I have?

  I think my worst pain came when I learned the love of my life had married my sister, your Grandma Rose. For years after that, I couldn’t even contact her. I was so bitter. I learned much later that she was too embarrassed to reach out to me, so there we were, two sisters who loved the same man. But she had been smart enough to hang onto him. The town became my family. But, eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I wrote to her. Among other things, she told me about your desire to become a chef.

  I know you must be a good one, but if I can pass anything along to you, it is the knowledge that success is no replacement for a strong and abiding love. That only comes along once. I hope you will keep the diner going and not sell it. That you will love the town as much as I do and find a man who will own your heart. If you do, don’t be foolish and throw it away. If I leave you any legacy, that would be it. Follow your heart. It will take you to your dream.

  All my love and the hope that you will make Fort Mavis your home as I did,

  Great-Aunt Delfina.

  Jessie read the letter twice more, tears streaming down her face. She hurt for her great-aunt, knowing firsthand the pain she felt. All those years she lived without the man she loved, and to know he had married her sister. Jessie was glad she had a brother instead because if she found herself in that situation, she didn’t know how she’d handle it.

  What had she done to herself? Would she end up like Delfina, alone and regretting it every minute of the day and night, no matter how successful she was? Her problem now was how to mend fences with Jack and see if she still had a chance with him. If he could get past the way she’d walked away from him.

  She plucked a tissue from the box on her nightstand and wiped her wet cheeks. Her tea had cooled, so she took it back to the kitchen, dumped it, and rinsed the mug. Despite the early hour, the emotions running through her exhausted her. Clu
tching the letter, she lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and conjured up an image of Jack, the last time they’d been together before she walked away.

  “You are so beautiful.” His voice was deep and gravelly, thick with hunger.

  The timbre of it vibrated through her, making every secret place quiver with anticipation. She was naked, spread out on his bed, his fingers manacling her wrists as he danced kisses along the line of her jaw and down the side of her neck. He drew a trail with the tip of his tongue to the hollow of her throat, sucking lightly at the delicate tissue, beneath which her pulse beat so wildly.

  She wanted to touch him, run her hands over his hard, masculine body, but he shook his head.

  “My treat, darlin’. This is all for you. Just relax and enjoy it.”

  He strung a line of kisses lightly along her collarbone then down the valley between her breasts. His mouth was hot and urgent on her body. When he closed his lips over one hard, beaded nipple, she felt a shaft of heat directly to her damp pussy. Her inner muscles tightened in response, demanding to feel him inside her.

  She moaned and tried to lift her body to him in silent pleas.

  He just laughed, her nipple still deep in his mouth, the rumble of his laughter vibrating through her. He suckled and nipped until her nipple was so sensitive it was almost beyond bearing. He paid the same homage to the other nipple, pulling at it with his lips and grazing his teeth on the sensitive nub.

  The more he worked her with his mouth, the more her pulse accelerated. His lips were hot, scorching her every place they touched as if he were branding her skin. With one last flick of his tongue over each taut bud, he turned his attention to the soft curve of her tummy and the furled flesh around her navel. He lay between her thighs, trapping them wide open, pressing against the soft curls of her pussy as she tried to rub her mound against him in silent plea.

  “I’m getting there,” he teased. “Don‘t rush me. I’m enjoying myself.

  As he moved down her body, he pulled her hands with him, fingers still wrapped around her wrists. Licks of his tongue followed kisses down to her mound, to her pussy so eager for his fingers, his mouth, his cock. He knew just how hot she was, how turned on, and moved with deliberate slowness. He used his teeth to tug at her soft pubic curls, his broad shoulders pressing her thighs even farther apart.

  “Touch yourself,” he ordered in a low voice, placing one of her hands directly over her slit. “Slip your fingers in there and touch your sweet little clit.”

  He had let her know early on in their intimacy how hot it made him to see her stroke herself, arouse herself, while he tended to her with his own fingers and his mouth. As she slipped one finger between her moist lips, he spread those lips apart like peeling back the petals of a flower, his eyes fixed on what she was doing as he traced her inner flesh with his tongue. The harder she rubbed, the more he stroked with his tongue and the tighter the coil of need wound inside her.

  “Please,” she begged. She needed to feel some part of him inside her.

  “Please what?”

  “Please be inside me.”

  “My mouth?” He gave that hot, gravelly laugh again. “My fingers? What? Tell me what you want.”

  He loved to make her talk dirty. She’d really gotten into it, too. For the first time ever, she was with a man who did not make her feel self-conscious about her sexuality or her needs.

  “I want….” She rubbed herself harder. “I want….”

  “Say it, Jessie, and you can have it. Anything you want.”

  “I want…your cock.” Rub, rub, rub.

  “Okay, then.”

  He placed an openmouthed kiss on her pussy before rising to his knees and reaching toward the nightstand. In a second, he had a condom in place. Sliding his hands beneath the cheeks of her ass, he lifted her to him, positioned himself at her opening, and slowly eased himself into her moist passage.

  “Jesus, Jessie. You are so fucking wet. And so fucking hot.” He sucked in a breath as he pushed harder until he was fully inside her.

