*When Pepper came out of the ground floor room at the lodge, dressed in her finery, Jack was standing in the central hallway. He had his back to her, hands clasped easily behind him, then he turned.
He swept his gaze over her as though looking at something he hadn’t expected to see. For a moment, she thought he might be considering crossing the hallway, taking her in his arms, and kissing her.
But he didn’t.
She resisted the urge to fidget. It had been a long time since she’d dressed up in such a fashion, and Marie had insisted on piling her hair on top of her head and somehow making it stay. She also felt practically naked in this dress. Not that Jack hadn’t seen her naked…
He didn’t look in the least bit uncomfortable in his tuxedo; it was as though he’d just gotten it out of the box and slipped it on the way he did with his jeans or his best black pants. The dark color and good fit defined his height and his physique. Slender hips, broad shoulders. The suit made a person look at the whole man and yet highlighted his tanned, handsome face.
“Shall we go?” she asked, walking forward, lost of anything else to say to him since he hadn’t crossed the hallway and hadn’t kissed her.
“I’ve got something for you.” He slid a hand beneath his jacket and pulled out something from his back pocket. “It’s nothing extraordinary. Just a trinket, really. I thought tonight might be a good time to give it to you, otherwise it would be sitting in a drawer for another decade.”
He had a silver charm bracelet in the palm of his hand, with a thick chain, the links laden with tiny charms in silver and brushed gold.
“Where did you get this?” The charms were nestled against each other in his hand; tiny plant pots, a trowel, a chocolate bar, a picnic basket. A rock hammer and a chicken. A heart, a horse, and a tiny little cottage with a shingled roof and a picket fence.
“Something I’ve had for a long time. It was going to be your sixteenth birthday present, but you know, things didn’t go according to plan.”
She blinked up at him. “It’s beautiful.”
“I won a bit of money in a raffle, just before you turned fourteen. But I decided I’d wait until your sixteenth birthday to give it to you.” He gave a rueful smile. “I had to save up for the charms. Reckoned it would take me two years to fill all those links.”
“You bought all these charms?” she asked, her mind whirring. A present this substantial? Had he been going to ask her out back then? “You kept buying charms, even after…” After the diner incident.
He nodded.
Pepper took the bracelet from him, almost breathless, and shaken to know he’d continued to buy her the charms, even after it all went wrong. “What made you choose each one?” she asked, turning them in her fingers.
“I don’t know. Didn’t think about it much. Perhaps I was looking at the ones I thought you’d like.”
Still… it was a little uncanny.
“It’s not much and it’s not real expensive. You don’t have to wear it.”
She held out her arm. “Will you fasten it for me?” She was never going to take it off.
She studied his face as he bent his head, the catch on the bracelet perhaps too small for his male hands so it was taking him some time.
A plant pot, a horse, a trowel, and a chocolate bar. She understood why he’d choose those because they’d been part of her life; herbs and plants, a love of candy. He’d have bought the horse because he loved them. They’d also had that near-kiss moment when she’d fallen off one—just before her fourteenth birthday. But why the others? A rock hammer, a chicken and—a little cottage. Not to mention the heart. None of those things had been on the cards back then.
Within days of Pepper coming home he had returned too and found himself chained to her side, jumping to her every need, of which she’d had too many to count. What had brought him home? Chance? Fluke? Aurora’s mystic hand?
Or fate.
Her mind went momentarily blank as a number of possibilities vied for prime position.
Jack. Could it be Jack?
“He doesn’t exist. You know that, don’t you?”
He looked up from his task of fastening the bracelet’s catch. “Who?”
“The would-be.”
He didn’t answer.
“Even if he did, I couldn’t believe in him, could I? Not with it being so fateful and all that. Like it had been planned whether I wanted it or not.”
That punctured something within him because he inhaled, his chest expanding.
What if it was him and he knew? What if he didn’t want to be her chosen one?
She looked away. She’d worried about him being burdened with a Shrimp but perhaps he was much more concerned about being lumbered with a Mackillop!
Theoretically, if she took the emotion out of it, it made sense, given that he’d more or less lost everything and now had his face plastered across Texas which was, more or less, because of her.
“We’d better go,” he said, and offered his arm.
She took it and they made their way down the pathway to the barn, emotion clogging her arteries and hampering her heartbeat.
*
She raised a hand to block out the big spotlights above the dance floor that had been laid outside the barn. They were like nighttime rainbows, filtering soft colors down on the heads of the people dancing. The large barn doors had been thrown open so the interior was practically part of the exterior.
