The other two followed his lead, returning their conversation to a review of their rodeo. Cal vaguely heard the discussion going on around him, but he didn’t join in.
He needed to talk to Jessica. Something was going on or she wouldn’t have reacted that way. He’d been taking care of her for a lot of years. Of course, there were those three years when he’d gone to Dallas and worked for the FBI that she’d been on her own.
But he’d been back for four years now. She’d never done anything like that kiss before. She’d been happy for him when he’d come back to take his father’s place as sheriff. In fact, she’d hugged him.
Suddenly he realized that hug had been almost as startling as her kiss today. He’d avoided thinking about it, but holding her in his arms that day, after being away from her, had shocked him.
She was definitely a woman.
Her breasts had flattened against his chest. Her scent had surrounded him, one he’d unconsciously associated with her for a long time. The purity of gardenias. White, delicate, beautiful. Her arms, slender,
fragile, had shown strength as they’d wrapped themselves around his neck.
He’d immediately backed away and tried to wipe the happening from his mind. But it had hidden there, deep in his head, waiting to jump out at him. He’d noticed her delicious curves from that day on.
And had avoided her.
But in a small town like Cactus, it was impossible.
Suddenly he leaned forward and interrupted the conversation.
“Where did you hear she was dating Johnny Boyd?”
Tuck chuckled. “I wondered if you’d heard anything. It’s just a rumor.”
“Damn it, you should’ve told me!” Cal raged. “That man’s not worth spit, and you know it.”
“Some women like those kind,” Tuck said gently, pity in his gaze.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Tuck shrugged his shoulders. “I guess because we’ve stood fast for a lot of years. I hate to see things change.”
“Nothing’s changing!” Cal snapped. He couldn’t let things change. Especially when it concerned Jessica. He was her protector... not a predator like Johnny.
“Want another beer?” Spence asked.
Cal jerked his gaze to Spence, catching the same look on his face, though not as obvious as Tuck’s. “No! I don’t want another beer. I want to know why you’re all lookin’ at me like I’d been bested by a mama skunk.”
Mac slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Cal. We’ll stand by you.”
“Stand by me for what?” His friends were acting weird.
“Because, Cal,” Tuck informed him, his face suddenly turning serious. “I reckon you’re going to win that stupid contest, after all.”
Chapter Two
J
essica plastered her body against the cool adobe wall of the restaurant kitchen and took deep, gulping breaths. Oh, man, her impulsiveness had sure gotten her in a pickle now.
All this time, she’d told herself her feelings for Cal were part of her childhood and could be easily dismissed. She’d told herself she couldn’t be in love with him. Touching him now had been the biggest mistake she’d ever made in her twenty-seven years. It was going to take a lot more work to convince herself now.
Not that she hadn’t touched him before.
But not...not sexually. Not since she’d first realized what the differences between boys and girls really were. Not since she’d started wanting him with all her heart.
Nita pushed open the kitchen door.
“Jess? Your guest is here.”
Jessica stepped away from the wall, hoping her trembling legs would hold her, and trying to gather her composure. If she hadn’t agreed to meet Alex
here, she would’ve gone away, as far away as she could.
“Thanks, Nita. Bring us some nachos and two diet Cokes. Then we’ll order.”
“You got it,” the waitress agreed, backing out of the kitchen.
“Uh, Nita, have...have the guys left yet?”
No one in the kitchen had to ask who “the guys” were.
From the time she’d opened her first restaurant, the four men had been regular customers. Supporting their friend, they’d always said. And eating a lot of nachos.
“Not yet. They’re doing a lot of talking today and not much eating. They haven’t even ordered their dinner.”
Nita had been in the dining room when Jessica had made her huge mistake. There was a curiosity in the waitress’s gaze that made Jessica glad she was the boss. Nita wouldn’t dare ask her about her bizarre behavior. “Thanks.”
Nita left, and Jessica ignored the stares from the staff. “Be on your toes,” she teased with a weak smile. “I’m going to order everything on the menu.”
Then, squaring her shoulders, she marched into the dining room, keeping her gaze fixed on the lobby. She didn’t want to face Cal yet.
Alexandra Logan, a sophisticated blonde from Dallas, was waiting in the lobby. Her navy-blue business suit made her stand out among the denimed diners in Cactus.
Jessica stepped forward and kissed her cheek.
“Welcome to Cactus, Alex. Sorry I couldn’t meet you in Dallas.”
“No problem. With the offer that’s on the table, my boss had no trouble with me driving this far.”
