Strictly Business Page 5

  “I just got in about fifteen minutes ago. I figured everyone would be here. It’s Friday night, after all. I’ll head home with everyone tonight. Hey Bethany, how’re you doing, beautiful?” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then he turned to face Jess. “And, just who might you be?”

  “Jess, this is Cody, more brother than friend. He’ll be stayin’ out at the ranch with us, so I’m sure you’ll be seein’ him around. Cody, this is Jessica Wythe. My architect.”

  He sounded annoyed again, but Jess chose to ignore it. She was almost getting used to it. It must have surprised Cody though. He tossed a quick questioning glance back at Jake before returning his attention to her.

  “Jess, is it?” At her nod he continued, “Well, Jess, would you like to dance?”

  She grinned back at his flirty little smile. “Yes, I think I would.” As they headed to the floor, Jess said, “Okay, unless it’s ballroom, I don’t know any dances, but, if you teach me I think I can get it.”

  “Darlin’, you are in the right place. I’m almost as good on the dance floor as I am at other things. Ridin' rodeo for one.” He smiled that cheeky grin again.

  Jess rolled her eyes. “You just think you can grin at women and charm their pants right off them, don’t you?” But she was smiling as she said it.

  “Maybe.” Another grin. “How’s it workin’ on you?” He winked at her.

  Now Jess laughed out loud. “Not as well as you might wish. But I do find you adorable. So, teach me to dance, champ.”

  After about thirty minutes, she knew the steps to two new line dances and the two-step. When a slow dance came on, Cody pulled her in tight and wrapped his arms around her waist. Relaxed and finally having fun, Jess leaned into him.

  Right up until he loudly announced, “God, you’re curvy!”

  She froze in his arms.

  “No, Jess. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. Your clothes don’t…you…you hide it well. Shit. Sorry. Let me try this again, I’m usually much smoother than this.”

  Jess relaxed a little. He seemed genuinely embarrassed. “It’s okay. I know I’m a little out of proportion.”

  “What?” He almost shouted at her. “Who managed to bullshit you into thinkin’ that? Your curves are definitely in all the right places, sweetheart. It just isn’t noticeable in that shirt you’re wearing.”

  Jessica could tell she blushed bright red as her cheeks turned scalding hot. “I picked this on purpose.”

  “Okay, I gotta ask, why? Why would you hide this body? Most women I know would be flaunting it, and most men would be ogling.” His hands had roamed from her waist, a little lower to her tush.

  She laughed. “Okay, slow down, cowboy. Bring the hands back up.”

  He grinned, that little “I know I’m sexy” smirk, but he did bring his hands back to her waist. “Seriously, why would you deliberately hide this body?” His tone was earnest, like he was truly confused.

  Somehow the question, asked in just that tone of voice, made her feel beautiful. Truly beautiful. And maybe a little bit sexy. “I just do. I always have. Since I was about fourteen and started filling out.” Why was she telling him this? She never told people this.

  “Why?” He had his hands on her waist, around her, and he was looking down into her eyes. They were still swaying to the music, but barely.

  Strangely, she found herself answering him. “My family is very proper, refined East coast. My mother always told me I was built for Penthouse and I looked cheap. My older sister called me a hooker. It seemed easier to cover it all up.” Jessica froze again, shock and panic warring for dominance. Then she turned and bolted out of the bar. She needed some air.

  Chapter 8

  Jake had been watching them dance, watching her laugh and flirt with his best friend. Why was he so upset about that? Because Cody was Cody. Everyone fell for him. Women of all ages fell for his charm. And Jake didn’t want Jess to. He didn’t know why it mattered, but it did.

  Where had that come from? He didn’t even know her, much less like her. Why should he care if she slept with Cody? When Cody’s hands slid down to her butt, her very nicely rounded butt, he found his gut clenching again. He was also making fists under the table.

  “Jake, what’s wrong with you tonight?” Bethany asked.

  Jake had heard her, but still couldn't manage to drag his eyes away from the scene unfolding before him.

  “Jake, hello, what’s your deal?” When he finally looked over at her she said, “Okay, do you have a thing for your architect?”