  And then he took her on the wild ride she loved so much, driving in and out of her, urging her to keep playing with her clit, pushing, thrusting, driving them both up a steep precipice of need. Everything fell away for her except the two of them and the unrestrained craving for each other. More, more, more.

  His fingers dug into her bottom, gripping her cheeks. She knew he was close. She worked her clit even faster until, with a final thrust from him, they fell over the edge together. She felt herself falling a long way, her body convulsing, her inner muscles clenching over and over. They shuddered together, nothing existing except the two of them in this moment that joined them so intimately.

  Time spun out as they pulsed together, bodies throbbing, until at last the spasm eased and slowed. As the aftershocks began to fade, Jack sprinkled kisses on her jawline and her cheek before taking her mouth in a kiss far more emotional than erotic. He kissed her for a long time while he held her body tight to him. When the throbbing finally eased, he murmured against her lips.

  “I love you, Jessie. You are the light in my life.”

  Jessie sat up in bed with a sudden movement, jerked away from her erotic dream. She touched her cheeks and, discovering they were wet, grabbed a tissue to blot them. Her heart pounded and her breath caught in her throat. What had she done? What on earth had she done? She’d thrown away the best thing to come into her life because of a selfish single-mindedness.

  Looking down, she discovered she still had Delfina’s letter clutched in one hand. Was it too late for her and Jack? Had she done permanent damage to their relationship? In three short weeks, she had discovered with shocked surprise that Delfina’s gift might actually be one of the best things that had ever happened to her. That she’d been looking for her future in the wrong direction and the wrong environment.

  She’d had the right man. The question was, how did she get him back? It was too late to make calls now. Tomorrow, first thing, she’d make the calls to get her apartment closed up and dispose of her things. Then she’d head off to Houston to wrap it up. But as soon as she returned, she would launch into Operation Get Jack Back.

  Chapter Five

  “I seem to have lost my touch.”

  Jack looked across the table at Lynne Robbins. Her tone was soft, but the set of her jaw belied the tension in her body. He knew she was pissed at him and probably rightfully so. He hadn’t had the least desire to take her to dinner tonight, never mind a “romantic place” with candles on the table and crystal glasses. He had made it his business to avoid one of the county’s few upscale places since he’d moved to Fort Mavis. It reminded him too much of Jessie, and that reminded him too much of their breakup, and that brought on another surge of anger mixed with pain.

  “I’m sorry.” He managed a smile for her. “I guess I’m not very good company tonight. Must be all the stuff about the upcoming rodeo taking up space in my brain.”

  “If you don’t mind my saying so, you haven’t been good company for a lot of nights.” Now her tone was sharp, even a little nasty. “And I don’t believe it’s got anything to do with the rodeo. You’ve been like this since that female from Houston showed up to take over Delfina’s place.”

  He knew she was right. He had made it his business to avoid the restaurant at all costs. Too bad, because they had the best coffee in town. He’d also had to listen to Dean and some of the other deputies raving abut the new rolls they were serving. He knew all about those rolls. Jessie used to bring him some, and he’d sworn they were made by an angel. Every time someone made another enthusiastic comment about the new owner of the diner, he wanted to either plug his ears or deck them.

  “Jack!”

  He snapped his brain into place as Lynne hissed his name at him.

  “What? Oh, sorry.” He lifted his wine glass and took a sip. Shit. Tonight was turning into a five-star disaster.

  “I said, what’s the deal?” She leaned forward over the table. “Do you
even know I’m here?”

  “Of course I do.” He wanted to add “unfortunately” but he didn’t think that would win him any prizes. “I know I’ve been a little distracted lately, but we’ve been very busy.”

  She snorted. “With what? Jeb Raiford’s dog tearing up the neighbor’s flower beds? Larry Norton’s horse jumping the corral fence and galloping down the highway? Or maybe a spitball fight at the middle school? I know this town, remember?”

  Too true, he thought. No one could get away with a damn thing here.

  He managed to pull out a smile. “I apologize for being distracted in the presence of a beautiful woman.”

  “I’m not sure you’ve even known I’ve been present for the last three weeks.” Her lips curved in a hungry smile. “But if we could get out of here, I could make you very aware of my presence.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip. “In a very special way.”

  It was a testament to his total lack of interest in her that his cock didn’t even twitch. He thought about a story Dean had told him regarding a horse at his brother’s ranch that had been gelded. The poor horse might not have had any balls but somehow he hadn’t lost the urge. And here he was, still in full possession of his cock as well as his balls, but the way he was responding, he might as well have been gelded, too.

  Okay. He owed it to himself to get out of this funk. He and Jessie were done. Finished. Over. Kaput. And any other language he could think of. It was time to let go of his anger. If they were going to be living in the same town, he’d have to find a way to get past this.

  “You’re right.” He drained the rest of his wine. “I haven’t been much of a date lately. Or anything else. Let’s fix that.”

  Lynne’s smile was filled with satisfaction as he signaled for the check. They’d go to her house. He had never brought her to his. Somehow, it had never seemed right to him, and he didn’t plan to start now. Maybe because in the back of his mind he knew she didn’t belong there. But in her house she had a nice big bed with a great mattress. It was time to try it out again.