One Wild Texas Night, page 12
“I will when I pick you up. I know you have appointments. I’ll be back Saturday night to get you for dinner at six. Sunday we go back to the ranch.”
“Thanks, Jake. It’ll help get started on my house if I can stay at your place and be right there when the contractors have questions. Once they begin to get it framed in, I can go home.”
“I’m in no hurry to get you out of my house,” he said.
“Oh my,” she said in a breathless voice. “That sounds as if you want me in your bed a long time.”
“Do I ever,” he said. He slipped his arm around her waist. “You’re teasing. I’m not. I want you and I want you in my bed.” He kissed away her reply, and when he released her, she was breathless, all her teasing remarks forgotten. She fanned herself.
“Wow, you’re one sexy man,” she whispered. “I need to go inside and climb into the freezer to cool down.”
“Instead, get your shopping done so I can take you to dinner and then to bed.”
True. He reminded her she still had to find a dress for the arena celebration. “That’s a deal, my handsome friend.”
She watched him walk to the waiting limo, get in and disappear down the street. With a sigh she closed the door. “I still think you’ll break my heart, but for now I am thoroughly enjoying the sexiest kisses ever,” she whispered. “And the best possible sex.”
She tingled at the thought of getting dressed up and going out for a night with him, something where they weren’t in jeans, she wasn’t in his giant T-shirts and wearing singed boots. Instead, she’d look more like the women he usually took out.
“Just wait, Jake. I’m about to give you a night to remember.”
* * *
Saturday evening Jake stood at Claire’s door after ringing the bell and waiting. He wore a charcoal suit, a red tie, gold links in his French cuffs and his best black boots.
When the door opened, he turned. “Are you—” He stopped as he stared in surprise. If he had been in public, somewhere besides her front door, and simply run into her, he wouldn’t have known her.
He could only stare, and for a rare moment in his life he was speechless. He didn’t even realize he wasn’t speaking and hadn’t greeted her. She was stunning, and he couldn’t get his breath. Her red hair, parted in the center, framed her face as it fell over her shoulders. He thought about the long, thick braid she’d always had. Now her hair was only shoulder length, a beautiful dark red with streaks of blond highlights near her face.
Her sleeveless dress was a red silk that had a high, round collar, a belted midsection that showed her tiny waist and a straight skirt that went to midcalf that showed off every curve. She wore red platform sandals with high, thick heels, and he could only stare because his normally plainly dressed rancher neighbor took his breath away. She was so gorgeous. The red dress had a seam in front from chin to the hem. It wasn’t very noticeable, but he saw it and realized it might be a zipper. He promised himself that before the night was over, he would know if it was a zipper. That thought made him wonder what she wore under the red dress.
“You look fantastic,” he said.
“Thank you. You clean up rather well yourself,” she said, smiling at him. “What a handsome devil you are, dear neighbor. My, oh my.”
“That’s what I say. Damn, you’re gorgeous. I think I’d rather cancel the evening and take you to bed. Too bad I can’t cancel. But I can’t stop staring at you, either. You’re stunning.”
As she turned to get her purse, she glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear. And you look good enough to kiss, except we won’t now because I don’t want to get the least bit messed. I have spent the entire day working for this look, and I want a few minutes to enjoy it intact.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said politely with laughter in his eyes. “I’m curious, though. Your hair isn’t the same length. Did you get a haircut? Or were you wearing a fake long braid?” he teased.
“I got a haircut. I didn’t need that much hair, but it was definitely mine.”
“I can’t stop looking at you.”
She smiled at him. “I hope not. That’s one goal I hoped to achieve. I wanted to get your attention,” she said and meant it. She wanted him to see her in a dress, some way other than as he usually did on the ranch, and especially this last week after all they’d gone through. She wanted this night out, and she had already gotten a reaction from him that made the effort worthwhile. She felt the same way looking at him. He looked so incredibly handsome. He took her breath away. She looked forward to the night out with him, and it was a good cause. Even though her family was angry with his family that they had bought the property first, she loved that old arena and was glad they had rebuilt.
“You’ve got my attention, all right. You’ve got my brain’s attention and you’ve got another area’s attention, too. If we have an earthquake or typhoon, get me moving, because I won’t notice it for looking at you.”
“No typhoons, no earthquakes in the forecast, but I’ll let you know if one happens.”
“Let’s go. As soon as I feel we can politely leave tonight, we will. I want to take you home with me.”
“You don’t have to do that here in Dallas. My Dallas home hasn’t burned.”
“I want you with me all night, in my arms, in my bed, where I can kiss every gorgeous inch of you. Okay?”
“More than okay,” she replied in a sultry voice, wanting to be with him, in his arms, in his bed. “I can’t wait to be with you later,” she said softly, her voice getting that breathy quality that she couldn’t avoid.
“To be truthful, I want you to show me what’s under that gorgeous red dress.”
“I’ll do my best to oblige,” she said, smiling at him.
“Maybe we should skip this party,” he said, studying her and sounding as if he meant it.