  “What? No! I don’t even like her. We can’t even have a civilized conversation.” Although, he definitely liked the way she filled out jeans and a T-shirt.

  “Then send her home and hire someone else.”

  Bethany was still looking at him, clearly expecting an answer even though she hadn’t actually asked a question. “No.”

  “Why not? If you don’t like her, building a house with her ought to be a barrel of laughs.” Sarcasm dripped from every word.

  “Because she’s the best, and I want the best. Forget it Bethany, she stays. I don’t have to like her, just her work.”

  “Then why do you keep watching her?”

  “I just feel responsible for her, I guess. I want to make sure she gets home okay, she’s only been here one night.”

  “Well, Cody’s not going to hurt her, and he’s going the same place she is. Why don’t you and I just go? We can go back to my place, and you can feel responsible for me?”

  Right then Jess pushed away from Cody and headed to the door. She looked upset. Very upset.

  Cody started out after her, only to run into a very pissed off Jake. “What did you say to her?”

  “Nothing, we were just talking. Why, what’s it matter to you?”

  “It doesn’t.” Jake knew he'd answered way too quickly. “I mean, it does because she’s staying at my house. I’m responsible for her.”

  “Uh huh, I see. Then let me go find out why she’s upset. Okay?” Cody smirked a little at Jake. Just enough of a smirk that Jake wanted to punch it off his face.

  Jake couldn’t think of anything else to say that would make sense. He honestly didn’t know why he was so upset. Bethany was right, Cody wouldn’t hurt her. At least not physically. He turned and stomped away, grabbing Bethany’s hand and heading out the side door.

  * * * * *

  Jessica turned around at the sound of the door behind her. Cody walked out and headed over to her. Okay, suck it up Jess. You already told him, now just apologize for running out. “Sorry about that in there.”

  She looked up at him. He closed the last of the gap between them and put an arm around her shoulder. “So, what did I say? I want to make sure I don’t say it again.” He smiled down at her.

  “You’re actually a nice guy aren’t you? I mean underneath all that sexy charm and crap.”

  “Well you don’t have to sound quite so shocked.” He laughed.

  “Sorry, I’m just bent on offending you tonight, apparently. So, umm, you didn’t say anything. I just… I’ve never admitted that to anyone. Ever. It took me by surprise. I’m not even sure why I told you.”

  He was quiet, looking at her with a quizzical expression, his eyes slightly pinched and his forehead furrowed. She wondered if he'd press for more. When he finally spoke again, she breathed a sigh of relief. He was letting her off the hook.

  “Oh, that’s easy. It’s because of my sexy charm and crap. Women are always telling me things they shouldn’t.” He smirked at her.

  She looked at him, saw the humor in his eyes, not condescending, just nice, and laughed with him. Then she punched him on the shoulder. “Yeah, just don’t try your little games on me. Believe it or not, I eat guys like you for breakfast.”

  He waggled his eyebrows at her with a sexy leer.

  She laughed, “Let’s go, stud, I feel like dancing.”

  As she started to walk away, he grabbed her arm and whirled her back to him, placing hi
s hands back onto her waist and sliding down to her hips. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Your secret is safe with me.” He leaned in and gave her a quick soft kiss on the lips. Then he stepped back and grinned again, “I never kiss and tell.” He took her hand and towed her back inside. She laughed the whole way in.

  They stayed until the bar closed at two a.m. George and everyone else had already left, some back to the ranch, some with women. Cody had told them he would make sure she got back to the ranch safely, since he was heading there anyway. She knew she should be exhausted, she’d never closed down a bar before. But she was having a blast. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much. And she hadn’t ever danced like that. She would never look at dancing quite the same way again.

  When they got back to the ranch, she stepped out of the car and wandered up to the porch. She just wasn’t ready to go inside. She pulled the sticks out of her hair without thinking, shaking it loose as she settled onto the swing.

  Cody sucked in his breath. “Damn, maybe I should have asked what else you were hiding.”

