B01EU62FUC (R) (8 page)

When Jesse was done with the shower and dressed, he walked over to wardrobe with her, holding her hand. As they gave her the clothes they needed her to wear and fixed her make-up, Jennifer, their make-up artist, nodded to her hand. “You can’t wear that.”

Valerie looked down at her wedding ring with a frown. She didn’t want to take it off for the show, but she understood she’d need to. “I know.” She carefully took it off and put it on her vanity table.

Jesse was soon dressed in his jeans and button up shirt for the day. They always put him in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. Her gaze moved up and down him. “Looking good.”

He grinned. “Just remember I’m the one you care about, not Bob.”

She laughed. “Jo and I are in agreement. Neither of us want Bob. We’re all about you and Dylan.”

Jennifer grinned. “I’m so glad you two finally quit being stupid and got married.”

“Quit being stupid?” Valerie asked, gaping at Jennifer. “What’s that supposed to mean?” The make-up artist had never had much of an opinion about her relationship with Jesse before.

“It means that Jesse’s been in love with you since day one. It’s about time he acted on it.” Jennifer looked at Valerie as if she was stupid for not knowing.

Valerie blinked a couple of times. “He has not. We’ve been friends.” She looked at Jesse. “Tell her.”

Jesse stayed silent for a moment, looking at her. “I like the way that dress looks on you.”

Jennifer said nothing more, but her knowing eyes moved from Jesse to Valerie and back again. After they were finished getting ready, Valerie and Jesse walked to the main house together where they’d have a quick scene before her picnic with Bob. “Jesse? Why didn’t you agree with me back there?”

“Val, I couldn’t. Don’t worry about it.”

“What do you mean you couldn’t? You couldn’t tell her you weren’t in love with me?”

He stopped walking and caught her arm, knowing it would put them a bit behind schedule, but needing her to understand. “I’m not going to lie to you. I fell in love with you at first sight. Everyone knew it but you.”

“What?” She stared at him in shock, feeling betrayed. How could he have loved her so long without telling her? “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
More importantly, why didn’t I notice?

“When was I supposed to say something? You were dating Curtis. Everyone knew it.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”

“There’s nothing to say. Just accept it and move on.” He took her hand again and walked her to the house, feeling inexplicably hurt. He’d wanted her to tell him that she loved him too. He knew she couldn’t, but that didn’t change how he felt.

Her mind raced as they walked. Could it be true that he’d loved her for so long? How was that possible when she hadn’t even known?

Her mind wasn’t on her scene with him, and she messed it up three times, before Steven asked her if she had a problem.

Valerie shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ll get it right this time.”

She took a moment and just concentrated on the scene. Dylan came into the room. “What’s wrong with Rosie?”

Dylan smiled. “Nothing to worry about. She’s got a slight scrape on her leg, but no bones are broken. I applied some ointment. She should be good as new by this time next week.”

“Oh, good. I was worried!”

“I know. She’s your best mare, but it’s nothing serious at all. I’ll come by this afternoon to check it out if you’d like.”

Jo nodded. “That would be great.” She walked to him, and put her hand on his arm, stroking it affectionately. “I appreciate how good you are about always easing my mind.”

Dylan’s hands caught her hips and pulled her to him, looking down into her eyes. “I have to take care of my best girl.” His head descended, and he gave her a kiss that turned her knees to mush.

Her arms wrapped around him, and she clung to him. When he lifted his head, she said, “Thank you, doctor.”

“You’re very welcome.” He kissed her nose quickly. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

She watched him stride away, closing the front door with a snap behind him.

“Cut!” Steven walked over to Valerie. “That was much better. I’m glad you’ve got your mind in the game again.”

“Sorry about earlier.”

“You’ve been married three days. You’re bound to be a bit distracted.” He rolled his shoulders. “Time for the scene with Jo and Bob.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want him to kiss me.”

“I know you don’t. That’s why the scene is going to look so good on film.”

She nodded, walking into the kitchen and grabbing another cup of coffee, downing it quickly.