Jessica frowned, but she led the way to a small table in the back corner of the restaurant. Fortunately, it happened to be on the other side of the room from her four friends, but she imagined she felt their gazes on her and Alex.
Of course. They were the four most eligible bachelors in town. Each man had broad shoulders and a handsome face. When they smiled, half the ladies in Cactus swooned. While she thought Cal, with his sandy hair and gray eyes, was the most attractive, the other three had their supporters in that category.
So, they were a little spoiled. And they checked out every woman as if they had first choice. Which they pretty much did.
“Are we drawing a lot of attention, or am I just imagining it?” Alex asked as she sat across from Jessica.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s just a lot of testosterone floating around today.”
Alex casually surveyed the room. “You’re right about that. And that foursome over there is pretty awesome.”
“Don’t ever let them hear you say that. They’re too full of themselves as it is,” Jessica said with a smile. Still, she tried to follow Alex’s gaze, to see if it was Cal she made eye contact with. Did she find him the most attractive?—No, she told herself, it was none of her business.
“Well,” she said, clearing her throat, “shall we get down to business?”
Her suggestion was ignored for the moment as Nita set their drinks and a tray of nachos on the table.
Alex daintily sniffed the air. “No wonder you’ve been so successful, Jess. These smell wonderful.”
“They’re the best in the west,” Nita pronounced with a smile. “Let me know when you’re ready to order,” she said before leaving.
“You mean, we’re going to eat more after these?”
Jessica smiled. She loved it when someone praised her business. It was her child, her only family. “I told you I’m good. Just wait until you try our fajitas.”
“I’m going to have to diet for a week to make up for this meal.” Alex flashed her a dazzling smile. “But it’ll be worth it.”
“Hey, Jess, aren’t you going to introduce your guest to your old friends?” Tuck asked, suddenly appearing at their table and staring at Alex.
Jessica should have expected Tuck’s approach. He wasn’t a man to let a good-looking woman go unappreciated. “Alex, this is Tucker Langford.” Jessica watched as Tuck took Alex’s hand and held it a bit longer than necessary. “Tuck, this is my attorney, Alexandra Logan.”
The measuring yet flirtatious look the two exchanged amused Jessica. And relieved her a little, too. She didn’t mind Alex being interested in Tuck.
“An attorney, huh? You’re the prettiest attorney I’ve ever seen,” Tuck drawled.
“Thank you, Mr. Langford. You’re the best-looking cowboy I’ve ever seen. You are a cowboy,
aren’t you?” Alex asked, giving him an up-and-down look that would’ve rocked most men.
“Yes, ma’am, I am.”
Jessica leaned forward. “When Tuck first showed up to play football when he was twelve, he was wearing cowboy boots. The coach had to work long and hard to get him to change to athletic shoes.”
Tuck grinned and shrugged. “They were my best boots.” Before Alex could respond, other than smiling, he added, “I’ve been sent over here to ask you ladies to join us. We’re just now getting around to ordering. We thought the company of the two prettiest ladies in the room would make our food taste better.”
Jessica felt her stomach sink. She couldn’t face Cal again so soon. She’d hoped to avoid him for a week or two... or however long it took for him to forget she’d kissed him.
Alex, on the other hand, appeared intrigued with Tuck. Not a surprise, Jessica thought. She’d watched the foursome of good-looking men snare the ladies’ attention for a number of years.
“Jess, I’ll be here until Monday. Can we put off our talk until later?” Alex asked.
Jessica risked a look in Cal’s direction, noting his fierce concentration on the three of them. “Uh, I suppose, if you want to waste time on four testosterone-filled men.”
“Hey, don’t prejudice the woman before she gets to know me,” Tuck protested. Then he pulled out Alex’s chair for her. “Right this way, ladies.”
Jessica waved to Nita to load their nachos and drinks onto her tray and transfer them to the other
table. She could’ve carried them herself, but the way her fingers were trembling, she feared she’d drop them in Cal’s lap if she got within three feet of him.
As it was, she intended to stay on the other side of the table.
THE MINUTE Cal realized the ladies were heading in their direction, with Tuck riding herd, he leaped to his feet and grabbed two chairs from a nearby table.
The other two guys stood, also, and scooted chairs around to make room.
Cal abandoned the chairs to step forward. It wasn’t the blonde he wanted to meet. He wanted to be sure he had Jessica at his side. Somehow he suspected she’d try to avoid him.
“Tuck invited us to join you,” Jessica announced in a rather breathy voice, unlike her usual mellow tones.
Spence and Mac assured her of their welcome, as if there’d been any doubt. Cal kept quiet but snaked out a hand to snag Jessica. “Right here, darlin’,” he said softly.