“No, we won’t. Stop trying. And we’re not leaving early. Not after what I paid for this dress, these shoes and my hair. Not to mention my new undergarments that you get to remove later.”
“Dang. That isn’t the way to ensure you’ll get to stay there long. That just makes me want to carry you off to bed now.”
“I just wanted you to know that I’m looking forward to later, but I want to go to the party now. Besides showing off my new clothes, this is for a really good cause. And I will have an evening with the most handsome man in Texas, and that is saying a lot.”
He smiled. “Thank you, my darling. Okay, let’s hit the road.”
Smiling, she picked up her envelope purse that matched her dress, closed the door and put the key into her purse.
“You’ll come home with me tonight, won’t you?” he asked.
“If you want, or you can come back here with me.”
“Come home with me. I’ll get you home when you’re ready.” He couldn’t wait for the evening to be over. He’d seen women he’d taken out who had new dresses, new hairstyles, gorgeous women who looked like they’d stepped off the pages of a glossy fashion magazine, but Claire had undergone the biggest change and the most beautiful one.
He can’t believe he didn’t realize how beautiful she was before. She was a good-looking woman, and now she was drop-dead gorgeous, and he was stunned how good she looked. He knew she worked on her ranch. Her clothes were practical for that. Her long braid had been practical for being out in the dust and the wind with horses or cattle. But this transformation was astonishing. And he knew what a gorgeous body was under that red silk dress.
He realized she was staring at him. “I’m sorry. Did you say something to me?”
She laughed. “A penny for your thoughts. That isn’t what I said, but I’m wondering what carried you away.”
“You did. I can’t get over how you look. I know you usually are dressed the best way to work on your ranch, but there is a vast difference between how you look on the ranch and how you look tonight.”
She smiled. “I must be scary on the ranch.”
“You’re not a damn bit scary. You look good on the ranch. Haven’t I conveyed that I thought you looked great?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, you have. I’m glad you think so tonight, too. I would hate to have gotten my hair cut and you not notice.”
“Oh, lady. Every guy in the place is going to notice. I may hang on to you, so they know you’re with me and don’t come over to flirt with you.”
She laughed. “That’s not going to happen.”
“I would win placing a bet on that one. Let’s go so we can get through the evening and go home,” he said, taking her arm lightly, looking intently at her and turning to walk to the limo with her.
The ride was quick, and before he knew it the driver held the limo door for them and Jake took her arm as they walked into the tall building, where the club was on the twentieth floor. As they entered the room, a man played the piano softly in a far corner. Tables were set, but no one was seated yet. A cocktail party was going on, and people were on the balcony as well as inside.
They moved around the room to greet guests, and Jake saw that, like the last dinner, the room was filled with guys he’d ridden with and competed against in rodeos, which didn’t surprise him, because they were the ones who were the most interested in the new arena. He also noticed the attention Claire was getting from every male in the room.
“My friend Stefanie Grant just arrived,” Claire said, calling Jake’s attention.
He looked around and saw the woman.
“I’ll tell you, Stefanie does know how to make an entrance. She looks damn good, too, tonight.”
“She told me who to call to get my hair done. It’s the same group she goes to.”
“Ahh. I’m glad you took her advice. Damn good advice. Stefanie always looks good. She could fall in the pigpen and look good.”
Claire smiled. “I’ll tell her you said that.”
Jake grinned as he looked beyond her. “Her brother may be here someplace. There are a bunch of donors now, and this party is for all of us. My cousins—there were four of us who donated money. Since Cal died, there are just three of us involved actively now. Wade Sterling is one and he’s supposed to be here tonight, although I don’t see him now. One of the cousins lives in Colorado, and he hasn’t been to any of these dinners till tonight. It’s Luke Grayson. His wife and child were killed in a car wreck, and he hasn’t been able to come.”
“That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”
“Luke grew up here. He was a backyard neighbor of the Grants.”
“I’m sorry to hear about his loss. Speaking of—here comes Stef. She called when she heard about the fire and wanted to know if I was all right. When she found out my home burned, she offered to let me stay in one of her empty houses in Dallas, which was nice of her. She owns Grant Realty, in case you didn’t know.”
“I know the Grants, and everybody knows Stefanie. Her brother, Noah, and I are friends.”
He paused as a slender black-haired woman in a sleeveless black cocktail dress walked up and greeted them. She turned to Claire. “I’m so sorry about your ranch, your house and the other buildings.”
“Thanks, Stefanie. The fire was dreadful.”
“What about your ranch, Jake?” Stefanie asked, turning to him.
He shook his head. “I was enough to the east that the fire didn’t get there. The wind drove it west and then north. If you ladies will excuse me, I see some friends I want to greet.” As he walked away, Stefanie turned back to Claire.
“My, oh my, does he clean up good.”
Claire gave Jake a lingering look. “I think I said the same thing to him. Yes, he does.”
“So do you. Wow. You look absolutely gorgeous.’”