Jo was waiting in the kitchen when Bob walked into the house without knocking, as he usually did during working hours. “Jo, I wanted to have a talk with you about the ranch today. I packed us a picnic lunch.”

Jo wrinkled her nose. “All right. We can have lunch.”

“I saddled your gelding for the ride.” Bob indicated the two horses outside the window, and Jo followed him out.

She swung her leg up over the saddle and rode with him to a spot along the side of the road. Bob spread out the quilt he’d tied behind his saddle and pulled the food from his saddle bags. “Now what did you need to talk to me about that couldn’t wait?”

He spread the food out on the quilt while she sat on the ground, waiting for him. Bob had been Jo’s father’s foreman, and he had been obvious about his feelings for her since the day she’d taken over ownership of the ranch. She’d been just as obvious about her feelings for Dylan, after their initial season of getting to know each other.

“I’ve been patient with you and your little crush on the vet, but I think I’ve waited long enough,” Bob said, biting into his sandwich. “It was your father’s wish that we marry, which I told you as soon as you took the ranch over.”

“But it’s not my desire we marry. Doesn’t that matter to you at all?”

“You haven’t given me a chance, Jo. As soon as you saw Dylan Drake, you forgot all other men existed. You need to give me an honest try. It was your father’s dying wish.”

She shook her head. “Is that the only reason you brought me here?”

“Are you saying you won’t give me a fair chance?”

“I’ve never hidden the fact that I have feelings for Dr. Drake. I’m not going to give anyone else a chance. Why would I?”

He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. Valerie was just as disgusted as Jo was. She didn’t want to be touched by anyone but Jesse. She tried to pull her arm away, but his grip was too strong.

Bob crushed her to him, kissing her. She pounded on his chest to get away, and then she was pulled from him, and Dylan was there, throwing a punch at the foreman.

Bob landed flat on his back on the ground, staring up at Dylan who had fire in his eyes.

“You have no right to touch a lady who doesn’t want to be touched.” He still had anger in his eyes as he grabbed Jo’s arm. “I’ll drive you back to the house.”

In the car, he shook his head. “Why did you come out here with him? Why couldn’t you stay at home where you were safe?”

She glared. “I can take care of myself, Dylan! He’s my employee, and I thought he wanted to give me an accounting of how the ranch was doing.”

“By taking you on a romantic picnic lunch? How naïve can you be?”

When the car stopped in front of the house, she got out and slammed the door. “I don’t need anyone managing my life! Not even you!”

She stormed into the house and slammed the door behind her.

Steven yelled out, “Cut!” He was smiling as he walked over to her. “That was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I could feel your anger with Dylan.”

She nodded briefly, realizing that she was a little angry with Jesse. It hadn’t been hard to act angry. He seemed to be trying to take over her life, and that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted someone to be beside her, not someone who would completely control her life. She’d had enough controlling with Curtis.

“We’ll do the scene where you and Dylan make up after lunch.” Steven strode away, and Jesse appeared at her side as if by magic.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, wondering what they’d do for lunch.

He nodded. “Let’s go back to your trailer for some sandwiches.”

She was surprised by how things were stilted between them. She’d thought once they finally made love, there would never be any tension. She’d been wrong. “We need to talk.”

“Yeah, we probably do, but I’m not sure I’m ready to talk.”

“Why not? You were the one who dropped a bomb on me, not the other way around.”

“Dropped a bomb? By telling you I love you?” Jesse knew his anger was ridiculous. He’d been hiding his feelings from her for years, and he’d known she’d react the way she had.
So why does it hurt so much?

She sucked in a breath. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because I knew how you’d react. Because you were dating someone else. Because you were so skittish I was afraid you’d never speak to me outside of work again. I was afraid it would ruin our chemistry on the set.” He shook his head. “but more than anything, because you weren’t
ready to hear it
!”

She led the way into her trailer and stalked to the refrigerator. “So why did you tell me this morning?”

“You forced me into it. You and Jennifer.” He sighed. “I didn’t want to scare you.”

“I feel like I’ve been lied to for four years.”

