Raising Kane (Rough Riders #9)(68)




That’d never happened. Why? Because Luke never allowed it to happen. Luke had called all the shots from day one. And she’d been so freakin’ happy to have Luke McKay’s attention that she would’ve danced naked around the Sundance flagpole if he’d asked her.


More fury raced through her.


Let it go, Jessie. No man wants a wife who’s a shrew. No man wants a wife who nags, yells, cries and whines all the damn time. No wonder I’m not here as much as you like. You’re drivin’ me away.


Funny, how whenever she’d stuck up for herself Luke considered her a shrew, but if he put his boot down and ended the discussion, he was just being the man of the house, not a controlling *.


Something inside her shifted and shattered.


“You f*cking self-centered prick. You set this all up from the beginning, didn’t you? Having the perfect little doormat wife at home, cooking your meals, washing your clothes, making nice with your * father, doing your ranch chores, trying to get pregnant to birth your babies. While you were out f*cking any woman that looked your way.”


Jessie slid to the floor and started to cry. Not tears of grief for a change. Granted, it wasn’t the first time she’d shed tears over Luke—not even the first time today, but goddammit, it’d be the last. As she cried, the rage built to the point she tipped her head to the ceiling and screamed, “I’m done with you, you cheating bastard! You hear me? Done. You and your whole rotten goddamn family can go straight to hell.”


She sobbed. Lexie slunk next to her and licked her hand. That made her cry harder. Bringing Lexie home as a surprise gift was the one nice thing Luke had ever done for her.


Eventually her cries quieted. Her eyes dried because she literally had no more tears. She’d cried herself out. Jessie dragged herself up from where she’d curled into a ball on the floor. She ate, showered and decided to wear her nicest jeans and her favorite shirt, rather than lounging around in ratty sweats. She styled her hair, put on makeup, feeling foolish because really? Who would see her tonight besides her dog?


Don’t make yourself look good for a man. Make yourself look good for yourself for a change. You can change.


Whoa. That was a new voice inside her head offering advice. Good advice.


She’d just sat and turned on the TV when her cell phone rang on the kitchen counter.


Her first thought: Finally! Brandt called me back.


Her second thought: He can suck it. I’m done with him.


Jessie sighed and stood, promising herself she wouldn’t answer if it was Brandt. But it wasn’t. The caller ID read: Keely McKay.


She smiled. She adored Keely. The woman was fun, funny, smart, sweet, sassy and she didn’t take shit from any man, especially none with the last name McKay. Although Jessie knew Keely had been beyond busy in the last year, Keely always made a point to check in with her to see how she was holding up.



“Hello?”


“Jessie! I was hopin’ you were around. What are you doin’ right now?”


Sitting around all dressed up with no place to go. “Not much. What’s up?”


“Well, I’m in Moorcroft with a few members of my new dart league team. Guess what? We just kicked the crap outta the Moorcroft Deadly Tips dart team, and we are seriously in the mood to celebrate.


And I thought, Jessie lives close, I’ll see if she’s in the party mood.”


“Where are you?”


“Ziggy’s. Come on down. It’ll be fun.”


“You surrounded by hot cowboys?”


Keely laughed. “Absolutely. And I’ve even got a designated driver lined up so if we get shitfaced, we have a ride.”


Jessie froze. Sometimes Keely cajoled her McKay male cousins into helping her outwit her five older brothers, since they continued to treat Keely like a twelve-year-old girl. She also knew Brandt had gotten roped into being Keely’s cohort on several occasions. “Who’s lined up as your DD?”


The phone rattled as Keely spoke to someone else. “Hey, darlin’, what’s your name again? Robbie?


My new friend Robbie,” Keely cooed, “has a tryout early tomorrow morning for a team ropin’ event, and he’s not drinkin’ tonight, so he’ll be our DD as long as we dance with him until closing time.” Keely whispered, “He’s hot, Jess, like really freakin’ hot, and he loves to dance as much as you do. You should come and check him out.”


She hesitated.


“Please? I haven’t seen you in forever. I’m only in town this one night. When was the last time you went out and had fun?”


“It’s been a long damn time, Keely.”


“Then I say you’re past due to cut loose.”


Years past due. Jessie glanced at her reflection in the window glass above the sink. She didn’t look half-bad for a twenty-six-year-old widow. She wasn’t ready for any kind of intimate relationship, not even a one-night stand, but it’d do her good to make friends in the community. It’d do her good to start her life again.


If you don’t grab this opportunity, you’ll regret it.

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