Sparkling white lights were strung in the trees around the dance floor and the entrance to the barn. The aroma of sage and other summery herbs, tied in posies, wafted over the heads of the many well-dressed guests.
The good news was that so far her feet weren’t killing her and she and Jack had been here for nearly an hour, welcoming people.
She slid a glance his way. The press had been snapping photos relentlessly. By tomorrow, Jack would no doubt be getting more fan mail.
A group moved across the dance floor in front of them, making their way to the barn where tables and chairs had been set up for those who wished to chat or maybe do business, which was, ostensibly, the reason for so many of the guests being here.
Marie was dazzling in a soft cerise gown, moving effortlessly between people as she greeted them or stopped to make small talk. The caterers were in crisp white jackets and tailored black pants, holding large silver platters of fancy-looking cocktail foods. The band was in jazzed up cowboy gear, spurs polished, cream waistcoats over black-and-white plaid button-down shirts, topped by black Stetsons with sparkling trim.
Walter looked resplendent in his tuxedo and was attentively looking after Mrs. Shrimp, who appeared to be comfortable with all the attention. All the Shrimp girls had turned up wearing their best flounces. Kelly wore her famous beige shoes with her yellow gown. The two younger girls, Rochelle and Sienna, were sweet in their knee-length party wear. Winona appeared delicate and aloof in her floor-length emerald-green dress, although it looked like Dylan had turned up the heat in his pursuit. She wasn’t looking at him, but neither had she moved from his side. Pepper figured it was his dogged approach, never letting up but sticking around in a noninvasive way that was making such headway. In terms of charm, Winona was being charmed.
For an outsider looking in, it would look like a large, delightful soiree on a warm summer evening, with an inky sky peppered with stars and the hope of an occasional breeze.
But so many were on their guard. Watching and listening. The Globe journalists were happy to take in whatever was going on—waiting for something to happen. The Portal representatives along with Donaldson’s were peering around potted plants and eavesdropping on guests. Pepper regarded Leo D’Pee and his sidekick, Ty “Slick” Wilson as they did a round of the barn. So far, the townspeople had pointedly ignored them, but a few guests appeared enamored of their sickly smiles, cheap tuxedo suits, and slicked back hair.
“How can anyone believe what they might have to say?” she asked Jack, indicating the developers with a nod of her head.
Jack shifted by her side. “I guess there are any number of people in the world who are hoping for something good.”
Donaldson’s purportedly offered that goodness. How many people had they ruined financially after taking their land for development at less than the going value? Hundreds. Maybe thousands, because wrecking one person’s life had a knock-on effect. Their children, or parents, or grandparents would all feel the pinch, emotionally and financially.
She took her eyes off them and turned to face the opposite way. The silky fabric of her dress swished around her bare legs. She eyed her shoes. Open-toed, four-inch heels. She’d likely have a backache tomorrow, having been used to her cowgirl boots since she came home, but tonight, she was a butterfly, emerged from her cocoon. She might as well enjoy it while she could, because she doubted there would be another occasion in her life where she dressed up so magnificently.
Jack let out a sigh. Perhaps he was bored.
The withdrawal between them had changed since he gave her the bracelet. They were a little closer again, but he was still not fully with her. He had something on his mind.
“You can rest easy, my darlings, and go enjoy yourselves!”
Marie was smiling as she came up to them. “Every guest accounted for. All present. Do you think people are having a good time?”
“It’s a fantastic evening, Marie,” Jack said.
“It’s wonderful,” Pepper added. “You’ve outdone yourself.”
“It’s not over yet. But I’d best get back to doing what I do best. Jack?” She lifted her brow as she looked at him.
He nodded. “I’ve got her.”
Marie gave him a complicit smile and walked out of the field, back toward her party.
“Shall we?” Jack asked, crooking his arm so she could take it.
“What was that about?” Pepper asked as they moved across the pathway toward the dance floor.
“Marie asked me to keep an eye on you.”
This was getting so annoying. “Aren’t you getting tired of the protection gig? Wouldn’t you prefer to drop me at a table somewhere and go ask some woman to dance?”
He halted and gave her a quizzical frown.
The warm night air seemed to fold them in its blanketing embrace, and the sounds of the party almost disappeared.
“You look beautiful,” he told her. “And you’re on my arm. Why would I want to find another woman to dance with?”
A longing for him crawled up her spine, swirled in her chest, and tangled around her heart. “You look pretty special too,” she said softly.
She’d been feeling a lot despondent that she hadn’t been on the receiving end of the Jack from the other day, and it was showing up as temper. But she wanted the Jack who’d presented himself to her as a man. The Jack who’d held her in his arms and made love to her. Had that Jack returned? Just a little bit of him?