  She looked over at him. Whoops, she was just way too comfortable with him. She kept forgetting to keep her barriers in place. “That’s about it.” Except for the eyes, but no one saw those. They were too creepy looking.

  “Stand up. Let me see how long it is.” She stood up, her hair falling to her waist. “It’s beautiful. You’re like some sort of myth or something. What are those Greek things? Sirens or something like that.”

  He walked toward her almost in a trance, his eyes never leaving her hair. When he ran his fingers through it, gently rubbing the top of her head, she couldn't stop the little sound of pleasure that escaped her throat.

  “That feels so good. I’ve had my hair up for three days straight and it’ll be up for the next five months unless I can build this house faster.” She heard the antagonism edging into her voice. Just the thought of that man had her cranky. She sat back down on the swing, Cody sitting next to her, still messing with her hair. Jess sort of leaned back against him.

  “So, what’s with you and Jake?”

  “He’s an ass.”

  Jess shot upright, and whipped her head around to look at Cody. “God, I’m sorry. You’re his best friend. And he’s my client. Apparently you give me foot in mouth disease.”

  Cody laughed “It’s fine. He is an ass. But he’s a good guy too.”

  “I’m sure he is. Everyone here seems completely loyal to him. And they’ve all been here forever. You don’t get that kind of loyalty if you’re not a good person. We just seem to bring out the worst in each other. I antagonize him, I guess. I think mostly because I’m female.”

  “What? Jake likes women, and women like Jake. Usually.”

  “Maybe, but he thought I was a man.”

  “How’s that possible? There is just no way anyone could ever mistake you for a man.”

  “My boss, Mr. Brundel, told him the architect Jess Wythe was coming. He assumed it was a man. He was less than pleased to see me.” She waited a beat, then said, “You know, I’m really glad you’re here. Maybe you’ll be a buffer between me and Jake. It might help. Plus, I like you. Genuinely like you.”

  He leaned her back against him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I like you too.”

  Chapter 9

  Jess didn’t make it into the kitchen until almost nine Saturday morning. No surprise since it’d been almost four before she went to sleep. The night had been so beautiful, cool and clear, but not cold. She and Cody had sat out on the porch for an hour, talking a little, mostly just sitting. It was nice to have a friend, no matter how new, out here. She didn’t feel quite so alone. Although, she knew he wouldn’t stay long. He had another rodeo in a few weeks. She grabbed some coffee and one of the biscuits left over from breakfast, scooped up her pencil and sketchbook and headed back out to the porch swing. She might have just found her favorite place on the ranch.

  She set her coffee down beside her, tucked her feet up under her and started drawing. The house had to be masculine, but natural. It had to work with the surroundings, and it had to be something that could stand the test of time. Basically, it had to be Jake in house form. As she tried to build the house in her mind, she thought of him. Without anger, without antagonism, just him. He was beautiful, strong, rugged, attached to this ranch inexorably. Stubborn and hard, with a soft interior. He had to be, to inspire such loyalty from friends and employees.

  Then she had it, she had the house. And it wasn’t what she’d originally thought of. She drew furiously for quite awhile, losing track of time as often happened. When she heard everyone heading back in for lunch, or dinner according to Marsha, she was surprised to find that it was already noon. And the smell from the kitchen was heavenly. All at once she realized she was starving.

  She hopped up just as George and Cody walked up the steps.

  “Hey there sweetheart, how are you this mornin’?” Cody leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the head. “Did you get some sleep?”

  “More than you did, apparently. What have you been up to this morning?” She looked over at George and waved. “Hey, how are you?”

  “Good morning, Jess.” George nodded on his way by.

  “We’ve been helping Ben out, trying to break Demon. He’s the dark brown Hanoverian out there. Have you seen him?”

  “No, and she won’t. That horse lives up to his name.”

  Jake's voice seemed to come out of nowhere. She hadn't even seen him walk up. Jess couldn't help but notice he sounded angry already.

  “Come on Jake, it’s not like I told her to ride him. He’s gorgeous. She can take a look.” Turning back to Jess, Cody said, “I’ll show you after lunch. He’s beautiful and totally wild. If we can ever get him saddle broke he’ll be the fastest racehorse this ranch has ever seen.”