“I didn’t lie to you. I never said I didn’t love you.” He frowned, picking up the bottle of water she’d placed in front of him and taking a swig. “I honestly didn’t feel like I had the right to tell you. You were dating someone else.”

“Someone that you
kne
w didn’t treat me right!” She couldn’t help wondering how different her life would be if he’d admitted his love four years before. Would she have married him right away? It would certainly have saved her from four years of abuse.

“But you still chose to stay with him.”

Her face fell. “I thought you understood what happened there.”

He sighed. “I do understand. Now. How could I then? I knew you two didn’t have the kind of passion you and I had, but that didn’t mean you didn’t care for him. For all I knew, you thought you were madly in love with him!”

“Where does this leave us?” she asked, suddenly tired. She’d gone to bed the night before feeling like they could get through anything as long as they were together, and now this.

He reached over and took her hand, bringing it to his lips. “We’re not in any different position than we were last night. I loved you then, and I still love you. The only difference is you know about it now.”

“But my knowing it changes everything. At least in my mind.”

“Not in mine.” Jesse frowned. The only thing different for him is he’d wanted her to confess her love as soon as he’d confessed his, and she hadn’t. “I feel the same as I always have. I married you knowing I loved you, and you didn’t love me back. It’s the same now.”
Other than hurting a little more, of course. I can take it like a man, though.

Valerie closed her eyes for a moment, feeling terrible. “I care about you a great deal, Jesse.”

“I know you do. I also know we have great chemistry. I believe you can fall in love with me if you let yourself.” He shrugged. “Eventually.”

“So in the meantime, I get to feel guilty because our feelings are uneven?”

His eyes met hers, the hurt apparent in them. “There’s no reason for you to feel guilty. I knew what I was doing by marrying you.” He took the hand he still held and pulled her over onto his lap. “Val, let’s just leave things like they’ve been. I’ve got the woman I love in my arms every night. You’ve got the feeling of safety you needed. We’re okay. We’re both getting what we need from the other.” He recognized his words as a lie, but hoped she wouldn’t. He needed so much more than her acquiescence in bed. He needed her love.

She nodded, unsure of what else they could do. “I guess.”

“Did you call your agent to have her move your things yet?”

She smiled. “
Now
I understand the manly sappiness.”

He grinned, tracing her lips with one finger. “Of course, you do. Does that make it better or worse?”

“Neither one. Things are just—different.”

“I’m still going to take care of you.”

She sighed. “I appreciate the thought. I’m still going to learn to stand on my own two feet and take care of myself.”

They went back to work a short while later, hand-in-hand once again. Jesse’s eyes were alert for trouble but there was none.

“I felt like I was cheating on you when Bob kissed Jo.” She rubbed her hand over her mouth as she said the words, trying to wipe the memory of the kiss she hadn’t wanted from her lips.

He smiled at that. “Did you feel like you were cheating on Curtis when Jo kissed Dylan?”

She shook her head. “No, but let’s be really honest here. It was never Jo kissing Dylan. It was Valerie kissing Jesse. It was always you for me.”

He stopped walking and pulled her to him, kissing her passionately in the middle of the set for everyone to see. He pulled away as he heard the wolf whistles from the others. “I’m so glad you said that. Makes me feel like it’s me you care about after all.”

She touched her hand to his cheek. “You know it is.”

Curtis came to the set on Tuesday, but security sent him away. The security guard went to Valerie afterward and pressed a note in her hand. “He begged me to give you this.”

Valerie took it and tucked it into her pocket. She’d decide what she’d do with it later. There was no point in worrying about it right then.

That evening, while Jesse was filming a quick scene without her, Valerie read the note.

Dear Valerie,

I know I couldn’t have heard right, but people are saying you’re married to Jesse. I know we had a little tiff, but we’ve had them before, and I’m sure we will again. I bought you a ring, and I was planning to propose when I came to the set last week. I’m sorry we fought, but seeing you kiss that man makes me go crazy with jealousy. It always has.

Please forgive me.

Curtis.

She read through the note once more before setting it on the table. At least he wasn’t threatening her. She was sure it would come, but for now, he was being apologetic, just like he always was after he’d hit her.