“Don’t get too gushy though,” she said, not wanting him to see how bemused she was. “It might put the man of the moment off.”
His expression remained set. “Tonight, Pepper Mackillop, I’m your man of the moment.”
A little shock, like an energy, tumbled through her. She was supposed to laugh off his words. But she didn’t think he was joking.
It’s not supposed to be Jack.
She was supposed to meet a stranger, like her cousins had. It wasn’t supposed to be the boy she’d known all her life… The man was supposed to play cat and mouse with her feelings, and somehow be offside with her until love blossomed for real and she fell for him.
And yet, hadn’t that been exactly what had happened between her and Jack since they set eyes on each other a week ago? Cat and mouse… Falling for someone so hard that a person’s stomach hurt at the very idea of losing him.
She stood at his side after they reached the party, watching how the light played among the leaves on the trees as people danced beneath.
“Jack,” she asked, “did you ever fall in love?”
When he didn’t answer, she raised her eyes to look at him.
His mouth was firm, his gaze on the dancers. “Might have,” he said. “Once.”
“Do you still love her?”
After a second, he gave a single nod.
Pepper’s heart almost imploded. “Will you always love her?” Would no other woman be able to remove the memory of his one and only love?
He moistened his mouth with his tongue and tilted his head to look at her. “I’d walk a mile over burning coals for her.”
Moisture gathered in the back of her mouth. “I’m sorry you didn’t get her.”
“I didn’t try hard enough.”
“I’m sure you gave it your all.” Foolish woman, to have refused him. But there again, nobody could decide or dictate who would fall in love with who. Look at Pepper, falling in love with Jack, whether she should be or not. “Perhaps you could go back to wherever she is and try again.”
“I did come back.” He narrowed his eyes as he held her gaze. “And I didn’t say I stopped trying.”
Her heart pinched as though it had been stabbed with a thousand pricks of pure white light.
“Me?” she wanted to say.
The moment was broken before she could open her mouth.
“Pepper! There you are!”
Her cousins and their fiancés were approaching and she’d better get the bewildered look off her face before they noticed.
Jack. Could it be Jack?
*
Jack resisted the urge to tug at the bow tie around his neck and instead smiled as he accepted a beer from Mark Sterrett, Lauren’s fiancé. Molly’s fiancé, Saul Solomon, was with them. Three guys at a fancy party, wearing rented suits and ties, maybe each feeling a little out of sorts. They were good men though, and if he ever got the opportunity to hang around the valley, he could see himself enjoying their company.
It had been great to see Lauren and Molly again after so long, and they’d welcomed him with hugs and kisses, like a long-lost brother.
He checked quickly over his shoulder. Pep wasn’t far away, standing with Lauren, who’d taken her away for a girls’ chat. Molly was to one side, talking to Mr. Frye and Mrs. Kenney.
He was still torn about the way he’d handled things the last couple of days. Not his finest hour, practically ignoring Pep, although he hadn’t let his protection slip. He’d just been carefully elusive. Then, ten minutes ago, he’d nearly told her. Nearly let slip that he was the would-be husband.
He turned back to Mark and Saul.
“I take it as I see it,” Saul was saying. “These are Mackillops we’re talking about.”
“Agreed,” Mark said, then turned to Jack with a grin. “Saul’s right. You’re going to have to face it, Jack. Life isn’t going to be same from now on, buddy. Welcome to the club.”
They’d opened up the conversation about the cousins pretty much as soon as the introductions were over and the girls had wandered off, and Jack was trying hard to reveal nothing about his feelings for Pep. After all, what was in the newspapers was hype, but it was also the truth. He was the would-be. There was a curse. He was desperately in love with her.
“I’ve known the Mackillops all my life,” he said, kinking his mouth to a smile. “I’m kind of used to them.”
“Yeah, but it’s different when you fall for one.”
They were talking as though he was already part of the band of men in the Mackillop women’s lives, but nothing was certain.
“I’m not sure if I’m staying.”
Mark almost choked on his beer. “That’s what we said.”
Saul slapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”
Jack nodded acknowledgement without committing himself to words. Had they been given some insight of his future from their Mackillop fiancées? Or had they just been reading that rag, the Portal? What got to him most was that he’d been here practically all his life, but since his return he obviously hadn’t been looking around him the way these two had. Jack saw the usual, the stuff he’d known since childhood. They saw differently. They were open and accepting of all things new in their lives, while Jack had—what? Buried his head in Tucson and let Nightshade Downs run to near ruin. Let his uncle suffer under pressure of not being sure what to do if the woman he wanted decided it was a no-go.
