Cowgirls Don't Cry(18)

Lexie scratched at the door and Brandt automatically let her in, like he’d done a hundred times when he used to visit Jessie. The dog jumped and yipped at seeing Landon.

Landon clapped his hands and laughed—a pure, innocent burst of joy that made Brandt grin. “A boy who likes dogs, imagine that.” Brandt sat in the easy chair with Landon on his lap. He patted his leg.

“Come on over and say hello, Lexie.”


The dog slunk over to sniff Landon’s toes. He giggled again and reached for Lexie’s ears.

“Whoa there, partner. Gotta be gentle. Play nice. Touch her like this, see?” Brandt kept one arm wrapped around Landon’s middle as he petted Lexie’s back. He took Landon’s hand and slowly moved it across Lexie’s fur. “She likes that.”


Evidently Brandt hadn’t been successful in keeping his voice down. Landon’s eyes popped open and he wiggled until he was sitting on Brandt’s lap.

Jessie stood. “I’ve said my piece, you’ve said yours. Can we just move onto the next thing? Because there’s plenty of other stuff we have to deal with today.”


“Yeah.” He squinted at the clock. “I need to get goin’. I’m supposed to meet my brothers at my place in an hour.”


“I’ll call Skylar and give her a heads up, but it’d probably be best if I drove out there and talked to her.”


“True.” He reached for Landon’s coat. “Come on buddy. Let’s ride.”


Jessie insisted on meeting Skylar face to face because she had the overwhelming urge to put distance between herself and Brandt.

Don’t you mean between you and Landon?

What’d happened to her backbone? She’d sworn last night she’d say no. She’d said it out loud. Hell, she’d screamed it. No one in the world would blame her for washing her hands of the situation. In fact, now she’d have the exact opposite problem. People in the community would think she was a masochist or a martyr.

But when she’d seen that sweet little innocent face…something shifted inside her. Something big.

Something beyond pity or a sense of duty. Something she was afraid to put a name to.

She turned off the highway and bypassed the Sky Blue manufacturing plant. Seemed strange to drive past it and through the gate that divided the manufacturing plant are from Kade and Skylar McKay’s private residence. As handy as it was for Skylar to have her business so close to her home, she kept the two buildings separated.

Girls and dogs raced up as soon as Jessie parked.

“Miss Jessie,” Peyton exclaimed. “Mama said you were comin’ here.” She stood on tiptoe and peered around Jessie.

“Someone else you’re looking for, Peyton?”


“She’s checkin’ to see if you brought the llamas, which is just stupid,” Eliza drawled.

“I’m tellin’ Mama you called me stupid,” Peyton shot back.

“Go ahead.”


Shannie stepped between her warring sisters. “Stop or Daddy won’t take us ridin’.”


“’Cause you’ll tattle,” Eliza said.

“Yeah,” Peyton added. “You got us all in trouble last night.”


Three dogs sniffed Jessie as three girls argued.

The screen door slammed and Skylar started down the steps, followed by Kade.

The girls’ fighting ended immediately and they lined up, all sweet smiles, the pictures of innocence.

Jessie bit her cheek to keep from laughing.