“You look gorgeous yourself. You always turn heads,” Claire said. “Thank you so much for recommending the salon and who to book with. I’m really pleased with the outcome. So is Jake.”
“I think they’re great.”
“I need to see you more often. I needed a lift after losing my home and all my things.”
“Aww, Claire, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t imagine,” Stefanie said. Then she brightened. “You said you’re staying at a neighbor’s house. You didn’t say which neighbor. But you didn’t have to,” Stefanie said, her eyes twinkling. “A Reed and a Blake? I hope those brothers of yours don’t show.”
“You couldn’t drag them into any event honoring ranchers and cowmen and the like. No danger there, and Jake didn’t seem to think we would run into his family, so here we are.”
Stefanie smiled. “Jake’s a nice guy.”
“We’re doing better than when we’ve gone to court to fight each other,” Claire said, smiling at her friend. “I hope it lasts.” Then she remembered what Jake had said. “Oh, by the way, Jake wanted me to pass on a compliment. He said you could fall into a pigpen and still look good.”
Stefanie laughed. “Oh my. Tell him thank you for that lovely thought.”
“Are you here with someone? May I ask who?”
“Sure, you can always ask. I came with Billy, and I think it will be the last time. I don’t know why, but I just don’t have the knack for finding the right guy. We argued all the way here...” She waved her hand. “But enough about that.”
“I’m sorry, Stef.”
“Not to worry, girlfriend. I’m not giving up hope.” In an obvious attempt to deflect the conversation from her love life—or lack thereof—she said, “Well, like I said on the phone, I can always find a place for you to stay, Claire, with me or in a vacant house, so let me know if you need a place. Although if I were staying with Jake, I think I’d just settle in until the last inch of your ranch is fixed and ready.”
Claire laughed. “I’ll remember your advice. If the two of us fell wildly in love, though, there wouldn’t be a future with that old feud. If it were like Regina, I wouldn’t want that, either.”
Stefanie frowned. “I think you’re right. Like Romeo and Juliet.”
Claire laughed. “That’s a first. Later, I’ll tell Jake that you called us Romeo and Juliet.” She hoped their story wouldn’t be as tragic, but she was sure Jake would find the humor in it. “By the way, how’s your family?”
“Everyone’s good. I’m an aunt again, and that’s so much fun.”
Claire smiled at a story her friend related, then when they were about to part, she said, “I hope you have a good time tonight.”
“I hope you have a good time, too. Jake seems nice. I hope your brothers know nothing about him.”
“When they see me with him, I think they’ll know better than to interfere. They may be rotten to some people, guys mostly, but they’ve never been rotten to me.”
“Oh, here Billy comes, looking for me. I’ll go so you don’t have to talk to him and have him ask you why you’re here with a Reed. He might not have noticed yet, but he’s friends with some of the Reeds. Let’s do lunch when you can,” she said over her shoulder, and Claire nodded, watching Stefanie’s black hair swing as she walked away.
“Claire?”
She turned to see one of the men involved with the arena and smiled at him. “Brink. This is a nice party, and I’m so glad a new arena will be built.”
“I am, too. I almost didn’t recognize you. You look great,” he said. “Was that your house I saw on the news?”
“There were several houses on the news, but yes, the fire went across my ranch and my home is gone,” she said, turning as another rancher joined them. She glanced across the room as she talked and saw Jake looking at her as he stood in a group of people, laughing at something someone said, but his eyes were on her, and she felt a tingle just from their exchanged glances. It was another twenty minutes of conversation before a hand touched her elbow and she looked up at Jake.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, greeting the men standing around her. After he had shaken hands with each one, he looked down at Claire. “It’s about time for this to start. If you gentlemen will excuse us, they’re asking everyone to find their places.”
He held her arm lightly as they moved away from the group. “I know where our places are. We’re at the head table. I see Stefanie found you. So have half the guys in the room. You drew a crowd.”
She smiled. “Friendly people. Ranchers. I’m a rancher.”
“That isn’t why you had eight guys standing around talking to you,” he said, and she smiled.
“They’ve asked some of us to find our places because then everyone will,” he told her. “So let’s find our seats so we will get to eat dinner and get this shindig over with so I can take you home with me and see what’s under your red dress.”
“Sounds like a deal to me,” she said, smiling at him and anxious for the time when she could return to his place and be alone with him.
As they reached the head table, two tall men and a woman were waiting. Jake greeted them and turned to her. “I want all of you to meet my ranch neighbor Claire Blake. Claire, these are my cousins, who have also helped with the building of the new arena in Fort Worth after the old one burned. This is Wade Sterling and his new wife, Ava Sterling.”
Smiling, Claire greeted the Sterlings.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m glad you two have a truce,” Wade said.
“I’m glad, too,” she said, smiling in return.
“And this is another cousin, Luke Grayson.”
“I’m glad to meet you, Luke.”
“I agree with everyone else—a truce is good between neighbors. It’s nice to meet you. I have heard about you, too.”