Who’d have thought he’d feel so out on a limb in his own hometown?
He let his gaze rest on Pep for a moment. She looked heaven-sent and made him feel like a king when she walked at his side, her hand in the crook of his arm. The cherry-colored dress skimmed her torso and long, tanned legs. A dress that didn’t need underwear. A body he knew intimately. Yet, since the press had pounced on him, he’d been reticent about even pulling her into a dark, secluded corner and kissing her secretly. The press had gotten too close to the bull’s-eye. If he hadn’t reined himself in, everyone in town would have recognized his undying love for Pep.
She’d rocked him when she asked if he’d ever fallen in love. Had she guessed? Was he supposed to speak up and declare his love or wait and see what would happen after tonight?
Another thing—he should be patrolling as he’d done the last two days and nights instead of standing here in a black suit pretending to enjoy a beer. Not that he could be two places at once, but the thought still bugged him. Had he forgotten to check something?
He put the beer down, having taken a sip only to show willingness. There was one hell of an edgy feeling sitting inside him. Marie had asked him earlier to take special care of Pep tonight. The grandmothers had refused to attend the party, and there was nothing unusual about that because they preferred to keep to themselves. But they were congregating together at Aurora’s lodge.
Why would they do that, tonight of all nights?
Earlier, sometime midafternoon, he’d overhead Marie talking to her mother, Alice, on the phone.
“You mean we can’t do anything to help?” Marie had asked.
Whatever Alice said in response, it had taken some time, and there had been a guarded and defensive look in Marie’s eyes when she ended the call and turned to find him standing in the hallway.
He glanced sideways and caught Pep’s eye.
“Okay?” he mouthed, with a tilt of his jaw.
He made a move toward her, when a crash of glass resounded to his side.
Some reporter from the Portal was on his backside, looking up at Leo D’Pee and surrounded by broken champagne flutes and shattered white plates.
“Wasn’t me!” D’Pee stated, hands raised as he took a step back.
“This schmuck pushed me over!” the Portal man said as someone helped him to his feet.
D’Pee smiled at those around him. “An accident. He tripped on his own squeaky new shoes.”
Jack clocked the big guy to D’Pee’s right. Ty “Slick” Wilson wasn’t smiling. He had the look of a man ready to go, just waiting for his cue.
“Watch that one,” Mark said quietly at Jack’s side.
Jack nodded. “I see him.”
Marie entered the arena with her forceful charm and calmed everyone down. Ralph followed her, looking for all the world like a man without a care, but Jack sensed his uncle was ready if the situation got out of hand.
Marie led D’Pee to a group of women Jack had never seen before. They must be businesspeople from Amarillo. She introduced him, beckoned a waiter with a trayful of champagne flutes, and just as suddenly as the ruckus started, it was over, the band striking up and people taking to the dance floor again.
For a moment, Ralph and Marie were alone, looking at each other. Then Ralph held out his hand and nodded at the dancers. Marie smiled, and allowed him to lead her to the floor.
At least one love affair had worked out this evening. Jack was pleased for them.
He checked the hub where the fracas had happened. The reporters from the Portal were crowding around their comrade, who was still talking, undoubtedly trying to explain his side of whatever had gone on between him and Donaldson’s. The Globe journalists were quietly assessing, not yet ready to type up a story, but no doubt waiting for one.
Pep still wasn’t far away, and she was with Walter, whose chest was puffed out as he took Mrs. Shrimp’s hand and placed it on the crook of his arm.
What if Pep didn’t want him to be the would-be? What if she was so shocked by the idea of formally getting together that she paled, unsure how to tell him no without hurting him?
She’d accepted the bracelet but had been shocked by its existence. He hadn’t thought about the bracelet for a long time. After the brief conversation with Marie, he’d remembered it. It had probably been a bit silly of him to give it to her now. He should have left it buried in a drawer. But it was too late for regret. She was wearing his bracelet, the one he’d kept secret from everyone, spending his money on the charms as soon as he’d saved up enough to buy one.
The only way he’d find out whether she wanted him, or might want him, or might one day fall for him was to go for it. Tell her. Present himself as he was, calluses and all, and ask her if she’d like to live in the ranch house with him and raise their children. They’d be close enough to town, and she’d be close enough to Daybreak Lodge and whatever it was she would do with the place in the end.
And if she refused, he’d get out of the valley. Sell or give his share of the ranch to Ralph. He’d move to Montana or Timbuktu and never look back. He’d never sit and think about what could have been.
He’d just grow old alone.