  “After lunch I want to go over some details about the house. I realize it’s Saturday, but I see you have your sketch book. Do you mind Ms. Wythe?” Jake asked.

  So, we’re back to Ms. Wythe again? Okay, fine. “Not at all, Mr. Morgenstern. I only need about another half hour to finish the sketches. You go ahead and eat, I’ll meet you in your office when I’m through.” She made sure to infuse her voice with ice.

  She turned on her heel and strode out of the kitchen. She’d be damned if she would eat with him. She headed to her room and the little desk in there, to finish up the other two options she had sketched out. She’d drawn a Cape Cod style, with vinyl siding, and a traditional farmhouse look as well. A modern, larger version of what was there. But she had her favorite, and she was hoping he would choose that one. Maybe she should present that one in the middle, so he didn’t know it was her personal choice. He would probably pick something else, just to spite her. Stupid ass!

  * * * * *

  Back in the kitchen, Jake felt Cody eyeing him while he made his plate. Guessing he was waiting for some of the other guys to head back out before saying anything, Jake just continued to gather his food before sitting down at the table. Finally, it was down to Jake, Marsha and Ben.

  “So, what was that all about?” Cody finally spoke up.

  “What was what all about?” Jake knew what Cody was talking about, but he really didn’t want to discuss it. Especially not with him.

  “With Jess. What was that all about? Oh, sorry, I meant with Ms. Wythe.”

  Jake heard the sarcasm Cody infused into the name.“I need to get this house goin’ as soon as possible. That takes precedence over your love life. You’ll have to show her the horse some other time.” Jake all but growled out the comment.

  Cody grinned. “Well, that part was fine, but you probably should’ve let her eat. I’m pretty sure she missed breakfast and we had quite a workout last night.”

  Thinking back to last night, to Jess and Cody laughing, dancing way too close, and remembering just how late he'd heard them come in, Jake knew exactly what kind of workout they'd had. He felt the jealousy begin to rise. Despite
his constant reminders to himself that he didn't even like Jess, he hated knowing she'd been with Cody.

  “You know, dancin’? Maybe you should bring her some food. It’s been my experience that a hungry woman is a cranky woman. Isn’t that right, Marsha?” Cody turned around and winked at her.

  It was then that Jake noticed Ben and Marsha had been listening intently to every word.

  “Oh, that’s for sure, Cody. I’ll make her a plate right now and take it up to her.” Marsha made a move to get up and Jake almost jumped out of his chair.

  “I’ll get it. She’s comin’ to my office anyway.” He fixed a plate of food, cold cut sandwiches, potato salad and green salad. He stopped when he got to the dressing, not sure what she would like. He finally decided on Italian. Everyone liked Italian, right? He could feel all three pairs of eyes boring holes into his back. He grabbed the plate and a fork and stormed out of the room without saying another word to anybody.

  They must have forgotten just how thin the old walls were in this house. He heard them all burst out laughing as soon as he'd rounded the corner. “Cody, you’re a rascal. Why’d you tease him like that?” Marsha asked.

  “Why, Marsha, I have no idea what you mean.”

  Jake walked into his office, trying to set aside his anger, only to find her sitting quietly in one of the chairs opposite his. He knew she’d heard him come in because she’d stiffened in her seat. He walked over, dropped the plate down in front of her and sat in his chair.

  “It was brought to my attention, that in my…haste to see the designs, you didn’t get to eat lunch. I didn’t know what you wanted, so I brought some of everything.”

  “No, thank you. You want to see the designs, so I’ll show you the designs.” Her tone was very cool, very polite.

  He hated it. “Just eat the damn food. You missed breakfast and apparently, you were very…active last night.” He saw rage flare through her eyes. Evidently she didn’t like Cody talking. “Dancin’ right?”

  “I said I’ll eat later. And don’t cuss at me. I’m not one of your ranch hands that you get to order about with bad attitude and foul language! Now, you asked to see the designs, so sit down!”