“Uh, no, I—”
He tugged lightly but firmly, his gaze steady on her face. Her cheeks reddened, but she capitulated, sitting beside him.
After the blonde was seated, Tuck made the introductions. “These guys are Spence, Cal, and Mac. But you won’t be interested in them when I’m around.” He slid his arm along the back of Alex’s chair and grinned at her.
“Oh, really? It’s too bad you’re so modest, Tuck, since I really go for guys who have a lot of self-confidence.”
Then she shifted around in her chair until she almost had her back to him and looked at Spence.
“Are you all cowboys, too?”
While Spence was explaining their occupations, Cal leaned closer to Jessica and whispered in her ear, “We need to talk.”
She didn’t turn toward him. “I’m in the phone directory.”
Damn it, he knew that! He didn’t call her often because...well, because it was dangerous. That thought stopped him. What was he talking about? Jess was an old friend, almost a member of his family.
“I mean, about you dating Johnny. That’s not—”
Alex, not realizing Jessica was having a private conversation, interrupted. “Jessica, how have you managed to hide these handsome guys away? If you ever brought them to Dallas, they’d be eaten alive.”
“But we’d die happy,” Tuck assured her.
Jessica rolled her eyes. “Actually, Mac and Cal have lived in Dallas.”
“Really? When? Did you like it?”
Cal was forced to respond to the woman’s questions out of politeness, but he didn’t want to. Mac, in addition to answering her questions, asked a few of his own, which got Cal’s attention, however.
“What are you doing in Cactus? We’re not exactly on the way to a big city.”
“I’m here to help Jessica with the sale,” Alex said. “I’m her attorney.”
“What sale?” Cal demanded, startled.
“Oops, sorry, Jessica,” Alex hurriedly apologized. “I assumed your friends knew.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jessica assured her. “They would hear about it sooner or later.”
“You still haven’t explained,” Cal said.
“I’ve been offered a substantial amount for my restaurants, and I’m thinking about taking the offer.”
Cal frowned. He knew Jessica had opened several other versions of The Old Cantina in nearby towns, but he didn’t think three restaurants would draw a major buyer. “Who’s interested in three measly restaurants these days?”
“‘Three measly restaurants’?” Jessica repeated, her voice rising. “I’ll have you know, Cal Baxter, I have nine restaurants and they’re all quite profitable!”
“Calm down, baby,” he said, putting a soothing hand on her shoulder. “I meant no offense. I guess I haven’t been paying attention lately. I had no idea you’d opened up that many places.”
“Don’t call me ‘baby’,” she muttered. But at least she hadn’t shoved his hand off her shoulder. He loved the smooth warmth of her skin. His fingers itched to pull her closer, feel her against him as he had a few minutes ago.
“Damn,” he muttered under his breath. What was he thinking? This was Jessica! Maybe he was the one who needed more of a social life, instead of Jessica.
“Aren’t you going to kiss him again?” Tuck asked. “I thought that was his punishment for calling you ‘baby’.”
Mac and Spence chastised Tuck for trying to stir up trouble. Cal, however, concentrated on Jessica.
Her cheeks were red-hot and she refused to look at him. He relived that earlier moment when her soft lips had pressed against his, her body had lined up against him, and his temperature had shot through the roof.
Tuck wasn’t through being difficult. “Need another beer, Cal? You look a little warm.”
Cal struggled to maintain his cool. “Nah, I think I’ll switch to iced tea.” He waved to Nita as she was going by. “Iced tea, please, Nita. And I think we’re ready to order.”
“I haven’t even read the menu,” Alex protested. “What should I order?”
Her question distracted Tuck from his teasing. Cal, knowing what he would order, since it was always the same, beef fajitas, leaned back in his chair. But he didn’t remove his hand from Jessica’s shoulder. He wasn’t ready to do that.
Which meant he had a lot to think about.
JESSICA REMAINED TENSE the rest of the meal, and to her it seemed to go on forever. Cal never let her forget he was beside her. He kept his arm around the back of her chair, just barely touching her, and if she leaned forward, his big hand cupped her shoulder and pulled her back.
The man was driving her crazy. Over the last few years she’d managed to avoid him; she’d had to—out of fear that she couldn’t control her desires, even if she could control her actions.
And she’d been successful—until today.
Cal and the restaurants. The two passions in her life. She’d never achieved her goal with Cal. Now
she was thinking of selling her restaurants. What would she have left? A chill rushed through her.
“You okay? Are you cold?” Cal asked, leaning to whisper in her ear.
More shivers seized her. “No, I’m fine.”